by Jim Kerwin
on May 5, 2019
Watery Discombobulation!
Despite what it says on the bucket —
Let's Not! (Oops — too late!)
“What did you say? I can't hear you over the fan noise!”
If “April showers bring May flowers,” what do April leaks bring? Squishy carpets and domestic discombobulation, that’s what!
This is the “April” newsletter, but the deadline, um, leaked into May. This late edition got a bit waterlogged, so to speak! Apparently, just a few hours after we left for a granddaughter’s birthday and some ministry in Florida on April 10th, we had an upstairs pipe start leaking. Water has this God-given nature of wanting to flow downhill. In our case, “downhill” meant through the wall, and through our downstairs ceiling, into our entryway, living room, and dining room. The situation would have been worse, but our Christian neighbor, Donna C., caught the problem before it gave Noah’s Flood a run for its money.
Such fun to come home to! After our carpet was cut out and trashed, and the bathroom floorings and cabinets were removed, 11 noisy fans and 2 large de-humifiers ran for four days to dry the place out. Much of our living space consists now of bare concrete floors, and [continue reading…]
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Middleburg Florida,
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by Jim Kerwin
on April 29, 2019
Fanny Crosby
(1820-1915)
Praise Him! Praise Him—Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Fanny Crosby,
hymns
by Jim Kerwin
on April 14, 2019
John of Damascus
(8th Century A.D.)
translated by
John Neale
(1818-1866)
The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness,
The Passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
From earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over,
With hymns of victory.
Our hearts be [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Easter,
hymns,
John Neale,
John of Damascus,
spiritual victory,
the Resurrection,
victory
by Jim Kerwin
on March 24, 2019
Oh, the Irony!
Does your “fuse” get blown, too? Not a little modern teaching on faith seeks to “electrify,” but winds up being simply “shocking.” Let us point you to something that's far more “grounded”!
Irony is something I’ve learned to savor, even if it is somewhat bittersweet at times. Consider this unexpected reaction from a reader…
Twice a week on our ministry’s Facebook page, we share a link to “things old and new” on our website. Usually on Thursdays we share a hymn or devotional poem; on Mondays we share a link to a Bible-teaching article (or, once a month, our current newsletter). The response has been encouraging and the “Likes” for the page have grown. (By the way, have you “liked” our page on Facebook yet?) So far, so good, but…
For the last five weeks or so, we’ve been sharing chapters from Percy Gutteridge’s classic, foundation-laying book Faith Is Substance. Most folks who’ve taken the time to read it have found it liberating and enlightening. But one commenter really “gave us an earful,” lumping us together with “freaks” who are pushing semi- [continue reading…]
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Percy Gutteridge,
Peru
by Jim Kerwin
on March 21, 2019
(also known as
Blessèd Be the Name)
William Clark
(1854-1925)
chorus by
Ralph Hudson
(1843-1901)
All praise to him who reigns above
In majesty supreme,
Who gave Himself for man to die,
That He might man redeem!
Chorus:
Blessed be the name, blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the Lord [continue reading…]
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hymns,
name of Jesus,
Ralph Hudson,
William Clark,
worship
by Jim Kerwin
on March 4, 2019
Patrick
(Fifth Century a.d.)
English rendered by
Cecil Frances Alexander
(1818-1895)
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.… take unto you the whole armour of god…
Ephesians 6:11,13
But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God… by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left…
2 Corinthians 6:4-7
…let us put on the armour of light.… put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Romans 13:12,14
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever,
By pow’r of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from [continue reading…]
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armor of God,
Cecil Frances Alexander,
hymn,
hymns,
Patrick,
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by Jim Kerwin
on March 2, 2019
Fruit, More Fruit, Much Fruit in Guatemala
Fruit, more fruit, much fruit
Have you noticed what happens when God answers prayer? Answered prayers generate the need for more prayer! This is part of God’s design for us to grow in our fruitfulness, responsibility, and Christlikeness. It moves us along the “fruitfulness spectrum” that Jesus laid out for us: First “fruit” (John 15:2b), then “more fruit” (John 15:2c), and finally “much fruit” (John 15:5,8). And notice how this “fruit” passage intersects with prayer — “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:7-8).
When what we pray in Jesus’ name receives an answer from the Father, we aren’t allowed to pause too long and [continue reading…]
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Guatemala,
Jim Kerwin,
John 15:5,
John 15:7-8,
John15:2,
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missions,
missions trips,
Raúl Reyes,
Romania,
Ron Roy
by Jim Kerwin
on February 25, 2019
Charles Wesley
(1707-1788)
Thou Shepherd of Israel, and mine,
The joy and desire of my heart,
For closer communion I pine,
I long to reside where Thou art.
The pasture I languish to find,
Where all, who their Shepherd obey,
Are fed, on Thy bosom reclined,
And screened from the heat of the day.
Ah! show me that happiest place, [continue reading…]
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Charles Wesley,
hymns,
Psalm 23,
the Good Shepherd
by Jim Kerwin
on February 18, 2019
Frederick Lehman
(1868-1953)
adapted from the work of
Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai
(11th Century a.d.)
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, [continue reading…]
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Frederick Lehman,
hymns,
Love of God,
Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai
by Jim Kerwin
on January 28, 2019
George D. Watson
(1845-1923)
O! sweet will of God, thou hast girded me round,
Like the deep moving currents that girdle the sea;
With omnipotent love is my poor nature bound,
And this bondage of love sets me perfectly free.
For years my will wrestled with vague discontent
That like a sad angel o’ershadowed my way;
God’s light in my soul oft with darkness was blent,
And my heart ever longed for an unclouded day.
My wild will was captured, [continue reading…]
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consecration,
George Watson,
hymns,
obedience,
will of God
by Jim Kerwin
on January 26, 2019
Copyright © 1994, 2019
by
Jim Kerwin
A Look at Roman Law in Acts
“Moving in a Roman World”
“The student of the New Testament is constantly made aware that he is moving in a Roman world,” and awareness of the Roman environment is the first step toward understanding its significance and influence on the second volume of Luke’s magnum opus and on the life of Paul. By providing the serious Bible student a primer of [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
1 Thessalonians 2:18,
1 Thessalonians 2:2,
2 Corinthians 11:25,
Acts 13:17,
Acts 16:20-21,
Acts 16:37; Acts 22:25-28,
Acts 17:1-10,
Acts 17:15-34,
Acts 18:1,
Acts 18:12,
Acts 18:12-17,
Acts 19:23-28,
Acts 21:30-40,
Acts 21:39,
Acts 22:23-30,
Acts 22:28,
Acts 23:1-30,
Acts 23:31-35,
Acts 24,
Acts 25,
Acts 25:1-12,
Acts 25:13-27,
Acts 26,
Acts 26:1-32,
Acts 28:16-31,
Battle of Philippi,
Berenice,
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Drusilla,
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ius gladii,
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lex de ui publica,
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religio illicita,
religio licita,
Roman citizenship,
Roman law,
Rome,
Sergius Paulus,
Suetonius,
Tarsus in Cilicia,
Thessalonica
by Jim Kerwin
on January 23, 2019
Looking Back at a Carrier — and Its Tugboats!
I’m reminded of a special “cruise” we took in 2008, right after my first missions trip to Guatemala. We were guests of Petty Officer Bruce Wasson (now pastor of Morningstar Church in Scottsville, Virginia) on a “Family and Friends Day” aboard his ship, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. What a privilege to be out to sea, out of sight of land, on the deck as jet fighters were launched and recovered, to see one of these “birds” [continue reading…]
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2 Timothy 4:11,
Acts 11:24-26,
Acts 15:36-41,
Acts 22:12-16,
Acts 9:10-19,
Acts 9:26-28,
Ananias of Damascus,
Barnabas of Cyprus,
Billy Graham,
Bruce Wasson,
Colossians 4:10,
Great Commission,
Guatemala,
John Mark,
missions,
Mordecai Ham,
Philemon 24,
St. Mark,
tugboats,
USS Harry S. Truman
by Jim Kerwin
on December 31, 2018
John Wright Follette
(1884-1966)
O Lord, I pray that through this coming year
Our fellowship may deep and richer be;
That I may recognize Thy presence near,
And turn as to a friend, my Lord, to Thee.
Walk with me, then, and guide me with Thy eye –
I dare not trust myself to move one pace.
I know not what ahead of me may lie [continue reading…]
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consecration,
hymns,
John Wright Follette,
New Year
by Jim Kerwin
on December 25, 2018
John Wright Follette
(1884-1966)
O Holy night, borne to us on the wings of time,
From out the dark recesses of eternity,
God’s hour, the promise of eternal life and light,
A gleaming jewel rests within thy dark embrace.
O holy hour, the miracle of God is thine,
He clothes Himself with [continue reading…]
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Christmas,
Incarnation,
John Wright Follette,
Nativity
Nikolai Bodarevsky's painting of St. Paul on trial before Festus, King Agrippa II and Berenice
The USS Harry S. Truman on the high seas
