Washington: Christian, Not Deist

President George Washington was a courageous military and political leader. He used intelligence, bravery, and wisdom to accomplish great things as both a general leading the colonists to independence and as the first president of the United States of America.

Above all else George Washington was a dedicated Christian. While his accomplishments as a soldier on the field have been acclaimed by Americans throughout our history, his Christianity and belief in Jesus Christ has been downplayed and misrepresented.

So today, on our first president’s 275th birthday, I was uplifted by Dr. Albert Mohler’s President’s Day post entitled George Washington's God. I encourage you all to read it. It is both interesting and educational. Don’t be deceived by today’s secular representation of George Washington!

Additionally, my father has returned from his long blogging hiatus with a post of thankfulness at his blog on the doorposts. Check it out!

"In This Temple..."

The following words are found engraved in the building pictured here:

"In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever."

Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives the following definition of temple.

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TEM'PLE, n. [L. templum.]

1. A public edifice erected in honor of some deity. Among pagans, a building erected to some pretended deity, and in which the people assembled to worship. Originally, temples were open places, as the Stonehenge in England. In Rome, some of the temples were open, and called sacella; others were roofed, and called oedes. The most celebrated of the ancient pagan temples were that of Belus in Babylon, that of Vulcan at Memphis, that of Jupiter at Thebes, that of Diana at Ephesus, that of Apollo in Miletus,that of Jupiter Olympius in Athens, and that of Apollo at Delphi. The most celebrated and magnificent temple erected to the true God, was that built by Solomon in Jerusalem.

In Scripture, the tabernacle is sometimes called by this name. 1 Sam. 1-3.

2. A church; an edifice erected among christians as a place of public worship.

Can he whose life is a perpetual insult to the authority of God, enter with any pleasure a temple consecrated to devotion and sanctified by prayer?

3. A place in which the divine presence specially resides; the church as a collective body. Eph.2.

4. In England,the Temples are two inns of court, thus called because anciently the dwellings of the knights Templars. They are called the Inner and the Middle Temple.

Is it just me, or does this bother you?

No Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this,

that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish

but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Happy Valentine's Day!

When Dreams Come True

I read a wonderful book last week. Husband and wife writing team Eric and Leslie Ludy wrote When Dreams Come True as the story of their own courtship and the transformation that God worked in both of their hearts as he prepared them for a Christ-honoring marriage.

When trying to summarize When Dreams Come True the one word that comes to my mind is, “Wow!”

God’s grace is amazing. He took two young people that had not honored him in the area of their relationships and covered them with his forgiveness. He redeemed them, gave them a new beginning, and orchestrated a beautiful love story for them unlike any other. I was awed, amazed at the goodness of God.

When Dreams Come True reminded me again of the everlasting forgiveness and love of my Heavenly Father. It is never too late to begin anew. All that is required for a clear slate is to repent before God and surrender our own plans to Him.

Who is pure? Who is without sin? Without God, we are all imperfect wretches with no hope. I love the verse in Ephesians 2 that says, “But God…”

Without God we are nothing. Without God our lives are ruined by selfishness and impurity.

“But God…” There is hope for tomorrow! We have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The story of Eric and Leslie Ludy shows with startling clarity that our mistakes are of the past; they are erased. God grants full forgiveness, and we can start over.

I strongly recommend When Dreams Come True. It is a beautiful story, and it is infused with the love and forgiveness of God. He cares!

Thank you, Becca, for sending me this inspiring book!

How many of you have read this book, and what did you think about it?