Church of the Cross

“Mutant” Christianity

Derrick — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:02:20 +0000

Is there such a thing as “mutant” Christianity? Or, to ask the question another way, is there a true Christianity, against which any other versions would be considered “fake”? These are, after all, the categories of adjectives used in a recent article on CNN.com entitled “More teens becoming ‘fake’ Christians”. The article highlights the trend [Read More →]

Kick-off Sunday: Questions Answered

Derrick — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:24:55 +0000

After submitting a press release to the Mahomet Citizen about our upcoming Kick-off Sunday, I was contacted by the newspaper and asked three questions about our church. I thought they were good questions, and it wouldn’t hurt to post the answers here as well. So here they are – three questions about our church and [Read More →]

Know the Faith, Defend the Faith

Derrick — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:04:28 +0000

After responding to the article on the autonomy of local churches at The Christian Watershed, I am happy to commend to you this article at the same site. On being like Athanasius: We need a modern-day Athanasius; we need many people to act like an Athanasius in their own communities. We need Christians who are [Read More →]

Updated – Who is Responsible for a Church’s Faithfulness?

Derrick — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:49:22 +0000

Jesus died to purchase the church for God. That is why ecclesiology is important. (Ecclesiology is a big word that just means the study of the church). The whole thrust of God’s work in history and redemption involves the redeeming of a people and shaping them into his people and his instruments. We can say [Read More →]

For Mothers (and the Rest of Us)

Derrick — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:07:05 +0000

If you are a woman, I recommend the girltalk blog as a helpful resource. This post, in particular, is encouraging to mothers of young children. But it is also quite helpful to the rest of us as well. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will [Read More →]

Taking Responsibility…Hope for The Wounded

Derrick — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:55:45 +0000

There’s a great post at Kevin DeYoung’s blog, called “Our History Explains Something and Causes Nothing.” It struck me because it gets right to the heart of some questions I’ve been asked and conversations I’ve had recently with people wondering how to help those who need encouragement or inspiration to move beyond their present circumstances. [Read More →]

The Devil Preaches the Gospel

Derrick — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:34:20 +0000

Well, not exactly, but that got your attention. When Satan accuses us, he is singing the song of the redeemed, except for one significant fact. He conveniently leaves out the refrain (the gospel). What is it? Listen for yourself – but if you only listen to part of it start at around 3:50 (this is [Read More →]

Faithfulness in a World of Options

Derrick — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:37:37 +0000

It is patently obvious to even the most casual observer that ours is a world of options. We face endless options (and therefore choices) regarding what we eat, where we eat, where we shop, what we buy, what kind of car we drive, what kind of furnishings to put in our house, and on and [Read More →]

God Saves Bad People

Derrick — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:12:35 +0000

Herein lies the offense, as well as the power, of the gospel – God saves bad people. It reminds me of the chorus Jeff Mooney added to the song “Not What My Hands Have Done” – Oh, The matchless grace of Jesus Chasing rebels down And setting prisoners free Oh, The strong, strong love of [Read More →]

New Library is Open!

Derrick — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:31:50 +0000

The brand new Mahomet Public Library is now open! I have been there three times this week. It is definitely a community asset. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to bring the project to completion. The new building has a nice, more inviting, usable, and larger children’s area, more and new computers, a study [Read More →]