1. What do I do when it seems that God just does not care? Psalm 79 is written from this perspective. Most agree that the psalm was written as a lament upon the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. The psalmist seems to think that God was aloof during that time, but that God will soon act. He calls the nation to come back to a relationship with God and to repent of what caused this destruction in the first place. 2. Verse 1 contains the words that lead one to believe that Asaph has the destruction of temple in mind. He specifically mentions the temple, but his wording is…

Our precious “seven-week special,” Mary Carol, is at that age. She is talking all the time and really soaking things in. She loves singing and hearing music. She also likes Sesame Street, and is learning a lot from it. Her second birthday is coming up on October 7. In honor of those two things, and to give you one of her favorite songs, I found this clip that I remember watching as a child. Don Music rocks!

Our wonderful boy, Turner Eric, was born in late March of 2007. While it’s hard to pick out a song for a baby, we do know two things he really likes. He loves (1) ANYTHING his mom sings to him, and (2) congregational singing. He can be sleeping during worship, and as soon as we sing, he wakes up and smiles. So, for Turner’s favorite song, I’m posting a video of a congregational singing. The first 2:30 of this video are from an end-of-the-year singing. They are singing a song I’ve never heard before (yes, Dylan, there are some songs I don’t know), but it’s really pretty. I don’t know…

1. Although it is 72 verses in length, this psalm is very simple to present in this “devotional” format. The reason is simple: a vast majority of the verses is simply a poetic recitation of Israel’s history. While we could find devotional thoughts in these stories, that’s not the point of this long poem of Asaph. Because that is the case, there are very few entries in this post. This is not a cop-out; it is, rather, meant to focus your attention on the history. 2. However, there is a lesson to be learned in the listing of all this history. Verses 1-11 are a call to the Israelites to…

My mom, Donna Faughn, lives in Paducah, Kentucky. She works as one of the secretaries for the Central church of Christ. She is also a popular ladies’ day speaker…and lives out those lessons! I’m blessed with the two best parents any person could ever have. I didn’t have to ask what my mom’s favorite song is. As long as I’ve been “into” music, she has talked about this Mel Carter classic from 1965 as her favorite. Enjoy!

My Yankees have made a tremendous comeback. After sweeping the Red Sox this week–including a two-hitter yesterday–they now lead the American League Wild Card by one full game. They trail the Red Sox by 5, and play Tampa Bay this weekend. It would be nice to have the lead down to 3 or even 2 by the time we play Boston again. Even if they don’t win, this has been a tremendous come-back. It’s good to see younger guys (Robinson Cano, Melkey Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chambelain) leading the way for this team. Anyway, here are some posts you’ll enjoy from this past week around the ‘net: 1.…

1. This psalm portrays personal growth. It divides perfectly in half. In verses 1-10, the psalmist (for a reason unknown to the reader) is depressed and even angry at God. However, verses 11-20 show us that he refocuses on God and his words change to a praise hymn. What a dramatic turnaround God can cause in our life! 2. Though the first section deals with a depressed state, the psalmist still knows that God hears him (verse 1). Whenever we are “down,” God wants to know, but we also need to understand that He still hears and cares. 3. Verse 2 indicates that Asaph spent entire nights in prayer to…

When I started this little project, I tried to think of what each person would tell me was his or her favorite song. With dad, I went so far as to write down what I thought he would give me for his favorite song. And I was right. As a fun fact, Tim Johnston wrote this classic rock standard. When he wrote it, though, he didn’t know that there was an actual place outside San Antonio called…

This week, we unveil our top 5 and our picks for the title game. 5. University of Michigan WolverinesThe Chad Henne and Mike Hart Show return this season for a team that had an argument to be playing in the National Championship Game last season. Together they hope to bring a National Title back to Ann Arbor for the first time since 1997. Strengths: As mentioned above, it is the offense. Henne and Hart bring a ton of experience to get through the Big 10 wars and a combined 36 TD’s back from last season for the Wolverines. Weaknesses: Is Lloyd Carr the guy or not. If Michigan is to…

1. This is one of several psalms to which we do not know for certain the historical context. However, many has suggested that it was written following the destruction of the Assyrian army. No matter the historical setting, it is without doubt a psalm of great celebration. 2. Asaph begins by stating that God is known in the world. From what follows, we can know that the intent is to show that God is known by what He has done. When God acts, people come to know Him and His power more fully. 3. Verse 3 is one of the verses that leads commentators to show this psalm as a…