thechurchblog

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. What is a Southern Baptist/Independent church blogger doing writing about Advent, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you if you want to keep reading…
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Shame on you. Shame on me. Yes, we’re all sinners in a fallen state, so shame shame SHAME!! Actually, one of the coolest things that Jesus did (besides providing for our eternal salvation and fellowship with God the Father in heaven) was take away our shame (see Romans 9:33). Shame is “the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another.” So, shame is a feeling. Well I can understand how there is no shame in being a sinner in the eternal sense, but what about the daily stuff that goes on in the life of a believer?
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What do you do when your heart is heavy? Where can you go when you need the answer to a tough question? How can you know that you are making the right choice, when human wisdom just doesn’t cut it? Here are just a few thoughts on the real power of the Holy Spirit today.
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Let me start by giving my apologies to C.S. Lewis and his fabulous essay in “Mere Christianity” (synopsis here) — not to mention Josh MacDowell. These days, spiritually-minded people seem to want to lump Jesus into one of these three categories. Of the three, the Guru crowd is certainly growing by leaps and bounds. . .
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Douglas Adams, in his book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” pokes more than a little fun at religion. He describes the “people” in the galaxy as being rather proud, definitely enlightened (and deceived at the same time) – and all around just plain goofy. Now, don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of the “Hitchhiker’s” series – and I find the humor and satire somewhat refreshing. I do believe that when Adams pokes fun at religion, he is poking fun at us – reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously. He also pokes fun at politics, bureaucracy, the British, construction workers, social functions – the list goes on. He is one of the heros of our cynical world.
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