Doctrine for Life
This evening we were blessed with another wedding: Justin VanBrugge and Hollee Engelsma. Justin‘s father, Rev. David VanBrugge, gave the wedding message on “walk in love” (Eph. 5:2). It was a beautiful message and reception. Our son-in-law, Isaac, was in the wedding party so I included a picture of Isaac and our daughter Lydia with the newlyweds as well.
Please pray that God will bless this new marriage with a great measure of His Holy Spirit’s work and influence.
In terms of Reformation Heritage Books (RHB), today is a bittersweet (but mostly sweet) day for me. It is a bit of a sad day because all of our RHB employees are now in the new building and I miss them greatly already. I normally walk over from my office at PRTS to the RHB area (about 40 feet from my office) for a variety of reasons at least half a dozen times a day, and now it seems so empty. I console myself that at least we will have a small RHB/PRTS bookstore still here at the seminary which will be staffed by one PRTS employee, Giselle; it will be open from Monday to Friday—but it is not the same. All the activity of hundreds of mail order sales each day is gone! I think I’m going through withdrawal symptoms!
It is a glad day for RHB for two reasons: (1) because RHB finally has enough space in a beautiful large building (see second photo above – 11 minutes driving distance from PRTS and one block away from Grand Rapids’s busiest shopping street!) and (2) today is the first day that RHB has begun to process orders from the new warehouse (see the processing team in the first photo above). At 11:46 this morning, our CEO, David Woollin, sent me these two pictures with this succinct but historic note: “Just now the first order was fully processed and shipped from our new building! Praise the Lord!”
Pray that millions of God-honoring books will be shipped from the new RHB Bookstore for the maturation of the saints and the salvation of the lost! (For mail orders, visit www.heritagebooks.org).
P.S.: RHB’s large walk-in, retail store in our new location should be open for business as well in a few weeks. Don’t ever come to Grand Rapids without visiting it—you will love being able to purchase from the 4500 titles that will be offered in the store—all at steeply discounted, non-profit prices!
Yesterday I did a Q&A interview mostly on the Puritans for pastors and families in the Philippines with two brothers, Bryan and Khyle. I am grateful to hear of a growing interest in the Reformed faith in the Philippines. Pray that that may continue and be multiplied.
Yesterday afternoon we had yet another funeral service—this one in memory of Gilbert Vander Male, who passed away at the age of 97 as one of the oldest members of our church. He is survived by 5 children, 15 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and scores of other relatives. He was a World War II vet, and was in the thick of battle for some months. He witnessed many comrades being killed around him, though he never spoke much about this until near the end of his life. Being self-effacing, he would not even allow a special military service at his graveside, though he did allow a flag to be draped across his coffin and then be given to his children in recognition of his service.
My colleague, Dr. Maarten Kuivenhoven, spoke in the church on Isaiah 55:1-3 (“Ho everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” etc.) and I gave a committal message at the graveside on Revelation 21:5-6 (“I am Alpha and Omega… I make all things new”). Two sons, Bob and John, also shared memories of their dear father. In being one of his pastors for the last 34 years I had the privilege of seeing him gradually come to saving faith in Christ over the years, then receive freedom to attend the Lord’s Supper for the first time at the age of 91(!), and grow in assurance of faith during the last years of his life so that he felt ready and at peace to die to be with Christ in the end. Praise God for the end of those made righteous and blameless in Christ (see Ps. 37:37).
