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Jerusalem the Golden The hymn Jerusalem the Golden is based on a text by the twelfth century monk Bernard of Cluny. The hymn concludes with this prayer: Oh, sweet and blessed country The home of God’s elect! Oh, sweet and blessed country That eager hearts expect! In mercy, Jesus, bring us To that dear land of rest! You are, with God the Father...

King of Kings On May 19, 1790, New England experienced a remarkable “day of darkness.” The day began cloudy and cool with light rain. However, as the day progressed the sky grew darker so that by midday, the sun could not be seen at all. Many people feared that the day of judgment had come. It is easy to see why, given today’s passage which...

Persistence Is Rewarded In 2019, Marine veteran Micah Herndon ran the Boston Marathon to pay tribute to his fallen fellow Marines, Mark Juarez, Matthew Ballard, and Rupert Hamer. The three men had lost their lives during a bombing in Afghanistan in 2010. Herndon wore their names across his shoe laces as he ran. After 22 miles, Herndon’s legs...

The Hidden Kingdom In the classic fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk, a poor boy named Jack acquires magic beans in exchange for his family’s cow. His mother, upset by the trade, throws down the bean in anger. But that night, a great beanstalk grows, enabling Jack to climb it where he finds and steals golden coins, enough to provide for his...

Tell Your Story When something incredible happens to you, who do you tell first? Maybe you rush home to report the good news to your family. Or maybe you pick up the phone to call your best friend. Some of us snap a photo and declare the good news on social media. It’s natural to want to share the good things in our life with those we love.

Healing Faith When someone we love is ill, we want them to get the very best treatment possible. We may travel a long distance to find exactly the right doctor and give hope to our loved one. Such was the case in Jesus’ time when many who followed Him were seeking healing. Here Mark intertwines two stories, a dying girl and a sick woman.

Seeing Jesus Many have compared our physical eyesight to our spiritual rebirth. In the beloved and famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” John Newton wrote, “I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see.” When we come to Christ and trust Him for our salvation, our eyes are opened and we are able to see and understand God’s truth.

Discipleship Requires Prayer How do you resist the devil? In his commentary, John Calvin addressed that very question, “Not every kind of faith that will suffice, when we have to enter into a serious conflict with Satan, but that vigorous efforts are indispensably necessary.” This passage is not the first time Mark records the casting out...

Jesus, Marriage, and Children Statistics on divorce in America can make the chances of having a lasting marriage seem bleak. Divorce is not something anyone desires. The dissolution of a marriage causes pain not only to the married couple, but to their children, friends, and extended family. And Christian marriages that fail can be a negative...

Last in the Kingdom In August 2017, in his final world competition, Usain Bolt, the Jamaican 100 m world-record holder was favored to win in the IAAF World Championships in London. Bolt had not lost a final of any race for four years, but this race would not provide a cherry on top of the sprinter’s incredible career. Instead, Bolt was defeated...