Millions of brightly colored lights are used throughout our land at Christmas to decorate the homes and streets of our villages and cities. They add a festive glow to the holiday season. All the lights turned on at once cannot, however, dispel the darkness that obscures the Christmas observance of millions in the United States […]
In this Old Year-New Year contribution, Rev. Arthur Besteman writes: The church in her witness to the world in this century needs members grounded in the Word, committed to the truth of the Reformed Faith, and convinced that “the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Will you be that kind of member in […]
ABORTION: A SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUE Against the rising tide of permissive legislation relative to abortion on request, those who raise religious arguments seem to have little success in stemming the waves. This is so because the religious arguments carry no weight with those who have long since assumed that the arguments are sociological rather than religious. […]
A PRECIOUS HERITAGE The Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church states in Article 54b: “At one of the services each Lord’s day, the minister shall ordinarily preach the Word as summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism, following its sequence.” This is a good requirement. Catechism preaching has been a source of great blessing in the […]
The 1970 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church was confronted with a unique opportunity to assist a young church in her desire to preserve and propagate the Reformed faith. The Church of Christ in the Sudan among the Tiv (N.K.S.T.) requested help in the establishment of a Reformed Seminary. The urgency of accepting this challenge […]
On October 16, 1950, a daughter was born to Seminarian Jay and Necia Wesseling. The infant named Laurie, was the second of five daughters and a son to bless the Wesseling home. Christian nurture received from godly parents, the influence of Biblical preaching and training received in Christian schools in Wellsburg, Iowa, Sully, Iowa, Jenison, […]
“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:12, 13 Words are used daily to express the deepest feelings of our souls. We seek very early in life to teach our children to […]
I met Mrs. L. in the early years of my ministry. She was a widow who had already passed the fourscore mark. In her modest home she was caring for her two developmentally challenged children. The son, Piet, was terminally ill with cancer, the daughter, Johanna, was severely crippled with arthritis. Mrs L.’s formal education […]
As the fall season approaches, we are challenged to renewed efforts in regard to personal and group Bible study. We are daily confronted with the need for such renewed effort. The society in which we live is an increasingly secular one. Gallup studies have revealed that 58% of Americans believe religion’s impact on American life […]
Hattie was an ardent supporter of Christian education. Her husband had been a Christian School administrator. On a regular basis we saw her come to the church basement to join the ladies who were quilting on behalf of the local Christian School. One year Hattie suffered a heart attack. After a prolonged hospitalization and convalescence […]