In Gratitude

Today I received from Amazon a book from a good friend. The gift made me reflect how fortunate I’ve been when it comes to the generosity of friends and books.

My friend Mark Chambers, my most recent benefactor, has gifted me with many previous volumes that has helped me to grow in my understanding of post-millennialism and covenant theology. My friend Joe Graber, upon getting out of the ministry gave me a large part of his library from which I have yet to make a sizable dent. I have read much of the Rushdoony material that Joe gave me and have profited greatly by it. The friends among the people I have been privileged to pastor have been great at gifting to me book money. The Timmis, Trammell, Martens, Martens, Ehnis, and Bacon families all have seen the importance that their Pastor have the opportunity to be well read and have reached into their own pockets to make sure that I am. My friend Bob Heath recently grabbed some great books out of my arms that I was collecting to purchase and brought them to the sales clerk and paid for them. My friend, Carmon Friedrich, who I have never even met, shipped from California a book on paedo-communion that I immediately devoured. My friend Anthony Lombardi (who doubles as my Father-in-law) upon retiring from the ministry just gave me his whole library.

When I received this most recent unexpected book gift in the mail I was once again overwhelmed at how generous people have been to me. I certainly don’t deserve such kindnesses. I only wish I could consume all this material faster and then have the ability to think more deeply about what I am reading. Further, I pray that I will be given the ability to communicate and articulate in an understandable way what I learn from what I read. I sense such a responsibility to be able to adequately express all that is being impressed upon me through my reading.

To all those who have contributed to my education, I thank you. I don’t deserve your tender ministrations on my behalf. I only ask for your prayers that I might be able to both better absorb my reading and be able to better teach what I’ve learned.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him. View all posts by jetbrane