By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
Not long ago I came across the story behind the Christmas hymn, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Morning.” The hymn is based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem written during the Civil War. Obviously, it was a dark time for our nation. Adding to this, Longfellow had just tragically lost his wife and his son […]
C.S. Lewis is ageless. He died 60 years ago but you would never know it by reading him. I was reminded of that this past weekend at our “Slaying Leviathan” Conference. Dr. Glenn Sunshine’s book gave us the name for our Friday and Saturday gathering as well as the theme for the weekend: “Leviathan is […]
Who likes crisis? I have met a few through the years. But not many. I suspect most would choose a lazy river to a raging current. Blue sky and 75 degrees, feet dangling from an innertube, floating down a peaceful river sounds good. Being on a river with rocks, rapids, and an occasional water fall, […]
Some of you know the story. If I may, all of you should. It’s the pilgrimage of Christian and his good friend, Faithful, as they travel the King’s Highway on their way to the Celestial City. It’s Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” I’m referring to. Toward the end of their journey, the Highway took them through […]
Three little pigs went out to build their life. The first little pig would do what made him happy. He had heard since his days as a piglet that life was about him. There wasn’t much planning, not a lot of foresight either. Just get up in the morning and follow his dream. And he […]
Early in redemptive history, God gave the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. He did so on the heels of the exile. Israel, in Egyptian bondage for four centuries, was miraculously rescued from her servitude. Regarding the Law, God’s people were promised blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. The greatest curse promised was exile […]
There’s the screaming, fist-shaking, and tantrums out in front of SCOTUS. We expected that. There’s the soul-less politicians and their impassioned promises to restore what was lost. We expected that. There’s the Hollywood ranting how ashamed and saddened they are. We expected that. Here is what I did not expect. The number of businesses and […]
The 19th century Russian novelist, essayist, and journalist Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a devout Orthodox Christian. He was known for his suspenseful plots where his characters often wrestled with questions of faith, suffering, and evil. Recognized as one of the world’s greatest authors, ashamedly I admit I have not read him. But I did come across […]
I am old now, soon to go the way of all men. God’s call is coming shortly. I am not long for this world. But I write with excitement and satisfaction. For tomorrow, the State of Washington’s Legislature is voting to outlaw abortion, to rid our state of its 75-year reprehensible behavior of killing children […]
Washington Irving published his fanciful tale, Rip Van Winkle in 1819. The story is set in late 18th century America. Rip was squirrel hunting in the Catskill Mountains, dulled by drink he lays down for a nap. Deep sleep doesn’t explain the half of it. He wakes up 20 years later thinking it was the […]
Decades from now, if the world becomes saner through the Kingdom of God getting larger, we will have a conversation with our grandchildren or great grandchildren. And they may ask us something like this, “Tell us about the troubling times. How did it happen? What was wrong with people? Didn’t they see it coming? Why […]
Samuel Rutherford would have been a great pen pal. The 17th century Scottish pastor did his best work, like John Bunyan, with pen in hand while imprisoned for the gospel. His opponents tried to silence him. What they ended up doing was extending his ministry reach centuries through his letters. Spurgeon gave them the highest […]