   Each New Year’s Day, as does each birthday, brings with it the unsettling reminder that another year is gone.  I would guess that everyone (after a certain age, anyway) thinks about that at least a little bit.  We get only so many years here, and these annual reminders seem to come around faster […]
3111) A Psalm, a Hymn, and a Prayer for New Year’s Day Read More »
     Henry Francis Lyte was born in Scotland in 1793.  His father moved the family to Ireland; and then he abandoned them.  When Henry was nine, his mother died, leaving him an orphan.  The superintendent at the school he was attending invited Henry into his home and made him a part of his family.
3108) Abide With Me Read More »
Don’t miss the videos at the end– especially the first one!    It was December 2019 and Lisa Clow was not at all in the Christmas spirit. It had been a difficult year and a half, and she was struggling. Finances had been a problem, she suffered a miscarriage, and some troubled relationships left
3099) Oh Come, All You Unfaithful Read More »
   One of the best-loved Christmas carols is Joy to the World.  The song begins with “Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive its King;” and then we sing, “Let every heart prepare him room.”  Prepare him room, it says, or, make room for Jesus.  The phrase brings to mind
   As a young woman in Brighton, England, Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871) was known as “carefree Charlotte.” She was a popular portrait artist and a writer of humorous poetry. When in her early thirties, Charlotte suffered a serious illness that left her as a bedridden invalid for the rest of her life. She was often
3058) Come As You Are Read More »
 **************************************    One of the best known of all hymn verses is what is often called the Doxology, written in 1674 by Englishman Thomas Ken (1637-1711): Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.    Many
3055) An Illegal Hymn Read More »
Elizabeth Clephane  (1830-1869)    Jesus said (Mark 8:34):  “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  Take up your cross, Jesus said.  Those words have led to an expression Christians often use when speaking of their troubles.  “It is my cross to bear,” many will
2912) Beneath the Cross of Jesus Read More »
   When you think about what you will give to the Lord’s work each week, you should consider your offerings from the perspective of eternity. Let me tell you what I mean.    Several years ago, in the old American Lutheran Church, the Division for Missions had a program by which congregations here
2868) Treasures in Heaven Read More »
   A friend of mine once described to me a way that he would pray sometimes without words. Instead of using words, he prayed in images, or, I should say, he imagined himself right in a Bible story with Jesus. So if he was feeling overwhelmed by his troubles, he would close his eyes
2852) “Were You There…?” Read More »
   Georgia preacher Fred Craddock describes how his ancestors used to go out walking, usually on a Sunday afternoon back when the stores were closed that day; and they called it “going marveling.”  Marveling.  They would look for unusual rocks, pretty little wild flowers, shells, four-leafed clovers, brightly colored bird feathers, maybe even a
