The command to praise Psalm 47 is one of the Psalms that invites the heart into a question with its very first words, “O clap your hands, all peoples . . .” Well, why? Why should we clap our hands? Why should “all peoples” express such praise with such exuberance? The construction of the song’s … More Exuberance in Worship isn’t Just for Charismatics
I heard a powerful thought as I was driving home from helping my daughter move sheep. One of the joys of our move to Missouri is the opportunity to be close enough to help and be helped by our son-in-law, daughter, and grandchildren. One of the weekly tasks is moving the sheep from one paddock … More The Joy of Unanswered Prayer
The ESV editors supply the three-word heading, “Revive Us Again,” as a summary of Psalm 85. An outline of the content of the psalm might look something like this: Stanza Description Verses. Contemporary Re-phrasing How God was faithful to Israel (vss. 1-3) … More Dissipating the Anger of God: Psalm 85
I heard someone say, “Social Media Apps are Lament Platforms.” It’s not my phrase, but when I heard it, something rang true and false in my ear at the same time. Like a chord misplayed, it hinted at something that was jarring and yet suggestive of something important and true. I wrote it down til … More When Can Christians Lament?
Everyone who knows me knows I love the city of Philadelphia. Everyone. Two weeks ago, I was on a “roommates call” with a bunch of old friends from 45 years ago. One of them, Dave, had one question for me. “Are you still a die-hard Philadelphia fan?” “Is the Pope Catholic?,” was my response, followed … More Why is Jerusalem So Important?
Two nights ago, I was reading the book quoted below before going to bed. I found gold. I turned to my wife, “Honey, listen to this. This is fantastic.” I read it to her. She agreed. “You should post that on your blog.” “I know.” This captures the warrior spirit that I think captures the … More Fighting Temptation Like a Warrior
Poetic Reflection on Psalm 47
… More Psalm 47: Not a Psalm for the Nation
Back in 2013, I wrote a provocative post titled, THE ATHEISM OF CHRISTIANS. It developed an interesting comment thread that you can access along with the article here. The original post was only about a two-minute read. I forgot all about it until today, when someone resurrected it from the Internet Archive and caused me … More Transcript of an Online Debate from 2013
A revised and updated second edition of Liturgies for Life is now available in a Hardback Edition on Amazon. My hope is that many will find it and use it as a companion to their prayer life in the New Year. The subtitle of the book is “A Companion to a Life of Prayer.” For … More Liturgies For Life Hardback Edition
Have you ever seen images of the Earth apparently “breathing”? But in actuality, the Earth here is not breathing. It is a process of liquefaction where the ground underneath is being liquified by oversaturation with water, and giving the ground surface the appearance of a rising and falling lung. But it did get me thinking. … More What if . . .
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