The Plodding Preacher

Last evening our sermon passage was found in Genesis 38.  It is an ugly passage.  It tells the story of Judah, his sons Er, Onan, and Shelah, and Er's wife Tamar.  Judah marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons.  His sons are so evil that God kills both Er and Onan for their wickedness.  Because Judah fears the loss of his remaining son, he fails to fulfill his obligation to Tamar of marrying her to his last son so that an heir might be raised up to Er.  Seeing the failure of her father-in-law, Tamar takes matters into her own hand by dressing as a prostitute and sleeping with Judah.  Judah, unaware of with whom he has had sex, subsequently hears that Tamar is pregnant by immorality. He demands that she be brought out and burned for her crime (can anyone say "hypocrite?").  Tamar then produces the evidence against her father-in-law and he relents.  The story ends with the birth of twin boys. I jokingly called the sermon the "Jerry ...

No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so devoutly loved. John Knox

Today in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech during the March on Washington.  It is sad that over fifty years later there is still so much hate.  The issue of racism seems to be a never-ending sin that plagues our world. It is particularly sad when those who identify as Christians practice racism.  Anyone who reads and believes the Bible should find no place in their hearts for hatred based on something as superficial as skin colour.  In fact, as I read my Bible, I see it teach that there are no different races.  There is but one race - the human race.  Whatever the colour of our skin, we were created in the image of God.  Whatever the colour of our skin, we were all purchased by the precious blood of Jesus.  In Christ we are one. Jesus loves the little children. ALL the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white. ALL are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the ...

I came across a really interesting article in Touchstone Journal about the impact of a father in passing on faith to the next generation. The Truth About Men & Church Robbie Low on the Importance of Fathers to Churchgoing M ost of us, I suspect, are not great students of “the small print.” We employ lawyers and accountants because we recognize that carefully constructed small print may contain disclaimers, definitions, and information that effectively drive a coach and horses through our assumptions about the general argument and make utterly null and void the common understanding that we thought we had. Allow me to introduce you to a piece of very small print. Not many will have whiled away the long winter evenings by reading “The demographic characteristics of the linguistic and religious groups in Switzerland” by Werner Haug and Phillipe Warner of the Federal Statistical Office, Neuchatel. It appears in Volume 2 of Population Studies No. 31 , a book titled The Demograph...

My apologies to the fine artist who created this, but I was unable to find a name to give proper credit.

Trevin Wax wrote an excellent article on the Planned Parenthood videos today.  In it he identifies what is truly terrifying. The Shrug That Scares Me To Death Aug 25, 2015 | Trevin Wax One of my favorite films is Roberto Benigni’s 1997 tragicomedy,   La Vita   è   Bella   ( Life is Beautiful ). It tells the story of a Jewish father, Guido, who invents creative ways to keep his son out of danger while they endure life in a concentration camp. There is a scene in that film that continues to haunt me. Guido is a waiter serving German officials and their wives as they gather for an evening of fine dining. While the Nazis are eating and drinking in luxury, the horror of the concentration camp lies just beyond the walls. But then, one of the German officials who knew Guido before the start of the war calls him over for a private conversation. Guido has every reason to think that this officer wants to help him and his family survive. Instead, the German off...

Without absolutes revealed from without by God Himself, we are left rudderless in a sea of conflicting ideas about manners, justice and right and wrong, issuing from a multitude of self-opinionated thinkers. John Owen

I just came across this terrific article by Natasha Crain.  It asks a vital question that every Christian parent needs to answer. The Number One Sign Your Kids Are Just Borrowing Your Faith (and Not Developing Their Own) The other day something reminded me of the popular 1993 book, “The Celestine Prophecy” (anyone remember that?). “The Celestine Prophecy” is a fiction book that discusses ideas rooted in New Age spirituality. The book sold 20 million copies and practically spawned its own cult-like religion, with groups popping up all over the country to study the insights and apply them to life. I discovered this book when I was fresh out of high school and was enamored by it. The insights were exciting (“there’s a reason for every apparent coincidence!”) and it proposed interesting ideas about spirituality that seemed totally plausible to my young mind. I couldn’t stop talking about it. I told all my friends about it. I started paying attention to how the nine insights in t...

William Tyndale was so convinced that the ordinary person ought to be able to read the Bible in her/his own language that he gave his life as a martyr to make it happen.  Why?  Listen to his own Words: "God worketh with his word, and in his word: and when his word is preached, faith rooteth herself in the hearts of the elect; and as faith entereth, and the word of God is believed, the power of God looseth the heart from the captivity and bondage under sin, and knitteth and coupleth him to God and to the will of God; altereth him, changeth him clean, fashioneth, and forgeth him anew; giveth him power to love, and to do that which before was impossible for him either to love or do; and turneth him unto a new nature, so that he loveth that which he before hated and hateth that which he before loved; and is clean altered, and changed, and contrary disposed; and is knit and coupled fast to God's will, and naturally bringeth forth good works, that is to say, that which God command...

You need to read all of this article and then pray for God to keep working on those who perform abortions. Mugged by Ultrasound Why so many abortion workers have turned pro-life. JAN 25, 2010 , VOL.   15, NO. 18   • BY   DAVID DALEIDEN   AND   JON A. SHIELDS Abortion rights activists have long preferred to hold themselves at some remove from the practice they promote; rather than naming it, they speak of “choice” and “reproductive freedom.” But those who perform abortions have no such luxury. Instead, advances in ultrasound imaging and abortion procedures have forced providers ever closer to the nub of their work. Especially in abortions performed far enough along in gestation that the fetus is recognizably a tiny baby, this intimacy exacts an emotional toll, stirring sentiments for which doctors, nurses, and aides are sometimes unprepared. Most apparently have managed to reconcile their belief in the right to abortion with their...