A Study of Revelation Tuesday, Jan 25 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 19:22

Revelation Study Begins

Revelation is a beautiful and mysterious book, but it often presents a language barrier to the Christians who wish to study it. In our study of Revelation, we will discover how the language of Revelation unveils an important message to the church. Revelation was intended to encourage Christians to live into their faith.  In a world of change, uncertainty and brutality, the book of Revelation still has an important message for the church.

Our study of Revelation begins on Wednesday, 26 January at 6:30 PM in Room 204, which is next door to the church library. You may wish to have supper at the church at 5:00 PM. You may make reservations for supper by calling Cumberland Baptist Church at 584.9129 by noon on Wednesday. Hope to see you there!

 

Tucson Shootings Monday, Jan 10 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 21:00

The alleged assassination attempt of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D) Tucson, AZ on Saturday, 8 January 2011 by Jared L. Loughner, which left six other people, including a 9-year old girl, dead and three others wounded, including Giffords, leaves our nation in mourning over the tragic and probably preventable loss of life.

A mourner at a Tucson synagogue, where Rep Giffords attended, cried, “Why, why, why, why…?” I suspect that is the question we want to try to answer most desperately.  As humans we want make sense of this seemingly senseless act.

Perhaps the first thing we can do is to remind ourselves that we live in a misshapen world, a world that has been misshapen by sin. I know that sounds like an easy answer, but it is fundamental to answering the basic question, “Why?” Augustine reminds us that sin springs from two sources, our own thoughts and the persuasion of others. (Free Choice of the Will) Perhaps further investigations will reveal the source of Loughner’s horrible actions.

Meanwhile, we can offer prayers for the victims and their families of this horrific event.

 

Attend “early church” says Summitt Sunday, Jan 9 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 01:50

With the tip-off of the Lady Vols’ game against SEC  rival Ole Miss at noon on Sunday, 9 January at the Thompson-Boling, head coach of the Lady Vols, Pat Summitt, is encouraging church-going ticket holders to attend “early service”. Lucky for fans whose church offers an early service, which can accommodate Coach Pat’s plea, but bad for ticket holders whose house of worship is at the sacred eleven o’clock hour. Perhaps the preacher will have season tickets and will make the sermon short. Better yet, Coach Summitt could have scheduled an ecumenical service at Thompson-Boling at 10:00 am so fans could go to church and attend the game without having to make those tough decisions.

Ever the optimist, Coach Summitt believes in the Lady Vols’ fans base: “I think we have the best fans in the country and I think they’ll find a way to get here,” quotes the Knoxville News Sentinel. I think the Coach is right. They’ll find a way– if God wills.

 

Getting the Most Out of Your Daily Devotions Wednesday, Jan 5 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 19:52

Are you looking for ways to revitalize your daily Bible reading? Try these five ideas.

  1. Focus your reading on identifying opposites in the text. Tension in a text is used to clarify the message the text wants the reader to grasp. For instance, in my reading of Psalm 23 I have identified the following opposites: green pastures/darkest valley; shepherd/enemies; goodness/evil; lie down/walk. See if you can discover more opposites in this passage. What do the opposites say about your faith in God?
  2. Trace the ideas of the text backwards. Read Psalm 23 again. Can you trace the shepherd imagery to other texts? Immediately we can find the shepherd theme in Genesis 29; Genesis 37; Exodus 3; 1 Samuel 16.11. Well you get the idea. You don’t need a concordance, just use your memory. How do these texts help your understanding of Psalm 23? Try tracing the theme or idea forwards in the Bible. How does the theme evolve in the Bible?
  3. Find important words or phrases that relate to the same idea in the text. Read Psalm 23 again. A major idea in this text is God’s faithfulness. Words or phrases such as: “not want,” “green pastures,” “still waters,” “right paths,” “table,” “oil,” “cup,” and “house” all add to the idea of God’s faithfulness to his people.
  4. Make a paraphrase of the text. Don’t use a dictionary to find synonyms, but just use your own words to make another version of the text.
  5. Turn the text into a prayer. What kind of prayer would Psalm 23 be? Offer the prayer to God.

These are just five quick and easy ways to revitalize a Bible reading time. ENJOY!

 

Real or distraction? Wednesday, Jan 5 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 03:10

The movie “Up in the Air,” starring George Clooney as a Ryan Bingham, explores the hollow life of an aging bachelor whose business downsizes companies. His job requires him to travel extensively. On one of his business trips, he meets a woman, Alex(andra)  in a bar, whom he later seduces. She and Ryan begin a long affair as they meet in different cities on their respective business trips.

Ryan begins to think he would like to settle down with Alex. He has never considered marriage because his job is his life, but he has fallen in love with her. So he looks her up in Chicago and goes to her home unannounced. He discovers she is married and has children. Later on that evening, they meet and she says: “This is my real life, you (Ryan) are just a distraction.”

Many times in the Bible, people treat God as a distraction to their “real lives.” Their real life belonged to an idol or to someone who substituted for God. However, God wants an undivided heart. As the first commandment states, “you shall have no other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20.3)

Is God your real life or just a distraction?

 

Perseverance Monday, Jan 3 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 23:06

“So then let’s run the race that is laid out in front of us,….” (Hebrews 12.1a)

As I entered the YMCA this morning for my workout, the attendant at the desk remarked, “It’s really crowded today, but just wait until March; many YMCA members won’t be here because they’ll have given up and quit. Yes, it happens every year at the Y. People flock to the gym for a few months, then they fall back into their old habits and give up.” Many people do give up. There is a temptation to give us as Christians, too.

The writer of Hebrews challenges despondent Christians to keep on course and run the race of faith. But notice several things about this verse. First, we’re not running the race of faith alone. The writer says, “Let us.” He means that we have fellow Christians running beside us. The church runs the race as a group, not individuals. Of course, it’s much easier to run with a partner or partners. We gain encouragement running races together.

Second, notice that this is a race that is run on a course. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews was referring to an ancient game, such as the Olympics. Runners would have followed a predetermined course set by the officials of the games. Likewise, Christians run a predetermined course laid out by God. The course’s terminal point is the kingdom of God. We have our goal in heaven, where Christ Jesus is at the finish line to greet us to our destination. Like any race, there are some who quit and some who deviate from the course. But Christ has shown us the way by his life.

Why is the writer of Hebrews so certain that Christians can finish the race? He is certain because Jesus Christ has finished the race, and he is the one who will give us strength to complete it. We can rely on Jesus to get us there.

Persevere in the race. Don’t give up.

 

“Made in the Shade” Sunday, Jan 2 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 20:46

Years ago my father took my brother and I to visit his family’s farm in Sarepta, Mississippi. The small farm was run by his brother, who kept about 25 head of cattle on the eighty-acre farm. I remember that it was an extremely hot summer day.

When we arrived at the farm, we were told that my uncle was tending the cattle, so we began driving around the farm searching for him. The open fields were empty; we didn’t see  any cattle as we drove about the farm. We wondered where all the cattle were grazing. Finally, we discovered where they were on that hot day. The cattle had taken refuge under a thick stand of trees. Entering the area, I immediately understood why the cattle had chosen this area of the field. The shade of the trees made it feel at least ten degrees cooler. My uncle was leaning against a tree while the cattle lounged in the shade.

The psalmist says, “O Lord my God, in you I take refuge.” (Psalm 7.1, NRSV) The Hebrew word, hasah, is sometimes used to describe the shade of a tree, which was very important to the people who lived in the harsh climate in the desert around Israel. The shelter of a tree or a human-made structure could be the difference between life and death. The psalmist uses it as a metaphor for the refuge God provides for his people daily. We could paraphrase Psalm 7.1 like this, “O Lord my God, in you I’ve got it made in the shade.”

As Christians, we can be confident that God will provide the refuge or shade for us in 2011. God stretches out like a large tree, bringing much needed relief from the pressures and problems of the world. He is our only refuge and shelter. We can trust God to provide us with a shelter that will save us.

 

 

 

A Fresh Year Sunday, Jan 2 2011 

Uncategorized kerrybondcbc 02:23

Susan Coolidge wrote a poem called “New Every Morning” that I find inspirational. It says,

“Every day is a fresh beginning,
Listen my soul to the glad refrain.
And spite old sorrows,
And older sinning,
Troubles forecasted,
And possible pain,
Take heart with the day, and begin again.”
I think God gave that poem to Coolidge so that we might remember that God’s gift of starting again is ever new. Perhaps we could substitute the words “Every day” with “Every year” and begin again.

 

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