Northern Light

At its core, mercy is God's goodness applied to our badness, His love applied to our sin, and His grace applied to our guilt....

This is the text of the prayer we offered at the opening o f the Naitonal Day of Prayer on the steps of the Cook County, MN courthouse on Thuesday May 1, 2025 at noon: Psalm 24:1 (ESV) The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, Daniel 2:21 (ESV) He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge ...

I suppose, if people today had a favorite Psalm in the Bible, they would identify Psalm 23 as their favorite . . . or at least the one they've heard about.Psalm 23:1-6 (KJV) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4  Yea, ...

James 1:27 (ESV)  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.Picture a man in a pure white suit replete with cumberbund, top hat, tails, and an alabaster walking cane with a golden parrot head knob. The man in your mind walks on the sidewalk in front of a row of houses, not delap...

Here are some thoughts regarding the difference between being judgmental and being discerning:As religious faith in general and the Christian faith in particular become more and more maligned and marginalized in western culture, I find it intriguing how many people who discredit and disapprove of the Bible (Christianity’s primary book), people who have all too often never even read it, take great ...