Deus Misereatur

  The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic Jillian Peterson and James Densley Abrams Press www.abramsbooks.com ISBN: 978-1-4197-5295-7; $28.00; September 2021   It’s all the rage! Almost every news feed and social media venue broadcasts it, some with greater alarm than others. And the glut of press it receives makes it feel like it’s happening everywhere, every day, in every neighborhood. It’s like a voracious beast that is growing and consuming all in its path. And then there are the pundits and professionals that describe it as a simple, single-item issue that calls for a simple, single-item remedy and they have the cure-all-fix-all remedy. But the trouble is far more problematical, which means a healthy response will likely be at several levels simultaneously. Into this hazy fog of violence has stepped a new book, “The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic” by Jillian Peterson, PhD, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Jus...

  O Eternal God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties over two centuries ago; grant, please, that we and all the inhabitants of this land may have grace to maintain those liberties in righteousness and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you, Lord, for these United States of America. Thank you that as the decades and centuries rolled on, we endeavored to become more and more consistent with our founding documents and principles. We rejoice in the ways our ancestors acted on the self-evident truths “that all men are created equal” and finally, after conflicts aplenty, secured the standing of black slaves, Native Americans, and immigrants.   And so, affirming “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” our forebears hammered out these rights for all living. Further, once more, we are thankful for how this all was recently expanded to include not only the for...

  What is a denomination? How are we to think about denominations? Are our denominations wrong in the eyes of God? Those are significant questions to address. I've written a few things through the years on this subject. For example, in 2016 I wrote a letter to a woman who said denominations are a sin and we should get rid of them. My response can be found in " A Letter on Denominations ". I also reviewed a book by Peter Leithart, a volume that perceptively describes how we should view our present denominational situation, and hold it lightly as we always lean toward the day when the Father will finally answer his Son's prayer in John 17, and all God's people will be one. That review was on Leithart's book " The End of Protestantism ". But, today, I am simply going to describe my prayerful approach that I recently picked up. It's not earth shattering, but it has already been helpful for me. First, what is a denomination ? A denomination is a name ...

  O Lord, make us have a perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness through Jesus Christ our Lord. On behalf of your Church throughout the world, as well as Solomon Temple Baptist Church, Sonrise Baptist, Southgate, and Southwest Baptist Church, we pray. Show yourself strong on behalf of those who are suffering for righteousness’ sake, show them a sign of your favor that those who hate them may see it and be put to shame, because you have helped and comforted your people (Psalm 86:17). Reclaim those who have lost their way and exchanged your glory for their own avarice or their own ambition. Fill up what is lacking and cause your work to prosper in the hands of those who are working and serving for your honor. And, Mighty God, who would have thought that this day would come. Roe V. Wade has been turned out on its head and tossed out on its ear. After the many decades...

  Jesus told us, “ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you ” (John 15:16). Let us pray : Holy Father, you who are the benchmark, the high-water mark of all true fathering: we are grateful for our fathers, especially when their firm love and care reverberated harmoniously with the melody of your own fatherhood. Help us to rightly honor our fathers and their memories. For those fathers in our lives who missed the mark – or worse – grant them to find you a true Father in Jesus Christ; repair that which they scarred or marred or broke and heal the wounds. For the fathers in our fellowship, we ask you to guide us by your fatherly hand that we will be, more and more, a noble and wholesome reflection of you to our children, whether they are still at home or out on their own. Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with your glory....

  “ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure ” (Isaiah 25:1). On behalf of your Church throughout the world, for this congregation along with Rising Star Baptist, Rock Creek, St. Jude’s and St. Luke’s Baptist Church, we pray. For those of your people who are suffering for righteousness’ sake, show yourself strong on their behalf. With those who have lost their way and exchanged your glory for their own greed or their own reputation, reclaim them. For those who are working and toiling, spending and being spent for your honor, fill up what is lacking and cause your work to prosper in their hands. May your protection be on our commissioners as they head to General Assembly soon, and when they return home. May the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13) hover over us and fill our meetings, overtures discussions, votes, decisions, directions, debates, and determi...

  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...