My Mother, Sisters and Brother....Arlington, Alabama

The Grand Ole Party in Alabama is in good hands!

Bill Armistead, newly elected chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey, and Governor Dr. Robert Bentley are all capable, good hearted and enthusiastic leaders. I believe the future of our children will be better under Republican leadership like they have to offer. Alabama is blessed to have these servant leaders holding office!

The Four......chpt 2

Chapter 2 begins the story of Jesus.

This is a new perspective to me. Excerpts from the book:

Granted, by the end of the first century A.D, the tensions between Jews and Romans are very high. "Rebels (robbers) rise up in Galilee and Judea on a regular basis. They are not simply robbers stealing money. They are revolutionaries trying to make life very difficult for the Roman government, so that the Romans will leave the holy land. They are Robinn Hoods or Jesse Jameses, folk heroes to many Jews. They are like the Iraqis ad Afghans who set car bombs outside American military bases trying to get the Americans to run home."

There is a storm on the horizon, and almost all the Jews are expecting something to happen.

The Four, A Survey of the Gospels by Peter Leithart

Anyone who wants to get a grasp on the meaning of "the New Covenant" should begin with this book. I'll give a few highlights:

From Chapter 1: Have you thought much about how God was working in the "intertestamental period"? Today, Christians usually refer to the period between Israel's return from exile and the beginning of Jesus' ministry as an 'intertestamental' period. Was God silent during this 500 year span of history? Was there anything important happening between Malachi and Matthew? Did God's covenant with Israel lapse between about 500 B.C. and 4 B.C.? No, "Though often ignored in studies of both the Old and New Testaments, the period between the return from exile and the coming of Jesus is a unique period of redemptive history. It has its own unique features as much as the Mosaic or Davidic periods do." Chapter 1 gives a very good overview of God's work in this intertestamental period. This was a time when God was faithfully keeping covenant with His people and preparing them for the "latter days" ".....the LORD organizes the Gentiles into the oikoumene. It's important to see that this oikoumene is part of God's plan. Gentile empires form an international "temple," housing Israel in it midst." "Nestled among the nations, Israel becomes a prophetic people, called to witness to the world." Because Israel has more contact than ever with the Gentiles, the prophets promise that during the latter days there will be a great expansion of Gentile mission. By the time Paul is traveling throughout Asia Minor, he finds synagogues everywhere he goes, which include not only Jews but Gentile God-fearers as well. The Abrahamic promise is already being fulfilled before Jesus arrives on the scene. God scatters Israel from the land because of her sins. But He turns that judgment to a blessing by using the dispersed Jews to make Him known to Gentiles. " This was happening in the "intertestamental period." Yahweh's Servant will become a light to the nations, so that salvation will reach to the ends of the earth. (Is 29:6).

The chapter continues with discussion of Nebuchadnezar's dream, Hellenism, and the progression of history from Alexander through the Romans in Judea.

Bryson loves iPad commercials

Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head. Psalm 141:5

TPC Ladies' Book and Scripture Study will be held each 2nd Tuesday evening at Cindy Douglas' house at 7 PM. Come on out and enjoy the fellowship, discussion and food. We'll be reading and discussing Respectable Sins, Confronting the Sins we Tolerate, by Jerry Bridges.

Jerry Bridges asks, "Have Christians become so preoccupied with "major" sins that we have lost sight of our need to deal with more subtle sins? Navigator author Jerry Bridges addresses the “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves...." Here is a partial list of the subtle sins we'll be discussing: ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, moral self-righteousness, pride of correct doctrine, pride of achievement, an independent spirit, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, resentment, bitterness, enmity and hostility, grudges, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue and worldliness. ugggh, this may hurt!!!! I'll try to remember Psalm 141:5!

Food for thought...Mark Horne says here's a sentence the Apostle John never wrote...do we evangelicals see it this way? For this is the love of God, that we find forgiveness in the Gospel for breaking his commandments. And his commandments are burdensome, but we have grace to help us.

1 John 5: 1-3 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the chidren of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Parenting is Preparing Them to Launch

Parenting is Preparing Them to Launch