May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) It’s all about the flow from the inside to the outside. This is the last line of David’s magnificent psalm that begins “The Heavens declare the glory of God.” It’s a prayer to be “pleasing” to God … Read More
A Look Back…
The following speech was given during Homecoming Week at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, Iowa on January 19 of this year. It was given by my father, Marion Van Soelen, who served as Unity’s principal from 1970-1977 (and a servant in Christian education for 50 years). Clearly, I am pretty biased when it comes to the content, but … Read More
Praying to be Still
God says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) My lack of stillness comes from trying to be God. I multi-task, stay digitally connected, keep up with news/sports/entertainment, track my steps and sleep hours — it’s like I’m trying not to disappoint my cell phone. But God reminds me the position of ‘Lord of My Life’ has … Read More
Praying About What the Heavens Declare
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4 Here in the Twin Cities, we just … Read More
Praying to Rely on Goodness and Mercy
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6) My favorite collection of 24 words of the English language, David’s conclusion to his rich, powerful and gorgeous 23rd Psalm. As we go through Sheep Week, I’m happy to know two shepherds who get … Read More