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COPD and Heart Failure
It’s been so good to be here in Michigan with my mom (Kathy) and stepdad (Charlie). I’ve been able to hear first-hand from her medical team what is going on and that, coupled with my copious note taking, is freeing them up from having to keep track of all sorts of numbers and details and report back to other family members. In addition, while Charlie could head home and catch up on some much-needed sleep, I had the privilege of helping my mom through a shower, getting her tucked into clean clothes and linens, do her hair, etc. etc. So that’s great. Overall, the immediate crisis seems to have passed.…
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Flying to Michigan in a Few Hours
If you are a friend of mine on FaceBook, then you already know the news that my mother is hospitalized in Michigan today and facing heart surgeries/procedures this afternoon. Here is the update I gave yesterday: Thank you SO very much for the prayers for my mom. She is scheduled for a transesophageal echocardiogram to check for blood clots on her heart and if the risks are OK, she will have an electrical cardioversion to disrupt the abnormal electrical circuits in her heart and (hopefully) restore a normal heart beat. My sister and I offered to fly out to be with her, but she asked us to wait. I am…
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Counsel from the Cross
From Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson’s Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ: “The gospel of Jesus Christ—that we are all more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe but more loved and welcomed than we ever dared hope—is meant to be lived out in relationship: each of us assuring, reminding, confronting, counseling, and listening to one another, praying or one another, and bearing one another’s burdens. It’s here, within gospel-centered relationships, that the Spirit will reveal the Son to us.”
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We must never let those who hurt us take away our joy …
From one of my all-time heroes of the faith, Ajith Fernando: Suffering with Christ is a normal part of Christianity and we must never make a big deal about this or be angry when we face it. In the ministry we constantly face inconvenience, tiredness, shame, slander, persecution, sorrow, disappointment and hurt. When we suffer we must be joyful because of the honour of suffering for his name (Acts 5:41); because of the reward to be received in heaven (Matt. 5:11); because it will be turned into something good for us (Rom. 8:28 ), because it draws us closer to Christ (Col. 1:24) and because it helps the church (Col.…
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Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God
Did you know that you can purchase the Kindle edition of Sinclair Ferguson’s In Christ Alone for only $.99? What a deal! Here is just one nugget from it that I’ve been meditating on for the last few days … “In his Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, Jonathan Edwards draws on 1 John 4 to show that all true works of God share several features: 1. A high esteem for Christ. 2. The overthrow of Satan’s kingdom in our hearts. 3. A reverent view of, and close attention to, God’s Word in Scripture. 4. The presence of the Spirit of truth convincing us of the reality…
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Being Human Versus Sinning
Thanks for all of the notes and prayers! It’s been a great day and I’m still in the thick of research and review. One of my files led me to an old blog post that I thought I’d share with you again because it gave me a lot to think about. The title of the post was “Being Human Versus Sinning” and I wrote it back in 2009, when my oldest daughter (Sophia) was just about six years old. Here it is in its entirety: ——- November 12, 2009 Sophie and I had a long conversation this morning about the differences between life in a fallen world as a fallen human being andintentional…
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The Life of God in the Soul of the Church
Lately I have been listening to Thabiti Anyabwile sermons on my morning walks (LOVE them! What a preacher! What a churchman!), so I was particularly excited to hear that his next book will be published in September. Just ordered my copy from Amazon: The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship
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Camping Pics
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I Love Les Mises—Hope the Movie is Even Half as Wonderful as the Stage Productions I Saw in the 1980’s
One of the best things about living near Chicago during my teen years was getting to enjoy the Arts—especially musicals. I loved them all, but Les Miserables was a particular favorite. Can you believe it’s been in production for over 25 years? And that there is a film version coming out this year? I just learned that from Justin Taylor’s recent post. Can’t wait until our girls are old enough for us to read this out loud as a family! Maybe the girls can read my old abridged version in French … Mme. Henson would be so happy at that.
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Whether Soldiers Too Can Be Saved
Professor Veith has an interesting post based on an interview with Gen. John W. Vessey, whose distinguished military career including not only combat in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, but serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Reagan. In it, he quotes a Martin Luther pamphlet (entitled Whether Soldiers Too Can Be Saved). Worth the read! A Soldier’s Vocation
