What I have been up to

Hello! I’m back…for a moment. So, what have I been up to? Making music. The school year began a little over a month ago, and so I’m back at work. I work part-time at the local community college as an adjunct faculty member, serving as the accompanist and rehearsal assistant for the choral program. A surprise this semester is that I was asked (two days before classes began!) to teach a class in sight-singing and ear training. That’s been going well. This past summer, I picked up a weekly gig accompanying a chorus at a nearby retirement community. The dear ladies and gentlemen who sing in the chorus appreciated my assistance so much, they changed their rehearsal night so that I could continue once the school year started and my rehearsal obligations at the community college resumed. Finally, I serve my church as a worship pianist, worship leader, organist and choir accompanist. Probably, the most stimulating thing I do musically is play the organ at church. My primary instrument is piano, but organ has always been my love—a hobby of sorts. We don’t use the organ every week at our church, and I don’t get as much practice as I need or would like, but it’s always fun when I get a chance to play it. Here’s a video clip of me playing the well-known Toccata from Organ Symphony #5 by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) as the postlude after worship service last Sunday morning.

Is it mid-July already?

It’s hard to believe that 2011 is halfway done already. Right now I’m enduring a hot, humid July evening at home—hot and humid not only because the heat index was around 100 degrees today, but because our air conditioning system decided to quit working this afternoon. I’ll be calling the repairman first thing in the morning.

It has been a while since I’ve blogged, because it’s been a while since I’ve felt like writing. If you think of it, pray for me and my family as we, like a multitude of others, go through financial difficulties (too much month at the end of the money). In spite of the stresses, I’m grateful for every blessing God sends our way, and I WILL rejoice in Him. Although financial situations change, God never changes, and He remains good toward us.

One of God’s blessings to my family this summer was the Annual Bible Conference sponsored by New Life Fellowship Church of Vernon Hills, IL. This year’s conference—“HIM We Proclaim: The Preeminence of Christ in the Book of Colossians”—was a real blessing to all who attended. The speakers, Pastors Thabiti Anyabwile, Anthony Carter and Reddit Andrews, were powerfully used by God as they delivered His word. Honestly, I think some of these messages quite possibly were among the best examples of biblical preaching that I have ever heard anywhere, by anyone—living or deceased—live or recorded. After hearing the preeminence of Christ expounded from Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, Christ seems more awesome and wonderful to me than ever before. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way.

Although it’s not the same as being there in person, you can hear the recordings of these messages online HERE at the website of New Life Fellowship Church. I encourage you to listen. My suggestion would be to block out an hour or so of undistracted time, have a Bible ready, and prayerfully listen to the word of God.

It was also my privilege to once again lead singing for the Conference. My hunch is that there are very few Reformed Bible Conferences found anywhere on this planet where you can have the opportunity to sing good, ol’, down-home songs from the African-American Christian tradition like this:



Or hear soloists like this:

You will only find this kind of music (along with the powerful and rock-solid proclamation of the word of God) at the New Life Bible Conference. I hope this whets your appetite to consider attending NEXT YEAR.

Oh, and by the way: Registration is FREE.

The Lord willing, I’ll see you next June, here in Illinois.

New Life Bible Conference 2011

An affordable (FREE!) & convenient opportunity to receive solid Bible teaching from nationally-known, Reformed Christian pastor-teachers is coming next week to Lake County, Illinois. For the past several years, it’s been my privilege to lead worship & song at New Life Fellowship Church’s Annual Bible Conference, held each June in Vernon Hills, IL. This year, the dates are June 23-25, and the speakers are Reddit Andrews, Thabiti Anyabwile and Anthony Carter.

This year’s theme is “HIM We Proclaim: The Preeminence of Christ in the Book of Colossians”, and blessing us during these 3 days with teaching from the word of God will be Pastors Reddit Andrews, Thabiti Anyabwile and Anthony Carter. Here is the schedule:

Thursday, June 23, 2011 – 7:00-9:30 pm
Anthony Carter: Colossians 1:1-23, “The Preeminence of Jesus Christ Over All Things”
Thabiti Anyabwile: Colossians 1:24-2:5, “The Preeminence of Jesus Christ in Pastoral Ministry”

Friday, June 24, 2011 – 7:00-9:30 pm
Reddit Andrews: Colossians 2:6-23, “The Preeminence of Jesus Christ in Justification”
Thabiti Anyabwile: 3:1-17, “The Preeminence of Jesus Christ in Sanctification”

Saturday June 25, 2011 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
Reddit Andrews: Colossians 3:18-4:6, “The Preeminence of Jesus Christ in Our Relationships”
Anthony Carter: Colossians 4:7-18, “Jesus Christ: The Preeminent Reward of Faithful Servants”

Each year, those who have the opportunity to attend the New Life Bible Conference always come away with high praises for the great teaching and Christian fellowship. If you are able to get to the Chicagoland area, I encourage you to consider attending this very affordable and accessible Bible conference. More information can be found at New Life Fellowship’s website.

“What does it mean to be ‘in’ the word?”

Happy Birthday!

“Happy Birthday!” to my dearest and best friend in the world (other than Jesus)—my wife, Catherine. I love you!

“If you want to know Jesus, be much in His word.”

Lloyd-Jones on Whitefield

Wow! This is a rare treat (for me, at least): A short, 14-minute documentary on George Whitefield (arguably the greatest preacher of the 18th century) narrated by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (arguably the greatest preacher of the 20th century).

HT: Adrian Warnock

Music to encourage the soul

The last couple days the Lord has ministered to me through YouTube and the old-school gospel choir music that I’ve been digging up at that site. Listen to these selections from back in the day, and meditate on the Scripture verses I’ve included with each selection. May the Lord encourage your soul.


“We Need to Hear From You”
(1990 - Andraé Crouch)

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Revelation 3:13, 22
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”





“God Never Fails”
(1967 - Harold Smith’s Majestic Choir of Detroit, with Harold Freeman & Charles Johnson on lead)

Hebrews 13:5-6
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”





“I’ll Get Home Someday”
(1970 – George Jordan & the choir of Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Chicago)

Hebrews 13:14
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”

Philippians 3:14
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”





“The Potter’s House”
(1990 – recorded by Tramaine & the late Walter Hawkins. Incidentally, this song is composed by V. Michael McKay, whom I had the privilege of meeting and talking to, just 3 weeks ago!)

Jeremiah 18:1-6
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I... will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’”





“My Soul Loves Only You”
(1983 - Sandra Crouch)

Song of Solomon 3:1-4
“On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not. I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’ Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go…”

Televised interview of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

John Piper called Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “One of the greatest preachers of the 20th century” and, from what I’ve read and heard from him, and read about him, I would tend to agree.

Thanks to Adrian Warnock’s blog, I was made aware of this fascinating video which shows a portion of a televised interview from 1970 of Dr. Lloyd-Jones. My understanding is that Dr. Lloyd-Jones made very few appearances on television, so seeing him “live” on this video is a treat for those of us who never had the opportunity to know or see him while he was living. The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recordings Trust produced this video to mark the anniversary of Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ death, 30 years ago this week—St. David’s Day, March 1, 1981.

At one point in this interview, Dr. Lloyd-Jones was asked about his call to preach: “Did you feel in yourself that you had the qualities that would make a successful preacher?” Dr. Lloyd-Jones answered:

“I really was never concerned about that. My concern was with what needed to be preached, and it was this—with burning conviction as to the message needed—that drove me on. I’ve sometimes told people of a story which will help to answer your question, how, having taken my decision to go into the church and to preach, someone very near to me was walking with me one night and asked me the question, ‘How do you know that you’ll be able to preach? You know what you can do as a doctor. Why not go on with that and exercise Christian influence? What if you find suddenly that you can’t preach?’ Well, I’d only tried preaching about three times, in very small places, and the only answer I could give was this: ‘I know what I want to preach and what I think must be preached and I have a feeling, somehow, that I’ll be able to say it.’”

Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ answer reminded me somewhat of my own call, 22 years ago, to preach, and the burden Christ laid on my heart for His church and for a lost world.

Do Not Abandon the Gospel

I was in Champaign, Illinois last weekend to participate in the Black Sacred Music Symposium held biennially at my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While in town, I also had the opportunity to preach at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Champaign, where I worshipped and served as organist and director of music, during my college and grad school years. You can listen to my sermon, “Do not abandon the Gospel” (based on Galatians 1:1-10), below.