How do we know when it’s safe?” my wife asked me. It was a good question for which I had no answer. Reluctantly, she had climb down into our dirty, three-foot-high crawlspace with me. An unpleasant feat made awkward in slippers and a robe and made more difficult with well-worn joints. The spiderwebs didn’t help any either. I don’t usually resort to such drastic measures with news of severe weather, but this time the local siren sounded. That’s serious! So… Read More »The All Clear
Have you prayed the sinner’s prayer? That phrase is associated with becoming a Christian. Yet, can we legitimately designate any prayer as the sinner’s prayer? And is no prayer, after conversion, a sinner’s prayer? The Bible is full of sinners who prayed. In many cases, an irrepressible awareness of sin, made all the worse by a recognition of God’s holiness, prompted those prayers. We call this confession, and it is an essential fruit of true repentance. In this fallen world,… Read More »The Sinners’ Prayers
In celebration of Good Friday, I offer the following poem that was inspired by Psalm 22
Do I believe in miracles? The question is not merely speculative. Heaven and hell are at stake. Jesus forces this question upon me with his pronouncement, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). This beatitude arouses either pure despair or pure hope. It all depends on whether I believe in miracles. The Beatitudes The Necessity of a Pure Heart The beatitude echoes Psalm twenty-four: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who… Read More »A Pure Hope