Deus Misereatur

  You might not agree with his politics. You might not agree with some of his assessments. But Ben Sasse, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (R), has smashed the ball over right field and hits a grand slam! " Them: Why We Hate Each Other - And How to Heal ", a 288-page hardback, was published in 2018. Sasse understands the troubling trends, and presents them in a winsome way. Chock-full of stories and illustrations, it is also jampacked with analytical detail. Easy to read, easy to digest. From the introduction to the conclusion, Sasse leads readers to see how our tribes (communities) are collapsing, and in their place are being offered harmful and hostile anti-tribes. As one wades through the chapters, it would be easy to get lost in despair or defeatedness. But the author continues to plow through, while pointing to what is hopeful. His genuine Christian faith is clear-as-day through it all, without making the book a bully pulpit. From the loneliness epidemic, to media and talk-sho...

  Most people see me as simply a Presbyterian minister; almost a one-dimensional character. Some, who have gotten to know me better, see me as a minister and a family man. That deepens their perception of me. But there's another level of me that swims in martial arts, woodworking, and hand-carving. To know that other facet of me enriches a person's awareness of who and what I am. This is the value Jason M. Baxter, associate professor of fine arts and humanities at Wyoming Catholic College, supplies us with in regard to C.S. Lewis, in his new 176-page paperback, " The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind ". This is a delightful read that will warm the hearts of many Lewis fans. Baxter spends time delving into the part of Lewis's life that most Christian readers are vaguely aware of: the man's passion for, and profession in, medieval literature, ancient languages, and premodern mindsets. This is what the author calls "the third L...

 This little hardback book is ideal for kids. It summarizes the Gospel from the good creation through the guilt of the fall to the gift of redemption to the grandeur of the new creation. The illustrations are full-paged but not overly busy. It's written for at least two different levels of listeners. There's the big-lettered part on every page for the youngest and younger kids. But then, for a little older children (and for the readers themselves) there are printed out Bible verses. I only have one little nitpicking item. Even though the authors talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus (thank God!) they don't show how his resurrection is just as essential as is his death. But the Scripture is clear about the resurrection's value on multiple levels, and should be made a bigger item than it is. For example, Christ "was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25). And, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus...

  Lord, who has promised that you would be with your church to the end of the world, we pray on behalf of your Church world-over, this congregation, Philippine International Baptist Church, Pilgrim Rest, Prospect, and Ridgecrest Baptist Church. Since we are those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to us. Give us the wherewithal to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. And, by your gracious aid, may we build ourselves up in our most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; and show mercy to others with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh (Jude 1-4, 20-23). We pray for unbelievers all around us – those who play on our playground; those we will meet in Carnegie, those who will be ...