Arnulf, a lay brother in a French Cistercian abbey, practiced self-mortification. One of the abbey’s monks, Goswin, recorded his habits in the 1220s: “We beg you, for Christ’s sake, take pity on your flesh, that poor, frail flesh without which you cannot live.”1 Arnulf believed that self-induced physical pain would enhance personal piety. He beat himself with whatever he could find: “bushes with thorns or prickly leaves, metal implements, horse hair, and hedgehog pelts.”2 Though Goswin respected Arnulf’s passion for holiness he also cautioned, “[B]eware of transgressing the common practices of our order and adopting without permission the austerity […]

8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the […]

Pastor John Scripture Reference: Luke 23:26-56

Teacher wins major victory for God in school Judge scolds district for trying to scrub America’s Christian heritage    By Drew Zahn A federal judge in California has handed down a scathing ruling against a school that required one of its teachers to remove signs celebrating the role of God in American history from his classroom walls.

  by Erin Roach NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Cohabitation is increasingly becoming the first co-residential union formed among young adults, a new study has found, but those who practice some facets of marriage without the foundation of commitment are harming their relationship.

  Rightly understood, marriage is all about permanence. In a world of transitory experiences, events, and commitments, marriage is intransigent. It simply is what it is — a permanent commitment made by a man and a woman who commit themselves to live faithfully unto one another until the parting of death.

Pastor John Scripture Reference: Luke 22:47-71

  The scenario is well known, and the story still haunts the modern mind. The great ocean liner that was built as unsinkable struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank early the next morning, taking 1,517 of 2,223 lives on board. The RMS Titanic became a parable of modernity — of the limits of technology and the hubris of humanity. It is also a subject of enduring fascination because of the stories of those who lived and died, known to us because of the fame and fortune of so many on the Titanic.

  We are fast becoming the pornographic society. Over the course of the last decade, explicitly sexual images have crept into advertising, marketing, and virtually every niche of American life. This ambient pornography is now almost everywhere, from the local shopping mall to prime-time television.

  The next Bible study methods class for men will be 5 PM, Sunday, April 18 at the First Baptist Church of Perryville, MD. Even if you do not come to the study, you can learn and practice this method to grow and stay fresh in your study. Men can come without doing the assignment and still learn. But you will learn more if you take the time to study and practice this method.  This month’s Bible study method is about paraphrasing.  Here is the assignment: