“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8) I’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount with the aid of Kay Arthur’s study, Lord, Only You Can Change Me, and Sinclair Ferguson’s book, The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. These words from Mr. Ferguson on Matthew 5: 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Emphases […]
Read More →Category: Encouragement
Pessimistic Prayer
My daughter Bethany and I are spending the next couple days writing in a hotel room a few miles away from home. While I focus on making some headway on other projects, I would like to share with you excerpts from her excellent post on prayer. I think you’ll appreciate it. I am a naturally gifted pessimist… The last couple years I’ve been convicted about prayer. It’s still a […]
Read More →Finishing What God Has Given Me to Do
I think I know what I would like carved into my gravestone someday. (How’s that for a morbid thought on Valentine’s Day? 🙂 ) Here it is: “I have finished the work which You have given me to do.” Jesus prayed these words before Judas betrayed Him. It would only be a few hours before He went to the cross (John 17:4b). Elisabeth Elliot, in her insightful (and highly recommended) […]
Read More →God’s Word — The Soldier’s Sword
A visiting pastor read this old poem about the Bible during his sermon on Sunday. It’s a good reminder. This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to […]
Read More →Lesson in a Coffee Shop
He’s charming in his little black coat. He leans forward in his stroller and makes a desperate, I-want-some-now noise. His mama smiles, gently waves her finger, and almost sings her quiet “no” while she holds the spoon back in her other hand. He sits back and waits and the spoon travels to his mouth. He’s happy. Then the anxious sound again. Again the gentle counsel. Again the baby’s quiet response. […]
Read More →Thank you, Mamas!
After a delightful but tiring thirty hours caring for two of my precious granddaughters (while their parents take a break at the beach before baby #3 makes his/her appearance very soon) , I want to thank my daughter and daughters-in-law for being the amazing ladies that you are! Thank you for welcoming the privilege of nurturing a new little one in the womb — even when it means morning sickness, […]
Read More →Jesus Has Accomplished What We Can’t
I’m reading Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I love the quote from Martin Luther that she opens Chapter 3 with: The law says, “do this,” and it is never done. Grace says, “Believe in this,” and everything is already done. We will never be perfect parents. Our children will never be perfect children. We will become discouraged or angry or just […]
Read More →Naming God’s Gifts
We have a black cat that we have never named. That is a strange phenomena in a household that names strange things like knives and computers and blankets. I thought of that black cat today when I read a quote from C. S. Lewis: Now, in the Bible a name . . . reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God’s gift. To name a […]
Read More →A Fresh Start — Again
There’s something about a new year. It’s a fresh start, a chance to re-evaluate, an opportunity to think about my direction and priorities. Today I will sit at the local coffee shop with Bible, pen, and journal in hand and write down goals for this fresh, new year. I’ll pray for God’s guidance and conviction as I think about the people in my life, the books I want to read, […]
Read More →Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
I love Christmas! Normal life pretty much goes on hold in the Forster household during Christmas season, as soon as the Christmas CD’s come out. One of the things I love most is the music. I love playing the piano and reveling in the full force of our dear church family raising their voices in praise during our worship service. I love the lazy strains of Kenny G in the […]
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