New sheet music available for download
Friday, 16 December 2005
My lovely wife sat down at the computer the other day with a tune in her head and wrote a beautiful little song from Psalms 14 and 15. I downloaded Finale (notation software) for the Mac and spent a couple days learning it and working out the harmony with Diane. I’m sure the chords aren’t
- Published in Commentary
Joining the party
Friday, 11 November 2005
Humans, with few exceptions, are social creatures. Since God was the author of our genetic code, which predisposes us to social interaction, it is no accident that the Author of our Salvation designed the Christian faith to resonate with the basic human desire to engage with other human beings. Unfortunately, though, in almost any social
- Published in Commentary
The non-judgmental Christian
Wednesday, 26 October 2005
“Never before in history has the absence of judgment been glorified as a virtue—the virtue of non-judgmentalism.” So says Thomas Sowell, a man I admire for his economic and political philosophy. I must confess, though, that while it might make a punchy political bumper sticker, it’s rather lacking in judgment when it come to spiritual
- Published in Commentary
The Christian Yom Kippur
Sunday, 16 October 2005
I stumbled upon an interesting newspaper article about the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur this week. I was surprised to find that there are still some traditions in modern Judaism that offer a bird as a sacrifice for their sins—a chicken, to be exact. I was under the impression that all animal sacrifices had ceased since
- Published in Commentary
Blessed are the peacemakers
Thursday, 01 September 2005
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said. But do we Christians really take that to heart as a call to action, or is it just an abstract beatitude that we have our kids memorize? I never thought I’d identify in the slightest with the “peace movement.” When it comes to politics, I’m a law and order
- Published in Commentary
Non-denominationalism
Wednesday, 10 August 2005
I have, for all of my Christian life, considered myself non-denominational–maybe even un-denominational or anti-denominational. I still do, actually. I never believed (and I still don’t) that Jesus meant for his disciples to be divided up into this or that faction or “flavor” of Christianity. What has evolved is my understanding of the word “denominationalism.”
- Published in Commentary
Forgiveness is divine
Sunday, 31 July 2005
Whenever I feel I’ve been wronged or somehow offended, I try to remember to ask myself how it compares to the wrongs inflicted on Jesus Christ. If we are to be truly Christlike, we have to ask this question, because it puts forgiveness in a whole new perspective. Has someone hurt my feelings? How much
- Published in Commentary
Settling into Idaho
Friday, 08 July 2005
Pardon my absence from blogging while we finish settling into our new house in Idaho! After arriving at the new house, we promptly packed up the kids again to visit some Christian friends in Oregon over the July 4th weekend. We really are beginning to love the freedom of road trips and seeing God’s beautiful
- Published in Updates
Confessions of a noun-Christian