Participate in the flowing movement of encouragement – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 2

Editor’s Note: I once again welcome Molly Stouffer as guest blogger. Molly is from Hagerstown, MD, studying Pastoral Ministries at Lancaster Bible College. Did you know that there is flowing movement of encouragement? At the end of 1 Thessalonians verse 10, Paul describes a flowing movement of encouragement. The movements starts with the Christians heContinue reading “Participate in the flowing movement of encouragement – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 2”

Where true love is found – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 1

Editor’s Note: I once again welcome Molly Stouffer as guest blogger. Molly is from Hagerstown, MD, studying Pastoral Ministries at Lancaster Bible College. Almost a month ago, my favorite football team, the Eagles won the Super Bowl. And the week following that, there was great big parade to celebrate in the City of Brotherly Love.Continue reading “Where true love is found – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 1”

The Brotherly Shove and the Bible – 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10; 5:11, 14, 27

Did you hear that at least one NFL team wants the NFL to ban The Brotherly Shove?  The potential of that ban is big news for all you Philadelphia Eagles fans. Given that I live in Philadelphia Eagles territory, I suspect that the Eagles are the most popular NFL team in my church family. It sureContinue reading “The Brotherly Shove and the Bible – 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10; 5:11, 14, 27”

How Christians can respond to division in our society – 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13, Part 6

This week I once again welcome guest blogger, Kirk Marks. Kirk is a retired pastor of 35 years who now works in international fair trade. Do you like Taylor Swift? Would you buy a Tesla? Did you get a COVID shot? Are you going to be kind to the lesbian couple that lives down theContinue reading “How Christians can respond to division in our society – 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13, Part 6”

What should you hope for in a church? – 1 Thessalonians 2:13–3:13, Part 5

This week I once again welcome guest blogger, Kirk Marks. Kirk is a retired pastor of 35 years who now works in international fair trade. I was a denominational administrator for for 20 years. In that time, I sent a lot of letters to churches on behalf of the denomination. Those letters were communicating hopesContinue reading “What should you hope for in a church? – 1 Thessalonians 2:13–3:13, Part 5”

How God feels and thinks about you – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10, Part 2

What do you think God thinks about you? How does God feel about you? Some of us might think that there is a distance between ourselves and God, like a friend who used to be close, moved away, and though you said you would remain close, now years have gone by and you haven’t talkedContinue reading “How God feels and thinks about you – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10, Part 2”

When do you draw the line with a difficult employee, friend or family member? – 1 Kings 1—2, Part 4

Have you ever faced the difficult, emotional experience of firing an employee? Or perhaps you’ve had to place boundaries on a relationship? In the business world, a boss might want to avoid the pain of firing an employee who needs to be fired. In Christian communities, the theology of love and grace is deeply rootedContinue reading “When do you draw the line with a difficult employee, friend or family member? – 1 Kings 1—2, Part 4”

How to love like Jesus – Advent Love, Part 4

Love like Jesus. Is it even possible? His best friend John thinks so. This week we have been studying 1 John 4, and in this final post in the series, John sums up his teaching, giving us some practical illustrations about how to love like Jesus. Here’s what he writes in verse 17, “God isContinue reading “How to love like Jesus – Advent Love, Part 4”

How Christmas is all about love – Advent Love, Part 3

In the first post in this series, I asked you to consider the first five words that came to mind when you heard the word “Christmas”. In that post, I linked to some online articles that suggest the words most associated with Christmas. Those articles listed hundreds of words, but not the one word IContinue reading “How Christmas is all about love – Advent Love, Part 3”

Christmas Lights and Bruises – Advent Hope, Preview

Two days ago, the Friday after Thanksgiving, my wife and I lugged our Christmas decoration boxes down from our attic.  It’s time to glam up our house for Christmas.  My guess is that you have done or soon will do the same.  Last week at Thanksgiving dinner one of my nephews told me that theyContinue reading “Christmas Lights and Bruises – Advent Hope, Preview”