prayer
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Why I Moved to Iowa
I was asked today how I knew moving to Iowa was the right choice. This picture is the closest I can come to an answer. In June 2021, two weeks before our wedding, Billy and I visited Iowa for him to interview at Prairie Bible Church and it was one of the worst weekends of… Continue reading
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Church Growth Prayer
Teach me, Lord, to number my daysInstead of counting sheep: To live as faithfully for the oneAs for the ninety-nine.May it be as I lay down to sleepThat I rest in the victory you’ve wonBeyond any success I’d claim as mine. Continue reading
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Be Thou My Breath
My favorite hymn is “Be Thou My Vision,” not merely because it is a beautiful Celtic melody but because I can use its verses to structure my day-to-day activities. When I rise and open my eyes, I can murmur, “Be Thou my vision.” As I drive to work in the soft morning light or home… Continue reading
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Stick the Landing
Have you ever had one of those terrible, awful, no-good dreams where you are suddenly forced to do something you’ve never practiced in front of a very large audience? I’m sure it isn’t just me. I have a recurring nightmare in which I am expected to perform a dance solo or gymnastics routine in front… Continue reading
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Pride and Purgation
As I expressed in an earlier post, I have come to love Dante’s Commedia more and more through rereading. In a manner almost scriptural, he manages to address every aspect of human life and, as a poet-theologian, particularly the artistic life. My favourite of canticle is Purgatorio, which is perhaps a humorous choice for a… Continue reading
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Question and Answer: Anticipating Christ in the Book of Job
In rereading the Book of Job, I once more find it both wonderful and troubling. Job is, at its core, a terrifying book: a man is selected for the worst trials imaginable (loss of family, livelihood, and health) not because he is wicked but, indeed, because he is faithful. The Book of Job is, in… Continue reading
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Poems and a Creek and Such (revisiting an old spot of time)
When I was a freshman in college, I had the not-uncommon experience of feeling 150682234% overwhelmed. It was honestly a feat of grace and strength that I stuck it out, but by the second semester, how happy I was that I did! As that terrified, homesick 18-year-old, I went on a choir retreat and nearly… Continue reading
Recent Posts
- Should we be Concerned that Using Music by Bethel and Hillsong is Contributing to our Culture of Immediate Gratification? On Patience and Using CCM Music in Worship
- “Lord, Lord” – A Poetic Reflection on Matthew 7:21-23
- Is Singing Music by Bethel and Hillsong Promoting Peace in the Body of Christ? The Answer is More Nuanced Than You Think.
- Rejoicing with the Truth: Does Using Music by Bethel and Hillsong Generate Genuine Joy in our Churches?
- Is it Loving to Sing Music by Bethel and Hillsong in Our Worship? Reexamining the Debate According to the Fruit of the Spirit Part 1