You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. – Psalm 85:2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 19, 2025): Psalm 85

On July 18, 2025, the progressive rock band "Styx" released their eighteenth studio album, "Circling from Above." "Circling from Above" was the first time that Will Evankovich and Terry Gowan, the brother of "Styx" keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, were featured as full-time members of the band. The reaction of the critics seems to be generally positive about the new Album. They praise the Album's "rich musicality" as well as its "thematic depth." "Circling from Above" seems to both take another step on the journey the band has been on for decades, while remaining true to the band's roots.

I've been a big Styx fan since the early 1970s, and I had July 18, 2025, circled on my calendar. However, I was on vacation in July and the days often seemed to blend in with each other; as a result, I didn't listen to the Album until July 19. (I had heard the lead single from the Album, "Build and Destroy," when it was released in June.) I hope the band will forgive me for my tardiness.

I love the Album, but the one track that caught me a little off guard was "Forgive." Let me explain. There has been a lot of conversation in the Styxverse about the possibility of the band going back to its original lineup. Now, a complete return to the original lineup would be impossible. Styx's original drummer, John Panozo, passed away from gastrointestinal hemorrhaging and cirrhosis in 1996. Chuck Panozo, the original bass player, continues to play with the band from time to time, but health issues curtail his full involvement. But the real intent of going back to the original band points to the acceptance of keyboard player and vocalist Dennis DeYoung back into the fold. For his part, DeYoung says that he is ready to return, but the band isn't quite as sure. James (JY) Young has argued in the past, when asked about DeYoung's return to Styx, that "the band is crazy, but it's not stupid. Neither JY nor Tommy Shaw seems ready to invite their former bandmate back.

Maybe I need to make my bias clear here. I loved Dennis DeYoung when he was in the band. However, I am also a massive fan of his replacement, Lawrence Gowan, and was a fan of Gowan, as he is affectionately known in Canada, even before he became part of Styx. I have also said publicly that even though I like DeYoung, I think Gowan was an upgrade. As a result, I'm unsure whether I am cheering a reunion with DeYoung, especially if it means Gowan is out.

Enter the song "Forgive." The song's subject is described in the Title. I like the way that the lyrics treat Forgiveness as a very complex subject. The lyrics to the chorus say;

Did the sun ever shine so bright as you and I?
Oh, why did we toss the fight?
I'll keep saying I forgive you,
Please forgive me too, 'til the day that it's true.

I have no idea what Gowan and Will Evankovich were thinking when they penned the tune, but I can't help but wonder if maybe there was a subconscious desire for their bandmates to forgive DeYoung, if they feel they haven't. I love the concept of forgiving someone until "the day that it's true." Of course, Styx can forgive DeYoung and still not want to reunite.

I keep hearing people say, "I can't forgive this person." And I get it, but maybe we need to take this page from Styx and say, "I am going to actively forgive you until the day that it is true."

We don't forgive just because it is the kind thing to do. We forgive because that is what God modeled for us. He forgave everything we had done to break our relationship with him, which, for most of us, is a lot. And as a result, we forgive the wrongs that are done against us. Is it a challenging task? Yes, which is why it is so vital to keep forgiving them until the day that it's true.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 87 & 88

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. – Psalm 84:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 18, 2025): Psalm 84

British inspirational speaker and writer, Marcus Buckingham, makes the argument that "you will excel only by maximizing your strengths, never by fixing your weaknesses" (Marcus Buckingham). I have listened to Buckingham speak and read some of his books, and I have made the journey to agreeing with him. The problem is that that is not how we live. It seems counterintuitive to invest effort in areas where we are already strong, while essentially ignoring the places where we are weak. Personal improvement always seems to mean strengthening our weaknesses.

However, Buckingham strongly maintains that by working on our weaknesses, the best we can hope for is that we can be average. But if we take the effort that we might spend on our weaknesses to make them average, and place that same effort into areas where we are already strong, then we might be able to excel at something. I believe that if we want to make a difference in our world, we need to try to spend our time in areas where we are strong. And when we understand where we are strong, then hopefully we can gather people around us who can help us where we are weak.

David might also agree with Buckingham. In Psalm 84, he says that "Blessed are those whose strength is in you" (Psalm 84:5). And one of the pieces of evidence of this blessedness is that this person goes "from strength to strength." They excel at what they do, trying to keep in the sweet spot of their personality, with the help of God, who has given us those strengths. When our strength is in God, he helps us function in the areas where we are personally strong.

It goes against the way most of our lives work. We often begin the process with our strengths, but as the journey continues, we transition to our weaknesses, trying to become better in the areas where we are weak. However, spending time in areas where we are weaker often leads to premature fatigue. But if we are following the plan that God has for our journey, we will move from strength to strength, delaying the onset of fatigue.

For the church, this is an essential concept. God has brought us together in community. We all have different strengths, but together, working in our strengths, God can change our communities, making the church an unstoppable force of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 85

We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. – Psalm 44:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 17, 2025): Psalm 44

I am lucky. In my library, which is getting smaller as I cull books that don't bring me joy, I have sermons that were written by my Great-Grandfather, Hallett Mullen, a man who died a couple of years before I was born. I also have writings from my Grandmother, and a family history that was written by someone on my maternal Grandmother's side of the family tree. I also possess recordings of my paternal Grandfather singing, along with recordings from a Great Uncle and my Great Grandparents. One of my regrets is that I never had the chance to sing and play with my Grandfather. Maybe I can make up for it by playing in a worship band with two of my grandsons. William (drums) and Henry (guitar) are young, but they are also becoming good, solid musicians, and I am excited to see where their talent will take them in the future.

Among the treasures is also a recorded testimony of my Grandfather and what God had done in his life. Along with memories of things that he has said over the years in various situations, I have some solid memories from the generations that have gone before. I remember my Grandfather, a professional singer, telling me that he didn't see what he did as a concert. He was uncomfortable standing on a stage, surrounded by his fans (I am sure that is not what grandpa would call them), singing like Bing Crosby or Dean Martin. (My Grandfather did pattern his voice after Bing, and I still hear grandpa singing whenever I hear Bing, something that often happens around Christmas time.) He regarded himself as more of an Ed McMahon setting up for his version of Johnny Carson. I know that he had a few favorite speakers with whom he loved to work.

David says that he has heard of the legacy of God with his own ears; that the legacy has been passed down through the generations to him. I think David is speaking of an oral tradition that we miss in our culture. I am thankful for what I have, but I wish it were more of a normal situation. David heard the stories of God from his Father, Jesse. Perhaps David, like me, had heard God stories from his Grandfather, Obed. Obed, in turn, would have heard the tales of God from his Father, Boaz, a significant figure in the story of Ruth.

Today, I think we often believe that we know more than the generations that went before us. And in some areas we do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't open our ears and listen to their stories. We need these stories. We need to hear the stories about how God moved in the lives of those who lived in the days before we existed. These stories need to be passed down to future generations, so that we can echo the words of David and say that we, too, have heard the stories of what God did in the days of our ancestors.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 84

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. – Psalm 43:4

Today's Scripture Reading (September 16, 2025): Psalm 43

Martin Luther King reminded us that "human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable … Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." The status quo too easily influences us. We want things to remain the same. Even inside the church, we seem only to want to grab onto what is familiar. I have been reminded in the past, and in many ways, of the dangers of bringing uncomfortable ideas inside the church, even when I am sure that the ideas are straight from the throne of God. There seems to be a list of things that we don't really want to hear. We don't want to hear that God wants us to love our Muslim brothers and sisters, even if Jesus did tell us to love our enemies and pray for those who might wish to persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Our stance seems to be, "Come Holy Spirit, just don't challenge me by your presence." Or as one parishioner put it, "Jesus is welcome in my church as long as he doesn't do anything weird." Come, Lord, but don't ask me to sacrifice the things that I think are important.

Psalm 43 is a short prayer for vindication. The psalmist has faced the struggle and needs to be rescued from his enemies. And when he is rescued, he promises that he will go to the altar of God with a song of joy in his heart and on his lips. But what is sometimes so easy to miss is that the altar is actually a place of sacrifice. It always has been. In the tradition I grew up in, we would make that long walk from where we sat to the altar railing at the front of the church whenever we felt God calling us to change. There we knelt and prayed, or we lifted up a song of thanksgiving, but the idea was always that we had come to a place of sacrifice. I do not agree with everything that the Hindu teacher Sathya Sai Baba wrote. Still, he did remind us that "Life is a sacrifice … offer it." (The full quote of Sathya Sai Baba, who believed that he was the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, is "Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it." I am not sure that I would want to correct him on any of these assertions.)  But life really is a sacrifice, and I believe that the psalmist understood that. If he came through this trial, he would sing his praise at the altar because his life remained forfeit to his God. His life was on the altar, and God could do whatever he desired with it.

The apostle Paul wrote what I think is a New Testament equivalent to this Psalm. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatian 2:20). I have laid down my life in sacrifice at the altar; I have offered my life to my God. He is the One who has chosen to pick it up once again, not me. And to him, my life, every portion of it, is dedicated. And that dedication is with joy, delight, and praise.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 44

Originally Published on May 18, 2016

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? – Psalm 42:2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 15, 2025): Psalm 42

I met my wife at college. Both of us were from places that were almost half a continent away from the college, so we both lived in the dorm. However, when summer came, it meant we were going home to places thousands of kilometers away from each other. Actually, at the beginning of the summer, Nelda was on tour with a musical group before she made her way home; I, on the other hand, just went home. Later in the summer, I made plans to go and visit her at her home. We hadn't seen each other for a couple of months, which made our reunion all the more exciting.

I was making the trip to her home by car, which meant taking a ferry from the mainland to the island where her family lived. However, the night before I was scheduled to make the trip, I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to see Nelda. So, in the middle of the night, I got up and dressed, packed my car, and left for the West Coast.

Most of us know what that kind of anticipation is like. We are so excited for something that it consumes us, and we just can't wait. Sometimes, a painful wait is all that we can do. In those moments, a poet might look at us and say that we are hungry or thirsty for something. There is a very real difference between those two states, and hungering for something might be the better description. Hunger is painful, but the reality is that you can survive for a significant period of time without eating. Several years ago, a friend recommended a movie to me about the life of adventurer Chris McCandless. It was my friend's favorite movie, but I have to admit that I found the life of McCandless depressing. If you aren't acquainted with the end of the McCandless story, he dies of starvation, although it seems McCandless believed that he had accidentally poisoned himself. Experts believe that McCandless died of hunger sometime in August 1992 at the age of 24, even though he was eating; the problem was that he wasn't eating enough.

Dying of thirst is also painful, but it happens more quickly. The body can go without food, or in the McCandless example, without enough food, for weeks. But thirst will kill us in a matter of a few days. Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) adds this thought: the use of the word thirst reveals an even more urgent need, "Which is more than hungering; hunger you can palliate [alleviate], but thirst is awful, insatiable, clamorous, [and] deadly" (Charles Spurgeon).

David says that his desire for God is like a thirst. His passion is insatiable, and all he wants is to find a place where he can commune with God. It is a longing that we all should share, never getting enough of God and always wanting more. Like a thirst, we should always seek God, knowing that we need his presence on a daily basis. Time spent without God can only weaken us and leaves us closer to death.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 43

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8

Today's Scripture Reading (September 14, 2025): Psalm 145

The American philosopher and writer Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) argued, "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." We are lucky if we can share our lives with someone like that. I know that I have been one of those fortunate individuals. I have several people who know me well, beginning with my wife and family; I have given them many reasons not to love me, yet they still do. And I hope I return that kind of love to them because there is excellent security in knowing that someone loves you despite all you have done. These are people who understand that love was never designed to be conditional on behavior; rather, it is meant to be shared in all circumstances. I want to be that kind of person. Maybe that is the definition of true love. Love is never something we earn, but something that is freely given to us, despite what we might have done.

I have been criticized for reading the Bible through the lens of love. I admit that I possess that bias. I do believe that love is an essential factor in understanding God. Sometimes we have the mistaken opinion that love is only promoted through the pages of the Christian or New Testament. However, even a superficial reading of the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, repeatedly reveals a God of love. Yes, the God of the Tanakh is a God of righteousness and justice. But, according to the Bible, before he is either one of those things, he is a God of love. Sometimes there is anger in God, but the anger comes slowly, long after multiple attempts of grace and mercy have been extended to us.

David had experienced the love of God. He understood God's anger, but despite his shortcomings, he knew that God still loved him. His sins, even though they were great, had never grown to the point where God had removed his love. There was a difference between the love David had experienced from God and the ways humans treated him. People often excel at wrath, keeping the argument going, and parceling out their love to those whom they think deserve it. But nothing about this human response reveals God's unconditional love.

I aspire to God's kind of unconditional love, giving up my grievances, and loving those around me. I want the feuds to stop at my door. Like David, I pray that I will somehow be able to love those who don't like me, loving even those who criticize the doctrine of love through which I read my Bible. I want God to reshape me, help me love those who disagree with me, and pray for them without reservation, knowing that God loves them as much as he loves me. The world would be a much better place if we could learn to live that kind of love.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 42

See also Psalm 103:8

LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? – Psalm 144:3

Today's Scripture Reading (September 13, 2025): Psalm 144

I live on an anthill. Okay, maybe that is an overstatement, but sometimes it feels like the whole city is built on an anthill; I mean, ants seem to be everywhere. I remember camping as a teenager and stumbling upon what was probably the most enormous anthill I had ever seen. The hill had to be at least four or five feet high, and of course, that was just the portion of the ant complex that was above ground. Someone decided the hill was a problem and tackled it with a shovel. It was the wrong thing to do. The ants were everywhere, attacking and biting everything in the area, including their human victims. I've never seen so many ants in one location.

As I said, I think I live on an anthill. However, I take very little notice of the small insects. The only time I really see them is when they're somewhere I don't want them to be, they are present in huge numbers, or during that time of year when flying ants break out of the ground and seem to take hold and cover the trees in my yard. Ants are simply ever-present, but as long as they are not inside the house and are in small numbers outside in my yard, they are tolerated. I probably don't even know they are present in my lawn unless I begin to see the gentle rise of an anthill. Ants just aren't all that important to me.

A while back, my grandson built a science experiment that we've probably all tried at one time or another. The idea is to put some ants and dirt under glass and watch these industrious bugs build a home in the modified ant hill. As he showed it to me, my biggest concern was that he was careful enough to prevent the ants from getting loose inside the house.

David asks a question that a lot of us ask. God, who are we that you would take notice of us? Who are we, this fragile species we call humanity, that you would take care of us? It is an ancient question, and it is more common than we might think. Many of the people that we might call the founding fathers of the continent we call North America, at least in the United States and Canada, were Deists. What that meant was that they believed in a God who created the world, but not in a personal God who continues to lead his people. These men, and yes, they were all men, believed that God created the world and then walked away from his creation. Everything that has happened since has happened by chance because God is too big and complex to care what we, who are like ants to him, are doing.

That wasn't the God that David knew. David knew a God who had created the world and then stuck around to help his creation. David had experienced that help, even if he didn't understand why God would take notice of him. As far as David was concerned, God was as far above him as the King of Israel was above an ant. The king didn't notice the ants of his kingdom, so why did God notice him?

It is an unanswerable question, and yet, David understood that he served a personal God. One who heard his prayers, chastised him for his sin, and helped him when he was in trouble. He served a God who was proud of him when he did good, and cared for and thought of him often. A God who loves us, just as he loved David; as for why, maybe we can ask that question at the end of time when we get to come into his presence.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 145