Sam Hardman Those are the opening words of Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set at the time of the French Revolution. They have been borrowed time and again by later writers, and now borrowed badly out of context by me. But I borrow those famous words just as a “launching pad” to …
Author: Sam Hardman
Sam Hardman Once, in a land far away, there was a lovely little vegetable garden, happily growing in fertile bottomland. It was close enough to a fresh, clean, little country brook to have ready access to water, but far enough away to have no fear of flooding during the heavy spring rains. A few young …
Sam Hardman All of us have, in one way or another, had the experience of having a firmly held perspective on a situation or person or idea shattered by new information – some unconsidered yet substantive input that turns what we had thought to be true on its head. A classic example of this phenomenon …
Sam Hardman We tend to be a little too full of ourselves in America. We are a people who are free. Our public officials serve with the consent of those who are governed. No doubt most Americans would say, “We install people in places of power and we remove them.” Interesting bit of hubris, that. …
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” That’s what Isaiah says – chapter 9, verse 2. What is the darkness? And what is the light, of which the prophet speaks? Regarding the “darkness,” Isaiah refers to people …
O Architect of worlds, Author of life, Creator of all beauty, Giver of every good and perfect gift, Warrior for justice and righteousness, Defender of the weak, Healer of the broken, Wellspring of grace, Lover of my soul, Your daily providence …
O Lord of the heavenly city with everlasting foundations that cannot be shaken, very abode of God, home of righteousness, where You Yourself are the temple, and life-giving water flows from …
What do you think about when you hear the word “power?” And what do you think the typical person thinks about when they hear that word? We’re in election season in the U.S. of course, and probably lots of people are thinking about political power right now. Politicians are men and women of power. Or …
It takes no great insight to see that the Church in America has been operating in crisis mode for most of this year. The trigger, of course, was the lockdowns early in the year that almost immediately created a crisis of unity. And all sorts of questions have been forced into our consciousness. Is the …