A Complete List of DGO Blog Posts Contents2025 2024 20232022 2021 20202019 2018 20172016 2015 20142025Churchfunding: A Report of Our Day of Thanksgiving Church Leadership: Shepherds, Sheep, and the Good Shepherd April 12 House Celebration and Giving Opportunity Churchfunding: Time to Celebrate!2024Rachel Weeping for Her Children: Death and Light in Bethlehem [Book Review]As Good as DeadZeal for Your House Will Consume MeHow Is The Word of God Living and Active?Welcome To DGO 2.0!Churchfunding: 2023 Year-End Report2023Churchfunding: 2022 Year-End Report2022Joseph, the Just and Merciful DivorcerDid Jesus Introduce a New Standard for Divorce? (JDR-12)“From the Beginning It Was Not So”—And Never Has Been (JDR-11)“Hardness of Heart” and Jesus’ Audience, Then and Now (JDR-10)Why Did “Hardness of Heart” Cause God to Allow Divorce? (JDR-9)“Moses Allowed You to Divorce” Suggests a Breakable Bond (JDR-8)“Let Not Man Separate” Implies a Breakable Bond (JDR-7)Genesis 2:24 as God’s Creation Norm for Marriage (JDR-6)“God Has Joined Together” Does Not Imply an Unbreakable Bond (JDR-5)“One Flesh” Does Not Imply an Unbreakable Bond (JDR-4)“Cleave” Does Not Imply an Unbreakable Bond (JDR-3)The “Divorce Evil” and the Response of the Mennonite Church (1880s to 1905)Radical Faithfulness: A Proposal about Marriage PermanenceHyper-Literalism, Could vs. Should, and a Guiding Question (JDR-2)Jesus on Divorce and Remarriage: Introduction (JDR-1)Churchfunding: 2021 Year-End Report2021Why did Mennonites Abandon the Early Anabaptist View of Jesus’ Exception Clause? (Transition from German to English)“Worshiping and Imitating Our Servant King” (Sermon)Why did Mennonites Abandon the Early Anabaptist View of Jesus’ Exception Clause? (Separatism and Confessional Statements)When did Mennonites Discard the Early Anabaptist Interpretation of Jesus’ Exception Clause about Divorce?Churchfunding: 2020 Year-End Report2020“In the Sight of God”: Divine Perspective from 1 PeterWhy Did Early Anabaptists Believe Jesus Allowed Divorce and Remarriage in Cases of Adultery?Anabaptists Then (1600-1860s): “It Is Clearly to Be Seen”Up From the Dust (Poems by Dwight)“Concerning Divorce Between Believers and Unbelievers” – An Early Hutterite DocumentAnabaptists Then (1500s): An “Unchangeable Plain Word of Christ”Anabaptists Now: Taking Exception to Jesus’ Exception ClauseIs Marriage Indissoluble? A Look at Two Passages from “Rabbi” PaulWhat Does “One Flesh” Mean?A Song: “Before All Things (Colossians 1:15-20)”Churchfunding: 2019 Year-End Report2019Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (Audio and PDFs)Is Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (6 of 6)Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (5 of 6)Don’t You Know?! (ουκ οιδατε;)Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (4 of 6)Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (3 of 6)Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (2 of 6)Was Jesus Okay With Homosexuality? (1 of 6)A Season for FaithEvery Promise in the Book Is Mine?God “Was Able”? Or “Is Able”?2018Churchfunding: 2018 Year-End ReportI and my Wife and Paul’s GrammarWanted: Weak Christians (5 of 5)Wanted: Weak Christians (4 of 5)Wanted: Weak Christians (3 of 5)Wanted: Weak Christians (2 of 5)Wanted: Weak Christians (1 of 5)Hospitable Barbarians and Homeless HeartsA Heart that Bears Fruit for God (4 of 4)A Heart that Bears Fruit for God (3 of 4)A Heart that Bears Fruit for God (2 of 4)A Heart that Bears Fruit for God (1 of 4)Why Did Jesus Command His Disciples to Buy Swords? – Intro DraftNotes While Reading the Christian Standard Bible (CSB)How Do We Know Jesus Rose from the Dead?On Which Day of the Week Did Jesus Die?Who Is Lording Over Whom? (Matthew 20:25)What Does a True Follower of Jesus Look Like?A Story in GreekChurchfunding: 2017 Year-End Report2017The Higher Calling: The Church, Jesus’ Rival Nation, God’s Kingdom (Guest Post from Sattler College)“All Things Work Together for…” What?“Red Letter Reductionism” ExpandedNaked and Exposed Before the Living God (Sermon)“Into the World, But Not o f the World”Should the Church Bear Witness to the State?Easter Graces in AtlantaThere Are Better Books (Than “The Shack”)Sonship and Suffering–Slides from My Sermon“Let Him” Or “If He”? Translating Divorce in Deuteronomy2016Churchfunding: 2016 Year-End ReportA Library Online–Or At Least OnshelvesWhy Do I Believe the Bible? A Short AnswerPoll: Which Is the Best Hymnal for Mennonites?Help Us to Not Be Afraid; Winter Birch [Poems by Mom]Like Spring [Poem by Mom]12 Ways to Provoke Your Children to Anger (Lou Priolo)Spring Leaves in Rain [Poem by Mom]God’s Word and the Pastor’s Authority (Hebrews 1:1-4)Churchfunding Update 11: We Bought a House!Thirty-Three Years: A Life [Poem by Mom]Churchfunding Update 10: We Might Have a House!Churchfunding Update 9: An Answer to Special Prayer?Christians and Satire: What Does the Bible Say?The RAT: A New Bible Translation for AnabaptistsDid Satan Give Super Tuesday to Trump and Clinton? (Luke 4:6)What Jesus Wished He Could Say before He Died (John 16:12)Why Should You Care about Cities? (3/3)Why Should You Care about Cities? (2/3)Why Should You Care about Cities? (1/3)Churchfunding Update 8: An Invitation to Special PrayerGod Bless This Ark; As Arrows from the Hand [Poems by Mom]The Church of Christ — Ferguson (4): Salvation and Church MembershipA Commentary on 1 and 2 Chronicles — Merrill (Review)In Which I Am Surprised to Agree With John Nelson DarbyDo Non-Christian Jews and Christians Worship the Same God?Partly Free [Poem by Mom]The Church of Christ — Ferguson (3): What Is the Church?Peacemaking: The Quiet in the Land Speak Up2015“How Do You Know Me?” — Words and Self-IdentityThe Picture Smart Bible and Other Bible Resources for 2016Arminians, Calvinists, and Two Theological Terms Worth ChuckingBetween Comings (A Poem for Christmas)Chronological Bibles — A Buying GuideThe Church of Christ — Ferguson (2): Covenant, Kingdom, ChristThe Church of Christ — Ferguson (1): IntroductionDownsview Station Jazz Rap [Poem by Mom]Study Resources for JohnA Traitor Comes to the Table [Poem by Mom]NIV Zondervan Study Bible (Review and Comparison with ESV Study Bible)Is “Love One Another” A New Commandment for You?“The Great Missing Link in Much of Anabaptist Missions” — David RobertsonChurchfunding Update 7: Funds Ready, Waiting on House ($69,635)40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper — Hammett (Review)Churchfunding Update 6: Time to Send Your Pledges–Here’s How ($65,895)Churchfunding Update 5: Almost Ready for Your Pledges! ($60,995)Churchfunding Update 4: In the School of Faith ($44,240)Happy Birthday, DGO!Only God’s World [Poem by Mom]Churchfunding Update 3: Halfway to Making an Offer ($30,415)Churchfunding Update 2: Our New Accountant ($26,965)Churchfunding Update 1: Info for Canadians and More ($20,625)Churchfunding a House in Atlanta: Official LaunchIn Which a Strange Plan Is Hatched on Facebook (News Bulletin)Commentary Sale — New American Commentary Series on KindleGoing Public: Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership — Jamieson (Review)Jesus in the Room [Poem by Mom]The Arts, Biblical Theology, and Proof I’m Not a Complete PhilistineThe Arts and the Absence of JesusA Is for AtlantaLot the Big-Time Mennonite FarmerStudy Resources for Kings and ChroniclesFresh Milling [Poem by Mom]Articles of Church MembershipA Fellowship of Differents — McKnight (Review)Remember the Resurrection, to Keep it CentralJudgment and Meaning: You’ll Get Your Day in Court125 Years of Seven Ordinances — Rough DraftInfinitude [Poem by Mom]In the Presence of Older TheologiansThe Lord’s Prayer and the Center of the UniverseMelchizedek, Carson, and the Tar BabyPrayers for Conservative Anabaptist ChurchesNew Bible Reading Plan for a Mid-Year BoostDefending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul — Gathercole (Review)By Every Word [Poem by Mom]Tradition in the NT (2): Good ExamplesTradition in the NT (1): Bad ExamplesStudy Resources for HebrewsTrained by Grace, Made Holy by the GospelClarifications about Removing Church TraditionsThinking Intentionally about Tradition and ChangeJasmine, Our Blossom [Poem by Mom]“Christian Atheists” – Guest Post by Frank Reed“The Holy Scriptures Must Be Our Ruling Standard”Contentment: “Whose God Is Their Belly”Is a “Radical Lifestyle” a Hurdle for Seekers?Unfinished Thoughts for Your ImprovementThe Schleitheim Confession: Who May Share the Lord’s Supper?There Is Hope of a Tree [Poem by Mom]When the Church Was a Family — Hellerman (Review)The New Testament Church: The Challenge of Developing Ecclesiologies – Harrison/Dvorak (Review)Ecclesiology of the Reformers (7): Conclusions and QuestionsLife Thirst: L’Chaim [Poem by Mom]What I Learned at AIC 2015 about How To Use the BibleReading the Psalms as Christians“Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!”The Love of Christ Controls UsNIV Proclamation Bible (Book Review)Anabaptists, Flat Bibles, and the SabbathStudy Resources for MatthewEcclesiology of the Reformers (6): William TyndaleProfessor Janzen Reads Hopkins’ Sonnets [Poem by Mom]Ecclesiology of the Reformers (5): Menno SimonsMore on Calvin: Marks of the Church and Fighting Nicely.Ecclesiology of the Reformers (4): John CalvinWhen Will the Church Be Pure?Ecclesiology of the Reformers (3): Huldrych ZwingliEcclesiology of the Reformers (2): Martin LutherEcclesiology of the Reformers (1): Late Middle AgesWatching You Watch the Birds [Poem by Mom]Kissing in the First Century: Excerpt from Craig KeenerNIV Turns 50: An Interview with Douglas J. MooFinal Surprises about 2014’s Most Popular Verses (Part 3)10 Surprises about 2014’s Most Popular Bible Verses (Part 2)10 Surprises about 2014’s Most Popular Bible Verses.20145 Ways to Understand the Bible Better in 2015At Christmastime; Christmas Comes Again [Poems by Mom]Does the Resurrection Matter? (Albert Mast’s Memorial Service)A “Far Better” Morning for AlbertWhat Is the Christian’s True Hope in Death?ESV Audio Bible on SaleGiving To and Through the Church (Part 6)Giving To and Through the Church (Part 5)Giving To and Through the Church (Part 4)Giving To and Through the Church (Part 3)Giving To and Through the Church (Part 2)Giving To and Through the Church (Part 1)Two Trees [Poem By Mom]Which Came First–Original Sin or Infant Baptism?Kindle Sale: NIV Application CommentariesShould Every Church Gathering Look Like 1 Corinthians 14?On Translation Choices and Pastoral ConcernsWho Judged After Samson? Eli or Samuel?What to Expect Next on Dwight Gingrich Online“In Adam’s Fall We…?” Inclusion or Imperialism in Romans 5Can a Hermit Be Humble?If You’re Not a Berean, Who Might You Be?Launch Day!Social Media according to the Gospel“If anyone does not provide for his relatives…”Resurrection Now! Seated with Christ in Heavenly PlacesTools for Reading Old Testament Stories WellWhich New Testament Church Practices Are Normative for Today?Should You Desire to Be an Elder?3 Lessons from the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35)The Big Picture Story Bible – David R. HelmOn motivating Christians to holy living“Men learned in the Greek and Hebrew languages”Handbook on the NT Use of the OT – G.K. BealeAccording to the Scriptures – C.H. DoddWhat is “the Rapture”?“The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”Are you being trained by grace?Deuteronomy–heart of the Old Testament, hints of the New“What I learned in seminary” — a list for pastorsDecision-making with God in the pictureMusic-making and bonding in multicultural churches“Creating a Reading Culture in Your Church”“Getting Excited About Melchizedek”“Why become ‘all things to all people’?”Mennonites, education, and missionsStory-powered godly livingOn pragmatism and biblicismThe goal of gospel contextualization“For you formed my inward parts”“Eating and drinking unworthily” and Christian poverty“With a rich man in his death” — Holy Saturday thoughts“Many” New Testament allusions to Isaiah 53A Definition of “Baptism"On reading Augustine of HippoThe frustration and joy of John the BaptistFun with church history and chastityWhat’s this bit about “sinful nature”?Head and heart: Worshiping as whole personsOld Testament holy war and Christian nonresistanceOn the danger of turning norms into absolutesChurch cultures and the danger of complacency“What grace alone can do” — J.S. CoffmanCoffman and the origin of 7 ordinancesDo you “believe into” Jesus?Seeing the face of GodOn scanning Mennonite confessions of faith“Ran… embraced… kissed”Wisdom versus revelation – James 1:5Jonah and superficial repentanceOn taking God’s name in vain“When people add to the Word of God”On borrowing pagan musical forms“The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind”What do I love most?A doctrine of “continually renewed minds”?Rapture? Or a new heaven and a new earth?Did Enoch and Elijah die?