These words, from the chorus of "God rest ye merry, Gentlemen," nicely sum up the intended impact of the birth of Jesus Christ. The angel who first appeared to the shepherds said, "Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." After the shepherds had seen … Continue reading Tidings of comfort and joy
spirituality
Persecution of Menno Simons
Saturday I posted excerpts from an article by Menno Simons. He mentions several times in this article that his life was in danger. The danger was very real, there was a price on his head for teaching contrary to the official state church. In 1542, Emperor Charles V upped the reward for Menno's capture to … Continue reading Persecution of Menno Simons
Menno Simons: Why I do not cease teaching and writing
"For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as as a lamp that burneth; and the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory" Isaiah 62:1; 2. Therefore for the sake of … Continue reading Menno Simons: Why I do not cease teaching and writing
We have met the enemy and he is us
That famous quote from the Pogo comic strip was referring to pollution, illustrated by litter in the Okefenokee swamp. I have often found my life littered with debris, debts piling up, deadlines fast approaching, projects unfinished because something else came up, disappointments, hurt feelings, resentments. Of course it was very evident this was all due … Continue reading We have met the enemy and he is us
Compromise, good and bad
The original meaning of compromise is to settle a dispute by mutual concession. From there a secondary meaning developed of a compromise being an intermediate state between conflicting opinions or plans of action, reached by mutual concessions and adjustments. Thus far the word describes something necessary and beneficial in work, marriage, business dealings and many … Continue reading Compromise, good and bad
Living faith
It appears that many Muslims in Syria and Iraq are beginning to realize that the Wahabi branch of Islam is not their friend. As long as Wahabi-inspired terrorism seemed to be mainly directed at Jews, Christians, and Western civilization in general, they could cheer for supposed Islamic victories and overlook attacks against other Muslims. But … Continue reading Living faith
A memorable small town minister
Readers may have noticed that in my last post I only gave the full name of one of the young people who met an untimely death. I named Joan Vickers because I wanted to write a little about her father, Reverend Kenneth Vickers. The funny thing is that I can bring up no memories of … Continue reading A memorable small town minister
My times are in thy hands
As teenagers we were invincible. We were young, healthy and strong, what could possibly go wrong? It turned out that a whole lot of things could , and would, go wrong. A year after we graduated from high school in 1959, Jim and his dad were installing a septic system for their home. All the … Continue reading My times are in thy hands
They’ll know we are Christians by our ______
I was walking through the upper shopping level of Midtown Plaza on Wednesday and noticed an elderly Sikh couple standing at the top of an escalator. The man made a few false starts, then grasped the moving handrail and stepped firmly on to the joint between two treads. He almost lost his balance as the … Continue reading They’ll know we are Christians by our ______
There is one Lord
Ministers are not lords over their congregations; husbands are not lords over their wives; parents are not lords over their children, employers are not lords over their employees. Yet God has delegated to each one of us a measure of responsibility, and even of authority. As long as we submit ourselves to the authority of … Continue reading There is one Lord
Flatlander Faith 