Tomorrow is chemo day, round three...

     Sunday I couldn't contain myself and had to run around the pulpit, I was so full of joy over the energy that God has given me over the last week.  I'm still wearing diapers and packed with gauze that is changed every day but my head is clear.  I hate to think that will change again for a little while when I enter that infusion clinic tomorrow morning.  So today is a free day and I have taken advantage of it and a clear mind to hammer out my sermon on a Monday!!!


     We go into 2 John this Sunday.  It looks like a one Sunday sermon to cover the 13 verses in this book.  The topic will be speaking the truth in love.  What is the value of truth?  What is the value of love?  We will mesh these together as the Scripture does.  You can't have one without the other.  


     If there is something that has come out of this time, there are many, but one is that I definitely study more than ever before.  I listen to so many more sermons, just for the joy of it.  Here is a nugget from one of them this week.  Top five answers to how to rationalize sin.
5.  Just this once - I can handle it.
4.  No one will know.
3.  Everybody else is doing it.
2.  Can't be wrong - it feels so right.
1.  God will forgive me - I can have my cake and eat it too.


Detecting and destroying the rationalizations that lead to sin is the first step in confession and repentance and restitution.  


Good stuff.


Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

Comments

  1. Joshua TaylorOctober 10, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Glad to hear that you're feeling joy! :) Praying for you Adam!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pastor AdamOctober 11, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Thanks Joshua...Stephanie and I have been praying for you along with your parents. God is good.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connect a bit of Scripture with a bit of life - Spurgeon

     I heard this phrase today along with another that if you connect a bit of Scripture with a bit of life, it will end up effecting all of your life.  This came up in my study of the book of James and specifically the verses dealing with not just being a hearer of the Word but also be a doer of the Word.  It is all about application.  I can't look at preaching the Word without giving steps of applying the Word.  It really is an incomplete sermon if I don't.      Many times I think it has to be big and many points and given cute aliteration that makes it snappy and I think easy to remember and fun to write down.  Reality is, if I would make it a bit of Scripture connected to a bit of life and just that it would probably accomplish much more.  How much time I spend on the opening statement and lame joke and research and introductions and how many points and the closing statement and so little time on connecting the bit of Scripture to the bit of life.      So I guess I ha
Read more

Galatians #15 - Galatians 6:11-18 - "On The Road Again..."

Image
  Another week closer and it involves some more travel for the Wolfgangs.  I feel like the Willy Nelson song, " On the road again... "  I don't know if I agree with the next line though. " ...I can't wait to get on the road again. " One of the members of the church in Wisconsin calculated that I will travel well over 10,000 miles to make this transition.  Traveling mercies prayers please. Last Sunday we will look at Paul's final words to the churches in Galatia.  He brought them the gospel (good news) message of Jesus and what resulted were churches forming throughout the region.  The letter is to defend that message that our salvation comes from and is in Christ alone.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of our sins.  The summary statement of the letter is found in  Galatians 6:15 (LSB) .  " For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. "  Translated another way earlier in  Ga
Read more

Sermon prep and maybe a video...

     James 4 has brought up some interesting study.  First, "the quarrels and fights among you."  Those are usually worse than you think even though we try to minimize them.  The source is simpler than you think because it is coming from within you.  The solution is easier than you think because the solution that James gives is that we need to humble ourselves before the Lord.  Any sincere resolution is specific and brief.  Beware of lengthy resolutions that usually include explaining it away or excusing some of the behavior.      As I have seen before, the words are a sign of the heart.  I read this week that if we have a critical heart we usually start by speaking evil of another to ourselves.  Then we progress to speaking evil of another to that person with a running tally in our heads of all their wrongs.  Finally, we speak evil of another to others and broadcast in a way that we are thinking that we are helping.  Giving judgment is always easier than giving mercy.  I
Read more