VIRTUATED

Even Artists...

2009-08-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is such a timely video for me and I'm sure many others. Emily Haines is the lead singer and lead writer for a group called Metric. I had not heard of them until I saw this other video on Barton Damer's Blog, ABC.

Her honesty and transparency are so encourageing and it inspires me to communicate in the same way. If you are an artist who is discouraged or staring in the face of a seemingly impenetrable wall, don't stop creating! Put yourself in a vulnerable place and see if all these insecurities in you might possibly turn into art that connects with those same feelings in others.

~A

Hope Is Here: Album Cover

2009-03-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

WAAAAAHOOOOOO!

A big thank you to everyone who submitted a picture for the new "Hope Is Here" album cover. Take a look and see if you can spot yourself, or your loved one, or your dog. :)

"Hope Is Here"
Available
April 5th, 2009

Release Party / Night of Worship
April 5th, 2009 - 6:00PM
Hope Fellowship Church - Frisco, TX

See you there!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 20

2009-03-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm back and in action on Monday. Through a network of blogs and email I came across today's cure for the mono-like symptoms that Mondays kill you with. "Gonna take a sentimental journey..." If you have 12 minutes, this is well worth your time. I know you have at least 12.

Short film called "Signs"

Happy Tuesday Eve
~A

Hope Is Here: Album Cover

2009-02-18T08:36:00.001-08:00

For those of you that do not know, we are working on a new recording project at church called "Hope Is Here". We have solicited those on our main church email subscription list for personal photos that we can use in the cover design. Thanks to all of our Hope people who have sent pictures already, but we still need more.

If you are able, and I know you are, please send an individual casual shot of yourself and your family members to me: aubrey@hopefellowship.net

I have a lot of family shots, but really need more individual ones to make this thing work. If you are still confused, here is an example of what I need...

Perfection!

Even if you have attended Hope in the past and have become estranged for whatever reason, please send me a pic. (i.e. TN people). :) Heck, if you are a complete stranger, send me a pic and you just might find yourself making a cameo appearance!!! Come on!

Let's see those beautiful headshots rollin in!

Thanks,

~A

Weekend Update 2/14 and 2/15

2009-02-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Setlist
For Who You Are - E
God Of This City - B
All It Takes - E
Kindness - E

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.1 - Went great and we learned a new song. I want to come up with a good way for people to take notes during rehearsal. Any ideas?
Technical Execution 3.75 - Pretty solid weekend. My brain was stuttering on a couple of songs.
Transitions 3.5 - Short and simple. I could've prepared better for my spoken transitions between the first and second song.
Content/Flow 3.9 -Worked well with our series about sharing your faith, "Jesus For Sale".
Church Participation 3.75 - Not bad, but still praying for more people to really engage with us in worship and focus in on God.
Energy 3.5 -About average.
Movement 4.0 - We tried a little something different: going from a medium/fast song to a slower/medium to a slow and back to a medium song with a good groove. Normally our movement gets continually slower, but this time we picked it up a notch at the end. Felt good and I think it worked, but it was something different nonetheless. Different is good.

Overall = 3.79

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 19

2009-02-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

I hope all is well with you today!

Don't wait another moment to snap out of the Monday mire!

This will do the trick...

Discuss this with your friends and closest confidants.

Someone is going to give you $100,000,000.00 (100 million dollars). All you have to do is, for the next year, every day, (365 days or 366 on leap year) go into a completely dark room for 8 hours. Here's the catch: some time in that 8 hours you will be punched really really hard on some part of your body. (i.e. face, neck, privates, kidneys) You have no idea when it will come or where, but it will come. Miraculously, each day you will wake up healed from any wounds resulting from the beating. Would you do it? Would you even be able to do it without going crazy?

Talk amongst yuhselves! (spoken like Linda Richmond from Coffee Talk)

Good luck,

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 18

2009-02-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Oh yes! It's Tuesday again. That means it's not Monday and I am posting yet another belated Case of the Mondays post. I hope that you made it through 'til now.

She's controversial I know, but dang funny. Check this out! Just take the time to watch it until the lady says, "I love Jesus, but I drink a little." Then laugh like a little girl,even if you are one.

Merry Montuesday!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 17

2009-02-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Tuesday already, but if you still have a Monday hangover sit back, relax, grab a morning cup of Joe (if you drink the bitter junk), and take in the simplicity yet coolness of this music video.

Missed Monday so have a tranquil Tuesday,

~A

Weekend Update 1/21 & 1/ 22

2009-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Had a solid weekend as far as worship is concerned. We had a lot going on during the service including communion and a missions promo, so our time was tight. In spite of this, I felt like the coupling of communion and worship was as strong as ever. Normally we go quietly into communion with our 4th or 5th song, but this time we changed it up and did "Wonderful Cross". It ended up with a kind of celebration feel instead of somber. I thought it was a great fit for going into communion, celebrating the cross then remembering His sacrifice.

Setlist
Song of Hope - A
For Who You Are - E
From the Inside Out - A
Wonderful Cross - A

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.0 - Another good one. Had some technical issues that held us up because we didn't have a sound guy at rehearsal.
Technical Execution 3.5 - We struggled a little on Saturday night, but it came together on Sunday.
Transitions 3.7 - Kept the transitions shorter and therefore cleaner. I felt like I didn't put enough thought into my spoken transition.
Content/Flow 4.0 - Pretty good content all together, but only the last line really lined up with the message, "Slavery is Freedom".
Church Participation 3.75 - Up a notch from last week. People really loved "Wonderful Cross" and "From The Inside Out" was strong.
Energy 3.5 -First service on Sunday was interesting because we didn't have a lot of people in there in the beginning. But hey, the people who were there came ready to worship! Love those people.
Movement 4.0 - Not a real theme running through the whole set.... except... uhh... God... and Jesus... and worship. :)

Overall = 3.78

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 16

2009-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

Nice!

The title of this photo... "Weird and Gifted Asian". So fitting.

Happy Monday!

~A

Weekend Update 1/17 & 1/18

2009-01-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

As the Foo Fighters say, "I've got another confession to make." A new found love for the Key of B has welled up in my heart. I know that it's the black sheep of the Signature family, but this weekend its tarnished reputation was polished up a bit in my opinion. I had accidentally and purposefully chosen two songs in the key of E and two songs in the key of B this weekend. The way it worked out the keys changed from E to B to E to B. Initially, my heart sunk. I had finally crafted the perfect set for this weekend's big idea and now it was ruined by the ugly stepchild of key signature. Now, I have no problem with the circle of 5ths or transitioning from G to D and even back again, but E to B... yuck! But wait! The bad taste is gone now! It turned out to be beautiful and the transitions were so smooth. This was also due in part to the fact that each of the songs ended with the either E or B respectively. So, from this point forward B will forever be different to me. :) (oh and it was also the first week that we have ever done 3 original songs in one set.)

Setlist
Stand In Awe - E (original)
Cannons - B
All It Takes - E (original)
Less of Me - B (original)

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.5 - We started on time and were able to finish on time with effective rehearsal in between!!! Way to go!
Technical Execution 3.5 - Good all around. Bill did good with the guitar parts despite his nervousness. We struggled with tempo, but we always do. :)
Transitions 4.1 - Good transtions (see above) but I went a little long on my encouragement time.
Content/Flow 4.25 - Again, it lined up well with the big idea for the weekend.
Church Participation 3.5 - It took people a while to warm up, but they were in there by the end.
Energy 3.25 - Not horrible, but we weren't necessarily feeding off the energy of the congregation either, if you know what I mean.
Movement 4.25 - Thematically and musically good stuff.

Overall = 3.91

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 15

2009-01-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Oh this is beautiful!

Spock singing about Lord of the Rings' diminutive Bilbo Baggins. I didn't know ole Mr. Nemoy was such a mac-daddy. It's astounding that this didn't make the MTV top 10 videos of all time list, right behind "Thriller". I mean the choreography is definitely top notch.

Monday is here! Don't waste it by grouchin' around.

~A

Weekend Update 1/10 & 1/11

2009-01-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

Getting back in the habit for '09. By next week, I'll have the average scores from '08 weekend updates. We'll shoot to better those marks this year.

Setlist
Marvelous Light - G
Everlasting God (Chorus) - G
Mighty To Save - G
All In All (old school) - D

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.0 - Good start. Efficient rehearsal. Great job team!
Technical Execution 3.0 - Not bad. An unforseeable cable issue, but other than that pretty solid. Oh wait! I stunk up the chording on the last song.
Transitions 4.0 - Felt like they served the purpose of getting more people engaged.
Content/Flow 4.0 - Good support for message and in context with weak is strong
Church Participation 4.0 - the people were with us. They sang out the last song... loud. Way to go!
Energy 3.75 - Good energy especially during the last two songs.
Movement 4.0 - Good movement from first to last song.

Overall = 3.82

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 14

2009-01-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ok guys and gals... Cheer up! It's Monday and you should be feverishly and joyously working away right now, but instead you are mulling around feeling peaked (that's peak-ed) and nauseous. Well, it sounds like you do indeed have a case of the Mondays. There are few ubiquitous cures for this malady, but you are in luck. I just so happen to know a surefire solution to this so solemn sickness...
The Meat and Three... (Pronounced Meet'n Thruhee)

Stop what you are doing right now and take an early lunch. If you are lucky enough to be within driving distance of one of these delightful dives, go! Do Not Delay!!

For my "not-so-southernly acquainted" friends, a "meat'n three" is a place that serves a variety of vegetables and meats "of the day" and you simply choose one of the meats and three of the veggies. It is simple and oh so tasty. If you happen to be on an early-January health kick, you could try the meat'n two... it's for sissies, but inherently comes with less calories.

Here are few of my favorite combinations:

1. Open faced roast beef sandwich with squash casserole, mac-n-cheese (yes, it's a veggie) and collard greens!

2. Chicken Casserole with fried okra, green beans, and spinach casserole!

And any true meat'n three meal would be incomplete without a good hot not too dry piece of cornbread and yes a glass (sometimes a mason jar) of REAL sweet tea... (none of that Dickey's crap!) If you're so inclined, you can top it off with one of the dessert selections of the day. My personal favorite is blackberry cobbler a-la-mode!

Tip #1: If you do not see the word "casserole" describing at least four of the daily menu items... go somewhere else!

Tip #2: If you don't like the selection today, take a look at the tattered poorly laminated menu (some of the fancy places actually have it under the acrylic table top), pick a day that has better selection and go back.

Tip #3: You should probably count on being useless for the rest of the day!

Don't hesitate, accellerate! Monday is leaving us and won't return until next week!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 13

2009-01-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

And we're off!!! The first Monday of 2009! Yeah!!! It's always nice to be back from vacation, back at work refreshed and all. Anybody?

Ok, so even if the holidays have been a little less than restful, take heart. Stop and take a rest right now.

Here are a couple stop motion videos for your Monday viewing pleasure.

and if that wasn't cool enough...

Don't worry, there's always someone who is wasting more time than you!

Have cheer in the New Year!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 12

2008-12-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

This is just straight dude humor, but I thought it would bring you joy on this Monday. And whattaya know.... it could be a great last minute gift idea for that special someone.

Toot-a-loo!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 11

2008-12-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

Whatever Holiday Humdrum has consumed you and whether this is a Manic or Monastic Monday, take heart. You have nothing to fear except fear itself... oh and if you're President Bush add flying shoes in there. Here is the AP footage from the President's press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. It's from a Mexican TV news program. I will not be liable for anything they say, because frankly, I cannot translate. Regardless, they just seem to have a way with tone, inflection, and cheesy sound effects. Enjoy!

Did that guy wear his house slippers to the press conference? Did you check out ole Georgie's cat-like reflexes?

Have an Un-malevolent Monday!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 10

2008-12-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Wow!
What a crack up!
Funny how funny this is!
It's more than just free entertainment; it's frentertainment!
How lucky I am to have partaken!

These are only a few of the exclamatory remarks that came to mind when I had the opportunity to view a few vlog (video blog) posts creatively created by my good buddy Pedro. Below is only one of those posts I thought would make your Monday special. But do not be deceived, the true comic, ironic, and utterly catatonic nectar can only be tasted when you indulge in all of the previous updates. You must! Do not delay! It will only take a few moments, but, henceforth, your life will be certainly not the same or different!

Enjoy "Q4 update: Day 10" by Pedro_Munoz

Day Ten from Peter Erickson on Vimeo.

~A

Weekend Update 11/29 & 11/30

2008-12-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

Setlist
My Savior Lives - G
Mighty to Save - G
Majesty - A
Still - D

Report Card
Rehearsal 3.5 - Got started late again... I think everyone showed up a little late. Had a hard time finding a bass player and sound guy. Thanks to Aaron, we were able to at least get up and running.
Technical Execution 3.0 - We struggled this week all around. I was playing leadish electric on Saturday night.... that's always distracting to me and I'm sure to others.
Transitions 3.75 - Pretty good.
Content/Flow 4.0 - Flowed well in the context of the service... esp. Still
Church Participation 3.5 - ok. Kind of perceived a general hangover from thanksgiving dinner.
Energy 3.5 - A little lower because of too much turkey. Aaron's message really brought some good energy though.
Movement 3.65 - yes. Pretty effective especially from Mighty To Save through Still

Overall = 3.56

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 9

2008-12-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah that's right, it's December 1st and in honor of the dawning of the dusk of 2008, I offer you something free that I do not own. What could break the Monday Monday Blues better than free stuff? Nothing I proport... absolutely nothing!

What might this free stuff be? Oh, well I'm glad you asked. There is a website that I have come to really dig, even if it's way over my head most of the.... all of the time, Smashing Magazine! Not only do they just have some of the coolest graphics/photography on the web, they also offer something quite cooler; monthly calendar desktop wallpaper... FOR FREE! I know it may not seem very cool right off, but you have to check it out. After all, it's December 1st and if you act now, you'll be sure to get your money's worth. Wait, you didn't spend any money!!! That makes it even better.

Check out the Wallpaper Calendars for the Month of December Here.

If you still doubt, here is the one donning my desktop as we virtually speak. Thought it was kind of quirky and yet very Decemberish. You have an unlimited selection of 55!

Merry Monday!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 8

2008-11-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

This here is another one of those posts that should make you feel better about your plight. (if indeed you do have a plight that is not so favorable, in your opinion.)

The past couple of days have been rough for our little Grady man. He's been stuffy nosed and feverish with a little cough. This morning and yesterday he woke up with a nose full of boogers. They were even in his hair. Bummer. We took him to see Dr. G,well his nurse practitioner, today and she said he just had a cold.

So, if you're having a bad day, take heart. Grady seems to be having a worse one... Mommy and Daddy are running a close second.

Happy Monday-ing,

~A

News and Notes for 11/22 & 11/23

2008-11-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal tomorrow same bat time same bat channel at 3:30.

The church is still getting cleaned up today, but we should at least have some lighting on the stage this week.

Changes:
-Song of Hope - A - First song replacing "My Savior Lives"
-All That I Can Say - A - Change key

-Kindness and Amazed stay the same.

Let's make a solid effort to get started on time this week... :) We will do our best to have sound up and running smoothly.

See you tonight if you are able to attend the Worship and Tech Holiday Party! It starts at 6. Email me if you need directions.

~A

Weekend Update 11/15 & 11/16

2008-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was our first in the temporary configuration of our auditorium. Basically, they took about 30-40% of our auditorium space and closed it off with a big wall. We had to install temporary sound, lighting, and projection so it was wheels off up until Saturday. Thanks to the hard work of some great volunteers it went off pretty much without a hitch. Here's the completely one-sided score card for the week.

Setlist
Blessed Be Your Name - A
Cannons - B
From The Inside Out - A
The Stand (Ch and Br) - A

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.5 - Had a couple of issues getting started with the temporary system, but otherwise it was an almost perfect rehearsal. Great Job Team!
Technical Execution 3.5 - Pretty Solid - Harry rocked the Falcon! Our overall tempo was struggling
Transitions 4.5 - Great job Charlie again on the transitions... no dead time between songs. I had really thought through the ending transitions. It makes a difference when you think.
Content/Flow 4.25 - Last song "The Stand" lined up with John's message about Esther.
Church Participation 4.8 - Really good again this week despite the building, sound and lighting differences
Energy 4.75 - Saturday night was alive... good crowds throughout the whole weekend. Lots of people volunteering to shuffle services to make room.
Movement 4.5 - Good transitions helped us to really focus on God together.

Overall = 4.4

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 7

2008-11-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

Oh happy Monday afternoon!

Here's a little help to keep up those spirits!

Lately I have been totally enthused with a show called "Time Warp"! Holy cow! I thought that "How It's Made" was awesome, but I'm tellin' you what... Time Warp is seriously awesome-er! No it's not a show that explores the possibilities of time travel with cutting edge new technological innovations, although that would be a cool show.

The concept of Time Warp is much simpler actually: Two guys with high-speed cameras film all kinds of cool stuff. The result: Amazing slow motion video of things like bullets colliding with bulletproof jackets to drops of water falling into a puddle. Oh it may sound quite mundane, but you should see it for yourself.

Name: Time Warp
What channel: Discovery
When: Wednesdays at 8 ET / 7CT

Discovery also runs various episodes throughout the week so you can catch a bunch of them on DVR if you want.

Don't hesitate!!! It is only Monday... that means you have two whole days to prepare! Let the anticipation accellerate, the tension intensify, and the mayhem multiply!!

TIME WARP!!

~A

Weekend Update 11/8 - 11/9

2008-11-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

I have to humbly say that this past weekend was awesome! In all four of our services there was just a genuine sense that God was present (not that He isn't always). As a worship leader, these times when you can feel emotional and spiritual energy in the room brought on by the presence of God are so encouraging and refreshing, but they are not the final way of measuring how much God is working in the church. They ARE moments when God chooses to grace us with a physical sense of His supernatural presence and it feels good. I want to be clear about this though, this is not a way to determine whether God is or is not moving and working in people's lives or in the church. There is no doubt that God is working at all times in us whether we are feeling it or not; sitting in church or not; aware of His existence or not. OK, I'll step down from my soapbox... after this one last comment. I pray that God gives us more times where we experience his presence together in a tangible way, but I pray more that He would use us, WE the church, to bring about lasting life-change in the lives of people who are seeking and needing Him. Instead of praying, "God, I want to feel You." Let's pray, "God, by Your grace, let Your presence change me no matter how I feel or how much I feel You."

Setlist
Voices of Heaven and Earth - Bb
Marvelous Light - G
Mighty To Save - G
Overcome (Chorus and Bridge) - G

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.0 - Good job team! Little late start, but hit it hard and did some good work.
Technical Execution 3.75 - Still progressing, but hey, we're progressing
Transitions 4.5 - Charlie / our drummer did a great job transitioning
Content/Flow 4.5 - Had a few good moments that really lined up with the message and weekend's theme
Church Participation 5.0 - In every service, people were engaged!
Energy 4.5 - The highlight of the weekend in the second half of the set and the ending. So much energy in the room.
Movement 4.4 - We really moved from a time of celebration to a time of reflection and surrender.

Overall = 4.37

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 6

2008-11-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have taken a break from blogging for the past few weeks because we were in the process of packing up our old home and moving into our new home.... needless to say, my extracurricular blogging time was cut way short. Ok, it was non-existent.

But now I'm back, to let you know....

That just in case you have a case of the Mondays, you should take a look at this fly hippity hop video... Don't cut it short!! Watch it til the end. It is totally worth it!

Happy Monday-ing,

~A

News and Notes for 11/1 & 11/2

2008-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. We were on our staff retreat from Monday through Wednesday and we've been packing and preparing to move the rest of the week.

Jonathan will be leading rehearsal this weekend. The set is as follows:

My Savior Lives - G - Jonathan or J.R.
Cannons - B - Anne
Center - E - Jonathan
The More I Seek You - E - Anne

The rest of the service shoule be simple.

I do need someone to volunteer to lead our Psalm and Prayer time during the 8:30 service. Anyone?

Let me know. I hope you guys have an awesome weekend. I will probably peek my head in on Sunday morning sometime. Rock-it-out!

~A

News and Notes for 10/25 and 10/26

2008-10-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is something new that I am trying for all of our worship team members serving on a particular weekend. It's just a few thoughts and notes about the weekend before we arrive at rehearsal. I hope that this will further open the lines of communication and help us to be more efficient and effective with our time together.

This week's notes:

List -
Everyday - Bb - Aubrey
Cannons - B - Jen
All It Takes - E - Aubrey
Grace Like Rain - E - (Slower) - All

1. Make sure to log on to planning center and listen to Cannons. We are doing it in B, everyone's favorite key I know!

2. All It Takes will transition right into Grace Like Rain which will run right into communion.

3. Communion will be this weekend in every service. We will stay up and play through it. We will probably end with a chorus or 2 of Grace Like Rain.

4. I need a volunteer to lead our Psalm and Prayer time on Sunday morning. We will be reading Psalm 127.

5. Rehearsal starts at 3:30 by faith... so come in time enough to be ready to start at that time.

I think that's it. Please say a prayer for me because I'll be tag-teaming with John on the message this weekend. Here we go!

~A

Weekend Update 10/18 & 10/19

2008-10-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Let me just say from the start that this was one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. Everything just seemed to flow together from rehearsal to our worship times.

Setlist
Voices of Heaven and Earth - Bb
Everlasting God (Chorus and Br) - Bb
Cannons - B
From The Inside Out (Chorus and Br) - B
Jesus I Am Resting Resting - G

Report Card
Rehearsal 4.0 - Smooth... Still started a tad late, but had some late-comers.
Technical Execution 3.9 - Consistent all weekend
Transitions 4.75 - This was definitely the strength of the set
Content/Flow 3.9 - We've been talking a lot in the current series about surrender and trust... The last song "Jesus, I am Resting Resting" was a perfect ending.
Church Participation 3.75 - People really grabbed onto "Cannons". It has such an easy to learn chorus and bridge. I feel like it went over well.
Energy 3.8 - Pretty consistent. 2nd service on Sunday was packed so that seemed to up the level a little. Still room for growing here.
Movement 4.4 - Felt like the set really led people down the path of worship and surrender and contemplation.

Overall = 4.07

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 5

2008-10-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

If you've been listening to worship at all for the past 10 years or so, you've heard of Hillsong United. And you've possibly heard their song "Take It All"! It is kind of one of those tunes that's on the borderline of being monotonous, but really fun to sing all at the same time. Anyway, a friend showed this video to me the other day and I thought it was the perfect fit for the song! It's a pretty hilarious interpretation of the lyrics and the emotion. In fact, there's a whole series of these videos made for United songs, but this one by far is the best!

My favorite part is the guys with J-E-S-U-S painted on their chests... Enjoy!

Happy Monday!!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 4

2008-10-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's your Monday dose of Miracle Drug for the Malay that is Monday!

In case you find yourself wollering in self pity today, just take one look at this guy...

Remember, there is always someone with bigger problems than you!

~A

Weekend Update 10/4 & 10/5

2008-10-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Jen and I left early Sunday morning for St. Paul Minnesota. We are leading worship all week at Northwestern College for their Homecoming Week Chapels. It has been awesome so far and we have been so encouraged by the students here. It's just me, Jen, one acoustic, and 1500 students singing out at the top of their lungs! There have been moments each morning where we were not the ones leading worship. We were just there kind of directing the map of the song! Jen commented that they were singing so loud that she couldn't even hear herself in the monitor. It really is a beautiful and amazing experience.

In lieu of Jen and leading, Mr. Jonathan Andrus took the reins this weekend and here is his evaluation of the weekend "worship through music" set.

Setlist
Song of Hope
All That I Can Say
Mighty To Save
Pure

Rehearsal – We started a little late, but were able to get everything together so that we had plenty of time to run over the entire set after we had a chance to work technically on each song. 4.5

Technical Execution – Miraculously, Saturday night felt great…I think the only service that we had trouble with was 3rd service mostly on “All that I can say”…we kept speeding up then slowing down L. Other than that the band did an awesome job, and I was really able to get into it without thinking about it. 4

Transitions- No problems with transitions…we changed some of the song maps, and I think it worked well. J.R. did a good job with the beginning for “Song of Hope”…chorus then intro. 4

Content/Flow – Songs were all very engaging…I actually liked going from a mild paced song like “all that I can say” to a bit of a pick me up like “mighty to save”. 4.25

Church Participation- I think that people were following the flow pretty well, but not “off the chain” or anything. 3.5

Energy- Pretty consistent with participation…good not great. 3.5

Movement– I think that we flowed thru pretty well in most services. There was really no major distractions and I was able to spend some quality time with the Lord. 4

Overall = 3.96
~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 3

2008-10-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ok... I know I know, it's Tuesday, but I know that some of you are suffering from a Monday hangover. So, here is another dose of a miracle Monday remedy...

You should read Joshua 10 today!

Go ahead! It will make your day, even if it's your worst, feel like a walk in the park. If you think this is going to be the longest day of your life, ole Joshie's got ya beat there too.

Don't worry! Be happy!

Happy MonTuesday,

~A

P.S. Sweet graphic huh? Love the flames!!

Weekend Update 9/27 & 9/28

2008-10-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's Weekend Update Time... and I have 5 minutes!

Setlist
Grace Like Rain - E
Voices of Heaven and Earth - Bb
Mighty To Save - G
Refuge - D

Report Card
Rehearsal 3.0 - Still cutting it too close to service time.
Technical Execution 3.75 - Good job all around!
Transitions 4.5 - Saturday we did Voices of Heaven and Earth, a new song, first and it didn't really work, but Sunday we switched it to 2nd and it worked so much better. There was also a scripture reading before Mighty to Save and then Communion before Refuge... I kind of fumbled through the intro to "Voices" but all in all... really good transitions
Content/Flow 4.25 - Tried to line up with the theme of the message... The scripture reading from Proverbs 3 and Refuge.
Church Participation 3.5 - Good engagement... Had a good moment during the new song as well as during Refuge.
Energy 3.75 - Good in all services this weekend. Had a lot of people in Sat. service for baby dedications... The new song on Sunday seemed to pick up the energy a bit.
Movement 4.0 - Tried to move people toward responding to communion... I feel like it worked pretty well

Overall = 3.82

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 2

2008-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

I ripped this one off of a friend's site...

Listen, here's the deal. I know sometimes you feel like you're going crazy, but perk up you pejorative pessimist and take a look at these folks...

I'm not saying that I don't love trees, because they happen to be on my list of favorite things. But I can say with a great deal of confidence that I do not worship them. Do you?

There now, (head pat) see it's not all that bad now is it?

Happy Monday!

~A

Weekend Update 9/20 & 9/21

2008-09-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Holy Schmoly! Can you believe it's almost the end of September? Which means it's almost my birthday. :) Hint hint.

For this installment of Weekend Update, I would like to say that I love everything about Turkey Reubens. I did not have one today, nor did I have one this weekend, but oh did I wish I had one right now! Not only do they have Sauerkraut, swiss or provolone, and Turkey, but they have a "special sauce" like the Big Mac. In fact, I think it may be the same! Oh, and Reuben is such a cool, but tricky word to spell.

So... to the weekend...

Setlist
I Stand In Awe - E (Original)
O Praise Him - A
Mighty To Save - G
Treasure - C

Report Card
Rehearsal 2.75 - I am finding it more and more necessary to have a sound volunteer present for rehearsals. It is so difficult to lead rehearsal and run monitors at the same time. To some of you this may be a no brainer, but to me it's difficult to ask that of somebody.... But wait, I'm asking the whole band to be there... Uhh... so, I will probably implement that.
Technical Execution 2.75 - There was something distinctly missing in this weekend's set. It felt a little empty and I'm not sure why. It was probably my arranging or just the house volume being lower on Saturday. I talked with Mark about the possibility of him coming to listen during rehearsal and help us work some of the kinks out from the "listener's" perspective. This could be awesome! I hope he was serious, because now it's been blogged about! :)
Transitions 3.0 - We struggled a little with delayed transitions this week. It was due to a miscommunication between the me and the drummer. By 2nd service on Sunday though things were clicking.
Content/Flow 3.5 - Treasure was a Saturday rehearsal add, because I felt like it went with the theme. We also worked up an instrumental version of "Free Ride" that was a lot of fun to play and, heck, it went along with the "Road Trip" theme.
Church Participation 2.5 - The first half of the set I really had to encourage our people to jump in there and give God their best. The second half was better, but what do I know? I got plenty of comments that people really enjoyed our time of worship together this weekend.
Energy 3.0 - It went from about a 2.5 at the beginning to about a 3.5 at the end ... so we'll settle somewhere in the middle.
Movement 3.0 - Good, but questionable on the last song. After Mighty to Save, I thought we would just do a softer version of Treasure. It worked, but may have been too soft. Who knows?

Overall = 2.93

In the end, I felt like we experienced a wonderful moment of stillness before God... I could sit in those moments for days. That's worth a +1 Spirit Point!! Yessssss!!!

Overall + Spirit Point = 3.93!!! Waahoooo!!!

~A

Do You Have A Case Of The Mondays? - Vol 1

2008-09-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

So here's to another great kickoff to the week!! I know that most people hate Mondays, but just get over it and enjoy yourself. When you feel yourself getting down about how you have to go back to work on Monday, just think, "My life can't be too bad, at least I didn't work all weekend like my friend Aubrey." Ahhh... but then there's the fact that I enjoyed working all weekend. What I'm trying to say, in the words of the great Curtis (my step-dad) is "Suck it up!" (man, if I had a dime...) I haven't always worked at the church and loved my job. No, I've worked my share of crappy jobs, but I don't ever remember consistently dreading the kickoff to the workweek. I am a firm pillow user and believer that 99.9% of the time the difference between enjoying life and hating it starts with your attitude. I hate the cheezy-ness of this quote from Johnny Maxwell, but it's still true, "Your attitude determines your altitude." Oh... and your aptitude, your amplitude, your feelings toward your toothpaste tube, and your experience at the jiffy lube!

So, if you find yourself with a case of the Mondays... don't spread it like a disease like you normally do... just watch this video from the Echo Conference that I recently attended. It should cheer you up... If it doesn't, you should consider sleeping through Monday all together.

Johnny & Chachi LIVE @ Echo 2008 from Echo Conference on Vimeo.

~A

Weekend Update 9/13 - 9/14

2008-09-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's a little late, but here's the breakdown from last week. In addition to our regular services, we had a Night of Worship on Sunday night where we experimented with a few things. We had a couple of places around the auditorium where people could write or draw their impressions of Portrait, the theme for the night. There was a room set up where people could record video testimonies of what God had done. We also experimented with some architectural projection and it turned out to be pretty schnazzy! Way to go Aaron for putting this together! I'll try to post some pics soon.

For the sake of time, the evaluation this weekend will encompass all of this past weekend's activities... 3 rehearsals, 4 weekend services, and 1 night of worship. Pretty ambitious to say the least... that's just a cooler way to say "absolutely crazy"!

Setlist Weekend Services
Marvelous Light - G - Added during rehearsal to replace a new song "Voices of Heaven and Earth". We'll be adding that in next month.
Blessed Be Your Name - G - oldie but a goodie
My Life For Your Plans - D - Transition Chorus
Mighty To Save - G - New... to us anyway! In my opinion, rocked.

Setlist Night of Worship
King of Majesty - E - Anne led this one - I messed her up, but she stuck with it.
Voices of Heaven and Earth - A - New Original... Jen led... need to raise it 1/2 step and tweak, but good for first runthrough
O Praise Him - (chorus) - A - Great transition out of Voices
Portrait - C - New song led by J.R., one of our youth guys. Served as the theme of our night. Listen to the original here. It's by a band named "Freely."
Instrumental - Violin and Aco Gtr
I Am Waiting - B - Jen led - an original song off of our "One Step Closer" album
Mighty to Save - G - Just rocked!
Our God Reigns - G - Paired with Mighty, this was the climax of the night. Good time of just singing and playing all out for God!
Portrait (Reprise) - Just a plain good song!

Report Card
Rehearsal 2.5 - I tried to fit way too much into one 48 hr period. When we do something like this again, I will definitely schedule an extra rehearsal prior to the weekend of the event.
Technical Execution 3.75 - Even though our work load was heavy, I think our guys and gals really put it together this weekend. Way to go!
Transitions 4.0 - Again, in spite of ourselves, and by the grace of God, transitions went well, even with making some changes on the fly.
Content/Flow 4.5 - Content of both sets was really driven by the content of the message. Good flow with the weekend and worship night themes.
Church Participation 4.1 - I really have to give it to our people this weekend. They jumped in there with us and went for it!
Energy 4.25 - There was lots of energy in almost every service. We had a record attendance for a non-Easter weekend; over 1600! Love it or hate it, more people in tight spaces always seems to bring more energy... for the short-run.
Movement 3.75 - Good overall. The worship night took a little while to gain momentum, but then it really took off!

Overall = 3.84

~A

Fall

2008-09-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Man, I am so pumped for fall to get here. And even though it is brief in Texas, it is still my favorite season. Growing up in Tennessee fall was always a time when everything outside was splashed with warm oranges, reds, and yellows. Everywhere you went the scenery was a beautiful landscape painting. It seemed like even the mundane drive home was awash with new vibrancy and color. Mixed with a cool autumn breeze, these moments served as points of reflection and relaxation.

But with the same swiftness in which it arrived, fall inevitably gave way to winter. The colors faded, the air chilled, and the leaves covered the ground creating gargantuan menacing piles of... yard work. I couldn't stand to rake, bag, tote, and haul bags of leaves, but it was part of the process. If I wanted to enjoy the colors, I had to do so with the reality in mind that I would soon be grasping the rake in my hand to clean them up when they fell. But, you know, I would do it every time without complaint... because I knew that was the price I paid to see the colors.

Everything we do is for the purpose of glorifying God and seeing others drawn closer to Him. Some days I see the colors so bright and alive in people that I am overwhelmed with the opportunity that I have to lead God's people in worship. At other times... I feel like we're just out there raking leaves. So, I say thank you to all of you who are willing to be a part whether summer, winter, springtime, or harvest in what God is doing in our church and in our world. God is using you in every season.

~A

Last week's Grades from Aaron

2008-09-16T12:52:00.001-07:00

In order to catch up from my time away in Nashville and as a pre-runner of tomorrow's weekend evaluation, here is Aaron's evaluation of the music portion of last week's service... He led in my absence and I'm sure he has inflated the numbers quite a bit to pad his own ego, but hey, I wasn't there so.....

Rehearsal - 4.25. Everybody showed up on time (even a little early) and were ready to rock when they showed up. We tore through the special pretty fast, and moved onto the worship set. We finished up at about 5:15, a good 45 minutes before service started. Great job! (I hate him for this!)

Technical Execution - 4.25. The band played well this week. Mistakes were held to a minimum, with the biggest mistake being a fluke when the drummer's kick pad actually got stuck in the cuff of his pants. We missed a few beats but he got it together. (Uhh, 4.25 is extremely gracious, is he some kind of bribe taking Olympic Gymnastics Judge?)

Transitions - 3.5 Musically they were good, but when I tried to talk in a transition it didn't go as well. I wasn't prepared on what to say and even a little rusty, so things went better when I just shut my mouth. Musically transitions were easy based on the keys of the song. (Finally a little honesty)

Content/Flow - 3.5 The songs had a good flow b/c they were all in the key of E or A, so it had a good sound to it. Content-wise, I really liked this set. They were all songs that the audience knew and could sing along with easily. Very good set in lifting Him up and focusing our lives on him (center and the more I seek you).(I totally set this up for him... to make him look good ... This one should've been a 4.5 if he is worth his salt as a worship leader :)

Energy - 4.0 The crowd seemed to sing along pretty well this weekend. Nothing above average, but I guess having 1500 in attendance helps again. People seemed to enjoy themselves. The "life is a highway" special went over real well, even when Marticus lead the audience in singing. (I have received some corroborating evidence supporting this assessment! Oh and it always helps when Marticus shows up!)

Movement - 4.4 I thought this past weekend's service order was smooth and strong. Transition out of worship was smooth, into the service order, announcements, Road Trip video, the motorcycle ride, and then the sermon. Very good service. (I think he should've danced... then I would've given him a 5 for movement! Maybe the Holy Ghost hop? Or the Shambock shuffle?)

Overall - 4.25 Good service! (come on... you're like Prince Ali marvelous he Aliah-Babuaaaa "So Generous, So Generous!!)

No Vacation for the Committed

2008-09-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm with the fam on vacation in Nashvegas and I have but a few precious days to make sure that I'm in tip-top shape for our triathlon... actually, a few hours shy of 12 days before the maylay commences.

There is no rest for the weary and no quit in the heart of a champion... so I'm gonna have to settle for wingin-it, because I'm definitely mixin in some rest and quitting between now and then.

So here's the schedule for the next few days.

Sept 8th - Swim, swam, swum and run
Sept 9th - saddle up the old pink "planet" bike my sister-in-law has kindly or not-so-kindly let me borrow... now that's real commitment!
Sept 10th - Swim, swam, swum and run
Sept 11th - Run
Sept 12th - quit
Sept 13th - Trial-Tri with the whole crew... doin a run-through of the whole race in the country... which is a all around my house.
Sept 14th - 19th - TOP SECRET! You don't want to know for fear of intimidation! (that's code for "I have no clue")

Wish me luck... Next time I'll post a good linky to the guys that are participating with me in this joyous jaunt!

Happy Training! I'm headed off to eat school pizza :)

~A

Weekend Update 8/30 & 31

2008-09-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

I think I'll begin using some sort of measurement scale/grading for these updates. Maybe it will help to add some feedback that's a little less subjective... But oh do I like subjective so this may be hard.

I have come up with a few categories, but I would love to hear some of your suggestions as well. I'm starting with a 1-5 scale, but may change it as we go. 1 = sucky and 5 = never been better.

Made Just For Me!

2008-09-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about my beautiful wife... although I believe this to be true about her.

I found a link on a blog I follow called The Plow ! A literal and virtual treasure trove of endless fascination is a game called "Fantastic Contraption".

At the moment, I have been engrossed in it for about an hour and I am speechless... and so is my wife (for different reasons).

You should definitely try, but don't say I didn't warn you... about its addictive nature or about the look you will get from your wife!

I think I'll show this to my 10 year old nephew when we go to Nashville this week. According to Jen, we should have lots of fun!

Enjoy!

~A

Fantastic Contraption

Violation!!

2008-08-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend Pastor John continued with Part 4 of our Half-life series. He talked about the half-life we live as members of the body of Christ if we keep jumping from church to church. The cycle goes like so...

Phase 1 - Reconnect - to the church
Phase 2 - Romantic - "this is the perfect church"
Phase 3 - Reality - "this is not the perfect church"
Phase 4 - Response - What do you do now? Go back to Phase 1 at another church or
Phase 5 - Rediscover - When you stick it out! This is where whole-life is found.
(You can listen to the whole thing here if you like! Click on Half-life Part 4)

We had decided to split worship; two songs up front and two songs after the message leading into communion. After all, we were talking about the church and what better way to solidify that message than with corporate worship and communion?

Here is the original set list:
Up front:
My Savior Lives
Here I Am To Worship

After Message:
Majesty
Center

Just prior to rehearsal I was struck with this great idea for a song. So I decided to go for it because it was about the unity of the church and how God desires that we would be as one. Ok, great idea, right? The problem is that I violated one of my own principle rules of songwriting... Wait!

Now, what I mean by "Wait" is pretty simple... wait... as in don't go... as in not yet... as in let it simmer... as in don't pull out your "jump to conclusions" mat just yet. The reason I value waiting as a principle of songwriting (as well as a principle of any creative process) is because undoubtedly things tend to become clearer over time. After you get somewhat emotionally detached from something and can look at it objectively, you have a much better chance of really judging whether it's worth more effort or none at all. If you are an artist or a whatever, you have probably felt the rush of adrenaline that comes when you feel that what you just created is the absolute best thing that anyone has ever done! Immediately, you are filled with the confident resolve that everyone will like it as much as you do in that moment and that crowds will line up at your door for access to your new... whatever it is.

Ahhh! But if you wait, you will begin to see the flaws, the subtle ways in which you could make it even better, or the fact that it is not worthy to be seen or heard by the public at all.

The result of this particular situation? Well, I have to say that it wasn't all that bad, but it just didn't fit well on Saturday night during service. The words were great, the melody was good, but it just didn't fit with the flow of the service. It kind of put the brakes on the momentum that Pastor John had created with the message. This one small part didn't serve the purpose of the whole. Soooo, we ended up canning the new song and doing three songs up front with Center transitioning between the message and communion. Ahh and all was well...

So, the moral of the story is don't violate your personal creative code of ethics... unless you have just written a song that makes Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" sound like a nursery rhyme or you have painted a piece that makes people stand and say, "Mona who?" In other words...

DON'T VIOLATE! YOU MUST WAIT! (Johnny Cochran who?)

What is one of your most important guiding principles in your creative process?

~A

Baseball and Fast songs

2008-08-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... well, things are kind of busy today so here's the run down from this past weekend...

-Rehearsal went rather smoothly and ended about 10 minutes late. We did get the chance to run through the whole set with band and singers before the service. This may be something that all good worship leaders do every week, but we like to keep things raw.... and well, I'm just not the most effective runner de rehearsalos. I'm workin on it though.

-Actually started on time in 2 of 4 services... Victory!! After all, our motto here is "progress not perfection, right?" (and just in case you're wondering, I meant to put the quotations after the "right?" because most of the time we have no clue whether what we are doing is right or not. But dangit it, we will not lack for geniune love for God :)

-Set list
-Marvelous Light
-Everlasting God
-My Soul's Release - an original that Jen just kills!
(that's a good thing... youknow? kind of like a kill by Kerry Walsh in Olympic beach volleyball.... smashing... uhh... demons... and other stuff that needs to be killed by innocent God-fearing Christians)
-Center - Honestly, not much of a Charlie Hall fan and not just becuase I lack affinity for Kangol hats and long biker-gotees.... but this song.... yeah, it hits the nail on the head for our people and for me!

Hey, so does anyone else find it difficult to keep good fast songs in the rotation? Is it just me or does it seem they just get so old so fast? Some slow songs just get better with time, but fast songs just don't. There are a few songs that have stuck around for me like Everyday and O Praise Him, but, for the most part, they're like the super-extra-tangy-sour lemon ice thingy that you get at a baseball game... they are pretty good for the first bite, but very quickly you realize that you should have gone for the milder and much more bearable-to-the-bottom watermelon flavor... and after all that, you have to go buy the $8 bottle of water because you are now parched as you bake in the solar oven that is.. a baseball stadium. And then you call into question whether baseball is a sport even worth attending... or is it even a sport at all, because you surely can't watch it on TV either.... hmmm... Does anyone else feel my pain regarding baseball or fast songs? For that matter, does anyone have any good suggestions for new fast songs that you are doing?

Here is a working song list that my buddy Aaron and I compiled for our uses here at Hope Fellowship.

King of Majesty Here I Am To Worship Marvelous Light From The Inside Out Everyday!!

~A

Back In Action and HOT!

2008-08-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Big News this week! After an extended leave, the hottest worship leader on the planet was back in action!!! Of course, she also just so happens to be my wife! Yep! Our little man, Grady, was officially 7 weeks old yesterday and this past weekend his mom decided to join the action again. I can't tell you how cool it was to have her up there again. She has such a wonderful presence and 10x's the voice than yours truly! So here's to Jen... my favorite worship leader... (no offense to my other good friends leading worship, but I am quite unapologetically partial :)

Let's see, here was the set from this past weekend...

#1-Stand In Awe - Me - an original Key of "E" - There's a recording of it Here

#2-King of Majesty - Jen - changed to a "girl" key and it sounded really good - Key of "E"

#3-Lead Me To the Cross - Jen - Key of "D" probably could've worked a little better transition between "King of" and this one, but it worked alright. After the last chorus of "king of" died down we sang it with just acoustic and bass a couple of times a little slower. Worked well transitioning from the A at the end to the Bm at the beginning. This is my favorite song that Joey Honescko plays on the 'lectric gitter. He hits it every time! It is also a signature "Jen" song!

#4-Transition Chorus - Me/All - a simple original that I wrote on Friday, but totally forgot it by Saturday, so we had to kind of make it up on the fly. Yet another reason to record everything you write! Actually, I must confess that I stole the first two lines from a message that Louie Gigglio did at Catalyst a couple of years ago and the third one I think has maybe been used before, but not sure. chords: D D/C# D/F# G

My life for Your plans

My heart in Your hands

I surrender to You

#5-From the Inside Out - A - Me - Just a plain good song!

For next weekend, I'm workin' on a new fast song (well, i started it in October of '06 so it's new to everyone but me). I think it might turn out to be pretty good... We'll see.

That's the rundown! Any thoughts on this past weekend for you folks?

S is for Saturday - Yeah is for Sunday

2008-08-06T09:22:00.001-07:00

Well, I'll be short and sweet this week with my update. Warning: Incomplete sentences and bullet points to follow (much to the chagrin of you grammatical crazies out there!)

Saturday
-I love and hate Saturdays.
-arranging special song, programming lights for special song, rehearsing special song... making chord charts for special song in F# and Gb. (A guitar player's nightmare!)
-started regular rehearsal way late... while throwing in a new song "From The Inside Out" (I know it's not really "new", but "new" for our church.)
-Other selections included: Marvelous Light / Song of Hope / All That I Can Say
-had an idea for a video bumper for the sermon... turned out ok... kind of halfway thrown together
-didn't get to rehearse with singers.
-started a few minutes late... hey, why not?
-fluke mute scene button pushed on John's headset at beginning of message... whattayagonnado?

Sunday
-it's a new day!
-the special song which was a medley of The Real Me by Natalie Grant and I'm Not Alright by Sanctus Real was really kick butt!!! Aaron, Jessica, and the whole band rawked it ouwt!
-I was so encouraged by how many people were truly engaging in worship
-The fellowship time was awesome!!! Mardi Gras masks, Chasing spotlights, E,W,&F "Shining Star", and Marticus!
-Message was a strong beginning to new series "Half-life"
-Great first service meeting w/ worship team - great feedback and people offered some great suggestions and help. Let you know how these things pan out.
-My baby boy got to come to service! We ran ProPresenter together during the special song!!

Started out rocky, but turned into a good weekend!

Anybody have just an awesome or sucky weekend? What did you do?

~A

The Cup

2008-07-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

No, not the Nextel cup or the Stanley Cup nor the protective cup worn by little league football stars such as myself. Nay, not even the Scotty P's cups that have so subtely cluttered up our cabinets.

Last weekend John talked about "The Cup", meaning the one that Jesus shared with his disciples during communion. He also related it to the cup that the Pharisees did a half-butt washing of... you know, the one where He totally schooled them about being so concerened about washing the outside while neglecting the inside... Anyway, it was one of those services that just came together. I was off at Youth camp with my homeboy Aaron, our favorite intern Courtney (who also happens to be our only intern, but this makes her no less cool), and a few of our trusted youth leaders. John was in and out doing what John does best... ummm... eating lunch with faithful parishoners. Libba, the third wing of our triumverate was... well, I'm not quite sure what she was doing... Probably chasing her kids around... God love'em. So all that to say that our normal programming meetings and preparations did not occur, but nonetheless God showed up in a big way. Here's the rundown:

-Hey - Leeland - Special request of the Exley family who is returning to Africa tomorrow. How can you resist Melia requesting anything? If you don't know her, she is seriously so cute she's edible.
-O Praise Him - Led by one of our Oklahoma vagabonds, J.R. He is awesome! Can't wait to see what God is going to do with him.
-Fellowship - backed by a little Run Kid Run!!! Oh Yeah!!
-Announcements
-Offering
-John's message - One of the most unique and best teachings on The Lord's Supper I've ever heard. It's called "The Cup" as I mentioned before.
John invited people to write things on a cup they had been given that they needed to pour out to God. Then he instructed them to place alms or gifts for the poor in the cup if they felt led. This was according to the scripture where Jesus instructed the Pharisees to take care of the poor instead of gorging themselves when celebrating the Lord's supper. After that, John told them to observe communion as they felt let.
The response was immediate in every service and people were moved to give, to pour out, and to contemplate the words of Jesus.
-During the response time, we did
-Remedy -
-Do This In Remembrance - An original by some dork worship leader named Oobrey Mcgoowen I'll see if I can link up a copy of it for ya to hear... worn out camp voice and all.
-The Stand - just the bridge (sorry band guys) but it just fit.

In the end, there was just so much energy in the room in all four services. I really feel like Jesus was worshipped and honored.

This weekend begins a series called Half-life and we're starting it off with a medley of Natalie Grant and Sanctus Real.... Sounds weird, but I totally think it will work!! We'll see... I'll let you know... or maybe you'll let me know.

~A

I'm delirious...

2008-07-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, as you've probably heard by now, Delirious, my favorite band of all time, is throwing in the towel. After 14 albums, the guys feel like it's time to take a different turn parting ways on good terms according to their website. As I think back over the last 15 or more years of my own life following/listening/worshiping with these guys, I am struck with how truly influential they have been on me and on modern worship as a whole. If it tells you anything, I still listen to "Cutting Edge", their 2 disc breakout album, the source of songs like "Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble", "I Could Sing of Your Love", and "Obsession" and I wholeheartedly believe that it is still just as good and just as relevant as anything I hear from current artists and leaders. I hope someday to write songs like Martin Smith and help people to say what they want and need to say to God! They may be calling it quits, but their songs are not... I think that is a true mark of good/God-inspired songwriting and artistry.

Here are some fitting lyrics from the song "History Maker":

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna runInto your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

I think they truly lived out these lyrics and encouraged countless other like myself to do the same.

Thanks for the inspiration guys! Can't wait to see what's next!

In light of this, what are some of your favorite Delirious songs of all time well-known or unknown?

Here are a few of mine:

Obsession - Cutting edge 2
Oh Lead Me - Cutting edge 1
History Maker - Live and In the Can
Majesty - World Service
I've Searched For Gold - Cutting edge 2
Jesus' Blood - Mezzamorphis and Glo
King or Cripple - King of Fools
It's OK - Mezzamorphis
Miracle Maker - Mission Bell and Live at Willow Creek

~A

This weekend at Hope

2008-07-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

I thought this weekend went pretty well for the most part. Here are some thoughts...

Our set was:
My Savior Lives - G
Marvelous Light - G
All It Takes - E
Kindness - G

Strengths:
-John's message on repentance was great! I think it was well-given, well-timed, and well-received.
-Great Beverly Hillbillies clip about repentance!
-The worship set flowed well within itself and with the message.
-Julio was back on Bass after a long absence and Jolene was back singin'!
-Harry really kicked butt!
-I was able to use in-ears so we didn't have a floor monitor on stage
-I love the people who serve on our team!
-"All It Takes" went great when i finally remembered it.
-Jonathan sounded great on "Kindness" which was a last minute Saturday morning add.

Weaknesses:
-Another Saturday night 6pm dress rehearsal (That would be fine except for the fact that we just happen to have a service that begins at 6pm as well)
-Weak unplanned transitions
-Started late every service
-Zune crapped out... need a reliable backup or a totally different/more easily navigated solution.
-Despite my best efforts, the lights are still not fixed and timer on projector is still not reset.... ugh!!

The good news is that we get to try it all again next week... That's the beautiful and ugly thing about Saturdays and Sundays, they come around with amazing speed and frequency.

~A

"Think" with Krys Boyd

2008-07-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

I listen to our local public radio station on a regular basis and in particular a show called "Think". Other nationally syndicated shows like "All Things Considered", "Morning Edition", and, surprisingly, "The Diane Rehm Show" are engaging and addictive. "Think" on the other hand, is a locally produced show that rivals all the other big names in thought-provoking, inspiring, and eye-opening commentary on issues of history, science, politics, current events, etc.

It began as a replacement for "The Glen Mitchell Show" which I was very fond of. For a time, after the sudden death of its host, Glen Mitchell, I doubted that they could replace the show's personality, content, and overall engaging nature. But now I have succumbed to the power of public radio once again! You should give it a try. They even have a podcast that you can subscribe to for quick and easy anytime access.

KERA - Public Television and Radio for North Texas: Think

Today, host Krys Boyd talked to Peter Senge about his new book "The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World" and to Rob Walker author of "Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are".

Just plain good stuff...

A Little Encouragement

2008-06-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

I just received this email from one of my great friends Lance and was so encouraged by it. Especially because Jen and I just had our first child, Grady, on Tuesday. He is beautiful and amazing... A true example of the beauty and awe inspiring nature of our God... Grady, that is... Sorry Lance.

From Lance:
----------------------------------------------------------
Hello Everyone,

I would like to be open and transparent so to share something beautiful with you. Whether through self pity, circumstance or lack of discipline, I have been going through times of discouragement lately. Tonight was one of those times. It has been a long day, in fact a 18 hour day: off to work in the morning, scarfed down a sandwich at my desk during a conference call at lunch, ended up staying a little late at work and had to rush to my class that starts at 6:00 pm and is supposed to finish at 10:00 pm – to make matters worse, class went over by 30 minutes. Instead of going home, I called Stephanie and let her know that I needed to take a walk to blow of some steam. I walked around campus for about 30 minutes and on my way back to my car, I recognized a gentleman from my class standing outside of the Library entrance, at the base of some stairs under a side walk lamp (kind of reminded me of the scene in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” where they go through the closet and meet the fawn under the street lamp in the middle of no-where). His name is “Chief” and he is blind. I was surprised because the professor advised him to leave 30 minutes prior to dismissing the rest of us. As he left, she said she knew he had to catch a ride. I approached him, introduced myself and called out I wanted to shake his hand. He shifted his guiding stick and extended his hand. I asked him if he had missed his ride and needed one to go home. He said that he was waiting on DART (public transportation) to come pick him up. I decided to wait with him to make sure he got home. We started visiting. I was fascinated by the life and routines he described. I discovered that Chief works full time and takes classes at night. I asked him what time he was going to get up for work in the morning (knowing he had more obstacles to overcome to prepare for the day than I). He said 5:00 am, sometimes 4:30 am. Through course of conversation he shared that he was from Sudan, entertaining me with stories of his country, Chad and Egypt. I had recently heard that dust from the Sahara was traversing the Atlantic and reaching as far as Dallas. He confirmed and said that clouds of dust would cover the sky at times with a darkness you could feel. Then out of no where he exerts that his ride was there. I thought, “What do you think I am, blind?” I didn’t see any bus, and then over a quarter of a mile away, through Live Oaks and three parking lots I saw a yellow bus making its way through the campus – then I heard it. I looked over at Chief and he was smiling – I knew he was showing off. It took a couple of minutes for the bus to get over to us. We finished up our conversation and parted ways. It was now 11:15 and he had been waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I share this with you because I was blessed with this encounter. Not because of any emotional gratitude of abilities from encountering someone who is less physically capable than I. I am the one with the disability. I disabled myself. I thought I was at my max – I thought I could do no more. I have been tired and discouraged.

There are so many wonderful analogies to be drawn from this encounter, but from it, I wanted to encourage you to dig deep and find the extra sense that God has given you to shine in your circumstances and adversity so that others can be blessed and encouraged by your life. Christ did not die and give us spiritual site so that we could reach our max and limitations. There are no limitations in Christ and he has equipped us for every good work. Run the race with endurance, work hard and be faithful. Be patient – even if God’s work in your life takes more than 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Lance
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

~A

Are you ready?

2008-06-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you have ever had a child before, you know this question all too well. Considering that Jen and I are expecting our first any day now, we are positively sick of this question. I mean, how do you answer that? What do they mean by "ready"? Do they even care about the answer or are they just trying to make conversation because they have no more advice to give you at this point?

As I was thinking about the answer to this question, a few thoughts crossed my mind. The first was, "I was born ready!" The second was, "Ready as I'll ever be." And then I thought how can you be ready or ready yourself for something you've never experienced? For that matter, how can you know that you are ready if you don't know what skills/knowledge/things you will need to do this thing that you have never done? Speaking for myself, I feel like I'm ready. Maybe not ready in the sense that I know everything there is to know about raising a child, but I'm ready because I believe that God has made me ready all along. He has blessed me with a wonderful wife and given me a wonderful knack for rolling with the punches and problem solving. I mean there are certain things you can prepare for like a test or a particular job, but then there are things like parenthood for which you absolutely cannot be physically prepared.

Isn't this though the essence of our faith? Jesus called Peter, James, John, and Andrew out of their ordinary lifestyles into a life of discipleship following Him. How could they have possibly been "ready" for something they knew nothing about? What about Saul/Paul? How could he have possibly been ready for his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? The answer is that God had been preparing them all along. He knew from the beginning that He would call them to be disciples and apostles, just as He knew that He would call me to be a father. How could you be more prepared or ready than if God Himself had orchestrated your training; even without your knowledge.

So the next time someone asks you, "Are you ready?" You can confidently say something like, "Am I ready? Brotha/Sista, I've been gettin' ready for this my whole life!"

~A

Parking Signs

2008-06-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I was at the hospital the other day at an appointment with my pregnant wife and found a mega-rockstar parking space in the parking garage. It was marked with this sign...

As I gleefully pulled in, seeing as though I drive a '96 Corolla... Sedan, my excitement was met with frustration. I couldn't actually get out of the car! Why? Because there was a freakin huge SUV parked right beside me. It was also in a space marked Compact Car Parking Only. I mean this just isn't fair. The kind higher-ups that run this joint decided to honor the fuel-frugal enviro conscious space efficient people of the world with their own luxury parking spaces. I consider it a distinct privilege to park in these spaces. But this guy or gal just ticked me off!!! I mean... if you want to park here, you have got to pay the price pal!! Not only is your truck too big to fit in this space, but so is your ego... Some say that, "You can't have your cake and eat it too." But I say, "You can't have your ego and my rockstar compact car parking too... you fools!" I mean yesterday I received my official membership packet for the Junky Car Club! Listen folks, there is a price to pay for everything!!! You paid that price for your huge fancy high-falutin' SUV, but I paid paid the price with my ego so you better back off that parkin' space homeboy!!!

OK!! Uhhh...

Here are a couple of other frequently violated parking signs...

Common reasoning: "It'll only take a few minutes. And who's enforcing this anyway, some rentacop in a Ford Escape?"

Everyone wants to be clergy for a day!

AND LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST...

"Oh, well I haven't decided whether or not to become a member yet..."

Pressin' in

2008-06-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

As we were worshiping today at church, I felt the Lord nudging us to "press in!" Now, some of you may be very familiar with the phrase, but in the few moments before it came out of my mouth I thought, "Most of these people won't understand what you are saying." This is not to say that they were not capable of understanding, but the context of their spiritual lives is much different than mine. I decided to throw the term out there and then kind of interpret what it meant in this scenario.

I have to admit, when it came to my mind I felt like I was revertin' back to my old revival days, but there is truth behind the term "pressin' in." As hokey as it sounds, we stop short of the journey that God has for us in our services because we don't break past the normal barrier of our worship. Sometimes, as the gathered Body of Christ, we just have to collectively say, let's lean in a little closer, let's focus together a little more intensely and see if God doesn't reveal Himself to us in a new way or refresh us with His presence like never before.

What kind of phrases have you stuffed back in the corners of your mind? And what kind of dormant truths could they be covering up that deserve being revived? I'd be curious to know.

Matthew and Eugene

2008-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Don't look for shortcuts to God. the market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that cam be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way of life - to God! - is vigorous and requires total attention.

Matthew 7:13-14 (Message)

I love both of these guys!

Do You Have A Prayer Partner?!?

2008-05-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

I know that in times past tele-evangelists and churches have really run the idea of having a "prayer partner" into the ground. But there is something really awesome about having someone beyond your mom praying for you on a consistent basis.

I attented the Shift Conference at Willow Creek and after one of the sessions I made my way to the prayer room. After a few minutes of prayer, I got up to leave only to be stopped by one of the prayer volunteers there. She asked me if I needed prayer and I was like... uh sure! I've never been one to just turn down someone if they wanted to pray for me unless they have really perfect hair, a big bible with a "KJ Only" sticker on it and a crazy look on their face.

I'm not going to say, "Man, that lady prayed good!!" But she was just connected with God in a way much differently than most people I know. She sat with me, talked with me, and prayed with me even though she didn't know who I was. When I was about to leave she looked me in the eye and said, "You need to find a prayer partner. Someone who prays specifically for you on a daily basis." I felt her sincerity as if she was saying it with a knowledge of who I am and what God desires for me.

So, as prideful as it sounds to ask someone to pray for me daily, I'm going to do it. I've had this person in mind for a while, but just haven't asked them... And it's... YOU! No, just kidding. This person has to be someone that I can trust. :) We'll see how it goes. They may not want to pray for my sorry butt every day.

Day 21 - Only the Beginning

2008-05-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I've reached the end of this 21 day journey (actually it was Sunday but I'm just getting a chance to write it down.) I have known for about three weeks that this day would come and have been thinking since then about what I would write on this day. Would it be some life-shaking prophecy or a treatise on the intricacies of worship? I wasn't sure... but here we are and the anticipated day has arrived. So, what have I learned? What has this journey taught me? How does it fit? Why did God lead me to do this?

I think the message that a fellow staff member, Watty, gave this weekend pretty much sums up the purpose and importance of a journey like this in my life. He talked about the dangers of drifting. His point was, if we are not careful, we will find ourselves on the edge of danger because we have not taken the time to be anchored in God's ways, in our relationships with others, etc. It is not something that happens overnight, but it is a gradual drifting away from those things that are foundational to our lives. Pretty soon, we are at the edge of dangerous waters and, seeing it ahead of us, we look around in confusion wondering what happened. How could we have drifted so far?

This 21 day journey is about making my way back to a place close to God and putting down anchor. It is especially important to me, because the true success of my leadership lies in a healthy relationship with God. I guess anyone could say that, but I was a worship leader who had drifted away from worshiping God on a regular basis? Who are you? Are you a pastor who has drifted away from your own personal hunger for God's Word? Are you a husband or wife that has drifted away from your spouse? What have you drifted away from? This journey is about being re-centered on Christ. The 21 days doesn't bear any significance except that "experts" say it takes us that long to develop a good habit. It was my worship journey, but it could be your journey of growing closer to your kids or recommiting to your job. There is nothing super-spiritual about it except that this commitment will hopefully help you realign your priorities and get you farther away from dangerous waters.

So, what are you waiting for? The next 21 days could change your life!! OK... or they could just get you back on track. Who knows what it could hold for you? There's only one way to find out.

~Aubrey

Day 20 - His Greatness

2008-05-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

Today, I was reading through some of the psalms and thinking about the worship we express when the body of Christ gathers in great or small numbers. I hate the term "corporate worship". Ok, I don't hate it, but it does kind of creep me out sometimes.

I Just long for the people of our churches to practice worship in their lives. I long for them to read the psalms and internalize God's works. I long for them to meditate on what it is that God has actually done for them. I want all of us to never tire of praising God. Psalm 145 says, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond discovery." I hope for myself and for all those who call themselves Christ followers that we would seek to know this greatness. If it is true that we can never know all of His greatness, then today we can learn something new about Him and turn to praise Him for it.

Oh Great God, help us to know your greatness and never tire of praising You. You are truly beyond discovery, but teach us more and more about Yourself. Let Your people hunger to understand how You are working in their lives. Keep us from the snare of self-confidence and pride. Make us aware of who You are. I long to worship You continually and I long for Your people to do the same. Oh Father of all secrets things, reveal Yourself to us and we will turn to praise You. Together we will praise You when we gather to meet. Together we will make sure that Your name is heard on our lips and Your songs in our sanctuaries. Jesus, fill our hearts with brokenness for our sins and with a revelation of Your love. Then we will be like David and Your praise will be on our lips day and night. In Your great mercy, show us yourself Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 19 - Gifts

2008-05-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 18:16

A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. (NKJV)

In most translations this verse refers to something like a bribe. In other words, when you pay someone off it can bring you before great men. NKJV is the version that I grew up reading and I memorized the scripture this way. To me it has always meant something a little different. I don't think it's at all out of context, but it communicates a little different perspective. The gift is a little different. I believe that God uses our gifts to bring us before people great and small; our talents and spiritual gifts that is. It makes me think of Joseph being brought before Pharaoh because of His gift of interpreting dreams. God used this to raise him up.

I have such a strong desire to be a self-aware, G0d-aware, and humble person, but I feel that this scripture is part of what God is doing in my life. I don't know what it will look like, but I want to be ready to seize the opportunity to share His message with whomever I am given an audience. I want to be ready in season and out of season like Paul encourages Timothy to be.

God, thank You that You are always simultaneously preparing me for the future and using me in the present. Keep me focused on Your voice today while still hoping and seeking for the future. Give me boldness to speak to people small and great about Your name. I will worship You before any gathering, before any assembly, before any audience. Above all else, let Your will be done in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 18 - Selfless

2008-05-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today about all that David sacrificed when he looked over the balcony and plotted to sleep with Bathsheeba. He was such a worshiper. He was a man who had a way of speaking to and knowing God in ways that are still profound to us today. But all that glory, all that worship, and all that relationship were put aside that day for David's selfish desire. It is kind of sad. He had worked hard all of his life to lift up God's name and humble himself and then he ends up committing adultery and bringing shame on himself and God. He turned from worshiping God to worshiping himself, his flesh, and his own desires.

Selfishness is the great enemy of true worship. The problem is that we are all prone to be selfish. No one is exempt from this struggle, because it is at the core of all human nature.

1 Peter 5:6-9

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

God, give us the boldness to live selfless lives. Keep us Lord for Your glory and for Your name. In every decision help us to look to the future, to look to You and see how we should act; what direction we should take. All of this is so that You would be glorified in us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 17 - Stewardship Worship

2008-05-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Christians should be leading the way on conservation, environmental responsability, fair trade, and other global issues, but instead, we remain apathetic or just plain obstinate. Why? Because it's still a liberal vs. conservative battle or because it's just some green tree hugger crying wolf. I don't care what you believe about global warming or consumerism or fair trade. It doesn't matter if you believe it matters or it's happening, because we're missing the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that our God is into long term plans and sustainability.

Just like God desires our consistent life-long devotion over our sporrattic tossed by every wave commitment, He also desires that we care about things that are about long term instead of instant gratification. Our economy, issues of pollution, and a myriad of other things that go along with these are all about quick fixes and the selfish pursuit of what will work for "Me" without concern about tomorrow. Take for example, factories using outdated dirty technologies to continue making cheap products filled with toxic additives that can cause unknown diseases that our own children chew on and bathe in... think about it...

Is that God honoring?

Are we worshiping God by catering to lobbyists and pharmaceutical companies that have no concern for people beyond the money that they can take from them?

Does this have anything to do with worship?

When we buy products that are cheap to us only because the resources were stripped from some third-world country and produced by grossly underpaid mistreated workers, are we honoring God or dishonoring Him? Or does it even matter?

These are questions that we need to be battling with, not whether or not this or that specific thing is wrong or right in our own eyes. We should be asking, "God, what do you think about this? Does this kind of stuff honor You or dishonor You? The traditional Christian response is that we should not be worried about these things when there are souls out there to be won, but here is the truth...

Empty souls are dying every day because of these things. We are killing ourselves everyday with the stuff we put in our bodies. We are acting without regard for the souls and lives of future generations who will be living in a world on the verge of catastrophe in the wake of our gluttony and irresponsability. And worst of all, we are robbing ourselves of the wonderful adventurous God-honoring life that we could be living if only we would care about what He cares about and live out justice, mercy, and God-honoring stewardship.

God, merciful Father, please explode us out of our apathy. Open our eyes, unstop our ears, let us see the devastation that we are part of causing. Oh God, we are so sorry for all that we are supporting and funding. Please forgive us and give us a clear picture of what we can do to change. Your honor and Glory is our top priority. Help us to worship You with our words, our actions, our money, our habits, with everything. You are worthy and Your plans go far beyond this generation! Oh Jesus, help us to prepare the way for the next generation and the generations to come. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 16

2008-05-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

I Belong

Kathryn Scott

Verse 1

Not angels, nor demons,

no power on earth or heaven

Not distance, nor danger,

no trouble now or ever

Pre Chorus

Nothing can take me from your great love

Forever this truth remains

Chorus

I belong, I belong to you

Verse 2

Not hardship, nor hunger,

no pain or depth of sorrow

Not weakness, nor failure,

no broken dream or promise

A beautiful thought today... I belong.

Outside of my office window there is a massive pile of dirt (see below)

Just to the right of this dirt is a huge hole that looks like the makings of two olympic sized pools. They're taking the old dirt out and putting layers of better dirt that will serve to support the foundation of the expansion of our new building. I thought that dirt was dirt and you could just slap some concrete and rebar on top of it and voila!! Wrong!

God, I would rather have a good foundation for You to build your work in my life upon than to have instant success and fame built on unsettled ground. You have told me that You are tilling up the soil in my heart, so please, by all means, continue; as if You had to have my permission. But I submit myself to You and Your plans, Your views, Your thoughts, Your desires, and Your will. Take as long as you want to cultivate me. I worship You because this is where I belong... wherever You want me to be doing whatever it is You want me to do. I belong in Your hands. I belong to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 15 - Success

2008-05-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

Success is trusting in God.
Success is more than money.
Success is more than numbers.
Success is alignment with God.
Success is being broken.
Success is full of surprises.
Success is not easy.
Success is closer than you think.
Success is a daily journey.
Success is full of failure.
Success is not a solo venture.
Success as a Christian begins with relationship.

My only hope
My only prayer in this life
Is in You
I trust in You

I trust in You
With more than words

I love You God. Thank You for shaping my view of success. Thank You for loving me enough to change me. Today, let me shut up and worship You. Amen.

Day 14

2008-05-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

As we were worshiping today in church, I read this scripture out of the Message. It's one that most people who have grown up in church have heard all of their lives, but I love the way that Peterson puts it.

Matthew 6:33-34

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

We did an acoustic set today with just two guitars and three vocals and it was a great way to recenter ourselves on God's initiative of being glorified instead of being so focused on our pseudo-rock-n-roll initiative. I love worshiping with a full band, but I guess it's just nice to remember that we can worship with an orchestra or a capella and still bring God just as much glory.

God, may our church do everything we can to steep ourselves in You and not in our own selfish ambitions. Father, teach us to lead them in that way. Show us the path to bringing more glory to Your name. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 13

2008-05-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are not clear today about what God is speaking to me. I feel this urge, a longing for God to do supernatural things in our community. Then I ask myself the question "why?", and I'm not sure how to answer that. I feel like there are so many people, just in our church, that need God to supernaturally heal their bodies, their relationships, their minds, etc. But what would be the purpose? Obviously it would be for those people to be healed and restored, but would we turn and squander what God has done? Is that even why God does supernatural things, so we will be closer to Him and trust Him more? Or, should we trust Him in spite of the presence of miracles? Which one is more God honoring?

I look at the children of Israel and the miracles that they witnessed, but, being so self-absorbed, they missed it. They turned to their complaining and idolatry. Are we not a society just like theirs? Do we not tire of things so quickly that every new thing turns quickly into "old news"? Why would God want to do miracles here? Wouldn't we just turn and forget Him just like the Israelites?

I don't know. On one hand, I long for God's supernatural intervention via physical miracles of healing and restoration because good people are hopeless and dying every day (physically) without them. On the other hand, I long so much more for us to trust in God and love Him whether we are sick or well, rich or poor. It's so easy for me to say this because I am well and, while I'm not rich, I am well provided for.

Oh God, I long to see miracles because the people You love are hurting and groaning for Your intervention. They have been given reports from doctors that are hopeless. They have reached an impass with their spouse and can't get through it. We so desperately need You and Your power here and now in our lives. But, Father, help us to make a different mark than the Israelites, to chart a different course. Let our longing for relationship with you supercede our desire for healing and restoration in our bodies. We need You, in everything You are, in every way! But God, first, we need You as our Master, our Leader, and our Lord. Be worshiped today by our submission. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 12 - All I Need

2008-05-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

2 Peter 1:3

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.

Jesus, simply put... all I need is You. Amen.

Day 11 - Context

2008-05-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had lunch yesterday with a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a couple of years. It was awesome to see how much he has grown in his relationship with God. He's always been someone who inspires me to take God's commands literally and live them out. His trust in God is shown by his willingness to obey, even in the small things. If he feels the Holy Spirit leading him to talk to someone, he talks to them. If he senses that God is asking him to do something, he is willing to do it even if it doesn' t make sense.

OK, now forget everything I just said except for the last four words. Isn't that where we get hung up most of the time when God asks us to do something? Especially when we feel Him leading us in our daily lives as we walk through a store or drive down the street. Most of the time we... I don't immediately obey Him because of those four words.

What I forget though is that God is omniscient... He knows absolutely everything and He's using me to accomplish a small part of His universal will. So when God speaks to me, He's not only leading me to accomplish His will in that small situation, He is also putting this work in sync with a long line of things that are masterfully woven together in His universal plan. So, who am I, with such finite intelligence and understanding, to utter the words, "It doesn't make sense"?

Here is the key to all of this:

God always speaks in the context of HIS knowledge.

I think about Acts 9 when God tells Ananias in a vision that He is to go and baptize Saul. His first response is something like, "God, it doesn't make sense. Do you know who You're talking about? This guy has done so much harm to Your people." But God is speaking to Ananias in the context of His knowledge, not only of that moment, but also of what He knows Saul will do and become. God was calling Ananias with all of the people in mind that Saul would ever reach. He even knew that one day we would be reading his epistles and be encouraged and challenged by his words. God spoke in the context of His knowledge and thankfully Ananias believed that.

If we live and walk with that understanding, then those four words, "it doesn't make sense," will hopefully turn into these six words... "even if it doesn't make sense."

God, You are so smart and I rarely give You the credit and respect You deserve because of it. Father, continue to chip away at my human reflex of distrust and my need to understand. Let my spirit's reflex to Your words dominate and my response to you be immediate... even if it doesn't make sense. In Jesus' name, amen.

Day 10 - Shape me

2008-05-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was attempting to worship today and something kept coming to my mind over and over. It wasn't a distraction, rather it was God continuing to remind me of something He wanted me to do. I had told a lie to a friend of mine and I needed to make it right. I had also spoken about someone with the wrong attitude and I needed to apologize for it.

I wanted to keep "worshiping"! I just wanted to keep singing that new worship song I like. I wanted to tell God how awesome, great, mighty, and majestic (any other commonly used adjective) He was, but I couldn't shake it.

The problem was that at the very beginning of my prayer time today I asked God to shape me. It was an innocent prayer and lacked profoundness, but nonetheless, effective.

Jesus says something so relevant to this in Matthew 5:23-24
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice ["worshiping"] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God."

Ahh, there it is again. Make it right because your sacrifice means nothing without obedience. I think it has become our... my habit to sweep offenses small and great under the rug, step into our worship time, and pretend like God doesn't know that something is awry. This is a dangerous habit to get into! This is where empty self-fulfilling self-honoring dishonest worship begins.

And we wonder why our worship is dry... why we have lost our sensativity to the Spirit.
Leave your sacrifice! Go make it right!
God is using this to humble me, mold me, and shape me. I can't complain though because it was my prayer to begin with.

Father, thank you so much for valuing me enough to see that I am changed; that the empty self-fulfilling self-honoring dishonest worship stops in my life. Oh God, forgive me of my sin against my brothers and sisters. I am in dire need of You, because, on my own, I'm unfit to be called your son. Keep me Lord, even if it means that I am broken... Keep me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 9

2008-05-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

You've got me where You want me. I'm right here.

I spend so much energy seeking God's will and His plan for my life asking Him to show me the next step. All along though, He is telling me to come to Him. Seek Him. Know Him. I have a principle that I learned long ago, but have yet to live by. It goes like this:

If you stick close to God, then you will be where He has called you to be.

I know that if I seek Him and stay close to His heartbeat, his voice, and in His presence, then I will fulfill the most important call that He has given me; to be in relationship with Him. Everything else flows out from there. The where, when, how, and what don't matter if it doesn't start with us personally submitting to His will at His feet as often as we can. That is where it begins and ends because if there is no relationship, then we are missing the point.

Worship begins with relationship. Without it, there can be no genuine worship. Obedience is only obligation without relationship. Playing and singing is only a concert without first knowing Him.

God, first I seek You and long to know You, because I understand that my primary call is to know You. Only then can I truly worship You. Oh gracious Father, thank You!

"Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift." -2 Corinthians 9:15

Day 8 - What the heck am I saying?

2008-05-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

This journey is supposed to be about me getting close to God and seeking His perspective on worship in my life. Today, I felt like He was continuing this realignment.

I fought for my worship time today amidst a number of things on my calendar. I stole a few minutes in my office listening to a couple of songs from Delirious and Desperation, but I couldn't seem to shake my tired eyes and mind. I got up and put my "in session" sign on the door (it's kind of a musician wanna be's version of do not disturb) and I sat down in the corner of my office trying to focus my thoughts on God. About the time I felt like I was making some progress, one of our sound guys arrived to help me with the sound board. An hour and a half, a guitar lesson, and three or four other tasks later, it was time to meet up with my beautiful wife... God would have to wait. :)

I had some time alone on the way home because we had driven seperate cars and I thought, "I'll get that last ten minutes of worship in now, while it's just me and God." I tried singing some songs, but the same distractions came up. I just didn't seem to be in the singing mood. So I quit doing that and just began to pray about my soon to be born son and my wife and my family. Then, out of nowhere, this thought came to me, "What am I doing? I'm supposed to be worshiping and dang if I didn't get distracted by prayer. OK, what song could I sing?"

Right there, God put the brakes on my thoughts and spoke so clearly.

"What do you think you are doing when you pray? What do you think worship is? Is worship not giving time and attention to what is most important? Is worship not obeying My commands? Is worship not thinking ahead and organizing your day so you can spend time with Me? Is it not building a relationship with a man who serves Me by fixing sound problems? Is not teaching a middle school student guitar lessons so He can play music that glorifies Me? Is it not putting aside other obligations to have dinner with your wife and spend quality time with her? What do you think worship is? Today, I have been worshiped more than you even know, because you took the time tend to my flock. I'll take this any day over songs and melodies from your lips."

1 Samuel 15:32
What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

God, today and every day I want to glorify You with my obedience. With my life I honor You and my hands and feet sing Your praise.

Day 7

2008-05-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Let the praises of our mouths resound through the streets of our cities
And our worship echo in empty canyons
Let the glory of our God be know in every dark alley
And His name be shouted from every mountain

When we sing, let our voices be heard
When we cry out, let Your justice roll down
Let your Spirit pour out
Use our lips to spill words of life
And our songs to pull back the night

Leave no heart unturned and no life unchanged
Leave no hurt unhealed when we speak Jesus' name
Let hungry mouths be fed and children loved and claimed
Let all that's lost be found when we speak Jesus' name

God, we long for our worship to be so much more than words and melodies.
Oh kind and patient Father make us the vessels You want us to be

Send us with Your praise on our lips
To every dark corner
To every broken village
To every penthouse suite
To every filthy port city
To every lavish palace
To every dreary bar
May our worship not stop at their thresholds
Or thanks be shut up inside our walls
But let us take it to where the hopeless are
To where tired eyes go to cry
To where broken hearts go to die

We are bondservants of Your glory
And muses called to tell Your story
We will not hold it in
Holy Spirit we breathe out
Let them breathe You in

Day 6 - Center

2008-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Worship is all about priorities.

Think about it it though like a solar system instead of like a list. Our lives are made up of a series of concentric circles and Jesus is at the center. When we worship Him, everything revolves around Him; He is the main priority. He, like the sun, gives life, energy, and light to the rest of the things in our life.

Our worship doesn't end with placing Jesus at the center though. It only begins there. We can bring glory to Him by the way that we align the other things in our lives around Him. Priorities are nothing more than a way of expressing value and unfortunately what we say we value is not always what we value with the substance, time, and energy of our lives. Priorities are spoken and put into place with actions, not words. Everyday, we have to be working to align these two priority systems; what is spoken and what is reality. I can't tell you how true this is in my life.

It is very much like this in our worship through songs and music. It is a vocal expression of our ordered priorities, but does it truly reflect the state of our hearts. Is Jesus the center? I think this method of worship can serve as a reminder, a checkpoint, in our lives to help realign us, but that's not all. If Jesus is the center, then He also dictates the order of the other things in our lives. This is why it's so easy to take Him and put Him in orbit around our own desires, because then He doesn't have control of everything else. This is what dilutes our worship to Him, because our priority systems are not in line.

Worship of God is not only putting Him at the center; that is where it begins. Bringing glory to God is putting your marriage orbiting around Jesus with nothing spinning between. Singing His praises is maybe putting "loving your neighbor" just beyond that. If our worship in song serves to realign our priorities and reposition Jesus at the center, then the the worship of our lives should be to align everything else according to His will.

Oh God, may the words and worship of my mouth be reflective of the true state of my heart. In this I know that I will be worshiping You with sincerity and integrity. God, You are worthy of that. Holy Spirit, speak to me and be keeper of my priorities. Jesus, be the center. In Your name, Amen

Day 5

2008-05-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

I was reminded today of this thing called joy. For some, it's just a girl's name. For some, it's just an emotion. For many, it's something just out of reach. For a Christian, it's evidence of the Spirit's work in our lives.

God, knowing that you desire me brings me joy. Knowing that your are listening and attentive to my prayers. Jesus, knowing that you are my advocate, my liason, brings me joy. Knowing that your love and sacrifice is for me. Holy Spirit, knowing that you are near, with and in me, brings me joy. Knowing that I have the very presence of God living in me and going before me.

Joy creates energy
Joy brings help to hope
Joy helps people perservere
Joy makes a heart light and not heavy no matter what the circumstance
Joy heals hurts
Joy guards from bitterness
Joy is rooted in security
Joy is knowing and trusting the God of all creation
Joy is birthed as God reveals Himself to us more and more

God, help us to never turn our eyes from You. We want to see all that You, God of infinite wisdom, want to show us. You have our attention. You have our senses. Show us Yourself and in that we will know Your way.

Day 4 - Instead of a Show

2008-05-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

1 John 4:17-18
But whoeer has this world's goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

God, help us to all be full of love like this. Your sacrifice is worthy of this, that we love our neighbor and our brother. We worship you with this love.

Oh God let us worship not in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Song I was listening to today:"How Sweet The Name" Album: Kingdom of Comfort Artist: Delirious

Check out this video I saw yesterday of Jon Foreman singing a song he wrote out of Isaiah. Much needed message about worhsip.

It's called "Instead of a Show"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E53qJxltyfI&feature=related

Day 3

2008-05-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

I was singing over and over the chorus of a song that I wrote recently called "Eternally Yours".

Oh God Your love has put
Eternity in my heart
You've given me a song to sing
Eternally for You God
Always, always

As I was singing, I began to pray that God's kingdom would come and that the kingdoms of this world would pass away. Sometimes I am so frustrated with the tunnel vision and short-term mindset of world powers including the U.S. I long for God's kingdom because it is completely eternally minded and centered. Everything is done with eternity in mind.

May Your everlasting kingdom come
In my time, Through my life
May the kingdoms of this world
Pass away, pass away

God, this love You have placed in my heart is the only eternal thing I possess. It is the only eternal thing that I can give away in this temporary life. Help me to be about the business of giving it away, so that in small ways Your kingdom comes and Your will is done on earth, through my life, everyday, as it is in Heaven. Your kingdom is beautiful in your people.

Day 2 - Pleasing To You

2008-05-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a song by Desperation Band today called "Pleasing to You".

The words just resonated with me today. I long for God to "clean out my closet" as it says in the second line of this song.

I want to be pure, but only because I want even more to please my Father. Purity and Santification are only a means to the real end of making my Father proud. The pursuit is not purity so I can be holy or sanctification so I can be different; No, it's because I want to be close to God and want to please Him with all that I am.

I will be white as snow

I will be pure as gold

Jesus my heart must know

I'm pleasing to You

I give my life my all

Taking the cross I will follow

Jesus my heart must know

I'm pleasing to You

The beauty of all this is that He wants so much to have me near, that He is willing to do the work of purification.

Prayer:

God, I am so full of flaws and things that make me unfit for your presence. Please forgive me for clinging to those things or sweeping them under the covers. Clean out my closets and let Your light of life shine in every dark corner. Not just so I can be clean, but I only want it because it means that I can be close to You. Draw me close Father, whatever it costs me personally. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 1

2008-05-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

God, teach me about worshiping You. I want to know Your heart. I want to be close to you.

I need You here. Come speak to me. Holy Spirit fill me up

I have begun 21 day journey with a friend of mine. We’re putting aside at least a half hour each day just to worship and get closer to God. I know it sounds like something that a worship leader should be doing all the time, but it is just not true; at least for me. All too often, I find myself flying through the day without stopping and really being still before God. I mean, I catch a worship tune here and there and join in on the ride home or during the day just randomly, but I’m talking about dedicated time between God and me. Come on, this is stuff that I’ve been learning since I was a kid and stuff that I teach our middle and high school students. I want to be re-centered on what God wants from me personally and in leadership.

One other facet of this particular journey is that I have committed to write zero songs during this time. I’ll probably jot down some phrases here and there just to get them out of my head, but so many times, when I finally slow down to worship God on my own, I get distracted by songwriting. Unfortunately, I have built a habit of looking for lyrics in everything. No songs right now though… they’re just too distracting. I end up getting off course and quit worshipping God in order to write a worship song. Go figure… idiot! Talk about someone who’s missing the point. Anyway, I’m looking forward to what’s to come.