Simply – we design the Sunday morning gatherings.  But it is also a bit more than this.  We also debrief the gatherings afterwards each week.  We also have large scale brainstorming sessions in what we currently call Creative Meetings series by series.  We also tweek and alter the service the week-of.  We strategically choose what songs we wish to sing as a congregation – or not sing.  We also delve into the technology of all these things – always on the hunt for the latest thing that may help in the creative teaching & worship we seek to have here.  We are usually working about 1 month ahead of the current date – so I am currently putting things into place for the June 23rd services as we are coming to the May 26th weekend.

The people who are in this meeting varies slightly between the weekly 1hr 45 min meeting and the series by series 2 hr meeting.  The weekly players are me (trying to hold it all together and move it along without too many bunny trails or spending too long on any one topic-idea) our Lead Pastor: Dave Ralph, my Admin Assistant: Sue Ralph, our Visual Communications person: Pauline Whyte, our Technology Manager: Jacob Moore, our Video Production Intern: Lloyd vanOnen.

We add these others when we do Creative Meetings— Student Min. Teaching & Leadership Pastor: Matt Naismith, Student Min. Creative Arts Pastor: Justin Sytsma, the current Artist In Resident: Nick Law (2012-13) and any other individual I think fitting to invite to these meetings.  Sometime various volunteer Worship Leaders are invited – sometimes other Staff are invited.  The key is to keep these meetings full of ideas – and ideas come from people who aren’t afraid to share and can “spring board” from idea to idea easily – not getting bruised when their ideas aren’t used.

All in all it is a super fun experience to lead and facilitate a meeting of creatives and administrative types to design our gatherings week after week.  It is also tough work and requires lots of prep and lots of “flex” in the moment.

Above all else we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our planning and creative-ness by seeking Him first in all we do.  When I am sitting in my office Monday morning choosing songs – it isn’t just me choosing songs I LIKE – but I am really thinking and praying about what works for this series – for the teaching idea that Dave is trying to bring forward in that service.  Each person in our team puts that amount of through and prayer into the aspects they work on – and then we all come together to see what we can do = leaving out the weaker ideas or content to work towards what we hope is the best, most prayerfully considered and inspired gatherings for our church week after week.  God doesn’t want us to merely show up and say “OK God, do something”. Rather God, expects us – entrusts us – with the task and responsibility of doing our best so that we can create an environment that God will work through – by His Spirit -through our worship – to transform people in their hearts.  We can’t transform anything on our own – only God can.  We are merely setting the table, inviting the guests and preparing the food.  We allow God to use us to transform others – and often – transform ourselves in the process.

I could go on about this – but I will cut it off here.  Thanks for reading.  Does your church have a similar “planning process” or do you work in a different way?  Leave a comment – let me know.

Blessings on your week.

Christine Feenstra – Lakeside Kids Co-Director – Programming

Christine is very nice and very creative.  She gets along great with my kids.  I appreciate her around the table.  Here is her story in her own words:

In 2010 I went from being a Large Group Co-ordinator to a Small Group Co-ordinator. Today I work with a talented team of staff & volunteers as the Co-Director of Lakeside Kids.

I have a Diploma from Humber College in Packaging and Graphic Design. I have a background in marketing and advertising. I am using these skills here at Lakeside Kids.

I love seeing the kids of “Lakeside Kids” learn God’s Bible Truths with excitement and enthusiasm. My husband Rick also serves on the Tech team at “Lakeside Kids”. We have 2 teenage kids, Alex & Lucas that serve on the Tech team as well. Being involved at Lakeside Kids has helped our family grow in our relationship with the Lord.

Janet Collins – Director of Spiritual Growth –

Janet is our newest member to the Staff Management Team.  Her positive energy, ability to connect people and overall desire to deepen our relationship with God is evident.  I have been very impressed with her as I have gotten to know her as the main Small Group leader at Lakeside now.  I have started leading a small group – by the way – on Saturday mornings – if anyone is interested – contact me.  Here is Janet’s words about Lakeside and herself:

I feel extremely blessed that the Lord has called me to be on the staff team of Lakeside Church as the Director of Spiritual Growth. My wonderful husband Jonathan and I were married in June 2007 and came to Lakeside Church in 2008. After a few short months I became involved in the small group ministry and have not been able to stay away since. I absolutely love watching people grow in their faith and helping them connect with others.

After graduating from the University of Guelph with a B.A in psychology I started on staff with Youth for Christ. During this time I completed my Master of Divinity at Tyndale Seminary and in 1999 the Lord led me into full time pastoral ministry. At this time I was also ordained by the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada. I discovered that God has called me to equip and empower people to serve him, and reach out to those around them. Before coming on staff at Lakeside I was full time faculty at Emmanuel Bible College as the Director of Expedition & Field Education where I worked to help students discover the gifts, calling, and passions God has given them.

Outside of work, I love to read, walk, scrapbook, knit, travel, and sit on the beach.

I have always dreamed of being involved in a church such as Lakeside. A church that cares about those who do not have the hope Jesus offers. A church that desires to see believers grow in their faith, use their gifts to reach out to others and make a difference in their community. I praise God for this amazing opportunity to serve Him through the ministry of Lakeside Church.

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4

Matt Naismith – Student Ministries Teaching and Leadership Pastor –

Matt – what can I say about Matt.  Well, first off – he is super cool.  And he NEVER has a loss for a question – a good question.  His leadership in Young Adult Ministry has been great and evident.  I look forward to what Matt will do in the future.

Here’s his own words about life, ministry and himself:

To whom it may concern. . . haha!
I came to Lakeside after completing three years at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto where I acquired a Bachelor of Religious Education degree specializing in Youth Ministry.

Youth and youth ministry have always been my heart’s passion and desire. I love hanging out with them and speaking to youth of any age. My desire for youth and discipling young people was fostered through a youth leader that I had when I was 13 and 14. This guy invested in me and sought to help me experience a relationship with God. From there, I started getting involved in youth ministry at my local church and by the time I graduated from High School, I knew God was calling me to be in youth ministry.

While at Tyndale, my love and passion for youth was deepened. I began to see the hurts, pressures and pains that youth deal with. I also saw the bland/empty messages that youth pastors were giving which provided no substance to encourage or spur on those who listened. These things hurt me and made me angry, and this is why I have dedicated my life to trying to make a difference in some way. The Apostle Paul comments in 1 Thessalonians 2 on the Thessalonians’ faith and their desire to be imitators of Christ. My prayer is that when I look back at some of the kids I had an opportunity to minister to, that they too will have a striving faith and a longing to be an imitator of Christ. If I can be a part of that, then I have done my job. So . . . if you have a child in Grades 6-12, bring them out, I would love to get to know them and watch God spread some of his truth in their life!

On a more personal note, I am married to my beautiful wife, Andrea. Both Andrea and I feel so privileged to work with the youth at Lakeside and we look forward to the future and our ministry together here.
Lastly we have

Karen Kamphuis: Executive Director of Hope House – Helping Overcome Poverty Everywhere

Karen was a highly valued Lakeside Staff Management Team member for the last number of years – until she become the Exec. Dir of Hope House.  She is still a highly valued member of this Team – but we really don’t see her that often any longer since she is now almost permanently at Hope House in the heart of downtown Guelph.

Here is a brief bio of Karen – talking about her, Lakeside & HopeHouse:

After many years of a successful sales and marketing career, Karen felt the call to do something that would allow her to make a difference in the lives of others. Going from the corporate world to the not-for-profit world began when she accepted a position at Jewels For Jesus as their Fundraising Director. Karen eventually found herself as the Community Care Director at Lakeside Church after working in that capacity first as a volunteer and then in a paid position. While in this role, Karen began focusing much of her attention on Community Impact Initiatives with the development of the Lakeside Food Pantry, the city-wide backpack project, the Christmas hampers, developing the Christmas JOY Home Tour in Guelph every November and building up volunteer teams to help with the many projects. Karen has also served on the Board of Directors for Guelph Community Christian School as well as on the board for the Guelph Synchronized Swim Club.

Karen has been married for 25 years to her husband Rob, they have 2 children, their son is 20 years old and their daughter is 18 years old. One of the greatest JOYS of Karen’s life is to be able to give back to the community in a way that makes a difference offering love and compassion to those in need in our city. For more information about HOPE House, please contact Karen at kkamphuis@lakesidehopehouse.ca or give her a call at 519-265-4299, ext 23.

That’s it!  Those are the people who make up our team.

Again – I think it’s important to think about your own organization:

Do the leaders all come together – share – talk – debate – agree – challenge and discuss – OR do your leaders simply make decisions in a “silo” nature – never finding out what the others are doing?

Food for thought.

Next time – The Programming Team

First up – the Lead Pastor – Dave Ralph

Dave is our Leader.  He isn’t “just” the Pastor – he really does lead us as a Staff.  I owe so much to Dave in terms of him empowering me to be involved at Lakeside in the way that I am, teaching me and helping me.  I don’t say this jokingly at all when I say that Dave is my “Guelph Dad” and I really couldn’t think of a better person to serve/work/lead under and partner with day and day out than Dave.  His ability to be visionary is great.  His creativity is great.  Meetings with Dave are often scattered and bit ADD – Dave isn’t always a “linear” guy and it can take a while to learn how to “follow’ his thinking in a meeting.  I love that.  He not only greatly appreciates arts but he is an artist himself – having tackled music and fine art in life with degrees of success.

Here is Dave’s own words about his life and role at Lakeside:

My life verses are I Corinthians 9:22-23, “I have become all things to all people so that by all means possible I might save some. I do all of this for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in its blessing.”

I love Lakeside and feel so fortunate to have been directed by God to be part of such a great church community. My principle responsibilities at Lakeside (notice that I said principle because there are many things I do that are not on the list) are to lead; teach and make sure people are cared for and connected. I give insight and input to the overall strategic and spiritual direction of the church.

Leading and teaching are my spiritual gifts and personal passions. I have read hundreds of books on leadership and teaching and strive to continually sharpen my skills in these areas. As facilitator for the Leadership Team, I act as a mentor, leader and listener to the staff team. I teach about 75% of the Sunday morning services. As a member of Lakesides’ teaching team, I also conduct seminars and courses.

I want:

* The ministry of Lakeside to be culturally relevant and biblically sound.
* To this end, I spend as much time reading my Bible as I do the things of our culture
* To learn as much as I can about the people who share the world with me.
* To know what they like, what makes them tick and what they are searching for and seeking after.

So – when I say that Dave is part of the team I really mean Dave leads our team and does it passionately with every ounce of his being.

Next is Bill Landsborough our Executive Director.

In a nutshell: Bill oversees the Building and the Finances.  Those are 2 BIG things and he does these things well.  I first met Bill on a mission trip to Peru in 2003, shortly after I had joined the worship team at Lakeside.  Bill was – at that time – leaving his life-long career and really searching for what God had in store for him.  Shortly after that trip I found out Bill joined the Lakeside staff and I was so happy for him.

Bill works hard and has great ability with details – and I admire him for that, as it is a quality not easily found in people.  Bill is also super funny and he loves a good joke.

In Bill’s own words:

“I am very excited about working with this wonderful, talented staff team as we strive to follow God’s vision for His amazing church! I can only imagine what He has planned for Lakeside Church!”

Lastly in this post – Brian Bulger – Director of Recovery Ministries.

In Brian’s own words:

“One of my major responsibilities and passions is leading a ministry called Celebrate Recovery! What a privilege to watch God transform and restore lives from brokenness, addictive habits and life’s hang ups into fully devoted followers of Christ! I look forward to the many ministry opportunities ahead as we grow as a church community.”

Brian oversees Celebrate Recovery (CR) as well as GriefWalk, Divorce Care and our Healing Prayer Ministry.  I have known Brian since I joined the worship team in 2001.  I remember the first thing I said to him.

Chris – So, where to go to school?

Brian – School?  You mean for my singing – where I studied?

Chris – No I mean, like, where you spend your day – like which high-school?

Brian – (laughing) I’m married, have two kids and in my 40′s

Chris – Oh, I thought you were like 16! (laughing really hard)

That started off our relationship on a good note and we’ve been tight since.  Brian keeps me “accountable” and is a funny, smart and super caring guy that you can always talk to and feel listened to.

As I wrap up – think about this:  Dave, Bill and Brian all have responsibilities, as do you and I.  Dave Pastors and Leads our Church.  Bill looks after our Building and Finances and all the complexities of those things.  Brian looks after CR, GreifWalk, DivorceCare and Healing Prayer.  These aren’t “light-weights”.  These are leaders.  But they aren’t “all-powerful”.  They are all accountable to someone.  Our “team” isn’t filled with “lone-rangers”.  We all understand the value of team – the value of each of our ministry areas-goals-purpose.  We don’t look out for ourselves.  Rather – WE ALL LOOK OUT FOR THE CHURCH.  Our love for the church – God’s Church – Lakeside – is larger than our own agendas.  Our love of Jesus and His Church isn’t just on a job description – it’s THE reason we get up and do what we do each day.  We know that together we have a chance to impact the world in ways that just wouldn’t be possible alone.

Here’s the question: Do the “big L” leaders in your organization do that?

Continue the conversation – let me know what you think.

Next post – more members of the Staff Management Team.

In the next few posts I will look at the Staff Management Team – what we do, who we are & how we work as a Team.

The most common question I get when I mention the Staff Management Team (SMT) is: what do you guys do? So – let me delve into that briefly.

We meet bi-weekly. We begin with sharing stories. Yes, that’s right. As we finish our lunch we share stories – encouraging stories we have from our own Ministry areas. It’s easy to miss these – especially when you start to understand just how large & diverse our Ministry is here at Lakeside.
So – we share encouraging stories with each-other, often learning about life-change of individuals which is SO encouraging for us.

Next we transition into
current tactile & operational issues. This can be fairly simple stuff like a change in date for an event or could be larger like dealing with space issues inside the facility or budget(s).

Lastly we get to Strategic issues. These are large initiatives – Ministry changes or launches or overall Lakeside shifts in a process or focus. These are big things and can often dominate the meeting.

In next post I will cover who sits on this team.

As a final question to you: how does your organization handle dealing with issues like these? Operations? Strategic things? Do you share “winning” stories in your context in any staff meeting? Does one leader call all the shots or is there equal voice & true team? Is this meeting (if you have one) a safe place to push-back & challenge & discuss or is it not? If you don’t have this kind of meeting: how do these things get handled in your organization?

Thanks for reading. Your thoughts on this post are welcome – simply comment & keep the conversation going.

In continuing my examination of the Teams I am a part of & the staff I lead next there is the part-time position of Assistant to the Director of Creative Arts.

Sue Ralph serves in this role (and has done so even before I started in 2006). Sue looks after TONS of details for me that I couldn’t possibly have time to do & is the person who looks after all the “text” on the screens on Sundays: both songs & the message notes for the Teaching Pastor each week. Big job for a part-time person & she does it very well.

Next is the Artist In Residence that I have the pleasure of leading.
To review for those who may not know, the
Artist In Residence (AIR) program exists to support & promote emerging or established Christian artists in their field thereby enabling them to contribute to the cultural community of Guelph. This year Nick Law is our Resident. Nick has already organized a number of events this year (workshops, HelpPortrait w/HOPEHouse) and is working on the preparations towards his year-end Exhibition on June 7th. This position is a 10 month position which we will be seek applicants for in April/May & we award the position in June with the artist doing their Residency from Sept-June each calendar year.  We are currently accepting Applications for this position up to April 15th.  If interested – please contact me at my email or leave a comment on this post.
Lastly is the Internship that is the newest of the positions that reports to me. The Video Production Intern is a year-long Internship created to bring a person who shows giftings & potential in the area of video production. This year Lloyd VanOenen is our Intern in this role & he has so far completed 3 videos for Sunday mornings & has just finished a video for HOPEHouse as well as multiple other projects related to Sunday mornings.

I have great people who work diligently to ensure that things not only get done, but done with excellence & integrity. These people report to me, but I am not the reason they show up everyday to work. They are all working in their calling – using gifts & abilities as God has given each if them uniquely to serve The Lord. I will be honest: it is sometimes a bit overwhelming to stay on-top of all that is going on with each of these people – but each person is so well-suited to their position that it makes it more manageable than you may think.

As I shared in the last post – leading each of these people requires not just them reporting to me – but for me to work towards leading them well (see the 10 ways I mention to improve your leading other Staff here in this post.

So – I’ve examined the Staff who report to me. As you think about the Staff you lead you might want to ask yourself a few questions.

3 Questions to ask yourself:

1. How am I leading my Staff well? (What should I keep doing?)

2. What’s 1 area I can improve on in leading my Staff? (We can usually improve in many areas / picking 1 is a good start).

3. How am I getting valuable feedback? (Who do I trust or who am I asking to give me feedback)?

In my next post I will look at one of the Staff teams I serve on: The Staff Management Team.

The full-time staff positions that I manage are the Technical Manager & Communications. Our newest team member is our Technical Manager Jacob Moore – who started a mere month ago. His job encompasses the oversight of all things technology at Lakeside. Let me tell you: it’s a big job. The other position is Communications which has our longest serving team member Pauline Whyte (a 20 year veteran of Lakeside Staff). Her job spans graphic design for all ministries of Lakeside, stage & set-design & leading a group of volunteers who run the “tech” in our Live venue on Sundays. Again: a large job.

How is leading a full-time Staff members different that a part-time staff?
Full time staff require full time attention & responsibility. Be sure to aim towards carrying out the 10 points I mentioned in the pervious post

http://maestroman.ca/?p=1163 Church Teams: 10 Ways To Be a Good Direct Report

, but also be extra careful to pass along responsibility & to avoid micro-managing them. They should be innocent & capable in your eyes until they prove otherwise. Pay attention to them: they have valuable ideas & feedback – listen to them.

Next time I will enter into the part-time & Intern & Resident positions.

10 ways to be a good Direct Report:
1. Clarity matters. Over communicate – I am not always good at this.
2. Allow them to work. Don’t micro-manage.
3. Provide feedback regularly. Set-up weekly or bi-weekly meetings to check-in.
4. Be honest. If they aren’t performing well in areas – tell them. They deserve to know where they stand. If they are doing things super good – tell them that too.
5. Be specific. Generalities will breed “always & never” statements which can lead down some bad roads. Be specific with praise or correction.
6. Regularly thank them. As long as they are performing well – then take time to let them know that. Writing hand-written notes (Thank You cards or a small letter is a really good move).
7. Regularly evaluate them. Again – not a bunch of wishy-washy stuff – specific, concrete things w/examples.
8. Listen. Too often we want to be the ones to talk – I am very guilty of this. Listen listen listen.
9. Ask about their private lives away from work. They are people – find out what else is going on in their world.
10. Be available. If they don’t feel they can approach you & ask questions then you’ll never get true feedback or not have a clear sense of where things really are at.

Next time I will cover the people & positions that report to me.

I have the pleasure of both leading this team overall, but also serving on this team under the volunteer leadership of some wonderful & talented people.

How do I lead & serve? Let me tell you.

1.  I use it as a think tank. – Ideas are kinda like baking – you need to add stuff and one you keep adding things you start to get something substantially better than just the initial ingredients.  The more I “process” things – the more ideas I get about stuff.

2.  I like to think I am helping someone with the insights I share.  Even if I am not – I still provide this to help – it’s not 100% a “me” thing.

Top 2 reasons I HAVEN’T been blogging:

1.  Busy

2.  Un-disciplined and kinda dry (ideas wise).

So – be on the lookout for some new content very soon – once I formulate the plan….  :-)

Well – without oversimplifying it: Love enables the other 3. There needs to be Love (of someone or something) to have Hope. There needs to be Love (Joy & Peace are only attainable through loving & being loved) to have true Joy & Peace. Love is… Well it’s patient & kind & all sorts of great things (1 Cor 13)
Jesus is Love. So – without Jesus – Love – true love would not & is not possible. There are different definitions in the Bible of Love. Agape is the Love that God has for us.  It’s the kind of Love that only God is capable of.  People can strive for this – but it’s hard to love with Agape love.

On this – the final week of Advent – let’s Love more Christ-like.  Let’s remember that God loved us SOO much, that he gave his Son – his only Son – so that we could live eternally (forever) with Him and no-longer be separated by sin.  Let’s be thankful and celebrate the fact that Love is the most important thing – it saved us all.

Merry Christmas

Happiness is pretty circumstantial. I’m happy when I am holding & eating chocolate. I am then unhappy when I weigh myself the following day. But joy is different. Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. Joy is knowing contentment. Knowing peace & hope (see previous posts). Knowing that no matter how much I have done wrong in my life, & no matter what is going on in my life I am able to say that Jesus is my Savior -& that is joy. So – week 3 celebrates Joy. Jesus brings us Joy. Right in Luke 2: tidings of great joy. I am equal – I have value – I am a child of the God of the universe – I am forgiven – I am free – I am not slave to sin – I have life eternal to look forward to…. That is joy.
On this third week of Advent – lets see Jesus as the author, perfecter & 100% complete joy – knowing that without Jesus true Joy would be impossible.

Let’s say I work at a Church & it’s almost Christmas & there’s TONS of things going on & I’m having a hard time keeping things straight in my head & there are even a few tension issues – is it possible for ME to have Peace? Yes – it is possible because Peace isn’t dependent on my circumstances. Peace is far bigger than all my life issues. Peace is bigger in that I can seek Peace & accept it through Jesus & it’s there & it covers over every aspect of my life. One choice. One decision. Huge pay off.
Jesus is the only true Peace. In fact, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He is the reason we can have any Peace at all. Without Jesus there is no Peace. Period. As we reflect on Peace in this week of Advent – we see that Jesus represents Peace – a Peace that wasn’t possible without Him – a Peace that is Perfect – a Peace that can & does transcend all of human understanding.

In my home we light candles in our Advent wreath. As we will light both Hope & Peace this week – I can’t help but think about the Peace & Hope we have & I am humbled that Jesus came to bring these things to me, my family & all of mankind.

Christmas inevitably is a sentimental time for me. The food. The music. The friends. The family. One thing that I always remember fondly was/is Advent. I loved when we would get one of those Advent Calendars that has a little chocolate behind little card-board windows in a pretty winter scene. I thought Advent was a event itself. A chocolate appreciation holiday that came before Christmas. Truth is – I really didn’t get Advent at all as a kid or young adult.
In this short series of posts I hope to share some clear yet thoughtful things about Advent that up until recently I didn’t know at all.

Week 1 – Hope

So Hope is a super important idea. Without it you’re hopeless. With it you’re hopeful. But what is it?

It’s the idea that where you currently are isn’t the final chapter— that there is something more coming & that the something more is better than where you are currently. Hope isn’t rational. Hope isn’t logical. Hope isn’t even smart. But Hope is powerful. Hope allows you to keep going even though things are not good right now. Hope says “It’ll get better.” Hope. We have Hope. Jesus is the Hope of the world. Without Jesus – there would be no hope – or at least it would be hope founded only in “lesser things” like circumstances or situations. But – putting our Hope in Jesus is having Hope. Real Hope. Jesus provides Hope to all. Week 1 of Advent. Hope. Hope of something better. Jesus.

1. Listen to the kick-drum & work with it. If you are playing with a drummer this is often the difference between a so-so bass player & a great one. By “locking in” with the kick-drum pattern – either emulating it or playing a complimentary rhythmic part – you create a super-tight sounding rhythm section sound that your team can build on.

2. Groove is good. Learning “parts” from songs is often essential these days, but when faced with a tune that allows more freedom, groove is generally the best choice. Why? Because again, this helps create a great “bottom end” that the band can build a tune around. As always, working any rhythm ideas/concepts should be done with a metronome.

3. Learn some scales. A number of the best Bass players I know have told me that this one thing can transform your playing from “root 5th root 5th” into something so much more interesting & satisfying. Even just learning just the major scale – which can open up the door to a scale concept called “modes” can help you break the root 5th cycle.

Have fun!

1.  Warm-up before you attempt to sing.  Each individual has different “warm-ups” and “warm-up styles” – but all of them agree = you need to gently get your vocal chords ready before you dive into singing=== especially when we are doing rehearsals first thing in the morning on Sundays, for example

2. Practice. Without getting all crazy here, it’s not OK to simply say “…oh I know that song since we sing it every other week…” Writing out the lyrics; understanding their meaning; speaking them to gain a feel for their rhythm; understanding the melody (even if you sing harmony); trying to sing the song in a different key; singing as though you were performing (standing, playing an instrument etc.); visualization (process of seeing yourself doing the piece flawlessly in a performance setting all in your mind) and singing with a metronome rather than always singing with your handy mp3 player === all of these are ways to help you learn and practice the piece.  Singing in your car is not the best way to practice, but it’s better than nothing.

3.  Stay healthy.  This is referring to eating habits, sleeping habits and drinking habits etc.  Again, without preaching, here’s some common ideas/comments that have been shared with me and my team:

• Drink lots of water and stay hydrated, especially the day BEFORE you are doing a lot of singing (meaning that you should try to avoid coffee, alcohol etc which can dry you out…)
• Eating healthy diet (avoiding deep fried, highly processed foods etc. – again things like grease can dehydrate your system…)
• Get lots of sleep (the night before you should get a healthy amount of sleep for you – that’s around 6 hours for me…)
• Exercise (singing require the use of literally tons of muscles in your body and not just the obvious ones=== overall fitness can really go a long way to ensuring you are in top singing condition).

1. Use A Metronome – this thing can be set to different tempos and keeps even time (is 100% accurate) allowing you to practice strumming those songs along to it so that you can improve those strumming patterns.  Much easier and more beneficial than strumming along to an Mp3.

2.  Learn the fretboard – this can be a daunting task – & can even seem pointless to a person who is looking to be a “strummer only” – but you’d be amazed how it opens up the possibilities to different chord voicings (that is, different ways to play the same chords – which is super important when playing with another guitarist) as well as can explain an de-mystify the “capo”  (transposing tool that clamps on your guitar) allowing you to know what key you’re in etc. and can even help you add those cool “bass runs” or even other cool embellishments or leads… knowing where the notes are is going to help your playing – trust me!

3. Use and embrace your capo – I have been a capo nay-sayer for years – but as an acoustic guitarist, it’s so important to understand how and why to use them.  They allow for unique voicings, esp when you are with more than one guitarist.  They allow you to transpose.  They allow you to play different songs with the same “voicings” which can allow you to memorize tons of songs super easily.  A friend of mine just bought a cut-capo – a partial bare – with some strings still ringing open.  There is some really cool things you can do with these -with some stunning sonic results – he promised me I could borrow it few a while over the summer to play around with this.  The bottom line is the capos are incredibly useful and fun – buy a few as they have a habit of getting “lost”

1.  Practice – if you aren’t spending time with your instrument, then you won’t get better.  Period.  All practice isn’t equal.  Noodling while watching TV isn’t nearly as effective as focusing with your metronome and working on specific rhythms, scales  or chords.   Playing songs is not practicing – working on parts, and learning a new aspect or being intentional about getting better at a part of the song you struggle with – that’s practice.  Playing the song is simply playing the song.

2. Listen – when you are with others in a rehearsal or live situation, be an attentive listener to all those you are playing with.  I often talk about the “sonic pizza”  - how there is only 100% of the sound possible – and the more people involved the less and less of piece of the pizza you are responsible for.  The best way to be good at this and not to “over-play” or “under-play” – is to listen and be aware of your environment.

3.  Be a generous player.  If you are in a 4-piece and you are really doing a lot of “fills” you might be hogging things and not being generous.  If you allow others to “fill” and give people space the whole thing goes better.  Why?  Because people like it when they get a chance to play – when they feel like they contributed – and if each member feels that way – then the whole thing gets better.   The easiest way to achieve this is by being a generous player – give others the chance to play.  This is like listening – and the whole “sonic pizza” thing – but it’s different in that you can listen to the pizza thing and understand it – but you can be a “hog” and take everything that comes your way – and then some.  Give it some space – and allow others to fill it – you’ll be surprised how happy the people you play with will become and in turn how much more you’ll get the chance – because someone was generous with you.

Today – a 3 point post on how to improve your serving.  Future posts will be specific to serving in particular areas.  Let’s get to it:

1.  It’s not about you.  The more you can remember that simple phrase the better you’ll serve and the more help you’ll be to the people you’re serving.

2.  Be realistic.  If you can only serve once a month in an area, then say so.  Don’t commit to more times or dates then back out of a few of them.  It doesn’t do anybody favours and you don’t get bonus points for “making a commitment” but you do get a good reputation for “keeping commitments”.

3.  Be all there.  If you serve, don’t go halves-sies.  Don’t try and “get by” or do a “good enough” job.  Yes, you’re giving of your time, without getting paid.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t do a great job.  You aren’t doing people a favour by “being there”  - and your lack of complete engagement can be a turn off to those you are serving and other you are serving with.

1. Post phone if possible.

Ask if you could deal with this at a decided upon time in the future; the time often reduces the emotional tension.

2. Ask for clarification.

Ask & listen. Ask for details; continually saying things like “so, what you are saying is…” & keep listening.

3. Keep your emotions in control & apologize.

Without getting emotional you need to apologize. Don’t make excuses. You can diffuse the tension by accepting responsibility & asking for forgiveness. Then examine or explain how you arrived at that place/choice/action etc. and share the steps that took place, admitting you never intended to create such hurt feelings.
Remember: you aren’t changing the decision, but you can help ease the pain through taking time to listen & share what happened on your end of it. Admitting that you could have done things better can go a long way; but be sure to clarify that you aren’t prepared to change it. Sometimes changing it might be the right move; but agree to sleep on it & revisit it at a later time within 24-48 hrs. Be careful here: you want to deal fairly & justly, & sometimes you need to stick with the original choice. Praying & seeking wise council is a good thing to do at this step.

What is interesting is that conflict is natural, productive and doesn’t need to be a big, scary “blow-up”.  Here are 3 ways to tackle conflict head-on, without starting a yelling match & hopefully avoiding the “blow-up” – taking you past that and into the “productive” zone:

1. Go directly to the person the conflict is with.

Involving others usually escalates things & creates gossip. Bad stuff.

2. Ask them to explain to you the situation as they see it & understand it.

Listen & listen. Don’t plan your response; just listen.
3. Offer up your perspective only after you listened to number 2.

Be as honest as you can, sharing how things felt, looked & seemed to you. Acknowledge that you listened to them & you can appreciate their perspective & that you are sorry for this conflict ; ask how you can resolve it & listen again.

If you’re interested – Matthew 18 in the Bible is a great conflict-management system, and I really have boiled that text down and captured the essence of it.  If things don’t go as planned and “heat-up” – then you’ve got to adjust and Matthew 18 has great insight as to your next steps.

1. Do what you say you’re going to do.

If you don’t follow through on what you promised or said you’d do, you open the door for disrespect.

2. Admit your mistakes.

Never owning your own failings; blaming others or passing the buck are all ways to gain disrespect.

3. Listen often – take feedback.

Never listening & being closed to feedback are a fast-track to disrespect.

1. Give them the proper tools.

Sounds simple, but it’s hard to build a database without a computer… It’s hard to make a schedule without all the people & contact info for each… It’s hard to do sound without a sound board, it’s hard to play drums with a shaker or play guitar with a couple of strings…

2. Give them the proper training.

Training isn’t “here, you click here, go there & that’s it”. Training is letting them do it.
This includes feedback. They need to hear “no, not like that, let’s try that again”. Be a good listener in this stage; don’t be too quick to correct them. Everyone is different; you need to appreciate each persons learning style & be able to help them appropriately; don’t make them feel like a 5 year old child.

3. Give them the proper encouragement.

This is the “cheerleader” moment. They need to hear “yes, right, that’s it!” The more they feel & believe they are doing good, the better they will do. When things go well, give them a bit more responsibility. When that goes well, offer to give them a “bigger” responsibly or challenge; keep increasing the amount they are doing as they improve, or they will get bored.

Here’s the 3 Ways:

1. Make a To Do list.

Yep, that way you know what exactly you have to accomplish – comes in super handy when we get to number 3.

2. Take breaks, including lunch (includes snacks).

Breaks (physical & mental) give the proper rest & actually stimulate & help you come to the tasks fresh, rather than getting tired.

3. Multi task yet focus.

I often will work on 4 or 5 things at once. In order to do that you need that list from number 1 – & you begin to see what you could do “while” something else is processing etc. BUT sometimes things require NO Multi-tasking, so be aware & ready to tackle those things without doing other things.
What ever you are working on; Multi tasking or not – you must focus on it & you’ll be OK. If you get sloppy & distracted, you’ll mess stuff up & end-up re-doing or fixing up later – which is not saving you time at all.

I’m starting a new blog initiative – a series that will span at least a few months or more – and each post will only ever have 3 points – 3 helpful hints, tips, ideas, or ways to improve areas of either your personal life, leadership or serving. This post will have 3 points & most of my posts in the near future will usually stick to 3 points.  Why? Cause that’s the most points that I ever read on other blogs, and to be helpful I figure step one means people need to read my blog – & keep reading it.

So – here we go.

1. You can write a blog for you as the main audience.

This means your blog reads more like journal.  I’ve tried this.  Worked OK, but I lacked consistency in this style. I wonder what people (others) get out of this sometimes… Can be good, without question, but I tended to ramble…

2. You can write with others (specific group) as main audience.

I’m trying this.  Blogs I subscribe to & read often follow this style.

3. You can have no plan.

You can do whatever.  I tried this too, about 3 years ago… & failed.  I wrote 3 posts, forgot about it, & eventually abandoned it, almost throwing in the “blogging towel”… Until I was challenged by a co-worker that I couldn’t keep a blog up for more than 2 weeks… I thrive on that type of challenge

My tip to you: have a plan; if you plan & be intentional you can stick with it.  Whether people read it… There are lots of blogs written about that

I’ve been hard at work creating a new series for my blog – many thanks to my IT guy here at work to help fix some issues with my blog.

Wait for new content in your in-box soon.

In my life – I can say that I haven’t always but I am getting better – much better – at believing what God says in His word – like in Habakkuk 3:2 which says “Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy”. (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV)

There are a few big implications on this verse. 1. That you KNOW what God has done (you know & read God’s word) 2. That you believe that God will act in our day (that God will answer your prayers/requests & will work things for his glory).

So, here’s the simple questions:
1. Are you doing number one?
2. What are you “expecting” God to do in our time?

If you do number one – then you have perspective as to what God can do & what sort of things we can expect.

If your answer to 2. is like most people’s – we SO often VASTLY underestimate what God can do (sadly, because we often don’t do number one or we aren’t asking God where He is working). God is waiting to heal the broken, restore them, re-build relationships, help all those who are hungry etc.
But, God is waiting for you to ask & then He’s going to ask/tell you how you can help make that happen (involve you in some way).
God has a Plan A for helping this world – and that Plan A is his people (us).
God doesn’t enlist us or force us to serve in His Army – we volunteer ourselves – we have to make ourselves available – we have to submit to this life – a life that can be described as a life or worship.

So – what are you doing?? 2012 is here. Will you be sitting there as 2013 begins wondering if THIS is the year you do something, or will 2012 be that year? Do you know if you will have a chance in 2013, or will it be too late for you? Time to make a choice.
What will you choose?

But, for many, this season doesn’t always represent Jesus’ Love – in fact, for many this season brings out the worst – things like hate, jealousy and contempt.  See, when people get caught up in things other than the real reason for the season – it’s easy to feel like you are owed more, or that you didn’t get what you deserved, or that somehow someone else got more than you and you don’t like it.  All those things destroy love.  They all are forgetting the reason WHY, and the WHO.

So, before you complain about the way you got shafted and the office party, or the way aunt Joan always gives your brother more than you, or that somehow you thought that THIS was the year for that trip to Maui or any other plethora of things that you could complain about – remember this.  God gave his one and only Son, born at Christmas, which is what we celebrate – so that he could live and then die for all of humanities (that includes you) sins.  If I were God I’d be finding a different way.  But He didn’t – that was the only way to save us.  That’s Love.  Selfless – humble and 100% pure Love.  Remember that over the next week.

Reasons we miss the “joy”:  we are too busy.  Yep, simple – easy to understand and 100% true. Also, we are too worried about other “things” – like the food, gifts, parties, in-laws etc.

Ways to tap into the “joy”: start your day with Jesus and keep Jesus in your day  - often praying.  I think many will think this is an over-simplification, but it isn’t.  If you stay connected, through prayer, to God and His Son and Spirit, you are WAY more likely to experience JOY – because you will be alert to see it and feel it.  If you are too busy – you miss all those chances and they are gone – literally gone.  This will also help with the “things” worries, since you will begin to realize that with God right there – all the time – you are better equipped and able to handle those “things” and you might even realize that some of the “things” weren’t worth worrying about at all.

Obviously not all situations are going to be avoided – and not all situations will turn out super-cool – some things might still fall apart, and some things might still back-fire or “blow-up” or that certain person might say the “wrong thing” and you could be hurt.  Yep, all that can still happen.  BUT – if you are praying and in contact with God = keeping Jesus in the front of your mind – you are WAY more likely to pull-through those situations faster – or possibly even repair it.  At the least, you’ll have God helping you make better choices and avoiding a “mud-slinging” where you fightback and let anger get the best of you.  God will speak hope and peace and Joy into each situation and if you listen you will be far better off than if you weren’t.

Got Joy?  Let me know if you have done this and if it’s working.

I think there is.  Check out this passage. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, And he will be called Wonderful Councelor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” Isaiah 9:6  This passage gives us some great images of Jesus before he came and how he’d bring Peace.

Wonderful Councelor – Messiah as King – a king who will be One that the world will know as loving and compassionate; caring about us even down to tiny details.

Mighty God – His divine power.  He is all powerful and created all we know.

Everlasting Father – referencing His grace and mercy are never ending and that He will never leave or forsake us.

Prince of Peace – reminds us that only through Jesus we will ahve true peace of mind and soul – faith in Christ bring peace with the Father and it is on believers that God’s favour of peace will rest.

Many thanks to a Family Advent by Thomas Nelson for this great synopsis of week 2 of Advent.

So – Peace…Jesus represents Peace and without Jesus we aren’t likely getting any.  And on top of that – the Peace isn’t external – but internal.  So, this isn’t a promise that you will magically get along with the in-laws this year and avoid that holiday “tension” – what this is saying IS that with Jesus in our hearts, we should have internal Peace, allowing us to better handle those in-laws and maybe even providing us with the patience, grace and love to prevent the “tensions” that could be searching us out in the holidays.

Week 2 – Peace.  Are you Peaceful this Advent?  Tell me your story.

What is better than getting something?  What is cooler than the “moment of knowing”?  What is more thrilling than the “pay-off” – but the hope & expectation of that “pay-off”.  In reality though, is  it always “thrilling”  - living in constant hope or being hopeful, can be draining and our hope can get tested and there are moments we can all feel hopeless.  So, Hope is something we need to have, and work at.  Why do we stay hopeful, in the face of such “dire” circumstances?

Well, it’s easy for us, because we know the end of the story. See, Advent recounts the stages of things that played out at the coming of Jesus about 2000 years ago…So, step one was the Hope that Jesus was going to come.  Back then – they had to have faith and believe.  We already know He came. They didn’t know – but they had Hope.  We have Hope of a different kind now.  A Hope of His return.  We also need Hope in the tons of complex circumstances that plague us today.  In fact, this is one of the most desired things today – Hope.  It is also one of the hardest things to attain, according to many.  Why?  Because the future never seems to look “better” – and “bleak” is often the outlook.  That’s what the “world” would have us believe.  The “world” wants us to be so focused on the fact that there is no Hope – that it all doesn’t really matter, and we can go about doing whatever – since it could all end tomorrow – and that’d be OK – according to the world, since there is no Hope of anything getting “better”.

The evil one – Satan – the devil – or as I often refer to him as the ultimate bad evil guy – tries hard to convince us all that there is no Hope or any reason to Hope – because when there is no Hope – well, then sin can seem like a super good option.  There isn’t any reason to avoid sin if there is no  Hope.  But if we Hope in something better to come – in Jesus, in the fact our Salvation is real, and His return – well, then there is a bunch of reasons to have Hope – to cling to it.

Hope reminds us that God is bigger than us – that our plan isn’t His – and that we can’t possibly understand the “big plan” that He has.  Hope means we are in God’s plan – He has a plan for us – but we must have faith that God knows best.  Hope says we worship him 100% – with everything to the core of who we are – because we are designed to do that – and we are really practicing for our eternal life with Him.  Hope is saying that our life on this fallen Earth – in the world which is so messed up my sin – that our life isn’t “meaningless” – but rather we can live it to our very best, living it for Him, knowing that He died for us – bought us for a HUGE price – and that it wasn’t a waste or fiction – but it was real.

Hope – my friends – is essential to being human.  It’s not easy, but don’t lose heart.  Hope.  Never give up Hope.

Do you have a story of Hope that you want to share?  Let me know – make a comment.

I love this thing – but I am a little dried up as to what to write about. See, I love to talk (type) but every once in a while I wonder what you (the reader) would like to hear from me on.

So, here’s your chance. Let me know what topics you would like me to cover – & I’ll do my best to cover them.

I am a “series” kind of guy. I prefer to have multiple posts dedicated to a topic, or related topics – but that’s just me. I have done a 30 Day Worship devotional that I blogged through – & other topics related to worship. I’ve blogged on my personal situations in life – usually more in a “rant” fashion.
I’ve also done the “life situation/ Bible application” style entries.

Which were your favs – what connected with you?? What would you like to see more of?? What would make my Blog essential reading for you??

Blogs – I’ve realized – aren’t one way. Let’s do this together

So – Jan 2012 I’ll launch some new stuff. In the mean time I plan on getting you into Christmas – as we gear up for Christmas Eve 2012 around here.

We talked.  Really talked about things.  My wife and I had some great time to connect on real issues and things that we were feeling.  I had some great conversations with my kids.

We laughed.  There was boatloads of laughter in the car, on the “L”, in the streets and usually right before bedtime….

We cried.  Spending that much time in close proximity with your family of 4 is bound to create tensions – and it did.  We also all systematically got sick – beginning with the kids – which didn’t help with the emotions.  We also cried sometimes out of fear – the car situations were pretty tense at one point.

We forgave.  In the long drives we managed to forgive and reconcile with each other – because we knew that the other options were pretty non-inviting.

We learned.  I learned a whole bunch about my car.  Stuff I don’t want to know, thank you very much.  I learned about other things too – like about coal mines, about steam trains as well as bigger picture things like how to work together better, the value of a sunset and how important it is to love each other.

We prayed.  I was able to have some great personal study times in the early morning and was able to pray pretty much each morning before anyone was even awake.  We also prayed as a family at each meal (we do that at home too, but there was something special about doing that away from home in a foreign place – making it feel more like home…).

We worshipped.  Going to Willow was so refreshing for me.  The topic that date was why and how we worship, and was using Psalm 150 as it’s scripture base.  Yes, I loved it.  And bought the CD.  My kids promptly asked to come back the following week after we picked them up.  We had to break the news gently that we didn’t “belong” to Willow, that we were “just visiting”.

The moral of this post is simple: There are the “things you do” then there as the “things you REALLY do” in life.  Our first list is good, but it’s what’s on the second list that really counts and makes life what it is, and makes our relationships what they are (or aren’t).  This second list is something you set out to do intentionally – seeking to connect with the people you are with in a real fashion, rather than merely “being present” as all of you happen to “be together” in the same space, as the same time.

On this Thanksgiving weekend – what are going to do?  Eat a meal?  Go shopping?  Watch the game?  or how about connect more deeply with your kids?  Spend time family you don’t always see, and give them your best attention, really seeking to know more about them?  what about serving your family by being there instead of thinking about the stuff you’ve got to do at the office on Tues when you go back to work, after missing a day?

Which “to do” list are you going to get done this weekend?  One happens.  The other you need to be intentional about.
Good luck!

PS – those of you who know me quite closely know that I am terrified of heights.  I took the photo of the Willis Tower, standing firmly on the sidewalk below and didn’t set foot in the building.  I was interested, mildly, but we really didn’t have time and no-one else in the family had any desire to go up it either.  Standing at the bottom of it is much like being at the base of the CN Tower, but the stark black colour and neat design features make it far more impressive and interesting the our Canadian comparison.  Sorry CN Tower, but the Willis Tower was cooler.

A simple conversation fueled this post.

Learning has to have “doing or action” as part of the process, or it’s just “head knowledge”.

Application is necessary to really learn & be one who “does” whatever that skill is.

If you “think” reading a book, or many books, blogs, or website bulletin boards means that you “know about” something – you are right. If you think the above “knowledge” means you can “do something” – you are wrong.

Big difference. Sadly, our culture is beginning to equate one with the other.

It’s an easy thing to “buy into”. Once you read enough, you convince yourself you “know” and then form opinions and begin to talk about it like you “do it yourself”.

Don’t fall victim to this. Be smart – apply the knowledge and “do it” before you start talking like you “do it”.

If not – accept that you have no authority to talk about how “it’s done” & stay quiet until you have actual experience. Or, be honest and say “I’ve read about it, but have no real experience with this myself…”

Let’s try a little humility in a culture that loves to over-exaggerate.

Please read this statement produced by our first Resident, Sylvia Woods – who shares her thoughts on the program, followed by some goals which we are aiming to achieve with the Artist In Residence program here at Lakeside.

“An artist in residence program provides artists an opportunity to apply singular focus to their art practice. These programs offer conditions that are conductive to creativity and they provide working facilities for artists. Why would Lakeside choose to set up an Artist in Residence program here in Guelph? The most recent statistics show that between 1991 and 2006 Guelph was ranked 5th in Canada of large Canadian cities where the number of artists have doubled! The overall local labour force in Guelph increased by 38% between 1991 and 2006, but the number of artists in Guelph increased by 127% in the same time period. Obviously we live in a city that celebrates culture and values and encourages the arts. Lakeside has the opportunity to show our commitment to actively participate in the artistic culture and climate our home city, building bridges to the exploding arts community. The Artist in Residence Program is a small but significant step towards engaging in the arts culture that many of us participate in as citizens of Guelph and connecting us directly with the large community of artists that Guelph boasts. As beings created in the image of a creative God, we are called as people to create, to celebrate beauty and to live abundantly. Lakeside has a goal of helping everyone experience and share authentic life in Christ. As Francis Schaeffer said, “The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars”. As a community, developing strong relationships with our artists speaks to our creativity as a whole and brings us closer to our creator. The Artist in Residence program is an effort to support emerging and established Christian artists and act as advocates for the arts in our community, church and world.”

You may have a part to play in this overall goal.

Some possible interactions or involvements could be:

- Getting involved as an artist.  If you are an artist – we want to get to know you.  We will begin compiling a list of artists in our community – and we will be seeking people to continue on with the Residency each year.  There will be Exhibition opportunities as well as great networking potential.  If you are an artist – we are hoping you’ll take full advantage and have more an active presence in our church & community – one of the main goals of this program.

- Telling a friend who is an artist or aspiring artist about this program – connecting artists who are already in our community is big goal as is connecting outside artists to our community – in the arts, networking is key, so we hope to facilitate this, working to “connect” our artists – both to each-other and to Lakeside – another goal of this program.
- Bringing a friend – artist or non-artist – to one of the Exhibitions, showings, workshops or events that will happen connected to this program – either at Lakeside or off-site in other locations – details on dates and times to come later.  Community awareness and “bridging” to our community is a main goal of this program.
- Inviting a friend to our weekend gatherings – which will begin to incorporate art generated from the Residency & the input of the Artist in programming of special events like Christmas Eve – another way to “bridge” to the community through this program.
- Spread the word about this program – it truly is unique not only in our city or province – but actually one of the few programs of this type connected & run by a church in North America. As the stat suggests, more people work in this city as artists than in most other cities, which means there should be an interest from many people about the program. We hope to “reach” artists – meeting them where they are at – realizing that artists have often felt judged or marginalized by church but are often accepted far easier by our culture. The outreach potential in this segment of society is very large.  Personally – as a person who has been involved with the Arts community here in Guelph for over 20 years I can attest that Artists often feel that “church” is one place that isn’t going to be “accepting” of their work – but they equally believe and understand that their work is often deeply “spiritual” – and they struggle with this seeming “dis-connect” or lack of acceptance.  We hope to build a “bridge” to help re-connect the artists with the church – which is one of main goals of this program.
- You may just be a “receiver” or just “appreciate” the art. Art isn’t something you’re into or not – Art is a creative process or product that was/is generated by a creative person; who in turn, was created by God – even if you aren’t into “making art” you can probably appreciate it, & the “ultimate creator” – which is another goal of the program.

Art can often be a window to our souls, helping to express things that we lack words for – and it can often help us understand either ourselves more or aspects of God more. In this way art can act as a healing agent or microscope.

A large – obvious –  main goal of this program is to help our Lakeside community to connect in relationship with our Creator in a meaningful way through art – which can be an expression & act of worship for us.

Clearly there are a number of ways you will have an opportunity to interact with our Artist In Residence program.

We hope that as the program gets underway that you – whether an artist who is seeking to make a career of art, or just a person who loves to appreciate art – will take advantage of these opportunities to interact with the program and our Artist.

For those who aren’t sure what that big title means – let me explain.

In mainly academic institutions – like a College or University – you will often find this type of position. The goal in those places is that the individual chosen is somewhat of an “expert” or at least an individual who has chosen that particular field as their field of “expertise & focus” – either acting as a professional in the world already or an amateur who is hoping to “break into” the pro-scene. So, Artists In Residence could be established painters or sometimes a person just out of school looking to gain some valuable experience both teaching & working at their craft.

Often – the more established the Residency – the more “established” the people who fill the role over time.

We launch our Artist In Residence in September with Sylvia Woods. Sylvia is an experienced artist – with some great credentials & some great work already in her portfolio. I feel so honoured to have Sylvia taking our first Residency – I feel we are starting off very strong in this position – and I am praying that year after year – for years to come – we will have other visual artists be our Residents that will only raise our bar higher & higher.

Over the course of the next few blogs I will be discussing a few of the goals we hope to achieve with this Residence, as well as introducing you briefly to our first Resident.

As a new initiative of Lakeside – fully supported by our Lead Pastor & Leadership Team – it only makes sense to shed some light on this new artistic venture – giving you a few insights as to what you should expect from this new program this year and how you may engage/ interact with them.

You might be able to tell that I am super excited about this – and I hope that as I blog further and we get closer to Sept – that you get excited about it as well.

Sometimes I am thinking when I am trying to sleep – but rather I am thinking.

Sometimes I am thinking when I am trying to express a thought – and then my thought sounds kinda un-finished – but I was thinking.

I often sit & think. I am thinking then too

So, what’s the point??
That sometimes I’m thinking when I’m doing something else – that’s not always good. But I am actually working or thinking about something else you may have asked me an hour ago – or something from work, or a song idea, or…

Reality is – I am pretty much always thinking. I use journals, my blog, notes & lists and talking to help sort & organize what “I’m thinking” into something that is useful.

Awesome Note App, WordPress, Evernote, DropBox, Twitter & Facebook are all Apps I use to help me “think” & keep the “thoughts” organized.

Are you “thinking” a lot? Do you have ideas or questions? Are you solving problems? How are you keeping your “thoughts” organized??

Firstly, I am a fan of the Harry Potter series – books firstly, movies second.  The films have been great (number 6 was a bit of a let-down) and I enjoy them – but I will be the first to admit that the books are better – so remember that as I share my thoughts.

This film met my expectations.  It was clearly hyped beyond – but it lived up to it.  I wasn’t for one moment thinking – “gee, that was stupid or silly”.  They chose to change a few things from the book – things that they could have kept the same but didn’t.  I was OK with that – but I do still wonder why they do that.  However, the changes didn’t make me like the movie less – I just “rolled with it” and they didn’t impact any major things – so no harm – no foul.

Spoiler alert – if you’ve not read it or don’t know the plot – stop reading here.  I’m talking plot details now.

For those who aren’t aware – this is the final part of the Harry Potter saga – a tale of epic proportions.  It rivals The Lord Of The Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia as probably the most well written and well celebrated fantasy story of all time.  The stories two main characters eventually have to have a “show-down” which occurs in this final installment.  The great heroic and tragic sadness of Harry realizing that in order for things to end is going to mean his own death – is so sad and very similar to Aslan’s great “sacrifice” or the “fall into shadow” of Gandalf.  As with these characters – Harry goes through a “death” only to return to “life” and eventually to defeat the enemy – with help from a close supportive/loyal friends that have been there with Harry from the beginning.

The highlight of the film for me had to be the “memory” that Harry sees of Snape’s.  Without getting too deep into plot – this moment reveals that a character that the audience & the main character Harry was convinced was “bad” turns out to be “good”.  This info is now being presented to Harry for the first time as well.  And the real sad part is that the character died already – so Harry can’t at all thank him, or express gratitude – anything.  It’s so incredibly sad to see the great love that this man had – the devotion to keeping Harry “safe” – protecting Harry  from harm all through his years.  As the audience watched I could hear the sobs of a few people from around me – and the honest truth is – I was crying as well.

Nothing seems so tragic as having not appreciated someone that sacrifices something – that worked so hard to protect us and keep us safe – but we never showed them any manner of thanks – and we even turned our backs on them and we were convinced they were our enemy.  And we find out the details too late.

I can’t help but see the many – and I mean many – parallels of this story and the story of Jesus.  I can’t help to see the parallels between some of the characters and their actions – and me and my actions towards God or others – both good and not so good – over the years.   The great thing about this story is just that – it’s real.  The setting is fantasy, but the characters are so real – J.K. Rowling has created such real characters who have real emotions, struggle with real problems, and end up facing real consequences.
The ability to relate to this book and it’s characters is the real strength of the whole series – much like it’s counterparts The Lord Of The Rings or the Chronicles of Narnia.  The film captures the “real” aspect very well – the emotion is there.  You feel the pain, the sorrow, the regret, the joy, the peace – you feel it through the whole film.

I like special effects and really “cool” action sequences.  But, I like “real” the most.  When something feels “real” I gravitate towards it.  The movie captured the “real” emotions – which made the movie exceptional for me.  ”Epic” isn’t that great unless there is an aspect of “real”.  If the forces of good and evil are having a show-down and it’s not feeling “real” or I’m nor really concerned with who wins – if I haven’t become emotionally invested – if I am not convinced it’s “real”  - then it’s just a cool action flick with zero substance and I can take it or leave it.  This film captured me from the opening sequence – the credits that open the film – and the haunting melancholy melody that begins the score and opens the film.  It is a foreshadowing of what is to transpire – a sad song that a minstrel might sing as he recounts the story years later to a group in a far away land.  I can’t describe it any other way – music has a profound emotional effect on me – and I was already “sucked in” before the first word of dialouge was spoken.

Lastly – I can’t talk about the film without mentioning one last point.  The whole series has a running “sub-plot” on the idea of Harry needs to become “selfless” – to realize that even though he is a special “selected” person – that he needs to depend on his key friends to “help him” achieve the main goal and purpose – basically = He can’t do it on his own.  It requires him to have faith in others.  That is something that this last film didn’t capture quite as well as it could have.  It is a lot more prevalent in the books – where Harry actually has to ask his trusted friends to “help” perform some the final things that need to take place in order for them to have a chance to defeat the evil.  Harry’s journey from self reliance to faith outside himself is another of the great things we can learn from and take away from this piece of literature.

To close – the movie was great.  Go see it.  I will probably see it again.

If you are curious – or if you are new to my blog – I am a big learner.  I love books because they enable me to learn from people I will likely never meet.  Most of what I read I choose based on what areas I am looking to improve or learn more about.

I try to keep at least 1 book in my reading at all times that is about leadership.  Beyond that it is usually a mixture of worship related, culture/church related and more “me-focused” learning – in terms of how to do the Christian life better than I am.

People wonder how I choose books to read.  I honestly pray about it and follow God’s leading when I am making purchases or when I’m starting at my bookcase in my office.  Here we go!

9 Things a Leader Must Do by Dr. Henry Cloud.  I saw this book on the shelf of a co-worker of mine and I wondered why I hadn’t gotten it already.  So, I ordered it and over the course of two weeks finished this great book of wisdom.  Cloud is super smart and super practical – these 9 things are VERY useful and fully intend on putting these things into practice.  A must read for those who are in leadership – or hope to be one day.

I’m reading this one actively right now (the pages are actually getting read at the moment) and it’s really good.  Worship On Earth As It Is In Heaven by Rory Noland is not what I would term an “easy” read.  By this I mean that the concepts contained here are not “easy” in that they fly in the face of our modern world.  The book is rather “easy” to read, in that Rory has written it will and it flows logically and clearly – there is no mistaking what Rory means or says – often quoting scripture.  The overall goal or Rory in this book is to actaully describe “how” to worship – not just worship theology or some kind of “worship leader how-to” but intended for the average church goer.  So far – Rory is doing great – I’ve just finished a section about making worship a priority in our lives – Sundays and beyond.  He cites scripture to support this statement: “…we are created, commanded, called, compelled and destined to worship.”  That’s the kind of statement that I love.  I’ll be finishing this book in the coming week or 2 – I’ll give a further report then.  So far – required reading for all those who consider themselves “worshippers of God”.

If you’ve never read a book by Rory before – check our The Heart Of Artist, the Worshipping Artist and Thriving As An Artist In The Church (which is probably my fav – but they are all great!)

The Prayer Matrix by David Jeremiah is a great book for those who struggle with prayer.  In that I mean that in 86 pages the reader is introduced to what prayer “is” and what it “does” and how to “do it”.  It’s a quick and easy read – revealing that prayer isn’t empty words falling on deaf ears but that it connects you to the creator – and that it places and puts things in motion that we often don’t realize.  A great quote sums it up like this “…you can go to Africa, to China, to India, to Russia, to the Middle East, to South America – anywhere, by going to the throne of God in praer for those men and women who serve the kingdom’s work out among all of those places.  But you have to pray.”  A must read for someone wanting to connect with God more and feels like they aren’t doing it very well.

This book by H.R. Rookmaaker – called Art Needs No Justification – completely enthralled me.  In a quick less than 70 pages the whole thing is laid out – using tons of great Biblical support.  I was introduced to this book through a talk that I attended during the Songwriter’s Bootcamp, as part of the Christian Musician Summit in Bufflao, NY.  Without giving it away – because this 100% required reading if you are an artist, or if you happen to enjoy art (and by art I am including music, sculpture, fine arts like painting, drawing etc as well as media arts like film etc.) – the premise of the book is based on a series of lectures given by this great man.  The resulting book is a quick history lesson of art through time and how culture’s perception and treatment of art into Art with a capital A – and the treatment of the Artists that created that Art – changed and really managed to destroy the way the God intended art to be – and makes some recommendations of how to reclaim art for God again.

The title says so much – why do we need to justify art?  The answer: we don’t need to – art has enough justification already.  Rookmaaker provides the Biblical proof.

If you don’t know who Brennan Manning is, or if you’ve never read a book by him – stop now and grab this book or the Ragamuffin Gospel or The Furious Longing Of God and prepare to fall in love with God all over again – and in the process come to love Brennan and learn a lot about yourself.  This work – Patched Together: A story of my story – is a bit of mish-mash or two of his earlier works, but with a new twist and new setting and flavour.  His narrative style is an effortless read – and at only 126 pages total – it really isn’t tough to get through it at all.  In fact – you’ll start looking for another Brennan  Manning book after you finish this one.

The main character is named Willie Juan and it takes place in a poor Mexican village called Hopi. The book follows Willie through life, with all the characters you expect and some you don’t.  His grandmother named Calm Sunset is such a beautiful character that imparts so much to Willie – it really is a must read for people who love to be reminded that they are loved.

Radical Together by David Platt is a great book.  It’s a sequel to the super big book he wrote called Radical.  I didn’t read that.  Nor do I wish to.  David basically takes you through the main concepts and ideas of Radical in this volume (129 pages – half the size of the first book) with real-life application stories of what happened in their own church after they decided to put the Radical ideas into practice.

If you have ever wondered if the local church really is the hope of the world – then this books firmly puts that statement into action – by emphasizing that it’s a “we, not me” that gets things done.  The stories shared in the pages rocked me a few times to the point of overwhelming emotion – and caused me to be reminded once more that if we work together – in a focused way – that we can have a radical impact on the world – for the good!

This is a must read for those that crave action and to see life change in people – the stories in this book could motivate even lethargic blobs to get a soup kitchen going and a tent revival meeting.

The Message by Eugene H. Peterson isn’t for everyone.  This devotional, based on the the Message Remix is called Solo: An Uncommon Devotional.  It is uncommon.  I love it.  To start with, there is no “calender” in it.  Simple number adorn the entries – totaling 365.  It is chronological through the Bible – Day 1 is in Genesis and so on.  It uses a technique called Lectio Divina as the basis of each days activity: Read, Think, Pray and Live – and breaks the devotion into these little sub-points each day.  It always selects a passage of scripture, and has a reference to a “larger, expanded” scripture if you’ve got more time or want to understand the context a bit further.

It isn’t verse by verse, chapter by chapter.  It actually doesn’t always hit on the the “popular” verses that a long time Christian may know.  And when it does touch on a classic – it reads differently since it’s all based on the REMix Message translation – which I finds often breathes some much needed life and context on passages for me sometimes.

This is a must read for those who think a “quiet time” or whatever you call it is boring.  This will remind you that it’s all about God and that God wants nothing more than for us to know how much He loves us.  This really isn’t a book I’ll finish in a month or two – but it’s one I started and hope to stick with as the summer changes to fall.  I am notorious for starting a devotional and then dropping it after 3 weeks.  I’m enjoying this fresh approach at the moment – let’s see if it sticks.

So, as is normal, I managed to pick-up a number of new discs before the summer and am now getting around to listening to them.

Here’s my review of them, in no particular order.  Get your iTunes account ready – you’ll want to grab some of these ASAP – here we go!

The House You’re Building – Audrey Assad   If you have no idea who this is – you probably aren’t alone, but you’ll be in the minority in a year.  Audrey is an incredible up-coming songwriter that I had the pleasure of meeting and learning from at the Christian Musician Summit this past May in Buffalo, NY.  Her album delivers a wide range of tunes – a stand-out being Restless.  Her heart is always right there in the song, you can feel it – in the right kind of way.  Her delivery is somewhat Sarah McLaughlin-ish for those who know – which is a great fit for her often introspective and emotional songs that really allow the listener into “her heart” but also to explore their own emotions in a “raw and unfiltered” way that we rarely do unless we are prompted.  Audrey is the “real deal” displaying great humility and a desire to worship and serve in any way possible as I gathered from my personal time with her while at the Song Writers Bootcamp Day.  Buy this – non-negotiable listening this summer.

God Is Able – Hillsong LIVE   This disc is what I would call “typical” Hillsong LIVE stuff – great song writing, catchy songs and choruses and singing able melodies.  I am enjoying this one in my car at the moment – but I will be honest.  There isn’t anything on this disc the “grabs me” as a listener.  Even a song like Awakening, which I love and adore already, seemed “lack luster” and flat.  I think the album is great, we will more than likely use a song like With Us in our services, but I was expecting more from one of my favourite worship teams.

Aftermath – Hillsong United  This disc was a “slow grower” for me.  I got it back in April and haven’t really listened to it much until a few weeks ago – mainly because the first time I heard it I was less than impressed.  At the time, I felt that the whole “80′s synth vibe-thingy” they were working so hard to produce (since none of them were alive then) was pretty lame.  Then I listened to it about a month ago and was taken by the writing.  Once I got past the exterior (tones) I was able to appreciate the amazing writing and then the tones all sort of “made sense”  and then I fell in love with this disc.  Search My Heart, Like An Avalanche and Rhythms of Grace are huge standouts.  I’d pick it up if you love to be on the “cutting edge” of worship.

All The Bright Lights – self titled.  This disc I got in May and I will tell you I was buying it on a whim – that John Mark MacMillan was involved with it.  He is credited in the liner notes as providing “good vibes”.  Well, it worked, because this may be one of my fav purchases of the whole year.  My buddy Justin calls this “post-rock” I call it solid-band-playing-well.  If you take any of my recommendations – buy this one – iTunes or otherwise, grab it and thank me later.  Non-negotiable listening this summer.

Central Live – self titled. Sorry – no pic    This is the offering from Central Community Church in St. Catharines, Ontario.  Greg Sykes, the main worship leader at the church, provides some of his own songs – most notably Maker Of My Heart (a wickedly simple yet piercing song about our Creator and our relationship with Him) that we use regularly at Lakeside.  The stand-out cut for me is a cover of a Greg Ferguson (yes, the Willow Creek guy) song called He Knows – it chills me each time I hear it – in a good way.

Our God Is Near – Brenton Brown   Brenton is a great worshipper who happens to also be a great writer of worship songs.  This disc is packed with his unique style of worship.  You’ll recognize many of the tunes as he co-writes with many “big names” like Paul Balouche and others.  Our God Is Mercy is a great tune and his version of Joyful is sure to get a “rise” out of you with his break-neck tempo

Come Away – Jesus Culture   This disc is for that “transforming, soaking it up” moment in your day/week/year.  From the first distorted notes to the final chanting chorus this disc delivers a great worship experience.  My only negative – and I do mean my only – that I have to say is I find it distracting that Kim Walker-Smith laughs through-out a number of tracks at points.  Why does it bother me?  Because I have no idea what she’d laughing about and it takes me out of my “moment”.

Blessings – Laura Story   This disc will remind you of your deepest thoughts, your highest highs and lowest lows and centre it all around Jesus.  Blessings, the title cut – is a masterpiece of song writing.  I also had the chance to meet Laura at the Christian Musician Summit is Buffalo, NY and I will say that she is 100% the real-deal worship leader – her heart is to lead the people of God’s community – the church – in song.  Her gift for writing is very high (she also crafted tunes like Mighty To Save and Indescribable) and her ability to be transparent is also just as good.  I feel like I’ve known her forever and we only met for 15 minutes – the thing is – you know her through her songs/music.  Grab this disc – another non-negotiable disc of summer.

Here For You – Passion   Passion discs are becoming predictable.  I mean that is the nicest, best way.  They are always good, solid and well-produced worship.  Always.  It’s something I can count on.  Great tunes, great leaders, great moments.  This disc features Forever Reign, Always, Carry Your Name and Waiting Here For You – all songs you’ll know by the time summer is over.

Here’s the reality. We all rehearse something. Why? Why do we rehearse?

Because we feel that through that “rehearsal” we are best prepared to “execute” – to be as open and available as we possibly can to not just “doing church” but to truly worshipping & leading others there to encounter God & worship Him as well.

My question is simple: Does your team know why you rehearse? Because they certainly know WHAT you rehearse – they rehearse it with you.

Sometimes the WHY can inform the WHAT – & often if WHAT is becoming a problem, its because the WHY is getting lost in translation.

Vision is something you have to re-cast over & over – give your team a clear vision – a clear WHY and the WHAT will follow.

Even as I write this I need to do a bit of “re-casting” myself – one of our services this weekend got sloppy.  The reason: poor rehearsal, especially in the transitions.  I can honestly say that 100% of the errors or slightly imperfect things were a result of poor preparations & poor communication of some key information.  Not everything was poor.  In fact, the service had moments of great worship, but certain things that happened were not.  Why?  Because the WHY has been slipping and slipping and then the WHAT gets affected and before you know it: BOOM!!   – People have forgotten the WHY.  They are good people.  They love God.  They serve whole heartedly.  They need VISION.  They need WHY.

Who is telling your team WHY  - so that the WHAT gets done to the level you expect – and God deserves?

So there was creation. It was an incredible act of creativity. God did His thing and whamoo – we had light, animals & tons of other stuff that had not existed before – truly amazing – or to use an over-used word – truly awesome! Then God created Man in His image – which means we then had the ability to create & be creative.

OK – fast-forward a bit.

Abraham and Issac had a worship moment – first mention of worship in Gods word. It wasn’t looking too good for Issac actually – he was to be the “sacrifice” on the altar and his Dad was supposed to “offer” him. So, the thing that always strikes me about this is Abram’s incredible obedience & desire to worship God, to the point of sacrificing that which he held most dear in the whole Earth.

Fast forward a bit farther.

The Levites. They are the first worship leaders – in our modern meaning of that term. They were set-apart “The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others.”
Numbers 1:47
The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.” Numbers 1:53

as worshipers & held aloft. They were the first group that had the job of helping to lead others in acts of corporate worship – when large amounts of people were gathered the Levites did their thing – as seen in 2 Chronicles 29 where they are clearly the ones who are in charge of the whole service – offerings, sacrifices etc.

They also had a large responsibility that had been neglected in that particular story. They needed to be reminded of their role – their lineage – and to get back into “shape” and to accept their responsibility again.

So, we carry on the tradition of the Levites when we lead people in songs with instruments. But it’s more than just songs.

Music itself is mentioned in the Bible a lot. One of my favourite passages involves David & Saul. 1Samuel 16:17-23 outlines a great example of how music – pure music without lyrics – can comfort our souls. The Psams are filled with music references – mostly exhortations & commands to “play skillfully for the Lord”… Tambourines, lyres, harps, cymbals … you name it, we were instructed to play it. It only makes sense that we marry these – playing for the Lord & leading God’s people in a wonderful time of worship – which, by the way, all of these are forms of – into what we commonly call a worship service.

If the 1st Commandment is all about which God we shall hold above all others – then a really big part of that is worshipping Him & all He has done for us. Some people – those skilled & anointed – are called to lead God’s people in these services. It’s not a “trip” or a “gig” or something that we merely “like” to do. It’s convicting, and challenging, renewing & inspiring. It’s hard yet often is the most beautiful thing that one can experience this side of heaven.

I thank God has placed me in the position I am – although I wonder if someone more qualified is out there. But I am reminded that God doesn’t make accidents – so I am meant to be in this position at this time. So, I lead a team – about 50 people – of modern day “Levites” and I am so honoured to do so – I will never forget where we came from & what a privilege it is to serve with such great people who give of their talents to help lead God’s people here at Lakeside, & what responsibility we have in this “role”.

If it’s not worship & not justifiable – you’ve got to wonder why it’s there? Here’s an example I wrestle with.

Announcements aren’t worship; but we believe strongly in sharing key upcoming events or opportunities for community WITH our community. We do work to be creative with announcements – and through our process of creation – we are worshiping by using gifts & talents that we’ve been given. Trust me; I have often asked “why do we have announcements in our service – they often disrupt the ‘flow’ and I know we provide all of the same info on the website & in the programme?”. The answer is that our most successful way of communicating w/our congregation right now is our in-service announcements. We work to ensure that this element is done with excellence (which is an attitude of worship) & a heart of worship & we don’t apologize for having announcements— they have a place in our services until we can find a way to communicate even more effectively with our congregation.

So what about worship style??

Without dodging the issue I think there are many many many acceptable worship styles – certainly more than I know of.  My best answer to this one is from 2 Samuel 6: 16-23 where David dances before the Lord as they carried the Ark.  He claims in vs 22 ” I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”  He is speaking of dancing before God and worshipping with EVERYTHING he had!  That’s acceptable to God.  If we don’t do that  = if we hold back… like the people in Malachi 1:14 that says “Cursed in the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. ”  David further clarifies this in 2 Samuel 24:24 where it says “But the king (David) replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it.  I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”  So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.”

David couldn’t fathom NOT paying – he couldn’t worship without himself having a cost.  So, the best answer is: our worship needs to be sacrificial to us – no matter what it is we do – dance, sing, play instruments etc.  We have to sacrifice – we’ve got to work hard to present something – we can’t just offer the “blemished” whatever.  Nothing bothers me more – and apparently nothing bothers God more – than worship that is half-hearted.  If you’re going to worship the God of the universe –  at least put something into it.  If you’re gonna play a country worship song – make it the best possible country worship song you can – with excellence.  To clarify – excellence is doing the best you can with what you have.  That is a Core Value at Lakeside and I/we take that very seriously as Staff and Ministry leaders.

So – worship needs to cost us something and we need to approach it with excellence and it can be expressed in many ways – not just singing songs.  I am tempted here to go on about the idea that the church is the “gathering” in which the people are “filled” and then we are to “scatter” to take the word and teachings to the world…. as that is the overall idea of church worship services… I won’t elaborate on that here other than the services primary role is to worship God – and the teaching of God’s word is a big part of that.  Once we have those teachings we aren’t supposed to keep them all to us – but to share and bring others and truly “spread” the word as part of the “great commandment” to go and proclaim His word to the world empowered by His spirit (Acts 1:8).  I won’t dwell on on that now – only to say – Church is not a building – it’s a movement and lives in people – if you think the point of church is to worship – you’re right – but if you think “church” means a building – you’re wrong.

I may engage this topic a bit more in upcoming posts.  I’d love to hear some of your ideas or opinions of worship in church.

If you’ve read my blog before you will know that I feel strongly about this and that I have written about this before. Romans 12 is great passage of God’s Word that really nets it out in plain English. I’m not going delve into the “the Bible says…” thing here – you can read my previous posts on this topic

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This post is about the “how”. How do you worship while pumping gas? While eating at McDonalds? While buying groceries? While doing your taxes? While going to your kids piano recital? While correcting your kid? While having a special “date night” with your spouse? While sweeping/laundry/cleaning toilets/cutting grass/shoveling snow etc etc etc etc ??? How can you worship in these situations we find ourselves in day to day?

The answer is as unique as each thing – but global enough to be applied to all of them. The heart needs to have an attitude of worship. Your heart needs to have an attitude of worship at all times. If it does, them the above list is a list of opportunities to show your heart of worship.

I think – just to clarify – we all need reminded – that serving the poor, donating to church, going on a mission trip and being an usher at your weekend services are all acts of worship – but these aren’t our only ways to worship… I think we often become narrow-minded here and if we don’t happen to participate in Sundays, or serving food at the soup kitchen that we aren’t “worshipping” with our “lives”. We have to align our hearts to have the right attitude of worship, and then ALL we do can & does become an act of worship – This is a clear distinction I want to really be clear on.

So, when I pump gas, I make sure I think of certain things: how thankful I am I have a car, that I am employed & have $ for gas. I make sure I wait patiently in line (at the pumps around here we often have a line) and am courteous to others also there. Question: If I get angry about how much the gas costs, how much tax there is on it, beep & swear waiting for my turn how can I be worshiping God with “everything”? Answer: I’m not.

Do you see how this works?
Before you think that I’m on a high-horse—- I’m not perfect and I fall down on this more often than I want to admit here. But I work on it. I am aware and when I fail I confess that & thank God for His grace and mercy & forgiveness.

How well are you doing with this? There are certain areas I REALLY struggle with – like when I’m doing my Income Taxes … I still have lots of growth to go – I admit that. But I also know/believe that passage in Romans 12:1 The Message version says :

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

Obviously they are, but it does beg the question: should there be a “back-up” or something… I mean, when a cop or firefighter gets sick, they call in sick, and then the Service will CALL in another person to fill their slot because they are important. Now, I understand this is a little different – but is it??

We are re-scheduled to go on Monday – again. Here’s hoping it happens.

This morning we played that song as a prelude to our service – and yes, I was lucky enough to be the one who got to play it.  And I used my double neck.  And it was super fun.  But it wasn’t great just because I got to play it and it sounded awesome.  It was great for a few more reasons.

1.  It was great because people know it.  It’s always wonderful to do secular songs in church.  People know them.  They relate to them.  They feel like we live in the same world they do – which is true.

2.  It was great because the real theme of the song was relevant.  The songs’ theme of searching for meaning and not finding it = searching but never being satisfied  =  waiting for that elusive “stairway” that leads to the ultimate “pay-off”, but never reaching the top.  Today we talked about the idea that the “world” tries hard to sell us the “stairway” but only through Jesus can we achieve true Peace – true satisfaction in the things that matter.

3.  It was great because it challenged me.  I haven’t had a song that demanding to play in a while in front of an audience.  I had to work the song back up to “stage worthy-ness” and I still felt like I didn’t perform it was well as I could of.  It was a humbling moment.  I had to re-learn a few sections and also had to arrange it in such a way that it only 5 minutes instead of 8 and to perform the song without a vocalist…that was a challenge in itself.

4.  It was great because it forced/created some great conversations.  I ended up chatting almost 2 hrs with our drummer after rehearsal on Thurs night all about music/life/worship etc.  === and it all stemmed and started from talking about this song.

5.  It was great because  it’s Stairway.  I know that’s lame – but – in my world – that’s reason enough for it to be great.

So, now what??  Will there every be another Stairway moment for me?  Maybe.  Don’t really know.  What I do know is that I can honestly say it was great for the reasons I mentioned and most of all because people were able to free and there were no barriers anymore – it really broke the ice and allowed for a fantastic worship set w/lots of engagement and participation.  Pastor Dave’s teaching in the message was bang-on and really tied it all together in a real way that was nothing short of God honouring.  That’s why it was so great.

Maybe – at some point – we’ll get to play Lalya  ===  the real version that is 9 minutes long and has one of the most beautiful slide solos ever recorded and rarely ever reproduced, or maybe Highway Star with the smoking organ solo and gtr solo that play together in unison    …but I am not exactly sure how those would fit in to a theme or message…

What classic rock song do YOU think we should do at church – and what theme would it fit into??

The simple reason is: I always have. I have done this since as long as I can remember, which begs the question: why isn’t it easier? and why am I not better at this?

The more complex reason is that the 40 Days of Lent are representative of the 40 Days Jesus spent in the desert without any food or water and was then tempted by the Evil One.

When I get a chocolate craving I am supposed to pray, reminding myself that God provides ALL I need to survive, chocolate not being part of that. I thank God for provisions in my life and really ask for the strength to resist the craving I have, knowing & having total faith that He will, through His spirit in me.

I keep toying with the idea of doing a full 40 Day fast – living on water and juice alone. My smart and wise colleagues pointed out that Jesus wasn’t married, didn’t have to go work during the 40 days (a very busy time at work in those 40 days I might add) and didn’t have children that needed his attention. My wife is thankful for this wise council

I think I will attempt a fast of some level soon though, because even though I crave, the benefits are super evident.

My connection w/God has never been stronger. My overall health is better.
But still, I crave that chocolate chip muffin w/ a Hot Chocolate. And the greatest part is: I don’t give in. It’s proving to me yet again that I have way more strength with God’s spirit in me than if I were to rely on my own bodily desires and controls. My flesh is weak – but with God in control and me surrendering my “flesh and will” to God then I can see that God can overcome the “flesh” and that reminds me of all of the other areas in my life God does that.

It was this same strength that helped me battle & conquer some addictive behaviors like porn and alcohol – things related to my body.

It is also the same strength that helps me to release Pride and controlling behavior on a regular basis – things related to my own spirit that is easily turned and tempted by the Evil One.

So, I will continue crave, and continue to abide. I know that I will eventually have chocolate again – but I will learn & be reminded of the bigger concept that w/God’s guiding Spirit in my life, nothing – not even my desire for a Starbucks Grande Double Chocolately Chip Frappichino Blendec Creme – is too big for God and the Evil One can get no foothold in me if I abide in God regularly.

1. I pray intentionally, with lists – prob not a big surprise to those who know me well – since I am very list driven.

2. I pray some things daily; some weekly, some even less often; some multiple times a day. Not everything all the time – rather selective things at selected times.

3. There is power in numbers. If you can get multiple people praying for the same thing you give yourself an advantage and allow yourself opportunities to pray for other things knowing that someone is covering that for you today.

4. Prayer does not always need to be formal. It can be on the run and even mid-meeting.

5. Prayer – at some point – needs to be formal. Plan to slow-down & pray for a period of time that is 100% focused and calm. There are tons of written prayers you can employ or delve into Lecto Divina or other forms of meditation on scripture as ways to really “calm the spirit & focus”. You cam also talk to God the way you talk to your best friend – what you say to Him is between you & Him alone.

6. Prayer isn’t one-way. God wants to talk to us – but if we are doing all the talking we won’t hear His “still, small voice”. Silence really is golden at some points.

7. Prayer isn’t so you can check off your To-Do list. Prayer is no different than a focused time with a friend or spouse – it’s never to be an “activity” that could be thought of as “filler” or just a “task”.

8. Prayer isn’t just for your benefit. If you only pray for your own needs then you’re missing a huge component of prayer. Intercessory prayer is when you pray on behalf of someone who maybe can’t/won’t.

9. Prayer is a major way to communicate our joys, thankfulness and love to God. If your prayer time is all “God, please help with….” then you’re missing a large part of prayer. I practice the discipline of praying & expressing thanksgiving to God before I ever mention anything else – our devotion & worship needs to be 1st & foremost or we are treating God like a vending machine.

10. Pray even when you don’t feel like it. Prayer, like any other spiritual discipline, can be one of the first things we stop doing when we think things are going really well. The temptation is to only pray when we “really need it”. Thing is, we always need to stay connected to God. Good times and bad times & all times in-between. I incorporate prayer into my personal times of worship daily so as to remember that prayer is just another way for me to express worship, and should be done regardless if I “think” I need to.

Hope these help. Do you have any ideas to help w/prayer?

Do you believe in learning? If you do – great. If you don’t – why? Do feel things are beyond you? Are you just too busy or pre-occupied to bother? Are you pretty sure that can’t learn it anyway? Have you always found learning things difficult or that you never seem to “get it”?

My question to you would be “have you ever felt like you learned something?”

If you can say “yes” than you can learn – you just may experience difficulty learning in certain styles or situations. Identifying how you learn best is a key step to moving forward and really opening up a world vs. closing yourself in.

I think once you identify HOW you learn best you’ll learn more & better than you ever have before. Then, learning can become fun and energizing instead of a “slog”.

As a musician of over 20 years I can say I’ve had my fair share of learning set-backs. Those things that just don’t make sense. That’s when a teacher is great. A person with knowledge beyond yours is wonderful in those moments. But beware – just because someone is good or great at a particular thing does not make them a great teacher.

If I were to give a 3 Easy Steps to Better Learning – I’d say:

1. Identify your learning style. Simply take the last few thongs you learned well and assess HOW you learned those things so easily. Not scientific, but accurate none the less.

2. Be prepared to put TIME into learning – it’s not like the way they learn things in the Matrix – it takes time.

3. Have a place/person to go to for “direction”. This is best as a personal expert, but can also be on-line social networks like Twitter/FB or Forums or something in-between.

That’s it.
So, what are you learning these days?

Having now lived 36 + years I’ve had a number of awkward moments. I actually feel that as I’ve gotten older (whoooah, did I just type that) I have fewer awkward moments. Why? Well, there are still plenty of opportunities for them – I think I am better able to navigate them and I’m seeing them less as “awkward” and more as an opportunity to learn. How do I manage this?

1. I listen way more than I used to. I still need to improve here – but I have really learned to listen way more than in my 20′s.

2. I ask clarifying questions. If I don’t get it – which is almost always – I ask a question to get them to clarify so I be smart when I talk.

3. I talk when it is necessary and stay quiet when necessary. This is different than 1. See, this point refers to the idea of letting a moment be silent & not freaking out or speaking to allow the moment to not become a “freak-out tension” moment. The word here that you could some it all up with is discernment.

4. Stop the “proving” & “posturing”. If you aren’t being real or authentic in a conversation you’ll easily have some awkwardness.

5. Edit your statements BEFORE they come out of your mouth. Those “inside” thoughts really need to stay inside most of the time. Enough said.

While there is the obvious truth to their statements, there is an implied statement they DON’T say …”It’s not my job, I’m just a volunteer, I just serve.”

Again, they are correct – sort of. Perspective is a wonderful thing. If you have the right perspective on work and serving then I think we all would say …”It’s my job, since I want to do my best for my boss – my ultimate boss – Jesus.”. See, if we all take pride in what we do, and work as though working for the Lord, then chances are we are all really “serving”. I happen to collect a pay cheque from the church to organize a bunch of things related to Sundays: the service plans in our venues as well as the musical teams for our worship services and I oversee the overall experience from our presentation in these venues. But I don’t do that alone – nor do I ever wish to. On staff, there are 4 other people helping me directly or indirectly with our services. Our Lead Pastor is a key individual in that help, but there are 3 others without who I’d be sunk.

Then there are the people who serve. We currently have 55 worship music people & 30 plus tech people all who help make our Sunday morning experience in our venues great week in and week out. And that is not including any people who help in Lakeside Kids or Hospitality (ushers, greeters, communion prep, counters/tellers).
The point is that even though I am paid – and I have a leadership position – that I still serve in and work in a team atmosphere. I need to also serve the people who serve the church: I do this through regular training that I provide in various discipline areas directly related to how they serve in the church. I also work hard to serve the team by being prepared, organized and allowing them to do their role as best as they can. I serve team members by taking time to meet one-on-one with people at their request or I often initiate meetings to “touch-base” or to “high-five” or to “course-correct” – all of these show my desire to serve those who serve the church.

I don’t say all this to self elevate. No – I say it to clarify that even though I hey paid by the church I actually serve the people who serve the church – and by doing that I ultimately serve the church – and work for the Lord.

If you take this perspective then all positions – paid or not – are all serving – and all positions deserve your best – since all of when we do is for the Lord, who gave His best for us… from Creation and all that encompasses to the giving of His only Son, Jesus so that WE may be best served for eternity.

I am proud and quite happy to serve a God like that and I can’t imagine giving anything less than my best no matter what I was doing — merely being involved and invited to serve is a privilege – let’s not take it lightly. And please don’t look to those who happen collect a paycheque to be the only ones who bear a “responsibility” – yes we have one, a big one. I would argue that we ALL have and share that responsibility – as a team, who have the privilege to carry out our Lord’s work through His church. God has placed us all in this team – so we all have a responsibility to God for that.

No, worship is more. Way more. Worship is how we live. Interactions with people. How we spend, save and tithe. How we are when no-one but God is watching us. How we talk. What things we choose to do as “entertainment”. How we treat our body: eating, exercise etc.

My favourite piece of scripture about this is found in Romans 12. All translations have slightly different & unique ways of sharing this – each one carrying it’s own merit. I tend to favour the latest NIV and The Message as they bring great clarity and gravity to this section of God’s Word that it nearly always practically takes my breath away due to the sheer magnitude of what it says.

See, it doesn’t say ” worship is only when you want… Or on your terms… Or only when you sing…. Or can be limited to certain aspects of your life.”

It says ” Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”Romans 12:1 NIV

Here’s the Message version:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” Romans 12:1 The Message

Wooahh. Did you get that? Yep- that’s right from the Bible. Kinda bends your brain a bit, don’t it?? We, as North Americans really “compartmentalize” things in our lives. Worship has fallen subject to that type of living in our culture. But it can’t. Worship IS how live our life – not a portion of life.

I love this. Why? Because it means worship is so much more than music or some strange music sub-culture – which I may Blog separately about soon- but rather worship is HUGE. I don’t think I’d devote my life to a musical genre. But I can devote and live my life as an act of worship to God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit which not only acts around us but in us as well. I can give and devote my life to that. That motivates me. That gives me purpose. That allows me to place all decisions on a “grid” and helps me make wise choices rather than bad ones (more often than not…)

I love how there really isn’t any “wiggle room” in the statement. It’s “life as a living sacrifice”. All the time. 24/7. No exceptions. Kinda is completely massive, isn’t it? Have you ever really contemplated this? Have you or do you try to do this?

If this had raised your interest in this topic I did an entire series (30) of Blogs on worship in January of 2010 inspired by Jack Hayford’s book The Heart Of Praise- please check it out.

1. Be patient – he waits….and waits…. For the exact moment, then seizes it.

2. Have faith – what is the alternative? He isn’t able to do much else than believe we will be there the next day.

3. Take a nap – you’ll feel better. Enough said.

4. Quality time with family is super good. Doesn’t get any better.

5. Don’t bother me when I’m eating. Be “all” there at what you’re doing.

Cats seem to be a whole lot better than I originally gave them credit for.
I love Rory. I can honestly say that. Now I wonder if pets end up in heaven

Both. Worship moves us and others closer to God. We need to make an effort to connect and serve the people we are leading or else we aren’t doing our jobs “upfront” in actually “leading them towards God”.

I think that we can fall into a habit & tend to error on one side or the other on this equation. We need to be balanced in our focus and approach or we run the risk of dishonoring our audience (God) or our role (serving in a leadership role w/our church congregations).

I’ve seen some worship that was very “self” focused – the worship leader totally lost in the moment and doesn’t ever connect or even talk to the congregation. I have also seen some worship leaders that are more like a kids-area “sing-song—cheerleader” type where their goal is to create pep-rally type frenzy in the room and seems to not really have God on the agenda.

A healthy balance of these two extremes will serve all those involved and ultimately make you an instrument of God and a leader of His people in worship.

If you didn’t prepare, do you care if anybody does? I figure I put in what I expect others to put in. So, if I don’t prepare for something, I expect no one else has.

If you didn’t prepare, it really isn’t important. I prepare for important things. I don’t prepare if it just isn’t important.

If you didn’t prepare you mange time poorly. I have to plan and schedule my time appropriately to be prepared. If you don’t need to be prepared you can mismanage your time and it won’t matter.

If you didn’t prepare then you may not want the responsibility you have. When I feel responsible I prepare to ensure that I am dependable and a contributing member of the team. If you don’t prepare you may not really value your position or may not wish to have that responsibility any more.

I think preparation is very important. Do you??

1. Your audience is worth it. In ministry our audience is the largest of any other artist…larger than crowds for U2 or the Foo Fighters …our audience is numerically only one, but is larger than anything we can imagine and His name is God, Father. If you can’t put your best forward for Him, then who will you play your best for???

2. You aren’t that good. Even professionals hire coaches and teachers to help keep them fresh. Recording artists hire a Producer to “evaluate and push” the artist for their best performance. They often record a project over the span of years to get the best performance possible. They tour for months, rehearsing the same material and then playing it over and over. If they need time to hone their craft, so do you.

3. You need to rehearse as a team. Personal practice & preparation is essential so that team/ensemble playing and interaction can be achieved. If you’re working on your part then you aren’t paying attention to how your part is interacting w/others. You may need to adapt your part. You may need to abandon your part. You may need to play the part without any variance so that it all works. Can’t do those things if you’re learning your part still. Team is built through rehearsal together and time is needed to allow the team to gel. If you think you can learn your part at home and just “show up” for the gig/service then you are very confident in your abilities and yet being foolish about the fact that your performance actually impacts and influences others on the team. Music doesn’t happen in a vacuum-so neither should all the practicing.

Firstly, you have to accept that you actually need to make it. Too often we convince ourselves that we don’t really need to decide – we can continue “as is”. That might be OK for now buy it might not be OK for long, and often, the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to make and execute the decision.

Secondly, prayer. If you aren’t praying about it, then you aren’t taking advantage of the best advisor we’ve got the privilege of knowing. ‘Nuff said.

Thirdly, seek earthly council. My toughest calls have been made more by a group than by myself. I can’t imagine making some of the decisions I’ve made without talking to trusted advisors – people I look up to, who have experience and who can look at the situation objectively-a key factor.

Fourthly, conversation. Being able to talk to those involved is key, allowing them voice into the situation. Ask questions to gain clarity. This is not time to fool around. Direct questions garnish direct answers.

Fifthly, decide. You may well repeat steps 2-4 a few times before you get to step 5. When you decide, be truthful in love. Don’t be mean, but don’t lie about it- if you let a person go due to their performance, tell them that.

If I could give one last piece of advice on this…Never say never. Rash generalizations are not good at any level of these proceedings. Specifics will win the day over generalities which often escalate things and stretch the truth. If you cam point to 2 examples of things that went wrong, say them, rather than using “Well, you never did this and always did that…”

Next time that tough call comes around use these steps. It won’t be easy, but you’ll more than likely make the best call.

The laundry room light hasn’t worked since 2007 – that’s getting close to 5 years.

My outdoor outlet at the front of our house has never worked – 10 years now.

The outlet in my kids room made a funny smell (like smoke) when we used it 3 years ago… It doesn’t smell now, but periodically doesn’t work.

My electrical panel has no labels – except what I’ve written on it … which is 2 or 3 I think…

When I plugged in my electric eaves-trough cables to melt ice this year, I blew the breaker everytime I tried to use my microwave. So, I moved my microwave.

My baseboard heater in our upstairs bathroom just stopped making heat. It is electrical – that’s why it stopped I think.

My kids broke a 3-way switch on our stairs – I managed to changed it and it works, but the face-plate isn’t flush and I can’t figure out how to make it work.

Our pot-lights in our basement are flickering when I wiggle the switch.

Our main living room light flickers when we use the micro-wave, washing machine, dryer or almost any other appliance.

When we renovated our basement in 2003-2004 the electrician was amazed at how non-normal the wiring was in my house. I told him the previous owner of the house was an electrician. He stopped smiling.

There are switches in my home that don’t appear (we’ve never figured it out) to turn anything on or off- they just don’t do anything.

There is a wire sticking out of my house over my deck – it’s shielded but is a good 8 ft in the air – a 1 ft chunk just sticking out.

I think I need to call an electrician. Why? Because there are now enough things that need fixed that they will have lots to do and I won’t mind paying them the hourly rate to resolve all of these issues. My only fear is that they say…”…well, we’ve gotta open up that wall to see what’s back there.”. Why does that strike fear into me?

Because that’s painful – holes in my walls?!?! More mess, more clean-up more work. The reality is that if you can’t see the problem the electrician will not be able to properly diagnose and hopefully fix the problems.

Sounds alot like our spiritual faith journey. We can’t fix and move forward until we do the dirty work of opening it up and seeing what there is and then moving forward. God needs us to be open in order to “come in” and clean up our lives, the sin that has been there. God needs us to invite Him in to do this – He won’t barge in on His own… Just like the electrician won’t call me and say, “…Hey, let’s open up your walls and check all your wiring.”. I have to call them. I have to start the process. I need to be honest and real about all the issues. And I need to be willing to have the walls to be ripped open.

So, I’m going to work at getting an electrician in the next few days. Is there anything in your life you need an “electrician” for??

Firstly, the concept.  The idea of cooking ones’ way through a cookbook is rather nuts.  But to choose a book so adored and revered, one filled with such legendary things as well as things that are downright out-of-style====the whole thing is pretty crazy.  Then, to create a level of accountability she decides to blog each day, to share thoughts and feelings about the experience.  Nice idea – harder than it seems.  Back to that in a moment.

Secondly, the movie.  The film is so well made it’s incerdible.  Meryl Streep and Amy Adams play so well (a huge honourable mention to Stanley Tucci – plays Paul Childs and is brilliant!!!) the whole thing is a 7 course meal – complete with amazing food prepared all through-out the film – and it is really good looking food!

Thirdly, the lessons learned.  I think one of the best things about films is that through one himan expereince we can learn something about our own experiences and learn something about life in general.  This film is no exception.  We learn a number of things, like how sometimes we need to enjoy the simple things in life, like food.  We need to cherish the people around us – being present with those we love rather than being absent trying to please those we hope “love” us.  We need to keep a “check” on how much “self” we elevate (don’t get too BIG headed).  We need to always remember that just because we are told “we can’t, you won’t” that we are to never quit.  We need to forgive those who hurt us – because we msot likely needed forgiveness at somepoint as well.  We need to not judge a book by the cover.  We should never worship what we do – as it will almost always come to an end.  We shouldn’t be in a hurry to achieve – if it’s meant to be it will happen in it’s due time.  And we should never underestimate the power of food to bring people together in a communal way that is older than we can realize.

OK – for all you non-bloggers, read closely:  Blogging is tough.  I loved how this was protrayed in the film.  Those who don’t blog think it’s based in narcism (to be honest, that’s completely what I thought before I began doing this…truthfully).  That may/could be true, but more often I find it’s a more a therapy.  It’s also something that creates a level of accountability to the “reader” that can sometimes create the types of feelings Julie Powell had in the making of this crazy thing.  To blog everyday is actaully tough, let alone then be doing the cooking she was attempting and still working and having a life.  It was a MASSIVE understaking, barre-none.  As a side-bar right here:  There is a moment where Julie gets her first comments on her blog and it’s her Mom and she says that doesn’t count.  Eventually she gets comments and starts to feel “good” about that.  I am still awaiting my first comment.  Just saying…    Ok , back the point.

So, am I spurred on to blog every day now?  No.  Am I spurred on to cook like Julia Childs?  No.  But I am hoping to become better at both of these things.  Aspiring for those lofty goals is outrageous, considering I have two kids and I am blessed with a wife who is currently in a cooking renaissance ….  I am just so glad that films like this get made – it was real, it was beautiful and it was utterly extravegant and totally relateable and yet comepletly enjoyable and do-able.  It is a mirror to us all.  It shows us the great things in life and found in the simple things: family, friends, food.  Passion for these things makes them better and we should never let that passion simmer or die-out.  Passion for life is important – and without it we run the risk of missing out of the greatest adventure – the adventure that has been laid out before us.  But we need to take the plunge and actaully get started.

As 2011 is basically 10 days old now – I challenge each of you reading this to this one simple thing: What are you going to do in 2011 with Passion and what are you going to do just so-so?  Take the so-so item and either scratch it off or up-grade it to Passion.  So-so living is just not what we are called to do – and I promise you that by 2012 you’ll wish to ditched the so-so things as well – and that you did all things with passion.

Bon appetit!

I went through this about 2 weeks ago. My oldest son just went through this the past 3 days. I bounced back quickly. My son isn’t so much. He’s smaller than me. My youngest son gets sick and ends up being sick for weeks – he is small and can’t get rid of things and catches almost everything. The past 4 years he has spent most of the winter sick- we are hoping that all that exposure to the virus and germs will build his immune system – so far, so good this winter.

The same can be said when it comes to your faith. If you manage to fall off the wagon a bit, but you have a history of good daily disciplines and good connection w/God then you’ll re-bound quickly. If you are fairly poor at your connecting w/God, or rarely make it out to a weekend service and you suffer a faith-shaking set-back— you are more than likely not going to re-bound very quickly. This is why it is do important to have a good steady diet of “connecting w/God – be it private worship, Bible reading, devotions, attending services or being in a small group. These are like spiritual vitamins and working out.

How healthy is your body? How healthy is your spiritual life? Good questions this time of year.

The time off was great – allowed me to totally un-plug from lots of things and helped me to re-connect with my family – yeah!

Talk to all of you soon!

Please come by Lakeside this season and catch one of our Christmas Eve services (Dec 23rd at 7pm, Dec 24 and 3, 5 & 7 pm)   The title this year is Promises, Promises and has a great relevance that can apply and reach everyone right where they are – and we are hoping will help show and help all to experience the Love and Hope and Peace and Joy that is connected with Christmas.

The music and teaching will not only be good – but will touch your heart – helping to create a connection with God and understand the connection He desperately wants to have with us – you and me.

If I don’t see you over the next couple of days – then I pray you have a great Christmas and that you experience great joy and peace.

I want to take this brief opportunity to thank all those volunteers that help make our Christmas Eve services a reality each year – it is close to 150 people when you add them all up – if you see a volunteer on Christmas Eve – either in the Parking lot, on stage, in Children’s ministry or greeting you in the Atrium – thank them for serving – without them – there wouldn’t be Christmas Eve services here at Lakeside.

Merry Christmas!!  I will more than likely be taking a “blog” holiday for at least 5 days – but don’t fear – I’ll be back to regular posts once January arrives.

I was rear-ended last Monday. So I spent the better part of last week dealing with my insurance agent, an insurance adjuster, another insurance company, a police officer, two body shops and car rental place.

Then I got a rental car – a newer and more expensive model – and I don’t like it as much. Why? Because it’s not my car – equipped with snow-tires and filled with rubber-matts and garbage. Rather it’s fancy, adult-oriented and completely not winter ready.

See – don’t get me wrong – I’m so glad have a rental while my car is fixed – as a one-car-family it’s essential. But – shouldn’t a rental be set-up seasonally? There wasn’t a snow scrapper. There weren’t rubber matts. The wipers aren’t working well. Sorry – it’s actually a kinda un-safe car to drive in this weather. Pray I don’t get in another accident.

Then there is whole challenge of when you pick-it-up and return it. Neither action is super simple and neither is very quick.

I am grateful for the body-shop setting up the rental and being the go-between with them and the insurance adjuster – my body-shop is great and the owner is great.

I couldn’t believe how much the repair was going to cost the insurance company …. A small dent and tear in the steel is going to be $2300… Wow.

So I am supposed to take my rental back in the morning – yeah – but I need to do it by 8am or the insurance company will ding me with a rental charge… I’m sorry, but I can’t get to the car-place by 5pm on an average day – I have job.

So, all in all, it’s gone well – but I still wonder…isn’t it possible to make this car-rental/ insurance claim thong easier…I mean people have this happen all the time.

For my part – I’m super grateful to all those who helped me. I just wonder how many people end up getting mistreated in this process day after day.

Now I’ve got to get my furnace fixed…

I can worship both – although I really shouldn’t

I get a warm feeling inside from both

I often feel lost or disoriented without both

I tend to dwell (think about) both

I invest financially in both-needed to trim back my spending on one

I honestly feel better with both

I can’t imagine life without both

People throughout time have had the same reactions as mine consistently with both
What do you think – more similarities than you thought, eh?

First – we were 100% honest about what we thought and yet 100% committed to the mission and vision of the rehearsal and the services. We kept that in mind as we worked through rough transitions, a major arrangement issue and lengthly set-up time.

Second – we all knew that we were all on-board for this – we all cared about it – and all cared to make it the best we can – which meant accepting our circumstances even though they weren’t wonderful the whole time.

Thirdly – we all laughed. It is truly amazing how powerful simple laughter is. It kept things light and helped to re-frame the “heavy” moments once we got through them.

Fourth – we were prepared. Nothing worse than showing up to one of these and discovering that others didn’t put-in the time – given the fact there was 14 people on stage – most of us knew most of the songs really well – quite amazing as it was the 1st rehearsal.

Fifth – we humbled our-selves. The more pride you’ve got the more conflict is a chance to “win”. The more humble you are the more conflict is about solving the issue for the “best possible outcome” even if that means letting go of something you thought was cool or giving away a part that highlighted you. The amount of times I heard or overheard the phrase “…but what about your part, you’ve got to be involved here, so I’ll adjust in order to accommodate you” was huge – everyone wanted everyone to feel and be included.

Sixth – Prayer – before we played even one song we prayed. I can’t imagine what it would have been like without that. I know I prayed a few other times throughout the rehearsal. I have a feeling a few others did the same.

Seventh – we went over it. No big egos or false judgement – if was poor we did it again.

Eighth – we communicated openly but with grace. I could have easily said a few things I would have regretted later – as I’m sure a few others could have said some unkind things – but again – we knew that we all wanted to accomplish this and that we all needed each other – and that the tons of people who may start their walk with Jesus at a Christmas Eve service are more important than saying something stupid.

Ninth – we all ate first. Ever notice how food makes everything easier and better.

Tenth – we all left it on the stage. When the rehearsal was over – we were all good with each other – and again – we didn’t let the tension or challenges or frustrations get in the way of our relationships – which are worth way more than throwing them away over a silly issue. We placed more value on people than the problems – and that went a long way to making it fun overall.

So – how well does your team do at “getting over it.”?

The church is often sick – it’s sick when not everything and everyone is doing their job and the body becomes compromised.  We need to be doing all we can to keep the “body” from getting sick.  A big part of that is being active – and inactive body becomes fat, and out-of-shape.  We also need to feed the body the right diet.  We should he regularly “feeding” on God’s word and gathering together in worship services.   If we do these things we’ll have a better chance of having a healthy “body”.

Too bad I couldn’t prevent that happening to my body.  Until next time – over and out.

See – it’s really  a sci-fi packaged as a period drama spanning 1950-2004.  Yes, it’s quite amazing.  Never do you think you’re watching sci-fi – expect when you stop to think about the “lingo” in the film everyone uses like “complete” which is their word for dying and the idea of “donors” or a “carer” people who were bred only to donate vital organs and the people who care for them as they try to donate as many as possible.   Seriously, though, you never think about the sci-fi.  It’s the relationships – the incredible chararters and relationships they have that draw you in – so much so – that by the time the ending is upon you – you are crying openly (well, I was in the theatre) at the conclusion and then crying about what it means and how I want to be a better person.  I love movies like that.

I was feeling much the same way today at church.  I didn’t cry openly – but I did on the inside.  As Dave went on and on about Pride I felt an amount of shame that I haven’t felt in a really long time.  Why?  Because I am prideful – and I have been for years.  I struggle with it like some people struggle with porn or lying or gambling or drugs…I am pretty sure I will never be “pride-free”  – I’m usually just one bad choice away from pride-filled to be brutally honest.  But, the great thing about Dave’s message – it reminded me about what steps I’ve taken to move towards humility – and I was able to feel good about taking great strides in a number of areas of pride over the years – being able to honestly say that I haven’t done some of those things in years now.  So – I felt accomplished in some ways – but I will admit that I was reminded of a few prideful things that I have done in the past week – and how I need to repair those.

So – I loved the film and I loved Dave’s message.  Both dealt with who we love – and how we treat people – and what REALLY matters in life – and how without proper connection we can get messed up and manage to screw-up others lives in the process – and how jealousy can really drive us to do things we never wanted to – but we just couldn’t imagine not having “the best” or whatever – we “deserve it, right??”

Today – take a moment and reflect of the idea of love.  If you love – then think of the love you have.  Then think about yourself.  Now – if you are able to be more generous with your love of another over yourself – congrats – but if you find you love yourself more – you’ve got to look inside and see if Pride isn’t something you’re struggling with too.  It’s not a fun exercise – but I highly recommend it – you might just save youself from getting hurt and hurting others – trust me – I’ve done both those things with pride – it ain’t pretty.

Because  – if I don’t really do anything ahead of time – I really don’t think about it until it’s here – and I derive no satisfaction at all from putting on mitts, scarfs, ear-muffs and boots or finding the shovel or scrappers.  I DID however, put up my Christmas lights last weekend and made sure that  blocked off time this weekend to decorate the interior of the home (tree and all) and might even attempt Christmas Cards…if I’m super ambitious.

So as our southern friends celebrate “thankfullness” this weekend I prepare for Christmas.  As some of you may be aware of – this is the first weekend of something called Advent – a tradition that is celebrated in many Christian denominations.  We will be using an Advent wreath and calender in our home this year – helping our children to understand the idea of “waiting” and “expectation” of the coming of Jesus – rather than getting them all fired-up about that Jolly old St. Nick.

My prayer is that whatever your current state-of-mind is – It’s coming.  The season is here – what are you doing to prepare???  Finding your mitts and boots?  Digging out that shovel?  Or something else that has more to do with Christmas – and Jesus –  than the weather?

This stuff is just burdening me. See – I won’t let my children decide. They are too young. But they need input. So – I just don’t know and get paralyzed. Early sign-up incentives and bonus things all help me to “decide” – but not really.

I will be giving this over to God – in fact I already have. But I just don’t have clarity and I feel too much responsibility about this – both skills wise and $ wise and priority wise. What we prioritize will be what my kids place high value on as well.

How do you people out there handle this stuff???

I love Christmas – actaully put my Christmas lights up on house yesterday.  Why?  Because I won’t have time between now and Dec 25th.  My family  – or origin, current on and extended – all struggle with my “availability” but have grown to expect and accept that “chris is busy…”.  I am pretty sure buried deep in my contract it says something like “and don’t even think about taking time off 30 days before Christmas…”  I DID just enjoy three days off last week – and I enjoyed the fact I was away from things – gave me perspective and the ability to “re-fuel” before heading down the track to the checkered flag!  See Christmas is pretty much the largest thing I am responsible for each year in terms of a service event – it’s the most attended and most planned/rehearsed and prepared thing we do all year – bare none.  Why?  Well, it may seem obvious to some – but we have the largest opportunity at this time of year to spread the word about God/Jesus and get that word into the heads and hearts of those who may not know Him.  It’s the biggest chance all year we’ve got to share Jesus’s reason for coming to Earth and help people to understand it better.  This year we have a great theme based on God’s promises and how Jesus was something God promised us – and He delivered – well, Mary delivered, but you know what I meant   I am so humbled and feel so blessed to be part of a church that puts such huge emphasis on and does all we can do to spread God’s word and message – to help reach those who don’t know yet – to share the life-giving truth of God and His love with people who might think that no-one could love them.

So – if you’re planning on coming – you’ll be sure to enjoy it as much as other years – in fact I think the program we’ve assembled may be the best we’ve ever put together.  If you’ve never come before – check it out.  But here is the point I want to make.  If you attend Lakeside regularly – great.  If that’s you – then you should bring a non-attending friend.  Why?  Because of the message – of the truth – of the potential “life-changing” that could happen to that friend.  See – we can’t ever change people – but God can.  What we CAN do is bring people close to God – to a place where they can expereince God – and God does the rest.  Bring a friend – ask them Monday or Tuesday this week to go with you – offer to pick them up if need be – and you can pretty much promise them that the music will be great (pray for our rehearsals…) and that they will be getting a “practical application and understanding” of the often told but rarely “heard” Christmas Story.

Christmas Eve 2010 services  – be there – and bring a friend.

Then there is taking my kids to Dr. appointments. I am beginning to wonder how much more a doctor knows than me as a parent. See, I live with my kids – experience life with them – and when I describe the symptoms it rarely seems to translate well ( I failed Biology in school…). What I have come to expect is a whole lot of what I will refer to as “common sense” comes out of the mouths of doctors, rather than what I expect – which I will call “medical wisdom”.

Am I just looking for doctors to be more like a “deity or God” – have exact diagnosis and prescribe remedies? Maybe. Maybe my expectations are just unrealistic, and I put more faith in doctors than I should. But I struggle with the fact that often I arrived – or my wife – at the same conclusion the doctor did – did I already mention I failed Gr. 10 Biology and never took it again…? Why is this? Am I being naive to think doctors SHOULD know better solutions than me?

Medical Wisdom – at least I was taught this in school – knows best. Is this being challenged in today’s super-fast-paced-Wiki-world where info is at my finger-tips as fast as a doctor’s? Do all the years of training a doctor goes through merely help them to “identify” rather than “treat”? If that is the case – that makes me scratch my head about the medical profession to be honest.

The common sense thing seems to hold a lot of weight these days – I have experienced it pretty much at every appointment I’ve been at with my kids this year – we are talking 30 plus appointments between them. Why is it I end up answering my own questions in appointments or getting the stock/pat “well, we can’t say for sure, but it might be this, we can run some tests to determine that if you think that’s the issue…?”. What I struggle with is that they are the doctors – supplied now with the facts I can give them and the real-living specimen (my child) in-front of them – and even after all the tests have been taken – why are they asking ME my opinion – I am not a doctor?!?!!

Sorry if you are a doctor reading this – it is just frustrating to go to the “expert” and have the question thrust back in my own lap. As a former music teacher – this idea seems pretty messed-up. I never used to say “well, now, that’s interesting, why do you think that sounded good, because I don’t know.”

Maybe therein lies my greatest wrestling point. Music – an art form – seems to have more “exactness and black/white type logic” than Medicine – a science – which we assume is black/white. I might have stumbled upon it – this is the paradox I currently wrestle with.

How will I deal with this? The only way I can – with my faith. I will put my faith in God. I will pray. I will not be “mad” with doctors – I will commit to being open and responsive. I need to merely give this all to God.

10 How He Loves

I can distinctly remember where I was I first heard the chous of this song.  Joel Auge had added the chorus as a TAG to some other song.  The other song is pointless now – and it was then.  The chorus was so simple yet so profound.  How do you say stuff like that? I wondered in my head – how did that guy cature it in such few words – such great simple melody and such incredible power?  The next time I heard it was due to being reminded at another event almost 6 months later.  I then looked it up on-line YouTube style and came across Kim Walker singing this song.  If you haven’t experienced Kim’s version – stop now -  YouTube it and prepare for chills and emotion.

You back?  Ok, then I had to source the author and get my hands on a copy of at least one version of this song so I could listen to it a million times. 

If you want to know the story behind the song – check out John Mark McMillian’s Blog – here’s the link to the video

http://vimeo.com/10868953

What I find so darn amazing about this song is this:  Everytime I hear this song I am “wrecked” by the truth/fact that God loves me…yes me!  I think of the large incredible way He loves me – and how I mange to mess-up countless times – and will mess-up countless more times – and He still loves me – in fact He loves me in-spite of that.  In fact – He sent His Son Jesus to die for me – that’s How He Loves me.  I’m telling you conmpletely honestly right now I am weeping just as I type this – it’s truly hard for me to accept that love, I feel so undeserving.  I have done I lot of really bad crap.  I will more than likely do more bad crap.  And yet God loves me and you.  It is overwhelming, isn’t it?  I do accept that love – don’t get me wrong – I accept it – but this love seems so darn extravagant – so completely “over-the-top” so “un-rivaled” and those are all true.  We will never “out love” God!  God is love!  How can we “one-up” that?  We can’t.  That’s called Grace, by the way.

Today this song was the feature music we used in our service.  I now have a “new” favourite version – Lakeside Nov 13th, 2010 – forever etched into my memory.  I shared with the team as they reherased on Thurs night that the truth of this song washed over me in that empty auditorium (other than me of course – one of the great perks of being the Creative Arts Director, participating and experiencing all this music/worship extra times, like in rehearsal) and I was overwhelmed by God’s love – and He spoke to me – reassuring me that I am Loved by Him.  I was literally sitting in that giant room and could sence God’s presence and His reassuring spirit prompting/telling me “I love you, Chris”.  I was just weeping.

In service today the effect was just as powerful – with close to 700 people experiencing that song.  I can only imagine what the impact was – as God no doubt spoke to many individuals in a He did with me on Thurs.

Our Pastor then delivered a message about God’s love and how if we love well – we will live well and gave some practical teaching on how to achieve that.  He did a great job and God clearly spoke through him and has annointed him as a Pastor and teacher.

I can’t say I’ve ever been as moved by a song as I have been with this one.  It defies my understanding – yet it captures me everytime – the simple gtr hook, the raw lyric & epic imagery and the passionate delivery of the chorus – it just wrecks me.  I guess the part of the reason it impacts me so much is that I realize that I am not loving God as well as I could – that I could be doing more – messing up less – giving more – helping more – since love is carried out in our actions, as well as attitude  – which of course all boils down to a choice to love.  I choose to love God.  I have made that choice everyday for the past 9 years.  But, how well do I “live-out” that love?  Boy, that’s a good and sobering question.  Yep, that song, in some healthy way, manfests some good guilt inside me to “love better” – and that is probably part of the reason that I can’t get through listening to it without choking-up.  The other reason, as I’ve mentioned already – is the completly unbeievable way God loves us – and the great imagery that the writer uses to describe it – that is definately part of the reason I get choked-up.

All-in-all – it quite simply is a song that really connects us to Him – which is what music is – a tool to help us connect to Him.  The love that He has, the love that we show, through this music is what we call worship.  If you asked me today what my top 10 worship songs are right now – I couldn’t tell you – but I could tell you what my number one worship song is right now.  Wanna guess?

What song just wrecks you?  Why?

Here are the lyrics that I came to learn and love:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way?

Tons of people don’t like confrontation – I am convinced to be a good leader requires an amount of being able to initiate that confrontation – but also the ability to confront while listening – all the while realizing that you will need to ultimately decide something eventually – which may or may not result in people no longer being involved.

So – how do we confront things in a way that isn’t stress inducing or set-up as a “big showdown”?

To start, confrontation isn’t something to be done in anger, although anger may have brought about the energy in you to confront. As I am learning, confronting is good, but confronting to WIN at all cost and nothing else is bad – very bad. See, once you confront, you have to be willing to listen – to hear other perspectives and input and viewpoints other than your own – or all you will do is fight and fight to win – usually causing casualties along the way. So – the “guns ablazing” method isn’t going to solve anything – probably only make things worse. To clarify – listening doesn’t mean you give in to the other side (you may do it your way in the end) but allowing people to be heard is the important part – allowing their viewpoint to be voiced and explained without being interrupted is key to having this not blow-up into a battle.

Asking questions helps. It forces you to listen while the answer comes at you – and offers the other person the feeling that you wish to understand their point of view – not just win.

Repeating what you hear in your own words is another good clarifying tool – allowing the other person to feel valued in that you are repeating what they said.

Keep your voice down. Unless you want things to escalate – keep and even tone.

Avoid “always/never” statements. These are also sometimes called “rash generalizations” and are used to cut-down our opponent – rarely, if ever, do they work to help resolve an issue.

Keep the confrontation on-track – don’t allow it to drift to other areas – stick to the issue at hand; no skeletons in the closet digging – that’s not only unfair but not relevant.

Be direct. If you toy around you’ll get nowhere and both of you will waste valuable time and words. Direct does not mean rude, by the way.

As the leader, people generally have a bit of insecurity or un-easiness of you talking to them already – make it easier if possible by meeting in a different environment than usual. Coffee and lunch can help to smooth things and allow people to remember the big-picture more easily, rather than blowing things out of proportion.

Pray before you get into the confrontation. Pray with the other person involved – together. The power of prayer is HUGE – don’t underestimate it and don’t leave it out – it conquers way more than lunch or coffee will ever do.

Lastly, love. Remember that God loves this person, so should you. Love is something that if we keep it close to the front of our minds – will help all these other things happen easier and will ultimately allow us to become more “clear-minded” about the situation and the people involved. God SO loved the world He gave His Son – the least we can do is love another brother or sister as such, knowing how much each person is loved by God.

I started reading a new book – Re-Fuel, by Doug Fields.  The first chapter is called I’m A Spiritual Loser – in which he declares this humble statement – based on how he has for years been un-able to have daily connection with God through a “devotion or quiet-time”.  He is a Pastor.  The chapter then goes on to ask us to pray for release from any guit or comparisons we have had locked inside our minds  – & rather - thanking God for creating me (you) individually and thanking God that He nevers compares us to anyone else – He uniquely created us as us – no-one else.  I loved that part.  But it continued, and then I wasn’t sure anymore.

I will admit that I relate to Doug but I also find his argument a bit weak.  He compares us to Mother Teresa or Maritn Luther - saying, “why do we have to do what they did, don’t compare yourself to them – don’t place the pressure on yourself to get up at 4am everyday as Luther did – don’t bother, you’re not him”  paraphrase (Chpt 1 pg 13-14).  I get it – but it feels like throwing out the Baby with the bath water – why can’t we set a goal to have morning quiet-time?  Huh?  What is so bad about creating a habit, a discipline?  What’s bad about being a bit humbled into thinking less about yourself and more about God?  By forcing yourself to get-up when you’d rather be cozy-warm?  Sometimes some sacrifice is required – isn’t it?

I can totally relate to the other part of the chapter where he  talks about feeling spiritually empty.  I can relate because I have been there – recently and I will end-up there again – and I hate being there.  I cycle through this.  I have learned to see the warning signs better as time goes on -  and I have learned better how to “ReFuel” overtime – but I did pick-up this book because I think I can always use another strategy – and quite honestly – I need to be working on this sort of thing all the time or I will end up empty.  Ministry has a way of being an intense thing – not bad – just intense.  This is something I’ve learned and something I have had to learn to deal with.

So – join me as I walk through the book ReFuel over the next few entries.

Do you know what your signs are of being empty?  Do you know how to ReFuel?  So you struggle with guilt of being a spiritual “loser”?  Do you remember often how much God loves you?  Things to think about for sure.

As we launch into this coming weekend at Lakeside – our service centres on the idea of maturity – what does it mean to be mature in our spiritual lives?  Pastor Dave will be diving into this.  As we set about to deisgn the worship-set and content we felt the logical place to go with this was to centre on God’s love for us – His complete 100% mature way of loving us – no matter what.  So, as you connect with our service this week – either in person or through the web (www.lakesidechurch.ca at 9:15 or 11am) think about this entry and the idea of how we connect – you’ll find there is large connection there.

Rita Springer was a completely new discovery for me at this years Christian Musician Summit in Buffalo, NY. I picked up her latest CD project called Be Quiet, which she admitted was a “complete departure from her past projects, a new thing” so I listened to it in my car with excited open ears. It totally blew my mind. Samples- drones- ambient sounds – chant-like melodies – haunting piano parts – it’s all there and simply is one of the most creative and heart-felt pieces of art that was also completely worship that I have ever heard.
What I love about it:
Non-conventional and yet passionate worship.

I always expect the guys to come back from Catylst Conference w/ new music – and this year they said “Gungor”. I said pardon and then promptly picked-up Beautiful Things – wow. Now I say “Gungor”! The raw-quality, yet rich tonal textures – the obvious musicianship coupled with such real lyrics that challenge and share depths of the soul. I can’t say enough about it – it completely blew me away.
What I love about it:
Passion of the movie “Once” – see this film to understand raw-musical-passion — meets worship!

David Crowder has been at the front a creative worship music since he came on the scene. His amazing ability to arrange and his incredible post-modern-isms & stellar lyrics always make his stuff stand-out – often making his music kinda “un-usable” in most congregations and better suited for a house party or just a long car ride alone. Church Music really came through and delivered possibly their best effort to date. From the “concept album” thematic content – to the retro-inspired tones – to the truly inspired lyrics – to the return of the “mystery & mysticism” of God – to the completely “house” style of the title track and the “80′s metal-esque” harmony guitar parts it simply raised the creative bar and blew the doors off of the “expected and accepted” for music in worship – brilliant!
What I love about it:
80′s twist on modern sounds w/passion and amazing craft.

I love Hillsong. The recent departure of Darlene Zschech really sent me for loop and I contemplated calling in sick to deal with the anxiety and depression/stress. Then Yahweh was released just a few weeks ago. I think post-Darlene Hillsong will be ok – not quite as good (can’t replace her, really) but they have a great line-up currently that really shines on this disc. The songs are familiar, even most of them are recognizable – it is the subtle and not so subtle arrangements that help to make this so enjoyable. Sometimes all I want to do is re-write a song rather than write a new one – and I feel like Hillsong did just that – delivering a different type and refreshing arrangements to songs we’ve already fallen in love with.
What I love about it:
Reducing the band didn’t reduce the impact; passion is front and centre.

Common denominator= passion & creativity. This inspires me; motivates me; moves me; speaks to me.

Creativity without passion is merely flexing your muscles and more equivalent with self-gratification. Passion without creativity can lack direction or focus and can become melodrama or unintended satire. But having both of these helps to birth great art; no matter which medium, be it paint, sculpture, music, poetry, prose, ink or charcoal, dance, photography, film-making, cooking or gardening.

So what inspires you?

As I hang out in this McDonalds today w/ my kids as they play in the “giant” play-area, I have had time to mull-over the whole experience I’ve had here.

Let’s take the first impressions. You enter – things are clean, neat ,open and tidy. There is no question where to go – organized, no wasted space, no question what the space is for. The menu is clear – picture driven and there is a smiling face behind the counter waiting to help you in making suer your expereince is top-notch.

Then there is the “family” aspect. McD’s has an entire universe for “kids” including their own menu – play area and the ever present “Happy Meal” compelte with “special toy” that drives any kid crazy! McD’s understands the basics: if you hook the kids – they’ll come back forever and if you hook the kids, you’ll more than likely get the parents as well (since the kids will talk non-stop about their expereince and will not wait until they get to do it again). But, since they kids have theri own space – I have been able to chill – to focus on other thigns breifly – to collect my thoughts and to enjoy my food.

Next is the product. McDonalds has grown in products it offers over the years – but their flagship is the BigMac. Yes, they have branched out – and not all of that branching-out was a winner. The McFlurry is just not the same as what it’s based on (the DQ Blizzard). Some have been succesfull and help people who maybe never would have been found dead in a McD’s eating there (like grilled vs. fried, wholewheat vs white, apples vs. fries, juice vs pop, yoghurt vs. ice-cream, mini vs. superzise…etc.) The amount of things on the menu doesn’t draw you in – it is the quality you expect and that is met that draws you there. The consistency and the quality – the fact they produce the same thing – in pretty much every location under the sun – and they don’t apoligize one bit about it – the Big Mac mentality is a big reason people go there.

There are now big-screen TV’s, free WiFi, playgrounds for your kids, clean large-group seating and generally lots of it. They are catering to having you enjoy being there and wanting to come back.

In short – McDonalds is a place to “be” – to come and stay – to connect. They strive to create an envirnoment where you not only enjoyed your stay, but you will want to come back next time and maybe even bring a friend – or at least a friend’s kid.

Their unwavering committment to their roots, along with their constant aim to meet the culture “where it’s at” in a “family friendly” would be a great way to summarize the mission of McDonalds.

Gee…sounds like a pretty decent idea…

At Lakeside we strive to hold true – unwaveringly to God’s Word – and yet also strive to meet culture where it’s at – understanding and knowing that the family is a structure not just to be tolerated but to be built-up and strengthened.

We don’t always get things right – I’m not claiming we are the best at this – but we are striving and constantly evaluating what we do against the statement -helping to show everyone in community the authentic life – the authentic life that Jesus came to show us we can have if we choose to accept it.

I love our church – it’s like a McD’s – in the “right sort of way”. I used to hate McD’s – and I still shudder at some of their coprorate practices (trust me, that’s a whole other post…) but the more I end-up there, the more I have to admit that they have done a great job at creating a place that I don’t just tolerate – but I place I seek-out to go to with my family.

See, our consumeristic society is already moving on to the next “holiday season”. The sad thing is – so many people don’t really even celebrate the real reason of the season.

I am convinced that 100% of people know “about” the reason – and many believe and many don’t.

What I find repulsive is the marketing. If you happen to work in marketing I am sorry, but the corporations driving the marketing blitz are downright “cut-throat”. These ads are constructed to mess with our emotions and our desires – at very basic and carnal levels unfortunately.

Why? Because advertisers understand the things that can often drive us – those base-line things like acceptance and significance and worth. The sad thing is that God is the only place where we can get all of that – and it’s free, no credit-card number required.

See, God asks for our worship, our devotion, our 100% humbling and reliance on Him. But, as you can imagine, many people don’t think that this is such a bargain – and they couldn’t be more wrong.

So – when you see the masses lining-up, over-spending, shopping at-all-hours, and getting all “wrapped-up” in the “season” you might want to do a few things:

1. Pray. Pray that people would come to know the real reason.

2. Chat. Chat with people you interact with – Christians and Non – as we are all victims of this type of thinking and can so easily fall into the trap.

3. Love. Love people-be nice and genuinely think of others.

4. Share. Share your faith – only after you share your life – in real ways. Be authentic so that when you talk about your faith its not a surprise to people – they can already tell that you have something different that they don’t.

5. Live. Live the life that is only available to those of us who believe and have Salvation – live it the best you can.

I think we get so “caught up” in trouble that we get into trouble.  Jesus had a whole philosophy when it came to trouble.  He firstly – and most definately said – you will have trouble.  That’s found in John 16:33 for those of you who think I’m just making that up.  BUT – Jesus had a directive about our “troubles” and what we were/are to do with them.  That’s found in 1 Peter 5:7 where Peter relays the message – it reads “Cast all your anxiety on him (God) because he cares for you.”  So what – you may ask – what’s the point?  Well – here it comes…

If God cares for you – and promises troubles and then has a plan in place to cast those cares on Him, since he loves us – why do we seem to clutch to “trouble”?  Why is it SO hard to “let-go” of those troubles?  I’ll tell you – in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.  We love to be in control.  We love to solve life’s problems ourselves – the self-made man or woman – the one who is “in control” got it “all figured out”.  Newsflash – you don’t have it all figured out.  In fact – I wonder if we will be “let in on it” when we get to Heaven or if it’s So infinately complex that God kinda keeps that stuff to Himself once we get to Heaven – I don’t know.  See – I just did it – admitted that I didn’t know or have the answer.  Let’s try that.  Repeat after me “I don’t know”. I think you could give it a more hearty try next time you read it.

Why do I attack this thing today?  Well, there are a whole pile of things going on in personal world that I can’t control – trouble, for a lack of a better word – and I would love to just “control it” but that leads to more “trouble”.  I am not a super-start at giving-up control.  In fact – I can be the opposite if you want to be down-right honest.  So – really – this post is for me.  I’m going to subscribe to my own Blog (there is a Subscribe button in the top-right-hand side now for those who wish to receive this Blog right in your In-Box…. sorry = shameless plug) and re-read this post – because I need the reassurance that God is in control and that I don’t have to bear the pressure of “figuring it out” or “getting it”.  I don’t get it – I admit that freely right now.

No matter where you are at – know this.  Jesus said we’d have trouble and he made sure we all knew we are supposed to cast our anxiety on Him to help us bear through it.  It is in this place I exist today – and have existed for the past number of months.  Worship is thing that allows me to “cast” those things to God.  Worship is connecting with God – and when I have the “troubles” I need that “connecting more than ever!  I join with God – being reminded of His great love for me – how He sent His Son to die for me – and these things lift me up (all the while I thank God for these things).  In that process I am usually reminded of how infinate and grand God is – how Indescribable He really is – and that is re-assuring because He knows my situation – and knows the answers already – and I merely have to give it over to Him “cast my anxiety on him” as the verse says – because I can rest in the fact that God knows and cares and will be with me no matter what.

If that isn’t a reason to worship God with all your might, then I don’t know what is?  When was the last time you reacted to “trouble” by “worshipping”?  Give it a try – maybe you need to right now.  I’ve said all I’m going to in this post - so go for it!

Answer: Both. Neither is better than the other – although there are benefits and draw backs to each.

Planning allows for greater prep and potential of greater yield – but not always.

Spontaneous allows things to happen naturally w/ the great “surprise” of what is going to happen but can sometimes take longer to get there.

I think you can actually have planned spontaneity. By this I mean being prepared FOR the spontaneous things – creating a fertile and ready environment where they can happen and flourish.

So – in danger or coining an oxymoron I really feel that planned spontaneity is a real thing – one that might potentially yield greater results than either alone.

But, herein lies the rub. See – there is NO “one-size-fits-all” formula for this. You can get great results using any method sometimes. My experience had been that the combo yields the most consistent results.

My children’s costumes are still conventional fare – a skeleton and Darth Vader respectively. But the events – the amount, frequency and overall “big deal” made is larger than I ever remember – even when I was going to Halloween parties on campus when at University.

So – why all the events: my kids are a part of 2 official parties, as well as dressing up at 2 of their weekly events and the actual event tonight.

The event has been stretched to proportions that rival a Birthday or – dare I say – Christmas. I’m sorry – but I like having fun and all – but maybe the need to “have fun” could be experienced more often in ordinary ways rather than creating a special giant holiday with very large expectations – the bar has been raised in costumes and overall event complexity.

Let’s have a party – great. But let’s get realistic about not going to everything you get invited to – and lets have fun.

Trick or treat?

In the past 72 hours I have spent 12 focused hours (spread over 2 days) in the creative process – both instances being songwriting days.

On Saturday we had our second Lakeside Songwriting Day and today I was privileged enough to be a part of Worship Rises.

So – it only makes sense to talk about what happened both dates – what worked; what didn’t.

What worked: Having set time-limits. This seemed to be a catalyst for work.

What didn’t: Getting off topic. This just wasted time that we will never get back.

What worked: Small groups of 3-4. Just big enough to get some diversity – but small enough to be focused.

What didn’t: Letting one person dominate. If you’re trying to write collaboratively – then collaborate – be willing to share ideas and listen.

What worked: Having a Bible in the group. Referring to God’s Word = staying on-course.

What didn’t: Closed mindedness. Not cool when someone flat-out ignores something or puts it down.

What worked: Instruments. Gotta have ‘em to create your sound-scape.

What didn’t: Lateness. Doesn’t honor anyone or God.

What worked: Prayer. Before during and after – key! Cover your writing in prayer – and pray for other writers.

Hope this helps those who are entering into this. I will be applying these takeaways for sure!

Reflections on the CMS – Song writing sessions: NOTES
The first song writing session I attended was with Vicky Beeching. What follows are the notes I took from her session.

Inspiration and Perspiration

…We need to own who we are – not try to be anotherAccepting things that have happened to usWe need to write out of these things.

Inspiration It seems mysterious – almost by chance that we write songs.  How do we keep inspiration and being good stewards of it?
Sharpening the Saw – too often we are too busy to sharpen and replenish because we are so bogged down in the duties of life – we need to in order to be effective. What is it that inspires me? Whatever it is – plan it and plan to do it!Each week – ask yourself – When did I carve out time to be creative?

Spend time with God.  We don’t work for God – we work with God – we need to know Him in relationship – spend “quiet time” with Him – asking “what do you, God, want me to write about?” – Let God lead – invite Him to be fully present.

Get out of your comfort zone as a writer.  Put down the way you usually write and try new things.  Melody is the key and the king of songs – focus there. Listening to music – what are we listening to?Try Pandora radio – be diverse.

Perspiration
Two books she highly recommended reading: The Craft and Business of song writingThe Craft of Lyric Writing

Song structures are so common and important
See “verse” sections are stairs – getting you there, taking you somewhere – lower register vocally
See “chorus” sections as the goal – the arrival – higher register vocally
See “bridge” sections as taking a break – a breather that refreshes us – have the chords change more rapidly or more slowly than the previous sections – possibly with different chords all together
See the overall song as something that “flows”

Try experimenting with different forms – like AAA form ( all the same, as in stanzas like a Hymn)

Re-writing Is the song really the best it can be? – starts with me – looking at the lyrics, chords, melody and theology – Then…we let others into this – ask Pastors, ask non-singers – get their honest feedback
Co-writingInviting people into the actual song – talk about copyrights up-front

Business/Demo tips
Find a good producer and get great sound for the demo
Keep intros short
No long solos
3 songs at the most

Her blog:www.Vickybeeching.com === and special forum for women womeninworshipnetworkSee More

Now – Elizabeth has a great way about her and she certainly toys and dances around this idea of God – eventually she comes out and says God near the end – but she’s talking about God and God’s spirit all along.

Here is what I want to say. If she’s right – then there are two things we need to catch hold of in what she said: We need to “show up, do our part, be the mule and be disciplined about our craft”. We also need to make sure we never take the credit completely – God works THROUGH us – so we aren’t the ones to be accaimed completely – but don’t sell your-self short – if you put in the work of completing something you certainly had something to do with it – you created it (wrote it, played it, sang it, built it, drew it, painted it, cooked it, planted it, mixed it etc.) – but it was inspired by God – maybe with a gentle nudge – maybe with a complete idea waiting for the tape recorder to capture it – but God is behind those things – we need to be faithful in our art and sensitive to His prompts when they come.

My two cents: I’ve heard it said 25% inspiration 75% perspiration – and I would tend to agree with that.

If she’s wrong – then I would love to get your perspective on creativity and the inspiration vs. perspiration idea.

I think I will camp on this topic longer – but not today. Next time I’ll share some songwriting creative stuff I have come across in my travels over the past year.

To answer this: this blog is mine and it’s intended for those who care about things that I care about (or even for those I hope to bring on-board with my ideas…I like challenging people).

I will write fearlessly about life – my life and life in general. I will write always from the perspective of worship – since I am child of God and I firmly believe that I can take every opportunity to talk about God and how we can best be worshipping our Creator, King and Lord.

I will write about learning – something I love to do and I still find myself doing daily.

I will write about creativity – again, something I am challenged to exhibit on a regular basis – whether I feel like it or not.

It is this last topic I wish to address in the next number of Blogs – creativity.

So – what’s on a blog? With me- apparently you never know exactly . But be sure it will be creative, you’ll learn something and you will be challenged and introduced to God of the Universe – the focus of worship for me and many others.

Welcome to the Blog – By the way – for those who have been following for a while – thanks for your continued reading – hope I am living up to your expectations – and ultimately – I hope you learn to worship and love our God better.

Next up – Creativity – inspiration vs. perspiration

It was the fact that I re-connected with my wife, kids and in-laws and yet un-plugged from my professional/work-life.  Work is great – don’t get me wrong – but boy, I need to some space away from it every once in a while to re-charge and re-calibrate.  See – nature fills my tank.  So does my family.  So – I need to take a time-out every once in a while and fill the tank – or I might just be hceking out too soon…if you get what I mean.

What re-fills your tank?  Not sure?  Well, what do you love doing – and time seems to stand still when you’re doing it?  That’s it!  When was the last time you did that?  Not sure – better make a date to or plan to get that thing on your calender – it might be the smartest thing you do.  For me – I’m ready to re-join the ranks.

So – we serve because it is right – in God’s eyes – to do so.  To help others – to be useful using our gifts, talents & abilities.  We looked at that whole side of things last post (Bringing your best…or just showing up?) and determined that God asks us to bring our best to what we do and what we offer to him and we learned from Romans 12:1 that our bodies are to be “living” sacrifices to him – including all we do with them.  So, it only makes sense that we serve.  It really flows from the two great commandments talk that Jesus gave us “Love God and Love others”  – loving others often requires serving.  So, what’s the big deal if it feels good – in fact it does often feel REAL good to serve and help people.  Is that a bad thing?

No.  But if you start serving for the “pleasure hit” it brings THEN you’ve violated the great commandment thingy we just mentioned – you are loving something other than God or others – you  are loving a feeling and loving pleasure.  Then there is the danger of pride popping-in…. “Hey, look at me, and see what I did for those people over there – that was pretty awesome, generous and completely selfless for me, wasn’t it?”  No, it wasn’t, dude, since you are bragging about it.  Jesus tells of the old woman who only puts two pennies into an offering discretely while a pharisee who placed much money in with much attention drawn them – make a specticle of it – and Jesus said that since the woman truly sacrificed and had a “right” heart while doing so that she was truly doing good and the pharisee was sinning – Jesus also nets this whole thing out clearly in Mark 25:31-46 – the Sheep and the Goats – which essentially says that when you helped “the least of these” you helped me.  Thing is – we need to make sure we are helping them in-order to help them – not make us feel better – not to somehow “earn” our way into Heaven or Jesus “good book”  - no such thing – earning isn’t possible – Jesus did all the work for us.

So – if you serve – make sure you understand that serving first and foremost is about what you are doing for others – the payback you get is merely a positive, beautiful by-product.  God is amazing at creating things that when we are obedient and do as we should as laid out in His word, we often get a great, beautiful reward – such a gracious, loving God.  Even when we give we get.  The giving is what matters - what we get is a blessing from God.

What is this really about?  Well – it’s about bringing your best and not dreaming of doing otherwise.  Why?  Well – because we serve God – so, nothing really is more important than that.

PLEASE READ FIRST:  Disclaimer – I need to do these types of things to help ensure that I am bringing my best.  These external activities help me prepare my internal “state” to be in a good place so I am able to bring my best.  Other people may be able to carry on a conversation about un-related stuff and then swtich gears quickly – I am not like that.  Others may be prepared after on two practices – I am not like that.  The bottom line – you need to self-examine and figure out what things you need to “do” to help bring your “best” – the externals to help the internals be “an offering holy and pleasing to God”.

See – we often think we are bringing our best when we are not.  Like “…well, I waw there on time – practiced and knew the material – did both services…what more is there, right?”  Well – there is more – lots more.  For starters – you might want to make sure that you  don’t stay out super late the night before so when you arrive on-time you don’t look like yesterday’s breakfast.  It means taking considerations beyond the date you serve.  Preparations are big – and rehearsing or learning things in order to serve is critical – but merely practicing isn’t always enough – knowing the material and how to deal with potential pit-falls and memorzing things allows you to not be focused on the “material” but focus on the reason we serve – to honour (worship) God and help others do that as well.

I deal with this on my team almost weekly.  Without fail there is someone who is late.  Someone else is there but clearly not awake.  Yet another person is there but is frantically going over their parts.  Still others are slowly making their way to stage even though they’ve been there for 30 min already – and they are chatting about the scores from last night.  The bottom line is this:  None of these people are heathens and they may be bringing their best.  And I am not judging if they are bringing their “best” on these criteria.  But, for me, I can’t do any of these things and be able to “bring my best” .  If there is a crisis and I am unable to fulful of the things on my below I can manage – but I will often feel unsettled.  Sometimes things happen that are unavoidable – but – for the most part – I work at doing these regularly.

I need to do these things to help me:

-Be early – allows me to get set-up and test my gear etc to make sure everything works right – nothing worse than gear issues.  Being early also allows me to get into the proper head-space (worshipful mind-set) .  I make a point to get up early – read Scripture and practice before I make my way to the church.

-Be awake.  I get up early (2 hours before rehearsal time)  so I’m pretty much completely awake by the time I arrive at church.

-Be prepared.  I pracitce that morning before I arrive at the church.  I also practice Sat and Fri.  We rehearse on Thurs night.  I prepare for the rehearsal with practicing usually three separate nights – more if there are some new tunes to learn.  I often challenge myself to memorize the songs – and often to learn them in alternate keys (good thing too!).  I use a metronome.  I listen to Mp3′s of the songs.  I use song notes (I make notes on my charts) to remind me of dynamics, phrases, odd things, order of the tune itself and anything else I find note-worthy!

-Keeping my head & heart in the “worship” game – I don’t engage in lots of “other” chat on Sundays.  Why?  Because, for me, I need to remain fairly focused on why I’m there.  It’s not that I have a bad memory – it’s that if my heart drifts to other things – then I walk on stage and begin to play songs I could very easily not have my “heart” engaged in it.  I prefer to hear the message in both services and I enjoy reading scripture before I get to church – while at church before servcies as well.  I pray multiple times during the morning – again – to keep my mind on what I am doing there and asking God to use me in ways He needs to that day.  I also begin praying for the Sunday services on Monday mornings (no matter if I’m serving or not – I pray for the worship leaders, for the person giving the message – for testimony people if there are any – for all aspects of the service – and I do that all week leading up to Sunday – again to keep things focused for me).  I make sure I have a crystal clear idea of what Dave is teaching on and make sure that I communicate that to the serving team on Thurs night – again – to help others ensure they bring their best.

For me – one of the biggest things is to encourage and help others on the team to “bring their best”  – that is a large part of my role as the Creative Arts Director.  So - a large part of “bringing my best” is helping others “bring their best”.

So – the next time you think about the fact that “we/I” should be happy that you are “showing up” think again – because it isn’t about what “we/I” think or want at all – it’s all about what God thinks and wants – and Malachi 1:12-14 nets that out pretty clearly, don’t you think?

It was absolutely one of the best meetings we’ve ever had about Christmas Eve.  Loved the intensity, the fun, the laughter and the overall progress.  Why was this meeting so good?  Because we all had a goal to see this year be accessible to people who normally don’t come to church and to be creative in presenting a story that we get to tell every year.

Stay tuned – Christmas Eve 2010 promises to be an excellent service that you will want to come to and bring your friends, neighbours, relatives and co-workers to.  Put it in the calender – Dec 23rd at 7 and Dec 24, 3, 5 & 7 pm.

See, I pride myself on being open and a listener to ideas and input – but I’ll be honest-I typically don’t give that to my kids often. It came to a head this afternoon w/ my oldest. See – I am more about absolutes with my kids – we are doing this, going in 5 min and that’s it. So, things often escalate and stalemate w/ me and the kids – I just don’t allow them wiggle room or any flex – remember my spouse pointed all this out to me earlier.

What do I do with this? Well, I love learning – so I’m going to learn from this. But, to be honest I kinda hate having this type of thing pointed out to me. So, what now? I will begin to listen to my children more and work to offer them at least a choice on situations. Above all I’m going to really treat my kids with more respect, acknowledging that they are people and deserve the same treatment I afford others.

One of my favorite albums is Steve Vai’s Flexible. – maybe I need to listen to it again…

Remember – the greatest thing we can often do is be to slow to speak and quick to listen – even w/ our kids.

Someday my kids might read this – if you are – I’m sorry – I’ll do better.
Yoda- “There is no try, only ‘do’ or ‘do not’ ….”

Romans 12:1-2 says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What does all that mean?  It means we aren’t supposed to say things like ‘well…I can’t fit serving in because I am too busy’.  Now, if you happen to be busy serving – then great – you get it!  But if you are busy hanging out or playing video games – that’s not cool.  It goes on

Romans 12:4-8 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve; if is it teaching let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him given generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully”.

We should be doing something.  Does that mean you may have to re-arrange your current schedule?  Maybe.  Romans 12:2 mentions the word “transform”.  That’s like – change into something else.  We are to transform our minds – and often the place to begin in our culture to do that is by transforming our environment – getting ourselves in the “right place – vs. the wrong one”.

Before all of you think I’m some crazo who doesn’t “get it” – when I first came to Lakeside in 2001 I auditioned for the music team and was accepted – much to my relief.  Then I was told I had to play at BOTH services on a Sunday.  That cut into my work time (I used to start a teaching job at 12:00 noon and couldn’t be late).  So I didn’t accept the serving gig.  I walked away.  It took another year for me to mature in my faith to realize that I needed to quit my job in order to serve.  Yep, you read that correct.  I quit my Sunday (it was Sunday only at that place) job in order to join the music team at Lakeside.

I try to accomodate people’s schedules and I try hard to ensure that people have some flex and freedom within our serving team – but at some point I do some “non-negotiables” and being available “when possible” is one of them.  When possible means I may call you last minute and I want to have you at least try to jump-in and help.  I expect people to serve often (every other week) or more and when they serve they are expected to come prepared and ready to serve, not merely “show up”.  I expect them to be “available” and to commit to the team – which may cause their own lives to be impacted sometimes – and that’s the sacrifice serving requires.

I leave you with this little thought.  When my wife and I were considering having our first child I kept saying things like “Oh, we aren’t mature enough, we don’t make enough money to support kids, we are to fancy free living people, we could never keep that kind of schedule, we are artists, does either of us even know anything about kids…”  My list went on for about a good 5 minutes.  Bottom line – there never is a “right” time to have kids.  So – there may never be an “ideal right time” to start serving – and that’s the point.  Sacrifice is part of serving.

Bonus reading for next Blog===Malachi 1:12-13 -  I love verse 14 – very convicting  “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord.  For I am a great King” says the Lord Almighty “any my name is to feared among the nations”.

We will enter the topic of: Serving and bringing your “best”.

One – using your gifts and talents.  Hey, if you got ‘em, use ‘em.  And if you can do it on a regular basis – then great.  This implies that if you don’t have a talent or gift in an area that you DON’T serve there…I will get to that.

Two – no talent, just heart.  Just heart is great and can actaully make a difference.  But here’s the thing – it works for a “one-off” type of serving – not for a consistent – weekly type of thing.

I have been to Peru.  Twice.  Both times I was involved in helping build stuff (construction or churches – roofs and walls made of brick and calamina) and music ministry (playing guitar).  Guess what?  Both of the ways I served were good – but I would NOT volunteer my contruction skills regularly here.  Why?  My heart was in it – but I don’t have many construction skills to volunteer   I DO have music skills on the guitar – and I offer those up a lot on a regular basis.

So – once in a while offer to clean someone’s basement or cut their grass – but stick to serving in your gift areas for things that are in your talents and gifts for regular – weekly type serving gigs.

Next topic of serving:  Does serving mean I have to sacrifice or merely do “what fits” in my life?

You can spend your whole life buildin’
Something from nothin’
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray
It doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world’s gone crazy
It’s hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love ‘em anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray
It doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah – I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they’ll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea, sing it anyway
Yeah, yeah!

I sing
I dream
I love
anyway

So – we showed the testimony and then sang this song.  It was impacting.  Why?  Because the fact of the matter is that Mikey is terminal – and without a miracle, he’ll likely die in  a year or two (I do pray for a miracle each day for him and his family, in case you are wondering – I believe in miracles).  The point is that Mikey knows his life in counting down days and he is bound and dertermined to live each minute like it counts.  I think we can all learning something from this.

We all have a limited number of days here on Earth – only God knowshow many and when and what time we will depart.  So why  – oh WHY – do we live as though we have all the time in the world?  Why do we put-off stuff that’s important?  Why do we “not bother” making that call – or skip an appointment with an old friend because we’d rather chill?  The point I’m trying to make is that our time is not OURS to determine – but HIS.  And if we think for one milli-second that we have “lots” of time – well, see, that’s relative and that’s actually a big gamble, isn’t it?  I’m not a gambler – in fact – I hate betting.  But, I do often use my “gut” to help me make choices etc.  My “gut” tells me we will be “shocked” when our time is up.  And something tells me we might just say those oft said words “I wish I had done…If I only would have done…I should have spent more time with ….and I just wish I could could tell….that I love them” – yes, it’s almost cliche for a person to think that as they depart from this world – but man, I gotta be honest – I don’t want to have a long list a that moment – because I may not have many options – you know what I mean?  I can’t afford that kind of gamble – I just can’t.

Jesus took on the ultimate “wipeout” for us – the cross – and not only did he follow through – but through His wipeout, He managed to “wipeout” our sin for all eternity.  But, He took the fall.  He didn’t sort of scoot-around-it.  He suffered and died.  Went through one of the most – if not the most – horrific way to die.  He knows our sufferings.  He understands our “wipeouts”.  And He is there right alongside us as we navigate them.  As our Pastor so well said “The cross is a symbol of the ultimate wipeout – of our Saviour who went through that for you and me.”

So – gaze really hard at that cross I attached at the top.  Then read the words of the song.  If you want – log into www.lakesidechurch.ca and watch the podcast of the service (Sept 19/2010) and watch the testimony.  Then ask yourself these simple questions:

Am I really living, or simply “doing life”?  Can I relate to the song lyric “Sing it anyway” or do I think  “why bother?”  If I had a “wipeout” like Mikey, what would I do? 

I’m telling you – completely honestly – for the last 8 months or so I have asked myself these very questions since I got the news about Mikey.  You know what?  I am being a whole-lot more intentional about EVERYTHING in my life.  I don’t want to have those “regrets” at the end – I want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant”  – and I can guess (just a guess)  that when Mikey makes that final journey – that Mikey will hear those words for sure.

When  people serve, it changes them as well as the people they serve.  That is one of the great amazing things about serving.  But the honest truth is – if people are serving with the wrong motives that can do a whole lot of damage to “serving” when their motives aren’t pure.   Let me explain.  Many people often come forward wanting to be a part of our music minsitry – but sometimes I’ve had to turn some of them away because they haven’t had what I call a “servant heart”.  Sadly, some people come to our ministry to be a “stepping stone” or some kinda “launching pad” for them to bigger better things.  In short – the serving is not for others – but rather it’s all about them.  They lack a true servant heart and don’t really want to be giving back to people – rather they are looking for the spotlight and attention that being in a highly-visable minsitry can often seem to provide.  Reality is that in church the music ministry is a spot for servant hearts – people who want to “give back” to God by helping to lead the congregation in corporate worship.  It is a very “self-less” act requiring hours of personal preparation as well as organized rehearsals and serving time that numbers into the 100′s of hours over the course of an average year – with extra time for special events like Christmas or Easter.  Bottom line: it is a large – huge – committment that requires one to not be focused on the “wrong” motive.

I encourge all of you to jump in an serve – and please make sure that as you sign-up to serve that you are doing it for the right reasons.  I am currently doing interviews with some people who have come forward interested in joining our team.  In these interviews I am looking for the servant heart – because the honest truth is that no matter how musically talented  a person is I will not bring them onto the team if I get the sense that they don’t have a servant heart.

 Next Blog: serving and your area of giftedness – do these match and do they have to?

I am an optimist – not officially (ie not a Member of the Optimist Club) but un-officially, I am.  I love looking on the “bright-side” and often say the phrase “but the silver lining is that…” The sad realitiy is that some things don’t have a silver lining and sometimes I can’t find a lot of stuff to optimistic about.   I can get wrapped-up in the things of “my” world and completely not notice or even care about the the things “of” the world – by that I mean the events and situations – and happenings and goings-on.  I don’t mean celeb-dishes or silly-facts.  I mean earthquakes, people trapped in mines, the sex-trade and human-trafficing.  I mean homelessness, addications and abuse.  I mean “real” things.  Things that happen, injustices, problems, issues.  I don’t have many “silver lining” sort of statements for these.  In fact: I don’t have an optimistic view-point of any of these things at all.  They are all negative things – things I wish weren’t part of 2010 (or ever, for that matter).  I get  a little depressed – almost hopeless when thinking about some of these things.  But – then I remember that we are to always have hope – and we always do – in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, who created Heaven and Earth – all that is seen and un-seen.  That brightens my spirits – and returns my “optimsit”-type demeanor.  Problem is: those other things are all still there.  See – those things don’t disappear because  I believe what I believe.  No.  This world is fallen – (Satan, evil-one etc. has everything to do with that – this thing called sin) – and it seems to just keep on getting worse in many ways.  The Hope that I cling to and display is actually something that a non-Christian not only doesn’t believe, they plain just don’t get-it.  I am some sort of “crazy-utopic-hippie-thinker-Bible-thumping-Conservative” when I share a thought that God works all things for His good and the He has a plan – because when they can’t see the plan, they think it just isn’t there.  Non-Christians ask the simple and profound question “Well, if the God you believe in is out there, has a plan and cares about “His people” why do we have rape, sex-trafficing and drunk-drivers?”  The answer is – this world is fallen – but that usually doesn’t go far.  The next thing they say is “Well, guess your God is fallen too.  If He created everything, then He can fix it – but He doesn’t or isn’t – so that’s pretty much a complete waste of time – isn’t it?”  In some ways they are 100% correct.

And in other ways they are 100% wrong.  Thing is: This world is fallen, including all the people.  And Christians are merely people, who make mistakes too.  And I think Christians are guilty of some pretty big mistakes.  (That’s the part where the people are 100% correct – if Christians continue to NOT do what we are called to do – then things will continue to get worse).  We, as Christians, need to be not just retreating from the “world”, but going into it.  We need to be bringing the Hope we have to the “world” – the “world” desperatly needs that.  The “world” needs our Love, our Grace, and Hope, our $ and our time.  We need to be entering into the “world”  – just as Jesus commanded.  We are to be in the world, not of it.  The technology at our finger-tips is a pretty awesome tool, but are we really using it for good?  We might be writing songs for our churches to use in worship services – but what about writing songs for the unchurched  that bridge the gap between their un-belief and our Hope?  What about realizing that a show like LOST (the best ever, BTW) isn’t so much about being surviours of a plane crash, but much more about trying to survive life and which side of the moral “fence” you fall on has everything to do with the choices we make?  When people ask us what we are learning about – can we honestly say something that applies to the “world” or do we spend all our time learning things only applicable to our “insider-culture” of Christianity?  Learning about Chrisian stuff if great (I spend time doing that) but if that’s all you do I question whether you are taking your faith seriously or if you’re “addicted” to learning.  Jesus – our ultimate guide to this sort of thing – didn’t spend all his time in the temples pouring over scriptures – which he could have done.  Nope: He chose to hang-out with the sinners (read: the “world”) and connect with them, bringing them and showing them the “life-Hope” that could be had if they wanted it.

See: if we insulate ourselves off from the “world” we can’t relate to it – a worse yet – we can’t “reach” it.

We also have this equally bad habit of putting on “a brave face”.  By this I mean we just “grin and bear it” and sort of pretend that the problems we have aren’t even there.  I can honestly say that I have done this at some points in my life.  It makes me sad to admit that – since that means I wasn’t able to be honest with others or myself.  But I have come to a place where I am able to be honest.  But I see many others around me who are unable to admit that they struggle – that they have issues – that they aren’t “doing well” and it brings me sadness – because Christian-culture has really proliferated that mind-set.  I am so thankful to be a part of Lakeside, where we are encouraged to “take off the masks and be real”.

I guess that’s the point I’m driving at.  I encourage you to be “real” and to notice everything “real” around you.  Jesus is real too, even to those who don’t believe.  And the Hope that is found in Him is real, too.  If you think that the idea of being real and participating in the real world is something that sounds good to you – check out Lakeside this weekend – our Pastor, Dave will be sharing about being real – authentic life and really reaching to those who don’t know about this stuff yet. 

9:15 or 11am on-line or in the Live auditorium (for real!).

Then there was the content – stuff that is “life-changing and very impacting” in terms of our services and things involving them.  Great stuff – the kind of thing that motivates you in  a “do it now!” kind of passion that you want to get going yesterday on this stuff.   Then there are the messages (emails/texts/phone etc.) that come at you.  These are solicited sometimes (meaning you asked them a question and expect a response) but often are stimulus that you need to respond to that you had no idea was coming.  I had a few of those today, along with some great timley responses to some urgent requests I had t0 make of others – it works both ways I’ve learned!

I think this was a great day – and it’s still not over yet.  I still need to practice for this weekends service (which is going to happen momentarily) as well as get some reading in and make sure I’ve got things on my “to-do” list for tomorrow.

It’s official – the Fall/Autumn has begun.  Did you have a day like I did today?  I know I may sound like I am complaining and that is the farthest thing from the truth.  I loved today.  Why?  Because it means people are returning – that the urgency about what we do it growing again and that the realization that we are blessed that we “get” to do Ministry is awakening in everyone on staff and the fact that the general population of our Lakeside community will be returning over the coming weeks.

Dave is back  – oh yeah, is he back – and he is fired up and “re-newed”  in  a great way.  The weekend is what we Lakesider’s call “Welcome Back Sunday” and the message and service that Dave and all of us on the planning team have in store is going to hopefully inspire and challenge all of us in the right ways to seek and reach the world for Jesus’.  And I tell you right now – I’m pumped!!!!

So – for all of you who want to know what all the “hulla-baloo” is about – 9:15am and 11am (new times) this Sunday either on-line or in-person at Lakeside is THE place to be to find out.  If you can’t make either of those there is always the Podcast – but you only get half the service that way – and beleive me – you want to get the whole service this week!  This is my not-so-subtle way of encouraging all of you to make sure you have the ability to participate in our music, offering and media portions of our services that are NOT included in the Podcasts and yet are 100% available live on-line or in-person.    You get more of the “complete” package that way – multiple ways to experience “worship” rather than just one.

Anybody else “amped-up” about this weekend?

We are attempting a camping trip this weekend – the second adventure of this type this summer – and I am excited – as we will be taking our children.

I love my kids – very much.  And they love camping.  They have very little expereince.  Just like me.  As I type this they are swarming like black-flies or bees as they are looking at the cool camping graphic I attached at the top of this post.  Bottom line I am trying to make would be that even though I have very little expereince in camping, my kids have no expereince either - which makes it exciting.  Ever try a completely totally new thing with your family – where none of you really knew what you were doing – 0% experience?  It’s rather fun – since you’re all in the same boat (sort of speak).  But if even one of you has previously knowledge – well, then, they have pre-conceived notions and expectations of what “should” be happening.  And that, my firends, is a receipe for frustrations and bad stuff.

So, my recommendation to you…?  Try a new thing.  Together – as a team, and group, and couple or a family.  You may just learn something.  You, more importantly, may have a whole bunch of fun!  On this, the last official “long weekend” of the Canadian summer, I think we are all looking for the last “blast” – the eternal “great” long-weekend, which is almost mythical in our culture.  Wouldn’t it be great that instead of merely doing what you’ve done in the past, or simply “hanging” that you could attempt something fresh and new with friends or family.  It could be a sporting thing, a food/eating thing, or an expereintial thing.  Outdoor concerts are great – so is the BBQ.  What about going on a biking-journey traveling from one town to another on a great trail you’ve never taken?  Something as simple as inviting your “buddy” to church this Sunday might be your “long-weekend” expereince that would take your relationship in an entirely new direction for both of you (- By the way – Matt Naismith is giving a great message on Body Image this weekend – very fitting for the last official “beach-weekend” of the summer…).

I committed to jumping into camping – and I love it.  The fire, the hiking, the snuggling in sleeping bags – I like it all.  The rain, dampness and packing don’t really turn my crank – but everything has it’s things you’ve got to tolerate or “learn to appreciate” in order to get to the stuff which not only is fun, but truly “replentishes your tanks or you soul”.  Often, learning something will also help you to be more creative – allowing you to grow in other areas – so it’s really a win-win.  The “tank-filling” nature of something should never be under-estimated, trust me.  If you don’t have something that “fills your tank” that you can easily identify and can participate in on a fairly regular basis, then you run the risk of of “running-on-empty” which is a super dangerous thing.  I will address this topic in a future post – since it deserves fair treatment, which is more than I am able to give it here and now.

Happy long weekend.  Next post:  new season of Ministry and the Sept 12th Kick-off…Welcome Back!  A new season and new opportunites!!

PS – I will most liekly be out of “cell” range – which means I will be not only giving up coffee, but even most features of my Phone – truly roughing it!     

Brief recap – spent a few hours yesterday at the Waterloo Children’s Museum w/ my family- then dropped my kids w/ the in-laws and drove to connect w/our Lead Pastor and his wife who are friends of ours. We then went out for a nice dinner and proceeded to see the Casting Crowns show last night (which I also got to do a meet and greet with the band – awesome bonus!!). Then thus morning got to participate in our services at Lakeside and hear a great message from Jeff Lockyer called What About Now?

At the concert and the message this morning we were challenged to be light – to go into the world and help connect with God by being God’s light in the world.

I don’t know about you but I find this easier said than done, partly since I’m so often in the church. But, I take opportunities when I they are presented to me to share the light with others. I love doing it-I often feel better after I’ve done it and the people usually seem happy I’ve paid attention to them and their story.

Who or where are are you “being light”?
As Romans 12 convicts us – we are to offer our Whole-selves as a spiritual act of worship – that means not keeping the light inside and then totally avoiding sharing because we are shy or busy or just not comfortable with it. God doesn’t seem to be asking politely or even “asking” at all – it’s more of a directive or command.

So, I ask again, where are you being light?
I’ve included a photo of my favorite light I have in my living room- light emanates from the middle and is dispersed through the branches- illuminating them in the process. Cool, eh? That’s what light does. That’s what we need to do.

You need to actaully have a bit of both of these things – but my real point is acutally that you can LEARN things and can easily gain the skills of either side – it is not some “pre-destined” thing.  I firmly beleive in “life-long learning” and think the idea of somehow being stuck a “mechanic or gardener” is really sad and fundamentally wrong.

I am sure that Mr. Brewster wasn’t trying to say that people are stuck – but I think it’s really important to point out that people have the ability – through our choices and actions – to change and grow – what we would commonly call – to learn.

I am a gardener.  But – through the reality of my previous jobs and current one – have needed to develop mechanic type skills and traits to do my overall job better.  In fact – I would argue that by developing those mechanic skills – it has freed-up time for me to excerise and use the gardener in me as well (rather than thinking of these things in some sort of opposing way).

I think the main question you’ve got to ask yourself is “…Am I willing to learn something new – to strech and go beyond where I am at this moment?”  Millions of school kids are going to get that question asked of them a bunch of different ways in a week and half – and they will respond in one way or another – what about you?

Are you willing to take on a new skill – to try seeing things from a co-workers perspective rather than yours all the time - to think about how that person across from you in the waiting room may be feeling as well – to approach a problem from an angle you’ve never tried before (or when someone suggests that, not crushing them infront of everyone at the meeting) – to trying eating different foods from cultures you know nothing about or possibly to try eating food that is grown without 100km of your home and not beyond – to actually say ”hi” to people in public places instead of staring at your shoes – to read your Bible more than you have been or to start memorizing some verses each week – to pray more regularly or start a journal -to give sacrifically to your church or para-church organization for the right motives, expecting nothing in return – to starting making Sunday services a “must attend” event in your week and to stop making excuses – to  helping out a single-parent family on your block —–to do something you don’t currently do?

I love learning  – I did one of those “assesment thingys” called Strength Finder 2.0 and my #1 Strength: Learner.  I find it exciting and fun.  I think a large part of my ability to love learning was grown and nurtured by being a musician and learning how to play the guitar (which I am still doing, by the way…)   But here is the thing:  learning isn’t an end only a means to an end.  If I learn something – I now have a choice to use it – embrace it, understanding the ideas/relationships/consequences of that thing – or to do nothing and basically “pretend” I didn’t learn it.

Luke 8:11–15 – “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil  comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe or be saved.  Those on the rock are the ones who recieve the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root.  They believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away.  The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, rishes and plessure, and they do not mature.  But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and perservering produce a crop.”

I think Jesus nets out a beautiful word picture and explanation of how we can “hear” things but often not really “learn” them and use them and embrace them.

So – what are you learning now – or what is on your to-do list for “learning” over the next month or year?  If you are not learning something, I challenge you to examine why that is.  I beleive that if people stop learning they almost stop “being” – which may be a bit extreme and “crazy” but I think idea of a “journey of life” implies that through the journey we are posed many choices and situations – and we have the choice to learn/grow from these things or not – and the thought of not learning from our expereinces kinda makes me shudder.

I may not always learn the first time or I sometimes don’t learn the “right” thing – but I admit that after almost every situation I have this internal assesment that asks “…what did I just learn?”

Are you a learner – or not?

1.  They might not have been dead the whole time.  This whole thing is a mystery.  There isn’t a clear-cut answer as to “when” they all died.  It may have been the Season 5 Finale that killed them (the “tappin’ the bomb” moment) or it very well may have been the initial crash in the Pilot episode.  I don’t really care anymore.  Why?  Because it isn’t supposed to matter WHEN they died.  All these people and their lives intersected and they had profound expereinces with one-another.  The idea that this sort of thing can happen when you are dead is a “neat TV idea” and I can separate that from my own theological beliefs.

2.  All the reunions were very cool.  Jack and Kate aside (their reunion lacked spark as far as I’m concerend) all of the other reunions were quite moving and emotional – true highlights for the episode and the overall series as far as I’m concerned.

3.  The “morality” and “redemption” ideas.  This show had a neat view on these topics.  Often TV has had terribly morality.  LOST has some sideways moments (literally and figuratively) but for the most part has quite conservative “christian” morality.  Often the characters are put into situations where making the “right” choice is presented in  a rather “christian” way.  There is also a “redemption” theme that really gets elevated in Season 6.  Ben Linus – a character that manages to “redeem” themselves – does so not through “works” but rather through asking “forgiveness” – sound familiar to any of you Christians out there?

4.  Faith vs. Science (or Fact) - This show tackled a lot of neat themes – but this one was by far the most prevelant and evocative.  The “face-off” moments from Season 2 on between Locke and Jack around the “button” and about “faith” were some of the best moments in the entire series – and Season 6 delivers a great “pay-day” for this theme by Jack “coming over the dark-side” and embracing the “faith” idea whole-heartedly and truly being an advocate…A high-light is when they are in the sub in the Finale and the bomb is ticking down – Jack says “Nothing is going to happen – we aren’t going to die, you’ve got to trust me and have faith”  Sawyer replies “sorry, Doc, I don’t trust you…” and as Sawyer tries to “dis-able” the bomb is ends up being a trap that “triggers” the final count-down sequence for the bomb which does explode.  After the fact, Sawyer shares with Jack …”sorry, Doc, I should have trusted you – now I have the guilt of killing some of our people on me…how did you know it was a trap?” to which Jack replies ” I knew  – I just believed and knew it was going to OK if we left it alone and didn’t do anything…”

5.  My own journey.  LOST is the type of show that allows the viewer to not just “go on the journey” but to have their own journey – it’s a show that challenges the viewer to “wonder/ponder/think” about what “they would do” when faced with that type of challenge or situation.  I thought about some things that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of (like would I have the faith to “push the button or leave the bomb that was ticking on the table” or would I react with what I could see, smell, taste and touch only.  Would I allow my “past” to dominate and dictate my “present or future”?… which is another giganitc theme of LOST.  Would I look out for me – or be group focused “live together, die alone.”… as Jack so eloquently put it in Season 1?  As far as I can tell – I haven’t been challenged with these types of ideas of themes by a TV show ever and that in of itself is quite an achievement for LOST.

So – I still wonder about Widmore, and “time travel” stuff  and how it is that Mr. Eko doesn’t show up at all in Season 6.  I still am not clear about why Ben “decides” to not enter the church at the end or why Penny and Desmond are there (since they were never on the plane).  I can’t answer the question about the “idea” that the “island” is actually Hell or a form of Purgatory or how come Richard beleived that to his core.

But this is what I can tell you.  LOST – at it’s core – is about the human condition.  The fact we are all flawed.  We all have issues.  We all make mistakes and we all “don’t” live up to our expectations.  We all need “help” now and again from a “source” of power.  And when we get a taste of what that help or “power” feels and looks like in our lives we usually want more of it and try desperately to stay “connected” to it.  That doesn’t mean we magically don’t make mistakes anymore – but we begin to make better and better choices based on that “power” and it’s influence on us – we recognize that we didn’t “deserve” this power or “second-chance” that it grants us, so maybe we can forgive and issue second-chances to others.  We gradually – through a change of heart – change our behaviour.  We “improve” from the inside-out.

If this type of progression isn’t one you are interested in – I must admit I wonder what you ARE interested in?  For me – this is very much a mirror image of my walk with God.  I accpeted Jesus as my Saviour – but that didn’t change me in an instant.  I still screwed up (still do, sadly).  But as I live and learn and grow – from the inside-out – my behaviour is showing signs of the work going on inside me.  I’m far from perfect – and I don’t deserve this “second-chance” I’ve been given by God – but I am way more likely to extend those chances to others now than I ever used to before Jesus ruled my life.

So for me LOST was more than a show I watched – it was a show I lived – that I not only owned the DVD’s of, but I had the scars and wounds of those battles and the tears of joy of the victories that are part of the shows great tapestry. 

LOST is who I was – and now through the journey, I have been FOUND.

It you are still reading then you’ve seen it too.  Here’s my first real reaction.

1. They are dead?!?!?  During Season 2 I quipped quite unammused “…you know, I think they might all be dead.  And if that’s true, that they are all dead, then that’s really stupid.”  I am going to hold to that comment.

2.  How then do the people on the “island” interact with others – are all the people they interact with dead as well?  Like Widmore and Penny – dead?  or how about the “side-bar” people – like Fairaday or Kimi?  What about Dharma – how does all that play into things – gotta admit that I am scatching my head about it. 

3.  SOOO glad that Jin and Sun were re-united – YES, that was a home-run, even though they died – but hey, they were already dead, so who cares, right?

4.  Kate and Jack – disappointment.  This didn’t turn out as I hoped. Where was the spark or “fire”  :-(

5.  I was shocked that the whole “purgatory” theme was the whole premiss – since I’m not a believer in this religious idea and that people really can’t “work-out” their salvation.  If you spin it more “they have a purpose and destiny” it sits WAY better for me – expect they are all already dead – hard to fulfill your purpose when you’re dead – sorry LOST creators – I just can’t buy into that idea if you were thinking they were “dead” they whole time.

6.  Jack as Jacob replacement.  No brainer.  That was a “must-do” in my books.

7.  Ben doesn’t die.  I was looking forward to Ben Linus getting killed in some horrific way at some point – his evil nature was clearly totally bad – why let him live – I guess he “redeems” himself – again, working-out your salvation…not liking the way they play with that…

8.  No Mr. Eko in Saeson 6 – sorry LOST creators, again, but Mr. Eko was a freaking-great character and you didn’t even bring him back in a cameo at all in this season – BOOOO!

9.  Jacob and brother back-story – thank-you for explaining that.  Well done.

10.  The plane – Ok, without getting too technical – what was the significance of the plane at the end?  If they flew off and left Jack and Hurly and Ben, but they were all together in the church…it was just weird and quite frankly – I was LOST.

All in all – I love this series – but I am struggling to understand it now.  Kinda like when artists write songs and then you have an association with them – you think you know what it’s about and then the artist tells you what they meant by the song – sometimes those things don’t line up – I guess that’s the way I am feeling.  Maybe I will learn more by watching the Special Feature.

More later.