Weber Mandolins

Recently I purchased a new mandolin. It is a Weber mandolin model Gallatin F-style. It's a gorgeous instrument. I really enjoy playing it and use it to praise the Lord each week.

The Weber string instrument factory is located in Logan, Montana and my oldest daughter and I had the opprotunity to tour it two weeks ago. It was fascinating! Bruce Weber the founder and owner personally gave us the tour. We found out that Bruce is a nice gracious Christian man.

It was interesting to learn that Weber is the largest maker of mandolins in the United States. We also learned that Weber instruments are shipped all over the world. You can view the pictures of our tour on my facebook page. You can see the Weber mandolin website at http://www.soundtoearth.com/ and they are on facebook as well.

During the tour Bruce Weber showed us his company logo which is the Jesus fish intertwined with a heart (Jesus in your heart). What a fantastic idea. What a great witnessing tool for Christians who play Weber mandolins.

Your Pastor Has Style!

The first week of February my wife and I were blessed to be able to attend Moody Bible Institute’s (MBI) Founder’s Week Bible Conference in Chicago for the seventh time. Attending that conference always gives us a good spiritual shot-in-the-arm as we return to the work God has called us to.

Each time we plan to attend, I ask God to show me what He wants me to learn. This year I was surprised to have Him teach me that, ”I Have Style.” Stay with me now as you read on.

As I watched and listened to some incredible preachers such as James MacDonald, Erwin Lutzer, Chip Ingram, Haddon Robinson, Josh Moody, James Ford, and Gary Chapman I realized that each of these men have their own preaching style. Maybe you have read some of their books or heard them on Christian radio so you have a sense of what I mean. Over five days Karen and I heard twelve expository sermons preached by pastors and ministry leaders, again, each with their own style. We even watched a taped talk by Joni Earekson-Tada who couldn’t fly in to Chicago because of a snow storm.

Let me tell you what I learned from watching and listening to all of these biblical presentations. God uses all sorts of people with all sorts of styles.

James MacDonald was very dynamic and his sermons were highly interactive with the five-thousand numbered congregation. Josh Moody, who is from London, England read his manuscript as he preached in a very prim and proper English way and explained God’s word to us. James Ford is a black preacher from South Chicago, who, in being true to his culture, was very expressive as he brilliantly taught God’s word. Joni was as gracious as ever as she shared about her struggle with breast cancer last year as well as her ministry of Joni and Friends sending wheel-chairs around the word for the handicapped. Haddon Robinson, in his 80s, in his soft-spoken manner, masterfully told us the story of Hosea, and Chip Ingram’s sermon from Romans 12:1-8 was amazingly practical.

All this to say, again, God uses people with all sorts of personalities and speaking styles. You know what, after I attended MBI Founder’s Week 2011, I am much more comfortable with my own style as an expository preacher.

Christians, this is the reason I have written about this topic. If you are reading this, pray for your pastor and thank God that he exposits God’s word in his own style each Sunday and doesn’t try to be anyone else, because he has style too.