30 results for tag: Love

November 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Politics and Religion as Usual – pg. 1 Hope, Comfort, Encouragement & Healing to be Found in Christ – pg. 2 The World's Story Told Well – pg. 4 Friday Mornings with the Rabbi – pg. 5 Rehearsals – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

See How He Loves Us – by Greg Albrecht

There's a great story about a little boy who was trying to learn the Lord's Prayer. One night he was kneeling down by his bed, and he prayed: "Our Father who are in heaven, how do you know my name?" St. Augustine, revered as one of the great theologians of the Christian faith, once said that Jesus loves each of us as if there was no one else to love.Time after time we read in the four Gospels about people Jesus met who felt and experienced his radically personalized, individual affection—no one they had ever known had talked to them, treated them and spent time with them the way Jesus did. The eyes out of which Jesus saw and perceived ...

“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 ...

September 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Gift After Gift After Gift – pg. 1 In Search of a Lost Art – pg. 2 Sister Rivals – pg. 5 Outside the Walls – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

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 ...

August 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak The Gospel According to A.I. – pg. 2 Greg Albrecht "Divine Appointments?" – pg. 5 Ed Dunn Running the Race – pg. 6

POLARized: the Idolatry of Ideology – Brad Jersak

“Ideologies put the polar in polarization.”

June 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Ed Dunn 8 Decades Later – pg. 2 Steve Brown The Father Never Leaves Us – pg. 5 Stuart Segall Navigating Grief – pg. 6

Q&R: “And can it be?” & the blood of Jesus – Brad Jersak

Question: So many hymns speak of salvation coming from the shed blood of Jesus. But many deconstructed Christians find this view disturbing and disgusting that God required His Son to die ‘for us.’ I’m really struggling with this also. For example, how should we now regard a hymn like "And Can It Be?" which says, And can it be that I should gain An int'rest in the Savior's blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me? It does seem in Scripture that our sins needed atonement, and that we receive that through the ...

Love – No Fear – by Greg Albrecht

  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. —1 Corinthians 13:4-8    1 Corinthians 13 is a chapter many have come to know as the "love chapter" of the Bible. 1 Cor. 13 is arranged in three separate sections, two of which we will briefly examine:   The first section, in verses 1-3, is about love as being indispensable. If you've ...

The Love of Thanksgiving – by Ed Dunn

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever – 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV) O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness – William Shakespeare Why do we love the Thanksgiving season so much here in North America? Why do so many say that Thanksgiving Day is one of their favorite holidays of the year? Along with our friends in Canada, Thanksgiving Day, although celebrated on different dates, remains a highlight of the Fall season, and an important beginning to the spiritual richness of the holiday season to come. Along with a deep joy and a quiet peace we delight in during this season, there is a ...

November 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: 60 Years Later... If JFK Could Talk – pg. 1 The Love of Thanksgiving – pg. 2 Should We Fear God? – pg. 5 A Sickness Unto Death – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

The Greatest of These is Love

This is the first program of our six part series on the three Godly virtues of faith, hope and love. The Bible says that the greatest of these virtues is love, and that without love we are nothing. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0030.mp3

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 ...

Calvary: Crucifixion as Torture, Cross as Hope – Brad Jersak

Trite or true, we're each and all on a journey, not quite sure whether any given year, week or moment is really ascent or descent -- the calm before a storm or the dark before dawn. I see this tension in the biblical story of Calvary, at once a crucifixion and a Cross, the intersection of goodness and affliction, of torture and hope. At Calvary, we see the violence of religious fanaticism married to national security ... and we see the humility, forgiveness and self-giving love of God. I hear this tension in Augustine, who is quoted in the movie, Calvary, as saying, "Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves ...

Love or War – Peace or Fear?

Many believe that the opposite of love is hate, but fear is the real opposing force, for it drives and motivates hatred and war and everything that stands against Jesus Christ. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR474.mp3  

April 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak: Logos, Light & Lamb – pg. 2 Greg Albrecht: Everything Happens for a Reason? – pg. 4 Greg Albrecht: Nailmarks, Scars & Doubts – pg. 7

The Heart of the Matter – by Laura Urista

If you knew for certain you only had a few hours left on earth, how would you spend those last precious hours? What would be the most important thing you’d want to do? I think I would want to tell my dear ones how much I love them and give some instructions about what I would want them to do going forward—to help comfort and prepare them. Sometimes people will give what is called a “deathbed confession” or provide their final wishes or last will and testament in their final precious moments. In any case, this is a time when you want to truly get to “the heart of the matter.” This is exactly what Jesus did on the night before his ...

Love Is… And Love Is Not – by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from May 2022 Love IS patientLove IS kind.Love is NOT envious.Love does NOT boast.Love is NOT proud.Love is NOT rude.Love is NOT self-seeking.Love is NOT easily angered.Love does NOT keep a record of wrongs.Love does NOT delight in evil, rather it rejoices in truth.Love protects.Love trusts.Love hopes.Love perseveres.Love never fails.—1 Corinthians 13:4-7 The ultimate and sublime demonstration and example of love is the Cross of Christ. There is NO GREATER LOVE than Jesus’ voluntary self-sacrifice for us. When the Cross of Christ was buried in the soil of this earth, Jesus was lifted up (John 12:32). When Jesus ...