“Heaven Came Down” by John W. Peterson is one of my favorites. My folks sang it with another couple in a quartet when I was a girl. So much promise here! “Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling He made all the darkness depart!” Amen! (1) O what a wonderful,…
I love the symbolism of baptism. Being “buried” in the water, which represents sin’s death, then emerging drenched in the newness of Christ. There’s a joke about a church overrun by squirrels. One of the deacons says he knows how to get rid of them—“Let’s baptize them. After that, we’ll…
Has someone ever apologized to you for a wrongdoing, then turned around and did the same thing again? Their apology suddenly doesn’t seem so sincere, does it? Saying we’re sorry when we’ve done wrong is the first step; being repentant—turning from that behavior to wiser choices—is the second. God forgives…
The law was necessary. It provided a moral compass, so to speak. How else would people know they needed saving from themselves? But the law fell short in providing people with assurance. Assurance came when God sent Jesus. Jesus’s death on the cross paved the way to full assurance of…
When I became a fifth grade teacher, I inherited everything left in the classroom by the previous, retiring teacher. In a desk drawer, I found her list of classroom rules…over 60 in all. I remember gaping at that list in amazement and wondering how in the world any child could…
HYMN DAY! “Jesus Paid it All” by Elvina M. Hall was published in 1878. These words resonate as beautifully today as they did then. His sacrifice changes lives! I owe Him my all. 1 I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray,…
We hear about people leaping into lakes or rivers to rescue a drowning stranger or others donating organs to someone they’ve never met in order to save their lives. I think most of us would say we’d be willing to do the same if the situation arose. But what if…
The hope of heaven cannot disappoint us. Eternity will be all things grand and glorious. While we wait for the day we see Jesus face to face, we aren’t left to walk this world alone. His Spirit indwells us. God’s own Spirit, inside of us, strengthening and guiding and comforting…
Maybe 20 years ago, my then-Sunday school teacher made a statement that has stayed with me: “God is not wasteful.” This passage of scripture seems to bear that out. In this life, we will suffer. We’re trapped in a sinful world, and whether we like it or not, we’ll be…
Talk about a hymn of joy and triumph! “Victory in Jesus” by E. M. Barlett can’t be sung sadly. He PLUNGED me to victory beneath the cleansing flood! So some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory! 1. I heard an old, old story, How a Savior…
