tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81335441057697499672008-09-23T06:32:21.417-05:00Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-50705412020268142882008-09-23T06:32:00.001-05:002008-09-23T06:32:21.550-05:00

Marcia Ford is a kindred spirit in her journey politically, spiritually, and as a writer. She describes herself as "a book author, with 18 traditionally published books. I'm also a ghostwriter, though of course I can't talk specifically about those books; let's just say that I've ghostwritten or contributed to 12 additional books. I'm also a book editor, book reviewer, writing instructor, writing

Greg Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755964710112615631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-70753208421087894282008-09-09T08:41:00.001-05:002008-09-09T08:41:47.858-05:00

Through my association with Uganda, Wineskins, ZOE, The Kibo Group, water projects, Neighborhood Kitchens, and Garnett Church of Christ, I hear about and participate in many non-profit projects and missions that are always needing funding. If you or your church would like to get involved in missions, donating or participating in amazing work serving God's children worldwide, please email me:

Greg Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755964710112615631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-89002652792493178642008-06-18T06:43:00.003-05:002008-06-18T07:01:24.091-05:00

It is said of Enoch (Genesis 5:22-24) and Noah (6:9) that they walked with God. Then a time came when men like Abraham and Isaac were said to walk before God (17:1; 48:15). Then a time came when He gave law to Israel's children, and He instructed them to walk in His ways (Deuteronomy 5:33; 8:6; 10:12, et al). The prophet Micah pleaded with Israel's remnant to return to the days when people

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-14598019181642143152008-06-15T07:00:00.002-05:002008-06-15T07:05:21.406-05:00

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' - which is the first commandment with a promise - 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.' Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." ~ Ephesians 6:1-4 On this Father's Day, this text will be preached

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-56095896741174745702008-06-13T06:52:00.002-05:002008-06-13T06:58:27.567-05:00

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-47508037355496330262008-06-08T07:10:00.002-05:002008-06-08T07:19:23.530-05:00

In a sequel to his prophecy about those who "sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7), God's servant revealed two chapters later: "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you." ~ Hosea 10:12 It's a common metaphor is scripture - in Job, the Proverbs

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-51251400872665690122008-06-06T07:12:00.002-05:002008-06-06T07:18:41.716-05:00

When we want to emphasize something, we often repeat it. Paul repeats a phrase in his letter to Christ's followers in Ephesus to remind them that no one is better than anyone else; all of us were at one time spiritually "dead" because of our sin and headed for physical death in them -but God resurrected us through Christ: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-43483930424122069812008-06-05T06:53:00.003-05:002008-06-06T07:19:45.515-05:00

When others were brought to Christ, His followers in the early church praised God – because they recognized that it was God who drew them all through the ministry of others. When Paul, Luke and party reported to James and the gathered elders at Jerusalem the results of the work on their journey through Macedonia: "Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-5144603725247412622008-06-04T07:09:00.002-05:002008-06-04T07:10:55.987-05:00

How we relate to each other as followers of Christ is worship to the Father. - Or not. Having hearts for unity with - and accepting - other believers imitates Christ, Paul writes to Rome: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-60412993729873867102008-06-03T06:58:00.004-05:002008-06-03T07:06:35.081-05:00

If there were such a thing as a church in which only a few select members were permitted to worship and praise the God of creation, would you want to be among them? That's the purpose for which God has sealed followers of His Son with His Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians 1:11-14: "In him we were also chosen,[a] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-17160802340599079782008-06-02T07:07:00.002-05:002008-06-02T07:17:22.386-05:00

Paul and Timothy begin a letter to their dearly loved ones in Corinth with a doxology of hope and comfort. They seem to realize that whatever solace they can offer to those who suffer comes through them and through Christ from God Himself. So they give glory to the Source of all comfort: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-82750153589792916632008-06-01T06:44:00.002-05:002008-06-01T06:47:07.829-05:00

"Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning." ~ Lamentations 5:15 We are confronted by the witness of Scripture concerning worship. it is interesting to see in the Word how praise and joy nearly always follow repentance and brokenness, not precede them. The Israelites in Ezra and Daniel came to God in sackcloth and ashes then celebration followed. Paul labeled himself a

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-55387817053843743862008-05-31T07:34:00.002-05:002008-05-31T07:45:00.063-05:00

If the idea of God the Son praying to God the Father gives you pause, so will the realization that God the Son praised God the Father. On the return of the seventy(-two) evangelists, Jesus is joyful at their report: "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-57888853458798865462008-05-30T06:59:00.002-05:002008-05-30T07:05:10.891-05:00

Money is getting tight, and most of us find ourselves getting tighter with it. In this summary to the perplexing tale of the shrewd financial planner, Jesus explains that trust is the key to interpreting it: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-81581486552391385502008-05-29T07:02:00.002-05:002008-05-29T07:16:30.062-05:00

05/29/2008 - "Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. " ~ Acts 2:45 "There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." ~ Acts 4:34-35 These followers in the aborning church took Jesus

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-70026967712428305242008-05-28T07:14:00.002-05:002008-05-28T07:30:50.455-05:00

05/28/2008 - That's what was left behind when Jesus called some of His closest followers, and how it was abandoned - everything, and at all at once: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-72220063518867261742008-05-27T07:09:00.003-05:002008-05-27T07:19:04.324-05:00

05/27/2008 - It is in the context of refuting circumcision and checking off laws kept that Paul says: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." ~ Philippians 3:10-11 In any context, though, he states a worthy goal and ambition and hope.

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-24099812996642510022008-05-23T07:07:00.003-05:002008-05-27T07:20:02.723-05:00

05/23/2008 - Lament is not often a part of our gathered worship - except when we gather for the memorial services of those we love - but it has a legitimate place in our worship, public or private. The book of Lamentations mourns the exile of Israel and the overturning of Jerusalem with deep passion and a sense of irretrievable loss. In the middle of the collection of recorded sorrows, like a

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-83625035132261670602008-05-22T07:03:00.003-05:002008-05-22T07:16:52.205-05:00

05/22/2008 - "Peter asked, 'Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' " ~ John 13:37 " 'I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-79010390484118730392008-05-21T06:31:00.003-05:002008-05-21T11:10:25.369-05:00

05/21/2008 - We live in a time when Christians are not well-perceived. It hasn't always been that way, even within the lifetimes of most of us. At the time described by Acts 2, followers of Christ are described as "enjoying the favor of all the people." "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe,

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-50145176503883712962008-05-20T06:53:00.005-05:002008-05-20T08:57:36.538-05:00

05/20/2008 - "Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.' " ~ Matthew 15:32 Three days. Had the crowds been out in the wild, away from their cities and homes and jobs, for three days while He taught them? Was it the

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-4274247349601976012008-05-19T06:57:00.005-05:002008-05-19T16:57:20.943-05:00

05/19/2008 - "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.' " ~ Luke 11:1 Luke begins his account of Jesus teaching His followers what we call "The Lord's Prayer" with their simple request. We have the prayer they asked for as an example, and while it has value as a prayer that

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-15447960687677561282008-05-18T07:25:00.003-05:002008-05-19T16:57:02.734-05:00

05/18/2008 - Jesus' followers asked a lot of questions. "The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' " ~ Matthew 13:10 "Then the disciples came to him and asked, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this' " ~ Matthew 15:12 "His disciples answered, 'Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?' " ~

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-4145276368805458792008-05-17T07:31:00.005-05:002008-05-19T16:56:43.601-05:00

05/17/2008 - It sounded like He was advocating cannibalism. What Jesus had just said was so unexpected, so repulsive in its seemingly literal meaning, that ... "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?' "Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133544105769749967.post-55761440747943876072008-05-16T06:49:00.007-05:002008-05-19T16:56:27.393-05:00

05/16/2008 - The children's Bible School song notwithstanding - "Jesus called them one by one ..." that's what Mark's gospel seems to indicate, at least for the first few disciples. "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com