McCheyne’s Counsel to A Young Man

“Do not forget the inner man, the heart. The cavalry officer knows that his life depends upon his saber, so he keeps it clean. Every stain he wipes off with the greatest care. You are God’s chosen instrument. According to your purity, so shall be your success. It is not great talent; it is not [...]

The Hound of Heaven

Here are the first few stanzas of a great poem by Francis Thompson (1859-1907). I read this poem a few years ago, and the beauty and truth that Thompson portrays has hounded me ever since. Do you also relate with this poet?
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the [...]

The Plow

My heart is a field, a fallow plot of old ground.
The Word is a plow, with a keen, double blade.
With thunder and lightning and a terrible sound,
While torrents of rain and soft dews have played,
The Lord of the this field has labored and toiled.
The plow is now tearing through soil half-thawed
—Too long this old land [...]

The High Call of Marriage

A few weeks ago, I threw a bachelor’s party for Josiah. It wasn’t a rowdy, rude event, but a time to encourage Josiah and to celebrate with him. David W.—one of the guests at the party (he is also going to be one of Josiah’s groomsmen)—wrote a letter to Josiah for this event. This letter [...]

Pray for Carlee Hobbs

It has been a long time since either Josiah or I have posted here, and even now I’m not going to post anything about either of us. Rather, I would like to ask you to pray for a family friend.
Carlee (Sobie) Hobbs, her husband, Nathaniel, and their children live up in Alaska. Just a few [...]

A Tidbit from my Sister

Here is a great quote from my sister’s blog. I don’t think it ever crossed her mind that anyone would quote her, and that’s exactly why it’s so great.
I suppose accepting and doing the “little things in life” with joy and gladness is what the Christian life is all about.
I am away at [...]

Big Sis Enters Blogosphere

We are pleased to announce that our sister, Heather, has began blogging. Her website is called Joy in the Little Things. Here’s what Josiah and I have to say about our sister.
Stephen:
My sister Heather is like an ivy plant— beautiful, tender, resilient. She is the oldest child in our family, so she has been [...]

To the Highways and Hedges: Part Two

—A Continuation of my Previous Story with Contributions from Matthew 22:11-14—
Reclining at the table, Becher looked about him, and couldn’t keep back a silly grin; there was so much splendor and joy in this house. Guests filled the large banquet hall, all wearing their finest wedding garments. Becher had no idea where [...]

A High School Graduation

Tomorrow our brother, Calvin, will be graduating from high school. He has worked hard, and the day has finally come.
When our mom and dad got married in 1981, they said that they would never send their children to public school. A few years later, they heard of this radical new idea called home schooling. Far [...]

Mrs. Charles on Church History

“If church history be anything different from secular history, it should be the result of Christian truth speaking through the lives of Christian men; the story of the struggle between selfishness and divine love, of the Life which has pierced through and outlived the corruption and decay of States; the echo of the accents of [...]

Is Palin Eligible?

Well, in his recent address at the 2008 Republican National Convention, the former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani threw down the gauntlet, and even though Giuliani wasn’t addressing me, I’ve taken up his challenge. Giuliani said, “How dare they question whether Sarah Palin has enough time to spend with her children and be vice president. [...]

Dominican Market

I walked along the market street,
My camera wrapped around my hand;
The noises of the swift and fleet
Motos, carros, camionetas— manned
By dexterous drivers— passed me by
Unnoticed, unremembered until I try.
I peer into the shops and stalls,
Observing people, observing wares;
So much to see, to hear— but walls,
Not between vendors but in their stares,
Keep me out, though I [...]

Dragon’s Domain

What is a group of dragons called?
I posed this riddle a month ago. In truth, the question itself is a bit misleading, “Do dragons even group together?” The answer plays upon that suggestion, for the answer is…
…a wilderness of dragons.
I first found this phrase in a book by Tolkien, and I believe that it is [...]

Thyself Reckon Dead

Thyself reckon dead, and then thou shalt fly
Free, free, from the prison of earth to the sky!
Spring may come, but on granite will grow no green thing;
It was barren in winter, ’tis barren in spring;
And granite man’s heart is, till grace intervene,
And, crushing it, clothe the long barren with green.
When the fresh breath of Jesus [...]

Zwemer, Luther, Nygren on Agape

“Love in the Christian sense is primarily God’s own love. ‘God is nothing but an abyss of eternal love.’* Christian love is spontaneous, overflowing. It is not like the world’s love, evoked by a desire for its object. It is without respect of persons. It is love even for our enemies.”
Samuel Zwemer, Islam and [...]

Day Five (Friday August 1, 2008)

Today was to be the last day of the Summer Bible School. In the morning, Calvin, Nathan, and I went all over the city with Don Francis. First we dropped off the Guerrero’s daughter, Claudia, at the University where she was taking entrance exams. Don Francis intended to print the certificates of completion that [...]

Day Four (Thursday July 31, 2008)

Our morning routine with the Guerreros was much the same for the rest of the week. Today, at the church, we finished moving the rubble and then spent most of the morning moving sand (for cement) from the street to the second level. We did this by handing the full buckets from person to person [...]

Day Three (Wednesday July 30, 2008)

For Calvin, Nathan, and I, our first morning in Santo Domingo began early. The family we were staying with, the Guerrero family, owns a small restaurant in the middle of Santo Domingo. Doña Nelly oversees the operations at the restaurant. Every morning, she and DonFrancis go to a nearby market, where they buy fresh [...]

Day Two (Tuesday July 29, 2008)

As a tepid sun rose over Atlanta, the twenty-one of us groggy-eyed americanos tumbled out of our hotel rooms and bumped down to the lobby where we were once again reunited with our army of suitcases. The reason for our “42 suitcases plus additional carry-on luggage” was not merely because we were going to [...]

Day One (Monday July 28, 2008)

As Josiah posted on July 27th, a wrench was thrown into our traveling plans right from the start. On the evening before we were to leave, Señora Waters received the news that our flight from PITT to JFK was canceled due to bad weather in Pittsburgh. We were supposed to take a plane from JFK [...]