RUF Erskine's Podcast: Recent Episodes
RUF Erskine
Sunday nights with RUF at the Barn for Erskine students has been a tradition since the Fall of 2003. We post our sermons for alums, prospective students and current students who are not able to join us. If you want a handout for a particular night, just email paul.patrick@ruf.org
The Last Barn of the semester, the last Barn of the year, the last Barn forever. Bitter sweet, but super sweet to have some alumni return to honor us and to say farewell. A truly beautiful evening with Barnadillas and the same sweet setting we've enjoyed with students for 18 years (36 semesters). That's 360 sermons preached in the Barn! Well, make that 340, with about 20 preached in the pasture. Love ya'll. Paul and Marie.
70 degrees and Papa John's for the next to the last Barn! Thankful for the chance to speak Gospel truth into the lives of students and future parents. #LastLap
A BEAUTIFUL Spring evening at the Barn! Barnadillas, some Homerun Derby, background music and decent little crowd made for some good time together as we talked about Faith and Friendship from Ephesians 6.
Better weather than expected for our BBQ Pork Loin cookout! 30+ Erskine students for an important talk on the future and what is needed to be able to "stand" offensively and defensively in the Christian life!
70 degrees and Sunny for a DST Tailgate Cookout at the Barn! Barn Burgers, Hot Dogs, Brats, Sausages, Bacon, Chili, Potato Salad, Chips, Cookies, etc. (Thanks to alumni and churches who help to provide this!) Tonight we considered our "Righteousness Problem" and that God has given us his own Breastplate to cover our vulnerable vital organs, which if struck in battle, lead to a quick and bloody death. Some new faces tonight, probably hearing things they have never heard before. Thank God for that!
A Cold night with fires and propane heaters and blankets and hot chocolate to bring some comfort. Powder Puff football, Soccer games and Volleyball Games on campus on Sunday nights have made it hard to gather our usual crowd, but we press on with 20+ in attendance and overcoming the elements and obstacles to campus ministry as we consider the Belt of TRUTH.
73 degrees in February? The LORD is good! It is Mid-Term week, but only week 2 of Large Group, thanks to COVID. Students were tired, I was too, but this was time well spent as it is an imperative subject for the Christian life!
February, in the Barn field, due to COVID, but with 4 fires, 3 Patio heaters, blankets, hot drinks and S'mores to make it bearable. It was not bad! Time well spent and students "showed up" really surprised me and really showed up in good number (35-40), for this current state of Erskine. Better than I thought, as usual!
This is a recording of the report at Synod 2011 and their action to make RUF Erskine official with an affiliation agreement between Erskine, Synod and RUF.
Next to last Barn for the weird COVID Fall of 2020. Warm, August-like weather for November, but a small, small crowd as tests and papers are due.
54 degrees, cold and all alone in COVID-19 2020, BUT here is a sermon from 2009 (I think) on the text we would have covered. Hard to realize Savannah is finishing her Frosh year at Clemson now (was drawing pictures of cats then) and Reece is turning 11 (was learning to walk that week!). Miss you all very much, whether students or alums!
A replay from 10+ years ago since the COVID-19 has cancelled our semester and ability to meet. What a beautiful day today was! I wish we could have met, BBQ'd and Fellowshipped together. Sad we cannot, but God's will be done, because it is always good! Even when (especially when) we can't see it!
Lessons from "Flat Cakes, Dumb Birds and Slack Bows" about the Christian life from Hosea 7. This is a replay from 10 years ago due to the COVID-19 cancellation of the semester and inability to meet with students. Go for a walk and listen as you keep up with Hosea! The early reference to Mario and family is who you think it is. Yep, he came out from ARA Mark work on campus and brought a portable clay oven to bake us some flat cake (pita) bread to go with our dinner. It helped to illustrate one of Hosea's points about Israel in Chapter 7!
With COVID-19 cancelling the semester, I am going to attempt to post something from present or past, in an effort to conclude this series. We miss Sunday nights at the Barn, we miss students and we miss RUF! May the Lord end this virus quickly and may the Lord continue RUF at Erskine into the future!
Spring Cookouts are Back! We hosted NC State RUF (who was here for the Widows' Ministry and as our students drove back from Spring Break) with a tailgate cookout of burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, sausages and pork loin. Then, we played kickball on the Barn field.
Week 2, Rainy, Dark and Cold. But we had hot cocoa and RAISIN CAKES to warm the smaller than usual crowd!
First Barn of Spring 2020 and it dropped to 38 degrees by the end of the Barn, so it was Cold, but hot drinks, a fire, blankets and UV heaters helped the crowd of 40+ stay just warm enough as we begin our series in Hosea.
Last Barn of 2019! Cold but good as seniors hung a horseshoe and sang their favorite RUF Hymns and as RUF addressed a top 10 list of questions and issues related to Dating, Marriage and Sexuality.
Last sermon of the Fall DMS series before next week's first ever "Stump the Chump" Q and A on the subject of Dating, Marriage and Series. It was cold and a crowd of 40+, our smallest of the semester, I think. But still good!
Cold, but good! Students from Erskine, Anderson and Lander gathered for a lovely Fall Barn with a fire, cocoa and S'mores and an important talk to shape them for the future of marriage or singleness.
45 degrees! DST and no meal at the Barn but a good crowd of 45+ for this Erskine. We enjoyed a fire, marshmallows and hot chocolate before and after the Barn as we heard on the subject of Ultimate Friendship and the "5 Loves" of Marriage.
A beautiful day of sunny weather after a Saturday full of rain made for a beautiful Sunday setting and, with Barnadillas, made for a good night of ministry to 50+ students from Erskine, Lander and Anderson U.
Mid-terms, Homecoming weekend, Choraleers concerts, Football scrimmages and more made for weary students, but we were thankful for about 50 who showed up to hear an important talk for their future marriages.
70+ which included students from Erskine, Lander, Anderson, Clemson and SWU for Papa John's Pizza and what I think may be our last HOTTT Barn of the year! Fall weather should be present after Fall Conference next week!
Another HOT Barn, with tacos and nachos from Aramark and a smaller crowd, but an important subject.
85+ on a 90 degree hot (but beautiful) Barn that included 5 from Lander and 5 from Anderson. A hard topic for a first time visitor to the Barn! But, since this is the point of so much pain for so many people, it would be irresponsible to not speak to and apply the Gospel to it.
Week 1 of RUF at Erskine, Fall 2019 version. We had a great tailgate cookout in the heat and 110 gathered for a new year of fellowship, including most of the men's soccer team and 10 from Anderson University who came with Hamilton.
Tornado Watch! So the Barn-K was canceled due to the threat of Tornado, but we through together a 7PM Barn with dessert and our music, Bible study conclusion of our series, and to hang the Horseshoe anyway! Sad and anticlimactic finish to the year, but a good one still! Thankful to have several alumni there and more people than I expected!
Spring Weather! Heidi made a creamy chicken pasta dinner and a small but good crowd heard a hard but good message on our Call to Change, our Power to Change and our Hope for Change. One more week and we are done, hard to believe.
Chilly Spring night for Barnadillas and an important talk on The Good News of Adoption as we turn the busy corner and hit the home stretch of the Semester. 2 More large groups, 3 more small groups, a Pig Jig, Barn-K and Low-Country Boil before Baccalaureate and Graduation, leading into Edisto Beach Week. Much to do, but it is all good stuff!
Great Spring weather and a good crowd for this era at Erskine with some guests and visitors for an important talk on Justification from the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10.
Spring weather and St. Patrick's Day Home run Derby and Cookout! A good crowd for this Erskine and a tough message that will hopefully be remembered down the road, when students will need it most.
Windy Spring weather, but dry and comfortable so we are thankful after days and Sundays filled with rain! A good night for a hard but encouraging word on sharing Jesus with others through normal, relational, conversational efforts for the rest of your life. We don't have to be weird. Faithful and enduring breadcrumbs will do.
Cold 39 degrees in the Barn, but the propane heaters and the UV heaters were both working, so we were ok even though it was rainy and wet! Several visitors tonight, including a second ARP visitor from Lander, which makes me hope and pray that the Lord might open a doorway to that campus for us! A difficult and painful subject tonight, but hopefully a strong dose of Gospel Hope as well as we address the Brokenness of the Family.
35 degrees and we are talking about Depression in the Barn. Seriously? Only at Erskine and in Due West do people do this, and we had about 40 show up, which was great.
First Barn of Spring 2019 in cold weather, our first January re-start with no J-Term. A good crowd of 45, given the demographics and dynamics at Erskine!
Last Barn of Fall 2018! Cold but comfortable as we hung the horseshoe and made another memory in the Barn.
Cold Barn! 45 degrees, but Boiled Peanuts, Hot Cocoa, Cider and Hand Warmers (first time!) and a Big Fire helped us stay warm!
DST gave us a dark Barn, but it was not cold as we hosted 60 from Southlake for Pizza, cider, cocoa, boiled peanuts and large group in the Barn.
Brisk Fall Night! Italian night from ARAMark (Baked Spaghetti, Bread Sticks and Caesar Salad), which was an "old Barn meal" that hasn't been served since about 2009. And, a firm Word from Jesus as he reveals the 4 kinds of heart response to the Kingdom/Gospel, 3 of which are bad.
Beautiful weather for a Fall BBQ! Fantastic butts, great loins, hot cajun sausages and beautiful sunsets! RUF Erskine: Making Sundays Great Again!
Week 5, another hot and sweaty Barn, but with a Fiesta of tacos and nachos from ARAMark! Be sure to check out Bob Bennett's "Man of the Tombs." A GREAT 90's Christian music masterpiece!
Jesus said "Let's go to the other side." So, there was no question that they would get to the other side, therefore, the boat would not sink in any storm! Jesus has authority, even over creation as he "muzzles" the storm, as he does demons (same word used).
Week 3 of Year 15 at the Barn as we celebrate our 15th anniversary on this Sunday night of the Barn! Also, my 28th Birthday (for the 20th time?). 50+ students and Papa John's Pizza makes for a big party in sweltering heat!
Week 2 of RUF at the Barn Fall 2018. Hot again! But, a Labor Day Hamburger, Hot Dog, Sausage cookout with a good enough crowd for large group!
First Barn of the year (and 15th First Barn of the Year!). Beautiful but HOT day with a Mexican Fiesta provided by ARAMark. Off to a good start, but the first talk -and the busy opening night filled with announcements and freshmen not knowing what is going on- is always the worst!
Pursuing God’s Will (Paul Patrick, Erskine)- Does the Bible really say, "God has a specific plan for your personal life and that your job is to figure out what it is?” Will it be fairytale-perfect, or maybe not? How can I know if to marry, whom to marry, which job to take, where to live and what to buy? Can I mess up God's will? Is it possible that I won't like God's plan for my life? If I don't follow God's revealed will does that mean I will be miserable? What about smaller decisions in life - does God even care? What about divine sovereignty and human responsibility? What about the role of prayer in all this?
Pursuing God’s Will (Paul Patrick, Erskine)- Does the Bible really say, "God has a specific plan for your personal life and that your job is to figure out what it is?” Will it be fairytale-perfect, or maybe not? How can I know if to marry, whom to marry, which job to take, where to live and what to buy? Can I mess up God's will? Is it possible that I won't like God's plan for my life? If I don't follow God's revealed will does that mean I will be miserable? What about smaller decisions in life - does God even care? What about divine sovereignty and human responsibility? What about the role of prayer in all this?
Senior night and last RUF at the Barn for Spring 2018 on a beautiful evening! This was my 6th talk delivered this weekend, so don't judge me. I'm pooped!
A good crowd of 115 signed up for the Barn-K and we had beautifully perfect weather! Many left before the Barn started, but still a good crowd, the majority of which were unfamiliar with RUF. A lot of distractions and a hard context to speak to especially tired (exhausted) people, but a great evening together in the Barn!
More Rain. For like, the 7th Sunday in a row this semester. Unbelievable. But BBQ and some students!
Rain! Hard Rain! 15 students showed up, thanks to the Choraleers touring and to a driving rain storm. The smallest Barn ever, but how cool that 15 students would come to worship, fellowship and listen to a sermon in a driving rain storm?
A good night! Weather was chilly for April, but Barnadillas and Homerun Derby ('Dillas and Dingers!) helped it feel like Spring, though an electrical problem in the Barn had us in the dark with only one light working.
Beautiful weather! Grilled pork loin and John Newton, and a Barn filled with tired, mid-term tattered students.
Return of Cookouts with DST, but rainy and cold! A small crowd, but a good meal cooked by students.
Last cold Barn of the year, I hope, with cookouts resuming with DST next Sunday! A small crowd, but hopefully one that benefited from something they would not have heard elsewhere!
Week 3 of the Barn and Week 2 of the Something Worth Singing About #SWSA series, but with only partial recording of the talk, due to a pulled microphone wire. Aargh.
Restart of the Barn and our new series on the Principles found in Scripture (Scripture, Justification, Sanctification, Glorification) and seen in the Hymns we sing in RUF.
Grand Finale, last Fall 2017 gathering at the Barn with students gathered in 45 degree weather, but a clear and beautiful night as we conclude our #FBT series and head into Thanksgiving Break.
Southlake Christian Academy joined us as Sammy Rhodes (RUF South Carolina) spoke from John 11 about our unique, diverse emotional needs and how Jesus and the Gospel ministers to them.
November Barn that is NOT cold but is HUMID? A small but good crowd for a hard but important subject.
Gray day, but a great night. Not a lot of students, but a solidifying group of students who are growing in their appetite for God's word, for fellowship and for campus ministry.
Whew. Small Barn, Quiet Barn. Either they were tired and out of gas, or I was boring, or I hit a nerve with this subject. No one looked at me during this talk, Zero eye contact. Might want to skip this one and not bother listening. It was a busy week and weekend, maybe that was it. Clemson lost too. This Barn felt like the Syracuse game for the preacher.
Fall weather! Hamburgers and hot dogs for an Oct. 1 cookout with 55-60 of Erskine's finest as we lean into mid terms and Fall Break!
Week 4 at the Barn, with a good crowd of 65 or more, and Barnadillas for dinner! Hot, not Fall-ish, but a good night spent together on a hard subject.
Week 3 at the Barn as Hurricane Irma barrels towards GA, cancelling classes on Monday morning. A smaller than expected crowd as students are home for Irma extended weekend, but thankful to have President Gustafson to his first Barn, and with Papa John's Pizza as I celebrate my 28th Birthday again!
Week 2 at the Barn with 60+ again on a hot- but comfortable -night with BBQ and lots of new faces. Thankful for the Freshman class!
Last Barn of the semester as we conclude Dating, Marriage and Sexuality. Psalm 127 and Psalm 78 inform our view of Marriage and the Christian Family, namely that discipleship and nurture of our children is the primary means by which the Church grows and the Gospel extends (Covenant Succession). This requires that our dating relationships have an eye toward the serious spiritual duties that God intends for marriage.
Intern Alden Groves on a VERY rainy and even cold Spring Barn, but with Papa John's Pizza and a really good RUF crowd considering the horrible weather! You can hear the rain fall angrily on the tin Barn roof!
Unfortunately, the recording of this talk did not happen, but here is the first version of the talk from 2009. I've decided to post it because of the important historical events referenced in the old recording (Hannah Casey), plus it is so great to hear what a Barn full of enthusiastic, participative students sounded like, "back in the day." Good times!
A perfectly beautiful day for a cookout and evening for fellowship in the Barn! Blue skies, green grass, pork loin grilled and smoked on site and a decent crowd to hear a hard talk to consider whether breaking up is the right thing to do.
Cookouts are back and great weather too! A hard talk, but for the sake of future marriages.
Beautiful weather, small crowd as Mid-Terms hit in the morning. Week 4 of the Barn with time spent in Proverbs 31 and the verbal portrait of the faith and character that define a woman of noble character.
Unfortunately, I got a phone call about 20 minutes into the sermon, which apparently stopped the recording on my Iphone. So, I guess I need to be in Airplane Mode when recording sermons in the future!
A cold barn with a crowd of about 40. I've got to believe there are more than 40 Erskine students who could have benefited from our time together on the subject of what the Faith and Character of a Godly Man looks like in everyday life. But, that is what we currently have.
Still, it was time well spent.
Week 2 of Dating, Marriage and Sexuality at the Barn with 75 degree weather at the Barn! This week, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Beautiful about human sexuality.
Opening night of the Barn in 70+ degree weather in February! About 50 students for the night, with our time spent in Genesis 2:4-7, 15-25.
Last Barn of the Fall of 2016 with a cold 41 degrees by the end of the evening! 35+ braved the cold and helped bring a sweet end of the year for seniors Abby Butler and Carlos Unda who graduate in December. We finished our "Come and See!" series with a quick trip from the Garden to Golgotha and to the Grave, seeing that Jesus drank every drop from the Cup of Wrath, that we might drink from the Cup of Blessing.
A cold and dark barn! 39 degrees, but thanks to Southlake Christian School coming to do the Widow's Ministry and launching their week with us, we had an extra 70 at the Barn.
Having reached the turning point in John last week when "many disciples no longer followed Jesus" after his hard sayings, Jesus would now garner much attention after raising Lazarus from the dead. This attention will hasten "the hour of the son of man", which is the death of the Christ. Tonight, Jesus models ministering to different individuals (Mary and Martha) with Truth and with Tears, while also demonstrating his command and authority over death itself, proving himself determined to resolve the misery that Sin has brought upon humanity.
Beautiful Fall weather for our hamburger/hotdog/sausage cookout. A smaller group than usual, but a good night of ministry at Erskine.
Homecoming weekend, BBQ cooked on the trailer smoker, and a beautiful evening of fellowship with 50-60 students that seem to be settling in with an appetite for RUF.
RUF Intern Alden Groves preaches the first of what will be 2 times in his second year of the internship. A Beautiful Fall night with great temperature for the first time and a good crowd too, about 60, as we hit week 5 at the Barn!
Week 4 at the Barn and it is still HOT! But, Barnadillas make it better and another good crowd of 65+
Muggy, Hot Humid Night filled with allergies and a coughing fit threatened to interrupt our fellowship at the Barn with Papa John's Pizza.....but we persisted and "soldiered" through in week 3 of our series of "Come and See" from the Gospel of John!
Week 2 of RUF at the Barn on Labor Day weekend with a good crowd of 65ish to enjoy BBQ and our second study from John's Gospel.
Opening night of RUF at Erskine 2016, 13 years after the first one! A good crowd of about 100 for the opening cookout and first study of John's Gospel. Hot weather, but a good time!
Almost the end of the semester! A beautiful night with a few first timers and growing sense of establishing momentum and rhythm in weekly ministry.
A BEAUTIFUL day! Weather was perfect AND we hosted Anderson RUF for our first joint event (after years of trying). We played kickball, had a great meal, and enjoyed fellowship in song and Bible study in the Barn!
"And the LORD sent Nathan to David...." these words of grace show the "hard edge" of grace and how grace confronts us and disrupts us before it settles us, as seen in Nathan's confrontation of David after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah.
A beautiful, perfect spring day at the Barn! And, Barnadillas too! In our study of the Lord's Prayer we consider the petition "Lead us not into Temptation" in light of David's temptation and sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11.
Week 6 of the Barn saw some rain and return of cold air and gray skies, but we enjoyed Pizza for dinner, some new faces for the first time, some return visitors, and our faithful returnees for a challenging talk on being forgiven and forgiving others, as the Lord's Prayer instructs us to pray.
Week 5 at the Barn with some great weather! BBQ and lots of Barn games in the field with a great temperature made for a good night of fellowship with some new faces of Erskine students invited out for Fellowship at the Barn.
Week 4 in the Lord's Prayer and the return of cookouts at the Barn, this time on a brand new grill and with RUF NC State and RUF Meredith College in the Barn for a week of Spring Break Widows' Ministry with Bill May! It felt like old times as we had 100 in the Barn like we used to for 10 years at Erskine!
Week 2 of Spring 2016 at the Barn saw warmer weather (65 degrees) up from 32 degrees the previous week! Our study of The Lord's Prayer and that God has called His people to "make His name Great and Greatly Known in all the Earth" was our emphasis as we considered that are called to "Hallow" God's Name. 1. What's In a Name? 2. What does it mean to Hallow God's Name? And, that 3. Sincere Christians Adore God's Name were our 3 points of study, with numerous quotations throughout.
Week 1 of our Spring series of the Barn resumed on Valentines Day and in 34 degree weather! Super cold and hard re-start of large group at the Barn, but an intimate group and good night of fellowship as we considered the marvel of Jesus telling us we can pray intimately and personally to God as our "Father". Whether we are "bitter or bored" with our own earthly fathers, our Heavenly Father is someone to marvel at!
Last Barn of the Fall of 2015 as we concluded our series on "7 Wounds of the Sinful Heart" in 45 degree Fall weather. A smaller crowd than we used to have at Erskine, but the same Gospel truth being sung and preached at Erskine in the Barn!
A chilly (but dry!) Barn in mid November, with special guests from Southlake Christian School as we near the end of our series this semester.
Rainy, wet, windy and 46 degrees for a November Barn and for the 6th wet Barn of this semester! Nevertheless, an important subject and evening of ministry as we consider the fact that our hearts are so affected by Sin that we can't even get "food and drink" right.
We tend to think that Sloth is limited to Laziness, but it actually is a sad state of the soul that is passionless and careless, and is characterized by apathy and indifference and neglect of spiritual discipline. Last Barn before the Hymn Sing and Daylight Savings Time next week!
After a month away from the Barn (thanks to Fall Conference, The Flood of 15, and Fall Break) we resumed with cool, beautiful Fall weather for our BBQ meal. This week: Envy, a topic hardly discussed, but one that exposes the sinfulness of our hearts quickly.
Week 4 at the Barn in our series on 7 Sins of the Wounded Heart, this week considering our sexual perversion that has resulted from humanity's Fall into Sin. Lots of visitors at the Barn, lots of athletes and an important introduction to Sexuality as we consider "Lust" as one of the potential downfalls and sources of destruction in our lives. Also, a shout out to Jean Louise Pretot, our blind, French neighbor who has taken interest in the Barn after hearing us sing for 8 years and wondering "what we are singing about".
Week 3 of RUF at the Barn with 90+ students and 120 Barnadillas! Great Fall weather, lots of sunshine but not too hot as we talked about ANGER and the Human Heart.
Week 2 of Fall 2015 at the Barn. Pride, which Pope Gregory the Great called "The Queen of all Sin and the Root of All Evil" must be put to death. But our mere efforts of "trying harder" aren't enough. We need something stronger than our efforts. We need God Himself, through the power of the Gospel, to put Pride to death in our hearts. Each week we will consider what Scripture says about he sin, what he sin looks like in everyday life, and how the Gospel serves as a kind of "antidote" to that sin.
Our first EVER rainy first Barn of the Fall! The audio quality is not great, thanks to rain on the tin roof. Students were actually cold, for the first time ever, in September at the Barn! We were thankful for 70 students who braved the elements for our cookout and Bible study in the rain!
Spiritual Warfare is for your Spiritual Welfare! Having been equipped with full armor, the apostle Paul now calls Christians to not be sleepy, sluggish and heavy-eyed like the disciples in Mt. 26, but alert, sober and on guard, expecting attack (I Pet. 5:8-10)
A sunny but cold afternoon for home run derby and a cookout hosted by Destin Nichols' parents made for a full Barn and a good time as we continued hearing about the Full Armor of God.
Week 6 at the Barn in our series on the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). This week: Faith and Friendship, two things that "go great together." Have you taken up the shield of faith? Are you a friend, and do you have friends that shield one another? "Testudo!" the Roman Legion's call for a tightly compacted, shoulder to shoulder, shield to shield formation to provide "group defense" against flaming arrows is something we should pray for AND work for in our lives.
73 degrees! Spring is here with DST and cookouts resumed as we continue in Ephesians 6 with a good crowd of 60+ on a beautiful Sunday!
42 degrees cold and rainy, but an important RUF at the Barn as we consider the righteousness of Christ imputed to us as a breastplate of armor versus a thin veneer of tinfoil armor we make by our own hands and works. If you have the breastplate of Christ's righteousness, you have everything you will ever need and will be "able to stand." Amen.
A rainy Barn to end February, but an important one as we learn that the Armour begins with something as simple as a belt, so that we can "Gird Up Our Loins" with Truth. That is, cinching in the excess tunic that would hinder our movement in fighting and make us easily grabbed and controlled by our opponent. What our our two most vulnerable, flapping garments that are easily grasped and that take us down? Doubt and Fear. Cinch them in, people, cinch them in with Gospel Truth.
Knowing that you have an opponent who seeks to undue your faith, spiritually, and knowing his most used tactics and strategies is a helpful mental and emotional defense for those engaged in "The Spiritual Warfare of the Soul."
This was our second coldest Barn, ever, 34 degrees by the end of the talk!
Week 1 of our Spring 2015 series at the Barn with RUF Erskine on Ephesians 6:10-20. Though Feb 8, it was sunny with a high of 67 degrees, so very comfortable for the evening!
James says the follower of Christ is to be characterized by humility before the Lord. That's pretty hard for a people who have learned, from day one, to compare and compete with others to "prove ourselves" as the best in the bunch. Lord, it's hard to be humble! In fact, it always has been, since the Fall into sin.
We fail yet another test of "True Religion" as we cannot even control the small muscle of our tongues in our body! Listen to how we need an older brother, as Jesus was to James, to control the tongue for us, even setting up camp in Gehenna for 3 days to free us of our guilt and shame of tongue failure.
In the Bible, the "Beautiful Life" is a simple life, a faithful life and a well-lived life as God defines it, according to the Gospel. Our culture persuades us that we must me sophisticated, very busy, over achieving and performance-driven. Which have you found to be true?
James exposes the human heart and how each of us fails the "test of True Religion". He is driving us to a conclusion: Someone must pass the test for us. And, He has! Mercy triumphs over judgement as salvation has come to the poor, through the Poor One.
First Barn of Fall 2014 and introduction to our series in James on a hot 93 degree evening at the Barn!