Enriched Affections

This morning I had the pleasure of sharing an early morning meal with an old friend. It was so early in fact, that the sun wasn't even up. Thankfully, my watches hands glow in the dark. I was fairly confident I had plenty of time to get dressed and out the door for my 6:30 appointment. However, I had a bit of a freak out moment right before I left. I checked my watch and it read 7:00! How had an entire hour passed while I tied my shoes? The problem wasn't the time, but the way I was holding my watch. The hands looked like 7:00, but it was actually 5:55, which looks remarkably like 7:00 when you only see the hands and a few dots for the hours. Once I properly aligned my wrist, everything was right with the world. I was able to show up early for breakfast and enjoyed a great time catching up with a long time brother in Christ. Perspective is so important in life. I find myself getting overly concerned with things when I'm not lined up properly. Just as my wrist needed...

Wind-Up Wednesday: How to Talk to Girls All you ever needed to know about getting a girl...

After my daughter's last day of preschool, she informed me that she was a little afraid heading into Christmas. When I asked her why, she responded by saying she was scared she would be on the naughty list and that Santa was watching her all the time to see if she was good. I was a little surprised to hear this. She went on to tell me that her teacher told her that Santa was real and would be keeping an eye on her. I'm not writing this to judge how you do the whole Santa thing in your home, but we have already told all our kids that Santa is just pretend, like Dora or the Backyardigans. Yes, he was a person a long time ago, but not like in the movies. They've taken this information in stride and we haven't had any real problems with it. But now I had a dilemma. I had the uncomfortable task of telling my child that her teacher was wrong, a thing I don't like to do. This brings up the larger issue of the true meaning of Christmas and how it is taught. It bothers...

Each Sunday of Advent I'll be featuring a different Christmas song we use in our worship. Hopefully, you'll be introduced to some new and engaging songs that will bring freshness to your personal and corporate worship. (12.2 - O Sing a Song of Bethlehem / 12.9 - Christ the Lord is Born Today / 12.16 - When He Comes / 12.23 - In the First Light ) "In the First Light"  written by Bob Kauflin (1988), arranged by Todd Agnew, released on Do You See What I See (2006) Why I recommend this song for worship- This is another wonderful Christmas song which emphasizes the importance of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. As it examines Christ's first coming, it points us forward to His return, blending In the First Light  with Do You See What I See?  in a wonderful way. We performed this song in both our Christmas concert and morning worship service. While the melody may be difficult at first for congregational singing, the message is worth the effort. It...

Each Christmas our family puts together a little compilation video of the events from the past year. Some years there is a ton of footage to sort through. In the past few days I think I've sorted through over 300 short little videos to find the best for our little video. One thing I love about doing this is remembering how much I love my family and the rich heritage we have. So many of our traditions, from Hanukkah to singing crazy Happy Birthday songs, are inherited from our family. I am so grateful for these gifts even as I'm grateful for the ones who gave them. One of the most precious gifts I've been given from my family is my love and talent for music. My father is the especially talented one in the group. Last week my mom sent me an old recording of him singing "O Holy Night" from our days back at Grace Community Church in California. I have to say, of all the singers that attempt to sing this song, I love my dad's voice the best. Take a listen, an...

Wind-Up Wednesday: "Hallelujah" from The Voice   and a FIF Christmas This past week I've enjoyed the many tributes to those who lost their lives in the tragic CT shooting. The one from The Voice this past week is one of my favorites: As Christmas is quickly approaching, here is my favorite Christmas morning song. We play this every year to get the kids out of bed. I hope you enjoy it, and Merry Christmas!

Each Sunday of Advent I'll be featuring a different Christmas song we use in our worship. Hopefully, you'll be introduced to some new and engaging songs that will bring freshness to your personal and corporate worship. (12.2 - O Sing a Song of Bethlehem / 12.9 - Christ the Lord is Born Today / 12.16 - When He Comes / 12.23 - In the First Light ) "When He Comes" by Joshua Huff (2012) (this is a live recording, performed at our annual Christmas concert by my wife Moriah and myself  in December, 2012) Why I recommend this song for worship- I love the Christmas season. Each year we celebrate one of the most significant events in recorded history, but it isn't the most significant. In fact, it is really Christ's life, death, and resurrection which bring importance to His birth. What I've tried to do with this song is capture the complete scope of Christ's coming. It begins with looking forward from the perspective of an Old Testament saint, ...