Interesting! I wouldn’t have expected the original crooner to have so much staying power, after 67 years. But Bing Crosby prevailed by one vote over The Bills, while Colbert and Company had an easy time dispatching The Piano Guys. So now we come to it, …
Read MoreJesus Came as an Outcast
(Message given at Newberg Friends Church on December 11, 2016) For several weeks, we’ve looked at God’s regular habit of not doing things like we would think God would. God shows up with the outsiders and the oppressed, and it is God showing up that …
Read MoreGood King Wenceslas-Round 3
Your votes have whittled the field down to four. The first match up is classic crooner vs. Celtic cadence, while the other semi-final round pits three seeming mis-matches against the Piano guys. You’ve got until Thursday night at 9 pm to vote! (Plus, don’t forget …
Read MoreGood King Wenceslas-Round 2
You people always surprise me with what you like…who knew Sheldon was so incredibly compelling? What is it that you like about the Piano Guys? I just don’t get it… Plus I don’t care how cute Hugh Grant’s looks are, or British children. This is …
Read MoreGood King Wenceslas-Opening Round
It’s time for tip off, so plug in those Beats headphones and crank up your bluetooth speakers, and get ready to begin the voting for your favorite version of “Good King Wenceslas”! Now, granted, this is not the best musical choice I’ve ever made, but …
Read MoreHope Rewind
(Message given at Newberg Friends Church on December 4, 2016) Yesterday we got our Christmas tree. We’ve been going to the same place over in Sherwood since 2005, just a little red house with a field of trees behind it. We found it randomly, and …
Read MoreRescue Will Come…Humbly
(Message given at Newberg Friends Church on November 27, 2016) “I lift up my eyes to the mountains–where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Those words from Psalm 121 have often been an encouragement …
Read More2016 Advent Caroling Madness!
It was three years ago tomorrow that I had one of my best ideas of all time: put different versions of Christmas songs into a basketball-like bracket to fight it out for the best version! It’s morphed from a writing exercise under my full control, …
Read MoreThe Mother Bear Place in God’s Heart
(Message given at Newberg Friends Church on November 13, 2016) I made a commitment long ago to be as honest and transparent as I can be as pastor of this church. Not that I had a whole lot of choice, I’m not really the best …
Read MoreThe Soft Place in God’s Heart
(Message given at Newberg Friends Church on October 30, 2016) There’s a soft place in God’s heart for the outcast and the oppressed, for the underdog and the overlooked. In one sense, this has been a revolutionary thing to my mind and heart. Over the …
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