Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

I hope you all are enjoying a quiet holiday season. My work was been frantically hectic until somewhere around the 21st of December when everything went quiet. Not a feature was stirring, not even my computer mouse. The Christmas Eve candle light service at the First Congregational Church of the Bereans had some hitches - a lot of hitches as a matter of fact. Our church secretary had a family emergency so she wasn't able to get the programs printed up for the service, or the bulletin for the Christmas morning service together. Our church pianist (and probably the best I've ever heard) also had a family emergency and had to be on the east coast. Our backup musicians all had prior commitments as did the sound-board guru.

So what did we do? Simple - the sanctuary was lit by only two candles, Pastor Paratus prepared a spoken word service and all singing was acapella, Anything that needed to be read (like the words to the carols) were on a very simple PowerPoint that didn't take away from the two simple candles. It was agreed that it was the nicest, most meaningful Christmas Eve ceremony we ever held.

Christmas morning service was shared with the PCUSA church across the street. Their church closed their doors for Christmas so Pastor Paratus invited those of them that wanted to worship on Christmas morning to come on over and bring the cinnamon rolls, which they did. They even brought their pianist along to help in our music shortage. As for the guy who had to do the announcements without a Sunday bulletin... I made something up.

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues - This means YOU members of the Southern Baptist Convention. This article is incredible, if you read nothing else in the remaining hours of 2016, read this.

China shuns Christianity but dominates the market on U.S. Christmas decorations. Go figure

Go-Go dancers, rapping about Santa Claus, elves, Christmas trees, candy. and magic...It's Christmas Eve at Andy Stanley's goatpen. I can only wonder how many Operation Christmas Child packages could have been sent and filled for what he spent on the lighting on his stage.

Spurgeon Thursday - Come out of her, my people!

How many people are turning to the lies and heresy of the of false teachers like Beth Moore and Joel Osteen? How many denominations are succumbing to the temptations of the seat filling goat chow that is shoveled out by the New Apostolic Reformation?  Are ye not entertained?  C.H. Spurgeon saw this heretical nightmare in his own time, one can only wonder what he would say if he saw the clown acts that pass for theologians today. He'd probably say what he said 150 years ago:

"Neither when we have chosen our way can we keep company with those who go the other way. There must come with decision for truth a corresponding protest against error." -- C.H.S., The Sword and the Trowel, September 1887.

"Avowed atheists are not a tenth as dangerous as those preachers who scatter doubt and stab at faith." -- C.H.S., The Sword and the Trowel, August 1887.

"Believers in Christ's atonement are now in declared union with those who make light of it; believers in Holy Scripture are in confederacy with those who deny plenary inspiration; those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open alliance with those who call the Fall a fable, who deny the personality of the Holy Ghost, who call justification by faith immoral, and hold that there is another probation after death ... Yes, we have before us the wretched spectacle of professedly orthodox Christians publicly avowing their union with those who deny the faith, and scarcely concealing their contempt for those who can not be guilty of such a gross disloyalty to Christ. To be very plain, we are unable to call these things Christian Unions; they begin to look like Confederacies in Evil ... It is our solemn conviction that where there can be no real spiritual communion there should be no pretense of fellowship. Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin." -- C.H.S., The Sword and the Trowel, November 1887.

Keeping the Holy Family Humble

Merry Fourth Day of Christmas! I wanted to find an illustration of the humble family of Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus, but there appears to be no such thing. You can find lots of pictures of them in a stable emblazoned with halos and surrounded by the heavenly hosts. I can find a lot of pictures of Joseph leading a halo branded Mary on a donkey but there's nothing in the bible about a donkey, I just wanted a humble, poor holy family. 

So instead I went the other route. Here's a beautiful mosaic in the Hagia Sophia (pronounced Haya Sophia, it means "Holy Wisdom"), a visit to that 1,400 year old historical masterpiece is definitely on my bucket list. Here we see Mary holding the baby Jesus being visited by the Roman* emperor John II Komnenos and his wife Irene of Hungary. John is handing Jesus a sack of cash and Irene is handing Mary an official decree. Let's not let the fact that John was born 1,118 years after Jesus was born get in the way of a very beautiful mosaic. 

In fact other than the wise men and some shepherds showed up at Jesus' birth, this family was humble and they were humbled, and for some reason this realization hit me a bit harder this Christmas. We all knew that God gave his son humble beginnings but He did so in a way that insured his life would remain humble. Let's start at the very beginning...

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

My wife and I spent a lot of money on many things this year, from doctor bills to dog grooming our budget was stressed. So we decided to not get anything for each other this Christmas, to just be thankful for what we have. This was a great idea because our children came up with Christmas gifts that surpass all others. Our daughter-in-law took to wearing a patriotic t-shirt that said "Red White & Due"and just recently our daughter took to dressing up her only child in a t-shirt that emblazoned with "Just Promoted To Big Sister"

God gifted us with two grandsons, Oliver is due in March, and Chase is due in July and we couldn't be happier. On one hand we are incredibly delighted even though next years Christmas budget for grandchildren just doubled. On the other hand, we have six children. if each had come up with a Christmas present like this my wife and I may have considered a quick move in the middle of the night to an undisclosed location. 😅 Although Christmas time is a time of joy, quiet reflection, and gratitude for a promise kept, it's also the time of rebellion against God for many. Sad to say it, but to many the thought of a prayer of thanks to our creator for gifting us with the savior He promised is extremely unpalatable so much so that the prayers of the faithful must be disrupted in order to make themselves feel better. Don't believe me? just look at this weeks wrap-up of nuts and fruitcakes:

Spurgeon Thursday - Thank You Alec Satin!!!

You probably all know that I enjoy reading commentaries and sermons by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, even though it's a bit difficult for me to read only because Spurgeon wrote in Victorian English prose and I only speak Obamonian American gibberish. (That's not true, I also speak fluent Canadian (eh?) and a smattering of Australian exclamation (strewth!)

So 2 weeks ago Alec Satin emailed me and  asked if I was interested in Spurgeon's Treasury of David and that he had a set if I was interested. I said that I was very interested and completely forgot about the word "set". So just the other day the set showed up and what a beautiful set it is! A book collector would say that these are truly in As New condition and I can't wait to start studying. I've only opened them enough to know that each page is pristine, and the binding is in perfect condition. I did notice that they used quite a small typeface, but that's not a big deal. 

Each book came individually wrapped in heavy duty paper, as all books should be sent, and it was very festive (I didn't know they had Trader Joe's in NYC)

I wish this was a better picture but I took it at 4:30 AM. I should have been in my car and heading in to work but I wanted get a picture to show you all these wonderful tomes that Alec sent me. Thank you very much Alec! I thank you, my wife thanks you, and the guy down at Home Depot who now knows I can't put off installing more bookshelves any longer thanks you. I love you brother, and I pray that it is in Gods will that your search ends successfully. (you should blog your 'adventures', you need to get back to writing)