Tom Schmidt's BlogStarting this Sunday I’ll be preaching through 2 Peter at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville. The idea behind this sermon graphic is drawn from 2 Peter 1:19 “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…”
A Short Catechism on Suffering: Q. What is suffering? A. “Having what we do not want to have or not having what we do want to have” (Elisabeth Elliot’s definition) Q .Why is there suffering in the world? A. Because of the sin of our first parents Adam and eve, our sin, and the sin […]
Is it possible to know how Jesus thought while he was on Earth? Is it possible to imitate Christ’s way of thinking now? The Apostle Peter assumes the answer is YES. He encourages Christians to “arm yourselves with the same way of thinking,” that Jesus had (1 Peter 4:1b). In the context, this means doing […]
I’m preaching through book of 1 Peter at our church (Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville, IL). One think I noticed while working through 1 Peter 4:1-11 is the notion of TIME. It is fascinating to see how following Jesus transforms how we think about it. 1 Peter 4:1-11 Challenges How We View TIME: We […]
Dear North Central College Student,
What is God? Can I know God? What happens to us after we die? Who is Jesus? What do Christians believe?
As you begin your semester at North Central College, we invite you to consider these important questions.
My friend Dan Tsouloufis wrote some helpful principles for handling conflict in marriage. Here it is:
Many years ago, back in 2012, I put together some “guiding principles” for couples to think about as they attempt to communicate better and resolve conflict better. Sometimes couples establish poor habits of communicating and they don’t truly resolve conflict, since they find it too difficult or too painful. Thus, their unresolved conflict gradually builds layers of resentment and mistrust over the years, becoming much harder to break these patterns and achieve true intimacy.
Listed below are ten guiding principles for handling conflict within marriage. I actually came up with these principles when I was counseling a particular married couple at our church at the time. I believe the key Scripture passage we should use when counseling couples (whether married or considering marriage) is Ephesians 5:21-33, since it emphasizes the servant-leadership role required of the husband, especially verses 25 through 27. Also, 1 Peter 3:7 is helpful for husbands to honor and respect their wives.
Our church, Cross of Christ Fellowship, has begun meeting in person for Sunday morning worship services in Naperville. We are currently unable to meet in the building we have been renting in downtown Naperville due to COVID 19 restrictions–we are too large to safely meet indoors–but we are able to meet outdoors while social distancing. […]
Psalm 77:14 “The Wonder of Christ’s Resurrection” (Easter 2020 Sermon) “You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.” (Psalm 77:14) Intro: Today is Easter, which means we especially want to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And to do so, we are going to take […]
Here’s a really insightful quote from Dane Ortlund’s book “Gentle and Lowly” “The Christian life, from one angle, is the long journey of letting our natural assumption about who God is, over many decades, fall away, being slowly replaced with God’s own insistence on who he is. This is hard work. It takes a lot […]
I’ve been a Christian for half of my life. I remember the early days of being a Christian: the thrill of knowing of God; the eagerness to read the Bible; the boldness (maybe sometimes brashness) in telling others the gospel; the excitement of beholding the God of who created the universe and redeemed a people […]
