“Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour”

– For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 – The lyrics of “Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour” were written in China by Frank Houghton, an Englishman.  […]

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“Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming”

Music is one of the most wonderful aspects of the Christmas season.  The songs of hope, joy and love span centuries and countries, and when we sing these words or listen to these carols, we join with other believers who in other times and in other places worshiped God with the same music. “Lo, How […]

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“Mary, Did You Know?”

There are some songs with words and music so personally significant, I still remember the first time I heard them. I heard Mary, Did You Know? sung by a small vocal ensemble at the water’s edge of a town harbor during an outdoor Christmas celebration over ten years ago. The lyrics and music throughout the song […]

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“Joy to the World!”

“Joy to the World” with its exuberant music and words of celebration is one of my favorite Christmas carols. The words are based on Psalm 98, and it is one of the more than 600 hymns written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748).1 He wrote the hymn, however, not of the First Advent of Christ, but of […]

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Messiah!

When I was growing up we attended a church with a large music program, and I first sang in a choir as a young child. Our minister of music frequently had us sing the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah during December. The adult choir was at the front of the church behind the ministers, while […]

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Sweete And Gentle Showers

This week I came across an article by Dr. John S. Uebersax, National Days of Prayer: A Historical Comparison, in which he makes this significant observation: Since 1952, the President of the United States has, by law, annually issued a proclamation recommending a National Day of Prayer. This seeks to revive a similar practice that […]

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His Lovingkindnesses Never Cease

Last year I wrote two blog posts that I think are especially appropriate as we survey the results of the election here in the United States. I’ve always kept links to these posts at the bottom of my blog’s front page, and I’ve already had several hits on the post on Habakkuk: The Day of […]

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Rearranging A Few Things!

In God’s Word & Our Times: Part 1, I discussed the chiasmus of 2 Timothy 3:2–5. I’ve decided to pull out the definition of chiastic structure, add further explanation and examples, and publish it in a separate post, Wonders In God’s Word. This will give me a post to refer to whenever I mention it. I’ve […]

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God’s Mercies & Our Minds

Why do we study the Bible? What is our motivation? What is our purpose? In the first eleven chapters of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul proclaims the mercies of God in His Son Jesus. At the end of chapter 11, those mercies impel Paul to wonder and awe and praise. To understand […]

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