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“One might indeed say that the organ is an artfully constructed living being, which speaks and sings by means of wind and human hands. Thus, the organ in its grandeur is quite fittingly compared to the human body, that is controlled in its actions by the soul.” —Girolamo Diruta, 1593 The wind instrument with keyboards that we call the pipe organ has been a part of Christian worship for over 1,200 …
What is a new beginning? It can be many things like moving to a new city, starting a new job, beginning a new friendship, or simply looking at something from a new perspective. New beginnings often cause us to be open to change and improvement. What does the Bible say about new beginnings? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has c…
Delivering meals to communities in need was wonderful for someone of my age. It showed me I should not take for granted what I have. While driving to deliver the meals, my mother and I brought QuicKits in case we saw anyone homeless. When handing the homeless person the kit, you felt as if you were doing God’s work. The big smile on their face made my day. The people that work at the church we g…
What is Zumba? According to instructor Debbie Colditz, “It’s joy filled fellowship!” In September 2007, Debbie Colditz, a newly certified instructor, launched the first Zumba class at the WROC. Zumba was new on the fitness scene; participants didn’t know what to expect – one woman showed up in ballet slippers. The class was off to a slow start, but by 2010, “the WROC went crazy, we had 60 participant…
During a recent sermon, Dr. Jo Forrest referenced a conversation she had heard between organizational guru Adam Grant and clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy. Jo immediately caught my Sunday morning attention with her statement that Dr. Becky is working to find a way to bring out the good in everyone. Being an educator, and a mother, I live my life believing that each of God’s children has g…
Early in my sales training at IBM, one of my coaches told stories of his two-year and nine-year old sons’ nagging questions. The younger child tested his patience asking about what seemed obvious and boggled his mind with curiosities humans have yet to solve. His older son pestered him to understand why he couldn’t stay up late to watch the hockey game. This sales coach insisted that if we mus…
If you were asked to write a Statement of Faith at this time of your life, what would you say? I don’t know about you, but I think mine would be a lot different than it was in ninth grade. The only part of Confirmation Class I remember was the pastor’s son challenging his father with questions. We were all in shock that he was allowed to ask these questions, some of which we never even thought of.…
Why do we ask questions? Where do our questions lead us? More questions? Concrete answers? Do we even take the time to ask questions? How can asking questions help us grow? At JAM, we ask a lot of questions. So many that I used to become frustrated at how often we would “derail” from the lesson. After a few weeks of frustration, it finally clicked. Oh, they’re not asking all of these questions to an…
