It has been a week since my last post and I have been blessed by comments from my two sons (one published, the other to my personal email) and someone else unknown to me. I am amazed, really, by the kindness of the responses. When I began this blog I intended for it to be theological reflections about the Evangelical movement in America. I intentionally stayed away from personal comments. I have read and heard too many self-serving testimonials in my life, full of outward praises and inward gratifications. In my preaching days, it was too easy to fall into pious platitudes of self abasement that intended on one level to bring praise to God but at another level sought praise for the preacher. I did not want to do that in this blog; hopefully I haven't. But one must always be fearful in revealing personal information, lest more attention and praise be brought to the self than to the Lord of all, who alone is worthy of praise. In the Proverbs we find the phrase: where there are many words there wanteth not for sin. However, I have been encouraged by the comments received and will continue to try to be open to whatever else I might be able to write under God's leading (to the best of my fallible discernment). Perhaps the sovereign Lord had other intentions for my blog than did I.

To catch you up to date, the journey of this past week has been for the most part very positive. There is a new-found power to confront impure thoughts and actions. But it is a moment by moment life; enough slips have occurred in me to remind me that our battles must be waged continually in the whole armor of God. While in this life we are forever subjected to the things of this world and of our minds that vie for our allegiance. It has been a source of power for me this week to continually ask myself: do you love me more than these? It is a simple question with a simple answer; at any given time we may answer in the affirmative or in the negative--and our actions reveal the true affinity of our heart.