1 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 2:1-10 (LSB) Read verses 4-10 on the site.
I had eye surgery yesterday. My left eye has a new lens. I am still wearing a patch over that eye. My wife has to put different eyedrops in that eye at different times of the day. Things are still foggy in that eye though. When things are clear It is like I am looking through my glasses….
My surgeon is planning on doing my right eye in a few weeks. Right now, in order to type like I’m doing right now, I have to have the patch over my left eye and wear my glasses over it so I can see with my right eye. Fun! Please keep me in your prayers. I can’t drive until we get both eyes done. However, I have spent a great deal of time during this “downtime” in prayer and meditation. I wouldn’t call what I’m going through as Christian suffering. No, it is no fun, but I am not suffering for being a Christian. On the other hand, I have several close brothers and sisters in Christ who have health issues a lot worse than mine who always seem to be full of the joy of the Lord. My goal is to also reflect that same spirit. In this post I would like to share some insights from some time I spent in the solitude of study and quiet I had during my “downtime.” Part of that time was spent in reading J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism, which was published in 1923. I have not quite finished it yet some of that due to my vision issues, but I made good progress. Some of you I know have read it because you recommended the book to me. For those who don’t know, Machen’s thesis in the book was to address the encroachment of Liberal theology in his day, which was taking over the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States to the point that the Seminary at Princeton was preparing to “liberalize.” His thesis for this magnificent book is that “Liberal Christianity” and Christianity are two different religions.