Posted by gachorpenning on August 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment
{A note sent to a family whose dog had just been euthanized because of cancer.} Dear Ts, What pain love can bring into our lives! Whenever we give our hearts in love, we make ourselves vulnerable to sorrow. Yet in spite of any sorrow that comes into our lives by way of love, the richness … Continue reading →
Filed under Pastor Notes · Tagged with animals, Christian life, Christianity, comfort, death, Elmira, Gary Chorpenning, grief, loss, love, mourning, pastoral ministry, pets, sorrow
Posted by gachorpenning on April 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The following is an excerpt from much longer piece that I edited and updated from a classic manual of piety from early seventeenth century England. Feel free to make use of this in any way that will be helpful to the body of Christ. Two requests: mention where your got it and don’t make money … Continue reading →
Filed under Prayer Notes · Tagged with Christ's passion, Christian, Christianity, cross, crucifixion, death, faith, Gary Chorpenning, God's sovereignty, Good Friday, Jesus, prayer, redemption, salvation, transformation, worship
Posted by gachorpenning on November 12, 2009 · 2 Comments
[The following is a letter I wrote to a forty-something parishioner who had been raised in a nominal Roman Catholic home and had given her life to Christ while she was in college. This letter was written on the occasion of her nominally Catholic mother’s death. As you will also see, the circumstances of my … Continue reading →
Filed under Pastor Notes · Tagged with Christian, Christian life, Christianity, church, church life, death, discernment, faith, Gary Chorpenning, God's grace, God's sovereignty, grief, grieving, hope, mourning, pastor, pastoral ministry, pastorate, Presbyterian, salvation
Posted by gachorpenning on October 30, 2009 · 1 Comment
[From a pastor’s notebook; the names and places have been changed to protect identities.] He is in the ICU at the local hospital. His heart is failing. He has a pacemaker, but it is not much help since the muscles of his heart are very weak. Why? I don’t know. Before I went up to … Continue reading →
Filed under Pastor Notes · Tagged with anxiety, biblical teaching, Christian, Christian life, Christianity, church, church life, death, dying, faith, fear, Gary Chorpenning, God's presence, gospel, hope, illness, pastor, pastoral ministry, Presbyterian, theological teaching, truth
