For the Lord's Day

"Our God can work through means or above them. He that puts the treasure into earthen vessels, often allows the vessels to be chipped and broken, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

- Robert Murray M’Cheyne

The Manhattan Declaration

I became aware of the Manhattan Declaration late Sunday afternoon. It is a 'line in the sand' to the culture and to the government from Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical believers; that on the issues of right-to-life, marriage between a man and a woman, and freedom of religious speech we will never bow the knee to Caesar. I signed it as soon as I read it. Such a stand is necessary as Al Mohler describes on his blog. You may read the full text of the Manhattan Declaration here. I urge you to sign it as well.

For the Lord's Day

In his section in the Institutes (Book I, XVII, 6) Calvin writes concerning God's providence as solace to believers: "... the principal purpose of Biblical history is to teach that the Lord watches over the ways of the saints with such great diligence that they do not even stumble over a stone [cf. Ps. 91:12].

“O God, you have commanded us to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh; make us perfect, we pray, in love, that we may conquer our natural selfishness and give ourselves to others. Fill our hearts with your joy, and garrison them with your peace; make us longsuffering and gentle, and thus subdue our hasty and angry tempers; give us faithfulness, meekness and self-control; so that crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, we may bring forth fruit of the Spirit to your praise and glory…”

Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, 1857-1891

Veterans Day 2009, Ft. Hood

Thanks to those who served, who died, and who continue to serve to keep us free. My prayers are for the families of those killed, the wounded and their families and the Ft. Hood community - all casualties of the massacre perpetrated by Muslim terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan.

For the Lord's Day

All creation joins in praising

Christ, the savior of our race,

Drawn from ev’ry tribe and nation,

People, language, time and place:

“Holy, holy, holy, holy

Is our God, the God of grace.”

--Hymns for a Modern Reformation, James Montgomery Boice

Reformation Day Service

We have chosen to celebrate Reformation Sunday as close as possible to October 31. My text for Today's Reformation Day Service: Jeremiah 6:16 (English Standard Version) "Thus says the LORD:"Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' " Phil Ryken comments about this passage:" Novelty is the enemy of orthodoxy."