Friendship

23
Dec
2023
Holmes Christmas Greetings, 2023

Holmes Christmas Greetings, 2023

Holmes Christmas Greetings, 2023

2023 Newsletter

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

Micah’s prophecy of the coming of Jesus in the incarnation provides some fascinating glimpses into the results of the work He would do. “He shall be great unto the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4). In sending Jesus into the world, it was not God’s purpose simply to bless His people the Jews; it was so that people from many nations would turn from unrighteousness and their empty way of life and trust in Messiah to be their Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus as the Christ–God’s Anointed One–came as a prophet to bring God’s Word and teach needy sinners about Him and His grace; as a Priest to represent them to God, to sacrifice Himself for them, and to bless them; and as a King to rule over them as their Lord and to defend them from their enemies. This briefly describes what some people refer to as the threefold offices of Christ.

This time of the year provides an excellent opportunity to consider God becoming a man so that we may be brought to God. Have you come to Him in repentance and faith? The invitation of Jesus is still open: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

View our family newsletter in pictures HERE

NEWS UPDATE AT A GLANCE

Greetings again from the Holmes family! Matthew continues his studies at college and is well over halfway through. He has enjoyed serving some of our clients in book rollout and promotional videos. Sue helps Jim in various editing and related book-production responsibilities as well as continuing her MA study program–with just one more year to go. Jim continues to serve Shepherd Press on a part-time basis as well as numerous other clients.

Travels have included California, Ohio, the northeast (Boston and Philadelphia), and Michigan. Jim’s sister, Janet, visited for two weeks in the fall, her first-ever visit stateside. As US immigrants, our status changed from being permanent residents to citizens in February and we celebrated this in September at an event with several friends attending.

We send love and best wishes to you for 2024.

Featured Image: Under the Stars and Stripes
Posted by Jim Holmes in Family and Friends, Friendship, Gospel, Memories, Reflections, Travel, Windows on My Work, 8 comments
20
Dec
2023
Celebrating Citizenship

Celebrating Citizenship

Celebrating Citizenship

On September 9, 2023, we celebrated our US citizenship. Below the videos, read the notes that I prepared for my (and Sue’s) speech. Matthew’s speech was improvised, so there are no notes!

Special thanks to Samantha Powell for providing the raw video for both pieces below, as well as to Matthew Holmes for editing the various clips into the more seamless videos with titles and some added still graphics.

Jim’s Video

 

Matthew’s Video

 

Life in One Act and Six Scenes So Far. . .

  • Thanks to Mel Duncan, the girls Megan and Claire, Dr. Megan Stapleton, the seminary, (and Sue for all her behind-the-scenes work to make this happen) and to you all for being here to share this day with us. And thank the Lord for His providence that we can be together in this way.
  • Sign our visitors’ book, please.
  • Take a flag as a memento of sharing this day with us.

Today, we stand in front of you as three new American citizens, but it was not always that way. Join me in your mind’s eye—your imagination—as I take you back some decades to the dark continent of Africa, where life is quite primitive

Scene 1:

Here’s a little boy who sees TV and movies for the first time. It’s cowboys and Indians, it’s chasing robbers, and it’s glamorous people in California living in mansions, high-rise buildings, and driving fast cars (on the wrong side of the road).

A little later in this scene, it’s tourists with funny accents and loud voices visiting Africa—people who seem to brag a lot and swagger when they walk.

This little boy in Africa doubts if he would ever even want to travel to America, never mind live there or become one of them!

Scene 2:

Here’s a man in his late thirties with his beautiful wife; he’s matured somewhat since scene 1, but he’s still doubtful about Americans. But the executive director where he works calls him into the office and says, “I want you to often visit America and meet our customers, and I want you to sell books there. Go there with your wife for a week and see what it’s like.”

Not many weeks later, that man and his wife are standing in Logan airport in Boston looking somewhat bewildered and feeling even more so. They are on a ten-day visit that will take them from the northeast through Mississippi, Oklahoma, and California. The man is thinking something like, “I hope this visit goes by quickly so we can get back home.”

But just a few days later, this same man is thinking something like, “Americans are just like me; they are ordinary people (apart from driving on the wrong side of the road). They don’t swagger, and I have not heard any of them brag. He asks his American counterpart, “So Mike, do you think you could see me and my wife living here in America one day?” His answer is quick and unequivocal: “Yes!”

Scene 3:

This man, now in his forties and with more than thirty transatlantic flights on his record is standing on the campus of the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, (MacArthur’s church) at a Shepherds’ Conference. There’s a big, smiling, friendly man with a southern accent he meets there. He works for Ligonier Ministries. “Jim,” he says, “I would love for you to come to Greenville, SC; it’s a beautiful place and you would love the people there!”

Not too long after that, someone else from Greenville SC persistently invites him, so on one of his visits from the UK, he adds more flights to his itinerary and takes a weekend in South Carolina. He finds himself thinking, “Hmm, this is a really nice place; I think I could live here. There’s Bob Jones University, a school where my son could go to, and the people are so friendly.”

Scene 4

Some years have passed and this African-born man, now past the fifty-year mark, is loading several luggage pieces into a rental car having just arrived at GSP. His wife and son are with him. They are exhausted after nearly twenty hours of traveling from Britain. He’s come to America on a work visa with a mandate from his British bosses: “Stop flying to America all the time. Go there and build the business!” Soon they are settled in a rental property near BJU and driving a beat-up old Volvo with nearly quarter of a million miles on the clock. Their son is checked in at the elementary school and they are learning the new language of American!

Life is not easy for this family. There are health and economic hardship challenges to navigate. No one in this family was born with a silver spoon in the mouth. There is, as it were, blood, sweat, and tears. They learn to “Suck it up, Buttercup!”

Scene 5:

Now into the 20-teens, this same family—now much better at speaking and understanding American and loving being in South Carolina—are praying that their Green Card application will be approved. There have been some hiccups in the process and he’s feeling, to quote John Calvin, that “We’ll need to have a lot of luck if the authorities really do approve this application and we will likely have to return to the UK.” It’s that sinking feeling in your gut.

But many people are praying for the family. One man from Ohio says, “Jim, you have embraced us, and we have embraced you.” Another man from Pennsylvania says, “Jim, you were an American long before you ever came here.” There are two factors at work here: prayer and the providence of God. Late one night, as he is viewing the status of their permanent residence application online, he calls his wife to the computer: “Sue, look at this—do you read it that our application is approved and we will get a Green Card?” They are ecstatic!

Scene 6:

It’s now 2023 and, much sooner than expected, there are three official-looking pieces of mail in this family’s mailbox. They are being asked to report to the Department of Immigration in Greer in February to take the US Citizenship test. With a rush of blood to their heads, these three family members begin to review the citizenship application test questions and soon they know more than 100 aspects of American history and values—and in February, they swear the oath of allegiance to become genuine Americans—just like you all here!

As we close off this speech, we want several things to be clear to you:

  • Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (KJV)
  • Phil 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (NASB 1995)
  • Ps 16:6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. (KJV)
  • 2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (NASB1996)

I was on a plane last week in the northeast and met with a US army serviceman. I expressed appreciation to him for his service and told him we had recently become citizens, but I found it easy to say this to him: “Scott, I’m first a Christian and then an American; everything else flows out from that.”

We left our earthly family in Africa and Britain. We have no blood relatives on this continent. But we have new friends who have become family to us, and many of you are blood-bought children of God—saved by His grace. You are His family, and you have become our family.

God bless you all; and God bless America!

 

Posted by Jim Holmes, 0 comments
01
Dec
2022
Windows on My Work: Publishing for Women

Windows on My Work: Publishing for Women

Publishing Books of Interest to Women in Particular

The experts tell us that women, more than men, buy and read books. And so it is that publishers rightly keep women in mind as they prepare new titles for publication. In my responsibilities at Shepherd Press, two manuscript submissions came our way in recent years for publication, both written by gifted women, books written from the heart that addressed life issues with robust biblical fidelity and with a sense of warmth and sympathy on the part of the authors.

So I asked Sue if she would help in the editing of these books. Her response was immediate and positive.
She enjoyed working on both projects. Read a little more about them below:

Who Needs a Friend When You Can Make a Disciple?

If believers are not careful, church can be reduced to a mere social club. Barbara and Gina demonstrate how to find a cherished friendship through the process of discipleship. They have often observed, when women come to a new church, they seem to be on an endless search to “find a friend” so they can “feel” a part or “feel” connected. Often this leaves them discontent in their search. A more biblical and satisfying way is by developing discipleship relationships in the body of Christ.

Who Needs a Friend When You Can Make a Disciple? defines and highlights some practical “how-tos” to help women implement biblical ways to practice and sustain discipleship relationships.

Barbara and Gina’s aim in sharing their personal story is to show women the impact discipleship can have on their spiritual growth as they find a cherished friend.

Unmet Expectations: Reshaping Our Thinking in Disappointments, Trials, and Delays

Lisa Hughes likewise has experience in ministry that is valuable when shared with women. She has navigated challenging pastoral situations when it comes to understanding the disappointments people can face in life, so when her manuscript submission came along, I was particularly interested to see how she addressed it—and she addressed it with comprehensively biblical thinking and examples, and in a style that I sensed would engage with many readers.

Developing a cover for this was more challenging than for Barbara and Gina’s one, but, after thinking of prairie flowers and feminine icons, we landed on the idea of a woman walking to—who knows where? When Lisa shared this image with me (we got it from one of my favorite sources, DepositPhotos.com), I knew we had a winner as far as an apt visual metaphor was concerned.

Here’s text from the back of the book as we developed it:

Plain and simple, life doesn’t always turn out the way we imagined. Yet, we can respond in God-glorifying ways even when circumstances fall short of our desired hopes and expectations. With practical, biblical counsel from the Scriptures, we have the tools we need to put away sinful responses and be women who smile at the future (Proverbs 31:25). In reshaping how we think about disappointments, trials, and delays, we can grow in contentment, trust, and hope in the unexpected parts of life.

In each chapter we’ll look to the Scriptures for the life-transforming help only God can give. This book is designed to be an aid to growth, which is why inductive Bible study questions accompany each chapter, providing even more treasures from God’s Word for hope and encouragement.

Let Lisa tell you more about her book in the following words:

“You want me to speak on what?”

I admit I was a bit lost at first when asked to teach on the subject of unmet expectations. But it wasn’t long before the suggestion took on shades of pure genius. I have wrestled with a few unmet expectations myself and I figured other women must have had similar struggles. It seemed like the perfect topic to tackle!

I couldn’t wait to dig into the Scriptures and see what God had to say about unmet expectations. As I thought, studied, and prayed, I made some encouraging and soul-searching discoveries. Before long, I felt as though I was an archeologist, unearthing expectations everywhere I dug. Some expectations were easy to find and identify, lying readily upon the surface of my heart, while others were buried deeper. My amateur digging soon exhumed different expectations I had about life, the Lord, my family, myself, the best route to the grocery store, and so on. Expectations were coming to light by the spadeful.

There’s nothing wrong with expectations in and of themselves. And it’s easy to see, when digging around in the soil of our hearts, that we have all kinds of thoughts and plans for our lives. All well and good. Expectations aren’t the problem. But when we come face to face with thwarted plans, dismantled hopes, and unanswered prayers, what then? Will we respond with gentle faith and trusting submission to God’s unfolding plans for our lives? Or will bitterness, anger, self-pity, fear, or depression emerge from the miry clay of unbelief?

We have so many thoughts about how things could be different, fine-tuned, tugged into place, fixed, or changed, that when things turn out differently than we anticipated, we may find our hearts waging quite a battle. It’s possible that the cantankerous beginnings of the contentious woman mentioned in Proverbs were the result of her unmet expectations. In fact, it’s more than possible that she grew into her peevish little self, when her life turned out differently than she thought it should. Before she even realized it, her husband preferred to live on their rooftop—in the desert—rather than stay in the same room with her continual nagging. If only she had sought counsel in God’s Word. If she had, she would have been known as the “contented woman” rather than the contentious one.

I doubt that you want to be known as a contentious woman. I sure don’t. And I’m not saying that experiencing unmet expectations automatically make us grumpy and difficult to live with, but the possibility is there. Thankfully, the key to responding well lies in the Word of God. And that’s where we’re headed, straight for the help that only God can provide for those times when we find it difficult to accept our circumstances as God-ordained and good.

When I was around eight or nine years old, I would walk to and from school. It probably wasn’t very far, maybe a few blocks, but it felt like a long way, especially on cold, wintry days in Idaho, when the wind would sting my cheeks and rush right through my jacket. Yet my little journey became bearable when I would imagine I was a pioneer girl, trudging across the prairie, seeking help for Ma and Pa, who lay sick at home in our sod house. Then the walk home from school became an adventure, instead of something to dread.

So, here’s my proposal. Will you go on a pioneer-girl journey with me? As we study God’s Word together, we’ll discover that, though life may turn out differently than we expected, God always intends our good. We’ll look at unmet expectations from a biblical perspective, consider ways we’ve engaged in wrong thinking, repent of sinful responses, and look to the Scriptures to provide the sure footing we need to continue our trek. As we do so, we’ll gain a deeper and better understanding of the Lord and His perfect ways. Just like the pioneers, who were forever changed by their expedition west, we too will be changed through the study of God’s Word.

You may well be thinking, “Wait, wait. Hold it. I don’t want to do the pioneer-girl thing! I don’t have a problem with expectations. They’re not something I struggle with.” Don’t worry. You don’t have to put on a bonnet just yet, but I’d love to have you join me in the adventure, just the same. As we get underway, you may discover— as I did— areas of sinful struggle stemming from unmet expectations. It’s my hope and prayer that, as we press on together, we’ll gain encouragement and strength from the Lord Himself to respond with obedient faith and growing love for His faithful work in our lives.

Let’s embark on a journey together, a journey of growth, discovery, and change. I can’t guarantee it will be easy; real heart-growth rarely is. It is my hope that you’re not the kind to give up easily and my prayer that your love for the Lord will drive you to discover how you can give Him the most honor and glory possible, no matter what your circumstances. Are you ready?

Excerpted from Unmet Expectations: Reshaping Our Thinking in Disappointments, Trials, and Delays by Lisa Hughes, now available to order from Shepherd Press.



Posted by Jim Holmes in Friendship, Gospel, Guest Post, Publishing Books Today, Windows on My Work, Writing, 0 comments
		





	
			

				
				

					27
				

				

					Oct
				

				

					2022
				

				
			

					

				
					Visiting the Mother Country				
			

		
			
Visiting the Mother Country
Visiting the Mother Country


“If we don’t leave now, we could miss the flight,” I urged.


With one final, last-minute inspection to confirm that our home was as secure as possible, we climbed into our trusty Volvo station wagon and reversed on to the road.


“We’re on our way!” exclaimed Matthew.


Fifteen minutes into our drive to the local airport, GSP, Sue spoke up, her tone anxious: “On, no, I left my cereal in the fridge. And I don’t think we can turn back now, can we, Jim?”


“It’s going to cut it fine if we do,” I answered tersely. “Do you think we can get something in Britain that you can easily digest?”


“Guess that’s all I can do,” Sue replied. Sue had been facing a challenging health-and-diet-related condition for some years, and was only now just beginning to get enough strength to embark on a one-week visit to Britain–a long overdue one–but then everyone appreciates what COVID did to international travel.


A few hours later, on a comfortable layover in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport (one of the busiest in the northern hemisphere), we reflected on how providential circumstances had worked to bring this day to transpire the way it was. My mother, Jean Alison Holmes, had passed from this life to the next more than a year earlier and it had been almost impossible to make travel arrangements for her funeral at that time. She had requested that I would speak at her funeral (which I was able to do remotely by a video recording) but I felt it only right to be present at the sprinkling of her ashes.


Several hours into the transatlantic flight, I found myself musing on what it might be like to be back in Britain after some years. Life in America is lived briskly, conveniently, and efficiently, so the idea of having to navigate narrow streets, busy motorways, and drive a car without automatic transmission played somewhat on my mind. And what would it be like to face Britain’s warmest weather on record? That seemed counterintuitive!


Terra-firma and Terrible Tire Trouble


“So glad that you made it safely.” Jan’s voice was warm, if a little metallic-sounding on WhatsApp as I updated her from Heathrow that we had our feet well and truly on British soil. But some hours were yet to elapse before we could all embrace after what felt like a lengthy drive to her hometown a little south of Birmingham, made not a little difficult by the low-tire-pressure warning light that flashed on as we made our way along the motorway toward Oxford. “We’ll add some air,” I announced, sounding more optimistic than I felt as I broke the news to Sue and Matthew as we pulled into a motorway services location. But each terminal I tried to get compressed air from failed to operate, notwithstanding my insertion of different one-pound coins to claim my little extra portion of compressed British air. “Well, let me check the spare tire, anyway,” I said, as I wanted to be sure we could at least keep mobile, especially if what was maybe a slow leak turned more catastrophic. Opening the trunk, I looked to see where the tire was–presumably in a sub-compartment. “Hmm: no sub-compartment,” I muttered. “Let me look under the car,” I said to myself, thinking the spare would be suspended there in the cavity space. Groveling underneath, now sweating not only with the heat but with frustration at the sloppiness of the rental car agency, I beheld…nothing. “Well, let’s just drive on and pray that we don’t deflate a tire,” I announced. There didn’t seem a better plan.


Thankfully, although the warning light continued to burn, whichever tire it was did not go flat. When I called the rental agency, a bright, British accent announced, “O, sorry, sir, no, we don’t supply spare wheels with our cars; you just have to use the repair emergency kit to pump it up.”


“How dumb that sounds,” I thought as I politely thanked her. In my convenient world, I like to be prepared. That means a jack and a fully inflated spare wheel.


On with the Visit


After recalibrating to UK time, just five hours ahead of eastern time in the USA, (and also finding out that the rumored heatwave was a reality–it was exceptionally hot weather for Britain) we headed north to the beautiful Lake District. Navigating traffic around Birmingham on a Friday afternoon was every bit as frustrating as I thought it would be, only even worse. Traffic backed up for around two hours. The main reason? A broken-down van occupying a lane a mile or so after an on-ramp. A rather perplexed driver stood by his van while yellow-jacketed patrol officers looked on in puzzlement, as they waited for a rescue truck to come and solve the problem. In my simplistic world, all they had to do (and there was enough muscle power, I would have thought) was to push the broken-down van off the road and let simple people like me (and maybe two thousand over drivers traveling on the same road in the same direction) drive past at something faster than stopped or slow walking speed.


The Lakes and North East of England


The location as beautiful as ever, we made our home for two nights in the town of Penrith in a small-but-comfortable air b-n-b. Joined by our good friend Raymond Zulu and with my sister Jan and nephew and niece, Shaun and Pru camped out in a nearby location, we were well positioned to prepare for the sprinkling of my late mother’s ashes in the countryside nearby.


Sunday took us to Northallerton to visit with friends Cyril and Margery Fawcett, senior citizens and dear saints now in their nineties, members of the Northallerton Evangelical Church, our former home church, with the happy providence of their daughter, Rebecca and family, husband Stephen, and their two boys, Jonathan and Matthew, on a short visit from Northern Ireland.


Darlington, just twenty or so miles further north, was our home for twelve years, and it was fun to be back in town, visiting our other home church in Aycliffe and enjoying meeting with old friends and neighbors. Two days spent there sped by quickly as there were various administrative matters to take care of.


Heading Back South


Tuesday was spent on the road, with a brief visit with John, Sue’s brother in the Manchester area. By then, the weather had turned much cooler and we felt that this was the “more normal” Britain, the Britain that we were used to living in those years ago when the overcast weather made it seem as if we were living in Tupperware, and never left a shadow even in the brighter light. The final day was spent enjoying a visit to Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford upon Avon.


Owing to expected labor union strikes, we knew the so-called London Orbital, the M25, could be seriously gridlocked with motorists avoiding the railroad service. It’s often been said that the M25 is London’s largest circular parking lot, and we did not want to experience it, so we were on our way back to London’s Heathrow Airport by just after 3am. It made for a long day, but we were thankful to be able to start the check-in process early, and good that we did, as Matthew repeatedly ran into security checks that looked as if they would bump him from the return flight. I don’t think he has ever been so happy to be sitting back on an airplane as when we finally reclined in the comfort of Delta’s Boeing 767 to ferry us back over the Atlantic for an extended layover in Detroit, Michigan, before we would finally catch our connecting flight and put our feet back on South Carolina soil sometime after 11pm.


In pictures: click on the images below to enlarge them or view them as a slideshow.


 


		
		




 


 


Posted by Jim Holmes in Family and Friends, Friendship, Memories, Reflections, Travel, 0 comments
		





	
			

				
				

					21
				

				

					Apr
				

				

					2020
				

				
			

					

				
					What Is More Dangerous Than Covid-19?				
			

		
			
What Is More Dangerous Than Covid-19?
What Is More Dangerous Than Covid-19?




A guest post by my friend, Ian McNaughton. Ian is a retired minister in the UK (so he writes with a British perspective), author of several books, and an encourager of the right use of Christian literature wherever there are readers!




“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a)


As a nation we have fallen away from the Christian foundations fixed in this continent over 2000 years.  It is now a time of social upheaval and spiritual anarchy, fear and bankruptcies; what is to be said?  Spiritual anarchy is a dangerous plague of the 21st century in UK and Europe and it is even more dangerous than Covid-19.  You’d better believe it!


The World Today


God’s laws are being rejected and His holy righteousness is abhorrent to this generation.  The rejection of the Ten Commandments as a rule of life and in politics is a clear example of how far we have transgressed as a western society.  When whole societies rebel against God and truth then there is a waiting for judgment.  Remember the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?  Remember Pompeii?  God is not mocked.  Remember the Old Testament prophets especially Jeremiah, who preached against the sins of Israel warning of coming chastening?  The outcome of unbelief and anarchy is seen in God’s purifying judgments throughout human history.  Nor are the churches immune from God’s loving discipline (cf. 1 Peter 4:17; Rev. 2: & 3).


Anarchy is the rebellious child’s response to good advice and caring love and it is more dangerous than any earthly plague.  However, God is love and all he does is out of caring and kindly love.


To define love is to define God our Creator and Father in heaven.[1]


‘Who is the Lord?’


There was a plague in ancient Egypt–sound familiar?  However, it took ten plagues from God to break the hardened stubborn heathen heart of Egypt’s despot ruler.  God’s self-revelation in Scripture and in nature is clear for all to behold but our leaders need to listen.  Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?’’ in a retort to Moses the servant of God (Ex. 5:2).  This God, whom Pharaoh disbelieved in, is our God and Savior.  There is a call to the nations during this pandemic; it is a call to repentance. But who will blow that trumpet so it is heard?  The mainline churches and their leaders are running silent.  Until a voice is raised up to broadcast this important point ?we can expect hardened hearts to harden more; unbelieving hearts to blaspheme more; confused and mislead professing Christians to remain unregenerate.


Pray for a Conviction of Sin


Why is it that we ‘Moderns’ think ourselves free from the judgment to come and suppress the fear of God the Almighty?  Christians want the best for all citizens but the gospel churches are mocked.  God’s people want eternal life‘s blessings for their neighbors but they ignored the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead and offers life in all its fullness.  Believers pray for a conviction of sin in the hope of revival of true religion in the soul and throughout the land.  However, the lost are insensible to the fact that to neglect true spirituality, found only in Jesus Christ and his gospel, is to be lost forever.  To deny the reality of God and the free offer of eternal life from God who loves us is to live a lie.  To reject Christ Jesus’ free offer of free salvation found in the gospel is to live without hope.  What more can we say?  I end with a borrowed comment (from a friend) that needs to be heard:


‘Christianity does not offer a remedy for Covid-19.  Christianity offers a remedy for sin, “the blood of Jesus Christ his (God’s) Son cleanseth us from all sin”, (1 John 1:7).  It offers a remedy for death, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25 & 26).  This is Christianity’s unique and glorious message.’[2]


Abide in the Vine


“My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2)


This parable is telling us God is looking for holy fruit from our lives. He has blessed us and helped us and kept us and provides and been very patient too. But have we been thankful? Have we worshiped? Have we witnessed? The branches that are barren are pruned to remove or stimulate growth so that fruit is produced. The Gardener does it: God does it. Jesus is the Vine. This is how God works and this is what he is doing during this pandemic.  He prunes, ‘that it may bear more fruit’. History records epidemics, pandemics, disasters, and judgments in the providence of God. Remember the great London plague of 1666 (c.100,000 died). In the Spanish ‘flu’ pandemic of 1918, millions died.


“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (v.6).




© Rev. Ian S. McNaughton


revi@talktalk.net


[1] Let me know if you would like my tract ‘God’s love’.


[2] http://spimomder.blogspot.com/


Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Friendship, Gospel, Sickness, Worldview, 0 comments
		





	
			

				
				

					03
				

				

					Apr
				

				

					2020
				

				
			

					

				
					Where Shepherds Meet				
			

		
			
Where Shepherds Meet
Where Shepherds Meet


It’s been several years since it was last opportune for me to attend the Shepherds’ Conference, an annual event held at the Grace Community Church (pastor-teacher, John MacArthur) just outside of Los Angeles, but it happened again this year. A book that guided through the editing and production process for Shepherd Press, Seven Key Principles for Effective Ministry (subtitled Nurturing Thriving Churches in a Postmodern Culture) was selected for promotion and giveaway, and so the publisher was invited to attend and also make available other resources on offer.


At the last minute, my good friend Anthony Russo, also from Greenville SC, was able to attend, so we had a blast as we traveled, encouraged each other along the way, engaged with others, shared the gospel, and enjoyed the fine hospitality of the members and friends of Grace Community Church.


Being the year 2020, it seemed fitting that the conference theme picked up on the idea of having perfect (2020) vision–in a nutshell: Doctrinal Clarity for a Confused Generation. The mission statement provides a succinct generic introduction to the event:


The mission of the Shepherds’ Conference is to provide the opportunity for men in church leadership to be challenged in their commitment to biblical ministry and to find encouragement as together we seek to become more effective servants of our chief Shepherd.


Anthony and I enjoyed meeting with hundreds of men who minister not only in North America, but around the world. Enjoy viewing the dozen or so pictures below!


		
		


Posted by Jim Holmes in Friendship, Memories, Networking, Publishing Books Today, Reflections, Spirituality, Windows on My Work, 0 comments
		





	
			

				
				

					03
				

				

					Jan
				

				

					2020
				

				
			

					

				
					He To Rescue Me from Danger Interposed His Precious Blood				
			

		
			
He To Rescue Me from Danger Interposed His Precious Blood
It’s a delight to share the labors of faithful authors. Roger Ellsworth is one such author, gifted with the ability to write seriously yet simply, and opening the Scriptures in a way that children as well as adults can understand. This guest post draws material from Roger’s Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations, a book recently published, and available from bookstores or Amazon worldwide. More info HERE.




“He, to Rescue Me from Danger,

Interposed His Precious Blood”




From God’s Word, the Bible…


And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

1 Peter 1:17-20


Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood. . .

(Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758)


These words take us to the heart of Christ’s saving work on behalf of His people. It was a matter of Jesus interposing His blood! That act of interposition makes His blood precious to every believer.


More about that in a moment! First, let’s think about that word “danger.” Frightening word! When we hear the word “danger,” we tend to think of the people and the things that threaten our wellbeing and happiness in this world. There is no shortage of them.


There is, however, another type of danger which is much worse than any posed by this temporal realm. It is the danger of experiencing the wrath of God in eternity. People these days like to play down that danger, but no fair reading of the Bible will allow us to do so. All are agreed that the Old Testament places a heavy emphasis on the matter, but we must not think that the teaching of God’s wrath is confined there. The same teaching is evenly distributed throughout the New Testament. It is in the Gospels (Matt. 3:12; 7:13-14; 22:13-14; 23:33; 25:30,41,46; Mark 9:42-29; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:36), in the epistles of Paul (Rom. 1:18-19; 2:5; 3:5; 4:15; 12:19; Eph. 2:3; 5:6), and in the other epistles as well (Heb. 10:27; 12:25-29; James 5:9; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 2 Peter 2:4-9).


It is the dominant theme of the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15; 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:11,15).


And for those who blissfully say: “Just give me the loving God of John 3:16,” the wrath of God is powerfully present in the word “perish” which is mentioned in that very verse.


We will never understand Christianity until we realize that it is all about rescuing people from this danger! Jesus came to this world for the express purpose of dealing with that danger.


God is holy. He cannot merely ignore our sins as if they never happened. He has to pronounce a sentence on them and also has to carry out that sentence. What is His sentence on our sins? It is His wrath, which is eternal separation from Himself in hell.


The glory of Christianity is that Jesus on the cross took the wrath that we deserve for our sins. There He “interposed” or inserted His blood between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The word “blood” means that He poured out His life in death. To say He interposed His blood is to say He interposed Himself. On the cross He took the position between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The wrath fell on Him, and there is now no wrath left for all who repent of their sins and trust in Him. John 3:36 puts it perfectly: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”


But how could Jesus in the space of the six hours that He was on the cross (from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon) receive an eternity’s worth of the wrath of God for all sinners who believe in Him? The answer lies in the special nature of Jesus. He was no ordinary man. He was the God-man, fully God, fully man at one and the same time. As God, He was an infinite person, and as an infinite person, He could receive in a finite length of time an infinite measure of wrath. In other words, Jesus as an infinite person could receive in a finite measure of time what we as finite people would receive in an infinite measure of time.


When we truly understand what Jesus did on the cross for sinners, we gladly respond to Robert Robinson’s phrase “precious blood” with a hearty “Yes!”




Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Friendship, Gospel, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Reflections, Spirituality, Theology, Windows on My Work, Writing, 0 comments
		





	
			

				
				

					28
				

				

					Dec
				

				

					2018
				

				
			

					

				
					2019 Arrives				
			

		
			
2019 Arrives


Welcome to 2019!






Another Year Dawns. . .


THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT


The apostle Paul was almost overcome with a sense of the profound greatness of God’s gift—the gift of a Person, the Savior. In fact, he had to cobble together a word in the Greek language (in which he wrote his letter, 2 Corinthians) to express the fullness and wonder of what that gift was really like. Indescribably wonderful, ineffable, unable to be fully valued and appreciated—these are some of the meanings of this hard-to-translate adjective.


Who is the gift? None other than God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. One fully equal with the Father and the Spirit, co-existent, co-eternal, without beginning and without end.


Why the gift? To secure the redemption of sinners. That’s ordinary people like you and me—folks ruined by the fall, born in a state of enmity with the one true and living God, and needing to be reconciled in a way that only God Himself could determine.


In our family we always enjoy giving and receiving gifts. But what a small thing this is in comparison with God’s gift to humanity in the Person of Jesus—and in the wondrous work He would do in reconciling us to God. As the saying goes, Bethlehem is really to establish the setting for Calvary. That’s where redemption was accomplished for all who would turn away from sin and trust in Jesus the Savior. Have you done that?


General Reflections from 2018


Pictures tell the story better than words…well, sometimes, that is. So, we thought that for 2018, we would let you have a glimpse into several aspects of the last twelve or so months. View the link below this text to see them!


In January, I made a very brief visit to the UK to visit my mother to be with her at her 91st birthday. It was also opportune to visit with my siblings, Janet and Markie, as well as a close friend, Raymond Zulu.


It was a busy year for Matthew with school (transitioning from being a freshman to a sophomore at Bob Jones Academy) and doing various musical and speech events.


Sue has continued to work at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary as administrative assistant to Dr. Joseph Pipa.


Our travels as a family have not been extensive but have taken in a little of Tennessee. I had a brief visit to California to meet with work-related (Shepherd Press) clients, including Joni and Friends. We were delighted to have cousins, James and Frith Robb, visit with us from Scotland in March.


View a full report of our year with some additional pictures HERE or click on the image below.




Enjoy listening to Matthew’s rendering of Good Christian Men Rejoice from a recital at Bob Jones University late in 2018.






Posted by Jim Holmes in Family and Friends, Friendship, Memories, 1 comment
		





	
			

				
				

					24
				

				

					Sep
				

				

					2018
				

				
			

					

				
					“Ten Things About” from Reggie Weems				
			

		
			
“Ten Things About” from Reggie Weems
A Longstanding Friendship Brings About New Book Series


I first met Reggie Weems at one of those conferences I was attending in the early 2000s–I do not recall whether it was Together for the Gospel or, maybe more likely, Shepherds’ Conference near Los Angeles. Anyway, we connected. I was living in the UK at the time, and he was residing in eastern Tennessee.


I remember speaking to him by phone one day. Somehow, he had gotten my number, and the distinctive tones of his voice enabled me to remember that he was “the man I had met at the conference.” The name and the face (at the stimulus of the voice) immediately connected with me.


“Might you be able to write a book on missions?” I remember asking him once while we were having dinner in Johnson City (I was visiting him and a book distributor on the same trip). He had already contributed a few books to the publisher I served at the time, Day One. He had me enthralled as he told me of his various strategies for fostering a vision and sensitivity for global missions in his church, a Southern Baptist congregation, well named Heritage Baptist Church. It was my pleasure to superintend the publishing process of that book, as well as having overseen the earlier publications.


Smoky Mountain Range: Hills of North Carolina / Eastern Tennessee, not far from where Reggie lives.


Thinking of a New Series. . .


With changes in my circumstances and my no longer working for the same UK-based publisher, the friendship continued without interruption. Then one day Reggie called me: “I have some manuscripts that I think could work well for books,” he informed me. “They are the fruit of some things I am doing with my congregation at the moment, and deal with real issues my people are struggling with.”


As he continued, the vision grew for me. Reggie, ever practical in meeting the needs of his congregation, ever faithful in his application of the Word of God, ever hardworking and diligent to present the counsel of the Scriptures in an understandable format, outlined to me the kinds of topics he wished to write on. He intended them to be “a series of books that offer biblical encouragement and practical direction on matters of concern to modern Christians.” That may be a broad-brush description, but take a look at some of the titles that we were to kick off with:


    

  • Marriage and How to Create a Godly One
    • 

  • Pornography and God’s Grace to Husbands
    • 

  • Revival and the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
    • 

  • Unanswered Prayer and How to Live with It
    • 



“You’ll need a website to help promote these,” I guided him. “I think there is enormous potential in this concept. When can we start?”


Start we did late in 2017 and worked intensively to produce the first four. The books are available for physical purchase in print as well as in Kindle format. Each book is under 10,000 words in length, produced on a small, paperback format (small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, usually around 80 pages), and written in brief, easy-to-read chapters with key review points and quotes highlighted for easy reference. You can find out more about the series (and check out some previews) at the dedicated website HERE.


The books are available worldwide and Amazon offers easy purchasing and shipping options for most customers.


 


 


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Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Friendship, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Writing, 0 comments