Submitted by Pastor Ben on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 9:48pm
The Nazarene denomination is a product of what was known as the Holiness movement. Several other denominations (Wesleyan, Methodist, Missionary Church, Salvation Army, and Church of God to name just a few) are a result of this same movement. The drive behind it is the belief that God desires to both forgive you for the sin in your life and empower you for an entirely new way of life through the indwelling of His Spirit.
Within our particular denomination we have something called the “Covenant of Christian Conduct”. The intention behind the document (as I understand it) is to provide members of our churches with some examples of how the concept of Holiness translates into the practical circumstances of their life. It is a collection of ways we have chosen to posture ourselves as a result of our communal convictions and an effort to keep us from being a stumbling block to others. Oddly enough, it has become one of the most widely debated and potentially controversial things within our denomination.
Submitted by Pastor Ben on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 10:40pm
He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 2 Kings 6:14-15
Have you ever had one of those days where you woke up to find the enemy’s army encircling your camp? Horses and chariots filled with battle worn soldiers, drooling at the opportunity to get their hands on you? I think many of us can readily identify with the emotions the attendant must have been experiencing. Feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness. In an honest moment, confronted with our own inability, we cry out along with the servant “What shall we do?”
Submitted by Pastor Ben on Tue, 09/14/2010 - 2:17pm
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a particular description of God, one I’m pretty sure I picked up somewhere in college but can’t remember for sure. It refers to God as the (w)Holy Other. The name attempts to point to the reality that God transcends, is distinct from, and cannot be contained in all that is…He is beyond our capacity to reach, comprehend, or grasp. He was before all things and will continue to be at the culmination of all things. He is the (w)Holy Other.
Submitted by Pastor Ben on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 6:43pm
The book of Hebrews has really been messing with me. There is a Reality the writer is trying to communicate that is so beyond words and concepts that in several places the writer combines existing words to create new terms to communicate the Reality. It is a Reality so powerful, that it begins, divides and concludes ages. A Reality so all encompassing that literally everything has its beginning, sustenance and ending in it. This Reality is THE Reality, it is the only thing that IS. It was before all things and will be long after all things cease. When you ask its name it responds simply “I AM”.
Submitted by Pastor Ben on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 12:55pm
We have a friend from Temperance Michigan who was an accomplished diver at the University of Toledo. I've always been impressed at how these divers jump from such amazing heights, twisting and contorting their bodies as gravity hurls them towards the surface of the water where their goal is to enter as gently and quietly as possible. I don't know about you, but personally, jumping is the last thing running through my mind when I stand on a platform like that. I'd much rather walk back from the edge and set up camp right there for a bit. It's my natural instinct.
Submitted by Pastor Ben on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 10:32pm
It’s been several months now since we returned from our trip to the Smoky’s. My parents had graciously decided to rent a cabin just outside Gatlinburg and invite us, along with my brother and his family, to come hang out for a week. This was my first trip back to the area since I was a young boy. In fact, it had been so long that the only memory I had was a vague recollection of a sheriffs badge I had been tracking down and some mountainside we tried to climb, but those could easily have come from trips to Brown County. Regardless, I had little expectation of what we would find when we arrived.
The book of Hebrews has really been messing with me. There is a Reality the writer is trying to communicate that is so beyond words and concepts that in several places the writer combines existing words to create new terms to communicate the Reality. It is a Reality so powerful, that it begins, divides and concludes ages. A Reality so all encompassing that literally everything has its beginning, sustenance and ending in it. This Reality is THE Reality, it is the only thing that IS. It was before all things and will be long after all things cease. When you ask its name it responds simply “I AM”.