“Hey dad? Are you done pooping yet?” This was Losiah’s question as I am in the last stall in the restroom and he apparently was all done in the stall next to mine. “Hey bro. Relax with the poop verbiage man. I’m almost done.” I responded. “OK Daddy.” Thank God we were the only people in the restroom. “Daddy? Are you almost done? Why is it taking so long?” This time his tiny little head pops in under ]]>

“Hey dad? Are you done pooping yet?”
This was Losiah’s question as I am in the last stall in the restroom and he apparently was all done in the stall next to mine.
“Hey bro. Relax with the poop verbiage man. I’m almost done.” I responded.
“OK Daddy.”
Thank God we were the only people in the restroom.
“Daddy? Are you almost done? Why is it taking so long?”
This time his tiny little head pops in under my stall.
“Seriously dude. Let dad finish! I’m almost done. I’ve cooked up something big ok?”
At this moment I hear the faucet turn on in the restroom and know that there has been someone else in there the entire time.
I hear Losiah’s feet shuffle over to the sink.
“Hey buddy. You doing ok?” the strange man asks my son.
At this point I’ve got to pinch it short cause I don’t want this strange man kidnapping my son.
“Yes sir. My daddy is taking a looooooooong time pooping but he’s almost done” Losiah replied to the stranger.
I exit the stall just in time to see the man pull out his iPhone.
“Hey Carlos! I recognized your son from Instagram when I walked in here and was wondering if I could get a picture with you 2?”
“Um. I mean. Sure.”
Click. Snap. Get this over please…
We walked out of the restroom and down the hall.
“Daddy. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.” Losiah said.
“Oh. It’s ok buddy. Let’s just not talk about daddy pooping when we are in public”
Then I felt him reach around and pull something from my back.
Oh. It was just an about 3 foot long tail of toilet paper dragging behind me.
“At least there’s no poop on it daddy!”

Dang skippy son.
At least there’s no poop on it.
Oh. My. Life.
Los

Thanks Zach… Los

Caption Please…

Worship Leaders vs. Cover Band Singers. They are different you know. One is not better than the other. But they serve different purposes. So I think I have come up with a list of questions that can help you figure out what you have at your church or what your church culture is raising up.

Have you ever heard them talk about Jesus offstage? Like ever? Do they smile bigger during ]]>

Worship Leaders vs. Cover Band Singers.
They are different you know.
One is not better than the other.
But they serve different purposes.
So I think I have come up with a list of questions that can help you figure out what you have at your church or what your church culture is raising up.

Have you ever heard them talk about Jesus offstage? Like ever?
Do they smile bigger during the opening cover song than they do during the worship set?
Have you ever seen them live like Jesus offstage? Like ever?
Does anybody willingly follow them during the week?
Who would be more impressed at the end of a worship service? Simon Cowell or Jesus Christ?

Just a few questions to get you headed in the right direction or turn around a ship that is headed in the wrong one.
Now go be Jesus and show how He has changed your life offstage.
Then maybe they’ll believe you when you sing about Him on stage.
Los

If you are having a bad day… She’s having a worse one… Caption Please… [ht:BuzzFeed]

All of these waiting rooms bring one thing. Anxiety. Anxiety as to what is on the other side of that waiting room door. Anytime we are forced to WAIT, we are forced to lose the facade we once had of control. The ball is ]]> Have you ever sat in a waiting room?
It doesn’t matter what sort of waiting room it is.
A waiting room for a doctors office.
A waiting room for a principles office.
A waiting room for a job interview.
A waiting room for a lawyers office.

All of these waiting rooms bring one thing.
Anxiety.
Anxiety as to what is on the other side of that waiting room door.
Anytime we are forced to WAIT, we are forced to lose the facade we once had of control.
The ball is in someone else’s hands…and we are stuck, waiting.

And in those moments of waiting…
In those moments of anxiety…
He says…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11.

Nothing you will find out on the other side of that waiting room door holds more truth than that right there…
Nothing.
Hold tight today Ragamuffins…
Hold on tight to that truth.
Los

There is this church. It is a rapidly growing church in Los Angeles. It makes Nashville Eastside Hipsters beg for mercy it’s so hipster. Everything seems normal until the band starts playing. Then the huge screen behind the band lights up to project the lyrics and the band becomes silhouettes. Not for a moment…Not for a song…For the entire set. I never knew who the worship leader was. I never saw what the guitar player looked like.

For me ]]>

There is this church.
It is a rapidly growing church in Los Angeles.
It makes Nashville Eastside Hipsters beg for mercy it’s so hipster.
Everything seems normal until the band starts playing.
Then the huge screen behind the band lights up to project the lyrics and the band becomes silhouettes.
Not for a moment…Not for a song…For the entire set.
I never knew who the worship leader was.
I never saw what the guitar player looked like.

For me it accomplished a few things.
1. It made me focus on the lyrics of the songs and not the band.
Which I think was the point.
2. It bored me because I think I’m simply programmed by society for more.
This is neither good nor bad. It just is.
3. It made me wonder why the preacher was not silhouetted.

I’d love your thoughts ragamuffins!!!
Los

Stay with me. I had a worship leader buddy of mine say he got offended when his pastor asked him to go on a “shopping trip” of sorts to update his wardrobe. I got miffed too. Basically challenging the style of my boy. Then that got my noodle spinning. Maybe it is important? Maybe style and wardrobe matters? Wait?!?!? No. All that matters is THE HEART ]]>

Stay with me.
I had a worship leader buddy of mine say he got offended when his pastor asked him to go on a “shopping trip” of sorts to update his wardrobe. I got miffed too. Basically challenging the style of my boy. Then that got my noodle spinning.
Maybe it is important? Maybe style and wardrobe matters? Wait?!?!? No. All that matters is THE HEART of the worship leader!!! Right? Well. Yea. You have to have that. But there is more. I think. To a point.

Why do I spend more time than my wife at Forever 21? Because I am trying to find what looks best on my disproportional body. The skinnier I get, the more rock star I get. When I was fat, I hid behind my frumpy clothes. But let me be BRUTALLY honest here.
As I was getting bigger, almost 40 lbs ago, I had my health as goal number one.
But close behind was that nobody wants to look at someone on stage who jumps up and down during the bridge of that hype song and see their belly following 1/2 a second behind every jump.
Nor do they want to look at someone on stage who looks like they pulled their wardrobe out of 1995 and looks like they don’t give a rat’s back end about their appearance.
And I know plenty of hot “not skinny” people.
So I’m not even talking about weight.

I KNOW there is all sorts of selfish crap involved in my mind. So don’t go waving the bible at me. I do read it. I promise.
But I do often wonder. Is it OK for a pastor to ask his staff to look “Hot”…“Attractive”?
I have seen TONS of churches spend thousands of dollars on a website that makes them look like the hippest, vibey church on the block, only to arrive and see this guy preaching with the church logo embroidered on his denim button up.
I say, if you are going to market yourselves as hip, be hip.
If not, wear the church logo on your denim.

As I write this I think it leans towards appropriate for your demographic.
Even the hottest most in style whatever wouldn’t work at a podunk church in the country.
Or the hipster wouldn’t work at megachurch in the suburbs.
After removing all the sin and selfishness off my post and you stare at the guts of it…
What do you think?
Los

He was alone. Had a bag. And was moaning and clapping uncontrollably.

I am keenly aware of my ignorance in the field of those with ]]> I could see him from the stage.
He was standing, barely.
His arms were bent in positions that they were not meant to bend…and staying there.
He was making moaning noises. More groaning than anything.
And from stage I could see saliva running from the bottom left part of his mouth.
Lot’s of saliva.
To where I could see a puddle forming at his feet.

He was alone.
Had a bag.
And was moaning and clapping uncontrollably.

I am keenly aware of my ignorance in the field of those with disabilities.
I simply knew he was disabled.
Similar to my friend with cerebral palsy I met a few years back.

After my set I walked over to my merch table and I could hear him coming.
“Just look him in the eye. Just smile.” I kept telling myself.
I also kept telling myself…”You obviously need to expand your friend list Carlos, cause this is a ridiculous conversation to be having with yourself right now”
Right away my 2 merch volunteers asked him if he wanted to buy a CD.
He simply kept staring at me and groaning.
He obviously wanted something.
So I walked to the other side elf the table and said…”Hey buddy. My name is Carlos”
Saliva was literally pouring and bubbling from his mouth as he got more and more agitated.
“What’s up buddy?” I asked him.
He got so agitated that he dropped his bag and everything fell out of it.
“Hey buddy. Do you mind if I give you a hug?”
I didn’t wait for an answer because I knew I wouldn’t be able to understand anyways.
The second I hugged my new friend he calmed down.
All I could feel was his breath slowing and his heartbeat pounding.
My shoulder was wet from his saliva and my nose smelt his unbathed skin and unwashed clothes.
But I just held him.
You know why?
Cause I had no idea what else to do.
After a good 15 seconds of hugging and him calming down I let him go and bent down to pick up all his stuff.
His wallet had fallen out of his bag and I opened it.
Will.
His name was Will.
I looked at him in the eye and said…”Will. Your name is Will. And Will, I needed that hug, more than you will know.”
Saliva stopped pouring from Will’s mouth and instead tears began to fall from Will’s face.
Will reached into his bag and pulled out $22 bucks.
My cd is $10 and my shirts are $12.
And it hit me.
Moments earlier he was a salivating special needs man with an obvious lack of mental capacity.
Now he was a man named Will.
A man who cried when I called him by his name, a man who can read the signs on my merch table, a man who can count money, and a man who obviously has the same mental capacity I do.

Will took a CD and shirt and stumbled off, but not before he groaned one more thing at me.
“I love you too Will”, I said… and he walked away.
I obviously have no idea what Will said to me before he walked off…
But I do know this…
Today there will be those you don’t understand, those who will disgust you for a moment, those who are desperate trying to tell you something…
And today all you need to do is realize…
They…Are…You…
It’s better that way…
Los