Al Mohler on "The Culture of the Congregation - Celebrating Adoption"

There's absolutely nothing I can or would add to this article/post by Al Mohler, except of course maybe a hearty "Amen"!

The Culture of the Congregation - Celebrating Adoption

Go Pokes! (Oklahoma State University ~ Cowboys)

Because it's that time of year!!!

Considering the State of Discontent

I've been thinking on discontentment quite a bit in recent weeks and months.

I'm considering what the primary source(s) may be, what a great motivator it can be, whether it is always a bad thing, how it plays out in our personal and public life, how it impacts the Church, and how best to please God when we find ourselves in a state of discontent.

I welcome your thoughts if you care share them!

Discontent

"...in paradise the serpent was able to convince Eve that she did not have enough, though she had a wonderful, sin-free husband, no weeds to pull, and no garbage to take out."

The Winter of Our Discontent, Don Kistler ~ Tabletalk, September 1998

Heard in the Bible Belt...

..."untamed, undignified, passionate, and raw [worship]."

This is how a local church was advertising their worship service(s) on one of the local Xian radio stations this past weekend. I don't know about you, but I'm having some difficulty understanding these words in the context of Biblical worship.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Love Divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heav'n, to earth come down:
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown:
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter ev'ry trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
Into ev'ry troubled breast;
Let us all in thee inherit,
Let us find the promised rest:
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy life receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be:
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heav'n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

All hail the power of Jesus' Name

All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.

Crown him, ye martyrs of your God
Who from his altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse's rod,
And crown him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel's chosen race,
Ye ransomed of the fall,
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at his feet,
And crown him Lord of all.

Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng
We at his feet may fall;
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown him Lord of all.

My ancestors ~ John Calvin and John Wesley (seriously)

True confession, I'm a genealogy 'nut'!!

I have been since about 4th grade when a dear neighbor lady, who was a much loved history teacher, introduced me to an 'ancestral chart' and showed me how to trace my ancestors. Oh my, was I ever hooked--all those nice neat lines expanding across pages and pages lending credibility to hunches and solving 'family mysteries'.

So, imagine my delight, bliss, and laughter when I discovered ancestors by the names of 'John Calvin' and 'John Wesley'.

John Calvin is on my paternal side which is Pennsylvania Dutch, and John Wesley is on my maternal side which includes British and Irish ancestry.

So, now you know! :-)

Olga and John Calvin

Many parents expect their daughter to someday bring home a nice young man to meet the family. Imagine our delight when our oldest recently brought John Calvin home with her!

Our Olga works part-time for Grace & Truth Books. Not only does she greatly enjoy the work, she enjoys the opportunity to build her personal library--she's bought some really substantial and foundational works. That's my girl! :-)

Oh, You're My BEST Friend...

...for 25 years!

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ "How Sweet and Awful is the Place"

Trinity hymnal, #271


How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores.

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

Why was I made to hear thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

We long to see thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing thy redeeming grace.