[Installment two of a Christmas tale by Ruben Saillens. Original title: le Père Martin. Translated from French.] Long before daylight the little lamp of the shoemaker was lit. He put more coal into his stove, where the fire had not yet gone out and busied himself preparing his coffee. Then he hurried to make his … Continue reading Papa Martin and the street sweeper
Bible
Papa Martin
[First instalment of a Christmas story by Ruben Saillens, original title Le Père Martin, translated from French.] You don’t know Papa Martin? He is only a shoemaker whose workshop, living room, bedroom and kitchen are all together in a little wooden building at the corner of Place de Lenche and rue des Martégales in the … Continue reading Papa Martin
Living in the presence of the Shepherd
There are well-meaning Christians who put much emphasis abiding by correct doctrine, even adding numerous rules of guidelines as rules of conduct. The intention is to construct a barrier around the people of God so that they would know not to stray far from the truth as given in the Word of God. But where … Continue reading Living in the presence of the Shepherd
Never alone
I expect most people know where I am headed with this post, but there is some rough terrain to be covered first. Alone with God is a wonderful place to be, but there are a host of other spirits vying for our attention. When destructive thoughts come – anger, envy, lust, suspicion, resentment and the … Continue reading Never alone
Colonial Christianity
The colonial conquerors all considered themselves to be Christians and were convinced that they were bringing enlightenment to the poor heathen of the conquered nations. Francisco Pizarro and his men went for the direct method – they rounded up the Inca leaders, forcibly baptized them and then executed them. In their minds, this expedient served … Continue reading Colonial Christianity
Really Simple Testimony
“Tell what He’s done for you” should be a key part of sharing the gospel with others. It’s more powerful than any canned approach. Our testimony should sound natural and conversational, not scripted like a telemarketer. Nevertheless, there is value in writing out a significant experience to think through which details to include and what … Continue reading Really Simple Testimony
The myth of gunslinger evangelism
“I would like you to meet brother Wyatt. Wyatt has got to be the fastest draw in the west with his Bible. Do you see all those notches along the spine of his Bible? That’s how many souls he has personally led to the Lord.” Have you ever met a Wyatt, someone who could tell … Continue reading The myth of gunslinger evangelism
The challenge of Islam
[This post is my translation of a portion of Robert Dubarry's commentary on the book of Revelation. I bought this book many years ago from a Montréal bookstore. It is undated, but I believe it was written about sixty years ago. M. Dubarry was a French Baptist pastor; I can find next to nothing about … Continue reading The challenge of Islam
Waldensian Confession of Faith of 1120 AD
1. We believe and and do firmly hold all that which is contained in the twelve articles of the symbol, which is called the Apostles Creed, accounting for heresy whatsoever is disagreeing and not consonant to the said twelve articles. 2. We believe that there is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3. We … Continue reading Waldensian Confession of Faith of 1120 AD
The red rubber ball theory of church growth
Why does a rubber ball bounce? The key is found in polymer science. The chemical formula for the rubber molecule is (C5H8)20,000+. C5H8, a single unit of the molecule is called a monomer, the complete molecule, a long string of 20,000 or more monomers, is called a polymer. The classic illustration is to think of … Continue reading The red rubber ball theory of church growth
