My wife will have substantially more on this, but we did have movement this month: 3 slots. We’re still in the 60s, but only barely!
Author:warren
lots of changes
This will likely be the last term I teach a Sunday afternoon discipleship class at Porter. But this is a Good Thing™. Beginning the first Sunday in April, I will be trialing as the new primary leader of a SS class Life Group. If all goes well, after the first month, I’ll be in there …
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quotes to prepare for session 3
Trials hurt. They stretch us, bend us, twist us, and pressure us as they develop us into the people God would have us to be. A chef in an authentic pizzeria stretches the dough, pounds it, flattens it, rolls it, twirls it, and then cooks it. A pizza can’t become all that a pizza was …
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quote to prepare for session 2
It’s important to realize faith is more than a feeling. Faith is a function. ({{God’s Unlikely Path to Success}} by {{Tony Evans}} p38 (ref)) {session 1 thoughts}
how to tell if you’re called to ministry
This is an excellent article: How Can I Tell If I’m Called to Pastoral Ministry?
study, study, study
In addition to leading a Sunday afternoon study at my church this spring, I am also participating in the 40 Day Challenge with a friend‘s church in NJ. That one uses the {{NIV}} (a version I’m not especially fond of), but it’s been reformatted into a chapter- and verse-less edition so that the books of …
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A Visual Guide to the Gospels: fascinating insights into where they happened and why
I just finished reading {{A Visual Guide to the Gospels}} by {{James C. Martin}}, {{John A. Beck}}, & {{David G. Hansen}} a couple nights ago. I grabbed this on a lark from my local library the other day. What a find. Wow. This is a phenomenal piece of Bible study, archaeological research, prophecy linkage, and …
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quotes to prepare for session 1
To prepare for session 1, and to remind you of the whole purpose of this study, I want to share a pair of quotes: Faith means acting on God’s Word. Faith is acting as if something is so even when it is not so in order for it to be so simply because God said so. and When you …
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It’s [still] Not Too Late!
Due to weather and other concerns, the spring classes at PMBC won’t start until this Sunday – 10 Feb. So. It’s [still] Not Too Late! I’ll be starting that class at 1700 in two days 🙂 There are several others, too – but mine’s the best 😀
suggestions for improving your walk this year
One of the pastors at my old church in NC has some great suggestions/thoughts for improving your walk this year. Personally, I think it’s a Good Idea™ to also read non-“spiritual” books/works, too – because it can help keep you abreast of cultural trends and changes – but his list is a fantastic start.
spring class – It’s Not Too Late
This spring (starting on 03 Feb), I will be leading a Bible study class at PMBC based on {{Tony Evans}}’ book {{It’s Not Too Late}}. I invite you all to join me in this ~8 week study!
other things to podcast
In addition to my previous post about podcasting the Bible, I have been considering offering a podcasted version of some now-public-domain texts – such as {{Spurgeon}}’s {{Morning and Evening}} or {{Faith Checkbook}}. What other titles like that would be appreciated to exist in audio form?
podcasting the Bible
I’ve been tossing around the idea of podcasting the Bible for some time – ie, creating an audio Bible of my own (using a readily-available translation), and posting episodes (chapters or books – haven’t decided which yet) on a frequent basis (perhaps weekly). After all, what better way is there to study the Bible than …
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How to Study the Bible
In follow-up to my last post about {{George Guthrie}}’s book {{Read the Bible for Life}}, I wanted to give some more thoughts on how to study the Bible in practical ways. Let the Bible speak for itself “The Word of God is living and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Given that this is true, …
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Reading the Bible for Life
A couple weeks ago I finished leading a small group study through {{George Guthrie}}’s {{Read the Bible for Life}} video and study series. It’s a good introduction to the {{Bible}}, and I found it helpful – though I think that video-based studies like that are too slow-paced, and encourage “waiting for the fill-in” to appear …
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on Eschewmenical
I am a contributor on Eschewmenical – the blog for Christianity.SE. My first contribution is my testimony of being saved.
Bereanism: Bible study, and seminaries
In Acts 17, we are introduced to the Bereans: The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to …
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Are you Pro-Life or Pro-Death? There is no “pro-choice”.
There is a lot of debate in the so-called “pro-choice” camp about when an unborn child is a “person”, and when it is merely a mass of cells that can be terminated with no qualms. Since I am a Christian, I like looking at what God says about the issue first. Some selected passages on …
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studying Matthew
For the past several months I have been meeting with 1-3 other guys at the Panera in Nicholasville to study the book of Matthew. It has been an amazing time, and I can’t overstate how much I have both learned, and grown through meeting with D, E, & P 🙂 Going methodically through the book …
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does the local church have a “niche”?
I saw a recent sermon series being promoted at one of the churches in Lexington on “The Church: Finding the Niche” (I may have the title slightly off, but it’s close). Unless I am grossly mistaken, the “niche” of the church is to: reach the lost (Matthew 28:19ff; cf Mark 16:15ff) encourage the saints (Acts 16:40, …
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a word study of “chaste” and “chasten”
I find it fascinating that the English words “chaste” and “chasten” have the same Latin roots, and that the verbal form has as its goal the noun form. “The wife’s conduct is also characterized as chaste (hagnen), ‘pure’ or ‘holy.’ The concept is not to be limited to sexual chastity; it denotes that purity in …
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the dimensions and approximate weight of the Ark of the Covenant
Quoting from a reliable source, the Ark was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Also, the depiction here is highly likely to be wrong, especially since the rings are said to be on the feet! It was 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide and high. Above the chest was the Mercy Seat, upon which …
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a plea for simplification
There has been a massive over-complexification that has taken place in modern [Western] “Christianity” that needs to be seriously and radically addressed. All throughout the Bible, God is portrayed as a God of exactness, precision, detail, and immense variety. He is also portrayed as a God who is very simple – infinitely powerful, wise, knowledgeable, …
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unbiblicality in the church
Over the years, I have witnessed many many churches doing things and performing activities both at the church and outside the church that have left me questioning “where did that come from – biblically”? From “worship experiences” to children’s church, seeker-sensitivity to ministry breakdowns for every conceivable age group | demographic – the modern church (and, I suppose, …
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church planting
Jesus called us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” [Mark 6:15] and to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” [Matthew 28:19-20a]. The first church in Jerusalem grew huge …
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