The Grinch. Scrooge. Two names synonymous with failing to be sufficiently gleeful during the Christmas season. Or, at the very least, names given to those who do not have the so-called “Christmas spirit.” The Christmas spirit is, after all, the mood of being jolly, making merriment, being joyful, “singing loud for all to hear,” asContinue reading “Not Merry, Not Jolly, Not Ashamed”
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Ambrose Was to be Born Today
Today, 1 December 2025, was the due date for my Ambrose. On July 1, I fully expected to reach this day and be holding my baby boy. Instead, on July 31, the Lord called Ambrose to himself, and Ambrose went. I held Ambrose on that July day, but he wasn’t there, not truly. Not aContinue reading “Ambrose Was to be Born Today”
Ambrose the Evangelist
This is a photo (not original to me) taken of the moon on July 31, 2025, the day that my Ambrose went to be with Jesus. It was a waxing crescent, meaning the whole moon wasn’t visible, part of it is darkened, as you can see. The moon has been meaningful to our family theContinue reading “Ambrose the Evangelist”
When Martin Luther Lost a Daughter
Martin Luther is one of the most famous men in the last 500 years. Seen as the fire starter of the Protestant Reformation, his actions are seen as among the most important to move Christendom away from Rome. Through his life, he endured many trials for his stance, the most difficult trial in his life,Continue reading “When Martin Luther Lost a Daughter”
When Augustine Lost His Mother
I alone knew what I was keeping down in my heart. I was very displeased to see the power that these human emotions had over me. Death must come in the due order and appointment of our natural condition. With a new grief I grieved that I grieved, so that I was worn out byContinue reading “When Augustine Lost His Mother”
Baptists: What Happened to Regenerate Church Membership? Part II
Many years ago, someone asked Dr. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan this via Twitter: “Can a person be a Christian without being a member of a church?” Dr. Keller’s answer was, in essence, “Yes, but not an obedient one.” His answer was an important and instructive one. One can repent and giveContinue reading “Baptists: What Happened to Regenerate Church Membership? Part II”
Baptists: What Happened to Regenerate Church Membership? Part I
“If a sheep has strayed let us seek it; to disown it in a hurry is not the Master’s method. Ours is to be the labor and the care, for we are overseers of the flock of Christ to the end that all may be presented faultless before God. One month’s absence from the houseContinue reading “Baptists: What Happened to Regenerate Church Membership? Part I”
In Praise of Slow Growth
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” -Ferris Bueller Life moves fast, and we like it that way. We, by nearly every measure, are a people who want things quickly and feel shortchanged if anything takes too long. Why won’t the traffic light change?Continue reading “In Praise of Slow Growth”
The Bearded Ecclesiologian 