THE THIRD DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. THANKS FOR THE THANKS! A few years ago, a surgeon who treated me asked if I minded if he prayed for me and that began a wonderful conversation that lasted until he discharged me. This week, I received an email thanks and update from the surgeon, to whom I now offer my thanks in return. Following is a portion of his email. "I have been enjoying your gracEmails for sometime since I saw you several years ago in my office. Your unbridled enthusiasm for God's Word and His wisdom continues to inspire and encourage me. … [Read more...]
Family Notes 02/12/2015
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...]
Family Notes 04/11/2015
THE FOURTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. Extraordinary honor elicits special thanks God willing, in a small, private ceremony scheduled to occur later this month, the Foundation for Evangelical Dialogue, sponsor of the Rethinking Hell Project, will formally present to the world a new volume titled A Consuming Passion: Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge (Pickwick Publications: Wipf and Stock, 2015, 430 pages). Technically referrred to as a Festschrift (German for "feast of knowledge"), such a book brings together a variety of … [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 16/09/2015
THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. WISDOM LITERATURE Ecclesiastes is one of the Old Testaments five wisdom books. It has been said that the Psalms teach us how to worship; Proverbs, how to behave; Job, how to suffer; Song of Solomon, how to love; and Ecclesiastes, how to live. How? With realism and reverence, with humility and restraint, coolly and contentedly, in wisdom and in joy. -- J. I. Packer, "How I Learned to Live Joyfully," See: Christianity Today for online edition THE 'CALLED OUT' It is often said that the English word … [Read more...]