On the third day the friends of Christ coming at day-break to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but the dawn.
Idolatry as Works-Salvation
In a shocking turn of the tables, Paul equates idolatry with works righteousness that came from adhering to the Torah. In Galatians in 4:8-11 it sounds like Paul is rebuking them for paganism, but the context of Galatians suggests its for idolatrous law following... (ESV) Gal 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved... Continue Reading →
Planning a Service
Here is a condensed outline of elements for planning a service I gleaned from Bob Kauflin's workshop on service planning. I try to keep these in mind no matter what the order or theme is for any given Sunday. I don't necessarily think each of these elements needs to have it's own specific place (like... Continue Reading →
Authentic Corporate Worship Always Points to New Creation
I have the privilege of leading in corporate worship almost every week, and I know how easy it is to forget what we're there for and what we're supposed to be pointing to. We can get lost in the shuffle of arrangements, keys, transitions, and intros that we forget that these are all means to... Continue Reading →
A List of Benedictions
Why Benedictions? What exactly is a benediction? A benediction is a short, concise blessing from scripture that can be a challenge, an assurance, a promise, or principle to live by. It can also pronounce protection, comfort, abundance, or some other word of assurance. It represents a joyful call to unity, faith, patience in trial, and faithful practice for the church based on... Continue Reading →
New Creation Living 