GuineaField

Danny Anderson was feeding his horses with his son in Prosser, Washington when he spied a rattle snake too close for comfort. They pinned the snake to the grounds with an irrigation pipe and cut its head off with a shovel. Dead. As Danny reached down to throw the snake’s head aside the fangs bit in to his hand with enough force to latch tight. Danny shook the snake from his hand but the venom was already seeping into his bloodstream. By the time he reached the emergency room his tongue was swollen and the poison had begun to spread through the rest of his body ( MSNBC AP Article ). A dead snake can do much harm. In the same way Satan’s head is severed – he has been dealt the death blow at the cross. Although the Son’s heel was bruised at the cross, the serpent’s head was crushed. Dead. The last two thousand years are the last ditch efforts of Satan; he's spewing his poison into the world. His fangs are still latching on wherever possible and he longs to infect you. He is...

By Eric Metaxas ( For Amazon click Link ) Bonhoeffer is definitely a challenging life to read and I enjoyed Metaxas' writing style and presentation. Below I’ll give a brief overview (very brief), two cautions, and then several positive lessons I learned from Bonhoeffer or the book in general. Overview: Metaxas does a great job of painting the life and times of WWII in Germany. He describes how quickly Hitler came to prominence and how the German nation was so easily deceived – they were grasping at any leadership and got the worst. In contrast, It was a beam of light to have Bonhoeffer and some of his comrades see clearly from the very beginning the ugly atrocity that would become the Third Reich. The story is fascinating. A German boy raised with an excellent education – from one of the prominent families in German culture chooses to study theology instead of some more prestigious field like his brother and father. And yet, in his late 20’s and early 30’s the Lord uses this young...

"The first thing I ask that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. nor was I crucified for anyone . . . How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the Children of Christ by my evil name?" Theology of the Reformers, Timothy George, pg. 53.

Bonhoeffer stood alone apposing the 'German Christian' church for a while . . . Hitler was just beginning to show his true colors but patriotic church leaders still wanted to think the best. When Hitler's church representative would not allow Jewish men in the pastoral ministry Bonhoeffer came to the conclusion that it was no longer part of the church. Keeping unity with such heresy was not an option for him - it was a Gospel issue. I like his quote to illustrate the foolishness of staying in a group that teaches against the Gospel in order to win the group over to the Gospel: "He was far ahead of the curve, as usual. Some wondered whether he was just kicking against the goads, but when someone asked Bonhoeffer whether he shouldn't join the German Christians in order to work against them from within, he answered that he couldn't. 'If you board the wrong train,' he said, 'it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.'...

Charles Simeon was a Pastor near Cambridge in the late 1700s. He had many traits that are commendable for anyone to follow: "Simeon arose every morning even in the winter season, at four o’clock; and, after lighting his fire, he devoted the first four hours of the day to private prayer and the devotional study of the Scriptures. Here was the secret of his great grace and spiritual strength. . . The early rising did not come easily to him; it was a habit resolutely fought for and acquired. Finding himself too fond of his bed, he had resolved to pay a fine for every offence, giving half-a-crown to his servant. One morning, as he lay warm and comfortable, he caught himself reasoning that the good woman was poor and that the half-crown would be very useful to her. But that practical fallacy was not to be tolerated; if he rose late again, he would walk down to the Cam and throw a guinea into the water. And so he did, though not without a great struggle, for guineas were not abundant in...

The word Gospel refers to sharing good news with someone. In Greek, it is composed of two seperate buildingblocks: The prefix eu (good) + the word angelo (angel or messenger). Consider a N.T. illustration. Paul was only with the Thessalonian believers for a few weeks before he was persecuted and thrown out of the city. Because of his quick departure he feared that those who professed Christ during his short ministry there would be scattered. So, he sent Timothy to Thessalonica to see if they continued in the faith. Timothy visited and discovered good news regarding their faith. In turn, Timothy came back and “brought the good news” about them (1 Thessalonians 3:6). This is the only time this word is used in the N.T. where it does not refer to the good news about Jesus (although in one sense this is related). Timothy was the bearer of good news to Paul about the Thessalonian believers. As Gospel proclaimers we have good news handed to us from God – that His Son died for all. It is our j...

I came across this quote when finishing up reading “The Shack” by Young ( Here's a quick review of the book). It is from Elizabeth Browning’s Aurora Leigh: “And truly, I reiterate, . . nothing’s small! No lily-muffled hum of a summer-bee, But finds a coupling with the spinning stars; No pebble at your foot, but proves a sphere; No chaffinch, but implies the cherubim: And,-glancing on my own thin, veined wrist,- In such a little tremour of the blood The whole strong glamour of a vehement soul Doth utter itself distinct. Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round and pick blackberries, And daub their natural faces unaware More and more from the first similitude.”