By Scott Keith –
It is Father’s Day weekend, and I have been in Cadillac, Michigan at Joel Hess’s church teaching on Being Dad – Father as a Picture of God’s Grace. As I say in the book, the story is the tale of two lost and found sons and the dad that has been in the middle the whole time. This is the tale of the Father who loves us and sent His Son, that through His death and resurrection, we might be like one who “was dead, and is alive” in order that we might be claimed as His own child.
By Scott Keith –
Living as the men we have been called to be means that we live as men who love. The Apostle Paul is clear about this in 1 Corinthians when he claims that, no matter what we say, if we speak without love, we are no better than a banging gong:
By Joyce L. C. Keith –
My courageous wife, Joy (husband to Pappy, mom of three, and grandmother of one), has decided to join in the fray and weigh in with her own blog post this week. I love her little post. She originally entitled it “Wish, Hope, or Pray?” But, her post makes me think of that M. C. Hammer song, so I renamed it “That’s Why We Pray”! I hope you enjoy Joy’s contribution to The Jagged Word!
I am one of those people… I can walk up to anyone, anytime and start a conversation. One of my old bosses said that I have the “Gift of Gab,” but in a right way.
By Scott Keith –
Lately, I have been considering the implication of what it means to be called to be a Christian. Is it simply that Jesus has, through his life, death, and resurrection, set me free from sin, death, and the power of the Devil, and that is it? Is there nothing more? What I mean by asking those questions is that I think we underestimate our preoccupation with our need to do something. You and I need to feel active; we need to feel as though we have contributed in some fashion to the way God feels about us and treats us.
By Scott Keith –
I think that I suffer from a condition. This situation severely influences the way that I interact with the world around me and the people that I encounter in that world. The condition from which I suffer is Reverse Chronological Snobbery. Some of you may be more familiar with my condition’s close cousin, Chronological Snobbery, which, C.S. Lewis claimed he labored under for many years. Chronological Snobbery, as defined by Lewis, is “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.”
By Scott Keith –
“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” – Revelation 3:5
The other night, during one of our final dinners in England, we somehow wandered to the topic of old friends. We were discussing friends we had in common and those with whom we had lost touch. At one point in our conversation, the name of my friend Justin came up, and I was again, almost inexplicably, brought to tears.
By Scott Keith –
Right when I’m in the middle of a first class lecture concerning how I have been wronged, the subject of my derision exclaims “I am sorry. Please forgive me.” There is nothing more frustrating! Don’t they know that I was just getting warmed up? Don’t they realize that I have a gift for pointing out the error in others’ actions and reasoning? Don’t they realize how profoundly wrong they are if they are giving up so quickly? If they understood the depth of their error, they would allow me to finish my rant before pulling out the “please forgive me” trump card.
By Scott Keith –
“If you are a manual laborer, you find that the Bible has been put into your workshop, into your hands, into your heart. It teaches and preaches how you should treat your neighbor. Just look at your tools––at your needle and thimble, your beer barrel, your goods, your scales or yardstick or measure––and you will read this statement inscribed on them. Everywhere you look, it stares at you. Nothing you handle everyday is so tiny that it does not continually tell you this, if you will only listen…. All this is continually crying out to you: ‘Friend, use me in your relations with your neighbor just as you would want your neighbor to use his property in relations to you.’”
By Scott Keith –
“Those who lack within themselves the means for living a blessed and happy life will find any age painful. But for those who seek good things within themselves, nothing imposed on them by nature will seem troublesome. Growing older is a prime example of this. Everyone hopes to reach old age, but when it comes, most of us complain about it. People can be so foolish and inconsistent.” Cicero, How to Grow Old, pg. 11
By Scott Keith –
This is a short blog written by my son, Joshua Keith. He is an honorable man who believes that the life of the mind is often played out in the work of the hands. I think here he shows himself to be a better-than-average young writer as well.
Before I begin, I’d like to introduce myself. Hello, I’m Joshua Keith. That’s correct, yet another Keith. It’s hard to throw a rock and not hit a Keith on this blog, huh? My father, Scott Keith (Grandpappy Keith), asked me if I would write a blog this week, so I decided to do it on one of the most commonly asked subjects about me.
By Scott Keith –
10 April 2016
Dearest Esther,
I love you. You were born 7 April 2016, and you were baptized into Christ today. When I first saw you, my heart leaped for joy. I had many of the same feelings looking at you as I did when I first saw your dad, Uncle Josh, and Aunt Autumn after they were born. But, seeing you was, in some ways, different. When I saw you, I not only rejoiced for myself and your Grandmother, but I got to celebrate with your Dad and Mom as well. You are their child, and by that, I am your Grandfather.
By Scott Keith –
This month, my children will be 21, 19, and 16, and I think that they’ve turned out pretty well. Our oldest is a Dean’s list student at the University, a co-worker with me at 1517 the Legacy Project, a husband, and soon to be a father. Our second son is a full-time worker, lives on his own making his way, and soon to be a proud uncle. Our youngest, our daughter, is already taking college courses half-time (and doing quite well), an accomplished babysitter, and while she is very sassy (I don’t know how she came by that trait), she is also kind and sweet.
It occurred to me this morning that, while Joy and I were raising our children, I never once read a book on parenting, Christian or otherwise.
By Scott Keith –
What’s in a name? Well, I suppose it depends on the name. My name is relatively common. While growing up, I always knew two or three people my age with my same name. In fact, my best friend in high school was named Scott. If you Google the name “Scott Keith,” you will discover that there are many people with my name. The most popular among them is a gentleman who seems to have made a decent living blogging and writing about professional wrestling.
By Scott Keith –
Two weeks ago I wrote about meeting with my cousin for the first time in twenty years while at the Christ Hold Fast conference. Again, it was an incredible time for me. What I did not say in that blog is that my cousin has a husband and two daughters whom I have never met. I can not tell you how much this distresses me. I want to meet them. I want to know them. I want to see how much her daughters look like she did when she was young.
Out of the blue, a couple of weeks ago, I got a Facebook instant message from my cousin. What I write in this blog is a response to that message.
By Scott Keith –
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Screw that! I’d rather live in my sanctimony and self-righteousness. To “forgive as Christ forgave,” I’d have to stop holding on to all my resentments. My wife would no longer daily piss me off. Instead, I’d have to be tenderhearted to her. Blah!! Instead of letting my kids and even my coworkers know that they annoy the crap out of me every day, I’d have to “be kind” to them. Who wants that?
By Scott Keith –
A few weeks ago, I was honored to be a plenary speaker at the now much lauded Christ Hold Fast (CHF) conference. For many, it was a life changing event. Why? Because the unadulterated Gospel of Christ was handed over with detail and passion for the sinner, over and over again. The speakers were fantastic. They faithfully proclaimed Christ and the forgiveness of sins through God’s radical pursuit of “prodigals” just like us.
Hello again, readers!
After the overwhelming success of Rachel’s article last week, I feel it is appropriate to run one more of her articles this week. Who knows, this may be the start of something big. The Jagged Word, or 1517 the Legacy Project for that matter, are always looking for new writers. Rachel is incredibly talented, and her insights into the world of motherhood are honest, gritty, and centered on the Gospel of Christ. Please enjoy one more article from Mrs. Rachel Francisco.
By Scott Keith –
*Dear Readers:
Mrs. Rachel Francisco is the author of this blog. She is the wife of Dr. Adam Francisco and mother of four. I consider it an honor to take the opportunity to give up my regular spot to give others a “shot” at making their voice public.
Rachel has done so beautifully here. I ask you to consider her words and leave her feedback. In my opinion, she is a natural writer. Her words should not be ignored
By Scott Keith –
Like The Jagged Word, Christ Hold Fast is a project of 1517 the Legacy Project. As they describe themselves:
“We are a Law & Gospel collective of creative contributors, dedicated to teaching people how Christ remains faithful even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). We provide a voice for Christians who are both Sinner & Saint (Romans 7:15-25). We promote the bad news that you are a greater sinner than you think (Isaiah 64:6-7) and the good news that Christ is a greater Savior than you can imagine (Romans 5:6-11). And get this: He will never let you go (Hebrews 13:5-6).
By Scott Keith –
Our youngest child is our daughter Autumn who is sixteen years of age. She has always been a very competent child. She learned how to do things very early; walking, talking, tying her shoes all came quickly and seemingly natural to her. When we would teach her to do something, as soon as she had even the slightest idea of how to do it, she would push our hands away and
