1786 results for tag: Greg Albrecht

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 28, 2024 - Quote for the Day: “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 the ultimate goal of self-gratification. Many find themselves enslaved and captivated by passive distractions, with their attention glued to amusements, and in such a state they see no reason for thanksgiving ...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving sneaks up on people and presents a unique dilemma: though united in celebrating Thanksgiving there is much disagreement about giving thanks and to whom to give it.

Christian Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time for Christians in particular to pause and reflect. Greg talks about Christian gratitude -- a kind of gratitude that transcends normal human appreciation -- that reaches beyond materialistic and surface happiness into a deeper and more profound spiritual joy.

Generosity Without Expectations – Greg Albrecht

A youth group from a prosperous North American suburb volunteered to help a pastor serve meals in an inner-city soup kitchen. Before this experience, most of these young people had only seen homeless people through their car windows as they and their family happened to drive through a poor part of town. It was just before Thanksgiving, and the young people served a hot meal of beans, turkey, mashed potatoes and yams to a long line of 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 young people who were serving the free meal, and only a few ...

Women Pastors – Greg Albrecht

Question: Do you have a response to address the issue of women ordained as pastors or church leaders? Some denominations permit and others prohibit. Your take? Response: Thanks for your question. I believe there are several considerations of this question and they deserve an answer and an opinion: 1. Must any denomination ordain women as pastors and priests? According to the biblical record, no. There is no requirement to ordain women. 2. Asking from a different direction, there is no explicit biblical requirement that requires a denomination NOT to ordain women. That said, there are New Testament passages that are and ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 26, 2024 - Quote for the Day: “Accepting God’s love makes all the difference – all the difference between a stale, mechanical, going-through-the-motions relationship with a religious institution, and an up-close-and-personal intimate relationship with God. Accepting God’s love is connecting with God. Connecting with God usually means we must lose our religion – we must unplug from religion in order to connect with God. God loves us because of who he is, never because of who we are or what we do. I believe God’s message to you and me goes something like this: ‘I know all about you – but I love you anyway. You’re ...

In All Things — Give Thanks

Have we forgotten the blessings we've been given and the God who makes them possible? Thanksgiving is rooted in the gratitude we have to God because he is the giver of every good and perfect gift.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is not just a national holiday -- it's an important part of being a Christian. When we truly understand the reasons for being thankful, we can't stop ourselves from expressing our appreciation to God.

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 23, 2024 - Quote for the Day: “Have you ever noticed how many individual Christians and incorporated religious institutions assume that God is exclusively on their side? Many seemingly think that God is a member-in-good-standing of their denomination. Many seem to assume that God carries the same national passport they do and that he always supports their country in any military altercation. Some even act and talk as if God supports their favorite athletic team and their particular political party. But if you think about the whole idea of God being polarized and politicized for about three seconds, it really doesn’t make any ...

Things That Bog Us Down

Have you ever gotten your car stuck in mud -- the more you tried to get out the more you got bogged down? A similar thing can happen spiritually -- we get stuck in the swamp of religion -- bogged down in a sea of spiritual mud. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0264.mp3  

December 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak Sometimes, Waiting Is Hard – pg. 2 Laura Urista Great Gifts in Small Packages – pg. 4 Greg Albrecht Believe Him & Receive Him – pg. 5

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 21, 2024 - Quote for the Day: “Excess does not guarantee happiness – on the other hand, many examples of excess we see in our Western world lead us to conclude that having ‘too much’ may lead to misery and unhappiness. Two things I ask of you, LORD, do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my own daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God – Proverbs 30:7-9 Let us give thanks that most of us have neither poverty nor ...

Overcoming Religion

In their religious zeal, some churches conceal the Good News of Jesus Christ from their members. Christians need to scrape the religious barnacles off of Good Ship Christianity and leave religion behind in order to know our Lord and Savior in the fullness of his goodness. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0263.mp3  

Two Women – Two Ways of Life

Sarah was barren so she had her slave, Hagar, be a surrogate mother of sorts, but later Sarah had a child of her own. The apostle Paul used the story of their resulting conflict to illustrate the conflict between the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0286.mp3  

Meals on Wheels – by Greg Albrecht

Earlier this year my wife and I attended memorial services for the wife of an older gentleman who frequents the same gym where my wife and I exercise. Jerrat is one of a number of seniors who arrive early at the gym, virtually every day. We have joined this group about three times a week over the last 6-8 years. A group of about 20 of us from the gym (we call ourselves gym rats) joined Jerrat, his family, loved ones and friends, supporting them during this time of loss. A week or so after the funeral my wife Karen decided to make some dinner for Jerrat. We called him and asked him if we could come to his house and bring him dinner. He was so ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 19, 2024 - Quote for the Day: “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’? … Is it possible for us to come to a place when God says to us, ‘You’ve gone beyond the limits of my compassion.  You have too many sins on your sin debit card now – I can’t extend any more grace to you.’”  Christianity Without the ...

The Condensed Gospel

What two words would you use to summarize the gospel? In two words how would you define God, what he stands for and what he's all about? What is the condensed gospel? Be sure to catch Greg's discussion of which words work and which words don't. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0285.mp3  

We Need a Grace Revolution

Our natural state spiritually is that we're dead corpses -- among the walking dead. How does God determine that you will be saved? On what basis? How much of your salvation is up to you -- does God expect you to do everything you can and then he'll do the rest? https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0283.mp3  

One God – Vengeful in the Old Testament, Loving and Forgiving in the New? – Greg Albrecht

Question: How does a person reconcile the God of love and grace with the one described in the Old Testament as filled with rage, violence and wrath?  I must admit that this is why I do not like to read the OT as I can't picture such an angry God.   It is just confusing to me is all. I am trying to read the Bible but the Old Testament just doesn't make sense to me. I don't know if I have made any sense here, but after years of feeling that God was disappointed and angry with me for what I had done and that I was condemned to hell because of it, I sometimes wonder if the OT writers are writing the truth about how God really is. ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

November 16, 2024 - Quote for the Day:  “In God’s kingdom, creation is in harmony, even as God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, dwells in perfect harmony. God’s kingdom is not a temporary cease-fire. God’s kingdom is not a provisional agreement to refrain from hostilities. The perfection and eternity of God’s kingdom is all of creation glorifying God with one voice, like a symphony of orchestral instruments uniting their sounds, joined by a choir of many voices all singing the same words at the same time. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom – its meaning is of completion and fulness.  Shalom is holistic – it ...