By His grace – For His glory is a blog written by a man. A preacher’s kid. A brother-in-Christ. A husband and father. Richard wins me over on his blog fairly quickly. He’s got quotes that range from Martin Luther to Captain Barbossa. Sure, I would have preferred a quote about rum, but I can’t be too picky. He’s obviously got a sense of humor. And humor is a rare commodity in Christian blogs. His writings immediately put the reader at ease.
As I read through Richard’s blog I was struck by how open it is. He’s just a guy, trying to be a good husband and father, stay true to his faith, and enjoy the life that he’s been given. He seems to have a soft spot for thinking Christian women and that’s definitely a point in this blog’s favor.
I think this blog is a great example of a “guy’s view” and I will continue to read it in the future.
Thanks, Anne. I appreciate what you’re doing here and also your favorable review.
I think my “soft spot for thinking Christian women” comes from the fact that you’ve just described the women in my life. My wife, my mother, and my sister are all dedicated Christian women and deep thinkers. God has blessed me greatly.
Richard, I must say, your father must be an incredible man. I grew up as the choir directors daughter. It gave me a front row seat for all the politics of the church and I grew up understanding the business that the church can be. For me it was a major test of my faith. To see that your parents raised as thoughtful a Christian as you appear to be says a lot about their character.
Richard’s blog is so refreshing to me after a blog surf cluttered with patriocentric chest- thumping and dogmatic judgements; his heart for the Truth is obvious, and it has blessed me and others in numerous ways.
Anne – Yes, my father is an amazing pastor. He truly believes in the power of scripture, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the sinfulness and fallenness of man. That combination made for an incredibly ethical 60+ year ministry. And he continues today. He teaches Sunday school, runs a blog (providing additional teaching on his Sunday school topics), serves as the chaplain for a large missionary furlough community, and has joined a competitive bowling league and an elderly bike riders club – both for evangelistic opportunities.
I saw people who attempted political gamesmanship in church when I was growing up, but my father always handled it head on with scripture. Being Baptists, he was able to point to the baptist form of government, which is congregational. The heirarchy in my father’s church was true to Baptist theory with the congregation at the top of the structure, the pastor serving at their pleasure, and the deacons at the bottom of the totem pole, serving the congregation. It worked well because my father truly believed in it.
Thank you, Anne, for your kind words about my father. I only hope that I may live up to his legacy and may pass it along to my son.
And Joy – thank you for your kind words also. I don’t see any benefit in being false in my blog. It doesn’t benefit me or my readers. And we all struggle at times. I hope that my struggles and my encounters with scripture may help others when they go through similar struggles.