So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. • Romans 8:15-16, NLT • • • Sunday morning weContinue reading “The Spirit of Knowing”
Monthly Archives: July 2014
A Highlight of the Summer of 2014
This is a summer with a lot of centennial connections for us and for the world. We visited Monhegan Island the other day, off the coast of Maine. In 1614, John Smith was there, making this year the island’s quadricentennial. We attended the celebration of our first church’s 200th anniversary. East Dover Baptist Church, EastContinue reading “A Highlight of the Summer of 2014”
Saturday Ramblings, July 19, 2014. World News Edition
Two huge news stories dominated our attention this week, and so we will forgo our usual Ramblings today to give opportunity for the Internet Monk community to discuss these events. Malaysia Flight 17 was cruising at 33,000 feet over Ukraine, more than half a mile higher than Mt. Everest, when a rocket hit it JulyContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings, July 19, 2014. World News Edition”
#1 Reason Why Church Attendance Is Down – Really?
No, the number one reason why church attendance is down is not pizza. I did think however, that the story of a fictional iMonk pizzeria might help us understand the flaws in the stated reason and proposed solutions that are detailed later on in the post. Imagine you are a neighborhood pizzeria owner. As theContinue reading “#1 Reason Why Church Attendance Is Down – Really?”
A Foggy Day on the Water
Fog is one of the metaphors we have used for the wilderness journey. You can’t see your way clear. The landscape around you is vague and undefined. You are locked in to seeing a limited locale and you have to make your way carefully lest you run into something your eyes could not anticipate. OurContinue reading “A Foggy Day on the Water”
Open Forum — July 16, 2014
While Gail and I enjoy the hospitality of IM reader Ted and his wife here in Maine, I will leave it to you all to come up with today’s topics in an open forum. Be civil. Don’t dominate the discussion. Listen well. Enjoy God’s gift of conversation. If the site holds your comment for someContinue reading “Open Forum — July 16, 2014”
Unholy Busyness
Unholy Busyness by Lisa Dye Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but because of what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction. — 1 Corinthians 7:35 My mother-in-law is 90 years old, works two part-time jobs, prays dailyContinue reading “Unholy Busyness”
Another Look: Carl
Note from CM: Names have been changed. This post was first published in 2011. This past weekend we talked about “Carl” and his wife with many friends, remembering their strength and God’s faithfulness to them. I was impressed afresh at how much I learned from such simple, daily relationships as this one in my firstContinue reading “Another Look: Carl”
Reunions Are Not Enough
Reunions make me sad. I enjoy them, but in the end, they do not satisfy. As I wrote last week, we are spending this weekend with friends in the congregation of our first church, where we served from 1978-1983. A Friday evening service, Saturday breakfast and evening music night with ice cream social, Sunday worshipContinue reading “Reunions Are Not Enough”
Saturday Ramblings, July 12, 2014
Fast-food culture wars, Dumb and Dumber sermons, and judges who are okay with incest. Welcome to the weekend, fellow imonkers. The big news in sports yesterday was that LeBron James announced he is returning to Cleveland. That city has not won a sports championship of any kind in over 50 years. But with three number oneContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings, July 12, 2014”
The Internet Monk Archives 