By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
I enjoy reading our paper’s “Letters to the Editor.” It provides a snapshot of what’s going on out there—a window into society’s soul. But one of this morning’s editorials (TNT, 2-29) provided a window into the soul of a local, mainline church. And I, for one, did not enjoy the view. The editorial was entitled: […]
On one end the psalmist says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Ps. 122:1). On the other end were the people of Malachi’s day who had a different thought about going to God’s house, “What a weariness this is” (Mal. 1:13). On one end […]
Times were difficult in the days of Daniel. Judah had been overrun by Babylon. Much of the nation had been deported—Daniel included. Babylon was quite proud she had destroyed Jerusalem and raided the temple of God. The people of God were defeated and discouraged. Was Marduk (the chief god of Babylon) stronger than God? In […]
I know why you speak of rights, fairness, and equality whenever you make your case for same-sex marriage. Just 20 years ago, your side was losing the debate. Then, like a struggling business or a losing sport’s team, you repackaged yourselves. Rather then portraying homosexuality as a deviant and promiscuous sexual minority, you began presenting […]
Our governor has “flipped,” as they say in politics. I don’t think so, though. She’s a lame-duck so she’s probably just doing what she has wanted to do since she was first elected back in 2004. But what she says is that she’s taken a “personal journey” concerning the matter. I’d like a follow-up, “From […]
Notice to the reader: another in the series from “If They Could Talk” follows; the story of our redemption through the eye-witness accounts of animals who found themselves at key redemptive moments. The target audience is children; that they might better understand the Bible and God’s plan of salvation as it unfolds in Scripture. Other […]
Back to those “holes” in your backyard (please see previous blog: “Take a Drink”); those “cisterns” you’ve been drinking from in hopes of being refreshed. If you don’t know, a cistern is not a well. A cistern is a dug out reservoir to hold water; water directed to it from a nearby spring or more […]
I finished reading Isaiah a few weeks ago; my devotions have since taken me to Jeremiah. About 100 years separated these guys who shared the same profession and mission: be God’s voice to God’s people. Isaiah prophesied to Judah in a time when her northern sister, Israel, was being overrun and exiled by Assyria. His […]
Jeremiah had a difficult gig. He was a priest and prophet during the days leading up to Judah’s demise and deportation by Babylon in 586 BC. Most of his sermons and prophecies concerned the impending doom. As a result, he was unpopular: “I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; […]
Do you know that you gave $1 to an abortionist this year? And without your consent, that dollar was used to kill a baby. How so? Planned Parenthood received $363 million dollars this past year of taxpayer funding. We are a nation of 312 million people. Do the math and each of us actually gave […]
“Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people.” That’s Ecclesiastes 12:9. Who is the referenced “Teacher”? It is Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes (1:1). Early in Solomon’s reign, God gave him a “genie in the bottle” opportunity: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5). […]
“Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative,” wrote Dr. J. Gresham Machen in his line-in-the-sand book Christianity and Liberalism. Writing in the early 20th century, Machen clearly saw the difference between liberalism (liberal church) and Christianity when he said “Liberalism begins by telling the sinner what he must do; Christianity begins by telling the sinner what […]