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Praise to the Trinity
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
Recent Posts
God? Who Needs Him?May 31, 2013
Self-sufficient humanism. Paul saw it coming – “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Imago Dei
September 12, 2012
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Why Can't I Pray?
August 18, 2012
The bible gives us several reasons, but according to Jeremy Taylor, a deceitful heart is at the root of prayerlessness.
It's Not Rocket Science
July 23, 2012
To keep in step with the Spirit should be our daily quest. And if we are successful at that, all of life falls into place.
Theological Steak
April 10, 2012
These words by P. T. Forsythe on the magnificence of Christ's work are to theology what Ruth's Chris is to a good steak.
Describing the Indescribable
February 11, 2012
What we have in Christ will take all eternity to describe. But for one segment of one sermon, a great preacher made a mighty attempt.
Making Sense Of It All
January 30, 2012
Where are things headed? Is there rhyme and reason to the endless cycle of summer, fall, winter and spring? Is there a plan in place, or is randomness the explanation?
C.S. Lewis On Praise
September 27, 2008
Christians are called to praise the Lord. Why? What is that all about? And just what does it "accomplish?
In discussing a great work of art, C. S. Lewis argues for the response of admiration as wholly appropriate and expected. The picture doesn’t so much “deserve” or “demand” admiration. It is just that if we refuse to become caught up in the beauty of what we are observing, we are “stupid, insensible, and great losers, and we shall have missed something.
“God is that object to admire, which, is simply to be awake, to have entered the real world; not to appreciate which is to have lost the greatest experience, and in the end to have lost all. The incomplete and crippled lives of those who are tone deaf, have never been in love, never known true friendship, never cared for a good book, never enjoyed the feel of the morning air on their cheeks, never enjoyed football (I am one of these!), are faint images of it.”
“The miserable idea that God should in any sense need, or crave for, our worship like a vain woman wanting compliments, or a vain author presenting his new books to people who never met or heard of him, is implicitly answered by the words ‘If I be hungry, I will not tell you.’ (Psalm 50:12) Even if such an absurd deity could be conceived, He would hardly come to us, the lowest of rational creatures, to gratify his appetite. I don’t want my dog to bark approval of my books.”
“The world rings with praise. Lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game, praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, even sometimes politicians or scholars.
I had not noticed how the humblest and at the same time most balanced and capacious minds (essentially minds with lots of hard drive space) praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least. Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. I had not noticed either that just as men praise spontaneously what they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praise. Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t that glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent? I think we delight to praise what we enjoy, because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment.” C. S. Lewis
“God is that object to admire, which, is simply to be awake, to have entered the real world; not to appreciate which is to have lost the greatest experience, and in the end to have lost all. The incomplete and crippled lives of those who are tone deaf, have never been in love, never known true friendship, never cared for a good book, never enjoyed the feel of the morning air on their cheeks, never enjoyed football (I am one of these!), are faint images of it.”
“The miserable idea that God should in any sense need, or crave for, our worship like a vain woman wanting compliments, or a vain author presenting his new books to people who never met or heard of him, is implicitly answered by the words ‘If I be hungry, I will not tell you.’ (Psalm 50:12) Even if such an absurd deity could be conceived, He would hardly come to us, the lowest of rational creatures, to gratify his appetite. I don’t want my dog to bark approval of my books.”
“The world rings with praise. Lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game, praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, even sometimes politicians or scholars.
I had not noticed how the humblest and at the same time most balanced and capacious minds (essentially minds with lots of hard drive space) praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least. Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. I had not noticed either that just as men praise spontaneously what they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praise. Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t that glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent? I think we delight to praise what we enjoy, because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment.” C. S. Lewis
