Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,Sun, moon, and stars in the courses above,Join with all nature in manifest witness,To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.–Thomas O. Chisholm Summer evenings are a special time for my wife and I. After the boys are in bed and the baby is soundly (maybe) sleeping, we like to…
One of my earlier memories from childhood takes me back to my grandpa’s cabin in the Sierra’s (which you can read about from an earlier post I wrote). The memory is somewhat shaky. I can’t recall many details. It’s more of a memory of generalities. I remember sitting on the floor in the broad living…
When was the last time you said to yourself, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!” Whether a well-scripted surprise ending in a movie plotline, or an improbable sports comeback, or the complete turning of the tables in some high stakes human conflict scenario, we can all point to unusual times when we marvel at how…
The Old Testament book of Esther recorded a fascinating story about God’s sovereign and providential care for Israel when they faced an existential threat. The dire scenario emerged during Israel’s exile under the Persian empire when mighty King Xerxes issued a decree to annihilate the Jews (3:9–11). However, God effected a miraculous deliverance through Esther,…
As a piano major at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, my science course requirements were somewhat limited. For some reason, they expected me to take far more music classes than science. Nevertheless, one of the most impactful courses I took in college was not in music but astronomy. You see, I’ve been fascinated with astronomy…
I remember a time when an associate pastor and I were asked the question by a couple of senior Christian women what the difference is between the sovereignty of God and the providence of God. These are similar terms that definitely overlap but each carry meaningful and specific ideas. The sovereignty of God is defined…
J.I. Packer, a British-born Canadian Christian theologian, was born in 1926. This means Dr. Packer is 94 years old. One the most influential evangelicals from North America; he is someone you probably know of and esteem. He is best known for his masterpiece, Knowing God first published in 1973. If you have not yet read…
So…I know I introduced last week’s blog as the first in a series of posts on God’s provision, with the promise that this week I’d continue that series. But sometimes ideas are too important and too timely to pass up, and that’s the predicament before me. So for today’s post, I’m going to depart from…
