tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56025402009-10-13T16:23:54.083-04:00...thought-provoking commentary by randall gearharttheChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1173312809190852752008-09-28T19:00:00.003-04:002009-02-17T10:13:24.989-05:00

I invite you to visit my new "devoBlog." And after you've stopped by "the blog," you can head over to theChurchGuy.tv where you can view video messages from my 30+ years in ministry.I hope to meet you there, soon!Randall Gearhart"theChurchGuy"

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1066798357587813082005-07-10T01:05:00.002-04:002009-01-22T17:38:59.527-05:00

Line Upon Line is a collection of personal essays, words of inspiration, and thought-provoking commentary on current events. If this is your first time here, be sure to check out the archives, too. You might find just what you're looking for!If you surf on over to Randall Gearhart Ministries, you can learn more about me, and have access to RealPlayer audio files and transcripts of my

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1099565492101554152005-07-10T01:01:00.000-04:002005-07-10T06:42:04.616-04:00

I recently published a book of some of my blogs that's now available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Booksamillion.com.One Step at a Time: Words of Wisdom, Wit, and Inspiration is a collection of ninety-five inspirational essays, quotations, and Scriptures originally published over the past year on my “Line Upon Line” weblog.The thought-provoking commentary and stories in One Step at a

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1108988568409285452005-02-21T00:01:00.000-05:002005-02-21T07:38:47.466-05:00

"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you first discover how much you really trusted it?...Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief." --

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1104845353424863552005-01-04T01:01:00.000-05:002005-01-05T02:43:43.406-05:00

"The acid test of our faith in the promises of God is never found in the easy-going, comfortable ways of life, but in the great emergencies, the times of storm and of stress, the days of adversity, when all human aid fails." -- Edith Bell think on these things... Hebrews 11:32-39 (NLT) Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1089527836988672352004-07-26T01:01:00.001-04:002009-01-22T17:45:10.815-05:00

My son, Jason, came home one afternoon a few weeks ago and asked me if I'd seen the "pirate ship," docked near the Military Street bridge in downtown Port Huron, Michigan. I told him, "That's not a pirate ship--it's a replica of the Nina, one of the three ships that brought Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic to the new world."The 93-foot-long ship was built in Brazil in 1991. Since that

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1088675825589424772004-07-01T01:01:00.000-04:002004-09-14T04:42:58.893-04:00

I found the following item from Charisma News Service, while going through my email early this morning. Christian "American Idol"-style Talent Show Coming to TBNBest known for its televangelists, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) has announced plans for a Christian version of the popular "American Idol" TV show. "Gifted" is scheduled to debut in October on the world's largest religious TV

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1087441424088165242004-06-20T00:01:00.000-04:002004-06-23T18:48:54.540-04:00

"We knew we could play with these guys, but we had to prove it to everybody else." Chauncey Billups, 2004 NBA Finals MVPLast Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons reached the top of a mountain that few thought they could climb. Defying the odds makers, and ignoring grim predictions by the "experts," the Motown team stood triumphant at center court with the 2004

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-108748030129805462004-06-17T00:01:00.000-04:002004-06-17T10:04:39.826-04:00

Insight for Leaders, from Literature Ministries International is a daily email devotional based on the always thought-provoking, and straightforward writings of A.W. Tozer. Today's edition, "Worship: Discharging Our Obligation," is "right on" (or as the Brits would say, "spot on"). I thought you might enjoy reading it, too. "Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1086519617464381032004-06-07T00:01:00.000-04:002004-06-08T13:59:23.316-04:00

"After the wall was finished and I had hung the doors in the gates, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. " Nehemiah 7:1,2 (NLT) Our nation and the world are observing the passing of the 40th

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1086340336761325252004-06-04T00:01:00.000-04:002004-06-05T04:43:52.880-04:00

"Though it is a wonderful truth to know that we are saved by grace, it is equally wonderful to know that we live by it as well. Though we labor, just as the birds of the air labor, we do not need to grasp and grab frantically, because we have One who cares for us just as he cares for the birds of the air." Richard J. Foster think on these things... Matthew 6:24-34 (NLT) "No one can serve two

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1085649959530694402004-05-27T00:01:00.000-04:002004-05-28T00:27:17.540-04:00

morass: An area of low-lying, soggy ground; something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms. I received the following Gallup Alert from The Gallup Organization, on May 21, 2004: Democrats and Republicans Agree That U.S. Morals Are Subpar One thing that most Americans, including Republicans and Democrats, can agree on is that moral values in the United States are less than good and are

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1084078999308046402004-05-17T00:00:00.000-04:002004-05-17T11:25:51.723-04:00

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1084351490445715032004-05-12T00:00:00.000-04:002004-07-08T03:28:12.540-04:00

Regular readers of Line Upon Line may have noticed that I haven't posted anything for a few days. "Other things" have demanded my attention, so the blog has had to wait. I've got a couple of essays in mind, and you'll likely see them soon. But here are a few thoughts until then... National Day of Prayer I traveled to Flint, Michigan, last Thursday for the First Annual Metropolitan Flint

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1083214020554561592004-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:002004-05-31T05:22:57.473-04:00

We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 (AMP) There were about ten or twelve of us guys who traveled from Dublin, Georgia, to Fort Mill, South Carolina, to visit Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Heritage Village, U.S.A. We went to check out some of their buildings--one barn-like structure in particular--that one of

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1082877656026513962004-04-25T00:00:00.000-04:002004-05-31T05:26:13.650-04:00

"Like an emperor whose writ is absolute within his empire, the unexamined tyranny of modern time imposes its perspectives and preferences on all who live within its sway." Os Guinness Last week I discovered an interesting book by Os Guinness. Its intriguing title, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance, urged me to pull it from the Borders shelf and take a closer look.

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1082333344863033352004-04-19T01:00:00.000-04:002004-09-14T04:17:20.286-04:00

Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will only kneel down and worship me." "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.'" Matthew 4:8-10 (NLT) In September 1995, trumpeter/singer/songwriter

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081816183685052142004-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:002004-05-31T05:31:36.426-04:00

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NKJV) While going through some boxes of notes, papers, and "stuff" I've accumulated over the last 20 years, I found a clipping from the January 14, 1979 edition of Parade magazine. Under "Words to Ponder," there appeared a quotation attributed to

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081653117224637352004-04-11T00:00:00.000-04:002004-04-11T06:37:21.530-04:00

Matthew 28:1-9 (NLT) Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081606205329923332004-04-10T00:00:00.001-04:002004-04-11T10:52:05.890-04:00

Matthew 12:38-40 (NKJV) Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.'' But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081474859224907802004-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:002004-04-09T00:15:59.750-04:00

"Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not.'" Martin Luther think on these things... John 1:29,35-37 (NKJV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081463383694975272004-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:002004-04-09T17:13:32.373-04:00

"But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:10-12 (NKJV) "John Wesley got down

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081387021822403102004-04-07T00:00:00.000-04:002004-04-07T23:30:36.326-04:00

"Sometimes I think the Church would be better off if we would call a moratorium on activity for about six weeks and just wait on God to see what He is waiting to do for us." A.W. Tozer think on these things... Isaiah 30:15, 18 (NLT) The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says, "Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1081067931315684732004-04-04T00:00:00.000-05:002004-05-31T06:12:30.326-04:00

After I posted my March 31 weblog entry, "Searching for the Perfect Church," a faithful Line Upon Line reader wrote the following: Good morning. I just read your posting on 'the perfect church'. Is this your idea of a joke???? What you describe as the perfect church is God's ideal, yet the reality is VERY far from this ideal. I personally know dozens of believers who have left the church

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602540.post-1080722075924320282004-03-31T00:00:00.000-05:002004-04-04T05:14:18.810-04:00

Here are a few thoughts about the Perfect Church and Perfect Church people--which, by the way, are one and the same. The Church is people. The Church is not an institution, nor a denomination, nor a building, nor an organization. The Church is the people of God--and God is perfecting a people who will live to show forth His praise and glorify His name in the earth. 1 Peter 2:9,10 (NKJV) "But

theChurchGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838505079184828260rg@thechurchguy.com