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The Continuum of Excellence, Part 1

As worship leaders, we are charged with helping our groups prepare for Sunday on a weekly basis. Part of that preparation includes rehearsal time in which our groups practice to improve their individual skills as well as playing together as a group. Sometimes, we are helping musicians who only play during . . . → Read More: The Continuum of Excellence, Part 1

Reinventing Yourself

Career Change I grew up in a pastor’s home, so I understood ministry well. I didn’t want to automatically go into ministry but did feel God’s call to prepare for my future. I continued my schooling through my master’s degree and felt that Christian education may be where God was calling . . . → Read More: Reinventing Yourself

St. Patrick

Having Irish roots, my family always celebrated St. Patrick’s day. Wearing green to represent our Irish heritage (as well as avoiding getting pinched) was always the order of the day. Special shamrock cookies usually were served to celebrate. Even though the holiday bears his name, I would venture to say that . . . → Read More: St. Patrick

Selfish

My wife is a woman of great faith. Throughout our marriage, she has prayed boldly for some audacious prayer requests. Some of these bold requests I disagreed with, most infamously that God would test us financially. I didn’t understand why she wanted to pray that, but God did answer that prayer, . . . → Read More: Selfish

Clean

I ran across this quote in the internet recently, and it caught my attention.

Imbesi’s Law Of The Conservation Of Filth: In Order For Something To Become Clean, Something Else Must Become Dirty.

I’m not sure who Imbesi is or why he would want to conserve filth. However, as I . . . → Read More: Clean

Spring

This past week officially started spring. The weather is warming up. Flowers are appearing from under the formerly snow-covered ground. It is a great time of year.

This year, it seems particularly meaningful to me. I think it goes deeper than just the change of seasons and the passing of winter. . . . → Read More: Spring

Lenten Reflections

This year, our worship program has been observing Lent together. To be honest, this is the first time in several years that I have observed the whole season of Lent. For those who may not be familiar with Lent, it is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) from Ash . . . → Read More: Lenten Reflections

Transformation

I just noticed that the last 6 blog posts (including this one) all had words ending with “-tion”. Guess I am on a “-tion” direction, predilection, or inclination.

Some of the comments on the 1st Reformation post got me thinking about this question: what is the different between “reformation” and “transformation”? . . . → Read More: Transformation

Reformation, Part 2

I love the comments about what needs to be reformed about worship and church life today. Several commented that reformation must start with the individual. This was true with Martin Luther, and it is true today. God is in the business of reforming, and we should ourselves be working to be . . . → Read More: Reformation, Part 2

Reputation

In working with students who are beginning their college careers, I often encourage them to be diligent about their academic efforts. Although it may seem basic, small things like going to class, being engaged, and turning in papers on time can make the difference between academic success and failure. With the . . . → Read More: Reputation