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"There Is None Holy like the LORD..." 26 April 2026

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  “ There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God ” (1 Samuel 2:2). We offer up to you our thanksgiving for all your generosity to us, especially in preserving our health, sanity and livability. We pray for your churches throughout the nations and around Oklahoma City such as: Midwest City Community Church of the Nazarene, Moore Church of the Nazarene, Oakcliff, and Piedmont. Give them all the resources they need to serve you properly and well, and the heart they need to serve you with sincerity. Deliver our brothers and sisters who are being hounded and harmed for the Faith that they may serve you in peace and joy. “ There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ” Please help us in this congregation so that our families may be filled with godliness and holiness. May those who are single remain consecrated and joyful in their singleness and the married be charitable, gracious and fait...
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"Ride Out Victoriously!"

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  (This was from my letter to my congregation sent out on 22 April 2026) Take a moment to look at Psalm 45. The first half of that Psalm is about the coronation of the king of Israel, and the second half has to do with his queen. As good Bible readers that means we quickly recognize this as a Messianic Psalm. It’s a Psalm that looks through the historical king of Israel at that moment to the promised greater Son of David, whose “ increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this ” (Isaiah 9:7).   And we know we’re on the right track because Psalm 45:6-7 is quoted in Hebrews 1 as evidence that Jesus is higher than the angels: “ But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteo...
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"Hear My Prayer, O God" - 19 April 2026

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  O LORD, you who are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, (Exodus 34:6-7): we lay before you our prayers for your world and your church. And so we pray in the name of Christ; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth (Psalm 54:2). For those who have no one to pray for them: alone, abandoned, abducted, enslaved, ignored, or eliminated, please take up their cause, O Lord, and show them that you know them and know where they are. Rescue them, raise them up, refresh them, and restore them to their families or to society. And where evilness and iniquity have entrapped them, bring justice. And so we pray; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth . For those who are ailing; for those who have received disappointing diagnoses; for those buried under a suffocating pile of bills...
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Part 3: Disciple Making and Care Groups

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  (From my letter to my congregation sent out on 15 April 2026) Since life at Heritage is about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love, then we are rightly concerned about being disciple makers. In the words of Kevin DeYoung, “If you walk with God and walk with people, you’ll reach the next generation” (“The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation,” pg. 4). Simply put, disciple-making is not a program or project, but a person-to-person lifestyle, and our Lord Jesus has placed it in our hands with a powerful promise (Matthew 28:19-20).   Besides one-on-one fellowship ( Part 2 ) and parents raising their children ( Part 1 ), another venue where disciple-making naturally happens is in our Care Groups [Some congregations call them Life Group, Community Groups, or Small Groups]. The time we spend together eating, fellowshipping, applying Scripture to our...
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"You have summoned us to pray..." - 12 April 2026

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  Almighty God, Heavenly Father, you have summoned us to pray for the Church and the world, that your grace and salvation might become known to all. And you have promised that as we pray in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, you hear us and answer us. And so we pray in the name of Christ, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause (1 Kings 8:45). For those in need, the poor and the hungry, the homeless and unemployed, the sick and lonely (…). May they receive the right help at the right time in their distress and find real relief. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For those who have not yet believed; all in spiritual need; and those who have stumbled and fallen (…). For all of these we pray you to bring them faith, hope and comfort in Jesus Christ. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For the peace and security of the nations of this world – including Mali, Malta, Marsha...
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"Thanks be to God...!" - 5 April 2026

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  O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure…And you will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. You will swallow up death forever; and you, O Lord GOD, will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of your people you will take away from all the earth, for you, O LORD, have spoken” (Isaiah 25:1, 7-8); “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). On this great day as your Church all around this globe, in the Presbyterian Church in America, and in the greater Oklahoma City area, rejoices in the victory you have brought through the resurrection of Christ, we pray for those who have, and are, suffering horribly on behalf of our Lord that you would wipe away their tears and remove their reproach. Bring us all to stand in one Spirit, with one mind, striv...
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"When Children Walk Away from Jesus" by Paul Mallard. A Short Review.

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Paul Mallard, a retired minister, put together a very useful, 160-page softback, "When Children Walk Away from Jesus: Comfort & Hope for Parents of Prodigals." The title tells the reader the whole aim of the work, and who it's for. Millard biblically handles this subject with compassion, sympathy, and clarity. For example, I appreciated how he made very clear that God's promises in Proverbs (especially 22:6) are not automatic. Also, Mallard doesn't shy away from the tougher issues, such as when children of believers begin to think they're a different sex in the wrong body, or when they are burdened with mental health issues, and more. He also nicely handles Titus 1:6 with regard to church leaders when their children walk away from Jesus. As I was reading this book several families came to mind. I thought about what they had dealt with, their heartbreak, and how this little manual would be an aid to them. I'm certain a copy will find its way into their...
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