Posts by Holly Huffstutler
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
My favorite Christmas hymn is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” written by Charles Wesley. I love its rich truths about Christ and the gospel. The text is based on many different passages in Scripture. In the first stanza, Wesley poetically summarizes the angels’ message to the shepherds that Christ, the newborn King, had been born…
Read MorePrayers for Your Pastor/Husband
I pray for my husband but not nearly as much as I should. I pray generically for him to have grace and strength in life, and I pray for some certain situations or struggles that I know of. But it never seems quite adequate. Sometimes I just don’t know how to pray for my husband…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Sons and a Negligent Father
In Ephesians 6:1-3 God commands children to obey and honor their parents and fathers to discipline and instruct their children in the Lord. A child who obeyed generally lived a long life, a promise first given to Israel in Exodus 20:12. The sons of Eli the priest serve as dire examples of lives cut short…
Read MoreThe Biblical Role of a Pastor’s Wife
When I was proof-reading my husband’s master’s thesis on pastoral transitions, I started to think again about the biblical role of a pastor’s wife. As I read through his paper, I saw a good pattern for establishing a biblical perspective on a debated issue. The role of a pastor’s wife has been debated by many…
Read MoreThe God Who Thunders
According to the National Weather Service, “Thunder is created when lightning passes through the air. The lightning discharge heats the air rapidly and causes it to expand. The temperature of the air in the lightning channel may reach as high as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Immediately after…
Read MoreProvoking One Another to Love and Good Works: Advice or Admonishment?
Some friends and I were discussing the idea of provoking one another to love and good works within the local church. We all have opinions, suggestions, and advice, but are they all necessary to be given? Is there a point in which it becomes my Christian duty to advise strongly? Where do we draw the…
Read MoreThe Gospel in the Gardens
I recently gave a challenge in which I was asked to give the gospel. I was working in my garden as I thought about how I would present it, and I thought about the connections between the gardens in the Bible and the gospel. The Garden of Eden and an off-limit tree In the beginning,…
Read MoreResting in the Hands of a Loving, Sovereign God
What do we do when we receive the phone call about cancer or health problems—problems of your own or that of a friend or family member? What about when your life is thrown upside down because of unexpected events? Or when you hear heartbreaking news about someone? Or when your day or week doesn’t go…
Read MoreStraying While Staying at Home
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul gives the qualifications for widows who were to be enrolled in the church care program. In 1 Timothy 5:11–12 Paul commands that the church refuse to enroll younger widows, because they will eventually want to remarry (which Paul encourages in 1 Timothy 5:14) and may abandon “their former faith,” perhaps…
Read MoreWalking Worthy While You Wait to Become a Widow
According to the AARP, “Among married Americans, 58 percent of women age 75 and older experience widowhood, compared to 28 percent of men. An astonishing one-third of women become widows before they’re 60, and half before they are 65.” If you are a married woman, there is a strong chance that you will one day…
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