There are lots of genealogies or family trees in the Old
Testament. The Genesis 5 family tree lists descendants from Adam to Noah. The
Genesis 11 family tree lists descendants from Seth to Abraham. Moses’ family
tree is found in Exodus 6.
The genealogies use the Hebrew word יָלַד (yā·lǎḏ)which means “have a child.” It is translated
“bore” or “begat.” Unless we understand how Moses used the word יָלַד(yā·lǎḏ), the Old
Testament genealogies will not make sense. They will be absurd. They will be
impossible. Let me explain.
This twelve-minute
presentation examines the impossibility of Moses’ genealogy.
Kathy
An expanded version of this presentation is available as a 70-page PDF.
Paul pictures the Christian life as a battle. A battle
against doubt, fear, deception, darkness. Paul instructs us to “Put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Doubt and Fear vs. Pursuit of Holiness
When we experience pain, problems, and stress, we are
tempted to pursue happiness. The battle we face is internal, a battle against
doubt and fear. When life doesn’t go as we wish, Paul instructs us use the Word
of God as a sword. We are to let God’s Word pierce us and transform our pursuit,
from happiness to holiness.
Deception vs. Liberty
We live in a post-truth culture, a culture in which feelings
trump facts. Jesus, not how we feel, is truth. His teachings are under attack. This
battle is external, a battle against deceptive cultural norms, claims based on
feelings. This battle is fought in the public arena for the right of Jesus
followers to express truth. And after doing everything we can, Paul instructs
us to stand our ground.
Darkness vs. Life
Jesus is the light. Darkness seeks to extinguish the light. Darkness
rules where Jesus and his teachings are banned. When the day of evil comes,
followers of Jesus may experience loss of property or livelihood, imprisonment,
torture, even death. In the day of evil Paul instructs us to put on the full
armor of God and stand firm.
From the album “Main
Street” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Ephesians 6:10-18.
Click here
for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check
the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML
files.)
In 2007 a
group of us gathered to plan a Darwin’s Day 2009 celebration. We were going to
celebrate the Creator’s majesty with drama and music. We outlined a story. A
script writer would pen the drama. I had written thirteen songs based on thirteen
creation passages in the Bible. A professional musician would arrange the music
for his group. They would perform music and drama. We would book venues around
the city. Then … our script writer started grad school. Our professional
musician changed jobs. Both had to bow out due to time constraints. We had no
Darwin’s Day 2009 celebration.
What could I
do with a bare outline of a story and a few songs? I finalized the story line and wove it between songs I had written. I
now had a musical that any worship team (yours!) could adapt and make their own.
The Majesty of
the Maker!
He’s a homicide detective and a new father. He wants
something real, something solid to pass on to his son.
He discovered the Bible’s claims about creation match
reality:
·The creation Psalm matches reality. The Majesty of the Maker from Psalm 104
·The Cause of the universe must lie outside the
universe. Son of God’s Love from Colossians 1:15-17[1]
·Life cannot exist unless the universe is
stretched out. Fingerprint from Isaiah 40:21-18[2]
·The Genesis creation account matches reality. The Odds from Genesis 1[3]
·The Genesis creation account of man matches
reality. Family Tree from Genesis 2:7-25[4]
He discovered the Bible’s claims about God and people
match reality:
·People are immeasurably valuable, yet deeply
flawed. Garden of Decision from Genesis 3:15[5]
·If the Creator became a man, he would be like
Jesus. The Word from John1:1-18[6]
·Jesus promises to meet the deepest longings of
the heart. Christmas Every Day from Revelation 21:1-5[7]
·The Creator’s promises can be tested. A Sure Bet from Jeremiah 33:25-26[8]
·We instinctively know that the Creator exists. Secret Lives from Romans 1:18-20[9]
He weighed the evidence:
·Creation shows the existence and grandeur of
God. A Prayer from Psalm 19:1-3, 14[10]
·The Creator is good, loving, and just. I Cry to God from the book of Job[11]
·The Creator can be trusted when pain engulfs. You Are There from Psalm 139[12]
Here’s
scrolling playback of the opening song of the musical.
Kathy
Can a cosmic
beginning (and thus the need for a cosmic beginner) be avoided by appealing to
quantum gravity theories? Can abiogenesis, panspermia, or directed panspermia
account for life on earth? Click here for a review of the scientific literature.
You can download
PDF of the entire musical and/or digital (MusicXML™) music for just the opening
song.
Click here to
download 50-page PDF of the musical: book, music in lead sheet format, lyrics.
Click here for
digital sheet music of the opening song, The
Majesty of the Maker.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help
files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML™ files.)
I’ve been rescued, freed, and forgiven by Jesus, God’s
Son whom he dearly loves. Jesus, the
exact image of the invisible God, is Creator and supreme over all creation. He
is worth singing about.
Jesus is God Jesus is Creator Jesus is Supreme
From the musical “The Majesty of the
Maker!” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Colossians 1:15-17.
Kathy
Click here to
download 50-page PDF of the musical: book, music in lead sheet format, lyrics.
Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check
the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML
files.)
In a world in which there is no firm ground on which to
build identity, Psalm139 offers me incredible authenticity and incredible freedom.
Let me explain.
Incredible Authenticity
Psalm 139 tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The
Creator knit my DNA, my chromosomes, my body, together in my mother’s womb. I
sense the world around me and relate to it. I connect with others. I imagine
possibilities and work to achieve them. My ability to do all this is firmly
grounded in the body God fashioned for me. Accepting that my body is God’s very
good creation gives me incredible authenticity.
But my desires don’t always align with what my body is able
to do. As a kindergartener, I could barely contain my excitement when my class
was invited to sing on the radio. I was crushed when my teacher told me, “You may
come with us to the studio. You may mouth the words of the song, but you must
not sing.” Sadly, I couldn’t carry a tune.
Incredible Freedom
Psalm 139 tells me that the Creator knows me better than I
know myself! He understands how I think. How I feel. How I move. He knows my
deep disappointments. He is with me in the highs and lows, the joys and hurts. I
can share raw feelings and uncensored thoughts with this awesome Creator, the
God who loves me and gave his life for me. Amazingly, humility and hope accompany this
incredible freedom.
From the musical “The
Majesty of the Maker” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Psalm
139.
Kathy
Click here to
download 50-page PDF of the musical: book, music in lead sheet format, lyrics.
Click here
for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check
the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML
files.)
He was the youngest of seven and the first to die. Two
months ago, I got an unexpected phone call saying he was gone. I never thought
my baby brother would die first. I’m shaken and dazed.
Jim was a fluid power specialist, an antique motorcycle
enthusiast, a miniature railroad hobbyist, a friend of stray cats, a country
boy who never married but used his resources to help care for his single
sisters. Family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers attended his funeral. Many
told me how he had touched their lives. In 2009 Paul’s prayer for the church in
Ephesus became my prayer for him. Someday I hope to learn how God answered that
prayer.
From the album
“Sing” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Ephesians 1.
Click here
for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check
the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML
files.)
There is an ancient song in the New Testament book of
Titus! It is “hidden” in plain view in chapter three.
While it is not apparent in the NIV that verses four
through seven are song lyrics, The Passion Translation (TPT) correctly calls
these verses “The Hymn of Salvation by Grace.” The early church may have sung this
hymn as part of a baptismal service. Paul says that the words are trustworthy.
The ancient songwriter used music to express this truth:
we are saved by God’s grace. What was the melody like? What mode was it sung
in? Was it sung in unison? Accompanied by instruments? I don’t know. Since the
words are trustworthy, I offer them as a short rap, performed by percussion
instruments. I will leave the melody and mode to you.
From the album
“Sing” this video is scrolling playback of Titus 3:4-7 set to a beat.
Kathy
Click here to read
Titus 3 in the NIV and here to read it in TPT.
Print (PDF) sheet
music is available for The Hymn of
Salvation by Grace.
