   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
  On November 10, 2020 I wrote: “I will be back soon. Thank you for reading. –Pastor Leon Stier”     Sorry it took so long.     I hope you are all still there. It has been a while since I posted one of these. I had some computer and website issues that needed fixing,
“My Siblings Died — And My Dad Sang This Song” by Joshua Rogers, posted August 17, 2020, at: http://www.joshuarogers.com —————    The phone rang and my mom answered. She never imagined the horrific news my grandfather was about to share. My dad’s two children from his first marriage had died in a plane crash.
2425) “Ain’t God Good, Boys?” Read More »
From ‘The Blessing’ Sung Around the World: 100 Virtual Choirs Spread Worship Anthem: How a familiar Old Testament benediction became a viral hit during the pandemic. By Megan Flower, July 29, 2020, at: http://www.christianity.com ————————————————    Just a couple of weeks before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the US, Kari Jobe held a songwriting
2408) May the Lord Bless You and Keep You Read More »
   Johnny Cash (1932-2003) recorded almost one-hundred albums in his long career.  Of all those many albums, he said his favorite was the last one he did, released just a few months before he died.  None of his best-known songs are on this album, none of the songs in that album were written by
2355) Johnny Cash’s Favorite Album Read More »
