my burg

He [Jesus] said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"   Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:15-18 ESV) "How clear that no other institution in all the world is comparable to the Christian church in point of glory!  The glory of the greatest, wealthiest, most powerful and most resplendent empire of all history was as nothing, yes less than nothing, in comparison with the glory of the church of Christ. "Small wonder that of all the countless organizations in the world the Redeemer fondly claims only the church as his very own.  'Upon this Rock,' said He, 'I will build my church .' The church alone is 'his body...

"[ you ] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all."  (Colossians 3:10-11 ESV) "The ultimate solution to the race problem is found in Christianity.  No matter how great the differences among the races may be, in Christ they are one, and believers of all races are members of His body."   (R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, p. 282)

HDR photo I took of the ocean from the Outer Banks, NC, this summer.  Just needed this verse to complete the idea.    

"The Christian life is meant to be lived in community... the important thing is to get involved in some small group of Christians so that you can be 'one-anothered' by them.  "I came across a great illustration of the need for Christians to be in community with each other. A grove of sequoia trees is a wonderful sight; majestic trees reaching up to 300 feet into the sky. But did you know that the sequoia tree has its roots just barely below the surface, and in some cases on the surface?  How is it possible that such a tall tree can have such shallow roots and not blow over in a high wind? The answer is that they grow only in groves and their roots intertwine under the surface of the earth, making one huge mass of intertwined roots extending throughout the grove. So, when the strong winds come, they hold each other up; they are supporting and upholding one another. A single tall sequoia tree could never stand up to the wind; it would just blow over.  "And th...

Good podcast on the characteristics of a cult . Bob Pardon being interviewed by Neil Damgaard:     "The member confuses their commitment to God with their commitment to the institution.  The two become synonymous.  So, to leave one is to leave the other."  (Bob Pardon)  Other characteristics...  Is there use of "undue influence"? Is it enslaving or freeing?   Is there a leader with a pipeline to God but without any accountability? Does it take biblical principles beyond their proper use? Listen to Neil Damgaard interview with Bob Pardon . 

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) "Defense is proper and necessary because in every age historic Christianity will be under attack. Defense does not mean being on the defensive. One must not be embarrassed about the use of the word defense. The proponents of any position who are alive to their own generation must give a sufficient answer for it when questions are raised about it. Thus, the word defense is not used here in a negative sense, because in any conversation, in any communication which is really dialogue, answers must be given to objections raised. Such answers are necessary in the first place for myself as a Christian if I am going to maintain my intellectual integrity, and if I am to keep united my personal, devotional and intellectual life."   (Francis Schaeffer)

"For all of its joy and celebration and for all of its gifts of life and grace, the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of sacrifice. The central event in the history of this kingdom is a shocking and unthinkable sacrifice. This moment of sacrifice confounded the followers who were there to see it and has interested theologians ever since. It is at once the most terrible and most beautiful event in the kingdom. It is a sacrifice that makes perfect sense and no sense at all. And this sacrifice forms the operating agenda of the kingdom from that time on. "Jesus, by his bleeding and broken body on the cross, not only gave the kingdom of God its life and hope, but its paradigm for living as well. That history-changing death on the cross is also the life-changing call of Christ to everyone who would follow him. And as it did on the cross, that willingness to die will always result in life. This kingdom is a kingdom of the cross, and everyone who celebrates that sacrifice is called to...