Logic On Fire - New Martyn Lloyd-Jones Documentary due in 2015

Logic On Fire T4G Announcement Video from Media Gratiae on Vimeo.

For more information go to LogicOnFire.org

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Panel (Dever, MacArthur, Murray, and Catherwood) at 2014 T4G

Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclimation

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans,  mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

A. Lincoln

General George Washington

Paul Vickery's work entitled Washington part of The Generals Series, follows Washington from his first military command to becoming Commander in Chief of Continental Army.  Vickery writes, "He learned to become the father of our country by first being the father of our military."
This work is part of a series Thomas Nelson Publishing is producing with Stephen Mansfield as series editor.




General Patton
General Pershing
General Lee

Justin Taylor Interviews Piper and Meyer on Succession

Read Collin Hansen's blog post at TGC.

Rev. Daniel R. Pershing Grave Stone Found

Rev. Daniel R. Pershing is my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather.  The video finding his grave stone adds to my search of the family history.  Near the end of this walk through the cemetery you will see the grave stone of Daniel Pershing and James Pershing. There is a part one of the video that gives the lay of the land near New Florance, PA.
 

   Rev. Daniel R. Pershing was born a month or two after his parents arrival at Coventry.  He was one of the first children born in the territory of the New Purchase, which was known as Westmoreland County.  He was taught by his parents because there were no schools.  After he had learned the three "R's" he began his university that was in every cabin.  The text book of cabin university was the Bible, universally read and one of the few books that was obtainable.  He was an avid reader and became recognized in the frontier as a man of accomplishment.   He married Christina Milliron on January 26, 1796.  She was born in Westmoreland County, of parents who settled in the vicinity of Milliron's Church, west of Greensburg, in the early days of the county.
    Daniel lived at Coventry until 1801.  The last son to leave home, the care of his mother fell to him after Fredrick's death.  He attended Zion Church, and records of October 23, 1796 find that he worshiped there with his family, thus establishing his with the Lutheran Church at an early date.
    On April 15, 1801, he purchased a farm of about 180 acres in Derry Township, about one mile north of the village of Brandenville.  He made the purchase from Samuel Eaton, who inherited the property from his father, James Eaton, who had settled in 1769, and it became the headquarters of the so-called St. Clair branch of the Pershing family.  The title to the land remained in the family until about 1888.
    Although Daniel had been raised a Lutheran he joined the Methodist Church and became a follower of Wesley in 1799.  In August, 1816, he was licensed as a local preacher and entered the ministry.  He was re-licensed in March, 1818, and again in the Spring of 1819.
    On September 7, 1819, he was ordained a deacon by Bishop R.B. Roberts at an annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which met at Baltimore.  From the year of his ordination to the time of his death he was a circuit rider and ministered to those of his own and other faiths throughout Westmoreland and the surrounding counties.  He established missions, built churches and occupied himself faithfully in the service of the Methodist Church.  He preached in both German and English as occasion required and was successful in the ministry as he had been in his farming.
    His first year's salary as a circuit rider was $30, and never exceeded $250 per year.  His circuit at times required him to travel north across the Allegheny River to the extremity of the settlements; east to the summit of the mountains; south to Uniontown and into Virginia, and west to the settlements of Ohio.  His parish was thus spread over, and even extended beyond, the territory of the New Purchase.  His ministry kept him away from home for many months at a time.  He carried his saddle bags with food for his journey and books which he sold to his parishioners, as was customary in his day.  In making his trips to the northern settlements he was obliged to carry his rifle, as the Indians still frequented that district.

The family tree from my grandmother Gladys Pershing back. Always looking for stories about these family members.

Related Pershing Blogs:

Famous Generals - General John J. Pershing

Memorial Day

Chuck Colson Remembered - 1931-2012

Back in the late 80's I worked with Colson on a book signing tour for a chain of stores in Minneapolis. It was a highlight of my bookstore career.  My son who was a 9 year old at the time was able to be a part of this tour.  Not only did he meet someone who changed the political landscape of the time but a man who had been changed by the power of the living Son of God, Jesus Christ.

John Knox by Lloyd Jones and Murray

John Knox and the Reformation

A little book with a big punch much like Knox himself. Lloyd-Jones has two chapters that came out of a conference in Scotland. In one he makes the argument that Knox was the founder of the puritans. In true Lloyd-Jones he holds nothing back.

He says that Knox's influence in some ways responsible for the the American revolution. "Consider the case of the Pilgrim Fathers. Knox is behind their whole attitude towards the State and the rulers; and so he is, as Thomas Carlyle claims, the founder of American Puritanism in exactly same way. Indeed, I would argue that he is in many ways the father of the American War of Independence which came to a triumphant conclusion from the standpoint of the colonists in 1776. He was the one who opened the door to all this."

The last chapter is by Iain Murray who brings forth a biographical sketch of Knox. Well done an a good read.

Keith Green At 11 Years Old

I went to a Keith Green concert in Minneapolis at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in the late 70's.  He was a fantastic song writer for the Lord who wanted to see the Church be the Church and stop playing at it.

"I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus!" — Keith Green

This post is for a friend of mine at work who loves vinyl and Keith. 

Phil Keaggy at Wheaton College

Keaggy plays one of my favorites, Salvation Army Band which is from a great album True Believers.  If you don't own this you are missing out. I became acquainted with Phil back in 1976 when he and Ted Sandquist played in a student chapel service at Northwestern College in Roseville, MN.  A song form that chapel that Phil and Ted played was titled, All That I Can Do.  It is found on the 30th Anniversary CD, The Courts of the King.  I still think that the vinyl edition is better.

Keaggy is known as one of the top guitar players in the world.  Just browse the MP3 section at Amazon and play a few samples.  I think you will be enjoy his God given talent as much as I have over all these years.

A Father's Prayer

During WWII General Douglas MacArthur wrote this prayer for his son Arthur.  It is an encouragement to me to do the same for my own children.  

A Father’s Prayer - By General Douglas MacArthur

Build me a son, 0 Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds: a son will know Thee—and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm: here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will he high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Recommended reading:

C. H. Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon is renown as the "Prince of Preachers." In his lifetime it is estimated that he preached to 10,000,000 souls.   The documentary gives a good overview of who this man was and how God used him to preach the gospel to the English speaking world during his lifetime.   Click here the to see works by Spurgeon.

Dr. Dallimore, has written Spurgeon: A New Biography and has produced a concise narrative of Spurgeon's life. He sets out 'to understand and present something of the inner man- Spurgeon in his praying, his sufferings and depressions, his weaknesses and strengths; in his triumphs, humour, joys, and incredible accomplishments'. It is no easy task to depict 'so tremendous a personality' as that of Spurgeon in a brief volume, but in 250 pages it is here accomplished, and with a large measure of success. Click on  Spurgeon: A New Biography to review the title by Dallimore.

National Prayer Breakfast Washington, DC

Eric Metaxas, author of the New York Times #1  bestseller, Bonhoeffer,  addressed the National Prayer Breakfast with humor and some serious words about protecting the unborn.  It is plain to see that he had an awakening when a man shared Christ with him while at Yale.  Eric also is the author of a biography on Wilberforce the great English Statesman who spent a lifetime to abolish the slave trade in England. 

Helpful Links:

Denny Burk

Eric Metaxas

Traveling Wilburys

"Handle with Care" is the first track from the Traveling Wilburys 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Writing credits are shared by all five band members, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan.
What a line up of great musicians. 
Hearing this group made me think back to a John Piper blog post on Dylan with the song "Got To Serve Somebody" from the album Slow Train Coming one of my favorites albums. 

That Blessed Christmas Morn

"War Horse" Opening December 25th

DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse," director Steven Spielberg's epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War.
Planning to see this new film on Christmas Day with my family.

The History of Religion in 90 Seconds

Famous Generals - General John J. Pershing

Produced by the Department of Defense.

General John J. Pershing

Author John Perry unveils a general somewhat neglected by history, a mystifying fact considering that at one time more than a million soldiers followed him into battle.

Attentive to the last detail, rigid in his expectations of drill and execution, and fiercely protective of every man he commanded, General John J. Pershing helped shape the 20th century by leading American troops in a war that saved Europe.

Perry does an excellent job of portraying Pershing in this new Thomas Nelson series "The Generals."  I highly recommend this work.

Memorial Day blog

I have an interest in Pershing as he is my great uncle.

Patton Speech

Film clip of General George S. Patton 1945. The narrator is Ronald Reagan.