The Case against Vanilla

I CANNOT IMAGINE ANYTHING more boring and less desirable than being poured into the mold of predictability. Few things interest me less than the routine, the expected, the status quo. A fresh run at life by an untried route will get my vote every time. Stay open-minded for a moment, and I’ll try to show you why.

Two Questions

WHEN COMPARING THE ACTS OF forgiving and forgetting, I believe forgetting is the tougher assignment. Why? Because forgetting is something that is shared with no other person. It’s a solo flight. All the rewards are postponed until eternity . . . but how great they will be on that day!

Tears at Christmas

I’VE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO know that sometimes Christmas hurts. And when words fail, tears flow. In some remarkable way, our complex inner-communication system knows when to admit its verbal limitations and signal its need for assistance. It’s an amazing thing. Lips that previously moved freely begin to quiver.

Wounds and Scars

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Scripture is a verse containing much emotion: “From the city men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out” (Job 24:12). The scene is a busy metropolis. Speed. Movement. Noise. Rows of buildings. All that is obvious, easily seen and heard by the city dweller.

Cave Dwellers

Now look at Psalm 34, which I believe is the third psalm he wrote while in the cave. What a difference. What a change has come over David! He says, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v. 1).

Declaration of Dependence

We looked at Psalm 142. Now let’s look at two others David wrote, Psalms 57 and 34. We don’t know in what order he wrote these, but looking at his life, they seem to fit in this backward order—Psalm 142 when he was at his lowest moment on his face, Psalm 57 when he’s on his knees, and finally Psalm 34 when he’s back on his feet.

Never Alone

David had bottomed out. This was the lowest moment of David’s life to date, and if you want to know how he really felt, just read the song he composed during those days, Psalm 142.

Now Don’t Just Sit There!

An old year has completed its course. A new year is smiling at us with twelve months of the unknown. An entire ocean of possibilities, including both sun-drenched days and a few storms with howling winds and giant waves, stretch out across the uncharted waters. If we let ourselves, we could become so afraid of the potential dangers, so safety conscious, we would miss the adventure.

I Brake for Christmas

The bumper sticker caught my eye. Made me think. Even aroused some guilt. I was on the freeway as his car was pulling off. My day had been full and it was far from over. Stuffed in my pocket was a list, most of the items not yet purchased. A little panic rushed over the back roads of my mind as I pondered all the things yet to be bought in those few days left before Christmas.

Historical Joy

Isn’t that great? Rather than sadness and fear, there was exhilaration that night. The sweet fragrance of freedom was in the wind. We love to sing the hymn, “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.”

Tag Archives: Psalms