December 20, 2024

The Irony of the first Christmas is that in a place where you would least expect to find what you need (a stable), You indeed find everything you need (The Savior.)

Christmas is almost here, and I imagine you will be hearing many sermons from both Old and New Testaments concerning the Christ of Christmas. During Christmas, we often listen to Handel’s Messiah, not only for good aesthetics but also for excellent theology. My friend, Gary Inrig, has captured the concept of Isaiah 9 with his description of the coming Christ as Isaiah describes Him. He is the…. Wonderful Counselor who understands the Complexities of Life Mighty God who can deal with the Circumstances of Life  Eternal Father who can deal with the Changes of Life Prince of peace who can heal the brokenness and make us Complete in Life    In a Culture that is Confused and Corrupt through Consumerism and Commodification, it is hard to think Clearly about Christmas. However, God has made it quite clear. Jesus came through the Crib and left by the Cross and will come again to be Crowned and Consummate His Kingdom.  “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21)                                                                     All glory be unto Him. Serving HIM with you Until He comes for us. Fred

December 13, 2024

"Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love. Love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth." ~John Stott~

As I have aged I have mellowed. I realize the need for more balance. In my youth, I was a crusty white corpuscle. White corpuscles find disease and eliminate it. Now, do not get me wrong, I am still a heresy hunter, but I find that most heretics are simply trying to understand scripture but have made a theological error or a methodological mistake. Living in a confused world we need the right balance of clarity with compassion. How do we maintain the authority of the scripture in a world that lacks the belief in objective universal truth? How do we live wisely in a world that thinks it is wise to allow a 5 year-old to determine their own gender? How do we manifest winsomeness in such a morally corrupt world? The biblical answer is that we are to be filled with grace and truth, as we speak the truth in love, as we walk in the Spirit. To do this, we need our lives to be governed by a regular and healthy intake of the Holy Scriptures, and we must submit to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is nothing more but nothing less than Scripture-filled and Spirit-filled living. What are you filled with? Serving Him with you Until he comes for us. Fred

December 6, 2024

“When someone in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem.” Mark Ross, Ph.D.

It finally happened. I went to Costco to get my hearing aids, and boy are my wife and kids happy. As I was getting fitted, I was talking with the audiologist. He asked me what I did for a living. I told him I taught Ethics, specifically Theological Ethics, and then the discussion took off! He Is from Iran and is not a Muslim but an agnostic who is seeking truth. He desires to have the truth verified empirically with evidence. As we talked, he said he believed in Karma. I responded--I do not think you have any empirical proof for Karma, do you? He agreed he did not. We had a delightful time sparring over world views and theories of truth. I will meet with him in a few weeks, and I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide him to hear the truth. “And on that day the deaf shall hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.” Isaiah 29:18  As for me, a great truth I have learned through all of this is: “One of the best hearing aids a man can have is an attentive wife.” Attributed to Groucho Marx Serving Him with you Until he comes for us. Fred