Gary Shogren's Blog
I grew up with the King James Version, regularly use it and the New King James among others, and often teach and preach from the Reina Valera Revisada, all of which are based on the so-called Textus receptus. And I love and use them all; see my, “Me, a Hater of the Kdeiting James Version?... Continue Reading →
When we celebrate Communion, we usually read from 1 Corinthians 11. That’s a right practice, but another layer of studying the Bible is to ask, Why did Paul bring this up, here, in this letter? It wasn’t to teach them the ritual, because they had been celebrating communion for years. So, why now? Paul tells... Continue Reading →
“Let’s pray first!” I overheard the two sitting at the next table at my favorite coffee shop, before they sipped their coffees and nibbled at their bizcochos. I smiled, pleased to hear people stopping to pray in a public place. My smile was soon to fade. So they bowed their heads. And prayed. And as... Continue Reading →
I try, every year, to read the scripture of some other faith. That is, read the books themselves, not just a second-hand analysis of them In 2016 it was the Koran, which I found well worth the read, if a little repetitious. It is about 4/5 the length of the New Testament. In 2017 I... Continue Reading →
A fresh preface to my essay, “The Forgotten Sign of the End Times: icy relations among God’s people.” I include here not only things I observe in others, but principally the things I'd like to root out of my own heart. The Lord's return may - or may not - be near, but no-one who reads church history... Continue Reading →
What can turn happy, friendly Christians into a snarling mob? What transmutes a Good Friday Gang into a Black Friday Mob? Legalism. Paul dealt with legalism in Galatians, and he observed that the more legalistic you are, the more cannibalistic you become: If you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not... Continue Reading →
You know, back in the day, we wondered if Christians should be dancing at all. There was even a school of thought that said we teens should take a note from home for those weeks when they pushed back the big curtains that divided boys’ side of the gym from the girls’, so they could... Continue Reading →
When we want to illustrate causation or chronology, we usually motion from left to right: that’s the way we do math, that’s the way we write. Preachers sometimes do so, but most will begin at their left and move or gesture toward their right. That is, what seems the natural order to the speaker is... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, a young Christian friend of mine turned 13. His mom asked some of us to write out words of counsel for him. Here are things I wish someone had told me at age 13, given in no particular order and no with aim to be comprehensive: At this stage, your brain is keyed... Continue Reading →
Most of my blogs are on spiritual issues, but since I just returned home: I spend most of my time outside the States, typically in Latin America. There’s nothing like living abroad to get to know your home culture better. Every time we return to the US we experience culture shock and pick up on things... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 