Le Père Martin, a Christmas story about an old shoemaker who wanted to see Jesus, appeared over 130 years ago. It was the work of Ruben Saillens, writer, musician and Baptist pastor of Marseilles. Unbeknownst to him, the tale was soon translated into English and circulated without the name of the author. The Russian writer … Continue reading Papa Panov should be Father Martin
Get out of the bus and walk
Sunday morning. Dad had come in with pails of steaming milk and was cranking the cream separator, Mom was getting breakfast ready and I was setting the table. Over the radio came the voice of Ernest Manning, telling us again how world events were shaping up just as foretold in the book of Daniel and … Continue reading Get out of the bus and walk
Self-made flower
(This is my first attempt to create an image using Libre Office Draw.) Years ago I was struck by a cartoon in le Bulletin des Agriculteurs, a French language farm paper. It showed a neat row of flowers in bloom, all standing up straight with perfectly shaped petals. Except for one. It looked rather limp … Continue reading Self-made flower
An exposition of First Corinthians chapter three
An older brother, a minister, once suggested to me that I should write about one portion of this chapter. He didn’t tell me what I should write, but appeared to have confidence that I would be able to cut through the misinterpretations of the apostle Paul’s words that are often repeated in our day and … Continue reading An exposition of First Corinthians chapter three
Fifty years ago
It is 50 years since the Jesus people movement began in California. It followed close on the heels of the Summer of Love, that brief period in time when disillusioned young people believed they had found the solution to all the world’s problems. “All you need is love” by the Beatles was their theme. They … Continue reading Fifty years ago
The threefold purpose of the church
As I read the New Testament, the evidence accumulates that there is a threefold purpose for the existence of the church. Each of these purposes is connected to, and dependent upon, the other two. Perhaps we could call this a three-legged stool and whenever one of the legs is shorter than the others it creates … Continue reading The threefold purpose of the church
Loss of power
A few days ago, I reorganized our home office. When I turned my wife's desk a quarter turn, all the wires that were hidden behind it were now a mess in the open air. Not as bad as the illustration above, but seriously unsightly and possibly dangerous. I went about to put a little order … Continue reading Loss of power
Built upon the rock
THE ROCK “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” There need be no mystery or speculation about what rock Jesus meant in this verse, He was simply referring to Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a … Continue reading Built upon the rock
Do “All Things” Really Work For Good?
Your post brought to my mind a memory from years ago. A brother and I were superintendents for Vacation Bible School. As we were choosing choruses for the children to sing, the brother pointed to the words following and said: "If these children remember nothing else from this week but the words of this chorus, … Continue reading Do “All Things” Really Work For Good?
Uncivil societies
Today the supreme court of Pakistan acquitted Asia Bibi of all the charges against her. Mrs. Bibi, who is Roman Catholic, was found guilty of blasphemy in 2010 and condemned to death. The incident allegedly took place during a dispute with several Muslims over a glass of water. Radical Islamist leaders in Pakistan consider this … Continue reading Uncivil societies
Flatlander Faith 