….My reflections on a high-demand cultic church….
After five years of post-Assembly recovery, it seems that quite a few former Assembly members have regained some sense of stability in their lives and the beginnings of restored faith. But the parents among them may still be watching their children struggle with life. Many of us who left long ago – maybe even most […]
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When I was in high school my mother (later known in the Assembly as Sister Mayo) began a library for Fountain Avenue Baptist Church in Los Angeles. She and I had a great time discovering Christian books that were new to us. I remember my mom reading Watchman Nee’s book, The Release of the Spirit, […]
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Joe sperling posted today on the Assembly bulletin board: “For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me” (Psalm 40:12). “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, you […]
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Here is a thought-provoking quote from iMonk Michael Spencer: || Why are Christians the most incomplete, frantic, “wretchedly urgent” and religiously imbalanced of human beings? Could it be that our conception of God is, “What can he do for me? What must I do for him?” rather than, “The God I worship is the God […]
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Joe Sperling posted this devotional thought on the Assembly bulletin board this morning: || “Our enemy, as always, seeks to alter our perception of God. He seeks to turn Him into a Judge, with “consequences” for every wrong. Thank God he has “not rewarded us according to our iniquities”— Psalm 103:10-14, “He hath not dealt […]
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This morning I ran across something I had written a year ago about recognizing God’s presence in daily life: I was reading through the really great encouragements in the “Light from the Word” section of the GA.com website this morning. It struck me repeatedly that a part of me was responding, “These thoughts made more sense to me […]
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This morning in my reading in I Peter 1, I was struck by Peter’s concept that faith is something more precious than gold, and suffering grief in all kinds of trials refines your faith and proves it genuine. Peter’s urgent point is, don’t allow trouble to destroy your faith. It is of tremendous value to God, […]
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As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been reading Phil Yancey’s book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?, and I want to say that this book definitely made a significant difference for me, not only in my awareness of God’s unceasing care and presence, but also in my approach to prayer. Chapter 4, “The God Who Is”, opens with […]
Read MoreAndrew Compton, a recent Westminster graduate and husband of our fabulous organist, Pam, preached for the first time today in our church. He chose the Book of Ruth for his text. It left me thinking, a lot of former Assembly members are like Naomi in chapter one. She and her family went to Moab because […]
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Last week, for some reason, a phrase from the song “A Debtor to Mercy Alone” kept running through my head. It was from the last verse, “…Yet I to the end shall endure…” So what hymn should we sing yesterday in church but that one, and I noticed the context of that phrase in the song as a whole, i.e. […]
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Last week a baby hummingbird fell from it’s nest into our patio. Although he can’t fly properly yet, he has fluttered up into a small tree, where he cheeps urgently every twenty minutes or so, and soon the mother appears to feed him. All day long. It’s amazing to remember that God is aware of […]
Read MoreJoe Sperling posted a meditation today on the Assembly bulletin board. What he says it so true, it deserves a larger audience. (In case you’re an Assemblyite who can’t hear the phrase “The Lord” without a shudder, try reading this and substituting the name “Jesus”.) “For I am the Lord, I change not,” (Mal. 3:6). […]
Read MoreWhen I was in high school my mother (who was known as SisterMayo in the Assembly), developed a library for Fountain Avenue Baptist Church in Los Angeles. She and I had a great time discovering Christian books that were new to us. I read They Found the Secret by Raymond Edman, president of Wheaton College. […]
Read MoreYesterday, August 2, was my 47th spiritual birthday. How far have I come toward the “first and greatest commandment”? You shall love the Lord your Godwith all your mind and understanding,and with all your heartand with your entire beingand with all your strength. These words shall be uppermostIn your own minds and hearts.
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It’s fitting that this first blog post should be about C. S. Lewis. He was one of my earliest Christian mentors, years before the Assembly, and he was the one who helped me most afterward. There is a birthday card from Danny stuck in my copy of Mere Christianity as a bookmark, dated 1993. Lewis […]
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A Geftakys Assembly Blog 