Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hand the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
The words of this hymn, written by Midwesterner, Clara H. Scott, have been sung by Christians for over 125 years.
Each stanza speaks to an increasing awareness and receptivity to God’s Word. Open eyes. Open ears. Open mouth. Open heart. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder, Psalms
Menander the Greek dramatist, who lived 300 years before Jesus, wrote: “A man’s character can be known from his words.”
The American author and humorist, Mark Twain, once quipped, “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces,” commanded Jesus in His famous Mountain Message.
This is one of the more difficult sayings of the Savior. What did He mean? To whom was He referring? And how can we apply it? Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Jacob’s Ladder,” was a 1980’s hit written by Bruce Hornsby and performed by Huey Lewis and the News. Remember them?
The song was set in Birmingham, Alabama, and married the Biblical image of Jacob’s ladder with someone who rejects a proselytizing evangelist, preferring to struggle through life one day at the time. In part the lyrics go like this. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
In Perry Hall’s book “Grace Does That?” he relates a neat story about Charles Bradlaugh and Hugh Price Hughes.
Bradlaugh was the most prominent atheist in 19th century Britain. On one occasion he challenged the evangelist Hughes to a debate on the validity of Christianity. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
(Note: We’re taking an extended holiday blogging break from writing new posts. But I will reblog some past posts that you will enjoy. See you with a new post next Monday)
One day a small boy was trying to lift a heavy rock. He strained with all his might, but he couldn’t budge it.
His father, passing by, stopped to watch his futile efforts.
Finally he said to his son: “Are you using all your strength?’
“Yes, I am!” the boy cried, exasperated. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Will everyone go to heaven when they die?
Universalism says, “yes.” That is the belief of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Several of the so called “church fathers” of the second century believed in Universalism including Clement of Alexandria and his student, Origen. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
John Piper once wrote that sin (lust for example) “gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier.”
Piper’s observation reminds me of a true story that occurred several years ago. To protect the innocent, as well as the guilty, I will refer to the two married couples as Jason and Judy and Matt and Jen. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Yesterday’s lesson at the Temple Terrace VBS was instructive, exciting, challenging, and inspiring. And not just for the kids
My good friend and preaching colleague, Ralph Walker, presented an engaging lesson that paralleled the children study of the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who along with Daniel were in Babylonian captivity.
While there is no way we can capture the power of Ralph’s lesson in this short blog post, take a minute to read the text and consider these thoughts. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Missouri minister William Hooper tells a story about a mother working in the kitchen and hearing her 7 year-old son screaming at the top of lungs.
When she ran into the next room to see what was wrong, she discovered her 2 year-old daughter was pulling her brother’s hair.
After unclenching the baby’s hand she says to her son who’s very angry, “You have to overlook this. Your sister doesn’t know what it feels like to have her hair pulled.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
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