Ante-Nicene Quote

“…God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own power, even as he does his own soul, to obey the behests of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God…And in man as well as angels, He placed the power of choice…”

– Irenaeus, AGAINST HERESIES

 

The greatest thing possible in life is to connect with your Maker, to hunger to be like Him. By contrast, one of the most dangerous things in life is to convince yourself you’ve “achieved” that goal, are “locked in,” and can coast on into heaven.

– eab, 7/17/17

 

SEA SIDE BREAKFAST

Come, leave your night of toiling

On the boisterous “boiling”,

Of an open-faced sea.

Come, leave the laborious net,

And the fish you DID get

By simply obeying Me.

Come and dine; be ye filled

‘Tis your Master who has willed,

A meal for weary men.

Come now, and be refreshed,

Far more than you had guessed

Possible while in sin.

– eab, Jul. ‘80

 

You’ve taken a new leadership position (pastor, missions, collegiate, etc). “Congratulations” – – – if you’re going to lead the group on the narrow way. (But if you’re more interested in “growth” than holiness, allow me to sadly withdraw the congratulations.) You have a small window of time in which to show if your tenure is moving toward more prayer and more separation from hollywood or, heaven forbid, merely copying a “business model” and being affiliated with the broad way. Allow me to urge you (as an man who’s spent 46 yrs pastoring/teaching & more yrs in observation) take the narrow way!

– eab, 7/17/17

 

 

“You can no more grow sin out of the heart

than you can grow rotten out of an apple.”

– Howard Sweeten, from his book More Excellent Way

 

 

Act 15. 8 – 9

“…God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

“And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

 

 

Several weeks ago I planted 40-some Scarlet Runner Beans, my first time to try them. Put up a “trellis” of white pvc right next to the south end of our white bungalow. Every bean came up and most if not all (with some help J) found their way to and upward on one of the pipes or attending strings. Today as I started looking them over for insects I saw something red – it was not a “bug” but a bud. What a pleasant mid-July surprise. They are not called Scarlet Runners for nothing.

– eab, 7/17/17