Dennis Davidson tells a story about Samuel Bradburn, an associate of John Wesley, who was a highly respected minister of his day.
On one occasion, Davidson was in desperate financial need. When Wesley learned of his circumstances, he sent him the following letter: “Dear Sammy: ‘trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ Yours affectionately, John Wesley.” Attached to the letter was a 5-pound note (then worth about $10). Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and author of the modern classic “The Cost of Discipleship.” He was also an anti-Nazi dissident.
When Hitler began interfering with churches and humiliating the German Jews, Bonhoeffer protested. He refused the fuehrer’s demands and would not participate with the state churches who compromised.
It’s said several of Bonhoeffer’s friends urged him to bend. They reasoned that they would lose the opportunity to preach altogether if they followed his example. Continue reading
Filed under Fundaments of Faith
Recently I read about a young man in the Army who during Operation Desert Storm was called to go to Iraq, when our nation declared war on Saddam Hussein.
However, the young man didn’t want to go. He explained that he hadn’t joined the army to go war. He joined because of the benefits: the pay, the college tuition, the insurance, and hopefully some travel. He just didn’t want to travel to Iraq and fight. Continue reading
Filed under Sowing Seeds for Spiritual Growth
Karl Barth, the 20th-century Swiss Reformed theologian is often quoted as saying that one should preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.
Actually, he never said it exactly that way. “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both, Barth advised, “But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” Continue reading
ThePreachersWord 