10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman

The song we'll sing at Drennon on Sunday, October 28, 2012.  Come worship with us at 11:00 am!

Matt Redman - You Never Net Go

A great song we'll sing Sunday at Drennon...

Carry Me To The Cross, by Kutless

A beautiful song by the young group Kutless.  What an image, how God carries us...

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, by Casting Crowns

Beautiful slideshow set to Casting Crowns' version of the old hymn, which we'll sing tomorrow at Drennon.  Great images of daddies with their kids.Very moving to think of our Heavenly Daddy loving us like this, lifting us up on His shoulders, hugging us, making us laugh--us making HIM laugh.  Wow!  God bless all children!

Tree63 - Blessed Be the Name

We'll sing this song this Sunday at Drennon.  It's always been one of my favorite praise and worship songs, especially after I heard it explained at the Londen Institute for Evangelism.  A musician classmate of mine pointed out that in both the good times and the bad--blessed is His name.

Aaron Shust - My Savior, My God

Here's the song we'll try to sing Sunday at Drennon.  Pray for us!

The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard

After participating in the Man Challenge Bible study/men's group this past spring at Southeast Christian Church Oldham Campus, I jumped at the opportunity to join the summer Bible study that would go through Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy.  Kurt Sauder and Chris Brown sort of co-led the study, based on which of them was available that particular week.  Both did an outstanding job with the study, and you could sense the passion each of them had for the material as well as its subject matter.

Willard used this book to expound upon Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and articulate how God wants us to live while here on earth.  Willard states that we spend too much time focusing on just saving someone to assure them of heaven, while not focusing on what needs to happen after that with a person during his or her remaining days, whether its just days or several decades.

Willard's writing is dense and very interllectual, but not totally unapproachable.  I would compare it favorably to some of the reading I did as a student with The Londen Institute for Evangelism--difficult but vital.  The Divine Conspiracy was so worthy a read, and I hope to read something else of his some day, especially because I understand that this one was really just one section of a trilogy.

I have written previously about how Southeast Oldham has impacted me, my Christian walk and my ministry at Drennon.  This study, which I took my son JR with me as a sort of "auditor", was the best thing I've experienced there yet.

Weird, by Craig Groeschel

I read Groeschel's other book It a few months ago and really loved it because it spoke to me so much about what we as a church might need to do to capture that indescribable essence that exudes the Holy Spirit. This book, Weird, deals more with a person's one-to-one Christian walk and how it relates to everything we do individually. Again, Groeschel is a very entertaining, personal writer, but this time I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous book.  Nothing to knock this book at all, because I still really enjoyed it, but it didn't bowl me over in the same way that It did.

I'd still recommend Weird and hope to read The Christian Athiest and Soul Detox eventually, but this one didn't strike me quite as forcefully.  I'm sure it's where we are as we read each individual book.  I truly admire Groeschel and his work, though, as I have tried to tell as many as I can about his church, LifeChurch.tv, and its efforts to make the Bible available free to any smartphone or tablet owner.

In Weird, he makes the point that living normally by the definition of the world isn't working any more, and isn't a goal that any of us as Christians should pursue.  Groeschel remains one of my favorite Christian writers, and I look forward to reading more of his work...

The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson

What a great book, by a new author to me.  I kept downloading samples of Mark Batterson's books, unaware that they were all by the same guy.  (Duh.)  When I put two and two together I decided to read one, and I'm glad I began with his new one, just published this year.

I have always struggled so much with prayer, for dozens of reasons.  This book has immensely helped me, though, and has given me a lot of hope.  It has helped me with some current personal crises, and I pray that others read it and gain the same new understanding.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, one of the most innovative churches in the USA.  I just bought Pastor Batterson's first book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, today at Half-Price Books, and can't wait to read it too.

A Simple Idea

A couple of months ago, one of our elders, MB Hardin, Jr., had the idea that a good summer activity for us would be to try to clean up and restore our cemetery a bit. It turns out that the Drennon cemetery is the only untended-to cemetery in Henry County, the only one without a custodian. We quickly got to work Saturday morning, though, and figured out that professionals weren't needed as much as just willing hearts. It felt like a simple little slice of the life in Christ: common-minded folks just gahering for a little needed work...

TobyMac - Lose My Soul

I'll be playing this during our fellowship time at Drennon this week.  This song will probably never get old for me...

Fishers of Men, Rhonda Vincent

We'll be singing this one Sunday at Drennon in celebration of our youth event by the same name...

The Constantine Codex, by Paul L. Maier

Number three in the trilogy that also contained A Skeleton in God's Closet and More Than a Skeleton. While this one wasn't as enthralling as the first two, in my opinion, I still truly enjoyed it. Of note was the interesting relationships between Christians and Muslims. This was a major part of the story, and I thought Dr. Mailer handled it in a thought-provoking way.

The story deals with the possible discovery of an older copy of the New Testament than has ever been found, and the possibilities of there being more material to consider for the Canon.

Again, this one wasn't as much a page turner as the first two, because there wasn't as much intrigue or crisis involved, but I'd still recommend any and all three of them to Christian or non-Christian readers. I hope there's a part four in the near future.

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Unearthed Stained Glass

We've known there was one up in the church attic above the sanctuary, and here it is. It's so different from the others. Darrell and Pam Moore are going to clean it up, strengthen it, and help us figure out how to display it.

Our New Porch & Ramp

We've been working on a new porch and ramp for our fellowship building--what an incredible difference! We're hoping this will address some needs as well as beautify out church grounds. Come and see...

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Goober Says Hey

For almost three years we have enjoyed The Andy Griffith Bible Study at Drennon Christian Church.  I believe tonight will be our 85th lesson overall, with no momentum lost.  We've traveled to our commonwealth's capital the past two years to see The Andy Griffith Christmas Play, too, and became a chapter member of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers' Club (Drennon's Deputies chapter), so we love Mayberry.  Tonight, though, we'll meet with a heavy heart.  Goob's gone.

I remember the day Don Knotts died several years ago, and how TVLand showed his best episodes over and over, and we got quite misty-eyed (or at least I did).  I know that over the years we've lost Aunt Bee, Floyd, Otis, Ernest T., Briscoe Darling, Howard, Emmett, Clara, Helen and too many more, but this one really hurts.  Goober was a TV character for longer than any of these others combined, if you count Mayberry RFD and Hee Haw.  Nearly thirty years.

It's always a great consolation when you know the lost loved one was a Christian, though, and I learned that George Lindsay was when I read the forward to the original book that started The Andy Griffith Bible Study.  We've been to Mt. Airy about three times, and I just wish I had been able to run into ol' Goob before he finally went up to heaven to goose St. Peter.

RIP Goob.

Blind Pig and the Acorn

I always like to play good Christian music during our fellowship time at Drennon, and I really wanted to play some old-timey bluegrass this week because of Eric Bush sharing the message for our Stewardship Sunday service.  Searching for bluegrass hymns on YouTube, I came across this family group, Blind Pig and the Acorn.  Just one word:  Wow!  I love their sound.  I love how it makes me think of my family in Rosine, Kentucky, the home of Bill Monroe and Bluegrass Music.  These guys are amazing, and their music is truly haunting.  Bravo!

We're Not Going to Kenya After All

It is with profound regret that I have to write that my family is not traveling to Kenya after all.  With my wife's recent health scares and surgeries, we have had to face many, many fears, from ourselves, our family, our church family and from all around us.  Harriet's health improves every day, but concerns remain for her immune system to stay in tiptop shape, especially faced with the prospect of traveling overseas to somewhere as far away as Kenya. 

I feel ill that this spring has unfolded as it has, because it's been an unpleasant April, but the graciousness and Christian love that Bishop Jacob Chris Barasa Lusweti showed me when we spoke on the phone a few minutes ago underscored that we serve a Great God, one who loves us and wants us to love serving Him.  We don't know what our next serving opportunity will be, but right now we're going to try to focus on our family life.  "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord..."

Lark Rise to Candleford

After putting off trying this series out, even though my parents recommended it over and over again, we finally got the first disc of Lark Rise to Candleford on Netflix.  After watching now about fifteen episodes, Harriet and I have actually found a TV series we enjoy even more than our beloved Downton Abbey.

I grew up on The Waltons.  Harriet especially loved Little House on the Prairie.  This sort of TV show that did so well in the 1970s just doesn't really exist any more, except on TVLand and Hallmark. 

Nowadays you have to delve deep into rerun-land to find wholesome, but top-quality shows like these.  At Drennon we have The Andy Griffith Bible Study, and it fits our congregation to a T (and Harriet and me too).  My other favorite shows of all time include M*A*S*H, Northern Exposure, Everybody Loves Raymond and The Office, none of which really have the same high values as Andy Taylor, John Boy and Charles Ingalls exude in their beloved shows.  This one comes close.

The scenery of Lark Rise to Candleford is amazingly detailed and historically accurate (to my layman's eyes).  The characters are real--earthy, gritty, warts-n-all kind of folks.  The stories aren't all pretty, and there's occasionally sadness, but that's okay.  This show is a thing of beauty.  The picture I included above says it all:  patient Queenie and mad hatter Twister, as appealing a pair as you could every imagine.  I've fallen in love with finding out what happens next with Alfie, Pearl and Ruby, Thomas Brown, Dorcas, Robert and Emma--everyone.  The only sad part is knowing that, even though this show was a smash hit in Britain, it ended last year after four seasons.  Once we hit the fortieth episode, that'll be it.

Find this show on Netflix, on DVD or on YouTube.  It makes you feel good in an age when TV rarely does that.

Levi's Will, by W. Dale Cramer

My wife and I have always been fascinated by the lifestyles of our Christian brethren that live the older, simpler lifestyles than what we're accustomed to these days in 2012.  We visited Montgomery, Indiana, about three or four years ago to witness the Amish community there.  Seven years ago while I was on a mission trip in Belize, I traveled a couple times past a Mennonite settlement.  Finally, one of our favorite places on earth to visit is the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, right here in Kentucky.  (And let's not forget South Union Shaker Village in western Kentucky.)

While the Shakers are mostly gone, except for a few in Maine, the Amish and Mennonites are going strong.  This particular book is written by a man whose family is Amish, although he left that life many decades ago.  The story of the novel pretty closely follows the experiences he's had through his life, and in fact its writing and publication affected his family so much that some of the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation from the story came true in the book's aftermath.

This book is beautiful, in my opinion.  Much like in reality, the folks of this story go through some frank, tough struggles, up to and including the ending.  Nothing's black or white as much as it's several shades of gray.  The main character goes through a several-decades-long process of learning about himself, his Amish roots, his immediate family and his place in God's Kingdom.  I was really struck at how realistic this novel was at showing how long it can truly take for someone to come to grips with his or her faith.

There's not much objectionable in this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone.  I'll probably have to read some more of Dale Cramer's works in the future.