“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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Hurray! With Psalm 100, I’m two-thirds of the way through the Psalms. If I continue at this rate, I will be all the way through the book of Psalms by this time next year! Reason to rejoice! As we in America celebrate Thanksgiving, there are many reasons to give thanks and make a joyful noise. […]
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During the summer of 1980, I spent two months in the Dominican Republic, living in the mountains with two religious sisters in the small town of San Jose de Ocoa. At night I would sit in a rocking chair on the porch and enjoy the sight of the mountains. Much like the early Hebrews and […]
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