Seventeen years ago we travelled south at Easter time. The destination was Arkansas where our daughter was teaching school and Deborah, one of our daughters friends, was with us. As we drove south through Arkansas, we noticed numerous mounds of dirt in the fields. After reaching our destination, we asked about those mounds. “Oh, they’re … Continue reading Seasons
Author: Bob Goodnough
Spiritual starvtion and suicide
[This was written 33 years ago, as you will note by the reference to the IRA hunger strikers.] "But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat" (Matt. 14:16). Jesus was out in the hills of Galilee, and the multitudes came there to him to be healed and to learn … Continue reading Spiritual starvtion and suicide
Salt of the earth
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).“Not only did the Hebrews make general use of salt in the food of both … Continue reading Salt of the earth
Exegesis vs Eisegesis
I know some people will see this title and will already have a pretty good idea of what I am going to say. Others may wonder why I am using such fancy words. I hope you will all bear with me, read the post and feel free to comment. In layman's terms, exegesis is what … Continue reading Exegesis vs Eisegesis
What Standard Are We Using?
"Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I … Continue reading What Standard Are We Using?
The Sabbath: rest for the body or for the soul?
Philo of Alexandria, defending Jews from Roman accusations of laziness because of their strict observation of the Sabbath, wrote: “On this day we are commanded to abstain from all work, not because the law inculcates slackness. . . . Its object is rather to give man relaxation from continuous and unending toil and by refreshing … Continue reading The Sabbath: rest for the body or for the soul?
Restless Christians
Throughout the Bible there is a promise of rest for the people of God, typified by the seventh day when God rested from His labours. The Bible tells us that after Joshua led the people of God into the promised land they had rest from all their enemies round about (Joshua 23:1). However, the book … Continue reading Restless Christians
Family Day musings
Today is Family Day in my part of Canada. It is a holiday that was begun in one province several years ago and is slowly spreading across the country. Our dining room table was covered with jigsaw puzzle pieces this morning, from a 1,000 piece puzzle my wife started yesterday when we had company, an … Continue reading Family Day musings
Verla’s first prayer
Verla didn’t know what to think when a group of Mennonites came to sing for her husband. Neither did they for that matter; they did not know the people in this house. However, someone had suggested they sing for this dying man and so they did. Verla and the children stayed in another room until … Continue reading Verla’s first prayer
More about cat #3
Cat number three is Pookie, an almost two year old flame point Siamese. He is our most antsy and most vocal cat, but usually settles down mid morning for a good sleep. Yesterday he was much more antsy than usual. I really believe that he knew my wife was out in that storm and was … Continue reading More about cat #3