from “A Word With You” by Ron Hutchcraft

Washing in Water That Cannot Make You Clean

It was one very hot day, and my granddaughter and I were watching some horses. One-by-one they made their way to the little pond to take in some more

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Posted on Aug 25, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on

Pandering

 The Sin Of Pandering

“…do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ,” (Galatians 1:10).

Paul wrote these words in a context that had one premise: There is only one gospel! (See also, 1 Tim. 1:3). He was disturbed that some in Galatia had turned away from the truth of the gospel of Christ, “to a different gospel.” The message they had

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Posted on Aug 17, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on Pandering

Pastor John spoke a few Sunday’s ago about Jesus’ prayer in John 17. In verse 20 Jesus prays; “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” How awesome, and what a comfort it is to know that He is actually including us in His prayer.

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Posted on May 29, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on

The United Methodist Church, has “pedigree”, Let’s honor it!


“the United States possesses three great parties; the Republican, the
Democratic, and the Methodist Church”   President Ulysses S. Grant

 

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Posted on May 13, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on

Monday, April 27, 2020

Church In The Time Of The Virus (Episode 9): Spurgeon And The Plague Of London

When churches suspended their weekly brick and mortar meetings, I decided to take some time to address online what it looks like for the church to be the church in times like this. Thus, The Church In The Time Of The Virus. I began posting this on my church’s Facebook page several weeks ago; since then, I have had some thoughtful conversations sparked by some of the issues I addressed. Because of that – and because I like wrestling with important ideas – each post is going to follow this format:

  • Video
  • Transcript
  • Reflections

The beautiful thing about the reflections part is that I can constantly update it, so the conversation can continue! You are welcome to offer helpful comments in the comment section and be a part of this conversation/archival record (as local and modest as it is).

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Posted on May 3, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on

Jesus Christ, Son of God

Ever wonder what the fish emblem on the back of some vehicles stood for. Just something to take our minds somewhere else, if even just for a few minutes, enjoy…

The fish, Greek ichthys (ἰχθύς), is a symbol for Christ which has been in use since the days of the early church. In Greek, it is an acronym for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior:

The ICHTHYS Acronym Explained

The origin of this acronym is something else again. It is not in the Bible. No one really knows who first came up with the acronym ICHTHYS standing for the Greek words meaning “Jesus Christ, Son of God, [our] Savior”, but probably none of the apostles ever heard of it. We have some representations of the fish in the catacombs as a Christian symbol (see the link: “The Origin of the Name ‘Christian'”), but never with any clear indication that it has the meaning above (the early work “The Shepherd of Hermes” also uses the fish). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church posits the 2nd Cent. A.D. as the time when this acronym first came into common use, but opinions are divided. Of one thing we may be fairly sure: early Christians – as we do or should do – sought to share their faith in Jesus Christ. They did not try to hide the gospel “under a bushel”. The idea that Christianity was a “secret society” and that members communicated by secret signs with the fish being one such has no basis in historical fact. Indeed, all we know about martyrdom in the early Church (see the link) suggests exactly the opposite: believers of that day were willing to give their lives for the truth in which they had placed their faith. They were not ashamed of being Christians and they did not feel any compunction to hide the fact.

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Posted on Apr 21, 2020 in Just Some Thoughts | Comments Off on Jesus Christ, Son of God 
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