I grew up in a very traditional church, in terms of worship. We followed the liturgy from the hymnal and sang three to four hymns every Sunday. To many, I know that sounds very boring, and yes there were plenty of times when the service was a yawner (to be fair, contemporary worship services have Read More
Tag: Easter
Amazing Grace – Playlist Song #6
MERCY … Merriam-Webster defines mercy as “kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly.” In other words, mercy is an unearned pardon. In Chain of Mercy, my hero Richard Brooks is granted mercy, but rather than grasp its freedom, he rejects it. By refusing to accept it, he lets mercy shackle him. Read More
O Sacred Head …
Text: Anonymous; trans. by Paul Gerhardt and James W. Alexander Music: Hans L. Hassler, 1564-1612; harm. by J.S. Bach, 1685-1750 O sacred Head, now wounded With grief and shame weighed down Now scornfully surounded With thorns, Thine only crown How art Thou pale with anguish With sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish Which once Read More
Fiction for the Lenten Season
The other day I searched for Easter fiction, novels that would add depth to the Lenten season. I was surprised at how few I found for adults, barely a handful (although there are many for children). Now, if I’d performed a search for Christmas novels, the results would have been entirely different. I wonder why that is. Read More