For those who do not recognize the question at the head of this article, it is part of Job's response to the arguments of Eliphaz the Temanite and is found in Job 6:25. The whole verse reads: "How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?" I confess that I have sometimes been … Continue reading But what doth your arguing reprove?
Faith and life
Natural affection
I started school in 1948 in a one-room school. The first order of business on the first day involved cutting and pasting and I recall the teacher assigning me to help a little girl who had apparently never done anything of the sort before. I was already quite a proficient reader and the Dick and … Continue reading Natural affection
Truth and reality
In simple terms, truth is something that we trust in and base our lives upon. Reality is what others see from the way we live. Is there a gap between what we say we believe to be true and what is revealed by the choices we make in life? We say we are saved by … Continue reading Truth and reality
My boomerang won’t come back!
This was the title of a hit song from about fifty years ago. Sung by a British singer with a cockney accent, it was the lament of a young Australian Aborigine who couldn't get his boomerang to come back to him. It was the type of politically incorrect, culturally insensitive song that would never be … Continue reading My boomerang won’t come back!
And lean not unto thine own understanding
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" -Proverbs 3:5. I've been wondering of late if I really understand this verse. God has given us a mind with the capacity of understanding vast and complex subjects, and surely He wants us to use it. The Bible certainly assumes … Continue reading And lean not unto thine own understanding
Youth and the church
Since the days of the youth movement, church youth work has often lacked that element of Christian sobriety that alone might enable it to recognize that the spirit of youth is not the Holy Spirit and that the future of the church is not youth itself but rather the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It is … Continue reading Youth and the church
Why is the door locked?
Karen Mains, in her book Open Heart, Open Home, included a chapter entitled The Nicest House in Town. It describes a beautiful home, in a beautiful yard, and through the windows people can be seen happily visiting together and feasting on sumptuous food. Sounds of beautiful singing can be heard coming from those inside. Huddled … Continue reading Why is the door locked?
Words easy to be understood
As Christians we tend to speak in Christian jargon. Aren't we aware that other people don't talk like that? Or do we think it's neat to have our own lingo that other people don't understand? The apostle Paul didn't think that was a good idea: "So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words … Continue reading Words easy to be understood
Confusion of tongues
For about a year now our congregation, in addition to our old hymnal, has been using a supplementary collection of gospel songs. Sunday evening we sang one of those songs for perhaps the second time. The English words were not familiar to me, but the melody was. I realized it belonged to a familiar French … Continue reading Confusion of tongues
The battles of life
Ah, simple boy! - well had it been for thee Had thy ambitious longing been confined To objects wisely placed beyond thy grasp. But years stole on – thy ardent spirit broke Its childish trammels, and with eager joy Explored the warlike annals of the past, And called up spirits of the mighty dead, To … Continue reading The battles of life
Flatlander Faith 