The Follow Up Talk

While reading the Book of John, I became very curious about the ministry of Peter.  I plan to explore the other books of the Bible to learn about him and I am currently reading through Peter's letters. Similar to how I studied John, I will jot down some of my thoughts from the Books of Peter here. I'm finding these chapters interesting and full of good truths to ponder over. What strikes me is how it is plain to see how Jesus has taught Peter to be passionate about his commission and loving. This love is evident in the advice that Peter offers in his letters. Let's look at 1 Peter, chapter 1 together. 1 Peter 1 I thought about how Peter is talking to people exiled from their homeland and living in different places. It's interesting how he encourages them to behave in a new way - a way of holiness. To me, it would seem like the natural thing to tell a person living in a strange land is to either: (1) blend in to fit in with the people in their new surroundings; or (2) st...

I've come to the end of my study of John with this post. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I didn't know I would enjoy reading from John's perspective so much. It's a good exercise to read a whole chapter and sit back to think through what was written. I gained so much from just doing that. There were other thoughts that I reflected on and didn't write down. I plan on doing another study of a book of the Bible and share my thoughts here again. Now, on to the last chapters of John! John 19 : What Moves Us? I’m touched that Jesus while dying thought to care for his mother, and also sickened at the thought of a person watching their family die in front of them. I’m reflecting on how calculative the priests were in their arguments in order to make sure they persuaded Pilate to crucify Jesus. Sometimes, we too are so stuck on our agenda that we will make any kind of argument to persuade others into seeing things the same way we see things, or into doing something ...

Worthiness...That's a word on my mind today as I think about this past week. I've had a few examples of friends showing me that I am worthy of love, at work and at my church. I'm reflecting on that word as I think about how God showed the world his love by sending us Jesus. We are all worthy of love, despite our background and situation. Jesus commands us Christians to love, something the book of John repeats over and over - and why is this? Because the world we live in and the people in it are broken and have a very hard time showing true love to each other. I hope everyone experiences this truth - that you are worthy of love - from the people and community surrounding you. Below are some more of my thoughts from my study on the book of John. John 15 : Worthy Investment Jesus invested a lot of time and teaching into his disciples. Verse 27 says, “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit and ...