Philip Schaff

"In relation to single Christians, the church is the mother from which they derive their religious life and to which they owe therefore constant fidelity, gratitude, and obedience; she is the power of the objective and general to which the subjective and single should ever be subordinate.

Only in such regular and rational subordination can the individual Christian be truly free; and his personal piety can as little come to perfection apart from an inward and outward communion with the life of church, as a limb separated from the body or a branch torn from the vine."

The Principle of Protestantism

Frustration

We all go through it. Most of us decide to give into our impulses to rant and complain about it.

But I have noticed something about frustration.. When we know that another is going through a rough time with something and we find ourselves around them we do secretly hope that they will do the noble thing. And what is the noble thing? It is to keep quiet about our annoyance and let peace reign over our troubled hearts. This actually engenders respect and sympathy from others when we entrust ourselves to a faithful Creator with a quiet heart. We inwardly cringe and feel ashamed when another vents his anger and we are tempted to disrespect his problem. But when we are going through it, it seems so natural to vent, and so we do often.

But the next time you are frustrated, just keep a cool head, pray and do not lose heart. We shouldn't keep quiet when we are angry just so people will notice us, but it is wisdom to keep silent and a shame to do otherwise. Others notice and respect the discipline when someone does not vent when they have reason, so let us not take the way of shame...

God gives of himself...

Speaking on the incarnation and redemption of the Son, L. Charles Jackson says,

"The power of the gospel is brilliantly enhanced when we are able to say that God did not merely give some being similar to Himself. No, when God gave His only begotten Son on the cross for sinners, He gave Himself to us. We don't get a part of God in the giving of Jesus, we get God Himself. This illuminates something of the beauty of the biblical title Emmanuel, which means 'God with us.' We have a sure salvation because we have God with us."

Faith of Our Fathers

Man, this is good

Proverbs 19:11

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

ACA

This is simply Abby...and of course the boy and Hannah

Whew....family of seven.. I'm a rich man.. You should talk to me about investing..

Samuel Rutherford

Ye may yourself ebb and flow, rise and fall, wax and wane; but your Lord is this day as he was yesterday; and it is your comfort that your salvation is not rolled upon wheels of your own making, neither have ye to do with a Christ of your own shaping.

Athanasius

Faith and godliness are connected and are sisters: he who believes in God is not cut off from godliness, and he who has godliness really believes.

Wisdom

This was enough to edify my day:

Proverbs 14:29

"He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly."

Church potlucks

From a description of a church that David Hansen pastored:

"It's potlucks were koinonia celebrations and healing services. Sometimes during a dinner I'd just stand off to the side and watch the people minister to each other. People didn't just sit with their friends. Old people were visiting with young people. New people were never alone. I could see people with problems visiting with people who desired to help them. It was no big deal, they just shared their lives with one another and laughed. Laughter was everywhere. People told stories. Fishermen lied to anyone gullible enough to listen. I know that people met Jesus at these potlucks. We just got together and let people visit."