tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67770812012-01-17T14:05:58.615-06:00"Why do you squint at the splinter in your brother's eye, and fail to see the log in your own eye?" - Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:3)Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comBlogger7321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-30430388895087903892010-05-03T20:34:00.002-05:002010-10-14T14:11:07.520-05:00

Find me at http://keithbrenton.com or http://keithbrenton.wordpress.com/. After ten import tries, it's all there: all 700+ posts and 3800+ comments from this blog. At least, I think it's all there. I like the fact that Wordpress has a built-in format for mobile, and Blogger doesn't. In the end, that was the deciding factor. Unless something goes excruciatingly wrong, I won't be posting here at

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-77424793510887722592010-05-02T21:39:00.003-05:002010-05-03T07:24:03.472-05:00

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." ~ Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:11 For the most part, I was a good kid. I behaved. Noting that, one of my grade school teachers let herself be overhead telling my parents that she thought I had an "old soul." I still don't know what that means, but I liked

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-38833768671446233222010-05-01T11:37:00.000-05:002010-05-01T11:37:08.372-05:00

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." ~ John the Baptizer, Matthew 3:11 ... "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." ~ Mark 1:8 ... "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-23336511817393737742010-04-28T21:25:00.002-05:002010-04-28T21:34:00.364-05:00

"Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them." ~ Isaiah 63:10"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." ~ Jesus, Mark 3:29"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-41050696254486082692010-04-27T20:34:00.001-05:002010-04-27T20:36:41.683-05:00

Just curious. If you never heard of it, this is where it's found these days: http://www.austingrad.edu/christianaffirmation/affirmation.html (Its original domain name was evidently allowed to expire.) A Christian Affirmation is coming up on its fifth anniversary. It was originally published as a paid advertisement in the May, 2005 Christian Chronicle, which thereafter instituted a policy to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-84014493720248028512010-04-27T08:52:00.001-05:002010-04-27T08:53:17.843-05:00

Acts 3:1 - "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon." What might happen if Christians everywhere took a few moments in the 3:00 hour to pray every day? Acts 4:31, maybe? "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." In this instance, it

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-55989128599703543702010-04-25T14:17:00.007-05:002010-04-25T15:32:06.728-05:00

Is there any New Testament scripture which explicitly says (or even implies) that the faith of believers that led to salvation is in anything other than - or in addition to - the facts that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) and the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31, 11:27; 1 John 5:1-5) ... that He came from God and was going back to God (John 16:27-28); ... that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 4

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-82026688729895882352010-04-23T17:44:00.008-05:002010-04-24T08:47:39.821-05:00

I find it curious that folks who are willing to assume the existence of Noah's tools - never mentioned in scripture - in order to illustrate their defense of a doctrine of expediency (also never mentioned in scripture) ... that those same folks blanch at the possibility that God might have indeed told Nadab and Abihu and Moses and all of Aaron's sons that only the fire He had authorized could be

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-35613701120730831832010-04-22T20:35:00.001-05:002010-04-23T16:16:15.536-05:00

They go together. Maybe not at the beginning of an autonomous congregation's history, but eventually. When a gathering of believers becomes so convinced of their own righteousness - and of the unrighteousness of other believers in other churches - their circle of friendly fellowship churches shrinks until its diameter becomes a noose around their own necks. Because - sooner or later - their

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-21207182396944716622010-04-21T07:55:00.002-05:002010-04-21T07:56:39.239-05:00

It's the question that the Sanhedrin, called to session by the Pharisees, asked of themselves in regard to Jesus' ministry (John 11:47-48). I can sympathize with the question, though not with their motivation for asking it. I see people - mostly younger people - engaged in the kind of ministry that I can clearly see in scripture. The kind of ministry which leads people closer to God through an

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-34643594626921655762010-04-17T13:51:00.002-05:002010-04-17T14:00:54.686-05:00

Early Restoration Movement founders and leaders often began looking for the answer to that question in the second chapter of Acts, right at the end: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-80028081830903748322010-04-16T19:58:00.000-05:002010-04-16T19:58:54.724-05:00

Hold on to your seats. Though I disagree with most of Wayne Jackson's article "Congregational Autonomy - Not A Shield For Error" in the Christian Courier, I do agree with the title. In fact, of the two reasons that I've called into question the scriptural basis for what's called "congregational autonomy" (because it's certainly not found in scripture), this one is the stronger. People can, and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-35673972354232245702010-04-13T12:46:00.005-05:002010-04-14T08:32:04.910-05:00

It can be beautiful. It can also be cacaphonic (in terms of sound, the equivalent of "catastrophic"), which is also true of accompanied vocal music and solely-instrumental music. (Think sixth-grade band.) We don't forbid tone-deaf people from singing, since God hears the heart as well as the voice. It has a quality of purity and emotion. Vocal music comes from the heart. I don't play an

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-34303600869664829512010-04-12T20:32:00.006-05:002010-04-17T14:05:46.279-05:00

By Jesus: To teach:" ... because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." ~ Matthew 7:29 (see also Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32 To heal and forgive sins: " 'But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....' Then he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.'" ~ Matthew 9:6 (see also Mark 2:10) To exorcise evil

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-38147083148997884072010-04-07T13:08:00.002-05:002010-04-16T17:26:10.022-05:00

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ~ Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13 John was given visionary instruction while he was in the Spirit by the One (introduced in chapter 1 as "like a Son of Man") to write to the angels of seven churches. Did the Spirit have the same message for all of the churches? Not precisely the same, though some elements are consistent

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-45547532788386490962010-04-06T22:33:00.003-05:002010-04-16T17:25:47.631-05:00

I still haven't seen any good, scriptural bases cited for the concept of congregational autonomy. If you Google the term or its cousin local church autonomy, you'll come up with results that are about half-and-half Baptist and Church of Christ in origin. And while the links that I've pursued usually give at least some note to the idea of being under the Lordship of Christ, virtually all of them

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-16404254736611183442010-04-05T20:27:00.000-05:002010-04-05T20:27:24.720-05:00

A few days ago, a friend posted on Facebook that his wife had left him a note on the refrigerator that was something to the effect of: "Tell Jesus to water the back yard." He evidently had the same chill run down his spine that I did when reading it, until he remembered that "Jesus" - probably pronounced "hey-seuss" - was the name of the gardener she had contracted with. Most of our prayers

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-22454005908859210542010-04-03T08:51:00.002-05:002010-04-16T17:25:01.021-05:00

There's an initial level of unbelief, I think, that's common to everyone who has never before believed in God or His Son or His Spirit. It is conquered when that person experiences, either in one moment or over a period of time, a sense of awe and wonder at the loving, perfect nature of God himself displayed in this world. Those encounters may take place while reading scripture ... witnessing

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-50410755716920358022010-04-02T07:56:00.002-05:002010-04-02T07:56:22.837-05:00

An innocent Man, already tortured within moments of death, struggles to lift himself on feet nailed to a cross in order to take another breath. He has been doing it for hours. While afternoon darkness gathers, He will continue to do it for a few more. It's Good Friday. What's so good about that? Nothing, if the Man were not the very Son of God. Nothing, if the burdened cross was not succeeded

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-48074820033135415162010-04-01T19:47:00.000-05:002010-04-01T19:47:31.791-05:00

Goebel Music, in his text Behold the Pattern!, blithely responds to the charge of being a legalist by quipping, "I'd rather be a legalist than an illegalist!" Which makes about as much sense as someone responding to the charge of worshiping contrary to God's command - but sincerely - by saying, "I'd rather worship sincerely than insincerely!" Both quips miss the point, you see. It's too easy

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-31897798429571135142010-03-31T21:03:00.003-05:002010-03-31T21:07:57.198-05:00

... in order to qualify for the fellowship of some believers in my church tradition: That God is sovereign. Because Romans 9:18 says so: "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." That God is not sovereign. Because if you complete the five acts of salvation, He has to save you by contract because He said He would, and that is the only way you can be

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-9642561820695983292010-03-27T21:11:00.004-05:002010-04-16T17:25:28.763-05:00

I just commented at Mike Cope's blog a little while ago: I have two problems with the concept of congregational autonomy, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me: 1. It’s not a concept found anywhere in scripture that I’ve found so far, and 2. I think that may be so because congregations are not autonomous. Neither are we autonomous as individual believers. We are subject to the King, and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-72457749538849609482010-03-26T16:08:00.000-05:002010-03-26T16:08:51.893-05:00

Well, we know that Esther was pretty, anyway (Esther 2:7). Ruth may have been as physically attractive as she was noble of character (Ruth 2:11 and 3:11). She's described as a Moabitess several times in the text, and Israelite men throughout the Old Testament seemed to find the women of Moab attractive, even when forbidden to mix with their people (Numbers 25:1; 1 Kings 11:1); etc.). But that's

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-75213934611854699922010-03-24T22:03:00.001-05:002010-03-24T22:10:14.042-05:00

This article appeared in the April-June, 2002 issue of the Gospel Gleaner, a very conservative publication within the fellowship of Churches of Christ, published not too far away from me in Mabelvale, Arkansas. I could see no copyright on the issue, and that issue was not the article's original publication, so I hope I am not in violation by republishing it here. When 'Conservative' Isn't Sound

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-76328268329626367122010-03-23T21:49:00.005-05:002010-03-23T22:11:25.588-05:00

Think of a doctrine you have been taught in church. Any doctrine. I don't care which. It doesn't matter. Now ask yourself a question: "How can I be sure that this is God's will - for me; for His people; for His church; for anyone; for everyone?" I'm betting your first answer to that question is: "Look in the Bible." Good answer. If you can find that doctrine taught explicitly in scripture,

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-32431174235748725622010-03-22T07:37:00.002-05:002010-03-25T07:18:19.539-05:00

I am willing to give it a try. Anything that doesn't work can be adjusted or repealed. I am saddened that it has become a wedge to further drive apart two extremist positions connected to the major political parties who believe they have the uncontested fealty of 100% of Americans. They do not. Republicans seem to feel that this bill is some kind of referendum that declares their

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-19089719451064832552010-03-20T13:35:00.003-05:002010-03-30T22:01:17.239-05:00

Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. ~ 1 Corinthians 7:18-20For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ~ Galatians 5:6Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. ~ Galatians 6:15 "Keeping God's

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-91415948366479004632010-03-17T22:26:00.001-05:002010-03-17T22:30:41.672-05:00

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ~ Genesis 3:8And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-53182169733597913922010-03-15T16:59:00.010-05:002010-05-01T15:29:19.868-05:00

"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." ~ Matthew 12:31"I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." ~ Mark 3:29"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-69824077253356356722010-03-13T14:33:00.003-06:002010-03-13T14:41:15.970-06:00

Have Mine Own Way, Now(with sincerest apologies to Adelaide Pollard and Geo. C. Stebbins) See it my way, plebe My way's His way I am the potter You are the clay I will remake you formed to my will after berating you to be still. Do it my way, grunt Do it my way You're just not trying Faster today Whiter than snow your face looks just now As in my presence frightened you bow. Have mine own

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-61738338694550150032010-03-12T20:35:00.005-06:002010-03-13T16:53:23.744-06:00

On another blog recently, a friend adjured me to keep breaking down idols. It hadn't occurred to me until then that my fellowship's obsession with a cappella-only worship is an idol. It is. We of the churches of Christ worship it above the unity Christ prayed for on the night He was betrayed. We worship it above the teaching of Paul to Galatia that adding any law to the atonement of Christ is

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-78804867347273766522010-03-11T07:46:00.001-06:002010-03-11T08:54:07.943-06:00

Take a look around on the Internet at the orders of worship and sermon topics of churches which post them, and you might get the impression that many ministers of the gospel have the idea that "You can only preach so much Jesus." Really? Because you can preach "the plan" all you want to, and if you don't preach "the man," you'll have converts to a system, not the Savior. You can preach "the

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-87429967970605834212010-03-10T16:32:00.001-06:002010-03-10T17:12:53.762-06:00

"... Your sins are forgotten They’re on the bottom Of the ocean floor "Your sins are erased And they are no more They're out on the ocean floor." ~ Ocean Floor as performed by Audio Adrenaline "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." ~ Micah 7:19 Unless you can afford to send Dr. Robert Ballard down there

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-57019766992346223862010-03-09T20:13:00.001-06:002010-03-09T20:24:37.916-06:00

Maybe we should see what God asked of those who served Him. This is what Moses told the gathered masses after his second journey down the mountain with tablets of stone autographed by God: "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-76793001821622793382010-03-08T20:04:00.002-06:002010-03-09T07:25:25.479-06:00

If you're going to teach that, you'll have to ignore or explain away: "All of us have become like one who is unclean,    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;    we all shrivel up like a leaf,    and like the wind our sins sweep us away." ~ Isaiah 64:6 Our righteousness is worthless before God. "'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-6084700325096557242010-03-06T19:51:00.003-06:002010-03-06T20:01:27.689-06:00

A.E. Housman's Original: The laws of God, the laws of man     He may keep that will and can Not I: Let God and man decree     Laws for themselves and not for me; And if my ways are not as theirs     Let them mind their own affairs. Their deeds I judge and most condemn     Yet when did I make laws for them? Please yourselves, Say I, and they     Need only look the other way. But no, they will

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-53208792928177353042010-03-06T10:12:00.006-06:002010-03-09T20:22:10.693-06:00

Answers are overrated. Answers to difficult questions about God and His relationship to mankind are overrated, anyway. I don't mean to completely downplay the value of having good, reliable answers to honest and fair questions. Unlike the poster (at left) seen in the quaint-but-ominous "Village" of the enigmatic mid-1960s British TV series "The Prisoner," my purpose is not to discourage

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-35520959340036190392010-03-03T07:30:00.002-06:002010-03-04T19:56:20.979-06:00

Patient Father who commands all to repent, not desiring that any of us should perish, may honor and glory be Yours forever and ever. Today I lift the final speakers in the Contending for the Faith lectures to Your throne for Your touch in their lives and Your presence in their words: John Rose, Jimmy Gribble, Lee Moses, Gary Summers, Jess Whitlock, Dub McClish and Gary Summers. May Your Spirit

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-71751227677248989302010-03-02T17:49:00.005-06:002010-03-04T18:02:07.421-06:00

Why Acts 20:7, but not Acts 2:46-47? Why 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, but not 1 Corinthians 11:5? Why 1 Timothy 2:12, but not Acts 2:17? Why Ephesians 5:19, but not Psalm 150? Or Revelation 5:8-9? Why 1 Peter 3:21, sometimes with Romans 1:16 and 2 Corinthians 7:10 and Romans 10:10 and Hebrews 5:9, but hardly ever with Titus 2:11 or 1 Thessalonians 5:9 or Philippians 2:12? And almost never Luke 10:

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-49814165443875155742010-03-02T07:48:00.003-06:002010-03-04T19:56:34.323-06:00

Glorious Creator and God, Praise and honor is due You for Your providence and mercy; Your steadfast lovingkindness and your unswayable justice. Today I pray for the folks speaking and attending Contending for the Faith, those whose books they are examining, their families, and all who seek to serve You. I pray especially for John West, Daniel Coe, Sonya West, Gene Hill, Doug Post, Wayne Blake,

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-76607049907509072782010-03-01T07:31:00.004-06:002010-03-04T19:56:51.385-06:00

Father God, May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing and acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and rock and Redeemer. I lift Skip Francis, Danny Douglas, Sonya West, Bruce Stulting, Johnny Oxendine, Ken Chumbly and Paul Vaughn to Your throne this morning, and all of those whose works they critique today at Contending for the Faith; as well as their

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-25285753900857205572010-02-28T06:23:00.004-06:002010-03-04T19:57:04.115-06:00

Holy and righteous God; loving and merciful Lord, May this day begin and end in praise to Your glorious wisdom, providence, justice and compassion. Father, this morning I lift up the brothers and sisters who will participate in the "Contending for the Faith" lectures, and especially for those who have accepted the burden of speaking in Your behalf. But I also ask that You pour forth Your Holy

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-72441169205071241342010-02-27T12:20:00.002-06:002010-03-04T18:04:54.070-06:00

In order to turn the entirety of the Bible into law - or even just the parts that you want to turn into law - by way of the "C.E.N.I" (command, example, necessary inference) hermeneutic, you have to make some assumptions. That the Bible is meant to be read as law That we cannot know the mind of God except through scripture. That all or most imperatives are intended as commands That imperatives

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-2002215709282951782010-02-26T10:41:00.003-06:002010-03-04T19:58:48.512-06:00

Passing The TorchMy blogging friend John Dobbs just challenged me by a Facebook e-mail to participate in a blog/Facebook meme saluting a minister who has been influential in my life, and while there have been several, one name stands out. I've only mentioned him, I believe, in one post before, and that is a slight of unforgivable proportions. My childhood minister at Fountain Square Church of

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-862328753650879432010-02-25T16:53:00.006-06:002010-03-04T17:55:09.895-06:00

I admit it. When I was younger, I thought of God in those terms: Old Testament God and New Testament God. Old Testament God was strict, unyielding, law-giving, vengeful, righteous and just. New Testament God was loving, understanding, grace-lending, forgiving, faithful and merciful. At first, I thought He had changed. You know, as if something unrecorded happened to His nature in those

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-5887894891125033252010-02-24T17:21:00.004-06:002010-03-04T18:01:12.054-06:00

I've published the first verse of this item at the end of a post before - because it was all I could remember of it. I just ran across the whole thing, which I wrote in 1983 not long after my divorce from my first wife became final. (I've been writing bad poetry for a long time.) Here's the entirety of it. Strap on your anti-Vogon earplugs and eyeshields. And It Came To Pass" 'And it came to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-10296576113473186262010-02-20T08:59:00.001-06:002010-02-20T12:07:53.302-06:00

It's been a great joy these last two months to serve New Wineskins e-zine as guest editor of the January-February edition, themed "Restoration & Transformation." Early in the year, Senior Editor Greg Taylor and I discussed the possibility of recruiting a guest editor for each issue of the e-zine this year while he is shouldering the tremendous responsibility as lead minister at Garnett Church of

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-57709984145606973372010-02-19T09:15:00.003-06:002010-02-19T09:42:13.507-06:00

A couple of nights ago, I dreamed I was telling a joke to some people around a table at a place that was kind of like the UALR student center, and that was the punch line: "Pray without sneezing." In the dream, everyone seemed to think it was pretty funny. I wish I could remember what the joke was. I can tell you that the punch line has its origin in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ("pray continually"; "

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-27306246100984915842010-02-17T21:34:00.002-06:002010-02-18T07:29:34.663-06:00

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day ..." That's where we usually stop, and our brains turn off. And there's good stuff to ponder, digest and teach there. But it's important to consider, chew on and proclaim the rest of the verse, too: "to see if what Paul said was true."

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-24426500420958385422010-02-13T09:39:00.001-06:002010-03-04T19:57:19.332-06:00

If you are already aware of this lectureship in Texas, the title of this post may take you aback. But I'm serious about it. The very nature, tone, and subject matter of the lectures deeply disturbs and even angers me. (I wrote in anger about it elsewhere, but am trying to get over the anger.) Wednesday night, as I was brooding silently while the rest of the good folks in my LIFE Group were

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-64926619283124689802010-02-11T21:00:00.002-06:002010-02-20T09:08:09.654-06:00

I said this in my Bible class Sunday morning (we've been discussing the opening two books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus): "The older I get, the less problem I have with the idea of God creating and doing everything in pretty much exactly the way the Bible describes. The reason I think He might well have done it that way is because it makes such a great STORY. His whole plan was for man to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-58895026199085484032010-02-10T21:57:00.000-06:002010-02-10T21:57:28.653-06:00

Holy frijoles. Every time I look at that little counter at the bottom right-hand column of my blog and see its disproportionately large number of unique visitors since January 7, 2005, I shudder a little. I know I've fallen off the bottom of Matt Dabbs' top 25-most-visited bloggers, and that's okay. I know the views and comments have dropped off since I tried (and failed, thanks to illness) to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-37346103568997072092010-01-24T17:39:00.001-06:002010-01-24T17:51:51.487-06:00

Once upon a faith there was a man who walked around doing good. He really did; he walked around and hardly ever rode. Walking put him among people ... among whom he could do the most good. So he did lots of good. He never took any credit for it; hardly ever talked about himself; just talked about God. He told them how much God loved them and how much God wanted them to stop hurting themselves and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-36412474478035856172010-01-21T18:13:00.001-06:002010-01-21T18:15:20.744-06:00

Traveling six states in 3 days last weekend, attending an all-Monday meeting, trying to catch up Tuesday, spending yesterday in a hospital ER and at home today because of a six- millimeter kidney stone has not been conducive to keeping up with daily blogging through The Story. Yet I find that I have blessings that money can't buy tonight ... in Haiti or on Wall Street. Give me a few days to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-18575336682005975062010-01-17T06:51:00.000-06:002010-01-18T07:30:50.195-06:00

Today's reading: Genesis 37-38.Whether your Bible version reads "coat of many colors" or "richly-ornamented robe," it's clear that the garment Jacob made for Joseph was special. And his twelve brothers were jealous of the special love their father had for him.So when seventeen-year-old Joseph had a couple of seemingly-prophetic dreams that showed his family bowing down to him, and a teenager's

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-37581222731856379582010-01-16T06:52:00.008-06:002010-01-17T20:00:27.144-06:00

Today's reading: Genesis 36.There are passages of scripture which try men's souls. (And women's.)There are others that just try our patience. (And our agility at attempting to pronounce early Hebrew and Aramaic names if we somehow get stuck reading them out loud and in public.)I like to think that a genealogical list like this was as exciting to the people who originally wrote such scriptures as

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-50176417778750514172010-01-15T07:03:00.006-06:002010-01-15T11:17:38.111-06:00

Today's reading: Genesis 34-35.Rape is never right. It can't be made right by speaking tenderly to the victim afterward or falling in love with her, and Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite discovered that the hard way.He violated Jacob's only daughter Dinah, tried to woo her, and evidently held her hostage until she acceded.Jacob, hearing the news, keeps it to himself and is willing to hear Hamor

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-88739444327180184592010-01-14T08:17:00.003-06:002010-01-14T18:59:37.701-06:00

Today's reading, Genesis 31-33, takes us along as Jacob gathers his flocks, herds and wealth (and Rachel steals her father's household idols) and makes a run for it. Ten days later, Laban caught up with him, and they reconciled - probably only because God had warned Laban in a dream not to say anything to Jacob, good or bad. So Laban pretty much only asked questions. Jacob answered them. They set

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-516658163548251082010-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:002010-01-14T08:57:20.017-06:00

When you read Genesis 29-30, do you feel like you're reading the script summary of a prime-time TV soap opera?In the beginning of the reading, Jacob - apparently penniless, but just blessed by God with a six-fold promise like his grandfathers - entered Haran, where his uncle Laban lived. Meeting some shepherds at a stone-sealed well, he asked after Laban. They knew Laban; in fact, pointed out

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-37029364462385506932010-01-12T19:22:00.007-06:002010-01-14T18:17:10.372-06:00

Today's reading: Genesis 26-28.When God speaks prophetically, does He reveal the future that He wants to happen, or just the future that will happen?Back in Genesis 15:13-14, God told Abraham in the dreadful darkness:Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-66262789573497663212010-01-11T23:04:00.001-06:002010-01-12T13:50:15.911-06:00

Abraham didn't have the fertility problem that Sarah did. In today's reading (Genesis 25-26:33), we discover that he married Keturah some time after Sarah's death - when he was 137 years old - and fathered six sons. And while he gave gifts to these sons, when he finally passed away at age 175, he left it all to Isaac and was buried in the cave tomb he bought for Sarah.I don't know whether the

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-75094542727059401552010-01-10T09:09:00.001-06:002010-01-13T07:10:45.220-06:00

Who doesn't love a love story?Especially one where the bride and groom don't meet until their wedding day?That's what happens in today's reading from The Daily Bible, Genesis 24.Abraham, at least 137 years old, was no doubt aware of how lonely his faithful son Isaac must have been, having lost his own dear wife Sarah and mourned and buried her. Isaac apparently had never married, looking after

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-52667130815217009662010-01-09T17:34:00.002-06:002010-01-10T07:23:55.240-06:00

Short answer: Of course.Long answer: Maybe it just seems like He isn't, because you're not getting the answer you want or expect or soon enough to suit you.I'm not one for checklisting your prayers, but here's a few thoughts. Maybe it would help you perceive God listening, if you're not already doing these things, by ...Asking for the Spirit. (Luke 11:13)Then praying in the Spirit. (Romans 8:26)

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-24998887140195840562010-01-09T08:52:00.005-06:002010-01-13T07:10:59.737-06:00

Paradox.That's what God presented to Abraham in the reading of Genesis 22-23. After a few years have passed, and Isaac grew to become a boy old enough to speak and reason on his own, God called to Abraham to test him and tells him: "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-8134285815371841492010-01-08T18:19:00.008-06:002010-01-08T20:42:27.256-06:00

Does it seem right to you in this reading (Genesis 20-21) that when Abraham lies a second time about Sarah being his sister rather than his wife - this time to his wealthy neighbor King Abimelech - that the same result ensues: Abraham is forgiven and made wealthier still?It doesn't to me. But then, I am not a part of that pre-Mosaic law culture, either. To our point of view, Abimelech is the one

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-8059657287845566162010-01-07T07:10:00.002-06:002010-01-08T08:12:11.881-06:00

Genesis 18-19 goes to extremes: from the extremely hospitable reception Abraham shows the three Visitors, to the extremely inhospitable way the people of Sodom receive God's messengers, to the extremely effective way God obliterates Sodom and Gomorrah - and even the wife of Abraham's nephew, Lot.The Visitors bring news. Perhaps Abraham has been successful in persuading God to move up the

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-9574127139034278452010-01-06T21:01:00.002-06:002010-01-07T22:07:05.316-06:00

It's been a while since God promised Abram several extraordinary things in today's reading (Genesis 15-17) from The Daily Bible - long enough that God's first words to him in a vision are, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."Abram reacts as if he's not afraid at all, but anxious: "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-5040066950429011892010-01-05T18:01:00.006-06:002010-01-09T08:44:33.455-06:00

Oops! Did we miss something?There's an odd tense in the opening verse of the text from The Daily Bible today (Genesis 12-14): "The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." When had He said this? We're not told the when or the where or the how or - most importantly - the why. Abram was a reasonably wealthy shepherd,

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-90840365296572682942010-01-04T08:04:00.008-06:002010-01-04T09:41:30.751-06:00

Genesis 11 recounts the building of the tower of Babel, near what would become Babylon. A lot of folks had migrated to the plain in Shinar, and decided to build a city.Was that really a good idea?Don't misunderstand me; I'm not agreeing with Cambodian despot Saloth Sar/Pol Pot in decreeing that "the cities are evil" or advocating the forcible relocation of all citizens to the countryside.But I've

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-40723647751230515322010-01-03T06:00:00.001-06:002010-01-03T06:29:46.343-06:00

Today's reading in The Daily Bible (Genesis 6-9) - the story of Noah and the ark - is one that virtually every child who has been to Sunday school remembers. Noah was at least five-hundred-and-some years old and had three sons when the rest of mankind had become so sorry that God became sorry He had made them - and determined to wipe them and, necessarily, the animals and birds off the face of

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-39752599892321269702010-01-02T08:53:00.007-06:002010-01-02T13:55:01.434-06:00

Today's reading in The Daily Bible (Genesis 4-5) tells the story of the generations that follow the creation of Adam and Eve, who have been expelled from the fertile garden into a world of hard labor with the soil and hard labor in childbirth.Cain, a tiller of the soil, is born; and some time after, Abel his brother, a tender of flocks.But go back with me for a moment to the pronouncement of

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-45896620379013685582010-01-01T09:30:00.012-06:002010-01-02T14:40:54.957-06:00

"And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." ~ Genesis 2:9My church family is beginning a year-long study of the entire text of the Bible together, using The Daily Bible (NIV) as arranged and commented by F. LaGard Smith. I

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-85299678035844160072009-12-29T18:32:00.006-06:002009-12-29T19:51:46.305-06:00

"Do not go beyond what is written." It's the good advice of Paul to Corinth. (1 Corinthians 4:6) It's also a pretty good principle of hermeneutics.Let me pose a few questions.Is it going beyond what is written to insist on a doctrine that is not explicitly expressed in scripture? When we say "thou shalt not" yet the scriptures say nothing about it? When we say "you'll go to hell if you do" when

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-31892942105301702652009-12-24T09:03:00.007-06:002009-12-24T10:10:56.436-06:00

Twice in scripture - Ezekiel 3 and Revelation 10 - a spokesperson of God is told to eat a scroll containing a prophecy to be proclaimed, God's Word for His people. God wanted His Word to be taken internally ... digested and comprehended and made a part of His spokesperson. The apostle John tells us in the opening chapter of his gospel that the Word of God for His people is Jesus. Jesus came to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-58275552354389833552009-12-19T09:20:00.004-06:002009-12-19T10:19:54.876-06:00

At a time in history when mankind's faith is an ocean at low ebb - when it's difficult for adults or children to believe in anything because of man's failure and perhaps inability to live up to reasonable expectations - I would like to take this opportunity to reassure every man, woman and child upon this globe that Santa Claus is real.He is not a mere wispy sentiment of generosity perpetuated

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-88636633863148387422009-12-15T19:16:00.004-06:002009-12-15T19:51:35.650-06:00

A few minutes ago, I added the comment below to a post at Patrick Mead's TentPegs blog (which I am pretty much addicted to):Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) As nearly as I can tell, He does not add, “… and to do so, one must read and fully comprehend all scripture, intuit or deduce correctly any doctrine implied therein, and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-68923549796743782402009-12-11T09:11:00.001-06:002009-12-11T09:13:21.105-06:00

Who wouldn't love a sweet, innocent little baby born in a barn, cradled in a food trough for animals, worshiped by angels, sought by wise men and targeted for death by despot?So all of us Christians really want to emphasize this part of our Lord's Story to charm and beguile those who haven't heard it all into wanting to hear more.The problem is, there comes a point where He grows up and he's no

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-52226714763785929572009-11-28T19:32:00.006-06:002009-11-28T19:55:20.738-06:00

I led the devotional at my home church Wednesday evening, November 25 - ambitiously choosing to do a survey of the History of Thanksgiving ... without even getting to American history; just sticking to the Bible. My next few posts will summarize the main points.In a quick survey of the 144 uses of words in scripture with "thank" as their root, I didn't find any reference to Genesis 4, where the

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-5187754361490817802009-11-19T14:13:00.005-06:002009-11-19T15:09:01.157-06:00

I'm a little uncomfortable with the term "church planting."I understand that it's trying to describe something more organic than building and filling church facilities; something that communicates growth and change, and that the alternative term "church-building" would have attached to it all of the baggage of "church buildings." But "church planting" isn't really a scriptural term.Yup, I'm aware

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-39314697890006639442009-11-15T20:36:00.003-06:002009-11-15T21:02:26.527-06:00

Everyone has times when faith grows weak.I'm in one of those times. I'm in one of those times when faith seems less genuine and the One in whom I have faith seems less real and more distant.I know better. I know what scripture says about how close He is. Close enough that unseen armies surround the prophet and his servant. Close enough that a soon-to-be-martyr can see Him on His throne and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-8185512280464899472009-11-05T08:00:00.007-06:002009-11-05T11:28:32.001-06:00

My friend Tim moved his beautiful wife Nancy to hospice care yesterday. They are the parents of two terrific teenagers. Their daughter had to have surgery to remove a tumor in her brain this year. Nancy has battled cancer for two years.She is much more than a simple reminder of my mortality. She is a valiant warrior in the faith, an extraordinary mother, a beloved wife, a cherished sister in

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-84239243947003054952009-10-29T10:58:00.002-05:002009-10-29T11:09:31.572-05:00

It's a story of faith.Linus believes in the doctrine of The Great Pumpkin, rising from the most sincere pumpkin patch in the world on midnight of Halloween and bringing gifts to its children. We don't know where he got the doctrine. It seems ridiculous; a mish-mash of other childish myths and fables. But, in his innocence, he is sold out on it.So it's also a story of sincerity.Though the other

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-42656669262473901672009-10-26T21:42:00.006-05:002009-10-26T22:22:00.940-05:00

... say a lot about us, and how frequently we use some words is even more revealing: it shows what we talk about, what we are passionate about.And I became curious a little while ago. I don't have one of those word balloons on my blog that shows - graphically, at least - how often top phrases are used relative to each other. What does my blog talk about? What am I passionate about?Then I began to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-81263715895352630732009-10-24T21:29:00.005-05:002010-02-11T20:33:38.822-06:00

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing,and I will receive you." ~ 2 Corinthians 6:17 "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-80888103820057655342009-10-23T10:59:00.009-05:002009-10-23T14:35:19.487-05:00

There once was a holidaythat honored God’s saintsthat merged with a pagan day –dread had no restraints.The Samhain* commemorates;bad spirits are feared ...All Hallow's Eve celebratesHis children revered.How the clean and the uncleancould blend in a mess?But the truth about Halloween:It's anyone's guess!As if what's in our own mindisn't frightening enough,in the scriptures you can findplenty

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-30114831657958584472009-10-17T10:24:00.004-05:002009-10-17T12:18:22.257-05:00

It's kind of an oxymoron, really.I can find no scripture which connects worship exclusively with solemnity. There is grieving worship - the whole of Lamentations, for example; or the 137th Psalm. In them, Israel mourned the sin that led to their expatriation. The Lord's admonition to keep silent before Him in His temple (which we often see cut from context and cut into wood plaques above

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-22932166066902922602009-10-14T21:01:00.004-05:002009-10-14T21:19:51.257-05:00

My, has it really been four-and-a-half years since The Christian Affirmation? And has it made all the difference its authors had hoped?Well, looking back into my archives, I discovered that it has a different home now:http://www.austingrad.edu/christianaffirmation/affirmation.htmlDon't use the old URL. It's evidently been allowed to expire or has been hacked - in either case, it seems to be in

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-40471869051250882942009-10-13T20:05:00.003-05:002009-10-13T21:00:05.152-05:00

It's the reaction I seem to hear and read most often when a brother or sister in Christ in my fellowship disagrees with someone else's less-traditional beliefs or understandings of scripture."Why don't you just leave?"I guess it's the self-centeredness of the question that grates against me the most. The underlying sentiment doesn't seem to be concern for the happiness of that person; it seems to

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-35947965877484443572009-10-13T15:29:00.004-05:002009-10-13T16:02:46.171-05:00

I'm a little tardy with the announcement, but ...For the first time ever, all of the articles in both the online and printed editions of New Wineskins and Wineskins are available free online. You can access any edition, all the way back to the inaugural issue in 1992, through the Archives link. Some older issues have been named or themed in order to give you a more accurate idea of content. While

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-71297586807960696782009-10-12T19:19:00.002-05:002010-01-09T16:54:52.897-06:00

52 Weeks at the Table - Week 32A boy of twelve goes missing, and we immediately fear the worst. Jesus was no ordinary boy, however, and not until a day out of Jerusalem headed for home did Joseph and Mary begin to be concerned (Luke 2:41-52). They went for the Passover feast every year, and He probably knew the way. They looked for Him among their kinfolk in the caravan, but after no more than a

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-40899187286129561782009-10-10T11:26:00.000-05:002009-10-10T11:26:58.968-05:00

Once upon a time ...... the one who was righteous looked down from his lofty position of superior knowledge and unimpeachable works, and decided that there were too many followers. Too many who believed on Jesus, the Lord and Son. It was time to winnow out the chaff, to weed out the thistles, to cleanse the threshing floor.He decided that there should be laws, just as there had been in the Old

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-68818070223177249662009-10-09T21:52:00.003-05:002009-10-10T08:52:51.981-05:00

Not too long ago, I posted all of my bad bar jokes on Facebook. Here are a few:A man walked into a bar and fell unconscious on the floor. It was a chin-up bar.A man walked into a bar and ordered a Godiva chocolate liqueur. The bouncer threw him out. It was a Hershey bar.A man walked into a bar with his collar open. The bouncer threw him out. It was a tie bar.A man walked into a bar to pay off his

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-79098766749129913502009-10-03T08:39:00.010-05:002010-02-08T09:53:31.386-06:00

"It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." ~ Romans 9:6 I have a little bit of hero worship going on in my heart toward the saints who began the Restoration Movement more than two hundred years ago. They were people of great courage, enormous faithfulness to the scripture, and an irenic, Christ-like spirit. Yet they were also products of

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-34263296218830325862009-09-27T22:10:00.006-05:002009-09-27T23:11:08.130-05:00

...my "unique viewers" counter will roll over 70,000 since January 7, 2005. Most web statisticians will agree that means that only between 15-35,000 of those are actual, unique viewers. I'm pretty sure the numbers have slowed from a good-sized banquet gathering to a booth at the coffee bar, so "the next few days" is only a guess. Of those numbers, some will have dropped their blogging habit in

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-417106827176702762009-09-12T14:32:00.005-05:002009-09-12T17:24:58.312-05:00

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. ~ Matthew 11:1I quote this simply to point out that the New Testament uses two different words, "preach" and "teach." Since I am not a biblical languages scholar nor-do-I-play-one-on-television, I don't know all the nuances of difference between the two Greek words didaskō

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-26811325913181859702009-09-10T17:11:00.004-05:002010-01-08T21:30:11.365-06:00

When you create a profile on Google, they ask you to write a short bio. Here's mine:Short bio: I was born. I learned to walk and talk. I went to school. I learned to sit and shut up. I went to college. I learned to walk and talk with girls. I got married. I got divorced. I learned to walk and talk with God. I married again. We adopted two children. I am We are trying to teach them how to walk and

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-17728365637612604252009-09-09T11:37:00.000-05:002009-09-09T11:37:00.090-05:00

52 Weeks at the Table - Week 32When a baby is born, you want everything to be perfect. Especially, when the perfect Baby is born; the One whom prophets and angels have foretold; the One who will take away sins. But what the prophets foretold was not the idyllic, perfect story we tell at Christmastide - and Matthew's second chapter checks off each prophecy as evil threatens this perfect One:Herod

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-14804950871814346642009-09-08T22:18:00.005-05:002009-09-09T12:37:05.838-05:00

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." ~ Matthew 4:17; 10:7The good news of the kingdom of God. ~ Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Luke 4:43, 9:2, 16:16; Acts 8:12, 20:25, 28:31Good news to the poor. ~ Matthew 11:5; Luke 4:18, 7:22What you practice. ~ Matthew 23:3A baptism of repentance. ~ Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3The word. ~ Mark 2:2; Acts 8:4, 14:25, 16:6; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 1:25That people should

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-79147350259034103622009-09-08T18:34:00.005-05:002009-09-08T19:18:24.348-05:00

52 Weeks at the Table - Week 31Luke's opening chapter leaves no doubt that the Child foretold in centuries past will be born an extraordinary child. Angels appear. A forerunner is prophesied. A Messiah is promised. The fetal forerunner John leaps in his mother Elizabeth's womb. Mary sings. Zechariah sings. And in chapter two, all of heaven sings while dazed shepherds keep watch over the innocent

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777081.post-91897148928295440042009-08-24T14:05:00.007-05:002009-08-25T21:13:51.000-05:00

I told her - and her gathered friends and family - it was the moment that every Christian parent prays about for their child from the moment of birth ... or adoption.Still ... it wasn't quite the way I had pictured it; or quite the way I had hoped.You see, I began picturing it and hoping it a long time ago, as I said. Continuously! And back among those years of picturing, hoping and praying

Keith Brentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08370891993969932472noreply@blogger.com11