Author: Charles Scobie

If you're like me, you like quick results. If a committee votes for a certain course of action, by tomorrow I'll want to know why it has not been acted upon. One of the hardest pieces of advice Scripture gives … Read more

Psalm 130 is commonly classified as one of the "penitential psalms." The author cries to God "out of the depths." In this particular case the author's agony apparently springs from a sense of moral failure. This is no doubt partly … Read more

For the writer of Psalm 130 life was the pits. Yet even on his deepest distress, whether by instinct or by habit, he does not just cry out – he cries out to God. I write this just after hearing … Read more

A well-known and helpful book on the Psalms by Bernhard Anderson is entitled Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today. The first part of the title, of course, quotes Psalm 130:1. The second part echoes a comment … Read more

How good is your memory? Mine is not as good as it might be. In fact, I'd be completely lost without my pocket diary. I write in it everything I'm supposed to do, and constantly check it in order to … Read more

How good is your memory? Mine is not as good as it might be. Most people have, in various places around the house, framed photographs of parents or family members or friends. Hopefully we don't forget these people, but the … Read more

How good is your memory? Mine is not as good as it might be. My mother used to say I'd forget my head if it wasn't screwed on. Of course, you know that professors are traditionally supposed to be absent-minded. … Read more

How good is your memory? Mine is not as good as it might be. My wife could tell you how forgetful I am. I drove to work one day. It was a very busy day, and I did have a … Read more

How good is your memory ? Mine is not as good as it might be. People used to say that if you wanted to remember something you should tie a knot in your handkerchief (it wouldn't work so well today … Read more

If Paul's letters are regarded as E-mail, then his message is evangelical, ethical, ecclesiastical – and also ecumenical. This is another word that makes some people suspicious. Yet originally it was one of Paul's greatest contributions to see the Church … Read more