Harmony Is Hard - But Worth It

My text this morning is from Romans 15:1-7.
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

We're Moving!

Kristi and I have had an extremely busy summer, which is why there have been no posts here. The highlight of the summer was Kristi's surgery to reverse her colostomy, marking the end of her cancer treatments! We are now at the "watch-and-pray" stage. Every few months she will have blood tests to check the various levels that may indicate there is a recurrence. And every year she will have scans and scopes to make sure she is clean. We have a lot to be thankful for.

The other big news of the summer/fall is that we have decided to move to Valrico, FL, to work with the congregation where my friend and mentor Marty Pickup served. Valrico is about 30 minutes east of Tampa, in the Brandon area. The most difficult thing about this decision was the choice to leave a group of people we deeply love, our family at Woodland Hills. But we think this is what the Lord wants us to do, and we will be headed down in Mid-January.

This move will take Kristi and me back to the area where we first met while students at Florida College,   and reunite me with my friends in the Sunshine District of the Barbershop Harmony Society, including my friends in the Heralds of Harmony. We will also be in an area where many of my former students from my time as a professor at Florida College now live, and it will be great to reconnect with them.

Sermon: The Father I Wish I Had

Recently I read a book called Little Britches, by Ralph Moody. It is an autobiographical tale from his early childhood as his family moved from New Hampshire to Colorado. It is a fabulous book, but as I read it I could not help but be drawn to Ralph's father. The way Ralph described his dad prompted me to think of the kind of father I wish I could have had growing up.

I wish I had a father who...

Eulogy for Marty Pickup

Some of us here today knew Marty Pickup because he was our teacher. Others, because he was our preacher. Many, because he was our colleague. Those are the ways that I knew him, and as best as I can, I hope to represent all of you who learned from him, worshiped with him, and worked with him.

Random Thoughts about Gay Marriage and the Supreme Court

1. As a Christian, I believe that Christ is Lord, and what He says is authoritative. So when Christ says that marriage is for one man and one woman for life, that's what I believe (relevant passage is Matthew 19:3-9). Not everyone is a Christian, and not everyone believes that the Bible is the inspired word of God. But I am, and I do, and that faith guides me on crucial matters like this.
2. As a traditionalist, I believe that thousands of years of human experience and tradition are valuable guides, and that the reality that enduring societies have seen marriage as between a man and a woman as what is best for civil society (even when those cultures openly embraced same-sex relationships of other kinds) provides a much more compelling case than any argument I have heard from same sex marriage proponents.
3. As a citizen, I am terrified that the Supreme Court may suddenly discover a Constitutional right to gay marriage, knowing that if the Court can discover rights that are clearly not in the Constitution, it can just as easily deny rights that clearly are in the Constitution.
4. As a human being, I appreciate the fact that there are those who disagree with me, and who see this issue not in terms of faith, or tradition, but equality, justice, and love. 
5. As a citizen, I also understand that democracy means citizens can change laws at the ballot box, and that the demographics clearly show that my views are not going to be the majority for much longer, if they even are now.
6. As a traditionalist, this concerns me, because I think most changes from the long established traditions of civil society are bad, such as other changes like no-fault divorce, cohabitation outside of marriage, and the rise of single parent homes (I say this as one raised by an unwed mother).
7. As a Christian, I ultimately think that whatever the civil state may say about a matter, the real power to change lives is not through the coercive powers of the state but through the love and grace of the gospel, both in its teaching and through its practice. So I will try even harder to be loving and gracious to those with whom I disagree, keenly aware of my own failings.

Notes on Jeremiah 27-29

These chapters focus on the message of judgment, and especially in contrast to the reassuring messages the false prophets were giving the people. Jeremiah already had a tough job – such false prophets only made it more difficult!

Sermon: God (Mature in the Faith Series)

Isaiah 6:3

I.  God is holyBasic idea: separate, apart“Holy, holy, holy” – the MOST holyIn what sense? Isaiah 40:27-28-Eternal vs temporal (“The LORD is the everlasting God”)
-Creator vs creation (“the Creator of the ends of the earth”)
-Infinite vs finite (“He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable”)
Read Isaiah 40:12-26