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Sunday Catechism 05.29.11

The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 27

Q 74:  Should infants, too, be baptized?

A:  Yes. Infants as well as adults are in God’s covenant and are his people 1.  They, no less than adults, are promised the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith. 2

Therefore, by baptism, the mark of the covenant, infants should be received into the Christian church and should be distinguished from the children of unbelievers.3 This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision 4, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.5

1. Gen. 17:7; Matt. 19:14.
2. Isa. 44:1-3; Acts 2:38, 39; 16:31.
3. Acts 10:47;1 Cor. 7:14.
4. Gen. 17:9-14.
5. Col. 2:11-13.

baptism 5.jpgHaving laid out the framework of Reformed understanding of Pseudo baptism, and graciously defended it over and against the Baptist’s position as well of the Roman Catholic’s teaching of Ex Opere Operato, Pastor Lindmulder continued,

“…we can hold the sign of baptism to our children, and say, ‘The Apostle Paul exhorts you as a child in Christ.  The Apostle Paul exhorts you to live unto His honor and glory, to obey your parent, not just to please your parents, not just to make them happy, but because you are part of this community.
Because Christ has placed his sign on you, and because you’re called to take hold of him by faith, just like mom and dad.
And you’re called to believe these promises, just like mom and dad.
And you’re called to live your life according to these promises, just like mom and dad.’
And you see, it is how the Apostle Paul is calling us to see that the Lord is the one who calls a community unto Himself.

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Sunday Hymn 05.22.11

Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears Can bear my awful load.

Thy grace alone, O God, To me can pardon speak;
Thy power alone, O Son of God, Can this sore bondage break.
No other work save Thine, No other blood will do;
No strength save that which is divine Can bear me safely through.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
‘Tis He that saveth me And freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me; I live because He lives.

by Horatius Bonar, 1864
Taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #389

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Who Graduated?

Baron Grad

Baron did!  Yes, Baron graduated yesterday from his basic education training.  After a 6-week training course he graduated yesterday.  He learned some basic commands like sit, down, stay, wait, walk on loose leash, etc.  In 2 weeks he will continue his training in the next level for 8 weeks.  Good job, Baron!

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Sunday Catechism 05.08.11

The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 24

Q 62:  Why can’t the good we do make us right with God, or at least help make us right with him?

A:  Because the righteousness which can pass God’s scrutiny must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law 1.  Even the very best we do in this life is imperfect and stained with sin. 2

1. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:10; Deu. 27:26.
2. Isa. 64:6

Q 63:  How can you way that the good we do doesn’t earn anything when God promises to reward it in this life and the next? 1

A:  This reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace. 2

1. Matt. 5:12; Heb. 11:6.
2. Luke 17:10; II Tim. 4:7, 8.

Q 64:  But doesn’t this teaching make people indifferent and wicked?

A:  No.  It is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude. 1

1. Luke 6:43-45; John 15:5.

Click here to listen to the exposition by the Rev. Paul Lindemulder.

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Commerce West Insurance: The WORST Insurance Company

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I’m antsy, angry, frustrated, and tired of dealing with a 4th-class insurance company called Commerce West Insurance.  Below is my story.

On Friday, April 8 at a little after noon my Jetta was hit by a white Chevy Cobalt while stopping at the light at the intersection of Mooney and Walnut in Visalia.  I didn’t really know how it happened I just knew that all of the sudden there was a big WHAM! and when I looked to my right this car was hitting my rear-view mirror.

We pulled over, and I was able to obtain the insurance information of the car that hit me.  The 2005 White Chevrolet Cobalt with a California license plate # 5MKR120 was insured by Commerce West Insurance.feliciabaker.jpg

Upon returning to my office I immediately called the insurance company, and was assigned to an adjuster by the name of Lissette Cruz with claim number 0518803 CNS.  So far so good!

On Tuesday the appraiser phoned me.  He then came to see the damage, and gave me a written estimate of a little over $600.  So far so good, but I haven’t heard anything back from the adjuster.  In that week I called the adjuster almost daily, but was unable to reach her.  I left a few voice mails, and spoke with different adjusters.  One adjuster that I talked to explained that they had not been able to contact the insured, and told me that once they could verify the incident then they could start the repair process.

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Sunday Hymn 04.24.11

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Hearts to heaven and voices raise;
Sing to God a hymn of gladness, Sing to God a hymn of praise;
He who on the cross a Victim
For the world’s salvation bled, Jesus Christ, the King of Glory,
Now is risen from the dead.

Christ is risen, Christ the first fruit Of the holy harvest field,
Which will all its abundance At the second coming field.
Then the golden ears of harvest
Will their heads before Him wave, Ripened by His glorious sunshine
From the furrows of the grave.

Alleluia!  Alleluia! Glory to the Three in One:
To the Father, and the Savior, Who the victory has won;
Glory to the Holy Spirit,
Fount of love and sanctity; Alleluia!  Alleluia!
To the Triune Majesty.

by Christopher Wordsworth, 1862
taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal # 360

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Good Earth Day Friday

A good friend of ours at church gave me a subscription to the “World” magazine, and among many good articles in the current issue I would like to share this one, which is also available online at http://www.worldmag.com/articles/17869

Earth Day

A crushing defeat for Mother Earth turned into a sweet victory three days later | Janie B. Cheaney

cheaney80.jpgAs it happens, this year’s Earth Day falls on Good Friday. I wonder if any connection will be made between the two while folks are planting trees or strumming guitars in consciousness-raising events. Probably not. In its short memory (this will be the 41st), Earth Day stays focused on the color green. But the Earth herself—if we can figuratively speak of “her”—remembers mostly in red.

We are not equipped to remember our own beginnings, much as we’d like to: the passage from warm darkness to chilly light; how we fixed on a face; the first words we heard and spoke. We don’t remember how we learned to stand and to fall, the exploration of hands and feet belatedly recognized as our own, the first glimmerings of personhood creeping up on us out of a fog.

Continue reading “Good Earth Day Friday”

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Ants

We just bought an Ants Farm.  It is a small hard-plastic container already filled with sugary gel inside.  We just put the ants and watch they dig the tunnels.

We had to order the ants, and they came in the mail last week.  They’re Western Harvester Ants, and when they came to need to put them in the fridge first for about 10 minutes to slow their movement before putting them into the container.  We have to wear latex gloves when handling them because they can sting and sometimes spray certain gas, and we cannot mix them with other ants.

It is very fun to see how diligently those small creatures work, I mean dig.  The first picture below was taken on Saturday morning (April 9), and the second one was taken about 22 hours later.

Harvester Ants 1Harvester Ants 2

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Dismemberment

“And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.” – Judges 19:29, ESV

When I was growing up in Jakarta, one of the most heinous crimes happened on November 23, 1981.  On that fateful day, 2 boxes were found on the side of a major street, Jalan Jendral Sudirman.   When opened, one box contained 13 body parts and a head while the other box contained 180 slices of various body parts and stomach content.  All newspapers talked about the crime, “Misteri Mayat Dipotong 13” was the major headline for many days.  I think the crime- both the victim and the perpetrator- remains a mystery up to this day.

In our sermon series at church, we are currently studying the book of Judges and yesterday we read from Judges 19.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we read a recorded history of a Levite who chopped his concubine’s body into 12 pieces.  The first think that came to my mind was the mysterious crime committed in 1981.  Then came another question:  “Why in the world did God include this account of evil crime in his holy, inspired book?”

Pastor Lindemulder took us through this chapter that he dubbed as the darkest moment in redemptive history, and through his exegetical skill he helped us find Christ even in this seemingly out of place chapter.   As usual, the comfort of the Gospel was offered even thorough these dark verses in the Bible.

Click here to listen to the sermon, and I trust that by God’s mercy you too will find comfort in this 19th chapter of the book of Judges.