Tried With Fire

This is overdue, but here goes. I am thankful for... I went home to visit my mom recently. She had been in rehab for a few months after a fall and other illnesses. Thankfully she is now back at her assisted living facility. I'm thankful for how well Mom has adjusted. I sat next to her at church, and it was so encouraging to hear her sing along with the hymns and choruses. She would also follow the Bible verses that were projected on the wall, but interestingly she would read them in Chinese. Mom's sense of humor has been coming out too. She can be really funny and crack some good jokes. I'm thankful how God has kept her. I cannot imagine how hard it is to lose your memory and be unable to grieve and bring closure to losing your husband. Yet God is near to the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. I'm thankful for God's grace for the empty-nester (me) and the not-a-baby bird who is spreading her wings (my daughter.) I'm thankful that she is quickly buildin...

Ever since I read How to Think , which I loved, I wanted to read more of Alan Jacobs' writing. So I found a used copy of his book The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction . 1 It's been sitting in the TBR pile for a while, but I wanted a smaller book to bring on a recent trip, so I pulled The Pleasures of Reading from the stack and took it with me. It's a delightful little book on reading for pleasure and growth. You won't be guilted into reading a list of x number of books that you must read before you die, but Jacob writes about the ways in which we can stretch our minds and tastes as readers. And above all, take pleasure in reading. There are so many quotable quotes, but here are a few that stood out to me: "Above all, take time to discern, what the book - or story, or poem, or essay, or article - has to offer you. Slow down. Make a point of revisiting passages that seems especially rich, or especially confusing, or for that matter especially off...

"His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their forehead" (Revelation 22:3-4). Three choice blessings will be ours in the gloryland. "His servants shall serve him." No other lords shall oppress us, no other service shall distress us. We shall serve Jesus always, perfectly, without weariness, and without error. This is heaven to a saint: in all things to serve the LORD Christ and to be owned by Him as His servant is our soul's high ambition for eternity.  "And they shall see his face." This makes the service delightful: indeed, it is the present reward of service. We shall know our LORD, for we shall see Him as He is. To see the face of Jesus is the utmost favor that the most faithful servant of the LORD can ask. What more could Moses ask than-"Let me see thy face?"  "And his name shall be in their foreheads." They gaze upon their LORD till His name is photographed upon their br...

"He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). LORD, save me from my sins. By the name of Jesus I am encouraged thus to pray. Save me from my past sins, that the habit of them may not hold me captive. Save me from my constitutional sins, that I may not be the slave of my own weaknesses. Save me from the sins which are continually under my eye that I may not lose my horror of them. Save me from secret sins; sins unperceived by me from my want of light. Save me from sudden and surprising sins: let me not be carried off my feet by a rush of temptation. Save me, LORD, from every sin. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me. hou alone canst do this. I cannot snap my own chains or slay my own enemies. Thou knowest temptation, for Thou wast tempted. Thou knowest sin, for Thou didst bear the weight of it. Thou knowest how to succor me in my hour of conflict; Thou canst save me from sinning and save me when I have sinned. It is promised in Thy very name that Thou wi...

When I read Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert , I was moved by Rosaria Butterfield's conversion story, but I also fell in love with Ken and Floy Smith. If there ever was an example of friendship evangelism, this is it. This Presbyterian pastor and his wife became Rosaria's friends. They were honest with her about their faith and where they disagreed with her, but they loved her. They debated, but they didn't bully or pressure her into believing. They didn't pull a Charles Finney and manipulate her emotions through fear-mongering. The Smiths saw her as another human being made in God's image, not just a project. They believed it was the Holy Spirit who did the saving, not them, and he did. As I considered their example, it struck me how opposite they were from the cage-stage. If you have never heard the term, it's a period of intense enthusiasm over the newly discovered Five Points of Calvinism that may result in tactless and even ungracious behavior (iron...

And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deut. 30:6 Here we read of the true circumcision. Note the author of it: "The Lord thy God." He alone can deal effectually with our heart, and take away its carnality and pollution. To make us love God with all our heart and soul is a miracle of grace which only the Holy Ghost can work. We must look to the Lord alone for this and never be satisfied with anything short of it. Note where this circumcision is wrought. It is not of the flesh, but of the spirit. It is the essential mark of the covenant of grace. Love to God is the indelible token of the chosen seed; by this secret seal the election of grace is certified to the believer. We must see to it that we trust in no outward ritual, but are sealed in heart by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Note what the result is -- "that thou mayest live." ...

Every time there's a fight lively discussion among Christians on social media, I am reminded of this quote from Mark Foreman. So for your edification, I am sharing it again.  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 ...

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13) Truth is like a vast cavern into which we desire to enter, but we are not able to traverse it alone. At the entrance it is clear and bright; but if we would go further and explore its innermost recesses, we must have a guide, or we shall lose ourselves. The Holy Spirit, who knows all truth perfectly, is the appointed guide of all true believers, and He conducts them as they are able to bear it, from one inner chamber to another, so that they behold the deep things of God, and His secret is made plain to them. What a promise is this for the humbly inquiring mind! We desire to know the truth and to enter into it. We are conscious of our own aptness to err, and we feel the urgent need of a guide. We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is come and abides among us. He condescends to act as a guide to us, and we gladly accept His leadership. "All truth" we wish to learn, that we may not be one-...

This is an updated version of a post I wrote over three years ago about Christian "experts" who are very free in dispensing their advice to the rest of us. If anything, the number of influencers has only grown thanks to the Internet. Not all are bad, and some are quite helpful. But just because there is an influencer out there does not obligate me to listen or agree.  In  Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen has created a character who is both irritating and amusing - Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She is the epitome of the bossy and nosy neighbor, and her rank and wealth give her the right to be so. As the owner of a large estate, anyone who is economically dependent on her patronage needs to stay in her good graces because she holds the pursestrings. Yet, Austen's dry wit makes it plain to the reader that Lady Catherine's omniscience exists only in her own mind. Here are a few examples of how she advises those who have the misfortune of not being as enlightened a...

I read a book a few years ago,  Unashamed by Heather Nelson , that undid me. Her chapter on parenting and shame deeply convicted me, and I went to my daughter in tears asking for her forgiveness. That undoing was the beginning of a positive change in our relationship. Better communication, better listening, and better understanding along with the help of a great Christian counselor. We're still learning and growing, but I am also aware of the times when I failed her and probably contributed to some of the issues she is presently dealing with. This knowledge is one of the reasons why I want to swoop in and make things all right thinking that perhaps I can make it up to her and undo the past. This very issue came up in a recent conversation when I was beginning to worry about her, though I said nothing. Thankfully, my daughter could read between the pauses and picked up on my fear. She called me out to her credit. When I finally admitted that my desire to try to help her stemmed...