On behalf of the Common Slaves, I personally want to thank my beloved Dad, Pastor Randy Reed of Calvary Baptist Church in Negaunee, MI for coming and preaching at the August 28 Common Slaves Combined Service hosted by Quamba Baptist Church. How encouraging to see the sanctuary filled with brothers and sisters from churches in Hinckley, Chisago, Crosby, Crosslake, and Pine City gathering together to sing praises to our great Savior.

Thanks to Pastor Eric Anderson for giving the invocation, Pastor Ken Carlton for delivering the benediction, Pastor Kevin Carr for his (always) masterful and meaningful introduction to and reading from the Westminster Confession. Thanks to Phil Halvorson for leading us in the great hymns of the church, Michele Reed for accompanying on the piano, and a very special thanks to the ladies of Quamba who answered the 11^th hour call for treats and goodies and delivered in a bountiful way, as they always do!

When the audio of the service becomes available, we will provide a link to it in the “Combined Service Sermons” tab. We look forward to our next gathering, which will take place Oct. 23, at 4:30PM in Crosby, MN, if the Lord wills. -jr

“May I always be amongst those who not only hear but know Thee, who walk with and rejoice in Thee, who take Thee at Thy word and find life there.” Valley of Vision

ed note: a very dear friend of mine, Pastor Paul Walker of Grand Junction, CO, often sends me snippets of encouragement such as this on a Sunday morning. Thought I would copy and paste his text message and share it. By God’s grace we hope to bring Pastor Paul to preach at a common slaves combined service in the spring of 2017. -jr

The Shock Value of the Gospel

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done… he shall bring for his offering a goat… And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.” Leviticus 4:27-29 ESV

Remember the invasion of the “shock jocks”? Those radio personalities who showed up on the airwaves 20 years or so ago, making their name by walking as close to the precipice of unacceptably crass public discourse as possible. Nowadays you’ll see the appeal to shock in “click bait,” those stories that entice us to read them (and make a buck for the hosting site) by claiming that we’ll be shocked to see what this actress looks like now, shocked to discover this trick to lower our insurance, or blown away by what this dog does when the family’s cat dies, or something to that effect.

On Voting, Conscience, and being a Christian: Some Thoughts

…there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment… Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. Romans 13:1,2,5 ESV

It is not my habit to comment on the hot issues of the public sphere. There’s enough people who think more or less along the same lines I do salivating for the news of the day so they can rush an ostensibly biblical opinion off to the blogosphere and thus effectively saturate the locus of attention. By the time my mind has pondered an issue enough to try to render a reasoned, readable opinion, the writing, thinking class has launched out to orbit the new sun of the day, and I’m left noodling over yesterday’s macaroni, and nobody wants that!

So, here’s the inevitable “but…” Here’s the exception clause. Because clearly the world waits with bated breath to hear my opinion. Whatever.