I Still Miss Him

I was chatting with a friend, and we were talking about Christian singers. I was reminded that my very favorite one is in God's presence right now, by way of a car accident in 1997.

"When everything that could be shaken was shaken, all that remained was all I ever really had"

~ Rich Mullins

Captain Kirk on Monotheism

"Mankind has no need for gods...we find the One quite adequate."

~James T. Kirk, from the Star Trek episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?"

Amen, Captain. The only thing I would add is that it matters not how we "find" Him - He is adequate apart from whether or not we find Him so.

Best Video Ever!

This is without a doubt one of the best videos I have ever, ever seen:

Ancient Vs. Modern

I post not infrequently about hymns. One might get the idea I'm a "hymns only" guy, but that's not the case at all.

Growing up, I couldn't stand hymns. I thought of them as religions hold-overs from the good-ole days. Or maybe things the old-timers clung to...maybe so they could complain about the young folks' music.

In any case, several years ago, I began to really appreciate the rich truth that could be found in a lot of the hymns, and they became really precious to me. There are some lines from hymns that I just can't sing without tearing up (or in some cases, outright bawling). Consider:

"My sin (oh the bliss of this glorious thought)...my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more."

Come ON! What could be better than that?!?

But I'm no "hymn snob", no way! I love "modern worship" music as well. So just to provide some balance, here's a video of one of my current favorite worship songs:

Rainy Sunday

Yesterday, I had "parking lot duty" at church. I'm always happy to serve in this way, but yesterday was particularly enjoyable. We normally have 3-person teams working the parking lot, helping visitors, keeping an eye on people's cars, etc. Yesterday, one team member was absent, and the other had a conflicting commitment to work in the nursery, so I had the post to myself.

I sat under the large canopy in my chair, and it rained the entire time I was out there. It was very peaceful, and not hot at all. I wish I could do it again today, under the same circumstances (rain).

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..."

~James 1:17

I'm thankful.

Lose All Their Guilty Stains

I saw this video last week on Thabiti Anyabwile's blog. This lady sang this at a conference he was speaking at. It's one of my favorite hymns, and this performance of it really warmed my heart. I love this lady's tone!

Comfort from Isaiah

My wife and I have been going through Isaiah at a very leisurely pace. A couple of weeks ago, we studied chapter 7, and I keep drawing comfort from something written there:

Aram and Israel were making plans to conquer Judah. King Ahaz of Judah was troubled about this (his "heart was shaken"). After describing the attacking kings' plans, verse 7 says :

Yet this is what the sovereign LORD says: "It will not take place, it will not happen."

What a matter-of-fact statement. Only the God of the universe could say that with such confidence and authority. He goes on to say that the heads of those nations are mere humans, and that Ahaz should stand firm in the assurance that God was able to deliver Judah.

It's very comforting to me that in uncertain times (politically, economically, etc) that God is in control of everything.