During this time of the year, my wife and I sometimes sit in the backyard looking up at the sky on a clear night. As we watch the stars twinkle and peer into the depth of the universe, our conversations can turn deep as well. We contemplate many things as we chat in our chairs. Consider. Ponder. Think about. That's what the psalmist asks us to do in Psalm 8:3. What is he asking us to think about?
I don't know about you, but for Heather and me, summertime is porch time! We eat our meals there listening to the birds chattering at the feeder; we relax there in the evening and watch the fireflies blinking in the trees. Any opportunity finds us either sitting on the porch together, or Heather tending to her flowers that decorate it. These simple pleasures bring peace to our summer days, all the while in the back of our mind knowing that all too soon the busyness of autumn will begin.
Summertime and the livin' is easy! Okay, that may be your dream, but not necessarily your reality this summer! Here at the WRGN studios, it does seem like things slow down just a little bit for a month or so before things really kick up in the fall. The song that phrase comes from was written by...
You've heard the phrase "cleanliness is next to godliness," right? No, it's not in the Bible–although the earliest mention of it is from the great preacher, John Wesley. In 1791 he wrote "...cleanliness is indeed next to godliness." That phrase popped into my mind when I was reading from 2 Timothy 3 recently.
Those of you who have been part of the WRGN listening family for any length of time know that we have a sister station that we started in the US Virgin Islands. WIVH–the West Indies Voice of Hope–will celebrate its 30th year of broadcasting this summer! With that in mind, and coming fresh off of my time there for our Share-A-Thon, I thought it would be good to bring you up to speed on what has been happening there.
If you are a regular Wake Up Right listener, you know I look forward to the day when we no longer flip our clocks back and forth. Every year I am optimistic that "this will be the last year we spring forward!" Unfortunately, like Charlie Brown (me) going to kick the football, Lucy (the politicians) pulls the football away again at the last minute.
I love the way Paul opens and closes his letters to the churches in the New Testament. In the beginning of many of his letters, he addresses them as beloved, as saints, as those who are sanctified (made holy), as faithful brothers. It is with these greetings in mind that I write to each of you in this month's letter.
As we embark on another year, and possibly even ponder the past year (or past several years), many people begin to wax philosophical. We think about what could or should have been, or maybe what we hope will be.
"For unto us..." Three simple words. Put them in the context of the prophecy from Isaiah 9, and those three simple words turn into a powerful, world-changing prophecy!
At the end of this month, many of us will sit down to a plate full of way too much food, and thank the Lord for his provision over the past year. We may think about others who are much less fortunate than we are, and we may even do something about it. Maybe you are serving in a soup kitchen, donating to a food pantry, or even inviting someone to join you for Thanksgiving dinner.