Exceptions to the Rule – John 3:1-7

  Unlike you, I am not a particularly good speller. It is probably due to laziness, but even as a child I remember my mother and I working on my spelling without a great deal of success. And so I thank the Lord for the “spell checker” and “auto-correct” programs...

August 10

On this day in 1567, Christian Langedul, Cornelis Claess, Mattheus de Vick, and Hans Symons, were arrested on suspicion of being Anabaptists.  Each confessed his faith in Christ alone for salvation and they were jailed.  After a month of confinement and horrendous...

Revival Pirates – II Peter 2:17-22

Let’s pretend that Peter was writing to a church that was experiencing, or beginning to experience, revival. Souls were being been saved – adults – some of whom professed earlier to have been believers. The waters of the Sea of Galilee, or some other lake or river,...

Yet the Lord was There – Ezekiel 35:1-10

I am aware that my love of vocabulary is not shared by everyone. I like to use old words, big words, words that are interesting to me – even words I make up. But… I know that not everyone has the same delight. Yet, I’m going to continue my use and practices,...

August 3

When George Fownes became the pastor of the Broadmead Baptist Church in Bristol, England, he knew he was stepping into danger.  His immediate predecessor had been imprisoned many times between 1671 and 1678.  And that man’s predecessor had even died as a result of the...

Christ, the Glorious Foot-Washer – John 13:1-16

Last week we considered Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet. You might have pictured her washing the Lord’s feet before she anointed them with her spikenard. But that washing took place on an earlier occasion (Luke 7). An infamously sinful woman “stood at his feet behind...

July 27

Here is a bit of local history.  How many can picture the location of Dayton, Washington?  It is about 150 miles southwest from Post Falls and 41 miles north of Walla Walla on highway 12, resting under the shadow of the Blue Mountains. Today it has a population of...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – II Peter 2:9-16

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped” was a conflicted professing Christian. He was raised by a staunch Presbyterian father, but his nanny was much more evangelical. Stevenson, as a child heard the gospel. During university Stevenson...

The Christ of the Anointing – Mark 14:3-9

The Lord Jesus said something in regard to His anointing which is often overlooked. At least I have overlooked it until recently. Most preachers consider this passage and its cousins in Matthew 26 and John 12 merely in the light of worship. Mary loved the Lord Jesus...

July 20

Samuel Pearce was born on this day in 1766.  As a young man he happened to be in a house where a man lay dying.  The man in despair cried out, “I am damned forever.”  The words filled young Samuel with terror.  For more than a year, the death of that man and the...