my burg

While on our neighborhood walks, my wife and I would see garden gnomes in some of the yards,  and we had a bit of word play, which we'd share with grandkids, and now here... -- What do you call a garden gnome who is by himself? a gnome alone -- What do you call a gnome out west? gnome on the range -- What do you call a garden gnome in the city? a metro gnome -- How does a garden gnome his hair? a gnome comb -- How does a garden gnome hide his baldness? with a gnome over -- What do you call a gnome by another name? a gnome de plume -- How does a gnome name his children? using gnomen-clature -- Where do garden gnomes come from? Gnome, Alaska -- What do you call an unmarried female gnome? Miss Gnomer -- What is unique about gnome DNA? it has a ge-gnome   -- What do you call a gnome with lots of children? a poly-gnomial

Every now and then I rearrange my top ten or fifteen of what I consider to be classic Christian works that every Christian should read or be familiar with . Excluding works of fiction, poetry, and the larger works of theology* here are my current top 15... On The Incarnation , Athanasius. The Confessions of Augustine . The Consolation of Philosophy , Anicius Boethius. [ New to the top 15 ] On Loving God , Bernard of Clairvaux. Pensées , Blaise Pascal. Commentary on Galatians , Martin Luther. The Pilgrim's Progress , John Bunyan.   Religious Affections , Jonathan Edwards. Christianity and Liberalism , Gresham Machen. The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible , B. B. Warfield. Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Everlasting Man , G. K. Chesterton Mere Christianity , C. S. Lewis. Knowing God , J. I. Packer. The Cross of Christ , John R. W. Stott. * Recommended fiction : George MacDonald, and anything by the Inklings (J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, etc.) Poetry : George Herber...

Here are the most recent reports of persecution against Christians around the world, as compiled by one of the elders at our church:  Pakistan, Feb 25. Christian family's ancestral home was allegedly taken over by a Muslim lawyer who accused the homeowner of blasphemy. Churches have been attacked, homes burned by mobs, and individuals imprisoned or killed following accusations under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.  Ukraine, Feb 24. Protestant congregations in Ukraine have been particularly targeted with raids, closures, and intimidation, with Moscow aggressively seeking to reshape the religious landscape to serve its political and military objectives.  Iran, Feb 23. A sharp rise in arrests and mistreatment of Christians in Iran, particularly converts, accusing the Islamic Republic of increasingly using national security laws to suppress religious dissent.  Uganda, Feb 23. A 33-year-old man in eastern Uganda was allegedly killed by his Muslim father after converting to...

I've enjoyed reading and pondering these two poems by the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats (1865--1939) ...  THE VALLEY OF THE BLACK PIG The dews drop slowly and dreams gather: unknown spears  Suddenly hurtle before my dream-awakened eyes,  And then the clash of fallen horsemen and the cries  Of unknown perishing armies beat about my ears.  We who still labour by the cromlech on the shore,  The grey cairn on the hill, when day sinks drowned in dew,  Being weary of the world's empires, bow down to you,  Master of the still stars and of the flaming door. Here is a brief analysis .  THE LOVER TELLS OF THE ROSE IN HIS HEART  All things uncomely and broken, all things worn out and old,  The cry of a child by the roadway, the creak of a lumbering cart,  The heavy steps of the ploughman, splashing the wintry mould,  Are wronging your image that blossoms a rose in the deeps of my heart.  The wrong of unshapely things is a wro...

It was the spring of 1970 and the war in Vietnam was in full swing, as were the protests around the country.   In April of that year, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces expanded military operations into Cambodia, and students on campuses across our nation erupted in protest. On May 4, the Ohio National Guard, called out to disperse a crowd on the Kent State University campus, opened fire upon the student gathering, killing four and wounding nine. Campus protests across the country responded with more violence.  It was a serious and intense time. Young people were being killed both in the jungles of Vietnam and on American campuses.  At Virginia Tech, an academic building, Williams Hall, was occupied by protestors. I was there, and I was supportive, though I was not in the building at the time the arrests were made. When the police arrived (in full riot gear) I was at the front door of the building and was told to move, which I did not do. An officer got behind me and w...

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." (Hebrews 13:3 ESV) Persecution report, update: November 22, 2025. Prepared by Chris Faith.  Nigeria, Nov 20, yesterday morning, fifty-two Catholic school students were kidnapped by armed terrorists. Just this Wednesday, gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church, killing at least two people and abducting the pastor and 38 worshippers, over 50,000 believers have been martyred, and millions displaces since the violence began.  India, Oct 23, a group of about ten people reportedly violently assaulted a bus carrying missionaries. Eight police officers stood by, doing nothing. They have been suspended.  UK, Nov 18, Britain's highest court has ruled that current Christian religious education in Northern Ireland's state schools is unlawful because it "breaches" children's human rights.  India, Nov 18, several advocacy organizatio...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV) Here are a few excerpts from Geerhardus Vos, commenting on "a living hope" and the future orientation of Christians...   "Sometimes we are altogether too much concerned with what the present world will say about us –- whether it will regard us as progressive and enlightened and liberal; while we but too seldom consider what would be the historic judgment passed upon us by the church of the former ages if its great figures could gather around us and review the part we take in the making of the history of the present –- whether they would be shamed or gladdened...

"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted." (Psalm 77:1-2 ESV) Twice a month men of the church join together to pray for the persecuted church. Here are the prayer concerns that were printed for this week, as compiled by one of our pastor/elders:   Nigeria,  Aug 7. Fulani herdsmen continue brazen killing of Christians, slaying 17 since July 17, including women and babies. Over 50,000 believers have been martyred, and millions displaces since the violence began.  Pakistan,  Aug 1. Nabeel Masih, a Christian man, 25 yrs old, detained in 2016 in Pakistan (at 16) for "blasphemy" against Islam, has died after years of suffering, imprisonment, and medical neglect.  DR Congo, July 31. A horrific massacre unfolded Sunday in eastern Congo where Islamic State-affiliated jihadists beheaded at least 49 Christians-nine of t...

Here are a couple of excerpts from T. S. Eliot, regarding how a society should deal with its past evils, as well as with affirming the good things inherited...   "Of all that was done in the past, you eat the fruit, either rotten or ripe.   And the Church must be forever building, and always decaying, and always being restored.   For every ill deed in the past we suffer the consequence:    For sloth, for avarice, gluttony, neglect of the Word of God.    For pride, for lechery, treachery, for every act of sin.    And of all that was done that was good, you have the inheritance.    For good and ill deeds belong to a man alone, when he stands alone on the other side of death,    But here upon earth you have the reward of the good and ill that was done by those who have gone before you.    And all that is ill you may repair if you walk together in humble repentance, expiating the sins of your fathers;...

Our reading group just finished studying Four Quartets , the remarkable series of poems T. S. Eliot completed in 1942. Here Eliot explores the riddles of -- and the intersections between -- time and eternity, beginning and end, motion and still-point.   In these poems I was frequently reminded of Ecclesiastes and of Pascal's Pensées . We also saw the influence of Dante upon Eliot's imagery.    I recommend Thomas Howard's Dove Descending (Ignatius, 2006) as a helpful, and not overly analytic guide for understanding Eliot's words and allusions.  Eliot's closing stanza brings together the themes of beginning and end, Eden and afterlife, and the unitary role of fire (which destroys and purifies) and the rose (which is life and beauty).  Both the fire and the rose have the one purpose of returning us to the Garden, that we might "know the place for the first time."    Eliot writes,  "With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this   ...

A great blessing for me since my conversion as a college student many years ago, has been to fellowship in churches which practiced the weekly observance of the Lord's Table (1 Cor 10:21; also called the Lord's Supper, or Communion ). In the Plymouth Brethren tradition this usually takes place in a group setting which allows for spontaneous singing, sharing, prayer, Scripture reading, and periods of silence among those gathered. I've been thinking about how important that time has been to me through the years. Here are some thoughts... WHY THE LORD'S SUPPER (Or, Communion) IS IMPORTANT.  1) This observance should be valued by us because it is important to our Lord . He began the meal as a Passover observance, and then transformed it into a new ordinance, which we call the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, or Communion. He longed for the disciples' participation, saying, "I have earnestly desired [ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα] to eat this Passover with you." ...

"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought."  (1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV) "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4 ESV) As we approach Father's Day, I thought I'd repost a poem I have appreciated through the years.  The author was Merrill C. Tenney (1904-1985), a Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Graduate School at Wheaton College. He wrote this for his two sons. Its sentiment, however, expresses what we desire for all of our children.   A Father’s Gift To you, O son of mine, I cannot give A vast estate of wide and fertile lands; But I can keep for you, long as I live, Unstained hands. I have no coat of arms that insures Your path to eminence and worldly fame; But longer than empty heraldry endures A blameless name. I have no t...

"From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me." (Nehemiah 4:16-18 ESV) The great London preacher, Charles Spurgeon, published a monthly magazine called The Sword and The Trowel; A record of combat with sin and of labour for the Lord. It was published from 1865 to 1892. The cover of the journal had a drawing taken from Nehemiah 4, which included both a trowel (representing the work) and a sword (representing the fight). The sword was necessary to protect what the men with trowels were building. These citizen-soldier-builders would successfully complete the wall aroun...

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." (Proverbs 15:4 ESV) After posting the other day in my newsletter, Afterwords ( "Words fruitful or fatal" ), I was asked by a reader, "Then, is there no room to speak up for truth? Are you saying that we shouldn’t express our thoughts? It seems we would be committing a sin of omission if we don’t speak clearly against evil."  Indeed, we are to speak truthfully about good and evil! The problem is, according to the Bible, many of us don't know how to do that in a godly way, at the right time, and without pride or self-righteousness or vindictiveness. It's difficult to speak truth in a way (and time) that invites repentance and healing. For example, we go amiss... ...when we are uninformed, or misinformed, or make a hasty accusation: "The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools." (Proverbs 15:7) ...when we are too selective in the truth we sha...

As my wife and I approach our fiftieth wedding anniversary, I'd like to share a few of my favorite quotes regarding marriage...  ON THE COVENANT A good motto for the bride and groom: "We are a work in progress with a lifetime contract." (Phyllis Koss) "It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) "Marriage isn't supposed to make you happy -- it's supposed to make you married. "  (Frank Pittman) "I didn't marry you because you were perfect. I didn't even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that protected them; and it wasn't our love that protected them -- it was that promise."   (Thorn...

Here are a few excerpts from Cornelius Van Til's tract,  Why I Believe in God . He is debating with a skeptic the use of reason, experience, and science in defending the Christian faith:  ---------   "...by my belief in God I do have unity in my experience. Not of course the sort of unity that you want. Not a unity that is the result of my own autonomous determination of what is possible. But a unity that is higher than mine and prior to mine. On the basis of God's counsel I can look for facts and find them without destroying them in advance. "I see both order and disorder in every dimension of life. But I look at both of them in the light of the Great Orderer Who is back of them. I need not deny either of them in the interest of optimism or in the interest of pessimism. "And yet I find all these, though standing on their heads, reporting much that is true. I need only to turn their reports right side up, making God instead of man the center of it all, and I have...

"Horses make you happy." This is what my wife said to me when she looked at this photo of me with Noble Spirit [above], a local celebrity who was the inspiration for Joanne Anderson's book, A Noble Spirit (Perry Creek Publishing, 2012).  "Horses make you happy."  Indeed, they do.  I was raised in a horse family. My mother was a rider, an international show jumper, hunt master, trainer, breeder, and trader. By seven years of age, I had my own horse, was riding, and won my first ribbon in western class (photo below) in Colorado.  When I was nine, we moved to Virginia, and I began riding English and learned how to jump. Also, my summers especially were filled with grooming, braiding, mucking stalls, and cleaning tack as my mother's horse business grew. After a succession of three horses, I tapered off riding, until many years later I rode again with her on competitive trail rides with her beloved Appaloosas [photo].  As a teenager I didn't ride as much, bu...