Deus Misereatur

A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Practice by John P. Burgess My rating: 5 of 5 stars With two decades of military life under my belt, and now two decades of ministry, I can honestly say that having a devotional plan, a religious rhythm, to shape each day, week, month and year is essential for my own well-being. Therefore I was quite pleased to see the new 208 page paperback, "A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Practice" hit the streets! John P. Burgess, the James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Jerry Andrews, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California; and Joseph D. Small, retired director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Theology and Worship, spent years pulling together the contents and backdrop for this manual. It is written primarily for pastors and ministers of any Christian tradition; and it is written to help them hash out a "rule" - a guide ...

The Good Shepherd's Pasture: A Story of Your Baptism by Elizabeth Harwell My rating: 5 of 5 stars How do we tell our children about Jesus? In what ways can we explain the Gospel so that it gets into little ears and nabs little hearts? Then, we have to think about the value of our little ones' baptism and how to communicate it to them. Elizabeth Harwell has crafted a wonderful 39 page, reading-out-loud hardback, "The Good Shepherd's Pasture," to convey to our children all of those things. The story nicely draws in the Old Testament rite of circumcision and connects it's forward-looking to the coming of the Good Shepherd and baptism. Harwell also artfully teases out our sin, the Good Shepherd's remedy, that the child needs to trust in Jesus for herself or himself, how they belong to the Good Shepherd and his pasture, that their baptism marks them as belonging to Jesus, and that they also should sing the love songs of the Good Shepherd to others. As you...

{This congregational prayer is all dressed up in Psalm 112} Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed . Thank you that in Jesus Christ the Righteous One, we have now been made the generation of the upright! We pray for your Church, O God; for your sacred society all over the world, in this country, throughout the State of Oklahoma, this congregation, and Shartel Church of God, South Agnew Church of God, Church of God in Christ on NE 65 th Street, and Greater Coates Temple Church. May your Church be blessed walking in the fear of God and delighting in your commandments. May your people be mighty in the land for generations to come, godly and blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous . Look on us, our homes an...