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...]
MESSIAH/CHRIST — ANOINTED
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber understands that the word "Christ" in the phrase "Jesus Christ" is a title and not Jesus' last name. She knows that "Christ" is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means "anointed." Now she wonders whether first-century Jews in Palestine expected one specific Messiah at the End, or looked for several "anointed" ones. * * * It was widely held among the Jews of Jesus' day that God would anoint one or more special persons through whom he would vindicate his faithful … [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...]
ACCEPT FROM ONE WE TRUST
THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. I recently received an email from a lady named Darlene, whom I did not know, stating that my friend Wayne had urged her to tell me about a special situation and to request that I mention it in gracEmail. Harry Robert Fox, 94, a long-time missionary to Japan, now in a care facility, had written what he considered his "final paper," Darlene said. Wayne thought I would appreciate it, as would many gracEmail subscribers. This was an easy call. I first met Harry Robert Fox 25 years ago at the Pepperdine … [Read more...]
Family Notes 09/09/2015
THE NINTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. WHISPERS FROM GOD In his latest book, The Key Place: An Ordinary Place to Meet an Extraordinary God (Leafwood. 208 pages, 2015), gracEmail subscriber Gene Shelburne shares memories of his special encounters with God in a special place known to very few. When he bought the tiny house his mother grew up in, Gene Shelburne says, he could not imagine how much the Lord would bless him as this isolated getaway became his perfect retreat from a hectic world. "During quiet days beside our creek," he writes, "I could … [Read more...]
MESSIAH A RISKY TITLE
THE SIXTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber has read that Jesus played down the fact that he was the Messiah, particularly in the beginning of his ministry, and especially in the Gospel of Mark. Can I make any helpful comment about that? * * * A close reading of the first three Gospels justifies the generalizations referred to in this subscriber's questions. Commentaries and other study books frequently refer to the "messianic secret" in Mark. Jesus' reasons for this secrecy are uncertain, but they probably include the fact that … [Read more...]
Family Notes 02/09/2015
THE SECOND DAY OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Dr. Ron Highfield, elder, preacher, author, professor of religion at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, one of today's more effective Christian apologists, longtime gracEmail subscriber, and (like myself), a native son of North Alabama, has announced the publication of his latest book on Christian Apologetics, titled: ChristianityIs It Really True? Responsible Faith In a Post-Christian Culture. Last year Ron blogged in answer to the question, "Is Christianity True? producing 48 … [Read more...]
QUIET ACCEPTANCE
THE THIRTIETH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. Today's gracEmail is by Sara Faye, whom I thank for allowing me to share it with you. Waxing philosophical today as I fly home to Houston from Tennessee and an emotional weekend of goodbyes. Celebrating the remarkable life of my precious cousin Kathy, whose many friends gathered to reflect on her life of faith as we joined her dear family in praising God for our living Hope. Sharing memories with cousins of days gone by and reflecting on invisible ties that bind us. Poring over photographs from childhood, … [Read more...]
Family Notes 26/08/2015
THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. CHRIST'S RETURN To be a Christian in the first century was to be a person awaiting Jesus' return (1 Thess 1:9-10). How sad, therefore, that throughout church history this defining value of apostolic Christianity has so often gone missing. Which gives special reason to rejoice that Intersections of Faith and Culture, a twice-yearly magazine published by Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, devotes its current issue to the theme "Prepared for Christ's Return." A dozen articles (including a very … [Read more...]
SECURITY AND ASSURANCE
THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber writes that he often feels insecure regarding his standing with God. Does that mean he is lost? * * * Not at all. There is an important distinction to be made in this matter, and that is the difference between security and assurance. Security involves our actual objective condition. Assurance reflects our subjective perception of it. Someone has noted that God told Noah to waterproof the Ark with "pitch" (bitumen) both inside and outside--outside for his security and inside for his … [Read more...]
