“Christ hath made her beautiful.
And O’, what a beauty indeed.
I can see,
Or at least imagine,
How she, indeed,
Will grow even more beautiful,
In time.
Oh man, what blessed responsibility,
To wash, and sanctify the Word,
In her,
To be to her a man,
A Gospel-driven leader,
So that she’ll grow more beautiful,
In time.
A gift like her, what man can find?
But O’, [...]
(W.Hank Balch © 2008 )
“The difference in a step and leap is altitude,
Or so I’m told.
I don’t leap much now days,
A tad bit too old,
Am I.
Okay, I’m not that old, but still,
Why leap when you can step,
Especially going up a hill?
‘Tis much safer, don’t you know,
to stay down here below?
And wallow, er, I mean wait,
For [...]
“Lift your glad voices in triumph on high,
For Jesus hath risen, and man cannot die;
Vain were the terrors that gathered around Him,
And short the dominion of death and the grave
He burst from the fetters of darkness that bound Him,
Resplendent in glory to live and to save!
Loud was the chorus of angels on high,
The Savior hath [...]
(Continuing on in my T4G mini-series, I would like to share a few more thoughts about my experience at Together for the Gospel ‘08 and try my best give God glory for all the amazing things he did there. - ‘BH)
(Photo courtesy of Brandon Rogers.)
Having never been to this style of conference, and knowing that [...]
Because I’ve done a poor job of keeping up with the “Law’n Gospel” part of the blog recently, I wanted to post this poem I wrote a couples of years ago after meditating on Romans 3 and the work of the Law in bringing a child of God unto repentance. I dedicate it to my [...]
Karsten Piper recently inspired me to do so more poetry, and also linked to 22 other modern poets and their poems (including this poem by Tony Hoagland that was pretty deep). I very rarely write in verse, and I don’t even know if I did it right…but hey, I tried.
Be touch, and be challenged -
‘BH
====
The [...]
(The following is adapted from Dr. Russell Moore’s Systematic Theology I lecture on beauty (Fall 2007, SBTS). The poem contains my reflections on the class.)
inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably
Beauty – Scripture speaks of God as beautiful. Because of that, we are to understand that there is an objective category of beauty. For something to be beautiful, [...]
Think about it, and feel free to respond:
Like an Animal
“Presumption, like an animal,
Has gnawed away at our flesh.
What once was our flesh,
Has become our “wants”.
What once was our children,
Has become our “choice”.
Making, like an animal,
Has torn our families limb from limb.
Once seen as begotten,
Now a product of our will.
Once seen as a gift,
Now we choose [...]
“Not only vanity—but enmity!
An enemy of the Deity,
But he rescued me,
From sin so deep,
That my broken plea
Was “Woe is me!”
Who am I, a man, that He should die,
Be crucified, by hands he made,
On a day that He created,
Yeah, He made it,
From nothing- to be,
From hopelessness- to victory.
W. Hank Balch © 2008
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” Mark 16:6
Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Words & Music: Robert Lowry, 1874; appeared in Brightest and Best, by Robert Lowry and W. Howard Doane (New York: Biglow & Main, 1875) (MIDI, score).
Low in the [...]
" ... Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. God will not hold us guiltless, not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act." - Dietrich Boenhoffer
