By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
It is called the “Hjalli Teaching Model.” Founded in 1989 by self-described “radical feminist” Margret Pala Olafsdottir, several nursery and elementary schools in Iceland (where Olafsdottir is from) now use the model. The goal? Their words, “to counter stereotypical gender roles and behaviors.” At the schools, everything is gender-neutral, including the identical uniforms boys and […]
How do our kids stay Christian? Is there a more pressing question for Christian parents? And the question is vitally important for churches to address, too. We know the theological answer. God sovereignly ordains salvation. And that He preserves those He calls to saving faith. All good and well. But God also ordains the means […]
One-hundred years ago, G.K. Chesterton quipped, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it” (Everlasting Man). There is too much floating these days. The cultural stream is running fast. In fact, it is no longer a stream. It is a raging river. How can we fight […]
Not long ago I came across the story behind the Christmas hymn, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Morning.” The hymn is based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem written during the Civil War. Obviously, it was a dark time for our nation. Adding to this, Longfellow had just tragically lost his wife and his son […]
Early in redemptive history, God gave the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. He did so on the heels of the exile. Israel, in Egyptian bondage for four centuries, was miraculously rescued from her servitude. Regarding the Law, God’s people were promised blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. The greatest curse promised was exile […]
There’s the screaming, fist-shaking, and tantrums out in front of SCOTUS. We expected that. There’s the soul-less politicians and their impassioned promises to restore what was lost. We expected that. There’s the Hollywood ranting how ashamed and saddened they are. We expected that. Here is what I did not expect. The number of businesses and […]
I am old now, soon to go the way of all men. God’s call is coming shortly. I am not long for this world. But I write with excitement and satisfaction. For tomorrow, the State of Washington’s Legislature is voting to outlaw abortion, to rid our state of its 75-year reprehensible behavior of killing children […]
Washington Irving published his fanciful tale, Rip Van Winkle in 1819. The story is set in late 18th century America. Rip was squirrel hunting in the Catskill Mountains, dulled by drink he lays down for a nap. Deep sleep doesn’t explain the half of it. He wakes up 20 years later thinking it was the […]
Decades from now, if the world becomes saner through the Kingdom of God getting larger, we will have a conversation with our grandchildren or great grandchildren. And they may ask us something like this, “Tell us about the troubling times. How did it happen? What was wrong with people? Didn’t they see it coming? Why […]
What is it you want for your kids? I hope its more than they turn out happy, successful, and come home for the holidays. A few weeks back in the blog “Have Some Kids,” I quoted Psalm 127:3-5. The passage that speaks of children being “arrows in the hand of a warrior” and blessed is […]
I was boning up on my C.R. Wiley this week, taking off the shelf my copy of “The Household and the War for the Cosmos,” given that he will be our guest speaker a week from this Saturday at our Men’s Breakfast. I was reminded of a quote from the book I found particularly insightful: […]
G.K. Chesterton, a large man with an even larger wit, had the rare gift of saying much with little. His few words on a matter were often poignant, sharp, and provocative. He did not need a paragraph. He just needed a sentence. One hundred years ago he advised his contemporaries, “Do not be so open-minded […]