Articles by Section - Columnists
Scharf: The good power of God
Last month, my congregation (Abiding Grace) celebrated our 10th anniversary. And there is plenty to celebrate. In 10 years, we've grown in people, in facilities, in opportunities to serve our community and spread the word around the world - in so many different ways. Things are rocking at Abiding Grace. So, looking at that, we must be doing something right, right?
Just a Thought
We spend billions of dollars as a nation every year on physical health and fitness.
The power of a name
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "And I don't know where they have put him." She turned to leave ...
From tears to triumph
I'll admit it. I am a big college basketball fan, which means I'm loving life right here in the middle of March Madness.
McCoy: A plan and a purpose
At that hour, Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day, I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Scharf: Death, on purpose
Today is Good Friday. The name seems like a misnomer when you consider that it marks the day of an execution - three in fact.
Archive By Section - Columnists
Parson to Person: Designer Jesuses
Catholic priest and syndicated columnist Andrew Greeley wrote, "Much of the history of Christianity has been devoted to domesticating Jesus, to reducing that elusive, enigmatic, paradoxical person to dimensions we can comprehend, understand, and convert to our own purposes. So far it hasn't worked," (Strobel, Lee, The Case for the Real Jesus, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Mich., 2007 p.9). We live in an age that is prone toward a distortion of Jesus. Years ago, ...
Grace Notes: God’s Grace for you to carry your cross
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Jesus said that. And remember, in his day, when you heard the word "cross" you weren't thinking jewelry or art. You were thinking torture and blood and suffocation and death. All that considered, his recruitment pitch seems to leave something to be desired, doesn't it? But that's what he said. In fact, in the words we're looking at ...
Parson to Person: An unusual connection between Christ and Oprah
I was listening to the evening news Sunday night (9-20-09), and the anchor reported yet another scam that is taking place in our nation. This one is in the name of Oprah Winfrey. Ms. Winfery's generosity is well known. Now, a group of con-artists are cashing in on her reputation and instead of rewarding people with cash gifts they are scamming people; stealing large sums of cash from them on the promise of being a ...
Parson to person: We remember history the way we want to
I was reading in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings 18 and another passage popped into my mind. Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us "History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new" (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NLT). Perhaps this passage in Ecclesiastes is true because mankind has an appalling record of refusing to learn from history, so much so that today if we don't like the ...
Grace Notes: God’s grace fits all
"One Size Fits All." Have you ever heard that one? I've been mocked by that one on both ends of the scale. As a small child, I remember swimming in things that supposedly "fit all" - and now I'm more likely to stretch things that "fit all." You know the truth - one size doesn't fit all. Our Savior knew that too
Grace Notes: Choose ye this Day!
You wrote "friends forever" in her high school yearbook, and you meant it. But you haven't spoken to or heard from her in years. You vowed to love your spouse forever, but somehow wound up in divorce court. How did it happen? So many things in life seem to "just happen," even though we never would have chosen them. They just sneak up on you. Little by little they grow on or away from you. ...
Parson to Person: Why so dogmatic?
Occasionally I am asked, "Why are you so dogmatic?" And of course the connotation is that it is a bad thing. After all, shouldn't ministers be the most open and accepting of other views and other religions? Let's look at this for a minute. We live in an age of relativism where very few people seem willing to take a hard stand on anything. According to the relativist, no one can know truth dogmatically or ...
Parson to Person: Spiritual health reform
Health care seems to be the center of discussion these days. Mind if I put in my two cents?
Parson to Person: God challenges us for a reason
It always amazes me to see people who are so willing to accept the truth of anything written in print, with the one exception being the Bible. Though there is more evidence for the accuracy and authenticity of the various books of the Bible, many today feel compelled to accept the alternate texts of the Gnostic gospels, texts that have been proven to be bogus, while rejecting that which has proven to be genuine. Why ...
Grace notes: God’s grace for you to get some rest
Are you tired? Has summer worn you out? Or is it the school starting? Or work? Maybe it's the stress. Doctors say that stress directly affects the amount and the quality of the rest you get, making you feel so tired. You could use some rest.
Parson to Person: It’s about the relationship
We who are Christians are called to live different lives. Not a message we hear much about today, but certainly the message of our Lord and his followers. Jesus said, "In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, NCV). Peter reminds us, "Be careful how you behave among your ...
Parson to Person: It’s about the relationship
We who are Christians are called to live different lives. Not a message we hear much about today, but certainly the message of our Lord and his followers. Jesus said, "In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, NCV). Peter reminds us, "Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; ...
Grace notes: ‘Do you believe in miracles?’
"Do you believe in miracles?"
Whose word can you trust?
Who do you go to for advice? Family? Friends? What if the advice they give you is not what you want to hear? What do you do then? Truth be known, most of us don't look for "advice" - we want agreement. We want someone to tell us exactly what we want to hear. The story is told of a little monkey who desperately wanted to go swimming in a forbidden lake. He had seen ...
Grace notes: God’s grace to get you to speak up!
You see a family member mistreating their spouse. You have a co-worker that's probably an alcoholic. There's a brother or sister in Christ who's spending less and less time in God's word and his house. Someone should say something, right? Of course, what they are doing is harmful to themselves, to those they love, even to their relationship with God. But do you want to be the one to have to speak up? It's just ...
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