Read the Bible in 2011 ◊ Week 1: Friday “The proud look of man will be abased And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day….” “The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will […]
Have you been running away lately? Maybe not physically, but in your mind or emotions? Have things seemed overwhelming and you don’t know exactly how God is going to help you or deliver you? Are you thinking you just ought to give up? Or maybe at some point in the past perhaps you did give […]
Carol of the Bells featured a hand bell choir in Taiwan. The lyrics of Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour were written in China by Frank Houghton, an Englishman. The words, the music and the story behind the writing of this hymn make this song one of my favorite Christmas carols. “…This hymn was […]
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and […]
In many churches I’ve attended it is a tradition to close the Christmas Eve service by singing Silent Night. This carol was written and first sung in Oberndorf, Austria. “Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in Heavenly peace! […]
There are some songs with words and music so personally significant, I still remember the first time I heard them. Mary, Did You Know? is one of those songs. I first heard it sung by a small vocal ensemble at the water’s edge of a town harbor during an outdoor Christmas celebration ten years ago. […]
Giving thanks frequently receives short shrift when we talk about it, because we tend to discuss it either superficially when we are at ease in our circumstances, or else in denial of the pain of difficulties. We give moralizing lectures about it or sometimes present the idea of giving thanks to God as a sort […]
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 […]