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posted Sep 3, 2019, 2:07 PM by Tim Isbell
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updated Sep 4, 2019, 11:48 AM
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I am an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. Occasionally, someone asks where we fit among the Christian traditions. First, I ask if they are familiar with any church. If so, I start there. Otherwise, I explain that we are a Holiness subgroup within Protestantism. Our sister traditions include Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA), Church of God (Anderson), Free Methodist, Salvation Army, and Wesleyan Methodist. If they want to go deeper, I explain the distinctives of the Christian Holiness tradition by walking them through Where Nazarenes Fit.
Blessings, Tim |
posted Jul 19, 2019, 8:02 AM by Tim Isbell
Here's the problem: We residents of wealthy nations now know that our use of fossil fuels to produce cheap energy has put the earth on an accelerating track toward destruction. This post is a summary of one Christian's view on climate change, its repercussions, and what we can do about it. You can read it at Climate Change - Apocalyptic?
Blessings, Tim |
posted Jun 29, 2019, 4:25 PM by Tim Isbell
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updated Jul 2, 2019, 9:51 PM
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All of us suffer interim deaths in our life, such as the death of our youth, the death of our dreams, the death of our wholeness, the death of our honeymoon, the death of our innocence, and others. Many of the most joyful people in the world have suffered these deaths. And many of the most discouraged people in the world have suffered these deaths. The difference is that the first group have embraced the Paschal Mystery.
This post unpacks the mystery of how we can receive new life and a new spirit to go with the new life. Hope you'll take a few minutes to read the Paschal Mystery.
Blessings, Tim |
posted Feb 28, 2019, 8:56 PM by Tim Isbell
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updated Feb 28, 2019, 8:57 PM
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I needed an epiphany this Epiphany Season - a fresh strategy for living as a Christian among the snares of the world. By snares, I mean living in a world of unbalanced wealth, where lies pass for alternative facts, where racism is rising, where dysfunctional and corrupt politics prevail, and where we’ve degraded “our common home” to the precipice. Fortunately, God provided that epiphany. To read it, click on Living Through Snares. |
posted Feb 4, 2019, 11:51 AM by Tim Isbell
I know, this sounds like a really odd title. You probably already know that God hasn't revised his core characteristics in, well, forever! But in 2018 God revised my understanding. A year ago I posted a webpage listing two categories of God's characteristics: Greatness and Goodness. Last year, God showed me a couple of new ones: Glory and Beauty. So I decided to revise the original post. It's available at Characteristics of God. |
posted Jan 2, 2019, 8:44 AM by Tim Isbell
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updated Jan 2, 2019, 8:47 AM
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I counseled, taught, and preached about an intimate romance with God for many decades. Since 2010 I intended to write a single, concise article that makes this concept more widely accessible. Last fall, a friend's question prompted me to start gathering material for the writing project. But I got stuck on one last question. Then, just before Advent, another friend tipped me off about some material from Christian musician and writer. I bought it and was shocked when his insight resolved that final question. So I finished the article over the holidays and now offer it to you in the link below. The article took 35 years to write - but you can read it in 15 minutes. I wrote it to shave decades off of your journey to the romance. Here are the questions that frame the article:
- When did you start thinking about this romance concept?
- What's the big deal about Christmas and Easter?
- What is so valuable about humans that made God condescend so far?
- How can we possibly respond to such a passionate heart as God's?
- What roadmap can I offer others that will guide them into the romance?
To read the whole article, just click on The Romance. --Blessings, Tim |
posted Sep 27, 2018, 7:16 AM by Tim Isbell
Timothy Keller is on my shortest "short list" of Christian thinkers, writers, and speakers. So when I heard he was coming to speak in Mountain View I immediately bought tickets. He spoke on September 6, 2018 in a lecture (his term) that occasionally strayed into preaching. Click on The Unstoppable Church for my description and brief comments on a snippet of his talk, and a link to my notes of the complete talk. The notes also contain the link to a Vimeo video of the talk. This web page is written primarily for serious Christians, Christian leaders, and ministers. -- Blessings, Tim |
posted Aug 11, 2018, 8:14 AM by Tim Isbell
Two of my hobbies are baseball and investing. So when Vanguard published an investment article based on seven Yogi-isms I was quick to read it. That intrigued me enough to write my own version. If you find it helpful, thank Yogi. For readers unfamiliar with Yogi Berra, here's his 1954 baseball card (from my collection). He was a great catcher who played for the New York Yankees during the years of Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. Yep, I have their cards, too. Yogi remains famous for his baseball skills and priceless quotes. Without trying to be funny, head-shaking Yogi-isms just popped out - and the world continues to laugh at them. They're bigger than baseball! For investing wisdom from 7 Yogi-isms, click on Yogi Berra on Investing. -- Tim Isbell |
posted Jul 2, 2018, 3:54 PM by Tim Isbell
Some folks came to me recently asking for advice about retirement funding. While working with them I realized that if they ever set up a Power of Attorney, it was long enough ago that they don't remember where it is. About the same time, I ran into an excellent article in the quarterly newsletter I receive from the Nazarene Pensions and Benevolence Department and decided to share it with my readers. So, with the permission of the Nazarene P&B organization, here's the article: Priority #1: Power of Attorney. |
posted Jun 4, 2018, 7:18 AM by Tim Isbell
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updated Jun 4, 2018, 8:08 AM
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I posted Beyond Conversion 1 last September. Since then I've used it in a few conversations and, as seems common in my experience, those discussions sent me back to revise the post. In particular, I completely rewrote the first paragraph, the one that summarizes initial conversion. I thought it was "perfect" before; now it is "more perfect" by a considerable margin. I put as much extra work into upgrading the five stages of the redemptive loop. And I simplified the rest of the post to keep it focused on the family metaphor by relegating the other related material to the footnotes. It's enough of an upgrade that I decided to repost it to my subscribers at Beyond Conversion 1. Hope you find it helpful.Blessings,
Tim |
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