Thoughts from 1974 for Right Now (part 2)
by James Rowell on May 13th, 2020
I wrote part 1 of this post on April 30th, with the intention of posting part 2 the next day. Life working from home with a bunch of kids in quarrantine has a way of disrupting some of our intentions. That was the end of that week, and then it was on to some more pressing matters the next week... all that is to say, we're almost two weeks later and I'm finally posting part 2.If you've listened muc...  Read More
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Giving Up the Illusion
by James Rowell on May 12th, 2020
Guest post by Laura BarryI have been living an illusion. The curtain gets pulled back from time to time, and I know better, but believing the illusion is often so second nature I fail to comprehend when the curtain has come down between me and reality again. That illusion is my self sufficiency.I operate on this principle, that I don't need help. That if I just work hard enough or long enough, I d...  Read More
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Thoughts From 1974 for Right Now (part 1)
by James Rowell on April 30th, 2020
If you've listened much to my preaching you know I have been impacted quite profoundly by Francis Schaeffer's writings. I wanted to give you all a little taste of his insights here. He wrote a little work in 1973 called Two Contents, Two Realities which is as timely today as could have ever been.If you're part of Generations then you know we conceive of discipleship as continual growth in 4 key ar...  Read More
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One of the Best Conference Talks I've Ever Heard
by James Rowell on April 29th, 2020
I meet on Wednesdays with our ministry residents and cover assigned reading, Scripture, life and other current relevant topics. Last week in our reading there were some questions assessing church culture that we discussed. One of them was this: “Is there some place in your church’s life where obedience to Christ is being withheld but his blessing is expected anyway?”That’s never a bad question to ...  Read More
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"Whoever"
by James Rowell on April 28th, 2020
I am reading through John's gospel in my devotions and came to John 3:16 today. That's right, the most known verse probably in the entire Bible, at least here in the United States. Whenever I read familiar verses, the most natural thing to do is gloss over it because I know it and have heard sermons on it and have probably preached on it before. Familiar verses are front loaded with presumptions a...  Read More
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Seeing Myself and God More Clearly
by James Rowell on April 23rd, 2020
Guest post by Sarah HwangDuring quarantine, I've been practicing a difficult new skill. This ability comes naturally to my husband, Joe (the super ripped guy I hug a lot at church), and my best friend Andrea (the one with the curly hair and bright lipstick who talks with me through the whole sermon). I see this skill in Andrea at work, in her friendship with me, and in her conflict resolution. In ...  Read More
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The Aroma of Christ
by James Rowell on April 22nd, 2020
This is an excerpt from a thrilling little book, The Gospel, by Ray Ortlund, which everyone of you should read and re-read... and re-read again.Paul writes, "We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 2:15). The emphatic words are of Christ. It is the strong scent of Christ that people detect when our churches are filled with the go...  Read More
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The Ongoing Turning of My Heart
by James Rowell on April 21st, 2020
Have you ever experienced this? You read a GroupMe post and you instantly feel your bloodrush to your head; your palms sweat and your heartrate accelerate in pure, unadulterated anger! I am embarrassed to say that experience has happened to me more than I would like to admit, whether it be an email, an article or a conversation. To be honest, this type of reaction was somewhat frequent in me pre-p...  Read More
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The "Grace" of Digital Learning
by James Rowell on April 20th, 2020
Guest post by Rachel UlrichIf you had told me before COVID-19 that I would write a blog post with that title, I would have punched you in the face. I almost named it, "The Crucible of Homeschool." Or at least, "Sanctification via School Closures."I am an introverted, task-oriented person, so I have always intuited that homeschool would not be a good fit for me. And for my very extroverted daughter...  Read More
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The Mountain-King\'s Return
by James Rowell on April 17th, 2020
Guest post by Ryan Goldsmith“The King beneath the mountains,
The King of carven stone,
The lord of silver fountains
Shall come into his own!
His crown shall be upholden,
His harp shall be restrung,
His halls shall echo golden
To songs of yore re-sung.
The woods shall wave on mountains
And grass beneath the sun;
His wealth shall flow in fountains
And the rivers golden run.
The streams shall run in ...  Read More
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From the Frontlines
by James Rowell on April 16th, 2020
Guest post by Natalie HawkinsI have been told by several people, and have even told myself, “what a time this is to start this career”. Working as a respiratory therapist (RT) in the midst of a Global Pandemic when RTs are needed most, is a daunting task. Things are not “normal” in the hospital.Each day starts with a self evaluation making sure the virus is not suspected to be developing within yo...  Read More
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The Vanity of Josh
by James Rowell on April 15th, 2020
My last semester of physical therapy school was supposed to be difficult but was also supposed to end on a high note. On April 28th, I was scheduled to take the long-anticipated Boards, which I would pass. Then, on May 9th, I would walk across the stage with diploma and license in hand and be on the way to advanced training in a full-time residency program. To say I was proud would be an understat...  Read More
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