Eagles' Wings at Arlington

Revelation Part 1 - (continued)

2011-06-25T16:42:00.000-04:00

Chapters 4-5 - In the Throne Room
These chapters describe a scene with God on his throne, in all his glory, surrounded by persons who praise him. (I use the term “persons” advisedly.) Here, again, I will jump over the details for now and start with the overall impressions and messages for us, as I see them:

My first impression is tremendous, awesome, greatness, holiness, and power. (I feel like I could add many more adjectives here and still not cover it.) No matter how powerful or opulent is any earthly king or government, God is more. There seems to be an expanding sequence of persons praising God the Father and the Lamb (Christ): 4 “living creatures,” 24 elders, thousands upon thousands of angels, and “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

Themes in chapter 4:

God is holy (my definition: completely good in a way that no other being can ever match, so as to set him apart from the rest).
God is forever.
God is worthy of praise and any other good thing.
God is creator of and in control of everything.

Chapter 5 - The Lamb and the Scroll
The Lamb is Jesus. Notice that he looks much different here than in chapter 1. This reinforces my tendency not to take things too literally. (I don’t expect to see Jesus in eternity always with a sword coming from his mouth, and I don’t expect that he will always look like a lamb.) This is a vision, given to John (and us) to portray a certain message. In this case, it emphasizes his worthiness because of what he has done (purchasing people with his blood, etc.). It reinforces the teaching that Jesus Christ is worthy to be worshipped as the Son of God.

So far, I have avoided giving my opinions about specific things or persons in these chapters, such as the 4 creatures, the 24 elders, the 7 spirits and the sea of glass. But I think to continue we need at least some understanding of what the scroll is.

I link the scroll with the phrase in 1:1 “to show his servants what must soon take place.” In other words, I see the scroll as a book showing what will happen in the future. And opening of the seals (like the wax seal of a letter) is the key to allow us to see what is in this book. This begs at least a couple of questions: (1) what kind of information about the future (specific events or general themes)? (2) when will these things take place? We’ll try to answer these as we go to chapter 6 and beyond.

Don’t worry too much about the mechanics of opening the scroll. (Maybe you wouldn’t have if I didn’t bring it up, but this is the way I think – sorry.) The way I envision the scroll, you would technically not be able to read any of it until all 7 seals are broken, right? But this is a vision, and God wants to reveal something with each seal, so that’s alright with me.

So what do the themes of these chapters have to do with opening the scroll and looking into the future? As I see it, the overriding lesson in chapters 4 and 5 is that no matter what things look like down here on earth (no matter how much persecution, suffering, evil kings/governments, etc.), God is still on his throne and all of history and the future are in his hand, like a book. Furthermore, the facts that Jesus has redeemed me and purchased me are enough to completely overwhelm any fears or doubts I have about the future. (“I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.”)

Agree?

How Soon Is Soon?

2011-06-25T16:29:00.000-04:00

In my last post I asked "So what does he mean by 'soon'." I was referring to the phrase in Revelation 1:1 "what must soon take place."

I could have been referring to my own statement that "I'll try to post about it in the next couple of days." -- that was 17 days ago. I'm going to have to quit telling you how soon I will get back to this blog--'cause I never seem to get to it as soon as I would like. Well, I'm back now.

But God IS reliable. When he said "soon" what did he mean? "Soon enough"? It might be thousands of years, but it will be soon enough. When God says he's ready. That is a pretty good answer; we cannot try to hold God to our own time table.

But I would like to suggest another option: I contend that Revelation is not primarily a book about the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. Yes, those are a big part of it, but not the entire book. Rather, I believe that the book is describing things that have already begun taking place. It answers the question of what is God doing about sin and persecution and evil. He has already begun! Let's read the book with the idea that at least some of the book is telling us how God deals with these things now.

Revelation Part 1: Opening Scenes & Messages

2011-06-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1 - A Message From Christ
John addresses this book as "the revelation of Jesus Christ." In this book Christ Himself is going to reveal something to the readers and hearers that will be a blessing to those who read and hear it and take it to heart (or "keep" it). It concerns the future - described as "near" and "soon". But keep in mind that with the Lord, "a thousand years are like a day" (2 Peter3-8). So what does he mean by "soon"?

The first part of chapter 1 introduces the book and addresses itself as a letter to 7 churches in Asia (modern western Turkey). There is a hint already of what is in the rest of the book:

Reference to the work of Christ and how his blood affects us
Reference to the coming of Christ on the clouds and his judgment (people...will mourn)
Reference to the lordship and eternal nature of Christ

Let's keep our eye out for how these themes in the rest of the book and what difference they make to our faith and lives today.

The rest of chapter 1 introduces the vision which is the rest of the book. Notice that it describes Christ himself. How does he appear? Is it like he appeared when he walked this earth? It seems to me that this appearance emphasizes his lordship, deity, power, and eternal nature.

Then he is depicted among stars and lampstands which are associated with the 7 churches (you can read the details for yourself).

OK, you are a member of one of the 7 churches. You are living in a late 1st century Roman empire, which is hostile to your faith. You have seen fellow Christians being tortured and killed because of the faith. Perhaps you have suffered personally. Your little church is struggling. But now you are reading that Christ himself (the eternal, all powerful one who is God himself) is sending you a message. He "walks among" you and your brothers and sisters. What's next?

Chapters 2-3 - Letters to the 7 churches
I won't go into detail on each letter - you can read it for yourself. But notice the similarities - the pattern of the letters.

"These are the words of..." - and then it describes Christ in a different way from his appearance in chapter 1: walks among the lampstands, has the sharp double edged sword, eyes are like blazing fire, and so on. Think about how these images underscore the importance of each message.
He knows the situation of each church and of the members of each church. He knows what they are going through and how well they are holding up. He knows how they need to be commended or chastised. (Did he have something good to say about every church? Something bad? Which ones?)
Each letter includes an encouragement to overcome - to stick with it, hold on, stay faithful. Look at each blessing for those who overcome. (I think you can connect this with blessing for those who read / hear this book and take it to heart, in chapter 1. Wouldn't this be at least part of the blessing?)
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." That includes me and you!

So what lessons do you see in the 1st three chapters that apply to us today? Anything that encourages your faith, your belief, your hope? Anything that makes you want to change your behavior, to stay/become pure? How about your worship? Your witness-do you need to be a more faithful witness?

I would welcome your comment with answers to any of the questions I asked today. Also, please respond if you have something to add or a burning question.

As I write this, I am getting ready for tomorrow's class. We'll likely be talking about the scenes in Chapters 4 and 5. (And I'll probably ask some of the same questions there too.) I'll try to post about it in the next couple of days. Then we'll start looking at what I call Part 2 - Seals and Trumpets and Bowls (oh my!).

The Book of Revelation – Getting Started

2011-06-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

In our first session last Sunday, we didn’t get very far: we talked about the opening of the book (Chapter 1) and the letters to the seven churches (2-3). So we are planning to stay with Part 1 of our four part study (see previous post) for another week. But even with this slight delay, we are still going much faster than a real in-depth study of the book would go. This is still a “high-level overview” of the book.
If you have the interest, I encourage you to go deep. And I will come with you, if you want. But first I want to go through the entire book at “lightning” speed, just to get an understanding of what the book is about and, as I have mentioned, to set the tone of looking for clear messages that speak to us, in the midst of potential confusion.

Read Along
If you haven’t read the book yet (recently), get started now. For the first section of our survey, we’ll stick mainly to the first 5 chapters. When we get to section 2, you need to have read most of the book – at least through chapter 16. Really, I think our study will be most fruitful if we all read the entire book as quickly as possible. Then, go back and re-read it as we study. For the most part, I will assume that you are at least familiar with the sections and events of the book.

Read Out Loud?
I am listening with interests as Bob gives his insights to the book during Wednesday night bible study and Sunday a.m. sermons. One is to point out that there is a blessing for the one who reads this book and those who hear it and take it to heart. Since there is a blessing even in hearing, why not read the book out loud? (You may argue whether that is the intent of the verse, but you cannot argue that it is still a good idea.)

Introduction
The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John (the same one that wrote the Gospel of John and the three letters – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John). Most people think that this was the last book of the Bible to be written and that John was very old – written about AD 90 (although recently I heard a view that the book was written at least 20 years earlier – the Bible itself doesn’t say).

John was on the island of Patmos when he was given this revelation from Christ. I understand that Patmos was used as a place of forced exile, or prison. John was evidently in exile there as punishment for his faith, or more specifically for preaching the gospel.

The book is addressed to the seven churches in the province of Asia. This was an area on the west coast of what is now Turkey. The name of one church, Ephesus, should be familiar because of the book of Ephesians. Some of the others are mentioned in some of Paul’s letters.

My Approach to the Book
If you believe that every scene, every phrase, every person/creature listed in the book of Revelation represents a specific person or event in world history or in the future/end times, then you are going to be frustrated with me. Here are some of my assumptions as we look at the book:

I believe that the actual apostle John (not some anonymous writer 200 years later) actually saw Christ and was actually given this message by Christ (he did not think it up himself to teach a lesson).
John wrote down what he actually saw and heard.
Everything he wrote down has meaning, but I do not assume that everything represents a specific event or person.
God was giving a message that had a significant meaning to the original readers and hearers. I believe the most important messages in the book do not depend on a specific interpretation.
For specific interpretations (like “this refers to the 7 year Tribulation” or “this represents the future Antichrist”) I try to keep an open mind.
Some people say it does not matter about how you interpret the book. I disagree. However there are so many opposing points of view, that I am not ready to be too forceful about most of my opinions. I look forward to the day that I will be able to be see and explain it all more clearly, but I want to make my way very carefully, ensuring that I am not unduly influenced by any person’s opinion

My approach? To read it as if I am listening to John face to face and for the very first time. It is a big drama - a devine drama. Some of it is clear. Many of the details I don't understand, but simply store them away and maybe they will come up later, or something else will clarify them. Right now it's a drama with morals and messages for me to understand and apply to my own faith and my own interpretation of the world in which I live.

Revelation Study in Four Parts

2011-05-30T17:14:00.004-04:00

For the month of June, 2011, Eagles' Wings will be taking a look at the book of Revelation.

This coincides with the book-of-the-month Bible Reading program at the Arlington church; this month the entire congregation is encouraged to read through the book of Revelation.

Revelation will be the topic in our Sunday School class and in this blog. It will be a quick, high-level look at the themes of the book in 4 parts:

Opening scenes and messages
Seals, trumpets, and bowls (oh my!)
Beasts and Babylon
Saints and the Savior

We will answer some questions about the so-called mysterious prophecies in Revelation, but our main focus will be looking for a clear message in the midst of the visions that speaks directly to us in 21st century America (or anywhere else for that matter).
I do not mean to imply that it is not worthwhile to look at the prophecies in detail and understand how they will be (or have been, or are being) fulfilled. However, that will not be our starting point. It seems to me that even if we do not understand or agree on specific meanings of seals, beasts, numbers, etc., there are crystal clear messages for anyone who will take the time to read this book and take its message to heart: messages like "God is in control," "hold on to the end," "stay pure," and "the prize is worth the effort."
After all, Revelation 1:3 says that there is a blessing in reading the words of this prophecy and taking it to heart or acting upon it. Please join us, either in person on Sunday morning or via this blog. I look forward to your participation.

We're Back! - Blogspot Revisited

2011-05-30T16:48:00.001-04:00

After 2 years on inactivity on this blog, we are reviving the Eagle's Wings at Arlington site. This time I am planning to use this blog to facilitate our discussion of the book of Revelation for the month of June 2011. It may take a little longer than a month, depending on how it goes. After that I am making no promises as to whether we continue using this venue. We'll see how it goes.

Part of it depends on how much response there is online (or tell me that you read it online). So if you like this blog, please let me know.

2009-01-03T19:01:00.002-05:00

Hope and Scriptures

Last Sunday I asked our class to think of verses or sections in the Bible that talk about or convey hope. It turned out to be an easy task (especially if we had a concordance - right Derek?). Here are some that the group came up with:

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust the Lord...acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.
Creation out of nothing (Genesis) - if God can do that, we can trust him.
Genesis 3:15 - God promises Satan that Eve's offspring (Jesus) "will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This is probably the first promise in scripture of the coming Christ.
Genesis 12:3 - All the peoples on the earth will be blessed through Abram (Abraham). Another promise of the coming Christ.
The whole "Messiah" thing in the old testament - many scriptures.
Isaiah 40: 31 - see the top of this Blog.
Lamentations 3:21-26 - in the middle of one of the darkest books of the Bible, when Jerusalem was being devastated, Jeremiah finds hope. At least we're not dead. In the middle of the worst situation you can imagine, "it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
Habakkuk 3:17-19 - same thing: even though the crop fails and we have no food "yet will I rejoice in the Lord..."
Romans 8:28 - "...in all things God works for the good..." This is a very hopeful chapter. I urge you to "camp out" in this chapter for awhile.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - Paul says to "encourage each other" with this promise that Jesus will return.

We really just touched the surface on this subject. I think to cover all (or even most) scriptures that have to do with hope would take a fair size book. (I'll bet it's been done.)

It is my firm belief that these and other scriptures have a great power to produce and nurture and sustain hope in each one of us. How? Read them. Repeat them over and over. Underline them. Write them on index cards and put them on your refrigerator. Memorize them. Speak them to yourself when you need hope. Speak them to your spouse, your child, your friend. (The preceding is my very loose paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - check it out.)

Make reading, repeating, learning, speaking these and other scriptures your New Year's resolution. I am absolutely convinced that great things will result if we take this seriously.

My immediate challenge for you is this: Pick a verse or passage that talks about or conveys hope and memorize it within the next week. You may want to email me and tell me what scripture you have memorized -- and type it out to me without looking.

I'm working on Romans 8:18 and following (maybe to the end of the chapter?). Not done yet, but I'm hopeful.

Rick

2008-12-30T09:40:00.002-05:00

Hope and Christmas – part 2

This is a follow-up to my previous post, introducing the topic of Hope. As I said in that post, you can expect four more posts, but this is not one of them. Before I move on to those topics, I want to say a couple of things more about Hope and Christmas.

Clarence, we need you!
First, I’ll relate my “George Bailey” experience from last week. If you are in central Indiana, you may remember that we had bitter cold winds last Sunday night. We woke up Monday to busted water pipes. The problem was I couldn’t figure out how to get to where the pipes were, and I was blaming myself for everything. I can’t describe how I felt then, but it was a glimpse at hopelessness. On the second day of no water I called Bob Brock and told him I felt like George Bailey and really needed Clarence.

At one point in the ordeal, when I was feeling really down, Leah (just about to turn 8) started talking about the people in the nursing home. She said they give out candy at Halloween but no one ever gives them anything. She wanted to give something to everyone there. “Everyone?” I said. She said we could ask the nurse how many there were. Here I am trying to feel sorry for myself, and my daughter goes and ruins it all by reminding me to think about other people. Maybe we should have named her Clarence.

Christmas Eve
By this time our pipes are fixed and my hope is restored (it really shouldn’t be that fragile!). At our Christmas Eve service, Brad and Stacey Berkemeier shared something that was really quite full of hope, and I would like to pass it on to you all.

Stacey sang the song Breath of Heaven, which is all about how Mary carried the baby Jesus in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was beautiful. But before she sang, Brad read the following quote from a devotional book by Max Lucado:

The virgin birth is more, much more, than a Christmas story; it is a picture of how close Christ will come to you. The first stop on his itinerary was a womb. Where will God go to touch the world? Look deep within Mary for an answer.

Better still, look deep within yourself. What he did with Mary, he offers to us! He issues a Mary-level invitation to all his children. “If you’ll let me, I’ll move in!”…

What is the mystery of the gospel? “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27)…

Christ grew in Mary until he had to come out. Christ will grow in you until the same occurs. He will come out in your speech, in your actions, in your decisions. Every place you live will be a Bethlehem, and every day you live will be a Christmas. You, like Mary, will deliver Christ into the world.

-From GRACE FOR THE MOMENT, Volume II, a daily devotional by Max Lucado “Deliver Christ Into the World” [December 7th entry]

Well, that’s some of the hope I observed at Christmas this year. I trust that you also found hope as you celebrated and will carry it strongly into the new year.

Expect my next post: Hope and the Scriptures, on Friday or Saturday (2 or 3 January).

2008-12-13T10:44:00.005-05:00

Hope and Christmas
It seems to me that a central theme of Christmas is hope. the word itself does not show up much in carols ("...the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight"); I think it appears a little more often on Christmas cards. But the idea of hope is integral in the Christmas story - and in our concept of what Christmas is all about.

For instance, the concept of the Advent, and waiting for the promised Messiah to come is about hope: "For to us a child is born..." The angel's message to the shepherds was full of hope: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people." Certainly the coming of God in human flesh was not an immediate fix to all that ails humanity, but a promise of hope for what the child would accomplish.

And the idea of hope pervades our own Christmas experience. As children we hope for the perfect toy (or as adults?). In the bleak of mid-winter, we hope for joy and success in the coming year. We hope for peace. As Christians we hope for all that God has in store for us.

For many, a sense of hopelessness is especially disturbing at this time of year, perhaps because it is supposed to be a season of hope.

Blog and Study
Over the next few weeks, I would like to take a closer look at hope in a series of four more posts to the Eagles, Wings blog. We will also make this the subject of our Sunday School class (perhaps through January). Watch for these blog posts:

Hope and the Scriptures - How can studying/repeating scripture bring hope?
Hope and the Gospel of Peace - The good news that brings hope.
Hope and Prayer - Is there hope in prayer (and fasting)?
Hope and Mercy - Being an ambassador of hope.

The Challenge
I do not want this to be an interesting but fruitless study. In each blog/study, I will present a challenge for you and for myself, so that our lives will be more consciously driven by the hope that is in Christ Jesus.

My first challenge is this: Look for hope. Look for hope in Christmas carols, cards, greetings, and celebrations. Look for hope in the scriptures. Look for hope in people. Look for hope in God. Tell me what you find.

Pump 18 in Concert for ...

2008-11-09T20:21:00.006-05:00

I am pleased and excited to tell you that Pump 18 will be in concert for "The Journey" at Arlington Christian Church on Sunday, November 23 - 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. Pump 18 is the band that plays at The Filling Station in Rushville.

"The Journey" is an evening of contemporary worship, hosted by the Eagles' Wings fellowship. This will be the second time we've held "The Journey" at Arlington. The first time featured a concert and message by Dean Nester, in June of this year. I think those who attended will tell you that it was a great evening. We hope that this will become a somewhat regular event, with a variety of guest musicians and worship leaders.

Anyone can come - regardless of age or where/if you go to church. Child care will be provided. The concert/worship event will be followed by a gathering for coffee and deserts.

Let's Serve: A Call for Ideas

2008-09-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

I want to hear your ideas on this one.

God calls us to serve. Paul said we are saved by grace--not by works, but we are created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). James said that pure and faultless religion is “to look after orphans and widows…” as well as to keep ourselves pure (James 1:27).

So how can we serve? Can we, as a young adult fellowship, get involved in service to our communities and to our neighbors? I would like to hear your ideas on things that we as a group can do. Are there needs that you see around you that we could meet? If we do identify a need and a way we can help, will you be involved?

Should we:

help senior citizens?
work at a nursing home?
do something to support schools (look for a project)?
help students (tutoring, providing supplies)?
feed the hungry?
build something?
help at a children’s home (like Woodburn)?
raise money for a mission or charity?
help the local jail ministry?
help Mahoning Valley camp (build, supplies, money)?
hold some kind of community event for kids or families?

We could find hundreds of scriptures that talk about God’s concern and/or our responsibility toward the needy in our communities. And when the Bible tells us not to give up meeting together, it is not just for the sake of “holding church.” It says “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews10:24). Let’s commit ourselves to doing just that!

Paul Says To ...

2008-09-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

In our class discussion today, we worked together to come up with list of things that Paul says to do in his letters. Then for each item we listed at least one scripture reference. We tried to stay on major topics—not listing every time Paul says to “greet so-and-so.” Here is the list we came up with:

Be joyful – Php. 4:4
Love each other – 1 Co 14:1; Ro 12:10; Col 3:14
Use your spiritual gift – 1 Co 12; Ro 12
Obey/respect authority – Ro 13:1
Be holy (be pure, keep to truth, don’t sin) – Col 3
Forgive – Col 3:13
Be thankful – Col 3:15
Be humble, gentle, patient – Eph 4:2; Col 3:12
Be sexually pure – Col 3:5
Pray – Col 4:12
Be good families (rules for family relationships) – Eph 5 & 6; 1 Co 7; Col 3
Be generous, not greedy (& be content) – 1 Ti 6:18
Leaders, lead well – 1 Ti; Titus

On further thought:

I think we came up with a pretty good list. If we were to expand on each of the items here, we would end up with a fair representation of Paul’s teachings on how Christians should live.

On the other hand, I’m sure we could add to the list. Here’s one more:

Preach the gospel of Christ (with your words, actions, prayers, and support) – 2 Co 5:20; Php 2:14-16; Col 4:3-6

Can you think of any others to add?

I also notice that some of these items are very broad topics. For instance, I think that the entirety of our responsibility to God and each other could just about be summed up by these two:

Love each other
Be holy

I’m in pretty good company when I say that “Love” sums it up. When Jesus gave the two greatest commandments (love God…love your neighbor… - Mt 22:36-40), he said “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

By the way, did Paul ever say “love God?” I can’t think of any time that he used that language, but he certainly talked about honoring God, living your life for God, and being absolutely committed to Him.

We noticed in class that “holy” is such a broad term that it immediately brings different thoughts to different people. To some in class, the first thing they think of is purity of heart and keeping to the Truth (if I heard you correctly). For me, the first thing I think of is purity in my thoughts and behavior (keeping from sin). So I suppose “be holy” could be re-worded as something like “Live, love, think, and believe for God,” or as Paul put it: “…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…” (Ro 12:1)

The other topics at the beginning of this post really just give us detail of how to “love each other” and “be holy.”

Rick

Dear Christian, ... Love, Paul

2008-07-27T07:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our experiment.

About This Blog
This blog is intended to be an online discussion forum for our Eagles' Wings young adult fellowship at Arlington Christian Church, Arlington, Indiana.

For the next three months (August, September, and October, 2008) we will be exploring the theme: "Dear Christian, ... Love, Paul," -- Advice to Young Christians from the Letters of Paul. This will be our lesson theme for our Sunday School class (which meets at 9:30 a.m. at the church). I am setting up this blog to enhance our class discussion and to expand the discussion to others that may not be able to attend on Sunday mornings.

Anyone is welcome to participate in the discussion. I will monitor the responses to make sure that they are appropriate, but my intention is to allow free discussion on the topics.

This is an experiment for me. I am not experienced at blogging or using electronic communication as a ministry aid. So I expect to learn much from this experience, and I am looking forward to the potential benefit to the Lord's kingdom and to my own growth from hearing your responses and opinions. In addition to comments on the content of the discussion, I welcome your suggestions for this blog or other ways to enhance the discussion. I also welcome comments and suggestions for Eagles' Wings activities (worship events, social get-togethers, work projects, etc.).

Advice to Young Christians from the Letters of Paul
If you're familiar with the letters from Paul in the New Testament, then you know we've chosen a very wide theme for this discussion. Each week I hope to focus on a particular aspect of Paul's letters that are relevant to young Christians today. I do not intend to spend a lot of time on the great theology and doctrine passages that Paul wrote (however, I intend to refer to them freely as they pertain to the particular topic under discussion). Instead, I hope to focus on the practical teachings of Paul as they pertain to a young Christian wants to follow Christ. At this point I have not settled on a list of topics, but here are a few ideas:

Loving one another -- putting grace to work in the body of Christ
What is my part in the gospel -- what does God expect from me?
How to do church.
Sex, marriage, and raising a family.
Money and "stuff."
Does it matter what kind of church I go to? What about the other guys?
What about "spiritual gifts"?
Being a "one way" Christian in a "celebrate diversity" world.

I welcome your thoughts on these and other topics as we begin to shape this study. Any particular questions or topics from Paul's writings that you would like to discuss?

Rick