exhort | iɡˈzôrt, eɡˈzôrt |verb (with object and infinitive): strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something: (with direct speech) : “Come on, you guys,” exhorted Linda | the media have been exhorting people to turn out for the demonstration. Recently we began experimenting with an “exhortation” in our worship services. The elders have decided to stick with …
This week we will grant space in our church for voting. Some might ask – either from a right or a left angle – if this is appropriate. I believe it is, but allow me to first explain what we are not doing it for. We are not doing it because we affirm the current …
We are now entering #PrideMonth,1 when companies like Target form a great crowd, especially on social media, to pander to those who follow LGBTQ ideology. In June they roll out their chest binders and glow-up their social media logos – but only in their western hemisphere units, not in the Middle East. Crowds are funny that …
It still rings in my mind, the way my friend Roger (not his real name) questioned me condescendingly, about why I was still “fighting the culture wars.” Christians had lost the war, he said – why keep fighting? Roger said the whole notion of a culture war is not just a losing battle, but a …
If you have not heard, just a couple days ago, the pastor of Sun Grove Church here in Elk Grove died of COVID. This was, as I understand it, a great surprise. Perhaps some of you knew him. I don’t know what his vaccination status or overall health was – I would not know him …
One of the great ways that the gospel shapes our minds is that it teaches us to weigh and hold two truths at the same time, in order to think rightly about, well, just about anything. After all, at the cross, God was both just in dealing with our sins, and also the justifier of …
I’ve heard it said that Elk Grove is “an oasis between Sacramento and Stockton”. I’ve never lived in either of those towns, and I trust that they each have many good qualities – but I think that whoever said that is right. Elk Grove is an oasis – it’s a great place to live. Here …
Thinking of Moving From the Bay Area? Consider Elk Grove! Read More »
Uncategorized / By Jed Brown “Professionalism” is that trait that separates the pillars in a company from the paid worker bees. It makes you a “person worth watching” in the eyes of the management and ownership. And it makes you the kind of person that your “customer”, whether they be a person or another department in your …
In this week’s newsletter, Michelle Murray has posted a note about social media, and asks for your help. I thought I would mention three further thoughts on that. First, Facebook is a private company, that has developed a power to sway communications in our country, to an unprecedented degree. And this week, we learned (from …
We are in the middle of our current membership class, and we are thankful that so many have taken the step to investigate and, Lord willing, pursue membership. It’s therefore a great time to consider church membership – is it a biblical thing? Why have it? 1. Because it pictures the blessed rule of Christ …