Jesus had a way of showing up in the midst of a crisis and making what seemed to be the end just the beginning. Today, we celebrate this hope in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. The subject of resurrection was nothing new to Jesus. Remember Lazarus? (see John 11). Jesus had been told Lazarus was sick, so he waited. A good friend… waiting… the ability to heal? This seemed very odd. When Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus has been dead four days. Four days of waiting is significant due to the popular Jewish teaching of the day that the soul would hover over and around the body for three days. In waiting four days, Jesus removes any doubt …

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Jesus is dead. The disciples are stunned and scattered. The religious leaders are thanking God for exterminating one more religious nut while basking in the glow of self-righteousness. Mary rides the waves of her memories of Jesus… a baby… a young child… a young man… a son brutally killed! Jesus’ family is reminding themselves that they pleaded with Jesus to not be so fanatical. They told Jesus things like: “Don’t make enemies!” “Don’t speak like that to our religious leaders!” “Jesus be patient, God has told us that He will send the Messiah to make things right.” Now, they must have been left in mourning for all the things Jesus could have done to make things better…“Jesus, what …

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It is been a challenging journey for our church over the last three weeks with the death of a dear friend and employee of our church, Tom Carpenter. Tom was a faithful friend who tirelessly displayed a servants-heart as he kept the buildings clean and the the supplies on-hand. But Tom was more than that. During his time with us, Tom had a passion for spreading God’s fame through quiet, humble service. In this session the Pastors of Grace Fellowship (excluding Pastor Pat who is in Guatemala as part of the process of adopting a son), reflect on Tom’s life with a view of what the events of the last three weeks mean for our lives. …

 

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We will be using the following guide in our devotional times to consider the events of the last week of Jesus’ life:
The Last Week of Jesus Christ

You can also trace the last week of Jesus by using Google Maps. This resource will help you experience even more information regarding the last week of Jesus Christ. You can also see a slight variation in the activity of Jesus from the devotional resource we provided.

Finally, *watch a modern Jewish Passover sacrifice and see in a whole new way what it meant for Jesus to be the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.

*WARNING: The video contains graphic content. If you do …

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An Interview with Scott Klusendorf, President of Life Training Institute.

Read the entire interview by Justin Taylor
Scott’s forthcoming book, The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage Culture, will be published by Crossway in March 2009.

JT: Just how bad was this election for pro-lifers? Give us the big picture.

SK: There’s no doubt we’ve experienced a crushing defeat in the current political cycle. The executive and legislative branches of the federal government are now firmly in the hands of those deeply committed to the proposition that an entire class of human beings can be set aside to be killed simply because they are in the way of something we want. In the weeks ahead, even before the …

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ABC News interviews the Chapman family regarding the recent death of their daughter, Maria, when she was hit by a car driven by her older brother. I am struck by the focus and balance the entire family has in dealing with this tragedy. May you be encouraged!

Larry King will be interviewing the family tonight on Larry King Live.

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It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world.

—Jonathan Edwards

Dr. Randy Pausch may have come to your attention during the past year. At Carnegie Mellon University, he delivered a now-famous “Last Lecture” about fulfilling your childhood dreams, and it

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On Friday (June 20), Dennis Rainey of Family Life sent the following email to some of his friends regarding the death of his newly-born granddaughter, Molly. The e-mails have now been made public since they hold a wonderful testament to God’s grace in the lives of the extended family. Dennis recounts his emotions and surrounding circumstances of the last precious moments spent with family and Molly before she passed to be with Jesus.

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We weep with those who weep, grieving, but not as those who have no hope.

News from last night: Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday evening after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.

Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV. . . .

Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names.

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The Doctrine of God: Week 22
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem.
Chapter 14, Creation:  Why, how, and when did God create the universe?

This week we conclude our discussion on why, how, and when God created the universe. The topics which are more controversial among believers are discussed including interpretations of Genesis 1 and the debate of young earth or old earth.

 

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