Todd Linn's Blog, page 8

Providence Of God

“If God created everything and is in control of everything…

“Did God create evil?”

“Why does God allow evil to exist?”

One way of answering these questions is to reflect upon God’s providence. A helpful catechism defines God’s works of providence as “His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions.”

Today’s Theology Thursday SlideShare presentation:

The Providence of God from Todd Linn, PhD

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

5 Suggestions For Preaching Funerals

One of the greatest difficulties people experience is the death of a loved one. And yet, a funeral service can be one of the most important times to minister to them. This list of suggestions, while not exhaustive, can help you plan a meaningful ceremony.

1) Be Present For Family Visitation

Families usually gather an hour before public visitation. Being there early gives the pastor an opportunity to warmly greet family as they arrive. His quiet presence can help them grieve as they prepare to receive visitors. Where logistics allow, pray with the family just prior to their entering the room to view their loved one. And, as a general rule, remain with the family until public visitation begins.

2) Recommend An Order Of Service

While funeral directors cover many details, pastors can help families plan a meaningful service. Ask the family for favorite Scripture passages and lead them to consider no more than 3-4 songs, positioning them so they progress naturally from the more contemplative to the more celebratory. Speakers sharing personal remarks may be placed just before an uplifting hymn or immediately preceding the sermon. This arrangement creates a natural movement from grief to gospel hope.

3) Weave Biography Into The Sermon

Most funeral homes provide family and visitors with a pamphlet that includes an obituary. Rather than reading the obituary as part of the service, weave biographical information into the funeral message itself. Include encouraging reflections from those who have shared their stories during visitation. Since most people can read the obituary themselves, weaving life details into your sermon comes across more thoughtfully, conveying greater warmth and feeling.

4) Keep The Service Brief

Generally speaking, 30-40 minutes is ample time for a meaningful funeral service. If the service is much shorter, it may suggest not enough thought went into planning. If it is too long, people may grow restless. Most of the family will have been on their feet for hours during visitation and will be traveling to the cemetery after the ceremony. Keeping the service brief helps them continue through a very difficult day.

5) Preach The Gospel

The ceremony should culminate in gospel proclamation. Some of my favorite texts include Psalm 23, Matthew 14:12, John 14:1-3, and 2 Timothy 4:6-8. The sermon should build from biographical information to a focus upon the Lord Jesus. If conducting the service for a believer, sharing gospel truths about heaven is especially encouraging. If conducting the service for an unbeliever or one whose faith was unknown, emphasizing the comfort of Christ strengthens hurting families. Only God knows the state of each person’s soul, so pastors should choose their words carefully. Finally, include an evangelistic appeal near the end of every message. My own practice is to say something like, “One day, there will be a service much like this for every one of us,” a statement encouraging reflection and thoughtful preparation for eternity.

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

The Trinity

“Try to understand the Trinity and you may lose your mind––fail to understand the Trinity and you may lose your soul!”

It IS Possible to Understand the Trinity. We may not have exhaustive knowledge of this doctrine, but we can know it enough to state it clearly and understand it deeply.

With a proper understanding of this doctrine, we have the intellectual basis to defend the faith and worship our Triune God!

So without further ado, Theology Thursday’s SlideShare Presentation:

The Trinity from Todd Linn, PhD

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

Prior Comments…

Gersom ClarkThank you, Todd for the explanation on the Trinity, it is easy to grasp supported by verses. I also like your practical illustrations of water and egg. And I appreciate the verses, especially the OT ones that I will post someday. I like the “don’t fight it” pull instead of push message of slide 17. MAY 14, 2020

Comment by post authorTodd Linn, PhD Thanks, Gersom! Also glad you share my sense of humor!MAY 14, 2020

Gersom ClarkYou’re welcome, Todd! It was placed strategically, funny, effective message, and easy to recall.MAY 15, 2020 

Names Of God

The Third Commandment prohibits “taking the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

To “take” means “to carry.” As we “carry” the name of God wherever we go, we must not carry His name in vain, in a disdainful way.

Consequently, it would be helpful to know something of the “name” or “names” of God, wouldn’t it?

Today’s Theology Thursday SlideShare presentation is:

from Todd Linn, PhD

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

How Pastors Help Their Congregations Worship

Pastors may be tempted to focus solely on sermon preparation and leave musical ministry entirely to others. But preachers are arguably in the best position to enhance congregational worship. Here are five ways preachers can help their congregations worship well:

1) Take Responsibility For Worship

Your church may have a minister of music or a similarly titled position, but if you are the lead pastor, you are the primary worship leader. You are called to oversee the entire congregation, and you bear ultimate responsibility for all that takes place during worship. Be sure to clearly communicate any expectations you have for ministers serving under your leadership and meet weekly with them to prepare for upcoming services and review previous services.

2) Set A Good Worship Example

For different reasons, many people watch the preacher during the worship service. It may be they simply enjoy seeing their pastor worship. Or, they may be evaluating his level of interest and engagement. In any case, preachers model good worship behavior by giving their attention to whoever is speaking and joyfully singing with their fellow worshipers.

3) Don’t Review Your Notes During Worship

While this action could be placed under the previous heading, I believe it requires its own category. It’s one thing to glance quickly over a sermon introduction just before entering the pulpit. Still, it’s another thing to have our heads down during the entire worship service because we’re reading our manuscript. Good sermon preparation includes time spent reviewing the message before the service begins. Furthermore, a preacher’s disengagement from the service disheartens worship teams and choirs, who may conclude the preacher doesn’t care about their musical gifts or leadership.

4) Frequently Teach About Worship

Preachers help their congregations worship better by being good teachers of worship. While a sermon series is helpful, frequently explaining unfamiliar terms or phrases used in worship is important. For example, not everyone knows “hallelujah” means “praise the Lord” or the hymn lyric “Here I raise my Ebenezer” refers to a stone erected to commemorate God’s help (1 Samuel 7:12). People can’t worship properly if they don’t know what they’re singing about. Being a good worship teacher deepens their experience and makes it more meaningful.

5) Occasionally Work Worship Lyrics Into Sermons

The Bible itself illustrates how truth is taught in music, evidenced in 150 psalms and song lyrics memorializing significant events. Many traditional hymns, contemporary songs, and popular praise choruses provide great illustrative material to teach sermon truths. When preachers occasionally recite worship lyrics in their sermons, they teach the biblical text and make worshipers aware of good worship songs that reinforce biblical teachings.

So, pastors, help your congregation this week by leading them in worship!

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

Attributes Of God

Two years ago, renowned researcher George Barna released the latest installment of his study on the theological beliefs of Americans. Not surprisingly, the results continue to reflect a downward trend in support of orthodox Christianity.

For example, only 51% of Americans believe God to be the “all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect and just Creator of the universe still ruling the world today” whereas just twenty-nine years ago 73% of Americans believed that to be true.

In a statement to the Christian Post, Barna observed: “The spiritual noise in our culture over the last few decades has confused and misled hundreds of millions of people.” He added: “The message to churches, Christian leaders, and Christian educators is clear: we can no longer assume that people have a solid grasp of even the most basic biblical principles.”

For this reason (and others!) I’ve been dedicating Thursday posts to “Theology Thursdays.” Each week we’ll continue looking at one aspect of biblical, orthodox Christian theology and why it matters.

The Attributes of God

Attributes of God from Todd Linn, PhD

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

Why Pastors Should Write Handwritten Cards

When was the last time you sent a brief note to someone the old-fashioned way: using a pen to write down your thoughts on a piece of paper before placing it in a mailbox, knowing it may be a couple of days before your note reaches its final destination?

In our high-tech world of instant communication, we have grown accustomed to ministering via texts, email, and social media. And, while we can be thankful for so many ways to minister, I want to make a case for why preachers can bless others by sending handwritten cards.

1) Cards Are Unexpected

Fewer people receive handwritten notes and cards in the mail than they did even a decade ago. The US Postal Service reports that first-class mail continues to decline sharply in an age of instant electronic communication. 1

Consequently, a handwritten card has the potential to “stand out” among the usual and more expected forms of communication.

2) Cards Uniquely Encourage Members

Aside from a personal visit, a handwritten card encourages church members beyond the ways they are encouraged through other correspondence. Yes, that timely text, email, or phone call is also important, but there is something about receiving a card in the mail that brings a special blessing to the recipient.

When members receive your letter in the the mail, they know that you have been thinking of them as you located suitable stationery, affixed a stamp, and looked up their mailing address. And it honors them to know that you have taken extra time to express your feelings in your own hand.

3) Cards Best Convey Our Gratitude

When someone blesses us personally, we typically express our thanks to them both verbally and electronically (text or email). This is good form and arguably sufficient for many relationships.

However, consider going the extra mile by following up with a personal thank-you card. Sending a handwritten note of thanks for their kindness–a special meal, a gift, a preaching opportunity & honorarium–conveys that your gratitude is not obligatory but thoroughly genuine.

4) Cards Bless Church Visitors

Few people enjoy receiving form letters, those impersonal, “one-size-fits-all” methods of communicating: e.g., “Dear _________. Thanks for visiting our church…”

However, a personal card from the pastor makes a positive impression on church visitors. It doesn’t take much time to write 2-3 sentences on a card, and doing so is more likely to result in a visitor’s return.

5) Cards Enhance Our Preaching Ministry

The most effective preaching occurs in a pastoral context. When members have been blessed to receive a thoughtful card from their pastor, they are more likely to be receptive to his preaching. They feel their pastor genuinely cares for them as he has taken extra time to bless them.

So go “old school” this week and bless someone with a handwritten card!

Right Doctrine, Wrong Faith

Today’s post continues a treatment of James 2:14-19 and focuses on James 2:19. For a study of the previous verses, see here.

Saving Faith is not Merely Intellectual 

Not only is saving faith not merely confessional, but it also is not merely intellectual. James addresses those who may have their doctrine right but again fail to live out that faith in the doing of good deeds. Saving faith, then, is not merely a cerebral or intellectual experience.  

Specifically, James says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

A person can believe orthodox statements about the Christian faith and still be lost. A person can accept true claims about God and still be destined for hell.  

The statement: “You believe that there is one God,” is an orthodox Christian statement. There is but one God! So James says, “You do well.” But then he warns: “Even the demons believe (this)—and tremble!”  

Even demons believe factual statements about God, but this does not mean that they are in a right relationship with God. Saving faith is not merely intellectual. We are not put into a position of favor with God simply by agreeing with true statements. 

True Christian faith, living faith, grips both the head and the heart. Genuine faith is both cerebral and cardiological. If faith is merely intellectual, then it is faith that resides only in our heads. If, however, we recognize the depth of our sin, throw ourselves upon the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and surrender to Him as Lord, then something has happened on the inside. Something has happened in our hearts. We are different. We are changed. We are saved. And this saving faith leads to the doing of good deeds or works.

The great Puritan preacher and thinker Jonathan Edwards makes this point in a sermon preached on this verse. His sermon is entitled “True Grace Distinguished From The Experience Of Devils.” 1  Isn’t that a great Puritan sermon title?!  Edwards points out that, just like demons, man can know the various attributes of God and yet remain lost. Here are a few excerpts from the sermon:

The devils know God’s almighty power. They saw a great manifestation of it when they saw God lay the foundation of the earth…and were much affected with it. They have seen innumerable other great demonstrations of his power, as in the universal deluge, the destruction of Sodom, the wonders in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, causing the sun to stand still in Joshua’s time, and many others…

So the devils have a great knowledge of the wisdom of God. They have had unspeakably more opportunity and occasion to observe it in the work of creation, and also in the works of providence, than any mortal man has ever had…

Devils and damned men know that God is eternal and unchangeable. And therefore they despair of there ever being an end to their misery. Therefore it is manifest, that merely persons having an affecting sense of some, or even of all God’s attributes, is no certain sign that they have the true grace of God in their hearts.

Jonathan edwards

This is the warning James provides: one can believe factual statements about God and still be lost. A mere understanding of biblical truths is no guarantee of salvation. It is no guarantee that God’s saving grace is operative in the heart.

Saving faith is not merely confessional and not merely intellectual. But there is more:

Saving Faith is not Merely Emotional

Note the emotion indicated by the demons. James describes them this way: “Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

They shudder, they bristle. They move, they shake. They feel. One could say that when they are in the presence of God, they are very emotional. A lost person can feel awe in the presence of God.

Emotions are part of our being. We all “feel” specific ways in certain situations. Emotions themselves are not problematic. The problem is when we base the authenticity of our faith upon mere emotional experience.

It is dangerous to believe we are genuinely saved simply because we have (or don’t have) an emotional experience of some kind. No one is saved merely because he or she feels a certain way. The fact is there are many days when the true Christian does not necessarily feel very good or very spiritual. Emotions come and go.

A lost person can feel the warmth of a church building. A lost person can feel the care and concern of others. A lost person can feel good when listening to congregational music. He can feel excited, happy, and even good about his spiritual condition.

Saving faith, then, is not merely confessional, not merely intellectual, and not merely emotional.

So what is a sign that the true grace of God is working in our hearts? We are saved by placing our faith in Jesus Christ alone as Savior. We believe that we are sinners who can do nothing to earn God’s favor. We repent, turning from our sins and turning to Jesus Christ, looking to Christ alone for acceptance with God—Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf. And this genuine faith and trust in Christ alone leads to a different way of living. We are new creations, and we live out our Christian faith through practical deeds and loving works.

Salvation is not “faith-plus-works,” nor is salvation found in “faith-minus-works,” but genuine living faith is a “faith that works.”  

What About You?

Does your faith in Christ involve both “head” and “heart?” If not, or if you are unsure, read the brief appendix at the end of this book: “Becoming a Christian.”How can you use this passage to help someone come to faith in Christ?“Faith alone saves,” but “the faith that saves is never alone.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain and apply your answer.

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 87-90, available on Amazon.

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

Earning God’s Approval: Good Luck With That!

James says: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Given the examples provided in these verses, it seems clear that James has in mind what we often describe as the “moral law” in the Old Testament. Much of the “cultic law,” such as dietary laws or other laws of rite and ritual, are no longer binding upon believers today. But the “moral law” is timeless. Every culture has some sense of moral law woven into the fabric of its social code, even if that culture fails to understand that the essence of its law is rooted in the grace of God.  

For Christians, the moral law is aptly summarized in the “Ten Commandments” in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. This moral law is a cohesive unit to be obeyed in its entirety. We are not permitted to ignore any of it. James says we are to “keep the whole law.”

This raises a necessary clarification. Remember that James is writing to Christians. We’ve stated that this letter is not about how to become a Christian but how to behave as a Christian. James is writing to those saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So James is not teaching here that the way one is saved is by keeping the Old Testament Law, keeping the 10 Commandments.

Many people believe this is what the Bible teaches. Many people wrongly think Christianity is about following rules and regulations to gain God’s approval. But Christianity is not so much about following principles as it is about following a Person, namely Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who obeyed perfectly “the whole” law so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Once we have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we live out the moral law in obedience to God, not as a means by which to be saved—that has been accomplished already through faith in Jesus Christ—but as a means of glorifying God with our new hearts.

One of the primary functions of the Old Testament law is to convict unbelievers of sin, forever pointing out their inability to keep the law and pointing to the only one who perfectly has, Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:21-24).  

The Bible is a mirror. As we look into it, we must allow it to show us what we are before we can expect to do what it says. We can’t do what it says until we first see what we are. We must first see our sin before we can rightly see our Savior. Then we turn to Him, trusting Him as Lord. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus lived for us and died for us. He kept the law perfectly and thus fulfilled the law on our behalf. He died, taking our punishment for breaking the law, and He rose from the dead so we could be declared righteous by faith in Him (Romans 4:25).

So if we have been saved through faith in Christ, then the law is now “lived out” in us, not to gain our justification, but to grow in our sanctification. Christians live the law, not to get saved; Christians live the moral law because they are saved.

James teaches that Christians should be living out this moral law by “keeping” it, keeping “the whole law.” Again, William Barclay is helpful. He notes the wrong way many in James’ day thought of the Law:

The Jew was very apt to regard the law as a series of detached injunctions. To keep one was to gain credit; to break one was to incur debt. A man could add up the ones he kept and subtract the ones he broke and so emerge with a credit or a debit balance. 1   

This is precisely how many today regard the observance of biblical commands. They think if they keep a biblical command they will gain a credit, and when they break a biblical command, they will incur a debt. They hope they will have more credits than debts in the end and perhaps tip the scales of justice in their favor or gain greater acceptance from God.

But it is impossible to be saved by keeping the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16) because it is a cohesive unit. A person must obey it in its entirety—and no person does that consistently and flawlessly. To break one single command violates all the laws, just as a crack in the glass affects an entire windshield.

If you hope to be saved by keeping the law, you must keep all of it consistently and flawlessly.  

Think about taking a test in school. Say there are 100 questions worth one point each, and you miss 5; you get a 95%. That’s an A by most calculations. But imagine if you took that test and there were 100 questions worth one point each, and you missed only one and received an F. You would argue, “But I got 99 right; I missed only one!” The teacher replies, “It doesn’t matter. This test is a pass or fail test, and because you did not get all of the questions correct, you failed.”

If you’re hoping to keep the Old Testament law to earn salvation, you need to know that God does not grade on a curve. You’ve got to keep the whole law in its entirety. Breaking any one of the laws is to break all of them. Breaking just one command makes one “a transgressor of the law.”

Here’s another way to think of it: Imagine you are rushing to catch a plane. You are hurrying through check-in, moving quickly through the security line, and now running to the gate so you can catch the plane. But when you finally reach that gate, it does not matter whether you are just one minute or ten minutes late; once that gate is closed, you are not getting on that plane. It doesn’t matter how close you got; you are not allowed to board that flight.

If you are not a Christian, it doesn’t matter how closely you try to follow the 10 Commandments. It doesn’t matter how “close” you get because you are not saved by keeping the law. Nobody keeps the law consistently and flawlessly—nobody but Jesus. That’s why He is the only way in. 

From the standpoint of an unbeliever, “sin is sin,” whether it is murder, adultery, or lying. Just one sin will keep a person from getting through the “gate” into heaven. It doesn’t matter if it’s a “big” sin or a “little” sin. Just one is enough to keep anyone from entering heaven.

This raises the need for another important word of clarification. While the phrase “sin is sin” is rightly used when referring to an unbeliever’s inability to earn forgiveness or his hoping somehow to gain entrance to heaven based on an accrued number of “credits,” it is not always helpful to use this phrase.

We should use the phrase “sin is sin” with care. Not all sins are equal in the sense that not all are equally heinous, equally ugly, or similarly reprehensible. You may be fired from a job for lying, or for beating up a co-worker, but which would you rather have to explain at your next job interview?

Would you rather your daughter be guilty of driving too fast or robbing a bank? To say “sin is sin” is to fail to account for degrees of wickedness as well as degrees of punishment or consequence.

Some sins are more or less heinous, but all are equally deadly in terms of a lost person’s hope of gaining some sense of favor before God, doing good works to become more “savable.”  

The law is a cohesive unit. It is an interdependent whole. It is to be obeyed in its entirety. So the Christian lives the law, not to gain justification but to grow in sanctification. And James reminds Christians that they are not permitted to “cherry pick” which commands they like and leave off those they don’t like.  

So you can’t say, “Well, I know murder is bad, and I’m not going to do that,” but then you ignore the commandment forbidding adultery by lusting in your heart, which makes you a lawbreaker (Matthew 5:27-28). More to James’ point: it is wrong to think, “Well, adultery and murder, I’ve never done these things, and I never will,” but then you show favoritism by being kind to rich people and shunning poor people. You have become a lawbreaker.  

Love Others Without Partiality.
Obey The Law In Its Entirety.

There’s one more action James calls for in these verses:

Live With A View To Eternity.

We’ll explore that action next time!

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 72-77, available on Amazon.

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...

When You Preach, Share Your Location!

If you own a cell phone, you know the benefit of third-party applications that allow you to “share your location” with family & friends. Whether your group is visiting a theme park, camping in the mountains, or shopping at one of those large factory outlets, sharing one’s location is a way to ensure that no one in the family gets lost. Similarly, when worshipers gather together to hear the preaching of the Word, the thoughtful preacher will regularly “share his location” while preaching so that everyone in the church family knows where he is.

Location sharing occurs when preachers say something like: “Look at verse 1” or, “See this in the following verse.” When preachers use such phrases, they challenge their listeners to “visit” the respective location in the text to find where they are. If you are a preacher, consider at least four reasons to regularly “share your location” with your listeners while preaching:

1) It Reclaims Wandering Listeners

We must remember that our listeners are not always listening! They are just as prone to wander while hearing our words as we are in preaching them. Regularly “setting the address” by stating the particular book, chapter, or verse increases the probability of reclaiming those with wandering thoughts and improves the odds that they’ll stay with us.

2) It Teaches People How To Study The Bible

When preachers frequently use phrases such as, “Now look at verse 2” or, “See this recurring theme in chapter 3,” or, “Take note of the context in the verses preceding the passage,” they are teaching their listeners how to read and study the Scriptures. By directing their attention to the location of specific verses, words, and phrases, they demonstrate that careful study of the Word yields a correct understanding of the text.

3) It Engages More Of The Senses

Knowledge is mainly gained through the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). The more senses involved, the better the learning. Preachers who not only “preach” messages (sound) but also lead listeners to open their Bibles (touch), and find the location of specific verses (sight), will increase the likelihood that their hearers learn and retain the message.

4) It Locates Authority In The Word

Every time a preacher “shares his location” while preaching, he teaches his hearers that the authority of the sermon is rooted in the biblical text. In essence, he says, “Look at the Scriptures, and you will see that this is not my opinion, but the very Word of God.” And, because listeners grow accustomed to finding the location of texts themselves, they learn to judge the accuracy of the preacher’s statements against the authoritative Word of God.

Follow Preaching Truth on WordPress.com(function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.par...