Mental Musings

My childhood was one of great freedoms. My brother and I would leave our home and wander all over the neighborhood with nothing to hold us back. We often walked blocks away from our house; sometimes crossing busy city streets unaccompanied by an adult. We discovered wooded areas where be built forts, a creek that we dammed up to make a swimming hole, and some great locations where we set up targets that we then destroyed with our rifles. We lived the experiences that most children of today will never get to know because of a world filled with ever increasing evil. I am sure that many of our neighbors wished my brother and I had not been so free to wander and explore. Our freedom gave us the chance to do many fun things, but we were also able to get into some trouble as well. Our freedom was unfettered and we often squandered that freedom resulting in a loss of our freedom for a period of time. Many people in the United States have forgotten that there is a price to win fr...

When the Bible commands us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, it does not specify how these songs are to be accompanied. The Old Testament does mention many different instruments and instructs us to use all of them along with clapping, shouting, dancing, and raising hands as we praise God. That journey to determine what style should be used has been the cause of what is commonly known as the Worship Wars. Here is just one example from an individual opposed to a certain worship style: "There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it's too new. Two, it's often worldly...the new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Besides there are so many new songs that you can't learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently. The preceding generation got along without it. It's a money-making scheme, and some of these new m...

I have started a new blog for Pastors and Church Leaders, called The Poole Hall .  I made the decision to start a new blog because this one was too eclectic with posts about family, worship, leadership, bible studies, politics, and more. I will continue to use the  this blog , but the new location will be designed more for ministry posts. I have some big plans for my new blog and I hope that you will find it useful for your ministries. While I may not always stick to this format, I mapped out the following goals for The Poole Hall: Meet Me Monday  - I want to share with you some key individuals inside my sphere of ministry. I will attempt to give you some information about them and why they have influenced my ministry. I will also ask you to join me in praying for them, their families, and their ministries. [Note: I have already posted the first Meet Me Monday article, click here to read] Testimony Tuesday - I would like to have a post each Tuesday ...

I recently purchased a beginning painting kit with a canvas, oil paints, and brushes. I thought I might toy with some recreational painting as a possible new hobby. I have only painted walls and furniture for the past 30 plus years, but I have had some experience with artistic painting. In first grade I did a freestyle painting of a clown that won a blue ribbon in an art contest. As a teen I painted a ceramic lighthouse and won first place in my age category at the County Fair. Neither of these artistic endeavors would have placed me anywhere near the same level as Rembrandt or Picasso or even Thomas Kinkade. In the past, painting was less of a hobby and more of a means to express my creativity. I have dabbled in many such artistic endeavors: Broadway dancing, photography, drawing, painting, singing, playing piano/trumpet, architectural design, poetry, acting, and writing hymns, skits, stories, and even a children's book. I probably will never be famous for any of these, but...