Tag Archives: mercy

Confronting Calvin

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Douglas Abbott

An evening Bible study with some friends turned into an intense discussion recently. Sparks flew. There was the potential for unpleasantness, but no one said anything they would have to apologize for later. It ended just the way a discussion … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arminian, Arminianism, Calvin, Calvinism, death, eternal punishment, everlasting torment, free will, God's wrath, grace, hell, judgment, mercy, predestination, redemption, salvation, sin, suffer, T.U.L.I.P., the second death, TULIP, wrath | Leave a comment

Reflections on Psalm 119

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Douglas Abbott

Psalm 119:1-8 (א Aleph) There are potent rewards for obeying God’s law and seeking Him earnestly, which come to all who put off the sinful nature and resolutely submit to God.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged choose, compassion, disobedience, divine, evil, God, grace, idolatry, Jesus, judge, judgment, law, love, mercy, obedience, patience, rescuing, salvation, Savior, sin, submission, surrender, wandering, waywardness, wrath | Leave a comment

A Thanksgiving Tale

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Douglas Abbott

I once ate nothing but rice for three days. It wasn’t a diet or a fast; I was broke. I had managed my money poorly during the previous weeks, and work was scarce to begin with. Finally, I got up … Continue reading →

Posted in Giving, Uncategorized | Tagged charity, clothing, feed, food, generosity, giving, God, help, homeless, hungry, Jesus, kindness, love, mercy, ministry, Mother Lawrence, shelter, spiritual food | 2 Comments

Doomsday Gospel

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Douglas Abbott

“Westboro Baptist Church targets Taylor Swift,” the headline read. The article had a flavor of outrage, and rightly so. Fred Phelps, WBC’s leader and tireless purveyor of damnation, is at it again. This time, as chronicled by Pop Spy’s Jennifer O’Dell, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity in Politics | Tagged condemnation, damnation, debauchery, decadence, evil, forgiveness, fornication, Fred Phelps, God, Gospel, grace, heathen, immorality, Jesus, kindness, love, lust, mercy, patience, politics, press, promiscuity, sexual immorality, sin, Westboro Baptist Church | 2 Comments

Diverging Paths

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Douglas Abbott

I got a text from an old friend yesterday that put the last 20 years of my life in a whole different light. I had an insanely demanding day yesterday and wasn’t able to read Richard’s text until this morning

Posted in Grace, Love, Suffering | Tagged choices, confinement, corrections, crime, deliverance, diverging, fork, fortune, God, grace, incarceration, institutions, jail, justice, juvenile, life, locked up, mercy, path, prison, punishment, redemption, road, salvation | 9 Comments

Land of the Morning Calm

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Douglas Abbott

Peter joined the U.S. Army in 1981. He had studied Taekwondo extensively for years, so when the time came to discuss his deployment, he asked to be stationed in Korea where the discipline of Taekwondo had been developed during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Giving, Kindness | Tagged benevolence, cold, culture, exhausted, famished, friendship, giving, hardship, hostility, hungry, kindness, love, mercy, misconceptions, prejudice, racism, soldiers, tired, war, wet | 4 Comments

Trading Places

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Douglas Abbott

In the 1983 film Trading Places, two rich old brothers get into an argument about heredity versus environment. Eager to resolve their disagreement, they decide to use their vast resources to take two human lives and switch them outright. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Eternal Security, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace | Tagged forgiveness, free, gift, grace, heavenly, love, lovingkindness, mercy, outpouring, riches, trading places, wealth | 2 Comments

Fairbanks or Bust

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Douglas Abbott

How elusive wisdom is to the young! So it must be in general, and it was unquestionably accurate in my case (not to mention my roommate, Richard’s) in the year 1990. We were both in our early 20s and had … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Frailty, Grace | Tagged adventure, Alaska, daring, Fairbanks, grace, merciful, mercy, reckless, road trip, unprepared, wild | 1 Comment

Alms

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Douglas Abbott

“Who gives himself with his alms feeds three—himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.” –James Russell Lowell (1819-1891). I was walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Giving | Tagged alms, charity, compassion, giving, hungry, impoverished, love, mercy, needy, poor, suffering | 3 Comments

The Paradox of Mercy

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Douglas Abbott

“For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” (Romans 11:32, NIV) Really? That has to be a typo or a misquote or something. No, it’s right there; I just read it … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace | Tagged election, forgiveness, grace, guilt, mercy, punishment, sin, sorrow | 2 Comments