507 results for tag: blog
It’s About Time – by Sheila Graham
A brown leaf drifts slowly to the ground outside the window. There’s a sense of quiet expectation. Though the trees are still green, the smattering of dry leaves across the lawn hint at what's to come.
We know we can look forward to the cooler temperatures now. It’s that brief space of time between the seasons’ triple-digit heat and below-freezing cold, the lovely time of fall.
Springtime is the same. It’s as if a switch has been thrown. The searing heat of summer and the icy cold of winter seem to be endless, but whatever the season we know relief is coming. Fall, winter, ...
Resting in Christ Jesus – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from October 2024:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest – Matthew 11: 28
These monthly letters are normally a way of providing some Christ-centered nourishment, one of the most important parts of our ministry. When we pray about, ponder and prepare these letters (primarily Ed Dunn and myself as writers, but the team who ensures these letters arrive in the mail and are posted digitally includes all editors and proofreaders) we take each letter seriously, often spending many hours before completing one.
We don’t just dash these letters out, but we carefully and ...
18 Prominent Biblical Passages and Why – by Greg Albrecht
Greg Albrecht
Recently I was asked to provide a list of my top ten verses in the Bible. The request specified that each of the ten selections be restricted to just one, or at most, several verses and no more. I tried, but I could never boil my list down to just ten brief passages, so I decided to respond by expanding on the original request.
I set out to make a list of top ten passages. At first I thought that I could come up with my top ten passages in the Bible if I allowed for "passages" to be more than simply a verse or two but a chapter or even an entire book of the Bible. But then, after working on that plan, I was still stymied. I ...
What is True Fellowship? – by Greg Albrecht
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read or hear the word fellowship? Within a Christian context the word usually calls to mind something to do with companionship and community. For some people fellowship is just another religious thing they have to do or (so they believe) God won't be happy with them. In many cases, fellowship means going to places to spend time with others who are also members of their church.
Fellowship has also come to signify a spiritual atmosphere that will soothe and secure a person from the life they live. Given this meaning, fellowship can become something like "hot-tub religion"—a place where people ...
Why Suffering? – by Greg Albrecht
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, religion generally believed those who suffered and experienced catastrophic accidents and calamities were being punished for their sin. But the gospel of Jesus Christ insists that disease, disasters and distress (or lack thereof) are NOT indications of a person’s inferior or superior spiritual standing with God.
The Gospel of Luke (Luke 13:1-8) tells us of some Galilean Jews who had recently come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God at the temple. Pilate, the procurator of the province of Judea, the same Pilate who tortured and crucified Jesus, barbarically killed these Jewish pilgrims and mixed ...
“No” to Wrath and “Yes” to Love – Part 2 – by Greg Albrecht
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on ...
“No” to Wrath and “Yes” to Love – Part 1 – by Greg Albrecht
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved it is the power of God…—1 Corinthians 1:18
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.—1 Corinthians 2:2
Many, if not most, Christians when they are asked, "Why did Jesus die on the cross?" will give an answer something like this:To die for our sins. This of course, as far as it goes, is a biblical answer.
But the answer doesn't end there. Most Christians will continue to explain why Jesus died on the cross by parroting back phrases they have been taught, such as:
• "He died for our ...
Our Eternal House – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from September 2024:
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling… and we would prefer to be away from the body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 8).
When I turned 50, along with nearly everyone else my age in these United States, I started receiving literature from the AARP (American Association for Retired Persons). I was surprised – to be honest, I was offended. What? My 50th birthday meant I needed help crossing the ...
Name It and Blame It – by Greg Albrecht
Many churches and ministries today claim that God heals everyone who requests relief of physical afflictions, as long as they ask in faith. This assertion is made on the assumption that Jesus' death on the cross, his atonement, was for both "spiritual" and "physical" sins.
Further, some even claim physical healing is a "right" that one who is doing all of the things that God commands and demands might "claim" from God. Some call this claim a "prayer of positive confession." Others who have reservations about this practice believe it to be naive and perhaps superstitious and thus call the practice "name it and claim it."
Of course, since the vast ...
Finding Hope – by Kimalee Finelli
Follow Up Post to February 4, 2024:
Growing up in a legalistic church, I was unable to think for myself. Words like obey, repent, and submit were a part of our daily life. The pastor preached that he was not to be questioned. Church leaders were instructed to carry out the pastor’s agenda. Members were informed that disobedience would be dealt with swiftly. Those who dared to rebel were labeled as “backslidden” or “living in sin” and church disciplined. Most of us learned to be silent so we would go unnoticed by the preacher.
Except for me. I had questions. I noticed everything and knew in my heart that something was not right. I ...
A Lion and A Lamb – by Greg Albrecht
Will a cure for cancer ever be found? Will there ever be a time when little children don't go to bed hungry? Is there a way to end crime?
Don't you just wish that someday, some way, the abuse of the very young and the very old would stop? Will anyone ever find a way to disarm all armies, to melt down all weapons of warfare—to beat swords into plowshares, as the Hebrew prophets foresaw?
We all long for peace for the entire world. We all want solutions to the misery and suffering of our world. We want the hatred and violence to end. Of course, you're way ahead of me—but don't get too far ahead—because what I want to talk about may surprise ...
Finding Jesus or Being Found – by Greg Albrecht
But now that you know God – or rather are known by God… Galatians 4:9
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. – John 1:11
When we read John’s summary statement about Jesus being rejected by “his own” we normally think of the historic Jewish culture, race and religion into which Jesus was born… something that happened a long time ago, in the “olden” days. But consider this:
If Jesus arrived on earth today, many people who sincerely believe they are following him wouldn’t even let him in their church buildings.
I have a friend who is a Hindu, who in the spirit of our lighthearted ...
A Great Grace Give-Away — by Greg Albrecht
David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "At your service," he replied. The king asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet." "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of ...
How Far Will God Go For Love? – by Greg Albrecht
Lending institutions place a cap or limit on the total amount of purchases you can charge to their card. They will only let you go so far before your credit runs out. How far can we go with God before he says to us "That's it—my grace has its limits!" Is it possible to use so much of God's love that our account will be "maxed out"?
Of course God's mercy, grace and love are endless. As and when we request forgiveness, God will always forgive us. That's one of the attributes that makes him God. But, is it possible to take advantage of God's good graces? Surely he isn't like an indulgent grandparent who just sits on his throne, watching us ...
Breaking News: Don’t Worry – by Laura Urista
“If worry can’t change anything, why do you do it so much?” Luke 12:25 (The Voice translation)
“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” (Mark Twain)
“Don’t worry … be happy!” (Bob Marley)
My name is Laura and I’m a worrier. I hate to admit it. I don’t like to worry, or even want to… but I do. To be honest, I think I might be addicted to worrying. Even when things in my life are basically going well, and I don’t have a logical reason to worry, I “borrow” worry by dwelling on what-if scenarios – not only worrying for myself and my husband, but for my grown kids, grandkids, friends and their kids and ...
Does God Have a Strategic Plan for You? – by Ed Dunn
We are in the midst of an exciting strategic planning process here at Plain Truth Ministries (PTM). This planning process, which involves our team here in the Pasadena office, along with Brad Jersak in Canada, gives us an opportunity to take a fresh look at PTM’s mission, magazines and partner letters, books, on-line content, as well as the operations and procedures that support all we do in this ministry. As a closeknit team, we approach every aspect of this planning process prayerfully, as careful and conscientious stewards, asking God for guidance and wisdom as we look to the future. By definition, Strategic Planning is a type of planning ...
Perseverance – by Ed Dunn
Friend and Partner Letter from August 2024
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us – Hebrews 12:1, NIV
…The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong…but time and chance happen to them all – Ecclesiastes 9:11, NIV
The eyes of the world will be focused on Paris, France this month and the Games of the twenty-eighth Summer Olympiad. The ability of the athletes to persevere through the intense pressure, the mental preparation, and the demanding “fine-t...
Grace = No More Scorekeeping – by Greg Albrecht
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.—1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Keeping score is one of the fundamental predispositions of human beings. Keeping score is the way we operate, it's the way we gauge our progress and that of others and it is one of the primary ways in which our culture motivates us.
I learned to keep score at an early age via two of my passions—sports and music. The first score-keeping experience I had in sports was with the game of baseball. As I recall, I was about ten years old ...
The Not Yet Kingdom Pt.3 – by Greg Albrecht
He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God's salvation.'"—Luke 3:3-6
As John the Baptist preached he quoted from the prophecy in Isaiah, which spoke both of his own ministry preparing for Jesus' ministry and Jesus' central message—the kingdom of God. Isaiah ...
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