The Cup

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...

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

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

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

A Little Encouragement

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:
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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
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~A

Are you ready?

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

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..."

~A