511 results for tag: blog

Have You Forgiven God? – by Greg Albrecht

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither areyour ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than theearth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than yourthoughts."—Isaiah 55:8-9 A few years ago I officiated at a funeral service for someone I hadnever known. I interviewed people who had known the deceased, and in theprocess I found out some dark and disturbing things. What do you say at a funeral when you can't find anyone who ever knewthe person who has anything good to say about them? What can you say ata memorial service when surviving friends and relatives are having adifficult time forgiving ...

Religion – Where Is the Love? by Greg Albrecht

Why do we speak about “Christianity WITHOUT the religion?” The answer was well-summarized by a slogan on a T-shirt I recently saw someone wearing: “Religion—Giving Hope to a World Torn Apart by...Religion.” Religion, as it is known, believed and practiced throughout this world is a contradiction. • It promises hope, but delivers fear. • It promises peace, but delivers violence and bloodshed. • It promises freedom and faith, but delivers authoritarian legalism. Why do we proclaim Christianity WITHOUT the religion? Because we are serious about Jesus, the founder of Christianity, who said in John 13:35, “By this ...

A Marathon, Not a Sprint – by Ed Dunn

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) – “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…” Chariots of Fire I remember this verse well from my youth.  The year was 1981 and the hit movie, Chariots of Fire, had just been released to widespread appeal and critical acclaim.  In one of the most memorable scenes within the movie for me, the Scottish sprinter, Olympian and missionary, Eric Liddell, stood in the midst of a cold rain surrounded by soaked yet eager on-listeners.  As the wind blew, he recounted these poetic words ...

Two Brothers – by Greg Albrecht

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.   "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. &nbs...

Working Hard to Be In Control – by Greg Albrecht

I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. – Isaiah 46:4 A rich young ruler came to Jesus asking him, “…what good thing MUST I DO TO GET eternal life?” – Matthew 19:16 It’s Christ-less religion in a nutshell: What do I have to do to make God happy so he will give me what I want? This rich young man was used to getting what he wanted. He was used to being a success and making a profit. He was a winner. Author Robert Farrar Capon says the rich young ruler was a successful liver of a lawful life.  The rich young ruler was addicted to his own abilities to control life – he assumed that ...

The Hope of New Life – by Laura Urista

“Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). My husband and I (also known as “Pops” and “Gaga”) are celebrating the recent birth of our daughter Tawny’s (and son-in-law James’) first child – our third grand-daughter! We’ve previously been blessed with two grand-daughters (ages seven and two-and-a-half) from our son and daughter-in-law. Pardon my personal reflection, but of course the addition of a new baby to a family brings so much joy and hopeful anticipation!  I am sure many of you have experienced your own times of joy, hope and new birth! New life is ...

Why Did Jesus Call a Woman a Dog? – by Greg Albrecht

The Canaanites became mortal enemies of the Jews some 1,500 or so years before the time of Jesus when they resisted the new nation of Israel as it attempted to inhabit the Promised Land. Matthew 15:21-28 relates the story of a Canaanite woman who was so desperate to seek healing for her daughter that she defied social and religious conventions as she publicly spoke to Jesus (a man she didn't know) —beyond that, a Jewish man. We know, from everything else we read in the Gospels, that Jesus, God in the flesh, loved this woman, but it didn't seem that way to her when she first started talking to Jesus. She cries out, "Son of David, have ...

Forbearing, Bearing and Pouring Oneself Out – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from August 2023 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love (Ephesians 4:2, KJV) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2, NIV) … pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing difference and quick at mending fences (Ephesians 4:2, The Message, by Eugene Peterson) When we “forbear” or “bear with” or pour ourselves out” for others, among other things it means we do not act or react against someone, or say something negative about them, when we have the right (or think we have the ...

Browbeaten and Bullied at Church – by Greg Albrecht

One of the most gratifying experiences we have at PTM is when we hear from someone for whom God has "turned on the light." By God's grace they realize their primary allegiance is not to a human religious authority. They realize that churches and church leadership are fellow-servants and laborers for the gospel—and that such organizations and authorities lose their credibility the moment they allow the gospel to be subverted by religion and its legalisms. The following letter is a wonderful example: I recently wrote an article about tithing for our church newspaper. My conclusion is the same as that of PTM—"­­tithing" is an old ...

The Walking Dead and the Unclean – Greg Albrecht

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.  When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said.  “Be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him (Luke 5:12-13, my emphasis).  During the first century A.D. leprosy was a generic term for a variety of disfiguring and fatal skin diseases.  Lepers were forbidden to be around others.  They were forbidden to enter cities.  They could not earn a living and had to ...

The Color of Truth – Brad Jersak (with Eric Allaby)

On my first visit to Grand Manan Island, I met a new friend. Eric Allaby is a kind and fascinating soul who was born on this lobster paradise off the coast of New Brunswick. In the early 1960s, he was among the first to introduce scuba diving to the herring fishery (cf. weir fishing) and to personally survey the dozens of shipwrecks around the island. Eric went on to survey, map and salvage materials from Bay of Fundy shipwrecks. Mr. Allaby, while continuing diving, would go on to become a map-maker, museum curator, herring fisherman and MLA in the New Brunswick provincial legislature, where he served for 19 productive years. As I said, ...

Love or Justice? – by Greg Albrecht

  Love or Justice? The discussion of eternal torment and the fate of the "unsaved" is often framed, by the law and order crowd, as a matter of God's love or his justice. Those who are intent on relegating those who, to their knowledge and satisfaction, have never heard or accepted their version of Christianity to eternal torture, often characterize those, like myself, who primarily look for answers based on God's love and grace, as soft-headed, soft-hearted and weak.   So which is it—love or justice? Is God primarily a God of love or a God of justice? Here's what I see as the fundamental flaw in real, he-man, tough-as-...

Q&R with Greg Albrecht – “Should we boycott the wedding?”

Recently I was asked to give my opinion about a married man, in the process of divorcing his wife, while dating a younger, unmarried woman. My immediate thought was the response of Jesus when he was asked by someone to get involved in a family about an inheritance. "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" (Luke 12:14). However, remembering that Jesus used the question as a way to discuss some of the more important spiritual issues surrounding it (see "The Parable of the Rich Fool"—Luke 12:15-21), I tried to respond in a similar way. The person who asked me the question said that the still-married man was "put under church ...

Religious Fanaticism – by Greg Albrecht

  Justine Gubar, a producer at ESPN (the television sports channel), researched and studied the reasons behind violent celebrations and protests by fans whose teams either win or lose a sporting event. While reading a summary of her book “Fanaticus,” I could not help but see the many parallels that exist between the rioting generated by sports fans and the death and mayhem inflicted by fans of religion on those who are on the opposing “team.”       Celebrations of victories and protests of defeats resulting in violence are often instigated by fans whose identity and purpose in life is almost entirely ...

Plant An Artistic Seed – by Ruth Tucker

We wring our hands over the education crisis. What’s the solution? Some would say more math and science teachers. Maybe. But what would happen if educators and heads of state all over the world put out a call for more music and art teachers? What if corporate America focused on beauty more than money? Imagine a world of harmony—musical harmony and relational harmony. How might such a world look to an artist? For Adonna Khare this world is filled with strange, albeit recognizable, animals who get along despite their differences. A lion licks a lollipop, a goat walks a trapeze, elephants are entwined with orangutans and fish walk upright...

God “Friended” Us! – Greg Albrecht

By Greg Albrecht: What a friend we have in Jesus! So goes that great old hymn—and its message is the gospel truth. In John 15:9-17 Jesus encourages us to remain in him and with him. In the Authorized King James Version the word used is "abide." Jesus is requesting that we stay with him. He's saying, "Don't move away. Don't wander away. Stay with me. Remain with me." Jesus is saying, "Keep your eyes and focus on me. Don't ever stop looking to me as the absolute center of your faith. Don't allow religious ceremonies and rituals to confuse you—so that you think our relationship (your friendship with me) depends on you." This passage is a part of ...

Show Your Cards, Not Your Trophies – by Ed Dunn

One of my close friends, Steve, is a successful business owner in the world of hospitality, event planning and catering. I was listening to a podcast recently in which Steve was interviewed on the topic of Winning in Business. During the interview, I was struck by something Steve said: In all areas of life, and not just in business, he said, I believe it’s better to show your cards, not your trophies. His phrase, show your cards, not your trophies, caught me by surprise and has been ringing in my ears since the podcast interview ended. The simple-yet-catchy wisdom within his words has offered me some real food for thought. So much of life ...

Who We Are in Christ – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from July 2023: In 1921, Albert Einstein presented his unproven Theory of Relativity at the Sorbonne, the prestigious French university in Paris. He said, “If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare I am a citizen of the world.  Should my theory prove untrue, France will say I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.” Who are we?  Do others “claim us” only as and when we are successful? Who and what dictates the essence of who and what we are and how others describe and recognize us? You may have heard the old joke ...

Citizens of Heaven – by Greg Albrecht

From the time I entered the mysterious world of adolescence, watching the 1960 political conventions on television, politics has always mysteriously attracted me. Politics has been one of my personal fascinations that I liken to that of the death wish of bugs on a hot summer night as they do their death dance, flirting with those electrified bug zappers.     Every time we have a presidential election I find this fatal attraction sucking me into the black hole of partisan rhetoric again. I don't mean to infer that it's wrong for a Christian to be politically involved. Some Christians believe that they should not only vote ...

Citizens of God’s Kingdom – by Greg Albrecht

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"   But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they ...