At the ACC after-school tutoring program a few weeks ago Pastor David casually mentioned to me that he and Sobeyda were going to be hosting a refugee family from El Salvador. My heart jumped with excitement...what an opportunity for ACC to show the love of God! I also was encouraged by their willingness to share their living space with strangers, knowing they give so much already as a Pastor and Counselor. The next day Carolina and her almost 11 year old son Onandy arrived....
The Gospel of John tells us that during the last supper, Jesus excused himself from the meal, clothed himself as a servant boy, found a towel and a basin of water, and scooted around on the floor washing the disciples' feet. The washing of feet was a common act of hospitality in 1st century homes, yet the task was considered so undignified that, according to rabbinical tra...
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During each week of Lent this year, we are posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post comes from John Chrysostom (305-407) the archbishop of Constantinople. This excerpt comes from one of John's sermons, titled "Dead to Sin". John Chrysostom: We must remember that we deal with a c...
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Today's post comes from a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist pastor in London in the 1800's. The sermon, based on Habakkuk 3:2, addresses the need for spiritual revival in the church. In this portion of his talk, Spurgeon points out that one aspect of revival involves the Spirit's work in the conversations of individual Christians. Charles Spurgeon: Pay atten...
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During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post comes from the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, an English professor at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the mid-20th Century. In this excerpt, Lewis writes about the way God uses diff...
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During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post is taken from a modern classic titled The Divine Conspiracy Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, written in 1997 by Dallas Willard. Willard, who died in 2013, was a professor of philosophy at...
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The traditional season of Lent consists of the forty days (excluding Sundays) that lead up to Easter. Not all Christians celebrate Lent, but for many it is a meaningful time to seek spiritual renewal from the Lord. For an interesting article on a helpful approach to Lent, click here. During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing ...
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"And this is my prayer: that your lovemay abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight " (Philippians 1:9) There is a corny, old joke about an elderly bachelor who always bragged to his neighbors about how much he loved children. One day, as he was pouring a new sidewalk in front of his house, a boy from down the block accidentally rode his bicycle through the w...
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Because it was a holiday, the kids were off from school. My 17-year-old stepson had asked to borrow the car to go out with his friends. Like any parent of a recently licensed driver, I was relieved the see the car, dent-free and unscratched, parked in the driveway when I got home. But I was unprepared for what I would find when I walked in the door. Chris, my stepson, and...
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As many as 7 billion copies of the Bible have been printed making it the best-selling book of all time. The full Bible has been translated into more than 700 languages, and the New Testament into over twice as many. In the United States, the average household possesses more than 4 Bibles. What is it about the Bible that makes it so important to so many people? Here are fi...
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Here are a couple of books that explore tough questions Christians often face as they seek to live out their faith in a post-modern world. Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World, by Andreas Kostenberger, Darrel Bock, and Josh Chatraw (BH Publishing). Truth Matters is designed for busy college students. It is short, well-written, and easy to read in a few hou...
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