From a sermon / May 2011 Clint Eastwood is a really tough guy. Just think of the hundreds of bad guys we’ve watched him kill or beat up over the last 50 years, and he hardly ever gets killed. Of course, that’s just television and movies, but Clint Eastwood looks tough in real […]
311) Feeling Sorry for Clint Eastwood (part one) Read More »
(…continued) Where is Eddie now? Let’s look at the question from a different perspective, from the other end of life. Imagine a little newborn baby, let’s call her Aisha. Let’s say Aisha was born just this morning, so she is here now; but where was she a year ago? How did she get
297) Can These Bones Live? (Part Two) Read More »
In Ezekiel 37 the prophet is given a vision of a valley filled with skeletons, the remains of thousands of dead people. The Lord asked Ezekiel if those dry bones could live. ‘Can the dead really live again?’ was the question. “O Lord,” Ezekiel replied, “only you know that.”
296) Can These Bones Live? (Part One) Read More »
“Eternity is in our hearts,” was the theme of yesterday’s meditation. We are frustrated and saddened by the swift passage of time, and the Bible tells us of a place beyond time that God has prepared for us. But John Lennon was not interested. In one of the biggest hits of all time
THOSE WERE THE DAYS by Mary Hopkin Once upon a time there was a tavern Where we used to raise a glass or two Remember how we laughed away the hours And think of all the great things we would do. Chorus: Those were the days, my friend We thought they’d never end We’d sing
293) Eternity in Our Hearts Read More »
From a letter by Martin Luther to Doctor Benedict Paul, whose son had lately been killed by a fall from the top of a house. (Paraphrased from The Table Talk of Martin Luther, translated by William Hazlitt, 1857; available at <www.ccel.org> ) Although it is nowhere forbidden in Holy Scripture to mourn and grieve for
195) A “Measured Sorrow” Read More »
July the 14th, 1861 Washington DC My very dear Sarah: The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days– perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.
191) Last Letter to Sarah Read More »
From a sermon entitled “Life Eternal” by Ralph Sockman (1889-1970) As I ponder Paul’s discussion of the body (in II Corinthians 4 & 5), it deepens my realization that personality does go on despite bodily changes. We are told that a human body undergoes a complete renovation every seven years (by the ongoing
(continued…) How did the young couple with the child born blind respond to Pastor John’s letter? They quit coming to church. This reaction was not to the letter in particular, but to the God of whom the letter spoke. The father said later that he still believed in God, and believed that God
70) Only in This Life (part two) Read More »
I will never forget February 13, 2005, the day our first grandchild was born. Our daughter and son-in-law invited us to the hospital to await the birth of their daughter. It seemed like a long wait, though it was probably no longer than usual. Finally the door we were watching opened and
69) Only in This Life (part one) Read More »
