Mental Musings

This past weekend was a major example of the variable attendance rates at churches. On Christmas Eve we had only one service at our campus this year and one service at the church plant. We were filled to capacity at the church and even had reports of a few families that left because they could not find a place to sit (although we still had some room left in the balcony and up front). Our church plant reportedly had a good crowd with just over 100 people for their first ever worship service. If the church plant had not had a service we could not have fit everyone in at the church. Then just two days later we have our normal three Sunday morning worship services with less than half of the number who came out for Christmas Eve. We could have put everyone into one service even if we doubled the total attendance. So why was there such a large variable in attendance? Several factors could have played a role: since it was the day after Christmas and families may have been traveling to visit w

I wrote this a few years ago and just came across it tonight. Thought you might enjoy it even though it is the night before Christmas instead of a week before. ‘Twas the week before Christmas, just look up and down People are planning their trip out of town Children all wait for that last bell to ring And everywhere you hear those carols we sing Parties are ending as workers hearts turn Toward trips to feel the old home fires burn But suddenly there rose a voice quiet and still Coming to us from atop an old hill The voice is from old, the message still new Proclaiming the birth of a Savior for you He was born in a manger and slept in the hay He died on a cross and rose the third day “Born to die, new life to bring” This is the news the angels sing People pass this voice and slow Something is here that they should know Their hearts are heavy, they seem lost in thought And suddenly remember a present they forgot The voice continues, though no one can hear The reason for Christmas is so v

Well, I think the final performance wore me out completely. I even asked Kevin Smallwood to fill in for me in the third service so I could rest up before it, but by the time I got home I was ready for bed. Soooo, this update is a little late in getting posted. Once again we had some very positive comments and only a couple who simply wrote "Bring back the tree" with nothing else and no name on the cards. Maybe we should have announced ahead of time that if your only opinion is that we should bring back the tree, then you can leave your comment with our "Sign-up for helping with next year's program" committee in the foyer. Here is a sampling of the comments from the Sunday matinee performance: Awesome job everyone. It is very generous of the church and its people to present this play to the community. Thank you so much. Been coming for many year. Very good. Interesting start on a new venture for a "professional" group. What a blessing. Keep telling othe

Generally I prefer darkness at night. I don't like bright lights. Even when I am reading I do not want lots of lights on because it hurts my eyes. If I am watching a movie, I like to have all of the lights out. But there is something about this time of year when I do not get irritated by some extra light shining around me. It is nice to sit in a darkened room and look at the beautiful lights on the Christmas tree, the little lights shining from inside the snow covered ceramic houses underneath the tree, or the angel on the mantle with the sparkling and every changing lights on her wings and dress. Christmas is a time of light. It is wonderful to drive around at night and see the decorative yards and houses bedecked in hundreds or thousands of twinkling bulbs of festive joy. It makes me feel like a child when I see home or business that has gone overboard to the point of looking gaudy. But there is a sense of excitement and anticipation that comes with viewing the almost ludicrous d

Again we had an overwhelming number of positive comments. Only one person mentioned that they wished we had done the Tree instead. Interesting that almost all of those who have said that do not put their name on the comment card. Because if they did I would call them to get them involved in the Tree next time we do it. One thing I forget to mention about the earlier nights is that we do get people who indicate they do not belong to any church as well as people who have accepted Christ or rededicated their lives. In total we have had over 100 re-dedications and about four who have accepted Christ as a result of the program. Here is a sampling of the comments: Great acting and a wonderful presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed the program. The show was great! Fabulous! You all did a great job! I loved it! The bells were the best I have ever heard them. The play was wonderful. Full of truisms and humor. The singers and songs were terrific. A most memorable play. Great play. Really touching expl

Another great night with some very encouraging comments shared. We had one (1) person indicate that they accepted Christ as Lord and over forty (40) indicate that they had rededicated their loves to Christ. We again had five (5) people indicate that they wanted us to bring the Tree back, but only one person signed theirs and they also said they thought the musical was wonderful. Here are some samples of the comments: We have always enjoyed the Living Christmas Tree. This new tradition was wonderfully done. Awesome performance. Such amazing talent you have in your congregation. What a wonderful way to spread God's promise-One Bethlehem Night is beautifully done. The program was absolutely wonderful. Thank you. Awesome, but mostly God honoring. I loved it as much as the Living Christmas Tree. Good way to spend my night. I like the show. I thank you for having us here from Perry Point VA and taking the time to make the show for us to enjoy. The show as an inspirational experience for

Well, we finished our first performance. There were a few little mishaps, but nothing major. Everyone did a wonderful job. Based on the attendance/comment cards turned in: we had three (3) people accept Christ as their Lord and forty (40) plus people rededicate their lives to Christ. We did not have any negative comments. We did have three comments from people who liked the program but wished we would do our Living Christmas Tree again and two comments from people who wanted to hear the Oak Grove Quartet. Guess you cannot please everyone. Here is a sampling of comments: Tonight's performance was beautifully done and has touched my heart. It has prepared me for the holiday season and is the main reason we celebrate Christmas. I have been to everyone of [your] programs. I have loved every one of them. It was the best show ever. It was awesome. I loved it. Great performance. Enjoyed very much. Wonderful show. Thanks for the blessing. May God continue to bless the ministry here at Oak

Tonight is the first of four performances of our Christmas musical, "One Bethlehem Night." This is a major change for our church which has had a tradition for the past 25 years of doing a Living Christmas Tree for eleven performances each December. We have been practicing since July, preparing tech-notes and multimedia needs since August, building sets since September, we distributed about 3200 tickets back in October, we decorated and put up our sets in November, held dress rehearsals in December, and now we have finally reached the actual first performance night. I am extremely proud of the many volunteers who have helped and will be helping during the next week and a half. We have had many people help who have not been involved in our Christmas ministry in the past and we have had many return to help in some vitally important areas. I am especially proud of our cast who stepped up to the task of learning a full-scale Broadway-style musical. And I am excited to watch my own

I am not sure if grumpiness is hereditary or not, but it certainly seems to run in my family. There were many times when my father was grumpy and we knew instinctively to leave him alone. There were many times when my sister was grumpy and my brother and I took advantage of it by tormenting her even more. I have known for years that I am at my worst when I am sick, stressed or just plain tired, and it is at those times that my grumpiness comes out. I remember how shortly after I was married that my grumpiness was brought to my attention. Wendy and I used to love to play cards together. That was before children, the Internet and cable TV. We also enjoyed having friends over to play cards. I have never been a very good winner. When I win, I like to rub it in everyone’s face. But I always thought of myself as a good loser, because I could lose with grace. However, when I played cards alone with Wendy I would always get grumpy if I lost to her. After some friends left one evening Wendy loo

What if Jesus had been a worship pastor? What if His twelve disciples had been singers or instrumentalists that helped in His ministry? One day Jesus went out on a hill to teach His disciples. After reaching the appointed place, Jesus looked toward His disciples and said, “Let us rehearse Psalm 91.” Peter cried out, “Lord, we have not yet done our vocalise.” Matthew asked, “Can we not afford some newer music?” Thaddeus called out loudly, “What Psalm did He say?” Phillip asked, “Good Rabbi, is this song not intended only to be sung on Shabbat?” Andrew who was seated with his legs crossed and eating some fish and bread wondered allowed, “Will we have to memorize this, Lord, or may we use our scrolls?” James and John, sons of Zebedee, began to argue as to which would be better suited for the descant. James, the son of Alphaeus, interrupted the continuing argument because he was convinced that the other James had once again mistakenly picked up his scroll of the Psalms. Judas walked up to

I was at a funeral today of a man who was around 80 years old when he died. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were at the funeral and most of them have lived near him all of their lives. It made me think about my own family. I never knew either of my grandfathers. We visited each of my grandmother's homes about once a year. We always lived at least a days drive away. On a few occasions we had an extended visit with them. We had even less contact with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I can remember one time as a child when all of my dad's brothers and his sister got together for a day. There were several people there that I had never met and have never seen since. While my own children are fortunate enough to have both grandmothers and grandfathers still living, they only get to see them about two weeks out of each year. With the exception of Ashton's first year, we have never lived close to either set of parents. And our boys rarely get to see their aunts, un

PREFACE: This post is not intended for church members to read. Seriously, don't read it. I don't want you to think that I am complaining so that you will pity me. This post is meant for my fellow music ministers. Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the year and what a week! I worked 15 hours Sunday, 18 hours Monday, a mere 9 hours Tuesday, 13 hours Wednesday, only about 4 hours Thursday because it was my day off, 12 hours today, and it looks to be about 5 hours tomorrow before I start the next week with 3 worship services on Sunday followed by three surgery visits in three different cities on the three days prior to Thanksgiving. My wife told me yesterday that my crazy schedule wears HER out. I guess that no matter how quiet I am in the morning, having an alarm go off two mornings in a row at 4 AM does not help her sleep well. Not to mention the problems she has when our youngest son gets upset because I left before he was awake and was not coming home until after he wa

Just finished watching To Save a Life with the family. It reminded me of life as a teen and how cruel people (including myself) could be to others in school and how fake people (including myself) could act in church. The real question after a movie like that is: how can we help the children, teens and even adults of today deal with life? Are we going to continue walking through life with blinders on or will we take the time to care about others? Why does nothing change? Even when we hear songs like If We Are the Body : "It's crowded in worship today As she slips in trying to fade into the faces The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know "A traveler is far away from home He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row The weight of their judgmental glances Tells him that his chances are better out on the road "Jesus payed much too high a price For us to pick and choose who should come "But if we are the body Why aren't His

ELECTION EVE PRAYER WALK – If you believe we face a crucial election this fall and that we need to seek God for the spiritual change our nation needs, you are invited to an Election Eve Prayer Walk at the Capitol Complex in Annapolis on Monday, November 1, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. For more details or to register to attend, contact Brent Alderman (State Director for Capitol Commission Maryland) at 240-818-3053 or brent.alderman@capitolcom.org .

I have been serving in paid ministry in one way or another since 1982. My first position was as an interim music minister for my home church, Temple Baptist in Big Point, Mississippi, when I was only 17 years old. Since then I have: traveled with a music group on the road for a year, sleeping in homes and performing 6-7 concerts a week; lived overseas in the country of Jordan for a year and half as an International Service Corps volunteer with the then Foreign Mission Board; and served in churches in Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, Florida and now Maryland as a Minister of Music and Youth, Minister of Music and Education, Minister of Music and Administration, and a Music and Worship Pastor. I often hear people comment that it must be nice to have a job where you are around Christians all of the time. I won't lie to you, it is wonderful, but there are some disadvantages. Being around Christians all of the time makes it difficult to find time to witness to the lost outside of the churc

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to bring to your attention some Christian singers/groups who are Hispanic or have Hispanic members. Alma Rivera: www.reverbnation.com/almarivera (mostly English lyrics) Jaci Velasquez: www.jacivelasquez.com (mostly English lyrics) Lilly Goodman: www.lillygoodman.com Jesús Adrián Romero: www.jesusadrian.net Marcos Witt: www.canzion.com/marcoswitt Rojo: www.rojoweb.com Salvador: www.salvadorlive.com (mostly English lyrics) There are many more out there. Feel free to post your favorite Hispanic Christian singer/band.

One of my real passions is listening to good music. I know you would never have believed that about a worship pastor But music is such a subjective thing that what I consider good music could be thought of as trash by others. I can fully appreciate that because of my work in churches. You may not believe this, but at every church I have been to there are people who do not like all of the music that is done on Sunday mornings. But I wanted to share what I look for (or listen for) in music. The Basics: Interesting melody (it must be more than just a few notes repeated over and over) Good harmonic pattern (ignoring proper harmonic sequences can be unique, but some bands obviously have no training in music when it comes to this; try preparing the ears for a key change instead of jumping from key to key with no warning) Variety in keys (try to write in a key other than E because each key has a specific emotional and aural sound) Rhythmic interest (some bands use the same basic rhythm patter

No, I am not actually speaking about a state of mind...although that could help. This is more about the 20-80 rule. You know, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. However, I am convinced that the numbers need to be updated some because it seems that the correct number is closer to 15-100. On a typical Sunday, we have a need for about 7 people to help with our Multimedia Ministry (sound, lights, projection, video). That is less than 1% of our worship attendance. Now I understand that some of those who attend worship are also involved in other ministries: Bible Study leaders, ushers, greeters, counters, baptismal workers, instrumentalists, choir, praise team, nursery, etc. (I use the etc. to include all of those areas I left out because I am sure somebody will remind me of their ministry area). I am sure that there are some sound people out there just waiting to be used, but we have not been successful in finding them through the normal channels: announcements, begging, word of mouth, p

In a speech given on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." As we are approaching the fiftieth anniversary of this famous speech I have been looking at what impact that speech had in America other than to serve as a detrimental political ad against Kennedy's own party in current times. In fifty short years, America has become the nation of entitlements. This was not accomplished over night, but has come about through decades of re-educating our children through the public school systems to believe that they have rights beyond what is promised in the original Constitution or the Amendments to the Constitution. No longer are we a nation of people who ask what we can do to help make our country better, but rather a nation of people who ask what our country is going to do for us. I have no idea if this photo is real or Photoshopped, but it is indicative of the beliefs of many current Ameri

My dad used to tell us about going to the movies when he was a kid. It was an all Saturday morning event that cost only 25¢ for pre-show cartoons, Hollywood newsreel, the movie, a soda, a hot dog and popcorn. Twenty-five years later, during my childhood, movies cost $1.50 and that included your previews and movie. Movie theaters had already learned that they could make their money on the snacks by charging twice what you would pay at a grocery store. A few years later when I was dating and actually paying for myself and a date, movies cost $3.00. That is also about the time that the Dollar Movie theaters started to pop up for the frugal movie goer who didn't mind waiting 3-4 months to see that blockbuster movie. It is almost impossible to imagine a 25¢ movie when we were paying $5.00 for matinee movies just a few years ago. That is when we quit going to the movies. When a family of four can purchase a DVD for $15-20 at Walmart, then why would we spend $20 for tickets and another $2

Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby and Claude King We are currently going through this incredible Bible study in our Friday evening small group. This will be more 4th or 5th time to do this study. I have lost track. I have served as the facilitator for the study three previous times. Facilitator is a fancy word for a teacher who uses the teachers guide to lead the discussion. I would highly recommend this study. It remains the best discipleship study that I have ever encountered. Senior Pastors Why is it that Senior Pastors are always the pastor who preaches most at the church? I remember reading about a church plant in Kansas City (Missouri, not Kansas) that was started by two men who were both talented musically. Therefore, they took turns preaching and leading worship. It made me wonder how they decided which was the Senior Pastor and then I wondered why did the Senior Pastor have to be the preaching pastor. What if the Senior Pastor was the Education Pastor because he worked with

I have had several people ask me about how they can get published. I guess they assume that I am an expert in this area because I am a Music Minister. My first question for them usually is why do they want to get their item published: is it for educational purposes; to make money or for fame; or just to share with others? I have had over a dozen various things published with LifeWay (part of the Southern Baptist Convention ), but all of these except one were things that I had written for use in a local church. My intention when writing them was not to get money or fame, and I certainly did not. My skits, articles and one song were published just because I already had them and thought "why not send them in and see what happens." I have probably had more than 100 refused and just over a dozen accepted. Again we come back to the reason for wanting to be published. While in college I realized that professors would willingly share with you from the vast storehouse of knowledge

During our vacation we visited our relatives' churches for worship. Both churches are about the same size as the church where I serve. One was a country church in Mississippi and the other was a church in Branson, Missouri. I thought I would outline their worship styles and some observations that I made while there. Wade Baptist Church in Mississippi has two identical morning worship services using a blend of contemporary praise and worship music and traditional hymns. They had a small orchestra of about five wind instruments along with a bass player, organist, pianist and acoustic drums. They projected the lyrics of the songs on three screens (two at front and one for the worship team). They used a choir and soloists with the worship leader standing behind the pulpit leading the congregation. The choir was able to sing without folders during the congregational singing because of the rear screen projecting lyrics for them. The congregational singing was not very strong, but most

There is an old saying, "There is always tomorrow." Procrastinators love to put things off until tomorrow. Financial gurus tell us to put aside a nest egg for tomorrow. Forecasters try to tell us what the weather will be like tomorrow. There is another old saying, "Tomorrow never comes." Life coaches want you to understand Carpe diem, seize the day; friends may encourage you to eat drink and be merry for tomorrow may never come; or parents may be telling you to never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I guess it depends on your outlook on life. Some people are longing for tomorrow because they are in the middle of a storm in their lives. Others are dreading tomorrow because of some impending doom that they perceive. And while I find the time to "live in the moment" of life and believe that God teaches us to live day by day, I also think it is foolish for us not to prepare ourselves for the future. If we were only concerned about the here and now,

Watching a Disney environmental commercial and my boys start complaining about all of the resources they wasted in making the commercial: paper, paints, electricity, money, etc. Glad they have learned how to spot hypocrisy on their own. Like we are to believe that these Hollywood stars actually have smaller carbon footprints than us regular folk. Energy conservation in our home starts by living within my salary. That is the reason I am always turning off lights, not because I am trying to save a horned-bill white-crested mole-rat in Saskatoon (I doubt they actually exist, so don't try to Google them). I am not trying to conserve water during the mini-drought we are experiencing by not watering my lawn. It is because I do not want to pay that larger water bill when it comes next month. If I had as much money as Al Gore I might own multiple mansions, fly on private jets, ride in limos, etc. The difference is that I would not be out telling others that they need to conserve energ

A friend posted this verse today on facebook: 10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. (Psalm 57:10-11, NLT) I read her post after reading numerous posts from others about their disappointments in a boyfriend/girlfriend OR their great happiness because of a boyfriend/girlfriend OR song lyrics from somebody singing about their boyfriend/girlfriend. I had started thinking of how fragile life is when so many people have placed their hope and trust in a relationship based on failing humans. This verse was one of those divine providence things. It came at the right time and fulfilled a need. I am so thankful that we can know and serve a God who is unfailing. Not only is His love unfailing, but it is faithful, perfect, timely, everlasting, enduring, fulfilling, and many more things that I cannot even bring to mind at this time. Praise God fr

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a pastor say something to the effect of, "How many of you would rather be here than in prison?" I cannot imagine anyone not raising their hands after a question like that. But I wonder how many positive responses we would get if we asked this question on Sunday, "How many of you would rather be here than at Disney World?" Or how about this, "How many of you would rather be here than on a beach in Hawaii?" When was the last time that we took an honest look at our "volunteer" attendance at church. If we were given the opportunity to attend a pro baseball or football game during church service hours, would we attend church? If our children had a school activity or sports game that took place during church service hours, would we attend church? If our family was coming to visit for only a few days, would we attend church? Sadly the answer for most church members in America is "No." Now I rea

Our boys, ages 12 & 14, signed up for the summer reading program through our public library. Our youngest reads all the time, although he will only read his favorite authors or series such as Wayne Thomas Batson's Door Within trilogy or J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. He is currently re-reading the Harry Potter books for the third time. our oldest son reads when he must. He would prefer to be designing digital art or taking photos. But I know he reads because he is always telling me about some new game/movie that is coming out or about some silly rule that some institution made concerning something unbelievably ridiculous as far as he is concerned. So why did they decide to join the summer reading program? For the rewards of course. Teens will get a $5 Barnes and Noble gift card "While They Last" (which our 14 year old insists means they only have a few). The reward for children is a free book from a list (which our 12 year old insists will have nothing he woul

Maybe I am just a little sleep deprived, but this video is funny. My favorite line is at the end as Jesus walks by carrying the cross.

I opened a MySpace account shortly after it started to get a lot of attention in the media. I entered very basic information about myself and started scanning through a few accounts of my friends and relatives. I decided to drop it when I saw how filthy some of the content was. MySpace did not seem to monitor the content and apparently had no problem with people using the F bomb, including dirty jokes, linking to sexy videos, etc. That is why I was a little leery about facebook when it started to take off. After I learned that you could block a lot of the things you do not want to see, I opened an account. Facebook also includes an option for reporting content that is inappropriate. I personally enjoy the great benefits of facebook and social networking in general. Think of how fast we can share prayer requests, or keep up with old friends who live out of state, or learn more about new friends that you only see at church, etc. Even so, I have heard from many people about things they ha

I was thinking today about spiritual gifts. I often joke with people that whenever I have taken Spiritual Gifts tests I score the lowest possible score for mercy. But I actually do have lots of mercy when it comes to dealing with people in need. I think it is patience I don't have much of, because I definitely do not show mercy toward complainers, whiners, grumps, etc. While spiritual gifts may sometimes change based on what God has planned for us, my strongest spiritual gift has always been discernment. You know how they say not to judge a book by its cover? Well, I can meet somebody and generally within a few seconds God reveals them to me. It can be scary at times. I remember once when I was introduced to a pastor (not in a state where I have served during the past 20 years), he reached out to shake my hand and the moment his hand touched mine I instantly got this overwhelming sense of evil. A few months later I learned that he had an affair, stole money from his church, left hi

I wrote this tonight because I needed some reminders about who God is, what He has done, and what He has planned for me. I hate to admit it, but as I wrote it there was this hokey country melody going through my head. Friend to Me Sitting in my easy chair staring into space My world is caving in Stop the world I’m getting off, I quit the race What a day it has been Oh, please not again Voices calling out to me pulling left and right They all want their way My heart cries out for me leave and take the next flight Please take me away There must be a way Then I look at what You did for me there upon dark Calvary Your blood rescued me And all my worries fall away like waves upon the sea I have been set free You did all this for me So I thank You for healing me within Oh I thank You for taking all my sin And I thank You for opening my eyes With eyes wide open now I plainly see... The person that You planned for me to be And I thank You for healing me within Oh I thank You for taking all my

The title of my blog today comes from the words of Duke Ellington. The full quote is: "Everyone prays in his own language and there is no language that God does not understand." Many know Ellington as a jazz composer, but few people know that he also wrote some religious music. He actually wrote three sacred concerts in a jazz style which were performed throughout Europe and America. I wrote this song as I was preparing my thesis on the sacred concerts of Duke Ellington while in seminary. Hope you enjoy it. Prayer When through the soft and gentle night, With timid voice and tear-soaked face, Someone lifts up some words in light Of searching for God's loving grace When with a loud, gigantic voice, Proclaiming it from town to town, Remembering that grateful choice, Someone thanks God for life and crown When in a tongue from distant lands, If nasal, gruff, or even odd, With open eyes or unclasped hands, Someone calls out, "Forgive me God" With tr

The first commandment, and the one that Jesus said is the greatest commandment, is this: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” A direct translation from Hebrew would read: “Never place a less powerful being on top of my faces,” which is why we do not use these transliterations of the scripture, but rather rely on translations that make sense in our language. Therefore, it has also been translated to read: “Don’t ever let any other god get between your face and my face.” The world has changed drastically in the past 100 years. We have progressed in almost every field imaginable. In many ways the progress has been very beneficial to us. We have more comfort with air-conditioning, cotton clothes, pain medicines, etc. We have less physical work with machines that can do much of the work for us. We have more time to enjoy our leisure with shorter workdays and retirement plans. But has progress been beneficial to us? We certainly can point to an increased lifespan and say it h

A certain Levite named Joseph was known as an encourager. So much so that the apostles gave him the name Barnabas which means the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36). I guess that renaming people in the Bible can be similar to giving nicknames to others. And Barnabas certainly seemed to live up to his nickname as far as the accounts of him in scripture. Our world is in need of people with the spiritual gift of encouragement yet it is often difficult to find those people in our churches. Christians, especially in America, have become so steeped into the belief that we all have democratic rights given to us by God, that we often hear more complaints in our churches than we do encouraging words. No wonder so many people complain about everything about their church...it is "their" church. I would think we would have a much more difficult time complaining if we all quit attending our own church and started attending God's church. God designed our churches with a specific struc

by Steve Poole Meter: 7.7.7.7. with refrain Tune originally used: TRUSTING JESUS All we have we give to God: Fish and Bread or wooden rod. Without Him our lives grow dim. That is why we rest in Him. When the world caves in on you, Let them know His word is True. Never let the candle dim. Let your life show rest in Him. God the Father, Christ the Son, Holy Spirit, Three in One. Never let the image dim. Live for God and rest in Him. REFRAIN: Simply let Him help you rest. Put your faith and trust to test. Listen to these words we say: “Give your life to Him today.”

It has been almost a month since anything new has been posted to my blog. But there is a good reason...I haven't written anything. Amazing how you have to write something to actually blog. Sometimes when I look at the number of page views on my blog I wonder if I am only writing for the sake of writing. But every once in a while I hear from somebody (typically through facebook) that read my blog and enjoyed something about it. So, I thought I would share a devotional that I never used. Psalm 15 A psalm of David. 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, In the Christian Ethics class at seminary, future pastors were often asked how they would handle this situation: A search committee calls to get a re

Everyone has had to deal with complainers. Some areas of life seem to attract more complainers than others, but I found something that really is genius concerning how to deal with complainers. Make Complaining Feel Like Work 1. Acknowledge their feelings: “It sounds like you’re not happy. Tell me about that” 2. When the point has been made, task them with finding a way to improve the situation. “I think I see why you’re not happy. What do you think can be done?” 3. If they sound defeated or say nothing can be done, shift to the task of finding a way to cope: “So it pretty much sounds like you’re stuck with it the way it is. Besides telling me, how are you going to come to terms with that?” 4. After a while, it will be second nature to guide the complainer along in this way, until he will begin to do it for himself when he is in your presence. Over time, he will hear become tired of hearing the refrain: “So it sounds l

I entered the workplace 30 years ago this summer. My first job was at a Kmart. Throughout my life I have had several jobs that were the normal Monday through Friday with an occasional weekend meeting or business trip. The nice thing was that I generally only had to think about my job from about 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and then I was done. I rarely ever thought about what was taking place while I was out. I didn't need to find somebody to take my place at my various tasks before I left on vacation. I simply requested time off and when the time came I left without another thought of work until the next Monday when I returned. All of my work was sitting there waiting for me. I was thinking about this today when a church member told me in an email that I was supposed to be on vacation. I realized that I started my vacation on Friday evening by going to visit a church member at the hospital and then burning a DVD on my home computer that evening because I could not get any of

In the music ministry we always have to balance our abilities and talents with the right attitude for serving God. Sometimes the least talented person would do the best in sharing with others an important message from God. And sometimes the best musicians are not the appropriate people to serve in the music ministry because they would only be doing it for themselves. I have gotten used to working with musicians of various caliber: encouraging some who are talented but shy and deflating the egos of others who may or may not be good musicians. What is often most frustrating to me, however, is the attitude of many in the church concerning the music ministry. My former pastor was the worst about telling me who I should have sing or play and who he thought should not be used. He often threw the “professional” phrase around. “The sound was not very professional today” or “That soloists/instrumentalist is not very professional”. He once told me that a certain lady was so “fat” that it g

Author J.M. Barrie created the character that never wanted to grow up. Peter Pan, also the title of his famous book, did not want to become an adult and be forced to deal with all of the stress and struggles that came with the transformation. So Peter found his way to Neverland where, along with his lost boys, he could remain a carefree child forever. But those who know the story also know that carefree was not all that it promised for villainous Captain Hook constantly lurked around the corners, and then there was that tantalizing Wendy who stole Peter’s heart before he even knew what hit him. Millions of Americans have seemed to follow in the footsteps of Peter Pan. We have become a nation that no longer values the virtues of adulthood: especially responsibility, strong work ethic, self-dependence, selflessness, and community awareness. You don’t have far to look in our American society before you see lost boys, and girls, running around everywhere. Grown men and women who want

I read a great blog post by David Lee King about customer service in the Library system. He started by comparing how small town music stores handle customers compared to the music giant Guitar Center. The question posed was "Why is Guitar Center so large and popular?" You can just look at their business practices to see that they focus on costumers more than on their own property. Read David's post and then come back here for my thoughts below. David's post brought to mind the many rules, regulations, policies, etc. that I have seen throughout my nearly 30 years in the ministry. Building usage rules, equipment usage rules, procedural rules, teaching rules, wedding rules, meal rules, chair placement rules, business meeting rules, parking rules, and the list can go on and on. Often these rules do not make sense to anyone, but 30 years ago the church felt a need to make the rule for some reason. While in Seminary my Practice of Church Music professor made this recommend