An International Send Off

As we said good bye to Paraguay, the Cho family, from Taiwan and the Im family, from Korea were at the airport along with the Dreiling family.

 

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Simple Men

Mighty rivers receive their songs,
and great men are remembered by many
Forest springs are known to few,
and simple men live quiet, unknown, important lives.

Rivers crash to the sea and demand that we come watch them,
and books of famous sit window displayed
Springs wait for those who know where to find them,
and simple men live quiet, unassuming, important lives.

Rivers carry many on their backs,
and there are men with many followers
Springs refresh a few deeply and they are content,
and simple men live quiet, small, important lives.

I do not know great rivers, Nile, Gangies, the Amazon.
They are names on a page, places I will never go.
But I know a spring.
He will have no song, He made no demands, He did not lead many.
He lived an unknown, unassuming, small and important life.
An important life to me.

-Tom Stout (Remembering Dad)


Technorati Tags: Funeral, Denny Stout, Stout, Denny, Tom, Stout, Simple, Men, Simple Men

Peter and Grace

Needing a little break from the office I have decided to work at home.  It is only about 50 yards away from the office, but the change of scenery is doing me some good.

I have been listening to, and studying the book of Galatians.  I usually spend about 2 to 3 weeks in a chapter and then move on.  I was reflecting on Peter's life as a disciple/apostle of Jesus as I listened to chapter 2.  At our family devotion time we began to make a list of the stories we knew about Peter.  Here was our list:

1. A zealot for Jewish nationalism


2. A fisherman by trade


3. Professes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God


4. Called Satan by Jesus


5. Walked on water


6. Cut off the soldier's ear


7. Denied Christ


8. Saw 3000 people surrender their lives to Christ at Pentecost


9. Taught by God to treat the Gentiles as equals.  Visits Cornelius.

Now look at what Paul says in Galatians 2 about Peter's life some 14 years later.  He made a doctrinal turn away from grace, because he feared the reaction of some influential men.  For this, Paul strongly rebukes him, but some verses earlier he says this of Peter:

On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles,  just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Paul affirms his ministry, yet has no tolerance for Peter's compromise on the issue of grace.

It is heartening to know that a man who walked with Jesus, won thousands to the Lord and had a fruit filled ministry, was still struggling with the concept of grace.  When in pride, I think that I am beginning to understand the depths of God's grace in Christ Jesus, I take pause, and realize I am only wading in that deep pool just as Peter was.

Tags: Peter, Grace, Galatians

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