95 results for tag: Letters to My Friends

Who Said Grace is Fair? – by Greg Albrecht

The inscription on John Newton’s granite tombstone in the small cemetery of the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the town of Olney (population about 6,500), Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, reads:  John Newton, clerk [pastor], once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy.  Newton, who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace,” once shared these thoughts about the wonders of God’s grace: “If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders ...

Realities – Old and New – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from June 2023 Two friends had been drinking at their local bar most of the night, and now they were finishing their evening by watching the 11:00 news. The lead story was about a despondent man standing on the side of a bridge threatening to jump.  As viewers watched footage of the main poised to jump, the newscaster promised to get back to the story after a short commercial break.   Don, thinking that his friend Gary had not seen the 6:00 news which showed footage of the man eventually jumping off the bridge, said to Gary “I’ll bet you $20 that he is going to jump!” Gary enthusiastically replied, ...

Ground Zero of Our Faith – by Greg Albrecht

These first century A.D. Christ-followers lived in a port city, surrounded by promiscuity and permissiveness. They seemed anything but one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28) as they debated and endlessly argued some rather minor, inconsequential issues while losing sight of the BIG PICTURE altogether. Some appeared proud of tolerating incestuous sexual sin within their fellowship.  The Apostle Paul wrote two letters to this “wild bunch” of Christians in Corinth, addressing many specific problems and issues while relentlessly insisting on the BIG PICTURE of the cross of Christ. At the beginning of his first letter to the Corinthians, ...

The Mother Side of God – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from May 2023 We all have an intimate relationship with mothers – we are sons and daughters of mothers and grandchildren of grandmothers. We are husbands whose wives were/are mothers. We are parents of daughters and even granddaughters some of whom are themselves mothers. Breaking news! Remember, you heard it here first!! It’s obvious, I know, but for the record, let’s remember we all had a mother. Some are blessed to still have a living mother… if you do, take advantage of the time you have with her. Many of you are mothers, may you hear and know that you are cherished and loved by your children. Mothers are ...

Worrying, Wondering and Wandering – by Greg Albrecht

Not all those who wander are lost. – J.R.R. Tolkien (of  “Lord of the Rings” fame)  There’s a scene in Stephen Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan that I’ll never forget. During World War 2, a squadron of soldiers was sent to find and “save” Private Ryan. Their efforts were successful, but only at great cost. Some of the soldiers gave their lives to “save” Private Ryan. In fact, the best efforts of the Captain resulted in his fatal wound during a skirmish. As the Captain died in Private Ryan’s arms he whispered in Ryan’s ear, “earn this.”  The end of the movie fast forwards many years beyond ...

It’s Not Over Until It’s Over – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from April 2023 Christmas, at least in its popular celebrations, centers on the birth of a baby. Who doesn’t love and adore babies? What’s not to like about feasting, music, decorations and presents? But Easter? In large part Easter is celebrated with eggs, chocolates, bunnies, flowers and Easter bonnets because that’s the way the secular world has dolled it up. But by contrast with the warm, fuzzy and heartwarming story of Christmas, the deeper meaning behind Easter involves the haunting specter of a cross, with agonizing suffering, eventually death… and then there’s that dead body in a tomb.  Birth ...

The Intersection of Hate and Love – by Greg Albrecht

To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unforgiveable. Faith means believing the  unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless. – G.K. Chesterton The intersection of a vertical pole/stake and a horizontal crossbar on the Cross of Christ reveals its earthshaking, far-reaching significance. This intersection of two pieces of lumber reminds us of the cosmic collision at the crossroads of the vertical love of God and the horizontal hatred of our world.  The Prince of Peace came down from the eternity of the kingdom of heaven and responded to human hatred and violence with non-violence – ...

Self Sacrifice – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from March 2023 Finally, after a long winter, spring is on the horizon. As warmer days arrive and nature comes alive, resurrected as it were, from the cold darkness of winter, we Christ-followers focus on the Cross of Christ and his Resurrection. At the same time many also look forward to the promise of another season of baseball! Baseball, you say?  What does the crack of the bat and a fastball popping in the catcher’s mitt have to do with our faith in Christ?  What in the world does baseball, hot dogs, popcorn and singing “take me out to the ballgame” have to do with the Cross of Christ and his ...

Wrath or Love – by Greg Albrecht

The nature of God – who he is, and how he is – is without doubt the most misunderstood topic within all of Christendom. If God is filled with wrath and retribution, then any number of Christ-less teachings and practices make sense – but God IS NOT wrath. God IS love.  Love is the one-word definition of God. God is love, he is not filled with wrath, therefore: God the Father was not looking for payback from God the Son on the cross;  There is no such thing as eternal conscious torment in hell;  God is not mad at you and me, and  God does not expect us to do the impossible, which would be to earn and ...

Law Enforcement or Healing? – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from February 2023 Let’s start with a quiz:  If you had to choose between two images of Jesus which would it be:  1) someone who serves in the law enforcement profession, such as a police officer or judge, or 2) someone who serves in the healing profession, such as a doctor or a nurse?  When those two images are compared and contrasted, a doctor or nurse is the Christ-centered, healing answer.  BUT – why does the vast majority of Christendom lean toward a depiction of Jesus as an agent of law and order?  More than that, WHY do so many within Christendom feel that any picture of ...

New Creation in Christ – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from January 2023: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is come:  The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17 This New Year of 2023 is a great time to remember that we, as Christ-followers, and CWR/PTM Friends and partners, are friends of Jesus and we are, by God’s grace, New Creations! God creates us as new creations out of what we were. He makes us “something” in terms of our spiritual worth when before we were, by comparison, “nothing.” He finds us and we discover him, in the process we lose “the old” and we gain, by his grace, “the new”! We become new, ...

The Little Stranger in the Manger – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from December 2016 Come down to the manger, see the little stranger  Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the prince of peace. – “Christmas Must be Tonight,” The Band The invitation come down to the manger, see the little stranger announces the arrival of the God who cares, the God who comes near and the God who becomes one of us.  The invitation come down to the manger, see the little stranger proclaims God’s love being born into our story.  Come down to the manger, see the little stranger bids us to come receive the unconditional love of God who holds us near and dear.  When ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Such A Time As This – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from October 2016: “And who knows but you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9 About 475 years before the birth of Jesus, Esther and Mordecai were Jews living in Susa, one of the four capitals of the Persian Empire. The Jews had been taken into exile in Babylon a century before, and then 50 years after that Babylon was conquered by the Persians. The Persians released the ...

Contentment – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from October 2022 If you are like me, you have had the experience of seeing an old friend your own age, whom you have not seen in “forever,” and thinking how old they have become since you last saw them!Meanwhile, we fail to remember we have been seeing our own aging reflection in the bathroom mirror every day. No one likes to get older. Surgical procedures, injections, creams, lotions and diets are sold, promising to restore what has long since gone down the river of life. Sam went to a new dentist, and as he was in the waiting-room he saw a diploma on the wall —it seemed his new dentist had attended the ...

Law and The Gospel – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from September 2015 The distinction between law and gospel is the highest art in Christendom. – Martin Luther Have you noticed that when you take God’s grace seriously, you start to hear advice, offered with a sweet, patronizing smile, that goes something like this: “Of course God loves you, but his love is not a one-way street – you have a contribution to make as well.”  If you are told you are in charge of activating, purchasing or producing God’s love, that’s law. If you understand that God’s in charge, that’s grace. If you are told that God’s love and grace are produced by ...

Field of Dreams – by Ed Dunn

Friend and Partner Letter from September 2022 Once again Ed Dunn favors us by writing our letter this month. Given the topic of baseball which forms the illustration of the vital spiritual lesson Ed shares below, we might say he has become a regular in our batting order, coming up to bat for our September letter!  As most of you know, as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ed wears many hats at PTM. Earlier this year he authored “Looking at Life from the Outside In” for the cover of our March Plain Truth. Many appreciated it as a powerful and inspiring account of some of his own struggles in life as he has picked up his own ...

Satisfaction When Others Get Their Comeuppance – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from August 2017 Eternal conscious torment in hell is an unbiblical, fabricated teaching of Christ-less religion designed to effectively keep its followers in line. “Believers” in such teaching perceive hell as having positive results because 1) the fear of being consigned to the fiery coals of hell keeps the followers of Christ-less religion in tow, as they “toe-the-line,” and 2) it gives those who are religiously devout “hope” that God will see to it those who do not seem to faithfully “toe-the-line” as they do will get what they deserve.  This “hope” of seeing others “get what’s ...