Icons are a form of religious art designed to lead the viewer into prayer. The eyes are the mirror into the soul, the focal point of the Icon. A friend and mentor of mine on the spiritual path shared her experience with religious Icons. My friend went into a workshop on praying with Icons thinking, […]
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Biblical economics is not like modern economics. Like the game Monopoly, in biblical economics the slate is wiped clean at the end of each game. It’s about God’s crazy love for us and mercy to all who call upon him. Psalm 136 teaches us about this crazy love and mercy. Playing Monopoly As a kid, […]
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“I love a parade,” or so the song goes. Outdoor, live action involving music and people in costumes—what’s not to like? As a child, all it took was to come upon the high school marching band practicing in the street, and I would follow along. To happen upon a parade while visiting a small town […]
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With all of the concern and anxiety being caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it can be helpful to stop and remember a time in your life when God had your back. Such is the situation of the writer of Psalm 124. God has this. God is still in charge. Psalm 124 – Thanksgiving for All […]
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“The quality of mercy is not strained, it falleth like the gentle rain from heaven,” Shakespeare tells us in the Merchant of Venice. But what is the quality of mercy? Is it simply compassion shown to an offender or victim of misfortune as Webster tells us? Or is it something more as we see in […]
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What if I told you I had a surefire way to chase away the shelter in place doldrums, put a stop to excessive worry and cure a critical spirit? And it doesn’t cost anything! That is what the commentary on Psalm 117 in my copy of The Interpreter’s Bible claims. The magic bullet? Praise! Or […]
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“The great painter boasted that he mixed all his colors with brains, and the great saint may be said to mix all his thoughts with thanks.” G.K. Chesterton A saint is someone who paints with the brush of thanksgiving. All events, all thoughts, are colored by thanksgiving. Such is the situation in Psalm 108. Psalm […]
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The start of another year. Time to reflect back on the past year and look ahead to the next. In Psalm 105, the writer looks back at the history of the Hebrew nation, using selective memory. When it comes to memories, we all have selective ones at times. Memories can change over the course of […]
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I try to be aware of what is going on in the world. We are not meant to live our lives in isolation from the problems on earth and the needs of others. And so I listen to the news and read online articles about the latest hot spot and crisis. I try to be […]
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As I’ve been reflecting on Psalm 103, the song from GodSpell based on this psalm, keeps coming back to me, filling my head with music: “O Bless the Lord, my Soul!” (1a, 2a, 22b) There are many reasons to bless the Lord. First among these are God’s mercy and steadfast love, as recounted in Psalm […]
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