pastor and pianist
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Book Review: How Can I Make the Most of Sunday Services?
I received a copy of How Can I Make the Most of Sunday Services? by Erin Wheeler early this week. This was perfect timing, as it allowed me to read it in preparation for Sunday—which is exactly the point! (Plus, due to its brevity, it helped me get ahead on my GoodReads Challenge.) About & Continue reading
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This is My Story, This is My Song
Eight years ago, I raced down the hallway of the Biola University Conservatory and told a friend that I wanted to host a traditional worship chapel. My ever-patient and generous friends volunteered their voices and helped me borrow hymnals from the seminary (I think we had permission…?). We figured a few people who owed me Continue reading
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A Few Lessons from Pruning My Grape Vines
When we first moved to Iowa, we were met with tremendous fruitfulness—and not just spiritually! Upon moving into our home, we found a young apple tree, a mature cherry tree, and two lush grapevines. I was enchanted. Having grown up in Phoenix, I was used to planting ill-fated gardens each year only to watch my Continue reading
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Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard v. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Hate Watching” and Our Cult of Self-Justification
Yesterday night I flipped on the TV (mistake number one) to see that a recap of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial is already—barely a year later—available for streaming. Not only is it available, it is currently the top trending series on Netflix. I couldn’t help reading the description: Revisit the explosive trial that Continue reading
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Singing Our Way to Gospel Culture: Seven Things We Do When We Sing Hymns Together
I spent the last week studying and discussing gospel culture, which is, most simply, the unity between Christians that flows from union with Christ. The majority of my classmates were pastors, so we spent a lot of time talking about how to foster gospel culture through preaching and shepherding. Naturally, I was concerned with how Continue reading
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Social Media and Sabbaths
It’s Saturday evening, and I am filled with relief. Tomorrow, at last, is a Sabbath. Sundays are not restful for me. I rise earlier than other mornings and practice for an hour or so before my first church service, where I play the organ and direct the choir. After this, I snatch a few donut Continue reading
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Three Ways Musical Roots Teach Us About Love
I am always amazed by how music—even music theory—images certain theological concepts. Enjoy! 1. The Root Provides Identity In music theory, the “root” is the note by which a scale or chord is named (C is the root of a C major scale, and so on). It is the foundational pitch that gives the scale Continue reading
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Marriage and Music: Reflecting on Our Wedding Music Two Years Later
Yesterday was my second wedding anniversary, and I’ve been planning this post since July 9th, 2021. As a musician, I was naturally passionate about selecting just the right music for my wedding ceremony. To my dismay, wedding music seems to be something of an afterthought for non-musicians, but it matters so deeply! A wedding is, Continue reading
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Why I Moved to Iowa
I was asked today how I knew moving to Iowa was the right choice. This picture is the closest I can come to an answer. In June 2021, two weeks before our wedding, Billy and I visited Iowa for him to interview at Prairie Bible Church and it was one of the worst weekends of Continue reading
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The Spirit Moves in Mysterious Ways…and then other times the Spirit is VERY Clear
This title really says it all. Yesterday, I had a moment of angst. I was hard at work on my book proposal when my laptop began to act up again. I’ve been ignoring its quirks for months now and, finally, had to admit it was time for an update. My workflow was disrupted for the Continue reading
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Structural
Our little church is not so little anymore. Attending services still feels like a family reunion and newcomers have a hard time escaping without many handshakes (or hugs) and plates loaded with homemade snacks. I hope that our church maintains this small-church love, but there’s no doubt about it now: we are growing and need Continue reading
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Ryanne Molinari 