A tragic plane crash, 10 years later

A prayer service was held on June 1 to mark the 10th anniversary of the crash of American Airlines Flight 1420 in Arkansas. Twenty-five members of the Ouachita Singers travel group were on board that flight in 1999, returning from a trip to Europe. Nine people died in the crash; 145 people were on board.

According to an article in Townhall.com, the survivors of Flight 1420 told stories of true heroism, with people risking their lives to save complete strangers.

Charlie Fuller, former dean of Ouachita Baptist University's School of Fine Arts, led the Ouachita Singers on their European tour. He reflected, "How does God give us hope? Through His presence embodied in those who stand with us when we need it."

As you go about your day today, remember to put others first. You are the hands and feet of God.

The depth of worship

In my church small group, we have been talking about what worship is and about the importance of worship. I found an experience by Carol Wimber on pp. 60-61 of Passport: A Believer's Guide to the Kingdom of God fascinating:

In 1976, when Carol Wimber started a fellowship in her home for burned out Christians, she found that the presence of God came when they sang certain songs. These were usually songs that spoke to the Lord rather than about him: 'I love you, Lord!' Then the Lord gave her a word -- literally: It was the word worship. She could 'see' it in her spirit like a newspaper headline. It puzzled her, because in her tradition worship had meant a Sunday church service. Carol began to notice that, when the home group sang songs that addressed God directly and personally, the sense of the Holy Spirit's presence was especially strong. The group also learned that the power of worship reflected the depth of each person's devotional time with God during the week. Worship became much more than a meeting. This early experience placed worship as the cornerstone of their church life.

There are many different ways to worship: standing, singing, dancing, raising hands, silence and more. Which way do you worship most often?

A laughing matter

It's amazing when people find their calling by listening to God. For Daren Streblow, that message was to be a Christian comedian, according to an article in the Monroe News:

A few years after graduating from college and having been married a year, Mr. Streblow said 'he felt God leading him to be a stand-up comedian. He figured this wasn’t something that God regularly leads people to do … but it was a clear message to Daren and he knew he should pay attention,' his Web site says.

He thought about it and realized that God was right - his talents did lie with his comedy, so he started writing and honing his act. In 1998, he became a full-time comedian.

Streblow is originally from Ely, Minn., and has opened for Weird Al Yankovic, James Gregory, Jeff Allen and Brad Stine.