Soul and Spirit

The Church Assembling: The Community of Believers

How to tell if your church has too many regular services?

Interesting to shoehorn this

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:
and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

(Hebrews 10:25)

into the historical context of these verses from this morning’s SS lesson:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship,
and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house,
did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

(Acts 2:42,46)

Maybe by the time of Hebrews 10 they were slacking off to three services on the Lord’s Day, another on Wednesday night, and a Bible study on Friday night. So God had the writer issue His warning/command. 😳 😯 Read it all

Faith Builders Virtual Choir: Still With Thee

A classic hymn, beautifully sung in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic

Because of the restrictions levied in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Faith Builders Educational Programs had to cancel their choir tour (among many other things). Our son Andrew is a student there. He had the idea of assembling a virtual choir to sing a song to present to their director as a surprise.

He had plenty of fellow students contribute their voices to the effort. He spent dozens of hours bringing all their audio and video together. The result is beautiful! Thank you, Andrew and crew. 🙂 Read it all

“You’re a Premillennialist?”

Do you leave skid marks where the rubber meets the road?

In my freshly minted opinion, premillennialists are a dime a dozen. Amillennialists, on the other hand, fetch a nickle for two quarter-dozen.

Twas the morning of April 24 when, in a post to Facebook, I called attention to an article from World magazine (“No Path to Normalcy”) and added some comments of my own. I closed my brief comments with this:

An unmet-in-real-life friend commented, “Let me guess… You’re a premillennialist?” I have no idea where he stands on the matter, so I don’t know if he asked hopefully or incredulously. Probably just curiously. Read it all

Sasha Krause Update: A Poem for Her Killer’s Mother

Pray for her...and mothers still raising their little ones

Welcome home, Sasha Krause

So two mornings ago, on April 21, detectives arrested Mark Gooch for the homicide of Sasha Krause. Gooch was serving as an airman at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, AZ. The 21-year-old is from a Mennonite family in Wisconsin, but I gather he never chose to serve the Lord. Whatever the case, he now stands accused of murder.

I really appreciate the short poem about his mother, written by…I don’t know who. I have two sources, and they don’t agree. One attributes it to a lady in the Wisconsin congregation; another, to someone in the Farmington congregation. But never mind that — here you have it: Read it all

I Am Now Done With Covid-19

Coronavirus and the virus of fear right inside us

I am now done with Covid-19.
The news and the models are not what they seem,
The frenzy, the hype, the expert decree,
Do not synchronize with re-a-li-ty!

The sky is not falling, no war-planes above,
The children are wond’ring why all the hubbub,
This thing has a name – and it’s not a virus,
It is called fear – and it’s right inside us! Read it all

Three Days and No More

Resurrection morning at the tomb -- experiences at the tomb of Jesus.

Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus

Disconnected excerpts from a John 20:1-18 story I wove about Resurrection morning.

  • The Jewish religious leaders remembered something Jesus’ own disciples had already forgotten…
  • Sometime after sunset Saturday night, another great earthquake shook the area…
  • Those who saw Jesus die as well as those who heard of His death knew where He belonged.
  • As soon as she got close enough to see through the gray of dawn’s early light, she peered more intently in startled astonishment.
  • The incredulous men listened as the exhausted, perhaps hysterical woman poured out her report.
  • It looked as though Jesus’ body were still there, except for that disconcerting gap between the body wrappings and the head wrapping!
  • And put yourself in John’s shoes — how would you go about telling Jesus’ mother that you believed He was alive again!
  • The conversation and its matter-of-factness seem to indicate that Mary didn’t recognize these folks as angels.
  • Though she saw Him and scrutinized Him carefully, He just was not anybody she recognized.
  • Imagine the Lord’s compassion for Mary as He listened to her sobbed reply.
  • Or she could have stiffened in shock, and then turned back slowly, recognition surging through her incredulity…
  • So instead of trying to figure out what the Lord meant, notice instead the clear clue to the nature Jesus’ resurrected body.
  • Such a beautiful name for the disciples, even though they had denied and abandoned Him!

Read it all

Above all, love God!