Ephesians paraphrased!

     Recently, I had the pleasure of studying the book of Ephesians with my small group Bible study at Church at the Ridge. One of the exercises I regularly do when studying through a book of the Bible is to paraphrase the section I have just studied as a way of making sure I comprehended what I just read. I take into account all the background information and context when I do this to have a well-rounded understanding. I have done this with a few other books (James & Colossians).

     Please make no mistake, I am not claiming to be a Bible translator or scholar, this is just my own paraphrase that came out of my personal study. However, it has not only proven helpful to me but to a few others I have shared it with. So I am making it available via this blog. I am not looking for critiques or to start doctrinal arguments. If you want to read it, then read it. If you don't then don't. If it's helpful, great. If not, forget it. If you disagree with my interpretation, let me encourage to not waste time arguing with me about it; make your own paraphrase. It's an excellent exercise for deeper comprehension of the text and the flow of them and though throughout. But be assured that if you go to the trouble of writing a lengthy commentary here, I will not bother to read it at all. I will in fact delete it unread. That is not the point here. The point here is to encourage and equip the family of God, not to quibble and quarrel.

So without further ado, follow this link to my Ephesians paraphrase. Grace and peace! -- Jerry

New Message: Out of the Main Stream

What happens when the church loses its "first love"? How can we tell if our church is in danger of drifting out of the current of God's presence and power, and becoming a closed off, stagnant pool? Yesterday I had the honor of teaching from Revelation 2:1-5 at my church, Church at the Ridge. In case you weren't there, or if you are one of my out-of-town friends or family, I have posted it here. I would love to hear your feedback! Thanks!

Marriage Matters!

I recently had the honor of speaking at my church, The Church at The Ridge, as part of our Family Matters series. My pastor, Steve Whipple, asked me to teach on the marriage relationship as the foundational relationship of the family. You can listen to the message here. Let me know what you think!