A Christmas Gift

At Christmas time, the whole world seems to participate in the giving of gifts. Family, friends, and even co-workers take part in the joy of giving and receiving gifts….

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Philippians 4:8 - Conclusion

“…think about these things.” Paul concludes this verse by commanding his readers to think. This word, “logizomai”, means to think, reckon, or take into account and deals with reality…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 8

“…if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The last word Paul uses to describe what our thoughts should dwell on, is the word epainos. This…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 7

“if there is any excellence…think about these things” The word aretē, translated ‘excellence’, is most likely rooted in the word airō, which means to raise or lift up. In…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 6

“…whatever is commendable…think about these things.” The next word Paul uses in Philippians 4:8 is another word that is only used here, euphēmos. This is a compound of eu…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 5

“…whatever is lovely…think about these things.” Next is the word “Prosphilēs” which only occurs here and is a supposed compound of two other words: the preposition “pros” mainly meaning…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 4

“…whatever is pure…think about these things” The fourth word Paul uses is “hagnos”, which can be translated as pure, modest, chaste, immaculate, and (figuratively) clean. “Hagnos” has a close…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 3

“…whatever is just…think about these things” In today’s society, being right, upright, or just seems to be completely subjective. Someone can be right in following their own moral code…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 2

“…whatever is honorable…think about these things” Next in Philippians 4:8 is the word “semnos” which can mean venerable, reverend, honorable, highly respectable, highly regarded, and – because of it’s…

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Philippians 4:8 - part 1

“…whatever is true…think about these things” In Philippians 4:8, the word Paul uses for truth derives from the word “lanthanō” which refers to being hidden or concealed. The negative…

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Philippians 4:8 - intro

We face life’s battles everyday, don’t we? Some days we feel strong and courageous, and when life hits us hard we laugh saying, ‘Is that the best you’ve got’….

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Pray for Your Leaders

“Shocking…incredible…upsetting…worrisome…disbelief…optimistic…I don’t care…exactly what we needed…the worst possible outcome…what do I do now?” Whatever your reaction to the results of the 2016 election, Christians are strongly urged to do…

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The Gospel and Race

Do black lives matter? Do blue lives matter? Does any of it matter anymore? Jocelyn Jackson, the sister of slain Baton Rouge police officer Montrell Jackson, is asking exactly…

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When Everything is Not Awesome

The tongue-in-cheek song from the Lego Movie “Everything Is Awesome” actually tells us that everything is not awesome. The song tells us that we exaggerate things far too often,…

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Why We Lack Joy

The great theologian Jonathan Edwards has famously said, “The nature of true religion consists in holy affections.” This idea actually fueled his theology and was is the backbone to…

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A Psalm for a New Year

In our recent sermon “A Psalm for a New Year”, I challenged us to consider writing a Psalm for either the season before us or for all of 2015….

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