Blog

Rattlesnakes Needed? Put your finger on your pulse—feel it pumping away? Now with your finger still on your pulse, hear the prayer of the English poet George Herbert who lived in the 1600s:   Thou that hast given so much to me— Give one thing more—a grateful heart; Not thankful when it pleaseth me, As if thy blessings had spare days; But such a heart, Whose pulse may be thy praise.   What does it take to make us grateful? Does it take a tragedy in our family, in our own life, to make us grateful? I heard of a mountain preacher who saw one of his most wayward and irregular [...]

A Misunderstood Kingdom   Just when you think you’re too old for fairy tales about princes and such, a prince hits the news. Not in a good way, but still a reminder of kings and kingdoms. But I assure you that you often, in worship service prayers, do speak of a kingdom. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come . . . This kingdom of God (or, in Matthew’s case, the kingdom of heaven, since he does not wish to write the sacred name of God) is mentioned 49 times in Matthew’s Gospel, 16 times in Mark’s [...]