Pastor’s Page

Calvin on Angels December 21st, 2011

While a little bit of the overall context might not be grasped due to this quote coming toward the end of John Calvin’s instruction regarding angels in the Institutes, nevertheless his pastoral approach is readily understood. Under the heading, “God makes use of the angels, not for …

Death and Christmas December 18th, 2011

Today marks the Fourth Sunday in Advent, and next Sunday is Christmas Day! There’s a certain excitement in the air, isn’t there? The children are off from school, and eagerly anticipating opening presents. Moms and dads are finishing up the last bits of shopping to be done, and getting …

Childlike Maturity November 29th, 2011

The other night around the dinner table I raised the question of comparison between Chesterton’s imagery of God’s “appetite for infancy” as expressed in “The Ethics of Elfland” in Orthodoxy, and the Bible’s clear teaching that maturity is the trajectory and goal for the …

Unhappy Valley November 9th, 2011

We do not know all of the details of what was reported to Coach Joe Paterno on that fateful day in 2002, when then grad-assistant Mike McQueary told the head coach that he’d witnessed something. Based on …

Fall Festival in the Brentwood Home Page October 22nd, 2011

Our thanks to the folks over at the Brentwood Home Page for the write-up regarding our Fall Festival Sunday afternoon. http://www.brentwoodhomepage.com/fall-fest-features …

St. Mark Fall Festival with Ron Block October 18th, 2011

This Sunday, October 23rd, 2:30-6:30 PM, St. Mark will be hosting its first Fall Festival. We are looking forward to enjoying good food …

Aslan Knows Best September 29th, 2011

In a letter to a young boy named Laurence, C.S. Lewis wrote: “Well, I can’t say that I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately got married and my wife is very, very ill. I am sure Aslan knows best and whether He …

Morning Prayer September 2nd, 2011

“Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day with a rejoicing heart. Teach me to labor diligently, to eat and drink to Your glory, and to think and plan to the ends You have laid out before me. That I may be truly fitted for the day, remind me again of the mighty work of my Savior, Jesus …

Eschatology and Faith August 1st, 2011

Eschatology is not simply how you think about the end of the world, but it is an articulation of faith. As a postmillennial, I believe that the new creation, that the redemption of the world has begun, and that everything is not going to Hell in a hand-basket. In fact, I would submit that you …

Rambling Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 July 15th, 2011

I probably need to go see this movie a second time in order to give it a better review. That has been my experience with movies 5, 6, and 7.1. The first time through I am inevitably thinking about how it’s …

Off the Shelf: The Ale Boy’s Feast July 6th, 2011

The Auralia Thread comes to completion in Jeffrey Overstreet’s The Ale Boy’s Feast, resulting in a beautiful and intricate tapestry of life to be lived now, and life yet longed for. Through a host of characters and …

Rambling Review: Super 8 June 13th, 2011

I had heard good things about the movie “Super 8,” but was determined to like it simply because Joel Courtney plays a leading role. Who is Joel Courtney? A kid from Moscow, ID who is a member at a …