A night to remember!

That's the way Aimee (my wife) described the night we had at the Nathan Clark George concert last night. Hard pews notwithstanding that was a great way to describe it!

It truly was a special time! Despite the single digit temperatures outside, my family and I were warm inside Redeember Presbyterian enjoying the heart-warming music of Nathan Clark George.

A crowd of maybe 200 (my estimate) enjoyed this intimate concert, as we got to know Nathan, Mark Stoffel (mandolin/violin) player, and Ross Sermons (bass) through their music. We heard a savory mix of Christmas tunes from the very old and well known (O Come, O come Emmanuel) to the old not so well known (Remember O Thou Man), to the more contemporary and well known (I'll Be Home For Christmas). I bought his Christmas CD and it's fantastic. Of course, they also played some of our favorite NCG songs not necessarily Christmas songs.

The acoustics were absolutely perfect for grand old Christ-honoring tunes! The sound was perfect, and Nathan's rapport with the audience was relaxed and comfortable. He was at ease and seemed to sincerely enjoy sharing his G0d-given gift of music. He was clearly praising God for His glory and for our edification and it was a real treat to listen to!

Being a Nathan Clark nut, and not having met him in person, I just had to say hello as he manned his own cd table in the back before the show (we were among the first ones there). I can't imagine anyone being more down-to-earth and humble than Mr. Goerge. When I asked where he was heading next, he explained how this is the last show of the year and talked about his plans for joining his wife and kids in Tennessee. He was also gracious enough to pose with Adriana and I for a couple of photos.




You can listen/buy Nathan Clark George songs here, and please also check out his mondolin player, Mark Stoffel: very talented in his own right and I have to say a very funny German! Stoffel has recently put together his own CD.

It sounds as if Nathan Clark George at Redeemer will become a Christmas tradition. Watch this blog for announcements about next year!

I want a Snuggy for Christmas!

Who wouldn't want to stay warm while looking like their favorite Reformer, Martin Luther?



I think I saw some guy wearing this at the Chiefs game today! -10 wind chill! Why not?!?

Reminder: Nathan Clark George Christmas Concert tonight!

REMINDER: Nathan Clark George (read other posts on NCG) will be putting on a free concert this evening at Redeemer Presbyterian tonight at 6:00 pm! See you there!

Spurgeon: Our sin is a boa constricter

I came across this quote and had to share. The picture is funny but Spurgeon's quote is spot on and deadly accurate.

It is easier to save us from our sins than from our righteousness. Our self-righteousness is that hideous boa constrictor which seems to coil itself round and round our spirit, and to crush out of us all the life that would receive the gospel of the grace of God. - CHARLES H. SPURGEON

Jesus describes this self-righteousness through a parable in Luke 18:

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

If you have not come to Christ as a lost and helpless sinner, trusting in His perfect righteousness to provide a right standing with God, you will be eternally lost. Why not rather admit your helpless state and trust in the One who has paid for your sin!

The Rolfs at State Street 12/12

Friday (12/12/08) was a special day! Devon Rolf and Family came to State Street and played bluegrass and Gospel tunes in the lobby. What a treat to hear the girls proclaiming Christ to the passers by during the lunch hour! Preston and Jonathan from church also came to make sure the sound system sounded great. And boy, did it! Emma's fiddle burst into flames during one of her solos, which nearly set off the internal sprinklers!

Here are some pictures I snapped (sure wish I could have captured the audio!) ...






Devon Rolf, Jonathan Slaven, and Preston Bowman discussing what they miss (and don't miss) about working in a big corporation.





Thank you Devon and Rebecca (back row), Annie and Abby (twins in white sweaters), and Heidi (front row), and Emma (right)!

You can catch the Rolf family perform in Branson this May!

The bridge is broken!

"I have heard of an army, who, being defeated in battle, endeavored to make good a retreat. The soldiers fled to a certain river, where they expected to find a bridge across which they could retreat and be in safety. But when they came to the stream, there was heard a shriek of terror--'The bridge is broken, the bridge is broken!' All in vain was that cry, for the multitude hurrying on behind pressed upon those that were before and forced them into the river, until the stream was glutted with the bodies of drowned men.

Such must be the fate of the self-righteous. You thought there was a bridge of ceremonies, that baptism, confirmation, and the Lord's Supper made up the solid arches of a bridge of good works and duties. But when you come to die, there shall be heard the cry, 'The bridge is broken, the bridge is broken!' It will be in vain for you to turn round then."

Thank you Spurgeon for this reminder that we can't get to God by crossing a bridge of our own good works or by keeping a moral code. It breaks my heart to think of my friends who think they can get right with God this way.

The December e-Letter of Just For Catholics discusses the Pope's recent words on justification. Dr Joseph Mizzi does an excellent job of making the issue of justification by faith alone clear. You can read the article here on his blog.

Man who lost his family asks for prayer for the pilot

From CNN ...

A Korean immigrant who lost his wife, two children and mother-in-law when a Marine Corps jet slammed into the family's house said Tuesday he did not blame the pilot, who ejected and survived.
Dong Yun Yoon addresses reporters Tuesday, a day after a jet crashed into his home and killed four of his relatives.

Dong Yun Yoon addresses reporters Tuesday, a day after a jet crashed into his home and killed four of his relatives.

"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday's crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego's University City community.

"He is one of our treasures for the country," Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.

"I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could," said Yoon, flanked by members of San Diego's Korean community, relatives and members from the family's church.

Authorities said four people died when the jet crashed into the Yoon family's house while the pilot was trying to reach nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Another unoccupied house also was destroyed.

Yoon named the victims as his infant daughter Rachel, who was born less than two months ago; his 15-month-old daughter Grace; his wife, Young Mi Yoon, 36; and her 60-year-old mother, Suk Im Kim, who he said had come to the United States from Korea recently to help take care of the children.

Read the whole story and watch video of Yoon addressing the media.