Mardi Gras

The his­tor­i­cal ori­gins of Mardi Gras are much debated, but­many of its tra­di­tions seem to have their roots in early Celtic Chris­tian­ritu­als in ancient Gaul, Ire­land, and Scotland—which, in turn, seem to haveeven ear­lier Greek and Egypt­ian antecedents.…

A Valentine’s Day Elegy

You have, to be sure, known pain and fear,And the anguish of fail­ure and frus­tra­tion are near;Yet your eyes read com­pan­ion­ship not distance,Your home beck­ons forth, with no hint of resistance;Indeed, your cloak, though thread­bare, is half mine,You are …

40 Days of Prayer for Congress

Lots of us com­plain about the cur­rent polit­i­cal and moral mess in Wash­ing­ton.  But how many of us are actu­ally try­ing to do some­thing about it?According to the Apos­tle Paul, there is some­thing we can all do–something that is more effec­tual than a…

God’s Design

“The first thing to notice in the story of the build­ing ofthe ark is that its plan was not dreamed up by Noah.  He was not a boat engi­neer.  Rather, the plan of the ark came from God Him­self.  It was a spe­cific, propositionalrevelation…

Isaiah 54:9–10

“This is like the days of Noah to me,” says the Lord.  “As I swore that the waters of Noahshould no more cover the earth, so I have sworn that I will not for­ever bean­gry with you, and I will not rebuke you. For the moun­tains may depart and t…

Schaeffer 100 Conference

Epiphany Hymn

Incar­na­tional hope has­tens henceon bud, breeze, and blos­som­griev­ing rynds ban­ished in lilacscents.Hark, the Epiphany Hymn ring­shaste­from its loveli­est biding-place.A lav­ish breach of winter’s curthard swor­dan ardent repu­di­a­tion of death’sdark pallthe o…