I’d like to see more commercials like this (which aired on Saturday evening, January 14th, 2012) on television:

The Bach Cello Suites are some of my favorite music. But you have to hear this take on one of the more popular songs. I just recently came across this video produced by The Piano Guys, and thought you might enjoy the level of creativity.

Recently I took my three children to a local play land at a fast food restaurant. It was a chance for me to get the children away from the house on a rainy day, and it gave my wife a nice break.

Towards the beginning of our time, I observed a father who was hollering at his boys. They weren’t even doing anything wrong; they were just annoying him. One of them had trouble with his shorts falling down, and the dad blew up at him about it. He kept losing his temper, saying, “Get over here! Right now!” Then, another one spilled drink down his shirt. That was the end. His dad ripped into him and said things like, “Now look what you did. Now I have to change your shirt!”

The dad’s behavior was embarrassing.

Then, towards the end of our time, there was a child who was being mean to my children. (Let’s just say there was blood, and lots of tears.) Now, my children can sometimes play a little rough, so when they are the ones being roughed up, I tend to be very forgiving, mainly because I know how it feels to be the parent of a rowdy child. After I consoled my kids, I observed the mother’s behavior. She simply took her son, held him, and said, “You are not allowed to play any more.” She was gracious, apologetic to me, and calm with her child. She didn’t raise her voice, yet she still dealt with the injustice that took place.

Even though her son might have been acting like a holy terror, this mother’s behavior was commendable.

It was good for me to see that. As I seek a proper balance in my parenting (not authoritative, and not permissive), it’s helpful to be handed some real-life experiences to observe.

This past weekend our church hosted a parenting conference. It was—hands down—the best conference I’ve ever attended, probably in large part due to the fact that it was extremely practical and helpful for my current situation as a father of three young children. I gained many valuable insights from the conference, but one truth that really hit me was the reminder that we are to lead by example. This is an obvious element of leadership, and an important part of parenting.

In a recent office reorganization, I came across a paper that was handed to me by a former colleague at a Christian school where I taught music. This teacher had asked his students to write a paragraph about one teacher they wanted to be like when they grew up, and why. One student chose me. It was a very interesting paper. My fellow teacher gave me the paper, and he wrote at the bottom, “You are being watched.”

I kept that paper, not just because the student was a smart kid (anyone who wants to be like me is smart, after all), but because it’s a reminder that I am being watched. My testimony matters. What I do and say is being observed. I’m not an island to myself.

It’s important to remember that we each have influence. There’s a fella I run into regularly who continually reminds me of the influence I have on his children and others. Honestly, it kind of scares me. At the very least it keeps me in check and reminds me that my faithfulness to God not only matters to me, but it matters to a whole lot of other people.

In the end, our goal as Christians is to be like Christ (the perfect example). Let’s further purpose to encourage those within the scope of our influence to be like Christ, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than by being the right kind of example.

I recently saw this shocking video online. The video itself is not shocking; it’s the message that is.

To fully understand it, you might want to read this scripture first:

The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be (James 3:8-10).

I guess a better question is, Could this be me? It kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

Our church recently presented a special service that we called the Tender Mercies Service. It was an opportunity for the church to be reminded about God’s greatness and care for His children during our difficulties and trials. It was a memorable service. I’ve provided it here for you to watch.

So in my quest for the perfect look for my website, I updated my blog design with the Standard Theme. Nothing short of awesomeness, I believe. Simple, and sweet. It’s still being tweaked, but the basic concept is in place. What do you think about it?

For you blogging and website design techies, the internal debate I commonly hold involves whether I should have a “static” front page, with merely a link to the blog, or have the main page be the blog. For now I have chosen to put the blog on the main page. For one, I use this site quite a bit to inform you, the reader, of new songs available, and when I’m not doing that, well, I’m blogging. So it just sort of made sense to keep the blog front and center. If you look around, you can still find the free piano songs (which are wildly popular), and the choral music listing. (Be forewarned, the next sentence contains a shameless plug.) And, yes, there’s still a link to that piano CD, which is still available for purchase or download.

Speaking of internal debates regarding blogging, on occasion I admittedly have questioned my motives for blogging. What is, in fact, the reason I even have a website? I suppose it wouldn’t be entirely truthful to say that it’s not about self-promotion. I am, indeed, promoting what I do. (I’d like to think that at least one or two sales of my music were made as a result of this website.) But it’s my prayer that I promote what I do with the motive of being an encouragement to you and your ministry. So I guess I view this website as an act of service, a part of my ministry.

In the final analysis, if there’s anything good that comes from this website, it’s not because of me. It’s because of Christ.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

People often ask me how I have time to write music and keep my day job. (I don’t think I write all that much music; but I guess some people think I do.) It’s true: you make time for what you enjoy. And I enjoy writing music. Truthfully, it’s my No. 1 hobby.

The main thing that keeps me excited about writing music is the fact that I often get to see it be used in a specific way. Whether it’s being sung by our choir or an ensemble, or being played by our instrumental ensemble, or even as a solo, it’s just enjoyable to write something you know is going to be used in a tangible way.

Occasionally I will write a song for a specific publisher, or for a specific project that may never involve me actually using the piece. But my most inspiring music usually comes when I’m creating for the groups and ensembles that I serve with on a regular basis.

If you have the bug for writing music, I’d encourage you to write music for whatever groups you have the opportunity to be a part of. Use them as your “guinea pigs.” Make it an enjoyable experience. Encourage feedback and suggestions. You never know how helpful it might be. (I once completely changed a section of a song based on a random suggestion from a friend.)

We live in a world in which your worth is based on what you achieve and accomplish. It seems that one’s value is based on one’s level of success. Tragically, this thinking has seeped into the church.

And yet, this thinking goes completely against the teaching of the Bible. God doesn’t emphasize success, but rather faithfulness (see Psalm 31:23; 101:6; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:21; Luke 16:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Revelation 17:14). In fact, it seems as though He could care less about my achievements, especially if they are not marked with complete obedience and submission to His will.

We don’t serve an overbearing God who demands our complete and utter success. Instead, He’s more interested in our faithfulness in the process. Instead of being discouraged by the outcome, let’s keep our eyes on the plow.

Even in ministry work, it’s a continual temptation to evaluate my success and worth based on what I do. The truth is, God will never be impressed by me. I recently heard someone say that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me less. That’s encouraging.

Ironically, this actually motivates me to want to do more, to press ahead, and do great things for God. That’s a good thing to desire, with a great motivation. Scripture reminds us that we are to be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). God wants me to be diligent; He’s going to take care of the results.

My family just made a quick getaway this last weekend to Jacksonville, Florida. Both Beth and my folks live in Jacksonville, so from time to time we enjoy visiting what really amounts to our old stomping grounds. While it was only a three day visit, it was great to just get away, unplug from the regular schedule, and recharge while away.

I brought books to read and paperwork from church to review, but I spent most of my time playing games with my family, visiting the beach, and playing with our children (and enjoying our folks play with our children).

During our vacation, and really over the last few months, we have been noticing some hilarious comments that our three year old son has been saying. This must be the most humorous stage of raising children—we have been laughing a lot lately. His comments are funny and cute, and I really could write a book about it.

Here are a few of the funny comments and questions my three year old son has said recently:

• While traveling, he observed a pickup truck full of furniture and boxes and blurted out of nowhere: “Do you see all that yucky junk?”
• You should see his mischievous smile that accompanies this question: “Sissy, do you want me to tickle you?”
• When asked what we should name our yet-to-be-born third child: “Well, I’m gonna call him Turkey.”
• In response to something silly mommy or daddy says: “You bunny rabbit!”
• When daddy accidentally says the word “stupid” (a word mommy says is a bad word and shouldn’t be said): “Daddy, that’s not very nice.”

It’s great to hear the words that truly are “out of the mouths of babes.” His two year old sister isn’t far behind him in the funny comments category. Yet amazingly, this child who makes me laugh so much, has a very sweet and sensitive heart. Maybe someday he’ll read this and get all over me for it. Regardless, he has reminded me and taught me so much about being caring and loving. I’m not one of those parents who thinks my children are perfect (though I joke they are!), but I am grateful for the gift they are to me and my wife. My life is deeply enriched because of my family.

This is going around the internet, so I thought you would enjoy it. Talk about fun!

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtyAsiZWktY

A few weeks ago the circus came to town. On a whim, my wife and I decided to take our children. We’re glad we did. Our family enjoyed a much needed break from our regular routine.

Throughout the two hours of pure entertainment, I was amazed and awed by the talented performers, the exotic animals, and the superb band. But what really caught my attention was the adeptness of the support staff. These guys, dressed in black, were constantly involved behind the scenes helping with various aspects of the show. These “men in black” juggled a lot of tasks:

• They intuitively moved what seemed to be hundreds of props in and out of the ring to their exact specified location for the various acts.
• When a flying trapeze artist was jumping onto another trapeze artist, these guys were standing nearby ready to catch or stabilize them if they lost their balance.
• When a ring of fire needed to be put out, they had the proper equipment in place, just outside of the ring, ready to extinguish the fire at just the right moment.
• These guys stood guard outside the ring when it was converted into a giant cage in which a half dozen or so lions played with one extremely dangerous and crazy lion tamer.

What’s more, these guys weren’t blundering around trying to figure out where to go and what to do. They clearly knew their places during each act, and were on location without wasting any time or effort. Clearly, these guys understood the importance of their responsibilities, and they took their duties very seriously. In many cases, their attention to detail and effort was a matter of life and death, especially if something were to go wrong. Imagine: should someone fall or something go wrong, people’s very lives depended on these men. Now that’s responsibility!

As you can tell, I got very distracted at the circus.

If you are considering becoming part of the support team at your church, here are some important questions you should ask yourself:

• Can I be counted on to be in my place?
• Can others depend on me to do the job?
• Will I consistently perform the tasks required?
• Am I willing to wear many hats, as the jobs require?
• Am I able to purposefully serve, regardless of potential personal discomfort?
• Am I really willing to take on the responsibility required of me?

In the circus, the most important people in the show aren’t the clowns, the ringmaster, or any of the performers. The most important people are the support staff. They’re the reason the show can go on.

Church is no three-ring circus (or at least, it shouldn’t be), but it is the “main event.” All the more reason to have an excellent support team!