Essays and reflections on spiritual formation, the church, music, and daily faithfulness — 648 pieces, gathered in one home.
An old college friend found this Lenten devotional I wrote in 1986 for the Birmingham-Southern College chapel devotional book. It was my junior year and I had no recollection of it
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, February 3, 2016. The simplest experiences in life can be like prisms. When light hits them at a certain angle, th
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
Ghana is a very Christian country. It is "third world", yet their faith is so simple, so beautiful. They pray to God every time they get in the car, and they believe God provides t
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in The Arab Tribune on Saturday, December 26, 2015. My name is Stephen. My aunts and uncles, and some of my cousins, have always called me that. It
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that was published in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. It starts. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the leftover turkey will find its way i
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This article was published in Alive Now, a periodical publication of The Upper Room, in the November/December 2015 issue. The theme for the issue is "mystery." A version of this ar
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column published in The Arab Tribune on Saturday, November 7, 2015. As I walked out the door of my Arab home to get to the airport early in the morning, I stopped for a
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, September 30, 2015. Jesus said some strange things. It's part of his whole strategy I think. Jesus responded to pe
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. I enjoyed writing this story down for the first time! When I was growing up in the years around
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
I have revised one of my original hymn texts after spending part of my summer in a class, "Liturgy and Moral Imagination." The class was a wonderful experience with my old friend a
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is the full version of my raccoon story, published in The Arab Tribune on July 29, 2015. Abbreviated versions have been published in The Huntsville Times, The Upper Room, and
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column which was published in The Arab Tribune on Saturday, June 27, 2015. I think of my monthly column as musings on things that are light, perhaps even humorous. Love
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is a short teaching on baptism I wrote as part of my studies this summer. It is intended for use in my local church setting. When I was young, I went through confirmation clas
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column which appeared in The Arab Tribune on May 27, 2015. A very similar version of my story appeared in my column of the Faith and Values Section of The Huntsville Tim
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
When I saw this beautifully written pastoral letter from the bishops of the UMC, I immediately felt led to share it with all of you. In light of recent rioting on American soil, I
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in "The Arab Tribune" on Wednesday, April 29, 2015. I am turning this in to the local paper the day before my fiftieth birthday. I thought I’d give
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
A Good Friday Meditation (and critique of Ransom and Substitution Theories) I have a communion chalice that I keep on my shelf. It’s my favorite chalice, aside from the ones given
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This column was published in The Arab Tribune on Saturday, March 28, 2015. Usually when I hear someone talk about all the drama in their church, it’s not a good thing. Maybe they g
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
Our beloved bishop in North Alabama, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, released this prayer which we used in worship yesterday at the church I serve. It is a prayer for the persecuted
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This devotional was written by Pastor Steve for the "Night Watch" at Discovery Weekend. John 14:27 says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the wo
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that includes the story of Rev. Thomas Maxwell, my fourth great grandfather. It was published in The Arab Tribune on Saturday, February 28, 2015. As I reflect on
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This was my column that was published in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, January 28, 2014. Another version of it was published in the Faith and Values section of The Huntsville Time
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
This is my column that appeared in "The Arab Tribune" on December 27, 2014. Here we are, just a couple of days after Christmas. There are leftovers in the fridge and crumbs in the
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
"Spirit of Christmas" is a song I wrote a number of years ago, during my first semester in seminary. We had been studying Athanasius, an important fourth century church father, in
Originally at Musings of a Musical Preacher
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