en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/776014 Comments by Julian http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/finding-peace#IDComment1025045741 Ha! Yeah, sometimes I have to come on this site just to make sure it still exists, too. :) Thanks, Steve! Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:38:39 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/finding-peace#IDComment1025045741 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003187040 Thanks for the comment, Don. Maybe it would help me to understand what it is that you're arguing towards. You're wanting to have affirmation that it is legitimate to engage in joking about slander, theft, pride, covetousness (which is idolatry), etc.? This is not antagonistic, but an honest question: Is that really what you want to be arguing for? As for your concerns that this is legalistic, thank you. True legalism is always something to be concerned of. However, I'll just refer you back to the article: "I’m not telling you what to watch or laugh at. You should think carefully about it, but I’m not going to suggest rules." Honestly, I don't think you're justified before God by keeping rules (that's legalism, right?). But do I think that "trying to discern what the will of the Lord is" and trying to understand "what is pleasing to him" (Eph 5.10, 17) is a good thing that sometimes involves calling sin "sin"? Yeah. Absolutely. Tue, 10 Nov 2015 17:49:22 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003187040 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003174891 Thanks, Jason! Tue, 10 Nov 2015 15:35:45 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003174891 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003174806 This is an excellent observation. In the sermon I talked about how the "walking in love, as Christ loves us and gave himself up for us..." is the exact opposite of the selfish, covetous heart of the sexually immoral. One heart is thankful for what it has received in Christ. The other is obsessed with what it hasn't received. One heart is self-giving, the other is self-seeking. So, yeah, you're spot-on, Wayne. Thanks for the helpful addition. Tue, 10 Nov 2015 15:34:39 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/ethics/reasons-sexually-immoral-jokes#IDComment1003174806 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/now-i-know#IDComment1002356285 Thanks for the encouragement, David! I'm working to try to make the time to write more. We'll see how it works out. Tue, 3 Nov 2015 15:48:39 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/now-i-know#IDComment1002356285 http://julianfreeman.ca/doctrine/jesus-heaven#IDComment853575807 Thanks, Bill! Great to hear from you! Sun, 13 Jul 2014 02:02:13 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/doctrine/jesus-heaven#IDComment853575807 http://julianfreeman.ca/jesus/foot-cross#IDComment808749985 Amen, Randy! Sat, 22 Mar 2014 12:48:43 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/jesus/foot-cross#IDComment808749985 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475939 It's for emphasis! ;) Thanks for the heads up. I'm not sure how that happened! Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:44 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475939 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475797 Sounds like a great idea! I actually started thinking about this a while ago as something to help teach my kids... It ended up grippibg my heart! Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:14:52 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475797 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475594 Glad it has encouraged you, Charles! I pray you're blessed as you dig into his word. Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:13:41 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475594 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475414 Thanks, Sheila! We miss you guys up here! Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:12:37 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/manners#IDComment792475414 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/divorce-good-holy-christians-confused#IDComment789974995 Thanks, Dan. I'll take a minute now to pray for those couples. Thu, 30 Jan 2014 00:03:47 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/divorce-good-holy-christians-confused#IDComment789974995 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/knock-beauty#IDComment766661650 Thanks for the encouragement and the thoughtful comment! Thu, 12 Dec 2013 18:38:20 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/knock-beauty#IDComment766661650 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/words#IDComment759040983 Jonathan, Thanks for your comment, brother. I apologize if the post is similar to many other things you've read recently -- I'm not as much of a blog reader as I should be for a supposed-blog-writer. It was honestly just something that struck me in my study yesterday. As to the rest of your post, believe me, I'm sympathetic with the push and pull of trying to balance all of life. I not only see it in my own life but in the lives of many around me. I know tough decisions need to be made. If preaching was presented as the beginning, centre, and end of Christian obedience, then I've made a grave error. It's not. But it is the driving force behind much of Christian growth and discipleship. The very text you cited (Matthew 28:18-20) indicates that. I think we need to be able to identify an error (i.e. sometimes preaching is wrongly made out to be the be all and end all or the general divorce of preaching from discipleship) and correct it without swinging the pendulum the other way. Here's what I mean: in some places preaching may have been taught at the expense of genuine discipleship, but that does not mean that church attendance is therefore to be minimized. At our church Sunday church attendance is an expectation we have for our members because many of our other discipleship efforts (one-to-one Bible reading, mentoring meetings, Bible memorization groups, small groups, prayer meetings, Bible studies, etc.) flow out of what we do on Sundays together. The other discipleship efforts lose their punch if you aren't there for Sundays on a regular basis. Sunday attendance isn't commanded in Scripture, but I wonder, if we're loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving his people in such a way that the world should know we're his disciples, then what is a good reason to not meet with him and his people more often than not? Surely there are good reasons to miss some Sundays, but reasons to miss, on balance, I think, are relatively few. Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:43:51 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/christian-life/words#IDComment759040983 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment750740104 Thanks for the thoughts! I think you're on to something. The ability to distinguish between dealing with this man as a person and calling for political reform (even as it pertains to his fitness for the office) is crucial. I think it's a good distinction. We can, with class, honour, and respect (and in love!) call on our mayor to step aside. But, by all means, let's not forget that he is a human, like us. (All of which is, I think, what you're saying.) As for the Pharisee analogy, it's probably worth thinking through. Although I do see an important difference being that the Pharisees were setting themselves up as teachers of the law, guarding (and perverting!) the way to God. Probably a closer analogy would be the health & wealth teachers or works-righteousness teachers of our day. It seems that Jesus was less interested in politics ('give to Caesar...') than he was with religion ('Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees!'). Fri, 15 Nov 2013 19:30:37 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment750740104 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749568274 I think that Canada has some great systems in place for dealing with health and criminal problems. Those systems need to be given complete latitude to do their work for the maintaining of a peaceful and orderly society. I don't know what political options there are for our leaders / city councillors, or how they should act. I'm clearly not a politician. All I know is that lambasting the man and posting humiliating videos of him all over the internet and plastering our newspapers with the most shameful pictures is probably not loving him or helping our city. Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:21:40 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749568274 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749566361 Amen! Thanks for praying! Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:18:37 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749566361 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749566032 Hi Mike, I agree about love and enabling. But honestly, I think those are categories that those closest to him personally and professionally need to be dealing in. I think that Christ's love from those who are close to him would definitely look like speaking hard and heavy words into his life and calling on him to repent and find help, strength, life, peace, and joy in Christ. Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:18:13 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749566032 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749025688 Thanks, Kathy! My hope is that we'll all participate in those conversations well. Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:09:16 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/culture/stone#IDComment749025688 http://julianfreeman.ca/doctrine/call-consistent-ecclesiology#IDComment741896376 Thanks, Keith and Nadine! Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:03:15 +0000 http://julianfreeman.ca/doctrine/call-consistent-ecclesiology#IDComment741896376