묵상/스티브 멕베이(Steve McVey)243 Sweet Tea - The Nectar of Heaven Ingredients: 2 Family Size Tea Bags 1 Gallon Water 2 Cups White Sugar Place the tea bags in a small simmering pan containing about two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Steep for ten minutes then pour tea concentrate into gallon pitcher. While liquid is still very hot, add two cups of sugar. Stir. Fill gallon pitcher with water and stir. Serve over ice. On behalf of everybody who grew up in the s.. 2009. 12. 7. My First Date . . . I've shared this story a thousand times, but assume many of my FB friends haven't heard it. It's about my first date, which turned out to be the girl I've been married to for over 36 years, pictured at 18 years old here. I met my wife when I was sixteen years old. On the day of that date, I went to great effort to cause her to like me. As soon as I came home from school that Friday, I drove dad.. 2009. 12. 7. Energized By Grace Nothing is more invigorating to the life of a believer than continuously experiencing the grace of God. Religion drains a person. A religious man is a driven man. Grace doesn’t drive us, but directs us in a way that we enjoy serving God from a heart filled with gratitude. One walking in grace becomes increasingly energized as he serves, not spiritually exhausted. Although he may at times expe.. 2009. 12. 3. When We Are In Deep Pain When my son, David, was about three years old, he woke up one night crying in agony. Melanie and I rushed into his bedroom and could immediately tell that something was seriously wrong. We agreed that she would stay at home with the other children and I would take him to the hospital. When we arrived at the emergency room, the attending physician examined him. He turned to me and said, “I kno.. 2009. 12. 2. Why I'm Against Religion Sometimes people are taken aback when they hear me say that I'm against religion. That's the last thing that they'd expect to hear a professing follower of Jesus Christ say, and even more true of a pastor. Why am I against religion? It really a simple answer. It's because of what it is and what it does to people. Religion began in the garden of Eden when Eve believed the lie that there was some.. 2009. 12. 1. Resting In Christ It is amazing how the default setting in contemporary Christian culture tends to oppose the concept of spiritual rest when that is exactly what Jesus promised to give those who follow Him. (See Matthew 11:28-30) This concept requires a new mind set for most people, especially in western culture. We live in a society where people go on vacation with their Blackberrys and laptops. To rest in Chri.. 2009. 11. 30. Negative Faith Some people have a negativity being broadcast inside them practically all the time. Sometimes it is a conscious broadcast. At others it is subconscious. This negativity causes them to look at a scenario and immediately see the negative aspects of it. “Do you want to get well?” Jesus asks them. They don’t even hear the question. Like the man beside the pool of Bethesda, their response is i.. 2009. 11. 30. You Shall Know They Are Christians Imagine giving a description of what God is like to somebody who had never heard of Him. How would you describe Him to them in a short summary? I hope you would mention God's love in your description. Since that is the essence of His nature, to do justice to any description of Him requires that we talk about His love. If the world only understood the truth about the love of Father, so many more.. 2009. 11. 30. When Others Try To Put Expectations On You One of the greatest changes grace brings to followers of Jesus when we are set free from legalism is the release from being controlled by the religious expectations others try to put on us. The essence of religion is that it binds you up and controls you. (The origin of the English word "religion" is religare (Latin) and means "to bind." See http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200804040.. 2009. 11. 25. It's Not True That Grace Is An Important Doctrine "Why do you stress the grace of God, but don't talk much about His other characteristics?" I'm often asked. People often like to remind me that there's much more to theology than grace. "We need grace but there are other important things too," somebody recently said. I think this kind of criticism misses the point altogether. Grace isn't an important doctrine that takes its place in line with o.. 2009. 11. 24. Did The Father Forsake Jesus On the Cross? No! For many years I taught the seven sayings of the cross and when I came to the words of Jesus, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" I used the text as evidence that the Father had turned His back on His own Son when Jesus was on the cross. "The Bible is clear that God cannot look upon sin!" I would boldly proclaim. It seemed reasonable to me that God turned away from Jesus. After all, isn.. 2009. 11. 24. Theodicy And My Own Idiocy Okay, friends - I traveled to Florida yesterday to arrive and find there was quite an interest in what I wrote in yesterday's blog about suffering. Here's a follow-up which will probably stir the pot more but at least will clarify my thinking :) Theodicy is the word used to describe our attempts to explain the existence of evil given the fact that our God is a good God. "How can a loving God al.. 2009. 11. 23. A Throne In Heaven Things don't just "happen" in this world. A sovereign God has written the script for the drama we call life. The world is not hanging in the balance, with the outcome yet to be determined. Some people seem to believe that the throngs of heaven are on one side of the stadium and the demons of hell are on the other, each hoping their side wins. Within the context of their twisted theology, it bec.. 2009. 11. 23. The Value of Laughter When Nehemiah led the people of Israel to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, they had a ceremony after the reconstruction was complete. Ezra, the priest, stood before the people and began to read the Law of God to them. As he read, the people were moved to tears and began to weep as they worshiped God. Nehemiah encouraged them with these words: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is y.. 2009. 11. 23. Can You Go Too Far With Grace? One of the most frequent accusations I hear as I teach the truth of grace is that we have to be careful about not taking grace too far. After all, people will go crazy and abuse grace if you aren't careful. Some suggest that there is "grace and truth" and that we need to keep the two in balance, as if there is anything else we could do. You can't divide truth from grace. When we do, truth stops.. 2009. 11. 16. Celebrating Life In Every Situation Celebration was a foundational aspect of the growth of the early church. The second chapter of Acts portrays a group of people who laughed and loved, who shared meals and money; people who took seriously the practice of partying under the direction of God’s Spirit. They would have fully affirmed C. S. Lewis’s claim that “joy is the serious business of heaven.” The result was that “mul.. 2009. 11. 16. Christian Cataracts Sometimes people with failing vision have been known to pretend to see better than they do. They find it hard to admit that they can't see clearly. That’s what a Christian legalist does. In an effort to keep up appearances, those blinded by legalism profess all the more loudly about how clearly they can see. They go through religious motions, but with each passing day their view of the Divine.. 2009. 11. 16. Is God In A Bad Mood? “I think God is out to get me!” George Castanza once said to Jerry on the popular Seinfeld television sitcom. “I thought you didn’t believe in God,” Jerry answered. “I do for the bad stuff!” George replied. George’s comical answer reflects a sad attitude common among many people, even many Christians. Legalistic religion often paints a portrayal of a god who is perturbed most of.. 2009. 11. 16. Joe Cocker And Grace? One time I was speaking at a conference on the subject of hearing our Father express His love to us in nonreligious ways when I asked the group, “Are you able to hear God speak to you if there is no religious tone who what you hear?” The audience waited for me to continue. “Close your eyes and listen to the song I’m about to play, “ I encouraged them. “Perhaps you have heard the son.. 2009. 11. 16. Hearing God Speak In his book, Without Feathers, Woody Allen offers an essay which spoofs the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. As Allen tells the story, Abraham is reporting to Sarah and Isaac about how God has instructed him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. While this description contains elements of humor, it isn’t so far removed from the way some Christians think that God must speak to them. And Abraham a.. 2009. 11. 16. A Jed Clampet Sort of Grace To practice the discipline of contentment, we must be set free from an all-consuming goal to increasingly achieve and attain. It’s still true that a man can’t serve two masters. (Luke 16:13) Real contentment comes when we begin to focus on spiritual depth instead of the superficial breadth lauded by modern standards. Contentment never comes to those who are held captive to the eternal lust .. 2009. 11. 16. Looking Beyond The Religious Lens My wife, Melanie, and I have loved the chance to occasionally vacation in the Carribean. At times I have stood in scenic spots overlooking the ocean, with my camera in hand. I’ve felt overwhelmed by the majestic beauty that surrounds me. Blue, crystal clear water stretches out to the horizon until it becomes impossible to tell where the water stops and the sky begins. White, powdery beaches r.. 2009. 11. 16. Idleness With Jesus In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, there is an intense scene where Captain Ahab’s whaling boat presses through a churning sea in pursuit of the great white whale, Moby Dick. One can almost smell the salt air and feel the ocean spray as Melville describes the chase. For the sailors onboard at that moment, nothing else exists apart from the pounding waves, violent winds and the great sea monster.. 2009. 11. 16. Dirty Diapers And Divine Acceptance When my grandson, Jonathan, was a baby, I was holding him on my lap one day. I was laughing at him to see if I could get him to laugh. It worked. Every time I would laugh, Jonathan saw my delight in him and he laughed too. As we sat on the couch laughing together, I was filled with emotion and thought to myself, “It’s amazing how much love I feel for him.” At that moment a thought came in.. 2009. 10. 28. Stillness Stillness. It was into the stillness of an empty void that God spoke and said, “Let there be” and all that is came into existence. It was in the stillness of a barren desert that a man met God at a burning bush and was commissioned to lead His people to freedom. It was in the stillness of the night that a baby’s cry could be heard in Bethlehem, announcing salvation to the world. It was an.. 2009. 10. 28. Can You Go Too Far With Grace? Those who are afraid of the message of the grace walk have sometimes suggested that you can go too far with grace. They're afraid about getting "out of balance" with the message. It is from out of that unfounded fear that this lie finds expression. The fact is that grace is a Person. His name is Jesus. So to say that you can go too far with grace is like saying that you can go too far with Him... 2009. 10. 28. Aslan Is Not Safe In The Chronicles of Narnia , C. S. Lewis wrote in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe about an occasion when Susan and Lucy ask Mr. and Mrs. Beaver to describe Aslan, the Christ-figure in the story. They ask if Aslan is a man. Mr. Beaver replies: Aslan a man? Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the woods and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the Sea. Don't you know who is the King o.. 2009. 10. 28. How To Forgive Somebody For nearly four decades, I've been counseling people on how to forgive those who have hurt them. Unforgiveness toward other people is one of the most debilitating things anybody can experience in their grace walk. We don’t forgive other people because they need it. We forgive them because we need it. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door to freedom from the effect of past hurts in our .. 2009. 10. 22. No Superstars In God's Kingdom Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes we see people that seem to be superstars when it comes to their spirituality. They seem to always have it all together and it looks like they probably never have a bad day. It's easy to imagine that their faith is always strong, their walk is always consistent, their circumstances are always what they want and they are gushing God out of their words, thoughts a.. 2009. 10. 15. Moving From Mercy To Grace An article in Progress magazine reported that Billy Graham received a speeding ticket driving through a small town many years ago. He readily admitted his guilt, but was told by the police officer that he would have to appear in court. Mr. Graham was asked by the judge, “Do you plead guilty or not guilty?” When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied that will be ten dollars – a dollar f.. 2009. 10. 14. 이전 1 ··· 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 다음