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Thursday Hymn Reflection: "Ancient Words"
[Each Thursday, we give “reflections” on songs suggested by our readers. To add a song to our upcoming posts, leave no more than three suggestions in the comments.] A fairly new song, “Ancient Words” has found its way into more popular usage in the last couple of years. As older songs have done, “Ancient Words” celebrates God’s Word, but it also has a unique trait in that it celebrates the history of the Bible. The history of the Bible is a fascinating study. Most of us respect God’s Word and hold it as inspired, but many fail to see the connection between our day and when the Bible was actually…
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10 Ways to "Find" More Time During the Day
Each has but 24 hours and, unless you are at a lock-in, you spend some of those sleeping. I am constantly amazed at how some people accomplish so many things each day. I’ve had people ask me how I do all that I do, but there are so many other goals I have, and it often seems as if I’m like the hamster on the wheel. That being said, I have found a few things that work for me, so I can do as much as possible. Here are a few that I do, and a few I know I should do to make those 24 hours as filled as…
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The 12 Days of … Resolutions
Less than one month ago, we were enamored with Christmas tunes. They are everywhere. One of those is “The 12 Days of Christmas.” (Yes, it happens to be one of my favorites. I like lists!) After Christmas, many of us focused on making those resolutions for the new year. Some said they would lose weight, while others promised to learn a new skill. Some may have resolved to get a new job or to improve in the area of parenting. Some resolved to read through the Bible, and others resolved to study more deeply. We’re 12 days in. How are you doing? It’s amazing how many stores had sales on exercise…
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Friday Links Roundup: Thanks for the Warm-Up Edition
So, there was a football game last night. Congratulations to all my friends who are fans of Alabama and Boise State, the two undefeated teams. Alabama won a game that was bizarre in every way, while Boise out-defensed TCU. Both are deserving of their record. Now, if they could just play each other……… Now that the football season is over, everyone can move on to the real college sport: hoops! Football provides a great warmup to NCAA hoops, which I think is the greatest sport of them all. (If nothing else, they at least have a playoff!) I’m looking at three of the four unbeatens (Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky) to join Duke…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: "Love for All"
[On Thursdays, we are “reflecting” on hymns suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites, please list no more than 3 in the comments, and we’ll add them to our list.] Written by the younger brother of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Love for All” is an amazing hymn that speaks to God’s unconditional love for us. The song is based so deeply on the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), that it was originally named “The Prodigal Son.” The poem has five stanzas, and is a song that needs to have all five to be sung properly. It is a song that moves more deeply in thought as it…
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10 Changes in the Blog World I'd Like to See
I love blogs, and not just because I write one. It is a joy to discover new and helpful writers in this format. I subscribe to 116 feeds through Google Reader. Some post daily (or even more), while others almost never post. That’s one reason I like a feed reader like Google, you don’t have to scan through dozens of websites to see if someone has updated, you just get the updates when they come. If you’ve never used Google Reader, click here for a video (less than 3 minutes long) that will show you how to set it up. (By the way, you can do the same for our…
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Seeing What We Focus On
Have you ever noticed that, when you buy a certain type of vehicle, you start to see every other vehicle on the road that looks like yours? You might even mention it to your family and friends with phrases like, “I saw our car coming home today!” (Wah, wah, wah) The same is true of TV shows and music. If we have heard a particular song on the radio earlier in the day, and then it’s used in a show or commercial, our ears perk up and we notice it more clearly. I’m currently preaching a series that deals with the Christian home, and I was also asked recently to…
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Friday Links Roundup: Merry Christmas! Edition
I know, it’s January 1, and I’m supposed to be wishing everyone a Happy New Year. However, my family is coming this evening to get together and we are exchanging Christmas gifts, so we’re still in Noel mood. The tree is still up, and Rudolph is still on the front porch. Anyway, we really do hope you have a wonderful 2010. I have 10 resolutions for this year that cover several areas of life. I hope you have several, and I hope you didn’t forget to include God in your plans! There’s nothing wrong with some spiritual goals for your life, too. Remember, “let us lay aside every weight” wasn’t…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: This is My Father's World
[NOTE: Today’s post continues our Thursday hymn reflections, which are simple thoughts on songs suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites–no more than three–to our list, please leave a comment. We’ll get to it eventually!] This hymn, usually containing three verses, is part of a longer poem by Maltie Babcock. The original poem contained 16 stanzas and each began with the title phrase. Cyber Hymnal gives this brief introduction to the song: While a pastor in Lockport, New York, Babcock liked to hike in an area called “the escarpment,” an ancient upthrust ledge near Lockport. It has a marvelous view of farms, orchards, and Lake…
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10 Reminders for Congregational Resolutions
Resolutions. Goals. Points of Emphasis. Your congregation does have them, right? Sadly, many congregations do not. I’m thankful that Lebanon Road’s elders do have goals. I can’t share all of them yet, but I can share one. Our elders want to make the goals more well-known! Since many are thinking of personal resolutions, I thought it might be good to share some basic reminders for writing congregational goals. If you haven’t written yours yet, start now! (Who ever said a congregational “year” has to be from January through December, anyway?!) 1. Be specific. “Increase attendance” is not a goal. If you have 100 on the first Sunday in January and…
