To SBC or not to SBC?

That is the question...

With the fallout of the John 3:16 Conference dulling to a low roar, I thought that I would share some thoughts and fears about our future as Southern Baptists. (You can read some of the responses here or here, or just ask Ben. He has plenty to say on the matter.)

Ben and I love Baptist churches. We especially love Mississippi Baptists and feel called to work in our home state again one day. Lately, however, I have been concerned about whether or not the Southern Baptist Convention will have us. We are branded with the scarlet letter. That letter is a "C."

As you may know, Ben received his M.Div. from RTS Jackson. My family and I were members of a Presbyterian church. Now, we are in Louisville, KY where Ben is pursuing his doctorate and studying under men like Dr. Tom Nettles and Dr. David Puckett.

We are Calvinists. Wow. I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen that in print before. It is a little scary considering the current climate, but it is necessary to say. We are not confrontational people, but I would not have us hide what we believe. It is the whole doctrine of God.

Earlier this week Ben sent me this blog. I read it and my immediate reaction was to get really angry that poor guy has been blacklisted because of his beliefs. Then, I thought about how many times I have avoided the Calvin conversation myself. I thought of a recent lecture that I heard on William Tyndale. Tyndale sacrificed his life for what he believed. I guess a little ostracism is a small price to pay for holding to the scripture-based solas.

My second reaction to reading Voddie Baucham's blog was fear. After all, if these things can happen to someone like him, we are certainly at risk. I have lots of questions like: Will the SBC go on a witch hunt and kick all of us out? What will some of the reformed-leaning pastors at home do about this? Will they ignore us? Or will they help us? Will Southern Seminary officially take a stand on this matter for its professors and students?

I do not know the answers to these questions today, but I do know that we will continue to be Southern Baptists. This week, I will start working on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering at church. (If that ain't Baptist, I don't know what is!)

I grew up Baptist, but I rarely shared the Gospel because I didn't know what I believed. Now that I listen to solid, biblical preaching, I am told that my beliefs kill evangelism. I disagree. I am on fire now. I want to be a new kind of Baptist. I want to share the Gospel with unbelievers and not skip over anything. I want to be the kind of Baptist that can articulate what I believe and back it up with scripture. I will know the attributes of God and praise Him daily for his sovereignty. I think they call that Reformed Baptist.

Home is where the hot is...

This month, we are back in Mississippi and enjoying (enduring?) the 90+ degree weather. It has been great seeing family and being at New Home Baptist Church again. On Wednesday evening, we began a study of the abridged version of Calvin's Institutes. It went really well and we had several visitors. I think this will be a fruitful study.
This weekend, we are off to Monroe, LA to take part in a wedding celebration. Ben's cousin, Andrea, will be married Saturday evening and Ben is officiating. We are both looking forward to seeing the Monroe branch of the family and to eating some wedding cake!

The Missing Links - R.C. Sproul

The last few weeks I have been busy and have not posted some of the notes from Together for the Gospel. Please do not think that this is because these messages were not as good as the others. In fact, the opposite is true. I enjoyed these so much that I wanted to take time in posting the notes and I just never got around to it. Anyway, some people may already have downloaded and listened to these, but the notes may serve as a reminder of the powerful messages from God's word.

Notes from the message by R.C. Sproul:

*There is no one image that can explain the cross. It is a multi-faceted event and a magnificent tapestry.

*There is an image that has receded almost into oblivion - the idea of a curse inflicted by God on His Son. Recall that when the New Testament speaks of atonement, it does so in terms of substitution, satisfaction of God's wrath, ransom, and victory over death. See also Isaiah 53 and ask yourself "how can the Father be pleased to bruise His Son?" It pleased Him because He accomplished His eternal purpose of restoring us.

*The idea of a curse today is associated with voodoo or superstition, but the biblical categories for curses are not superstitious. Remember the fall of man provoking a curse on the serpent, the earth, and women. The giving of the law attaches a curse to the covenant with its negative sanction in Deut. 28:15-19. Old Testament prophets pronounced curses in the name of the Lord. Isaiah calls a curse on himself in Isaiah 6 when he beholds the holiness of God. These statements are in the Bible, yet we often ignore them, preferring to the hear the blessings and not the curses in Scripture.

*So...what was it to Jesus to be cursed? Look to the benediction: "May the Lord bless you and keep you, etc. Consider that the antithesis of these elements were the curse for Christ. A vivid malediction emerges: "May the Lord curse you and abandon you. May the Lord keep you in darkness and give you only judgement. May the Lord turn His back on you and remove His peace from you forever."

*We cannot image the weight of this curse. Yet, Jesus redeemed us from this same curse by becoming the curse for us. He did not simple take the curse of our sins, he became it. God is too holy to have looked upon Jesus, who became the primitive, obscene curse of sin. Jesus endured the malediction, when even the sun did not shine of calvary. Christ cried out on the cross. Was He in a quoting mood? No, this is not just a Psalm quote, not the cry of a disillusioned prophet, but a cry from the depths as He bore the curse of being utterly forsaken by the Father.

*There is little of this curse found in the pseudo-gospel of today. The Gospel is more than unconditional love which requires no need for repentance. God does love us, even in corruption, but we are still under the curse. We will either bear the curse, or flee to the One who bore it for us.

More Conferences...

Over Memorial Day weekend, Ben and I will be attending the New Attitude conference. New Attitude is part of Sovereign Grace. Speakers this year include John Piper, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, and Joshua Harris. In addition to this line-up of speakers, we are looking forward to the music. At Together for the Gospel, music was led by Bob Kauflin. The hymns were arranged beautifully and it was a joy to sing and be led by him. If you are interested in worship leadership, check out his blog or his book - Worship Matters. We have an extra copy of the book if anyone is interested.

I feel terrible that I still have not finished posting the notes from Together for the Gospel. I am off today for Kentucky election day, so I am planning to organize my thoughts on the sermons and post them. Better late than never!

P.S. I know that I have linked this blog within an inch of its life, but each link is a good one!

T4G Part II

I had only heard Dr. Mohler preach once before, and I was was very excited to hear his message at Together for the Gospel. I have to admit, that he was a bit over my head. There was so much information that I could not process it all fast enough! He was addressing pastors and seminary students for the most part, and it could be that they are used to hearing the terminology, whereas I had to stop and think about it more often. Nevertheless, God spoke through His servant! If I could give him my thoughts on the sermon, this is how it would go:

Thanks to Dr. Mohler for tackling the difficult topic of why so many hate the atonement. As he introduced the sermon, he turned to Acts 16:26 and also brought forth some questions to consider and answer throughout the message.

*Is the resisitance to the blood of Christ a new thing?

*Why do professing Christians hate it so? - I was struck by the story that you told and by how often I perceive that people (myself included) do not want to deal with the blood, the suffering, the death...I am committed now to study of the Cross and to a new daily focus on Christ's sacrifice.

Particularly helpful was the 3 grouping theories of atonement:

1. The Cross has its affect on humanity

2. The Cross has its affect on hostile spiritual forces.

3. The Cross has its effect in God who propitiated Himself.

Thanks also for the reminder that God demands and provides the penalty for my own sin.

(For a fuller understanding of his message, I recommend downloading the sermon and listening for yourself!, Also, check out Dr. Mohler's blog.)

SIDE NOTE: I want my friends at New Home to read Dr. Mohler's book Culture Shift when we come back this summer. I think you will all particularly relate to his ideas about an exit strategy from schools. I'll bring my copy home!

T4G Part I

Let me begin by thanking God for C.J. Mahaney and for his incredible example of humility and service to others. I know that this message on Phillipians 1:3-8 was addressed primarily to pastors, but it was very impactful for me, a pastor's wife and a Christian who, like any other, struggles with pride. As it began, he asked the question, "Is the distinctive of joy present in your life?" He challenged us to consider if our spouses or co-workers would describe us as joyful. I have to admit, that I do not think that joy has been a characteristic of mine lately. Mahaney reminded us that Paul, the most joyful of pastors, had unspeakable amounts of responsiblity, and challenged us to consider the three dominant characteristics of this man who served with such gladness.

1. Gratefulness - How powerful it was when this message reminded us that gratefulness is a response to God's saving activity on earth! Without this, we will be vulnerable to complaining, which is a serious sin. God is not indifferent to complaining, as Mahaney showed us in Numbers 11. This trait has pride as its root and reflects a lack of humility. I appreciate how simply he put it - "complaining is saying to God in heaven that you see no reason for this." This reminded me that God has ordained our small and large situations and I have been addressing the urge to complain in my own life with a new desire to cultivate gratefulness.

2. Faith for the Future - This message showed us how Paul found strength in the faithfulness of God. "Our confidence is not as strong in our comfort as Paul's was in prison." What a powerful statement! Thanks to C.J. Mahaney for reminding us that the difficulty in our lives can be found in ourselves, not in the work. It is so easy to think that we cannot do it, and we are right! He charged us to remember that our confidence is in the One who began a good work in us.

3. Affection for Others - This characteristic of Paul is not one that I had considered. The sermon showed us from scripture that affection permeated Paul's ministry, and that it was rooted in grace. As I have gone through this last week, I have been challenged by this sermon to contemplate the love of Christ for the people we serve and to remember that He obtained them with His blood.

With these points Mahaney concluded his sermon, and I was impressed by the structure and theological spine of the message. I am so thankful to have heard this sermon, and that through it the Lord has awakened a desire for humility in my life. As I pastor's wife, I realize how much work, prayer, and love goes into a sermon that you prepare for God's people. Rest assured that the Spirit has done His work with this message.

Reflections

The Together for the Gospel Conference ended on Thursday. I am still gathering my thoughts and reflections as I prepare to post the notes on these sessions. I have come away with a lot to think about and I can truly say that this conference will mark a changing time in my life. I was challenged by C.J. Mahaney’s humility and joy, Mark Dever’s charge to keep the Gospel pure and simple, John Piper’s urging for women to become sages of the church, and so much more.
By God’s grace, these sermons and the books that we received at the conference have already started to change my mind and heart. Many, many times I have been challenged to stop complaining, to take confidence in God’s promises, to mortify the pride in my life, but I have not succeeded in these things. I was urged this week, by these men, to strive for holiness in a new way. I recognize more fully that it is only through humble dependence on God that any strides can be made to come closer to Him. But He has made this promise. “Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.”
I am very overwhelmed by the experience and by how God used these men to address issues in my own life. I pray that it was the same for the 5,500 other people in attendance.
As I was preparing to relay my notes on this blog, I made the decision to post them in the form of a letter to each of the speakers. I am doing this for two reasons:
After each sermon of the conference, there was a panel discussion addressing questions, suggestions, and praise to God and the speaker. I became comfortable with this format and am using this blog to put in my thoughts as if I were part of it.
I think it will be easy to read, and may encourage anyone who reads the notes to download these or other sermons given by these gifted pastors.
Therefore, I will post each letter individually with my own thoughts and reflections on what I heard and what I hope to remember well from each session, including the panels. I hope that even in this obscure forum, God’s truth will continue to be clearly communicated.

Something to look forward to...

Remember this?

Well, in just four weeks Ben and I are going to get to go to another great conference!
Together for the Gospel is coming to Louisville! Woo hoo! We both have tickets and I have been saving up my days... I am going to get a sub and go hear some preachin'.

Get a load of this lineup:

Session I - Ligon Duncan

Session II - Thabiti Anyabwile

Session III - John MacArthur

Session IV - Mark Dever

Session V - R.C. Sproul

Session VI - Al Mohler

Session VII - John Piper

Session VIII - C.J. Mahaney

I will be posting notes from each session.

Peek-a-Boo

This is William, the son of some of our friends at New Home Baptist Church.

We are excited that we will be able to worship with New Home again during Spring Break. Ben is going to preach three sermons for them.

Is that the sun?

The sun came out this weekend. It was beautiful. We had not seen it in so long that all of the light was kind of a shock. Since we came to Louisville, days have been gray and cold. Sunday was a wonderful gift from God with blue skies and mild weather that made everyone want to get outdoors.

Ben and I went to church on Sunday at Third Avenue with our new friends Ben and Cynthia. I forgot to mention in earlier blogs that every third person here is named Ben. We joke that it is the prophetic name for this decade. Just in our building there are three Bens and there are several others in class with my Ben.
On Sunday we also met Wes Pastor from NETS in Vermont. He will be speaking at the Seminary and at another couple of local churches. He was very interesting as he told about the challenges of church planting in New England. Ben and I are meeting with him on Tuesday to discuss more about planting churches. The NETS program of study and internship is an incredible model for preparing church planters. We have both been really impressed with what we have read about it, and hope to learn more from Mr. Pastor during our meeting.

My SWI class this term is about the history of the Southern Baptist Convention and it is wonderful. Dr. Wills and Mrs. Mohler have done an incredible job of educating the wives about our heritage as Baptists.

Teaching is still going really badly. I could list my many complaints against public education and the impossibility of this career, but instead I will say - FOUR WEEKS UNTIL SPRING BREAK!!!!!

Happy 2008!

I haven't blogged in so long! I need to apologize to all two of the people who read this blog. Sorry! I should be back on track now because after tomorrow, all of the hectic times will slow down.

TOMORROW IS MOVING DAY! We have the truck all packed up and we are headed out to Louisville at 5:30 A.M. This is really exciting for Ben and I and he really cannot wait to begin his doctoral work.

We are moving into a two bedroom apartment on the campus of Southern Seminary. I am planning to begin posting pics of the apartment and the moving-in process so our families can see how we are living.

We are getting ready to leave for my last church service at our precious New Home Baptist Church. The Lord truly provided a gift of love for us in that church. Ben has labored over The Word and has greatly enjoyed preaching and teaching the members there. I have fallen in love with the sweet families and especially the two new babies that have been born since our time there. It will be hard to say goodbye to them, but God continues to astound us with his mercy and all that he is able to do through these two flawed servants.

Prayer Requests:

Our friend Laurie Price continues to need prayer for her mother who is now undergoing chemotherapy.

Pray for the health and stamina of Bob and Peggy Ostenson.

A high school friend of mine, LeAnn Arnold lost her father on Christmas Day. She and her mother, sister, and brother need prayers during their time of grief.

So......I guess this is my last blog as a Mississippian. Louisville, here we come!

Hey! I Am Blogging Today!

I have found myself with some free time today and decided to put some updates on my poor, neglected blog.

As it turns out, we will not be going to Louisville again before the move. I can hardly believe that it is only 3 weeks away! We are both still praying about what work to do, which church to join, and for a smooth transition into our new city.

The Christmas season will feel more real for us in about a week when Ben's sisters will come home. We have not seen them in a while and everyone is excited to spend this holiday with them.

Please remember these people in your prayers:

Bob and Peggy Ostenson - Rev. Ostenson is a dear, elderly man who is declining in health. His family is under a lot of stress because the home health nurse that they hired stole money from them. They need prayer for health and strength.

The mother of Laurie Price, one of our church members, was recently diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Laurie and her husband have six children and all of them need strength and peace for the road ahead.

Mrs. Ellen Crosby, a member of my mother's church, is in poor health and was recently admitted to the hospital.

Conference Day 3

Today was the final installment of the John Reed Miller Lecture Series at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson. We are so happy that Dr. Mark Dever came to share his messages on preaching. It has been a blessing and a challenge to us.

The morning began with a lovely Q & A session at breakfast. Dr. Dever was able to answer questions from some of the local pastors. ( He didn't sit at our table, but he was closeby and he did give Ben his email address. We are old friends now, so we will probably catch a movie or eat Chinese food or something when he is in Louisville. )

Anyway, the topic of today's lecture was "The Art of Preaching." Some important notes follow.The information discussed was mostly for the benefit of those preparing sermons, but there are insights for listeners, parents, Bible teachers, and church members here.

*Familiarize yourself with the Biblical text before consulting commentaries. This means you should think about the text and pray over it - start with the original language if you can. Consult different translations and come to understand the text yourself. Then, create an exigetical outline, followed by a homiletical outline - at this point, it is safe to consult commentaries.

*Make your sermon more than Sunday morning. (This applies to listeners, too!) Some suggestions: Find a Christian who will read the passage and offer conversations, questions, prayer, Read the text during your daily devotionals, Talk about the sermon afterwards, Review the sermon with others.

*Introductions of sermons are often underused. Use this opportunity to inform the congregation on why this text specifically matters to them, and to show the non-Christian that you intend to engage with them.

*Illustrations in sermons are often abused. This should illustrate, not obscure the scripture. Use extreme caution with personal illustrations - you do not want to become the main attractions/personality of the church.

*Density of sermons is debated. It is good to challenge the listeners with new vocabulary, demanding ideas, etc. What about kids? Blessing the parents blesses the kids! Preach sermons for adults - the message should be as serious and weighty as life itself.

*Tone of sermons should reflect that we live in a fallen world. Aspects of tone: biblical, humble, clear, sober & serious, and joyfully confident.

*Conclusions should not draw attention to the speaker, but leave the hearer with the cross to consider. Quietly back away and leave them with the weighty truth. Avoid casual announcements and light songs after conclusions. Perhaps close with a moment of silence allowing the congregation to gather their thoughts.

* The Privilege of preaching is that this is the most urgent need of the church and the world. The Peril is to take encouragement of your own relationship with God from the success of your ministry. God never saved anyone for being a preacher.

It was so refreshing to experience this conference and to be around these preachers, young and old, as they seek to serve the Lord better by preaching His word faithfully. If anyone is interested in hearing more, you may want to attend Together For the Gospel. This is an incredibly popular conference event held each year. In 2008, it will be in Louisville, KY!

Not to drop names or anything, but our totally cool friend Mark Dever is a speaker. He, along with John Piper, Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan (from Jacktown!), John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, and Thabiti Anyabwile will be speaking at T4G 2008.

Conference Day 2

Today, there was another lecture in the John Reed Miller Series at RTS. Dr. Dever spoke on "The Use of Preaching in Edifying the Church and Evangelizing the Lost."
Before I offer some of the notes that I took during the series, I must take this opportunity to freak out. I totally shook Mark Dever's hand today. And he kept calling me "Katie," but after a little while, he got it right and now we have a joke. I have a joke with Mark Dever. We told him that we listen to his sermons on cd and he said that we should email him if we ever have questions. He is really nice and offered some suggestions to Ben about his Bunyan work and gave him a name of someone to connect with at Southern.

Okay, now for the notes from today:

*How much of preaching is reinforcing the existing culture? Are preachers thinking of the congregation as consumers. The term "seekers" implies something like this. The focus of sermons on "you and your needs" can produce a comfortable, suburban faith.

*Preachers do not need to look to the culture for methods and acceptable materials for preaching.

* Preaching is meant to inform our minds, instruct our consciences, and warm our hearts. Sin must be considered. Warning, admonition, condemning sin is appropriate in sermons.

* Why Expository preaching? What will most edify the church is preaching that exposes God's word. Every part of scripture contributes to the church. It is good to preach the truth and even better to preach the truth in a way that enables hearers to see where it comes from.

*Applying God's word does not undermine the Gospel message. Application teaches humility, recovery, conviction, etc.

*Three different kinds of application: ignorance, doubt, and sin. Inform the ignorant with the truth, urge the doubting to believe, and exhort those struggling with sin for a joyful obedience of God.

*Remembering that there are non-Christians around can clarify the preacher and remind him of God's grace. Addressing unbelievers in the congregation provides a model for Christians as they speak to non-Christians in their lives.

Tomorrow, there is a breakfast in Mark Dever's honor, and then the final lecture on "The Art of Preaching." Since we're all cool now, he will probably want to sit at our breakfast table.

Conference Day 1

Wow! Ben and I have just returned from the John Reed Miller Conference. It was really a terrific encouragement and challenge for pastoring. Mark Dever is a commanding speaker and offered some intriguing insights and observations on preaching. Here are a few of my notes and some things to think about from his lecture today:

*Is a "good" church one without conflict? This wasn't actually a central idea, but it resounded with me. It is well-known that Mark Dever has a gift for marrying God's truth and evangelism. It is such a need in Christians for us to find a way to stand firm in our truth while being evangelistic. We must then know how to graciously handle any conflict that may come.

*Are many preachers using humor in the pulpit in hope of making the world accept our Christian message? The laughter of a congregation is not the measure of connectivity. Humor may emphasize a lightness of our attitude toward serious things.

*The monologue of the sermon is a powerful and accurate symbol of our spiritual state. Hearing His word is God's gift of Grace to us - we do not deserve it and we do not contribute to it. God creates and instructs His people through His word.

*The sermon is central in significance - it should shape the worship service. A congregation must learn to listen to sermons and come to church expecting to work, be instructed and apply God's word through the sermon.

* The center of every sermon should be the Gospel.

Ben got to meet Mark Dever briefly and he was a little bit starstruck. He listens to him on his ipod all the time and it was kind of surreal for him to actually meet the man.
Although this conference is geared toward pastors, it offered helpful insights for any church member. These are the things we need to consider when looking for a church or a pastor. Also, we can begin by teaching ourselves how to come to church in expectance of the sermon. It is a gift of God to hear His word. I know from my husband's schedule that it takes work to create a sermon. He labors over the word and prays for it and prepares his heart. We listeners should do the same.

Monday, Monday

Yesterday, we had a wonderful Sabbath day. Ben preached a great sermon in Exodus and afterward, we enjoyed lunch with the Price Family at their home. They are such warm and pleasant people. They have six children, ages 1 month to 14 years. Each member of the family is a joy to know.
This weekend, we informed our church family of our definite plans to move in January. Although Ben was only preaching interim there, he had been asked to stay. We have come love New Home and our sweet friends there, but we feel that earning a Ph.D at Southern will be an incredible opportunity for God to use Ben. We have prayed about this and feel confident in the decision, but it will still be hard to leave the families that we have come to love so much.

Last night, we visited a local church which was hosting a Life Action Revival Team. I was not sure if this would be good, because some experiences that I have had with travelling revival teams have not been positive. At times, they are hyper-emotional, or their focus is primarily fundraising and any resulting impact on the local body are temporary at best. I was really encouraged by the Life Action Team. I think that their work is educational and encouraging for the average believer. Check them out online and see if they will be near you soon. This group is also sponsoring 12 Pray, which encourages believers to pray at noon each day for a spiritual awakening and rebuilding of our churches.

This week, at Reformed Seminary in Jackson, the John Reed Miller Conference Series will take place. The featured speaker is Dr. Mark Dever, the senior pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington and president of 9Marks. If you are in Jackson, this conference is worth taking your lunch hour for. The event takes place Nov 6-8, from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM. Ben and I are planning to go, so I will write some info here for those of you who are not able to make it.

A Case for the Blahs

Maybe I do know why I am down. I have always been such a mushy-heart and their have been some really depressing developments in my area lately.
This morning there was news of a terrible car accident that claimed the lives of two local teens, a brother and sister. It is so very sad. I can only imagine the grief of this family and their friends and schoolmates. I don't even know them, but I just want to hug them. Having lost two siblings myself, I am particularly saddened for the one remaining child in this family. This loss will shape the rest of his life. I am praying for their pastor today - that God will give him some words of encouragement for this stricken family. It is possible that the day will come when Ben and I have such a tragedy in a church, and I pray now that if that time comes, He will help us to minister to the grieving.
Also, this week has not been a good one for the ministry around here. I found out this week that a local church that we love and respect had to let their youth minister go because of an extra-marital affair with another staff member. He has two little kids. It is so discouraging for ministers and their families when something like this happens. The guy is probably a believer and just messed up in a really big way. But, because of his actions there are people who will shake their heads and say, "These things always happen in churches." Now, I am not really pro-youth ministry, but I am pro-church - not just because my husband happens to be a minister, but because I love my God and the church as His people. I had really wonderful experiences with church people. Unfortunately, I have had bad ones, too. We have to remember that as long as the church is on earth, it will still be made up of regular, sinful people. As Ben always says, "The best of men are men at best."

Pray for those who are grieving. Death, loss, and disappointment are parts of life, so there is always someone who needs prayer and comforting.

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Not So Deep Thoughts

Hello and Happy Friday or whatever. Today, I have the blahs for no good reason.
<------I look like this. We are thinking about going to see Bee Movie tonight. Maybe that will cheer me up. Or maybe something good will come in the mail. I am not expecting anything, but you never know. Mail always cheers me up. Between the mail and Jerry Seinfeld, I should snap out of it by tomorrow.

Anywho, Ben preached on John Huss Wednesday. Huss was a very interesting proto-reformer. He came under the influences of John Wyclif and was eventually martyred for his preaching and writing against abuses of the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church considered his teachings heretical and Hus was excommunicated in 1411, condemned by the Council of Constance, and burned at the stake in 1415. An interesting tidbit about Hus: Amongst Hus' last words are allegedly that, "in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed." Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses of Contention to a church door in Wittenburg 102 years later. Just reflecting on his life and sacrifices are making me feel that I should really be in a lot better mood. Because of Huss and the men that followed him, I can read the Bible in my own language and attend a Protestant church, and I don't believe I have to earn merit with God. I feel better already!

Since you asked....

We are all smiles today! Ben and I are so excited about his future Ph.D work at Southern Seminary. We have been reading up on Louisville and we can't wait to get started in January. I am so proud of Ben for all of his hard work during the past year.




We were able to pick up my car yesterday after being in the shop for a week. That uninsured motorist cost us a $200 deductible, but I guess it could have been worse! Ben taught Hebrew and preached on Exodus 25:1-9 last night and both went really well. We are both enjoying the cold weather, although it probably won't last. It was only 45 degrees this morning and it is fun to wear winter clothes again. Have a great day everyone!

Video of Ben's Ordination

Thanks to Ben's Uncle Butch and Aunt Judy for sending this video and the pictures of Ben's ordination. We are so happy that they got some pictures because our camera would not work!

This clip features Butch and Pappy praying for Ben. All of the ordained men in the church participated in the charge by laying hands on Ben at the end of the service.