Sound Words
SOUND WORDS, JUNE 22, 2025
JESUS OUR MEDIATOR AND INTERCESSOR When we think about what Jesus does for us as His people, two terms are used of Him that help us understand why it is so important to trust Him. Scripture teaches that Jesus is both our Mediator and our Intercessor. Let’s think about these terms. Jesus is our Mediator “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for…
SOUND WORDS, JUNE 15, 2025
Beautiful Feet? Let’s be honest: human feet aren’t exactly the most glamorous part of the body. Artists seldom make feet the focal point of a portrait. Even in the world of fashion, we cover them up, paint them, or tuck them away in shoes as quickly as we can. They’re bony, wrinkled, calloused, and often bear the scars of years of wear and tear. They smell. They sweat. They stub into furniture in the dark and we yelp in protest.…
SOUND WORDS, JUNE 8, 2025
Unity Among Brethren Unity among Christians is not merely a noble idea—it is a divine imperative. In a world torn by division, conflict, and self-interest, the body of Christ is called to reflect the oneness of God through loving, purposeful fellowship. Scripture not only commands unity but also illustrates its practical application and describes the blessings it brings to the Lord’s people. Unity Commanded by God Unity is not optional for Christians. It is a direct command from our Lord…
SOUND WORDS, JUNE 1, 2025
HAT CAN WE KNOW ABOUT HEAVEN? “Now my idea about heaven is …” and then the writer or speaker reveals himself far more than he tells us about heaven. The materialist, sensual, mystical, aesthetic, and surrealist all have a field day with heaven. It is “pie in the sky” to those who ridicule its reality; and an extremely plush “paid vacation” for those who equate “real” with earthly literalism. “Heaven” is a divinely revealed place, state, or condition; and we…
SOUND WORDS, MAY 25, 2025
THE SINFUL MIND (As we are in the U.K. I hope you enjoy these perspectives from The True Light, a bi-monthly paper published during our work with the Old St. congregation in London from 1990-1994). Slow roasting on a spit. Cutting out the tongue. Ripping out the fingernails. Flaying and disemboweling while alive. These were some of the macabre scenes of torture depicted in the London Dungeon, a museum which illustrates man’s inhumanity to man. As I accompanied a friend…
SOUND WORDS, MAY 11, 2025
BEARING HIS CROSS Jesus Christ could not carry his cross in this world His body so weakened by beating that he fell beneath the load So they compelled another to take up the burden It was heavy and rough and I imagine he groaned under the weight Thinking, it is not fair why should I have to bear this cross It was not meant for me But in the end he laid the cross down and rested his weary body…
SOUND WORDS, MAY 4, 2025
FIRST THINGS FIRST: SELF EXAMINATION “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5). It is always easier to judge others than to examine oneself. It is easy to see the faults and sins of our neighbor, and we are too ready to point them out. We are not nearly as ready to look ourselves and our own flaws. It is like seeing…
SOUND WORDS, APRIL 27, 2025
AT THE CROSSROADS Scripture warns against those who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.” Paul writes, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Phil 3:18-19). Elsewhere Paul writes that those who cause divisions “do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Rom 16:18). There can be specific applications of…