Most of us are probably familiar with the timeless musical, “Fiddler on the Roof”. The story centers around Jewish life in a village in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia at the turn of the 20th century. Tevye, a milkman in the village of Anatevka, attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon his …
Headstones
I’m a real history buff. It is not that I am a proficient historian. It is just that I enjoy reading histories and biographies of extraordinary people who have influenced our world. My favorite book of this sort is “Jonathan Edwards: A Life” by George Marsden. It is a mammoth volume that serves as a …
To No One’s Regret
Wow! What a year, right? But the end of 2020 is in sight. In 2 Chronicles 21 we have the account of a wicked king of Judah whose name was Jehoram. We read of his demise in vv. 18-20, “And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In …
The Ghosts of Christmas Past
I am haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past. This theme of course is taken from great world renown classic, A Christmas Carol, where our old friend Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by three apparitions. The story has been told and retold with different spins in terms of setting and time. I of …
Tweaking the Rules Part 2
Last week we talked about the practice of tweaking the rules that seems to be a part of the make up of man if the rules don’t make sense if they bring undesirous consequences. If they are going to be uncomfortable to maintain, most feel we should be able to “suspend” or “tweak” the rules …
Tweaking the Rules
My favorite season, for many reasons is fall. One of those reasons is college football. Love college football! I played high school and small college football myself. Any of you who know me, know my love of the Michigan Wolverines (regardless of their now 16-year slump with very few highlight seasons in that number). Beyond …
Flashback: Tracing a Hidden God
Years ago at Berean we were a much different church. The Deacon Body, at that time, was the administrative authority instead of the office of Elder. On that Deacon Body were good men who nonetheless did not have the spiritual qualifications of elders and that often led to difficulties. One day, a couple of the …
Flashback: You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down
I’m sure we are all familiar with the aphorism, “You can’t keep a good man down”. This is an American idiom whose origin is unknown but has widely been in use for well over a century. The first song of this title was recorded in 1904 composed by M. F. Carey and sung by Dan …
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Flashback: When God Is Not There
Over the years, before most of our children came back to Michigan, Michal would go out to be with the daughters when they were having their babies. It would leave me home alone, sometimes up to three weeks. Yuk! I hate being at home when Michal is not there. There are several reasons for this of …
Flashback: We’ll Meet Again
We were recently reminded once again of the great generation of Americans that helped preserve our freedom by defeating the likes of Adolf Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italy, and Tito in Japan. The occasion was Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, 1941; a day that has lived and continues to live in infamy for …
