We live in a world that is confused about a good many things. Years ago someone came to my door from Greenpeace or some other such group seeking money to save the babies seals, or baby whales or something. I stopped them and said that I wanted to ask them a question first: Do they agree with me that abortion is wrong. Oh, no clearly not – the choice of the mother cannot be violated. It told them that we could not continue in agreement about baby animals because our moral compasses were pointing to different True Norths. Until they could see that human babies are infinitely more valuable than baby animals, we have little to say to one another.
Sadly, for some today, there is more conviction that animals have more of a right to life than unborn children. One recognized ethicist has written that,
“The right to life is grounded in the ability to plan and anticipate one’s future. [given what he says next one wonders if he can anticipate the future] This extends the concept to non-human animals, such as other apes, but since the unborn, infants and severely disabled people lack this,” he states that “abortion, painless infanticide and euthanasia can be “justified” (but are not obligatory) in certain special circumstances, for instance in the case of severely disabled infants whose life would cause suffering both to themselves and to their parents.”
It is for this and many other reasons that we at RCC have set aside today as Anti-Abortion Sunday, to stand before the Lord in opposition to the disgraceful and abhorrent sin of abortion, calling upon Him to bring this horric practice to an end.
While its important to hate and actively oppose the sin of abortion, even more we must lovingly celebrate the children given to us, and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord Jesus. And so with Christians all over our land, we also acknowledge what has been called the Sanctity of Humna Life Sunday. What more fitting way to do so than to welcome Autumn Hayes into the church of Jesus Christ through the waters of baptism – for the Apostle Paul declared that the children of believers are to be numbered with the holy, the sanctified people of God (1 Cor. 714).
Tags: Autumn Lynn, Baptism, RCC
Amy was feeling a need to spend some quality time with Autumn. Jon brought her to our house last evening and this is what resulted! 
Autumn was all smiles – nothing greater for a loving Grammy.
Autumn will be baptized this Sunday – Another covenant child celebrated into the Body of Christ!
Tags: Amy, Autumn, grammy, Grandbabies
I’ve sat back and wondered about what God is doing in our culture with Tim Tebow. Our God does all things well, but He is certainly mysterious.
Tim Tebow has become a cultural phenomena (with his name having become a verb), which I am normally put off with when Christians are at the center of such things (because too many Christians have been more of a disgrace to Jesus than a genuine witness in the end). But this has seemed different to me somehow.
We live in a time when, on the one hand, people do not generally believe in or want to submit to God. God is perceived to be the enemy of good living, and Christians (in particular) are buffoons to be casually laughed off as throwbacks to a failed religion. On the other hand, people generally know that a world without God and the supernatural is somehow not right.
I think many are wondering to themselves, “What if?” People will be tuning it today’s game just to see if God will intervene again in history and surprise everyone. People are going very, very far out of their way to deny that they believe anything of the kind. But they…do. Read the rest of this entry »
My dear [old ] friend Robert passed this video along through Facebook and I felt compelled to share it since this blog is about books, reading, studying and all things that interest me – I thought it was very fitting!
This article by Piper is so good, and so well expresses my own thoughts about this mysterious life we live under the sun, that I just have to pass it along.
Ever since my days at Wheaton College, when I followed Clyde Kilby’s advice to read G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, it has been one of my favorite books. I think it’s the only book I have read more than twice (except for the Bible).
This is strange. Not only was Chesterton a Roman Catholic, he also hated Calvinism. So what’s up with me and Orthodoxy? I still think at least half a dozen Roman Catholic distinctives are harmful to true Christian faith (e.g., papal authority, baptismal regeneration, transubstantiation, justification as impartation, purgatory, the veneration of Mary). And I think “the doctrines of grace” (“Reformed theology,” “Calvinism”) are a precious and healthy expression of biblical doctrine.
But I keep coming back to Chesterton’s Orthodoxy. The reason is that we see the world so similarly, and the Calvinism he hates is not the Calvinism I love. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chesterton, John Piper, mystery, paradox
My son Adam attends Veritas School in Newberg, Oregon and was a member of the Concert Choir last year. Their choir, directed by Sally Mehler, won the OSAA 1A/2A Oregon State Choir Championship. He has not been in the choir this year because of his very busy schedule. However, he has been able to work with Mrs. Mehler and rearrange his activities to re-join the choir this week – We are so pleased for him!
Here are come of the pieces performed by the choir at the State Choir competition.
[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 1:14]
[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 44 sec.]
[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 1:07 - He must be a popular and photogenic guy!]
Tags: Adam Hayes, Veritas, Veritas Choir
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