Occasional reflections, in text and audio, on current events in the light of the gospel.
From a little book called Basic Christianity, its author, John Stott, writes this:“You can become a Christian in a moment, but not a mature Christian. Christ can enter, cleanse, and forgive you in a…
Tuesday, April 16, 2024Although I am wary of generalizations, I'll venture to say that we live in a culture of complaint or, if that is an overstatement, I will venture to say that the temptation to…
January 2, 2023 Over the weekend I spotted an article about the disappointment of developing countries with the slow response of rich countries to the climate crisis. Disappointment may be too…
A decade ago, our Bishop spoke of an encounter he had during a visit to a distant congregation whose small city had made the news over some divisive issue. I think the Bishop later related this…
When we think of news, we probably don’t think of sports. But much of the news we get is devoted to sports, a great multitude of sports, amateur and professional, scores, profiles of players,…
Mark J. Pruitt · Recording (56) According to some reports, the countryside may soon be the place where creative artists flourish. The reason is simple. Cities are just too expensive. The cost of…
Mark J. Pruitt · Recording (53) 'What do you know about bliss?' someone asked me. Before I could answer, he explained that he was talking about a recently released movie. He was not asking…
Mark J. Pruitt · Praise, or Dispraise? There is plenty of dispraise around. Dispraise. Yes, dispraise is a word. It means what it sounds like, though I confess I consulted a dictionary the first…
Mark J. Pruitt · Love in Difficult Times Valentine's Day is coming soon and romantic love will be the primary love named, celebrated, rekindled, and even pled for ("Will you be my valentine?")…
Just a few days ago on the radio, the host of one very partisan radio station was asked, “What radio station would you like to see banned?” He said, “I don’t want any of them banned. I don’t even…
Mark J. Pruitt · The Discipline of Quietness “One day within your courts excels a thousand spent away” is the way one of our very beautiful hymns paraphrases Psalm 84, verse 9. Now, it may seem…
For the Week of December 6--12The opening line of this week's Psalm sounds a note of thanksgiving--"You have been gracious to your land, O Lord"--and it was on our lips last week as we celebrated…
Psalm 104: For the week of May 31-June 6It may be dangerous to wade into the debates about Intelligent Design in a very short reflection that is meant as a devotion rather than an argument. But…
Psalm 66: 7-18 : For the week of May 17—23Some things remain the same"But we don’t go to the Temple to make burnt offerings!” This might be the kind of thought that comes to mind when we read this…
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 : For the week of May 10-16Don’t spend all your time debatingIt can be a real temptation to spend all our time debating about God or with God. A very close friend told me…
Psalm 68: For the week of May 24—May 30If the Psalms were edited down through the years, experts agree that too many hands went to work on Psalm 68! A thematic thread is hard to find. Plus, there are…
Psalm 23: For the week of May 3—9Can More Be Said?What can be said by us about Psalm 23 that has not already been said, and said better, than we can hope to say? Not much. So our praise of Psalm…
Psalm 116: For the week of April 26—May 2Calling Upon GodBottling things up is unwise. We know, in a very ordinary matters, that naming challenges has a way of making them manageable. When we…
Beginning Thursday, April 23 at noon, Mark Pruitt will host a Bible Study on Zoom. Access the study by clicking on the link below and then using the passwordhttps://zoom.us/j/91676039008?pwd=…
At 9:30 on the radio stations WAKR--1590 AM and 93.5 FM we broadcast our Easter Service. It lasts half-an-hour. At 10:00 am on YouTube and below we offer a modified video of the service.…
Psalm 118: For the week of April 12—18Marvelous in our eyesThe resurrection is the supreme event in history. So we sing every Easter from this Psalm “On this day the Lord has acted; we…
Good Friday 2020As Jesus suffered on the Cross, he continued to speak, even in this most extreme situation. His sayings are called the Last Seven Words of Christ. Here is music and a set of seven…
Sunday April 5th, 2020 10:00 am On Palm Sunday, a brief video with a homily (God is a Self-Giving God) and prayers provides one new way to worship together. WelcomeThe…
Mark J. Pruitt · Psalm 31Psalm 31: 9-16 : For the week of April 5—11Any survey of our history tells us that humanity is sinful, prone to violence toward others and self-destructive, too. Well,…
At 10:00 am a brief video follows this format, providing one new way to worship together. WelcomeThe Collect of The DayAlmighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and…
Mark J. Pruitt · Psalm 130 March 30 Psalm 130: For the week of March 29-April 3‘Don’t waste this time!’ That’s one thing that I want to yell from the rooftop. Yelling doesn’t really help,…
A brief video follows this format, providing one new way to worship together. Our offerings are a work-in-progress. WelcomeThe Collect of The DayGracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ…
Mark J. Pruitt · Psalm 23 March 24 2020 The Psalms have been indispensable for biblical faith for thousands of years, and a great source of renewal. Almost every generation, by the way, has put…
A Waiting Time, But Not Wasting Time. This is not a perfect motto (what motto is?), but it's one that is sticking with me in this unique time. We are waiting for a set of signs to signal that our…
Psalm 23Getting Alone With God, the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Good ShepherdThe great gift of community has been, for a time, taken away from us now in one of its forms. There’s no…
Mark J. Pruitt · WeeklyWord12Feb2019 Apologize!. Say you're sorry! These words, which I associate mainly with my childhood, are making a comeback.Most of us know these words from our early years…
Mark J. Pruitt · Feb192019.wav “There is nothing new under the sun” is a saying attributed to King Solomon. It appears in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes as one of the many complaints…
Mark J. Pruitt · WeeklyWord5Feb2019.wav Yesterday was World Cancer Day. A chief purpose of having such a day on the World Calendar is to raise awareness of the disease among individuals, and by…
Mark J. Pruitt · WeeklyWordJan22.wav Very few us could get through the day, accomplishing what we need to, without making lists. Lists are indispensable for daily living but also, wise people…
Mark J. Pruitt · Weeklyword15January2019.wav “They shall be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.” This is how Isaiah describes godly men and women. He…
Mark J. Pruitt · Weeklyword8January2019.wav In one week’s time we will be honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,. the great civil rights leader, powerful preacher, and…
Mark J. Pruitt · WeeklyWordDec25.wav We all know that the Christmas season is a very commercial season. But, of course, we live in a very commercialized world, commercialized because we consume…
Mark J. Pruitt · WeeklyWord12-18-2018 Finding peace is no easy thing in our stressed-out world. A year ago, heading into 2018, Forbes magazine relied on a respected survey to report that 2017…
Saint Paul's Akron · Weekly Word - Sept 11 2018 ‘Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,’ is a verse from the New Testament that many Christians will be familiar with, and many who…
Last week, I was sent looking for a passage in C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity that I hadn’t read in years, even in decades. Now, it doesn’t take much to spur me to think of Lewis or to quote him. My…
