Johnny Rohrbeck

Random But Fond Memories

2010-08-19T21:50:00.002-04:00

Today while sitting at my desk, I started having all sorts of random memories. I started to tweet some of them, but then realized that twitter couldn't contain the detail and number of memories I was enjoying. So, if you read my blog (even thought I haven't posted in like...forever) hopefully you'll be someone that is a part of one of these memories. In no particular order:

1. Dry Lake Swimming Pool during the Summers. My mom finally started buying me a summer pass for this public pool. Needless to say, the Indian in my genes definately showed up those summers. I remember hearing songs like "Electric Avenue" and "Too Shy" while swimming and running around the pool. I also remember putting 50 cents in a drink machine to buy a can of Coke and winning a can that had a free "Coke Is It" T-shirt in it. Dry Lake Pool...I miss the days with you.

2. Mazzios Pizza. I remember going there after church on Sundays and playing Yei Ar Kung Fu while the parents talked..and talked...and talked...and talked. It was a pretty rare game in arcade form. Although, you can find it now on Xbox Live Arcade. As I got a little older, it became the hangout for me and my friends on the weekends. The movie theater was right behind it, so parents would drop us off for pizza and video games; then we could go to the movies (memory number 3) at Parkway Cinemas. As mentioned in my tweet today, I can still remember the smell of their nachos and the way things smelled from the arcade area. LOTS of memories. When I was old enough to drive I used to hang out there after closing with my friend that worked there. We'd play Mortal Combat and drink Mr. Pibb all night long. LOLOL. Boneheads; we would spend almost all of our tip money from delivering pizza on the games. NBA Jams was the other game we'd waste our brains and coins on.

3. Parkway Cinemas. I had a very vivid memory today of going to see Back to the Future with my Uncle Clyde and my sister Regina at Parkway. Cherry Coke was brand new at the time and you could get it from the snack counter at Parkway. What a classic movie! To this day, whenever I drink Cherry Coke I'm immediately transported back to that night. I also remember seeing Karate Kid 2 there.

4. Pirates Cove and the Theater in Kentucky where my Mammaw and Grandaddy lived. Me and my cousin Steve and My Dad and Uncle Ed would go and play games like Tempest, Galaga, Omega Race, Space Duel and Asteroids. What fun memories! I remember going to see The Empire Strikes Back at the theater one year. I had not seen Star Wars, but I distinctly remember Steve telling me before we went in the theater that we would be finding out that Darth Vader was Luke's father. LOL...talk about a spoiler. I also saw Uncle Buck at that theater with some other cousins and my friend Nick Kline.

5. The Barrel of Fun. My dad, me, and my sister Tiffany would visit The Barrell every so often. Another arcade, The Barrell was one of my favorite things to do with my dad. I remember seeing Dragon's Lair for the first time there. And afterwards, we would almost ALWAYS go to Orange Julius and have a hot dog (usually a pizza dog) and an orange or peach julius. What great times!

6. Playing baseball with my Mom. I remember like it was yesterday standing on the sidewalk in front of the duplex on 24 mile road. I was probably 3 or 4 years old. My mom pitched a plastic ball to me, I swung the short little fat green bat I had, and smacked the ball clear over her head. I remember playing with my cousins and sisters in the yard there. The corner of the duplex was first base. Something was put in the grass for second. The corner of the porch of the Farm House was third. And back home to the sidewalk. I miss you mom. I'm still swinging for the fence! Sometimes I strike out. But when the bat connects it's out of the park!

7. Grandaddy's 80th birthday. It was just..."Epic". As a kid, it seemed like there were 200 people there. All the old dudes stayed up all night watching the whole pig Barbecue in the pit they dug, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Us kids all enjoyed the pool at the hotel and breakfast at Grandma's Kitchen next door to the hotel. French toast. Yep, that's what I had for breakfast. What a great reunion of family and friends.

8. The Air Force Base Bowling Alley Grill. I remember mom and dad bowling fairly frequently at the Base Alley. And they had the ABSOLUTE best hamburgers and french fries. Nothing has ever matched up to the memory I have of their burger and fries combo.

9. Freedom Lanes. What a stinky place! It always smelled like an ash tray. I remember finding a 5 dollar bill on the floor and taking it to my parents. When my mom told me how many quarters were in a 5 dollar bill...I was blown away at how many video games I could play!!! Of course, then someone came around looking for their money. They did reward me with a couple of quarters though so I could play some video games.

10. I miss the smell of my baseball mitt, freshly oiled and broken in. I LOVED playing baseball as a kid. I remember telling my dad that I wanted to play for the Braves one day. Yea, that didn't happen. LOL. Coach McKinney was my first coach. He coached me for several years before they started splitting up all the kids.

Of course I could go on and on and on. These are just the thoughts that came to me today. There are so many fun times and "staples of life" from growing up that I'm sure I'll be posting soon.

If you read this, I hope you enjoy it. Otherwise, I'm glad I captured some of this today while it was fresh.

Obedience

2009-05-22T12:05:00.002-04:00

Amazing...hiliarious...but powerful story for me this morning. Just a few minutes ago I was trying to talk to my wife to give her an update on my brother-in-law who is at the hospital right now. While I was trying to talk my son, Cooper, kept interrupting me to tell me something about his train, Percy. I finally paused from talking to Suzii in order to tell Cooper that he needed to be quiet and wait a minute. He looked at me and said, "But daddy, Percy's brakes aren't working!". I looked at him and said, "Well, I need you to put the brakes on your mouth for a minute while I talk to mommy. Do you understand?". He looked at me and very obediently said, "I'm understand". 5 seconds go by and I hear him say, "Ow!". I look up at him and he has Percy's wheels on his mouth. He literally, obediently, put Percy's brakes on his mouth. LOLOLOLOL.

Of course, Suzii and I busted out laughing. Then, I explained to him that I simply needed him to be quiet for a moment, which he did.

Then it hit me how blessed God is when we are obedient to what we believe He is telling us to do. I honestly think that even if we misunderstand what He's telling us, He's still blessed as a Father to see us attempt to follow through with what He instructs us to do. Sometimes it may seem silly what God is telling you to do. A tender heart towards Him should lead us to attempt it anyways. What's God telling you to do today? Give somebody something? Call someone and tell them you love them? Go to the mall and dance around like an idiot? Put Percy's brakes on your mouth?

Love y'all
Johnny

Mario Kart

2009-05-03T21:58:00.003-04:00

You know you've been playing too much MarioKart on the Wii when you start doing the following in your REAL car in REAL traffic:

1. You start revving your engine at the last second before a light turns green in hopes of getting a power boost.

2. You start looking for Floating Question Mark boxes at intersections so you can blast the person in front of you out of the way.

3. You wish you had a banana peel to drop behind your car to make that person who's following right on your bumper spin out.

4. When you go over hills you flick your wrists out of habit thinking that you'll get a super jump and boost when you come down the other side.

5. In tight turns your thumb habitually presses down as if you'll engage a jump and slide move.

6. When you make it through a green light before the person in the next lane...you hear the MarioKart "whistle" sound in your head as if you just crossed the finish line.

7. The pre-race music plays in your head when you sit at a red light.

That's all I got for now. Anyone else have any?

Some Words

2009-03-30T22:36:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been doing a lot of twittering and chatting online with facebook friends and family. And, as a fast typer...sometimes I'll miss a letter here or there while chatting but I'll quickly hit 'enter' before realizing that I missed a letter. So my mis-spelling shows up on their screen.

Now most of the time, people can tell what you were trying to say and it's no big deal. But there are SOME WORDS that just HAVE to be spelled correctly.

Take the word "shirt" for example. It doesn't matter what the context of your sentence...if you accidentally leave out one specific letter, it REALLY comes across either Gross, Insane, or just TMI. Think about these phrases:

I just spilled something on my "shirt"
I'm wearing my favorite "shirt"
Somehow I got a hole in my "shirt"
I put my "shirt" in the laundry basket
I just finished cutting the grass and boy! does my "shirt" stink

You follow? I know what you're thinking. This post has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. You're right! It's just random silliness. Welcome to my world. Oh and by the way, YES I have accidentally left the 'r' off of shirt while chatting with someone and the result was hilarious and really gross all at the same time.

Any other words out there that you've run into trouble with? Please share.

Johnny

Indiana Adventure

2009-03-03T09:48:00.002-05:00

This last weekend me and two band-mates made a trip to Indiana to lead worship for a youth retreat. It was the most eventful trip I've ever taken. So I decided to try and capture the excitement in a blog. I'll attempt to include all of the details. There will be no exaggeration. Brace yourselves.

Day 1:
We leave around 5 o'clock. Matt decides to run through a "quick" carwash to get the van ready for the long drive. "Clean the windshield", he says. "It'll only take a minute", he says. He decides to go ahead and swipe his credit card while the person in front of us is still in the wash. The machine dries the guy in front of us...then he just sits there. The wash starts over. He doesn't move. The idiot TOOK OUR CAR WASH. 8 DOLLARS! It has now been 25 minutes. We ask the guy if he let it wash his truck twice on purpose. He says...Yeah I think so. I've never used this before. We decide to go ahead and get on the interstate.

We make it to Nashville. So far the trip has been lots of fun. We've been listening to some funny CDs and laughing a lot. We get to the hotel/suite that was booked for us only to find that the office is closed. Not a good sign. The security guard opens the door and gets us a key. The place feels kinda creepy. Sorta like a trailer park. We go to our room and find it has only one bed. So I call the security guard and he lets us in a different room with two beds. And then he says, "You make sure to close your door". I say, "Of course we're going to close our door." He says, "No, I'm serious. Make sure and lock your door. I mean it. For your own safety. This isn't a good place for you to be." ??!!??!!!
So now we're just a little freaked out. Now the picture is becoming clear. the liquor store and the adult video store across the street should have clued us in. This is a BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. And we've got thousands of dollars worth of gear in the car. And Marshall is too scared to sleep on the couch near the door. So around midnight. I finally say, "If you guys want to just keep driving we can." Without hesitation, both guys jump up and start getting their shoes on. LOL.

Day 1.5
So we load back up in the car and head for Indiana. It should only be about 2.5 hours. We get some coffee and stuff and are doing great. Then we hit Louisville. Rain like you've never seen is dumping on us. It was so heavy that we had to drive 20 mph. Then it starts going sideways from left to right. The rain that is. It's completely at a 90 degree angle. Then all of a sudden, the rain starts going sideways from right to left. A TORNADO??? There are cars spun out all over the place. Needless to say, we were no longer fighting sleep. We were, could you say, just a little puckered? After we made it through what seemed like a never ending storm, we were even more exhausted from being to tense. Props to Matt for driving through that mess.

Day 2:
4 a.m. We arrive at the campground. Their office is closed as we expected. We decide to sleep in the car. Matt has some sort of sleep apnoea grizzly bear snoring type thing he does when he "sleeps". Marshall and I are so buzzed from no sleep that all we can do is giggle. By this time we were so miserable that it actually was laughable.
5:50 a.m. Matt wakes up and says he's cold. I say, let's check the office. There's a very nice girl there who let's us follow her to our dorm and opens it for us. We go inside and lay down on the beds and sleep for a couple hours.
8:00 a.m. I wake up with what most assuredly looks like strep throat. And I have to sing all weekend. So I call my Dr. and he calls in some antibiotics for me to the local Walmart (which by the way was even more like a trailer park). So Marshall and I drive to Walmart. We get out of the car and it smells like cow poop. No lie. It took an hour for the pharmacy to get my stuff ready. We head back to get Matt and then meet my Aunt and Uncle for lunch. That was a highlight of our trip. They bought it for us and my Aunt brought me some snowcream in a cooler.
9:30 p.m. The youth group arrives. We set up our gear and have a great worship service with them. Tom Agnew speaks and does a great job. It's good to be with Ben Taylor again.

Day 2.5
2:30 a.m. After much laughter and funny stories, I finally go to bed.

Day 3
Saturday morning and all day Saturday is good. The services were good, the free time was good. The meals were good. Matt purchased a guitar. Saturday night we had what was supposed to be a bonfire. It was more like a small campfire for 30 people. It kept going out. It was cold out. Once all but 7 or 8 of us left...the fire started roaring so the remnant enjoyed a great fire and some s'mores.

Day 4
Sunday morning at 5 a.m. I wake up and cannot breathe. I don't just mean that my nose was stopped up. My throat was closing up. My gagger was as big as my thumb and was getting stuck in my throat. I wake Marshall up and type out a text on my phone for him to read cuz I can't talk. He gets the nurse. She says, "go to the hospital". We get Matt and head out the door. The campgrounds decided to lock the gate to the outside world; something about "keeping people safe". So we call for them to come open it. It takes them 15 minutes. My adrenaline is pumping and I'm getting nauseous. After the lady finally opens the gate, Matt takes off while following his GPS on his phone. It's leading us turn by turn to the "nearest hospital". Finally the GPS tells us we're at our destination. But guess what. We're in the middle of a field. There's no hospital around us. Now I have to barf. And I can't breathe already. I literally thought at that moment that I was about to die. How do you barf when you can't breathe?

Matt calls 911. The lady offers to send an ambulance. I muster out of my swollen throat to Matt, "That'll take too long..have her give you directions". So she does. And we make it to the hospital. Not after me barfing though. I threw up so hard that my whole face swelled up where I couldn't open my eyes. And I didn't die.

The emergency room people were great. They were timely and kind. They gave me a steroid injection and some stuff for nausea. They took an Xray to make sure there was anything else going on. They took a throat culture to check for strep. That was fun. The guy said, "open your mouth". I couldn't even begin to open my mouth without gagging 'cause my gagger was still so swollen it was resting on my tongue. Yuck. We got it done though.

8 a.m. or so: We left the hospital and went back to pack our bags. Then Matt drove us all the way home through the snow.

Today:
I still feel like crud. I'm taking meds and resting. Matt got in trouble for purchasing the guitar. Marshall is just glad it's over. I think he may have cried a little from the overload of emotions and adrenaline. That's why we love him though. He's real.

OVERALL: The retreat was awesome. The ministry and worship and fellowship was great. The TRIP however was the most horrific experience.

There ya have it. Sorry for the long read. A lot happened.
johnny

Top 10 Least favorite Sounds

2009-02-02T10:12:00.003-05:00

Several weeks ago I posted my top ten favorite sounds. I've been prompted to write out my top ten LEAST favorite sounds. So here goes:

1. An out-of-tune piano. Mr. and Mrs. bride and groom...when you ask me to play for your wedding and I ask you to make sure the church has their piano tuned...don't just assume like every other bride and groom that the church always keeps their piano tuned. I stopped playing weddings because of you.

2. A piece of junk car sound system with the Bass cranked all the way up. Like...ok...if you actually have a decent system...go ahead and crank it. But some of you poor wannabes are turning the treble down and the bass all the way up on your stock speakers and you actually think you are booming down the street. It SOUNDS LIKE CRAP. Yes. I just said crap.

3. When Cooper turns all his trains on and sets them on their side and goes to play in the other room. It's like....whirrr...zzzzzzzz.....ssshhhhh.... times 50.

4. There's a certain rendition of a certain patriotic song that I saw in a video once that made a little vomit come up in the back of my throat. Only a couple of my friends will know what I'm referring to on this.

5. The drill at the Dentist. I know y'all are with me on that one.

6. Somebody else's kid whining. I have to deal with my own kid whining lady...would you please smack your kid?

7. The sound of someone singing "just" sharp or flat on a sustained note. No matter how hard I try...I can't stop my face from contorting on that one.

8. When the TV, the washing machine, cooper's trains, and the neighbor's blower are all going at the same time and Suzii tries to talk to me about anything important, I break down.

9. Hearing someone make fun of how much I love my kid. Go grow a heart you jackhole.

10. This last one is sort of a LEAST favorite AND a favorite. I went to my niece's 5th grade Christmas orchestra recital a few years back. It was so horrible...the total combination of "out-of-tune" with the "timing" of all of their playing...the fact that I could actually tell you what song they were "trying" to play. It was the most hilarious thing I've ever heard in my life. I literally almost wet myself and was gasping for air from laughing so hard. Imagine it with me: Violins, Clarinets, Horns, Flutes, and Drums. Boom...chick..crash..whine...pbbpbbb...wwhiiirrr...boom.

Well there ya have it. This was for you Russ.

Leaders...submit

2009-01-26T12:43:00.004-05:00

This post is not coming from any personal hurt or situation of my own. It is coming from a culmination of several years of seeing people hurt needlessly through ministry and at the hands of fractured leadership.

I think we would all agree that good leaders should have the ability to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Some leaders will even "admit" those weaknesses. But I see in scripture the need to do more than that. Unfortunately I don't see very many leaders, especially those who hold the position of senior pastor, "submitting" themselves in those areas of weakness. I see way too many pastors and other leaders who may have even admitted that they are not relational people try to "administrate" or "warrior" their way through personnel changes and issues. I see way too many pastors who might be relational but are weak in the area of administration try to keep everyone happy and like them through a season of logistical or strategic change. What saddens me is that this type of behavior usually comes from a prideful attitude. It's the thought that "I'm the man".

What I see in the Bible from the Apostles was mutual submission. This doesn't mean that no one led. They all led in the area of their strength. And they submitted themselves to each other's strengths. So I think that it's important for leaders, especially pastors, to not just "admit" their weaknesses but "submit" themselves in those areas.

Paul eventually understood the value of this as a leader. I think it's safe to say that Paul was a choleric type personality. He was a forward mover "my way" type of leader. He understood the law and didn't seem to be afraid of anything. He was not, however, the relational guy. We see this played out with how he dealt with John Mark. Barnabas, on the other hand, was the relational guy. He pleaded with Paul not to be so harsh with John Mark because of his lapse in judgement. Unfortunately, initially Paul missed it. Him and Barnabas even had to go separate ways because of the strength of their disagreement. Paul wasn't submitting his weakness to Barnabas' strength in a matter where relational leadership was important. It was a "personnel" issue.

Eventually though, Paul got it. Later on he actually calls on John Mark, recognizing his usefulness for ministry. I have to believe that somewhere along the line Paul realized he wasn't strong at everything. And like so many other examples of the other Apostles submitting themselves to HIS strengths...he finally submitted himself to Barnabas.

So, pastor so-and-so, what's your deal? Why can't you do this? You are willing to admit you aren't a relational person. Yet you handle "people" problems without filtering your decisions through someone who is. You admit that you aren't a strong administrator...yet you don't filter your logistical decisions through someone who is.

None of us are above any of us because of our title or the parking space we occupy on Sunday. So, if this is you, please stop it. Get over yourself enough to start caring more about the kingdom and those of us who are in it than your own stature. Stop making excuses and submit yourselves in the same way you expect others to submit to your strengths. Your title doesn't automatically infuse you with all the gifts and strengths. So why act like it?

Just a thought.

Desert Pt 3 - The Prodigal's Desert

2009-01-11T09:45:00.002-05:00

This will be my last post for a while regarding the seasons of "desert" that we find ourselves in. This post should be one of the most obvious to us, but somehow when we actually drift into this type of desert we get caught up with mirages and confusion and can often have a hard time discerning where we actually are.

I'm referring to this desert as "the Prodigal's desert". This is the desert you wander off into at some point all on your own. The thought process usually goes something like this, "They don't understand me...God doesn't understand me...life isn't fun enough as part of the caravan...I know what's best for ME..." and so on.

So we pull away from relationships that give us accountability. We stop trying to pursue God's will by praying and studying His word. We start making selfish decisions and disregarding what we've been taught by those who love us. Like the prodigal, we take what's "rightfully ours"...our time, money, and resources, and we think only of ourselves.

Before long, we find ourselves empty inside; longing to feel loved...desiring to belong.

When I went through this desert as a younger man, I could only describe it this way: Have you ever had a sunburn that was so bad that even the wind blowing would hurt and ache? It was like my soul was sunburned. From the inside out I ached. I was irritable, sad, depressed, lonely, and thirsty in a way I'd never experienced. I was in the prodigal's desert.

So here's the deal. If this desert is so obvious...why do people stay there? Here's a few reasons I think you might still be there:

1. You feel that you've let God down so much that He won't let you rejoin the caravan. But let me tell you...God is waiting at the end of the driveway...with binoculars...searching for you to come home. He can't wait for you to get back so he can wrap His arms around you and sprinkle clean water on you and bring healing to your sunburned soul.

2 .You think it's too far of a journey to get back out of this desert. Like, you might not survive if you try to make it back. Let me tell you something. You aren't going to survive if you stay where you are either. And it's not as far a journey as you think. No matter how many steps you've taken away from God's plan for your life...it's only one step back. God is waiting right behind you friend.

3. You keep chasing mirages that offer hope and survival in your lonely desert. Remember my first post. Just because good things may happen in the desert...it doesn't mean that's where you are supposed to be. Don't let those mirages fool you into thinking that they can actually sustain life for you. You are delirious friend.

Action points:

1. Remember that God has never stopped loving you...there's no power in heaven or on earth that can separate you from His love.
2. Don't let the howling winds and the scary heat convince you that the journey is too far. Stop right where you are...turn around and crawl, walk, or run back to the place God has for you.
3. Wake up. The vultures are circling above you. And it's not to entertain you. This is serious business. Quit staring at the mirages.
4. Don't let other people who have decided to stay in the desert convince you that you can all make it together. There is no "together" in this desert. Everyone else in this desert is looking out for only themselves, just like you.

I hope this is helpful and not too preachy. I hope you'll find your way out of whatever desert you may be in. And, I pray that you'll be able to help those near you out of their deserts as well.

God bless,
Johnny

Desert Pt 2

2009-01-08T18:39:00.003-05:00

In this post I'm continuing a series that I started a few days ago regarding "desert" seasons in our life. In the first two posts I talked about being in a desert that we find ourselves in because of rebellion and lack of faith.

In this post I'd like to talk about what I'll refer to as the "Rite of Passage" Desert. This is the desert that we sometimes are led to by God Himself. This is a desert that we are actually "supposed" to be in. I think there are several purposes for this type of desert experience. I'll try to cover a couple that stand out to me.

Purpose 1: To come to the end of ourselves. This is a place that we MUST come to in order to walk a faith filled life. If we don't decrease so that the Father can increase...we're liable to stay stuck in mediocre land. So we realize in this desert that we aren't enough for ourselves. We realize that Man doesn't live by bread alone...but by the word of the Almighty God. We stop trying to rely on our own cleverness and start looking for God's provision, direction, and protection.

Purpose 2: To prepare us to follow Jesus. Jesus said that anyone who would want to follow Him would have to deny their selfish ambition and take up their own cross. This desert experience is a big fasting experience. One of the things that Christ's desert experience did was prove to his flesh that it was not God. It prepared Him for the ministry that lay ahead. It prepared Him for a homeless, poor, misunderstood life.

Purpose 3: To get us away from all the noise and learn to recognize God's voice again. Think about this: There's no way that I could describe my wife's voice to you with enough detail that you'd actually be able to recognize her if she called you. However, if you talked to my wife on several occasions over the course of a few weeks you'd have "learned" her voice and would recognize it very quickly. After long enough, you'd be able to hear her across a crowded mall. You'd recognize her laugh and probably even her "gasp" or "sigh" from within a crowded room. So it is with God's voice. And the best way to learn what His voice sounds like is to be removed from all the other noise and clutter that's in this world. The desert is still and quiet. Then, you'll be able to recognize God's still small voice even in the midst of the craziness.

So what do you do if you've been led into this desert?

Action points:

A. Realize that this is a controlled experiment. All the factors have been predetermined by God Himself. Nothing comes as a surprise to God.
B. Be willing to "let go" of the parts of yourself that may be getting in the way of you fully pursuing God's will for your life. Let the heat sweat some of the carnality out of you.
C. Listen for God's voice. He's gonna speak to you in this desert. If you're busy freaking out and running in circles hollering for help from everyone you know...you might miss Him even in the desert. Be willing to be quiet and still.

I hope this is encouraging to someone. More to come tomorrow. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Johnny

3 types of Desert (Not Dessert) Part 1

2009-01-07T09:52:00.006-05:00

This is a continuation of my last post "In the desert?". I'd like to cover 3 types of deserts that we find ourselves in. I'm sure there are more and would love to hear your thoughts. But here's the first of three that I'm most aware of.

1. The "Go To Your Room" Desert. This is where Israel found themselves after refusing to move forward into the land that God had promised them. We find ourselves in this kind of desert not just from disobedience, but from bratty disobedience. Imagine a child receiving a gift on Christmas morning and refusing to open it because they think it will be too hard to unwrap. Especially if you've proven to them that you'll help them with the tape, the box, and even assemble the thing and put batteries in it; EVERY TIME. It's the last gift. It's the one you've been saving for them. They asked for it all year long. You moved heaven and earth to prepare it for them. You worked overtime for 6 months to pay for it. And they stomp their foot at you and say NO. You realize in this moment that they are not ready for the gift. They would probably abuse it and not appreciate it anyways.

As Christians, I believe God sends us into a desert experience sometimes because of our total lack of faith. We stand with our hands clinched towards heaven that our lives are too hard. We stand whining at God that we want more...that we want a car like our neighbor has...that we deserve a bigger house. With this type of attitude, we are actually accusing God of not knowing and providing what is BEST for us. So, the desert makes us take inventory. The desert makes us realize just how good we had it. It makes us appreciate simplicity. The desert causes THIRST. We find ourselves completely at the MERCY of God in order to just survive. Our bratty attitude eventually fades. And then we're ready for God's blessing again. Catch this, "When we find rest in God's provision, we become ready for God's blessings."

Has God not proven that He'll take care of us? Has He not proven that when He says, "Go" that He'll go with us? God maybe calling you to trust Him and act on your faith in order to receive that next blessing. Are you willing? Or will you end up in a desert for a while..."in your room" for a while.

Action Points for those in this type of desert:

a. Take inventory again
b. repent from the "lack of trust" attitude
c. Know that even in this type of desert...God is still with you and will care for you
d. Get ready to act when God releases you again to take steps of faith

Remember, just because good things happen in the desert, it doesn't mean that's where you're supposed to be. So if you are in this type of desert, don't get comfortable there.

I hope this helps someone today. I'll continue with Desert type 2 tomorrow.

In the desert?

2009-01-06T09:41:00.003-05:00

Here's a thought for you: Just because good things may happen in the desert, it doesn't mean that's where you're supposed to be.

The fact that miracles happened for Israel while they wandered around the desert for 40 years does not indicate that the desert was God's plan for them. God provided food for them from heaven and water from a rock. It still didn't mean that they were "supposed" to be in the desert. That was just God's mercy for his kids.

God's plan for them, and you, was the promised land. It would require faith in action, sacrifice, moving into the unknown. It would take work and commitment and dedication to achieve the goal that God had set for them.

Don't mistake "good things happening" for God's approval on your current location or mode of conduct. Is God calling you out? Is He calling you to move forward?

The kingdom of God needs innovators, not laggards. If we aren't willing to stand up, step out, and move forward into God's plan for us, we are destined to wander around in the desert until enough of us have died off that the younger generation can lead our churches and our communities into God's full purpose and blessings.

Just a thought. What do you think?
Johnny

Purpose

2008-12-29T16:43:00.002-05:00

I know this isn't a new thought or revelation...but it is a fresh one for me right now.

Without God, I am useless. Even though He created me for a purpose, apart from Him I cannot/will not accomplish anything of eternal value.

A light bulb without electricity flowing through it is useless. A sink faucet without water flowing through it is useless. A vehicle without gasoline flowing through it is useless. It doesn't matter what function they are supposed to have. Without their source, they are useless.

God is our source. He is my source. All of my talents and abilities and desires and callings are nothing if I don't stay connected to Him. Jesus said that there would be some who prophesied in His name, healed people, and did all sorts of ministry that He wouldn't even recognize.

I don't want to be a professional floor display for God. I want to...I need to know that as I'm seeking His pleasure and His face that His spirit is flowing through me.

That's where I am today. I'm aware of this truth. How 'bout you?

j

My Favorite Sounds

2008-12-22T22:51:00.003-05:00

In order:

1. My wife saying my name...not "baby" or any other term of endearment. Hearing her say "Johnny". It cuts to my soul.

2. The sound of my little boy belly laughing. Haven't tried it on anyone yet...but I'm pretty sure that this sound could cure cancer.

3. A group of redeemed, grateful Christians singing from their hearts with passion to God Almighty.

4. My little boy talking. It doesn't matter what he's saying. It's just dang 'ol cute.

5. A freshly tuned grand piano. There's just something so moving about a big instrument like that resonating in perfect tune with itself. It's like the "sound of integrity".

6. Any really good a capella (sp?) group. Like Take6 or some other ensemble like that. Gives me chills.

7. The "slap bass" music that plays on Seinfeld in between scenes. I love that show.

8. While we're on the low notes...I love the sound of a good Upright Bass. Makes me feel all "Charlie Brown" inside.

9. My Anderson Hollow T guitar plugged straight into Marshall's Bad Cat amp. Sweet and warm like butter. Makes me want to practice some blues licks.

10. My Uncle Clyde's Gibson J150 guitar. Man that thing resonates the whole room when you play it.

Well there ya have it. I'm a musician can ya tell?

A little about me

2008-12-18T08:34:00.002-05:00

For anyone who might be interested, I have some fairly current video samples of me and my band leading worship at our myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/pulseworship

There's also some audio there and a few more pics to browse through.

I'm still in search of a new church home to partner with in ministry as a worship leader or worship pastor as well; just in case anyone who reads this is aware of any open positions that might be a stylistic fit.

And, in the meantime, I'm looking for any type of work at all to help pay some bills. So if you know of any work out there, especially temp work, please let me know. I don't have any problem at all with making tents for this season.

I guess that's enough shameless self plugging for now.
Thanks!

Johnny

Twitter

2008-12-16T17:57:00.003-05:00

Well...for anyone who might care, I'm now on twitter. You can follow my daily blabbering there if you'd like at http://www.twitter.com/johnnybeck

If you aren't familiar with twitter...it's more of a "one sentence" type blog that I update throughout each day. Sometimes I drop in an interesting quote I just heard or whatever thought is on my mind. Other times I just post what I'm currently up to. It's a neat way to keep up with what folks are doing.

Later!
Johnny

A new bow

2008-12-11T19:46:00.002-05:00

During a recent conversation with a pastor friend of mine he made a comment that got me thinking. We were talking about the need for people to be grateful and he said, "Folks ought to just put a new bow on the 4 wheeler that's already sitting in the back yard."

I laughed at the tongue-in-cheek comment and then started thinking, "What would it teach our kids if we actually did something like that?". After all, it's obvious that our country's culture of consumption has played a huge part in the current economic state of our country.

So what if we literally or figuratively put a new bow on the stuff we already have. What if we began teaching our kids that the "magic" of Christmas isn't in getting more toys than their cousins or friends. But rather that the miracle of Christmas is that Christ gave his all for us and we should be grateful for every blessing we have and then go and bless others.

Chasing this rabbit trail of thought, I made a statement to my wife the other day. "If we could convince one of our families to pool all the money they would normally spend on gifts for the family gift exchange and went to Sams and bought food to feed some homeless, hurting people, we could probably feed about 50 people steaks and potatoes and pie." I don't know about you, but I'd rather go feed some hurting people a jam-up meal than get another sweater.

Just some thoughts. I could go on for a while. But I'll spare ya for now.

Grateful,
Johnny

Perspective

2008-12-06T09:42:00.002-05:00

In recent months, my attitude and outlook on several things has changed significantly. As I've been thinking through how to communicate some of these changes to others in my sphere of influence, I've come to some conclusions.

When our circumstances change, our perspective changes. When our perspective changes, our attitude usually changes. When our attitude changes, our outlook changes. Here's the catch though. This can go either way. We have choices to make at each stage of the changes that determine whether or not we'll experience a positive change or a negative change.

When our circumstances change for the better we run the risk of developing a "I'm awesome so I deserve great things" perspective which leads to a spoiled attitude and a self-centered outlook. When our circumstances become more difficult, we run the risk of developing a "God doesn't love me and life isn't fair" perspective which leads to a bitter attitude and grim outlook.

I think that God's plan for us is this:

When circumstances change for the better we shouldn't lose focus on the fact that there are people WAY less fortunate than us. Thereby maintaining a healthy perspective which will lead to a humble attitude. Our outlook remains sober and grateful, realizing that none of us are guaranteed the easy street for life.
When circumstances change for the worse our perspective should still be to realize that there are those less fortunate than us. Thereby continuing to maintain a healthy perspective and humble attitude. We should become even more grateful for what we have and what we had.

SO WHY ALL THIS RAMBLING JOHNNY?

Several months ago I lost my salaried job in full time ministry. Since then, I've been leading worship around the Southeast every week. A couple of weeks ago at one of the churches, the love offering and honorarium was more than double what I have been getting every week. I immediately and thoroughly began thanking God for the provision and generosity of that day. THEN IT HIT ME: The amount was equal to ONE WEEKS PAYCHECK from my previous church position. Then the conviction hit me. I don't remember there being ONE WEEK that I came home with my paycheck and giving God that kind of gratitude for providing that amount for my family.

What's changed? My circumstances have changed my perspective which in turn has affected my attitude. So, I'm choosing to maintain that perspective and attitude so that God is honored. It's HIS pleasure we should be living for anyways.

Just a few thoughts. It's where I am.
Johnny

Thankful

2008-11-29T14:30:00.002-05:00

I'm thankful for:

- A home to live in and raise my child in
- A comfortable bed to sleep in
- Food to eat
- A nice kitchen to cook the food in
- Comfortable furniture to sit on
- The opportunity to work and make enough to pay bills
- My beautiful family
- That my beautiful family is no longer horribly sick
- Friends who care
- God's grace to cover all my wrongs...my weaknesses
- The ability to play and sing music
- Nice instruments to play
- A car and a van to get around in

Y'all...we have SO much. We've been blessed far beyond what we deserve. Please, during this holiday season...don't give in to the "Jones's" game. Don't whine about not being able to give your kid another 4 wheeler.

Just get a little perspective by taking a look at the countries on our planet where little children are sleeping on a dirt street at night and scavenging through garbage dumps for food. Realize how MUCH you have and don't complain about how much you WISH you had.

God is good and you are blessed. WE are blessed. I'm just thankful all the way around.

Happy Holidays (which I say to include Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years..not to skip out on saying Christmas so don't bust my chops)

J

Relevance

2008-11-25T20:49:00.003-05:00

I gotta tell ya: I'm really concerned for much of the new leadership from my generation that are starting churches. There seems to be many...most actually, of the new churches being started with the primary purpose being to "show the traditional church how it should be done". Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that cultural relevance is wrong or that it automatically means you are selling out the Gospel. This is what it looks like to me:

Many of the previous generation's church leaders were successful in reaching people but very quickly seemed to decide that it was their methods that mattered even more than the message. So, they stopped changing and eventually stopped growing and reaching people. So, my generation comes along and many of the new leaders decide that they'll show the older generation how it should be done. So they start churches with new methods and are reaching people. But, almost immediately they become more concerned with their methods than the message.

This is what I'm seeing: A lot of churches are chasing down cultural relevance and how trendy they can be and focusing on how they can package things; and then sprinkling the Gospel on it like some sort of seasoning. Instead of focusing on the Gospel and communicating the heart of God and then sprinkling cultural trend and programming on that in order to be relevant to the current culture.

I believe wholeheartedly in striving to be culturally relevant. Jesus did it. But, He walked around with the Good News on his lips and flowing from His heart. He had God's word on the tip of his tongue. And when he encountered fishermen, He talked about fishing for men. When he encountered shepherds, He talked about lost sheep. With poor people, He spoke of lost coins. He added relevance to the Gospel. Not the other way around. He didn't walk around with a bunch of stories and then decide to sprinkle them with a little talk about the Father.

So what are we doing guys? I know there are some churches that have it right. But most of the ones I've been encountering lately are totally backwards with this. So I don't care how trendy you are. Without the Gospel...without Jesus...we're all a bunch of losers.

So, please quit trying to "OutCool" the previous generation and seemingly losing sight of having Christ at the CENTER of everything you do. He's shouldn't just be a topping on your Trendy Pie.

There's my 2 dollars.
Johnny

God is always Faithful

2008-11-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

I just realized that my last post might have sounded like I've been in the dumps or something. It's not so. That was simply my way of declaring out loud that Satan wouldn't win this battle for my emotions.

God has continued to show Himself faithful in my circumstances. He continues to knock pieces of me away. The phone has continued to ring with opportunity to minister and provide for my family.

In fact, this week I almost started to get bummed because I had 2 Sundays in November that were open. And with November having 5 Sundays it would have been a great month to get a little ahead financially. But I confessed to my wife and then proclaimed a faith-statement. I said "God said the phone would ring...so the phone just needs to go ahead and ring".

Mind you, this was on Wednesday...and one of the open Sundays was this week. So the chances looked slim. But here's the awesome thing. The phone rang within an hour. And then it rang again. And then again. I went from underbooked to having to turn away an opportunity so I wouldn't double book. God is good. To Him be all glory.

It's more than just provision...He's changing me. I want Him to. I want so badly to please Him.

More later I reckon.
Johnny

Kick in the gut

2008-11-05T14:59:00.003-05:00

Just when you start proclaiming out loud that you trust God more than ever and that your faith is getting stronger...Satan comes along and kicks you in the gut. He'll try to pour fear and anxiety on you...make you think you are all alone...and fling guilt and condemnation at you.

Listen you little weasel...you lying little punk... IT'S NOT WORKING THIS TIME. I WILL not be afraid, because my God is with me and for me and nothing can separate me from His love. And you're right...I'm NOT GOOD... but GOD will provide for me according to HIS goodness, HIS mercy, and HIS glory. So back off you jealous freak! Consider this to be the resistance that God said would make you FLEE. Run like a little girl..Run Forrest Run!

Any Amens out there?

Johnny

Still Waiting

2008-10-31T10:40:00.004-04:00

So, a few months ago the interim position I was filling came to a close; leaving me without a job and all the provision that comes with it. At the time I was totally freaking out because I just knew that God would open another door before that one closed. As the final weeks came to a close, I was sure that God was telling me to "stop looking for a job and start looking for Me; the phone will ring". How hard is that???

As a man and the provider for my family that goes against every part of my DNA. Sadly, it took several weeks for me to completely flesh that out. I hit my head on the wall so many times...and carried that burden, which is exhausting.

BUT, I remember the day I finally gave up...I stopped calling all my contacts...stopped looking at all the job postings...and stopped freaking out. It felt like I lost 100 pounds. I didn't know where work would come from. But I didn't care. I couldn't carry it anymore. 3 days later the phone started ringing. And it hasn't stopped ringing. I've travelled to lead worship more in the last 3 months than I have in the last 6 years.

God has continued to put work in front of me. I am, however, still waiting for God to open the door to a full time position somewhere. Still waiting. Only now I'm walking next to Jesus and sharing His yoke...and it' s much lighter.

Since we KNOW that God will take care of His children...worry and anxiety are like paying interest on free money. I'm not paying interest anymore.
I can't wait to have the details of what God's doing so that I can share them with you.

What God's Sayin

2008-10-27T15:20:00.002-04:00

So..for the last several days I've been spending a LOT of time praying and asking God for direction and clarity regarding ministry, work, etc. All I've heard for the last week or so is this..."Just keep doing what I put in front of you."

Then, a couple of days ago God impressed on me to give someone something that is very precious, valuable, and usefull to me. I tried to dismiss it by justifying that I need it and if I didn't need it I'd sell it because I really need the money for it. This morning when I started quiet time, I heard God say, "I'm about to provide for you like never before". The sense I had was of great expectation...like the windows of heaven were about to open up. Then God hit me again..."Give it away."

So, God, I hear You. I've confessed to You that everything is Yours anyways...and I surrender this thing...as a symbol of my total surrender to You for Your purpose. And, I surrender our future to You again today. Wherever You lead, I'll go. What You've put in front of me today is not work but a call to obedience. It's Yours. I'm Yours.

Johnny

Preparing for a God encounter

2008-10-17T00:09:00.004-04:00

Fair warning: I'm about to blab about my kid again for a minute.

My son, Cooper is now just over 2 1/2 years old. Ever since he could waddle from one room to the next, he has loved to run from one room to the next and have me chase him down and tickle him. Often, I would grab him and plop him down on our big cushy ottoman (if it was clear of plastic trains and cars and other toys) and commence with the tickling...hearing him belly laugh and squeal for what seems like an hour sometimes.

These times are some of the most precious to me. It's just me and Cooper enjoying each other's company. His eyes stay locked on mine the whole time with the biggest smile you could imagine.

Here's the really cool thing: Every so often I'll notice Cooper begin to clear off the ottoman. He very intentionally begins to take each train, car, or other toy and put them in his toybox or somewhere else out of the way. I can see from the back of his head that he's already smiling. And I know what he's doing. But he thinks he's going to surprise me. Sometimes it may even take him 5 or 6 full minutes to get everything off of the ottoman. Then, with great anticipation, Cooper turns around to me with his hands in the air doing "spirit fingers" and starts saying "diggi diggle diggi diggi" in a gruff 'Cookie Monster' type voice. That's his "daddy voice". And I know exactly what he's saying: "Dad...come tickle me".

And If I act like I don't hear him...he'll get closer to me and "diggi diggi" even louder. And as soon as I look him in the eye and act like I'm going to move towards him...he shrieks with laughter and plops himself on the ottoman; just knowing that at any moment I will tickle him.

All I can say is...it's one of the biggest heart warming blessings I experience as a father. It's not just because he likes to be tickled. It's the preparation, intentionality, passion, and anticipation that I see Cooper display that blesses me.

So I pictured myself and God my Father. I thought, "Do I prepare myself for an encounter with God like this?" ..."Am I genuinely excited about the songs I'm about to sing when I'm on my way to worship with the body of Christ?"..."Do I fully expect God to make contact with me"... "Am I that determined for God to hear me and respond?"

What clutter needs to be removed for you to have your God encounter?

When's the last time you eagerly sought God's pleasure...His smile?

Cooper puts every bit of himself into our times together. Are we putting every bit of ourselves into God's hands?

This has been what God has had me chewing on the last couple of days.

Glad to be His,
Johnny

My Family

2008-10-01T15:03:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I don't have hardly any pictures of my family on any of my websites. So I found a great picture of my whole family that I thought I should post. There's Suzii (my smokin' hot wife), Cooper (my son), and don't overlook Thomas (our adopted train child).

What more could a guy ask for?