I had to wait to put this one on here, because we waited until 7:44 Tuesday morning for Lyssabeth Grace Tatum to be born… …but she’s here! Here she is: Now, I know she doesn’t have a favorite song yet, but I still wanted to post one for her. So, I’m posting a song that I often sing to Mary Carol when she has trouble sleeping. Maybe Lyssabeth’s uncle Adam will get to sing this song to her sometime, too.

In June, I gave a short review of the first book in this series by Joseph Parker. That book was called “The Inner Life of Christ.” You may read that review (and order the book from Amazon) by clicking here. Volume 2 of this three-volume set of sermons is entitled “Servant of All,” and it covers Matthew chapters 8-16. Overall, I liked this book more than the first volume, but it carried over many of the same problems that I had with the first volume. First of all, the language is “up there.” Maybe I’m just not that smart, but I can’t imagine preaching the way Parker does. There are…

I can’t believe I’m putting this on my blog. Jason is a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan (good luck finding them in the college football preview!), so his favorite song is “Sweet Home, Alabama.” His good traits include preaching for the Memorial Parkway church of Christ in Huntsville. Here’s a video of Lynard Skynard performing the song in the 70s. I know I live in Alabama, but when you’re not a fan of the team, that song gets old…fast! (Sorry, Jason)

Candi’s favorite song is “Back When” by Tim McGraw. This song expresses what so many people think about. While we should always guard what we say, certain “mundane” words and phrases change to mean things that are not nice at all, and it makes for difficulty in communication. Here’s a video I found of the song that uses pictures to portray the lyrics.

Nicolas is my nephew from Huntsville, Alabama. He loves some 80s and 90s music, and this song is a great choice for his favorite!

1. As our thoughts on Psalm 68 pointed out, most of the longer psalms are psalms of praise. Psalm 69 is one of the exceptions. This 36-verse psalm is a desperate prayer, wherein David realizes he may soon be assassinated. Even under these extremely trying circumstances, David still ends the psalm with praise. As we’ve said before in these posts, “what an example!” 2. Verses 1-2 set the scene with an utter cry of hopelessness. David feels as though waters (verses 1 and 2) and deep mire (verse 2) have come over him. He is overwhelmed and unable to climb out of this danger. 3. In verse 3, David admits…

1. I find it interesting that the longest psalms (those with more than 30 verses) are nearly all praise psalms. It is as if the poet (in Psalm 68, David) simply cannot stop praising God. This is not always true (Psalm 69, with 36 verses, is a desperate prayer), but it is true more often than not. Psalm 68 uses about 31 verses praising God, then closes (32-35) by asking others–all others–to join in the praise. 2. The opening phrase, “Let God arise,” is believed by some to be used of the carrying (specifically, the lifting) of the Ark of the Covenant. It can also be translated, “God shall arise…

My sister, Amber Tatum, is due to have her family’s 3rd child at any point. If nothing happens before, she will have a C-section on Tuesday morning. So, we wait…… But, while we wait, here are some great links from this past week: 1. On the Christian Courier website, a pamphlet has been updated and edited that was originally written by Clyde Thompson, “The Meanest Man in Texas.” If you’ve never heard or read his story, it is truly remarkable. I have the book about him and intend to read it soon. “I Was Sentenced to Death in the Electric Chair–A True Story” is lengthy, but well worth your time.…

Lindlee Moon is my niece. She lives in Huntsville, where her dad preaches for the Memorial Parkway church of Christ. Her favorite song right now is Carrie Underwood’s huge hit “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Here’s the music video:

1. While brief and simple, this psalm packs a great “punch.” It fills the 7 verses with powerful words exhorting everyone to praise God. 2. Verses 1-2 ask God to be merciful. We often pray for things we want, do we ever pray for God’s mercy (since we should “want” that)? After that brief prayer, the poet says that, because mercy will be shown, God will be known everywhere. We need to follow that example! We have been shown mercy; let’s proclaim Him to all. 3. Verses 3-5 continue a common theme in the psalms; that of all peoples (or nations) praising God. If we will proclaim the mercies of…