Towards Worship Formation

This post is written specifically for my Trinity friends, but anyone else is free to read it and add some useful comments (since people from all churches and walks of life may have similar needs or desires) So… It is my desire to help people encounter God as much as possible and in as many ways as possible.  I spend a large amount of energy helping people encounter Him on Sunday mornings, primarily through song, prayer and the reading of scripture, but I know that to have a vibrant, dynamic…read more

Having read Gabe Lyons’ first book, Unchristian, I was very excited to hear the culmination of his research contained in this book.  I myself have met many people who are disenfranchised by Christians they have met, or more likely, by Christians they have heard about in the media, but as Lyons points out, there is great hope in a new generation of Christians. This book is written in a very conversational style, making it easy to read and digest the great wealth of information he offers.  It is very encouraging…read more

So, I couldn’t help it.I was reading Psalm 16 this morning, and had an accompanying devotional reading on the same passage, and I couldn’t help it – I had to share it! Psalm 16     A miktam of David.  1 Keep me safe, O God,    for in you I take refuge.  2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;    apart from you I have no good thing.” 3 As for the saints who are in the land,    they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.[c]   nor will…read more

I wouldn’t call myself an avid reader, but I do like to read and have recently begun to pick up some extra books to enlighten and encourage.  So, I heard about a program where I can get a copy of a book for free in exchange for writing a blog post about it.  This is the first of those posts. I honestly wasn’t sure what I was going to discover in Mark Batterson’s new book, Soul Print, but I was pleasantly surprised.  If you have read any of Batterson’s previous…read more

Why is it so hard to do what is best for us? In many ways, we are supposed to be disciplined people, but how often do we truly live disciplined lives?  Let’s look at some simple disciplines:Don’t watch too much TVDon’t overeat (or eat too much bad food)Do the dishes (this is more of a discipline for some people)Dust the house!ExerciseRead the BiblePraySeek after God So many things get in our way from practicing important disciplines for our lives.  Why don’t I exercise?  I’m too tired.  Why don’t I read…read more

I’ve been doing a large amount of learning lately. Between school, books I’ve been reading, and a class I’m teaching at church (yeah, you probably learn the most when you teach!), it sometimes feels like I’m having a mental explosion.  I suppose that it is good to be learning and it’s good to be sharing what I’m learning with others as well. I’ve been learning about how perceptions on how music is created, performed, and heard changed significantly with the dawn of the Romantic period – and much of that…read more

Hello! If you’re at Trinity, read this scripture (in NIV and the Message) to prepare your heart for the service on Sunday. If you’re not a Trinity person, just read it anyway because God is so incredible and we all have an ever growing desire to worship Him and delve into His Word. Psalm 19 (New International Version) For the director of music. A psalm of David.  1 The heavens declare the glory of God;       the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech;       night after night…read more

Well friends, it’s been a super busy month with Easter and with my recital and everything, and it’s nice to be done with all of that, no matter how wonderful it all is. Just a few weeks of school left (and both written and oral exams…) and then we’ll be in China before we know it. Goodness! For today, I thought I’d share a little video with you all that I found today. The video itself is pretty fun, but the message is very poignant for many of today’s Christians….read more

I want to take this post to advertise for my church 🙂 So, this weekend at Trinity is going to be soooo awesome. Mostly because we will be celebrating two super incredible days in history. The day Jesus gave up his life to defeat our sin is, of course, Good Friday. If you haven’t been to a Good Friday service at Trinity, it’s time to try it! It’s always so great, and very unique. The church is open anytime from 6:30-8:30pm for you and your family to come and reflect…read more

Shortly after writing yesterday’s post, I finished reading a book I’ve been reading for far too long (it’s only 120 pages and I’ve been going quite slowly).  I will put the recommendation out there, however – In the Beginning, God by Marva Dawn (actually her pen name).  In this book she makes the case that the foundation for the worship of God is contained in Genesis 1-3.  It’s quite good, actually, and as I said, it’s only 120 pages, you can borrow it if you would like 🙂 Anyway, I…read more