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Articles posted in Worship Arts Ministry
This past weekend Pastor Miller unpacked one of the most misunderstood passages in all of scripture, Luke 6:12-26. We learned that the "the poor" in this passage refers to "the poor in spirit." In his book, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just, Pastor and theologian Timothy…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistrySitting in the dining room with the cold sun peaking in the windows, I smell the chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove. Upstairs, my daughter plays with blocks, trains and dolls while my wife is at a big-box store gathering the extras we need to get by. These are the essentials…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistryI want to be like my Grandpa Samuel. I am named for him and he was a pastor too. Actually, he was a pastor for as long as I can remember, but he wasn’t like other pastors you might have met. He played the ukulele and he was a ventriloquist. That’s an interesting combination,…
Posted in: Worship Arts MinistryIt might only be November, but the snow and cold temperatures make me think of Christmas. For most people that means making lists, buying gifts and planning holiday parties. But for our family, we try to make sure we are celebrating the Advent season by anticipating his birth and…
Posted in: General, Women’s Ministries, Worship Arts MinistryIt was turning out to be one of those days. Sara, my wife, had her iPad charge cord smashed during her recent Thailand trip. So she asked to borrow mine. Being the generous man that I am, I said, “yes”. Later that evening, I saw that my phone was at 11% battery life, but the iPad was…
Posted in: Worship Arts MinistryMy beard is past the itchy stage and coming in with only a few grey hairs. My daughter recently said, “Dad, I think you should just shave it off!” My wife, Sara, agrees, but she also knows it’s for the sake of Jesus’ story so she doesn’t say anything. This is just the first step in…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistryHe stood in the shower, tears mingling with soap, water and pain. She stood at the gravesite. No tears in her eyes, but her stomach was in knots. He looked at his friend and said, “My mom doesn’t know me anymore. The Alzheimers has taken her away.” She stood in the worship service…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistryThere was an intensity in her eyes I could see before she reached me. After shaking my hand, the woman shared how much the song we had sung in the service impacted her. Life was hard and she needed to hear those words, those notes, those voices and those instruments. I said, “Thank…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistryWe’ve lost the art of mourning in America. I realized this recently when our family was mourning and people would ignore us. Or people would ask, “So, how are you doing?” as if it wasn’t obvious that we were crushed by grief. One person even told me that they were sorry to hear about…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts MinistryLosing A Leader. That’s what it felt like as I sat in my office and heard the words, “Mark got a new job so we are going to be moving to Michigan”. It felt like I was losing a leader. It’s hard when you live life with someone, sing with them, laugh with them, call them when you need…
Posted in: General, Worship Arts Ministry