Pass the Palms by Phil The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" “Blessed is the king of Israel!” - John 12:12-13 What an amazing sight it must have been to watch Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem! We often see our kiddos reenact this historic event with a palm branch parade on Palm Sunday, but do we...
13 days ago • 2 min read
DRUM ROLL... We mentioned earlier that we have an exciting announcement. Coming this May we will have a new addition to the party - our daughter Kayla and hubby Kyle are expecting a baby boy! We are excited to welcome this new blessing into the fold and have every expectation of spoiling him. Many of you watched Kayla grow up on the road with us and are faithful to ask how the kids are doing. To honor this momentous occasion, we decided to go back almost 25 years to revisit a devotion Pam...
27 days ago • 2 min read
Who Dat, St. Pat? by Phil Happy St. Patrick's Day - the holiday where millions around the world drink green beer and pinch people to honor the Irish saint who chased snakes out of Ireland. The only problem with this (beyond pinching drunk people) is St. Patrick wasn't Irish and there were no snakes in Ireland. One top of that, St. Patrick wasn't even a saint! Now before you go drown your disillusionment in a green pitcher, St. Patrick does have a great lesson for us Christians, you've...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Other Reason For Church by Phil Did you ever think that your walk with the Lord might not just be about you? It’s easy to be so focused on ourselves that we overlook one of the key purposes of the church. To understand my point, let’s journey back with the apostle Paul. Paul had planted a church in Thessalonica and he was concerned about the new believers there. He knew they were suffering under persecution and he was afraid they would abandon their newly formed faith. Unable to visit in...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Greetings fellow travelers on life's wild journey! Here in Kansas City, Phil was cleaning the drive in sub zero temps a few weeks ago, then wearing T-shirts and shorts the next week, and now we have a blizzard warning this evening. Praise the Lord our furnace and air conditioner work. We may have to use both in the same week! First off, Phil's mom wants to send a big THANK YOU for all the birthday wishes last month. We took her out to lunch and surprised her with some long-time friends...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Company Wife? by Phil We've all heard of getting perks with a new job or promotion. These could include health insurance benefits, a retirement package, and extra weeks of vacation. You might even get a membership to a health club, sports tickets, or the holy grail of employment... a company car. This practice is not new, it goes way back to Old Testament times. For instance when King Saul wanted to seal the deal with young David, he came up with a little incentive. A company chariot? No....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
What Comes First? by Phil It's been a while since we had a music lesson, so here goes! (I promise to keep it simple and worth the read.) Music is basically made up of notes and intervals; most importantly, the third. In the key of C that would be the C and E played together. A major third has two notes that are 4 half-steps (think piano keys) apart and sounds "happy." If you lower the top note by 1 half step you get a minor third which sounds "sad." Almost all chords are made by stacking...
2 months ago • 2 min read
It's Not The Socks by Phil Part of my responsibility at Big Creek Baptist Church where I am leading worship on Sunday mornings is to select the songs for each service. The pastor gives me the scripture for his sermon and I search for songs that will enhance that theme and tie the whole service together into one continuous worship experience. I've stressed many times that my goal is not just for us to sing songs that are familiar or create a warm and fuzzy emotional high, I want all of us to...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Howdy Friends and Neighbors! The weather the past few days in Kansas City had us thinking Spring was just around the corner, but today winter let us know it's not quite finished with us yet. Thank the Lord for a working furnace! We are enjoying our time at Big Creek Baptist where Phil is leading the music on Sunday mornings. What a great bunch of folks! Of course, it doesn't hurt that the church is only 16 minutes away from our house. We love meeting and worshipping with new people, but we...
3 months ago • 1 min read