THE SECOND DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. HUH??? I was reading a blog article recently about the use of evangelistic tools. At the end of the article were comments by readers. The first comment, obviously a spoof and not based in fact, said: Did you hear that Billy Graham Ministries has abandoned the Sinner's Prayer? They wanted a fresh slogan to appeal to nonbelievers. Here is what they decided on... "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Below which the commenting reader added his … [Read more...]
Family Notes 18/11/2015
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. HEAVEN ISN'T ENOUGH (By Gregory Crofford. Excerpted and condensed.) Why did Jesus die on the cross? The tendency has been to say that it was so we could go to heaven. However, that has always seemed incomplete to those coming from a Wesleyan-Holiness perspective. In the "Great Commission," Jesus outlined our mission as a call for people to follow Jesus in the here-and-now: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and … [Read more...]
BOOK NOTES BY DAVID MATTHEW
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. David Matthew is a British Bible teacher, Christian leader, blogger, and long-time gracEmail subscriber with whom I frequently share identical theological perspectives and a common approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible. David's website is located at: www.davidmatthew.org.uk Below are David's own lead-ins and links to some of his recent book reviews, which I commend to you most heartily for your enjoyment and edification. Concerning The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg, … [Read more...]
Family Notes 28/10/2015
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. THREE PRAYER MEETINGS I recently read a sermon by gracEmail subscriber and long-time friend Gordon Wilson, titled "Three Prayer Meetings," which in my opinion was deserving of the label "extraordinary." I asked Gordon's permission to tell you about it, and asked that he send a PDF of the sermon to anyone who sent a request to gleewilson@aol.com . He graciously consented and I thank him for doing so. THIRTY DAYS OF PRAYER FOR . . . Sometime in 1998 (gracEmail was approximately one year old at the … [Read more...]
Family Notes 21/10/2015
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. MORNING PRAYERS One delightful way to begin a morning filled with an awareness of God's holy presence and awesome power is to participate in the Morning Prayer service, via podcast, of the Episcopal Church of Garrett County, Maryland. The 14-minute service of worship includes Scripture readings and prayers, a general confession, the Apostles Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and more. You will find this service each morning at: www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/morningprayer IN THE NEWS Now and then God … [Read more...]
Family Notes 07/10/2015
THE SEVENTH DAY OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. GRACEMAIL SUBSCRIBERS FIND 'LITTLE GRAY SQUIRRELS' TO THEIR LIKING If essays had emotions, one might suppose that last Sunday's gracEmail titled "Little Gray Squirrels" is tingling with delight at the warm reception it received from gracEmail subscribers. Following is a representative sampling of feedback from "Little Gray Squirrels." Amen! (Jerry Pardue) . . . Excellent response (Craig Churchill) . . . In Missouri, we find little gray squirrels tasty (Greg Carman) . . . I love it! (Sharon Green) . . . Great … [Read more...]
Family Notes 30/09/2015
THE THIRTIETH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. LEROY GARRETT (1919-2015) Four years short of the century mark, Dr. Leroy Garrett, 96, fell asleep in Jesus at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. He was a lecturer, editor, and author among Churches of Christ and Christian Churches for over seventy years, and was a member of the Singing Oaks Church of Christ in Denton, Texas. Garrett was preceded in death by his wife, Ouida, and by numerous near of kin. Surviving him temporarily are a son, David, one grandson, two great- grandsons, and a brother, … [Read more...]
Family Notes 23/09/2015
THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. CREATION UNDERRATED God is our beginning and end, [therefore] our journey will not be meaningless, for God surrounds and enfolds our time in his eternity . . . [O]ur creature-relationship to God defines our essence . . . Taking creation and the Creator seriously can transform the way you feel about the world around you and your own existence. And taking the faithfulness of the creator seriously by coming to embrace the doctrine of God's all-embracing providential care, can begin to liberate us from the … [Read more...]
Family Notes 12/08/2015
THE TWELFTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A STORY OF CRIME, FORGIVENESS, AND REPENTANCE Misty Wallace was eighteen years old when Keith Blackburn, 18, shot her through the face. Miraculously, Misty survived and eventually she was able to forgive the man who shot her. Today, after serving ten years in prison for attempted murder, Keith holds a Master of Divinity degree and is a chaplain in the Indiana prison system. Misty is Indiana Regional Coordinator of Bridges To Life. Together, they share their overlapping stories on a daily basis at venues around the … [Read more...]
Review of Robert Morey
DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE Robert A. Morey (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1984, cloth, 315 pages). One of the first books written in response to The Fire That Consumes after its appearance in 1982 was this volume by Robert A. Morey. The author of several books, Morey self-identifies as an apologist for orthodox Christianity and an exposer of cultic and non-Christian religions. Morey's zeal is beyond question, although his research and reasoning are not, as pointed out in the review that follows. As used here, a "conditionalist" is a person who holds that, because only God is … [Read more...]