“These Pleasant Summer Hours”

After a week that was epic in terms of negative stress, it was good to sit in the house of the Lord today. The side windows were open on our old brick church and the bells of the church across the street began ringing as we gathered to worship. After the flooding, humidity and storms [...]

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A Writer’s Prayer

Lord, that You my pen would free,
That dull thoughts in Thy Light will flee;
That apt words might my servants be,
That I may convey the sense effectively,
I pray in humility.
Amen
–Samuel Guzman
(Samuel is my 19-year-old son. He has his own writer’s blog called Pen and Ink.)

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In Praise of a Dusty Treasure

I went to the studios this week where I sometimes host Crosstalk, and I discovered a box of old hymnals on a desk near my office. Someone had donated these old gems, and I couldn’t resist them. I pulled out a dusty green volume entitled, “Sunday School Book” and opened it up. It was an [...]

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Back To School Days

Summer is fading away quickly and school starts for us on Monday, August 20. Homeschooling is filled with exciting opportunities but the most exciting and important part is the chance to impart biblical truth. Last night I asked William if God preferred strong, articulate and educated Christians to share the Gospel. Couldn’t such Christians [...]

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Jesus, Priceless Treasure

Here is the text of one of our hymns from divine service today. This was not written with some sacharine, 19th-century sentimentality. It was written in the 17th century, on the heels of the 30 Years War. The tune, by Johann Kruger, is in the minor mode, which lends it a serious tone. As [...]

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The Cure

My husband and I went out for a sandwich on a Friday night a few weeks ago. It had been a wearying week with lots of challenges, and we wanted to get away for a while. I mumbled my order for coffee and even before we had ordered our food, I began to launch into [...]

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When There Seems No Place to Rest

I’m on my quiet place blog as an antidote to a frazzled day. Some days are like that more than others. There are times when all the talk about peace and serenity sounds like some Norman Rockwell fantasy. Today was one of those days. Young adult children in my house, demanding answers, one needing a ride somewhere, [...]

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