08.05.08
Posted in Bruce, Cindy at 9:43 am by ebenezer
New home - new location - new possibilities. We packed everything we had (after we decided what really did not need to be moved). Said goodbye to friends, family, and church in southern Indiana and headed further south to the coastal region of Georgia. Busy times: resigned on 7/6, preached my last sermon at Underwood BC on 7/13, packed, packed, and packed some more on 7/14, 15, & 16 am, left that afternoon, arrived on Thursday, closed on Friday, received the truck late Monday, and unloaded on Tuesday. Since then we have been painting, unpacking, and now finally hanging pics on the wall. To say the least this has been a whirlwind of a time for the last couple of weeks. Trusting that the Lord has brought us here to serve Him may we say: Hello Georgia! —– I surely do hope these dawgs are ready for this dyed-in-the-ky-blue cat!
Pastor Bruce & his fiery side-kick Cindy.
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04.25.08
Posted in Bruce at 10:40 am by ebenezer
A little girl asked her mother, ‘How did the human race appear?’
The mother answered, ‘God made Adam and Eve and they had children and so was all mankind made.’
Two days later the girl asked her father the same question.
The father answered, ‘Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.’
The confused girl returned to her mother and said, ‘Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?’
The mother answered, ‘Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his.’
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04.14.08
Posted in Bruce at 10:40 pm by ebenezer
Monday, April 14, 2008
Addendum -
This young woman finally made it home, though for just a short time, before she went into eternity. I never got to speak to her again. How I hope she realized her sinfulness and looked to Christ as her savior before she passed on from this life.
ba
I visited today [09-04-07] a young lady (young compared to me) in the hospital. She is suffering from a very aggressive cancer. Her outlook is not that great. I spoke to her concerning spiritual matters. The usual comment from her, “I believe in God.” I then spoke to her about her need (as well as all of us) of Christ. I spoke to her about her possible pending death and that she would either face eternity in Christ or on her own. I encouraged her to think about these things, prayed and then soon left.
Believeing in a soverign God sometimes makes it hard not to just grab someone and shake them and say to them, “Don’t you understand!” “You may soon be gone from this world - do not leave it outside of Christ!” Sometimes they do not understand. Yet we are still to warn and leave the understanding in God’s hands. This is when we need to trust the Lord emphatically. The young lady is hoping to go to her house soon (she has been in the hospital for 2 months now). I am hoping that the young lady will soon see her need of Christ as her Savior. May the Lord be pleased to bless in that manner.
ba
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04.10.08
Posted in Bruce at 2:09 pm by ebenezer
Dear …,
Regional Association Minister
I received an email today from Judson Press promoting Jeremiah Wright’s sermons. I am not sure what this extension - “the publishing arm of the National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA” and its publisher, Laura Alden, hopes to accomplish by promoting any published works from this gentleman’s pen! It may be that only “sermon bites” are being used in the media, but that does not negate the fact that it was Jeremiah Wright who was making those offensive and very divisive remarks concerning this country and her citizens in the name of religion while in the church’s pulpit.
As a Christian, I was highly offended by Jeremiah Wright’s irreverent remarks when taking God’s name in vain! As an American, I was highly offended by Jeremiah Wright’s unpatriotic remarks when he blamed our government for the destruction brought about on 9-11! As a stepfather, who’s stepson is serving in the US Air Force, I can assure you that Jeremiah Wright’s right to his freedom of speech is being protected by young men and women like him who serve despite those individuals like Jeremiah Wright who disrepect the uniform that my stepson wears! As a man of a different race than Jeremiah Wright, I am highly offended that he has the audacity to accuse me, someone he does not know, as being a racist bigot who owes him because he is of a different race than I. Truly, somewhere this man - “of God” - has forgotten the second of the greatest commandments - “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jeremiah Wright’s actions show little love displayed at all towards those who are different than he.
As a pastor of an American Baptist Church and with their consent, I urge you as our Regional Association Minister of the Indiana-Kentucky Region Association and the Association to strongly condemn Judson Press and its publisher, Laura Alden, of their untimely and uncalled for promotion of such.
Pastor Bruce Allen
Underwood Baptist Church
Underwood, Indiana 47177
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Judson Press Offers Jeremiah Wright Sermons
of Hope, Joy, Strength
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In the wake of negative media attention surrounding the “sermon bites” of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr., Judson Press offers the more contextualized Good News! Sermons of Hope for Today’s Families and What Makes You So Strong? Sermons of Joy and Strength from its backlist. The larger context of Wright’s preaching can be placed in what Temple University Professor Molefi Kete Asante has called Afrocentrism (i.e., Africentrism). Wright, and other Africentrists, seek to bring together Christian theology and African culture in a meaningful way. (See Africentric Christianity: A Theological Appraisal for Ministry by J. Deotis Roberts, Judson 2000).
Contained in What Makes You So Strong? is “The Audacity to Hope,” the sermon from which presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama drew the title of his recent best-selling book.
Jeremiah Wright has long been part of a well-respected and leading group of African American preachers and authors associated with Judson Press, the publishing arm of National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA. For a complete list of African American Christian resources from Judson Press, visit www.judsonpress.com.
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| Judson PressLaura Alden, Publisher800-458-3766
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02.29.08
Posted in Bruce at 12:00 pm by ebenezer
It seems appropriate that today should be my last at this blogsite because February 29 only occurs every four years. February 29 is the only true odd day of years. When you have your birthday on February 29 you are not sure when to celebrate the day. Do you celebrate on the 28th / on the 1st / or just every four years on the 29th? It is an awkward decision to make. Yet as awkward as it is the decision must be made.
I have decided to move to another host site. I have renamed the blog “Pilgrim’s Keyboard” located at: www.pilgrimskeyboard.blogspot.com.
I have enjoyed the interaction among some of the bloggers here with reformedblogs.com. I trust you will come by the new site | still under some on-going construction | and visit for awhile.
Bruce
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01.30.08
Posted in Bruce at 1:25 am by ebenezer
Femina (Nancy Wilson) wrote on 1-21-08 concerning her Bible reading schedule. Like her I too attempt to read at a regular schedule. A friend of mine (more like my spiritual father/mentor) encouraged me to read from both the OT & the NT daily. He was reading about 2 chapters each day from each testament. This sounded like a good idea and thought that I could incorportate it easily. However, over time I have found my self reading closer to 3 chapters daily from both the OT & NT. What this format does is allows me to read the OT about once a year and the NT over the same time period at three times a year. I start at Genesis and Matthew and read through each book respectfully thereafter. I have also taken up the challenge by Dr. David Jeremiah to read the Book of Proverbs each month. I look forward to this task. Happy reading!
Bruce
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01.25.08
Posted in Bruce at 12:02 pm by ebenezer
1. By conscience - man knows the difference between right/wrong
2. By religiousity - man needs to worship something greater than himself
3. By creation - just look and one knows that someone made all of this
4. By man’s soul - how wonderful the human body | man knows very well
5. By His Son - in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son
Are we listening? | Bruce
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12.31.07
Posted in Bruce at 12:12 pm by ebenezer
Left for Louisiana Wednesday AM - Cold & Frosted windshield. Arrived PM - raining & cool. Thursday mild | Friday nice (70’s). Left Louisiana late Saturday AM - mild & sun shinning. Arrived that evening in Atlanta - cool & raining. Sunday morning - cool & pouring down rain. Church was dry - unfortunately Dr. Stanley was out of town. Left Atlanta - still cool & pouring rain. Finally in Tennessee rain stopped. Arrived Salem PM - cold & frost settling in on the windshields. Woke up this AM - cold & frosted windshield | full circle. All in all it was a great trip. God was gracious in all of our travels. Tomorrow is a new day and a new year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Bruce
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12.25.07
Posted in Bruce at 12:20 pm by ebenezer
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY 2008!
Bruce & Cindy
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12.22.07
Posted in Bruce at 3:22 pm by ebenezer
What do you base your faith and practice upon? Is it upon men’s traditions or upon God’s infallible and inerrant absolute truth. In this post-modern world we live in we too often agree with them (just to avoid conflict): “you believe what you want and I will believe what I want” - w/o any regard for the truth. Do not allow yourself to do that. Examine what you believe and judge it in accordance to God’s Scripture. We are told in 2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I would encourage you to do that daily not to prove your position but to see what the word actually says and then making application in your life accordingly. Engage in the Truth War - the battle is raging!
Bruce
John MacArthur writes:
The Truth War is, after all, war. Warfare is always serious … and therefore it requires of us the utmost diligence.
What we desperately need today are “shepherds according to [God’s] heart, who will feed [believers] with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15; Acts 20:28-31). But it is every believer’s solemn duty to resist every attack on the truth, to abhor the very thought of falsehood, and not to compromise in any with the enemy, who is above all a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
—– [The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007, p. xviii (adapted)] —–
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