Truth or heresy?

The Roman Catholic Church endeavoured to destroy all evidence of the faith of those whom they persecuted. Nevertheless, much can be learned from their accusations against those they called heretics. For instance, here is the accusation of Peter of Cluny against Peter de Bruys: “They deny that infants who have not yet attained the years … Continue reading Truth or heresy?

Spiritual mourning

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. There is an obvious way of understanding these words. We encounter sorrow and loss during our lives that are cause for mourning, and we can find comfort in Jesus that is not available anywhere else. But these seemingly simple words also contain a far deeper … Continue reading Spiritual mourning

No room for boasting

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “For we brought nothing into this world” (1 Timothy 6:7). The Apostle was talking about material things, but I don't think it does his words any violence to say that no one of us came into this world with any pre-qualifications for … Continue reading No room for boasting

Follow on to know the Lord

A teenage girl is convinced that she is pregnant and about to become the mother of baby Jesus, even though her mother, her doctor and an ultrasound all assure her that she is not pregnant at all. Why is this news? I suppose the media think this is one more way of poking fun at … Continue reading Follow on to know the Lord

Raised eyebrow Christians

I was going to write supercilious, but that's just a fancy latin word meaning raised eyebrows. So I decided to speak plain English. There was a time in my mid-twenties when I was quite sure that everyone who claimed to be born again thought they were better than anyone else. Then there came a time … Continue reading Raised eyebrow Christians

Don’t second guess your repentance

To repent is to rethink, or change your mind. In religious terms, repentance toward God means to reconsider the way you have been living, ask God to forgive you and resolve to live differently with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is a complete change in a person's way of thinking and is not … Continue reading Don’t second guess your repentance

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

The fulness of times

Solomon’s reign was the golden era of Israel.  All the promises of God were fulfilled in the natural sense.  The son of David built the glorious temple and God showed His acceptance by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices.  Solomon’s reign was a reign of peace over all the territory promised by God … Continue reading The fulness of times

The tabernacle of David

There was only a river between the Israelites and the Promised Land.  But that river was in full flood mode, filling the whole valley and spreading beyond the banks.  Joshua told the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant to march straight into the water and told the people to follow.  It wasn’t until the … Continue reading The tabernacle of David

Heaven and hell

Atheists consider the teaching in the Bible about a place called hell to be a conclusive argument against Christianity and its belief in a loving God.  As a Christian, I consider hell to be part of the good news.  I don't any vindictive feelings against other people, but if heaven is to be a good … Continue reading Heaven and hell