Today is the fifth anniversary of the tornado that devastated so much of the campus of Union University. You can see a nice news story from a Tennessee TV station here. Five years ago tonight my family sat down to dinner with Bob Cali, a Union student and a fellow church member. Dinner was interrupted …
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A week ago Tom Fox preached a wonderful message on the book of Esther as whole. In discussing God’s providential work in preventing the king from sleeping and how that lead to Mordecai’s exaltation and eventually the thwarting of Haman, Tom used the phrase, “Death to life, a sleepless night.” That wording struck me and …
My poem of the week this week is this wonderful hymn on perseverance rooted in knowledge of God’s sovereign love and care. May it be as encouraging to you as it is to me. Give to the Winds Thy Fears by Paul Gerhardt (translated from German to English by John Wesley in his Collection, 1737) …
Just last night my copy of The Hymns of Philip Doddridge came in the mail, and I was straightway taken in. Doddridge (1702-1751) was mentored by Watts and was a prominent Dissenting minister in England. This volume is a reprint of the posthumously published volume of Doddridge’s hymns with a brief biographical sketch added. …
Each Monday I try to post a new “Poem of the Week” on my office door and for some time I have thought I should post that poem here as well. So finally, I am doing so! This is a poem of Amy Carmichael’s which I first encountered through the writings of Elisabeth Elliot. I …
I have been reading recently on Isaac Watts who has blessed the church so richly with his hymns. Below is a good, though lesser known, example of Watts poetry (originally published in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707-1709). Many of Watt’s hymns were composed to accompany his sermons and you can see him as a pastor …
I just came across this hymn by Martin Luther. From what I could uncover the translator (into English) is unknown. This is a good word in preparation for corporate worship in the morning. 1. Dear Christians, let us now rejoice, And dance in joyous measure; That, of good cheer, and with one voice, We sing …
A Father’s WishBy Edgar Guest (in When Day Is Done) What do I want my boy to be?Oft is the question asked of me,And oft I ask it of myself–What corner, niche or post or shelfIn the great hall of life would ISelect for him to occupy?Statesman or writer, poet, sageOr toiler for a weekly …
‘Twas the Night Before Summer By Anne Margaret Lewis Illustrated by Wendy Popko (Mackinac Island Press) My mother pointed this book out to me, sending me a web link where the full book could be viewed online. The story is not a deep or theological one, but is a fun tribute to summer and imagination. …