What Are My Priorities?

I have been doing this church thing for a lot of years. I have sung hundreds of songs over the five decades or so that I have been a follower of Jesus. Some songs have great meaning to me. Some lyrics moved me to deep worship of God. Some times I really meant what I was singing. Other times I was singing through the motions while thinking about lunch and when the kick off was going to happen. Sometimes a song would make me really squirm.  One song in that category was recorded by the legendary George Beverly Shea in 1932.  The words were from a poem written by Mrs.Rhea Miller in 1922. Shea recalled the moment. At the age of twenty-three, I was living at home with my parents, continuing to work at Mutual Life Insurance and studying voice. Going to the piano one Sunday morning, I found a poem waiting for me there. I recognized my mother’s handwriting. She
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Finding Peace in Dark Valleys

No one gets through this journey unscathed. We will all face sadness, struggles, worry, sickness, and death. When I face trials I default to a song titled “Hold Me Jesus” from Rich Mullins. He is with Jesus now but Rich Mullins’s ability to capture our faith journey in lyric form was remarkable. Well, sometimes my lifeJust don’t make sense at allWhen the mountains look so bigAnd my faith just seems so small Right now I am in a pretty good place in my life and journey with Jesus. But a heartbreaking number of my friends and loved ones are going through agonizing struggles and can relate completely to those lyrics. Rich Mullen’s words do not exaggerate the pain. And I wake up in the night and feel the darkIt’s so hot inside my soulI swear there must be blisters on my heart I used to respond to troubles by thinking it must be my fault somehow. God must not be pleased
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The Devastating Toll of Anxiety and Worry

I see a lot of worried people around me. Worried about the pandemic. Worried about the national division. Worried about international tensions. Worried about all kinds of things. But this old proverb rings true today. “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” As I get older I experience more and more how practical Scripture is for daily living. In the teaching of my youth the Bible was a book of lofty and seemingly impossible demands to behave in a way that would please God. Now I see that the Bible is a love story where Jesus met those impossible demands on my behalf. I see now that my simple faith and trust pleases God. And I see a practical book that shows me how to find joy during this temporary journey on earth. The Designer knew when we left the factory that worry is destructive. The study above merely
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Where Is God in Your Darkest Moments?

Occasionally I receive a message that I HAVE TO WATCH this video. I tend to push back on all-caps requests and the results when I do bite are usually mixed. Rarely do I click on one of those recommendations and have my world rocked by what I see and hear. That happened recently when I listened to the America’s God Talent audition of a young singer who goes by the stage name Nightbirde. Her real name is Jane Marczewski and she grew up in Zanesville, Ohio about 90 miles from my hometown of Chillicothe. Regular readers of my humble musings know I rarely give homework but this week is the exception. I am going to ask (make that beg) you to click here and watch the video of her appearance on the show. Her original song “It’s Ok” and melodic voice would have given her a great chance to advance. Add her story and attitude and you have something truly
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Please Play This Song BEFORE Posting or Tweeting

I have teased for years that I want to develop an app that asks you to pause and pray before you hit send. Failing that, maybe I can convince you instead to play a song recorded by Glen Campbell. The lyrics are from a poem written by Edgar Albert Guest in 1914. Guest immigrated from England in 1891 at the age of 10. He was a newspaper reporter for the Detroit Free Press before becoming a syndicated author of poetry. He became known as the “Peoples Poet” and was said to have published a new poem everyday for 30 years. His works were not critically acclaimed but they connected with the public. Fifty-one years after Guest published “A Creed” the words were put to music by Glen Campbell in a song titled “Less of Me”. (Click on the link to hear it) Let me be a little kinder,Let me be a little blinderTo the faults of those around me,Let me
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What is the Secret to Come Together?

I am helping with some of the planning for our 50th (not even possible) high school reunion in Southern Ohio. Academically I was only 127 spots away from being Valedictorian at Chillicothe High School! Perhaps I could have applied myself a bit more. It is almost incomprehensible that five decades ago we walked the stage and began our journey through life. I have been nostalgic about the upcoming reunion and reflective about my beliefs when I graduated long, long ago.  The one thing I was sure of was that my generation could make a difference. We would fix the mess that my parents and grandparents had made. We believed peace was possible. One of favorite songs from that era was a song The Youngbloods recorded called “Get Together”.  I remember listening to a staticky AM transistor radio while singing along with The Youngbloods. All we had to do was get together. This would be easy enough. Everybody sing now… C’mon
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Medicated and Still Unrepentant

Today’s topic has real potential to rile up the spiritual hall monitors. I expect I might hear from a few of them. Recently I talked to a fellow Christian about depression and anti-depressants. He was resisting trying medication because he felt he wouldn’t be having these problems if he were a “better” Christian. Some folks had told him that he should trust God with his sadness. I agree that bringing our sadness to a compassionate Christ is important. But there can be more to the issue and we, as fellow sojourners in Christ, do a disservice if we merely give depressed friends the “buck-up and do better” pep talk. The old give hundred percent for Jesus challenge can make a sad and lonely person feel even more alone. I have some experience with this topic. I am medicated and unrepentant. For years I went through emotional ups and downs that my wife described as my “funks”. She walked on relational eggshells when I was going
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