Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
From Gary Bergel: Andrea Bocelli, one of the best-known operatic singers in the world today, sat down at the piano during a charity performance for Haiti on June 1, 2010 and started telling a “little story.” He shared how a young pregnant woman went into the hospital with appendicitis. Doctors put ice on her stomach, and later suggested she have an abortion, since they believed the baby would be born with some disability. “But the young brave wife decided not... Read more
From Jeremy Weber: Where’s Grand Rapids? Where’s Wheaton? The American Bible Society has partnered with The Barna Group to identify America’s most “Bible-minded” cities, based on “highest combined levels of regular Bible reading and belief in the Bible’s accuracy.” Their No. 1 pick? Knoxville, Tennessee. The complete Top 10: #10. Charleston, W.Va #9. Huntsville, Ala. #8. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va. #7. Charlotte, N.C. #6. Springfield, Mo. #5. Jackson, Miss. #4. Birmingham, Ala. #3. Chattanooga, Tenn. #2. Shreveport, La. #1. Knoxville, Tenn. Read more
Jenn LeBow, gospel-shaped “submission”: “Dennis and I, a little more than fifteen years into our marriage, have disavowed extremes in many contexts: politics, religion, parenting. But one extreme we do cling to: we still treat each other more kindly than we treat anyone else. Some days, doing so requires more submission than any other task, but it’s always been a mutual submission for us. I see clearly how much patience it takes for Dennis to remain kind with me; my... Read more
Peter Beinart: Public relations–wise, the gun-control movement could hardly have a worse champion than CNN’s Piers Morgan. He’s haughty, he’s self-righteous, and, worst of all, he’s foreign. For the Second Amendment freaks who see Barack Obama as suspiciously un-American, his government as potentially tyrannical, and themselves as heirs to the gun toters who shot their way to liberty at Lexington and Concord, what better foil than a modern-day gun confiscator who actually is English. For years, American conservatives have been... Read more
From CT by Melissa Steffan: A new study suggests that children raised in divorce—even “good” divorces—are less likely to attend religious services and express interest in God than children raised in happy marriages. Observers say this implies the future health of churches could dependon getting non-traditional family ministries right. The report, titled “Does the Shape of Families Shape Faith?”, is comprised of papers from family and religious studies experts who together declare “that today’s grown children of divorce form a ‘broken leading edge’ of the trend of... Read more
Our Friday column, From the Shepherd’s Nook, is by John Frye, a Covenant pastor in Grand Rapids. On Loving God I have a good friend, Mary Dailey Brown, who served as a missionary in Spain along with her husband, Doug. Mary did an original translation of a poem by St. Teresa of Avila. The poem expresses passionate devotion to God. The theme of the poem is Teresa’s love for God, yet expressed in such a way that it causes us... Read more
The almost universal traditional view of hell in the Christian church is that it is a lake of fire, that it will last forever and ever and that the wicked will be conscious and tormented endlessly. So Edward Fudge, in his Hell: A Final Word , sketches what we find in the lake of fire text in Revelation. The Lake of Fire in Revelation in Revelation 20:14-15: Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire... Read more
From Mental Floss: 1. Business of Ferrets 2. Labor of Moles 3. Mustering of Storks 4. Shrewdness of Apes 5. Gam of Whales 6. Smack of Jellyfish 7. Host of Angels 8. Fusillade of Bullets 9. Baptism of Fire 10. Quiver of Arrows 11. Tissue of lies 12. Murder of Crows 13. Unkindness of Ravens 14. Dule of Doves 15. Clowder, Cluster, or Clutter of Cats 16. Kindle of Kittens 17. Mute of Hounds 18. Pass of Asses 19. Ostentation of Peacocks 20. Team of Ducks (when flying) 21. Paddling of Ducks (when on water) 22. Trip of Goats 23. Sloth, or Sleuth,... Read more
At the kind invitation of John Crosby and Brad Jackson, Kris and I were invited to Christ Presbyterian Church, Edina MN, for the weekend services along with some Q&A. The Minneapolis-St Paul area has so many fine churches, and surely Christ Presbyterian is a leading light for the area. We had a splendid time. It was so good to be with the leaders, John and Laura Crosby, Brad and Stacy, and Matt and Lauren Moberg. John Crosby, senior pastor, and... Read more
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