Ante-Nicene Quote

“Nor shall he who is saved be saved against his will, for he is not inanimate; but he will above all voluntarily and of free choice speed to salvation…God does not do good by necessity but from His free choice benefits those who spontaneously turn.”

– Clement, STROMATA or Miscellanies

 

The Greeks idealized and developed the gymnasium thus emphasizing “body, body, body.” First the OT Jews and then the NT Christians, under God’s divine leadership emphasized worship. When a church builds a gymnasium it begins to move from the Christian side to the Greek (heathen) side of this centuries old contest. “Be ye not unequally yoked together…” applies to the attempted “wedding” between the gymnasium and the sanctuary.

– eab, 4/23/17

 

Town – City

A man’s world begins in his province,

His country-side, his town.

His perimeters? His parents arms.

His sun or cloud? Their smile, their frown.

He learns the language of his clan

Their unique call or hoot;

He travels his childhood world

On sled or boat, in sandal, or boot.

Parents send their lad to class

Or teach him under their roof

Train him when to be communal

When to properly, stay aloof.

A trade, if learned by hand

And by his foot and eye,

Acquires a means of livelihood

For adulthood bye and bye.

A maid he meets, arranged per chance,

Or by parents: hers or his,

Or on the village bridge he met

His Mary, Jean, or Liz.

The country parson approves the match,

(At least the parson’s wife)

A knot is tied – no slipknot this,

For living and for life.

They make a home of a lonely house

In the northern glade

Its thatch soon shelters three

In its fair summer shade.

This first lad, this first lass

Is joined by two or more

Who wear the threshold down

An inch, passing through the door.

Soon, too soon, to suit the parents

They pass out on their own

With plans to draw, truth to explore,

Or barley to be sown.

The man’s world expands

As his children spread

They advise, counsel, hope

Listen and pray, with a bowed head.

His life has blossomed, ripened up,

Produced its own sweet fruit.

His step has slowed, his vision changed

He wears a “grandpa suit.”

Yes, his mind has children’s names

And grand-ones and his mate

He prays God’s mercy on the bunch

Prays early and prays late.

He’s aware he’s had a great life

And aware it is passing by

He’s prepared to enter the Celestial City

When it’s his turn to die.

He believes God’s Word; believes he’s seen

His smile and not His frown,

And has a Perfect World above

When he leaves his province, and his town.

– eab, July 2012

 

The feet of Jesus – Bathed in tears by a super-grateful woman. Feet that walked everywhere He went except in boats and that final-week-burro. Feet that staggered under the weight of the cross – because of the weight of the world’s sins (your and mine) and the awful blood-lose. And feet cruelly fixed to the middle-cross. Oh, what Feet!

– eab, 4/28/17

 

 

“A sanctified man can sin, he may sin, but no Christian must sin.”

– Howard Sweeten, from his book More Excellent Way

 

 

1Co 12. 31

“But covet earnestly the best gifts: and

yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”

 

 

You may have seen the meme about it being better to be fishing “thinking about God” than in church “thinking about fishing.” Yes, and No. Who said this is “either/or”? You can think about God BOTH places. And if you can’t keep your mind off of fishing (for fish, that is J) in church you need to take the course “Discipline 101.”

– eab, 5/13/17