Great Expectations

2006-06-29T19:28:00.000-04:00

The custom of sinning takes away the sense of it, the course of the world takes away the shame of it. John Owen

Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. John Owen

The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men. John Owen

The vigor and power and comfort of our spiritual life depends on our mortification of deeds of the flesh. John Owen

2006-06-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

July 2nd at the Ohio Theater! We're getting together to see the Academy Award winning movie, "Bridge on the River Kwai"

Join us...

Here's the link to the CAPA Summer Movie series:

http://www.capa.com/columbus/SMS2006brochure.pdf

OR...will it be...

Superman!

Cookout this Saturday

2006-06-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

This is my Grandma. I visited her on my recent vacation in North Carolina.

Our cookout is this Saturday, June 10th at 6:00. No need to bring anything. It's at my house, 1513 Graham Road. See you there!!

Meeting next Sunday. Scott says: No Joke!

2006-02-21T15:58:00.000-05:00

Scott says that Paul really will make the meeting on Feb 26th. No doubt this time, no schedule conflicts. He will be there! We'll be potlucking it, so be sure to visit the evite link and sign up to bring something. I'm excited about discussing the sermon. It'll really help us with reinforcing it and applying it to our lives.

See you there!

2006-01-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

Great Time at Christmas Party!!

Our next meeting is January 18, Wednesday, 6:30 at Paul's house.

The party was a lot of fun. The gift exchange revealed a nifty jester's hat, which somehow found it's way to Margie Connor's sister after passing through several hands and sitting on several people's heads (Yes, I have pictures!)

Lots of good food and hot drinks propelled a few of us late into the night talking about the holidays. Scott's discussion topic was thought-provoking: "How should we respond to the politically correct notion for retailers and others to substitute the word, 'holidays' for the word, 'Christmas.'"

We made an attempt to sing Christmas carols, but managed to fake through about 3 or 4 before moving on. Through all the ups and downs I am encouraged by building fellowship and family, and providing the opportunity for accountability.

Much Christmas and New Year's love,
Paul

Scott's Message: Finishing Strong

2005-10-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

Scott's Message: Anything but a snoozer!

So how do we get going on a strong finish? 1 Pet. 1:13 is a good place to start:
First we prepare our minds:
1 Pet. 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (The hope Peter is talking about is the same as John mentioned in the passage we just read. In fact, 1 John 2:28-3:3 is a good explanation and application of Peters words here. We prepare our minds for action by abiding in Christ; we keep sober in spirit by determining not to live in a way that will cause us to shrink away from Christ in shame at His coming; and we fix our hope completely on our total & visible transformation when Christ returns.)
Part of preparing our minds is also meditating on the good common sense of giving all of ourselves, and the things we do, to Christ. There are many Scriptures that speak along these lines, but I’ll quote just one passage:
2 Cor. 5:14-15: “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

Barna says: Be church, don't just go...

2005-10-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

The Barna Update: A bi-weekly e-mail from George Barna

Americans are creating new forms of religious experience and expression that are replacing the common approach (i.e., attending events and programs at a congregational form of a local church). During the last couple of years, in particular, there has been an explosion of activity in new forms of faith activity, such as the house church, marketplace ministries, and cyberchurch participation. The adherents of these new forms of the Church span the demographic spectrum. Find out more about this faith revolution in this week’s Barna Update by clicking on the link below or by going to The Barna Group’s home page at www.barna.org.

New Home Group

2005-09-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

The place for the first meeting is New Song! And it's tonight!
First Meeting: Wed., October 19th @ 6:30 PM, place TBA

Because the glory of Christ should be lived together!

Our group seeks to live the life of the New Testament Church capsulized in Acts 2:42-47. We want to develop loving relationships in community through God's word, prayer, communion, sharing, counseling and worship.

We love congregating at New Song Community Church on a regular basis. Many of us are ready to go the next step and develop deeper, more mature relationships. It's exciting to realize that this kind of commitment will lead to more meaningful relationship with and labor for the Lord.

It is my conviction that the love displayed in small communities is the strongest attraction for people to find Christ and come to the church where their lives can be transformed. Love speaks to all people of all ages at all times. When united with truth it is the most powerful force in the universe.

Breaking of Bread on OSU campus 1970's. Do you see John Hopler?

Review of Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian"

2005-08-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

Below is my review of Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. Sorry, it's not too favorable...
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:A Familiar Kind of Heretic, August 8, 2005
Reviewer:
P. E. Marshall "Reference Guy" (Pataskala, OH United States) - See all my reviews
King Solomon told us in the Book of Ecclesiastes that there "Is nothing new under the sun." When we reach a time of spiritual crisis, like Brian McLaren's pastor, Dan did in this book, we can react in a number of ways. As Christians we should go back to our roots, to the Creator God, to Jesus, to His words in the Bible, to the people who love us.

Or we can opt for the more popular option that leads away from the path of the cross to the welcoming arms of popular and academic opinion. We should, as Paul said, "Become all things to all men so that we may save some." But by that Paul did not mean he would use a different gospel just to get people on board. In fact, in Galatians, he remonstrates with the church that, "If anyone preaches a different gospel...let him be accursed."

McLaren's Neo character mentors Dan away from certainty into a fog so dense that he's not even sure what the gospel is anymore. Near the end of the book, he hopes that Neo will email him and explain it. McLaren's emergent church misdiagnoses what GenX people really long for along with love and acceptance: clear cut answers. The postmodernists have their own metanarrative that worships multiculturist relativism, a paradigm that starts with our fallen minds and tries to reach to God, not one that is given the discovery of God's revelation by grace.

McLaren makes an effort to show how everyone universally likes and admires Neo for his enlightened views. Indeed there is a pull for those disenchanted with their Christian experience to fit in, to agree politically and culturally with the majority. Neo is a scientist who endorses evolution. One senses that this "modernist" view that rejects special creation is the root of the paradigm shift. Romans 1 recounts the folly of rejecting the Creator and embracing the creature.

McLaren's book is brilliant in that it shares its point of view through story/parable, and makes itself understandable and accessible to young readers and non-theologians. It is a Pied Piper that starts out leading people a little away from the truth, providing just the right amount of temptation and confusion. Contrast this with Bihop Shelby Spong's much less subtle rejection of orthodox Christianity. Bishop Spong's stark theology can no longer be called Christian in the most important senses. McLaren's road leads to the same place, but he is much more effective in the wooing.

I believe God can use the existence of the Emergent Church for good. Those of us who believe in the church of the New Testament (pre-modern and pre-postmodern) are challenged to reexamine our method of reaching lost souls, especially young people. We will be forced to defend and strengthen our position from new angles. We are challenged to love fervently as well as know the truth. Love and truth cannot properly exist without one another. Though McLaren strains to remain above the fray, he cannot disguise his liberal theology or politics (A Google search will yield an anti-Iraq war letter to President Bush). In the end, he is not a self-proclaimed C.S. Lewis or Martin Luther II, but someone who doubts and rejects fundamental aspects of Christianity that go far beyond the modern. Jesus, Paul, Augustine. These men do not fit in his "modern" category, but clearly articulate doctrine that he rejects.

Unless you have read the sequels to this book, you have to read between the lines to know that McLaren is an evolutionist, someone who rejects the literal interpretation and inerrancy of the scriptures, and an admirer of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other "ways to God." This is not Christianity. So if you want another religion that will tickle your ears and make you popular with your liberal friends, follow this road. All true reformers will go back to the scriptures and the record of the first century church to hear the voice of God.

See all my Amazon reviews at http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A388SVRSL8OGJW/ref=cm_cr_auth/102-0819181-8732113?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I bought this house!

2005-08-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

It's located at 1513 Graham Rd. It's a bit on the small side, but has a good garage and decent basement. The lot is fairly small, but in pretty good shape. The interior is in much better shape than others I've been viewing in this price range.

The more I look around, the more I realize I don't have a lot of time to work on a house if I want to achieve other goals.

It's close to church and work. I like it. Whadda youse think?

Hope

2005-07-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just to get things going, I am thinking about Rom. 15:13 today. "Now may the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing." There is great reason for hope, especially in light of Eph. 3:14-21. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells in our hearts, and we can be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Looks like I'm definitely a Trinitarian. I'm at one of those low points in a relationship and I want to see the right way out of the pain and gloom. It's easy to escape and lose faith in exchange for avoiding pain. I want to face the problem head on with resolve and conviction.