Christianity is increasingly unwelcome in our pluralistic public square. It’s OK to believe in God but Jesus is an awkward topic. If movies provide a window into the soul of our culture you might think there aren’t many Jesus followers. But Mark Joseph, a Hollywood producer, referring to an ABC poll that reported 83 percent of those surveyed self-identified as Christians, asks, “If half of all Americans go to church, why are so few TV and film characters seen in church or allowed to have normal religious practices portrayed as their other activities are?” (The Hollywood Reporter, 7/2/15). He went on to list several examples of secular censorship as far back as…
“Blind, Deaf And A Little Bit Dumb”
Mark 7:31-8:26
July 12, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
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The Lost Art of Following Jesus
“This Is Greatness”
August 16, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
Several years ago I was talking with a missionary who told me how hard it was to communicate with people from a vastly different culture. The example he used was unforgettable. He was working with a primitive tribe that knew very little about hygiene. In fact, they knew nothing about the concept of a toilet. This posed an obvious danger to the health of the tribe so he tried to explain to them their need for a latrine. They listened through translation as he tried to explain how to build one. He sketched out a rudimentary drawing that looked something like this…The men of the tribe studied it and said they could get it done. The missionary left the village and promised to come back in a couple of weeks to check their work. When he got back they proudly showed him their new outhouse. To his great surprise, something had been lost in translation and the outhouse looked like this…Instead of digging underground they had simply built it 16 feet above the ground! “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Needless to say this design posed new dangers and would not lead to a healthier village.
“Divorced”
August 2, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
Mk. 10:1-12…I doubt there is anyone here who has not been directly affected by divorce. This subject stirs up a lot of feelings. If you are divorced you may live with a low-grade guilt about this subject. Whenever you hear the “D” word they get a sinking feeling. You may even feel judged because no one understands your situation. Those who have never been through a divorce can become judgmental. “How could anyone break their wedding vows? We’ve managed to be miserable all these years and stay married why can’t they?” The truth is marriage is a testing ground. The Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, “in order to test Him…” Few things test our discipleship like marriage and divorce.