John Mark Hicks

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34 reminds us that when we cry out to God in the midst of our suffering, the Lord hears and acts because God is good and gives good things. The righteous sufferer is protected and endures by pursuing peace, doing good, and […]

The worshipping assembly of Israel proclaims that they do not trust in military power or national agendas. Instead, it lives by faith in the steadfast love of the Lord. The praise of God on the lips and instruments of God’s people is lovely, fitting, and awesome. Not because of who we are but because of […]

“Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah”–it was #148 in my hymnbook growing up. I loved singing it because it called even “dragons” to praise the Lord (according to KJV). The hymn is based on Psalm 148. Psalm 148 invites all heaven and earth to praise God from their heights to their depths. Yahweh is praised as creator of […]

John Mark Hicks walks through the contrast between old and new, between chaos and order, between disruption and renewal, between evil and intimacy with God. The hope of the Christian faith is to enjoy God who dwells with new humanity in a new heaven and new earth. This is the inheritance of the Abrahamic promise […]

PDF Version available here. I graduated from Freed-Hardeman University in 1977, and I remember well the discussions of “Crossroads” and the beginnings of a discipling ministry that grew into the Boston Movement and then the International Churches of Christ. I began full time teaching in higher education among Churches of Christ in 1982 and am […]

Psalm 139 is a favorite of many. The meditation assumes and seeks personal intimacy with God and, at the same time, the Psalmist declares his radical allegiance to the God of Israel. God has searched and knows the Psalmist, and the Psalmist petitions for further searching and intimacy that every evil thought and practice–every wicked […]

An English version is available here. La ontología divina es Ser-en-Relación: la narrativa cristiana describe a Dios como uno y tres. El trinitarismo tiene una historia accidentada a nivel práctico. En la congregación promedio, en las reuniones ministeriales o en las aulas de seminario, el tema de la Trinidad se presenta como una mala noticia […]

How do we maintain the unity the Spirit created? We walk in love. This means, in part, that we speak the truth to each other (rather than promoting lies), we manage our holy anger well (rather than sinning in our anger), we share our resources with each other (rather than stealing), we speak graciously for […]

(An English version is available here.) Aunque no está limitado ni contenido por la creación, el Dios Trinitario de Luz y Amor vive en relación con la creación y actúa dentro de ella. La trascendencia de Dios es a menudo donde comenzamos a hablar de Dios. “Esta es la manera terrena de pensar en un […]

Probably the most beloved and memorized Psalm in the modern world, Psalm 23 is filled with wonderful images and metaphors that function are multiple layers: salvation history, communal stories, and personal testimony. At the center lies the assurance, “You are with me!” Immanuel. God is with us–to protect, guide, nourish, welcome, host, and commune. Bobby […]