Roger

None of us is getting out of here alive!  Death is imminent, and it is considered by most morbid to discuss.  And I get it!  Life is precious and we cling tenaciously to every breath.  Who in their normal mind sits around talking about death?  Right?  If you do, we need to talk! As a hospice chaplain, I often officiate graveside services.  Cemeteries are not my favorite hang-out place, but while there I like to read inscriptions on tombstones.  Most include only the name, along with birth and death dates.  However, some across the years have left their humorous side behind: “She always said her feet were killing her but nobody believed her” “Barry M. Deep” “Another one bites the dust” “Here lies an atheist.  All dressed up and no place to go” “Na na na na Na na na na Hey hey -ey Goodbye” ”Here lies Lester Moore.  Four slugs from a 44.  No Les  No more” “Jesus called and Kim answered” “Don’t laugh, you’re next” MERV GRIFFIN...

The Trinity.  Hard to understand.  And difficult to explain.  But I’m so thankful for God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Trinitarians have been accused of believing in three God’s but the Scriptures make it clear:  “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4)!  Perhaps the most poignant illustration of the “Three in One” occurs at the baptism of Jesus. “After  being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).   God the Father spoke from heaven, God the Son came up out of the water, and God the Spirit descended as a dove.  Three in One! While the Scriptures make it clear that we worship only One, we affirm that He’s one God, eternally existent in three Perso...

The other day I mentioned Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Trigger in casual conversation when my young friend asked, “Who’s that?  I replied, “They were popular movie Western stars when I was a kid.”  They were on television the same time the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Silver were.” With a puzzled look, my friend said, “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”  Then it hit me. The “golden age” of television has long since passed off the scene. I’m sad!  Please tell me you remember Gabby Hayes, Gene Autry, Tom Mix, John Wayne, Clint Walker, Walter Brennan, and James Arness.  I could mention so many others who “rode off into the sunset” during those years -- 1940’s through the early 60’s.  So, if you’re younger than fifty, you probably don’t know to whom I’m referring. Then, I learned that the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, originally located in the San Bernardino Valley, and later moved to Branson, Missouri in 2003, closed its doors in December, 2019.  It ...

Last week I talked about a wonderful Spirit-filled service I attended over 45 years ago, and how the memories of that service still affect me.  In this blog, I wish to discuss seven Hebrew words that describe worship expressions, taken from the books of Psalms and Isaiah.  Then, I’m going to demonstrate why genuine worship services have to be conducted decently and in order for all in attendance to receive from the Lord. The Psalms (Hebrew hymn book) and the Prophet Isaiah, reveal seven forms of praise that I believe we need to incorporate in today’s worship segments of our services.  They won’t always manifest, but we certainly need to be open to these worship expressions.  They come to us through the use of seven Hebrew words:   HALLAH -- “Our praise word, “Hallelujah” comes from this root word.  Literally interpreted, it means, “Praise the Lord.”  “Praise the Lord!  Praise God in  His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse” (Psal...