Aaron Simms's Blog, page 12

Routines, Tasks, Time, and Tools – My Productivity Tips

I humbly submit some of my productivity tips.  I don’t normally feel “busy,” even though I have a number of irons in the fire, so to speak.  I’ve just established a routine over the years that works for me, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on how I’ve been able to be more productive.

1. Have a routine

I think the most important thing is just to develop a daily routine.  I started my current routine about 11 years ago when I began grad school.  I was working full time and doing a master’s...

Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

In the Gospel readings for last week and this week we’ve seen two parables of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

Last week’s parable (Matthew 13:1-9,18-23) focused on God as the sower who sows His Word and the four types or classes of people who receive the Word: there are those who hear the Word but do not receive it; there are those who receive the Word but it does not take deep root, so they fall away when trial and tribulation come; there are those who hear the Word, but the cares a...

Adiaphora! What is it? Does it Matter?

Adiaphora is a Greek term which means things which are neither commanded nor forbidden.  In the context of Christianity, adiaphora are things which God neither commands nor forbids, or things which are not necessary for salvation.  Thus, things which are adiaphora lie within the realm of Christian liberty and are not essential to the faith; they are “indifferent things.”

The fun part is that Christians sometimes disagree on just what is adiaphora and what is not.  In general, though, things c...

Four Kinds – The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13)

Have you ever seeded a new yard with grass seed?  You put the seed in one of those spreaders with the rotating wands underneath, so as you walk along the yard the seed is dispersed in a circular pattern around the spreader.  You basically spend most of the day walking around, with the spreader sowing the grass seed.  But, because of the way the seed is spread, some of it falls on the soil, some of it falls in the planting beds, and some of it falls on ground that’s kinda rocky, and some of it...

Comparison of Lutheran and Catholic Beliefs Regarding Communion

A couple of recent news articles made me think that perhaps a post concerning some of the differences between Lutheran and Catholic beliefs regarding Holy Communion might be helpful (I also find theological discussions endlessly interesting).

Communion is also called The Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist (“Thanksgiving”), or the Sacrifice of the Altar.  My intent in this post is simply to describe, the best that I can, the differences in belief.  I’m a Lutheran pastor, so I’m obviously coming at t...

Struggling With Sin

St. Paul is an apostle of the Lord, called by the Lord himself to be his messenger and witness to the nations.  Yet, in Paul’s letter to the Romans he says that he struggles with sin (Romans 7:14-25).  This man who we look up to as a pillar of the New Testament Church still struggled with sin.  He says that he knows the right thing to do, but he has trouble doing it.   And he knows the wrong things to do, but he has trouble not doing them.  He says that he is at war with himself, his spirit s...

Died and Risen (Romans 7:1-13)

There are two sure things in this present life: death and taxes.  So, in our lives we know that we will always endure taxes; but, we also know that our death frees us from our taxes.  Once we die, the IRS no longer has any hold over us (except I suppose, for estate taxes)

Paul in his letter to the church in Rome speaks of a similar issue (Romans 7:1-13).  He says that God’s Law “is binding on a person only as long as he lives.”  He uses the example of a woman who is bound to her husband in ma...

Free Christian Resources Online

Over the years, I’ve found some free resources online that I’ve found helpful, which I thought I’d share.  Please feel free to send me others that you’ve also found useful.

 

Bibles

Bible Hub – Contains electronic versions of all the major English translations of the Bible.  It also provides the ability to easily search for passages and keywords.

ESV.org – If you like the English Standard Version (ESV), this is a site specifically for it.  The formatting is a little cleaner than Bible Hub, an...

In-Depth Review of Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” – From the Archives

In September 2013, I wrote a five part in-depth review of a book called “Zealot” by Reza Aslan. He has since gone on to become a reporter for CNN, although his show was recently canceled due to some off-color tweets of his.  However, I think my review of his book is still helpful and relevant, as he rehashes a series of arguments made against Christianity since the very beginning, and I’ve attempted to refute his arguments in my review.

With that said, here are the links to the original parts...

“Fear not, therefore…”

What is the cost of proclaiming God’s Word to a fallen world?

In the Old Testament, the cost was often being ridiculed, ostracized, or even arrested.  Elijah was chased out of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, because he dared to challenge the false prophets and their idols.  Jeremiah was arrested for sedition, because he had called the people to repentance and foretold the capture of Jerusalem by the empire of Babylon.  John the Baptist, who straddled the era of the prophetic promises of the O...