The early Church leaders met in a city named Nicaea in Asia Minor in AD 325 to formulate the foundational truths of Christianity. It seems that controversial and false teachings were making their way into the Church and leaders needed to come together to define the essential, foundational beliefs. They created what became known as the Nicene Creed. The early leaders studied the scripture and summarized the beliefs taught in God’s Word. The Nicene Creed is worth reading, studying and learning. Find a copy.
The need to understand, formulate and summarize the essential truths of Christianity is still needed.
Our society and even our local congregations of believers have added, and taken away so many foundational beliefs that it’s difficult to know what we believe. It’s even more difficult to understand why we believe what we believe.
Here’s a summary of 12 essential, foundational truths of the Christian faith. These doctrines are pivotal to developing relevant faith in Jesus Christ.
1. God exists.
2. God’s Word is reliable.
3. Sin separates humanity from God.
4. God became Human.
5. Jesus is the atonement for our sin.
6. We are justified through faith alone.
7. Christians live a transformed life by the power of God’s Spirit.
8. Jesus rose from the dead in body and spirit.
9. The Trinity exists.
10. God established His Kingdom.
11. God established His Church.
12. Jesus will return.
These essential truths define the core of Christian faith in Jesus Christ. Understanding why we believe what we believe is essential to developing a growing, relevant faith. How can we live out these beliefs? Through the Holy Spirit of God.
These truths are more fully explained in Josh McDowell’s new book – The Unshakable Truth.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
My BEST Thanksgiving Meal ... Twice
The Best Thanksgiving Meal ...... Twice
Our Thanksgiving tradition may be different from others. Instead of staying home and inviting family over or going to someone’s home, we have a tendency to take a trip or vacation. Over the years, we’ve had Thanksgiving in Disney World a couple times, a cruise, the mountains, the beach. Anyway, you get the picture. Thanksgiving is always different. I guess our tradition is to be untraditional.
This year, we spent Thanksgiving Day at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. What a magnificent place. America’s largest house was originally built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt. The entire estate is surrounded by 8,000 acres of breathtaking gardens, views and restaurants.
The tour was amazing. We enjoyed the grand scale, architecture and décor in each room. The Biltmore should be on your list of places to visit soon.
Enough with the commercial and on with the story. We chose to eat dinner at 3 pm at the Deer Park Restaurant. It was originally the dairy farm for the Vanderbilt’s. Great food. Let me add that what you are about to read is Delaney’s fault. In order to set the stage I’ll have to take you back in time. It all started on August 23, 1995 – the day she was born. It was a small hospital in Port Arthur, TX. Wait, wait, wait … that’s too far back. It all started on August 8, 1997 – the day Ashlyn was born in New Orleans. No, that’s seems too far back, also.
It all started before we left for the Biltmore at 10 am Thursday morning. Do any of you suffer from migraines? I do. If you’ve ever had one you know how debilitating they can be. I take Imitrex and it works great. I never leave home without one – just in case. Well, I can’t say always. I thought about it but decided I wouldn’t need one. Have you ever made a mistake, known it was a mistake but done it anyway? I hate that.
The drive through the mountains was really fun. We laughed about our ears popping with the altitude change, made a few jokes about what we each chose to wear and fix our hair … the usual Grizzle humor. We stopped at a gas station just before the Estate and grabbed a little snack. Not sure about your migraine’s but mine are sometimes triggered by not eating at regular times. 3 o’clock is too late.
We loved he tour. Especially the basement that looked more like a dungeon. We were all disappointed with the Halloween room, though. I was expecting monsters … oh well. So the tour went on and my head started to hurt a little. Uh oh – migraine time. We moved throughout the house, had our annual Thanksgiving photo made and loved every minute – except the head throbbing. We shopped at a couple souvenir traps and bought a few of you something nice. Don’t worry; we got you the same thing we got you last year.
Pound, pound, pound. Do your migraine’s cause sensitivity to light, sound or nausea? Close to 3, we arrived at the restaurant – ready to dive into some down home Thanksgiving turkey, dressing, potatoes and pecan pie. Four hungry Grizzle’s stormed the buffet line – that’s right, I said buffet. The food was awesome – some of the best I’ve eaten twice. Sometimes a migraine will subside a little after eating. Not this one.
After one plate full I was in full blown pain and panic. The freight train is rolling and can’t stop. Delaney picked up her crystal glass to take a sip …. And that’s when it happened. The bottom stem of her glass fell off – it just fell off. She dropped her glass after the bottom fell into her plate. Turkey, dressing, potatoes and other food don’t mix well with Mr. Pibb. I’ve always wondered why Mr. Pibb is the substitute for Dr. Pepper. They taste nothing alike. So there she was with broken glass and Pibb soaking her food. Our waitress was excited to help clean it up. She recovered after we made fun of her as only Grizzle’s can do in one’s time of need. Ouch, my head really hurts.
Ashlyn ate her usual loaf of bread and decided she hated apple pie after two pieces. I’m not sure where her elf-sized body holds all that food. I’m on my second plate … and that’s when it happened … again. My migraine’s trigger nausea … that’s right, sports fans, nausea. Did you know the Biltmore hickory trees are big enough to hide behind and puke? There’s a nice one close to where they park the catering trucks. Anyway, after puking, I made my way back to the table hoping for dessert. After all, it is Thanksgiving. Nope, it didn’t happen. Outside to puke again.
Did I mention it was about an hour drive back to the camper? That’s where we were when I left my Imitrex. Shirley drove. Before we got on the interstate we stopped twice to puke – once at a CVS (where I bought Emetrol) and a gas station. Pain, pain, pain, puke, puke, puke. It’ hard to puke on the side of the interstate with hundreds of onlookers wondering what’s wrong with the idiot.
Did you know plastic Wal-Mart bags are handy to keep in your car? They can double as puke catchers in emergencies. I filled up three of them on the way home. The last gas station bathroom was the nicest. It was in North Greenville and I must say I’d stop again if I knew which one it was.
Imitrex works wonders and about an hour after taking one, everything was back to normal. Whatever normal is for us …
The Biltmore is nice and I’ll always remember this as the Thanksgiving meal I ate … twice. It tasted better on the way down.
How’s this Delaney or Ashlyn’s fault … not sure but I’m blaming it on them.
Welcome to the Christmas season.
Our Thanksgiving tradition may be different from others. Instead of staying home and inviting family over or going to someone’s home, we have a tendency to take a trip or vacation. Over the years, we’ve had Thanksgiving in Disney World a couple times, a cruise, the mountains, the beach. Anyway, you get the picture. Thanksgiving is always different. I guess our tradition is to be untraditional.
This year, we spent Thanksgiving Day at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. What a magnificent place. America’s largest house was originally built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt. The entire estate is surrounded by 8,000 acres of breathtaking gardens, views and restaurants.
The tour was amazing. We enjoyed the grand scale, architecture and décor in each room. The Biltmore should be on your list of places to visit soon.
Enough with the commercial and on with the story. We chose to eat dinner at 3 pm at the Deer Park Restaurant. It was originally the dairy farm for the Vanderbilt’s. Great food. Let me add that what you are about to read is Delaney’s fault. In order to set the stage I’ll have to take you back in time. It all started on August 23, 1995 – the day she was born. It was a small hospital in Port Arthur, TX. Wait, wait, wait … that’s too far back. It all started on August 8, 1997 – the day Ashlyn was born in New Orleans. No, that’s seems too far back, also.
It all started before we left for the Biltmore at 10 am Thursday morning. Do any of you suffer from migraines? I do. If you’ve ever had one you know how debilitating they can be. I take Imitrex and it works great. I never leave home without one – just in case. Well, I can’t say always. I thought about it but decided I wouldn’t need one. Have you ever made a mistake, known it was a mistake but done it anyway? I hate that.
The drive through the mountains was really fun. We laughed about our ears popping with the altitude change, made a few jokes about what we each chose to wear and fix our hair … the usual Grizzle humor. We stopped at a gas station just before the Estate and grabbed a little snack. Not sure about your migraine’s but mine are sometimes triggered by not eating at regular times. 3 o’clock is too late.
We loved he tour. Especially the basement that looked more like a dungeon. We were all disappointed with the Halloween room, though. I was expecting monsters … oh well. So the tour went on and my head started to hurt a little. Uh oh – migraine time. We moved throughout the house, had our annual Thanksgiving photo made and loved every minute – except the head throbbing. We shopped at a couple souvenir traps and bought a few of you something nice. Don’t worry; we got you the same thing we got you last year.
Pound, pound, pound. Do your migraine’s cause sensitivity to light, sound or nausea? Close to 3, we arrived at the restaurant – ready to dive into some down home Thanksgiving turkey, dressing, potatoes and pecan pie. Four hungry Grizzle’s stormed the buffet line – that’s right, I said buffet. The food was awesome – some of the best I’ve eaten twice. Sometimes a migraine will subside a little after eating. Not this one.
After one plate full I was in full blown pain and panic. The freight train is rolling and can’t stop. Delaney picked up her crystal glass to take a sip …. And that’s when it happened. The bottom stem of her glass fell off – it just fell off. She dropped her glass after the bottom fell into her plate. Turkey, dressing, potatoes and other food don’t mix well with Mr. Pibb. I’ve always wondered why Mr. Pibb is the substitute for Dr. Pepper. They taste nothing alike. So there she was with broken glass and Pibb soaking her food. Our waitress was excited to help clean it up. She recovered after we made fun of her as only Grizzle’s can do in one’s time of need. Ouch, my head really hurts.
Ashlyn ate her usual loaf of bread and decided she hated apple pie after two pieces. I’m not sure where her elf-sized body holds all that food. I’m on my second plate … and that’s when it happened … again. My migraine’s trigger nausea … that’s right, sports fans, nausea. Did you know the Biltmore hickory trees are big enough to hide behind and puke? There’s a nice one close to where they park the catering trucks. Anyway, after puking, I made my way back to the table hoping for dessert. After all, it is Thanksgiving. Nope, it didn’t happen. Outside to puke again.
Did I mention it was about an hour drive back to the camper? That’s where we were when I left my Imitrex. Shirley drove. Before we got on the interstate we stopped twice to puke – once at a CVS (where I bought Emetrol) and a gas station. Pain, pain, pain, puke, puke, puke. It’ hard to puke on the side of the interstate with hundreds of onlookers wondering what’s wrong with the idiot.
Did you know plastic Wal-Mart bags are handy to keep in your car? They can double as puke catchers in emergencies. I filled up three of them on the way home. The last gas station bathroom was the nicest. It was in North Greenville and I must say I’d stop again if I knew which one it was.
Imitrex works wonders and about an hour after taking one, everything was back to normal. Whatever normal is for us …
The Biltmore is nice and I’ll always remember this as the Thanksgiving meal I ate … twice. It tasted better on the way down.
How’s this Delaney or Ashlyn’s fault … not sure but I’m blaming it on them.
Welcome to the Christmas season.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Relational Truth
A recent study concluded 81% of Christians believe the Christian faith is defined as trying to follow the rules described in the Bible. This belief isn't the essence of Christianity. Describing Christian faith as following the rules of the Bible is legalism.
Christianity is about knowing and being and living in right relationship with God. True faith is about expressing the Truth revealed in scripture and our transforming experience with Christ. The story God shared in the Bible is His story not ours. He transforms our fallen nature by His completed work in death and resurrection. His scripture is meant to prepare us to display His nature to others.
Christian faith and the Bible are far more than trying to follow a list of rules.
Truth is relational. Jesus said He was the Way, Truth and Life. If He is the Truth, truth must be relational because we are in a relationship with Him. Legalism is the result of separating ourselves from the relational aspect of faith.
Christianity is about knowing and being and living in right relationship with God. True faith is about expressing the Truth revealed in scripture and our transforming experience with Christ. The story God shared in the Bible is His story not ours. He transforms our fallen nature by His completed work in death and resurrection. His scripture is meant to prepare us to display His nature to others.
Christian faith and the Bible are far more than trying to follow a list of rules.
Truth is relational. Jesus said He was the Way, Truth and Life. If He is the Truth, truth must be relational because we are in a relationship with Him. Legalism is the result of separating ourselves from the relational aspect of faith.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Disappointed
This morning I stopped at Starbuck's for a peppermint mocha and banana walnut bread. It was packed ... every table full. After I got my coffee and bread, I sat in one of the plush, comfy chairs in the corner. There were two men sitting at a table next to me ... talking loud. I couldn't help over hear their conversation. They were discussing John 15 ... specifically Jesus explaining the whole abide in Me thing. It didn't take long to realize it was a deep theological conversation. Their table was littered with notebooks and Bibles.
I became interested so I looked their direction several times ... just listening to them discuss the spiritual implications of what it means to really abide in Christ. It was fascinating and theologically deep. One even mentioned he was scheduled to be on a conference call with a couple other pastors later this afternoon.
They noticed me.
One said ... "you can't understand John 15 until you understand John 14" ... That's the one in verse 6 when Jesus told Thomas He was the Way, Truth and Life ...
I tried to engage them in conversation hoping either would take the opportunity to share their faith with me ... Nothing ... Squat ... Neither made any attempt to explain anything to me ... They had no idea if I was a Christian or not and made no attempt to ask.
It is sad and disappointing to see Christians so absorbed in their own faith they forget it is meaningless unless it naturally overflows in conversation.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for discipleship and deep theological discussions. But don't forget to share what you learn with those who may not know.
Inward discipleship is useless .... Jesus said "GO TELL" ... that command is for every Christian.
Tell someone about Christ.
I became interested so I looked their direction several times ... just listening to them discuss the spiritual implications of what it means to really abide in Christ. It was fascinating and theologically deep. One even mentioned he was scheduled to be on a conference call with a couple other pastors later this afternoon.
They noticed me.
One said ... "you can't understand John 15 until you understand John 14" ... That's the one in verse 6 when Jesus told Thomas He was the Way, Truth and Life ...
I tried to engage them in conversation hoping either would take the opportunity to share their faith with me ... Nothing ... Squat ... Neither made any attempt to explain anything to me ... They had no idea if I was a Christian or not and made no attempt to ask.
It is sad and disappointing to see Christians so absorbed in their own faith they forget it is meaningless unless it naturally overflows in conversation.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for discipleship and deep theological discussions. But don't forget to share what you learn with those who may not know.
Inward discipleship is useless .... Jesus said "GO TELL" ... that command is for every Christian.
Tell someone about Christ.
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