Tried With Fire

I am thankful... I finally received word from my home warranty company regarding my broken central air conditioning unit. They will cover almost the entire cost to replace the external unit and part of the inside unit.  Even though I am paying a small portion, it is much less than the full retail price of a new AC unit. So I'm thankful for the warranty. I'm also thankful the window units are still keeping the house cool in the meantime. After a few anxious days, Big Bun has turned the corner. His appetite is back to normal, and he seems to be getting back into his usual daily routine. His back legs, however, are still quite weak, and it's a struggle for him to move around. But despite this, he is acting much more like himself. I know Big Bun is only a pet, but I am thankful for him and thankful for all the prayers for this bunny. I'm grateful for technology that makes it possible to see a loved one who is far away. Where would we be without webcams, Skype, and the...

It's my turn again at Out of Ordinary : The women in my church have been getting together roughly once a month for Sunday night socials. Different ladies open up their homes for a meal followed by a time of fellowship. These have been fun times to be together and a great way to get to know one another outside of Sunday morning. My turn as hostess will be in October, and I'm already starting to formulate plans in my head. While I am a planner by nature, there is another reason for thinking ahead so early. Hospitality intimidates me. I have the usual reasons. I'm an introvert. My house is small. I don't have a dining room table. I'm too busy with work. I'm more of a throw stuff in a crock pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup than a gourmet chef. And so forth and so on. In addition to these lame excuses, there's also a lingering fear in the back of my mind of "not doing it right", whatever that nebulous standard may be. So it's no wo...

Lizzy 2003-2015 Last week was rough emotionally. One of my beloved bunnies, Lizzy, took a rapid downturn. She was unable to use her back legs and unable to eat or drink. By the time we got to the vet's office, her front paws were even weaker. Diagnostic testing could be done, but to what end? Even if the cause was discovered, what treatment could be done that would make any difference to a rabbit who was as old as the maximum average life span? There was only one viable choice given Lizzy's precarious condition, but it still wasn't easy. The vet reassured me that I had made the right decision given her symptoms and age. The entire staff were very kind and compassionate, but I still bawled like a baby and held her as long as I could until it was time to say goodbye. The next day, my last bunny stopped eating for no apparent reason and began to show the same weakness in his limbs. So it was back to the vet again. I know I shouldn't have favorites, but in my opinion,...

Has Jesus saved me? I dare not speak with any hesitation here; I know He has. His Word is true, therefore I am saved. My evidence that I am saved does not lie in the fact that I preach, or that I do this or that. All my hope lies in this that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I am a sinner, I trust Him, then He came, to save me, and I am saved; I live habitually in the enjoyment of this blessed fact and it is long since I have doubted the truth of it, for I have His own Word to sustain my faith. It is a very surprising thing,—a thing to be marvelled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me even to this day the greatest wonder that I ever heard of, that God should ever justify me . I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin apart from His almighty love; yet I know, by a full assurance, that I am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus, and treated as if I had been perfectly just, and made an heir of God and a joint-hei...

Openness Unhindered , Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Crown & Covenant Publications, July 2015, 206 pages. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield is one of the most thought-provoking and challenging books I have read. I was convicted of my lack of love for the lost and lack of faith in the power of the gospel, but it also encouraged me to believe that God is able to save to the uttermost. If you haven't read it, read it! Because of Secret Thoughts , I was eager to read Butterfield's second book, Openness Unhindered . Identity and specifically sexual identity are hot topics and even more so following the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage. How should Christians address the issue of sexual orientation and identity? How do we come alongside our brothers and sisters who struggle with sexual sin and have made the choice to live "in chastity with unwanted homosexual desires?" (pg. 144) These are a few of the issues tackled ...

"A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench."—Matthew 12:20. What is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoking flax? A reed that groweth in the fen or marsh, let but the wild duck light upon it, and it snaps; let but the foot of man brush against it, and it is bruised and broken; every wind that flits across the river moves it to and fro. You can conceive of nothing more frail or brittle, or whose existence is more in jeopardy, than a bruised reed. Then look at the smoking flax—what is it? It has a spark within it, it is true, but it is almost smothered; an infant's breath might blow it out; nothing has a more precarious existence than its flame. Weak things are here described, yet Jesus says of them, "The smoking flax I will not quench; the bruised reed I will not break." Some of God's children are made strong to do mighty works for Him; God has His Samsons here and there who can pull up Gaza's gates, and carry them t...

Spurgeon doesn't mince words when it comes to the necessity to preach the gospel. I wonder if this sermon would get him in trouble today? Wherever there is found a man, there is the minister free to preach! The whole world is our parish—we know of no fetter upon our feet, and no gag upon our lips. Though kings should pass laws, the servants of Christ can bear the penalty, but they cannot disobey their Master; though the Emperor should say the Gospel should not be preached by any unauthorized denomination in France, as I have heard he has said of late, we care not for him. What cares the Church for a thousand Emperors? Their resolutions are mockery; their laws waste paper! The Church never was yet vassal to the State, or servile slave to municipalities, and powers, and she neither can nor will be. At all the laws of States, she laughs and utterly defies them, if they come in the way of the Law of Christ which says, “Teach the Gospel to every creature.” Brethren, I say, the Chu...

I am thankful for: - The beauty of the lilies (and the mallows .) They neither toil nor spin, but Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. - God's protection. This large branch fell during a recent thunderstorm and just missed the house. I had been putting off trimming some bushes, and providentially, they kept the branch from hitting a window. - P.G. Tips and Irish breakfast tea to jump start my morning. - Breaking bread or rather pizza with small group last night. - The safety and security of finding my identity in Christ and being reminded of this when I partake of the Lord's table. - The Triune God reigns even when the darkness seems to be getting darker. Nothing is outside of His plan or control.

I'm piggybacking off of Diane's post  at Out of the Ordinary: After 9/11, I was a basket case. The unthinkable happened on American soil, and I was terrified of what would happen next. To keep the panic at bay, no news was good news, so I wouldn't watch TV or listen to the radio. I even averted my eyes when I happened upon a newspaper at the grocery store. Though I had been a Christian for many years, my knowledge of the Scriptures and specifically God's character was weak. Therefore, it was no wonder I had nothing to support me when the towers fell. Fast forward 13 years. Diane mentioned in her post yesterday that the moral landscape of our country has been altered beyond recognition since 1973, and it is still undergoing upheavals even within the last three weeks with no respite. Just in the last 24 hours, the news regarding Planned Parenthood reveals an attack on all that is righteous and good, and it is horrifying. Physical buildings may not be falling t...

Marie Durand by Simonetta Carr, Reformation Heritage Books , June 2015, 64 pages. There are many well-known figures in church history, and it is good that we know their stories. However, God has also worked through many ordinary believers we may never know this side of glory. Thanks to this biography by Simonetta Carr, we are able to learn about the life of one ordinary believer who showed extraordinary perseverance in the midst of persecution. Marie Durand was born in 1711 in France. During this period, it was against the law to be Protestant. If you were caught the penalties were very severe, even death. Because of her family's refusal to compromise their beliefs, Marie was imprisoned at the age of 19. There were opportunities for release, but only if the prisoners would recant their faith, take the mass, and embrace Roman Catholicism.  Marie refused and became a rallying point for the other women detainees. As she was literate, she wrote letters requesting aid and advocat...

Openness Unhindered is the latest book by Rosaria Butterfield, the author of S ecret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert . If you haven't read her first book, read it. It's a testimony to the present and active power of the gospel. Her second book, however, is less focused about her journey to Christ and more on what the Bible has to say about our identity (specifically sexual identity), temptation, repentance, and living our lives unto God. I'm only halfway through Openness Unhindered , and it is excellent so far. Here are a few quotes that jumped off the page: It is not the absence of sin that makes you a believer. It is the presence of Christ in the midst of your struggle that commends the believer and sets you apart in the world. Real conversion gives you Christ's company as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. (pg. 8) If I create an identity carved out of my person pain, even one caused by the sins of my flesh, I will forever struggle in a separa...

"This do in remembrance of me."—1 Corinthians 11:24 Behold the whole mystery of the sacred Eucharist. It is bread and wine which are lively emblems of the body and blood of Jesus. The power to excite remembrance consists in the appeal thus made to the senses. Here the eye, the hand, the mouth, find joyful work. The bread is tasted, and entering within, works upon the sense of taste, which is one of the most powerful. The wine is sipped—the act is palpable. We know that we are drinking, and thus the senses, which are usually clogs to the soul, become wings to lift the mind in contemplation. Again, much of the influence of this ordinance is found in its simplicity. How beautifully simple the ceremony is—bread broken and wine poured out. There is no calling that thing a chalice, that thing a paten, and that a host. Here is nothing to burden the memory—here is the simple bread and wine. He must have no memory at all who cannot remember that he has eaten bread, and that he has ...

On a more serious but related note: We're currently studying Judges in Sunday school. On a plain reading of Judges 6:1-40, there was no confusion about God's will. God told Gideon in no uncertain terms what He wanted Gideon to do. In fact, Gideon reiterates this by stating "as You have said." But for whatever reason, the Word of the Lord seemed to be insufficient. Therefore, the fleece was an act of unbelief , not an act of inquiry . It wasn't an act of faith but evidence of lack of faith. So why do Christians "put out a fleece" to "find" the will of God? Does anyone know where and how this practice originated? I'm curious because it's based on a complete misreading of the text. And lest you think I am pointing the finger, I've put out my share of "fleeces" too. However, I do have a theory. My hypothesis is a well-meaning Sunday school teacher was very uncomfortable with the moral ambiguity of the judge...

There is an utterly false idea that God does not want us to use our minds in loving and worshipping Him (anti-intellectualism), as well as the idea that "theology is for cold, unfeeling people. We want a living faith." This last reason is the most irrational because a living faith is one that is focused upon the truths of God's revelation. The deepest feelings and emotions invoked by the Spirit of God are not directed toward unclear, nebulous, fuzzy concepts, but toward the clear revealed truths of God concerning His love, the work of Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit... The idea that there is some kind of contradiction between the in-depth study of God's Word, so as to know what God has revealed about himself, and a living, vital faith is inherently self-contradictory. The Forgotten Trinity , James R. White, Bethany House, 1998, pg. 16.

Another round of mini-reviews: The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology - Pascal Denault Credo baptism and covenant theology are not at odds with one another.  Drawing on the scriptures and the writings of Puritans Nehemiah Coxe and John Owen, the author explains the difference between the Presbyterian and Baptist views of covenant theology. An excellent book and a must read if you are reformed Baptist. The Story Girl and The Golden Road - L.M. Montgomery  These two novels tell the story of the youngest generation of the King family.  Like Montgomery's other novels, the setting is rural Prince Edward Island. The children's adventures are funny, endearing, with a little sadness and drama thrown in. The God of the Mundane  - Matthew B. Redmond If you've ever wondered if your boring life matters or has any connection with the Kingdom of God, this is the book for you. This series of short essays by Matt Redmond are a window into his struggle...

“In whom do you trust?” “I trust,” says the Christian, “a triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I trust the Father, believing that He has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust Him as my Father to care for me, to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to feed me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to His own house where the many mansions are." "I trust the Son. Very God of very God is He—the Man Christ Jesus. I trust in Him to take away all my sins, for He suffered their penalty upon the cross; I trust Him to put all those sins away forever by His own Sacrifice; I trust Him to wrap me about with His perfect righteousness, and to adorn me with all His excellences. I know Him to be my intercessor—as often as I pray to present my prayers and desires before His Father’s throne, I believe Him to be my resurrection and my life, that, though I die, yet I may live again! I expect Him to be my advocate at the last great judgm...

It's been hot here for the last week since our AC died. It also doesn't help when your computer is in the hottest room in the house, hence the sporadic posting. However, we have relief! The common graces of cooling technology and duct tape A brother from church installed a couple window units the other evening. It has made a huge difference in our comfort level and the comfort of the bunnies who can't take off their fur suits. Lord willing, the house unit will be replaced, but in the meantime, I am very thankful for cool air and the help of a brother in Christ. Even the sight of the duct tape causes me to rejoice. I'm also thankful for God's protection when a ceiling fan burned out on Monday. I don't know whether there was the potential for an electrical fire, but it certainly smelled awful. I'm grateful for electricians and a working fan again. I'm thankful for books that encourage me to think and speak carefully. There are issues that I am...