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Brennan Manning, author of the Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba's Child, began speaking mostly to evangelical Protestant audiences after his status as a divorced priest made him unwelcome in many Catholic churches. A small, nondescript man with a head of snow-white hair, he would usually start his talks slowly, until the Holy Spirit took over and he would immediately launch into a passionate speech about the grace of God. Below is one of those speeches:
"Why is Brennan Manning lovable in the eyes of God? Because on February 8th of 1956, in a shattering, life-changing experience, I committed my life to Jesus. Does God love me because ever since I was ordained a priest in 1963, I roamed the country and lately all over the world proclaiming the Good News of the gospel of grace? Does God love me because I tithe to the poor? Does he love me because back in New Orleans I work on skid row with alcoholics, addicts, and those who suffer with AIDS? Does God love me because I spend two hours every day in prayer? If I believe that stuff I'm a Pharisee! Then I feel I'm entitled to be comfortably close to Christ because of my good works. The gospel of grace says, "Brennan, you're lovable for one reason only--because God loves you. Period." Using the power of his own story toward semi-transformation, this aging, outcast-priest from New Jersey embodies the saving power of the gospel of grace and invites anyone who will listen to join him on the venture. This should be attitude of the local church. That God intends the best for us, that sin and failure are inevitable but forgiveness is guaranteed, that a supportive community bears burdens and comforts the needy. I wonder how different the church would look to a watching world, if Christians everywhere simply loved one another, just as God has loved us. This is the main point of I John 4:7-21. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as the apostle John invites us to examine our lives in order to see if we pass the "love God, love others" test. Note: Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st. This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus. We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag. The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq. Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug First of all, "Thank You" Larry for delivering the postcard from III John. As Larry mentioned last Sunday, when you send postcards from your travels, seldom do they arrive in the order in which you mailed them, and our series, Postcards with a Punch, is no different. While we wait for the arrival of the "postcard" from II John, this Sunday, we will be reading from I John. While I John may not technically qualify as a postcard letter, I think it's only appropriate that we complete John's trilogy of letters to the early church.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we look at John's first epistle. In addressing the early church, John presents a simple, uncomplicated worldview of right and wrong: light versus darkness, truth verses falsehood, righteousness versus sin, love of God versus love of the world. With clarity of perspective and singularity of purpose, John redraws lines that had begun to fade in the minds of his readers who were beginning to compromise and find themselves lost in the fog of moral and spiritual relativism. While John's solid stand for the truth of the gospel might be viewed by some as unloving, this couldn't be further from the truth. While John teaches on the importance of recognizing the lines between truth and error, he never forgets that truth must always be delivered in a spirit of love. I want to encourage you to stay after the service and check-out one of our discipleship opportunities that meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalm and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. Blessings. Doug |
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November 2022
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