The following is a collection of some of my tweets and Facebook posts in 2013:
This was about how I like to introduce sermons: I don’t like to start my sermons with: “Brothers and Sisters, today I would like to show you three things about the power of prayer.” I’d rather start like this: “When I was a boy there was an old man with a wrinkled face who worked in Gibson’s Hardware.” …pulled from a lecture by Thomas Long on narrative in preaching.
This went with a picture of Leland, one of our grand-buddies: Little boys with boots and mittens and their breath hanging in little clouds over their heads.
From our OH-MI Conference this fall: Singing Ten Thousand Reasons With hundreds of Pastors and Christian workers next to Jonathan M. Pierpont. Just praising God to the top of our lungs. Funner than a roller coaster!
With a pic of Kyle with an awesome beard: This is our first-born. Kyle Pierpont I could not grow a beard, but I married into a family blessed with thick dark hair. The result of this union has grown some impressive facial hair. This may have been compensation for having to look like a poster-child for Bob Jones University growing up. Now he looks like D. L. Moody! Can’t tell you how much I vicariously enjoy this beard. Patriarchal.
After Church: Baptized four this morning. Preached on Heaven. Dale McBride sang. Choir was spot-on. Great crowd. Great day to be a pastor. My heart is full and I am preaching this evening on Real Faith from James. Evangel Baptist Taylor, Michigan
Selective Moral Indignation: When congress convenes to consider what they are going to do about innocent children dying in Syria, let’s pray that they will also consider what they should do about the innocent American babies who have been slaughtered since Roe v. Wade.
Just a note at the end of the day: Two very clear answers to prayer today. Before I sleep I want to give public thanksgiving to God.
Hannah was about to marry: Our Hannah Pierpont is about to marry Dale McBride So I’m thinking about that today and remembering and crying and praying and thanking God for his kindness once again.
Another about Hannah: Should be studying right now, but I keep thinking about Rudy who will be Mrs. Rudy McBride on her honeymoon next week at this time… Oh, my. — with Hannah McBride.
Word Fun: My parents always coached me to exude alacrity especially when I was going somewhere in public. That was good advice.
After a great talk with my neighbor: Just had a delightful, two-hour gospel conversation with a dear neighbor. Watching fireflies blink over the lawn at dusk.
With a picture of a little honey bear dispenser: Learn from this guy. No matter how hard you squeeze him nothing but sweetness comes out
I asked for prayer one day: If you want to pray for me pray that when I am tempted to over-indulge in food I will instead indulge in Christ. Give me a Hunger for God.
Without God the greatest pleasure is as temporary as the life of a fish out of water. With God are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11)
Our love hunger is so great only God can satisfy it.
Jesus, who is my life, said if you want to find your life you must lose it. This is repeated six times in the gospels.
What does your attitude say when you enter the room? Here I am!” or “THERE you are!”
Want sadness? look for people to love you. Want joy? look for people to love. 2 Corinthians 12:15
This status is my custom going north into the Mitten or coming home from Up North: Crossing the Zilwaukee Bridge. Comin’ home.
Lots of Christian workers in the family: Today Dad is preaching in South Litchfield. I am preaching at Evangel. My brother Kevin is preaching at Higgins Lake. My brother Nathan is leading worship in Kalamazoo. My brother-in-law Jim is preaching in Bear Lake. Our son Kyle is preaching in South Bend. Our daughter Holly is teaching Sunday School. Our son Daniel is preaching in Hudsonville. May Jesus Christ be Praised.
The worst things “happen to me” when I forget that Christ is my life… (Colossians 3:4)
Summer’s here. It’s the longest day of the year. Now each day grows shorter. Life is short. Think eternity! ..number your days (Ps. 90:12)
Preparing a sobering message on Christians and Alcohol for this Sunday evening — at Evangel Baptist Church.
Horrifying revelation! Went hospital calling without my wallet! No parking card! NO COFFEE! I feel like a penniless vagrant.
“I don’t think it is enough appreciated how much an outdoor book the Bible is. It is a “hypaethral book,” such as Thoreau talked about – a book open to the sky. It is best read and understood outdoors, and the farther outdoors the better. Or that has been my experience of it. Passages that within walls seem improbable or incredible, outdoors seem merely natural. This is because outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders… ” -Wendell Berry.
“Grace is not a license to sin. Grace is given to overcome sin. Mercy is given when sin overcomes us.”
Man describing to his granddaughter how he became a millionaire: “It was really quite simple. I bought a pencil for a penny, sharpened it, and sold it for two cents. With this I bought two pencils, sharpened them, and sold them for four cents. And so it went until I had amassed $10.24. It was then that your Great Aunt Selma died and left us $10 million.”
Eschew using cumbersome terminology when a less pretentious vocabulary would suffice
Thabitia Anyabawile, from Grand Camen, opens floor for Q&A I want to ask “Can I come and fill your pulpit when you are on vacation”
Just sang Behold Our God with 1000 pastor brothers. Awesome.
This evening I feel like I finished a Marathon! For the first time in my life I finished preaching through every book of the Bible. I started Sunday evening April 18, 2010 and finished a little over three years later on May 12, 2013. Each Sunday night that I was in the Evangel Pulpit I would preach a flyover of one of the books of the Bible.
This evening I just finished a flyover of Revelation and I am exhausted and joyful to have accomplished a study of every single book of God’s Word. My voice is tired but my spirit is refreshed. You can follow the link below if you would like to hear it. It is about 50 minutes long.
You can watch Chuk and Holly sing live tonight on WLJC from the mountains of Kentucky from 7:00-8:30 this evening.
Here were some tweets/Facebook messages a sent while waiting for a train out by New Boston:
I love tweeting about things I love while waiting for a train.
I love the sound of train whistles at night
I love the time of the year when the Red Buds open along the Lower Huron River.
I love quiet, fragrant spring evenings on the porch.
I love having breakfast with my kids and talking about their lives.
I love trips to the Ohio Amish Country with my life-long companion, Lois.
I love my quiet study where I can study the Bible and worship and pray for hours.
I love that moment when the audience grows still while I am telling a story….
I love quiet, unhurried prayer walks.
I love long drives in my Jeep, Red River George.
I love listening to the church sing on a sunny Lord’s Day morning
I love being a Herald of God
I love my fine bike Traveller. (I need to love her more often).
I love reading on the porch.
I love regimentals
I love clusters of daffodils
I love Starburst Jelly Beans
I love indie book shops
I love it when the train finally moves.
Editing a paper for Daniel I read; “On occasion, when my father wanted to do something kind for my mother, he would make the boys do the dishes.” hmmm
Walking into my study from the car I turn my collar up against the cold rain that has been falling all night. The birds are singing valiantly this morning, but that is probably because they don’t listen to news radio. The WWJ weather-man has just announced that there is a possibility of snow this evening and tomorrow morning. If the birds listened to the radio they might find it hard to sing. Yet I admire them and pray that God will give me a hopeful, cheerful spirit today as I impatiently long for sunny spring days.
We cannot defeat hatred, ignorance, and bigotry with more hatred, ignorance, and bigotry. Only light and love overcome darkness and hate
CAUTION: In our eagerness to be relevant we can pervert the message of the church, distort her purpose and prostitute her mission.
“This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.” Reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson on my day off.
Jesus, I’ve loved you as long as I can remember with growing love and deeper repentance. I will love, serve, and enjoy You forever.
OK. I’m going to confess a secret addiction. If I ever need motivation on Mondays I go on-line and watch Baptismal services. Wow.
Never let the ugliness of this fallen world distract you from the Beauty of Jesus! Have an eye for His Beauty and you will see it even here.
When you get a litter older you realize it’s the little things that matter… like remembering where you parked your car at Wal-Mart!
Three times, over breakfast Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” I try to tell him I love Him every morning over breakfast. He’s been so good to me, this God of the second-chance.
“A sermon does not have to be eternal to be immortal.” Witty Warren Wiersbe
We are not so much a product of our environment as we are a product of how we respond to our environment.
Satan loves to shrink our world down to the size of our latest problem. We need a vision of the greatness of God.
When people look at us do they see the beauty of Jesus or the ugliness of self-righteousness? (Matthew 23)
Someone’s burning leaves. It looks like winter, feels like spring, and smells like fall this evening. Pure Michigan.
There is something very natural and powerful about the relationship between men and water. Five Pierpont men traveled into northern Michigan this weekend, one of our favorite places on this earth. We stopped for a quick picture near the “holy waters” of the AuSable River.
Listening to people who survived the Great Depression has taught me this: Hard times can be good times if we stick together.
No soft drinks over 16 oz in NYC. Health risk. OK when will they ban liquor?
Hope you enjoyed a selection of my 2013 Facebook Statuses and Tweets.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
January 27, 2014