Volume to a close

Today we poured concrete and it went pretty well. I finished volume one of Schaff, read a sermon of Spurgeon's, and wrote a couple of e-mails. I think I've written somewhere around 25 e-mails since I got back late Friday night, I don't know if it's just been that there is so much on my mind or I really wanted to get in touch with a few people. Probably both!

Oh, and something I forgot to mention, a milestone in my life you might say. I finally, after many, many tries, beat Expert in Minesweeper! Yay! It's not that hard it was just that I'd always end up in a spot where I would HAVE to guess and whenever that happened, I'd invariably guess wrong. I beat Intermediate in 80 seconds, if that means anything (that's slow for some people I know, but I'm not a huge Minesweeper fan).

Here is the ending to Schaff's volume 1 and I really liked it and wanted to share it:

Schaff's History of the Christian Church pg 863

"Christianity might live without the letter of the New Testament, but not without the facts and truths which it records and teaches. Were it possible to banish them from the world, the sun of our civilization would be extinguished, and mankind left ot midnight darkenss, with the dreary prospect of a dreamless and endless Nirvana.
But no power on earth or in hell can extinguish that sun. There it shines on the horizon, the king of day, obscured at times by clouds great or small, but breaking through again and again, and shedding light and life from east to west, until the darkest corners of the globe shall be illuminated. The past is secure; God will take care of the future."

I also read a bit more of Pink's commentary on Hebrews today and this passage struck me, it's something I've discussed with other people before. Aside from the verse in James which says "not many of you should be teachers" (which addresses a different issue) I really appreciated this. Too many people are not willing to discuss spiritual matters, even among professing Christians! I liked the two aims he lists as well.

"'You ought to be teachers' shows that this was a duty required of them. How little this is perceived by Christians today! How few listen to the ministry of the Scriptures with an ear not only for their own soul's profit, but also with the object of being equipped to help others. Instead, how many attend the preaching of the Word simply as a matter of custom, or to satisfy their conscience. Two aims should be prayerfully sought by every Christian auditor: his own edification, his usefulness to others.
'Ye ought to be teachers.' Let not the searching point of this be blunted by saying, God does not want all His people to be public preachers. The N.T. does not limit 'teaching' to the pulpit. One of the most important spheres is the home, and that should be a Christian seminary. Under the law God commanded the Israelite to give His words to the members of his household: 'And Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine youse, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up' (Deut. 6:7). Does God require less from us now, in this dispensation of full light? No, indeed. Note, again, how in Titus 2:3-5 the older sisters are bidden to 'teach the young women:' never was there a greater need for this than now. So in 2 Tim. 2:2 the brethren are to 'teach others also.' Yes, every Christian 'ought to be' a teacher."