Resources by Topic: Christians, Past and Present

In response to the persistent requests of Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to establish an annual day of thanksgiving. This was to occur on the last Thursday in November as a day of repentance and humility before God almighty.  

On September 13, 2008 a dear friend of mine, Jim Spinks, Sr., went to be with the Lord. I had the privilege of sharing some thoughts at his memorial, which you can download and listen to as an MP3.

Matthew Henry preached a sermon to young people from Proverbs 23:26: “My son, give me thy heart.” He then added in his diary the following affectionate and devout aspiration, “Lord, take my heart and make it such as it should be.”

Before we get to Bonhoeffer, I want to make some observations. If you want to shorten your read and move to the Bonhoeffer part, skip these first nine paragraphs.  

This photo is of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel prison, prior to his move to the notorious concentration camp of Buchenwald. Though visits weren’t frequent or long, at Tegel his parents and his fiancé Maria were sometimes allowed to bring him books, such as the one in his hand.

When I mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer last week, five people told me they’d like to hear about him. I’m glad to oblige, in this blog and the next.

I’ve received private notes and sympathetic phone calls from people regarding the depression I wrote about on June 30. I appreciate people’s genuine concern, as well as their statements that they’ve been encouraged as they go through their own struggles, many of which are tougher than mine.

Seeds were sown almost immediately at the beginning of his Christian life, it seems, of the later passion to help the poor and to turn all his inherited wealth and his naturally high station into a means of blessing the oppressed.

On January 8, 1956 five missionaries were murdered in Ecuador: Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming.

On January 8, 1956 five missionaries were murdered in Ecuador: Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming.

On January 8, 1956 five missionaries were murdered in Ecuador: Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming.

Thank you, Jesus, for Ken Taylor, and thank you for helping him raise the bar for the rest of us.

Little faith will bring your souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls.

Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t even anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord. It was part of the bubbling.