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....
October 26, 2016 by | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Racism, race, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, President Obama, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Christianity, Stephen Colbert, Barack Obama, systemic racism
Jacob Phillips on why the success of individual African-Americans or Christians doesn't disprove allegations of systemic racism or bias against Christianity. ...
Keep ReadingAugust 3, 2016 by | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Racism, race, #blacklivesmatter, Redeemer Church Lake Nona, Black lives matter, colorblind, police
Janelle, a white mother, writes about what she wants to teach her sons about their black friends ...
Keep ReadingJune 30, 2015 by | Category: Church Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Sin, Racism, race, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, fish, race relations
Janelle Garrett writes about how we attack the cultural problem of racism -- by listening and examining our own hearts....
Keep ReadingJune 26, 2015 | 7 Comments by | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, trayvon martin, Racism, redeemer, race, Ferguson, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, slavery, #blacklivesmatter, Charleston, Confederate flag, racist, Trayvon, Eric Garner, Nazi, Jim Crow
Janelle Garrett writes about searching our own hearts, and being honest about what we find....
Keep ReadingJune 22, 2015 | 2 Comments | Category: Current Events | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Racism, race, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, slavery, Charleston, Emanuel, Emanuel AME, Confederate flag, Columbine, gun control, Russell Moore
After one of the worst racial attacks in American history, how will we respond?...
Keep ReadingApril 21, 2015 | Category: Christian Living | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Racism, the gospel coalition, John Piper, race, social justice, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, TGC, justice, Thabiti Anyabwile, TGC15, racial justice, Trillian Newbelle, TGC critics
The Gospel Coalition just finished their national conference; one of the days focused on the issue of justice. Here's what one of our church members recaps the day. ...
Keep ReadingApril 12, 2015 | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Sin, Racism, unity, diversity, race, racial reconciliation, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, Trip Lee, Thabiti Anyabwile, ERLC
Jake Phillips discusses the ERLC summit on racial reconciliation and the lectures delivered by Trip Lee and Thabiti Anyabwile. What type of unity is our goal? ...
Keep ReadingDecember 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 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 ReadingOctober 14, 2014 | 1 Comments by Kyle Davis | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, gospel, parenting, Racism, abortion, marriage, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, race, prejudice, discrimination, equality, Savior, cross, advocacy, social justice
Kyle Davis writes about race, the gospel and the home. If we accept the premise that racism and discrimination are problems in our society, where do we go from there? What is the solution? And how do we ensure that we properly teach our children about both the problem and the proper solution?...
Keep ReadingOctober 7, 2014 | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, trayvon martin, Racism, Adoption, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, race, racial reconciliation, Ferguson, Hurricane Katrina, white privilege
Benny Phillips and Jacob Phillips discuss race, racism, racial reconciliation and the necessity of dialogue regarding these topics within the church. How does our theology inform our practical involvement and discussions regarding issues of race and racism? ...
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