Monthly Archives: May 2008

Living In Grace

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Ok I fell behind again. I need to bring some of my sermons up to date so here’s mother’s day with the next few to follow soon.

What does it mean to be godly? The dictionary definition means to have qualities like God. A godly person will demonstrate Characteristics that God would demonstrate. Surely we are supposed to be godly. This morning, actually I would like to talk specifically to the ladies in church church about being a godly woman. You men are not allowed to tune out because quite frankly the same lessons can apply to you.

What does it mean to be a woman of God?

What does it mean to live in grace? Grace as I’ve often defined it means getting what you don’t deserve. The official definition of theologians has been “unmerited favor”.

As recipients of grace you gain the benefits of Christ in you even though it is unmerited. In one portion living in grace means living eternal life now because of the grace you’ve been given. In another portion living in grace means dwelling restfully within the grace of God realizing that His grace is your salvation – it means getting off the treadmill and relying upon his Grace. And yet in a third portion, living in grace means letting your life be shaped by the grace that you have received.

Say it isn’t so: Moody President Resigns

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This is most assuredly disappointing news. Michael Easely the recently inducted (2005) president of the Moody Bible Institute has resigned due to severe back pain which prevents him from fulfilling his duties at Moody.

After much thought, prayer, and consultation, I have asked the Board of Trustees of the Moody Bible Institute to relieve me of my duties as President so that I may devote more time and energy to seeking medical treatment for my back. Surgery has already once interrupted my tenure for several weeks, and unfortunately it has become clear that more treatment is required. I have come to the difficult conclusion that under the circumstances I cannot be as effective a President as the Institute deserves.

At our last full Trustee meeting on May 16, 2008 the board reluctantly agreed to accept my resignation, effective June 30, 2008.

The Moody board has asked Dr. Easley to remain on as President Emeritus through the end of 2009.

“On behalf of the Moody Board of Trustees, we are disappointed to lose Dr. Easley, and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his agreeing to stay with us in this new role while we seek his replacement,” said Jerry Jenkins, Chairman of the Board. “He is a man of unique gifts…”

Since I’m a Moody Alumni I feel this more personally than others perhaps. I remember mourning when Joe Stowell stepped down in order to serve elsewhere and I carefully read everything about Dr. Easley when he was in the running for president. He’s an upright man of apparent fine character and the institute will be sorry to see him go.

Join me now in praying that the Board of Trustees will be guided by God in selecting the next right man for this important job. Moody Bible institute has a 125 year legacy of faithfulness to the scriptures to contend for.

Also this brings to my memory a portion of Dr. Easley’s sermon at the Pastor’s Conference this year.

It’s not a direct quote but….

“The trend is never toward conservatism but away from it. The steady drift of time draws institutions away from faithfulness rather than into it…”

Lord,
Keep the Bible in Moody Bible Institute.
AMEN.

Taking the Luxury Bible Plunge

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Well I did it. I took the luxury Bible plunge – well kind of. I just preordered the top of the line black goatskin ESV Study Bible.

Don’t read luxury as “needless bible bling” you find a lot of junk in “Christian Bookstores” but just because you slap a cross on something kitschy doesn’t make it a Christian product. In this instance Luxury is a synonym for quality.

As I mentioned yesterday I’ve been reading the Bible Design Blog and I hit an article on the an article on the new ESV Study Bible. Reading Mark’s blog is going to cost me money in the long run. I’m not panicking just yet. I got a good deal due to the Moody Bible Institute Pastor’s conference and cut the cover price in more than 1/2. I decided I can live with that.

I’ve been reading about the ESVSB for over a month and I got to see some mock-up’s at the MBI Pastor’s conference. Plus thanks to Mr. Bertrand I’ve been aching to get my hands on a good goatskin bible.

I’ve been reading the ESV on my Treo 650 for my evening devotions for months now. With all of that said I started comparing what this bible has in line with my list and it looks like the ESV Study Bible is one worth owning. The one downside is that it’s large – weighing in at 2,752 pages and a trim size of 6 ½ × 9 ¼ inches.

As far as quality components go, the paper is reputed to be the finest in the world, high-opacity. Smyth Sewn binding – in every format. The text it self is 9-point set in a single paragraphed column (Words of Christ in black!) with 7.25-point notes set in two columns.