Nightly Trust. “Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit; for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth. Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye; hide us under the shadow of your wings.” (The first line of this night prayer stanza is quoted from Psalm 31:5, and the …
The Night Watch. “Behold, bless the Lord, all you His servants of the Lord Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion! (Psalm 134). Night was an important time for …
Night Prayer. “Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace. Amen.” (concluding prayer of the Compline). “Night Prayer” is another name for the Compline, a service of evening prayers said before going to bed. It was probably first officially formed by …
(47.) The Cookie Tree. “If you listen carefully you can hear the truth from the unlikeliest sources, especially from the unlikeliest sources, from an enemy, from a stranger, from children, from nuts, from overheard conversations, from stupid preachers… Are not great discoveries also made at the unlikeliest moments?” (Walker Percy, The Second Coming, p.181) One of my family’s favorite …
Friends of God. “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17:17). Looking at gods that were worshipped down through the ages, one can see that they were not exactly trusted by the believers. The gods were capricious, unpredictable, angry, and usually very unfriendly. Even the believer in the Judeo-Christian God might misunderstand how the mind of …
The Clouds of God. Clouds are natural, and they are also supernatural. They are physical, and they are also spiritual, if you read the right books. Clouds have been scientifically described as a visible mass of particles of condensed water vapor suspended in the atmosphere. Throughout biblical history, though, clouds have profound spiritual meaning. Certain …
Godly Talk – The Last Words of Early Church Martyrs. “The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.” (from the Te Deum, a poem of praise by Nicetus, 414 AD, modern day Serbia). 1st Century St. Stephen in Jerusalem – “Look! I see …
Godly Talk – Words Matter. Thoughts on Taming the Tongue, from James 3:1-12. “If we are able to bridle the words we say, we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed.” (James 3:2, Passion Translation). Small things can wield amazing power. If you want to …
Godly Talk – Seasoned With Salt. “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6, NRSV). Biblical scholars have differed over how to interpret St. Paul’s suggestion that we season our conversations …
Abba, Father – The Spirit of the Trinity. “Unless I go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:7, 13). In this series “Abba, Father” I have been discussing different aspects …
Welcomed Into the Circle. “The prime purpose of the incarnation is to lift us up into a life of communion, of participation in the very triune life of God.” (James Torrance, Worship, Communion and the Triune God of Grace). “Truly the fellowship that we have is with the Father and the Son.” (1 John 1:3). Before the …
Abba, Father – Divine Intimacy. “The secret of the whole world of humanity is the love between the Father and the Son. This is at the root of it all. Upon the love between the Son and the Father hangs the whole universe.” (George MacDonald, Knowing the Risen Lord). Jesus would often probe the profound intimacy between Father …