503 results for tag: blog

Information is Not Knowledge – Greg Albrecht

Wisdom, according to the prevailing notions popular early in this 21st century, is derived from access to information and the subsequent knowledge that applies that information. But just as information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom. One must wonder whether our 21st century infatuation with information is helping make us and our world a better place. Is passionate addiction to information retrieval systems and inordinate desire for electronic connection enhancing or endangering wisdom? The Information Highway, as one former presidential candidate called the Internet, is not automatically producing more prudent and judicious ...

Arrival of Joy – by Laura Urista

From a young age, we are taught that Christmas time is always filled with happiness, joy and fun. We are assured, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” We are inundated with advertisements about products, foods and experiences guaranteed to fill us with joy. We rush around, busy with extra activities meant to brighten the holidays for ourselves and others—addressing and mailing greeting cards, purchasing gifts, wrapping and hiding them. We search for the perfect tree, haul it into our house and spend hours decorating it. We purchase all the ingredients to prepare our favorite holiday recipes. Amid bright, sparkling lights and ...

The Visitor – by Greg Albrecht

The Visitor - Greg Albrecht       KEYNOTE SCRIPTURE: John 1:1-18   There are two biblical stories about the birth of Jesus. One is the factual story of who did what, when and where, given to us by Matthew and Luke. The other story occurs in our keynote passage.   The "other story" concerns itself with the profound significance of what happened at the intersection of time and eternity, when God in the person of Jesus came into our world to be one of us. The first 18 verses of the first chapter of the Gospel of John is powerful, majestic, and in some ways mysterious. As literature, this passage ranks among the most profoundly ...

Fiat Lux – The Light of All People – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from December 2022 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. – John 1:1-4 When we think of the birth of Jesus, and then of his subsequent life and teaching here on earth, we often forget the many things that happened at night. We don’t know for certain, but Jesus may have been born at night – if so his first meal at the breast of Mary was at night. He had his last meal at night. A man named ...

The Peace of God – by Greg Albrecht

  Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). The night seemed normal—nothing out of the ordinary. The shepherds were watching the sheep, just like they always did. But suddenly something abnormal happened—an angel appeared. The shepherds were terrified. After assuring the shepherds they had nothing to fear, the angel announced the coming of the Prince of Peace.   Then God composed and arranged a musical anthem performed by a heavenly choir to emphasize the importance of the angel's message. The Bible uses a military term, host, to describe the angelic choir (Luke 2:13). A heavenly ...

Reckless Love by Greg Albrecht

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:38-39). When Christ-followers take up their cross and follow Jesus, losing their own interests in the greater cause of serving Jesus, by the grace of God they begin to experience the “reckless” love of God. Reckless love is the self-sacrificial, serving love of our Savior, and as a priority of life in Christ, reckless love stands opposed to a greater commitment on our part to safety and security. Don’t get me wrong—let me clarify right away with a disclaimer! ...

Thankful For What? – by Greg Albrecht

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, ...

Success by Excess is Not True Greatness – Greg Albrecht

During a school vacation, Billy stayed at his grandmother’s house, where she introduced him to the game of Monopoly. As you know, the game of Monopoly is about money and power—it’s all about acquiring, purchasing and owning more property, more buildings and more companies than anyone else. It’s ruthless—one cannot win the game of Monopoly until one bankrupts one’s opponents. During his week with his grandma, Billy learned that she was a Monopoly expert. They played Monopoly every day and she never lost a single game. She never patronized Billy by letting him win. At the end of the week she told him he needed to learn how to play ...

Thanks-Giving or Self-Absorption? – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from November 2015: The day and season of Thanksgiving, already celebrated in Canada on October 12, and yet to be celebrated here in these United States on November 26, is much more than turkey and pumpkin pie!  From a Christ-centered perspective Thanks-Giving is aptly named, for giving thanks is one of the most inevitable characteristics evident in those in whom the Master lives and works.  Sadly, it seems giving thanks and being grateful is increasingly becoming extinct in our world. The plight of many today, particularly the younger generation, is that their spiritual senses have been overwhelmed by ...

Self-serve Christianity – Jim Fowler

Jim Fowler Remember the days when the proprietor at the mercantile, the clerk at the grocery market and the attendant at the gas station would take the time to really serve the customer? They regarded pleasant, helpful service to be their primary responsibility, whereby they might maintain loyal, satisfied customers. Their mottoes were displayed on the wall: “Service with a smile.” “The customer is always right.” Today, ours is a society of convenience stores, fast-foods and self-service. Aptly referred to as the “Me-generation,” we want just what we want, and we want it now for the least price. Ours is the age of supermarket ...

The Word of God – Greg Albrecht

The first chapter of John is the New Testament counterpart of the Old Testament creation story recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. The Genesis story is focused on the physical and mortal beginning, with the creation story in the Gospel of John placing an emphasis on the spiritual and eternal beginning (the phrase “in the beginning” used twice in these two verses). John introduces us to Jesus, God in the flesh, the Word.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – John 1:14. When God became man and wanted to tell us all about who God is, Jesus became one of us. As the Word of God, Jesus is the Master Communicator ...

Generosity Without Expectations – Greg Albrecht

During the Thanksgiving season several years ago, the leader of a youth group from a prosperous suburb persuaded everyone to help serve meals in an inner-city soup kitchen. Before this volunteer service project, most of these young people had only seen homeless, impoverished locals through their car windows as they and their family drove through a poor part of town. The teenagers served a predictable Thanksgiving menu of beans, mashed potatoes, yams and turkey to a long line of homeless people. As they filed past these young people, filling empty plates with generous servings, few of the homeless people made any eye contact with the teens ...

Finding Your Way Home – by Greg Albrecht

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.—Psalm 137:1-6 One of our lifelong goals is to "find our way home." In the Gospel of John, Jesus assures his disciples, and by extension all those who would follow Jesus ...

Out of the Tribulation Closet – by Laura Urista

When our world seems to be spinning out of control, when fear and panic spread like wildfires, we cling desperately to tangible things that give us a sense of  security. At such times, many hoard emergency supplies, attempting to gain control over their own circumstances. “Out of the Tribulation Closet” by CWRm and Plain Truth managing editor, Laura Urista, offers an encouraging perspective on fear and anxiety. We share this article from our April 2020 CWRm to help readers focus on the eternal security found only in our one True Provider and Healer. Read - "Out of the Tribulation Closet"

Samson – Stuart Segall

As many of us could attest, my life, all the way into my 60’s, has been a struggle. In times of trouble and despair it is always comforting to find David in the Psalms. Somehow, when we read of his despair and struggles, many of us can relate to those kinds of feelings. How gracious of God to put illustrations of David and his story in the two books of Samuel, the Kings, and the substantial book and writings that David contributed in the Psalms. David, like me, showed a roller coaster of emotions­­--highs and lows. Yet, in the end his is a story of the depth of God’s grace toward us. There are people like me, who considered themselves ...

SALVATION – How Many are Saved? – Greg Albrecht

SALVATION – How Many are Saved – Who, Where, When and Why? Question: When you responded to a question I had, you included the following statement:  "I hope and believe in my faith that many more have and will accept God’s invitation, but because it’s ultimately our choice, some will reject him, even after he pursues us relentlessly." I would like your thoughts to my following questions: 1)  Can any human be eternally responsible for rejecting God's offer of eternal salvation while tainted with human nature? 2)  Why do you think any human, after being saturated in a world of sin and misery and then experiencing ...

Be Still! – by Greg Albrecht

  When in danger, when in doubt, Run in circles, scream and shout The British Navy has a strange custom, I am told. If a sudden disaster happens, "the still" is blown. If you live in certain parts of the United States you may think of a still as a place where bootleg whiskey is produced.     The "still" in the British Navy, as I understand it, is a whistle which calls the crew of a ship to a moment of silence in a time of crisis. It's a moment of calm that allows everyone to collect their thoughts before they respond to an emergency.     My wife, Karen, and I recently witnessed the results of failure ...

Revolutionary Jesus – Brian Zahnd

You say you want a revolution, Well, you know, we all want to change the world —The Beatles The revolution of Christ is the radical alternative to the unimaginative politicism of the religious Right and Left. Jesus is not apolitical. Far from it. Jesus is intensely political! But Jesus has his own politics — and they cannot be made to serve the interests of some other political agenda. As Eugene Peterson says, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is more political than anyone imagines, but in a way that no one guesses.” The politics of Jesus are set forth in the Sermon on the Mount — and neither the Republican nor the Democratic party have any ...

The Trouble with Halloween – by Greg Albrecht

Q: In your opinion, is it wrong to dress up in costumes, have a party or give out candy to trick-or-treaters?   A:Some Christians see nothing wrong with Halloween as a time for families to take children, who love to dress up in costumes, into their immediate neighborhood, and, with careful supervision, receive goodies and treats as they go from house to house. Some of these parents avoid witch and ghost costumes for their children in favor of cowboys, action heroes, angels, clowns or Disney characters—because they don't want to glorify or encourage the grotesque or occult. Other Christians participate in Halloween by handing out not only candy ...

Now Thank We All Our God – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from November 2022 Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices Who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices Who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way  With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today At 8:07 am, on the morning of January 13, 2018, an emergency ballistic missile alert was issued over cell phones, radio and television in the state of Hawaii. BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.  THIS IS NOT A DRILL.  At 8:45 am, 38 minutes later, the state of Hawaii sent a second emergency alert. THERE IS NO ...