A Chance to Die
May I look up. Open my hands. Die to myself.
The heart gravitates so quickly to familiarity and comfort, to knowing and being known. Amy Carmichael wrote, “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” But even missionary life, with all of its perceived and real challenges, can become comfortable. “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” It certainly started out that way. There... Continue Reading
From Seminary President to NFL Head Coach
This fall, former Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Charlotte campus president Frank Reich began his first season as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
At 45, Reich took a coaching internship with the Indianapolis Colts. He moved up to offensive coaching staff assistant, to quarterback coach for Peyton Manning, to wide receivers coach. He coached for the Arizona Cardinals for a year, for the San Diego Chargers for three, and for the Philadelphia Eagles for two. Imagine Southern... Continue Reading
Charlotte Arbaleste Duplessis-Mornay – Faithful Chronicler, Devoted Wife, Loving Mother
“Truly did I not fear M. du Plessis' grief, whose love for me grows as my sorrow grows, I would fain not survive him.”
Wherever they went, Charlotte cultivated her husband’s friendships and supported his writing projects, such as his Treatise of the Church, an exhortation to right doctrine, and his Treatise on the Truth of Christianity, an apologetic work against atheism, Islam, and other beliefs. Philippe’s works were appreciated in other countries and readily translated into English. Charlotte Arbaleste’s... Continue Reading
Ralph Erskine and His Songs of the Bridegroom
Christ’s unconditional and undeserved love for his bride resounds through many of Erskine’s poems.
Besides his sermons, he is known for his poetry. Today’s readers might be most familiar with his meditation to the smoker of tobacco, in consideration not of health issues (it was actually considered a medicinal herb) of the greater comforts of heaven (each line ending with “Thus think, and smoke tobacco”[2]). Ralph Erskine (1685-1752)... Continue Reading
Skip Resolutions in 2019 — Make a Rule of Life
A Rule of Life is “an intentional, conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything we do.
The Rule is a way to “begin with the end in mind”—to envision a sustainable, thriving walk with the Lord, in his Word, in prayer, in community, in our family, and in our work, then work backward to a set of commitments. It’s not about detailed to-do lists that must be maintained. A Rule of... Continue Reading
End of Year Check-Up Questions For Christians
One of the best times to take your spiritual temperature is at the end of the year as you reflect on what was.
Some of these will apply to you; some of them won’t. For example, you may already have had a spiritual mentor or perhaps because of this season of life, you may not have the capacity or energy to disciple anyone. That’s fine. These questions are provided not to make you feel guilty, but to provide... Continue Reading
The Providence of God and a Thankful 7-Year Anniversary
God uses our circumstances (his providence) to speak to us.
I suspect that many contemporary Christians do not think much about providence. We either think that the Spirit speaks to us directly, through our feelings or only in the Word. But the fact is that God uses our circumstances (his providence) to speak to us. Of course Scripture is the only absolute authority and we... Continue Reading
A Merry Luther Christmas
Luther's commitment to write for "the low, humble people" was rooted in his own astonishment with the fact that Christ was born into an impoverished family in impoverished circumstances and lived an impoverished life.
“I have written not for those that are experienced but for the common people and those that have the Spirit, who are highly esteemed before God…I hope that I shall do enough if I uncover the purest and simplest sense of the Gospel as well as I can…in order that the Christian people may hear,... Continue Reading
Erdmann Neumeister and His Pious Orthodoxy
Erdmann Neumeister (1671-1756) hated Pietism but his music was full of vigorous piety and lively devotion
“Born at Uechteritz, Germany, from a schoolmaster and organist, Neumeister studied theology and poetry at the University of Leipzig. One of the main subjects of discussion around that time was the recent visit of the popular lecturer August Hermann Francke and his subsequent expulsion from Saxony due to the disputes he generated.” Erdmann Neumeister... Continue Reading
Pilgrims on the Road to the Classical View of God
Here I will briefly describe five major figures and their contribution to the classical view of God
Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. 130–200) was a bishop who learned from Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John. In ‘Against Heresies’ he emphasizes the unity and transcendence of God. Using a metaphor, he explains God’s relationship to the world through his “two hands,” the Son and the Spirit. Have Christians always held the same... Continue Reading
