Little things mean a lot. Have you been taught that by your parents? I hope you have. Little things like an encouraging word, an offering of congratulations, stepping out to help someone without being asked or noticed. If a family practices this, it’s generally a happy family. The same can be said of a neighborhood, […]
Crumbling Foundations Are you afraid? Do you agonize over what will happen if you never get your job back? Does thinking about your children’s future frighten you? Do you lock and gate your storefront hoping to deter rioters and looters? Do you fear what will become of us if stronger countries take advantage of our […]
The documentary Free Solo is about rock climber Alex Honnold, who climbs the 3,200-foot sheer granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any ropes. And he lived to tell it. Why would anyone do something so difficult and dangerous? In an interview he said, “If you’re seeking perfection, free soloing is as […]
1. There’s only one race on earth, and that is Adam’s race. Regardless of your skin color, your origin can be traced back to Adam (Gen. 1–2). We should therefore view ourselves as belonging to the same Adamic race. Having the same blood, we should love, and not hate, each other. 2. Since we have […]
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS I–IV CHAPTER I The Relevance of Calvinism for Today By Dr. Clarence Bouma In this opening chapter Dr. Bouma asks and answers three questions, namely: I. What do we mean by Calvinism? II. Why is Calvinism so sorely needed with a view to our present-day ethical task? III. How is this task to […]
Spring is approaching and many of us are taking inventory of our gardening tools. preparing flower beds and plowing the garden. No, an article from Farm Journal hasn’t slipped into The Outlook. I am not suggesting how to have a more successful garden, but I do want to consider cultivation—the cultivation of the human soul and […]
“‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the LORD…‘I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing….’” (Jeremiah 23:1–4) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (John 10:14) “Keep watch over […]
Whoever Dies With The Most Toys Wins (bumper sticker, c. 1993) “A Man’s Life Does Not Consist in the Abundance of His Possessions” (Jesus Christ, Lie. 12:15) Last month I began to analyze the Wolf’s Teeth which elders face as they care for the sheep of the Good Shepherd. From Acts 20 we have heard again and […]
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil—who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) “…God…gave them over to a depraved mind...they are senseless,faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not […]
First, just a word to remind you where we are in this series, where the crazy title of this article came from and why you should bother to read it at all. Some months ago, the elders and deacons of the church I serve in Dallas spent a couple of days in study and prayer. […]