The Context of Two Gifts

December 11, 2010.Reading time 14 minutes.

You may have wondered why, if Joy to the World is my favorite Christmas carol, I didn’t wait and post it on Christmas Day. I have several reasons. Joy is a major theme of Philippians, and I want to keep this theme in mind—because the topic of Philippians 1:29 is one that is difficult for us […]

Slaves of Christ Jesus

December 7, 2010.Reading time 9 minutes.

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples the evening before He was crucified, He was demonstrating the command He had given them just before He traveled to Jerusalem for the last time: But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their […]

Sharing Our Lives

December 3, 2010.Reading time 6 minutes.

During December I will be posting some of my thoughts on ministry drawn for the most part from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. God has poured out on His children the surpassing riches of His grace through the gift of His Son, Christ Jesus, and in our service to one another, He enables us to […]

Wisdom’s Children

November 15, 2010.Reading time 12 minutes.

In 1970 (incidentally, the year I became a Christian), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the song, Teach Your Children. The tune was memorable, and the lyrics were of war protest and lament. My thoughts and values are certainly different, but Graham Nash’s chorus of teach your children well echoes the note of warning and […]

Sustaining Faith

November 8, 2010.Reading time 6 minutes.

There are many reasons why I respect and, yes, love the Apostle Paul. His words near the close of his final letter in the New Testament, 2 Timothy, reveal the stalwart character of the man who loved his fellow believers, and the man who loved the Lord Jesus.

Organizing Love

September 25, 2010.Reading time 9 minutes.

I want to tell you a story about a friend of mine named Lisa. Over ten years ago I was quite ill to the point of being almost bedridden. My husband, who at the time had a very understanding boss, would help get the day started with our children and then go to work about […]

Truth In The Heart

September 24, 2010.Reading time 6 minutes.

John Owen was an English pastor and brilliant Puritan theologian who lived during the 1600s. He was a contemporary of John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, and labored to have Bunyan released from his imprisonment for preaching without a license. I’ve quoted Owen in Steerage, Perspicuity and in Songs, because I find his words […]