Bill Bright and Brian McLaren

This morning I started my day with a walk around the neighborhood and decided to listen to some podcasts. I have subscribed to the Catalyst Podcast for a while and had a couple on my iPod I hadn't listened to yet. The second one I listened to was from the Catalyst conference in 2001 and was a session in which John Maxwell awarded Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade with a lifetime achievement award. That was the initial preliminary, but then Maxwell went on to engage Dr. Bright in a conversation, probably one of the most compelling and challenging conversations I have listened too in a very long time. There are certain individuals who have lived such an incredible God honoring faithful life that when they speak, their words drip with truth, grace, and humility that almost leaves you speechless. That was how I felt about his words. To listen to his humility and challenge was moving to say the least. I would HIGHLY encourage anyone, especially men, to download this podcast and listen intently to the words this Godly man who now enjoys the prize of living a faithful life as he passed away just months following this interview. Just click on the icon and it will take you to it. Soak in the words of this amazing man of faith.

On a separate track, I came into work this morning planning on posting about this podcast, but before I did, I decided to check my email. Mark Reda, who for a short time more leads our media ministry, sent out a forward of some new video from The Work of the People. One of the new videos was a short from Brian McLaren about the "worship industry" that I also found very convicting. How often we get more caught up in the experience we are trying to create rather than sharing the relationship we should be seeking to live, communicated as an act of worship. Two things that challenged me this morning and reminded me how much I still have to learn and grow.

Peace

Great Fun!

Found this video on Crowder's site and had to share it...good stuff!

A Good Day

It feels like it's been forever since I really got to lead worship. Today, I led in Lindsay Project, our junior high and high school services...what a blast! It is interesting to consider that my start in ministry at Central and what so much of my ministry time has been was in that very room with that ministry, and to be back there, leading with students, several of which I was a part of their initial involvement in worship for Central was great. It is a very talented group of kids and a fun atmosphere to lead in and I was truly blessed to do it. There is a certain frustration I sometimes feel when I think that for so long I was a regular, weekly worship leader at Central, and yet now, I fill more of a back-up role when there is a need. I believe God has taught and continues to teach me a great deal during this time, which I am truly grateful for, but I also continue to pray that God would open up an opportunity to lead worship regularly again.



All said, it was still a very good day and exciting to be there. The only downer to the day has been the Suns loss...but they'll come back and win when it counts.

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A New Book...

Well, after hearing much said about the book over the past year from one of our elders, Jeff Thomas, I was recently convicted that I needed to take some serious steps in cultivating my relationship with my wife. Now, like most men, I would be the first to say that I don't think I am a bad guy. I don't beat my wife or anything crazy like that, but I have come to realize that I am not the husband that I need to be. So, I recently went out and bought this book and started reading it.



I have to say, I am very convicted already. The emphasis of the book is really about being Christlike. His point is based off of the scripture in Ephesians that talks about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church. Like I said, I felt like I was ok at that, but as your read this book, it becomes evident real quick that I have not been Christlike, but rather very selfish in this relationship and in the way I viewed and treated Karen. I am about a third of the way through, and am already being very convicted in how I view my wife, and the way in which I interact with her on a regular basis.



One thing that really stood out was a passage about Christ hearing your prayers (or not hearing them) in relation to the quality of your relationship with your wife (I don't have the book in front of me, but I will quote the passage later). I have been in a season of seeking God, and yet this part of the book really caught my attention in that I still don't live in a great understanding of her and her heart. That is the goal. I want to not only discover my wife, but discover what it means to truly love my wife and be connected to her.



She is a gift, one that I have often overlooked or under appreciated, but that is something I am committed to changing. I hope others will see the value of it as well and do the same!

Complete worship leader notes

I came across another passage of the book that I wanted to include. The author, Kevin Navarro, is talking about redemption and scripture, and the need to know the scriptures and their story and to celebrate it. Taken from page 43:

If faith is absent in our church, it is because ignorance of the Scriptures is escalating. Missionaries are laboring to translate the Word of God in new languages. Yet in our country where translations abound, the word is habitually neglected. This is a great tragedy in the modern church. As a result, we are producing people who lack faith because they don't know the word of God.



If you want to be a complete worship leader, fall in love with the Scriptures and the author of the Scriptures. Pray and sing over the Scriptures. Get the Word of God deep in your soul. Then articulate with clarity the hope that is within you. This is what it means to worship the Lord with accuracy.

I find my heart resonating with this, that even in ministry it is easy to become complacent about scriptures, to think more of the tune rather than the Word of God presented and celebrated in worship. It does seem true though that people in countries die for and tiniest bit of scripture and where we have it in abundance, it holds little value. How sad.

I bought this book a long time ago and read quite a bit of it, but I decided recently to read it again as I have been wrestling with my call to be a worship leader. This is a great book with a lot of deep and weighty information for worship leaders and pastors who oversee them to read and understand. One quote in particular jumped out at me that I want to share.

Repentance is fundamental to worship. Graham Kendrick has put it this way: "The genuineness of our worshiop can not be measured in decibels of sound, and although it is vital that we express our love for God vocally, he looks to see the evidence in our lives. We do not always think of repentance as worship, but i can be much easier to sing a rousing hymn than to turn away from our favorite sin. A sinful act involves worship of the wrong kind, submitting ourselves at the moment to serve the appetites of our pride or lust, and so repentance is literally a transfer of our worship back to the One who rightfully owns it."

I found this to be very convicting and stirring. Much to meditate on here.

Help out this great project! Click the link to find out more. Thanks Justin!

Stargrounds :(

I love Starbucks coffee! Nothing starts my morning better than a good cup of Starbucks coffee. Unfortunately, with the price being what it is and trying to work the Total Money Makeover stuff, Starbucks visits are not a regular thing. The closest thing to a regular cup of Starbucks other than what I make at home (which is really pretty good) is on Sunday mornings and occasionally Thursday mornings when I have to head in extra early.

However, nothing ruins a great cup of coffee than a mouthful of coffee grounds when you get to the bottom. I can't stand that. To go from pure delight to pure disgust in one mouthful is such a let down. I am able to keep them out of my home coffee, why can't those who do it professionally keep it out?

On a side note, at bible study on Wed. night, I had an Americana, at least I think that is what she called it. It is espresso mixed with hot water that simulates coffee, but has a subtly different taste. I have to say, I liked it a lot. Might become a regular!

I have become quite a fan of Dave Ramsey as of late. My friend John turned us on to him a long, long time ago when he lent us the book financial peace. Lately, I began to look at how we can improve our financial picture a little bit and stumbled across him again. I began listening to his podcast and then recently picked up his newly revised book called The Total Money Makeover. He tends to be a bit strong in his personality, but his principles and values are so simple. Taking the scriptural principle that the borrower is slave to the lender, and therefore we should not borrow, and if we do borrow, work to get out of it as fast as we can, means changing the way we live.
The difficulty is that this is a difficult process to practice because it involves great discipline and sacrifice. It is so easy just to charge something and to say we can pay for it later, but later is hard to want to pay for something that is already used up. However, it is very compelling to seek to live a simpler life that is not burdened by debt, but rather disciplined to buy when you can afford it.
So, Karen and I have begun to begin the process of the baby steps. Step one should happen real soon (hello tax return). We can then begin with step two...the debt snowball. Should be fun. We'll keep you up to date.

A Idol Worship Note

I have been a worship leader for a very long time...over half my life really. As of late, through a series of events, I have not been actively doing that, but hoping that God will lead me back that way. I was doing some research for a bible study and found this article for worship leaders. Using the example from last years American Idol winner and runner up, the author uses their lives to springboard some valuable points, all of which I agree with. I think they are timely reminders that the heart of a worship leader must be real, humble, and intentional about bringing the best they have. All of these I have and still struggle with, but I appreciated the reminder as I again try to bring my heart back into a place where God can use me in helping to lead his people in worship. It is a gift, and one that is missed.

I got a new attitude!

I have often read other peoples blogs, particularly my friends who tend to be writers of a variety of subjects, often religious or social justice or something else and been somewhat cautious about doing a blog. As the name states, I really have one for no particular reason, just have a blog. However, recently I have felt the desire to write more about the things that interest me in life. I feel like I have a fairly eclectic variety of interests and topics and sometimes don't really know where to talk about them. So, as time goes on, I will begin to present some of my interests and things through this blog. I'm sure little will come of it, but it could be a fun journey for me anyway. Until next time...

Gotta love the ER

Well, twice this month I have gone to the ER. Before that, it's been over a year since we have been there. It is not a place I typically like to visit. The first was for Rachel, who happened to have a reaction to something. She is doing better now. This morning, I made a visit because of my own stupidity. Many years ago, I was a welder, and in that profession, I was exposed to some hazardous eye conditions, resulting in slivers of medal in my eye...twice. The process of removal usually involves a small drill/bore device that removes the metal and any rust that may have developed. They then patch it up and send you on your way. This was back when I lived in San Diego, and the ER visits typically took 4 or so hours.

This time was different. I am not a welder, but obviously have not learned my lesson about eye protection. I was drilling through some medal that was over my head, and a sliver got in my eye again. I didn't realize this until Sat. night, and then didn't go in until Sun. morning. The ER, which is new and amazingly fast near our house, was quick, but rather than call in a specialist, the ER doc just took out an IV needle, numbed the eye, and proceeded to scrape out the foreign object...fun times. Though he removed the foreign object, the rust remains and I still have to go see a specialist.

So, the moral of the story...hey, eye protection...not a bad idea! As my friend JJ would say...Good Times!

Just a little shout out to my brother in law Andy for getting engaged! Congrats to you and Melissa, and the new nieces...looking forward to seeing you all soon! Also looking forward to another beach wedding on the other ocean.

Brilliant!

I read about this site on Justin Narducci's blog and was incredibly impressed. What a brilliant idea! You can setup and account and loan money to people in developing countries to stimulate economic growth, and then they pay it back. Once paid back, you can loan it to someone else. Check it out, it is impressive!

I am unique!

Got this from J.J.'s Blog...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?