He Was Only Visiting This Planet

Larry Norman, the grandfather of contemporary Christian music went to be with the Lord early yesterday morning.  He had been dealing with serious health issues for the last 15 years but continued to make music almost up to the time he went home to heaven. Norman’s 1972 album, “Only Visiting This Planet” is considered by many to be the best Christian album ever recorded. His 1969 song “I Wish...

Brother John

Bishop John Gimenez passed away last week and his funeral was today at 1:00 pm.  John was the co-founder of one of the East Coast’s first charismatic megachurches, Rock Church in Virginia Beach, and the overseer of their network of 500 affiliated churches worldwide.  His massive 1980 rally Washington For Jesus mobilized half a million believers from all corners of the Body of Christ and helped solidify Ronald...

A Great Question

I recently had lunch with a good friend who, like myself, spent a large portion of his ministry career as a worship leader… and we have the battle scars to prove that we served churches who were in the midst of transitions in their worship style. Freemason Abbey, one of of my favorite restaurants in Norfolk, Virginia.  The building used to be the Second Presbyterian Church. During the course of our lunch...

I Don’t Know

On Tuesday, February 5, while many were voting in the Super Tuesday primaries, a series of killer tornadoes ripped through the south, killing at least 59 and wounding hundreds more.  In rural Macon County, Tennessee, 14 people were killed and many more left homeless. Rev. Michael Welch, pastor of the Lafayette United Methodist Church mobilized his congregation to serve, opening the church as a family crisis...

Friends in Both Places

The story is told that at a social gathering author Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) walked up on a lively conversation about heaven and hell.  When the participants asked Clemens to weigh in on the matter, the quick-witted writer said he would rather not comment because he had friends in both places. Jimmy Carter sings with Gov. Sonny Pardue and William Shaw at the New Baptist Covenant meeting      That anecdote...