The Holdfast

So who says that downtown Garland doesn’t have any charm?

I wonder what you people (whoever you are) would say to this blog post. I find it interesting that she

had a strict evangelical upbringing. Christian school for 12 years, Christian girl scouts (called Pioneer Girls), Christian summer camp, Christian youth group and Christian after-school activities… I realize that no one is perfect, but through all of this I saw so much hypocrisy and personal insecurity. Especially throughout my high school career. The result being that neither of my children has ever seen the inside of a church….or been baptized…

Just when I’ve paid for more than half of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, a wonderful set, comes news of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture. Yikes! Can there be too much of a good thing?

Today is A A Milne’s birthday. He was born in 1882. To celebrate, you need to take the Pooh Quiz over at the BBC. I’m sorry to say that I got 1 right out of 10.

Those of you who really, deep in your heart, believe that legislation and judicial decisions will provide better for the less fortunate, than a free market will, need to get an education in economics. A good start would be for you to read, carefully, this essay at TCS Daily. If you are reading this and you are one of my children, consider this a school assignment.

It is no longer theory, but practice, with my generation, to watch our children either embrace and profess Christ, or not. A friend of mine has written an entire book about his experience with this stage of parenthood.

But I address myself to the grown children today (and not just my own). Here is a passage from Spurgeon’s autobiography (online here) which expresses his regret at putting aside his Lord for part of his youth. Note that he had every advantage, but our Lord deals with each of you separately, and you must come to him separately.

I was privileged with godly parents, watched with jealous eyes, scarcely ever permitted to mingle with questionable associates, warned not to listen to anything profane or licentious, and taught the way of God from my youth up. There came a time when the solemnities of eternity pressed upon me for a decision, and when a mother’s tears and a father’s supplications were offered to Heaven on my behalf. At such a time, had I not been helped by the grace of God, but had I been left alone to do violence to conscience, and to struggle against conviction, I might perhaps have been at this moment dead, buried, and doomed, having through a course of vice brought myself to my grave, or I might have been as earnest a ringleader amongst the ungodly as I now desire to be an eager champion for Christ and His truth.

I do speak of myself with many deep regrets of heart. I hid as it were my face from Him, and I let the years run round–not without twinges of conscience, not without rebukes, when I knew how much I needed a Saviour; not without the warnings which came from others whom I saw happy and rejoicing in Christ, while I had no share in His salvation. Still, I put it off, as others are doing, from day to day, and month to month, and thought that Christ might come in some odd hour, and when I had nothing else to do, I might think of Him whose blood could cleanse me. O my soul, I could fain smite thee now! Truly, I could lay this rod about my own heart to think that weeks and months should have rolled over my head, and I should have hid as it were my face from Christ in willful neglect of my dear Lord whose heart had bled for me.

Even now, some of you are holding out! Perhaps, against all the advice of your parents, you think that you have some secret side-entrance into salvation, unavailable to others? Or did you have a childhood profession that you now know was false? Drop everything now, and come before the Lord. I can assure you gaining him is worth everything that you could possibly lose.