4.25.2007

josh garrels

Two excellent videos of artist, Josh Garrels, whose albums don't spend much time out of my cd player. Great message, great sound, great voice. Enjoy.



4.20.2007

it's friday.......

Just a post regarding the past post entitled "good friday". Rachel has done the research regarding the sermon titled "It's Friday But, Sundays Comin'" and has discovered that the original pastor who wrote & delivered the sermon was Marshall L. Shepard, Sr., pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in West Philadelphia. Sadly, everything on the internet credits Dr. Anthony Campolo who did write a book on the sermon, oddly enough, gaining public credit for the sermon with no known declaration that this is someone else's work.

Below is the email response from Tony Campolo's assistant:

Rachel,

When I "Googled" the topic, I found some of this, and then I made a call and
got the rest of it! "Tony Campolo preaches a sermon taken from an elderly black pastor, the
late Marshall L. Shepard, Sr., pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in West
Philadelphia. "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'" is the title of the sermon."

James Warren
Executive Assistant to Dr. Anthony Campolo, Bart Campolo and Shane

Looks like the cat is out of the bag. Have a good weekend everyone.

4.16.2007

natura

Yesterday, I was able to "check out" of civilization for a few hours and go on a 9 mile hike in the surrounding woods of the Kittitas valley. I love being out in nature, I feel the closest to God when I am totally alone surrounded by his creation. The raw nature that I find in the untamed hills surrounding our home also quenches my need for adventure. I'm never sure if I'll step on a rattlesnake, be stalked by a mountain lion, or maybe surprise a sleeping elk or deer.......perhaps a slumbering bear!?! As I meander back down the trail, in the gray twilight of the night, my spirit was calm and quiet, ready to start a new week.
The top two pic's are of Mt. Stuart in the Cascade mountain range. The next one is of Mt. Rainer as the sun was beginning to set to her right. The last one is a random picture of a lone tree on a hill. I'm growing a strong affinity to lone trees. Not sure where to go with that thought. Anyway, have a good week.




4.06.2007

good friday

It's Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter's denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It's Friday; but Sunday's a coming.

It's Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, "Father, forgive them." It's Friday; but Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, "My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?" What a horrible cry. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that's because it's Friday, and they don't know it, but Sunday's a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it's Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn't the only thing that was shaking because now it's Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it's Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it's Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It's Sunday, and the crucified/resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It's Sunday. And now everything has changed. It's the age of grace, God's grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it's Sunday.

- Pastor Marshall L. Shepard, Sr.