July 31, 2026

 

He Could Have Called for Angels

I often engage in creative mental displacement by placing myself in another’s situation. I frequently ask myself what I would have done if I were Jesus, having endured the savage scourging and then stretched upon the cross with all of its physical and spiritual ramifications.  I am certain that I would have called the holy angels to gather above and around me, and I would have pronounced to the crowd at the foot of the cross, both Roman soldiers and Jewish priests: To Hell with you! Love did not do that. Instead, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” That is how we know from Scripture that God is Love (I John 4:7-8). Many years ago, Dr. John Mitchell gave me a good and biblical definition of love. “Love is sincerely wishing God’s very best for someone else and doing everything you can to see that come about.” Jesus could have called for angels and brought judgment upon me. Instead, he died for me. I guess that is how we know that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him has everlasting life.” How and to whom will I express love this week? Serving Him with you Until He comes for us,  Fred

July 24, 2026

We cannot tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the edge of scripture. ~ Elizabeth Elliot ~

Another friend departed and went to heaven last week. He was old and lived a good life; he lived a godly life, but his death disturbed me. The memories flooded my mind in a most vivid manner. I reminded myself that his death is an ending with a future. I know that, and he knew that because the scriptures say that. Do you know that? Serving Him with you Until He comes for us,  Fred

July 17, 2026

Every Spot of the Old World is Overrun with Oppression -Thomas Payne-

Much of the modern Middle East is governed by an ancient worldview that has created a cultural vortex that cries “death to all Jews and Christians”.  Some are overt, others are covert. But make no mistake - - Hate is the operative word. The ideology of Islam is a geopolitical religion that will rule the world by coercing and conquering all other religions by conversion or death. Death seems to be the choice of the day. Death to the Jews, death to America, death to Christians, and death to all Muslims who will not submit to this tyrannical view of history and prophecy. What are we to do? Clearly the Crusades of 1,000 AD offer little guidance as a model for anyone today. Christians are to be known by their love to the unlovable as evidenced by our Lord toward us.  Islam is now known by its hate. The juxtaposition is clear. We are to love our enemy, pray for them, and share the good news. As John Mitchell reminds us, “Love is sincerely wishing God’s very best for someone else and doing what you can do to see that come about.” The most loving thing I can do is share the good news of eternal life even to those who wish my death. I am not suggesting blind optimism, and we must reject fatalistic pessimism. We are not to deny the reality we live in or surrender to despair. The solution is Biblical Realism. Read the Book of Acts and see how the early Church, that lived in a hostile world of death, managed to manifest the love of God and literally change the world…for the good! Many died and most lived with injustice. However, the providential hand of God manifested the sovereign plan of God in a very hostile environment. That is because the gospel does not depend on environment but on relationship. As I read my Bible it reminds me that the truth of the future allows me to be at peace in the present. I may not be safe in this world, but I am eternally secured for the next one. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

July 10, 2026

Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty we are free at last." ~Martin Luther King~

Freedom is what this country is based on. Freedom from a monarch, freedom from a despotic king. That is what we celebrated last week, July 4th and 250 years of freedom. This is a freedom that demanded a revolutionary war, a fight for freedom, which has resulted in the greatest country in all of Western civilization. I remember going to see the “Freedom Train” in 1976 as it made its stop in San Jose, California, celebrating 200 years of American Freedom. It was quite a sight to see fifty years ago. However, there is another kind of freedom that is elucidated in the book of Romans. It is not simply social or political freedom; it is theological freedom, and it is forever! “Therefore, let it be known to you, men, brethren, that through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things from which you could not be freed through the law of Moses.” (13:38-39) Did you see it? “Freed”. It actually is the Greek word for “Justified”.  It often means to be declared righteous and free from the guilt of sin before a holy God. In a court of law, it involves forensic justification and being declared not guilty! Declared innocent. Of course, this only comes through believing in who Jesus is and what Jesus did. As the Apostle Paul reminds us earlier in his letter to the Romans: Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 If you are reading “Friday with Fred” I assume you are free. How about telling someone else this week, who is not free, how they can be free. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

July 3, 2026

 

Living in the Land of the Luddites

If you want a challenge to your sanctification, try being without the internet for 7 days. I never knew how dependent I was on it for my domestic and ministry life. Communication through email GONE! Zoom meetings GONE! Zoom Classes GONE! Calendar coordination GONE! Alexa and Siri help GONE! Talk about frustrating. I had to go to different places at different times to find access for classes and send and get emails so I could respond to emails to perpetuate academic life, church life, and home life. All of which was a very large disruption to my life. HOWEVER, looking at this from a different angle…… There was a bit more silence in my life. There was a bit more quiet in my life. There was a bit more calm in my life. There was a bit less TV in my life. There was a bit more GOD in my life. Therefore, I will obey the psalmist: “Be still and know I am God.” Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred P.S. As of this writing time of this Friday with Fred…. I still have no internet!

June 26, 2026

The Providence of God

It is interesting that as you get older, you begin thinking about when you were younger. For me, that goes back to my 4th grade birthday party. But the majority of my archaeological dig in my mind goes back to high school, when I was, let’s just say, not much. Academically, I was questionable. Physiologically, I was a lump. Athletically, I was average. Sociologically, tolerable. Not much of a resume.  As I am now quite a bit older, in my 7th decade, I look back to those days. I have realized something very profound. None of my “friends” in those days would ever consider me as amounting to much. And that is probably true from a human perspective. But over these years, God has demonstrated in my life His life in me. It is the Divine hand in a Human glove. I was simply an ordinary human glove that God, in his divine grace, inserted Himself through His drawing and my conversion. I became a new creation, who, slowly but with remarkable providential strategy, exposed me to the right people, trained me in the right places at the right time, and allowed me unique opportunities. Certainly, my high school friends would never have dreamed that I would be doing what I have done and what I am doing right now. I'm sure they would say he just didn't have it in him. And that would be correct until God came into my life and directed it toward a life set apart to glorify Him. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are simply jars of clay, broken so that God may receive the glory as He uses us in service to Him. (2 Corinthians 4:7) There is no doubt I was a cracked pot with very little potential. Much like every one of us. But when God puts His divine hand into a human glove. There is tremendous potential. But of course, we need to allow Him to do so. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. But by His doing, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” I Corinthians 1:25-31- Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

June 19, 2026

 

The Church's mission is not to baptize the latest cultural movement but to proclaim the unchanging truth of God's Word. - Eric Wallace -

Enough said!  But I would like to add a few thoughts. Some of the latest cultural trends regarding the church are the unfettered and unfiltered use of AI for sermons. The perceived lack of need for seminary training since we have a ‘Bot’ to produce whatever is needed for the life of the church is precarious at best. What “they” or “it” produce is "extraordinarily elegant, an avatar’s extravaganza, but increasingly ideologically possessed". (We call it bias.) But it makes the Silicon Valley creators fabulously wealthy. I work with an academic institution, and I see students face the temptations of overusing technology and forgetting how to use critical thinking or misusing the technology, aka plagiarism. This is truly an ethical dilemma, but a spiritual one as well. The basic danger is that the improper use of AI in an unrestricted manner erodes a person's self-confidence. It will become like an illicit drug that promises ecstasy as it contorts “reality” to be what a person’s “perception” is through its use. (I hear the echo of Allen Ginzberg). The dependency will grow as will its demand, and leave a person without confidence in their abilities, apart from the aid of AI. I am not a Luddite, as evidenced by my use of my Apple computer, Grammarly, Siri, Microsoft office, and Constant Contact email to support the production and distribution of Friday with Fred.  As the old proverb reminds us, technology is a good servant but a poor master. I think this is what Neil Postman in 1985 had in mind in his prescient book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. If you have not read it, you should. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

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June 12, 2026

 

"The Bible is the book of my life. It's the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by."  N. T. Wright

Let me be perfectly clear. There are millions of people who wish to distort, deny, disallow, disavow, disfigure, deform, damage, or disown the existence or the essence of the Bible. That is because the Bible gets in the way of what people think they want, but not what they need. The devil wants to deny or distort the Bible. The liberal wants to reduce and reject the Bible. The politician wants to twist and turn the Bible. The word of God has been challenged from the beginning by the serpent, and Adam and Eve believed his purposeful misinterpretation. It has been the same ever since. The battle for the Bible today denies its authenticity, accuracy, and authority. Let me be perfectly clear. The word of God, the Bible, is inspired, infallible, and inerrant (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus made it perfectly clear: Thy word is truth. (John 17:17) If He is true, then the Bible is true. As Merrill Tenny enduringly reminds us; This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

June 5, 2026

 

Trusting in You is so easy to do when I see You for who You really are. ~Twila Paris~

I know many of you who receive Friday with Fred. Then again, there are many others who I do not know that have been introduced to Friday with Fred by someone. However, I do know that many of us struggle with God concerning what, why, and how He does things in our lives. This is not blasphemy, it is simply an honest state of confusion, usually in the midst of personal pain. It often includes what we call “doubt,” which means “being in two minds". When I find myself in that place, I remind myself of two attributes of the Lord, His sovereignty and His providence. God’s sovereignty refers to what He intends to accomplish, while His providence describes the means by which He orchestrates circumstances and connections to ensure those intentions come to pass. These concepts, His Sovereign Plan and His Providential Procedure, work together but operate at different levels. Dr. Tony Evans says “Sovereignty denotes God’s rule over all creation. Everything that occurs either results from His direct action or His conscious permission, and nothing exists outside His complete control." Sovereignty is fundamentally about God’s ultimate authority and the certainty of His purposes. Providence, by contrast, encompasses the miraculous and mysterious ways God intersects and interconnects events to bring about His sovereignty. “In essence, sovereignty is the destination—what God has determined will happen. Providence is the journey—how God guides all circumstances, including human choices and even evil, toward that predetermined end.”  When we understand the connection between providence and sovereignty, we see the wisdom of God’s working in history and in our lives. I do not know about you, but I am starting to feel better. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

May 29, 2026

 

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. C.T. Studd

I met with one of my Theological Think Tanks this week. They are men and women who live in Finland, Sweden, Prague, and Azerbaijan. We meet each month to discuss advanced theological issues and discuss strategic ministry strategies. These 15 ministry leaders live in difficult circumstances since their countries are not particularly friendly to the evangelical faith. But their faith radiates in the darkness as they proclaim Jesus is Lord. When I get off the Zoom call with them, I always feel a sense of joy and gratitude that I get to impact these ministry leaders. But I also have a nagging question that asks, "Is my fire still burning hot enough, or am I cooling off?”  I sense this question again when I get off the Zoom call with my Philippine Theological Think Tank. These men are fanatical about their faith and their mission for the Lord. I count it a privilege to serve these men and feel a part of the ministry they are involved in, changing the church and culture in the Philippines. But again, I ask myself - Am I sliding? I know that I am 35 years older than these people, but I do not want that to be a convenient excuse. I want to remember the words of C.T. Studd:  When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score; When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord, with joy to say; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

May 22, 2026

Strategic Plans for the Ministry Should Always be Written in Pencil- And always Give God the Eraser.

As Peter Drucker reminds us, “Leaders do the right things, Managers do things right.” I try to do both. And so, I am a planner. In fact, I am a strategic planner. In fact, my list-making and prioritization philosophy borders on obsessive-compulsive behavior. That's because I want to make sure I have a strategic and tactical plan by which I invest my life. But I have discovered that oftentimes God has bigger and certainly better plans than I could ever imagine. The Lord has given me maximized freedom with minimal restriction. As such, I have a sense of responsibility and accountability. For as Jesus said; “To whom much is given, much is required.” As I reflect on the investment of my life of ministry, a haunting question reverberates in my mind: What would you have tried if you were not afraid? Fear comes in all shapes and sizes. I’m not smart enough, I am not eloquent enough, there are so many others with so much more, what am I doing in the same room? And then the Lord reminds me of the Moses syndrome, “Fred, it is not about you, it is about Me.” What happens when half the story becomes the whole story? The real story is that God, in His grace and mercy, decides to use each of us in a way to magnify His Glory through us. The Apostle Paul calls this the “Cracked Pot strategy” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.  “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves…” The greatness and glory of God shine forth best in ordinary earthenware -- old, cracked pots. It is not about me, it is about Him. Paul introduced this concept to the Corinthians in his first letter. "For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”  1 Corinthians 1:26 -29 When it is about me, I fear. When it is about Him, I am Free. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

May 15, 2026

Who Needs Theology?

There are times when the world goes a little fast and gets a little crazy. It also seems like it is out of control. It could make you wonder if our God really knows what is going on. Let me quote myself. God is a consciously knowing being, and this knowledge is perfect and absolute in kind and inclusiveness. God knows everything and everyone, actual and possible, from all eternity (1 Chron. 28:9; Isa. 40:13-14, 27-28; Heb. 4:13; 1 John 3:20). He knows the acts which free moral agents will perform and might have performed. He knows us completely – our needs, what we are, and what we can be. Thus, God cannot learn anything new. His knowledge will not fail. It has no limitations. As the Psalmist acknowledges: 'Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord thou dost know it all.' (Psalm 139:4) Who is like our God? There is none. He alone is wise, eternal, and all in all. In light of the picture that the scriptures paint for us of who and what our God is, how should we then live? Peter answers this -- In holy conduct with a heavenly outlook. Truly, our God is an awesome God who reigns from heaven above. If God is for us, it doesn’t matter who is against us.  Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

May 8, 2026

Those things we never say …. Enough

Thank you… Good job… I really appreciate you...Forgive me… I am sorry... You look great… I really like you… I sure love you. I’m sure we all say some of these sometimes. But I imagine it is not enough. I find it is easier to say these things to some people. They are nice people, easy people to be with, and they reciprocate. That feels good and makes it easy to be with them. But there are other people who are uneasy, anxious, and edgy, and hard to be with.  What makes this so hard? Perhaps we are too fixated on ourselves to focus on others. For some of us, we might be too critical of people and assume the worst- (Oops; did I just make a confession? I like to call it a heightened sense of reality.) I have always been a reflective person, but age seems to provide a degree of sensitivity in my reflection that is new. Maybe it is because the sense of the chase has diminished, and the competition aspect has faded. Maybe it is simply perspective and wisdom that comes with age. I also hope it is a sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Scripture in my life. For whatever reason, I hope to make Philippians 4:8 a reality in my life. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”  Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

April 24, 2026

 

“When lies whisper, truth must shout.”

The political season is upon us. When is it not? And so, we get to play the game” Who is lying to me …. the most? I know that sounds cynical, so perhaps we should say - who is bending the truth the most? It seems that during each political season we need to be able to not only decide if we like the political position but also discern if the inevitable use of the Bible is accurate. Topics such as Social Justice, Pacifism, and my favorite - - “all love is love so rejoice with the homosexual and lesbian expression… God does,” are just a few examples. Of course, there are different perspectives on each of these topics. However, biblical gymnastics are performed to validate a politically safe ground for these issues, as well as transgender issues, at the expense of biblical and biological truth or abortion based on self-autonomy, freedom, and a happy life for the mother at the expense of death for the baby.  It seems to me that political expediency and biblical creativity have trumped biblical precision and accuracy. This week, we are witnessing “America Reads the Bible” from Washington DC. (I’m sure we shall see a Muslim expression of this soon.) Reading the Bible is always a good activity. However, the use and misuse of the Bible is an established bipartisan fact. Let me encourage you, if you have questions or doubts about how to interpret the Bible, to ask your pastor. Let me remind you of what Merrill Tenney said: “This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book.” Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

April 17, 2026

Artemis 2

What an incredible achievement. However, when a society knows how to do almost everything but no longer knows why it should do anything, it is in trouble. This condition is what John Seel describes as algorithmic nihilism—a society increasingly organized by powerful systems that cannot answer the most basic human question. When I was in university, I studied Peter Berger and what he called the “sacred canopy,” the shared framework of moral meaning that made life feel coherent and intelligible. And meaningful! But today AI is reshaping knowledge and reality itself. Social media has reshaped our identity. The result of all this is social and personal anxiety. “Anxiety” comes from the term angina, and we use it to speak of a constriction of the heart. Anxiety is a constriction of the soul or a constriction of the spirit. The Apostle Paul reminds us to be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Well, the good news is He already knows them. This is not algorithmic nihilism. This is the providential, sovereign, transcendent God who not only knows but cares…for me. In fact, He loves me. This is not simply literary rhetoric but life’s reality. The Bible not only identifies and reveals the fault lines hidden beneath the comfortable but counterfeit surface of the worlds we create and invent for ourselves through AI and social media, it also provides, dare we say, in today's post-truth age, true truth, absolute truth of reality. “Be anxious for nothing”?  You bet! Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

April 10, 2026

Memento mori, “remember that you must die.”

I had many encouraging responses to Friday with Fred last week. But some were concerned for me that I was in dire straits and might actually be dying. Be assured I am in good health…as far as I know. However, it is good to focus on death. Solomon observes that the house of mourning offers something valuable that the house of feasting cannot (Ecclesiastes 7:2). There is also that famous Psalm of Moses, 90:12 “Teach us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom.” This is wisdom and good advice. We live in a culture that is terrified of death. And of course, we celebrated Good Friday last Friday, reminding us of a most gruesome death. But we Christians know that that is not the end of the story, for there is Easter Sunday and the victory of life that should encourage our hearts. The vulgarity of the cross and the victory of the resurrection, that is the message of hope. Resurrection hope is not the denial of death. It is the defeat of death. That is why Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished,” and then He willingly gave up His life.   What Was Finished? -The crushing of the head of the serpent. Genesis 3 -The fulfillment of the Law. Leviticus 16; John 1:19 -The payment for sin. Isaiah. 53:5,11-12 -The redemption and reconciliation of man. 2 Corinthians 5:19   Easter has nothing to do with Easter bunnies, chocolate Easter eggs or nice new dresses and hats you wear at the EASTER PARADE walking down Fifth Ave in New York. Easter solves the existential and eternal problem of mankind. And that is why Easter weekend must be seen in its entirety, as Roger Lundin opines:  “The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday stretches between the certainty of sorrow and the hope of deliverance, between the full exposure of human cruelty and the full disclosure of God’s glory. And so, in the end, we live not in the darkened shadow of Good Friday but on ground that has been illuminated by the dawn of Easter Sunday.” This is not a post Easter message. Every morning is Easter morning from now on!                       “Jesus planted the only durable rumor of hope amid widespread despair and doubt in a hopeless world.” ~John Walvoord~ Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

April 3, 2026

 

Face it so you can Fix it.

I am afraid of dying. There, I said it. I am not supposed to be, but I am. The sense of an ending is normal for someone my age. And I know you cannot cheat the end from arriving. Death is not the issue for me. Ben Sasse, 54 year old former senator from Nebraska, the man with a death sentence of cancer, opined, “Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived.” And that is the point. It is not death that I fear, but the process of dying. The prognosis is clear. What is the prescription?  Biblical clarity in my head, personal courage in my heart, and persistent resilience in my soul. As Tim Keller reminds us: “God promises to overrule and weave even the worst circumstances into a plan for ultimate good because He knows better than we do what should happen. Very seldom do we glimpse even a millionth of the ways that God is working all things together for good for those who love God. But He is. And therefore you can be assured He will not abandon you. Through pain and tears, love and trust God and watch Him unfold the rest of the story. Choose to stick with God and walk by faith.” So, I will face the music, but I will also focus on the goal. And remember----dying?  I have already started. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

March 27, 2026

Christians are Living a Prelude to Immortality

How is that for perspective? As such, we need to live with the end in mind. Living with a purpose is the key. As W.H. Auden reminds us: “We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea.” It is easy to get stifled by the noise of our world. As sociologist John Seel has said, we are constantly aware of and experiencing political polarization, institutional distrust, technological disruption, and economic uncertainty. But the real problem is that we are a society that knows how to do almost everything but no longer knows why it should do anything. We lack wisdom and have replaced it with artificial intelligence that is reshaping knowledge and social media that is reshaping our identity. Talk about confusion! Perhaps this is what the Biblical authors were warning the church about two millennia ago. Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” I John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.” Seems to me that we need to go back to basics and try to discern and “learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10 Since we are living within a “Tinseled sham of a temporal world that deludes the eye and beguiles the heart,” perhaps we should seek to memorize Philippians 1:9-11. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” I will if you will. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred

March 20, 2026

The shepherds have become stupid and have not sought the Lord.     Jeremiah 10:21

Jeremiah's declaration is not simply a problem of the Old Testament or the New Testament. It is sadly sometimes true today. The truth is that politicians and pastors are oftentimes merchants of delusion. This acidic perspective of French scholar, Ernest Renan, “the only thing that can give you a conception of the infinite is the extent of human stupidity,” is evidenced by the people in New York City who voted for Mamdani. They are like turkeys who voted for Thanksgiving. Truly, a wave of creative destruction is on the way. The apostle Paul warned the church at Ephesus of the danger of false teachers inside the church who would seek to harm the church. In fact, he may be referring to some of the church's elders! Acts 20: 28-31; "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears." Paul’s advice to Timothy, the Pastor at Ephesus, is contained in the two letters Paul wrote to him.  1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress my be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”    2 Timothy 3:14-17 “You however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” I am not trying to indict all pastors or your pastor, but the truth of what Scripture says and the illustrations we see in the newspaper of pastoral perversion cause us to take off the rose colored glasses and realize the dangers. I have just started a new semester teaching potential pastors, and as such it is my custom to remind them and warn them of the inherent dangers of being a pastor. The devil has put a bullseye on their back to seek to destroy their family and their lives through a variety of means. (Marital infidelity and materialistic idolatry are his favorites.) My exhortation to them is to beware so you can be aware. It is the scripture that can and must guide all of us. And so we must seek the warning inherent in the wisdom of David in Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.” This being the truth, both then and now, for all of us, we must demand the time to think and develop the habit of thought. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us, Fred