From the Archive: Singin' About Dyin'

Aaron Blumer

Originally posted 10/3/12.

When my dad was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer a few years ago, quite a few changes occurred in my perspective on life and death. The brevity and fragility of life were no longer abstractions. I truly felt them. One result of this new awareness was that I began to notice all the hymns and songs with stanzas about dying.

I recall selecting some songs for Sunday school one day. As I glanced down the list of songs in our database—those we hadn’t sung in a long time, I came to a title I’d passed over many, many times. This time it gripped my attention. A song that had seemed frivolous and silly to me before now moved me deeply as words and music played involuntarily through my mind.

Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away
To a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.

The congregation sang it in Sunday school. It’s providential that I was at the piano because I don’t think I could have sung it. Though it had never been more than a light, peppy trifle to me before, it was now too strong to sing.

For a while, quite a few songs were hitting me like that.

Discussion

Ecclastical Separation

Teri Ploski

I am looking for information on the various degrees of separation that are a constant source of discussion on here. Can someone point me in the direction of some works that might explain what they are? Since this is a frequent topic of discussion on these boards, I imagine some of you should have some references for me.

Discussion

Forgetting the Doctrine of Separation?

Les Lofquist

From Voice, Mar/Apr 2014. Used by permission.

This is a call to purity and balance. It represents that truth of God’s Word which has fallen upon the rocks of neglect in today’s American Church. It represents teaching from the Bible which seems so terribly out of harmony with our American culture. It almost seems pugnacious, no matter how graciously it may be stated.

This is about the doctrine of separation, biblical holiness in life and relationships.

I have watched with growing dismay as so many in the American evangelical church have cheerfully descended into theological illiteracy lacking any sense of doctrinal discernment which is based on the careful study and application of the Scriptures. And the “problem is that even the mildest assertion of Christian truth today sounds like a thunderclap because the well-polished civility of our religious talk has kept us from hearing much of this kind of thing.”1

Discussion

German-USA Tax Treaty - help....

RoyRussell

I have a client who serves as a short-term missionary in the Black Forest Academy Germany. Before leaving he rolled his 401(k) into his IRA (non-taxable event). Germany insists he pay German taxes on the value of the rollover. They do not recognize “rollovers” as non-taxable. He’s faced with over $15K in German taxes. Does anyone have advice or a contact who can help us?

Thank You.

Discussion

Noah's ark project in Ky. to move forward

sifilings

Noah’s ark project in KY to move forward

“Creation Museum founder Ken Ham announced Thursday that a municipal bond offering has raised enough money to begin construction on the Ark Encounter project, estimated to cost about $73 million. Groundbreaking is planned for May and the ark is expected to be finished by the summer of 2016.”

Discussion