Above: King David Playing the Harp, 1611, Gerrit van Honthorst ——————    David was Israel’s greatest king.  The nation reached the heights of its power under David’s son Solomon.  But Solomon also sowed the seeds of the nation’s destruction, and within a generation after Solomon died it had been divided and devastated by civil […]
1091) David (part one of two) Read More »
“What do you mean it is going to take forty-five seconds to cook in the micro-wave?  I want it now!” –Homer Simpson (above) —————-   (…continued)  ‘Instant gratification’ is what we might want, but seldom does it do us any good.  Oftentimes, as it says in Romans five, it is suffering that produces strength
1010) Instant Gratification (2/2) Read More »
Author unknown    The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job.  A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.    While I drove him home,
1002) The Trouble Tree Read More »
San Bernardino, California; December 2, 2015; fourteen killed in yet another mass shooting, this one at a Christmas party ————————–    As in the picture above, the Christmas carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day expresses the sad message that “there is no peace on earth.”  The song was originally written as a poem, Christmas Bells, by Henry
970) Peace on Earth? Read More »
PSALM 121:1 — Â I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2Â My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 3Â He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4Â Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5Â The
915) I’ll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends? Read More »
   (…continued)  The Bible has a great deal to say about confidence.  There is a little bit there about self-confidence, a little bit more about having confidence in others, and quite a few verses about confidence in God.  Proverbs 3:25-26 says, “Have no fear, for the Lord will be your confidence;” and Proverbs 14:26 says, “The
868) Funeral Sermon for a Confident Man (b) Read More »
   Whenever I think of Uncle Ray, there is one particular memory that comes to mind.  I remember a hot summer afternoon, perhaps about 15 years ago, when Ray and Laverne were living on East Silent Lake.  Many family members were there for a weekend visit.  We swam, went boating, did some fishing, and had many good
867) Funeral Sermon for a Confident Man (a) Read More »
From The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis  (1380-1471) ————————— The wise lover of God regards not so much the gifts of Him who loves, as the love of Him who gives the gifts.  We should esteem the affection of the Giver more than the value of the gift, and love God more than all
793) The Imitation of Christ (g) Read More »
   (…continued)  Our greatest fear is the fear of death, because death means the end of all our earthly connections.  Only when all those other connections are already severed by ill health or loneliness does death begin to look like a friend.  But as long as we are still in relationships that give life
755) Abide in Me (part three of three) Read More »
   What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could “be like gods”—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God.  And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly
738) C. S. Lewis on Happiness and Comfort and Security Read More »
