Deus Misereatur

  There they are. Seventeen frogs sitting on a log. Suddenly, nine of them decide to jump off. Now, the $50 question is, how many frogs are there on the log? There are still seventeen, because deciding to jump off and jumping off are two completely different actions. And that is the point Will Ertel, founder of Tassel Capital, CPA and financial adviser wants to hammer home in his brand-new 138-page softback, “Resolve: A Personal Financial Planning Book for Twentysomethings Getting Serious About Stewardship”. Ertel wrote this book with one major group in mind, his three twentysomething daughters and their spouses. And what he wrote for them he decided to share with others. He wrote to convince us all to move from deciding to jump off the log, to actually jumping off and diving in.   The book revolves around five core exhortations, which end up being the five chapters of the book. Give charitably, set and take action on financial goals, create margin, save and invest in marg...

  Our congregation has been engaged with Cedar Creek Church in Southwest Oklahoma for many years. We have partnered with several Native American groups while serving there, mostly with Kiowa believers. Recently, one of the local pastors told me about "The Jesus Road: Kiowas, Christianity, and Indian Hymns" and I immediately ordered a copy. It was a pleasure to read about many of the congregations in the region that I have been involved with over the past ten years, and to discover some extra history. The first part of the book is a historical accounting of how the Christian faith came among the Kiowas in the 19th Century. The mistaken notions many of our missionaries, the successes, blunders, etc. The second part of the book is on the role of Kiowa hymns for the faith of Kiowa Christians. There are numerous samples of Kiowa hymns. There was supposed to be an accompanying CD with the book, but there wasn't one with the new copy I received. The goal of the book is to "...

  O ur Father, who has cheerfully adopted us through Jesus Christ, we come and hand over our burdened hearts to you for this world and for your church. We find that we are restless and uneasy about the things going on in our lives, amongst our friends and family, and in our world. War, catastrophe, sickness, sorrow, trouble at home, problems at work, uncertainty about the future. We remember these who are wrestling and wrangling with specific misfortunes, those in Syria, Turkey, and Kurdish held areas, as well as those in Ukraine, Transnistria, and Moldova, but also for these closer to home (…). Grant them and us courage, faith, graciousness, comfort and relief.  We call upon you to take care of our country and all who are in authority. Promote our national well-being, defend us from malicious forces that would bring us into harm’s way, and cause us to utilize our liberties for the purpose of furthering justice and peace for the freeborn, the foreign born and the unborn. Thank...