Month: December 2011

I Still Believe In Happily Ever After

Published by

I would like to share with you a video I captured on my iphone of my friends Diana and Tom. I had the privilege of officiating their wedding sometime in september 2011. I also am including a poem I wrote for them – the first poem I have ever written, so I hope you like it. I still believe in happily ever after Even though the divorce rate is still on the rise And every minute, hour and day someone is left with  a broken heart But I still believe I still believe in happily ever after Because of it my two daughters still dream And  each day, every moment I think about them I will be praying for them to win I still believe I still believe in happily ever after Even though in my marriage, in my very own home there is sometimes strain And I confess, sometimes do want to leave because of my pain But I still believe I still believe in happily ever after Even though you may believe otherwise And because of your experience …

Bible Reading Plan for Slackers and Shirkers

Published by

Do you want to remove the pressure to keep up with getting through the entire bible in a year? Do you want to read a variety of  biblical genres? Do you prefer a continuity by reading the same genre each day of the week? If you do, than BRPSS is what you need. Bible Reading Plan for Slackers and Shirkers. According to the guys at trinity church blog, this plan is unusually helpful because it combines two biblical values which seem to diverge in most bible reading plans. Those two biblical values are discipline and grace. They argue that the advantage of this plan is that it provides guidance as you read each day but does not put you on an internal guilt trip if you miss a day – you just pick up on the next reading – on the day it happens to be. Here is an example of the biblical genres you will be reading from throughout the week” Sundays – Poetry Mondays – Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) Tuesdays – Old Testament History Wednesday – Old Testament History Thursday …

Are we Truly Powerful beyoud Measure?

Published by

ARE WE TRULY POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE? Here is a video that I enjoyed watching. I enjoyed the narration of Ali, Tony and Rocky, if indeed they were the ones in the video. The stories of these men are great and inspiring in many ways. I think the video has value and is useful in motivating anyone whether a believer or not. Everyone of us need a little kick in the pants from time to time. I think this video does just that – it inspires. Having said that, I also think that every believer and follower of Christ should be a bit more discerning watching or using this video in any christian setting. The reason for that is because of some of the characters in the video and some profoundly confusing quotes mentioned there in that deserve our close scrutiny.  One of them is, ‘we are powerful beyond measure!” Are we truly powerful beyond measure? Before we answer the question, let us look at all the actors in the video. Here are the players in the video up close: Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed author …

Presbyopia! What?

Published by

You are getting old! I visited my optometrist the other day for a complete eye checkup. After he completed the checkup, he asked me if I liked 50 Cents words. I said no! He said well, I am going to tell you anyways because that’s the condition that you have. He said you have Presbyopia! And I went – WHAT? He said, when you hit or pass the milestone age of 40 you will notice that it becomes a little more difficult to focus on objects up close because of Presbyopia. You are simply getting old! Well, I picked up my glasses this morning. It is nothing fancy but here is what it looks like:             Okay, you are 39 and younger,  sitting there laughing or going poor guy, he’s getting old. But trust me your time is coming. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 12:3 when the keepers of the house tremble,  and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few,  and those looking through the windows grow dim; Here …

2011 CT Music Awards

Published by

Here are our top 12 albums of 2011, with links to our original reviews. See why some are calling them a country bunch! Josh Garrels, Love & War & the Sea In Between(Small Voice Records) Gillian Welch, The Harrow & the Harvest (Acony) Over the Rhine, The Long Surrender (Great Speckled Dog) Burlap to Cashmere, Burlap to Cashmere (Jive Records) Joe Henry, Reverie (Anti) Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What (Hear Music) Alison Krauss & Union Station, Paper Airplane (Rounder) Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain (Nonesuch Records) Sara Groves, Invisible Empires (Fair Trade Services) Mutemath, Odd Soul (Teleprompt/Warner Bros.) Laura Marling, A Creature I Don’t Know (Ribbon Records) Gungor, Ghosts upon the Earth (Brash Music) via christianitytoday

Catch those Foxes

Published by

Foxes are pests that wreak havoc in vineyards (e.g., they will eat the grapes). Although the vineyard has been associated with the appearance of the woman (1:6), here it is described as our vineyards and thus refers to their relationship. The foxes represent some hindrances that are threatening to spoil their relationship

Pillars of Christmas

Published by

Pillars of Christmas: The 5 Messages of Christmas What is Christmas all about? Well, most of you reading this post already know. I don’t even have to say it. Christmas is about God – how He loved us so much that He gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. So we know that in many ways Christmas has been hijacked. Santa has  stolen the show and some very smart people have spun it so well in order to make a profit. But in any case we all know that Jesus is the reason for the season. In this post I would like to highlight the 5 messages of Christmas. This is the Christmas series (Pillars of Christmas) I preached last year in five weeks. These are the firm pillars that sustain Christmas and makes it what it ought to be. Today I will deliver this series in one single post. But before I do that let me introduce the 5 messages through this short video we created for an intro: Pillar # 1. Faith. “And Mary said, “Behold, I …

The Christmas Story

Published by

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear …