JERRYGILLIS

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25 I think the idea expressed in what Paul writes above is one of the more cumbersome ideas to live out. Here's why: we preach the gospel (as we should) and proclaim that salvation will never, ever be a result of our own works (which is of utmost truth and high priority). But then we are stuck with this idea that "works" are bad and it carries over into how we live our…

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"Apart from Me, you can do nothing." - Jesus I was reading recently about the top selling Christian books of the new millenium. Since we are a decade into it, it was interesting to review what the general populace in the Christian community has been consuming. It gives us a good idea of what we are thinking. Of the top 100 titles, over 50 of them were about family/marriage/parenting, with basically the rest being about the self (you know, how to be the best "you" you can be). Of the few remaining titles, there were 6 about the Bible and4 about…

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"No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:23 You may be guessing, by the title of this post, that I am going to rant about how unfair it is that there is a debate about whether or not we can have aNational Day of Prayer, and how the stupid federal court system is actually entertaining the idea that this day is unconstitutional, and how thePresidentcancelled theannual Presidential prayer service this year,or how Franklin Graham got disinvited to the Pentagon because of his…

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"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4 Flying home from out of town a couple of weeks ago, I ended up sitting next to a young twentysomething woman. We were somewhat delayed, so we chatted a little about small things to start - where we were from, what we did, yada yada yada. I found out she was from Buffalo and was an Art History major. I don't know squat about Art really, but I made a…

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It's official. I am the worst blogger of the cosmos. I received the award today at 4:29pm. The award was presented by me, to me. Some of the award criteria were things like: Doesn't care that people check their RSS feed for your new installment, will sometimes go a month and a half without even a shout out to those who read, and mocks all readers by writing about a faux award to make them (him) feel better. While I accept this award with the requisite humility, I also wanted you to know that I think I am going to do a blog entry by the end of…

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I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! Romans 11:1a I just got back from my 4th trip to Israel late last night. As I type this, my body is on a different clock (so if anything seems unusual or is a run-on or seems non-sensical or zany or goofy or partially unintelligible or superfluous or a cacophony of paradoxical juxtapositions....well, just blame it on jetlag..). I love Israel, and I love the people. And, I am bothered by some things. Specific things. Like doctrines that teach that God is done with Israel. I must admit…

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"He said (to me, Isaiah), 'Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes....' Then I said, 'For how long Lord?'" Isaiah 6:9-11(partial) I have been reading through the book of Isaiah of late. It's not the easiest book to read, since it necessitates some knowledge of both redemptive and geographical history. There are alot of cities and nations mentioned in the book, and there is vast material on the…

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I don't often use my blog for this type of thing, but today I wanted topass alongsome information about two areas that we have been asked about frequently: Haiti and Lockport (NY). HAITI: We continue to get reports from on the ground in Haiti, and the situation is still very dire and the infastructure is still non-existent. Our team that is in the Dominican Republic is doing well, and everyone is fine. Some of our team (and/or friends of our team)was in Haiti and felt some of today's aftershocks, but everyone is fine. A portion of our team has…

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"Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."  Romans 12:9-13 As I have watched the unfathomable human tragedy in Haiti over the last couple of days, my mind and heart can't help but be stirred to think about many things.  I won't…

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"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." Proverbs 23:4 Restraint is not a particularly popular word in the English lexicon anymore. The word itself implies that there are impulses that must be held back or controlled, and that you can't always get what you want (to quote the Stones). That is not an enjoyable thought for a generation of people that have what they want whenever they want - at least to a degree. While you could probably think of a hundred examples to every one I mention, the fact that we have…

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