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'Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant'

“His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:23 KJV Rev. Robert Wesley Morrow  (April 5, 1933 - September 30, 2023) Bob Morrow was my elder at the Sparta RPCNA - such a humble man! I was a member of the Sparta RP Church years ago and I remember how faithfully Bob watched over me and my son. It was at least a 30 min. drive from Sparta to my home in Waterloo and he would do home visits, plus discipled my son in a weekly Bible Study. These things are rare in today's society - but Bob held to the "old" ways. You can be assured he performed his duty as an elder to the best of his ability. He was quite the godly man.     I didn't know how much the good Lord had used him in ministry until reading his obituary as he never bragged, but instead displayed kindness and humilty.  I'm certain he has now heard "Well done, goo

What kind of 'Digital Footprints' are you leaving?

By Angela Wittman Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man? A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever. ( Westminster Larger Catechism )  Due to recent deaths in our family and the natural progression of age and (hopefully) maturity, my husband and I recently had a conversation about planning for our eventual deaths. As we discussed how to best protect our sons inheritance by hiring an estate lawyer, etc., we also began talking about what type of funerals we wanted. My husband is an outdoors man - he wants his ashes spread on his favorite hunting spot - yes, really! I'm somewhat of a history buff, so I want a traditional grave site that's easy for future generations to find and document my birth and death. As I expressed my pragmatic desire, my husband responded with telling me I didn't need a physical marker because I was leaving a huge "digital footprint." This observation by my husband got me to thinkin

Christians, please vet your political candidates and pastors.

Heart of Fire Church in Fern Creek (R.G. Dunlop) - Source: The Pope's Long Con Dear Friends, I am sickened at the lack of discernment and common sense among God's people when it comes to choosing political leaders, churches and pastors. Please realize that not everyone who claims to be of Christ actually knows Him. You must become familiar with the Word of God and learn to judge a person by the "fruit" their life produces. A man or woman might have all the right religious cliches and be able to cherry pick Scriptures to support their sin, but you have a responsibility to become wise enough through God's Word to detect the falsehoods and discern if something is not right with what you're being told by those proclaiming to be God's messenger. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  18 A good tree can

True Christian Women

By Angela Wittman The Execution of Lady Jane Grey , by the French painter Paul Delaroche , 1833 Wikipedia 'Good people, I have come hither to die and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact, indeed, against the Queen's Highness was unlawful and the consenting thereto by me. But touching the procurement and desire thereof by me or on my behalf I do wash my hands in innocence. Before God and the face of you, good Christian people, this day I pray you all, to bear me witness that I die a true Christian woman, and that I look to be saved by none other means, but only by the mercy of God, in the merits of the blood of his only son, Jesus Christ. And I confess, when I did know the word of God, I neglected the same, loved myself and the world, and thereto the plague or punishment is happily and worthily happened unto me for my sins. And yet, I thank God of His goodness that he hath thus given me a time and respite to repent. And now good people, while I am alive, I pray you to a

An Open Letter to the Church

Dear Friends, I've recently withdrawn my membership from a local church due to it's reluctance to organize in a Biblical manner: February 2, 2017 Dear Pastor _____ and ______ Church Council, It is with great sorrow that I write this letter. I became a member of ______ in February of 2013 with the hope and desire to see ____  grow and mature as a body of believers. And while I have seen the congregation become more interested in God’s Word and continuing to work together in Christian love, I have not seen any movement toward Biblical Church Government as outlined in Scripture. (If there is a movement toward Biblical organization and I’m unaware, please let me know.) Scripture speaks very plainly about the organization and leadership of the local congregation. First of all, Hebrews 13:17 tells us: “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a

Please care enough to read this...

By Angela Wittman " The PCA’s Nine Declarations Against The Federal Vision (2007)   In light of the controversy surrounding the NPP and FV, and after many months of careful study, the committee unanimously makes the following declarations: ... Dr. R. Scott Clark of the Heidelblog has posted "The PCA's Nine Declarations Against the Federal Vision" and I believe it is worth your time to read it. Perhaps you think the Federal Vision is a harmless teaching or it's not that important anymore, but when is it ever permissible for Christians to waffle on God's truth or tolerate false teaching? Is this how we show love for one another by tolerating evil? Shouldn't we follow Biblical example and warn others (especially those of the House of God) of false teachers? Please read Dr. Clark's article including the comment section - it's very enlightening! I live near the St. Louis area and I am familiar with some of the pastors mentioned. I've also visite

In the Valley with Facebook

By Angela Wittman The need for a firm foundation (Scripture) is vital to the Christian  - new and old alike!   "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them."  Mark 9:2 KJV Years ago while working outside the home, I began my day with a devotional, Scripture reading and prayer. I compared this time spent as being on the "mountain" with the Lord before descending into the "valley" of the workplace which was full of profanity, materialism and envy. For the past few years, I have been  deactivating my Facebook account periodically due to various reasons. Sometimes I would find I just didn't have the time to spend communicating in a semi-meaningful way with others or I would read of the Facebook founders supporting a pro-abortion or same-sex marriage agenda and felt my participation in their platform was helping to support it. Then af

My Mother: A Woman of Strength, Beauty and Morality

By Angela Wittman My mother, Marsha Somers, in the mid 1970's I've been thinking about the values I was taught as a child and the example my mother set before me who passed away from an aggressive form of cancer 21 years ago. I think the lessons she tried to impart were based upon her Christian upbringing, and while she had strayed from the church, she didn't stray too far from Christian morals. If there is any wisdom mom would want to impart to her granddaughters, great-granddaughters and nieces, it would be to seek the Lord first in your life and then pattern your life after women in the Bible and other authentic Christian women found throughout history. So, while mom wasn't perfect, (she had a famous Scottish temper), she did find peace, love and forgiveness at the cross of Christ before her death. I still marvel at the change that came over her as her heart softened and her mind was renewed with the Word of God. I also remember how accepting she was when we found ou

Reflections on Patriarchy and Homeschool Movements

By Angela Wittman Dear friends,  While it is a new year and a time for reflection, here are my thoughts on the patriarchy and homeschool movements.  I wasn't part of the movement as Providence didn't allow me to go that way, but I had many friends who were part of it and I often grieved that my family wasn't as "perfect" as I thought theirs appeared to be. You see, I became a Christian as an adult (approximately 22 years ago) and was not raised in a Christian home.  My mother had been badly abused by her first husband, a youth minister, and was bitter toward the church. My father still laughs as he tells the story of taking me to church as a child on Easter; the pastor asked him if we attended church regularly, to which I replied "Yes sir! We go every Easter!"  My parents then separated when I was 9 years old, got back together, had a stormy relationship and then finally divorced when I was grown. Yet, through the grace of God, I had some knowledge of Hi

Meekness and the Humble way of the Cross

By Angela Wittman   If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2  fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3  Let  nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Philippians 2: 1-3 AKJV Dear Friends, This morning I am reminded of the humility and meekness of our Lord who became man, was born in a manger, had no place to lay his head and who washed the disciples feet before facing the ultimate humility of dying on the cross to save His people from their sins. And yet, I fear the virtues of meekness and humility are becoming lost in American Christianity. In just the last few years we've seen Christian celebrities go down in blazes due to scandals; some of the names that come to my mind are Mark Driscoll, Doug Phillips, Bill Gothard and most recently the Duggars' fa

Sordid Details of Evil...

By Angela Wittman Amy Carmichael Helped the Helpless 'Please help me! Please don't send me back!' screamed 7-year-old Preena as she jumped into Amy Carmichael's lap, clinging to her neck. The little girl had just escaped from a Hindu temple in the middle of the night while her guardians were sleeping. She tiptoed quietly through an unlocked door and pushed open the heavy gate running as fast as she could. Preena's mother had given her to the temple priests in hopes of winning the favor of the gods. Amy did not know what was going on, but she knew this little frightened girl needed her love and protection. - Posted at Church History Timeline/ Christianity.com One of my favorite Christian heroines is Amy Carmichael, who lived during the Victorian era, was a missionary to India and who effectively stood against the common religious practice of child prostitution. In the biography "A Chance to Die - The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael," Elisabet

Can we please get serious about child sex abuse?

By Angela Wittman I have never watched an episode of the Duggar's television program and frankly have no desire to do so. In fact, I don't really care about their program being cancelled because I think most folks are probably watching it because they either like escapism or they want to laugh at caricatures of Christian families. So, for me it's uninteresting and a waste of time. When the story about the "molestation" of the Duggar's daughters by their son first broke, I thought I had better take a closer look at this family as they are portraying themselves as devout believers in Jesus Christ for all the world to see. And frankly, I'm appalled at the image they are presenting in front of a watching world. This morning I decided to watch a 15 minute clip of their interview with Megyn Kelly  and had to stop after the first ten minutes due to the lack of seriousness they displayed toward child sex abuse. Maybe I'm an alarmist, but I take the vio

Thoughts on the Duggars, the Ninth Commandment, Reporting Child SexAbuse and Repentance

By Angela Wittman "And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. "And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly." (2 Samuel 13: 11, 12) By now, most have heard the news reports of Reality Television stars the Duggar family and their experience of child sex abuse, so I won't go into the sordid details because I really do try to be respectful of others privacy and don't want to cause further harm to the victims. I'm not even going to question Josh Duggar's repentance because he was a youth at the time of the sex abuse and I am a firm believer in the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. But I am going to address the need for openness, transparency and truthfulness in this and other matters of child sex abuse within the Christian Church. For almost a week now I've been researching the Duggar scandal and dis

Yes, I'm a Lonely Christian... Are You?

If you are also a 'lonely Christian,' then please take heart... We're in good company! Please be blessed and listen to this message preached by Pastor Curtis Knapp at New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas : http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=522111526556 Scripture Text: 1 Kings 19:10  (AKJV) 10  And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. Details: True Christians will almost always be lonely in this world. If you love God and love His Word, you are in an extreme minority. There are many Christians all over this world who have to travel miles and miles just to get to a true Bible honoring church. They are like Christians of old -- aliens, scattered throughout the world. What is comforting to the Christian, however, is to realize tha

Christian Citizenship Bible Study

By Angela Wittman My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. - Hosea 4:6 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11, ESV) ------------------------------------------ Understanding Biblical Doctrine, Lesson XVI, “Christian Citizenship” Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” I. The Biblical View of Government A. Man’s need for civil government stems from the fact that God created him with the ability to live in an orderly society (Genesis 1:28 — And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the se

Words

By Angela Wittman Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. - Proverbs 16:24 (AKJV) It appears the good Lord has been giving me some first hand experience with the power of Words, and it is a lesson I need to learn. First of all, readers of my work need to know that I don't use words thoughtlessly. I try to be succinct and effective with almost everything I write.  In fact, I tend to weigh my words so carefully that I will often lay my thoughts before the Lord and wait to write for weeks until I feel my emotions have been tempered and my perspective is more objectively in line with God's Word. However, my spoken words are often indiscriminate, ill-mannered, arrogant, hurtful, etc.; you name it - I've probably said it and for this I sincerely apologize. Now having said this, let me please "speak" my mind on something many of us experience within the Church: judging others by one's self. Since becoming a Chri