Mental Musings

Vacation Bible School is often a program that shifts the entire focus of your church on children for one week during the year. It actually takes months of planning and preparation and we have some wonderful volunteers at our church who help with this ministry. While the week is packed with exciting songs, fun games and activities, mission stories, and more, the primary purpose for VBS is to share the message of salvation with the children. Many churches around the world pour lots of time and money into their children's and youth ministries because they know that the older a person becomes the less likely they are to accept Jesus as Lord. 43% of Christians accepted Christ before they were 13 years old ( Barna Research ). 21% accepted Christ between the ages of 13 and 18 and another 13% between the ages of 18-21. In total that means that 77% of Christians were saved by the age of 21. Our church actually has VBS twice during the summer: once for the children and a separate ...

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) What is the purpose of the church? This question has been debated for many years. While at seminary I noticed that the various schools within the seminary all had a different opinion about the purpose of the church. The School of Theology taught that the primary purpose of the church was evangelism (missions, proclaim God's Word). The School of Religious Education taught that the primary purpose of the church was to disciple others. The School of Music taught that the primary purpose of the church was to worship God. It would seem that these differing opinions would be grounds for disunity. But, in fact, they all are part of the same primary purpose of the church. Directing others to Jesus. School of Music Our worship exalts Jesus so that others can see Him, in our songs, in our words, and in our actions. When the people of Israel were being attacked by venomous snakes, God ins...

Poetry, regardless of what type or whether or not it is accompanied by music, is an essential form of communication. It speaks to the soul even more than mere written or spoken language. The ebb and flow of the rhythm, the connectedness of the rhyming patterns, and the underlying emotion embedded in the context all combine to create a medium of expression that draws us together through a bond of solidarity in thought. I have been writing poetry for my own benefit for more than 40 years. It helps me to express myself in a way that I cannot seem to do verbally. The written word just seems to come easier to me. Usually it takes me less than 15 minutes to put my thoughts into a poem when it would take me hours to try and explain myself verbally. Below are a couple that I have written to express various ideas from war and freedom, frustration, and the ultimate fight for our souls. These use various rhyming techniques and rhythm schemes. All art is meant to elicit an emotional respons...