A recently married dad/step-dad of six children who is a pastor reflects on some things he loves most in life: Jazz music, Food (especially Cajun), his children, reading books and the incredible grace of God found through falling in love with Jesus.
by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
published in 2009 by Putnam
Clive Cussler has been penning books for 37 years and I have been reading him for 21 of those 37. I started reading his Dirk Pitt novels in rehab and to date have read all of them. He is my second favorite fiction author behind David Morrell and I make a point to try and read everything he puts out. Eleven years ago he started a second series of books revolving around a new main character Kurt Austin which he co-authored with Paul Kemprecos. It took me a while to warm to these new characters and the slightly different styles of these two authors, but I have come to enjoy them just as much as the Pitt series. Seven years ago he added a third series called the Oregon Files. All three of these series are in essence maritime thrillers. Both Pitt and Austin are employees of NUMA and the Oregon Files is set aboard a fantastic ship from which they launch into various adventures. Three years ago Cussler launched a brand new series with which he completely departed from his maritime background and he reversed a literary characteristic that his books are known for. Every Cussler book starts in some past event that will have some bearing on the future storyline. This new series centered on a Van Dorn Detective Agent named Isaac Bell, began in a future event, then told the past story that led to the event and then finished back in the future as the past story resolves. The first book in the series was called The Chase and it was authored by exclusively by Cussler. While his love of detailed and accurate history was evident throughout and his passion for developing characters with depth and heroes with dignity, integrity and honor was prevalent, I still struggled to enjoy this novel as much as I have all of his others due to the drastic setting difference. In the end, I found myself loving the character of Isaac Bell, he has all of the penchant, passion and integrity of Dirk Pitt just in an earlier era and when the new book came out I wanted it immediately. With that little bit of background he is my review.
Summary: The book begins in 1934 in the German Alps with Isaac Bell preparing to making a deadly ski trip through the alps towards a mysterious castle, with the castle in his sights the story takes us back to 1907 and the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon. It is set during the boom of railroad expansion in the northwest and centers around the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and its owner Osgood Hennessy. His railroad has been experiencing a series of sabotages as they have been trying to build a line into the Pacific Northwest. Not being able to stop the sabotage with his internal railroad police force, Hennessy calls on the Van Dorn Detective Agency and once again Isaac Bell is on the scene. He is as dashing and daring as ever bringing a intriguing mix of boldness, humility, intelligence and refinement to this soon to become legendary character. Bell is placed as the lead detective to pursue the saboteur know only as The Wrecker. There are explosions, train derailments, telegraph wires cut, boats exploding, fist fights, gun fights, knife fights and fast cars for the time. The identity and motive of the Wrecker are shrouded in mystery, but Isaac is relentless in his pursuit following the Van Dorn motto of "never, ever giving up." The story moves from California to Oregon to New York and many places in between. Marion is back and is as charming and lovable as ever, the new characters of Osgood Hennessy, his daughter Lillian, Archie Abbott and Senator Charles Kincaid all come with a depth to them that is characteristic of Cussler books, and we get to meet Isaac's banker father in this installment.
Review: This second book has been co-authored with Justin Scott and I must admit the team works well together. The pacing of The Wrecker is an improvement from The Chase as you cannot help but turn the pages to see what happens next. Cussler has developed a real jewel in the character of Isaac Bell that this new book has polished to a brilliant shine. Isaac is the man every boy wants to become; he has wealth, wit, intelligence, sophistication, daring, passion and a love and respect for all people. He is a man of his word and is never afraid to stop to help the least and the lost. With Bell, those of us who love Dirk Pitt so much find him in what could simply be a former life. Cussler novels have always been marked with history not only in the storyline, but also in Pitt's classic car collection and Austin's collection of antique dueling pistols. This is present in the books because it is a passion of Cussler's so it is not that surprising to find him releasing a series that is set historically and the fact of the matter is it works. We discover a new passion of Cussler's in steam locomotives and the turn of the century railroad, but he writes with detail and accuracy that develops appreciation rather than bogging down the story. The Wrecker is a fast paced action novel set a century ago that not only entertains but also informs as we get an intimate picture of the challenges and joys of the turn of the 20th century.
King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
by Dr. Mervyn A. Warren
published by Intervarsity Press 2001
Summary: Dr. Warren did his doctoral dissertation on Dr. King's preaching and speaking in the sixties around the time Dr. King was assassinated. His dissertation involved extensive research and many face to face interviews with Dr. King which gave Warren a unique insight into the preaching and speaking effectiveness of King. This book attempts to translate that document prepared for the world of academia for a broader audience. Make no mistakes this is a "textbook" on preaching, but he presents the information in a way that paints a picture of who Martin Luther King Jr. was and why he was so impactful through the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Warren begins with a biography of King in regards to exposure to preaching and his upbringing. He spends some time helping us to understand the impact of King's ethnicity and the relationship of the Bible to the black culture. From King the preacher he turns briefly to the audience and the context of King's preaching to help us understand who King was trying to reach and for what purpose. He then turns to the sermons themselves, the content, themes, language and wraps up with preparation, design and delivery. He concludes with some observations on King's contributions to preaching and theology. The book also includes five appendices, most of which are transcripts of some King sermons.
Review: This is a fabulous book for anyone studying the art of preaching or anyone studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; while it is intended for a broader audience it is still very much an academic book. It includes some practical information regarding how King put together his sermons that provides a road map that others could follow if they were so inclined, but more than that this book does and incredible job of merging preaching and theology. Warren reveals in a thorough and intimate way the manner in which King's theology informed and shaped his preaching. So often today theology and preaching end up being two completely separate areas in the practical reality of church life, but they go hand and hand and must never be separated. Warren demonstrates how this should work through King and why it is important by highlighting the impact of King's preaching in this manner. A further bonus of the book is the voluminous number of quotes from King's actual sermons. King was a master preacher, in many ways ahead of his times; and if you have never read or heard any of King's sermons this book will inspire you to do so as you are exposed to the preaching brilliance of this young man who changed the face of the world.
Reading Recommendation: YES (for those inclined to scholarly work and especially for anyone in seminary or course of study preparing to become a preacher.)
Summary: Dr. Mulholland is addressing some of the very core issues related to our self identity. He defines three types of self identity: the false self which is rooted in our self satisfaction and indulgence; the religious false self where we make the false self even worse by packaging it in the trappings of liturgy and religion; and the Christ self which is where our true identity should be rooted. He uses scripture and particularly the writings of Paul as a framework for his discussion and he doesn't just identify the three types, he goes even further to teach us how to abandon our false identities and replace them with our true identity in Christ. Finally he has some tips for us on how to deepen our relationship with Christ to come to an even better understanding of our true identity.
Review: This book is an exceptional follow up to his book Invitation to a Journey. Using scripture as a foundation he clearly identifies the challenges inherent in our self understanding. He moves us in a logical progression by diagnosing the problem areas and then contrasting them to the truth of our identity in Christ. He interacts with scripture on a very scholarly level, even engaging the original language, but he presents it in such a way that a lay person will have a very easy time understanding. His writing is engaging and he brings a balance between the theoretical, the teaching and storytelling so that one is never bored. It is my belief the book will inspire you to engage in a deeper walk with Christ and to come to a truer understanding of yourself.
by Andrew Purves
published in 2010 by InterVarsity Press
Summary: The author seems to have been inspired by a phrase "moving beyond ministry in the mood of Holy Saturday to ministry in the mood of Easter Sunday." This phrase interwined itself with the reality that many in Christian vocations have lost a certain passion for ministry. Working through resurrection theology, the author tries to establish some steps towards regaining the excitement of ministry based on the truth of the Resurrection. He begins with the reality that our hope is rooted in the resurrected Jesus rather than the event itself. He then moves towards the Ascension and the reality that our ministry is empowered by the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit. He then begins to establish a theology of the Resurrected Christ which should inform and inspire our ministry.
Review: Overall, I did not enjoy this book. I picked it up hoping to getting a sense of renewed passion for ministry, but what I read was a disjointed theological dissertation that seemed inspired by a phrase rather than a real passion for ministry. The author, while having served as a pastor for a brief period a long time ago, is a seminary professor who is writing this book for the people on the front lines from the hallowed halls of academia and frankly I feel like he is a little out of touch. His premise seems to be that if our passion for ministry is not what it used to be that somehow we have failed to keep the truth and joy of Jesus at the center of our ministry. I take exception with that and consider it a false premise and with that being false, in my humble opinion, that made the entire book less than inspiring for me. Most of the time the author just irritated me or made me frustrated. I finished the book as I am all about being challenged by different points of view than mine, but this book just fails to deliver. It is written in pretentious academic language, it doesn't flow with any easily discernible logic and it reads much more like a book about theology than about ministry.
I mentioned on my music reviews page how important music has always been in my life, or at least since I got my first clock radio where I could tape America's Top Forty and listen to my favorites over and over again. My children are developing an equal love for music both listening and playing it, but I have to confess I get pretty worried at times because their tastes are so different than mine. Give me something acoustic and natural, they prefer electronic and digital sounds. Give me a vocal performance with the purity of glacial spring water, they are very content with lyrics screamed at you or run through a digital voice synthesizer to keep them in pitch. Give me a full band with distinct instrumental voices in the music, they say, "Instruments, what instruments?" Okay, so we are different, but I am dad and it is my duty (or at least I think it is) to at a minimum expose them to different types of music to at least expand their musical pallets, and every now and then I do get a glimpse of hope.
For Father's Day they gave me two albums I have been wanting, one of which is already reviewed on this blog and the other which will be soon. The first is My One & Only Thrill by Melody Gardot and the second is Crazy Love by Michael Buble'. While Melody is still quite a way off from being even tolerated by them they have suddenly developed a tolerance for Buble' and in fact have even confessed to liking some of his songs. There favorite is "I just haven't met you yet," which is a Buble' original, but equally they like "All of Me," "Your nobody 'til somebody loves you," and a few other Jazz standards from ages past. This confession brought joy and hope to my heart and I immediately went out and purchased a Best of Dean Martin album (Best Of: Green Series) to let them here some of these songs done by one of the greats. For them, the jury is still out on Dean, but for me, I had forgotten how much I love listening to Dean; not only is his voice pure, rich and resonate, but he was just cool! Bouncing between these eras of music got me to thinking about the nature and evolution of music.
As I share this music with my children, Michael Buble' has become a sort of bridge between the past and the present upon which I have been standing looking at the evolution of music and frankly being a bit sad but still finding a glimmer of hope. Now when I say the evolution of music I am not talking about a history of music from its very origins, I am focusing on say the last eighty years. From the thirties and song writers like Hoagy Carmichael to today and personalities like Lady GaGa. That very sentence begins to highlight one of the primary ways music has changed. In so many ways music has ceased to be about the music and it has become about the personalities of the performers. No longer do you need vocal purity or a disciplined gift on an instrument, now a voice synthesizer and a computer mixing program can make you famous if you choose to behave a little or a lot eccentrically.
Let us begin this discussion with terminology and an observation that came to me listening to Crazy Love. In the thirties, forties, fifties and early sixties the music industry had "standards," songs that most famous artists would perform and even record. The songs weren't connected to a person, a gender or even a race they were songs that stood on their own merit. Songs like "All of Me," or "Georgia on my Mind." The performances were about doing vocal and instrumental justice to that great song. As evidence of this, the next time you are in a music store pick up albums by Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday and look how often you find the same songs recorded on each of their albums. Beginning in earnest in the mid to late sixties the nature of the music begins to change. No longer does a song stand alone, it becomes connected with a certain artist. No longer does someone different from the original performer record a "standard," they are now recording a "cover" of the original artist's song. No longer does a band in a club perform "standards" they are now referred to as "cover" bands because they are performing other artists' music. The songs become proprietary and are commodities to be traded rather than great art to be shared. The epitome of this reality is probably the day that Michael Jackson bought the rights to all of The Beatles's music, cutting off Paul McCartney from some of the very songs that HE WROTE!
Even the nature of the performers has changed. I have already mentioned how no longer is it necessary to have an incredible voice to be a performer, but there are other things that have changed as well. I was hanging out with a pastor buddy of mine the other day who also enjoys Buble' and he was commenting on how "sharp" he always looked in his suit coat and tie when he is on stage. It isn't the flamboyancy of an Elton John, the rebelliousness of an Ozzy Osborne, or the provocativeness of a Lady GaGa; it is elegant, yet simple. He dresses in a manner that makes him look good, but doesn't distract from his performance. This is one of those places that Michael Buble' is a bridge. He dresses like the artists of old that performed standards. Sinatra and Martin always in a tux, Ella and Billy always in some elegant gown. Dressing to impress but never dressing for the discussion about their performance afterward to be more about what they wore rather than what they sung. I notice that if you peruse pop-culture blogs and sites, you read much more about what artists are wearing or how they are behaving rather than the music itself. We pay much more attention to a good scandal than we ever do to a great vocal performance. Look at the press Sting got by doing a private concert for a controversial dictator versus the amount of press he gets for his current tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The same friend that made the comment about Buble' also made the comment that "he prefers country music lately because it is the last bastion of real musicians," and I have to admit that he is right. Where do you turn to find skilled and talented musicians anymore in main stream music and by that I don't really mean Jazz or Classical? You turn to country music. Anymore, musical talent is really not required; a good ear, a computer and a keyboard can create you a song that gets an incredible amount of airplay. We seem to have entered an age where the base line is more important than the melody line or even the lyrics. If it has a good beat that I can bob my head to then it is "good" music and it is even better if it is performed by a controversial personality in a provocative dress behaving as if they are the center of the universe. It is amazing to think that the "music" industry has ceased to be about the music and has become more about the "entertainment."
The question that this raises is a bit disturbing, "Is this shift in the music industry a critique of the industry and the artists or is it a critique of us, the listeners and fans?" As an idealist I would like to blame the artists, but I am a dyed in the wool capitalist and as such I have to accept the truth of the latter. What is playing on the radio is a critique and commentary on us the listeners. They are playing what we want to hear, they are behaving and dressing in ways that we will pay to watch. The law of supply and demand, they are giving us what we want and that begins to frighten me a little. Where is that truth leading us as humanity? Music used to be something that could truly stir our souls, when Dean Martin sings the first line of "Return to Me," tingles go up your spine and you get a shiver because your soul has just been moved. Have our souls become empty and hollow to the point that we are more concerned with being entertained than with having our souls moved? Are we no longer concerned about the substance of things as long as the appearance gets our attention?
Typing that last sentence reminds me of Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees where He tells them that they are just a bunch of white washed tombs. Pretty on the outside but void on the inside of anything other than smelly, rotting old bones. Jesus could have been saying, "Yes, you are putting on a good show, but what about your souls? You look good but when was the last time your souls were moved with passion or compassion? You talk in ways that gets people's attention but when was the last time your words, the substance of your message, moved somebody to want to know more about Adonai?" Trading substance for image, our souls for our immediate comfort and joy, our standards for a flash-in-the-pan is nothing new. It is the very problem Jesus faced and it is raring up again today not just in the music industry but in church as well.
The music industry has become about the personalities rather than the content and substance of music, but that is equally true of the mainstream church. We know who Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland and Beth Moore are to name just a few, but do we really know what they believe? Yes they are entertaining, but do we know or understand or even care about the theology behind what they are communicating? I heard Joel Osteen preach one time about a man who became afraid when his wife got cancer. Osteen's message was about fear and the power of our thoughts, words and attitudes and in the context of telling this story he described warning the man about these fearful thoughts about his wife dying and her subsequent death and then he made this statement as close as I can remember, "I don't know the theology of it, but I do know this, this man's fears came upon him and his fears killed his wife!" Seriously, did this man preaching to an audience of more than 20,000 just tell them that because a man was afraid of his wife dying with cancer that his fears killed her? Yes, he did and what is worse, the audience applauded. The story was told in an entertaining way, he is a compelling communicator and he is incredibly popular, but to clap for a statement like that tells me that we seem to have lost our ability to think theologically!
Is it the case that we have become so much about image and personality that we can no longer think through the theological progression of statements like that. Recently Hal Lindsey commenting on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico commented that this was God's punishment on the United States for Barack Obama's "mishandling" of relations with Israel. So are we to believe that the same God who has called us into relationship with Jesus Christ to be saved, to be called Children of God, to be blessed by the same blessing that was upon Abraham is now sending a plague upon all the people of the Gulf Coast who depend upon the Gulf of Mexico for the livelihood, many of whom are very devout Christians and Jews and who have nothing to do with the international policy decisions of the United States? No we are not to believe that because it is patently false! Biblically it doesn't jive, but equally theologically it does not jive. On the surface the image of the statement is compelling but the substance of it is rooted in bad theology. It is time for us to start to turn away from image and back to substance.
It is time for us to start worrying about moving souls rather than making bodies look good. It is time that we stop sitting around waiting to be spoon fed, not caring about what we are eating as long as we are being fed, and start thinking theologically for ourselves. This doesn't mean that we shift to a "just me and Jesus" point of view, it means that we start thinking through the consequences of theological statements and discuss them in Christian community so we can reject that which is only about image and attention rather than about substance. The Christian faith is exclusively about substance and depth. There is a version being peddled today that is theologically shallow and which will not stand up when the storms of life come. We need to begin to focus on those deeper theological roots; we need to listen to the call of Jesus through the performance of Dean Martin as he sings "Return to Me." Not in a moralistic return to the Christian roots of our country way, but in a way that recaptures His passion for moving souls.
There is hope. David Foster one of the greatest record producers and artists of the last thirty years was very reluctant to produce and distribute Michael Buble's first album because he didn't know how to market that kind of music. Ultimately he did and Buble's albums continue to dominate the charts and he has even sold out Madison Square Gardens for a concert. Buble' music is about substance, it is about soul moving, it is not about personality or image and people are reconnecting with it. My children are evidence of that as the same children that rock out to "Poker Face," find some joy and peace in "All of Me." If we can see this kind of thing happen in the soulless industryvaccuum that has become the music industry I am confident that we can find it in the church. So tonight when you are done reading this, pull out your Bible and your newspaper and put on a Martin or Sinatra or Ella or Armstrong album and let your soul be moved as you read current events and then think about them theologically. Think about what a particular position or statement means about God if it is true. Spend an evening in the soul moving joy of substance and set aside image for just a little while.
I just wanted to let y'all know that I have posted a couple of new book reviews, one fiction and one non-fiction, and a Jazz CD review. I have also added some links into those pages that if you decided you wanted to purchase one of the books or CD's you can simply click on the link and it will take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase it and it actually gives me a little commission for the sale. Okay, I should really start to think about getting some sleep.
As you can see, I have been a little remiss in posting to this blog. Life races by so quickly at times that suddenly a day, a week or a month has passed by and it stills seems like yesterday. I apologize to you all, but assure you that I am back on more onto a summer routine which is good for me. On a side note, I went up to the Main and Maple Coffeehouse in Nicholasville this evening. My goal was to do some work up there as it helps at times to place myself in a different environment and one that has good coffee, good music and a fabulous ambiance is perfect and they have all of that. Much to my dismay, when I arrived at 7:40 I discovered that they have new summer hours and they were closing at 8:00. All I can say is "BOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I was so ready to spend two or three hours working in that environment, only to be turned away. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," just in case I wasn't clear the first time. Sadly I watch close to twenty people get turned away in those twenty minutes, so lets pray together that they will go back to normal hours. Okay enough complaining, onto the real post.
My morning started with 30 minutes on the treadmill, something that has become a bit of a habit lately (and the carbnazi says "yeah!"), and afterwards I was sitting down to a hot bowl of oatmeal. It fits my carb goals and it keeps me from getting hungry thirty minutes later, but in addition to my oatmeal I was enjoying some fresh blackberries that were as big as my thumb and so juicy that my beard was starting to resemble the jowls of a Saint Bernard I used to have. Yes, I am going somewhere with this, hang with me a little longer and I promise we will get there. So there I am with juice on my chin and a spoon of oatmeal in my mouth and thoughts running through my head. I would like to tell you that they were deep thoughts but they sounded more like, "I wonder if I can eat a blackberry without getting any seeds stuck in my teeth?" The thought translated to action and when I finished my oatmeal I spent the next few minutes, probably more like ten or fifteen, trying to consume one of these juicy, delicious blackberries without getting seeds stuck in my teeth. I chewed softly without ever biting down fully. FAILED! Seeds in the teeth. I tried biting small pieces off and eating just a little at a time. FAILED! Seeds in the teeth. Then a new thought arose, perhaps I can squish them against the roof of my mouth with my tongue thereby never using my teeth............I tried it and you know what.....................................FAILED! Even though I never chewed, somehow I got seeds stuck in my teeth. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to eat blackberries without getting seeds stuck in your teeth, but amidst this dilemma I had another thought.
It wasn't really a new thought as I have been struggling with this question about ministry for some time now, but the blackberries were proving to be an illustration to better explain my thought. See my desired outcome with the blackberries was to consume one without getting seeds stuck in my teeth, but no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I tried, I always ended up not achieving my desired outcome. Ministry has been like that lately at Bryantsville. Our desired outcome is to serve people and to share with them the love of Christ, but it seems like no matter how hard we try, no matter what we try we fail to achieve our desired outcome. Apparently ministry is like eating blackberries and the funny thing is just like sometimes you get a sour taste in your mouth from one bad blackberry amidst all of the yummy goodness of the others, the same is true for ministry, sometimes it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
While I like a good Sour Patch Kid as much as the next guy, I really do not like having a sour taste in my mouth especially when it comes to ministry. The question, aka the sour taste, has been, "what do you want us to do God to serve Your Kingdom in Garrard County?" The answer so far has proved allusive, but I still press on. The one thing that keeps popping into my head is this voice that sounds a lot like one of my old seminary professors asking, "what is your theology of ministry?"
That is a pretty profound question. Is our theology of ministry a "once saved always saved" kind of theology that has us just trying to get people to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and then we move on to the next person? I don't think so. Is our theology of ministry more about justice and service to the poor rather than spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ? On some levels here I have to say, "yes," but more from the point of view in that we are not overtly preaching the Good News, but I believe our joy and loving actions does share the Good News in pretty profound ways. Is our theology of ministry a build it and they will come mentality that constantly tries to get people here rather than going out to them? Partially yes, but equally we do try to go out to community events, to volunteer in the community and help others where they are at.
Is our theology of ministry about what we are doing or is it about what is God doing? My answer here is that lately I am not sure I can tell the difference. As evidence that this question has been plaguing me longer than my morning serving of blackberries I have been reading a book entitled The Resurrection of Ministry. My hope was that in reading it I would find some new ideas and new motivations, but all I am encountering is academia and frustration. I am half way through and I will post a review on this site when I am done, but so far I just get frustrated reading it. The author keeps stating to put Christ in the center and look to see what God is doing and get on board with that rather than doing my own thing. Okay, makes sense, but truth be told I am not sure how to distinguish between what God is doing and what we are doing. I try to center my life in Christ, I spend time in prayer, in reading Scripture and other Christian authors, I spend time with other Christians having spiritual conversations, I earnestly seek God's will for my life and for our church everyday and I desperately want to be on board with what God is doing in Bryantsville; but I am just not sure what that is.
Here is what I know. God's desire is for everyone to be in relationship with Him, for everyone to be happy, healthy and whole, for everyone to have someone they can turn to, for everyone to never feel alone, and for everyone to feel valued, worthy and loved. I know that these things are the will of God. Equally I know that we are to be in cooperation with God when we live our lives and when we go about doing ministry. God does His part supplying the promise, the power and the outcome. We do our part by putting one foot in front of the other, loving Him and all of those around us and trusting Him for the outcome. I also know there are areas of spiritual darkness where sometimes it is hard to hear from God and where we perhaps feel like He isn't there. It is in those places of spiritual darkness that we trust in those first things I stated that we know to engage in ministry. We put one foot in front of the other pursuing the task of making those truths a reality in peoples lives trusting that those are in fact God's will and that He can be trusted for the outcome.
I think that is sort of where we are at BUMC, we are putting one ministry foot in front of the other attempting things that serve people, that lets us love people where they are at, that hopefully makes them feel valued, worthy and loved. Right now it is hard to see the outcome but we continue to trust God. Here is the good news, as I type this at 9:59 p.m. there is not a single blackberry seed in my teeth. My goal this morning was to eat blackberries without getting seeds in my teeth and while it did not happen in the immediate short term, it did happen in the long term. Perhaps one element of our theology of ministry must be a long term trust of God. Realizing that we don't always know the impact we are having and how that will effect people down the road.
So considering my blackberries, here is a start to my "theology of ministry." Ministry for me must be centered in love, human worth, and personal value. It must begin with what God has done in our own lives and then grow out of desire for that to happen to others. It must first and foremost never harm and second do all the good it can. It must be done in the name, power and promise of our Trinitarian God. It must be bold enough to try new things, humble enough to admit when they are not working, passionate enough to attract people to a relationship with Jesus Christ, and enduring enough that it is never a "flash in the pan" but rather something that places itself in the great big story of God. It must be for people, on behalf of God, done in cooperation with what we know is His desire and will.
Pray for us as we undertake this new ministry project for Garrard County.
I am a husband, father/stepfather of six, and a second career pastor. Historically I love to read, but I have recently discovered a love for writing. I have experienced the transforming power of the love of God and my joy in life is to help others discover His hope and healing. Sometimes it is preaching, sometimes it is writing, but always it is sitting down over coffee and sharing life.
and it was authored by exclusively by Cussler. While his love of detailed and accurate history was evident throughout and his passion for developing characters with depth and heroes with dignity, integrity and honor was prevalent, I still struggled to enjoy this novel as much as I have all of his others due to the drastic setting difference. In the end, I found myself loving the character of Isaac Bell, he has all of the penchant, passion and integrity of Dirk Pitt just in an earlier era and when the new book came out I wanted it immediately. With that little bit of background he is my review.
by Wayne Cordeiro.
by Melody 
by Michael Buble'. While Melody is still quite a way off from being even tolerated by them they have suddenly developed a tolerance for Buble' and in fact have even confessed to liking some of his songs. There favorite is "I just haven't met you yet," which is a Buble' original, but equally they like "All of Me," "Your nobody 'til somebody loves you," and a few other Jazz standards from ages past. This confession brought joy and hope to my heart and I immediately went out and purchased a Best of Dean Martin album (
) to let them here some of these songs done by one of the greats. For them, the jury is still out on Dean, but for me, I had forgotten how much I love listening to Dean; not only is his voice pure, rich and resonate, but he was just cool! Bouncing between these eras of music got me to thinking about the nature and evolution of music.