Jenny bought me an iTunes gift card and after much flipping through the new HM magazine, listening to snippets on iTunes and full songs on MySpace, watching music videos and reading lyrics… I decided on 2 albums: former KoRn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch’s album “Save Me From Myself” and The Showdown’s “Back Breaker.” Both are heavy and pretty intense. I am currently about halfway through Head’s album as I type this, and am enjoying it much more than I thought I would. If you’ve read his book, it is a very honest album. the song I’m on now “Die Religion Die” speaks of how we need to live for CHRIST and not religion. It’s very KoRn-esque, but without Jon Davis cussing I am anxious to listen to BackBreaker at length and in depth. I loved The Showdown’s first album “A Chorus of Obliteration” and hated their second album “Temptation [...]

Original post by Josh Simons

I am leading another retreat this weekend. The intentional community of which I am prior is having a retreat, we are taking sometime to hang out at an Abbey and pray and review our rule and common life. So, not quite the same as leading the retreat last week which was for people I mostly did not know.

Original post by lekamphausen@netzero.net (Larry Kamphausen)

Discovered a better way to get to my temp position today, which involves riding the bus from a stop before the end of the line. And I noticed something riding both ways that the cross streets are announced in Evanston but not once the bus crosses into Wilmette. What the…? This is strange phenomenon. I suppose once a bus rider is in the north shore they simply know where they are without

Original post by lekamphausen@netzero.net (Larry Kamphausen)

Edwards On Electing GraceSeptember 19th, 2008 by Stephen Altrogge
This quote by Jonathan Edwards is breathtaking:
Make God the peculiar object of your praises. The doctrine [of electing grace] shows what great reason you have to do so. If God so values you, set so much by you, has bestowed greater mercies upon you than on all the ungodly in the world, is it too little a requital for you to make God the peculiar object of your praise and thankfulness? If God so distinguishes you with his mercies, you ought to distinguish yourself in his praises. You should make it your great care and study how to glorify that God who has been so peculiarly merciful to you. And this, rather, because there was nothing peculiar in you differing you from any other person that moved God to deal thus peculiarly by you: you were as unworthy to be set by [...]

Original post by Josh Simons

1 John 3:19-20 ESVBy this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he knows everything.
(for context, here is 1 John 3:11-24 ESV) For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know [...]

Original post by Josh Simons

This Past Weekend I lead the church retreat for the Community Church of Wilmette. Being church leader meant in this case leading a three hour session Saturday morning and the Taking part in the leadership of the Sunday worship service and preaching at that service. I enjoyed getting to know the 20 or so people who came up for the retreat at Green Lake Conference center in Wisconsin. Green Lake

Original post by lekamphausen@netzero.net (Larry Kamphausen)

On September 14th I preached at Reconciler. The New Testament texts were on non-judgement and forgiveness. On Thursday evenings I usually am at a local cafe where I am available if someone wants to come by for a pastoral visit and as a time to work on my sermons. I have mentioned that I have been getting to know a Loyala University Theology student who frequents the same cafe. We have started

Original post by lekamphausen@netzero.net (Larry Kamphausen)

It has recently been put on my heart to recount a time period in my life where I was goth. Once I get to that part, there may or may not be a question of whether or not I could be genuinely considered “goth.” Nevertheless, I will go there. Before I do, it is necessary for me to state that I am now a born again Christian, where I was not then despite my youth being marinated in Christianity. More on that later.My first exposure to any goth culture, at least that piqued my interest in it, was media. Music, and, to a lesser extent, movies. However, I feel it appropriate to start with how I even discovered that music, which needs to go back to before I found it to begin with. So, when I was developing my own identity as an individual who fed on what he [...]

Original post by Josh Simons

the wheel, it doth turn……

A Blessed and Merry Mabon to you, one and all.This is my time of the rolling year. I was born an Autumn child. It has been a time of great changes, wonderful adventures and unbridled growth for me, all my days. I love it so…May the turning of the season bring you bounty, beauty and, above all, peace.
This beautiful illustration is by Mystickal Realms Graphics.
wander with me…

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (gregor)

1 John 3:14 - We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. (ESV)
John MacArthur comments: “Becoming a Christian is a resurrection from death to life, and a turning from hate to love (cf.Gal.5:6,22). A lack of love indicates that one is spiritually dead. Love is the sure test of whether someone has experienced the new birth or is still in the darkness of spiritual death (2:9,11). Someone who is characterized by hate has never experienced the new birth.
I comment: “1 Corinthians 13 has to be an essential cross reference when dealing with love. Having read this passage a number of times, I’m familiar with what love IS, yet what can I do practically to love my brothers (beginning with Jenny, my closesy neighbor)? We have been exploring the word “fellowship” and seeking to live it [...]

Original post by Josh Simons