When's a meal not a meal?

I am often times amazed at the fact that when the early followers of Christ came together they always gathered around a table. This table was where they would eat and enjoy the presence of one another and Jesus.  It is remarkable when you think about the difference that most of us find ourselves...

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Gluten-free: BRILLIANT!

The first Sunday of every month is our community's traditional time to celebrate the Lord's Table.  It probably looks like any other communion celebration, but it does not sound like any other I have been a part of.  As a church leadership team we found that there were a growing number of...

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Cannibal? Yes, yes, I am.

The early church was accused of being cannibalistic.  They were thought to be such because they feasted on the body and blood of Jesus the Christ. This was an unthinkable ritual and act.  It was seen as barbaric and it was a stumbling block to the world around them.  The Eucharist split...

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For Whom the Bell Tolls or Big Ben's Travesty

I am a sports guy. I love Sportscenter and follow the NFL, MLB, and NHL.  I have always admired the way that the Pittsburgh Steelers have handled their business.  I am becoming more and more impressed with the way that Roger Goodell the commissioner of the NFL is conducting his.Unless you...

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Water and Wine...

Over the next handful of days I want to tease out some thoughts on the sacraments. In the Protestant tradition we have two sacraments: baptism and the eucharist. I think that these two means of grace are essential for the church today and that they have been largely ignored or abused.  The sacraments...

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It's MY RIGHT!

"Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims."  - Eugene PetersonThe refrain, "It's my right!" rings our everywhere today in our culture.  Whether it's...

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Strong, weak, what!?

Our journey through freedom and the law is coming to a close, for now.  I think this is the second to last post on the issue before we turn our attention to Baptism and Communion. The passage that I am interested in today is Romans 14. This is where we find the famous, "Therefore, let us not pass...

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By no means!

I think that some of my favorite moments in the Bible are when the apostle Paul gets worked up. As you read you can almost feel the juices flowing inside Paul.  I imagine his forehead sweating and his face turning red.  I can see him pacing and flailing his arms as if he would be mute without...

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Are you gonna eat that?

We had been walking for a week straight.  The pace was incredible.  We did not even feel like they had homes any more because we were always on the move.  This is the way it always was. There was a constant pressure to move on to the next town and to continue proclaiming the "good news"....

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A Deeper Reflection: Glenn Beck Revisited

Tonight I heard Dr. Mark Noll say, "I think we should largely ignore talking heads on TV unless they are discussing a college basketball tournament."  Wise words.  However, twice now I have had conversations relating to a previous post that I wrote on Glenn Beck's discussion of social justice....

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That Dirty Rotten...oh, Really!?

We spent some time looking at Jesus' discussion about fulfilling the law.  Now, I want to look at another of the stories that bring to the forefront the issue of freedom and the law. This one is found in Matthew 8:5-13:“When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,...

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The Dawn Breaks: Freedom Breaking Through

We have evaluated the great verse on freedom, Galatians 5:1 and now I want to go back.  I want to look a the first in-breaking of freedom in the gospel of Matthew. We find it in Matthew 5:17-20:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but...

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Coming Apart at the Seams: Hebrews 4:14-5:4

[podcast]http://danielmrose.com/wp-content/uploads/Grace-100328-reduced.mp3[/podca...

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