Here is a new hymn celebrating God’s great love for us. If He is for us, who can be against us?
Lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets, and more are available on their site here.
Category: PASSION Resources
Declaring the Glory
Eben Ice Caves in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Sermons: The Doctrine of God
I am currently preaching a series called “The Truths We Hold Dear.” We are looking at core Biblical doctrines that the church believes. Here are the four sermons on the doctrine of God:
Sermons: Why Doctrine Matters
I am currently preaching a series called “The Truths We Hold Dear.” We are looking at core Biblical doctrines that the church believes. I started with two sermons on why doctrine matters, which you can watch here:
Top Books of 2025
Here are my favorite books of the year:
Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship – Jonathan Gibson
I was looking for something to give variety to my personal devotions, and this certainly did it. Each day offers a time of praise, confession, Word, and prayer. There is also a daily reading from a creed and catechism. I appreciated the ability to use it alongside my own Bible reading plan. I worked through its 31 days twice. I am currently working through his Christmas version, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. He has an Easter version, O Sacred Head Now Wounded, which I plan to use this Spring.
In a similar vein, I also appreciated Douglas Sean O’Donnell’s Daily Liturgy Devotional. This one offered daily times (for 40 days) of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Prayer, and the Word. Instead of choosing my own Scripture readings, this option had Scripture readings with a brief commentary built around a weekly theme. I also appreciated the daily hymn.
I also tried Trevin Wax’s Life of Jesus in 30 Days, which worked through the Gospels in a roughly chronological way. There were again times of praise, Scripture, and prayer. In the morning there was a confession of faith, and in the evening a confession of sins – an approach I really liked. But a morning and evening (and midday) time was my downfall. If I could get to that point, I think this would be a good approach. He also has one on the Psalms and Paul’s Epistles.
If you are looking for a change in your daily devotional approach, I recommend trying one of these (but get established in a three times a day rhythm before trying the 30 Days series).
The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God – Seth Lewis
I’m only about half way through this one, but the first four chapters were an amazing look at how God speaks to us through creation, and its connection to the Word. With his thesis set forth, Lewis then spends the rest of the book working through the days of creation, showing what different parts of creation communicate to us about God.
The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith – Trevin Wax
This was a helpful and enjoyable book on the important of doctrinal truth, and how orthodoxy is better than all the alternatives. If you think creating your own truths is more exciting, read this first. If you know someone deconstructing their faith, this book might help you help them.
Enjoying God: Experience the Power and Love of God in Everyday Life – Tim Chester
The sub-title gives the purpose of the book, as the author looks at various aspects of life and shows how they are opportunities to commune with our Triune God. This is a book I think I need to review and apply further to my life.
Becoming / Making / Completion of C. S. Lewis – Harry Lee Poe
If you really want to know about C. S. Lewis, this trilogy will give you a deep dive into his life year after year. Overall easy to read, but wow, there are a lot of details. Lewis’ love of nature and friendship were both challenging.
You might also be interested in some other favorite books posts:
Tim Challies’ collection of favorite book posts – He also highlights some of the books that appeared repeatedly, including Matthew Bingham’s A Heart Aflame for God – which I hope to read next year.
The Gospel Coalition 2025 Book Awards
Happy reading!
Sing! Hymnal
Getty Music and Crossway have released a new hymnal with a great mix of old and new hymns for the church, family, and individual to sing. New hymns include songs from Getty Music, City Alight, and Sovereign Grace Music. Most of the new hymns our church sings are in this hymnal, making it a great resource for us. I received my copy on Friday, and enjoyed an hour paging through it, reading and singing rich lyrics that raise the heart to worship.
They also have a spiral version that lays flat and includes the chords. Just ordered two of those for our guitar and piano players. I’m excited to have simpler music versions that we will be able to use as we lead our church in worship.
Their website has a page that not only allows you to see what hymns are included but also allows you to listen to a simple piano rendition to help you learn the melody. As I was paging through the hymnal, I thought that would be a nice feature for the songs I didn’t know, and then I found it! Super helpful.
This new hymnal is going to be a great new resource for our small church, and I encourage you to check it out.
Declaring the Glory
Manido Falls in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
My God Is All I Need
At our VBS a few weeks ago, we taught the children the kids song, “My God Is So Big,” which CityAlight embedded in their song “My God Is All I Need.” That Sunday we introduced CityAlight’s song, and when we came to “My God Is So Big” we had the kids lead us with the motions. A great way to get the kids involved in the worship service. And great lyrics to encourage all of us.
Lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets, places to listen or buy, and more are available on their site here.
Declaring the Glory
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Here the Hallelujahs Roar
City Alight has five new songs out, and here is one of them. This one looks forward to the return of Christ and the wonderful blessings we will enjoy with Him. It is an upbeat celebration of our future with Christ. The words are spot on, and it is easy to sing (and play on the guitar). I introduced it to our church this past week, and have enjoyed listening to it at home as well.
Lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets, related Scriptures, places to listen or buy, and more are available on their site here.
Brian J. Mikul 