“give attendance to reading“
Biblical exposition, cultural critique, and prayer letters
A Diagnosis of the Shepherdless Flock
The Paralysis of the Pews “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”— John 4:35 It is a curious feature of human nature that we are often most blind to…
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The Wounds of Intimacy
The Scars of the Saviour The deepest scars in redemptive history were not inflicted by the chaotic blows of an enemy, but by the calculated kisses of a friend; understanding this tragedy provides profound motive for Christian fidelity. "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer,…
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A Brief Pause, A Deeper Calling
In a world that measures worth by output and speed, any deliberate slowing of activity risks being misunderstood. Yet there are moments when faithfulness demands not an acceleration of public work, but a quiet reordering of loves, a turning from the visible to the hidden, from the applauded to the unseen. The weeks immediately ahead…
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The Warmth of Collectivism
The Warmth That Freezes The weather service has issued its warnings again. Here in the American South, where winter rarely announces itself with the fanfare it commands in more temperate climates, we nonetheless know what is coming. The winter storms are moving in, not the gentle snow of Christmas cards, but the kind of cold…
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The Apostles or The Stoics?
The Lowering of Standards It is a peculiar thing to watch an idea gain currency precisely at the moment when it seems least worthy. In recent years, Stoicism has begun to appeal to a new generation of Christian men who find in Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus a kind of bracing wisdom, virtues articulated cleanly, resilience…
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The Hypocrisy of Hypocrites
The Modern Cliché There are few modern clichés as durable as the complaint, “I don’t go to church because it’s full of hypocrites.” Its close relative is never far behind: “I can be a good Christian without going to church.” These sayings possess the familiar charm of many bad ideas. They sound brave, independent, and…
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Deliberate Faithfulness
The Sacred Hours The contemporary world, with all its noise and urgency, conspires against the inner life. We are peculiarly susceptible to a subtle yet devastating deception: the belief that busyness constitutes virtue, and that constant motion represents genuine commitment. But there exists a pathetic sight on God’s earth, one worthy of our deepest consideration,…
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The Revelation of Spiritual Growth
The Paradox of Spiritual Vision There exists in the Christian life a peculiarity that unsettles many believers, particularly those who have walked the path of faith for some considerable time. It is this: the longer one progresses in spiritual maturity, the more acutely one becomes aware of personal sin and moral deficiency. This appears, at…
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The Tyranny of Modern Sentimentality
The Tyranny of Modern Sentimentality One observes, with a mixture of fascination and dismay, the peculiar tyranny exercised in modern discourse by the word “love.” It has become a cudgel rather than a virtue, a weapon deployed to enforce intellectual capitulation rather than a disposition that seeks the genuine good of another. To question another’s…
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