One More Thing

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend is almost here and there are a few things I want to share with you:

The Weekend Sermon

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FYI

William Doino Jr.  on "Joy in Chastity: A Review of The Thrill of the Chaste"

Chastity—not to be confused with celibacy, as it often is—means a total commitment to Christ, and self-mastery over one’s desires, whether one is single or married, female or male, religious or secular. It means leading a life of virtue and sacrifice, in charity and gratitude, for the glory of God. ...Eden describes God’s design for human sexuality, why sex is reserved for marriage, the importance of modesty, how singles struggling with loneliness and unrequited love can empower themselves through prayer and the sacraments, and why shared values with one’s spouse are so vital for a successful marriage.

Elizabeth Dias on "How Evangelicals Are Changing Their Minds on Gay Marriage"

Plus, Moore says, for evangelicals to keep views that are out-of-step with societal changes is par for the course. “We believe even stranger things than that,” he says. “We believe a previously dead man is going to arrive in the sky on a horse.”

One More Thing

Dallas Willard:

“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”

10 Tweets

Here’s last weekend’s sermon in 10 Tweets, Marvels & Wonders: A Study in the Miracles of Jesus, “A Barricade of Backs" (Healing a Man Who Can’t Walk)

1/ They called an emergency meeting of the leadership to determine how to keep people OFF their property so their stuff wouldn’t get broken

2/ Churched-people are prone to erecting barricades to keep unchurched-people from coming to church or sticking with it once they’ve come.

3/ Listening to Jesus, they form what Buchanan calls “a barricade of backs.”

4/ It’s natural to huddle up with like-minded people. Huddling up is even good. God calls us to huddle up.

5/ If the team never breaks from the huddle, it never gets into the game. The ball is in play when the 4 men show up with their paralyzed pal

6/ Buchanan: "It's when we're more upset when stuff gets broken than excited when the broken are mended."

7/ It takes selflessness. The crowds are streaming to Jesus but these 4 guys go in the opposite direction to get their friend.

8/ They don’t let the religiously self-absorbed or the uncaring deter them from their assignment to bring lives to Christ.

9/ It takes faith. They do all this because they are convinced Jesus can help there friend.

10/ Not even God can forgive w/out exacting payment or absorbing the sin. Jesus forgave knowing that he would absorb this man’s sin on the cross