Thoughts of Thaddeus: Recent Episodes
Nicholas Pierce
Discussions of life and faith...before we lose our saltiness (Matt 5:13) Thaddeus Herald is a pen-name...Thaddeus is another name for Jude, the half brother of Jesus. In the Greek it means "courageous heart." Harold was my grandfather's name and my wife's grandfather's name...two amazing Godly men! And the play on words, a herald is an official messenger of news. So, the pen-name applies to us all...we should all have COURAGEOUS HEARTS TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!
Two big truths that we need to respond to:
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We are created BY God
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We are created FOR God
First episode of the second season!
In the end (hopefully) season of this COVID, how does crisis accelerate our lives? What does it reveal to us?
"What the enemy meant for evil, You turned it for good..."
How does the truth of this song live out in our everyday lives?
How does it challenge us to re-think the situations and circumstances of our lives?
No one is too lost in sin for grace...and no one is too righteous for the need for grace in their lives!
"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it!"
Can we really be... real? Transparency and authenticity is at great risk in communities of faith!
We all are created with our own unique personalities and giftings...could it be that even under the "house rules" as a child of God, our walks with Jesus can be unique and different as well?
God calls us to have be in unity, not conformity. We are strengthened by our differences!
If God is all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful...then why does evil exist?
It's probably one of the biggest questions that shakes the faith of so many.
What is a basic response we can have to this question?
Everyone of us are getting ready to walk into a storm, are currently in one, or just about to walk out of a storm...
Just for the whole cycle to start over and over and over again.
But how do we respond in those storms of life? Or valleys? Or fires?
Three Words: Examples, Expectations, Encouragement!
What brings me to my knees in studying how God is just, is that He chose to be the justifier.
Our ability to forgive and not seek revenge may puzzle this world, may it create in those a curiosity to find our motivation...or better, our Motivator!
Time...the one resource we can never get more of.
Is there more than the Christian cliche: All in God's time?
God is more worried about our character than our calling or position...how does this impact our concept of time?
God is always ready to do a new work in and through us, just not with the "old" us.
We need to understand that what cannot be understood, can happen.
This world is full of events, day in and day out, that make us scratch our heads and wonder how is that even possible?
So, how do we gain understanding on something that can't be understood? We can't focus on the symptoms, we need to dig down to the core of the problem. It is there that we will find answers our hearts long for!
We need to change our perspective…suffering is granted, not as a punishment, but as an instrument that God uses to shape us into what will bring glory to His Son.
Few Christians view suffering this way. And in doing so, we miss what and how God is moving in and through our lives.
This line baffles me!
I hear it a lot from Christians, believers, and church-goers (yes, there’s a difference; maybe I’ll get around to talking about that sometime).
There’s two problems with this line: (1) Jesus didn’t (2) We shouldn’t either! I know what your knee-jerk reaction is, I know what your thinking…
Just give me a little grace and 12 minutes and I bet we'll end up closer together on this...Thanks!
How do we handle differences INSIDE the body of Christ?
What should our response be when people are different from us?
Thanks for checking this out...hope you find worth in it!
How should we respond to those whose intentions aren't the best towards us? How did Jesus?
John 6:1-5 gives us a great lesson in how we should respond in situations like this.
Nobody likes to be used or manipulated...but is there a way to show the love of Christ even in a situation like that?
Thanks for checking this out!
The main idea behind all of this is to discuss matters of life and faith, and just share how I process those two hand-in-hand. Trying to answer the question: "What does it look like to love Jesus in every day practical life?"
This first episode, I talk about the need to process emotions properly. Emotions and feelings are bad, but can cause a lot of confusion and trouble is left unchecked!
Hope this blesses you today!