On Romans 1:5

What does it mean to be a Christian? Are we saved by faith or by obedience? What does the Bible mean when it says that we will be judged by our works at the end?

Adoniram Judson (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years.  He labored there with his first wife Ann (née Hasseltine) (December 22, 1789 – October 24, 1826) and then also his second wife, Sarah (née Boardman, the widow of George Boardman who died while also serving in Burma) (November 4, 1803 – September 1, 1845). 

Adoniram Judson translated the whole Bible into Burmese.  He is remembered as the first significant missionary in Burma, as well as one of the first missionaries from America to travel overseas.

Their labors and their suffering are a striking testimony to their devotion to God.

[Recorded January 31, 2021]

A free verse poem by William Haddad inspired by Simon Peter's response to Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

October 26, 2020

Concerning the Chaconne (from Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D Minor): “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind. If one doesn’t have the greatest violinist around, then it is well the most beautiful pleasure to simply listen to its sound in one’s mind.” — Romantic composer Johannes Brahms in a letter to fellow composer Clara Schumann.

...

That, I submit, is the worship woven with love and beauty that made Bach’s work ultimately authentic.

An Australian Prime Minister, frustrated perhaps with the expectations placed upon him, was once heard to say that “life wasn’t meant to be easy”...

We seek ease, but it is a strange thing that, while we are easily able to imagine all manner of fears and afflictions, we cannot begin to imagine any actual circumstances that would lead to endless happiness and contentment. Whatever pictures we paint soon become wearisome and tedious. Why is this? 

Nabeel Qureshi (1983 – 2017) was a Pakistani-American Christian apologist, author, and speaker. He was a convert to Christianity from the Ahmadi movement within Islam and worked  with Ravi Zacharias from 2013 until 2016. 
He wrote 3 books: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward, and No God But One—Allah or Jesus.

(Recorded November 28, 2020)

There is a scene from the great musical “Hamilton” where a song is interrupted by a herald with the words: “Silence! A message from the king. A message from the king. A message from the king!”...

Well, we asked her – she was about 13 years old then - if she would like to come with us and meet an old lady to whom we had been referred, and I have to tell you, she was not too keen...

Let me tell you about a certain young girl who lived in a lush green land that was both quiet and peaceful. She had been a playful and energetic child like all of the other young girls who lived in that small village, but one day everything changed...

 Why do we not expect to see a burning zeal in those who are older in the Lord, a zeal that never fades and that, if anything, burns brighter and hotter with the passing years?