Barry talks about Psalm 94 and sees the inevitable couple of hope and no hope. Hope shows up on the side of God’s people as he opts to use hardship to perfect them, and no hope hangs over those who make themselves his enemy. God is powerful enough to use all the things he will […]

Barry takes a moment and a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to talk about the things he appreciates most about America. Having the freedom to do what we want may be one of the best things about our country, but it also requires giving up some of what we want. Poem: How Do I Love […]

Barry talks with Dr. Allan Peetz about the varied experiences that make up the life of a trauma surgeon. While surgeons are often hailed as heroes by those of us who need them (and they are), the field automatically comes with a potential downside. Our guest states, “You have this great hour to help people, […]

Barry covers our 5th and final Psalm of Ascent, which takes us in a new direction. Aside from being beautifully elegant and inspiring, this psalm is challenging and a bit of a comeuppance. Often when we think of worshipping God, we visualize a sacred space with little distractions and a lot of awe. However, this […]

Barry covers another Psalm of Ascent, a reminder of how and why we worship. Psalm 132 turns the idea of coming to worship on its head as we are not approaching God, hoping to get his attention so he will care about the things we care about. Instead, we find that God has already promised […]

Have you ever wondered why we pray? We say that God knows everything before it happens, and we believe he is always good (to the level of perfection, in fact), so why do we show up asking for things to change at all? In Psalm 130, our third Psalm of Ascent, Barry talks about the […]

The next Psalm we sing to one another, Psalm 126, as we climb up to worship God together encourages us to use our past to find hope in our future. Looking at God’s work in our life can bolster the faith we need to endure our present. Sometimes it can be easier for others to […]

Barry begins our next summer series, for the month of July, back in the Psalms. This time we focus on the Psalms of Ascent. These particular songs were used as the people of God left the land of their various tribes and homes to come to a central place of worship, high up on the […]

Barry conducts our final interview with a Vice President at Criswell College. The life of Luis Juárez, our Vice President of Student Affairs and Communications, has definitely taken a circuitous route through countries, struggles, and joys, keeping with our pattern. God knows right where we are headed, even when we might never know or even […]

Barry conducts the third of his interviews with Vice Presidents at Criswell College. The life and career of Kevin Stilley, our VP of Finance, also took a circuitous route (there seems to be a pattern emerging here). His journey includes a love of reading and learning, “accidental” changes in career and ministry, and some very […]