Posts in "Photos"

Good morning! May you choose to be gracious to “those people.” #MorningMug #discipline2025

A cozy living room scene features a hand holding a star-patterned mug near a lit fireplace with an armchair to the right.

Good morning! May you experience the joy of extending grace to another. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A hand holds a white mug with the word "AROHA" printed on it, while a colorful blanket covers a person in front of a lit fireplace and a large TV screen.

Good morning! The sun shines as a reminder that there is hope. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A mug is held up in front of a window showcasing a snowy landscape and a sunrise.

Good morning! May you know that mercy is made new every day. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A person holds a coffee mug in a cozy living room with patterned chairs and a lit fireplace.

This Sunday at Peace Presbyterian Church in Flint at 10:45 am and at The Acts 13 Network in Ypsilanti at 530 pm we will begin a three week exploration of the prophet, Micah. His message of doom and hope is timely for us today.

If you’ve been looking for a faith community in Ypsilanti or Flint, I hope you will join us.

A single lit candle is centered on a black background with the text "Doom and Hope: Reflections on the Prophet Micah" above it.

Good morning! May your to-do list shrink today. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

Good morning! May you press into that difficult thing you have been avoiding. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A cozy living room setting features a lit fireplace, a comfortable sofa, and a hand holding a mug of coffee with the words "And So Begins the Adventure."

#Wordle 1,333 X/6*

🟨⬛⬛🟨🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal scored a 3. My streak broke at 528.

I am resonating deeply with Bonhoeffer these days. Here is another of his theses against the “Aryan Paragraph” from 1933.

The German Christians say: For the sake of the patriotic sentiments of German church people, a leader in the church must be Aryan.&10;Michael P. DeJonge, Clifford J. Green&10;The Bonhoeffer Reader&10;#kindlequotesWe answer: Church people must learn to pay attention not to the person of the pastor but rather to the pastor's proclamation. "What does it matter?&10;Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way.." [Phil. 1: 18). If Paul, a Jew, had not proclaimed Christ to the heathen world, without worrying about any patriotic sentiment, there would never have been a German church.&10;Michael P. DeJonge, Clifford J. Green&10;The Bonhoeffer Reader&10;#kindlequotesThis demand for the gospel to be preached by Aryans is a typical demand of those who are weak in the faith, so they want to set up legal restrictions in matters where, in truth, only faith and the Word of God has a say. This demand from the weaker members of the congregation might possibly be considered in exceptional individual cases, for pastoral reasons, to avoid giving serious offense. But in each such case the most earnest thought should be given to whether, for the sake of what church is about, the congregation should be asked to tolerate an offense to its sensibilities. It is totally impossible, however, to allow the demands of the weak in the faith to rule the church, because that means turning the freedom of the gospel into its opposite, a law.&10;Michael P. DeJonge, Clifford J. Green&10;The Bonhoeffer Reader&10;#kindlequotes

Good morning! May you know people care about you today. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

Good morning! May you enjoy time in community today. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A person holds a mug labeled "AROHA" in a cozy living room with a fireplace and patterned furniture.

Good morning! May you do something today that makes you smile. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A person is holding a mug with a "National Baseball Hall of Fame" design in a cozy living room setting.

During the 1933 Prussian Synod Dietrich Bonhoeffer offered multiple theses to challenge the “Aryan Paragraph.” The “German Christians” were those aligning with the Nazi party, “We,” was the nascent Confessing Church.

Currently reading: The Bonhoeffer Reader by Michael P. DeJonge 📚

The German Christians say: The German church people can no longer endure communion with Jews, who have done them so much harm politically. We answer: This is the very point where it must be made crystal clear: here is where we are tested as to whether we know what the church is. Here, where the Jewish Christian whom I don't like is sitting next to me among the faithful, this is precisely where the church is. If that is not understood, then those who think they cannot bear it should themselves go and form their own church, but never, ever, can they be allowed to exclude someone else. The continuity of the church is in the church where the Jewish Christians remain.&10;Michael P. DeJonge, Clifford J. Green&10;The Bonhoeffer Reader&10;#kindlequotes

Good morning! May you choose to respond with joy on whatever circumstance you find yourself in today. #MorningMug #Discipline2025

A hand holds a "Michigan" mug in a cozy living room with plush furniture and a fireplace in the background.