Parts of Speaking Publishing

Note these last of the 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die They are universal. There is nothing tribal about our faith. It is radically global and inclusive.   

Fifty-four years ago I made a profession faith in Christ.  I didn't know much.  I know a bit more now; I hope I love God and His people more. Some disappointment and near-cynicism plagues me, but I love Him because He first loved us.  The next list of John Piper's 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die:  

  On of my favorite Christian books. Everyone should have this and read it periodically.  This is just one third of the reasons John Piper provides.  Romans 5 and Romans 8 are the basis for many of these. 

 My intentions were to write every day. I have missed a few. But I am learning, in my old age, about grace.  The young man who oversees student conduct (deals with the cheaters) spoke to my department yesterday. My attitude toward kids who cheat is "you're a big fat liar and I don't care what happens to you."  When it comes to intentionally using AI or stealing other writers' work, I still feel that way. It's the easy way out while they mess around and blow off the learning effort, and it's a character problem. But students also have trouble with plagiarism because of bad training in the past, because they resort to "less than" work out of a wrong academic mindset, and because life gets to be too much for them and they are not ready for the demands of college.  I see that.  So every student who ends up in the student conduct office is not the same person with the same reasons.  Some mercy is warranted, in some cases. And this applies to myself, e...

  16  For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.  17  For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.” This key verse/truth is repeated in Habakkuk 2:4 , Galatians 3:11 , and Hebrews 10:38.  Faith is not the opposite of doubt. It is a different category of thing. 

 Some reject the idea that this passage from Isaiah is speaking of Jesus Christ. That is hard for a Christian to accept or understand. Its poetry is so striking as well.  Isaiah 53, for the World English Bible (copyright free) Who has believed our message?      To whom has Yahweh’s arm been revealed? 2  For he grew up before him as a tender plant,      and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty.      When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3  He was despised      and rejected by men, a man of suffering      and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face;      and we didn’t respect him. 4  Surely he has borne our sickness      and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued,      struck by God, and afflicted. 5  B...