Psalm 95 calls us to “Worship and bow down.” Worship, no problem, but what about bowing down? Many people like to stand up and look up. Bowing down is no longer part of our culture: it is a sign of submission. But should the Scriptural call to bow or kneel […]

Textbooks for the next semester arrived—some interesting quick observations. A chapter subtitle: “Why God Has Been Lost and Where We Can Look for Him.” Intriguing, and I see the author’s point after a quick scan. I found a chapter elsewhere called “Qualifications for worshippers,” which I will think about before […]

The church does not celebrate Christmas YET but is in the season of Advent until Sunday, December 25. Advent is “Sursum Corda,” lifting up our hearts. Advent is also lifting up other people’s hearts. Christians cannot celebrate Christmas without Advent. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “The celebration of Advent is possible […]

I am easily distracted. Books I need to read are challenging, and what I don’t need to read captures my mind. Again something from H.B. Charles Jr. from “On Worship.” “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom […]

What are you singing in worship this Sunday? Michael Lefebvre, “Singing The Songs Of Jesus, Revisiting The Psalms.”

In my home country, we learned about the Great Awakenings and had to remember some “important” names. Who cares about history, right? And this was church history in a country far away. This past year, I got a better understanding of the significance of the American Great Awakenings, the differences […]

When I read, I leave sticky notes in the books and comments on my desktop. These are some quotes I saved from a few months back. Alan Wolfe (a sociologist, who does not believe, looking at the church from the outside): ”… in the United States, culture has transformed Christ, […]

Evangelical churches often start their services with a time of singing. Their tradition started in the Great Awakenings, when there was singing when people came in and took their place. (Hence the term gathering songs.) The singing had the function to emotionally prepare people for when the preacher took the […]

Many people know about “The Ten Commandments.” Scripture lists these in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Leviticus 19 also lists the Ten Commandments, however, in an expanded and applied version. For example, verse 14 says: “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, […]