At the Intersection of Theology, Nature, and the Arts
Delighted to wake this day to a request to review this book for the Africanus Journal. As must be clearly evident from many of my posts, Progressive Christianity is currently one of my greatest concerns; this topic is right up my alley as a former professor of apologetics!! How far can you wander from classic, …
Matthew 4:1-11 and 2 Timothy 4:1-5 When, at the end of 2021, I was nearing the end of a pastorate in New Hampshire, I wanted to prepare the congregation for the next chapter in their life together. On one Sunday, I stressed the need for the church to mobilize in ministries of compassion; the following …
A Voice in the Wind: Another Route Audio How does the Lord speak to us? How do we discern the voice of God? Some time ago, an acquaintance suggested I read, A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers. I located a copy and dug in. Now I’m not usually attracted to much Christian fiction, …
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13; Romans 5:7-8 Memorial Day, which originated after the Civil War, commemorates the sacrifices of those who have fought and died in the American armed forces. It was in 1865 that Henry Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, New York, suggested—at a social gathering—that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead …
Psalm 42; Philippians 4 Max Lucado, in the Anxious for Nothing Bible Study, offers two words that served as the inspiration for the following message. "Contingent Contentment" is the kind of thinking that starts with the "I'll be happy when...," "I'll be happy if..." I'll be content when I marry. I'll be happy when I …
Continue reading "Contingent Contentment or Contentment in Christ?"
On this Easter, so often celebrated with delicate bunnies and fragile eggs, I want to speak instead of Resurrection Day and the powerful, power-filled Jesus, the Risen Prophet-King, the Roaring Lion, the Holy Lord of Lords. My dear friend, Tom Graffagnino, in his brilliant—and all too timely—treatise on the troubled No Border Land that is …
Continue reading "Reflections on Resurrection in the Time of COVID-19"
Over the course of my days, my life has intersected again and again with the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham and ministries to which he was connected and/or had founded. In 1982, my marriage was falling apart and I was falling apart. Friends, who'd been praying for me for some time, invited me to attend the …
A PILGRIMAGE TO BETHLEHEM ON CHRISTMAS EVE John 6:35, 40 and Mark 10:46-52 Today as we look at the sixth chapter of the gospel of John and at the tenth chapter of the gospel of Mark, we’ll be examining the meaning of Christ’s coming into the world in terms of new life, abundant life, and …
I am often asked for recommendations of devotional materials. Topping my list is Devotional Classics. (I've mentioned DC elsewhere on this site but want to reemphasize it and a couple of others today). I've used this book in my seminary and church-based classes on spiritual formation and development in the disciplines of the faith. I have …
DFG Hailson 