Poetry of the Father’s forgiveness

During my study of the subject of forgiveness in the New Testament book of Philemon, I was captivated by the following poem included in John MacArthur’s commentary. It makes me think of my son and my heavenly Father, and it makes me sad that we don’t forgive as we should.

“The Toys” by Coventry Patmore, a nineteenth-century English poet (citied in The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Colossians & Philemon, 1992, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)

My little Son, who look’d from thoughtful eyes
And moved and spoke in quiet grown-up wise,
Having my law the seventh time disobey’d,
I struck him, and dismiss’d
With hard words and unkiss’d,
–His Mother, who was patient, being dead.
Then, fearing lest his grief should hinder sleep,
I visited his bed,
But found him slumbering deep,
With darken’d eyelids, and their lashes yet
From his late sobbing wet.
And I, with moan,
Kissing away his tears, left others of my own;
For, on a table drawn beside his head,
He had put, within his reach,
A box of [tokens] and a red-vein’d stone,
A piece of glass abraded by the beach
And six or seven shells,
A bottle with bluebells,
And two French copper coins, ranged there
with careful art,
To comfort his sad heart.
So when that night I pray’d
To God, I wept and said:
Ah, when at last we lie with [tranquil] breath,
Not vexing Thee in death,
And Thou rememberest of what toys
We made our joys,
How weakly understood
Thy great commanded good,
Then, fatherly not less
Than I whom Thou has moulded from the
clay,
Thou’lt leave Thy wrath, and say,
“I [forgive] their childishness.”

Never walk in furnaces without Him…a child’s advice

The kids and I like to read a Bible story in the mornings. Then they draw a picture in a homemade journal, recording what they feel is the main principle of the story, or what God is saying to them through the Scripture. The two older girls can now write for themselves in their journals.

I really liked what our eight year old put down a few days ago when we read from Daniel about the three Hebrews thrown in the fiery furnace. You may need this advice one day…

“Anything is possible with God. (Never walk in furnaces without Him).”

How true…How true? It’s kind of a funny thought, but it is also really true that we must never go into fiery trials without being confident that we stand with the Savior. Never walk in furnaces without Him.

What NOT to preach on Mother’s Day

Let’s face it, Mother’s Day messages are difficult for us pastors. But here’s my advice when preaching Proverbs 31, which is a decent place to go for Mother’s Day, by the way.

Watch out for attempts at humor regarding this line of the famous description of a virtuous woman: Verse 14 says, “She is like merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.”

You may be tempted to try to make a funny comparison about a woman’s size and a cargo ship. In fact, you may think saying, that she is “haulin’ a lot of cargo” would be a riot.

Do not fall into this temptation. And whatever you preach next Mother’s Day, I’m advising that your wife is not brought up at all during the sermon.

Trust me on this.

Make Your Own Photos Vintage

Here’s the vintage version of me and my son via a website that automatically converts your pics to look this way.  Click here for the photo vintagizer, Click browse, choose a photo and click the “upload” button underneath. It’s in Japanese but you can assume what the buttons mean.

(HT Gunny, Michelle)

Preacher’s Son Saw Jesus at the Pulpit…funny and true story

I heard Todd Gandy, pastor of Midway Baptist in Kershaw tell this funny story this week.  He assured me that it really happened. 

Before Todd became a pastor, he preached itinerantly, and he always took his family along, including his four year old son.  Todd was preaching up a storm one night somewhere.  It was a powerful sermon, and Todd really got wound up and red-faced. 

His son told him something peculiar after the service, “Daddy, as you were preaching tonight, it looked like Jesus was attached to you.” 

Todd was awed at the thought.  But then his son continued, “Yeah, Daddy, it looked like he had you around the neck choking you.”

Well I don’t know about you, but that’s one sermon critique I’m not so sure I want to hear.