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I’m much more involved in political/cultural battles than I am in theological squabbles, but ever since I first dipped my toe in those tumultuous waters, I’ve heard the same criticism again and again: Reformed believers are just so darn arrogant.  When I first heard the critique, I scoffed.  Surely not.  After all, who has less reason to boast than a Calvinist?  Not only can we take zero credit for our faith (can a zombie take credit for someone graciously giving him the antidote?), but the theology is, frankly, not that complex.  Let’s face it: “God is sovereign” is not a...

The Holy Suffering of the Saint "Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good . . ." —1 Peter 4:19 Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God’s will— even if it means you will suffer— is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he simply chooses God’s will, just as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not. And no saint should ever dare to interfere with the lesson of suffering being taught in another saint’s life.The saint...

Prayer in the Father’s Hearing "Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ’Father, I thank You that You have heard Me’ " —John 11:41 When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. “. . . your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ....

The eight week old son of my bride's best friend is facing major surgery tomorrow. Christopher's arteries feeding the heart are to small, and there is at least one hole in the heart itself. Please pray for him. The surgery will be tomorrow morning, and will last (God willing) for many hours. There is a real risk that Christopher will nor survive the surgery or the recovery.

Christopher Seton leaves one job on September 2 and starts another six days later. In one sense it is exactly the same job, and in another it is completely different. Father Seton is one of four Anglican priests who will be ordained into the Catholic Church in Melbourne on September 8, reports The Age. Father Seton holds his last service at All Saints, Kooyong on September 2. Then he and - so far as he is aware - his entire congregation will regather a week later at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Caulfield South. There he will minister to...

Prayer In The Father's Honour " “That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” " Luke 1:35 If the Son of God is born into my mortal flesh, is His holy innocence and simplicity and oneness with the Father getting a chance to manifest itself in me? What was true of the Virgin Mary in the historic introduction of God's Son into this earth is true in every saint. The Son of God is born into me by the direct act of God; then I as a child of God have...

Prayer in the Father’s House ". . . they found Him in the temple . . . . And He said to them, ’. . . Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’ " —Luke 2:46, 49 Our Lord’s childhood was not immaturity waiting to grow into manhood— His childhood is an eternal fact. Am I a holy, innocent child of God as a result of my identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look at my life as being in my Father’s house? Is the Son of God living in His Father’s...

The Cross in Prayer "In that day you will ask in My name . . ." —John 16:26 We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why should we ask? The point...

The Bewildering Call of God " ’. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.’ . . . But they understood none of these things . . ." —Luke 18:31, 34 God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph...

The Brave Friendship of God "He took the twelve aside . . ." —Luke 18:31 Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you...

The Compelling Purpose of God "He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . ." —Luke 18:31 Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that...

A new census of the Amish population in the United States estimates that a new Amish community is founded...about every 3 ½ weeks, and shows that more than 60 percent of all existing Amish settlements have been founded since 1990. This pattern suggests the Amish are growing more rapidly than most other religions in the United... "They're doubling their population about every 21 to 22 years, primarily because they produce large families and the vast majority...remain in the community as adults baptized into the faith, starting their own families and sustaining their religious beliefs"...

The Teaching of Adversity "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" —John 16:33 The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . . .” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God.If you...

My beautiful cousin Kim has been fighting breast cancer for 6 years. She's had 2 surgeries, radiation, chemo...and now there's a spot on her brain. Please pray for her, and for my aunt, and for our family. Our hearts are breaking.

Learning About His Ways "When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples . . . He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities" —Matthew 11:1 He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where...

Per the Feb. 7, 2012 Pakistan Independent (see first link below), "The current LDS First Presidency Statement of 1978 says specifically mentions Prophet Muhammad as one of ‘the great religious leaders of the world’ who received ‘a portion of God’s light….’” It would appear, therefore, that the Muslim world might be "happy" with either an Obama re-election or Mitt Romney. And, hey, why not? Just look at all the "ecumenical" outreach attempts with Islam made by Mormon leaders in the "ecumenical" link section listed below. For these past seven years, over a dozen Freepers have been faithful in posting the...

Becoming Entirely His "Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" —James 1:4 Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.Not only must our relationship to...

The Teaching of Disillusionment "Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man" —John 2:24-25 Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the...

Do You See Jesus in Your Clouds? "Behold, He is coming with clouds . . ." —Revelation 1:7 In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that...

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to ask for prayers for the Anglican Ordinariate here in the U.S. Based on the discussions at the AngloCatholic website and elsewhere, it's going through some tough times as it is being organized, and the Enemy is sowing suspicion and doubt everywhere in an effort to kill the venture in the cradle. It's time for us Roman Catholics to storm heaven in prayer for our Anglo-Catholic brethren. And if you'd like, please post an encouraging word or two of public support and encouragement of these dear souls, so beloved of God, who...