January 31, 2012
"The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God. The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of saying we exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ, we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore."...
January 6, 2012
I'm at a season of life where it seems like it's time to slow down. Nothing is working quite right anymore. I need glasses for aging eyes and anti-inflammtories for aging joints. I forget names and what commonly used household gadgets are called. Solitude invites me to steal away (which I enjoy doing at times!) while a growing family and new church lovingly require me to get even busier than ever. The commercials say Benny and I should be anticipating retirement after all the years of being in the throes of parenting and pastoring. Sometimes I envy those who can....
December 31, 2014 | Category: Current Events | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Racism, ISIS, rape culture, race, Ferguson, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, 2014, year, review, Chesterton, G.K. Chesterton, Staten Island, Ebola, Putin, optimism, pessimism, jingoism, patriotism, church, Year In Review
Jake Phillips writes about why 2014 was such a bad year for American society, and what we can do about it. Should we view it, and the year to come, optimistically? Pessimistically? Some combination of the two? Jake argues that G.K. Chesterton shows a better way: we must simultaneously be irrational pessimists and irrational optimists....
Keep ReadingDecember 31, 2014 by Bob Putman | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: sermon, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, church life, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, lee vista church, sermons, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, the gospel, sermon review, redeemer blog, preaching the gospel, gospel-centered preaching, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Galatians, Galatian's series, book, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, sermon; sermon review
Most people know what you’re obsessed with. It’s clear because you live devoted to you obsession. ...
Keep ReadingDecember 21, 2014 | Category: Church Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, lake Nona, Lake Nona Church, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, empathy, Ferguson, Michael Brown, incarnation, Christmas, Advent, Immanuel, Hands Up Don't Shoot
We are posting the opening of Jesse's sermon today, "The Empathy of the Incarnation." It drew on recent events to set up the notion that the only way to achieve true peace with friend or foe is through empathy, perfectly modeled for us by He who did not count equality with God something to be grasped. ...
Keep ReadingDecember 16, 2014 | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: torture, situational ethics, ethics, morality, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, Gospel-centeredness, cultural issues, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, government
This past week, Senate Democrats released a 6,000 page report about CIA tactics in the post-9/11 but pre-Obama world. It is colloquially known as the “torture report,†although it centers around what the CIA called “enhanced interrogation techniques,†which were approved by the Bush administration, funded by Congress, and considered legal by various...
Keep ReadingDecember 9, 2014 by | Category: Poetry | Tags: poetry, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Sin, Racism, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, race, racial reconciliation, Ferguson, Redeemer Lake Nona, prejudice, equality, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, hate
Janelle writes a poem about the hidden hatred in all of us, and what the solution is. ...
Keep ReadingDecember 5, 2014 | Category: Holiday Specials | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, Prayer, church life, Sheree Phillips, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, cancer, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, Spirit life, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, preaching the gospel, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, God's work through suffering, compassion, Merry Christmas, Incarnating Christ
I’m one of those crazy people who gets up early on Black Friday to shop. It’s a tradition my daughters and I have enjoyed for years. Frankly, I don’t buy much. For me it’s primarily a sentimental opportunity to spend time with my girls and have our yearly lunch at Olive Garden....
Keep ReadingDecember 4, 2014 | 1 Comments by Eric Garrett | Category: Holiday Specials | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, events, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Eric Garrett, Identity, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Christmas music, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, Christmas season, busy, martha, anxiety, stress
Well here it is...the holiday season. The traffic's getting busier, the office seems a bit more cheery, and, I confess, I'm playing Christmas music most of the time I'm in my car (at least until a few days before Christmas after I've overindulged in it). I've gotta say that I love this time of year. I love that many of us consciously spend more time with those we love. I l...
Keep ReadingDecember 3, 2014 by | Category: Member Musings | Tags: Redeemer Church, blog, Sin, Reconciliation, Justification, Shame, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, redeemer blog, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, heart issues, nursing, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, sorrow, godly sorrow, worldly sorrow
Recently I’ve been reminded several times of various situations, or particular patients I’ve taken care of, when I was a nurse. Maybe it’s because as a stay at home mom part of me misses my former job. Or perhaps it’s because these things had such an impact on me. I’ve written here about a particular patient who was diagnosed with cancer. I’ve also written here...
Keep ReadingDecember 1, 2014 | 1 Comments by Ryan McLaughlin | Category: Church Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Christmas, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, Advent, Calendars, church calendars, Merry Christmas, Christmas season, Messiah, Immanuel, Advent season, Friends of Redeemer
Ryan McLaughlin writes about the theology of Advent and what the Christmas season is actually about. Advent is a reminder that we are both looking back to when the Messiah came, and looking forward to when He's coming again. ...
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