It’s the first Monday of the New Year, and for many of us, it’s our first day back to work since 2020. (I know, cue collective groan, right?) Last night, I was thinking about how much I do not want to go back to being a teacher. In a pandemic. With all my students virtual.… Continue reading Mondays, Bread-winning, & the Bible
Tag: Psalms
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs: a new hymn find and an old memory
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies… Continue reading Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs: a new hymn find and an old memory
Marvelous Deeds
What praise have I to give today? What stories do I have to recount of the marvelous things God has done? Once I start making such a list, I will never be finished, not if I live one hundred years. Praise and recounting quickly lifts the heart, melts a discontent spirit, and fills a soul… Continue reading Marvelous Deeds
Absolute Certainty
I love the absolutes of the promises here:SURELY - for certain, truly, undoubtedly- God’s goodness and love (perfect and never-failing) will follow me…ALL the days of my life- not just the easy, successful, not confusing ones-And I SHALL - I will, this is my future- dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER- eternity and… Continue reading Absolute Certainty
Psalm 23: A song for living
In the past, I heard this Psalm often at funerals or sometimes in movie scenes depicting death or funerals. With its hope for “the valley of the shadow of death” and eternal life, I thought it was a Psalm only for dying. I see now that this Psalm is also very much for living, even… Continue reading Psalm 23: A song for living
Songs of Hope and Peace: the Sure and Steady Anchor
Trouble is guaranteed in this life, but what a comfort that we need not go through this life without the peace of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He made a way for the disciples’ peace, speaking purposefully to them, and so He speaks purposefully to us through His Scripture. Even in the midst of trouble and great grief, the time and testimony of fellow believers prove that the peace of Christ emboldens Christians to take heart and even sing. Perhaps that is one reason I love both of these songs so much. ‘It is Well’ is one of the songs I would play for my grandma while she lay in bed with cancer. This song was born out of comfort in grief and has in turn comforted so many like me. The second song, ‘Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor’ speaks of the hope He gives in salvation. We hope as those who already know the answer, yes, He has, and, yes, He will.
To the sky
By all appearances, things were not going well for David when he wrote this Psalm. He in wartime, and acknowledges that God no longer goes out with his army, as if He has rejected them (v. 11). Yet, he begins the Psalm saying that his heart is steadfast- unshaken (v. 1). He is so overflowing… Continue reading To the sky
Surely
Saturday reflections... How many times did I focus on the "what ifs" of worry rather than the "surely" of scripture? How many times was I more gripped by restless thoughts than the steadfast love of God? But where there is failing in his child, there is his grace to sanctify. Where there is struggling faith,… Continue reading Surely
Peace
The world gives peace only when there is no fear. When there is no fear, a person is at peace. However, this verse implies the opposite. Followers of Christ are at peace, so they need not be afraid. Peace in Christ does not mean the absence of frightening things or trouble, but peace in it.… Continue reading Peace
Abide and Rest
Mondays can be busy days. Or maybe they only seem more busy because it's the first workday after the weekend. Too often the temptation can be to give in to the tyranny of the urgent and dive willingly into the rush that offers no real rest or relief... at least it is for me. So… Continue reading Abide and Rest
thoughts and songs 