Psalm 130 begins with a desperate cry for help. The psalmist calls out to God “from the depths of despair” (130:1). We...
I have a confession to make. It won’t impress you with my godliness but perhaps with my cultural saturation. Here it goes: when I hear the word mercy, I sometimes think of the...
Do you know about the dark side of The High Calling? No, Darth Vader isn’t one of our editors, nor any of...
I can still hear the voices of my Sunday school teachers as they taught me to memorize Psalm 119:11 in the classic King James Version: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart...
Psalm 118 was written in the context of hostility. The unnamed psalm writer was facing threats from his enemies who hated him and sought to kill him. But the Lord rescued and protected him.
One of the greatest challenges and joys of my life was leading a church during the building of a sanctuary, the space many would now call a “worship center.”
Psalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s grace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God delivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps ...
The other night, I woke up about 4:00 a.m., worrying about my life. When I get into that state of mind, I...
Psalm 113 celebrates the greatness of God. It calls us to praise the Lord because he is “high above the nations” (113:4).
At one time or another, most of us have asked the question, “What should I study if I want good work?”
Don’t give up on your dreams. As hard as life gets, it will be the dreams that God has put in your life that will keep you going. God will send people into...
Three stonemasons were building a cathedral when a stranger wandered by. The first stonemason was toting rocks to a pile, near a wall. “What are you doing?” said the stranger. ...
We need refreshment. We need our souls restored. We need times of quiet.
The LORD says a most curious thing to the king: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (110:4). What does this mean?
Perhaps you remember the Saturday Night Live character known as Stuart Smalley. He starred in a fictional self-help program called "Daily Affirmation...
We’re on the beach, waves thundering, breeze playful, sand beneath our bare skin. I lay my head against her lap, close my eyes. ...
I began my brief career as a nurse, with no vision, apart from survival—my own and that of my patients. Fear drove...
During the past several summers, I've had the privilege of being part of the leadership team of Laity Lodge Youth Camp, a sister program to The High Calling and Laity Lodge.
Psalm 105 begins with a call to praise the Lord (v. 1). It adds that we should sing praise to him (v. 2), rejoice (v. 3), and seek his face (v. 4). Then...
I cannot read Psalm 103 without thinking of Bill Cody. Bill was the Director of Laity Lodge, the retreat center associated with The High Calling, from 1965 through 1979. As you may recall, I was a...
