Grace Notes

The video below is 30 seconds long and, likely, not even in your native tongue, but please watch and then answer the three questions below.

Would your dad hesitate?

Would you, as a parent, hesitate?

What does that say about the Dad who made and programmed all parents?

Cf. Matthew 7:9-11; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7

Please ask Abba for help!

PS

I received a great text question on Sunday.  It asked how Adam (and Eve) could have understood the consequences of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, since they had never seen death according to Romans 5:12?  Or was Romans not teaching that there was no death prior to the Fall?

My honest answer is that when I read these texts I read it as only applying to human life and death.  I don’t consider animals (and yes I love my pets – but they aren’t created in the image of God) as even being part of this conversation.  BUT I know that others have given this a whole lot more thought  than I have, so before I start spouting off I thought I’d head over to one of the creationist sites and sure enough, Ken Hamm has both these questions wrapped up into one article…. 

https://answersingenesis.org/death-before-sin/biblically-could-death-have-existed-before-sin/

Stay warm this cold second week of 2024!

Pastor Scott

Officer Tori Matthews of the Southern California Humane Society got an emergency call: a boy’s pet iguana had been scared up a tree by a neighbor’s dog. It then fell from the tree into a swimming pool, where it sank like a brick. Officer Matthews came with her net. She dived into the pool, emerging seconds later with the pet’s limp body.

As the Arizona Republic (2/14/95) reported, she thought, Well, you do CPR on a person and a dog, why not an iguana? So, she locked lips with the lizard.

“Now that I look back on it,” she said, “it was a pretty ugly animal to be kissing, but the last thing I wanted to do was tell this little boy that his iguana had died.” The lizard responded to her efforts and is expected to make a full recovery.

Tori Matthews didn’t see a water-logged reptile; she saw a little boy’s beloved pet. We may never see the beauty in some people, but when we realize how much they mean to God, we’ll do what we can to keep them from drowning. 

The Great Commandment is that we love as He loved.

The Great Commission is that we make disciples, everywhere.

Perhaps it starts with seeing God’s image on people rather than seeing

them as their environment has shaped them. – Pastor Scott

Somewhere in my “clippings file” I have a story about opposition research on Andrew Jackson (7th U.S. president; born in the Carolinas before the Revolutionary war) as he was leaving the army and entering politics.  According to the clipping a reporter went to his hometown and tracked down some childhood friends.  The reporter asked why they thought Andy had been so successful.  Was he smarter or stronger than the other boys in town?  

“No” they said, “He just wouldn’t stay throwed.”  The reporter asked for clarification.

The boys, now men, explained “When we wrestled, it was always for two out of three throws.  But Andy just wouldn’t stay down!  You could throw him 3 or even 4 times and he’d get up again and eventually throw you.  That’s our Andy, he just wouldn’t stay throwed!”

What, you may be asking, does that have to do with resolutions?  Whether I resolve to read my Bible all the way through this year, love my wife better this year, or take better care of my health this year I will get throwed.  

• I will end up taking a phone call rather than finishing my quiet time some morning 
• I will snap at my wife because I’m a million miles away in my mind
• I will skip my walk because it’s cold and wet outside
  • Resolved. I will not stay throwed!

Happy New Year!

Pastor Scott

I went looking for a picture of a middle-eastern manger; one made of stone, not wood like we’d find here in the wetter West.  My search for a picture led me to an article written by a guy from a different faith tradition about his trip to Bethlhem.  Even though some of his terminology is different and certainly his side panels are not something we’re used to seeing, if you read the whole piece he makes a fabulous point that we all need to be reminded of – every year!   

The Stone Manger

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Scott

We talk a lot about how the world stage seems to setting itself up for the Antichrist. The political and cultural changes we are observing have caused a considerable amount of hand-wringing in certain circles. Yet, if we read the end of THE book, we realize we aren’t the ones who ought to be wringing our hands! The Lion of Judah, Is OUR Lion of Judah. Amen? 

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior in 10 days, lets not forget that the One who took away our sine by shedding His own blood, is coming back again to judge those who have rejected His grace.

Pastor Scott

We have a shredder; one at home and a really big one here at church.  You need one.  It’s great to protect your identity!  It’s also great for shredding illegitimate charges.  Bills that you have already paid.  Charges that are duplicate.   It’s really irritating when a corporation or a municipality tries to collect a debt that has already been taken care of.  Has that ever happened to you?  No?  I would wager to guess it has.

We sometimes fail to recognize that anything we hold against anyone is considered a debt they owe us.  If we “forgive” someone (even “just” vertically) and are continually being bugged by the bill collector, I humbly suggest that we haven’t yet really focused on what occurred.  If we forgave them we released that debt; tore it up, covered it up with Jesus’ blood and grace.  So if it comes back to us, it’s just like an “overdue” bill that I know I’ve paid.  It should go into the shredder and or, even better, into the kindling box by the fireplace, and never get another thought!   

“Scott, that’s easy for you to say; but you don’t understand how badly he/she/they hurt me!!!”  

“You are right, I don’t, but I know a Guy 🕇”  

The Hebrew word nasa and the Greek word aphiemi both literally mean “to release” or “let go” and are both translated “forgive.”  The other Hebrew (Old Testament) word most often translated “forgive” is Kipper or atone (cover with blood).  The other Greek (New Testament) word is Charizomai (“grace” as a verb).

Dictionary of New Testament Theology

I did neglect one word that is used in the OT, the word is “Azazel.”  It’s one of two goats used on the Day of Atonement.  The first is sacrificed.  The second, the “scapegoat”, is sent out into the wilderness after the sins of all the people are confessed onto its head (Leviticus 16:21-22).  The wilderness of course would make a goat disappear completely, just like the sins of the people (Matthew 27:11-26; cf. Hebrews 13:12-13).

Pray for me, as I pray for you,

Pastor Scott

The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Below is an article explaining “literal” meaning vs. “popular” meaning.  I have been, fruitlessly, trying to defend the literal (denotative) meaning of the word “relational” and this blog is serving notice of my surrender. 

When we are Born Again (“Justified,” “adopted,” “sealed by the Holy Spirit onto the day of Redemption,” etc) we become children of God.  That is our Relationship with Him.   He is our Father, we are His kids.  We are powerless to change that “Relationship!”

We, however, can grow distant. As we step out of the light, as we walk outside of Fellowship we grow distant from our Father.  He is still our Father!  But we are out of “Fellowship” and we need to return to the light (1 John 1:9).  

In my effort to distinguish between the one time forgiveness we experience at the Cross (Ephesians 1:7) and the forgiveness we need to restore Fellowship (1 John 1:9); I used the words “relational forgiveness” vs. “fellowship forgiveness;” but given the connotation of relational, I (and, perhaps, you) found it confusing.   

So upon the recommendation of an Elder, I am going to refer to our permanent forgiveness as “forensic” and our daily debts or tresspasses as “temporal” – at least those two words don’t have overlap; yet.  🙂

Pastor Scott 

Recognizing the denotative and connotative meanings of words can help ensure that you understand exactly what an author is trying to say as well as ensuring that you are saying exactly what you want to say in your own writing.

The denotative meaning is the literal or formal meaning of a word. For instance, the term dog denotes an animal with fur, four legs, and a tail. But when someone calls someone else a dog, this does not mean that the person has four legs and is furry. Instead, the connotative meaning of the word is used, which conjures up ideas based on how it is used in pop-culture or in an overall metaphorical sense. Connotative meanings can be either positive or negative; dog can be a derogatory term meant as an insult, or it can used in a light-hearted way meaning friend.

Unless an author clearly defines how a word or complex term is being used in a reading, both denotative and connotative meanings should be considered. In your own writing, both are acceptable to use, but you must be aware that people may interpret the word differently than you intended if you choose a word that can be read in more than one way.

Because of subtle differences in both denotative and connotative meaning, be very careful when you use a thesaurus as you write. Some of the words listed as synonyms or antonyms cannot be switched out equally. Be sure to use a dictionary to look up the meaning of a word if you are uncertain of what it means in the context of the sentence.

Below are some examples of denotative and connotative meanings of words.

Word	Denotative Meaning	Connotative Meaning
Hot	high temperature; heated	extremely attractive; angry
Cool	low temperature	popular; acceptable
Dead	absent of life and/or animation	unusually quiet setting
Chick	young bird	girl or woman
Crazy	insane; mentally unstable	wild and exciting
Shark	predatory fish	highly skilled

From Website “WordGeeks”