Mental Musings

I wrote this while I was in seminary. I never recorded the music, but you can read the words as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Bethlehem Manger © 1992 Steve Poole VERSE ONE They looked to you, O Bethlehem A birthplace for the Savior, But all you had to offer them Was straw placed in a manger. CHORUS Lift up your voice, with praises sing, Listen as the joy bells ring, Today is born the Christ the King! Born to die, new life to bring. VERSE TWO Then came the shepherds full of fear To see the promised Savior; They bowed their knees and shed a tear, To see Him in the manger. VERSE THREE The wisemen came, each from his place, With gifts to give the Savior; A light shone bright on every face, As they peered in the manger.

Click title above to watch this video. I think the title of the song says it all. Video is not great, but it is worth listening to the song.

I have read “The Golden Compass” and recently read “The Subtle Knife.” These are not books I would recommend for my children, but they are books I would recommend that Christians read. Why? Because these books show how the world reacts to God as a result of horrible atrocities from those who claim to speak for Him. These books can help Christians better understand the reasons that the world distrusts and even hates the Church. The Church has a very long, negative history and most Christians have done very little to repair this sordid past. Consider what the average non-Christian knows about the Church. The Church went through a period that could be defined as the acquisition of wealth (many churches throughout Europe look more like museums than worship houses). The Church had a period of tyrannical rule culminating in the reformation when the Church was known for killing those who did not have the same beliefs (many pilgrims came to North America to escape such tyranny from other relig

Emperor Marcus Aurelius of the Roman Empire, who served from AD 161 until his death in AD 180, once made a brilliant observation about the majority. “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding one's self in the ranks of the insane.” Sometimes what society calls normal seems to resemble lemmings plunging to their death from the cliff face of Political Correctness. The Liberal Elitists have perfected the craft of shaming others into silence. They bundle their world domineering goals into sad little dishrag tales of doom and gloom. When clear minded commoners attempt to point out the fallacies of their theories, the liberals pin the "radical, right-wing swine" against a wall of bigotry and hatred for their fellow humans. Dare to disagree and you are dressed in the disease of the hatemonger, or worse, the Christian moralist. As more of the commoners among us wipe the crust from our eyes and the cobwebs from our minds numbed by decades o

The boys and I went to RA Camp this past week. We had a great time and some interesting experiences. The boys got to enjoy canoeing, archery, hiking, crafts and wild games. The camp was held at Wometo (stands for Women and Men Together) which is only about 20 minutes from our house. We stayed in a nice, air-conditioned cabins with 5 bunk beds each. We had 18 from our church in two cabins and another 5 cabins of boys from other churches around Maryland. On the first day as one of the other counselors (David) and I were sharing a canoe, one of the teenagers who help at the camp decided to lob apples in the pond in order to splash us. We would catch the apples or pick them out of the water and throw them back at him. David leaned out a little too far and rocked the canoe dangerously to one side. I leaned the other direction just as he quickly leaned that same direction. You guessed it, we tipped over. Swimming in water over our heads, we managed to get the canoe up righted and climb back

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My in-laws forwarded a prospectus from their pastor about his vision for their church during the next ten years. I can agree with almost everything he has to say. He showed a great desire to reach the lost and made a personal commitment for witnessing to the lost. The one main area that I disagreed with him was his statement about worship being a primary tool for reaching the lost and unchurched. Worship is not for the lost, it is an act of love by believers directed to God. When we gear worship for the lost, we are not worshipping, we are performing. The lost rarely accept Christ because of a worship service. That mentality is a holdover from when many lost people accepted Christ at tent revival meetings. Church members who look to those “glory days” fail to understand that most of the work in witnessing to the lost was done by evangelical teams prior to and during the revival. Try getting these same church members to join you in visiting a lost persons home and they most likely will

I started thinking about this today after my boys showed signs of being worn out from the Fourth of July activities at church this past week. Our two little PKs (Preacher’s Kids) have always had to spend many hours at churches. Because of the long hours of waiting at church while I prepare for, direct or clean up after a rehearsal, worship service or special program, they also get a little more freedom than most children to wander around the church buildings. They have learned some great secrets unknown to most children: secret hiding places, candy storage areas, closets full of special equipment, locked and mysterious rooms, etc. When I was a child, church members used to comment on how much trouble PKs would get into and how little the parents would do to keep an eye on them or discipline them. My father, a deacon, used to reply that the only reason Preacher’s Kids got into so much trouble is because they hung out with the Deacons’ Kids. My little PKs have also learned that they some

Our nine year old son took it upon himself to try and convert his cousin, Nathan, this past week into one of his favorite pastimes: Pokémon videogames. Wendy explained to Zachary before his cousin came to visit that he was not into Pokémon. Zachary wanted to know why, but Wendy wasn’t really sure. She said she thought his parents did not have a problem with Pokémon, but she thought that Nathan had seen it once and thought it was evil. As soon as we picked up their cousin from the airport, Zachary decided to bring up the subject. He started by telling why he thought Pokémon was a great game. He then asked if Pokémon sounded fun. When he did not get a positive response, he decided to press the issue and asked, “Why don’t you like Pokémon?” Nathan said he did like it. Zachary, confused, then asked, “Well, why do you think it is evil?” When he found out that Nathan did not think it was evil, he immediately asked Wendy why she told him that. It was pretty funny to listen to. I imagine that

I just finished reading Ted Dekker’s newest book, “Skin.” While the overall book was just as interesting as his other books, I was somewhat disappointed in several aspects of the story line as well as the editing. I will try to share my thoughts without giving away any details of the story. I always get irritated when reading anything by a well established author that includes “printing” errors, but this went well beyond the dozen or so simple “printing” errors. There were several confusing sentences that I had to re-read in order to understand. The error was most likely due to poor editing. Some apparently necessary edits due to changes the author made in the storyline were not found by the author or editor. I noticed additional words in several sentences that were not removed in editing process. There was also an entire passage that seemed to be the thoughts of one of the characters, but the end of the paragraph included a quotation mark. I had to pause to consider if the passage was

Healthy Pains of Growth (Based on John 15:2) © 1990 Steve Poole There is a garden well kept By a Masters tender care. Attended to throughout the year, His love is evident there. Cultivated for strength and growth, Mulched and weeded for protection. Watered daily by tears of joy And sweat drops of perspiration. In the center stands a tree With branches slightly swooning So the Master of the garden Prepares the tree for pruning. “I have been with you throughout the years, It started with your birth. You have grown quite strong and healthy. Your fruit has shown your worth. “While it’s hard to comprehend And may even seem unfair, I need to prune your branches back If more fruit you are to bear.” With the first clip came a shudder As the tree was shocked and pained. The Master with a tear soaked face Looked to the tree and explained. “while everything may seem alright From all outwardly appearances, I look inside straight to your heart Where I see many painful experiences. It is never easy

I am not a formal person. My idea of a perfect evening does not include going anywhere that would require me to get dressed up. My personal preference would be shorts (or jeans) and a t-shirt for almost any occasion. That does not mean that I would show up at a funeral or wedding dressed like that, but I sure do wish we could. Like most people my age or older, we were taught that you should put on your very best for Sundays to honor God. I seriously doubted that most people had God in mind when they picked out their clothes for Sunday worship. I always believed that people were dressing nice to impress others. So dressing up for church actually seemed more like a vanity thing to me. I am sure some people were genuine in their desire to present their best for God and I do believe that we should not bring God our junk. I am constantly amazed at how often the same people who think we should dress up for church want to donate their old furniture to the church. What happened to presenting y

Special one time offer. Free dramatic script for use as you like for your church. What Is Eternity Like? © 2000, Stephen R. Poole Cast: 2 men Props: chairs set-up like a park bench and a newspaper or book Setting: 2 men are sitting on a bench. The 1st man is reading a newspaper or book while the 2nd man is looking at passersby. The 1st man keeps startling the 2nd out of his solitude. There should be time for thought between exchanges, but not so much as to make it too comical. People may question who 1st man is . . .let them think about it and decide for themselves. 1st: [Lowers the paper/book just enough to see his face—as if thinking out loud] Have you ever wondered about the hereafter? 2nd: Huh? Are you talking to me? 1st: I’m sorry. I just asked if you ever wonder about the hereafter? 2nd: [thinks for a few seconds] Not much, I guess. [continues to watch people pass getting back into his own world as the 1st goes back to his reading] 1st: [Puts the paper/book down in his lap] I mea

Hollywood has finally created a wedding scene that men enjoy. Yesterday, the boys and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End. Perhaps the most exciting scene was the wedding ceremony. Wait a minute; I know that men don’t like wedding ceremonies. But this was the ultimate med’s wedding. Picture this: the wedding takes place on deck of an old tall ship. A ship’s captain officiates the wedding. The bride and groom are very much in love. Sounds like a perfect dream wedding that any woman would want. But what makes it exciting for the men is that during the entire wedding the bride, groom and captain are all fighting hand-to-hand combat with swords while cannons are trading fire between two ships. Splintering wood, cannon bursts, death and mayhem, the perfect action-packed wedding ceremony. Guess it will be the next big thing in themed weddings.

Before I was married, I thought nothing about calling other drivers idiots, jerks, morons, etc. Wendy told me that I would have to change what I say before we had children. I asked why? Nothing was wrong with these words. They are not cuss or swear words. She explained that we would not want our children calling other people that in public and than saying they learned it from their father. Good point. Now we have two boys, ages 9 & 11. They have become used to my driving and sometimes help me by saying things like, "That guy shouldn't have a license," "I don't know where some people learned to drive," or "Some people drive too slow." But that is not something that they would transfer to other situations. I doubt that they would get mad at a friend and shout, "I don't know ho you ever got a license, Buddy!" Yesterday we were running late getting to the bank. We pulled up to discover that they had just closed and I muttered, "C

I am on vacation, but we are not leaving the area, so we decided to go to our church for worship and Bible study today. It was much less stressful than visiting a new church. We knew the routines, we knew where everything was, we knew what to expect. Wendy decided to go ahead and play keyboard at the Contemporary service as usual since it is not work for her. The boys and I sat in the balcony. Something happened that I hope others experience each week. When the praise team and band finished the last song before the sermon, I had this longing for more. Usually by that time of the service I have been running for around three hours (sound check, prayer with ministers, meet with choir, direct first Traditional service, rehearse with praise band and team, sound check for second service and lead Contemporary worship). I am usually ready fora break and my first chance to sit down for the morning. But that was not my experience yesterday. I wanted more. I felt somewhat like the little orphan O

(For authenticity, check out Urban Legends concerning this) With the recent school shooting at Virginia Tech, I thought this reminder from Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was timely. Mr. Scott was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's sub-committee. These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. They need to be heard by everyone. Transcript Below: Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the

While attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I learned that the various schools on campus had different opinions about the primary purpose of the church. The School of Christian Education believed that Discipleship was the primary purpose. The School of Theology believed that the primary purpose was evangelism or proclamation of the Word of God. The School of Music believed it to be worship. I am sure that they all felt the other areas were important, they just believed that their area was the most important. Almost every seminary graduate that I have encountered has told me that their first church after seminary was a complete failure. They entered their new ministry believeing that they were doing the proper thing in emphasizing their area of ministry. They were taught that preaching, teaching, worship, missions, etc., was the most important and they did everything they could to help the church understand that. When a church member, or more often another staff member, f

A mother asked President G.W. Bush, “Why did my son have to die in Iraq?” A mother asked President Clinton, “Why did my son have to die in Saudi Arabia?” A mother asked President G.H.W. Bush, “Why did my son have to die in Kuwait?” Another mother asked President Johnson, “Why did my son have to die in Vietnam?” Another mother asked President Truman, “Why did my son have to die in Korea?” Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, “Why did my son have to die in Iwo Jima?” Another mother asked President W. Wilson, “Why did my son have to die on a battlefield in France?” Another mother asked President Lincoln, “Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?” Another mother asked President Washington, “Why did my son have to die on a frozen field near Valley Forge?” Another mother asked, “Why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?” The answer is the same for each – “So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness, and freedom.”

I believe that scientists have just found the proof of life on Mars. After all, recent reports that the temperatures on Mars have been increasing over the past three years and that the polar ice caps have been shrinking could only be possible if humans exist on Mars and are driving those planet killing SUVs. [“ Sun Responsible for Global Warming ”] Or could the truth be something completely different? I personally believe that we are to be good stewards of the planet that God created, but I also believe that many politicians and politically active actors have decided that humans are more powerful than God. They want to give humans the ability to change the planets temperature and to “heal” the planet. They completely leave God out of the picture. Now we are beginning to get the truth about global warming. We suddenly have discovered that the increased temperatures are the result of solar irradiance, or “the sun’s magnetic field varies in its ability to repel cosmic rays coming from the

I can still see the smile of the first minister I ever heard say, “Ministry wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the people.” Anyone in the ministry would laugh at that because we all have experienced those moments or that specific person that would tempt us to say the exact same thing. Since we returned from our vacation we have had about six funerals at the church. The first funeral superseded the Children’s Choir from using the Sanctuary for preparation for their musical, “Race to Win.” Several others have come at very awkward times such as my day off or when the church office was closed for a holiday. We have also had many more hospital visits than usual. It seems that the late winter weather really took its toil on many of the elderly in our congregation. We have also had an unusually large number of people needing to meet with the staff about various items. These meetings often last longer than we were told to expect. Often these meetings have had to be rescheduled because of seve

"I may never drive again." Several years ago Wendy told the boys that her name was Wrongway Wendy. She may regret ever telling them that. Today she had one of her worst directional problems which ended with her telling me that she may never drive again. Let me explain as best as we can figure out what happened today as she drove around Orlando (and apparantly several other neighboring cities). She decided that she should take the boys to the Florida Mall while I was in my afternoon sessions of the music conference. She drove me back to the conference and then left to head back to the hotel and Mall area. It should have been a fairly easy return trip: Toll road 417 North to the Beeline 528 West and exit onto Mccoy road which becomes Sand Lake Road that runs beside the Florida Mall. She tool 417 to 528, but somehow found herself at the Orlando International Airport. She turned around to get back onto 528 and the next thing she knew she was driving around the Disney park area (

We are driving down for the MusicFlorida Conference in Orlando. As we drove through Virginia on I-95, there was a section of road where the sun was reflecting on the asphalt in a way that was showing thousands of sparkles on the road. I was becoming almost hypnotized by the beauty of the sparkles assuming that there must be some type of rock or glass mixed in with the asphalt that was creating the effect. I mentioned it to the boys. After my eight year old looked, he said, matter-of-factly, "They must have just cleaned the road." He paused for a couple seconds and then said, "Or maybe they just built this road." Another few seconds and he said, "Or maybe not too many people use this road." I tried not to, but I giggled slightly. He quickly added, "I think maybe it is just the sun that is making the road sparkle."