Deus Misereatur

The Lord Is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter Christopher R.J. Holmes IVP Academic InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515 ISBN: 978-0-8308-4883-6; $27.00; January 2018 Friends I know who have been to Africa tell me that they often have heard in African churches a responsive invocation, where the leader declares one statement, and the congregation replies. “God is good * all the time! All the time * God is good!” What a beautiful way for God’s people to be reminded of the goodness of God no matter their circumstances. Yet what does it mean to say that God is good. The idea of goodness, and especially with reference to God, can mean different things for different people. Christopher R.J. Holmes, associate professor in systematic theology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, rigorously addresses the goodness of God in his new 224 page softback, “The Lord Is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter”. This is a new installment in IVP Academic...

A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm not sure how happy she would have been with this volume. I suspect she would have blustered and blushed scarlet. Nevertheless, this tiny little book is the publication of Flannery O'Connor's prayers while she was in graduate school at the University of Iowa from 1946 to 1947. In many ways it is a touching read to be perusing the musings of her soul as they spilled out on the page. The first half of "A Prayer Journal" is introduced by W.A. Sessions, who visited and corresponded with O'Connor during those years. Then for the next several pages are the prayers of O'Connor, aesthetically cleaned up and mildly re-punctuated. The last half presents facsimiles of the original handwritten journal. The prayers show the soul-wrestling of a young woman who believed, and prayed God to help her unbelief, "Dear God, I don't want to have invented my faith to satisfy my weakness. I don...

We give you thanks, O LORD, with our whole heart; before the gods we sing your praise; we bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day we called, you answered us; our strength of soul you increased (Psalm 138.1-3). Hear us again as we pray for your world and Church. We pray that the day will soon arrive when all the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, when they will hear the words of your mouth, and sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD (Psalm 138.4-5). To this end we pray for you to raise up men and women, individuals and families, who will take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all lands, to every tribe and ethnic group. Bless the work of For the Children’s Sake Foundation ; International Justice Mission ; and Compassion International . Fill their manpower gaps and their monetary essentials. Open doors...

Faithful: A Theology of Sex by Beth Felker Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars This 112 page paperback is a short, sweet, mildly sassy little thing. Beth Felker Jones, professor of Theology at Wheaton College, has compiled a handy set of chapters in "Faithful: A Theology of Sex". It's an easy-to-read dossier that takes on sex, both our birth sex and procreative sex, and is mature, unencumbered, and comprehensible. The working premise of "Faithful" is that sex "has to do with who God really is and who we really are" (13); that sex "matters to God because bodies matter to God, because God created our bodies and has good plans for us as embodied people" (18). This means, according to Jones, that the "Christian faith is profoundly for the body and for the joys of the bodily life" (22). The author hammers out the implications of her thesis, walking the reader through celibate singleness, faithful marriedness, and the goodness of sexu...

[If it would help to hear this sermon, you can go here: " Baptism in the Name of Jesus "] Baptism in the Name of Jesus Matthew 28.16-20 (Exodus 5.15-23; Deuteronomy 18.6-8, 18-22) Lord Jesus, crucified for our transgressions and raised for our justification, who now has all authority in heaven and on earth: guide our hearts and minds and ears that we may hear you clearly, love you dearly, and follow more nearly. Amen. This time last year – the last Sunday of January 2017 – we concluded our series on Matthew, and we talked about this passage.  We heard about the Mountain , the Mandate ; the Mission ; and the Movement . Today, for a very important reason that will become clear later, we are returning to the mission our Lord gave to his disciples and looking at the biggest part of it: Baptism, and specifically baptism as Jesus commanded it. To do this we will look at Jesus direction in Matthew 28.19; then we will review how we show his dominance by submitting to hi...

(Ministries) : Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. (Psalm 147.5-6) : it is to you we bring our entreaties, pleas and thanks. We thank you, Lord God, for those who have stepped into the various roles and ministries of this congregation. We pray for WIC (Women in the Church) that you would lead them as they serve together and minister in multiple ways. Prosper their plans to make our building and congregation a more welcoming place for visitors and members alike. Be with the Needlework Guild , as they make blankets and items to spread comfort to others. May they bring warmth – both inside and outside – to those who receive them. For our Sunday School teachers who plan and prepare and present your story , thank you for the time they give; and may their work flourish and prosper. For Pamela and those who sing in our choir and A ‘Capella Ensemble ; their voices and verve encour...

With all of those who conquered the beast and its image, and with our brothers and sisters world over, we lift our hearts with the song of Moses and the Lamb: “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15.3b-4). O Lord God the Almighty, whose deeds are great and amazing: you have not only called to yourself men, women, girls and boys from every tribe, tongue, and town, but you have been faithful and called us into the fellowship of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1.9). We pray for all of your people on every continent, our own congregation, Greater Concord Missionary Baptist Church; Greater Fellowship Baptist; Greater Marshall Memorial Baptist and Greater Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church. Bring us all to happily submit ourselves to yo...