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....
January 7, 2015 | Category: Musings of a Pastor's Wife | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, ministry, Sheree Phillips, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Christian Character, Maturity, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, church ministry, counseling, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, compassion, relationships
If you’re like me sometimes it’s hard to know what the gospel really looks like in relationships. I actually used to think the gospel was something you spoke only to the lost who needed to hear how the sinless life, atoning death and glorious resurrection of Christ made a way for them to have a relationship with God, brings meaning to suffering and provides hope for th...
Keep ReadingOctober 15, 2014 by Eric Garrett | Category: Christian Living | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, church life, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Eric Garrett, Conflict, Reconciliation, Christian Character, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, kingdom of God, church ministry, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Redeemer Lake Nona, offense, offended
I will offend you. And you will offend me. This is the harsh reality of life as a part of God's eternal kingdom while still living in our sinful flesh as inhabitants of our broken world. As brothers and sisters in Christ we will offend each other, and it will likely happen often. I wish this was not true, but both experience and Scripture validate this hard truth (see Matt...
Keep ReadingSeptember 4, 2014 | Category: Friends of Redeemer | Tags: criminal law, extrospective understanding, introspective understanding, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, bible, Lake Nona Churches, Sin, Christian Character, lee vista, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, the gospel, redeemer blog, social issues, Gospel-centeredness, cultural issues, church blog
When I decided to go to law school, I received many comments like “Are you going to be one of the ones who keeps the criminals off the street?” and “Nice. So you’re going to get the bad guys and make sure they pay.” At the time, I had no difficulty with these statements. Though I had no intention of pursuing a career in criminal law, I figured that if I did, it w...
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