I thought this was a fitting tune for NPR’s Song of the Day, since a fraction of my head is still in New York. π
I love the harmonies between Shirey (whose first name I have no idea how to pronounce) and Aimee Curl and the sweet finger-picking.
With the first chord I was reminded of early Simon and Garfunkel. (Think “The Only Living Boy in New York.“)
I was going through my image/audio/video folders the other day, trying to find a picture of my classroom last year for a Donor’s Choose project and stumbled onto these old recordings.
The quality’s not great, since I recorded them on my cell phone and had to convert them twice to get them in a file type I could use. But they make me smile!!
I can hardly believe that Lucas will be starting first grade on Monday! And Atticus will be going to kindergarten next fall. . . No more babies in the Hawke house. π
This one is Atticus singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star when he was two years old.
And this one is Lucas singing Iron Man. He was almost four.
I posted these a long time ago at my teaching site.
We’ve been needing an ESoED logo, so yesterday I drew out some ideas from my head. They were all text, except for a clock with hands turned to “love o’clock.” I’m still pondering that one. π
So today, I’ve been working on a black and white version of one of the designs:
ESoED logo concept #1
With this design, we could use virtually any color combination.
And it features one of my favorite fonts from way back: Average, which is what I had in mind when I was drawing yesterday. I had to tweak it a little because the r and y run together. I just put a tiny space between the letters in both places.
The center font is Nueva Std Bold.
They’re both a little quirky and very bold, but complement each other well, I think.
What do you think?
I hope to get my design site’s blog working soon; until then, I’ll post stuff here.
My bubbles of air by riandreu
How often are you fully immersed in the moment?
I mean not mentally wandering off down one mental path after another and winding back around again (maybe), but so involved in what’s happening right this second that you’re not even having to focus or think about having to focus. Because at that moment there are no options; you just simply are … in the moment.
Most of the time I’m involved in activities only partially, to varying degrees.
At the same time I’m experiencing the activity, my mind is working in a bazillion ways about a bazillion other things, related and unrelated. I may be thinking about other related activities or ideas or music or whatever may have grown from or be a reflection of what’s happening: how I could write about (or blog about or tweet about or — gasp! — even tell someone about) what’s happening or how other people would react to the activity were they in my position, for example. Or I may be thinking about all the other things I should/could/must/want-to do instead of said activity. Or I may be bouncing back and forth between or swirling around in a tornado of it all.
The now is usually part of where my head is, but it’s not solely where my head is.
And if you were to ask me exactly where my head was at a given moment, I’d have a hard time giving you a straight, honest answer. Because it’s usually a myriad of thoughts and feelings, much of which I can’t even put my finger on. (“How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?”)
I was reading The Shack earlier this summer, and a lot of it has stuck with me. One idea in particular comes to mind now.
In the book, which has raised a lot of controversy over its theology, the main character, Mack, is talking with Jesus, who is presented as a rugged carpenter in flannel, no less. (Long story!) Jesus tells Mack that humans were designed to live in the present:
“When I dwell with you, I do so in the present. I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure, I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine.”
It makes so much sense. Not that God is within our time at all because he’s not, but that our versions of “past” and “future” are really only figments of our imagination. Sure the past happened, but our memories of it aren’t reality.
I don’t know if it’s possible to work on being more in the moment. It seems like trying to do it would defeat the whole purpose of it, huh?
But I don’t want to spend my life vicariously experiencing it, as I’m prone to do, through books, TV, movies, blogs, chats or even my own thoughts and memories.
Visits, yes. But I want to be and experience the now.
Eagle Warehouse & Storage Co., BrooklynWalt Whitman was fired as editor from the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper because of his opinions on slavery.
So there we were, Mr. Hawke and I, walking the streets of Brooklyn, exploring a place we’d never been before. It was July 20.
We’d taken the train from Columbus Circle, overlooking that the particular one we stepped onto, an air-conditioned refuge from the skin-melting Manhattan underground, doesn’t stop at City Hall.
No matter, we decided. We’ll ride on closer to the museum and walk the bridge on the way back. Yeah! That’s the way to do it without being my usual over-planning self. Laid-back and rolling with the punches!
And then, there we were, headed down Flatbush Avenue, straight into (the other) Grand Army Plaza with its humongous arch and statuary (dedicated to the other side of the war :D).
And across to the towering Brooklyn Public Library.
And down to the Brooklyn Museum with its awesome-looking Andy Warhol exhibit. . .which. . .was. . .closed!!! What? Closed on a Tuesday? Arrgghhh. I didn’t even think to check the website for that. On a Monday, maybe, but Tuesday, too?!
So there we were, still rolling with it, appreciating the fact that so much of what we’d seen we wouldn’t have had we followed a specific plan of action as usual.
Sure, it was sweltering, but we’d seen much worse in New York. We always plan to visit in late July, not only because it’s SUMMER BREAK (!!), but also because we like to celebrate our wedding anniversary in the city where we were married. (Yep, down at the court house. :P) And it’s almost always very hot. This year wasn’t one of the hottest, since there was usually a breeze blowing that week, but it was still hot.
Sweat and all, we made our way from Prospect Park east, all the way to the East River, where Brooklyn Heights’ streets are lined with brownstones I could seriously imagine making a life in. We stopped and bought Haagen Dazs on Montague Street; then, we strolled along the Promenade with its majestic views of the Manhattan skyline and clear down to Liberty Island.
We knew the Brooklyn Bridge was north, and we were headed that way. But a straight shot, it is not. Thankfully. π
At one intersection, we took a left toward the river instead of the right that would’ve saved us some steep hill-climbing to the Bridge trail, and it was SO worth it.
No. 1 Front Street
Directly across the street from the famed Grimaldi’s, where people were lined up down the entire block waiting to enjoy their brick-oven pizza, and the old No. 1 Front St. building, which was once a bank in what’s referred to now as DUMBO, or Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, we saw the Eagle archway at the top of this post.
Walt Whitman plaque on the Eagle building
I could tell the building was very old from its brick. It reminded me of the old buildings that were used as Civil War prisons in downtown Danville (my hometown). My dad’s one of the “local historians,” so I guess I’ve picked up on a bit of it over the years. π
And then we read the plaque to the left of the arch:
WALT WHITMAN (1819-1892)
He gave America, and poetry itself, a new voice On this site, from 1841 to 1892, stood the offices of the Brooklyn Eagle, in its time, a powerful paper. From 1846 to 1848, Whitman, not yet 30 but a seasoned journalist, served as its editor. For his stand against slavery in newly admitted states, the owner fired him. His years here gave him a ring-side seat on the young democracy that he would soon celebrate in his great work, “Leaves of Grass” (1855). These poems would change the way people thought about — and wrote — poetry. “I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence.
Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt…”
-Walt Whitman, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry erected by the Eagle Tenants Corporation 1989
Me and Kevin on the Brooklyn Bridge
Whoa! Now this was serendipity. If things had turned out the way we’d sorta planned, we never would’ve found this place.
Old Walt would have definitely approved. π
Afterward, we pretty quickly found our way to the Brooklyn Bridge trail and walked across, stopping along the way to take in the amazing scenery and to read about the construction of the bridge, and feeling energized by the education we were stumbling across on our unplanned way.
I’ll tell you this: It was an experience we will never forget.
This is also posted at my teaching website, mrshawke-dot-com.
The third member of ESoED actually showed up for this gig. π Yep, electric Josephine, plugged into a practice amp. At the very beginning of the session, notice Kevin asking her if she’s ready. (“Wah-wah,” she replies. Kevin translates it as “Yes, sir,” I’m sure.) Notice he doesn’t ask me if I’m ready. π
Between my squeaky desk chair, the amplified guitar and the mic being stationed behind me, I got a little drowned out at times. Kevin says that makes it sound like a real concert. . . I don’t know about that (especially the chair), but it’s definitely a wake-up call to rearrange our setup here.
I’ve been putting the recorder on my antique vanity over by the wall, mostly because I’d rather plug it in than use up tons of batteries, and the cords get dangerous with the kids running around. But we sit at the table in the center of the room, and I’m usually facing away from the recorder because I’m on the laptop and/or writing the whole time. I’d put it on the table on the other wall, which is sort of in front of us, but there’s only one outlet in the whole room. (That’s one bad thing about old houses. Ours is a 1934 farmhouse.)
So, anyway, we recorded this session with the H2, as usual. π
The whole session in one file:
1. Josephine β Working Man Blues β Josephine*: Last July, we saw Pat Martino play at the Iridium in Times Square, NYC, and it blew us away. The next day, following advice from the locals sitting next to us at that show, we went to Rudy’s Music, where Kevin fell in love with Josephine. I actually picked her out. π Back at the Wellington, Kevin was inspired to write this instrumental. She’s been a member of ESoED ever since! “Working Man Blues” is a Merle Haggard tune, and Kevin says he first heard it when he was 3 or 4 years old and his dad was singing it. He’s singing lead. (See legal.)
2. You’ve Got a Friend: One of my favorite Carole King songs, covered fabulously by James Taylor. It’s very hard to do justice to those two. π Oh, and I really wish I’d been able to see the two of them in concert this year. Their “Live at the Troubadour” CD/DVD is in my Amazon cart. π I’m singing lead on this one.
3. Lawdy Miss Clawdy: Kevin first starting playing this song when he was about 12 or 13 because he loved Elvis’ version of it, but it was written by Lloyd Price. You can hear Price’s version of it here and Elvis’ version here. Kevin’s singing lead, and I’m singing along some.
4. That’s All Right β Going Down the Road Feeling Bad: Another Elvis song, “That’s All Right” was written by Arthur Crudup. You can hear Elvis doing it here. “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” is one of our favorites to cover. Read more about it here. Kevin’s singing lead, and I’m singing some harmony.
5. Sitting on Top of the World: Kevin says he did this well-covered song bluegrass-style for years before he heard Cream’s blues-rock version (which we found out was a cover of Howling Wolf’s earlier version). You can tell which style Kevin must’ve liked best. He’s singing lead, and I’m singing some harmony.
6. Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms: This is one of the first bluegrass songs I can ever remember hearing, when I was about ten and singing with a local band called Westfork in Cascade, Virginia. It was apparently written by Lester Flatt and has been covered by practically everyone else in bluegrass. Kevin’s singing lead, and I’m singing something.
7. Summertime: Written by George Gershwin for the 1935 musical Porgy and Bess, “Summertime” was first a hit for the great Billie Holiday. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong also do a version we love! But the first version of this I ever heard was Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company. I played her “Greatest Hits” album (literally!) so many times in my late-teens/early-20s I could sing every guitar solo, even. π Kevin sings the first verse, then I come in for the rest.
8. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise: “The first time I heard it,” Kevin says, “was my dad playing it on banjo, and I never heard it again until I heard Les Paul playing it.” The song, written by Eugene Lockheart and Ernest Seitz, was recorded by a ton of musicians, including gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Les Paul’s version has a myriad of Mary Fords singing harmony and his own distinctive guitar sound. (Watch them in action here.) Kevin does it as an instrumental.
9. Me and Johnny: This one’s by Rick Springfield. Yes, that Rick Springfield. “Jesse’s Girl.” I had his poster on my wall in middle school. Kevin saw him at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach in ’04 and says he rocked like crazy: “He did Hendrix’s ‘Red House,’ and it was awesome.” Sometimes Kevin sings this one with his original, “Johnny LV,” about a friend of his from way back. He’s on lead, and I’m backing.
10. He Stopped Loving Her Today: Kevin sings this George Jones classic.
11. Little Maggie: An old Ralph Stanley. You can watch him play and teach it here. Kevin sings lead.
12. Georgia On My Mind: We love to play this song, partially because we love Ray Charles and partially because Savannah, Georgia, is one of my favorite places. Read more here. I’m singing lead.
13. Born on the Bayou: A short version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song. I’m singing lead.
14. Stormy Monday mix instrumental: I’m not really sure why I never sang this T-Bone Walker tune because I usually do. You can hear me talking in the background. π Kevin says he was just letting Josephine stretch a little bit.
Since we’ve decided to do away with the Rev. Hawke website (being that, as a Catholic, Kevin can’t actually even be a Rev.), we’re going to fill this post with what encompassed that site from 2007.
For posterity’s sake, maybe. Also, because most of it was and is still valid.
The site’s tagline was “Praise God every second of every day!” Sounds kinda familiar, huh? π
Here’s what’s included:
On July 27, 2006, my wife and I stepped inside St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral in Manhattan, New York City, and I was immediately filled with a peace I had never before known. I was on fire for God.
On October 23 of that same year, I was ordained through St. Luke’s Evangelical Christian Ministries, and I have been ministering to friends, family, coworkers, other ministers, and whomever the Holy Spirit leads me to.
I am married to the most beautiful woman ever, and I have three adorable children. I work as a certified correctional officer. I believe it is my duty to lead everyone to Christ, including those incarcerated at the prison, some of whom have been forgotten by everyone.
Currently, I am enrolled in the Rhema Correspondence Bible School and loving it! My motto is “Praise God every second of every day!”
I just had lunch with my mom and dad. I have been concerned about my mother’s health for quite some time now. But, I’ve been even more concerned about her depression. I tried to talk to her the other day about reading the Bible. She told me that she didn’t have time. I told her that I find time to study God’s word even though I work a very serious job and I have a wife and three children at home. It was obviously just an excuse. But, she obviously didn’t want to hear any of this from her son.
I couldn’t give up. I explained to her today that she could never truly be happy unless she knew God and the only way to do that is to know God’s word in her heart. I told her that she needed to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She said that she already had. I believe that.
I’ve always thought that she believed in Jesus. My mom still has a lot of guilt connected to my conception. My conception involved adulterous acts. She went on to marry my dad and to try to do the right things, but she hasn’t forgiven herself. Her first husband’s family never forgave her and it affected her ability to see my older brother. After all these years, she still harbors the guilt and anger that resulted from this situation. I told her that God commands that we forgive others. If we don’t, then He will not forgive us. Forgiving includes forgiving ourselves.
My mom started crying. I could tell that I had really hit on something. See, it’s very hard for a child to get their parents to take instruction from them. Even though I’m grown and I am a reverend, it’s still difficult. I finally broke down one of her walls. I’ve at least sparked her interest.
With God, all things are possible. I told her to praise His holy name every second of every day, and she must forgive. Then, ask the Lord for forgiveness and it will be forgiven and forgotten. I suggest that people surround themselves with God. By this I mean you should listen to Christian music, listen to Bible teaching, post Bible verses all around your house, put a Bible in every room so it is always available, and live every second of your life for Him. I know that neither my mom or anyone else can attain true happiness without God. We must study God’s word and live by it. Thank you Lord for helping me help my mother.
IHS,
Rev. Kevin R. Hawke*Originally posted at the First International Church of the Web Bulletin Board.
3 comments for “One Wall Down”:
- Rev Hawke,
You said βI suggest that people surround themselves with God.β I completely agree. There is one thing that I would like to add to that. We go through everyday life with people we call our friends. However, people that are trying to live the life of a saved being need to realize if their βfriendsβ are not trying to be on the same path as them, they need to part themselves from them. So many people would be much closer to God, however, they are trying to maintain the same sinner filled relationship with their βfriendsβ. People need to remember, our God is a jealous God. He wants all of you, and as you said, you are either for or against him. This is not just for friends, its also for family. We need to realize friends and family can block so many blessings. I want all that God has for me. Keep walking in it Hawke.
Comment by A. Adams β Nov. 4, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
- This is especially for you Adams. Iβll make sure I respond to all of your posts from now on. Thank you so much for posting. By the way, we had a great Bible study tonight. Itβs a continuous study on healing. I already have another sermon just begging to be preached. I donβt know when it will be, though.
I tell you. I have been accused of taking Jo away from her friends (by her friends). Frankly, itβs true. We couldnβt continue to hang out with these people because they werenβt living right. Most of them have no respect for marriage, God, or even themselves. That just wouldnβt do. You really have to be careful who your friends are when you are married with children and following God. Like you said, ββ¦you are either for or against him.β
Hereβs another little tidbit for you. We donβt like to believe it, but the devil even uses our closest family members to try and destroy us.
We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. It was pointed out to me the other day that βChristβ here is actually referring to the anointing, not Jesus himself. I just thought that was interesting. Maybe weβll talk about that more later.
In His Service,
Rev. Kevin R. HawkeComment by Rev. Kevin R. Hawke β Nov. 8, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
- Iβm asking the two of you to forgive me. I should have asked you a long time ago, and Iβm asking you to forgive me for that as well. Peace!
Comment by glenwood β Jan. 21, 2010 @ 3:04 am
I wanted to comment on a situation that I was made aware of yesterday. A pastor friend of mine has a terrible temper. He knows it because I’ve talked to him about it. Don’t get me wrong. He is a wonderful person and a soldier for Christ; however, he cannot lead anyone to Christ who is not already heading that way because he becomes too judgmental and condescending.
I’m far from perfect, but I encourage all of the clergy to practice their listening skills. When you’re dealing with a person that has to see the logic in everything and see everything to believe it, you have to use gentle words. I was that kind of person myself. Christianity and faith were not logical to me. Faith goes against our human logic.
Anyway, this pastor keeps his grandson everyday after school. The boy’s father is a self-admitted agnostic. Frankly, this irritates the mess out of my fellow clergyman. This dad does not talk about God to his son because he doesn’t believe. It’s hard for a minister to see his grandson in fellowship with a non-believer. The grandson has never done what he should in school, and nothing has changed this year. I know for a fact that he lies, steals, and is as lazy as he can be. He is fourteen. I know the child very well.
My minister friend tells the dad that if his grandson would have been kept in church all of these years that he would be a better person. I’m not going to argue with that, but the dad didn’t like it at all. The minister was really questioning the dad’s parenting ability. We must also realize that some parents do all the “right” things and their children still go astray. This incident led to a big yelling match and the minister told the dad that maybe he should get someone agnostic to watch his child, and the dad did. So, the minister basically ran his grandson off. He’s going to regret that statement, I think.
I’m gonna do what I can to help. I talked to the dad about an hour and a half last night and told him that anger between him and the grandpa is bad for his son. The dad told me that I was the first person that he had ever discussed religion with and felt at ease about it. Everyone he ever discusses it with gets mad and defensive.
Look, people!! We’re not going to bring the lost to Jesus by getting mad and defensive. We must be compassionate and understanding. We talked about all kinds of world religions. I’ve studied quite a bit about world religions. He asked me questions, and I tried my best to answer them. This dad is very hard-headed like myself. There was a time when I was a non-believer too. So, a lot of the things he says are the same kinds of things that I used to say. Oh, all religions are trying to get to the same place. They’re just going down different paths. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that’s what a lot of people believe. There’s only on God and one way to Heaven.
If I’m able to stay in contact with this dad, I believe he will become a great soldier for God. Compassion is the key. We have to listen to people and try to understand their ideas and feelings in order to help them the way that we are called to do. Don’t be self-righteous. None of us are perfect and we don’t know everything. The more you try to force someone to believe, the more they fight it. We must lead by example and people will follow.
PRAISE JESUS EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY!!!!
IHS,
Rev. Kevin R. Hawke*Originally posted at the First International Church of the Web Bulletin Board
Good morning. I said good morning. Let’s praise the Lord this morning. Everybody lift your hands up to the heavens and say hallelujah! Say it loud. Let God know you’re here. If we know what glorious things we have through Christ, we have to be excited. Amen?
All right. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today to worship and praise you. We are here for you today, Lord. We live to praise your holy name forever. Lord, give us the understanding to know your Word and your will and may we all leave here this morning better than we came in. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I wanted to sort of freely talk to you a little this morning before we get to the sermon. I hope everyone here is saved, and if you’re not, that can be changed today. I can’t tell if you are or not. The only person I can truly know about is me. Amen? I want all the things that the Word of God says are mine. I want salvation; I want good health; I want to be filled with the Holy Ghost; I want to speak in different tongues; I WANT IT ALL!!! Hallelujah!! I said Hallelujah!! Come on, people! I want everything God has for me and you should, too. If you don’t know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re saved, then after the sermon, let’s take care of that. If you need healing or to be filled with the Holy Ghost like it says in God’s Holy Written Word in Acts 2:4, then let’s fix that today.
We need to praise God every second of every day, without exception. No matter what I’m doing, I’m praising God. He is to be our number-one priority. In my life, it’s God, my wife, my children, the rest of my family, and then my job. We’re not here to be sucking up oxygen, people. We are here to praise God.
Let me tell you, I was forced to go to church as a child. I went to a United Methodist church where the only time I heard anything about the Holy Ghost was at the end of the Doxology that they sang every Sunday. They never spoke about healing or being filled with the Holy Ghost, or speaking in different tongues. Don’t get me wrong. There were some very sweet people and good people that went there and some very nice pastors whom I really liked, but they had probably never been taught these things. The most excitement you ever see there is someone saying amen every once in a while.
Look! I believe in the Holy Bible. Amen! Well, I was raised that way. When my grandpa died, I turned against God and didn’t believe in anything. I was so smart (HA! HA!) that I had to see it to believe it. God just wasn’t logical. And let’s face it; our logic comes from our minds. You can’t believe in God and worship God from your mind. You have to worship God from your belly or your spirit. In my early twenties, I started studying Wicca, which is a pagan religion. By the time Jo and I got married, I believed in a higher power, but didn’t know what it was.
But let me tell you something, my friends, God had not given up on me and he hasn’t given up on you, either. On our one-year anniversary, we walked into a church in Manhattan. We left the busy, bustling street and walked inside this absolutely beautiful church. When the door shut behind me, I felt a peace that I had never known. This feeling washed over my whole body. I knew then that God had me. My whole life changed that day. Just about all I could think about was learning about God and worshiping God. Several months later, I felt the call to minister, so I became ordained through St. Luke’s in Georgia.
I think for the first time in some time, Satan woke up and started noticing me. See, before, he didn’t have to notice me because he already had me. You are either for God or against God!! Did you hear me? You are either for God or against God. If you are not a follower of God, you are hanging out with Satan. See, Satan wants new converts, too. I was starting to realize the gifts God had given me and was starting to use them. Satan actually made me think that I wasn’t good enough to be a Christian and especially a reverend. I took my cross necklace off because I couldn’t stand it being around my neck. I took my ordination certificate and put it in the drawer and stopped reading the Bible. Whoa! I struggled with this for several months.
One day, in my spirit, I heard, “You can’t run from this.” Then, I realized that whether or not I wore my cross or displayed my certificate, I was still a child of God and a minister of His Word. God said, “You’re still mine.” So I displayed the certificate and put on the cross and nothing can stop me now.
You see, the devil is going to go after some people harder than others. He’s not after the crack head on the street. He’s got him. It makes the devil nervous when someone like me comes along who believes in Jesus and will do everything I can to lead people to him. When you are a soldier in God’s army, you can expect the devil to come after you. But I will resist and he will flee. He’s already been beaten. I just have to remind him sometimes. I’m now enrolled in Rhema’s Correspondence Bible School, and I promise you that there is not a second of any day that I am not worshiping God. And I love to pray in tongues. That gives me a wonderful peace and leads me to an understanding that I’ve never had.
So here we are this morning. What I want to talk to you about today is forgiveness. I know some of you sitting out there today really believe that you are going to receive the promises of God. You believe that you will not go to hell and that you will go to heaven. But let me tell you something. The Bible says that you will not be forgiven if you do not forgive others. And if you’re not forgiven, what does that mean? Well, you can’t go to heaven if you haven’t been forgiven.
This is a serious deal. Just about everyone I encounter will admit to hating someone if they’re honest. We’ve all been wronged before. I’ve talked to people that claim to be spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christians, and then they tell me, I hate so-and-so. Whoa! Back up! Why do you hate them, I ask? Oh, he stole some money from me one time, or he tried to mess up my marriage, or whatever. If you hate someone, you sure haven’t forgiven them.
I have been the same way in the past. I hated this guy so much that I probably would have spit on his cold, dead body. Isn’t that terrible to say? But it’s true. That was before I was made into a new creature by Christ Jesus. Most often, your hatred of someone else doesn’t affect them at all. As a matter of fact, they probably take pleasure in it.
As my wife says, what angers you controls you. That is so true. You won’t hear me admit that she’s right very often. God orders us to forgive for our own sakes. I really thought to myself one time, God wants me to forgive this person, so he won’t have me hating him. No!! God is demanding this for my own sake. Hatred will, without exception, eat you alive. To tell you the truth about it, when you hate someone, Satan himself is controlling you. When you forgive the people that have wronged you, you get rid of a heavy burden on your shoulders. It’s so nice.
People hold grudges forever. Either for something done to them or their son or daughter or other person in their life. People even hold grudges over total misunderstandings that could’ve been solved if they would have just talked about it. You must forgive. You have no choice. If you want to receive all that God has to offer, you must forgive! You must forgive! You must forgive! Before you get totally tired of hearing me talking, let’s look at some Bible verses to illustrate my point.
In Matthew’s gospel, we read in chapter 6, verses 14 and 15:
- For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Boy that says it all, doesn’t it? I don’t know how it could be more plain than that. This was part of the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount. And as we know, that was preached by Jesus Christ himself. These two verses are the words of Jesus. I’d say that’s proof positive that we need to forgive, wouldn’t you? Is there a limit to how much I should forgive someone?
Let’s look at Matthew chapter 18, verse 21. There, Peter asks Jesus,
- Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ‘Til seven times?”
Jesus answers in verse 22:
- I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
Hey, that’s 490 times a day that you’re supposed to forgive one person. It would be virtually impossible for them to wrong you that many times in one day. So Jesus is saying in an exaggerated way that there is no limit to how much you are to forgive someone.
Let’s look at Mark 11, verses 25 and 26. Jesus says in verse 25,
- And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
And in verse 26, he continues,
- But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
I don’t know about y’all, but I want to be forgiven. I don’t want to suffer what I deserve. Unforgiveness can keep you from being healed; it can keep you from receiving the gifts of God. I want what God has for me. We have to do what God says. Accepting that God commands me to forgive is what enabled me to forgive. My human self didn’t want to forgive. But isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to do anything alone because God is with us? God doesn’t expect us to do anything without Him.
In Luke chapter 17, verses 3 and 4, we read,
- Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repeat, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying I repent, thou shalt forgive him.”
And, in Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, which contains Paul’s doctrine concerning the Church of Christ, we read in chapter 4, verse 32,
- And be ye kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
In Colossians chapter 3, verse 13, we read,
- For bearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Let’s look at the Old Testament. Leviticus chapter 19, verse 18, states:
- Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shall love they neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.”
In closing, I want to say this: God’s willingness to forgive is dependent on our willingness to forgive others. We MUST forgive and walk in love. So I encourage you to examine your hearts and if you have any ill will towards anyone, get rid of it! Pray for them to find God and to be great soldiers for God. Praying for them can help you to forgive them.
Praise God every second of every day.
Pray.
By Rev. Kevin R. Hawke and the Holy Ghost. Written for Sunday, October 28, 2007, at Victory Family Church, Danville, Virginia.
6 comments for “Sermon #1: Forgiveness”:
- Rev Hawke,
I must say I love it. Not only do I love it, I also agree with every word of it. I must say, you know that I have known you for 4 years now. What you have become, and what God has made you, is beautiful. It is also something that only our God can do. I am so proud of you, and mostly happy for you. Anyone who can experience God and the Holy Ghost move within them, I am always happy for them. It is a feeling that is actually undescribable. I pray that you continue on you journey with nothing but success. You continue to move higher with the Holy Sprirt. Always keep in mind βThe Devil is a liar. You can do it.β
Comment by A. Adams β Nov. 4, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
- Thank you so much for checking out my website and my sermon. I really appreciate it. I told Jo that you were one of the people that immediately knew something had changed about me when I met her. You could see the difference. My primary goal is for the Holy Ghost to guide me in every word I say and every single thing that I do, without exception.
In His Service,
Rev. Kevin R. HawkeComment by Rev. Kevin R. Hawke β Nov. 5, 2007 @ 10:15 am
- Well Well, how fast does the will of GOD work. Not even 2 years ago I could not imagine hearing such wonderful and true things coming from THE HAWKE, much less the Rev. HAWKE. I new early on from the time that I met you that you were a man of conviction. Whether it be the love for your wife, how to raise kids or just talking to people in general you always say what you feel. From the many conversations we have had I felt early on that you were convicted by GOD to do great things. I just didnβt realize that you and GOD were ready to go to work so fast. I recall numerous times of praying and asking God to take charge of your path. It makes me proud to see a young man not afraid to speek his mind especially about his love for our Lord. I am a firm believer in leading by example, I can not stand people who try to force JESUS down others throats, I whole heartedly believe that man spreads the love of Christ through example and action. You, my friend have whole heartedly taken that stand. I am glad that there are still good Christian men who put their faith in God and make the love and worship for him the highest priority in their homes. God Blesses those who bless him, and you my friend are the prime example of those words. Keep up the good work and continue on the path of the richeousness that you have begun.
βThy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.β Psalm 119:105
Mark
Comment by Mark Moore β Nov. 12, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
- Mark,
Thank you very much for taking a moment to check out the sermon. I donβt have a counter on this website, so I donβt know how many people are actually looking at it. I feel that some people are coming here, but theyβre afraid to respond for whatever reason. I specifically know of a couple of ministers that have done just that.
I really feel like I could take on a full-time job in the ministry. This is what God is leading me to, I believe. I always know that Iβll have a sermon when itβs time to preach.
Praise God every second of every day.
IHS,
Rev. Kevin R. HawkeComment by Rev. Kevin R. Hawke β Nov. 13, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
- I can only say that God can do all things. I only pray you let Him(GOD) lead you in all things.
Comment by Chris Lampkins β Jan. 1, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
- Hi,
Rev. Kev
That is very well put and Forgiveness is a key that needs to be placed in the believers heart .
Keep seeking the light. God is working a work in you.
I.H.M.S
Rev. Oz
Comment by Rev. Oz β Jan. 10, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
The day of my first sermon, my wife, Jo, and I (and my dad, too!) were commissioned to sing songs until the digital camcorder was unloaded, so my sermon could be taped. I think a lot of the music was recorded, but the only thing I have now is part of a song Jo recorded on her cell phone.
“I, John”
vocals by Kevin Hawke
(words & music by William J. Gaither)
The first time I heard this song, it was Elvis was singing it after a concert in a hotel room, but it’s a very old song. This was the first time I’ve ever sung it in public.
2 comments for “I, John”:
I really love this song, “Agnus Dei,” by the band Third Day. It just makes me feel good inside. The first time I heard it was on the radio, 91.1 FM out of Roanoke. I didn’t realize Michael W. Smith did it originally until I bought a Third Day CD and a Michael W. Smith CD at the same time, and the song was on both CDs. Smith’s version is awesome, also! (He wrote the song…) If you buy Third Day’s “Chronology” CD, you can see them do the song together, which is really coooool!
We finally got an audio track of the day of my first sermon! (Thanks, Nancye! π )
I had tears in my eyes when Jo (Mrs. Hawke) was singing this — and not because it was bad. (I have had tears in my eyes from listening to some people that can’t sing… It’s true. I know it’s not nice, but it’s true.)
This song was actually one of the songs that was scheduled to be sung on that day, October 28th.
“Amazing Grace”
vocals by Jo Hawke
words & music by John Newton (1725-1807)
Ironically, when the time came for me to preach my first sermon on October 28, 2007, we found out that there was a problem with the video camera, so we had to wait for the camera to be fixed. Nancye, my mother-in-law, asked me and Jo to sing some songs in the interim.
We had no idea what to sing, and many of the songs we ended up singing we had never sung before (and some we had never heard). I even coerced my dad, Ryland, into coming up and singing with us on a few songs. He’s been singing forever, and probably even coined the word song. Really.
Also, while we were singing, which ended up being over an hour, we had no idea we were being recorded. The small digital recorder was sitting on a nearby table; our 14-year-old son, Ryan, found it at the end of the service.
The first song we sang was my grandfather’s (my dad’s dad) favorite song, “A Beautiful Life.” All of my family on my dad’s side either sing or play music or both. Every time we got together, my grandfather requested this song. My dad sang bass and baritone on the song; I sang lead; and Jo sang tenor (though she’d never heard the song before…).
- “A Beautiful Life” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/a-beautiful-life.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke and Ryland Hawker
(words and music by William M. Golden, 1918)The next song, “I, John,” I already posted a partial version of from Jo’s cell phone.
- “I, John” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/i-john.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin Hawke
(words and music by William J. Gaither)This is one of the songs we’ve all known forever. I can remember singing this song when I was a little kid, back in 1812. I liked this song then, and I like it now. My little munchkin, Lucas, who’s three, sang with us and stole the show. I never realized how high Lukie’s voice is — and how low and country-fied mine is.
- “This Little Light of Mine” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/this-little-light-of-mine.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke and Lucas!
(Traditional spiritual)On “I’ll Fly Away,” I sang lead, my dad sang baritone, and my honeybunch sang tenor.
- “I’ll Fly Away” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/ill-fly-away.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke and Ryland Hawker
(words and music by Albert E Brumley, 1929)I fell in love with this next song, “Peace in the Valley,” when I heard Elvis sing it when I was a kid. I used to get up on the steps in the living room at my Grandma’s house, and I’d bang on the guitar, sing the songs, and pretend I was Elvis. But not to this song…
- “Peace in the Valley” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/peace-in-the-valley.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke and Ryland Hawker
(words and music by Thomas A. Dorsey, 1939)The next three songs were ones that Jo knew from growing up in church.
- “Victory in Jesus” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/victory-in-jesus.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke and Ryland Hawker
(words and music by Eugene Monroe Bartlett, 1939)- “I Love You, Lord”” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/i-love-you-lord.mp3″]
vocals by Jo and Kevin Hawke (and others)
(words and music by Laurie Klein)- “Allelujah” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/allelujah.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke, Ryland Hawker, and Nancye Ricketts
(traditional)This next song, “Old Rugged Cross,” was my mom’s dad’s favorite song. Jo is singing lead.
- “Old Rugged Cross” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/old-rugged-cross.mp3″]
vocals by Jo and Kevin Hawke
(words and music by George Bennard, 1913)The first time I heard this song was on the movie, “O, Brother, Where Art Thou?” and Alison Krauss was singing it. Neither of us had ever sung the song before in public.
- “Down to the River to Pray” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/down-to-the-river.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke
(traditional)This is one that I had sung at the Hawker Family Reunions, but Jo had never even heard it.
- “Children, Go Where I Send Thee” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/children-go-where-i-send-thee.mp3″]
vocals by Kevin and Jo Hawke
(traditional spiritual)And the last song was another Jo knew from growing up in church.
- “More Precious Than Silver” [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/more-precious-than-silver.mp3″]
vocals by Jo Hawke (and others)
(words and music by Lynn DeShazo)2 comments for “Impromptu music on the day of my first sermon”:
- I know that you are doing it for God. And I know that he appreciates it. However, I really feel if you decided not to sing for him again, he would really appreciate that.
βa little christian humorβ
A. Adams
Comment by A. Adams β November 25, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
- Who are you again?
*A little Christian humor*
Comment by Rev. Hawke β November 25, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
I already posted
- Sermon #1 Introduction
[audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/sermon-intro-10-28-07.mp3″]- Sermon #1: Forgiveness [audio-clammr mp3=”revhawke/sermon-forgiveness-10-28-07.mp3″]
This session was recorded Independence Day night. The kids were running around, as usual, and there’s a lot of chatter here and there. You can hear Atticus bringing his laptop over and Lucas asking about pictures on the screensaver. π Even though I edited out as much as possible, you can still tell it’s a for-real live ‘show.’
July 4th fell on a Sunday this year; not the best situation for us, since Kevin had to be at work before six AM the next day.
I really love going out and watching the fireworks, but since they didn’t even begin until half-past-ten this year, I’m glad we didn’t brave it. Plus, as Kevin reminded me, the tens of thousands of dollars the City spent on fireworks could’ve fed and clothed a whole lot of people around here. π
Once again, we recorded straight into our Zoom H2 recorder without separate mics, and Kevin was playing his acoustic.
You can click on the song title or the arrow to listen, or feel free to right-click on the title to download.
All originals are starred, and we try our best to properly credit the covers. π
Full show: All files below merged into one. π
1. Every Picture*: Kevin says, “I wrote this song in the early ’90s, along with a bunch of other songs over the course of a few days’ insomnia.” Most of his songs, he says, are him putting himself in someone else’s position, rather than autobiographical. This one is an example. (See legal.)
2. There’s No Way*: Kevin wrote this song the same weekend as “Every Picture.” (See legal.)
3. Lonesome Reuben: Kevin says he’s been playing this instrumental written by Earl Scruggs since he’s been playing . . .about 25 years!!
4. Why You Been Gone So Long: One of the coolest things about starting to post all these songs on this website is finding out so much new information about the songs and who wrote and performed them. This one, we discovered, was written by Mickey Newbury, whom Ralph Emery dubbed “the first hippie cowboy.” He also wrote that old Kenny Rogers (before he became Kenny Rogers and was doing the hippie thing) song, “Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In).” Kevin heard the song through Tony Rice.
5. What Else Can I Say*: Kevin wrote this song at home during the weeks he was recording “Johnny LV” and “200 Days” in a local studio. (See legal.)
6. Franklin’s Tower: This tune by Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter has always been one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, though I’m not so good at remembering all those crazy lyrics. (Nothing new. π
7. I, John: The first time Kevin heard this song was from the video footage of Elvis in his hotel room right after one of his concerts. He would sing gospel songs to try to calm himself down. The song was written by gospel great, Bill Gaither.
8. A Beautiful Life: Kevin says he always called this one “The Hawker Song” because it’s one his dad’s family is known for singing together. It’s special to him because it reminds him of his now-deceased grandmother and grandfather. I’d only sung this song once before, several years ago with Kevin and his dad, Ryland Hawker, at my parents’ church. It was the morning of Kevin’s first (and only) sermon, and the video recorder was full, so we filled time while the recorder was emptied. π So, needless to say, I wasn’t prepared. There was a take before this one where I didn’t even remember it was a call-and-response. Kevin mentions in a break between verses that we really need a couple more voices. . .
9. Highgate Shuffle: This was on Rod Stewart’s live “unplugged” CD. Strangely, his official Warner Bros. Records website is pretty much down, but we found out something interesting from his Wikipedia page: The area of North London where Rod grew up is called Highgate, which apparently lends its name to this song.
10. Nine-two-nine Means Bedtime!: Kevin and Atticus :love:
The week before Father’s Day, the boys and I were working on cards for Kevin. Colored paper, scissors, markers and crayons littered the table. Three-year-old Atticus quickly lost interest, but not Lucas, who will turn six at the end of this month. When he’s creating something, he’s got a focus that belies his years.
When he was done, he crinkled his nose at his creation. He’d written it in yellow crayon on white paper, and the low contrast made it difficult to read. He was ready to ball the whole thing up and turn a little pouty, but thankfully I had an idea: I showed him how he could take a darker color and draw around his words to create the contrast he needed.
You should have seen him when I demonstrated it for him on my paper! His eyes grew big and it was like the giggles just erupted out of him like bubbling lava from a long-dormant volcano. He was so excited about this new thing that he couldn’t even sit still in his seat. He had the proverbial ants in his pants. π
I tell this story because I think it’s symbolic of Lucas’ energy.
He loves life and learning new things. And he loves people, especially little babies. He loves animals and all kinds of creatures, bugs and worms included. You can just see it all over him. It’s intoxicating and viral, and it will serve him well in life if he can keep it without getting jaded like so many of us do. (I pray about this every day. π
The other day before we recorded Lucas’ song, I asked him what he’d practiced to sing. He said in a sing-song voice, “Just push the button, and you’ll see…”
It was clear, though, that he hadn’t practiced anything (hence the “impromptu.”) And that’s great! I only told him to practice in the hopes that he’d mentally prepare himself to record something instead of claiming to be shy and refusing to say or sing anything once we were recording, like he usually does. It seems to have worked. π
Lucas’ song:
Hong Kong, featuring Two ibc
The other morning three-year-old Atticus noticed a little winged insect on the car door. He wanted me to kill it. (Boys!)
I told him that the bug wouldn’t do anything to hurt him; it didn’t have a stinger and would just fly off as soon as we started moving, if not before.
Offended at the depths of the bug’s imposition, he wanted to know why that bug was on our van. The bug probably didn’t even know it was a car, I told him as I buckled his car seat belt. He may think it’s another tree or something.
He can’t see the big picture like we can.
Think about how many times bigger than that little bug we are, I told Attie. Think about how small his brain must be. Does he even see us for what we are? Maybe we’re just moving mountains to him. Maybe he sees no further than that gray bit of MPV door he’s lit sideways on. Maybe all that we are is just a blur in his tiny little vision.
I’m not sure how much Attie understood of our conversation. He had his serious, crinkled-brow look on. He nodded gravely that the bug is indeed one of God’s creatures: “ExACTly, Mommy.”
But it got me thinking.
What’s our equivalent of that little bug to us? We don’t have one in real life, not a “live” one, anyway. Even a nine-feet-tall giant like the biblical Goliath wouldn’t compare, right?
Okay . . . I’m 5’4″ or so. That’s about 64 inches. That little insect was maybe 1/4 inch tall, and I’m being generous. So there are more than 256 of him in one of me. And 256 times my height is 16,384 inches. Divided by 12, that’s more than 1,365 feet or 416 meters. Wow.
So how does that compare?
Well, let’s try some skyscrapers!
I’ll start with New York’s 102-storeyed Empire State Building because it’s one I know pretty well. It’s 1,453 feet to the top of the lightning rod, but SkyscraperPage.com doesn’t count the needle, so it’s number 13 on their World’s Tallest Buildings. (The tallest is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, built just this year, and — whoa! — it’s about twice as high as the ESB!)
Two International Finance Centre (or Two ifc) in Hong Kong, China, seems to come closest to my comparison height, at 415.8 meters or a little more than 1364 feet. It’s listed as the 10th tallest building in the world. If you go to their website, you can see three different views from the top. I especially love the one of Victoria Peak. It’s breathtaking!
From up there, cars are so tiny that you can barely tell what color they are. People? Practically indistinguishable.
Yet God, far bigger than any skyscraper — bigger than the world, bigger than the universe! — sees me. He sees my heart and mind, as tiny and limited as they are, and loves me just the same. He sees into me and through me.
And we are all called to be like Him, to see as much of the “big picture” as we’re capable of seeing, always striving to see more.