Philemon: Dearly Loved

by Jordan, posted in Christian Living

I was recently reading through the 13 letters of Paul in Scripture, and I ended my time in Philemon. It’s not the most well-known book in the Bible; however, it is one of my favorites. Here’s a quick overview:

Philemon (pronounced Fuh-Lee-Muhn) was a slave owner who lived in Colossae and was friends with Paul. One of his slaves, Onesimus, stole from him and ran away, which was punishable by death. Then, in a crazy turn of events, Onesimus ended up in prison—right next to Paul. During that time of imprisonment, Paul actually led him to the Lord and built a fatherly bond with him. So, the book of Philemon is a letter that Paul wrote to Philemon, imploring him to forgive his former slave, restore their relationship, and welcome him back not as a slave, “but as a dearly loved brother.”

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A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

by Jordan, posted in Christian Living

Thanksgiving is approaching, but—if you’re like me—you may be struggling to feel thankful this year. Maybe this is your first holiday with an empty chair at the table, or maybe you’ve recently received some devastating news. Maybe you dread the idea of gathering with family, or maybe you are aching because there’s no family to gather with.

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A Religious Spirit

by Jordan, posted in Christian Living

Did anyone else spend years doubting their salvation? Wondering if they were really good enough to be saved?

The other night, I was reading in Scripture about the men from Judea who were teaching new believers that, “Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” And I realized that’s how a religious spirit works.

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Missing the Mark in Ministry

by Jordan, posted in Uncategorized

I was at lunch with a friend this week, talking about the things the Lord is teaching us in this season. She said one of her recent prayers was, “Lord, thank you for letting me fall short, so I know where the end of me is.”

It was a gut punch.

Because I hate when I fall short.
I hate when I let people down.
I hate when I miss the mark.

Sometimes I lament that I didn’t read the terms and conditions of “being in ministry” closely enough, because falling short is what I spend a lot of my time doing.

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