Easter Plans 2010

I know this is really early, but barring the rapture (for those pre-trib, pre-mil folks), I am considering Easter plans.

I am looking for something based on the 7 cries from the cross, in the tradition of Dubois, but not as classical or inaccessible for my 15-20 voice volunteer choir. I potentially will use this as a Good Friday service and set up Resurrection Sunday. If necessary I’ll make my own with octavos.

Any suggestions for octavos to match the following phrases?

1. Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Discussion

Cartoon?

I’m looking for a cartoon I saw years ago that I would like to use in a sermon illustration…here’s the jist…and I’m doing it from memory do I will probably botch this up.

Two guys meet on the street and they begin to talk about their churches. The first guy says, “I’m a Baptist.” the second guy says “Me too. I’m a Calvanist”…”Me too! Superlapsarian or Sublarpasarian?” “Sub”…”Me too!” and so on…until they finally get to a minor point of disagreement and one yells at the other “Heretic!”

Anyone know where I can find it?

Discussion

Baptizing a cohabitating Christian???

My wife and I have a visit to make this Tuesday. A young lady who professes to having come to faith in Christ wants to be baptized. The problem is that she is living with a boyfriend. She has 2 sons by a previous relationship, so sexual immorality has been an ongoing issue in her life for quite a while. I tend to immediately respond to things in a cut and dried way. John said, “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” If there is not evidence of repentance, then she should not be baptized.

Discussion

Request: closed churches-pictures

I’m not sure if this is the best forum to post this in (tried to pick the closest thing, thought outreach might be it), but I am looking for pictures of churches that are actually closed/disbanded. I am looking for Protestant church buildings. I prefer rural buildings but can probably use a variety. I am especially interested if there is one you have a picture of that you have personally seen (I know I can search google images, etc. — I’m asking here for what I might not find there… or may have overlooked).

Discussion

Transgender in the Church: Not Hypothetical

A while back there was a thread here on SI discussing an essay assignment as part of a college course in which a hypothetical situation was presented, and the student was to discuss their plan to deal with it.

The hypothetical situation (if I remember correctly) was that a woman began attending the church, heard the Gospel, and accepted Christ as Savior. She then came to the pastor to confess that “she” had been born male, and had undergone “gender reasignment” surgery to have the appearance of a female. The essay asked the student to describe what their response would be.

Discussion