Soul and Spirit

Widow to Widow

That is, DIL to MIL

I’ve heard portions (at least) of this said or sung at weddings, by the bride to her groom:

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:
the Lord do so to me, and more also,
if ought but death part thee and me.

Pretty touching stuff. And meaningful. And even appropriate.

But what if those words were said or sung at a wedding…by the bride…to her mother-in-law? 😯 Read it all

Hans Schlaffer, Detained in Austria

And eventually beheaded by the state church

They despised his beliefs. They branded him a heretic. They opted for intolerance and unwillingness to co-exist. Their final solution for him was contrary to justice…and the godliness they professed to defend.

No, this didn’t happen recently. Yet Schlaffer’s testimony lives on, unsilenced by the executioner’s sword.

Hans lost his head for his faith in Jesus, but he gained an eternal reward which hasn’t faded a bit after all these years (years which I don’t suppose he has noticed). (I wonder if Ernie Miller has met him yet.) (Grammarians, am I allowed a parenthetical train like this?!)

Well, here’s an introduction to Hans Schlaffer’s story on this day 486 years ago:

The December evening was cold. As Hans Schlaffer left the Anabaptist meeting in Schwaz, he was headed up the Inn River toward his home in the mountains of Austria. There he planned to sit out the winter months until Spring, when he would renew his ministry. But the plans of this former Roman Catholic priest received a rude shock.

On this day, December 5, 1527, Hans Schlaffer was arrested by local Roman Catholic authorities. […]

When asked on what foundation the Anabaptists rested, he replied, “Our faith, actions, and baptism rest on nothing else than the commandment of Christ.”

I am fascinated by these excerpts from one of his last recorded prayers: Read it all

A Foolish National Leader

Or a national leader that did foolish things

Consider King David and God’s ways and purposes in 2 Samuel 24:1…

And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

I see God’s sovereignty at work. (I also believe He acted in complete justice and righteousness.)

I read that verse and thought of this one: Read it all

Have You Heard Railings Recently?

A banned speech pattern for Christians

ear up to a stair railing

No, not that kind of railing!

My general impression of the term railing has been one that has to do as much with content as with the tone and demeanor of the speaker.

The very day after hearing a definition that was milder than the one I’ve had, I had work-related occasion to check some book sources. Let me show you some of what I found.

dictionary defines the verb rail

OK, so it’s hard to read. See below. Read it all

Above all, love God!