Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come* is a tried and true Christmas Carol, and I think it goes without saying that most people who at least attend church on Christmas and Easter can get through the first verse without a struggle. Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her … More Put your songs to work
It’s amazing how Christmas carols bring back memories. As I was reading through O Little Town of Bethlehem,* I was taken back to the mid-1980s. I was a member in the Arabic Baptist Mission in Fort Worth, Texas, while working toward my Masters in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was in this church that … More My hometown
We sing it year after year, but only now did I think about it — Why is the song called The First Nowell* when there has only ever been one Nowell? Noel or Christmas is given to no other event other than that one-time miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Why would the author of the traditional English Carol … More The first and only one
I remember it like it was yesterday. We were sitting in our apartment in Ankara, Turkey. The month was April, but it had just snowed! We spent two, short months in this precious country shortly after the first Iraq War. Knowing the time was short, we worked hard to love on and share with the … More A blooming rose
Do you ever wonder what you did before the internet, cell phones, and social media? We must have been terribly bored! My daughter-in-love and I were talking about this today, and the struggles we have in pushing the voices away. We were talking about an author we both liked, and she said that she and her … More An Undivided Heart
Today’s hymn was sung in the church I visited, and I found myself working hard to focus on the words, not wanting my own challenge to you to be lost on me. Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus* is another great hymn of advent. Advent means the arrival of a notable person, thing or event, and for those who … More All-sufficient merit
I had a wonderful professor in seminary, Dr. Lacoste Munn, who, when speaking about a God’s Word, said it was “shallow enough for a child to wade in and deep enough for an elephant to swim in.” I have found that true throughout my life, and while much of the time I prefer the shallow … More A spacious place
My dear sister and brother-in-law gave me free tickets to a Christmas concert this past week, and something interesting happened. As I listened to the words of some familiar songs — I started crying — not through the entire concert, but when touched by a particular phrase being sung. I realized the power of the … More Desire of nations
I was just trying to have a quiet lunch. OK, it was a package of crackers, but I did go into the break room to relax for my allotted hour. It was not to be, for our security guard came in to tell me I was needed downstairs immediately. I had seen that look before, … More During an otherwise calm day…
I remember a talk I gave many years ago on change. Beginning with Abraham, I spoke on how we are never promised to remain in the same place forever, and how God teaches us by sometimes moving us from the place we’ve served for years. I was speaking to saints who had taught the same … More Seeking the ancient paths
