Contributed by Glenn Durham on Apr 8, 2008
William Shakespeare has King Lear say: “Sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a thankless child.” Maybe you feel Lear’s sentiment. Mom labors hours over a hot stove, and dad rises thrice during the meal to refill cups, clean up plates, and serve desserts, but not a peep of gratitude reaches their ears.
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Apr 8, 2008
Matthew Henry (pastor in the early 1700s) was robbed one day and wrote in his diary the next: “Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Apr 8, 2008
The story is told of a carpenter nailing shingles when he lost his footing and started to slide off. As he was sliding he began praying, “Lord, oh, Lord, help me.” Still he kept sliding. Again the man prayed, “Lord, oh, Lord, help me.” He kept sliding until he got to the edge and a nail sticking up
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Apr 8, 2008
The April 2008 Newsletter from Timberdoodle (a supplier for homeschooling families) noted a problematic teaching in a Children’s Study Bible used in Sunday school. Referring to Matthew 3.12, the footnote said, “This means that Jesus will come to separate the good people from the bad people, saving
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
If you have a moment some time, check out the Calvin window on the south side of the sanctuary. If you look near the bottom, we will see an engraving of Calvin’s crest: a flaming heart in an outstretched hand, extended upward to God. Calvin chose this symbol to declare the central core of his
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Apr 1, 2008
Voltaire, the French Enlightenment Philosopher, believed that reason was sufficient for man; we really have no need for God. He said: “If in the market of Paris, before the eyes of a thousand men and before my own eyes, a miracle should be performed, I would much rather disbelieve the two
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 25, 2008
A friend convinced Phil to go deep-sea fishing, something he had never done before. Now that he was in the middle of the ocean, he felt sure this was the dumbest thing he had ever done. Who would have believed that seasickness could be so awful? With every pitch and roll, Phil wondered if he could
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 25, 2008
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“To the best of our knowledge, the New Hebrides had no Christian influence before John Williams and James Harris from the London Missionary Society landed in 1839. Minutes after going ashore, both missionaries were killed and eaten by cannibals” (John Piper, online paper).
Eighteen years later,
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 12, 2008
That reminds me of the four-year old boy saying his prayers one Sunday night: “Dear God, we had a good time at church today – but I wish you had been there!” What
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 12, 2008
based on 3 ratings
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When the Bible insists we give honor and glory only to the one true God (when we are warned against idolatry), something more is being referred to than simply the statues before which pagans bow. The idols my heart adores are all those things which I demand for joy and significance. Pastor Tim
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 11, 2008
based on 1 rating
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Many voices shout for our attention every day, seeking to dictate our purpose. They may not say it in words, but they are clear: “Live for yourself,” “Grab all the gusto you can,” “Earn enough money to retire in comfort,” “Look out for number one,” “Eat, drink, and be merry.”
A young woman,
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 11, 2008
A church in New York in 1963 closed down and someone stuck a sign on the outside of the front door: “Gone out of business. Didn’t know what our business was.”
Is your business honoring Jesus Christ? Is your business listening to his word? Is your business following him in every area of your life?
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 10, 2008
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I have a John Deere riding lawnmower which I really like and am proud of. With the mower came an instruction book, the truth which sets the mower free to do that for which it was created. Now suppose that I want to give my mower a special treat, since I am proud of it and want it to really cut well
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Some years ago, I had the sheer joy of seeing the movie adaptation of Fulton Oursler’s novel, The Greatest Story Ever Told. I loved the way Max von Sydow brought the personality of Jesus to the screen; it was perhaps the most natural portrayal of our Lord that I’ve ever seen.
It was a long movie
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
While life is present, it is precious, but, for all its value, it is also fragile. If you take a moment to think about the animation of the human body, I can’t help but believe that you must be in awe. Take the simplest of operations. You are going to open your car door and get inside. You walk
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 5, 2008
The young boy said, “Daddy, if three frogs are sitting on a limb hanging over a pool, and one frog decides to jump, how many frogs are left on the limb?”
His dad replied, “Two.”
“No,” the son said. “Listen carefully, daddy. There are three frogs and one decides to jump. How many are left?”
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 4, 2008
On Thursday I tried to re-shelve volume one in Manton’s Works. The color and markings stand out, so rather than look carefully for the location, I scanned the shelves where I expected to see the set. My books are filed alphabetically by author, so I knew generally where to look. But my first glance
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 4, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 1,687 views
Rick Warren (“Purpose Driven”) accurately observes: “We can measure our servant’s heart by how we respond when others treat us like servants. How do you react when you’re taken for granted, bossed around, treated as an inferior…? Unfortunately, a lot of our service is often self-serving. We serve
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 4, 2008
On the farm where I grew up, we raised Black Angus cattle. In order to corral them for tagging or medicines, dad would drive the truck through the fields and I would sit on the tailgate. As we approached a group of cattle, I would rattle a bag and pour a small amount of the contents onto the ground
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 3, 2008
The man tells the story as simply as it happened. Notice that he speaks of Jesus as just a man. He must have heard others call Jesus by name. After sending the blind man to the Siloam pond, Jesus leaves. He isn’t waiting for the man to return to thank Him. Whenever we do anything good, don’t
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed