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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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"Look, O Good Shepherd..." - 29 March 2026

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  “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down,” declares the Lord GOD. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:15-16 ). It is to you we pray. Look, O Good Shepherd, with compassion on your one flock all around the world, and around the OKC area to include: New Bethel COGIC, Page Sanctuary, Trinity, and Victory COGIC. With rod and staff, comfort the people of your pasture and the sheep of your hand. Seek out your sheep and rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. Seek the lost, and bring back the strayed, and bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak (Ezekiel 34:12, 16). Look, O Good Shepherd, with compassion upon this part of your one flock, Heritage Presbyterian Church. Bring us to dwell securely; to be a more expressive e...
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Review of Five Children's Book

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  All five books in the photo are from The Good Book Company . The various illustrations and drawings are pleasant to the eyes and fitting. If a reader feels that purported pictures of Jesus violate the Second Commandment, know that there are some in each book. Below are my very short, grandfatherly reviews. " The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross " is a very simple, short presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It begins with the goodness of creation, then the fall, fallen human history, the redemption and finally, glory! Ideal for reading with kids and grandkids. The illustrations are appropriate - even the inscription on the High Priest's turban is accurate. All in all, a nice book for snuggle time with the kids. " It's Good to be a Boy "  happily celebrates the God-made gift of being a boy and a man. It wraps it in the Creation/Redemption story at its heart. But the author also draws in a history of godly men who used their abilities...
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Disciple Making Pt. 2

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  (This is from my letter to my congregation today) As you know, 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. We are interested in being disciple makers. Last week I wrote about parents being on the front line of disciple making . Today, we widen our circle to consider the role we all have in making disciples.   Since disciple making is not a program or a project, but a person-to-person lifestyle, then disciple making calls for relationships. That seems very obvious, but is easily slipped past. As Marshall and Payne note, “The relational nature of training means that the best training will often occur by osmosis rather than formal instruction. It will be caught as much as it is taught” (Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, “The Trellis and Vine,” pg. 76). This is what is behind Kevin DeYoung’s point, when he writes: “If you walk with God and walk ...
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"O Lord, Grant Us the Grace..." - 22 March 2026

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  O Lord, grant unto us the grace we desperately need to withstand the temptations and avoid the infections of the world, the flesh and the devil, so that with pure heart, sound mind and holy delight we may follow you, our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And beat down Satan under our feet! We remember these who are being wrangled by specific misfortunes (…). Console and relieve them according to their particular needs. Give them enduring patience under their sufferings and a happy ending to all their afflictions. Please uphold our country, and Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia as well as all other nations in our world, and direct the hearts and minds of all world leaders to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before you in your ways of truth. We also pray for this region that you would kindly give us the needful portions of rain. Lord Jesus, who for our sake was condemned as a criminal, please visit our jails, correctional facilities and prisons with your mercy and justice. Reme...
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"Men and Women in the Church" by Kevin DeYoung. My Short Review.

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  "Complementarianism" is the position that men and women are equal before God; both saved by grace alone in Christ alone received by faith alone. And both men and women are distinctly, purposefully different, not interchangeable. There are obvious creational/biological differences which coach men toward masculinity and women toward femininity. Within the concept of complementarianism there is a spectrum. On one side, there are those who are more egalitarian (equal in role capabilities - almost interchangeable except for their sex, and yet men still are the head of the family and leaders in the church), and in the other direction are those who are clearly more patriarchal (equals who serve in unique, sex-specific ways with men leading in society, home and church).   "Men and Women in the Church" is a soundly complementarian manuscript that leans more to the patriarchal side. It's where I am, and where (I suspect) the majority of my denomination (The Presbyterian...
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