The book of Jonah isn’t about a man getting swallowed by a whale for going the wrong way. If it were we would only have chapters one and two. It also isn’t about Ninevah hearing the truth and repenting. If it were we would only have chapter three of the book.

If it is just a whale story and the repentance of Nineveh then what do we do with that pesky chapter four? Chapter four and the book end with this question from God asked to Jonah: “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

How do we answer that question? Do we care more about ourselves than the people in our community? Do we pursue self-preservation or self-sacrifice?

I enjoyed Tullian Tchividjian first book Unfashionable last summer. Trevin Wax provided an excerpt from his blog to Tchividjian’s latest book that really challenged me and I thought I would pass along. I encourage you to read the below excerpt from Tchividjian’s book, Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels:

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Whisper to a Roar hosted their first full concert at the church this evening. Everyone had a great time and Jeremy Horn was great. They put on a great show and it was a very worshipful time of enjoying good music and praising God. I look forward to the next Whisper to a Roar event!

Good job Andre for the whole event and Tom running sound and Carter on the the lights. Read on to see a good sample of Jeremy Horn’s music. (more…)

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I was chatting with some guys last night about Mormonism and other cults. What struck me is how intellectually blinded people are that are trapped in Mormonism and other cults. In the case of Mormonism there is plenty of information available about its sordid past and its founding on deception and sin. That information is not hard to find with a little research. Here is one example on Mormonism about how the “Book of Abraham” came to be. How could anyone base their faith on that?!

But it isn’t just Mormons… read on. (more…)

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He did, he does it! God loves us beyond what we can understand and his work changes our lives. The below video is a presentation of the Gospel at work. It is from an excellent website I just discovered called IamSecond.com.

Last summer I wrote about Josh Hamilton. He’s got a video on IamSecond.com too.

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Have you ever heard the little quip that goes like this, “Good things come in threes!” There‘s some truth to that! Let‘s see…S‘mores (chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows), the American Flag (red, white, and blue), education (reading, writing, and _rithmetic)… and even the best of family entertainment, the 3 Stooges (Larry, Moe, and Curly)!

In the same vein, I would propose a set of good things in a package of three for us at Blue Ridge as well—a rule of three for everyone who is a part of our body. We have so many excellent programs and opportunities in our church for a person to participate in to aid their growth in Christ. How does one choose? With September just around the corner, and all of the new beginnings that happen in that month, it can be difficult to decide what you will be a part of, and what you will not. I‘d like to propose three fundamental areas we could all be a part of when it comes to the church.
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The 2008-2009 choir season is shaping up to be a very exciting year! We already have three very special events lined up for the fall: a performance at the Emancipation Day Celebration on September 20, a mini-musical in October, and the Christmas Play put on by the church in honor of the Town of Purcellville’s Centennial celebration. In addition to these special events, we will continue to perform in the worship service. Because our first performance is just around the corner, choir rehearsals will begin on Wednesday, August 27 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m

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