Mental Musings

What a year we had. We started off with the MusicFlorida Conference and our first trip to Dino Cafe in Downtown Disney. We always enjoy seeing friends in the music ministry and we are looking forward to the trip again in just a few days. Another big event in 2009 was my first ever sabbatical. My church gives each minister a one month sabbatical every three years. I was able to reunite with many seminary friends during my sabbatical as I studied multimedia ministries in four states. We also met some new friends who have been great assets to my ministry. During my sabbatical, I was also able to attend my parent's 50 th Anniversary celebration. It was great to see so many family members in one place. We also spent some time in Tupelo , MS, where we spent several days meeting up with various friends. We were sad that we could not meet with one of our family friends because he had just returned to Grand Cayman the previous week. We ended the sabbatical by visiting Branson , MO, where...

I remember a discussion in a graduate class about art. We were asked to come up with a definition of how you can determine whether or not something could be considered art. We discussed various current trends in the various mediums of art: an elephant living in the Nashville Zoo who paints pictures in watercolor; the vulgar works of shock-artists who mock the faith beliefs of others; authors who publish multiple novels a year rather than spend years to fine tune their story; composers who put out commercial jingles; etc. My group came up with the definition that "art is anything which creates an aesthetic response." We agreed that the response did not have to come from anyone other than the artist, because we creative people are often emotional enough for everyone else in the room. As I have been listening to some of my favorite Christmas music, I am reminded of how much emotion can be packed into a piece. While much of the Christmas music we hear throughout this season would...

On Tuesday, December 15, the weather predictions were for a possibility of snow with maybe 1-2 inches in our area. By Wednesday they had increased that to a 30% chance and 2-4 inches. By Thursday it had increased to a 60% chance with 3-6 inches. On Friday they increased it to 90% chance with 6-12 inches. Now, here it is on Saturday and we have had more than 20 inches so far with predictions of 25-30 inches before it is done. This photo was taken about seven hours ago and it has snowed steadily since. While this Nor'easter never actually became a blizzard, it could become the second or even third largest amount of snowfall in Maryland. Currently the record for the most snowfall is just over 28 inches.

I arrived in Maryland in 2006. At that time I started preparing for my first Living Christmas Tree at our church (it was the 22nd year for the church). We have finished eight of the eleven performances for our 25th year and I have noticed some major changes. Not in the Tree performances, but in the those attending. Four years ago, the vast majority of those who attended the performances were middle age and older adults. There were very few young families and children. It could have had something to do with our letter sent with the tickets about the program not being appropriate for young children. This year I have noticed many young families and children attending. And most of these are people who have never before seen one of the Living Christmas Tree performances. It is very exciting to see so many young families enjoying a choral performance. Maybe it will encourage some of these children to get involved in the choirs in their own churches.

I was looking through some old photos of our boys back when Christmas was really exciting for them. It made me think of one of my favorite Christmas memories. It was December 1974. I was in fourth grade and my family decided to spend our Christmas vacation in Venezuela. My parents made the decision to visit Venezuela because my sister was taking Spanish at the time and they knew a missionary couple there. They felt it would be a good opportunity for my sister to use her Spanish in a real life situation. This was one of my first memories of a "real" vacation as opposed to camping or just visiting family. Our trip included a stop at my grandmas in South Carolina where we always got to ride her horses bareback and visit with cousins we barely knew. We also made a stop in Florida to visit Disney World. After that we flew to Venezuela. At some point in the flight, the pilot announced that we were flying over the Bermuda Triangle. In Venezuela, we stayed at a hotel with a wonderful...

We need to remember that not everyone in our world enjoys the same freedoms that we do. Fast-Growing Christian Churches Crushed in China - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com Posted using ShareThis

Sometimes I think the church has done a great disservice to Christians by focusing so much on God as a loving, caring, kind and compassionate God. Why do we not teach people about God's justice and His wrath? Why do we not teach Christians about how God promises punishment against His children for wrong doing? I understand that most people do not want to focus on God's judgment. And if anybody dares to condemn their lifestyle, they throw out the famous Matthew 7:1 verse, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." My favorite scripture shows that Christians are taught that there are some things we are to hate. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9, NIV) Yet I have heard Christians tell their children that they should never hate anything. Then they wonder why their children have trouble resisting Satan's temptations. We must teach our children to hate evil and love God. Let me tell you some things that I hate. I hate it when C...

So this is how the world leaders plan to help the planet? Good thing I have never believed in the Global Warming hoax or this would not be funny... Carbonhagen: World Leaders Drive to Climate Summit in Gas-Guzzling Luxury Fleet - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com Posted using ShareThis

If you have ever needed to get Mechanical or Master Use rights for selling an audio recording, you know just how difficult it is to find some of the companies who administer the copyrights. There are a few major administrators for most Christian music labels, but there are hundreds (if not thousands) of smaller labels that do not use these administrators. Each year we record the songs from our Living Christmas Tree to sell about 300 CDs at the 11 performances. We generally make just enough money to cover the expenses for license fees and equipment costs. Sometimes we use live accompaniment and sometime tracks. License fees are based on various factors: length of song, number of recordings you plan to sell, type of media you plan to sell, where you plan to sell, etc. The average Master Use license which allows you to use the accompaniment track for a song is $60. This year we are using all accompaniment tracks on the 12 songs we recorded. The average cost for a Mechanical license which ...

Apple's new operating system Snow Leopard 10.6 has been out for almost six months and Microsoft's new operating system Windows 7 has been out for more than a month now. Both companies were working on these new operating systems for many months before that. So, how is it that current products still do not have drivers that work with these operating systems? Our church owns a Microboards GX2 Disc Publisher that we pretty much only use around the last week of November and first few weeks of December making our Living Christmas Tree CDs. Last time I used it I was using a Toshiba laptop with Windows XP. So, I hook it up to my Mac and install the Mac software only to discover it does not work with Mac OS 10.6. It will work with 10.4 or 10.5, but not 10.6. OK, I thought, I have Parallels Desktop so I can run Windows programs and hardware on my Mac, so I will install the Windows version. Nope, it doesn't work with Windows 7, but it will work with XP or Vista (which I do not have). ...

Got my Mac back today with a bigger, better hard drive. Apple rep told me how to use my Time Machine backup on my external hard drive in order to restore my original files and programs. Only one problem...it didn't work. I finally figured out the problem thanks to a Google search on how to restore my computer using Time Machine. The process requires that you have your Mac OS disk. Simple procedure listed below: Insert your Mac OS install DVD Shut down your Mac Turn on your Mac while holding down the "c" button on keyboard Once DVD loads, select your language preference and click continue DO NOT continue on next screen or you will begin the install process (not restore) Click on the Utilities menu at top of screen and select Time Machine restore option Follow directions to restore to internal hard drive (usually labeled as Macintosh HD) from your Time Machine hard drive (including choosing the restore point you want to use) This is an important point if you have upgraded y...

I woke up on Thanksgiving morning to discover that the hard drive in my Macbook Pro had failed. I was very disappointed because I have been so happy with my Mac. I decided that I would brave the crazy crowds of Black Friday to visit the Apple Store with my ailing laptop. Here is a short synopsis of my journey. We drove to the Towson Town Center Mall, and after driving around 6 levels of the west parking garage we finally found a spot on the 7th (roof). I knew that the crowds would be crushing, so I braced myself for waiting a few hours to even see anyone at Apple. I walked into the store and stepped up to the Genius Bar. I was only there a few minutes at most when somebody asked if they could help me. I explained my situation and was asked if I had an appointment. Appointment? I did not realize that I needed to make an appointment to bring in my ailing Mac. I am sure that my face started to turn slightly red with embarrassment as I sheepishly responded, "No." The employee sai...

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I would post the drama that we did this past Sunday for our Contemporary worship service. Thankful © 2004, Stephen R. Poole Martha: [looking toward heaven] Do you see what I have to do just to get a little thank you around here from my family? I worked my hands to the bones. I have been cooking desserts for days. I got up at the crack of dawn to prepare everything for the meal. Why do I bother? Why should I spend so much time and effort when all I get is a quick, “Thanks, Martha,” as everyone gets up to watch the football game? God: Martha. Martha: Do they think that pumpkin pie just baked itself? Or the pecan one? Or the chocolate one? How often do they get fresh, home-made bread or made-from-scratch biscuits? They just do not appreciate me at all. God: Martha. Martha: Well not next year. There is no reason I should do all this work next year. They will not have me to just walk all over. They can just…well they can j...

Saturday I was invited to come and sing at a Gospel Song Fest held at a local Baptist Church (Calvary Bel Air - we call them a sister church among the Southern Baptist). We had about 80 people in the choir from multiple church choirs, a gospel quartet, a gospel trumpet duet and a small brass and winds ensemble. I believe it is amazing how popular these are in an area that is definitely not "Deep South". The host church was packed, mostly with 50+ year olds as is usual with gospel music. Southern Gospel music is one of the true American styles of music. The music borrows from Appalachian folk music, jazz and spirituals. Many of the early gospel songs came from the Methodist Camp Revivals, but many other evangelical churches were quick to adopt the style as well. By the early 20th Century the music started to transition even more with some jazz influence and eventually became the modern Southern Gospel style. While studying Baptist History at the seminary, I remember reading a ...

I have lived in many different places and have noticed something...each area seems to believe the following two things only apply to their location: "If you don't like the weather here, wait around 15 minutes and it will change." We never really noticed this to be true anywhere we lived, but people love to say it with pride. "I never had allergy problems until I moved to this place, it is known as being the worst location for allergies." This could actually be true for each location. How? Because people tend to get new allergies when they move to new locations. I have been told that one way to minimize allergies when moving to a new location is to purchase local honey and eat a tablespoon full every day. This is supposed to help your body become used to the various local pollens which cause most allergies. BTW - I have lived in Massachusetts (3 months), California (2 years), Virginia (8 years), Maryland (2 years), Mississippi (8 years), Alabama (2 years), Texas ...

Have you ever spent a month practicing the wrong version of a duet only to find out the day before a program? Now, after singing the Larnelle Harris Sandi Patty version of "I've Just Seen Jesus" all day long, I am seriously sore afraid. I am sore, because I think I have overdone the practice and my throat is feeling scratchy. Not as bad as it was a few weeks ago following a moderate asthma attack, but still enough that I have to stop singing for the day. And afraid because I still have not learned the last chorus correctly and only have until 3 PM tomorrow to learn that. This makes the 11th song in a month that I have had to learn just by listening to the track, which is not my strong suit. Actually the 12th song if you count the wrong version that I learned. Life is so much easier with printed music. Even the shaped-note kind is better than nothing at all.

The Obama administration which promised not to tax the middle class is the cause of my cell phone bill increasing by $5.50 in one month. I checked my fees and nothing has changed except the amount of taxes. I guess Obama believes that most of us are too dumb to actually check our bills for these types of increased taxes. BUT we all knew it was coming. How else will they pay for all of these government handouts such as bail outs, stimulus and health care.

I really appreciate those with the gift of encouragement. There are two senior ladies from our church who are constantly sending out cards and letters to members and ministers alike. Remember the days when we everyone brought little gifts to our Sunday School teachers, RA directors, ministers, choir leaders, etc. Parents that were truly thankful for those who gave their time and energy to teaching their children and youth about the bible, music, missions, etc., made a point of letting these individuals know about it. Letters were written, cards were sent to let people know how much we appreciated them. That age changed to one where the leaders were expected to be the encouragers. If workers were getting burned out, the leaders were blamed because they were not doing enough encouragement. Ministries started to include extra money each year to pay for little gifts of appreciation to workers for their service to God. Dinners were planned to thank people serving the church for giving their...

It was a busy week, but with the help of about 50 volunteers we were able to get the structure for the Living Christmas Tree up, decorated (as well as Christmas decorations all over the church campus), and the electrical connected. We had many more people help provide meals for all of these volunteers this week as well. Now we continue with more choir rehearsals, the video editing and light programming. Thanks to everyone who is helping all eleven performances for this year's historic Living Christmas Tree.

10 Biblical Truths That Shape My Worldview - FOXNews.com Posted using ShareThis

Sad that something this stupid makes the news (and of course from a Baptist Church). Wonder what God thinks of a pastor supporting the burning of His Word. And did he actually call Billy Graham a heretic? Sad, sad, sad. I hope this pastor learns someday about the scripture that King James had added to his version of the Bible in order to justify his sinful lifestyle. But it doesn't sound like this pastor has had very much education at all.

Watching this not only made me think about our struggles and victories, but it also reminded me of when I played basketball way back in first grade at the W.W. Houston Boy's Club in Norfolk, Virginia. The team was not age based. We had boys of all ages and I was by far the youngest. I had attended all of the practices and sat on the bench week after week at the games. On the final game both teams decided to allow me to make a basket. I was passed the ball and threw it up as hard as I could again and again. It never came close. Finally one of the other boys lifted me onto his shoulder and the ball was handed up to me. I shot again and made a basket. I can remember being so happy that I not only made my first basket, but that I scored 2 points in a real game. I salute the coach who made the decision to let Jason McElwain play in this game.

So, the big news today is that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. My question is what has he done to bring about peace anywhere? The American mainstream media may see him as a rock star, but the world continues to laugh at him. And it has nothing to do with his race, religion or skin color. Let's look at his accomplishments: He spends hundreds of thousands of dollars, takes two airplanes full of staff and dignitaries including his wife and Oprah, pours out his life story in an unprecedented personal appeal, and is still rejected by the Olympic Committee in the first round. How sophomoric. He visits the 73 year old Queen of England and presents her with the gift of an iPod loaded with videos of his speeches. How vain and ignorant. He receives a visit from the legally blind British Prime Minister and gives him a gift of a DVD collection purchased at Blockbuster Video. How insensitive. He allows the Iranians to continue testing long range missiles including on Jewish holidays which is a...

This time I am going to court to serve on the jury...maybe. I realize that this is our duty as citizens to serve as a jury of peers for those being tried in court. However, jury duty never comes at a convenient time. I hope that the court case gets dismissed or they make a deal outside of court. I do not want to be on one of those 3 days or longer cases. The last time I served on a jury was around 1988. That case was one concerning eminent domain. The defendant did not show up to court, so the judge instructed us that we must find for the government. He did explain that we did have the right to determine any amount of judgment for payment to the defendant for his property, up to the fair market value for the property. Of course I am sure that the fair market value is nowhere near what that property was worth to the owner. Since 1988 eminent domain lawsuits have given even more power to the government to seize lands whenever they want.

I just returned from Harford County Circuit Court this morning concerning our Florida home. As I have previously shared, we have been unable to sell the home and stopped making payments in April 2008. The court case today was with SunTrust who holds our secondary mortgage for which we owe $70,000. SunTrust gave us the loan in 2006 based on their appraisal of our home at between $185,000-225,000. We were renting the home out for a monthly profit of around $250. About six months after we moved, our insurance and taxes doubled. Due to this we were losing money each month. We informed the renters that we would need to increase the monthly rental upon renewal and they chose to move out without paying for their final month. We then continued paying on the home at a loss of about $1100 per month until April 2008 when we notified both banks that we could no longer afford to do so. In total we have already lost approximately $12,000. Since we did not contest or dispute any of SunTrust’s claims ...

The first and most basic requirement of an open minded individual is whether or not they are willing to change their opinion once presented with the facts. This does not mean that you need to trow out all of your core values, but that you are willing to learn and accept fact when it is presented to you. Another term for an open mind could be wisdom which is gained from knowledge and experience. The Liberal movement brags that they are the party of the open minded, free thinkers. They point to the fact that the fringe groups and minority groups tend to support liberal politicians. Liberals have become ensconced in the educational wings of our country, especially in colleges. But are they really open minded? They are usually the ones who discriminate against anyone who has a different opinion than their politically motivated viewpoint. It is amazing to me how people choose to ignore the facts when they do not fit with their socio-political agenda. Take the hot topic of Global Warming. If...

I wrote this for a Fourth of July program in 2006, but I don't remember if we actually used it. This poem is to be read by Uncle Sam. Many believe that Uncle Sam is a reference to Samuel Wilson who was born in Arlington, Massachusetts in 1766. He sold meat to the US Army and shipped it in large crates stamped U.S. Somebody joked that the U.S. stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. Cartoonists later began to depict Uncle Sam as the character that became famous in the 1916 WWI "I Want You" army recruiting posters. I WANT YOU to listen to me See, I was born here before we were free I WANT YOU to remember the cost A great price was paid, many lives were lost People came here from far, far away Risking it all, they came here to stay From Europe and Asia and Africa by sea Praying that they would escape tyranny Nations and people all mingled in one A great melting pot mixed under our sun Living and working and worshiping free Open to all from sea to sea A c...

I stopped by Five Below with my boys today and saw a George W. Bush voodoo doll kit. I could not believe that the liberals in this country could have so much hatred toward a president that they would stoop to such a demented franchising scheme. The box shows images of pins being pushed into the doll which had the head of former president George W. Bush. Could you imagine what would happen if conservatives were to come out with a Barack Hussein Obama voodoo doll kit? I can almost hear the screaming liberals claiming racism. I can envision the mainstream media doing their best to crucify the entire conservative movement over just such a cheap merchandising ploy. I can imagine the lawsuits against the corporation that distributed the doll. The liberals would claim that the company was promoting harm toward the president of the country.

This amazing cartoon was in the Chicago Tribune in 1934 . Look carefully at the plan of action.

This is not from me, but I found it an interesting summary of religions. Capitalism – He who dies with the most toys, wins. Hari Krishna – He who plays with the most toys, wins. Catholicism – He who denies himself the most toys, wins. Anglican – They were our toys first. Greek Orthodox – No, they were OURS first. Branch Davidians – He who dies playing with the biggest toys, wins. Atheism – There is no toy maker. Polytheism – There are many toy makers. Evolutionism – The toys made themselves. Church of Christ, Scientist – We are the toys. Communism – Everyone gets the same number of toys, and you go straight to hell if we catch you selling yours. B’Hai – All toys are just fine with us. Amish – Toys with batteries are surely a sin. Taoism – The doll is as important as the dumptruck. Mormonism – Every boy can have as many toys as he wants. Voodoo – Let me borrow that doll for a second. Hedonism – To heck with the rule book!? Let’s play! Hinduism – He who plays with ...

My children had to do a graphic organizer character sketch as part of their homeschool writing curriculum. The chose me as their subject. It is very interesting to read what your children think about you. It can be very humbling and sometimes a little embarrassing. Here is what they listed about me. Physical Characteristics Mustache Goatee Black hair (he says it is brown) [It is brown] Brown eyes sort of tall Talents Directing Singing Trumpet Computer stuff Monopoly Hobbies Music Directing Watch TV Take naps Hiking Writing Swimming Reading Facebook Solitaire Likes Music Quiet noise [is there such a thing as quiet noise?] Naps Directing Tigers Tigger Sherbert [our cat that we had to give up] Computer Mom Solitaire Dislikes Ashton's music [not true] Loud noise Cats that pee on stuff The pee on his chair Obama Biden [didn't know they knew who he was] Anchovies Squash Personality Busy Tired [because I am so busy] Generally happy Somewhat uptight [especially when cats pee on my stuf...

“He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’” Acts 1:7 (NIV) "’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 A famous story, whether true or not, tells us about the faith of the inventor, scientist and farmer George Washington Carver. One day he was walking among his fields pondering God’s great creations while he prayed. He asked God to share with him the knowledge of how the universe works. God responded, “Your brain is not able to comprehend something so vast.” He then asked God to explain how the solar system works. God replied, “Your brain is not able to comprehend even that.” George then asked God to share with him how this planet called Earth works. God responded again that he was not able to comprehend even that. Finally looking down at his...

I wrote this about eight years ago and it describes how I felt when we first learned that our son was autistic. It was going to be the beginning of a book about our journey with special needs children and the ministry, but I guess I forgot about it. I found it tonight while searching for another file so thought I would share it on my blog. I am suffocating. Trapped by circumstances, plunged beneath the swirling waves of life by burdens, desperately struggling for that life giving breath…but it will not come. My chest is weighted down by the crushing blows of reality. “This can’t be happening to me,” I try to say, but my mind is unable to will my mouth in motion. All that I can do is…exist. For just this moment in time I must exist. There is no thought of the next moment or the next. All that I had was gone; all that I had hoped for is now at the bottom of this great swirling tide of my circumstances and burdens. My body is numb. I am actually sitting, I think. I can feel…no, not feel…s...

It actually started yesterday as we were getting our boys ready for the annual Deacon/Minister fellowship. Zachary was taking a shower in our bathroom--since it is the only one that works without screeching like a screaming banshee the whole time you are running the water. We have a removable shower head and he was putting it back on the holder when the pipe broke off and everything fell down on him. So I knew I was going to be working on fixing our shower when I went to bed last night, but I still stayed up until 1:30 am so I could finish my book I had been reading for the last few days. The first thing I planned to attempt was to get the broken metal piece out of the metal elbow. About 1/2" of pipe was still threaded in solidly and would not budge. I admit that I thought about calling a plumber at that point, but we just do not have enough money to pay for one. So I consulted the internet and found many sites that suggested that you cut the broken pipe with a hacksaw being caref...

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8, NIV). Football season is upon us. That time of year when millions of armchair coaches sit back in their La-Z-Boys and scream at professional players telling them how they are doing everything wrong. The typical image that comes to mind is a middle aged man with an extended belly surrounded by a variety of chips, dips, hot wings, pizza rolls, and, of course, beer. The running joke is that the most exercise seen in football is when the fans run to the fridge for another beer or run to the restroom during commercial breaks. It is also the season for soccer. When thousands of children run back and forth on a field kicking and heading a black and white ball. The sport has become so popular in America during the last couple of decades that the term Soccer Mom was invented in politics to describe the women who were too busy...

Many in America would like for us to believe that all of our problems could be solved if the rich would just share their wealth with everyone else. The following article from the popular "Ask Marilyn" column in the Parade magazine shows why this will never work. Sunday's Column - August 23, 2009 If all the money in the world were redistributed so that everyone had the same amount, what would it be? —K. Bowman, Clarendon Hills, Ill. The global money supply is about $60 trillion. (Economists call this figure the M3 value; it includes much more than currency.) Say that we take it all—which means that you and Bill Gates would have nothing in the bank—and then distribute it equally among every individual in the world, about 6.8 billion people. Each man, woman, and child would receive about $9000. So, if your household now has less than $9000 per person, you would gain. If you have more, you would lose. "Ask Marilyn" August 23, 2009 | Parade.co...

We are furious with how much of our money you have been spending. You continue to claim that only the wealthy will pay for it with higher taxes. Just where do you think they will get their increased money for taxes? We will pay for it. Every billion you spend causes our expenses to increase whenever we pay our bills, buy our food, eat out, buy fuel or watch a movie. The wealthy will create less jobs and the jobs they do create will have lower salaries. We believe that you should cut your own salaries and benefits before you start cutting into ours. We do not want our children and future grandchildren to pay for the ridiculous spending that you have approved in the last nine months. We do not support the President's Health Care Reform. We cannot entrust the government which cannot even manage a simple $2 billion program to manage 1/6 of our economy. You cannot even financially support your own Cash For Clunkers program without asking your recently acquired auto companies to bail yo...

At the end of my senior in High School, my drama and debate teacher, Mrs. Donice Smith, asked to speak with me. She knew me not only from school, but also from church. She shared this: "Not all of your college professors are going to appreciate your honesty and independent thinking. They are there to teach you what they know and most will not want to be argued with when you discover that they are wrong." Mrs. Smith knew that I had strong opinions and often shared those with others around me. She also knew that I had a strong sense of right and wrong and felt it was my job to inform others when they were wrong. I am sure that she spoke with other teachers and knew that I had corrected my English teacher in middle school and my math teacher in high school. But they were wrong and somebody needed to tell them otherwise we would all be conjugating our verbs wrong or factoring for Y incorrectly. Mrs. Smith also knew that I had taken many strong stands for God over science. Af...

Since I personally dove head first into social networking (actually anything techie) I thought I would mention some positive aspects for pastors using social networking tools. I am going to use facebook as my example here. Not all social networking sites are the same and everyone needs to be cautious about protecting themselves from the filth that is sometimes associated with some sites. It helps you connect with those members who are Sunday morning only attenders It is an easy way for you to keep up with special events for church members (birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, etc.) It is one of the first places where you can learn about prayer requests from your members simply based on their status updates It gives you a way to communicate to your members how they can pray for you simply based on your status updates It helps preachers better understand what motivates or interests their members It will help pastors seem more "real" to their members as they share photos, video...

I am certain that every music pastor has experienced "constructive criticisms" from their senior pastor. You may have even received it from other pastors on staff. And I am positive that you have received it from church members. We tend to get a lot of this because music is a very subjective area. Everyone has their opinions about the music that they enjoy and would prefer to hear. I know that other ministry positions get just as much "constructive criticisms" from church members. I have heard everything from "you need to get somebody to clean that restroom" said to the Children's pastor to the typical "why do you preach so much about tithing" said to the senior pastor. That is all part of being in the ministry. I can handle the complaints, criticisms and even compliments because I know that I pray about what God wants and that is what we do. I do not try to please the senior pastor or the casual attender when planning worship. I usually do n...