You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010 (1.3mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

The Baptist Testimony
Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010

The Word Has It
“Strengthen me according to Your word,” Psalm 119:28

Ken Floyd
MARBC Executive Director

“Free”

One of the most famous documents of American history is the Emancipation Proclamation. This document, which was drafted during the Civil War, specifically designated “that all persons held as slaves … are, and henceforward shall be free.” It was certainly a monumental and defining moment for a nation that was not even one hundred years of age.

You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010 (1.4mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

The Baptist Testimony
Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010

The Word Has It
“Strengthen me according to Your word,” Psalm 119:28
Ken Floyd
MARBC Executive Director

“Pain/Joy”

Alright, I admit that this issue’s column title is actually two words! And two words that seem to be polar opposites. However, I believe that these two words are more closely linked than most people might think.

This was made clear to me during the past year as I listened to my wife and daughter frequently discuss the issues of childbearing. This was a conversation that I conveniently sought to avoid by finding something to do elsewhere, anywhere! But it was a topic that was impossible to avoid while visiting in the hospital room following the birth of our grandson, Connor, on May 28. At one point during our euphoria there were approximately a dozen people in the room, the majority of them female. When the conversation turned towards the trading of “war stories” by the moms in the room, the heroic men began to shuffle for the farthest corner or the nearest exit.

“Thanks”

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16

Steve Goodier, editor of “The Life Support System” newsletter, shared a story a few years ago regarding the importance of giving thanks.

“When William Stidger taught at Boston University, he once reflected upon the great number of un-thanked people in his life. Those who had helped nurture him, inspire him or who cared enough about him to leave a lasting impression. One was a schoolteacher he’d not heard of in many years. But he remembered that she had gone out of her way to put a love of verse in him, and Will had loved poetry all his life. He wrote a letter of thanks to her. The reply he received, written in the feeble scrawl of the aged, began, ‘My dear Willie.’ He was delighted. Now over 50, bald and a professor, he didn’t think there was a person left in the world who would call him ‘Willie.’

“Aroma”

When deep-sea divers were searching the wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic several years ago, among the items recovered was a leather case containing 40 small vials of perfume oil. The little bottles, which probably would have been sold in New York as the ingredients for cologne, belonged to a businessman from Manchester, England. When they pulled the case from the water, the fragrance of the oils filled the air, even after being submerged for almost a century.

“Fire”
Those familiar with southern California know that the region frequently experiences wildfires. The paths of the fires are unpredictable. Dry conditions make even a small fire a giant problem. Wind currents can shift quickly and unpredictably as they move from valley to valley, making containment of the fires difficult.

“Impressions”

The past several weeks has brought a heightened sense of hygienic caution and etiquette as a result of several waves of serious health issues. The worldwide attention given to the Novel Influenza A (H1N1), also known as “Swine Flu,” has caused each of us to exercise greater caution. It’s thought that the H1N1 virus spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.

“Bridge”
Often our road trips in Michigan afford us a luxury that people up to a half century ago could not take advantage of – a journey into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and back via the Mackinac Bridge. No matter how many times you cross its magnificent five mile span, you are amazed by this amazing structure and its impact upon the region.

A Special Note Regarding the Baptist Testimony