by Barry Creamer | Aug 16, 2023 | Devotionals
There is a towering cumulus cloud billowing to the west as the sun sets. Its internal hues lean just enough to darker grays and blues to declare that given the right atmospheric circumstance, it could have been a cumulonimbus. But the golds, salmons, and fuchsias...
by Barry Creamer | Aug 9, 2023 | Devotionals
“And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light...
by Barry Creamer | Aug 2, 2023 | Devotionals
As an 8th grade novitiate to speech and debate, I watch the team’s 9th grade apotheosis practice her oratory. Her delivery is impeccable, sans pause verbal or not. I am mildly surprised to learn after the weekend tournament that she placed only second. I am downright...
by Barry Creamer | Jul 26, 2023 | Devotionals
We borrowed a dog. He needed a place to be for a while, and we could do it, so we did. As it turns out, he is two dogs in a single, small, short-legged, black-coated, old-man-faced package. One of his personalities is proof that humankind has kept canine companionship...
by Barry Creamer | Jul 19, 2023 | Devotionals
First thing one morning more than 3 decades ago my young daughter wants cake, left over from a now long forgotten event the previous day, for her breakfast. Her request is so naïve, so absurd, that my answer is obvious. As a responsible and caring parent, I will not...
by Barry Creamer | Jul 12, 2023 | Devotionals
In the night’s sky I find the world’s best horizon toward the eternal: imponderable distances, imperturbable powers, nonpareil beauty; hours observing feel like minutes. For months I have planned and prepared to celebrate my 58th birthday with a week under clear,...
by Barry Creamer | Jul 5, 2023 | Devotionals
My sense of smell is somewhat compromised, likely a side-effect either of a severe nasal problem during my childhood or the constant use of 1970s sprays, ointments, and other medications to treat it. Some scents seem unaffected: strawberries and such, thank heaven;...
by Barry Creamer | Jun 28, 2023 | Devotionals
In the past week, about 1,800 miles of pavement make its way under my truck’s wheels. The ubiquitous white stripes beloved by would-be passers flash staccato disruptions in my peripheral vision practically every part of every longitudinal mile—from Dallas to Oklahoma...
by Barry Creamer | Jun 21, 2023 | Devotionals
As an undergraduate, I learned from John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 14 just how daunting, beautiful, provocative, and comforting poetry can be. The prayer-in-verse is below. Below that, for those who want it, is a paraphrase—not to touch its boundless nuances, but to bridge...
by Barry Creamer | Jun 14, 2023 | Devotionals
Some things are hard to believe. Isaiah prophesies that the powerful kingdoms harassing Judah from the north will be overturned within a generation. All Ahaz needs is faith: “If you do not establish your faith, you will not be established” (Isaiah 7:9b). Knowing...
