I was recently asked about my favorite verse of Scripture. I decided to go with my favorite verse(s) from the words of Jesus. The following video was produced for a Birnham Woods sermon series called “Bookmarks”.
As Christ followers, have you considered what it really means to be known by our love? Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture that has shaped your life and thinking for the Kingdom? Share your thoughts.
D.D. Flowers, 2013.
Greg Boyd has a new book being published this month. It’s called Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty (Baker Books, 2013). I’ll be reviewing the book in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned if you’re interested.
Greg’s ministry ReKnew is putting together its second event this year. This time it is to engage with the issues raised in his new book. Mark your calendars. On September 27-28th at Woodland Hills Church, ReKnew is hosting Faith, Doubt & the Idol of Certainty Conference.
Here’s what ReKnew previously posted on the book and conference:
Based on Greg Boyd’s new book, Benefit of the Doubt, Greg invites you to embrace a faith that doesn’t strive for certainty, but rather for commitment in the midst of uncertainty. Instead of assuming that your faith is as strong as it is certain, discover how your doubts can enhance faith and how seeking certainty is harming many in today’s church. Wrestle with your faith and experience a life-transforming relationship with Christ, even with unresolved questions about the Bible, theology, and ethics.
You may remember that ReKnew put on their first ever conference this past April in St. Paul. I was able to attend Open 2013 and connect with many like-minded folks. It was a great weekend!
If you’re looking to getaway for a stimulating conference, don’t miss this opportunity. You won’t be disappointed. Listen to Greg talk about the upcoming Faith, Doubt & the Idol of Certainty Conference.
Click here for more information and to register for the conference.
D.D. Flowers, 2013.
You may also be interested in the following posts:
Is God the future of rock music? Billy Corgan thinks so.
Corgan was the frontman for the popular 90’s rock band, Smashing Pumpkins. I actually remember the first time I heard the band was on the way to youth camp. No, the youth pastor wasn’t playing it. It was a few of the older kids letting me listen to their Walkmans. Remember those days?
Billy Corgan and his band were popular in an era when rock music was largely about expressing inner suffering, indifference to the suffering of others, all while raging against the machine. It was the decade of grunge.
Young “Christian” rock tried to offer an alternative to the hopelessness celebrated in the culture. I remember as a teenager that Christian alternative bands never did quite penetrate my soul like the emotional explosion of bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots.
I can’t say much about rock music in the last decade. On the whole it’s just not that good, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. And that’s one reason why Corgan believes rock music must now explore God.
In the following video, Corgan talks about the need to explore God in rock music, and how Jesus wants better “Christian” bands.
What do you think about the evolution of rock music? Where do you see rock going? Do you agree with Corgan? Is God the future of rock music?
D.D. Flowers, 2013.
The other day I received a letter from a woman I met several years ago. I was so blown away by her honesty and moved by her suffering that I asked her if it would be OK to share the letter with you. She was very willing to share her own struggles with you. Please open your heart to her pain.
I have kept her real identity concealed for obvious reasons. We can just call her a wounded disciple. May the Holy Spirit move us to change.
Hello, I have followed your blog for a while. I believe that I met you and your wife years ago at a house church gathering. Since then I have divorced (he was abusive and committed adultery), and I’m raising my two sons on my own. I’m writing this to confide in a fellow believer, leader, and respected minister…anonymously… that I have bi-sexual tendencies. I have never acted on them because I really LOVE the Lord. I feel a great deal of conviction when I seriously consider seeking out a relationship with a female. I make a conscious decision to deny myself and be obedient. But the thoughts do exist, and they don’t stay away after I push them from my mind. Anyway, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and convictions regarding the support or lack of support for gay marriage. I really wish that church was a safe place to seek guidance and encouragement without fear of rejection, being gossiped about or changing the way people love you. I shouldn’t have to be writing an email to someone I think I met years ago who lives far away now, and I will likely never see again about a struggle I deal with when I have a local congregation I am active in. I don’t trust my church to love me if I were to be honest with them. Thanks for your ministry, loving heart and openness. Sincerely, Wounded Disciple
How many others feel like this wounded disciple? How can the church be more intentional in the way we embrace those who suffer from physical abuse and inner strife? What are you doing to make your local fellowship a place of safety and acceptance for outcasts? Think about it.
D.D. Flowers, 2013.
The Centrality and Supremacy of Jesus Christ 