Tried With Fire

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.” Psalm 46:1-3. God’s people have a sure confidence. Other men build as best they may, but true Believers rest upon the Rock of Ages. Their confidence is altogether beyond themselves. In this song there is nothing about their own virtue, valor, or wisdom. The heathen moralist boasted that if the globe, itself, should break, his integrity would make him stand fearless amid the wreck. But the Believer has a humbler, though a truer reliance. Though the earth is removed, he is undismayed. And this does not arise from his own personal self-sufficiency, but from God, who is his refuge and strength. He is fearless, not because of his original stoutness of heart and natural firmness of will, but because he has a God to ...

I am thankful ... - For a break from the heat. - That the condenser fan decided to make a very loud squealing and grinding sound the day after it was 100 degrees. - For a home warranty to help cover the repair. - For opportunities to learn to rest in God's sovereign care. It is terrifying to think that you must make the right decisions or else. I am so glad I am in His hands and not my own. - When trials draw us closer to one another and to the Lord. - For the ordinary means of grace and the sermon series on this topic. - For the sure hope of heaven when all will be made right.

You had to be living under a rock to not know about the tragic killings in Charleston last week. You had to be made of rock to not be repulsed by this evil act and not be moved by the response of the grieving family. That a young white man presumably targeted African Americans has raised the ugly specter of racism in America yet again. Much has been written about this, and numerous opinions have been expressed in the media. I've read some of the pieces, but deep down I feel like an outsider. I am not white. I am not black. I am also a first-generation American. It's not that I don't have prejudice lurking in my heart; we all do, if we are honest. But I have not had to bear the burden of history on my shoulders that has weighed down generation after generation. There is a deep wound in the psyche of this country, and layers and layers of painful scar tissue have built up over time as there have been attempts at healing only to have the injury inflicted again. I try t...

"The foundation of God standeth sure."—2 Timothy 2:19. The foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." The great fact on which genuine faith relies is, that "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us," and that "Christ also hath suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God"; "Who Himself bare our sins in His own body on the tree"; "For the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." In one word, the great pillar of the Christian's hope is substitution. The vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and substitutionary sacrifice in the room, place, and stead of as many as the Father gave Him, who are known to God by name, and are ...

Today is Charles Haddon Spurgeon's birthday. His sermons have probably had the greatest influence on my life, second only to my own pastor. In honor of this faithful servant of the Lord, here is the account of his conversion from his autobiography. I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and despair until now had it not been for the goodness of God in sending a snowstorm, one Sunday morning, while I was going to a certain place of worship. When I could go no further, I turned down a side street, and came to a little Primitive Methodist Chapel. In that chapel there may have been a dozen or fifteen people. I had heard of the Primitive Methodists, how they sang so loudly that they made people's heads ache; but that did not matter to me. I wanted to know how I might be saved, and if they could tell me that, I did not care how much they made my head ache. The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose. At last, a very thin-looking man, a shoema...

I am thankful for: - A working air conditioner especially when it hits 100 degrees in June. Thankfully, we have a reprieve from the heat today. - Wildflowers that somehow find their way to my yard. This plant is called a  hairy puccoon . Rather funny name, isn't it? The tall stalks will eventually be covered with yellow flowers. When it goes to seed, the goldfinches love them. - Book deals at Westminster Bookstore . You never know what treasures you will find in the clearance and imperfect section. - Opportunities to push back the effects of the fall in my every day, mundane life. - In a time when there is so much sorrow, tension, and division, I am thankful for the certain fulfillment of these verses. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their ha...

I'm at Out of the Ordinary today with a review of Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel During Alzheimer's Disease.    There is no cure at present. It ravages mind and body. But there is hope in the gospel which we need remember when this disease afflicts a loved one.  Read the review here.

This a talk by Jen Wilkin at the 2014 TGC Women's Conference. I loved it. If you are looking for what I would call "traditional" advice, this may not be the talk you are looking for. Wilkin shares quite a bit about imago dei and not succumbing to popular culture or  the Christian subculture either. But to my mind, that's a good thing. Listen or download here . ht: Christie Davidson for the heads up.

In the process of obtaining one's chosen label for one's view, there is also frequently an attempt to characterize one's opponent's view in an unfavorable light…  It is especially important to be alert to the attempt to build evaluation into a term by the connotations given. For example, the same situation may be described as "rich diversity" or as a "confused hodgepodge." There is a familiar conjugation of an irregular verb: "I have firm convictions; you are stubborn; he is a pigheaded fool." Similarly in politics one may characterize one's own approach as flexible and open-minded, while one's opponent, whose behavior in this respect is the same, is termed a "flip-flopper." Such use of slanted definitions to gain an advantage is disappointing, and to an objective and analytical observer is a sign of weakness, like the proverbial comment in the margin of the preacher's sermon notes: "Weak point. Shout loudly....

"Delight thyself also in the Lord."—Psalm 37:4. The teaching of these words must seem very surprising to those who are strangers to vital godliness, but to the sincere believer it is only the inculcation of a recognized truth. The life of the believer is here described as a delight in God, and we are thus certified of the great fact that true religion overflows with happiness and joy. Ungodly persons and mere professors never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. If they attend to religion at all, it is either that they may gain thereby, or else because they dare not do otherwise. The thought of delightin religion is so strange to most men, that no two words in their language stand further apart than "holiness" and "delight." But believers who know Christ, understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them. They who love ...

With apologies to Fanny Crosby... ht: Christ and Pop Culture on FB

First gardenias of the season I am thankful for: The first gardenias of the season. Being a Northern gal, I still can't get over the fact that you can have gardenias in your yard like any other shrub. Our bushes are slower to bloom than our neighbor's, but this morning I opened the kitchen curtain, and there they were. It's a shame I can't send their heavenly fragrance through the Internet. Spice cookies (gingersnaps) spread with cream cheese. Try it. It's hard to stop with just one. Books - children's books that still delight a middle-ager and theology books that critique and make one think, God's providence in every event whether disappointing or gratifying. Pushing back the effects of the fall in every day ordinary life. Sunday school series on Judges. I admit this is not my favorite book because of the horrific accounts. Yet it is in God's word for our benefit. I'm looking forward to learning more this summer. Completed sermon ...

So many pastors today, famous ones and otherwise, are asking young people, and everyone else if they are willing to give it all and go overseas as a missionary. It's not a bad question to ask. There is no question in my mind that this question needs to be out there. But they - or someone - needs to ask, "are you willing to be numbered among the nameless believers in history who lived in obscurity? Do you have the courage to be forgotten by everyone but God and the heavenly host? Are you willing to be found only by God as faithful right where you are? Are you willing to have no one write a book about you and what you did in the name of Christ? Are you willing to live and believe - in stark contrast to the world around you - there is a God of the mundane?" The God of the Mundane , Matthew B. Redmond, Kalos Press, 2012, Kindle location 306.

Scandals involving Christian organizations/celebrities broke shortly before I went on vacation. I told my daughter it was probably a good thing I was taking an Internet break. I tend not to be a big "issue" person, but I make a very strong exception when it comes to abuse and any alleged cover-up within the Christian community. I thought time and distance would cool-off my response. Evidently not. I am still grieved and heartbroken. I get a gnawing pit in my stomach every time a fresh account is made public of alleged abuse within Christian circles. This not only includes abuse in its criminal forms but spiritual abuse as well. This causes me to wonder -  does spiritual abuse provide the necessary cover under which other forms of abuse can hide in a Christian environment? Having witnessed several incidents over the past decades, there is nothing so disheartening as Christian leaders sweeping sin under the rug. When the scandal involves celebrities, the news spreads far...

"Ye that love the Lord hate evil."—Psalm 97:10. Thou hast good reason to "hate evil," for only consider what harm it has already wrought thee. Oh, what a world of mischief sin has brought into thy heart! Sin blinded thee so that thou couldst not see the beauty of the Saviour; it made thee deaf so that thou couldst not hear the Redeemer's tender invitations. Sin turned thy feet into the way of death, and poured poison into the very fountain of thy being; it tainted thy heart, and made it "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Oh, what a creature thou wast when evil had done its utmost with thee, before divine grace interposed! Thou wast an heir of wrath even as others; thou didst "run with the multitude to do evil." Such were all of us; but Paul reminds us, "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." We have good reason, indeed, for hatin...

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring on the Forest Xylophone: The making of the Forest Xylophone.

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia I am thankful for - Family vacation with my parents and sister's family. We saw some beautiful sites and ate far too much food. We taught the grandparents to play "Apples-to-Apples", and my dad showed his ping-pong prowess against his grandson.  But my favorite memory is of a family devotional time in which we shared how God has kept us and prayed for each other. It is not a small thing to have family in Christ. Settling back home. The laundry is all done, and I am caught up with work. Sound of the rain. It's been very parched here, so the rain and cooler temps are welcome. What is fulfilled already and the promise of the not-yet. Sometimes the tension isn't easy in this interim period. Sometimes the state of the world and the church makes me want to cry and cry out, "How long, oh Lord?" But one day all will be made right.

It's my turn at Out of the Ordinary : At the ripe age of six, I was convinced that there was too much responsibility once you entered 1st grade. At least that's what I thought after the carefree days of kindergarten. I decided that it would be better to keep repeating the first five years of my life over and over again - an endless loop of play with a little bit of learning thrown in. Setting aside the theological problem of reincarnation, I had an inkling even as a youngster that with age comes responsibility. And now that I'm in the thick of midlife, responsibility weighs heavy at times. Perhaps it's introspection that comes with age, but I find myself stopping and considering what I've done with my life. What do I have to show for it when all is said and done? How have I been as a daughter, a mother, a sister, and a friend? What is the fruit of decisions I have made, and who has been affected by my choices for good or bad? Read the rest of the post ...

Many people do not like arguing. They picture an angry dispute between two individuals… It is usually characterized by negative emotions: we are upset, raise our voices, and maybe even stomp out of the room in frustration… Usually, if we are honest, the goal of this kind of arguments is to win… Another type of arguing features a dispute not between competing individuals but between competing ideas… Rather than emotional; it is rational. We are seeking reasons for why we think a belief is true. In arguing this way, we do not attack the other person, but we are both attacking an issue or problem. This is why philosophers often can hold opposite views on issues and yet be good friends. The goal of this kind of arguing is not to win but to find the truth. In fact, if you can show me that a belief I had thought was true is actually false, I have not lost but have won, because, I do not want to hold a false belief and am now closer to the truth. 1 It's easy to become proud when on...

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Prince Edward Island, Canada. It's a beautiful gem of an island with rolling hills, rich red earth, and green fields. It is probably best known, at least to us Americans, as the home of Anne Shirley, the heroine of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery . Here are a few pics: On the way to Cavendish "Green Gables" Matthew insists on puffed sleeves A little merchandising In honor of the visit, I listened to a few "Anne" books on audio and read "The Story Girl", another tale by Montgomery. This quote made me laugh out loud. For the record, Montgomery was married to a Presbyterian minister. "Long ago, when Judy Pineau was young," said the Story Girl, "she was hired with Mrs. Elder Frewen—the first Mrs. Elder Frewen. Mrs. Frewen had been a school-teacher, and she was very particular as to how people talked, and the grammar they used. And she didn't like anything bu...