Once there were two children, a brother and a sister, who played with one another constantly. They were normally good friends and played together well, but we must also admit that they occasionally quarreled. And one afternoon, while playing in the back yard, they quarreled. One had bumped the other, then had been bumped back, …
Ratios
The saints of God are mountains, snowcapped and glorious. They stand under heaven, and tower to a crushing weight, the weight of glory. And yet, reaching toward heaven, what does such height accomplish? How far can it reach? Against such a standard, What is close? What is far? The valleys are lifted up, The rough …
Yelling At My Windshield
I have begun listening to the audio recordings of the recent conference at Westminster West on The Foolishness of the Gospel, and will make a few comments here from time to time as circumstances warrant. Initially, just a few remarks. While it is quite true that Scripture speaks of the foolishness of the gospel, it …
Boys and Poetry
One of the great disasters of our day (and there are many to choose from) can be found in the fact that most boys hold poetry in contempt. For various reasons, and it is a long and sordid story, a love for poetry can get you designated as some kind of a swish. This is …
Association of Classical and Christian Schools
I am getting ready to head out to Atlanta next week for the annual ACCS convention. Early returns indicate that this might be our most successful and fruitful conference to date. You can register on line (just click here http://www.accsedu.org/). Education is one of the central battleground issues of our day, and it is hard to …
Overstated
Once there was a very evil city, on the shores of a great ocean. This city was full of wickedness and every manner of filth. They lived in great debauchery, and ignored the prophets who were sent to warn them. Whenever the prophets became impossible to ignore, they would persecute and kill them. In this …
Worship As A Shield
God has never done a work of reformation in the world where that work had no critics. One of the signs of thorough-going reformation is when those involved in the work of reformation respond in grace and wisdom. This is not the same as agreeing with the critics and joining them, but it is the …
Subsequent Generations
Our gracious God and Father in heaven, we rejoice before You now. We thank You for all the children You have given us, and the grandchildren also. We gather before You as a redeemed family, and we look forward to this redemption continuing to subsequent generations. We know that You keep covenant to a thousand …
Church of the Firstborn
Jesus Christ, the firstborn, is therefore head of the Church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23). All of this is indicated in Paul’s interpretation of the second psalm— And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that …
Born Again from the Dead
Christ was born again from the dead. Because of this, the whole created order was born again from the dead. Because of this, Israel was born again from the dead, and is now the Church. Because of this, a man can be born again and enter the Church. If he was already in the Church, …