“My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king…”

“We are all brothers!” has been a frequent cry of both Russians and Ukrainians. History, ethnicity, culture, and language proves this to be true.

“O YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  Thus begins, and ends, Psalm 8—one of the loveliest passages in scripture. 

Martha gets a bad rap. Many commentaries on Martha paint her as the woman whose heart was centered on displaying her culinary prowess to her guests. She is compared to her sister Mary, who chose to sit and listen to the words of Jesus. In the human spirit of comparison, we pit these two sisters against each other and then pick sides. 

The Philippines represent a moving and encouraging story for us to consider.

My first visit to the Philippines was 49 years ago.

In the eighth Psalm, which David intended to be “accompanied by a stringed instrument,” we find the often quoted first two verses.

Pedro read every piece of literature sent. He understood and fully agreed to what he read. God's plan for salvation and the gospel became clear to him and he was no more confused.

Job had a lifelong mission: “Till I die, I will not put away mine integrity from me.” (Job 27:6 ESV).

The circumstances and make up of ecclesias vary across the Philippines. Some ecclesias are very well established, while other ecclesias are small and isolated in distance from other ecclesias.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44).¹

In his book, We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry, Presbyterian scholar Gregory K. Beale (1949 - ) argues the case that we take on the characteristics of what we worship. So, for instance, those who worshiped idols became just as blind, deaf and immobile, spiritually speaking, as their false gods.