Transformation

The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Tied Up In Nots

I am concerned. I would even say I am worried but I know as followers of Christ we are often chastised when one says, “I am afraid” or “anxious” or “worried” so in an attempt to avoid the unacceptable, out of context, reality denying unbiblical response to the fear those that struggle in the face of what appears to be unsurmountable situations feel, I will stick with I am concerned. What am I concerned about? I am concerned that as a follower of Christ I will be forced to serve those who are foreign to my faith in a land that I no longer can call my own.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – All My Friends Are Doing It

If all your friends jumped off a bridge does that mean you would? These were the wise words of parents everywhere to get children to recognize that we should never do something just because our friends did. We would always answer with a resounding NO even though we knew that if our friends were doing it we would be right there doing it too no matter how dangerous it was.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – The Work of Our Fathers

Our forefathers worked hard to create a country that is now being destroyed. It sounds like a political rallying cry, a complaint against what is and a call to return to what was. What was it? What should it be? What was their intent when they created it? Is that our intent when we want to recreate it? I believe we would all agree with the words in Jeremiah 3:24 (NIV) “From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors’ labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters,” but would we all agree with what this means?

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – ’Til Death

…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I often say to my wife we’ve done the worse, the poorer, the sickness, maybe for this part of our lives we can try the better, the richer and the health. The truth is, regardless of whether we are able to turn the tables, we are committed to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. There are some days I am sure that my behavior puts ideas in my wife’s mind about ways to fulfil the ‘til death do us part, part.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Historically Prodigal

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I think almost everyone who attended Sunday school during the sixties and seventies has a memory of the high tech presentation systems used to etch memories in the minds of the young people who never missed a week. In fairness to this generation, attendance was not high because of the quality of storytelling but rather the willingness of a parent to use soap or the back of their hand to quickly put an end to any attempt to present an alternate to the fast paced drama that would unfold on the felt board every Sunday morning. We were told they were parables but we cared more about pulling the hair of the girl in the row in front of us or throwing a paper airplane at the teacher’s head. The felt board was a marvel of modern artistry but the stories got old really quick.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Perfect Children

“I hope your children treat you the same way you treat us, then you will understand,” is something many parents say to their kids. As a kid I thought to myself, “I hope so too.” I knew that I was the best example of what it is to be the perfect son. Unlike my parents I had a complete understanding of how the world worked and the appropriate behavior for said world. I was rarely wrong and when I was wrong the cause rested solely on the actions of my sister or my parents. When raising my kids I dreamed that they too would be perfect like me because I only did wrong when my parents and sister caused me to do wrong. I came the conclusion that I, as a perfect kid, would become a perfect parent and therefore could not cause my kids to do wrong. Also, I as a perfect parent, could not raise children in a way that could cause their siblings to do wrong.

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