Uncategorized
-
Friday Links Roundup: Car Shopping…Again Edition
After my recent accident, the insurance company gave me a rental car for a few days. Today, that time runs out, and I have to get serious about another car. I’ve been looking, but I have to be very careful right now for several reasons. One, of course, is that I want a decent car for a very little price. I plan on buying another older car that will last a year or two. So far, doing that has really helped out our budget. Also, though, I have to be careful because of the recent flooding. Finding a used car isn’t hard, but I have to be careful that it’s…
-
Thursday Hymn Reflection: O Holy Night
[Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn suggested by our readers. If you would like us to add your favorites to our list, leave a comment with up to three songs and we’ll reflect on them in the future.] Written in 1847 in France, “O Holy Night” is a song that is usually associated with the season around Christmas, since the lyrics focus on the birth of Jesus. However, if we are going to think about the entire life of Christ, we need to sing this song throughout the year. The original poem has lyrics that are very deep and theological. Here are the words of the final verse in…
-
Friday Links Roundup: Timeline Edition
Our graduation banquet at Lebanon Road will follow our worship service on Sunday night. Lebanon Road does a great job honoring our seniors, as we have a video, banquet, and gifts, and all are done in a very special way. My “contribution” to the night is a brief PowerPoint presentation. I study the year in which the graduates were born and find out the historical events and pop culture moments that “defined” that year. Then, I put together a PowerPoint presentation of pictures and descriptions from that year. Since I majored in history in college, this is a lot of fun. Our older folks really seem to like it, as…
-
Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Faithful Love”
[Each Thursday, we reflect on a hymn suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites to our list please leave a comment with up to 3 songs.] Written in 1993, “Faithful Love” has become quite popular. The tune is quite simple, but it is the words that give the song its strength. “Faithful Love” is a song that goes against one common theme of many of our songs. Most songs contain fairly long statements that cover a line or two. Ken Young’s “Faithful Love,” though, contains many very brief statements–some as short as two words–that support the idea of the title of the first line of…
-
Friday Links Roundup: Typing with One Hand Edition
So much for trying to be studious. On Wednesday, Leah and the kids were out of town, and I decided to go to the house with my study materials to get some uninterrupted studying done. On the drive home, a lady turned in front of me at an intersection, and there was no time to react. Our cars collided. Thankfully, we both had only very minor injuries. I broke my left thumb, which means I’m typing today’s post (and typed yesterday’s, too) with one hand. Thanks be to God that it wasn’t worse. I don’t want to post pictures of the car, but they would show that I was quite…
-
Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Abide with Me”
[Each Thursday, we reflect on a hymn suggested by our readers. To add your favorites to our list, leave a comment with up to three songs.] Written by Henry Lyte in 1847, Abide with Me continues to be sung often, and has been used in many formal services and even films (including Shane) and TV series (including Touched by an Angel). For a song of this age, it is amazing to me how many of all ages, including young people, enjoy singing it. Originally containing eight stanzas (which most modern song books shorten to four or five), the song is a prayer for God’s protection through the difficult times in…
-
Friday Links Roundup: Conservation Edition
For most of this week, Davidson County (where Nashville is located) and some surrounding areas have been under a water conservation plan. The recent flooding has left our water supply safe but running low (ironic, don’t you think?). The last time I saw an update, the reserves were low, but holding. Residents of Nashville and surrounding areas have done an amazing job in helping in the wake of this storm and flooding. The number of volunteers is countless. We at Lebanon Road will be distributing supplies for churches of Christ Disaster Relief on Monday, as the recovery continues. I’ll be heading to Henderson, Kentucky for the Enlighten youth rally this…
-
Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Be Thou My Vision”
[Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites to our list, leave a comment with no more than 3 suggestions.] Outside of the songs that come directly from the pages of Scripture, “Be Thou My Vision” is one of the oldest songs still in regular use among Christians. The words come from an old Irish hymn, and are estimated to be from the 8th Century. This history suggests why you will often hear the tune played in Celtic instrumentation, and will sometimes still hear it in movies and TV shows. “Be Thou My Vision” is a song of deep…
-
Some Notes on the Nashville Flood
By now, you have read and seen many reports on the flooding in and around Nashville. This weekend’s rains have completely changed many parts of the city and have left several well-known landmarks, such as the Grand Ole Opry, in several feet of water. About 20 have been confirmed dead as a result of the flooding and some workers fear that number could rise as the waters recede. Over the past hours, I have seen the outpouring of love and kindness that lets me know what good people have in them. Countless people have volunteered to help, while others are helping in a financial way. And only the Lord knows…
-
Friday Links Roundup: Put Me In, Coach Edition
Tonight, the season (for me) begins again. Our church softball team played two games last Friday night, winning both. Incidentally, that’s ties the longest winning streak we’ve had in some time! I was not able to play, though, due to sickness. So, tonight, I’ll be out there, swinging and missing, committing errors, and generally not trying to get injured. In honor of that moment, enjoy a little 80s flashback: On to the links for this week: 1. Since we’ve talked about sports, what about those kids who show up at worship wearing soiled uniforms? Cindy Colley says (and I totally agree), they are more than welcome! 2. Leadership in the…
