-
Hump Day Hymns: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed
Alas! And did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die! Would He devote that sacred dead For sinners such as I! Was it for sins that I have done He suffered on the tree! Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree! Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut its glories in, When Christ,…
-
Hump Day Hymns – Lent edition: The Glory of These Forty Days
The glory of these forty days We celebrate with songs of praise; For Christ, by whom all things were made, Himself has fasted and has prayed. Alone and fasting, Moses saw The loving God who gave the law; And to Elijah, fasting, came The steeds and chariots of flame. So Daniel trained his mystic sight,…
-
Tuesdays are for Thanks: Coffee
It’s six o’clock in the evening, I look forward to what I want to accomplish before I hand over to God my meager offering of my efforts today, and retire for the night. Making my way to the kitchen I set in motion a most wonderful ritual, the beginning of which releases a strong and…
-
Hump Day Hymns: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from wrath and make me pure. Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know,…
-
Tuesdays are for Thanks: Snow
Linking up today with Micha Boyett I am a life-long resident of the north, and I still like snow. During the same time that seemingly everyone around me is pining for spring and swearing that they will move to a warmer climate by next year, I am basking in it. I love many things about…
-
The Saturday Demon
It’s simple really. All I have to do is put one word in front of another, types of words ordered in a particular way. As I often do when I am having difficulty writing, I begin gazing around my bookshelf and my eyes stop at Stephen Dobyns’s book, Best Words, Best Order. That’s it, I think,…
-
Hump Day Hymns: Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
Note: One of the wonderful things about enduring hymns is their ability to speak strongly and deeply about the journey of faith. The more I share hymns on Wednesdays, the more I come to the realization that, many times, my words simply distract from the impact of these hymns. Today I present simply a hymn…
-
Tuesdays are for Thanks: City Reformed Church
Walking up the several concrete stairs, I think of the songs of ascent, sung by the faithful of ancient times as they went up the steps to the inner court of the temple to meet God. I am not ascending the steps of the temple, these are steps to a Methodist church building — a…
-
Hump Day Hymns: Lord, as Thou Wilt, Deal Thou with Me
Lord, as Thou wilt, deal Thou with me; No other wish I cherish. In life and death I cling to Thee; Oh, do not let me perish! Let not Thy grace from me depart And grant an ever patient heart To bear what Thou dost send me. Grant honor, truth, and purity, And love Thy…
-
A Brush With Grace
I was almost in tears. “It’s just a jelly roll” my beloved attempted to console me. “It’s not about the jelly roll,” I responded. We sat quiet for a few minutes as we drove over the high point of the bridge crossing the port. The bridge is the best place to get a view of…
Matthew van Maastricht
Shepherd of Souls | Spiritual Director | Psychotherapist
Would you like to receive new posts directly in your email?
Matthew van Maastricht 