Deus Misereatur

As I’m contemplating the sermon for this Lord’s Day (1 Kings 17.1-24 and Sola Scriptura ), there is one thing that strikes me about Elijah stretching himself out on the dead child three times and passionately praying, “ O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again ” (21). Elijah is not exercising some shamanistic witch-doctor gyrations, but instead he is heaving his body into his begging ; he is throwing his posture into his prayer . The question that some may have is, is this biblical and is it Reformed? Let’s listen to two biblical and Reformed scholars separated by hundreds of years, and see what they say: “And kneeling down.  The inward affection is indeed the chiefest thing in prayer; yet the external signs, as kneeling, uncovering of the head, lifting up of the hands , have a double use; the first is, that we exercise all our members to the glory and worship of God ; secondly , that by this exercise our sluggishness may be awakened, as it were. There is als...

[I have presented this at three different venues this month. On 13 October 2016 I presented this to 800 teenagers in two chapel services at Casady School. On 25 October to about 20 teens with Classical Conversations, a home-school Co-op. And then today to several adults attending a Bible Study at the Oklahoma State Capitol] The Messiah of God Luke 9.18-27 There are days and moments and seasons in our lives where we could easily find ourselves singing with the Strumbellas, “I got guns in my head and they won't go; Spirits in my head and they won't go; I got guns in my head and they won't go; Spirits in my head and they won't go. But the gun still rattles, the gun still rattles. And I don't want a never-ending life, I just want to be alive, while I'm here” And though the Lead singer, Simon Ward, goes looking for the answer in a different place, Jesus shows us a better way here. Who (9.18-20): “ When Jesus was praying alone ” with his followers wer...

{This little critter was looking in my kitchen window yesterday morning} Sunday morning: Father, you made all things very good, by the word of your power, in the space of 6 days; and by your almighty present power, whereby as it were by your hand, you sustain heaven, earth and all creatures. We adore you our Creator and our Sustainer! Compassionate Lord who ate with tax collectors and sinners, who came not to call the righteous but sinners; we pray for those who are unbelievers and those who have strayed away – hear us as we call out their names….save them, change them, cleanse them, make them utterly yours. And help us to be part of that amazing-grace work! We pray, O Lord, that of your great goodness, you would comfort, strengthen, aid and fortify those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity. We mention those on our minds before you…. We beg you to rule the hearts and ambitions of all who bear the authority o...

Solo Training 3: 50 and Older by Loren W. Christensen My rating: 5 of 5 stars I started martial arts just at the end of my 40s and have recently earned my 2nd degree black belt. It has been sitting in the back of my aging noggin that the day may be soon approaching when I might need to move to something easier, lighter and more gentle on my mellowing physique. So I was quite interested when I picked up "Solo Training 3: 50 and Older" by Loren W. Christensen, 8th Dan in American Free Style Karate, retired Law Enforcement Officer (LEO), and senior citizen. This 316 page self-published paperback goes right to the heart of what I've been thinking, and gives a resounding "No!" to my question. Christensen lays out a rationale and regimen for starting on martial arts or continuing your training even beyond 50, 60 and into the 70s. It's a motivating read with helpful practicalities and reasoned purposefulness. The book contains truck loads of descriptive informat...

The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction Matthew B. Crawford Farrar, Straus and Giroux http://us.macmillan.com/fsg ISBN: 9780374535919; $ 15.00; 04/05/2016 5 Stars out of 5: Artful and Astute I have tried for years to fathom where we are in our present-day location. As I look beyond the geopolitical commotions to the normal, day-in-and-day-out state of affairs, I find it alarming how easily distracted we’ve become, and the ways disruption has taken over our mental, visual, and audio space. Why is that, how did we get here, and is there a viable way forward? Matthew Crawford, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, fabricator of components for custom motorcycles and established author, addresses all of this and more in his recently published 320 page paperback, “The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction.” The overall theme of “The Worl...

Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law: grant that we, who have been gathered here by Christ’s beckoning and receiving Christ together in faith and with thanksgiving, may love you with our whole heart and our neighbors as ourselves. We pray for your Church all over the world, and congregations here in the OKC area: especially for Church of the First Born; Church of the Harvest; Church of the Living God; Church of the Open Arms; Church of the Savior; and Church of the Servant. For those churches who claim to be yours and have lost their way and begun traveling down side trails and pathways that dishonor you, reject the Scriptures as the final rule of faith and life, and embrace error; we implore you to restore them, grant them to see their fault, renounce it, and return in joy to you and your way. For those congregations leaning into being faithful to you, fill them with compassionate courage and sturdy resilience. Uphold our bro...

The Shotokan Karate Bible by Ashley P. Martin My rating: 5 of 5 stars As a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, I'm always looking for ways to branch out. Therefore I was quite pleased to find and delve into the classy 222 page paperback "The Shotokan Karate Bible: Beginner to Black Belt 2nd Edition" by Ashley P. Martin, Chief Instructor and Grading Examiner at Just Karate of Cambridge, UK. The material is visually pleasing, glossy, colorful, and instructive. After mapping out a brief history and lineage of Shotokan Karate, the author then gives the novice karateka a run down on the basics of uniform, stances, punches, kime, Japanese commands, and grading examinations. Once the reader has completed those chapters, then the next sections work the practitioner through the necessary subjects for each belt level. Martin covers basic forms, appropriate katas with a few applications sprinkled in, one-steps, and kumite. The pictures are clear and crisp, with short explanatio...