A plea of sorts. I'm all for commemorating the Great Reformation. Just, as we do so, may I suggest we make it a glorification of God, and not of men? And, if we must honor men, can we at least not make it all about just one man? I truly do admire Luther's raw guts in standing against the corrupt ecclesiastical regime of his day. Those immortal words, "Here I stand; God help me, I can do no other," truly inspire. And his was, beyond question, a brilliant mind. But that same b

If you know us very well, you know I'm really not what you'd call a "people person," anyway. Yet, I know well "there are only two things in this world that are of eternal duration: God's Word and people." And God calls us to ministry, and God has given (and continues to give) me a genuine care for souls, I think. So I get out there among souls, and I hope to give and express care. On the other hand, Melanie describes here what really goes on inside, sometimes; the unpre

I've come to view the Deaf, not as physically and socially disabled, but as their own distinct cultural minority, with their own unique and wonderful language (ASL) and the need to be understood, rather than pitied, and PRAYED for by the hearing Church, rather than medically "fixed" by the hearing community. And because, contrary to popular perception, English is NOT the language of their hearts (nor should "oralism" EVER be forced upon them), I've come to regard them as, to

Romans 8:18 "His heart that seeks our highest good, Knows well when things annoy; We'd never long for Heaven If Earth held only joy." "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18) -- from Moments With The Book (Choice Poems, no. 93)

Psalm 32:7 "Who deepest drinks of sorrow, Drinks deepest, too, OF GRACE; He sends the storm, so He, Himself Can be OUR HIDING PLACE." "Thou art MY HIDING PLACE; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7) -- from Moments With The Book (Choice Poems no. 93)

Isaiah 40:31 "Until I felt my weakness, HIS strength I never knew -- Nor dreamed 'till I was stricken He would ALWAYS see me through." "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) -- from Moments With The Book (Choice Poems, no. 93)

II Samuel 22:3 "Until I learned to trust, I never learned to pray; I never learned to fully trust 'Till sorrows came my way. "The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour; Thou savest me from violence" (II Samuel 22:3) -- from Moments With The Book (Choice Poems no. 93)

From "Running Against the Wind," by Brian Flynn "At my own home church (a large metropolitan church), the pastor insisted that if I was going to continue my seminar at their church, I was forbidden to "name names," and in fact, the pastors did not even want me mentioning the practice of contemplative prayer. "That's odd," I thought. "If we aren't promoting contemplative prayer in this church, why stop me from warning believers?" But I honored their request. "After all," I

"In the spiritual climate of today, a unifying, mystical prayer practice fits the paradigm necessary to unite the various world faiths. In Western civilization, this model is the contemplative prayer movement . . . [T]his movement is on the slippery slope that will lead to . . . apostasy. For this to happen, as the Bible says, there will be "seducing spirits" who design a spirituality very closely related to the Truth. EVERY Christian must therefore discern whether or not t

"Finally, the light came on, and I knew he (Ray Yungen) was right -- I could not ignore it any longer. Delving into the books written by the contemplatives, themselves, and the well-documented research papers, I became convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that contemplative spirituality was and is a heretical practice. I took my discovery to the next level and included it in my seminar -- a natural response to an important discovery! However, this caused quite a stir! Pa