Rivals…

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I am not asking whether or not you have rival gods. I assume that we all do; they are hidden in every one of us

– Tim Keller in Counterfeit Gods: When the Empty Promises of Love, Money and Power Let You Down (emphasis mine)

The Saturday Morning Men’s Group has been reading books for years.

Guys who once said, “Pastor Steve, I don’t read. I can’t,” have read dozens – and they have discussed them with one another.

A couple of the have commented that our present book, Counterfeit Gods, from Tim Keller, has been the best they’ve read so far. I wouldn’t argue with that.

Here’s a part of the book that stands out to me as I read tonight preparing for Saturday morning’s discussion at The Dutch Pantry:

I encourage you to read the book. It’s changed my life – both times I’ve read it.

The Nobility of the Battle

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This paragraph, from E. McManus stood out to me this morning.

E. McManus The Way of the Warrior, p. 103.

Many choose battles that are anything but noble. And the outrage of today becomes trivial in just a few years – if not months. Haven’t seen that? Keep watching.

There is one battle that I find worthy of the warrior – the battle for the cause of Christ.

It’s not political. It’s not economic. It’s not tribal. It is the battle, in a world marked by the darkness of sin, to shine the brilliance of Christ.

  • To show his love to those who struggle to believe him.
  • To bring his healing heart to those who have been injured.
  • To show compassion to those whose life is marked by shame.
  • To share his forgiveness with those who carry great guilt.
  • To bring his redemption with those whose lives are damaged.

History shows that this battle is difficult – mostly because it’s not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

But warriors embrace this battle – because it is THE noble battle.

Spiritism & Halloween

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As a kid, I loved Halloween because of one thing: Candy. I’d dress up and collect all the candy I could score.

Candy, in those days, was at the heart of Halloween. In my mind, it still is.

But during this time of year, there are those who choose to celebrate darkness. And that makes Halloween a great time for someone like me to present what the Bible says about spiritism.

I am not speaking on it this year, so I offer a previous message on spiritism here.

Since it was recorded before we were doing video recordings, I have inserted the PowerPoint as the video.

If you’d rather catch just the audio in a podcast, click here.

Halloween: Enjoy the candy. Avoid the darkness. Shine the Light.