Are you my mother?

I can remember when I was growing up my mother taught me about marriage and I know the mother who taught me about marriage would have done everything she could to help me repair my marriage. She would have stood fast for what was right and called me and my wife to the reconciliation that Christians must seek if they are true believers. She probably would have cracked a Bible and told us that God hates divorce. Maybe she would have talked to my wife in private and asked if she could reconsider--perhaps relating times in her own life when she wanted to give up too, but is now glad she didn't. Even if none of that worked, I would sure appreciate knowing that the momma who taught me would have still fought for me...and my marriage. If you're a momma and that happens, you probably can't help. But it sure won't hurt to try.

McQueen and King

(Since I had not seen these episodes, but had always heard my uncle Wright --photo--had starred alongside McQueen, I was interested to see if this reviewer had something to offer. Despite his opinion, it’s interesting to note that the ratings increased during the second season when McQueen got this mysterious partner.)

Season 2 – 1959-60 Steve McQueen and Wright King

Excerpt from Paul Mavis reviewing “Wanted: Dead or Alive – The Complete Series….(available from Amazon.com)

Clearly though, some tinkering with the established formula was being attempted, with the most obvious example being the late-season inclusion of a partner for Josh: would-be bounty hunter Jason Nichols, played by Wright King…

Not easily dropped back is the inclusion of Wright King as apprentice bounty hunter, Jason Nichols, who is introduced in Jason, and continues on for nine more episodes (until he disappears in the last episode of the season, with no explanation). I'm not familiar with any backstory on this strange addition to the one-man cast of Wanted: Dead of Alive, but if I had to guess, I'd say either a producer or the network wanted to hedge their bets with McQueen, or someone genuinely thought the format needed tweaking. McQueen made no bones about being "difficult" with producers and directors on the set of Wanted: Dead of Alive if he felt they were undercutting the show or himself, and considering the stellar ratings that improved over this second season, it's not unheard of for a star to begin exerting some authority over the direction of the vehicle in which they're starring. But there are ways of dealing with "difficult" stars, and one way is to bring in a potential replacement; perhaps this was the purpose of Wright King. It was no secret that McQueen only took Wanted: Dead of Alive in 1958 because his big-screen movie career was going nowhere. But once the Western hit it big right out of the gate, he immediately started attracting buzz and attention from big-screen filmmakers, culminating in his co-starring role in John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven, which began filming during this second season. Does that explain McQueen's shortened scenes during the Jason Nichols' episodes? Perhaps. Did the producers and network bring on King to make McQueen "behave," or to have a ready-made replacement should McQueen bolt? Maybe. Or maybe someone truly believed the series would be better as a "buddy piece." Unfortunately, if this last explanation was the case, it was a big miscalculation. King didn't strike me one way or the other here as the enthusiastic newcomer to the bounty hunting business. Perhaps he would have worked in his own show, or on another Western. However, he has no place on Wanted: Dead of Alive, because the piece is so obviously designed as a solo effort. Indeed, the unique appeal of Wanted: Dead of Alive during its first and second seasons came from the star-power performance by McQueen as the loner bounty hunter who needed neither respectability nor security to do his job. His "Mare's Leg" was his best friend, and he lived by his wits alone: he depended on no one. So why in the world would he need a goof like Jason, all of the sudden, to not only back him up but save him on several occasions? Thematically, it made no sense to loyal viewers of the series, with this new character Jason not adding to the worth of the program but instead devaluing its unusual lead character Josh. The final episode of the season, Pay-Off at Pinto, makes no mention of Jason, and when the series came back the next and final season, the character did not return.

Staying in its Saturday 8:30pm time slot on CBS, Wanted: Dead of Alive climbed even higher in the ratings this sophomore season, registering an impressive ninth out of all shows on television during the 1959-1960 season, pulling along its lead-in series, Perry Mason into the 10th slot for the year, and elevating its lead-out, Mr. Lucky, to a respectable 21st for the year…



http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38482/wanted-dead-or-alive-the-complete-series/

Bishop Ryle endorses Toplady's Calvinistic views

Sharing some notes to myself...

As much as Bishop J.C. Ryle seemed to appreciate John Wesley, I believe it is all the more telling that he unhesitatingly endorsed August Toplady's Calvinistic theology as biblical theology:


"He (Toplady) was a bold defender of Calvinistic views about election, predestination, perseverance, human impotency, and irresistible grace. All these subjects I hold firmly that Calvin's theology is much more scriptural than the theology of Arminius (and Wesley). In a word, I believe that Calvinistic divinity is the divinity of the Bible, of Augustine, and the Thirty-nine Articles of my own Church, and of the Scotch Confession of Faith. While, therefore, I repeat that I cannot endorse all the sentiments of Toplady's controversial writings, I do claim for them the merit of being in principle scriptural, sound, and true. Well would it be for the Churches, if we had a good deal more of clear, distinct, sharply-cut doctrine in the present day! Vagueness and indistinctness are marks of our degenerate condition."--J.C. Ryle, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
Through their writings, J.C. and Augustus have been like brothers in the faith to me, confirming the Holy Spirit's ongoing work in preserving the truth of the Gospel to this very day. God bless you. --bro. Jim

They declare my 19 year marriage null and void

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted anything.

I have big news. Much to my dismay, the Roman Catholic Tribunal in Tulsa has issued an initial ruling that my 19 year marriage is null and void. They had no immediate explanation for their ruling so I have asked them to explain the basis of their ruling. They have somehow come to the conclusion that something happened before the marriage that made the wedding and everything that transpired, including my two children, null and void for the next 19 years. This is ridiculous. I have told them I certainly plan to appeal this initial ruling before it goes to the archdiocese in Oklahoma City. --Bro. Jim   Please keep me in your prayers.

Our sole reason for receiving everlasting life is the Lord Jesus Christ, faith is the sign of our salvation

Every time I read the Affirmations of Belief at the Grace Evangelical Society’s website I am comforted, because it reminds me what a great gift Christ has given me and all who believe in him. These affirmations also serve to put my whole life in proper perspective by explaining salvation assurance, discipleship or growing in Christ and even my practical motivation for doing so in simple and direct words.

If I could change a small portion of the affirmations, it would probably come in the first paragraph which currently (at the website listed below) reads:

“The sole condition for receiving everlasting life is faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died a substitutionary death on the cross for man’s sin and rose bodily from the dead (John 3:16-18; 6:47, Acts 16:31).

In place of the phrase “the sole condition” I would substitute “the sole reason” for receiving everlasting is "the Lord Jesus Christ.himself."

In other words, it would read: The sole reason for receiving everlasting life is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who gives us the gift of faith to believe in him, his substitutionary death on the cross for our sin and his rising bodily from the dead (John 3:16-18, 6:47, Acts 16:31).

In other words, the real “sole condition” of our salvation is Jesus. He and he alone saved us. Faith is important to us in that it acts as a sign from Jesus that we do indeed believe in him.

I am very thankful to the Grace Evangelical Society for these affirmations because they are really blessed sign posts of our faith to keep in mind and rejoice in again and again as we walk through this life. I reprint the Grace Evangelical Society affirmations in full as they appear on the website at http://www.faithalone.org/


Affirmations of Belief
Salvation

The sole condition for receiving everlasting life is faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died a substitutionary death on the cross for man’s sin and rose bodily from the dead (John 3:16-18; 6:47; Acts 16:31).

Faith is the conviction that something is true. To believe in Jesus (“he who believes in Me has everlasting life”) is to be convinced that He guarantees everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him for it (John 4:14; 5:24; 6:47; 11:26; 1 Tim 1:16).

No act of obedience, preceding or following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, such as commitment to obey, sorrow for sin, turning from one’s sin, baptism or submission to the Lordship of Christ, may be added to, or considered part of, faith as a condition for receiving everlasting life (Rom 4:5; Gal 2:16; Titus 3:5). This saving transaction between God and the sinner is simply the giving and receiving of a free gift (Eph 2:8-9; John 4:10 ; Rev 22:17 ).

Assurance

Assurance of everlasting life is certainty that one is eternally secure simply by faith in Jesus. Assurance of everlasting life is based only on the promise God makes in His Word that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ alone possesses everlasting life (John 5:24; 1 John 5:9-13). Good works, which can and should follow regeneration, are not necessary for a person to have assurance of everlasting life (Eph 2:10 ; Titus 3:8).
Assurance is of the essence of believing in Jesus for everlasting life. That is, as long as a person believes in Jesus for everlasting life, he knows he has everlasting life (John 5:24 ; 6:35 , 47; 11:27 ; 1 John 5:9-13).

Discipleship (Growing in Christ)

The ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life is to produce spiritual maturity reflected in consistent Christlike behavior and attitudes (Gal 5:22-25; Luke 14:25-33; Col 1:23-29). Therefore, obedience to the Word of God, while not necessary for obtaining everlasting life, is the essential responsibility of each Christian (Rom 6:12-23; Heb 5:13-14; 1 Cor 2:14–3:4). However, the Bible does not teach that this obedience will be manifested in all believers. If a believer does not yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in his experience, failure will result, evidenced by sinful acts or even prolonged disobedience (1 Cor 10:1-13; Gal 5:16-21).


Motivation

The believer is assured of everlasting life and is thus eternally secure, since that life is guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him, and is based upon His substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection (John 10:28-29; Rom 8:38-39). Therefore, it is inconsistent with the gospel and with Scripture to seek to gain or keep everlasting life by godly living. The Scriptures, however, do present several motivations for obedience in the Christian life.

1. A powerful motivation for living the Christian life is gratitude to God for saving us by His grace (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5:14 -15; Gal 2:20 ).

2. Believers should also be motivated by the knowledge that their heavenly Father both blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience in His children (Heb 12:3-11; Lev 26:1-45). God is not mocked. Whatever a person sows, that he also reaps (Gal 6:7).

3. Finally, every Christian must stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, not to determine his eternal destiny, for that is already set, but to assess the quality of his Christian life on earth (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12). Anticipating either reward or loss of reward at the Judgment Seat should also motivate believers to perseverance and to faithfulness to God’s revealed will (1 Cor 3:10 -17, 9:24 -27; Jas 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28 ). One’s capacity to glorify Jesus will forever be based on how faithful he was in his stewardship in this life (Luke 19:17 , 19, 22-26).


Grace Evangelical Society is firmly committed to the fundamental doctrines of the historic Christian faith. Not all of those doctrines are delineated in this affirmation of belief.

Unintended description of our world today?

This is the phrase used in a commercial for one of the latest electronic devices... though obviously unintended, it seems to describe one of the big problems that we face in these days of rampant technology.

"Getting lost in the things we love has never felt quite like this."  iPad2

Election, an incentive to evangelism!

(A sizeable excerpt from “Election: Friend or Foe of Evangelism? By Bill Boekestein)

The Outlook, March 2007, Volume 57, No. 3, pp. 9-10 at http://www.reformedfellowship.net/articles/boekestein_mar07_v57_n03.htm

How is election an incentive to evangelism?

First, election should promote evangelism because it guarantees results. Our only hope of seeing anyone converted to Christ is rooted in His eternal unconditional election. Consider the alternative. "If the depravity of man is such that no sinner, of himself, will repent and believe the gospel, then, unless God has determined to bring some to repentance, all will inevitably perish." Without election missions would be a hopeless activity.

Isn't that what Paul might have thought as he ministered in Corinth? "God, you want me to minister in this city! What for?" If any city in the New Testament world appeared to be God-forsaken, it was Corinth. Yet Christ said, "I have many people in this city!" Imagine the perspective that this gave Paul as he ministered in Corinth for the next eighteen months.

Commenting on this passage J. I. Packer summarizes that, "...the sovereignty of God in grace gave Paul hope of success as he preached to deaf ears, and held up Christ before blind eyes, and sought to move stony hearts."

Notice how this same doctrine is cited in Acts 13:48: "And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Only because of election was the Apostle's preaching in Antioch (and Corinth) one hundred percent effective!

Second, election keeps our eyes humbly focused upon God in our evangelism. Paul's success in Corinth led him to rely more and more on the sovereign purpose of God to save men. When he wrote back to the Corinthians he told them that while he had planted and Apollos watered, it was God who gave the increase (I Corinthians 3:6,8). This is encouraging because there will not always be a visible increase. Thankfully, a firm belief in election also comforts us in our evangelistic "failures."

Third, election gives a sense of purpose to our mission. When Christ commissioned Paul to be an evangelist he did so by closely connecting Paul's mission with his own calling and election. "[Paul]," said Christ, "is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Significantly, this "predestined commission" was not only given to Paul and to the other apostles. The Apostle Peter links the election of all of God's people with evangelism. He calls God's people a chosen (elect) generation. Flowing out of this election is a purpose, namely "to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:9).

When opponents charge that the doctrine of election makes evangelism unnecessary they betray an ignorance of the purpose of election. The election of the saints is their divine commission to evangelize. This doctrine affords the believer courage knowing that his name is written in the book of life. It also removes any ulterior motives from the evangelistic efforts of the Calvinist. He has no reason frenetically to engage in evangelism as if he himself is responsible for the "decisions" of others.

Finally, election is an incentive to evangelism because it intrinsically requires the use of means. God could have decided to convert sinners without means, but He has not. Instead, He has determined that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). The Canons of Dort, a thoroughly predestinarian document, highlights the importance of the means of gospel communication already in its third paragraph (1.3). If you believe in election then you also believe in the need for Christians to communicate the gospel.

Still, the proper use of means without the blessing of God will be ineffectual. Not all of those who heard Christ Himself preach were converted. There must be more than the proper use of means. There must be a divine work of God that begins in His decree of election.

So we end where we began. It is indeed, only the unchangeable decree of election that renders the salvation of the elect completely certain. This certainty, however, far from being a discouragement is actually "the only ground of encouragement to preach the gospel to sinners." Election does not make evangelism unnecessary, rather election demands evangelism.

Mr. Bill Boekestein is a Senior at the Puritan Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a member of the United Reformed Church in Dutton, Michigan.