At the start of a new semester, I have chosen for my poem of the week a stirring critique of all too common experiences in our evangelical worship services by Justin Wainscott. We have probably all seen the things skewered here. Let us labor for better. An Indictment on Evangelical Worship Set the stage and …
My poem of the week this week is Blake’s “The Lamb,” a really nice poem for children telling them about Jesus the Lamb of God. Sometimes I love Blake’s poems, sometimes I don’t like them at all. This one is great. “The Lamb” Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Gave …
I have for some time enjoyed the poetry of George Herbert. While reading Tim Keller’s recent book on prayer I came across Herbert’s poem, “Prayer (I),” which Keller deals with in some detail. The poem describes prayer with a series of compelling images which are worth pondering. Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age, God’s …
Merry Christmas from the Van Nestes! Here is a new favorite of my family’s after singing it at our church’s Christmas Eve service last night. It is a marvelous hymn, theologically rich and lyrically beautiful, written by Justin Wainscott. You can read Justin’s discussion of the hymn here. It can be sung to the tune …
One of the best things about classic Christmas hymns is how good they are at biblical theology, of grasping how the incarnation fits in the story of the whole Bible. Many of these songs are filled with allusions to Old Testament texts which people today often miss, and these songs often connect Christ’s coming with …
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“The Robin and the Sparrow” Said the robin to the sparrow, “I should really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so.” Said the sparrow to the robin, “Friend I think that it must be, That they have no Heavenly Father, Such as cares for you and me.” ― Elizabeth Cheney …
Rudyard Kiping’s poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” is a powerful and poignant challenge for our cultural situation today. Kipling wrote the poem in 1919 in response to the cultural despair after World War I when so many began rejecting the moral and religious truths which had undergirded European civilization. We need to hear …
I encountered Horatius Bonar years ago while reading about Robert Murray McCheyne and, then, by reading his book, Words to Winners of Souls. His work has ministered to me in many ways. In his hymns he has a wonderful way of proclaiming the gospel in poetic form. My poem of the week this week is …
William Cowper knew what it was to be discouraged, and, thus, he wrote compellingly to this struggle. My poem of the week this week is one of Cowper’s which calls the discouraged saint to look to biblical examples of the Lord’s care and intervention in order to hold fast. The last two lines are my …
My poem of the week this week is one of my favorites from Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), missionary to India. I kept this poem on the wall of my dorm room in college in order to keep this powerful prayer before me. Make Me Thy Fuel From prayer that asks that I may …