You Were Meant For More

You Were Meant For More is the title of a Nov. 23rd blog post by pastor William Vanderbloemen. Here's his post:

Chances are, God has a higher view of you than you do. Here’s what He says about you:

You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message)

Do you ever find yourself thinking you’re just a face in the crowd. That you’re in a rut that won’t ever end? Ever wonder if you will ever amount to anything?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that you are just a face in the crowd, a number in the masses, or a wisp of air. Today’s “First Thought” comes out of some pretty jarring words from Peter’s first letter in the New Testament. Let those words sink in. Let them make a difference in the way you view yourself.

You are a difference maker. You have been called to be a contributor to the greatest movement the world has ever known. God wants to use you to change the world, one life at a time. How? by telling those you see what a difference God has made in your life.

In the season leading up to Christmas, people around you are more ready than you know to hear that God loves them, that God matters, and that their lives can change.

Who can you talk to? What can you tell them about the difference God has made in your life?

It will mean more than can imagine.

To read more encouraging words from Pastor Vanderbloemen, check out his blog here: http://williamvanderbloemen.com/

Clark Howard's Advice on How Long to Keep Records

I found the following helpful. Maybe you will too. Do you agree with his advice? For example, I always thought we should keep bills for at least one year. According to Clark, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Read on:

The amount of records you should keep is actually more limited than you think. Here is Clark's advice on what to keep and for how long, and what to get rid of...

What records to keep:

• Tax returns, keep forever
  
• Tax return documentation, for six years
  
• Contracts, forever
  
• Real estate records, forever
  
• Last pay stub of a job if you leave that job
  
• Last pay stub of the year for your current job
  
• All mortgage payment checks (statements), until mortgage is paid off
  
• All student loan payments, until loan is paid off
  
• Car loan payment stubs, until the car is paid off
  
• Cancelled checks, for 7 years
  
• Bank deposit slips, for 7 years
  
• Bank statements, for 7 years
  
• Home improvement records, ownership period plus 7 years
  
• Investment records, ownership period plus 7 years
  
  What records to toss:
  
• Credit card statements that are more than three years old
  
• Past insurance statement
  
• Old utility bills, except the most recent one from your old address if you've moved
  
• Recently paid bills (statements), once you have something saying they've been paid

Van & Mary Vee Keese

There's an amazing couple in our church: Van and Mary Vee Keese. Van was a B17 pilot in WWII. I would like to repost a blog entry here, having to do with his service in the war. It was written by B.K. Blackwell, and you can read the original post here. The pictures I post here are from Mr. Blackwell's blog.

I'm writing this on June 14, 2009, for reference. About a year ago, I received an email from Larry Keese who is the son of the Buckeye Babe's Pilot, Van Keese. Larry had been Google searching for information about his (and my) Dad's B-17 bomber, the Buckeye Babe, and discovered this website. In his email Larry informed me his Dad was still alive, 89 years old and living in Wimberley, Texas with his Wife (and Larry's Mom) Mary. I was like, "What an amazing coincidence!" I wanted to hop in the car and go to Wimberley right away but circumstances, a hurricane (Ike) and surgery (mine) stood in the way. Finally, a few weeks ago, Judith and I had the chance to go to Austin for a visit with her Sister & Husband. Wimberley is just down the road from Austin so I went for it :) Judith couldn't accompany me so my Cousin, Chip, came along. We both grew up in Illinois but are now transplanted Texans. Chip and I traveled to Wimberley on a beautiful day and arrived to a very sweet and poignant reception. Van and Mary were so happy to meet us and offered us a very warm welcome. Van is the last living member of the Buckeye Babe's crew. It is a miracle that anyone in the 8th Air force survived the War. That Van's piloting skills brought both he and his crew home alive is nothing short of a miracle. Plus, neither my Brother nor I would be alive today if it weren't for Van (and his crew's) heroic efforts to survive their missions. I got a photo of Van and Mary the day we visited and am very grateful to have the opportunity to share their happy faces with the whole world. God bless them both!

PopZ

This morning I visited Al Brinkley (PopZ) and his family at the hospital. Al went home to be with the Lord about an hour after I left. He and his wife, Mary Helen (MomZ), have raised a family of singers. It was my pleasure to sing with them today--four sisters and a brother--as we all sang hymns and gospel songs together--in perfect harmony, I might add! I know Al was comforted by the singing. I told the family that every person in a hospital bed should be so blessed to have a family of wonderful singers who are singing songs about our heavenly home.

In my prayer with the family I said how truly blessed I was to sing and visit with this wonderful family. It really is true that when you seek to be a blessing to others, that you end up being the one who is blessed. And besides comfort and blessing, there was quite a bit of worship going on too.

PopZ was loved by so many people. Besides MomZ and the kids, their good friends, Ann and Betty were there. The room was filled with a lot of love and wonderful memories. I thank the Lord that I was there to share in this sacred moment. My prayers are with the family.

"Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20).

Speicher and the Lost Sheep

Today the news announced that the remains of Lt. Cdr. Scott Speicher had been positively identified. His plane went down at the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991. After 18 years, this is incredible news. It underscores the military's commitment to search for its comrades, both living and fallen. After hearing the story this morning on the news, I was glad that his family finally has some closure.

I was also reminded of the story Jesus told of the lost sheep in Luke 15:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I thank God that he searches for people until He finds them. I would give up, but He never does. I would become discouraged, but God, out of His matchless love, stays on the hunt! And when He finds the lost sheep, all the neighbors and frends are called to rejoice with Him. I confess that I've given up on people before, but my prayer today is that I will be able to see with God's eyes just how valuable people are. I pray that God gives me the ability to encourage people in their walk with the Lord, and invite others to join in on the journey of faith that leads to Christ, the Good Shepherd who never gives up on us!

William Vanderbloemen's Thoughts on Hope

Where can you find hope?

I have hope for the future. God has hope for your future. He has promised it. And so I believe you should enter today choosing to hope.

But what does that mean? Where do we find hope?

Sometimes, people think that hope can be secured by living well enough. The thinking goes like this, “If I invest well, my future will be secure.” Or, “If I follow the rules, if I keep my nose clean, if I do what is right, then I have a reason to hope.”

But if you have read the news at all, you know we cannot invest well enough to secure a hope. If you have lived long enough, you have probably realized that none of us are able to keep all the commandments, or live well enough to secure our hope.

This week, I studied and found that the word hope does not occur in the Bible until the book of Ruth. That may not sound important, but a little reflection brought me to an important realization. The word hope cannot be found in the first five books of the Bible, the books that our faith has called “The Law.” My realization,

You will not find hope in the Law.

You will not find hope in your behavior. Nor will you find it in what you know. You will find it in a different kind of relationship with God, one that is based on a heart to heart connection.

Maybe you have been trying too hard to build your own future, or secure your own hope. Let today be a day that is committed to a new kind of hope, one that is based on a heartfelt connection to God. When you do, behavior will flow out it. And hope will flow through your life.

Hopeful,

William

*Read more of Pastor William Vanderbloemen's blog posts here.

A Prayer of St. Augustine

“O Lord, who has warned us that you will require much of those to whom much is given; grant that we whose lot is cast in so godly a heritage may strive together the more abundantly by prayer, by almsgiving, by fasting, and by every other appointed means, to extend to others what we so richly enjoy; and as we have entered into the labors of other men, so to labor that in their turn other men may enter into ours, to the fulfillment of your holy will, and our own everlasting salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

– Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

By the way, I'm finding these prayers on a great blog, the Missional Church Network.

Africa by Toto performed a capella. Incredible!

A good friend just sent this to me. I was a huge Toto fan in the 80s and 90s. I know the song well. This a capella group starts by simulating rain, then performs the song, with all the nuance of the original, but with no instruments. Wonderful stuff. Thank you, Liz, for sending this to me!

A Prayer of Thomas Aquinas

“Most merciful God, order my day so that I may know what you want me to do, and then help me do it. Let me not be elated by success or depressed by failure. I want only to take pleasure in what pleases you, and only to grieve at what displeases you.

For the sake of your love I would willingly forgo all temporal comforts. May all the joys in which you have no part weary me. May all the work which you do not prompt be tedious to me. Let my thoughts frequently turn to you, that I may be obedient to you without complaint, patient without dejection, and serious without solemnity. Let me hold you in awe without feeling terrified of you, and let me be an example to others without any trace of pride.”

- Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)

Drought Conditions

Well, we all knew the drought conditions here in Texas were bad. This data from LCRA confirms it. See those dark red areas? That's where the conditions are the worst. Guess where we live. Pray, pray, pray for rain!

A Prayer of St. Benedict

At the Missional Church Network blog, I read the following prayer by St. Benedict (480-547):

Gracious and Holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive You,
intelligence to understand You,
diligence to seek You,
patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
hearts to meditate upon You,
and a life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ our Lord.

What a prayer. It encompasses so much! I need to pray it daily. Thank you, Lord, for inspiring people like St. Benedict to put into writing what so many of us need to be expressing in our own prayer life.

July 5th Patriotic Service

We had a wonderful worship service on July 5th. I wrote about it over at the FBC Wimberley Music Ministry blog. Of course, I think it's worth your time, so click here to read it.

A prayer for the close of the day

The following is a post on Pastor Rich Kannwischer's blog. I came across it the other day. It helped me. Maybe it can help someone else.

A friend over lunch recently shared with me his struggle with taking work home at the end of the day. He may not have a lot in the briefcase, but the tensions and work seems incomplete, following him to his family. I agreed that as a pastor the work seems never done. There is always another phone call to make, another tweak of the sermon or lesson, another new relationship to build. These are wonderful problems to have, but it does make it hard to feel a sense of completion at the end of a day.

So I shared with him a prayer that I keep near my computer at the office. It is a prayer I regularly say at the close of a day's work.

"Gracious Father, you have kept me this day even without my knowing. As the shadows now lengthen and the evening comes, hush the busyness of this world and calm the troubled waters of my heart. My work is not yet done, but it is time for rest. I thank you, God, for all the good we did this day and for all that has given me joy. Forgive me for when I have strayed from your will and your way. Take from me my worries, my pains, my complaints and my fears. May evil no longer have power over me. Let your servant now depart with peace to join those I love to celebrate and bless with your humble kindness. Amen."

Now, if you aren't already, go home and rest.

We're All In This Together Movie Preview

Trend Spotting

Here's an interesting article from Marian Salzman. Check it out. It's eye-opening to see the future trends that Salzman talks about.

My Fair Lady begins this weekend!

My Fair Lady is starting this weekend at the EmilyAnn Theatre in Wimberley. If you want to order tickets, go to http://emilyann.org/musicals.htm. Dates for the show are June 5,6,7,12,13,14,19,20,21. You'll see some actors from our church, including Gary Yowell, David McCall, Sarah Bryan, and myself.

Juli Dearrington is playing Eliza and Carl Galante is playing Professor Higgins. It's a must-see! The EmilyAnn Theatre just completed a great run of the 60's Sensations Musical Revue. Angie Lassetter directed that one, as well as My Fair Lady.

Dan workin' the crowds!

Here's a picture of me singing something from My Fair Lady. The Starlight Symphony is accompanying, and other cast members are there with me.

Interesting article about the kindle and the book industry

I was reading a Wall Street Journal article about eBooks vs. real books, the kindle, and the way everything is changing in the information age. Read the article for yourself. It's enlightening.

Easter 2009

We had two wonderful Easter services this morning at church. And then our family enjoyed lunch with my parents and Leslie's parents, as well as Chris Richardson, long-time friend of Leslie's family. After lunch, I was curious about the condition of Capt. Richard Phillips who was being held by Somali pirates, so I turned on the television, and was very happy to learn that he had been rescued from captivity after Navy seals took out 3 of the 4 pirates. I'm happy for the captain and his family. They will never forget this Easter.

In the spiritual realm, I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, who releases us from our "captivity." Of course, a lot of people don't even think in terms of being held "captive." But when you think of trying to face life's challenges in your own strength, you have to realize that you will run out of power eventually. So it just makes sense to let God lead you.

Consider this passage from 2nd Corinthians 5. It speaks to the subject of Easter, and really sums up what I'm trying to say:

¹⁴ For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ died for our sin, and was resurrected on the third day! Because of this we can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. This is the message of Easter. When I was 11, I prayed to receive Christ as my Savior, and have enjoyed the journey ever since! I prayed something like this:

Dear God,

I'm sorry for my sin. Thank you for dying on the cross in my place, so that I could be forgiven and reconciled to You. Please come into my life to be my Lord and Savior. I want to live my life for You here on this earth and be with You forever in Heaven. Based no the promises in Your Word, I thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life!

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

I pray that some of you reading this blog post would think this over. If you haven't trusted Christ as your Savior, it would be a privilege to talk to you, or even discuss this over email.

Reggie McNeal Lecture to Reformed Church Leaders Part 2

Reggie McNeal Lecture to Reformed Church Leaders Part 1

Thoughts on the First Worship Service

...in our new auditorium. I wrote this article for our church's newsletter the week after our first worship service in our new auditorium.

We are finally there! But “there” is “here” now. What I’m trying to say is “we are finally at our new site!” All of us have longed for this day. Something very magnificent took place on our first Sunday in the new auditorium. It’s a day that will remain in our memories for quite some time. I’ll bet Pastor Mark is also mentioning our first Sunday in his newsletter article. But I just had to share my thoughts on it too!

I started the day, like many of you, at our 501 Old Kyle Rd. location at 9:30 a.m. The night before, a couple of people discovered there was a carillon. The controls are in a closet in the hallway between the stage and choir room. Because of their technical backgrounds, they were able to get it functioning again. So at the 9:30 service, we were drawn to the old sanctuary with the beautiful sounds of the carillon ringing in our ears.

We had a glorious service there at the old location. I was overcome with emotion as I led a few hymns from the piano. So I just turned the mic toward the audience and let them sing. Then we saw a DVD that reminded us of our history and heritage, as well as the impact we’ve had on the community and the world (i.e. The Kenya mission trip). The DVD was so good we had to show it again at the opening service at our new location. We also heard from Bro. Young, Marsha Niedecken, and Pastor Mark.

When we came to the new location, it was like the glory of the Lord fell on the congregation. As the minister of music, I just have to say that you sang so well! We truly “made a joyful noise” to the Lord. Many of you who have volunteered your precious time in preparation for this momentous occasion were exhausted by the time our first service came around. I was too! But God blessed us with the strength we needed for the day.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Mark and staff here at FBC. We feel the strength of your prayers. And pray that our church will continue to be a beacon in this community to the glory of God! We are so excited to see what God has planned for this congregation. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11)!

Check out this Video: 40 Inspirational Speeches

I saw this today. Thought it was pretty funny. Enjoy!

Wall Street Journal Radio

I want everyone to know that I've been downloading and listening to the Wall Street Journal This Morning podcast. I guess I like the show because of its tone. It's not political, yet it covers business, the arts, cultural trends, and generally interesting stories. The show's hosts, Gordon Deal and Gina Cervetti, have a lot of fun in their reporting too. So give it a listen and tell me what you think. I also recommend NPR's Marketplace podcast, which is a similar format.

King Tut - A Must See!

I'm in Dallas today at the Dallas Museum of Art. My main reason for being in Dallas is so that my family can see and experience the King Tut exhibit. If you haven't seen this, it's really a "must see" event. An added bonus is just being able to see the rest of the museum's exhibits when you've been through the King Tut portion.

Anyway, King Tut, the boy king, was about 9 years old when he ascended to the throne, and was about 19 when he died. The cause of death is a mystery to this day. Tonight, we're going to a church service at Fellowship Church in Grapevine. If you ever get a chance to see one of their services, you'll understand why they are known for their creativity.

Our family is having a great time up here in "Big D." We'll be headed home tomorrow. Our good friends, the Cottles, are with us, and they're enjoying it too. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything! I'll try to do better.