Gary Shogren's Blog
Part of my traditional New England upbringing was to learn to maintain boundaries between private issues, family matters, and public information. When I asked my parents what they were talking about, at times I heard, “Well, it doesn’t concern you.” Nothing gruff, like “it’s none of your business,” no “you wouldn’t understand.” Just, “if you needed to... Continue Reading →
A famous visiting preacher, the Rev. Johnson, is wrapping up his message on sacrificial love. He concludes with a story: In the church where I used to be the pastor, there was a boy named Jimmy, 10 years old. He was good-hearted and liked by everyone in the neighborhood. One day Jimmy saw the little... Continue Reading →
Paul had a precise idea of how to serve God. He worked day and night with his own hands; he risked his life and his health; he “served” the churches and did not exploit them. As a teacher he acted with patience and consideration: when people wanted answers he gave them careful, detailed explanations. He... Continue Reading →
Should a preacher refer to Hebrew or Greek from the pulpit? In all but a few instances, emphatically not, see “But the Greek REALLY says…” Why Hebrew and Greek are not needed in the pulpit, Part 1 The study of original languages, like all study of technical background, is to inform the preacher, not to impress the... Continue Reading →
Once upon a time, Paul told the new believers in Thessalonica: “So, for this reason we give thanks to God without fail: because when you received the proclaimed word from us, that is, the word of God, you received it, not as a human message, but as what it really is, the word of God”... Continue Reading →
The following is a scholarly address, which I seem to remember giving many years ago before the International Association of Scholars, Theologians, Philosophers and other Professional Thinking Persons (AFL-CIO). Thank you for your invitation to address this scholarly assembly. Webster’s defines “scholarly” as “Of, relating to, or characteristic of scholars or scholarship”; but later on... Continue Reading →
The first great commandment for the Christian is to love God, the second great commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matt 22:34-40). The first great commandment for the Christian pastor is to love God, the second to love one's neighbor, and especially one's flock. A pastor must represent Christ to other people, principally in... Continue Reading →
The city of Bucharest in December, 1994 was celebrating the 5th anniversary of Ceauşescu's overthrow. I attended another celebration, the grand opening of the first Pizza Hut in Romania. It was also frigid cold. I was teaching Greek 1 at Timotheus Bible College. The building was still only a shell. It had sporadic electricity, but... Continue Reading →
Paul didn’t just pass out workbooks and tell his disciples to fill in the blanks for next Sunday. He didn't go on TV and tell millions of people how to live, then pack up and go home. No, he was a day-to-day living model of how a Christian should live: “you became imitators of us and... Continue Reading →
Kyle Anderson from Logos software just published a fine article on how to use Bible dictionaries. He warns against simply reaching for a commentary when we are studying the Bible. I heartily applaud this basic sentiment. As Christians, we are supposed to be enjoying the Bible, not reading the tale of how some other person... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 