Hilldale's Worship Ministry

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 33

2012-02-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

Rejoice!
Praise!
Make music!
Sing!

From verse 4 to the end of this Psalm we see reasons to praise the Lord.
Here are just a few:
His word is right
His works is trustworthy
He loves righteousness and justice

The earth is full of His unfailing love
He made the heavens and stars with just His breath
He spoke and the world came into being
His counsel stands forever
He observes everyone
He watches over those who fear Him
He is our help and shield

I know I left things out.

The first 3 verses - and of course I'm going to say this, but I would think this even if I wasn't the Worship Pastor - the first three verses say, well, here, I'll just put them here on the blog for you to read rather than try to summarize them.

1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing a new song to Him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout. NASB

Not only are we instructed to rejoice and sing and make music, but the psalmist says to do so "skillfully."
I don't watch American Idol anymore. It was starting to annoy me. But I think we've all watched enough of "idol" to see that music that is not done skillfully isn't something that will help others worship or that will bring glory to God.

At Hilldale we have opportunities for people to grow in their musicianship, to become more skillful in their playing and singing. We do this through our graded choir program and through lessons we offer through our Fine Arts Academy.

Here is a partial schedule:
Children's Choirs - Wednesday nights from 6:00-6:45
Youth Choir (preparing for the Passion Play) - Sunday afternoons beginning Feb. 12 at 4:00 - led by Angie Thomas
Adult choir - Wednesday nights @ 6:30
Adult handbells - meeting in February on Sunday afternoons - contact me if you are interested in playing
Children's handbells - homeschool children meet on Thursdays @ 1:00

Guitar and voice lessons - Andrew Smith
Violin and string lessons - Lyndel Littleton
Coming soon
Kindermusik - for preschool children and their moms - Calli Smith
Piano lessons - these aren't an official part of our Fine Arts Academy, but all of our church pianists teach - Michelle Dickerson, Mary Beth Mathews, Gena Tate and Kim Morton all teach in their homes. Their schedules are often all booked up, but contact them if you are interested.

My plan is to offer other "Fine Arts" things in the near future like art lessons and dance classes.

Play skillfully!
Praise the Lord!

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 32

2012-02-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

The joy of forgiveness!

Psalm 32 is an easy Psalm to understand and it has a truth that can be easily applied to your own life. Basically, when you try to hide your sin you start wasting away. When you acknowledge your sin and ask for forgiveness you experience joy, your transgressions are forgiven and covered. The notes in my fancy Holman Study Bible say, "forgiven literally means 'lifted up' and emphasizes the burden of sin being lifted from the person... covered means to hide or cover something that is offensive...and...charge can mean'reckon' or 'regard,' but in legal contexts means to reckon as liable for punishment." Now look again at verses 1-2 with these definitions in mind.

1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
2 How joyful is the man
the LORD does not charge with sin
and in whose spirit is no deceit!

How did David get to this place?

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said,
"I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and You took away the guilt of my sin.

The Apostle Paul said this,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

On another note (double meaning intended) Andrew and Calli sang a beautiful!! arrangement of Psalm 32:7 - "You Are My Hiding Place" - on January 8. I'll work on getting their singing of it on YouTube so I can add it to this post. Hmmmm, Or I'll just do another post when I get it.

150 Days fo Psalms - Psalm 31

2012-01-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

To focus on just one verse and develop your theology from one verse is not very wise. Not that scripture contradicts itself, but simply because one verse needs to be interpreted in light of all scripture so you get a full view of what God is saying.

Perhaps you have guessed that even with that in mind I am going to look at just one verse: Verse 3.

Here is Psalm 31:3 in a few translations:

NASB For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me.

NIV for the sake of your name lead and guide me

HCSB You lead and guide me because of Your name.

I get two different - but in a way similar - ideas or meanings from this verse.

Someone has probably mentioned to you before that in biblical days - and for that matter even in modern history until perhaps just a few years ago - when you talked about someone's name you were talking about his character or who he is as a person, what he represents, etc. With that in mind, I get the idea that God rescues the righteous to show the world that He is a God who can be trusted and who is a refuge and a fortress for His righteous ones and that He leads and guides those who call on His name. His care is a witness to the unbelievers to show them His character.

The other way to look at this is similar yet different enough to mention. You can see this verse saying that God leads, guides, protects, etc. but it's to honor His promise to the righteous. His name in this sense is like His guarantee.

I think both ways of looking at this are correct. You see the same ideas in verse 19. He has stored up goodness for those who fear Him, and He bestows these blessings in the sight of men. So again it is as a witness to the world and as a kept promise.

Because of these truths we can be strong and our hearts can take courage as we wait on the Lord.

That's just pretty awesome stuff! I'm sure you thought of verses in the New Testament and other verses - perhaps from Psalms even - that support these ideas. I wasn't really trying to develop theology from one verse. :-)

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 30

2012-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

When we are in the midst of heartache, when there doesn't seem to be any hope for our future, when the night seems to be closing in around us and we don't see any hope, Psalm 30 is a great Psalm.

It reminds us that weeping may last for the night, but Joy comes in the morning!

Notice the testimony of David.
I will exalt You, LORD, because You have lifted me up
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
You turned my mourning into dancing;
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

You can purchase a copy of this beautiful art from Kathy at Kalligratographer actually, this is her blog. She has an Etsy shop. You can get to the Etsy shop through her blog.

If you are in a sorrowful place right now, read this Psalm through a few times and let the promise of coming joy bring you hope.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 29

2012-01-29T13:13:00.000-08:00

We went to the circus yesterday with our kids and grandkids. It was awesome!

One of the acts was two really big guys from Mongolia (for ease of story telling let's call them Max and Rex.) They had gigantic muscles. We could tell they were strong as soon as they walked out into the arena. Their tank tops showed off their massive arms. Their gladiator style skirts (made out of metal) showed their herculean leg muscles. And trust me, Max and Rex don't have to worry about anyone making fun of them for wearing a skirt.
After them came a couple of guys leading in an elephant who was dragging two huge poles. Max and Rex picked up the poles and strapped them together with a big heavy chain to make a giant X. At each end of the X, hanging by more heavy chain, was a swing made out of a log. Max and Rex picked up the logs, four circus girls (we won't bother giving them names) climbed on to the swings and then Max and Rex spun around and took the four nameless girls on a ride. It didn't even look like they broke a sweat! Wow! Max and Rex are two really strong guys!

What does this story have to do with Psalm 29? It's easy to see that Max and Rex are strong. Their muscles bulge out even when they aren't lifting anything. David, the psalmist, is letting us see something that may not be as obvious as bulging muscles, but is certainly more powerful than Max and Rex.

"Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength."

God's power is so awesome He only has to speak!

The voice of the LORD is powerful, majestic, break the cedars of Lebanon (giant trees), hews out flames of fire, shakes the wilderness and more. JUST HIS VOICE! Wow!

Think of the power of the ocean, of floods and raging rivers, of hurricanes, tornadoes and storms. 3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters ; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.
10 The LORD sat as King at the flood (referring to the great flood of Noah's day.)

David has painted a wonderful picture of God's glory and power. And He givese strength to His people. How will knowing this change how you live your life this week?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 28

2012-01-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

Cheryl and I were just talking about how when you are reading through the Bible in a year and have a schedule where you read 5 Psalms a day you don't notice the recurring theme as much. (I didn't want to say they were repetitive. haha)

But you know, life is like that. When you are going through a trial - a difficult time - a testing - whatever you might call it at the time, your prayers are repetitive. You trust God. You know He will answer. You've done what David did and remembered how God answered in the past. You've declared your faith and trust. Now you're waiting for God's answer.

But you have to say it all again. 1 To You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit.

Jesus encouraged us to continue asking - to continue to pray.
Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 "For a while he was unwilling ; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.' " 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said ; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth ?"

Jesus wasn't comparing God to an unrighteous judge. He was saying that if an unrighteous judge who does not fear God or respect man will answer a widow's petitions, how much MORE will God answer and bring justice to His elect.

So if you are going through a tough time right now (or when you are later - EVERYONE does and will) keep praying. It's OK to repeat yourself. But notice that David - even while praying the same prayer again - doesn't lose faith or hope.

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield ; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped ; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 27

2012-01-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

The opening line of this Psalm is a very familiar verse.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

Once again David is asking for help and for deliverance from his enemies. But what I noticed in this Psalm is something I encourage people to do all of the time. Look back at what God has already done in your life and let that be comfort and encouragement for what you are going through now.

David tells how God took care of him in the past 2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Then he tells of his confidence in God. 3 Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear ; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.

David had some other good habits - or perhaps I should say "spiritual disciplines"
He wanted to spend time in God's presence: v.4 "one thing I have asked for..."
He brought offerings with joy: v.6 "And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy"
He sang praises to God: v.6 "I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD"
He asked God to teach him and lead him. v.11

Then he ends the Psalm with what may be the hardest thing to do when dealing with difficulties of life - waiting. 14 Wait for the LORD ; Be strong and let your heart take courage ; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Waiting on God. Ooooo. That can be soooo difficult. But if we are doing the other things in the Psalm, (giving, singing, being in His presence, letting Him teach us) then the waiting is much easier and the purpose behind the waiting is often seen.
. Oh... and it's a whole lot easier to have these things in your life during the difficult times if you are already doing them in the good times. So add these to your life today! :-)

150 Days of Psalms - ooops - Psalm 25

2012-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Haha! Last night at church Phyllis said, "Did you do Psalm 26 today?"

I don't know. I think so.

You do know it's the 25th, right?

Oh no!

The only thing I can figure is that when we were at the hospital with Andrew and Calli I mentioned (as we passed midnight) how Caleb's birthday wouldn't be the 24th, it would be the 25th. Then Cheryl and I went home about 3:30 or so. After sleeping a few hours and getting up to go to work, I guess I figured it was the next day so the 26th was in my head.

That's as good an excuse as any and now it's my story and I'm sticking to it. hahaha

So... here are some thoughts on Psalm 25.

Here's one truth that kind of stood out to me. So many times over the years I've had people ask the age-old question "What does God want me to do? What is His will for my life? How can I know...?

David is saying the same thing in vs.4-5

"Make Your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation;"

Many bring that same request to God. But the following verses in the Psalm show the key to finding God's way in your life.

~ He waited for God "I wait for You all day long." vs.5, 21
~ He confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness vs.7, 11
~ He humbled himself before God "He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." v.9
~ He feared God (meaning he trusted God and was faithful to Him) "Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will show him the way he should choose." v.12 "The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him" v.14
~ He kept his eyes on the Lord v.15

Let me challenge you to put these actions of David into practice in your life. I can hardly wait to hear how God will be working in your life and showing you His way.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 26

2012-01-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've had people say something like this to me. "I just don't know why God let this happen to me." I, of course, always tried to be kind in my responses, but often I wanted to say, "Well... if you hadn't been out doing this or that then you wouldn't have gotten YOURSELF in this mess."

Don't hear me saying that any time you have troubles in your life it's because of sin - something you have done. The point I'm headed toward is that it's a lot easier to say, "Vindicate me, Lord, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering." Than, "I know I really messed up, Lord, I promise I'll be good if you help me out of this one!"

This Psalm of David is an example of how we should strive to live life.

We see that David did what was right "lived with integrity, trusted in the Lord, live by God's truth"
and DIDN'T do what was wrong "sit with the worthless, associate with hypocrites)" (reminds you a little of Psalm 1 don't you think?)
and he spent time worshipping and telling of God's greatness "I wash my hands in innocence and go around Your altar, Lord, raising my voice in thanksgiving and telling about Your wonderful works."

Looks like a good plan. Why don't you see how you can put it into practice in your life?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 24

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

1. The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the LORD;

There is a good question asked.
"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in His holy place?"

The answer is in the following verses,
"The one who has clean hands and a pure heart..."

There are two aspects of holiness and righteousness. We know that apart from the righteousness of Christ we cannot be holy or righteous before God. But on the other hand, we have to live lives that are holy and clean and pure. Hmmm... I'm not sure I'm wording this the way I had it figured out in my head. Let me start again.

We can only come to God when we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. A person turns from sin (repents) and trusts Him for salvation and he becomes "right" with God. But once we have made that confessions of sin and turned to Jesus we then need to live lives that are clean and pure. When we come to God in prayer or in worship we can boldly approach the throne of grace because of what Christ has done(Hebrews 4:16 NAS Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.) But we read in other passages of scripture of our need to confess our sins and to turn from our wicked ways. Being "saved" doesn't give us a liscense to sin and then show up on a Sunday and talk to God like nothing is going on. We have to live out our lives in such a way that His righteousness is seen in how we live.

I hope in my effort to write something short that I haven't just confused everyone.

Changing the subject...
I have a song that I wrote several years ago based on Psalm 24. Reading this Psalm reminded me of it and I think I'll get it out and teach it to the congregation here at Hilldale. I like to use it as a Palm Sunday song.
You can see it here - Psalm 24 by R. Lyndel Littleton

Art Inspired by Psalm 23

2012-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Jody Coulston

Psalm 23:4 Alyse Radenovic

Robin Weiss

Michel Keck

This is four paintings.

Millie Gift Smith

150 Days of Psalms - The 23rd Psalm

2012-01-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

What can be said about this Psalm that hasn't already been said?
It's probably THE most famous of all of the Psalms. I'm sure it's the one that made David famous and was his break into the Psalm writing scene. The poetry is beautiful. The imagery is beautiful. There have been HUNDREDS of songs written based on this text. Here are a few for you to enjoy.

Keith Green

ACDA Senior High School Honor Choir - Music by Paul Basler

Jeff Majors

Bryn Terfel and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Nicole C. Mullen in Zimbabwe

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 22

2012-01-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

I don't want to insult you by pointing out the obvious parallels between Psalm 22 and the crucifixion of Christ. Beginning with "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" to the people mocking him, to pierced hands and feet and dividing his garments the connection is ... well, I said I wouldn't insult you pointing out the obvious and I just did it. haha

I think we can take the comparison to New Testament passages even further. These verses:
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. 30 Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. 31 They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

Sound a lot like these verses:
Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I hope this Psalm encourages you to thank our Lord Jesus for the gift of His life for ours and that even today you will exalt His name and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 21

2012-01-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

Many of David's Psalms were written about his conquests in battle and how God is the One who gave him victory. Many of them also find their ultimate meaning in our Lord Jesus Christ. The writers of the New Testament saw Christ in all of the Old Testament.

I see that here in Psalm 21 as it describes how Christ's enemies will come to an end as He displays His wrath against the wicked.

8 Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. 9 You will make them [burn] like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in His wrath and fire will devour them. 10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth and their offspring from the human race.

David's response should be our response.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your might.

You'll find "I will sing" this or that all through the Psalms (they are songs after all) but this one says "we will sing and praise Your might." It's a good reminder that not all of our faith and our expressions of faith are not meant to be isolated, by-ourselves events. There is a place, of course, for private worship - a very important place. But there is an equally important place for corporate worship - worshipping together with other believers.
It's so important that the writer of Hebrews said it this way -
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful ; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

I'll be looking for you in the morning!

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 20

2012-01-20T07:16:00.001-08:00

The United States has the best military force in the world. I have the privilege of knowing many of the men and women who have served in the past and who are serving now. I am extremely thankful for their sacrifices - time, family, health, etc. that they have given to keep us safe and free. All that said, ultimately my trust for our nation's security is in God. My trust for my personal security is to some extent in the fact that we have fine people in Clarksville's police department and the county sherrif's office. But in the end, I trust in the Lord. Where is your trust?

7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. I'm posting this from my phone because it might be late today before I'm with my computer, so I'll post a picture or video later.

OK.. I'm home with my computer and was looking for a song I know. I came across this one.
HAHAHA! This video is titled "Some Trust in Chariots." You'll have to tell me if you hear that in it.

This is the song I know based on Psalm 20:7-8

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 19

2012-01-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful Psalm! It has inspired many wonderful songs. There are songs based on the first 4 verses. I learned a great chorus as a teenager that is a direct singing of vs. 6-11 in the KJV. And vs. 14 has been the text for many songs.

Last night I was out in the backyard with the poodles and I couldn't stop looking at the stars. They were so bright! I decided I need to buy a telescope so I can see more of them and maybe see the moons around Jupiter. That would be awesome. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands."

Here's a little star-watching you can do yourself without buying a telescope.

I've decided to memorize the entire chapter. I'm going to memorize it from the Holman Christian Standard Version. If you want to join me in this challenge, I suggest you learn a few verses a day and then review and add another verse or two. Notice the three sections. That may help you in your memorization.

It will take a couple of weeks or so before I have the entire Psalm memorized. Ask me how much I've learned when you see me.

Here is Psalm 19 Holman Christian Standard in case you want to memorize it with me.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the commandment of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. 10 They are more desirable than gold- than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey- than honey dripping from the comb. 11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them.

12 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. 13 Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me. Then I will be innocent, and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 18

2012-01-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for the perfect metaphor to describe God and His actions in helping and fighting for the righteous ones who follow Him, Psalm 18 is the perfect place to look.

This Psalm is full of beautiful imagery. As you read this you probably recognized many of the verses as lyrics to songs or often quoted verses.

Rather than quote some of the favorites, I want to look at this awesome description of God that we often overlook. We like to think of the loving side of God because we have been shown that love through Jesus Christ. But in the middle of this Psalm David paints a fantastic picture of God dealing with His enemies.

Then the earth shook and quaked;

the foundations of the mountains trembled;

they shook because He burned with anger.

Smoke rose from His nostrils,

and consuming fire [came] from His mouth;

coals were set ablaze by it.

He parted the heavens and came down,

a dark cloud beneath His feet.

He rode on a cherub and flew,

soaring on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness His hiding place,

dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.

From the radiance of His presence,

His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.

The Lord thundered from heaven;

the Most High projected His voice.

He shot His arrows and scattered them;

He hurled lightning bolts and routed them.

The depths of the sea became visible,

the foundations of the world were exposed,

at Your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

Yet even as He displays such great power, in tenderness "He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters."

Awesome!

Here is one of my all time favorite songs that has a lot of the lyrics based on this Psalm (or others that say the same thing.)

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 17

2012-01-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Our natural reaction to someone attacking us - especially if without cause - is to strike back. We celebrate the guys in the movies who get even with their enemies and then take a little more.

David knew that this is not the way Godly people live. He could honestly say to God
"You have tested my heart;
You have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;
I have determined that my mouth will not sin."

Your first thought might be, "Well then you're just asking to get smacked around (literally and figuratively) if you don't fight back." But David knew that he could call on God and that God would answer him.
"I call on You, God, because You will answer me."

Paul worded it this way in Romans 12
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone's eyes. 18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

It seems like the key to this is to determine before something happens that "your mouth will not sin." Once you are in the midst of an attack it may be too difficult to make that conscious choice to not sin.

Instead choose David's words

"Protect me as the apple of Your eye;

hide me in the shadow of Your wings from the wicked who treat me violently."

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 16

2012-01-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Even though it is only 11 verses long, there are several wonderful truths in today's Psalm.

I like the Holman Christian Standard Version of vs. 5-6. It is a little clearer for me to see.
5 Lord, You are my portion and my cup [of blessing]; You hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

The phrases "portion," "cup of blessing," "future," "boundary line" and "inheritance" were all familiar to the people of David's day as ways of expressing God's promise (and fulfillment) of the Promised Land. But David says, "Lord, YOU are..." David realized that the TRUE Gift is God Himself.

How often do we get caught up in looking forward to heaven, our "future" and "inheritance" and forget that HE is the real gift of heaven? Do we search for blessings from God here on earth and forget that HE is our "cup of blessing?"

Verses 7-9 hold another great truth.
7 I will praise the Lord who counsels me- even at night my conscience instructs me. 8 I keep the LORD in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely.

I can't tell you how many times I wake up in the night with either the answer to one of the questions in my life at the moment, or the idea I needed for the Passion Play or "the Tree," or for whatever project I was working on at the time. The key isn't that I think better when I'm asleep. haha. I try to follow what David says here. "I keep the Lord in mind always." Keeping the Lord in mind, knowing His word, praying without ceasing... when this is part of how you live your life then God can speak to you at any time - even in the middle of the night. Do I always do this? No. But I wish I did - and I try to. Because that is one of the main ways God speaks to us - through His word.

I'm doing this 150 days of Psalms to encourage as many people as I can to read a Psalm a day (and hopefully a little more) but I'm also doing it for me. I need to see new truths each day. I needed to be reminded today that HE is my portion and cup of blessing.

I won't go into detail on another truth I see here, but you may have recognized verse 8 as the verse Peter quoted in his great sermon to the Jews in Acts 2. (See verses 25-31.)

I hope you're reading along with me. Spend a little time today meditating on the fact that Jesus is your portion and cup of blessing.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 15

2012-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've had a good, full day. Even though I read Psalm 15 this morning, here it is after 9:00pm and this is the first chance I've had to write about it. I get to church a little before 7 on a Sunday morning, we had q couple over for lunch and we visited right up until time for me to go back to church for a handbell rehearsal, watched "Courageous" (which every man from the age of late teens on up should watch) and then Haven is here visiting for her Grani-is-going-to-spoil-me-for-a-day time and she wanted to go to Red Lobster (so of course we did.)

So... that's probably more information than you wanted.

Psalm 15 asks a question and then tells you the answer.

1 O LORD, who may abide in Your tent ? Who may dwell on Your holy hill ?

The answer is spelled out in the next 4 verses.
2 He who walks with integrity,
and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
3 He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised
But who honors those who fear the LORD;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

These are not things we do naturally; they are evidence of God working in a person's heart. But even though it is the work of the Holy Spirit to make a change in a person's life, it is up to the individual to have some self-discipline, to follow God's leading and to work out his salvation by living a godly, righteous life. It comes down to choices we make.

What choices will you make this week?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 14

2012-01-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure the best way to blog about this Psalm. I've started over several times. Then I realized that a good way to see the meaning of Psalm 14 is to read Romans 3. They parallel each other in many ways.

People who don't believe in God or say that they don't need God are foolish. They think "I'm not a bad person." They need to listen to the words of David "There is no one who does good, not even one." (Ps 14:3)
Paul quotes this Psalm (or perhaps another one that says the same thing) to show that everyone - Jews and Greeks - are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

The Psalm says that God is with the righteous.

Romans 3 says it this way:
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed ; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

That's the long version of saying that those who have faith in Jesus are justified (made righteous) because of their faith.

The Psalmist knew that God was with the righteous. Paul explains that God demonstrates HIS righteousness (and passes over the sins) of those who have faith in Jesus.

This is a fantastic truth! The fool will continue to say, "There is no God." Fools who have power in other parts of the world persecute those who have faith in Jesus. Fools in the USA harass and make fun of Christians (Tim Tebow is a prominent example.) But God is with the righteous and is their refuge. Ps 3:5-6.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 13

2012-01-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've talked to people who are depressed - maybe not clinically depressed, but feeling bad, not able to see their way out of a stressful situation.

David truly was in a terrible situation. People were after him - wanting to kill him. That's a very stressful situation to say the least.

"How long, O Lord?" was actually a good question.

I can't fault David for asking that. And over the years I haven't really found fault in others who are asking God, "How long?" How long until my job situation is better? How long until my family is back together? How long until You answer my prayer for...?

David had the key to waiting - the key to contentment in the face of trials.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

David remembered God's unfailing love. Perhaps he kept a spreadsheet of all the things God had done for him over the years. When we remember what God has done in the past we can face the future with confidence.

I'm not sure David was suggesting everyone should sing in choir (although it's not a bad idea) but the final verse is the perfect way to show what's in your heart. When we sing together on Sunday mornings in worship you should sing with all of your heart (especially if you're not in choir.) During the week you'll sing when you consider how God has been good to you.

Ha! That old hymn just popped in my head. "I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free; for His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."

A New Ministry at Hilldale

2012-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 15:13

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face.

Calling all clowns and clown wannabees.

Get in at the beginning of a great new ministry.

Bring some joy into the world!

We’ll clown around at nursing homes and retirement centers,

Summer Block parties, children’s hospitals, special church events and more.

For adults and older youth.

Information meeting Jan. 22, 3:00, Bldg. A

We'll have training events to help you know how to look like and act like the best clowns around.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 12

2012-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

I guess since we hear sooooo much lately about politics because of the primaries going on, when I read the first few verses of Psalm 12 I thought about politicians. haha.

But rather than focus on the obvious and point out that ALL of us have those deceitful moments in our lives, I want to focus on vs. 6.

"The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times."

The phrase "purified seven times" is an expression to show that it is completely pure - no impurities are in it. The psalmist is conveying the message that God's words are completely trustworthy.

One of the reasons I thought of this 150 Psalms a Day challenge is that I thought this would be a fun way to get a bunch of us to read through the Psalms. By just reading one a day we won't fall into the bad habit I have found myself in before of just reading through something quickly so I could check it off my list. By focusing on one psalm a day my prayer is that I will put these words in my heart and life and not just have them run on by as I hurry on to the next chapter.

As you read these pure words each day, let me encourage you to spend some time with them and apply them to your life. Don't just check a Psalm off your list (Yep! Read that one.) put it in your life.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 11

2012-01-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

I like to play angry birds. Apparently I'm not alone. I just read that Angry Birds has been downloaded 200 million times. There are Angry Bird hats, stuffed toys, dog toys, t-shirts, birthday cakes, action figures...

Maybe we all just like blowing things up and hearing them crash. Maybe we like it that those smug pigs finally get their just due. Or maybe we like it that creatures that are generally considered rather defenseless are able to defend themselves - the ultimate underdog story!

David's friends knew about birds. They knew a bird can't defend itself against an enemy. It has to flee
"Escape to the mountain like a bird!
For look, the wicked string the bow"

It gets even worse for David's outlook.
"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

David has the answer.

"The LORD is in His holy temple...
His eyes watch; He examines everyone,"

We can't go around crashing into the obstacles of life or bombing the "smug pigs" we encounter everyday. But it's good to know that nothing escapes God's watchful eye. He "examines the righteous and the wicked."

"The LORD is righteous; He loves righteous deeds." So I will work this week on doing righteous things and leave the bombing ("raining of burning coals...on the wicked") to God.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 10

2012-01-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

A common theme through the Psalms is why do the wicked get away with all the evil they do. It's a good question. The easy answer is that we live in a fallen, evil world and the prince of this world, the prince of darkness has been allowed to work. The difficult answer is explaining why God seems to be far off. "Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble?" vs. 1

I like verse 14 "But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You."

God may seem far off at times, but the psalmist reminds us that God does pay attention. He has seen it Himself so He can take care of it Himself. That's pretty awesome stuff, that God cares about our troubles and helps us.

"Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,
doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more." 17-18 HCSB

70,000 Hits

2012-01-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

We're on our way to 70,000 hits on our worship blog. I like to have a prize for the person who makes the 70,000th hit, so I guess I'll work on that. Hmmmm. Maybe a painting (a little ACEO) that would go along with a Psalm.

Make sure you check the counter each time you come here to see if you are the 70,000th visitor!

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 9

2012-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

1 I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. 2 I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds.

The heading in my Bible for this Psalm is "Celebration of God's Justice." We all want justice. We've set up an elaborate judicial system in the United States to try to ensure "liberty and justice for all." I know there are times when our system fails, but over all I believe we have the best judicial system in the world.

It wasn't like that for David and it's not like that for many around the world, so how do we reconcile this Psalm of David praising God for His justice? We see David praising the LORD for being a refuge for the oppressed, but Christians around the world live under great oppression.

vs.9 "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble."

The only way I can wrap my mind around this seeming contradiction is by reading Hebrews 11. In this great "roll call of faith" we see that many were delivered but that some were mocked and scourged, stoned, sawn in two or died by the sword. But in either case (delivered or martyred) their faith was in God.

Maybe the key to this Psalm is that David could sing God's praise through the trials and again when he was delivered from those trials. He could sing God's praise knowing that ultimately God is the great judge of the nations and will judge with righteousness. Even in his affliction he knew God had not abandoned him.

I think I need to chew on this chapter longer. What are your thoughts?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 8

2012-01-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

Star gazing is a great thing to do. Seeing the glory of the night sky reminds us of how great God is and how small we are.

I love looking at the stars out here in the country on Hickory Point. There aren't any city lights to mess up the view.

It will probably be cloudy tonight, but if it's clear you should go out tonight and take a look. There are two very bright stars to be seen in early January this year (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. This won't be correct information for my Brazilian friends.). Whenever you are out, the bright star farthest West is Venus. I think Venus is setting a little after 7:00, so don't wait too late to go look... The bright star following the moon is Jupiter. Gorgeous!

The Majesty and Glory of Your Name is an absolutely gorgeous anthem based on the text of Psalm 8.

Even knowing that God had placed all things in creation under man's feet. His response wasn't "wow.. Look how cool it is to be part of mankind. No. He ends the Psalm the way it began - praising God.

9 O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth !

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 7

2012-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

David had a lot of enemies. At least it sure seems this way from reading the first seven Psalms. Some were political (Cush), some were from his own bad choices (Absalom), some were because of his position (jealousy or rebellion against the king)...

But what I've noticed in these Psalms is that David is relying on God to be his defender. He doesn't take matters into his own hands (well, except for running and hiding in caves and things like that.)

Paul said it this way,
Romans 12:19 NAS

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

We live in a society where we are told to "fight back," "get them before they get you," and how often have I heard someone say, "I don't get mad, I get even."

David said,
17 I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

As God's people we are to be different. We are told to be salt and light. It's our choice - sing God's praise and show His love to the world or become like them fussing and fighting and "getting even."

Which will you choose?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 6

2012-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done something and later realized that your actions had brought you a big bunch of troubles? There are always consecquences for sin. Sometimes they seem small and often they are quite large and not only affect us but those around us.

There isn't a sin listed here in this Psalm of David, but he seems to be saying that his problems are the result of God being angry with him for something he has done. According to my fancy Holman Christian Standard study Bible the early church fathers included this Psalm as one of the seven penitential psalms.

Merriam-Webster
pen·i·ten·tial /ˌpɛnəˈtɛnʃəl/ adjective

formal : relating to the feeling of being sorry for doing something wrong : relating to penitence or penance

In other words, when you have sinned this is a good Psalm to say/pray/use as a means of confessing your sin and asking for forgiveness.
David asks for God to rescue him from his troubles (and from the consequences of his sin) based on God's faithful love.

This is the only way we obtain God's forgiveness and mercy - through His loving-kindness. Our sins are forgiven - not because of anything we have done (except to confess them) - but rather through the work of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John worded it this way:
1 John 1:9 NASB

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is an echo of what David said in verse 9

The Lord has heard my plea for help;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

Do you have some sin you have been hanging on to? Do you need to turn away from it and ask for God's help and forgiveness? Well.... what are you waiting for?

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 5

2012-01-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

I used to sing this song back in the 90s. haha. That sounds so long ago now. It's a beautiful setting of this morning prayer.

v. 3 "At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You
and watch expectantly."

David began his day telling God his concerns and worries for the day. Probably a lot of us do that. But I really like the end of that verse where he says, "and watch expectantly." Do you watch expectantly to see how God is going to answer your cries?

A wonderful truth is seen in verses 4-7
David states that God doesn't delight in the wicked and that the boastful cannot stand in His presence but then there is this beautiful truth. We can enter into His presence because of His love (and the sacrifice of Jesus)
"I enter Your house by the abundance of Your faithful love;
I bow down toward Your holy temple"

It reminded me of the words in the song "Offering" by Paul Baloche

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 4

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

Troubles - difficult days - hard knocks - going through a bad spell...
There are a lot of sayings to describe the rough spots of life. David had a lot of troubles too. Saul was after him, his own son, Absalom, tried to take over the kingdom and was after him, he had a newborn baby who died. Life was often rough for David.

We like to focus on the first few verses of Psalm 4 "be gracious to me and hear my prayer" but notice David's instruction to himself (and to us)

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the LORD.

There is the key.

Paul says the same thing in Romans.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship
Romans 12:1 NASB

150 Days of Psalms - Day 3

2012-01-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

According to Health.com there are 11 surprising benefits of sleep.
1. Better Memory
2. Live longer
3. Curb Inflammation
4. Spur Creativity
5. Be a Winner
6. Improve Your Grades
7. Sharpen Attention
8. Have a Healthy Weight
9. Lower Stress
10. Avoid Accidents
11. Steer Clear of Depression

Hmm. OK.

I tend to lose sleep around big events - "the Tree" and The Passion Play are two of those. My mind goes 1,000 miles an hour thinking of all of the things that need to be done.

Many lose sleep because they are going through difficult times and life has thrown some really big issues at them. Some lose sleep because they are being pursued by their enemies as David was when he wrote this Psalm.

David was able to sleep even though Absalom was pursuing him. But because of his faith in God he was able to lie down and sleep.

He could sleep because he knew God was his shield. This Psalm is his testiimony of how he cries out to God, God answers him, so he can sleep and not fear even though a thousand people have taken a stand against him.

Whatever situations you find yourself in today, work hard, plan, dream, pray, do what you need to... but ultimately remember this

v.6 Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Put your trust in Him and sleep well tonight.

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 2

2012-01-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

Why do the nations rage?

That's a great question. All around the world the nations are raging. According to Global Security there are 44 major conflicts around the world right now. the World at War Many of these conflicts have been going on for decades.

Psalm 2 shows us that ultimately - or perhaps the root cause of all of these conflicts is that the nations are raging against "the Lord and His Anointed."

The Lord just laughs knowing that in the end, "every knee shall bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

There are some great commentaries that can explain for you the quotes from Psalm 2 that are used in the New Testament showing how this Psalm is speaking of Jesus and His ultimate reign. The thing that God impressed me with today is that as the nations rage against Him they also rage against His people.

Persecution of Christians around the world is on the rise. I have links here on my blog to websites where you can read stories of persecution and, more importantly, how you can pray and get involved and take action for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was my prayer that the "Arab Spring" and the death of Kim Jong Il would both bring about positive changes for Christians in those countries, but it appears that persecution there is at least the same and more than likely will be even worse.

Here are some links you may want to check out.

Voice of the Martyrs (you can request a free copy of the book "Tortured for Christ" (USA only)
International Christian Concern

You can also friend Voice of the Martyrs on facebook and get updates in your newsfeed.
VOM facebook

Will you join me today in praying for those who are persecuted?

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
Hebrews 13:3 NASB

150 Days of Psalms - Day 1

2012-01-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

I love trees!

But I'm not a tree hugger.

I guess I'm a member of the Audubon foundation because I bought some little trees from them last Spring and now I get newsletters from them. The "trees" looked more like 6" twigs with a few scraggly hairs hanging off of them. I planted them last Spring and the few that might have survived the heat of July and August had already been accidentally chopped down by the mower when the nearby grass was past their height and someone had helped me in the yard. "Someone stuck these stakes in the ground (that marked where the little seedlings were), so I pulled them up so we could mow." Uh... thanks?

I would rather have a yard full of leaves than a big spot to mow, so I bought several trees from Lowes last summer when they were 75% off. What a deal! The problem with buying and planting them when they are 75% off is that their roots aren't strong yet and it takes a lot of work for them to survive the heat and drought of July and August. I think I lost three of them to the heat.

When I lived on Bear Hollow the Bear Branch of Whites Creek was just ten feet from my back door. The trees there were old and quite large. I had maples, walnuts, dogwoods, sycamores, redbuds, tulip poplars and more (I had a pawpaw which means I could have zebra butterflies! a pawpaw and butterfly post. The young trees that came up freely every year would grow fast. I never had to water the trees on Bear Hollow. They thrived there by the beautiful creek and the walnuts were always loaded.

Psalm 1 is only six verses long, but they have a powerful message that is the perfect opening for the book of Psalms and the perfect verses to challenge us in how we will live our lives in this new year. They hold a great promise "and in whatever he does, he prospers."

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers ! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither ; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. NASB

So.... the choice is yours. You can be a tree that is struggling to survive the dry heat of August or you can thrive by the River of Life. A Psalm a Day for 150 days will be a good start.

A Psalms Challenge

2011-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Last June I challenged you all to read a chapter from Proverbs each day during June. A lot of you followed along and some - (Yay Phyllis!) left comments.

Now I want to try something a little more demanding - a Psalm a day for 150 days! That's almost 5 months. It will be May 29 when we reach Psalm 150! Some Psalms will require some time to read (Psalm 119) and one (Psalm 117) is only 2 verses long.

I'm going to blog - this is the really demanding part that I will have to work hard at to accomplish - every day. Don't expect something like this.

The Treasury of David - a 3 volume set of commentary on the Psalms by Charles Spurgeon.

I'm not claiming that I'll write something profound every day, (something Spurgeonesk) but I do expect each day that God will show me something - about Himself, about myself, about worship in the local church, about how to live life - whatever. I'll write at least a little something every day (that's the plan) and perhaps a lot on some days. I hope all of you will read along with me and that many of you will leave comments as to how God spoke to YOU through that day's Psalm.

We'll start tomorrow! Are you with me?

The 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Lady and her True Love

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
a Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
2 Turtle Doves

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
3 French Hens

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
4 Calling Birds

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
5 Golden Rings

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
6 Geese a Laying

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
7 Swans a Swimming

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
8 Maids a Milking

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
9 Ladies Dancing

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
10 Lords a Leaping

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
11 Pipers Piping

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
12 Drummers Drumming

...

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!!

Theology in Christmas Carols

2011-12-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

There is some fantastic theology found in Christmas Carols.

O Little Town of Bethlehem
"Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight."

"No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will recieve Him, still
The dear Christ enters in."

O Come All Ye Faithful

"Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!"

John 1: ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (This one is just incredible)

"Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"

""Christ, by highest heav'n adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel."

"Hail, the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
(Malachi 4:2
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.)
Mild, He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth."

WOW!

Pre-Tree Music

2011-12-01T05:59:00.001-08:00

A very enjoyable part of "the Tree" is the thirty minutes before when we get to hear some of our soloists and ensembles singing "pre-tree" music. Here's the schedule for this year's "pre-tree.

Click on the schedule to see a larger view.

Bethlehem Calls - Rehearsal Schedule

2011-11-28T08:44:00.001-08:00

It's here! "the Tree" is being delivered even as I type. It will be put together Tuesday, greened up Wednesday, decorated Thursday and Friday.

Woohoo!!!

So here are some of the last minute rehearsals. Be ready for more (especially if you don't know your lines. haha)

Wednesday, November 30
Choir - 6:30 in choir room
Angels - 7:30 in the Sanctuary

Thursday, December 1
Homeschool Handbell Choir - 1:00
Homeschool String Class - 2:00

Saturday, December 3

CANCELLED - Moved to Sunday at 5:00

Sunday, December 4

12 Days Cast - 3:00 IN COSTUME

Biblical Cast - 4:00
Choir - 5:00

Monday, December 5

Evening reserved for rehearsing whatever parts need extra rehearsal

Tuesday, December 6

Orchestra only - 6:00-8:00

Wednesday, December 7

Dress Rehearsal (that means IN COSTUME) - Full Cast - No Orchestra - 6:00-8:00

Thursday, December 8

Dress Rehearsal with Orchestra - 6:00-8:00

Friday, December 9

Choir Call - 6:30 (arriving earlier is better than later)

Orchestra Call - 6:40

Performance - 7:00

Saturday, December 10

Choir Call - 6:30 (arriving earlier is better than later)

Orchestra Call - 6:40

Performance - 7:00

Sunday, December 11

Choir Call - 2:30 (arriving earlier is better than later)

Orchestra Call - 2:40

Performance - 3:00

My Favorite Psalm is Perfect for Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T09:43:00.001-08:00

My favorite Psalm is a great passage for a day of Thanksgiving.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable .

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and merciful ; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You. 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power ; 12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

Christ the King - Sunday's Music

2011-11-18T19:31:00.001-08:00

I'm a third or fourth generation Southern Baptist by birth and a Southern Baptist by choice. I am proud of our "free" tradition - meaning each church governs itself and weekly worship is decided by the local church's worship leader not by a Lectionary or a governing board somewhere. I'm not saying those things are bad, I'm just glad I can follow God's leading in my life each week.

A lectionary plans out Bible readings and hymns to go along with the church year. As Baptists, we only follow the church year to a certain extent. We observe Christmas and Easter and to a lesser extent, Pentecost. But there is much more to the church year and I like to include parts of it in our worship - even if I'm the only one in the room that knows. :-)

In the last few years at Hilldale we have observed Advent. The first Sunday of Advent is the first Sunday in the traditional church year. (I've posted about Advent in the past and will again.)

The last Sunday in the church year is Christ the King Sunday. I really like the fact that the church year begins looking forward to Christ's coming and then ends with us all proclaiming "Jesus Christ is King!"

So at our 8:30 and 9:45 services this week we will sing
Rejoice the Lord is King
Rise Up and Praise Him
and maybe one more I can't remember...

The choir will sing
All Your Promises Are True

However, it is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so we're singing a few songs of thanks -
God Is Good All the Time
Give Thanks
Made Me Glad

Rehearsal Schedule - Nov. 19&20

2011-11-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

Rehearsal Schedule

Nov. 19

3:00 – Wisemen

3:30 – Herod, Priests, Herod’s attendant and wisemen

Nov. 20

3:30 – 12 Days

4:15 – Angels

5:00 – choir

Sunday's Music - November 13, 2011

2011-11-10T09:50:00.001-08:00

November 13, 2011 AM

The Solid Rock
Everlasting God

Choir anthem – Revelation Song

Recognition of Veterans

Fellowship song – When We All Get to Heaven

You Are My King
The Wonderful Cross

Special Music – Angie Thomas

Bethlehem Calls - Hilldale's Living Christmas Tree 2011

2011-11-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

All through the Old Testament we see that God's promise of Messiah wasn't meant for Israel alone.

"I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
Isaiah 42:6 NAS

"Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60:3 NAS

This year's Living Christmas Tree at Hilldale tells the wonderful story of Christmas with an emphasis on the three wise men. God's promise of the nations seeing the light of Messiah began when He revealed to the wise men through the wondrous star that a King had been born.

Tickets to see "the Tree" are free. If you attend Hilldale you can pick up tickets at the Connection Center at the Madison St. campus or at our Family Life Center on Old Farmers Rd.

Tickets are a great way to invite a friend to come with you.

If you would like to bring a group, call our church office for ticket information. 931-648-8031

Performance times this year
Friday, December 9, 7:00

Saturday, December 10, 7:00

Sunday, December 11, 3:00

You'll want to come early for a good seat!
Approximately 30 minutes before each performance enjoy "pre-tree" music provided by soloists, instrumentalists and our children's handbell choir.

For more information about Hilldale please visit http://www.hilldale.org/

Click on the map to enlarge it.

Hilldale Baptist Church

2001 Madison St.

Clarksville, TN 37043

931-648-8031

The 12 Days of Christmas - Cast Information

2011-11-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Our "12 Days of Christmas" requires a huge cast. Here is some information you will need if you are part of this fun song in"the Tree."

Next rehearsal - November 20 @ 4:00

What to wear.

Drummers - "African" looking clothes. Bright colors, animal prints, head pieces (if you have a drum that looks sort of African let me know)
Pipers - sweat shirt and pants in either gray (first choice), white, brown or black and a bright t-shirt and shorts (like the mice in Cinderella.)
Lords-a-leaping - sweat pants and shirt in green (first choice) or brown or some other froggy color
Dancing Ladies - I'm working on this part
Maids - black dress or black skirt and black blouse
Swans - white (top and bottom)
Geese - footy pajamas or flannel night gown
Golden Ring guy - vest, gold chains (lots of gold chains)
Calling Birds - red hat with a feather, purple dress
French Hens - shirt with horizontal stripes or a t-shirt stamped with the fleur-de-lis
Turtle Doves - white
Partridge - brown/purple/orange with "bling"

Time Change - Some Options

2011-11-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Options? for Time Change Sunday?

I'm all about options so here are some I thought of for you.

1. Wait until after church services tomorrow morning to change your clock. You'll get to see what happens at church the hour before you normally arrive! I'm expecting a larger than normal crowd at 8:30 as all of the 9:45 service folks show up an hour early.

2. Set your alarm for 2 AM (the official time change moment) and fall back an hour then. At 2 in the morning you can really appreciate that extra hour of sleep.

3. Set your clock back an hour when you go to bed at your regular time and then come to worship all rested and ready to sing.

You can choose one of these options or come up with your own. Either way, I hope to see you in worship tomorrow morning.

The Guy in the Next Booth - Let My Words Be Few

2011-11-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

I was at a restaurant the other day and was totally distracted to where I could hardly eat. Not that I'm a really big eater anyway, but that's not the point of the story. There was a person in the next booth who NEVER stopped talking. His voice was a bit whiny and he was complaining NON-stop. "Well, she blah, blah, blah and I've tried to show her respect but she isn't showing me any respect and I think you should... blah, blah, blah, and then she, blah, blah, blah, and I want blah, blah and then she, and I think, and I , and I ... blah, blah..."

I almost got up and told him EXACTLY why he didn't get any respect and that a real man doesn't whine to get respect and that if he didn't stop talking I would help him finish his meal by...

Well, of course I didn't.

Sunday morning Andrew and Calli will join me in singing a beautiful song titled "Let My Words Be Few." I was contemplating what this scripture means since it is the basis for the song.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

How many times have I been like the guy in the next booth, whining and complaining to God and telling HIm what He should do and making promises of what I think I'll do for Him and on and on and blah, blah, blah.

I appreciate the fact that for several decades now we have emphasized how God is our Friend. John 15:15 NAS "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing ; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

But I'm afraid that in our efforts to help everyone understand that God loves us and that He is our Friend that we have forgotten that He is also holy and righteous and that His thoughts are not our thoughts. We treat God like our old pal with no respect or awe. Except for being redeemed by the blood ofthe Lamb why would we ever think we could start telling God what to do or our big ideas.

The guy in the next booth didn't even give the people with him a chance to say anything, much less have any input into his thoughts. Are we the same way when we come to a worship service? Do we have a list of things we want to say to God or do we come ready to listen to Him? Do we come whining about the week we've had? Do we come with a big list of ideas and things to say to God wanting His blessing? Or do we come with hearts waiting to hear from Him? Do we talk about God all Sunday morning or do we talk to Him and more importantly - do we listen to Him?

"You are God in heaven and here am I on earth,

So I"ll let my words be few.

Jesus, I am so in love with You."

Other songs we will sing Sunday include
Glorious Is Thy Name

Shout to the Lord

Power of the Cross - choir
Jesus Messiah
Grace Flows Down

I hope I'll see you in worship this week. Don't be the guy in the next booth. Let your words be few.

All Saints Day

2011-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

All Saints Day is always on November 1. If you don't read the entire blog, you should scroll to the bottom and watch the video of the great hymn "For All the Saints" and be sure to see the awesome text of the last verse.
As a side note, it is why we have Halloween - All Hallows Eve - the "hallows" being the "holies" or, the Saints. And as is the case with other sacred days, over the years what was once a time of reflecting on holy things has morphed into a time of unholiness. (Mardi Gras before Lent is another example.)

The idea behind All Saints Day is to remember the men and women of faith who have gone before us and to let their lives inspire us to live lives of holiness before God serving others and following the Great Commission to make disciples in all the world.

Hebrews 11 is often called "the Roll call of faith."

In it we read about some rather famous people - Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and David. There are also some listed here that aren't quite as famous - Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jepthah.

Some saw miraculous things in their lives - 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection

Others did not have happy endings to their stories - and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection ; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword ; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins , being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

But the writer of Hebrews tells us 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

I love these old paintings of the "Cloud of Witnesses."

By faith they looked forward to "the Promise." By faith we look back at "the Promise," that in the fullness of time God sent His Son.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I've blogged several times about All Saints Day even though Baptists don't really observe it.
All Saints Day post you should read...

The thing I most want to emphasize from the previous post is that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ then YOU are a Saint. (Aren't so sure about that? Go read the post. Click here to see why YOU may be a Saint

This is the dome of the Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel of Beeson Divinity School (Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama.

Special Guests - No Other Name

2011-10-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited that this Sunday, October 30, we have the group "No Other Name" leading us in worship at all three services.

Bro. Larry will continue his sermon series through Acts, so it will be a great morning of music, worship and preaching.

No Other Name has been singing for the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meetings for the last few years. They always do a fantastic job singing and leading in worship.

Here is a link to No Other Name's web site where you can find out more about them.

No Other Name

They have a great heart for missions and sing for many International Mission Board functions too. Here's a wonderful missions video featuring No Other Name.

The Beauty of Autumn - Sunday's Music

2011-10-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

I think in corporate worship we need to sing about many different things. I worry about congregations who only get to sing songs that basically say the same thing indifferent ways. I'm not saying any particular songs are bad. I'm just saying that our faith has to include every aspect of our lives. If we sing about the cross every Sunday, when will we sing about the Second Coming? If we only sing songs of praise when would we sing songs of confession or repentance?

This Sunday we are going to sing about God's greatness - partly as seen in the beauty of Autumn.

How Great Thou Art is such a wonderful hymn. I usually have us sing the third verse "And when I think that God His Son not sparing..." But this week we are going to sing the second verse "When through the woods and forest glades I wander..." Behind the words will be some beautiful Fall pictures.

How Great Thou Art will segue right into
How Great Is Our God.

"Sing with me! How great is our God!"

The choir anthem for Sunday is called Great Is the Glory of the Lord

For our "fellowship" time we'll sing Rise Up and Praise Him.

The last set of songs will give us a chance to respond to the greatness and glory of God that we have just sung about.
My Jesus I Love Thee
and
For the Beauty of the Earth

Both of these songs let us express our love and praise to God in a personal way. I hope you will join us in singing and worshipping our great God this Sunday at 8:30 or 9:45.

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Lord of all to Thee we raise.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! This our song of grateful praise."

All of these pictures are from my yard!

Worship Music for Sunday, October 16, 2011

2011-10-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

The apostle Paul said (I Cor. 14:14)
I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also;
I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

I have typed out some of what I was thinking as I planned the music for this week's worship. Praying and singing in the spirit is iimportant, but it is also important to pray and sing with your mind. I think your worship is deeper and can have more meaning when you have reasoning and understanding behind what you do.

October 16, 2011 AM

There are a a LOT of songs with the title "Blessed Be the Name."
And with good reason. The psalmist said,

Psalm 113:2 NAS

Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever .

Miriam Webster gives this definition of "blessed"
1a : held in reverence :
b : honored in worship :
We'll begin our services Sunday singing two "blessed" songs
Blessed Be the Name – "O for a thousand tongues to sing..."
Did you know that when Charles Wesley wrote those words he wasn't saying a thousand people should sing God's praise. He was saying he wished that he himself had a thousand tongues to proclaim God's praise.
Blessed Be Your Name – "Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful..."

It's probably easier to sing "Blessed be the Name of the Lord" when things are going wonderfully. The true test of faith is if we can sing those same words when life has brought many troubles our way.

Matt Redman wrote this song using the words of Job in the bridge (the part of the song after the chorus)
Job 1:21 NAS

He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

As we gather together Sunday some of us will have had a nice easy "sunshiny" kind of week. But others of us will have had a week of sorrow or troubles. But together we will all be able to sing "Blessed be the Lord" as we sing with hearts of love and faith.
The choir anthem is a great follow up to these songs because it declares our faith in God. "I believe God. I believe His word is true for I've seen what He can do when I call upon His name."
Choir Anthem – I Believe God

Fellowship song – He Has Made Me Glad – "I will enter His courts with thanksgiving in my heart..."
After the "welcome" time we'll sing about God's wonderful Word.

Break Thou the Bread of Life – The last line of the first verse says, "My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word."

I hope that describes us as we gather together Sunday.

I love the last verse of this beautiful hymn.
"O send Thy Spirit, Lord, Now unto me,
That He may touch mine eyes, And make me see:
Show me the truth concealed Within Thy Word,
And in Thy Book revealed I see Thee, Lord."
Ancient Words –
Word of God Speak – We'll just sing the chorus -
"Word of God speak; Would You fall down like rain washing my eyes to see Your majesty?
To be still and know that You're in this place; Please let me stay and rest in Your holiness.
Word of God, speak."
Special Music – Paula McElroy

Message – Dr. Larry D. Robertson

Invitation song – Change My Heart, O God
Offertory – Bro. Lyndel with band – Great Is the Lord Almighty
Baptisms – both services

Music for Sunday, October 9

2011-10-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've missed several weeks of posting what we're singing on Sunday. Maybe this will get me back into posting Sunday's music each week.

This week we'll begin our service singing some songs about the second coming.
Sing to the King
Soon and Very Soon
I'll Fly Away

The choir will sing How Great Is the Love

Then we'll sing...
'Tis So Sweet
Resting in Your Love
Offering

Of course the thing that makes congregational music the best is when we all come wanting to express our praise and love to the Lord. The condition of our hearts is much more important than the song selections. But hopefully these songs will give you reason to celebrate in the hope of Christ's return and then give you opportunity to express your love and give testimony to God's goodness.

I'm resting in Your love,
Trusting in Your grace.
Through the questions in my life
I long to see Your face.
In weakness You are strong,
Lord, live Your life through me.
All my hope is placed in You
I'm resting in Your love.

Does God Hate ..... Westboro?

2011-09-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Bless their hearts. The Westboro folks have come to Clarksville. They want to protest at the funerals of the five "Bikers Who Care" who died this week. This isn't Westboro's usual place. They usually protest at military funerals. They carry colorful signs with very hateful messages. Today they even "tweeted" directly to my Senior Pastor and told him some rather hateful things and where they thought they were sending him because they disagreed with some of the things he said - I guess about them.

So I am risking getting some hateful posts or e-mails since I am talking about them in this post. But, of course, my eternal destiny isn't up to some crazy people from Kansas (who obviously have too much time and money on their hands since they fly all over the country to make a nuisance of themselves).

First, let me point out that I don't use the word "Baptist" when describing them. They use it in their title, but they are not Baptists. Historical Baptist theology is nothing like the hate they spew. I also won't use the word "church" to describe them because what they do has nothing to do with the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, anyway, the Westboro folks like to tell everyone who God hates and they like to tell anyone who questions them where they should go (and I don't mean down to Sonic for some sweet tea). So surely God hates them for doing all of the things that they do.

The Apostle John had a lot to say about God and love. The most famous quote from John is John 3:16
Here it is in the Holman Christian Standard Translation.
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Yes. God loves hateful, terrible people. He loves murderous dictators, those who persecute the church, those who make hateful fools of themselves at funerals, mean people, ugly people, big kids, little kids, kids who climb on rocks, fat kids, skinny kids, even kids with chicken pox (oops, sorry, a childhood commercial just popped in my head.)

But what about the Westboro crowd? My prayer is that they come to know Jesus for who He really is - that they see the truth of John 3:16 in their own lives.

John makes it rather clear who the true followers of Jesus are. Take some time and read all that John had to say about love by reading the entire book of 1 John. Here is a little of what he said found in chapter 4.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: the one who loves God must also love his brother.

These words are for us too. It's EASY to hate the people from Westboro because of what they do. It's not so easy to love them. The only way to do that is to look at them through God's eyes. 1 John 4:9-10 "God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another."

Missionaries

2011-09-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Some people are missionaries as a vocation. Southern Baptist have the greatest missions organizations in the world. Check out the International Mission Board
Our missionaries don't have to spend time going back to the States asking for money. Our Cooperative Program dollars given by our SBC churches pay their salaries, buy supplies, build churches, etc.

The Milams - Andy, Michelle, Micah and Ethan

The Milams' blog

This is our team taking a picture of the Milams.

Some are missions volunteers/partners on a short term project.

Group shot just before 6:00 on the morning we left for Porto.

Some are mission interns for a semester.

Hannah and Jennifer are here for the semester to work along side of the Milams.

All of us should be missionaries wherever we are: at work, at home, at school...

Put your picture here.

The Pot - More than a Souvenir

2011-09-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

The Story of "The Pot."

We worked every day in Porto, but most of our times in the churches were in the afternoons and evenings.

So a few of the mornings we went sightseeing and of course had to buy a souvenir to remind us of our trip - and thus begins the story of "The Pot."

Missions in Portugal (and most of Europe) is different from what you may expect. You can't just invite someone to church and figure they'll show up. Missions in Portugal - and for that matter, sharing our faith in the States - has to be different. Missions is building relationships.

The Milams are building relationships all across the city of Porto. The Milams' Blog One of the people they have been building a relationship with is a lady who owns a pottery shop on the riverfront of the Douro River. She travels across Portugal and buys pottery from the different regions. She had a lot of beautiful plates, pitchers, tiles (which Portugal is famous for) and pots.

The Portuguese people love soup with their meals - or for that matter make a whole meal of a good soup with some pastries.

Well, Cheryl found a pot that she just loves (I think it's beautiful too). But I didn't want to buy it. It cost more than I wanted to spend and I couldn't figure out how we would could put it in a suitcase where it wouldn't be crumbs by the time we got home or carry it on the plane. So we said, "No. It's beautiful, but we just can't take it with us." The shop owner - of course - just left it out on the counter while we looked at plates with beautiful, traditional blue and white artwork.

Cheryl went outside to wait. (The shops are a bit small and there were a lot of us in there.) and one by one the ladies came over to me and said, "You know... Cheryl really likes that pot. You should get it for her." Michelle said, "She'll probably give you a deal on the pot."

So I told the lady we wanted "the Pot."

They wrapped it in paper and more paper and bubble wrap and then pretty we-bought-a-nice-pot-at-a-nice-pottery-store paper. What was once a big pot was now a HUGE pot. The rest of the day we lugged "the Pot" around from the store to the bus to the church to the metro to the hotel and all day long different ones of us would say, "Have we got 'the Pot?'" "Yep, we got 'the Pot'." (We were working on building our own relationships with each other.

Then we had to buy a bag we could carry on the plane that would hold "the Pot."

When we got to the airport there we all were with our luggage, my violin, our carry on bags and Cheryl's new "purse" that held "the Pot." The pot purse was on my carry on luggage and fell over and hit the ground. Of course we all panicked. "How's the Pot?"

Long story, so here's the end of the story. We had fun joking about the pot and the Milams were able to spend some time talking to a lady who knows that they care about her and bring shoppers from the USA to her store.

Here's a picture of the wrapping and Cheryl's new Pot Purse.

The pot is more than just a souvenir. Yes, it will remind us of Portugal, but it reminds us of the Milams, the Portuguese people and the fun we had with friends.When we see it in our dining room it will remind us to pray for all of them - the Milams, the Portuguese and our friends. When we serve soup we will use this pot and again will be reminded to pray that God will continue to bring people into His Kingdom through His people building relationships with others and then sharing the Good News of Jesus.

Here is "the Pot" sitting on a tablecloth from Germany from our daughter's missions trip, on an antique table from my grandmother that reminds me of the wonderful Christian heritage in my family, under some artwork from friends in other cities, and a plate from a mission trip to Mexico. They all remind me of God's goodness to me and how He is at work all around the world. All are a good reminder to "pray without ceasing."

What do you have at your house to remind you to pray and to go and to serve?

That's What It's All About

2011-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

You put your right hand in.

You put your right hand out.

You put your right hand in and you shake it all about.

You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about!

And we've sung the Hokey Pokey all week. It's a really fun way to learn body parts in English.
We sang the Hokey Pokey with children, youth, adults and senior adults. We laughed - a lot - when we put our backside in and out and shook it all about. hahaha. What a fun time.

And through teaching English and through singing the Hokey Pokey we made new friends and developed relationships, and shared the love of Christ...

and THAT's what it's all about.

It has been a really good week!

As You Go

2011-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

"I could tell there was something different about you as soon as you got on the boat."

Most of our work this week has been in afternoons and evenings. So yesterday morning we went on a short boat trip up and down the Douro River. It flows through the heart of the old city and out into the Atlantic ocean. The houses and churches that are built up along the banks were built from the 1200-1700s.

Since Michelle (missionary we are working with) has been on the boat many times with other groups she struck up a conversation with one of the men working onthe boat. He is from Bulgaria. He said that he had faith at one time when he was younger but that now he has an emptiness in his heart. He wants to know how to fill that emptiness and he knew we would know since we were different than the other people who come and go on the boat rides.
Before we left he had made arrangements to talk to Andy when he wasn't at work. How cool is that?

What did we do that was different? We were happy. The Portuguese people as a general rule are not happy. He could tell we liked each other. We were polite. We didn't push our way to the front of the line. Basically, we were acting like Christian people showing God's love for each other and those we met. And actually, before this trip, most of us didn't really know each other. We just have that common love for Jesus and therefore a love for each otheer. This is how you are a witness "as you go."

This is how WE should ALL be as we live our lives in Clarksville (or wheverever you live). I don't know how many times I have read something on FaceBook and thought "Really? Do you really want to say that as a Christian?" Hang on or quit reading. How can we make a difference in our society when we are just as rude as our non-Christian neighbors when our food is bad or the line is long or the trafiic is too crowded and we get cut off or.... You get the idea.

Our world is looking for love. They just don't know where to find it. We can't say on Sunday that we love God and love our neighbors and then Monday through Saturday act as mean as a snake.

Can you imagine what an impact we would have on Clarksville and on the world if the Fruit of the Spirit overflowed through our lives? (Here they are if you have forgotten them.) Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-control.

Well..... preach yourself your own sermon that you need to hear. I'm tired! It's 9:15 here and we've been going hard all day so it's off to bed.

There are some pictures on FaceBook.

I'll post more later when I can.

Porto - the first few days

2011-09-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

My plan was to get on line each day and give you a quick update, but my computer and the free wifi in the lobby donºt like each other - at least I can´t get them to play nicely together, so, here it is almost 11:00pm on Monday and I´m using the computer from the hotel.

The first two days have been wonderful!! I had the priviledge of preaching at two churches yesterday. Itºs harder then you would think. As you preach you can only say a phrase or maybe a short sentence at a time and then you have to wait for the translator to tell everyone what you just said. It´s very easy to lose your train of thought. but the congregations were very kind and appreciative.

Today we had English classes at one of the churches. It was a lot of fun. We had 31 people there. We divided up into older and younger children/youth and there were also several adults mixed in. Some of the people were from the church, but almost half were from the communtiy. The Milams are VERY excited about the turnout and said we have already opened several doors for future ministry opportunities.

We had a lot of fun talking about weather, singing songs (Like the Hokey-Pokey - a great way to learn body parts) we cooked... and more. (and we´re all learning a little Portuguese!) We go back there Wednesday. Tomorrow and Thursday we will go to a different church.

Its late. We´re tired. I think I´ll head to bed.

I cant put picture´s up since I am on the hotel computer, but you might check some of the other team members to see if they have any on facebook.

We're in Porto - Ready to Get Busy!

2011-09-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

We arrived safe and sound in Porto after spending 26 hours in three planes and four airports took a couple of metro lines and well, now I'm kinda falling asleep so I don't really remember...
But anyway, everything was fine on the way over.

The weather in Porto is gorgeous! Highs are in the low - maybe mid 70s. A gentle breeze blows in from the Atlantic.

We had an interesting lunch at the food court in the mall that is connected to our hotel.

This evening we had a wonderful dinner at our missionaries' home and a time of orientation where we talked about schedule for the week and learned some about the Portuguese people and culture.

Tomorrow I will be preaching at two churches. I'm going to try to get on line at least for a minute each day so I can let you know what's happening and how you can join us in prayer. So the main thing to pray for tonight and tomorrow is for me as I prepare to preach and preach and play the violin. I may even end up playing handbells for them because one of the churches has a set of bells - they may be the ones that FBC, Clarksville brought years ago - and they are wanting to hear them. (My plans now are to bring a handbell choir here in 2013.)

Our feet are tired, our sitting area is VERY tired and hopefully very soon I will be off of this and in bed soon.

Tomorrow I will try to get my camera and computer to talk to each other (they haven't in the past) and I'll put some pictures on here.

Other team members are putting pictures and things on facebook, so look there.

Porto Mission Trip Starts Tomorrow

2011-09-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

Começamos a nossa viagem a Portugal amanhã de manhã às 6. Woohoo!!

You can be a part of this mission by praying for us as we go. Here are some things you can join us in praying for.

Health and safety in travel

Peace while we fly (some of us REALLY don't like to fly. I'd tell you who is the worst, but she's staying with me all week and I don't want her mad at me.)

I'm going to preach Sunday morning, so pray that I will listen to the Spirit and have just the right things to say to encourage the believers there.

We will be working with two churches and with children, youth and adults (at different times) so pray that we will be able to adapt our lesson ideas to different age groups.
Pray that the children and youth will bring friends and share with family so that this will be the start of an ongoing ministry at these churches.

I'll try to get on here and share some of what we are doing. There is WiFi in the hotel lobby, so I should be able to at least get something on here a couple of days if not every day.

Below you'll see the Milam's newsletter for September. Click on it and it will be big enough to read.

Music for August 28

2011-08-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this from my phone for those who really like to know ahead of time what will happen -music wise - on Sunday morning at Hilldale. I'm posting from memory, so we'll see how well I remember.

We have a guest musician who sings and plays the guitar. She'll sing a couple of songs. Her name is Lizza Conner. I know her singing will bless your heart.

As a congregation we'll sing "I Will Rise" and hmmmmm I don't remember! I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Music for August 21

2011-08-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

We have some really beautiful music for tomorrow. The choir is singing a song titled "All to Give You Glory." It is sooooo gorgeous. We will have a string section playing along. For you musicians out there, it is a very interesting song. It was written/arranged VERY well. The thing that is most interesting is the meter. It goes back and forth between 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4. You don't even notice the meter change - it just fits beautifully.

Speaking of string sections, we also have some woodwinds and brass playing in our orchestra. We're going to try to have the orchestra play once every 6 weeks or so and eventually to once or twice a month. If you know of others who could play with us, have them give me a call (or an e-mail.)

Other music for tomorrow includes a peppy arrangement of "To God Be the Glory" followed by "You Are God Alone" and "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" with "Your Name." Bro. Lyndel, Shannon and Dan will sing "Be Thou Near to Me."

Hope to see you all in worship tomorrow.

Mission Trip Schedule

2011-08-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Many people don't think they can do missions. Well.... first of all, missions isn't really something you do as much as something that you are. What does that mean? It means what you are "doing" is just a way to reach out to people and draw some interest or a crowd - to find an audience, so to speak. And then "missions" is just talking to people and developing relationships and then as you have opportunity you kinda just do 1 Peter 3:15
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Easy.

Three weeks from today our Portugal mission team will be in Porto, Portugal working with Andy and Michelle Milam. Click here to see their blog.

We will be using English as a way to reach out to the communities of Porto, Matosenhos and Vila Nova de Gaia.
Here is a tentative schedule for our week.

Cool Off with a Rehearsal Video for the Choir

2011-08-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't figured out how to just put an audio file here on blogger. I don't think you can. So I made a slide show/video so I could add a song to it for the choir. Some of them wanted to sing through the song one more time before Sunday morning. Since it has been so hot this summer (although today ended up rather pleasant) I made the slide shows from pictures I took last January.

I hope it cools you off a little and maybe hearing this beautiful song will inspire some of you to join us in singing each Sunday. We have a wonderful time in rehearsal each Wednesday evening and then get to sing beautiful songs each Sunday morning.

Enjoy! (The other music for Sunday morning includes "Let the Worshipper Arise" and "Jesus Messiah." There are others but I don't remember them at the moment.)

Our Painting Class

2011-08-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun yesterday painting hydrangeas. I really enjoyed teaching the class. I'm going to put the painting I did yesterday as part of the demonstration on eBay and if it sells the money from that will go to our mission trip too.

Here's a cool video of our class showing a little of the process and some of the finished pictures. (Next time I need to have an official photographer. We were all a little busy painting to take pictures.)

Music for August 7

2011-08-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm home most of this week being Papa to Hannah and Benjamin. Mom and Dad are at youth camp so they are spending the week with us. How fun is that?

So I normally would try to say something profound or at least a little bit interesting about Sunday's music, but I'm just happy to actually post what we're singing. I hope to see many of you in worship this Sunday.

Sing to the King
O Worship the King

Choir anthem – Revive Us Again
Fellowship song – At Calvary

All That Thrills My Soul
Who Can Satisfy?

Oh, and Sunday is our heART for Missions project. There's only room for about 4 more people, so if you are interested you better sign up today. Call the church office.

Here's what I'll help you paint Sunday at 4:00 at the FLC.

What's So Amazing About Grace?

2011-07-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

A book I read years ago came to mind today as I was preparing to write about Sunday's music - "What's So Amazing About Grace?" by Phillip Yancey.
I remember that it is a wonderful book that I really enjoyed reading and it made a big impact on how I view the world and grace and how we as a church need to be offering grace.

Here's a quote from the book:
"'The world can do almost anything as well as or better than the church,' says Gordon MacDonald. 'You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace.'"

Looking at the paper sleeve on my book I must have paid $19.99 for this book back in 1997. You can get it for $3 on Amazon now. You should. It really is a very good book.

We're singing some songs about grace this Sunday morning. I hope you'll join in and sing from a heart bought by grace and filled with grace.

Music for Sunday, July 31, 2011

Your Grace Is Enough

Hosanna

Choir anthem – How Great Is the Love

Fellowship song – Have Faith in God

His Eye Is on the Sparrow

Amazing Grace, (My Chains Are Gone)

Special music – Diane C and Dan D

Class is Filling Up Quickly

2011-07-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

Our Art for Missions project is filling up quickly. Several of you have mentioned that you plan on coming, but I haven't seen your names yet on the list. Call Donna at the church office today and reserve your spot before they are all gone.

I'll show you how you can paint your own vase of hydrangeas. If you'd rather have pink hydrangeas I can show you how to do that too. Maybe you'd rather have a green vase or a beige background. I'll show you how. Just make sure you get in the class before it's all filled up.

Music for July 24

2011-07-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

I usually write a little something about the music for Sunday but I'm in the middle of listening to Christmas music and I'm kinda on a roll, so I'm just going to list Sunday's songs. I think you'll see how the first three go together and the again I think it's easy to see the connection between "Are You Washed?" and "Covers Me for Life."

Join us Sunday with your heart ready to worship so God can revive your heart as He shines on you.

Come, Now is the Time to Worship
Revive Us Again
Shine On Us

Choir – Lord God Almighty

Fellowship song – Mighty to Save

Are You Washed in the Blood?
Covers Me for Life
Special Music – Andrew and Calli Smith

A heART for Missions

2011-07-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Join us for a fun afternoon of painting and create a beautiful picture for your home while supporting missions.

We'll all paint the picture in the ad - Hydrangeas in an Orange Vase. However, if you would rather have pink hydrangeas and a red vase, you can do that. Whatever color scheme would work in your home you can use with this painting.

It's easier than you think. I will be leading the class and promise we'll have lots of fun. Our mission team going to Portugal will have some cookies or something for us to snack on.

Space is limited, so be one of the first ones to sign up. Call the church office and talk to Donna today!

Expectations - and music for July 17

2011-07-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

If you are familiar with FaceBook you know that those who have pages there have a place where they can list favorite songs, movies or books. They can also put up their favorite quotes.

Last night I remembered one of my favorite quotes that I put there.

"We get along great now that I've lowered my expectations." (You can go to my FaceBook page to see who I quoted.)

I thought of it because I was pulling into the parking lot of Ryan's. Please don't see this as a slam on Ryan's. It's a whole lot better than fast food places but in all honesty, it's no Olive Garden. But as long as I wasn't expecting Olive Garden it was great.

What does that have to do with worship? Expectations work both ways. If you expect something to be something it can't be, you will be disappointed. If you expect local church musicians to sound like the latest greatest band in concert then you will probably be disappointed. If you expect your church musicians to help you focus on God and your focus is on seeing Him you won't be disappointed, you'll see God.

We take from worship what we bring to worship - what we expect to get from it.

We should be expecting to meet with our great God, the Creator of the universe, our merciful Savior full of grace and truth, our Comforter and Healer, our mighty King...

I'm afraid that many times we come expecting to hear some good music and a good sermon. And hopefully more often than not we DO hear some good music and a good sermon... but did we see God? Did we hear His voice? Did we spend time in His presence? Did we commune as friend with Friend?

Let me encourage you as you attend a worship service this week - whether with us a Hilldale or at your church where you usually attend - to enter worship expecting to meet with God. Expect to hear His voice. Expect to worship Him. Don't expect to be entertained by the music, expect it to offer you words and melodies that you can join in singing to express your love, devotion, adoration, gratitude, etc.

If you come to Hilldale at 8:30 or 9:45 you can join us in singing these songs. Come expecting to see God.

Lord, Reign in Me

Everlasting God

Choir Anthem – Power of the Cross (See the Chains Fall)

Fellowship song – Hallelujah - Your Love is Amazing
At The Cross
The Old Rugged Cross
The Power of the Cross

Special music – Josh Ford – Lay ‘Em Down

Here's Kristin Getty singing "The Power of the Cross" that her husband Keith wrote with Stuart Townend.

Music for Sunday, July 10

2011-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

As a general rule when a worship pastor or preaching pastor is going to be gone we don't advertise it much because - I'm sure it's not you - many people will use that as an excuse to skip out of worship that week.
But I am going to be gone this Sunday. My brother-in-law has stage 4 stomach cancer and it's important that Cheryl and I go see him. I'll be back Monday.

Dandy Dan will lead worship for us.

Victory in Jesus
Days of Elijah

Fellowship Song – Friend of God

Nothing but the Blood
You Are My King

Special Music – Don and Paula McElroy

Message – Dr. Larry D. Robertson

Invitation Song – Just As I Am

Offertory – Don McElroy

Clarksville Through the Eyes of Captain and Clark

2011-07-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Captain and Clark were here Sunday and Monday to check out Clarksville to see if we are the most patriotic city in America. They were in our service Sunday morning and recorded it all. They made a video of their visit to Clarksville and used our choir's singing of The Star-Spangled Banner as the background music. There is a tiny bit of footage from our service. You can see our Marine, our Narrator and you get a glimpse of my bright blue coat as I'm directing the choir.

I couldn't load the video from their web site, so you'll have to Click here to go to Captain and Clarks' web site to see the video.

The Proverbs Challenge -Day 31 - WonderWoman!

2011-07-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is the last day of our Proverbs Challenge. I hope you will continue to read not only Proverbs, but all through the Bible in the days and months ahead.

Oh my! I got tired just ready all about the woman in Proverbs 31. Is that even posible for one person to do? I don't think so. She gets up before the sun and feeds everyone works, buys, sells, plants, and more during the day and then stays up half the night still doing stuff. This might be the only way to actually do so much!

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Now THAT is doable. Perhaps Lemuel knew a woman who could bring homethe bacon and fry it up in a pan. Oh. I guess a good Jew wouldn't do that... but you know what I mean. But my guess is that he was just conveying the idea that she worked hard and was resourceful. But the bottom line is verse 30.

Since I am doing this Bible study with a couple of younger guys,(we e-mail each other about the chapter after we read it) my emphasis from this chapter would be How can we as men be the kind of man that a woman like that would want to be with us. Are we hard workers? Are we resourceful? Would we be a man at the city gate? (a place of honor) Do we also fear the Lord?

I pray we all can become more godly, wiser, etc. all the things we've seen in Proverbs this month. kWe probably need to read it again!

The Proverbs Challenge - Day 30

2011-06-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Proverbs change authors. Instead of Solomon, we are hearing from a guy named Agur. He was speaking these proverbs to Ithiel and Ucal. Nothing else is known about them (according to the footnotes in my fancy study Bible) But the ones who compiled the book of Proverbs obviously found the words of Agur to be on par with those of Solomon since they are included.

Verses 5-6
5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Don't add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. Holman Christian Standard

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) translates v. 5 this way "Every word of God is tested"The NIV says, "flawless."

I think that has the same meaning when you think of pure metals and how they are tested with fire and made pure.

Either way, Agur is reminding us that we can totally trust in God's word because it is pure, tested, flawless.

There has been a consistent attack on the Word of God over the past 30-40 years. Many who want to justify their personal sins will say something like "Well. That just applied to people of the time when the Bible was written. Times have changed. Paul wouldn't say that now."

These people should heed the warning found in v.6 "Don't add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar."

The Apostle John in Revelation gave this warning.
22:18 I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.

God is serious about His Word. We should be too.

The Proverbs Challenge - Day 29 - and an old song

2011-06-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Someone asked about Proverbs 31. Good question. In many months you can read a Proverb a day and it works out just fine. But if you know the song ♪ ♫ Thirty days has September, April, June and November, But who needs to remember? My days belong to you. ♫ ♪ Then you know there are several months where you don't have enough days to get all the way through the book.

So... you have two options. Read chapter 31 on the 20th or read it on the 1st of the next month. (No. Just totally skipping it is not an option.) I'm going to blog about Proverbs 31 on July 1.

I read through this chapter several times in a couple of different translations. The verse that keeps standing out to me today is verse 7

7 The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern.

Poor people often don't have access to lawyers or other advocates. They can be taken advantage of by landlords or loan sharks or others. Sometimes they are poor from their own bad choices in life. Sometimes they are poor because of their upbringing or lack of education. But no matter how they got there, all through scripture we see that God is concerned for the poor and expects us to be also.

Other verses form Proverbs 29 to consider:

2011-06-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Rand McNally (the map people) and USA Today are on a road trip to find the most patriotic city in America. Article from USA Today and Rand McNally

Clarksville is one of the finalists! Here's a note from their team that's scouting out the "most patriotic" cities.

" It's Tawny and Chris (aka Captain and Clark) from Rand McNally and USA Today's Road Rally.

We wanted to give you a heads up to our schedule for the next three weeks so that you'll have a rough estimate as to when we'll be arriving in your patriotic towns. We're currently in Williamsburg, Virginia and if the other contestants have anywhere near the enthusiasm that we've experienced so far, we'll burst in air with excitement. It's been a great start to our trip. "

Captain and Clark's Website

They'll be in Clarksville THIS weekend and even more exciting than that !!! They are going to be in our service Sunday morning and are going to video the entire service so they can show everyone how our church is helping make Clarksville the most patriotic city in the USA.

How cool is that?

So….. We need everyone who has ever sung, thought about singing, sings in the shower or with the car radio to sing with us Sunday morning. Call your friends who used to sing in choir and tell them we really need them. The orchestra sounds fantastic and we need to match that with the choir. Don't forget your teenagers and older children can join us too.

Help spread the word. We need you in choir Wednesday night and Sunday morning. The music is easy to learn. We'll use our books so you don't have to memorize anything.

Hope to see you all tomorrow night! (Bring more singers with you!)