1 Corinthians 1-6; Proverbs 31:10-31

Saturday's Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1-6; Proverbs 31:10-31

2 Chronicles 10-12; Proverbs 31:1-9

Friday's Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 10-12; Proverbs 31:1-9

2 Chronicles 7-9; Proverbs 30:21-33

Thursday's Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 7-9; Proverbs 30:21-33

In 2005 I heard Haddon Robinson preach an excellent sermon on a passage of Scripture that is part of today's Bible reading. "The Wisdom of Small Creatures" is based on Proverbs 30:24-28. For a superb outline click here. To purchase a recording (MP3 download, $3.50; Audio CD, $5.99) click here.

Newsflash: John Newton predicted global warming. In the popular hymn "Amazing Grace," written c. 1772, Newton alluded to a worldwide heatwave.

The first three stanzas of Newton's hymn are commonly sung today:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The stanza generally sung fourth was added by an unknown author sometime before 1829:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
(See Cyberhymnal.org for more details.)

The final three stanzas of Newton's original hymn are generally neglected today. The third stanza, which was the original ending, alludes to a future time of global warming:

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Lyrics from Cyberhymnal.org.
For more information about the song click here.

2 Chronicles 4-6; Proverbs 30:10-20

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6; Proverbs 30:10-20

Soccer team provides hope for refugees, coach

2 Chronicles 1-3; Proverbs 30:1-9

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 1-3; Proverbs 30:1-9

1 Chronicles 28-29; Proverbs 29:21-27

Monday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 28-29; Proverbs 29:21-27

Happy Anniversary to me! I've been blogging for one year.


Sing, "la-a-a-a."


Say, "ah-h-h-h."

Click here to see these and other photos on the Eagle Cam slide show for June 23-25—and to find out what the eagle is really saying.

Psalms 75-77

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 75-77

Romans 13-16; Proverbs 29:8-20

Saturday's Bible Reading: Romans 13-16; Proverbs 29:8-20

1 Chronicles 25-27; Proverbs 29:1-7

Friday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 25-27; Proverbs 29:1-7

Today's Our Daily Bread: Just Be Yourself

I love the comments written by an Amazon.com reviewer about a.k.a. Lost: Discovering Ways to Connect with the People Jesus Misses Most (which apparently is now titled Evangelism without Additives: What if Sharing Your Faith Meant Just Being Yourself) by Jim Henderson:

By Paul F. Chapman "Rachelle Mee-Chapman"
Ever wonder how we got from the great commandment (LOVE!) to the great commission (CONVERT!)? I certainly do! Most Christians are mad at non-Christians for not agreeing with them, for not going to church, and for being so damn stubborn.

But Jesus wasn't mad at people. He loved people.

This book shows us how to get back on the love-your-neighbor track in practical, natural, authentic ways. If you're searching for how to be a new kind of Christian, this book will help you breathe easier.

1 Chronicles 22-24; Proverbs 28:15-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 22-24; Proverbs 28:15-28

The first day of summer!

Warning. There are people out there who want to steal your summer enjoyment by making you start thinking about fall. Resist them. Do not reward their greed and insensitivity. Retailers of course are the worst offenders. I avoid malls as much as possible in July and August. Even though the temperature outside may be in the nineties, they are already dressed for cold weather.

I cannot, however, avoid going to my own mailbox. Although I am somewhat accustomed to retailers who are one season ahead of reality, I am not ready to adapt to those who take the next step. Earlier this week, while it was still spring, mind you, I received in the mail a catalog for autumn 2007. Here's the advice I sent to them:

Note to Home Decorators Marketing Executives: I would like to suggest that you reconsider your timetable for releasing catalogs. When I went to my mailbox earlier this week, it was one of the most lovely days you can imagine. Beautiful beyond belief. Clear blue skies. Not too hot. Not too cold. Can you imagine then how I felt when I looked at the mail and found your "autumn" catalog? Trust me, I was not in the mood to open it, much less purchase anything from it. Here in Michigan we savor spring and summer. We do not like being reminded of cold weather to come when we are just beginning to warm up. The good news is, in the race to be the first retailer to start selling products for an upcoming season, you win. The bad news is, sometimes it does not pay to be first.

Click here if you would like to join me in telling Home Decorators that they do not create good will (or increase sales) by trying to rush through seasons before they even start.

"A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished." —Proverbs 28:20

1 Chronicles 19-21; Proverbs 28:1-14

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 19-21; Proverbs 28:1-14

The threshing floor of Araunah (1 Chronicles 21:15) is located inside the Dome of the Rock, which is built on Jerusalem's Temple Mount.



Click here to see the website where these pictures are posted.

Here's a movie that takes you inside the Dome of the Rock and shows the threshing floor of Araunah.

1 Chronicles 16-18; Proverbs 27:15-27

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 16-18; Proverbs 27:15-27

Click here to see Patricia Cornwell's tribute to Ruth Graham.

1 Chronicles 13-15; Prvoerbs 27:1-14

Monday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 13-15; Proverbs 27:1-14

I'm honored to be in such good company. Today I discovered my name along with that of Dr. Thomas C. Oden on the myspace page of cafenate. My little 64-page booklet is humbled to be listed here along with the scholarly work of Dr. Oden, a most gracious and humble man whom I met at the conference Jay and I attended last month in California. Dr. Oden is the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, published by InterVarsity Press.

Here is the list posted by cafenate:

BOOKS:
* The Bible (NASB has to be my understandable translation, but I like to compare versions. Lately the NEw King James has been my version of choice.).
* The Harry Potter Series (can't really figure out which is my favorite yet...).
* The Chronicles of Narnia series (some parts in "The Horse and His Boy" struck me, and then "The Last Battle" kinda made everything hit home and make sense).
* "The Art of Loving God" by Julie Ackerman Link.
* "John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity" by Thomas C. Oden puts Wesley's teachings into a cohesive whole.

Psalms 72-74

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 72-74

Happy Father's Day

On this day in 1703, John Wesley was born. It is especially fitting to remember his birthday this year as it falls on Fathers' Day and he is generally considered the father of Methodism.

Click here to watch Eagle Cam slide show.

Romans 9-12; Proverbs 26:17-28

Saturday's Bible Reading: Romans 9-12; Proverbs 26:17-28

Click here to watch Eagle nest slide show for June 14 & 15, 2007.

1 Chronicles 10-12; Proverbs 26:1-16

Friday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 10-12; Proverbs 26:1-16

Click here to watch the Eagle Cam slide show for June 13-14.

1 Chronicles 7-9; Proverbs 25:15-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 7-9; Proverbs 25:15-28

1 Chronicles 4-6; Proverbs 25:1-14

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 4-6; Proverbs 25:1-14

With All My Art

Once again we have come to the passage of Scripture that recounts the story of Jabez (all two verses of it!). Prior to the publication of a book titled The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson in 2000, Jabez was an obscure biblical character. Some people believe he should have remained that way.

Here's a link to an article about Jabez by Richard Schultz, a college friend of mine: Praying Jabez's prayer: Turning an obscure biblical narrative into a miracle-working mantra. This sentence is especially worth noting:

Wilkinson's understanding of the prayer's fourth request is dependent on his choice of translations. Out of twenty published translations that I consulted, only one supports his view, the New King James Version (for which Wilkinson served on the editorial board).

1 Chronicles 1-3; Proverbs 24:23-34

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 1-3; Proverbs 24:23-34

Click here to watch today's Eagle Cam slideshow.

George Beverly Shea (at age 98!) sings How Great Thou Art at the dedication for the Billy Graham Library on 31 May 2007.



Billy Graham's address at the dedication.

2 Kings 24-25; Proverbs 24:13-22

Monday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 24-25; Proverbs 24:13-22

This morning while I was reading "The Calf-Path" by Sam Walter Foss, the poem in today's edition of The Writer's Almanac, I received another email newsletter, this one from Philip Gulley, and it featured the same poem! Time to investigate . . .

The Writer's Almanac, 11 June 2007

Click here to see Eagle nest slide show.

Psalms 69-71

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 69-71

Romans 5-8; Proverbs 24:1-12

Saturday's Bible Reading: Romans 5-8; Proverbs 24:1-12

2 Kings 22-23; Proverbs 23:29-35

Friday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 22-23; Proverbs 23:29-35

Click here to watch Eagle slide show for June 7-8.

2 Kings 19-21; Proverbs 23:12-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 19-21; Proverbs 23:12-28

Click here to watch Eagle slide show for June 6-7.

2 Kings 16-18; Proverbs 23:1-11

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 16-18; Proverbs 23:1-11

2 Kings 13-15; Proverbs 22:17-29

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 13-15; Proverbs 22:17-29

To read more about Elath, and see pictures of the modern city (now Eilat), click here.

To hear a sermon on this passage by Howard Sugden, click here.

Click here to watch Eagle slide show for June 5.

2 Kings 10-12; Proverbs 22:9-16

Monday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 10-12; Proverbs 22:9-16

Don't miss Saturday's Eagle Blog: Making Up for Lost Time

To see James and Maryann Deal's professional photos of the Bald Eagle family at Norfolk Botanical Garden, visit their website: jrdeal.com. Click here to see a slide show. (You may have to allow pop-ups; they want to make sure you see the copyright statement before viewing the images.) To view entire photo albums from previous years, click here.

Psalms 66-68

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 66-68

Romans 1-4; Proverbs 22:1-8

Saturday's Bible Reading: Romans 1-4; Proverbs 22:1-8

If you've been unable to watch the action in the eagles' nest, click here to see a slide show of breakfast today. And don't miss the Oops! blog.

2 Kings 7-9; Proverbs 21:22-31

Friday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 7-9; Proverbs 21:22-31

Video of baby eagle leaving home for the first time.



Here is another version set to music.