R. C. Sproul
It is your duty to believe and to teach what the Bible teaches, not what you want it to teach.
Top Posts For September 2015
Summer has gone. Now, the weather is cooler, the trees are beginning to turn, football season is in full swing, and the pumpkin seeds my kids threw into the front flower beds have produced a few bright and shiny orange pumpkins. Fall is here.
With fall comes a busy time of year. Summer activities have slowed down, but the fall is full of its own brand of busyness. Between school activities my kids are involved in, community events, and church programs, we have a full schedule leading into the holidays.
But it will be fun and enjoyable, and there will be some great opportunities for rest and relaxation mixed in as well.
Along with my recent diagnosis of sleep apnea a couple of months ago, the month of September brought with it another health scare. I have been diagnosed with skin cancer, and am scheduled for surgery later in October. Your prayers in that matter would be greatly appreciated.
With my various recent health challenges, I have made a conscious effort to scale back in many of the activities I am involved in, while remaining steady in what I can. In order to make time for some of these things, I have revised my writing schedule and reduced the amount of posts I attempt to complete each week and month. That is not a choice I am really happy with, but am convinced it is necessary right now.
Mental Floss
Posted: September 29, 2015
Posted: September 29, 2015
Coffee Break – 09.28.2015
Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration
On this day in history: In 1542, San Diego, CA, was discovered by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. In the world of sports, on this day in 1892, the first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary. And in 1941, Ted Williams becomes last player to hit .400. Read more about that here.
BeanSafe Coffee Storage – How do you store your coffee and keep it as fresh as possible? By using something like the BeanSafe. The headline links to a review on I Need Coffee, but you can buy the stainless steel and the polypropylene on Amazon.
Why Are Phone Keypads Laid Out As A Grid? – Have you ever wondered why the numbers on your phone are arranged the way that they are? There’s a reason for that, but before it became standard, a lot of other variations were considered. This article and video are very interesting.
Ferrolic – Ferro fluid and magnets. And the result is stunning. It is almost like living art. This is fascinating to watch.
Ink: Written By Hand – I love to write. I have several vintage fountain pens, and numerous modern ones too. I have a few old, classic typewriters as well. But there is something special about ink on a page. This video attempts to define that.
Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:25-26
Along with Timothy, Paul decides to send Epaphroditus back to the church in Philippi. He is the messenger that they sent, and Paul desires to send him home to continue the work there.
You can see his thoughts on this in Philippians 2:25-26:
Epaphroditus is from Philippi. And the church there sent him to Paul, to care for his needs, and to probably bring along the financial gift that they had gathered for him. This is all that we know of Epaphroditus. Along with 4:18, this is the only mention of his name, and we are left to guess just how helpful he was to Paul.
Apparently, Paul thinks highly of this man. He pays Epaphroditus a series of five compliments in this one verse alone, so his value to Paul was great. It may have been his intent to become Paul’s permanent helper, but his sickness prohibited it. That has been conjectured by many theologians, but there is simply no way of knowing for certain.
However, if that is the case, Paul’s glowing commendation of him would go a long way to eliminating any criticism of his return home instead of staying with Paul in Rome.
Paul gives five positive comments about Epaphroditus. Three of these give insight to his relationship to Paul, and the other two show his connection to the church.
Sovereignty characterizes the whole being of God. He is sovereign in all his attributes.
A. W. Pink
Urgent Prayer Request
It is with great humility and thankfulness that I ask for your prayers.
This week I was diagnosed with skin cancer after a biopsy on the edge of my ear. At this point, my doctor is unsure just how serious it may or may not be. There are two kinds of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. He said that it is not basal cell, but he also did not say that it is melanoma either. More will be determined when they remove it from my ear, hopefully next week.
This is especially frightening to me since I lost my father to skin cancer that metastasized to his brain in 2011. Part of me wants to scream at the injustice of this (I lost my brother, father, and grandfather to various cancers, and my mother is a cancer survivor. Couldn’t we be done with cancer?!). On the other hand, I rest assured that God’s purpose for my life will be refined through this. Through trials such as this, God builds character and faithfulness, and I look forward to what he can bring from this.
I know, in comparison to other varieties of cancer, this is more mild and has a high success rate in treatment. Nevertheless, I covet your prayers, both for healing and for my family as they struggle to understand what God can accomplish through this. Pray especially for my kids. Their experiences with cancer, in my dad and brother, have been very frightening, and they will need as much strength as possible to rely on God through this.
Also, pray for my wife. She is the strongest woman I know, and she does so much for our family. This is additional stress that she must cope with, on top of mothering a very busy family.
And finally, pray for me. Pray for healing. And also pray for peace that I may accept the fact that this is something that must be dealt with and strength to endure until it is finished.
Thanks for being a part of this community. I am deeply thankful for each and every one of you!
Happy National Coffee Day! In the spirit of the day, the staff hung out in my office this morning, enjoying a Chemex of a nice Indian bean from a roaster in Florida. That was enjoyable.
And, to continue the spirit, here are a few enlightening facts about coffee from Mental Floss.