[The decline in the public education system did not begin yesterday. These paragraphs are excerpted from a book published more than 60 years ago. The difference today is that most people accept this as normal – they don’t remember a time when things were different. First posted seven years ago.] Is it possible that this timidity, this … Continue reading Illiteracy in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Three Impossible Things That I Believe
I believe that God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, yet only one God. All three are shown in the scene of the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:16-17: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the … Continue reading Three Impossible Things That I Believe
When did you reach adulthood?
If a man is not a Socialist at 20 be has no heart, but if he remains one at 30 he has no head. -Anselme Barbie, 1828-1887; mistakenly attributed to countless others. In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is … Continue reading When did you reach adulthood?
We try to do too much
Trying to save the planet leaves us frustrated, angry, bitter and in despair. Trying to compel other people turn to Jesus will do the same thing. These jobs are too big for us; leave them to God. We can be kind to others because of the love of God n our hearts. We can respond … Continue reading We try to do too much
The world is a mess
• The world is a mess. • Most of the mess was caused by people who thought they were mending it. • We are no wiser than they were. • We are not good people. • We can’t mend the world because it is made up of people just like us. • We need to … Continue reading The world is a mess
A faith worth dying for
Many of the Old Testament prophets died for the things they said. They were speaking the truth that God had revealed to them by His Spirit and the leaders of the people could not stand to hear that truth. So they killed the messengers of God thinking that would bring them peace. The Jewish leaders … Continue reading A faith worth dying for
The origins of the Waldensians
One thing that is clear is that there were Waldenses before Peter Waldo, thus it cannot be said that he founded the Waldensian movement, or church. Waldenses, Vaudois in French, means “people of the valleys,” referring to the valleys in the Alps which form the border between France and Italy. Peter Waldo, Pierre de Vaux … Continue reading The origins of the Waldensians
The Works of Antichrist
[From a Waldensian writing dating from the year 1120. The historical belief of the Anabaptist-Waldensian-Mennonite faith is that Antichrist refers to a counterfeit of Christ.] The first is that he perverts the worship properly due to God alone, by giving it to Antichrist himself and to his works, to the poor creature, rational or non … Continue reading The Works of Antichrist
To be a disciple
The Great Commission tells Christians to make disciples from all nations. In practice though, it seems many evangelical efforts have thought it sufficient to get a profession of faith from new believers, to make converts. That’s only a beginning. If I stop at being converted, I am not sufficiently rooted and grounded in the faith … Continue reading To be a disciple
Why I am a member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
I was looking for a home—a family. An inner longing was pushing me to search for a church where there would be truth and warmth. Sometimes in my mind I thought I had found it, but that inner longing told me—No, this isn’t what you need. I met many good people along the way, picked … Continue reading Why I am a member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite