Love Not Fear

We talked some about evangelism today, and I asked you all to think of ways we can reach out to other people about the wonderful news we witness to each week. Click on the post title to go to the PC(USA)'s page on "Presbyterian Evangelism". It has links to some material on evangelism (like definitions, and the upcoming Evangelism Sunday). Also, you can click around a bit and you'll find some related stuff. Summarizing a few things we talked about: 1. IMHO, nothing about evangelism should come from or lead to guilt. If the reason you tell people about the Christ we worship is because you feel guilty, we're all doing something very, very wrong. (Imagine a husband telling people about his wife only because he'd feel guilty if he didn't mention her.) 2. Again IMHO, there are a number of different ways to evangelize; it's not simply limited to referring to some script in a conversation with your friends: Tell me [name of friend] do you know the saving ...

Just a reminder to continue to pray for the people (of all nationalities) who have been in Hurricane Dennis's path. In addition to praying, look for ways to help. Let us know if you find anything we can all do together.

Last week, a visitor told us that she was related to a nun featured on the front page of the Times-Picayune. I misunderstood her to refer to another nun, who was on the front page of the T-P the day before. (Yes, we are talking two nuns in two days. If this surprises you, welcome to New Orleans. ) Anyway, the real story is at the link above. (click on message title, but be ready for lots of advertising). Almost unbelievably, she doesn't appear to be listed in the wikipedia. (Note to self: put together an article.) However, here seems to be a very good discussion of Delille and the Sisters of the Holy Family. She was an amazing woman, a free "woman of color" (not a slave) in the early 1800's who gave up what was apparently a very comfortable life to minister to the poor (and the slaves) in New Orleans. She is being considered for sainthood by the vatican. Regardless of what the Roman Catholic church decides, she seems to have been an amazing woman, and our visitor s...

The link (click on the word "Baptism" above) gives the official Presbyterian statement concerning infant baptism. And here's my take... Baptism is God's work. Like everything else in Christianity's Reformed tradition, God acts first. God has called us "from the creation of the world," long before we can do anything about it. In other words, baptism is not something we do for ourselves, or we do for our children, but something God does for us. Baptism marks us as God's people. I bear a mark on me that I carry everywhere. You can't see it, but everyone who knows me well knows about my mark. It's my last name. My last name ties me to the generations which have gone before me, the nation they originated in, and those who will go after me. It also binds me to my wife's family, since, when we were married and she took my name, she placed on us the trust and faith of her family's tradition. I also wear my baptism. I did not choose it, any mo...

The reference for the talking donkey story is Numbers 22. Numbers 21 has some context, and the story is resolved in Numbers 23-24.

Hi! I hope to use this blog to cover some of the stuff we don't get to in Sunday school. We won't answer all your questions; some just don't have answers. But we'll talk, and write, and maybe post a link or two. And, we'll have fun. That is, if I have anything to say about it. More soon. Peace.