Pastor’s Blog

Resurrection Valley

April 9, 2012
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There are two valleys I was recently reading about in the Bible during Holy Week leading up to Easter. One is in Ezekiel 37, a valley filled with dried up bones of a nation. In his vision Ezekiel sees God resurrect the whole place and stand them up.

What will it be like…someday?

April 9, 2012
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Have you ever sat quietly, pondering the teachings of Jesus, the promises of a new world, the answers to your questions? Have you ever tried to imagine just what it might be like in heaven, in the more-than-this?

Take Me to Jesus -song

April 9, 2012
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I was reading the book of Mark, chapter 2 the other day. It includes the Healing of the Paralyzed Man whose friends took him to Jesus and lowered him down through the roof just to get near the Master. Feeling a bit inspired I wrote a song.

Avatars, Dust, and Psalm 139

January 16, 2012
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In James Cameron’s graphically stunning film Avatar, the human hero Jake Sully is rescued in a forest of the planet Pandora by a native female there named Neytiri. He learns many things from her, not the least interesting of which is how they say “I love you.” in their culture: “I see you.”

A Strange Warmth

January 16, 2012
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John Wesley has a well known line in his journal about his conversion to becoming a follower of Christ. He says that as he sat listening to someone reading some words of Martin Luther, “my heart was strangely warmed.” He was feeling the presence of God. How often have you felt such a presence. I believe that God’s presence is available to us at all times, yet we miss experiencing it most of the time. This can be learned. We can practice the historical spiritual disciplines to draw closer to God.

Song 85 (a Spiritual Growth Exercise)

January 10, 2012
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Have you ever had it where you read a page of a book two or three times but haven’t the foggiest idea what you read? This can often happen when we are reading God’s Word, the Bible. Of course the spiritual realm is highly concerned with keeping us from being influenced by the Word. So, one practice that help get it to sink into our spirits is to rewrite it in our own words. This causes the mind to do more that push the eyes over the words, but to really think about them.

Sirens, Passion, and Higher Love

October 12, 2011
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In Greek mythology, the Sirens are creatures with the head of a female and the body of a bird. They lived on an island (Sirenum Scopuli; three small rocky islands) and with the irresistible charm of their song they lured mariners to their destruction on the rocks surrounding their island.

Light over Dark

September 27, 2011
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I sit at times

bathed in full light

as cloud on wind would fly

unveiling, blocking

Come Together

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Here’s another attempt at capturing a secular song for the Kingdom. This one takes the Beatle’s Song “Come Together” which many believe to have been written about the four members of the band, and makes it into a song about the resurrection of Jesus instead. You will find references to the Trinity at creation, and the promise of perfection in heaven.

Your Love (song capture)

August 26, 2011
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Along the vein of my recent piece about overtaking contemporary songs for the Kingdom, hears one based on the song “Your Love” by Outfield. The point here would be that we’re singing to Jesus as opposed a girl friend. The syllables and word order attempt to match the original song, but the meaning is all different.

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