The Grain on Which we Live
It’s remarkable that men should be so arrogant and secure when there are so many, indeed countless, evidences around us to suggest that we ought to be humble. The hour of our death is uncertain. The grain on which we live is not in our hands. Neither the sun nor the air, on which our life depends, lies in our power, and we have no control over our sleeping and waking. I shall say nothing of spiritual things, such as private and public sins which press upon us. Yet our hearts are as hard as steel and pay no attention to such evidence – Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Those Crazy Christians
I have a new reason to love the ABC sitcom “The Middle.” Besides being true to life in that it depicts a REAL modern family who’s father is in charge and a little gruff at times, a mother who’s trying to hold things together in a not always perfect way and teenager antics so real they are funny, the star is a Christian. [NOTE: If you’ve never seen the episode with the church youth group holy hay ride and the alternative new year’s party you need to find it and watch it as soon as possible].
In a 2006 Christianity Today Post interview Paticia Heaton said
“There’s a need for Christians to stop being portrayed in our industry as crazies,” she said. “Christians….have just been stereotyped to death. You try to be a model of kindness and love and forgiveness to all those around you, because you have received kindness and love and forgiveness from God through Christ. That’s what Christianity is.” (Lee Warren“Patricia Heaton Says her Politics have Cost Her Possible Roles” Christian Post May 21, 2011
Agreed. Take her final sentence and place it in your life. If you are one of those crazy Christians who make it easy for the entertainment industry to stereotype us you will be better suited to practice kindness, love, and forgiveness instead.
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8, New International Version)
Photo by Matt (originally posted to Flickr as Patricia Heaton) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
G.O.S.P.E.L
Just watch and try to not be amazed at the simplicity of the Good News of Jesus Christ our Messiah.
Parable of the Hidden Treasure
Summary: The traditional interpretation of the parable of the Parable of the Hidden Treasure describes the value of the kingdom of heaven (treasure) and the process by which one acquires that kingdom (sell everything). But there is more to this short parable, when placed in context and in light of all teachings of Jesus the interpretation gets turned on its head. Jesus sold everything and bought us (the treasure). (more…)
Six Word Bible Story
Inspired by a tweet from Brian Chen @bxchen who referenced a 2006 article in Wired magazine I asked a couple Twitter followers to compose a six word story using the Bible as inspiration. The Wired article promoted the concept of a six word story which is based in a work Ernest Hemingway considered some of his best that only used six words, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Here are the stories Joel, Cynthia, and I wrote throughout the day. I would love to read your six word stories, comment below or tweet to @GregChaney using the hashtag #sixwordstory (more…)
Should Christians Pray for an NFL Lockout?
In this month’s issue, Sports Illustrated polled die hard football fans to gauge the mood on the potential NFL Lockout. The poll conducted by market research firm M&RR found that most believed a deal would be reached and there would be a full NFL season. But if there isn’t, the poll listed the activities that would take the place of football:
Half of NFL fans (47.5%) say they would watch more non-sports TV and 61.2 percent would watch more of other televised sports without the NFL season. Fans would also spend more time surfing the internet (56.1%), with significant others (45.1%), doing yard work chores (43.6%), playing video games (33.5%) and at church (13%).
ONLY 13% will go to church! That will be the easy interpretation most people will make and I think a misguided one.
Consider this, 111,000,000 people viewed the Super Bowl this year and if the same percentage as those polled go to church next year then 14,430,000 people will be in church instead. Even if you take a single Sunday night game like the Cowboys vs Eagles with 25,300,000 viewers then 3,289,000 people would be in church.
I like football and hope the players get taken care of during the negotiations. There are some very real physical and fiscal issues that must be resolved however, if we can get more people into church (and further spread the gospel)…I’ll take it.
Are You Talking To Me? Repentance Theme in Luke 15
Overview: Luke chapter 15 records an exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees who were critical of him because he “…welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He takes their criticism head-on with three parables, one about a good shepherd finding his lost sheep, another about a woman finding her lost coin, andl one about a loving father rejoicing over the return of a lost son. In his message, Jesus communicates his theology of purpose, grace, and joy. The theme often overlooked in his stories and in modern Christianity is the theology of repentance, the theme that brought the most joy in each story and the action to which he was calling the Pharisees.
Found in Translation
In a random survey by The Christian Chronicle, more than 1,100 readers responded to this question: “What Bible version do you prefer to read?”
New International Version: 41.5%
New American Standard Version: 17.1%
New King James Version: 10.3%
English Standard Version: 9.5%
King James Version: 5.8 %
Revised Standard/New Revised Standard Version: 4.8 %
New Living Translation: 3.6%
Today’s New International Version: 2.3%
‘The Message’: 2.2%
Other: 2.2%
Holman Christian Standard Bible: 0.5%
Contemporary English Version: 0.4%
Common English Bible: 0.1%
New American Bible: 0.1%
Reading in the Ekklésia
NOTE: This post was originally published as a bulletin article and on the merkelchurchofchrist.org blog
“ [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.” Luke 4:16-17 (NIV)
The congregational reading of scriptures in synagogues was a foundational part of Jewish life when Jesus was growing up, a custom carried on in the early church of Christ. There were practical reasons for public reading the scriptures; because each copy was hand written (that’s what manuscript means), communities of believers had to share limited manuscripts or in some cases, like letters from Apostles, share with other communities.
The invention of the printing press and subsequent printing of the first Bible in the 1450s led to many positive advances in Christianity like the reformation movement and personal Bible study. However, the printed Bible did not change Paul’s instructions concerning the conduct of Timothy and the early church:
“…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” 1 Timothy 4:13(NIV)
Beginning this Sunday we will incorporate scripture reading into our morning worship assembly (ekklésia). Like the early church we will hear the Word of God as one body and one heart. I encourage you to bring your Bibles and follow along as we begin reading the Gospel of John. We will be using New International Version which, according to a recent survey, is the translation most used in churches of Christ.
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 (NIV)
Shalom