Growing up I used to spend time outside with friends. We would play games and imagine what life would be like if we were all soldiers or marines. We would form sports teams in the neighborhood playing games like football and kickball and baseball. I remember when I was fairly young we used to ask for a do over when things didn’t go quite the way we wanted them to go. We’d miss the ball at kickball – Do Over! We miss the tackle in football or miss the pass – Do Over!
Continue readingCategory: musicmonday (Page 11 of 28)
Some days are just OK. And for a long time I thought that OK was somehow less than, well OK! If you’ve ever passed me in the hall and asked the predictable question How are you? A question no one ever cares to hear the answer to – then you have undoubtedly heard my reply. And it’s never OK! My reply is always something like Excellent! Better than I deserve! Terrific! It shouldn’t be legal to be this good! And honestly, the majority of the time that’s the truth! But every once in a while the day is just OK. Sometimes life isn’t good, or great, or wonderful, or even fine! Some days are just…OK.
Continue readingThis week in worship at Living Word Galena we talked about love and how it’s so often misunderstood. It can be hard to love people who don’t you back. It can be hard when it seems like others take our love and then don’t return it in a way that we can see it. Our Music Monday this week is a fun song by Kirk Franklin and his band. It’s called Love Theory.
Continue readingWouldn’t it be great if we could just find the magical pill for happiness? I mean no more down in the dump kind of days. No more sadness. No tears. No hurts or pains. No-one to squash your dreams for life and a future. No-one to tell you that you’re not good enough. No more trying to always run and never seem to get anywhere. Trying to find that magical formula for happiness sometimes sometimes feels like running on a treadmill. No matter how fast you run, you never really get anywhere. So where is it that happiness is found?
Continue readingWe love to compare ourselves with standards made by society. The world tells us we’re not good enough. The world tells us we don’t measure up. The world tells us we don’t look good enough. The world tells us we weigh too much. The world tells us we need to just try harder. But the world will never tell us when we’ve made it. It will never say we’ve achieved perfection or even goodness for that matter. In the eyes of the world we’ll always be lacking!
Continue readingThis has been called the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the season of light and life and all things great! People are more loving and kind. People go out of their way to make others feel more loved. It’s the season of giving. It’s the season of generosity. But before we celebrate all of those thing, give a moment and pause to remind yourself what this day is really all about.
Continue readingThis week’s Music Monday is coming a bit late. I guess that’s the problem of being a blogger, pastor during the week before Christmas! But this week’s song is a great one! I’ve been searching for powerful Christmas songs that are different, yet speak the same prominent message of grace and peace at Christmastime. Hearts Waiting is a new song with an old spin. The hearts of humanity waited for centuries for a King to rescue them from evil. What they got wasn’t exactly what they were seeking. He was so much more!
Continue readingIn the days leading up to Christmas it’s a great time to discover the old and the new of this amazing holiday! This season is filled with good old favorites like snickerdoodles and spiral hams and favorite hymns and family times. But it’s also a great time to journey into the new expressions of this beautiful time of year. This week’s Music Monday is all about cherishing the tradition of Christmas past with a new twist.
Continue readingIt’s here! The official start of the pre-Christmas season that we in church world call Advent. The word basically means preparing for something big. It’s the idea of anticipation and excitement. So as we prepare for Christmas throughout this Advent season, we’re going to look at different Christmas songs and talk about our Christmas traditions. In an effort to do this we’ll start this week with a Music Monday titled Little Merry Christmas that shows how our traditions should all point to one important truth. Continue reading
Have you ever considered all of the things that you have in life? Ever thought of the blessings that surround you everyday? How many of them pass you by on a regular basis? Do you take in the sunrise or marvel at the wonder of how the moon revolves around the sun? Do you consider the talents and abilities you have that make you successful at your job? Or the family and friends who love you and care for you? Continue reading