One of the classes at Chambers College this semester is honing its skills in apologetics and persuasion. The students have been watching and analyzing master debaters on the Supreme Court and from the highest echelons of government and professional life as they tackle the sticky wickets of public policy. They have also watched Christian leaders debate with atheists the existence of God. They have read many sources that should help them sharpen their own thought processes and prepare them to engage their world about their worldview. A sticking point that has popped up more than once is “the problem of […]

The lamp is readied, the wick trimmed, Filled with oil, the chimney placed. A burning reed transfers the flame, Lights the lamp and in turn the room.   The light shines well, but eyes adjust, And crave brighter ‘til gloom is past. Boldly, our hand turns up the wick To get the full effect we seek.   Immediately, flame now bright, We bask in artificial light; But see now, black soot in excess Darks the glass, defeats our purpose.   Obscured, the flame reduced in power Is dimmer than in former hour. The oil still burns, but smoke is thick […]

Being born smack in the middle of the “Boomer” generation, I am realizing more and more every day that all booms go bust eventually. As with every generation before and after ours, we grew up (or not!) together, graduated together, got married together, had children together, watched our children marry and have children together, and now we are superintending the death of our parents together. In some popular media outlets, we are called the “Sandwich” generation, squeezed between cleaning up after grandchildren and cleaning up after infirm parents. But I don’t feel like something plump between two tasty pieces of […]

The wood is dead; the tree is downed, So worthless lying on the ground. But Love is a consuming fire Who lights the log upon its pyre. The fire blazes bright and hot, But left alone the flame dies out. The blazing fire soon burns low; The flicker of the flame is slow. When almost all the fuel is spent, The heat reduced, the light grows faint. The log is shrunken, cracked and gray, Almost spent, life’s little day. What good is smoke in darkest night? What good to smoulder without light? So smash and bash with iron rod; Now […]

All flames flame out in the end. The ember that once was fanned, Flamed up insistent and wild, Burning fuel so deftly piled, Leaping, dancing– what a sight! Warming and cheering with light. But now it fades, the fuel burned, And what remains must be turned; The darkened coals need a prod– A stir with an iron rod. Once again the flame revives, But fuel spent, it short survives. In ignominy it dies; Even smoke no longer flies. Nothing but gray dust is left, The gold gone, its place bereft. All flames flame out in the end: It’s a law […]

Water catches my eye Coming down the valley, Fascinating with its Endless gleams and sparkles. Pure and clear it cascades, Broken on the boulders, Squeezing through the cracks as Shards of liquid crystal. Broken off the stream, a Pool lies darkly silent. Peaceful? No, I think not. Lifeless, gloomy, brackish. Turning now, I trace the Stream up to its source, and Find the going rocky, Slippery, steep and hard. Fear of falling grips, but Beauty lures me upwards. Thunderous sound assaults me, Speaking to my terror. “Broken is my body; Poured out is its water, Falling far from heaven For […]

  Cloud fingers Mysteriously creep Over rough terrain– Now lingering, Now moving, Sinking in crevasses, Rising up ridges, Now hanging low. Mystery– Dark, vaporous beauty. So what is your life? Vapor passes, Rising up On the wings of the wind– Very breath of God; And then it parts Revealing Clear shining after rain, As seen from above– Brightest whiteness Teri Ong May2014

by Teri Ong I am typing this as I sit on a train heading to the North. We are riding today just for the fun of riding. Later we will catch a southbound train and head  back into London so we can be with our friends at the Metropolitan Tabernacle this Sunday. We have used our four train days to see England coast to coast (Ravenglass to Sunderland) and border to coast (Carlisle to Penzance). We have had some rain and cool temperatures everyday for the first nine days of our trip, but the weather has only added to the […]

Verse One Thou, whose sweet youth and early hopes enhance Thy rate and price, and mark thee for a treasure; Hearken unto a Verser, who may chance Rhyme thee to good, and make a bait of pleasure. A verse may find him, who a sermon flies, And turn delight into a sacrifice. English poet George Herbert seems very far removed from evangelicalism in the 21st century. He was born in 1594 and died young, age 39, in 1633. He was well-born and well-educated. His destiny seemed to be a life of relative ease and political influence. But here is where […]

 Can a creature live too long on earth? What is earth but the dirt we’re made of? Is it to be counted so dear then That gnarled fingers Won’t be persuaded To loose their grip? Solid forms of life’s familiar things Tempt us to lose sight of worlds unseen, Darkening our eyes by long shadows, Slowing progress Because of failure To see ahead. Earth-bound stuff is not without its charm; In dark matter a faint light appears. (Small imaginations shrink from more.) Without earth’s stuff, We would not know of Eternity. But it is still dust, clay, ash– all dirt […]