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Hymn of the Week:
All People That On Earth Do Dwell
This week's hymn is one of the oldest songs in the English hymnbook.  The tune is the familiar "Doxology" sung all over the world, written by the French composer Loys Bourgeois and published in the second edition of the Geneva Psalter in 1551.  This collection was prepared under the supervision of John Calvin for the use…
Posted by Hal in Hymns
A Matter of Honor
Is there a place for Christians to pursue honor, or is that something which is worldly, tainted, something to be put aside in favor of more spiritual pursuits? Recently I was invited to speak at the induction ceremony for a high school honor society, so I looked into the idea.  What I found might be…
Posted by Hal in Christian Living, Heroes
Wrestling With An Idea
Occasionally I open the news and think, “Have. We. Lost. Our. Minds?” This week, I read that the best way to show repect to a girl is to gouge her in the eye, slam her to the ground, and lay on top of her.  That’s what ESPN columnist Rick Reilly thinks. Joel Northrup is a…
Posted by Hal in Christian Living, Courage, Teens
The Carnival of Homeschooling!
Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! Liberty, and especially the freedom to parent our children as we choose, is something that can't ever be taken for granted. After hearing this week about a family in Spain being sentenced to jail for successfully homeschooling their child, it was a pleasure to see homeschoolers fighting for their…
Posted by Melanie in Book and Product Reviews, teaching boys, Teens, Uncategorized
Bad Company & Good Morals
[caption id="attachment_2758" align="alignleft" width="237" caption="Lot Flees Sodom by Gustave Dore, 1932-1883"][/caption] Old Lot earns a pretty bad reputation by the end of Genesis 19 – his virtue compromised by action and association, lasting harm done to his descendents, loss of much of his family because of his inconsistent testimony. Yet Peter tells us that Abraham’s…
Posted by Hal in Christian Living
The Practical Side of Modesty
[caption id="attachment_2721" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can you hear what she's saying?"][/caption] In another scientific confirmation of what you already knew or thought to be true, researchers at Indiana University found that men pay more attention to a female news anchor if she's dressed attractively, but remember less of what she said. So what does that say…
Posted by Hal in Uncategorized
“You Gave John To God, Not To China”
John and Betty Stam were young American missionaries to China when Communist forces took over their town.  Tim Challies re-tells  the gripping story of what happened to John, Betty, and their infant daughter Helen, the testimony they bore, and the impact it had on the Chinese and Christians around the world.  The title above was…
Posted by Hal in Heroes, History
From Slaver To Pastor
[caption id="attachment_2621" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="William Turner, The Slave Ship (1840)"][/caption] John Newton, the converted former slave trader who became pastor to English abolitionist William Wilberforce, has a supporting role in the film Amazing Grace -- besides, obviously, writing the theme song (in a sense).  His own story is just as fascinating, and even more dramatic,…
Posted by Hal in Book Review, Heroes, History
Counting Our Days
  One of the surprising discoveries of our family life has been the usefulness of keeping a journal or diary -- at least one per family.  I tried keeping a diary when I was a kid, with limited success.  My English teacher in high school introduced us to "journalling" for literary practice -- an idea…
Posted by Hal in Family Life
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