As I watched the first USA match I was quickly annoyed by the sound, so I lit up a Google search to find out what the heck was up with that buzzing on my TV.  It was immediately clear that I was not the only one aware of the noise.  FIFA had considered banning the Vuvuzela but had opted not to because it is a large part of South Africa’s cultural engagement with soccer.  Fair enough, but I still find the sound annoying…just sayin’.

With the World Cup being played out in South Africa, this brings back memories of my trips to Johannesburg, South Africa and Lesotho with World Vision.  It was impossible for me to not fall in love with the people there.  They are absolutely beautiful.  I was thinking about the Vuvuzela and how I just don’t get it and that has sparked memories of a couple experiences we had in Africa.  These experiences really exposed how our different cultural backgrounds affect the way we perceive and approach an identical situation.

There were two similar occasions on our trips where we identified a real hardship within extremely poor communities.  Our teams quickly assessed the need and worked out excellent solutions for assistance…at least from our “logical” western perspective.  As we presented our plans to local humanitarian leaders, we were shocked to find that they strongly disagreed with our assessment, not of the need, but of the remedy.  They were grateful that we cared enough to help, but cautious to follow through with the aid only in ways that best served the culture and community.  I completely missed it.

From my enlightened and educated perch, I had observed adversity brought on by desperate conditions.  My ignorance was completely evident in my failure to consider what mattered deeply to the people I wanted to love and assist, their cultural perceptions and reality.  I’m very thankful for the lessons I learned and the people who gently guided me through these sensitive situations.  My tendency is still to rush into assessments and offer up solutions, but these experiences have helped me to find pause and work to consider things from another perspective.

So while I’m not really a fan of the incessant blowing of the Vuvuzela throughout the entire soccer match, I’m definitely cool with adapting and appreciating it for the celebration it is within the African culture.  It’s exciting to see the global community rally around this event and observe competition and kindness exemplified through sportsmanship.

At our house we’re screaming GO USA!!!

Welcome To Summer In Phoenix!!!

I kicked off Summer (OK, technically a week early) by leading worship at Moon Valley Bible Church this weekend.  I worked with their band and led at both the 9:00 & 10:30 AM services.  It was fun to have a gig close to home, literally 3 miles from where we live in Phoenix.

I wasn’t able to talk about World Vision because they recently sent one of their pastors to Uganda and they’re trying to sponsor kids from the project they’re involved in because of that trip.  Great to see kids getting help and people doing their part to help engage in the global community.

Here is the set list:

My Savior Lives (New Life Worship)
Your Name (New Life Worship)
Revelation Song (Gateway Worship)
You Gave Your Life (Andy Allen)
Today Is The Day (Lincoln Brewster)

What are you doing this Summer?

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

I first saw Francis Chan speak a couple years back at a conference in Northern California.  I was completely taken by his ability to be honest, transparent and vulnerable while presenting a message with depth and substance.  Since then I’ve seen a few video blogs, heard a podcast and read a few articles of his online and really enjoyed his consistent authenticity.

This book definitely had it’s engaging and sleepy moments for me, but I really feel the overall message is brought home with a challenge to leave the safe and expected for the risky and crazy journey of faith and love we should be on as followers of Jesus.  His writing style feels consistent with the conversational and relational way he speaks and conveys his message in a live setting.  One fun thing he did with this book was to have video chapter introductions on the book website.  Definitely a cool way to connect with who the author is and get a more personal sense of his heart.

One thing I appreciate here was Chan’s willingness to embrace a bit of controversy in some bold statements throughout the book.  There may be people who will fully dismiss his message because of one or two sentences in this book, but I believe that would shortchange the reader from some great challenges and insights throughout this read.

Crazy Love ultimately prods the reader to evaluate if we’ve chosen the safe and comfortable American dream in place of the radical call to actually love people the way Jesus did.  Are we willing to sell what we have, give away our stuff, love the poor, serve with our time, let go of our money and hang out with our enemies?  To live and love like Jesus…it will radically change us and wreck the security we’ve been told is what’s important.  It’s not a condemning message…convicting, yes…but kind of a reality check to look inside and see where our personal treasure is.

Well done Francis.

::: Have You Read This Book?  Post Your Thoughts? :::

Publisher’s Info:

God is love. Crazy, relentless, all-powerful love. Have you ever wondered if we’re missing it? It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response?

We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it yet or not…we all know somethings wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions?

God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts—it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

I am just kind of chewing on this right now.  It seems like through my Christian life I’ve been taught that we need to have every answer to every question and can’t ever NOT know the answer.   As I mature and live I’m learning that God is mysterious and we CAN’T know everything about Him or even pretend to understand most things about who He is.   I think it’s powerful to be honest enough to say “I don’t know.”   There’s an appealing authenticity in saying “I don’t know” and maybe even “I’m not sure I believe,” or “I’m not sure why I believe that.”

Clarity is still outside of my complete grasp on this issue, but I’m really enjoying the process of thinking it through.

Your Thoughts???

So, now that I’m kind of in-between things, my schedule has opened up a bit for me to help out different churches as they’ve got the need.  Recently I’ve had the opportunity to get to know David Bauer, worship leader for CCS (Christ’s Church of Scottsdale) and this weekend I was able to give him a small reprieve and lead in his place.

It was treat to play with the guys in the band at CCS.  Pro players who were just a blast to hang out with.  Thats one of the things that I’ve really enjoyed in my time as a touring artist, getting to connect with so many great players.  I’ve also had the pleasure of working with a lot of not-so-great players too…but that’s a story for another day.

Here is the set list:

Today Is The Day (Lincoln Brewster)
All Because Of Jesus (Steve Fee)
Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Jon Abel)
The Stand (Hillsong United)
Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone (Chris Tomlin)
Back At My Heart (Natalie Grant)

Hope your week is filled with rubber ducky’s!

Andy

Through my years of touring and working with so many different types and styles of churches, I definitely feel more connected to churches that are really dialed into their purpose and reaching people with intentionality.  More than just liking to “do church” because “that’s the way we’ve always kind of done it,” I love to see a church focused on a cause and compelled to reach the culture and community around them with the love of Jesus.  This definitely exists at Eagle Brook.  I am completely moved to know that more than 525 people made a first-time decision to follow Jesus over the Easter weekend this year because the team at Eagle Brook Church presented Jesus to the people there on purpose.

I was fortunate to get to lead worship for their new Blaine Campus on Sunday night.  Blaine is kind of in a pre-launch phase.  The four services at their Spring Lake Park Campus are completely packed out, so there is a need to relieve some of the attendance pressure there before they are able to launch at the new facility in Blaine this coming fall.  I got to have some of their top players back me up and really had a great time with the set.  The audio, lighting, media and IMAG crews were top notch as well and really made the experience a pleasure.

I got to learn a new song for this week too, Awakening by Switchfoot.  It was fun to take on a bit of a departure from some of the material I do on a more regular basis, made all the better because the band was great and right there rocking it.  Here is the set we did:

Today Is The Day (Lincoln Brewster)
Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Jon Abel)
All Because Of Jesus (Steve Fee)
Jesus Paid It All (Kristian Stanfill)
Awakening (Switchfoot)

If you live in the northern Minneapolis/St. Paul areas, definitely take the time to check out a service at Eagle Brook.  I’m excited to see what God continues to do in and through their ministry in the years to come.

Someone told me it gets cold in Minnesota….and that they like cheese….thoughts?

Andy

I was impressed with the way the author’s were able to present research based information and extrapolate the message into an accessible discussion. A conversation looking at the actual perceptions people have of Christianity in America.  The heart of the message here is absolutely convicting, while hopeful.  Many people (while calling themselves Christians) haven’t done any favors to the ‘brand’ or perception of what Christianity actually represents.  The book suggests that if we begin to live like Christ and genuinely love people who don’t exclusively reside inside the Christian culture, we can change the negative image some people have.

I think that God followers who are really interested in loving people the way Jesus modeled for us should give this book a read.  It could also be good for people who are steeped in the Christian sub-culture; helping us get an accurate sense of how people on the outside of our faith really perceive us and how we might consider changing the way we view them and the lives they lead.

I’m busy evaluating and changing many of the ways I was taught to judge and keep myself separated from “the world.”  I’m hopeful that I can genuinely love people for who they are…even within and through our differences.

Publisher’s Info:

The New Testament writer Paul told the first-century Christians: “You yourselves are our letter . . . known and read by everybody.”

When a person “reads” your life, what does it say? What does your faith look like to outsiders?

A major new research project, unveiled for the first time in this book, describes the increasingly negative reputation of Christians, especially among young Americans.

The research shows that Christians are best known for what they are against. They are perceived as being judgmental, antihomosexual, and too political. And young people are quick to point out they believe that Christianity is no longer as Jesus intended. It is unChristian.

It shouldn’t be this way.

What Christians believe may not be popular, but Paul also advised the first believers to “live wisely among those who are not Christians” and to “let your conversation be gracious and effective.”

In this eye-opening book, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons–along with more than two dozen leading voices within Christianity–unpack the major criticisms leveled against Christians. Understand why those negative images exist and how you can best represent Jesus to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Your life is an open book. Is it unChristian?

Yeah, I know it’s mostly the text from my last blog, but Pam and I really felt that did a good job of sharing where we’re at.  The video allowed me to put some feeling behind the words and show some fun pics of our family.  I also wanted to post a link here for anyone that wanted to check it out.

Thank you to everyone who has said you’re praying for us.  We appreciate you all so much and are really excited about the story God is busy writing in our lives.

Andy