4. Who is Jesus and why is he important? It seems pretty clear and universal that Jesus Christ plays a central role in Christianity (though one exception might be the Pentecostals, who focuses on the holy spirit). So, what is the deal with Christ? Probably the most common belief in our culture is that Jesus
Category: Series
2. How Should The Bible Be Understood?
2. How should the Bible be understood? Common answers from modernity have been that the bible is a manual for life, an answer book for every problem, and is completely historically and scientifically accurate. In other words, the bible is like a text book, where you can go to any section and receive training on
1. What is the Overarching Story Line of the Bible?
According to a friend’s blog, Brian McLaren poses 10 questions in his new book “A New Kind of Christianity”. I believe these questions are given as ones which are being asked by many who both claim Christianity and those who are questioning it. So I thought I would provide my thoughts. First, the questions: 1.
The Lord’s Prayer – Modern Paraphrase
Father, you are father of us all, and above us all. Your are so incredible, people should be in awe at the mere mention of your name. We want to see your nation established here, your desires to become reality in our world. Provide for our needs today. Forgive us for our less than perfect
The Lord’s Prayer Commentary 6
6. “Guide our lives away from situations in which we may be tempted to do wrong, and protect us from harm.” * Evil is being wronged and/or doing wrong. The prayer closes with us praying for God to keep us from being on either side of wrong doing. We know that there is still much
The Lord’s Prayer Commentary 4
4. “Provide for our needs today.” * Again, this doesn’t say, “Provide for my needs today”, though I used to think of it that way in my mind, as you may have as well. Are your needs not being met? It probably isn’t because God isn’t providing—God has provided enough—it’s because someone isn’t sharing (make
The Lord’s Prayer Commentary 3
3. “We want to see your nation established here, your desires to become reality in our world.” * We are not just waiting to go to heaven and be saved ourselves. We so love God and his ways that we want to see them lived out presently, right here in our world. Again, in so
The Lord’s Prayer Commentary 2
2. “Your are so incredible, people should be in awe at the mere mention of your name.” * We recognize how good he is, but beyond that, we want others to recognize this as well. In saying this, we take on the responsibility to make this happen though our actions, as we bear his name.
The Lord’s Prayer Commentary 1
1. “Father, you are father of us all, and above us all.” * We address God as our father (or elsewhere even “daddy”), because he has chosen to have an intimate, familial relationship with us. * He is not just my father, but our father. Throughout the entire Lord’s prayer, the singular pronouns “I, me,
The Lord’s Prayer – Modern Paraphrase
Several years ago I was at a retreat which focused on “the Lord’s prayer”. I believe I had already begun to pray through it regularly, but either way, it made me want to rewrite the prayer in modern language. I have continued to pray through this prayer regularly, and have learned from it by meditating