Bill Nieporte, Pastor

Richmond, Virginia

A Visit From The Christ Child (a poem)

By: billnieporte | Date: December 7, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Quotes, Random Thoughts, Sermons, Who Is Jesus?, Worship

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, originally called “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”   In many American homes is it read on Christmas Eve.   It begins ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ and redefined the image of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, who had never before been associated with a sleigh or reindeers! [...]

I’m Just Saying…I Cannot Meet Your Spiritual Need

By: billnieporte | Date: September 12, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Random Thoughts

“I’m just sayin…” Every pastor has heard it. I imagine that most every church leader (teacher, musician, deacon, elder, etc.) has also heard it. “Your church is NOT meeting my spiritual needs!” OR maybe you have heard this… “Your church IS meeting my spiritual needs!” If we hear the second statement, we are so excited. [...]

We always are talking AT one another

By: billnieporte | Date: August 16, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Random Thoughts

Psychologist Jean Piaget says that when two very young children talk to each other, they do so in monologue. Put another way, they each respond to the fact that the other child has spoken, but not to what the other child has actually said. Could it be that we have never actually grown up? Take [...]

Quick Quote: Christianity is NOT a Moral Code of Conduct according to C.S. Lewis

By: billnieporte | Date: July 21, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Grace Notes, Random Thoughts

I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk [...]

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About My Friends: Quick Quote From C.S. Lewis

By: billnieporte | Date: May 27, 2011 | Categories: Grace Notes, Random Thoughts

Over the last few days I have been in a conference teaching listening skills, Bible-storying, and how these skills can be used to lead a church and disciple people to understand the wonders of God’s amazing love.  Over the few days, I made some special new friends.  I also reflected on the blessing of my [...]

Quick Quote

By: billnieporte | Date: May 5, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Missional Grace, Random Thoughts

Thanks Tom Batterson for sharing the following quote from Tom Murphy: “Much current leadership ‘wisdom’ in the church is little more than taking popularized ideas from the marketplace, running them through the baptistery, and validating them with biblical illustrations. Leadership in the Kingdom of God must surely be other, more, and better. “Some basic principles [...]

Suicide and Assisted Suicide

By: billnieporte | Date: February 17, 2011 | Categories: Bible Studies, Random Thoughts

Read:  I Samuel 31:1-13, Psalms 94:17, 139:15-16; Jeremiah 10:23; James 5:10-11 Reviewing my journal, I discovered that 1997 was filled with many interesting landmarks.  I am not talking about milestones like the completion of my doctor of ministry degree or moving to a new church.  I am referring to individuals who have called my office, [...]

SEVEN SENSATIONAL AND SEXY TIPS TO SPICING UP YOUR MARRIAGE

By: billnieporte | Date: January 8, 2011 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Random Thoughts

  SEVEN SENSATIONAL AND SEXY TIPS TO SPICING UP YOUR MARRIAGE by Bill Nieporte & Jeana Murray-Nieporte Congratulate us! We just celebrated 22 years of “Success-in-Marriage.” Notice our word SUCCESS. We’ve not just survived 22 years of marriage (as a friend recently said of her relationship with her spouse). On the contrary, we have experience SUCCESS [...]

They Kicked God Out…

By: billnieporte | Date: December 30, 2010 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Random Thoughts

“I’m just saying…” I read this sign in a restaurant earlier today:  “They kicked God out of the public schools, but He is still welcome here.  Feel free to pray!”  The sign included a family, around a table, holding hands, heads bowed. Let’s set the silly notion aside for this post that God could be [...]

The Unholy Trinity

By: billnieporte | Date: November 16, 2010 | Categories: "I'm Just Saying...", Random Thoughts, Who Is Jesus?

Here’s something I read today by Jonathan Stepp over at http://trinityandhumanity.wordpress.com He call’s it “the unholy Trinty.” “Here’s the unholy trinity “The belief in the all-seeing God who is unitarian, grouchy, and watching our every move. “The belief that Jesus came from this God (and was, in some ill-defined way, this God’s son) to create [...]