by Peter James | Jul 14, 2024 | Christina Rosetti, Favorite
I admire Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) as a poet. Her depth of feeling, keen insights, and spiritual sensitivities win my admiration. While she could be introspective and overly serious, she periodically displayed a lighthearted, playful mood, as evidenced in turning...
by Peter James | Apr 30, 2023 | Favorite, Suzanna Wesley
Suzanna and Samuel were married forty-six years. They didn’t have an easy time of it. They possessed strong personalities and definite opinions. Case in point: politics. Suzanna supported King James II while Samuel preferred his successor, King William. One day...
by Peter James | Apr 23, 2023 | Favorite, Thomas Dorsey
Why don’t we tell the stories that accompany the hymns we sing? Virtually every song has a story to accompany it. So many hymns emerge out of pain and intense struggle. Once you know the story behind the hymn “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,”...
by Peter James | Apr 19, 2023 | Favorite, John Milton
John Milton (1608-1674) was nearing the end of his eventful life. He felt as if he had one last poem in him. He rose each morning at 5:00 a.m., meditated on his Hebrew Bible for an hour and offered the day in prayer. (John had learned ancient Hebrew as a child and as...
by Peter James | Apr 6, 2023 | Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Favorite
Hitler’s takeover of the German Evangelical Church was resisted by a small number of dissenting pastors like Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Dietrich challenged his pastoral colleagues to stand for Christ and not succumb to Hitler’s fear tactics. The...
by Peter James | Mar 26, 2023 | Favorite, St. Augustine
Augustine (354-430) was restless. He identified his restlessness at the outset of his autobiography, the Confessions, “Thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.” As Augustine looked back over his life in 397 at...
