“God, the most formidable word ever spoken.” That was the line printed on the program underneath the name of the composition. I had a first-row ticket to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it was worth it. I will never forget that evening. The music was powerful, foreboding, haunting, compelling, and magnificent all at the same time. There were moments when the music caused your chest to rattle and moments when it lured you with a whisper. What I experienced that night was... Read More

Happy New Year! Lamentations 3:22 tells us that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” There’s no mention of these spiritual blessings being extra accessible on January 1. But when the calendar begins to signal a new year, it has an interesting effect on us. First, we review the choices we made the previous year, assessing which were good and which were bad. Then, we plan for the coming year, often... Read More

I love the pleasures of Christmas. I love how much of God’s glory is edible—the cookies, the chocolate, the cookies, the big dinner ... oh, did I mention the cookies? I want to conclude this series of four Advent devotionals by remembering that the birth of Christ is deeply connected to pleasure in the heart of God. But it’s not the pleasure you and I would typically associate with the joys of Christmas. It’s the pleasure of grief. Isaiah writes in Chapter 53,... Read More