Words from a Branch

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ESV                 As the song says, “…The fundamental things apply, as time goes by.”   I suppose it is cliché to say that a particular verse changed your life, especially for a minister of the gospel; nevertheless this verse did change my life, especially as a minister of the gospel. Now allow me to depart from my typical tone and pull back the curtain a bit. In the midst of this pandemic I have been troubled. As an individual I have been made to compromise, it is necessary, but to me very uncomfortable. As a minister I have often been at a loss as to how best to serve the church and its people. Some things had to change very quickly, and because of that a lot things had to be, “good enough”, or, “the best we can do right now” instead of the very bes...

Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV             The overt meaning and intention of this verse has behind it a few important implications which setup the overt command. Sadly we can no longer take these implications of verses like this for granted. No, not even the mention of father and mother which implies a man and a woman joined in covenant marriage each with a respective role to play in the household and in the upbringing of the children. The family was the first social structure God introduced, and He built it on the union of one man and one woman in covenant. The implication of this verse is that the one man one woman marriage structure is beneficial for the children. As much as non-believers would like to dismiss this truth even their research continues to bear it out; as does real wo...