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Dear Church Friends,

The granting of three wishes is the main focus of Genie in a Bottle stories. The granting of those wishes is usually a trap set by the evil Genie (or Jinn) with the moral of the story being along the lines of “be careful what you wish for” and/or “enjoy the life you actually have.”

But, what if God, the God of the Bible, the God you can trust appeared to you and told you that you could ask him for any one thing. What would you ask for? Before reading on, take a moment to seriously, honestly, and personally answer that question: What would you ask for?

Hold that thought for a moment and consider a different topic and question. Generally, when we are evaluating people, especially, but not exclusively, public figures and leaders, we tend to have only two categories: good or bad. I don’t know if that’s a modern phenomenon or if it’s always been that way. But think about it: What’s your gut reaction when you hear the following names: George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Barak Obama, and Ronald Reagan? Or if you’re a Georgia sports fan, how about Arthur Smith, Mark Richt, and Bobby Cox? Or how about Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams, and Nathan Deal?Read More

Dear Church Family,

“The Obfuscating Dynamics of Shame and Guilt” is perhaps a strange sermon title. And yes, I confess I do have a thing for “fancy words” like “obfuscating.”

Miriam Webster’s Dictionary defines obfuscate as, to be evasive, unclear, or confusing, to throw into shadow, to make obscure, to confuse. Some synonyms are muddying, disguising, and confusing. That’s what shame and guilt does to us – it twists us, such that our motivations, actions, and reactions are somewhat obscured to us. We aren’t always conscious of when or how our shame and guilt is impacting our thinking and actions, but it does!

Most Christians are familiar with the story of David’s sin with Bathsheba, his confrontation by Nathan, and his beautiful repentance (see Psalm 51). But too often what happens next, in the very next chapters of 2 Samuel, is overlooked or skimmed over. When you read the story of David, Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom (2 Samuel 13-15) on the heels of the events of David, Uriah, and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12) it’s doesn’t take much of a leap or a lot of effort to see how David’s shame and guilt over his sins impacted his parenting. His shame and guilt muddied and obscured his thinking and his judgement. It led him to not do things he should have done and to do things he ought not have done.Read More

Dear Church Family,

This week, we come to what many people regard as the most important chapter in the Old Testament.

That’s quite an audacious claim, isn’t it! The most important chapter in the whole of the Old Testament?!

Debating which is the most important chapter in the Old Testament is of no interest to me. But these claims should pique our interest and encourage our attention as we come to 2 Samuel 7 this Sunday and next week in our Daily Worship Devotions.

For there is no doubt or question that what happens in 2 Samuel 7 becomes the key hope for God’s people for centuries to come. In the dark days of exile, when God’s people are almost wiped off the face of the earth, during generations of struggle, weakness, poverty, occupation, and persecution,  2 Samuel 7 is clearly articulated as their lifeline. So, what should it mean for us?

So, amidst the busyness of preparing for Memorial Day Weekend, or if you are already at the beach or by the pool, take some time to read and reflect on 2 Samuel 7 as you prepare your hearts for worship. Consider the following questions as you do that:

• Was there something wrong with David’s idea? If so, how come his idea was not wrong for Solomon to do?
• What is “new” in this chapter that made it so important to God’s people?
• How does David respond to God’s redirection (and how is that different from Saul)?
• What does this passage teach us about God’s grace and our response to it?

Yours in Christ’s love,

Pastor Ewan