How the Eschatological Views of Columbus Changed the World
Columbus believed the conversion of all peoples to Christianity and the re-conquest of Jerusalem were necessary preconditions for the Second Coming of Jesus. He also believed he was playing a starring role in the eschatological drama. As he once wrote in his diary, “God made me the messenger of the New Heaven and the New Earth.”
The problem of darkness within North America is not a problem with the nature of darkness; instead, it is a problem with the light. Light, by its very nature, always dispels darkness. Jesus was not unclear on this point. If there is as much darkness as there is the light of Christ within the church, then how great that darkness must be.
Why do we focus more on the hate than we do the holy? Is it because it speaks louder and grabs our attention more? Is it because we’re more familiar with heartache and have no problem sitting in our pain? Why do we allow the God moments to pass by so quickly, sometimes refusing to see them, when they’re happening?
What Ever Happened to Civil Debate?
When we get angry, shout, gossip, or tear down others we disagree with, we are showing what’s in our heart. Even if others “shake us” through their actions or words, only what’s truly inside us will spill out. As our sinfulness is revealed, the Gospel calls us to confess, receive the forgiveness of Christ, and strive to live in God’s mercy and grace each day. As we do so, that grace will change us from the inside out, and more and more we’ll show graciousness in our speech and disposition.
Sacred Cows to Be Aware of in Your Church
The 15 sacred cows we discuss are:
- The parlor.
- The organ.
- Politics.
- Order of worship.
- The building.
- Flowers in the worship center.
- Music/worship style.
- Sunday evening services.
- Pews.
- Attire.
- Committees.
- Cemeteries.
- Choir robes.
- Previous pastor.
- White tablecloths over the elements for the Lord’s Supper/Communion.
Don’t send an email without doing these three things
- Wait at least 60 seconds and read it over before you hit send
- Take out fillers and qualifiers
- You are conveying the right tone
The 5 people you must have in your network
- The creative innovator
- The pragmatist
- The up and comer
- The network node
- Your future self
Over 2,000 years ago Aristotle dreamt of a self-weaving loom that would end slavery and exploitation. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Luddites broke weaving machines in protest against the domination and destitution that came with the new contraptions, only to be unfairly remembered as opponents of progress. Today, in our own optimistic reveries about labor-saving devices, we too often forget to ask: who owns the looms?
Perhaps hoping to prove that his fitness is on the level of #CantStop #WontStop, the man refused to quit doing pull-ups, until he finally reached his #FitnessGoal. “He would not sit down. The flight attendant probably asked him about three or four times to sit down, and he refused to sit down, and then he really got verbally abusive with her, starting calling her names,“ Markoski said.