Archive • Afterwords • Buttondown

January 3, 2025

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;...

Angels, and the way back to the garden

December 13, 2024

"And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" (Luke 2:10) “Do not be afraid, for...

December 5, 2024

"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down..." (Isaiah 64:1) December 5, 2024 Dear friends, I've been writing about a couple of things, well,...

November 30, 2024

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)...

Precious in his sight

November 19, 2024

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15) November 19, 2024 Dear friends, Having ministered the past 24 years in a...

The all-encompassing commission

November 8, 2024

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...

November 3, 2024

"Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb." (Psalms...

October 31, 2024

"Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." "Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever." (Psalms 34:14; 37:27) October 31,...

Beholding the beauty

October 23, 2024

"O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells." (Psalm 26:8 ESV) "One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall...

The light by which we see

October 13, 2024

"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:9) October 13, 2024 Dear friends, This week we are very thankful for the...

The blessing of his intercession

October 4, 2024

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalms 20:7) October 4, 2024 Dear friends, We in Blacksburg are...

September 29, 2024

"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness." (Psalms 17:15) September 28, 2024 Dear...

September 19, 2024

"O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,...

We shall be like him

September 14, 2024

"Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see...

The Holy Spirit

September 9, 2024

"And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2c) "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.'” (Revelation 22:17a) September 9,...

August 30, 2024

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another...

Reading Revelation

August 22, 2024

"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here,...

August 17, 2024

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do...

"Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms,...

Living in tents

"For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2...

Misreading providence

"Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:8) "...do you think that they were worse...

Afterwords -- his will

"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) "For I have come down from heaven, not to...

Afterwords -- no boasting

“'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.' So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours..." (1 Corinthians 3:20-21) June 14,...

Afterwords -- Transferred

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."...

Afterwords -- workers

Photo by Tim Mossholder / Unsplash "Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give...

Afterwords -- the cost

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) "...who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the...

Afterwords -- the big secret

Steven White artwork, VT Doodles "At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on...

Afterwords -- mothers

“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who...

Afterwords -- rejoice always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε. May 8, 2024 Dear friends,...

Afterwords -- in training

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled,...

Afterwords -- your faith

"And he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'" (Luke 7:50 ESV) April 25, 2024 Dear friends, In our Bible study lunch group this week we...

Afterwords -- the limits of wisdom

"Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed... Whoever...

Afterwords -- edited

Dear friends, In writing about Paul's benediction, I neglected to mention that a primary role of a benediction was to provide assurance of God's blessing...

Afterwords -- triune blessing

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14) "In the doctrine of the...

Afterwords -- on the road to Emmaus

April 5, 2024 Dear friends, I love the resurrection stories of Jesus! There's something light, joyful, and winsome about each of Jesus' appearances to the...

Afterwords -- the cross and the tomb

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried,...

Afterwords -- transfigured

"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before...

Afterwords -- how to listen

"Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”...

Afterwords -- how much he has done

Photo by Ben White / Unsplash "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul." (Psalm 66:16) “Return to your home, and...

Afterwords -- running the race

Photo: Gary Butterfield / Unsplash "Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin...

Afterwords -- authority

February 24, 2024

"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." (Proverbs 30:5) "What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. Is...

Afterwords -- journaling

February 15, 2024

"When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan...

Afterwords -- nearness

February 9, 2024

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13) "Now when the sun was setting, all those...

Afterwords -- wholeness

February 3, 2024

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him......

Afterwords -- the kingdom

January 27, 2024

"...he said to them, 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.'” (Luke 4:43) January...

Afterwords -- for his glory

January 19, 2024

"Moses said, 'Please show me your glory.' And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.'" (Exodus...

Afterwords -- highlight reel

January 12, 2024

January 12, 2024 Dear friends, This week's newsletter will be a little different. I'm not feeling any creative energy for writing. I've started several posts...

Afterwords -- astonishing

January 6, 2024

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,...

Afterwords -- 2024 and beyond

December 30, 2023

"...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,...

Afterwords -- heaven and nature sing

December 13, 2023

"They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God." (Isaiah 35:2) "No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to...