Deus Misereatur

From Psalm 47 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah. World Rescuing God, thank you that in Christ Jesus all of us who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. That he himself is our peace, who has made both Jews and Gentiles, Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs, Brazilians and Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, Koreans and Japanese, Mongolians and Chinese, Republicans and Democrats – all who are redeemed by him, he has made one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2.13-14). Be with your church all over this big, wide globe, including this church, and Central Presbyterian Church; Covenant Presbyterian; Eastlake and Stonegate Cumberland Presbyterian churches; First Presbyterian-Edmond; First Presb...

Sunday morning: From Psalm 62 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. We lift up our hearts thankful that the new and living way into your presence has been opened up through your Son, Jesus; and that we have the privilege to draw near with all holy reverence and confidence. Glory to you, Lord God! How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah . Father, behold how your people are being bludgeoned, badgered and beleaguered in so many places! Grant us all to be faithful witnesses, and restore safety and sanity in those places where it is hot and hostile. Turn the hearts of the god-haters and shut down their ability to do harm. Liquidate and bankrupt those institutions...

Simplified Tai Chi for Beginners – Learn the 48 Form (DVD) Helen Liang YMAA Publication Center, Inc. PO Box 480 Wolfeboro, NH 03894 www.ymaa.com ISBN: 978-1-59439-289-4; March 2016; $29.95 5 stars of 5 The graceful, flowing, effortless moves in tai chi are beginning to attract American attentions. Schools promising to teach tai chi are cropping up throughout the nation, showing up even in adult living centers. Helen Liang, eldest daughter of Grandmaster Liang, vice-president of the the Shou-Yu Liang Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute in Canada, and cancer survivor, has recently teamed up with Yang’s Martial Arts Association to produce a 180 minute DVD for level 1 students, “Simplified Tai Chi for Beginners: Learn the 48 Form.” In this DVD, Liang introduces this tai chi form, describing how it is mainly drawn from the Yang style, while including steps from Chin, Wu, Hao and Sun. Most Americans are unfamiliar with the Taoist and Buddhist aspects of Kung Fu and Tai...

Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality in Scripture and Tradition S. Donald Fortson III and Rollin G. Grams B&H Publishing Group One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN. 37234 www.bhpublishinggroup.com ISBN:    9781433687921; February 2016; $34.99 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber. A slightly different version of this article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2017 issue of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity . 5 Stars out of 5 Based on reports from news broadcasts, tabloids, cultured journals, enlightened bureaucrats, sitcoms, singers and social media, it looks as if it’s an open and shut, clear cut case of social justice. It’s only the coarse troglodytes, communal cave-dwellers, and clichéd sticklers who linger around the sides and shadows of our brave new world, and make peevish and prejudiced protests. But fear not, we’re assured, for the moral high-ground has been claimed by throngs of the liberated and learned. W...

From Psalm 63 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Father, all that we are about – in our family worship, personal devotions, Sunday School classes, Worship assemblies, Care Groups, our involvement in works of mercy, mission trips, VBS, and so forth – yes, all that we are about is flows from our craving to know you and be nearer to you, from our enraptured amazement at your gracious goodness to us. Draw us to you– this whole congregation, along with your Church worldwide and Pillar of Fire Church; Redeemed Christian Church of God; River of Life Church; Southern Oaks United Pentecostal Church; and Zion Christian Fellowship. Slake our thirst for you; ...

Sunday morning: From Psalm 33 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our hearts are glad and we continue to lift our voices in thanksgiving and praise! For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. You, Mighty God, Lord Most High, are our hero, our savior. As your upright word goes forth from your preachers, evangelists, pastors and teachers, may it not return to you void, but accomplish what you please and prosper in the thing for which you sent it. May your church, including this congregation; Selecman UMC; House of Prayer Church; Linn Ave Pentecostal Holiness Church; Meeks Chapel; Paradise Temple; Hillcrest Pentecostal Ch...

Fearless: The Heroic Story of One Navy SEAL's Sacrifice in the Hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the Unwavering Devotion of the Woman Who Loved Him by Eric Blehm My rating: 5 of 5 stars I'm wiping the tears from my eyes right now. I've just finished "Fearless" by Eric Blehm, and cried through the last part. I cried for Adam, for Kelley and the kids, for his parents and family, for his teammates who died a few moths after his own death, and I cried for their families. I sorrow for them, but the book also brings me to give thanks for such who serve, and serve well; and I give thanks that I served my country for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. "Fearless" is a story of wasted potential, loss, fall, shame, and darkness. But it is also a story of reclamation, redemption, resilience, radiance, rightness and camaraderie. The author follows Adam's life from childhood, through the muck and misery of his meth addiction, to his messy conversion, and on into his Na...