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)!