On the Bookshelf

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

God help us.

As I chased the screeching demon down my hall, it flew deftly into the dark bedroom… I approached with caution, yet I knew it was I who would be victorious. As I passed into the dark room as from day into night, I saw the evil beast swoop down and take aim for me, screeching as he flew swiftly towards my face. Using my astute reflexes, I quickly turned on the light, and the room shone as brightly as the day. The creature was nearly on top of me now! With no time to think, my instincts took over and in one swift blow I had felled the great beast and claimed my trophy!

My battle with a bat earlier this evening.

true-ish story.

Well, today I am going to do a simple exegesis of Romans 8:31-34. I plan to show that this portion of scripture teaches beyond a shadow of a doubt that the cross and its benefits are not applicable to every single human being who has ever lived without exception. In fact I will show that scripture clearly states that the cross and its benefits were specifically done on the behalf of God’s elect people. Let’s begin. Continue Reading »

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

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Luke 12:15-21 ‘And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”’

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April 23rd

The chase continues. We can see the sails of the pirate Covas always in front of us, always taunting us, calling to us to come a little closer and take him. I’m pushing as much as I can out of this ship. If I worked the crew any harder we’d all die of exhaustion. I haven’t slept well these past weeks. I hardly close my eyes before I see that animal carrying off my wife and daughter. The children back at home always idolized Covas, as if what he did was some noble profession. I wonder if they play in the charred ruins of their burned down homes now. Fighting with one another over which of them is the great pirate Covas. No, no their playful cries will no longer be heard in our streets. The only cries now are those of weeping mothers lamenting the loss of their children. I pray those boys who were captured will finally see the true face of their hero. All those children… What purpose could he have had for taking them? They’re not strong enough to crew his ship, not even for swabbing the decks. If he plans to sell them into slavery they’ll be kept healthy. If not, who knows what evil he has in mind.

(I haven’t lost interest yet!)

April 16th

We have been at sea for three weeks now, hunting one of the most feared pirates in these parts. He had sacked Port San Sorean and the governor of the city put out a large bounty for his capture. I remember being docked there the night it happened. Smoke from the cannon shots filled the air. The governors finest ships had been sunk. Any valuables that could be found were stolen. We watched in horror as the townsfolk were lined up and either taken captive or deemed unworthy and shot, their bodies left for the crows to pick apart. My own wife and daughter had been in the city buying clothes when the attack started. They were both taken captive. We began our chase that very night. The governor ordered that our hold be filled with food and water at his expense. We’ve used nearly half of it already. My crew understands my intensity in this chase and they have not complained of the grueling pace we’ve set. I have nothing but respect for these men and they have proved themselves worthy time and again. Our quarry has so far out-sailed us but we all feel as though a confrontation is coming soon. Or at least we hope so.

I will not let this scum escape. I will watch him die. If he has harmed my family in any way, he’ll cry for a hanging before I finish with him. No, I mustn’t think that way. The law will give this worm justice.

(To be continued, unless I lose interest.)

Romans 8:31-34 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

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I decided it’d be a lot simpler for me to run just one blog instead of two, so ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ and ‘On The Bookshelf’ have been merged into the new and not so improved ‘On the Bookshelf’. I’m sure this will come to a surprise to all of my avid readers(Haha.) considering that most didn’t know one of the two blogs existed.

I’ll continue trying to update at the same(almost never) or a greater rate than before. Thanks for your continued support.

~Ben

It was old and falling apart, but inside it held the most wonderful secrets. The house used to belong to my grandmother before she died. I don’t know when it was built but I remember staying in it when I was younger. I remember the creaking of the old wooden stairway as you would walk up to the second floor. I remember the banister at the top was broken and it would fall apart if you leaned on it too hard. If I think about it long enough the old musty smell of the house fills my nose and I feel as though I’m in it again.

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