I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. Psalm 40:1–2 When I mention the name […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Psalms
Return to the Scriptures
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. Psalm 119:92 If I could have only one wish for God’s people, it would be that all of us would return to the Word of God, that we would realise once for all that His Book has the answers. The […]
Read MoreSix Reasons for Knowing God’s Word
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, […]
Read MoreToward a Healthy Nation
That is the LORD’s blessing for those who fear him. May the LORD continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace! Psalm 128:4–6 What will life be like when the dust settles and quietness returns? What will […]
Read MoreAttitudes to Counteract
Teach us to realise the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90:12 The older I get, and the more I talk with and listen to older people, the more I sense a growing discontentment rather than acceptance. I witnessed it in my own father during the last decade of his […]
Read MoreThe Family: No Substitute Will Do, Part Two
It’s true: there’s no substitute for the family! Yesterday I related a rather amusing story about mine. I’m sure you can recall times in your own family that make you chuckle. Other times those family memories are deeply profound and stabilizing. Who can ever forget the impact of a father’s strong arms around the shoulders of his kids following the loss of someone they all loved? Or the comfort communicated by a mother’s embrace?
Read MoreThe Family: No Substitute Will Do, Part One
Try all you like, you simply cannot find a substitute for the family. God planned it that way. In spite of all we’re reading and seeing these days designed to make us think we’ve entered the family-phase-out era, don’t you believe it! There is nothing on earth that comes close to the benefits derived from relationships revolving around our roots. Nothing.
Read MoreGrandparenting, Part Two
Grandparents. What amazing gifts from God. Generation after generation He provides a fresh set of them . . . an ever-present counterculture in our busy world. Lest everyone else get so involved they no longer stop to smell the flowers or watch tiny ants hard at work, these special adults are deposited into our lifestyle account. They’ve made enough errors to understand that perfectionism is a harsh taskmaster and that self-imposed guilt is a hardened killer.
Read MoreGrandparenting, Part One
It’s bad enough that, until recently, Webster omitted “parenting” in his dictionary . . . but continuing to disregard “grandparenting” is somewhere between incompetent and inexcusable! Okay, okay, so it isn’t an official word. So it lacks sufficient roots in Anglo-Saxon linguistic lore to merit a position in the ranks of Webster’s major reference work.
Read MoreBeing Real, Part Two
Yesterday I told you about Dave Cowens, an NBA star who disappeared one day on a quest for solitude and meaning. I noted that to “find yourself” requires that you take time to look. And it’s essential if you want to be a whole person. The word is real. It takes time and it usually hurts. The Velveteen Rabbit is a classy book for children with a message for adults.
Read More