Today is known in many Christian circles as "Maundy Thursday," with the word Maundy coming from the Latin word Mandatum or Mandate. It centers on the command Jesus gave to his disciples in the upper room that day to "love one another: just as I have loved you, so you should love one another" (John 13.34.)  Two chapters later Jesus addresses this same theme again, saying, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments...

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King David, writing in Psalm 19, after speaking of the benefits of the law/testimony/precepts/commandment/fear/rules of the Lord, says, "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold." (Psalm 19.10a) This helps me keep perspective as we watch the wonderfully talented athletes who are competing in the winter olympics. Everyone is "going for the gold," as well they should being competitive athletes. Yet some get the silver or bronze medal rather than the gold, and most get no awards at all. For all the olympic athletes, as for you and me, the Word of God is far better...

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World Harvest Mission has published "The Gospel-Centered Life" (GCL) as a study curriculum for small groups or church Sunday school classes. We are currently using it in adult Sunday school, and are having some engaging conversations together! One emphasis of GCL is the continued emphasis on faith and repentance as the normal path to growth (sanctification) as a Christian. Of course, you can just as easily reverse the order to be repentance and faith, for these are like two sides of a coin. Both are necessary to Christian growth and health.In my own life, even as a pastor, I am...

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"Oh the weather outside is (soon to be) frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Remember that song, usually played with the secular Christmas music on the radio in December? Well, the snow's a coming this weekend, they say, this Friday night and Saturday. Lord willing, it will be over with so we can worship on Sunday.To be honest, I am ready for another good snowfall, but I will be ready for spring soon after - by this time next week I will be...

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Many of us have been reeling from the devastation we have seen in Haiti that was caused by last week's earthquake. I spoke with a pastor friend in Miami yesterday, who told me that they are indeed quite involved with trying to console, encourage, and help the many Haitian Christians there who have relatives in Haiti. Then in today's paper an article quoted a Haitian pastor here in the Lancaster area, Willy Besson, who serves Salem Pentecostal Haitian Church in Earl Township. Pastor Besson, addressing his congregation yesterday, said there was no point in trying to answer the "Why" question...

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I don't know if I spelled it correctly, but whooosh (yes, an added 'o' here) is what I realized as I remembered my desire to post again today. SO, what should I write about? Something in the news? (Harry Reid is a hot topic today) Or maybe something having to do with how cold it is these days. (Oh, how I long for warm weather and to get out on the golf course again!) I could jump off that last thing (warm weather and golf) to say something about my family (like wisking Sandy and Annie to Florida, or REALLY...

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Oh boy, how long has it been? I am not sure I am up to this blog stuff, but one conviction I have is the need to try to at least get one post per week on here. Please pray for me to do that, and for my thoughts to be helpful for building up the saints at Living Hope Church and whomever may read this.Yesterday's sermon was on Acts 20.24, part of Paul's farewell message to the Ephesian elders: "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my...

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 Below is a portion of an article sent to me by Steve G., one of our elders. Written by Carl Trueman of Westminster Theological Seminary, it describes the issue that is increasingly facing us as a body - the fact that our culture says the church needs to be big, it needs to be exciting, and it needs to have pizazz. But what about every day (boring) grace-based obedience and faithfulness? That is what the vast majority of life is about. This is why I have asked the question of our congregation several times, "Are you in this for the...

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Well, here we are at post # 3, and I am already far from in the "once or twice a week" groove I had hoped I would be for these entries. That goes to show how busy-ness can get the best of me!  Can you relate to that?At my class on leadership back in May, one of the things the professors had us do was write in a personal journal for the week. I had not done any journaling since my days in western Pennsylvania at my last pastorate there (probably 10 years back). The experience in the leadership course...

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 At a unique web site called despair.com they have a link to blogging, whereby they spell out the danger and futility of this new form of communication: "Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few." As I reflect on that statement, it moves me to write this blog, but also to stay with the conviction I expressed in my very first post last month - to keep it short and not to say anything that is simply blabbing gibberish.SO, my main question for now is this: How are you doing at...

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Good morning! This is my very first attempt at a blog as pastor of Living Hope Church. I will not keep you long, and my hope is to be significant and to the point whenever I write.Today I want to thank Emily Archibald for her great work of designing our new web page. We are blessed at LHPC to have Emily (and Chuck, who also helped here) in her role as our Administrative Assistant. Maybe I am blessed more immediately than many in the congregation, but "my blessing is your blessing," since many things that Emily does for the church...

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