Survival of the Fittest
I usually find our Wednesday morning men’s bible study conversations fascinating. Today was no different. So much so that it inspired what I wanted to share with you today.With the men’s bible study, we’ve been slowly working our way through Paul’s most ambitious letter – Romans. Today, we spent a lot of time on two deep, challenging, and rich verses from Romans 12: 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
How Beautiful Are the Feet
Hopefully you are following along with our Central Reads bible reading plan, because today’s reading is a beauty. It’s Isaiah 52 – a VERY important passage for how the New Testament writers understood Jesus and all God was doing through him. It begins the oft-read “Suffering Servant” song (which continues into chapter 53…he was pierced for our transgressions…by his wounds we are healed…) that forms so much about how we understand Jesus’ life and death for us. Beautiful and powerful. But it’s verses
The Most Politically Radical Thing You Can Do
The book of Revelation has been on my mind recently. In part, because I knew I’d be preaching from it last Sunday, but also, in part, because I know of a large bible study organization that is focusing on it this year and it’s come up in conversation a lot. As I said on Sunday, it tends to be a book that scares people and/or is just so hard to understand, so people just kind of shy away from it (or
No Author? No Problem.
A guest blog by Shawn Blythe. As our Bible readings take us to Hebrews, you might be somewhat surprised at the lack of the normal introductory format that most letters in the New Testament follow. These letters typically started with a clear indication as to who the letter was from. James begins his letter with “James, a servant of God”. Peter begins his two letters similarly, with I Peter stating “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ”. Jude does the same with
Back to Life
Last week, my friend who moved to Texas posted about how, no matter where in the world people from NJ are - even the most beautiful, awe inspiring places - they will still find a way to mention how NJ has pizza and all four seasons. Winter, though barren, brings hot cocoa and cozy evenings; it’s often a time of intentionality. Spring brings new life and fresh starts. This past Monday, we mourned the end of summer: the end of
Busy, Busy, Busy
A guest blog by Shawn Blythe. We are busy people. I know this because when somebody amicably asks me how things are going, my first instinct is to answer “Busy!” Whether it is true or not, that is the impression that I have of my life. Busy with home repairs, daily tasks, family visits, church responsibilities, hobbies, vacations, and a myriad of other activities that fill my calendar. The 19th chapter of Matthew always resonates with me because it also seems
More Than Enough To Go Around
Today’s reading in our Central Reads 2024 bible reading plan is a bit of a tough one…at first glance. There’s a story that, quite frankly, is difficult to understand – because of how out of place it seems for Jesus. It’s the one where a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus to have her daughter healed of a demon, and Jesus responds by basically saying that he’s only come for the lost sheep of Israel, and that it’s not right to give the
Act On It.
In this week’s readings from the bible reading plan, we finished the sermon on the mount on Monday (Matthew 7). It’s an amazing bit of teaching from Jesus, world-changing, personally convicting, and far reaching. But I want to highlight how it ends – because I think it’s what is so often missed:24 “Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and
The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away Fishermen look back on their great fishing excursions and always have a story to tell about “the one that got away”. I've heard people talk about past loves like that. I look at the 2008 NY Giants season like that. If Plaxico hadn’t shot himself in the leg, they were going to win back-to-back championships. They were dominant that year. That was the one that got away. The same is always true (for me at least!) for sermon
A Cruciform Life
As I said in last week’s Central Thoughts blog, we’re in the middle of a Sunday series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians – and we just don’t have enough time to talk about everything. Last Sunday, for instance, I ended the sermon by talking about Phil. 3:10 and how all Paul wants is to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection” – and explained how Christ’s story IS our true story, and when we know Christ, we become transformed by the power