Well. Pat Robertson says it’s okay to get a divorce when your spouse has advanced Alzheimer’s disease. (To be fair, he does say there is an obligation to ensure that custodial care is provided.) Now here’s the thing: I appreciate he isn’t just responding with a knee-jerk “God said it / I believe it / … Continue reading »
Age-Segregated Worship On the Way Out?
Here’s an interesting sign of the times: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale now offers only one service at 10:15 a.m. with, essentially, blended worship – that means no more separation based on age, likes and comfort. For years Coral Ridge was the best-known Presbyterian Church (PCA) in the country, due to the influence … Continue reading »
Doing Something About Hunger
You may not be aware, our church is one of four that supports a local food pantry, the Joshua Tree Community Food Pantry. (Watch the video some of our kids made about it.) There are still hungry people in America: However, national food insecurity data reveal that about 45% of those struggling with hunger actually … Continue reading »
Financial Status Update
We were all surprised (and I expect, very pleased) last month, when we learned that Desert Hills had received a large bequest. The gift was all the more surprising because the giver hadn’t been part of our church, except as the widower of a member who passed away in 2009. What you may not have … Continue reading »
Ordinary People
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. C.S. Lewis wrote that in “The … Continue reading »
Being less Biblical
I liked this point by Don Miller in his blog post “Being Less ‘Biblical’ and more ‘like the Bible.’” Even Christ’s biographers depict Him without sparing us His humanity. He gets angry, He gets annoyed, He is hard to understand (and indeed hard to follow) and while He seems to love the world, He’s as … Continue reading »
The Church and Working Class Americans
Here’s an interesting finding, reported by LiveScience today: In the 1980s, the researchers found, there was little difference in religious participation between high school- and college-educated whites. But by the 2000s, a gap appeared. Today, 46 percent of college-educated whites go to a church, synagogue or equivalent institution at least once a month, compared with … Continue reading »
Calvin on Tradition
Preparing for my last sermon, I found some choice quotes from Calvin on submitting to traditions. (These are from the Institutes 3.19.7-11, with tiny modifications for readability). We are not bound before God to any observance of external things which are in themselves indifferent (“adiafora”), but that we are now at full liberty either to … Continue reading »
Various Changes in the NFOG
I thought I would note some of the changes I’ve run across as we begin operating under the NFOG. I may update this post as I find other items worth mentioning. There’s no longer a requirement for deacons to meet annually with session. (The old G-6.0405.) The category of “inactive member” has been eliminated: G-1.0401. … Continue reading »
Stumbling and Stumbling Blocks
Here’s an encouraging thought: It is difficult, I admit, not to stumble frequently, and even sometimes to fall, when stumbling-blocks without number lie across our path. But our minds ought to be fortified with confidence; for the Son of God, who commands his followers to walk in the midst of stumbling-blocks, will unquestionably give us … Continue reading »