Right around the end of November, the discussion in our church worship planning session gets around to the question of “When should we start singing Christmas carols?” People love singing Christmas carols. But is it too early to sing only Christmas carols on the first Sunday of Advent? Maybe we should go with 50/50 at least until weekContinue reading “Our traditional worship songs/hymns and Christmas Carols are not enough – Advent Psalm of Celebration, Part 2”
Tag Archives: psalm
Two names for salvation – Advent Psalm of Celebration, Part 1
I recently saw an interview in which a former coach and player talked about the impact playing professional football had on his family around the holidays. He would either have to be completely away from his family, or they would all be together in a hotel because he would have a game on Christmas DayContinue reading “Two names for salvation – Advent Psalm of Celebration, Part 1”
Advent and…the Psalms of Ascent, Part 5
This week I welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David and his wife Terri are members of Faith Church. David is currently studying for his Master of Divinity at Evangelical Seminary of Kairos University. How do the Songs of Ascent help us understand Advent? As I mentioned in the beginning of this series here, the Songs of Ascent wereContinue reading “Advent and…the Psalms of Ascent, Part 5”
The third leg of the journey into…The Psalms of Ascent, Part 4
This week I welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David and his wife Terri are members of Faith Church. David is currently studying for his Master of Divinity at Evangelical Seminary of Kairos University. The Third Antiphon (Chant) 130-134 At this point, this journey is on it’s last leg. The kids have fallen asleep. They’ve gotten cheerios allContinue reading “The third leg of the journey into…The Psalms of Ascent, Part 4”
The second leg of the journey into the…Psalms of Ascent, Part 3
This week I welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David and his wife Terri are members of Faith Church. David is currently studying for his Master of Divinity at Evangelical Seminary of Kairos University. The Second Antiphon (Chant) 125-129 In this next section, the next antiphon or chant of the Psalms of Ascent, our journey continues and weContinue reading “The second leg of the journey into the…Psalms of Ascent, Part 3”
Taking a journey into the…Psalms of Ascent, Part 1
This week I welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David and his wife Terri are members of Faith Church. David is currently studying for his Master of Divinity at Evangelical Seminary of Kairos University. Does you like vacations? I have to admit, I don’t travel well. I get so stressed out about the travel process that, until IContinue reading “Taking a journey into the…Psalms of Ascent, Part 1”
Prayer matters – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 3
As we learned in the previous post, when King David was in The Depths, his life, emotions and faith felt very dark. The reality of life in The Depths brings us to the next matching pair in Psalm 30. Look at verses 2-3. David remembers when he called to God for help. He remembers howContinue reading “Prayer matters – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 3”
Can you feel others’ pain? – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving
The Netflix show Black Mirror is about the future. Each episode is a standalone, with no connection to the rest of the episodes, so they’re like mini-movies. The theme of Black Mirror is to imagine what the future will be like if medicine, artificial intelligence, social media and electronics continue to advance. In particular, BlackContinue reading “Can you feel others’ pain? – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving”
Why humility, teachability and the Korean concept of Han are vital to confession – Advent Psalm of Confession, Part 5
As we learned in the previous post, when we confess our sins, we are trusting in God. But there’s more. When we confess our sins, here is what we are to do next, as David writes in Psalm 32, verses 8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; IContinue reading “Why humility, teachability and the Korean concept of Han are vital to confession – Advent Psalm of Confession, Part 5”
Wonder: Remember His Rescue – Psalm 77, Part 3
This week I welcome guest blogger, Clint Watkins, as he shares with us how his personal experience of loss and pain led him to learn how to seize hope through lament. If you want to learn more about Clint, please visit his website. As we continue studying Psalm 77, we have already learned how lamentContinue reading “Wonder: Remember His Rescue – Psalm 77, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 