Deus Misereatur

Plain Theology for Plain People Charles Octavius Boothe Lexham Press 1313 Commercial St. Bellingham, WA 98225, USA https://lexhampress.com/ ISBN: 9781683590347; $14.99; (1890) 2017 G.K. Chesterton once penned, “Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about” (“Orthodoxy”). Lexham Press has taken a good stab at this “democracy of the dead” by resuscitating “Plain Theology for Plain People” written in 1890 by an emancipated slave who became a Christian preacher, Charles Octavius Boothe. This small, 151 page re-typeset, reworked paperback was written by Boothe to help fellow emancipated slaves, who had little education and little time to obtain formal instruction, grow deeper in the depths of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is easily accessible for folks from every walk of life. As Boot...

Deaconing and Deacons 2 Corinthians 6.1-10 What in the world is a deacon? What are deacons supposed to be doing? Who should be deacons? Where did the office of deacons arise from? How do deacons benefit our congregation? These are great questions and likely flutter and float in the backs of our minds whenever we have an officer election and installation. I will try to answer these questions and others as I discuss deaconing and deacons. Deaconing : As we begin with our passage, Paul describes his Gospel work, as a diaconal service, using two nouns – one for the work, “ We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry ( ha diakonia 3) and one for his person engaged in the work, “ but as servants of God (theou diakonoi ) we commend ourselves in every way ” (4). Almost never is the word deacon used of an official office, but almost completely used of occupation, not about a label as much as the labor, not concerned with position as wi...

Mighty God, who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, who says “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite (Isaiah 57.15). O dwell with us and revive us! O Lord, our Lord, we pray for Heritage Presbyterian Church, for these churches around Oklahoma City – Hilltop Assembly of God; Inner-City Church; Maranatha Assembly of God; New Life Assembly of God; and North Church ; for your church in all places and your people being hammered and hounded and hunted down world over. We all profess our love and adoration for you and we all confess that we are saved by your invasive and merciful love. Now, Lord, cause us to become what you have made us: Children of the Living, Holy God, who are no longer wooed by the father of lies, who are no longer caught in the snares of our own lusts and pride, but those who are thoroughly loyal to you. Gi...

Lord God, we come to intercede for your Church and world. We ask you to strengthen this congregation that in doing all things without complaining and disputing, we may become (increasingly) blameless, pure in quality, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2.14-15). Be pleased to make us even more harmonious and to become more clearly a sign of grace to our fractured and fragmented world. Be pleased to add to this church such as are being saved; and add to us in such a way as will mirror the new heavens and new earth, as will reflect that new Jerusalem in which will dwell people from every tribe, tongue, nationality, and economic strata, gathered around your throne exalting you and hearing you say, “ Behold, I am making all things new ” (Revelation 20.1-5)! We ask for your ongoing help, strength, protection, deliverance and sustenance of your Church throughout the world, especially in places where she is being abused and per...

12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup My rating: 5 of 5 stars A gut-wrenching autobiography! That's Solomon Northup's "Twelve Years a Slave," the personal recounting of his years of enforced slavery between 1841 to 1853. The tale as told is normally matter-of-fact and descriptive, exhibiting intensely personal knowledge of cotton farming, sugar cane harvesting, as well as daily details of a slave's life. There are appropriate places where the author's blood boils, but those are rare. What makes this personal monograph gut-wrenching is the injustice of it all. The reader will slowly find themselves identifying with the writer, imagining themselves in his cotton clothes, feeling the suffocating darkness of suddenly having no rights, no voice and only marginal personhood; while scrabbling for food, for one more day of life, one less time of whippings, and one last chance at dignity! There are surprising high points as well. Master Ford, Northup's first owner...

Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos Edited by  Kenneth Keathley ,  J. B. Stump , and  Joe Aguirre InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 www.ivpress.com ISBN: 978-0-8308-9264-8; $23.99; July 2017 It’s a hot topic that will often raise the hackles, hoots and howls of many, no matter on which side of the intersection they stand. That’s what makes “Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos” such a unique work. Edited by Kenneth Keathley, director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture and professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, J.B. Stump, senior editor at BioLogos , and Joe Aguirre, editor in chief at Reasons to Believe , this 256 page paperback does the nearly unthinkable: clears the pavement and gives space in the crosswalk for a hearty conversation. Here is a “...

O God our Father, we entreat you to make us a holy, joy-filled people in our homes, work, and our various networks of friends. May those who are married be free of strife, pettiness, and fear; may those who are single be chaste and holy, enjoying you in their God-ward singleness; may the children grow stronger in grace and wisdom, loving you all their days while obeying and honoring their parents; and may the elderly flourish in God-given strength, patience, and sound-mindedness. Please form us as a church that is instrumental in drawing the straying back to Christ and his church, and bringing unbelievers to be born again by trusting in your Son Jesus Christ. Also, we ask you to preserve all who are traveling to Heritage this week to join with us in our 40 th Anniversary Celebration. We pray for your church in all realms and regions, along with these churches in the greater OKC area; Destiny Christian Center; Discovery Assembly of God; El Tabernacle Defe; and Faith Tabernacle....