In 1569 during the rise of the Dutch republic, an Anabaptist named Dirk Willems was being held in jail because of his association with an unapproved religious group. He was able to escape from his captors but the guard closely pursued him across a frozen pond.
It was late in the winter, and the ice had thinned, making it unsafe. Fortunately Willems was able to make it across the lake in safety. But the guard was not so fortunate, and the ice gave way beneath him, plunging the pursuer into the icy water. Continue Reading »
Neat sale from Worship Graphics. Thought I’d check it out. Lots of media for a small price. Click the icon to find the details of the sale. Sale lasts only 144 hours.
When the U.S. was embroiled in the Vietnam war, she enlisted the help of the Hmong, a Laotian mountain people, as allies in the war against the communists. Continue Reading »
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Grace is an important Biblical word that is expressed in a variety of ways throughout the Bible. It generally conveys the idea of favour or good-will.
The fundamental idea is, that the blessings that are graciously bestowed on us are freely given, and not in consideration of any claim or merit. In a world obsessed with justice, penalty, and “fairness,” the idea of grace is down right heretical.
Here are the top five reasons grace is often rejected.Continue Reading »
Seeing an umbrella take flight in the 40-50 mph winds blowing through Merced on that November Wednesday was not a surprise.
Trees were stripped of their leaves. Shingles were blown off roofs. Property owners had to rake their lawns, covered by debris. So it was only logical that an umbrella would join the aerobatics.
The umbrella had been roosting above a table and chairs sitting outside a local coffee shop. It landed in the westbound lane of a busy street and forced a large pickup truck to screech to a stop in the intersection. Continue Reading »
Richard Florida wrote about the importance of the Arts in his best-seller-book, The Rise of the Creative Class. Florida writes that “The nation’s geographic center of gravity has shifted away from traditional industrial regions toward new axes of creativity and innovation.” Page 11.
Arts are important to cities that want to promote social and economic growth. People flow to the places where creativity and innovation exist, yet, ironically, the Arts are frequently what first get cut in stressed budgets. This has been evident in the national demise of arts programs in our schools despite the fact that they contribute positively to the educational experience. Continue Reading »
The lightening rod that put the topic of Hell on our collective front page was Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins. The book made the pages of local newspapers, news magazines, and religious journals. Some were comforted by its message, and others were downright mad about it. Continue Reading »
He and his wife were childless at a time when one would normally hear the sounds of children echoing throughout the house.
Well-meaning friends told him that God didn’t want them to have children. “God has something else in mind for you,” they assured, apparently thinking that was comforting information. Their knowing assurances only made him angry. Angry at his comforters and angry at God. Continue Reading »
Apologetics is the practice of defending a position, usually religious, through the use of reason. It is an especially useful practice in our pluralistic society known for its tsunami of ideas.
There are enough apologetical books to fill a room, however, only a few are needed for helping to sort out the questions that surround whether to believe in God or not. Skepticism without complete information is foolish. Faith without skepticism will not stand the fires of examination. The following is a short list of recommended books on the subject of belief. Continue Reading »
In 1569 during the rise of the Dutch republic, an Anabaptist named Dirk Willems was being held in jail because of his association with an unapproved religious group. He was able to escape from his captors but the guard closely pursued him across a frozen pond.
