Worship Confessional 06.29.08

Today was a "wing-it" day. We didn't have a practice this week, because I was at a conference all week. So, today, we didn't pull out any new songs. We did songs we know well.
We also started a new 10 week sermon series called "CSI: Christian Scene Investigation". Our people seemed to be very connected the whole time during the sermon. This should be a great series on the fruit of the Spirit. Most of the people raised their hands that they watch one of the CSI's. This will be very relatable.

Here was our set:
"Holy is the Lord"-Chris Tomlin
"O Praise Him"-David Crowder Band
"Whole World in His Hands"-Tim Hughes
"Mighty to Save"-Hillsong

Definitely can't go wrong with those songs. By the time we got to Mighty to Save, the place was pumping. It was a great day, because God is faithful.

Jade Rolling Over

Jade, my little 5 month old, just rolled over for the first time. She's already close to crawling. Enjoy...




This is also a contribution to Creative Chaos 16 at RagamuffinSoul.com.

nothingness

I'm home alone today. As a parent, you seldom get a day to do nothing. For me, that's today. I'm not sure if I'm being lazy today, or just jet lag from yesterday. I know I crashed hard last night, and slept good. Today my house is empty and quiet. Even the dog is gone. It's rainy outside, so I can't mow the lawn, so my to do list today is to finish a video script I'm working on, unpack, eat some dinner, watch a movie or some documentaries I DVR'd and go to sleep. Some people have a problem with just sitting down and resting, but I don't have that problem. I'm chilling today, and tomorrow my fam will be back. I can't wait to see my wife and my kids, but today it's gonna be quiet and nothingness.

Fame

I am not the guy who goes crazy around celebrities. I never have been like that. I would say that 9 out of 10 times that I spot someone famous, I'll leave them alone. I figure they get people bothering them all the time, and I know that's the price of fame, but that has to get old quick. I don't know why I'm like this, but I've always been that way. This morning I got to the airport really early. Wow, really & early have almost the same lettering. Anyway, as I was sitting and waiting on a bench, I looked to my right and saw some pretty cool looking guys, and I looked closer, and it was Delirious. One of my favorite all time worship bands. These guys have written some timeless songs for the church, and they were 10 feet away from me. I felt this jolt of excitement, because I really have been influenced by not only their songwriting and recording, but their style in which they lead worship. So, I checked my bags, and I went over to them to say hi. I'm not at all angry about this, but they barely said much back. At that moment I felt like I was bothering them a smidge. They weren't mean or rude by any means, they were very polite, but I could just tell they were not looking for a conversation with a fan. It really didn't bother me, because these guys are pretty big, and pretty famous. I went about my way and went to my gate. I saw them follow me and walk past me as they went to theirs and that was pretty much it. That's about as exciting as it got. That's my Delirious in the airport story.
The next few hours, I really started thinking, and God spoke to me about this. The last few days I've been finishing up the book of Job, and I read some pretty amazing things about our God. For instance, in Job 36, I read this:

26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
the number of his years is unsearchable.

27 For he draws up the drops of water;
they distill his mist in rain,

28 which the skies pour down
and drop on mankind abundantly.

29 Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?

There is none greater than God. There is none higher. There is no one more famous in our universe than the Creator. His fame is known throughout the galaxies and reflected from star to star. God is bigger and more famous than Delirious or the Beatles or any President or King or Queen. What's great about Delirious is that they do what they do to proclaim the fame of our God. I am ashamed to say that Delirious' presence, because it was tangible, jazzed me up for a moment more than God's presence. I'm thankful for this lesson today. I needed it and I treasure it. I go back to Psalm 139 for perspective:

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?

Saddleback Worship Conference Day 4

Well, it's over. Today was a short day with workshops in the morning and it concluded with an amazing worship concert by Delirious. I highly recommend any of their albums. I have them all. They were kind of the original "modern worship band" back in the early 90's. The highlight of the concert was a song called "All God's Children". Wow, what a song. Make sure to check them out if you haven't yet.

I connected with some new friends. I met some fellow blogger/worship leaders, and we're already talking online some. This is such an amazing time to live life. You can connect to someone across the country and get to know them before you even meet in person.

I finally got to meet my friend, Emily Gomez in person. Two years ago, she recorded my song, "My Peace" for the Song Seeker project at Saddleback. She's a great and talented person. She also was a finalist on the BET show, "Sunday Best". She'll be famous one day. I can't wait for her CD to come out. Anyway, it was great to finally cross the virtual line and meet in person.

Me & Emily

I really see myself coming back to conference in the coming years. I've been to other conferences, but the spirit of the campus at Saddleback is just so positive and worshipful, it really sets the conference a part from others. There's a genuiness exuding from the church and the people, it makes you want to be there. It was a great week and I'm thankful for the experience.

Worship Confessional 06.22.08

Last Sunday was our last week in our 8 week study in the Proverbs. We talked about success at work. We started the sermon off with this video that a church in Minnesota sent me. It's a spoof video of the song, "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. It was received well. The people laughed, which is relieving. There's nothing worse than showing or doing something funny and no one laughs. There are other things that are worse, but that's still bad. Click here to watch the video. It's called "My Cubicle."

The worship set was great. It was one of the days that was easy to lead worship. When I say easy, I mean the people didn't really need me as much. They were there to worship no matter who was on the stage. That's all I can ask for from a congregation. We did some old faithfuls, and we worshiped a faithful God. Here's the set list:

"Glorify"-Passion Worship Band
"Center"-Charlie Hall
"Here I Am to Worship"-Tim Hughes
"You're Worthy of My Praise"-Passion Worship Band

I had a high school graduate, Shannon, lead with us, and she did a great job. She has a great heart for worship. I love using students as much as I can. They bring a whole new vibe and a new generation into the mix.

I Surrender

I was convinced in a blogging workshop yesterday, that I should get a Facebook. I did it. I surrendered. I feel better now that it's over. I still have no idea how to use most of it, but I'm sure I will learn. I have no idea what poking someone means on there, and frankly, it frightens me. Baby steps. One day at a time. Make sure to friend request me if you're on there. Click here to find me.

Saddleback Worship Conference Day 3

Man, today was really cool. The general session this morning was amazing. Morris Chapman led us in "It is Well". It was really peaceful and perfect for the morning. I was moved to tears, and I don't cry, like, ever. Ask my wife. She says I'm insensitive. The reason I was moved was the Saddleback teens worship team. They had a student band and choir. They led us in a few songs, and their intensity and emotion as they worshipped was inspiring. I couldn't sing through my tears. I'm even moved as I type this. I so want to see the young generations live for God, and God truly blessed all of this that were there to witness these kids worship. We then had a message from Buddy Owens, who is the Maturity Pastor at Saddleback. I really, really needed his message. It was of God. I just read his book, The Way of a Worshiper. He talked about worry. He taught us that worry isn't the real problem, but that worry is a decoy for our lack of trust in God. It's easy to worry when we take our eyes off of God. Paul Baloche led us in an hour of worship. It was amazing. I really think he is one of the purist worship leader/songwriters out there today. We'll be singing his songs for a long, long time. He's definitely one of the big modern hymn writers. We then attended two workshops in the afternoon. First, we went to a class on band practice and rehearsal tips taught by Rick Muchow. I walked away with a great quote. He said, "Without love, there is no worship." It was a great, practical class taught by someone who has been doing it for the last 20 years faithfully. We then went to a "geek class" about the use of technology and social media in ministry. It hit on blogging and where communication is going, and how we can utilize these technologies in our churches and worship teams. It was really cool. I loved it. I think I am a computer geek now. It was taught by Carlos Whittaker and Rich Kirkpatrick. Here's a pic...

...can you see me?

We've got one more day to go. Time flies when you're having fun. I'm so thankful for this experience. Day 4 is next.

Paul Baloche

The Duke

I forgot to post these pics. When I flew into John Wayne Airport in Orange County, the Duke was there to welcome me. This is for you, Matt.

Saddleback Worship Conference Day 2

We started this day with a general session with Rick Muchow leading worship, as well as Brenton Brown, who wrote "Everlasting God". Then the pastor from Destiny's church here in Cali brought a great message. The key point I took away was the comparison between cell phone dead spots and our spiritual dead spots. He said, you cannot hear God speaking to you, if you are in a dead spot. What a great illustration. Just like where we are determines our cell phone coverage, where we are can determine our spiritual coverage. Great stuff. Christy Nockels then led us in worship for an hour, and she really ministered to us. Yesterday they really focused on worship songwriters and artists to make sure we are writing and creating for God and not world abroad. They portrayed the woman and the alabaster box in a drama, and challenged us to create something as if God could be the only one to receive it, which is a very important and relevant message, because the majority of young worship leaders, like myself, are writing worship music. I went to a couple of workshops in the afternoon. First, I took advantage of a Song Critique panel, made up of Meredith Andrews, a rep from worshiptogether.com, and Brenton Brown. They picked my song, "Alleluia" and did a critique on it, which was a little crazy. I was really happy with the critique. They had mostly good things to say, and really complimented the musicality of the song, which is the hardest part of writing. To find a simple, yet unique melody line is the current challenge. I then went to a workshop taught by Nathan Nockels. He produces all of the Passion conference CD's. It was very informative and interesting, and I learned some nuggets for live recording. On day 3, I'm looking forward to some workshops focused on practical worship leading. God is doing great things out here in our hearts.

Oh, and...

...there was flying motorcycles...amazing.

Dinner Last Night

I forgot to mention that I had my favorite, Fuddruckers. This has become my worship conference tradition for the last three years. I'm a Fuddruckers traditionalist, and I'm not changing. They have the best chili-cheese fries...and that's why I am definitely going to take a run this morning before Day 2.

Saddleback Worship Conference Day 1

It is now 11:40pm in California, but my body says it's 2:40am. It's been a long day, but a great day. They kicked off the conference tonight at 7pm with a big concert with a new comer, Adam Watts. He did a great job. Very talented vocalist. We then heard Meredith Andrews, which is the new artist from Word Records. She had a country feel to her voice, kind of like Martina McBride. What was great about her was that she really ministered as she sang and shared scripture. If you like contemporary Christian music, like Avalon, you will dig her songs. She's the real deal. The main artist of the night was Leeland. All I can say is wow. There lead singer, Leeland Mooring, is not even 20 yrs old yet, if I'm correct. He led us into the presence of God like a seasoned pastor. God is really using this guy, and it's going to be something to see his impact in the next 5-10 years. Rick Muchow, who is the worship pastor of Saddleback Church, ended the night by praying over the band and their future impact on this world. There were also some teens from the Saddleback youth ministry in the crowd, and at one point they all went into an open area and danced with all their might before the Lord in worship. It was nothing planned you could tell. It was awesome to see a young generation overflow with love for their God. Jesus said to have faith like a child. It was a great night, and I'm pumped to jump into the main sessions and workshops tomorrow. I'll post some more tomorrow for Day 2. Good night and sleep tight...

....and you can also go here to see more pics from the concert.

this is my life

Question: Want or Need?

Answer: I want to need it.

Creative Chaos: Quiet Worship

This is my contribution to Creative Chaos 15 going on at RagamuffinSoul.

We had an incredible day and night of corporate worship a couple of Sundays ago, so I felt God leading us to a balance in our service. Corporate worship is so exciting and energized, and I love what I do. I love when the music is pumping and God's people are excited and overflowing with praise. This last Sunday, God led us to have a time of quiet worship. Just myself, the congregation, and the piano lifting up his praises. To really make the point, visually, I took everything off the stage, except for the piano. When the house lights were on and everyone was walking in, it looked really bare, but as the lights went down and a single spot on the piano came on, it was a beautiful setting. The worship was very reflective and meditative. God confirmed this plan during the week, as people in our church had gone through some rough stuff. This was what our church needed, and I know many people connected to God in a very cool way.

Here's some pics

I'm a Wheel Watcher

I've got to admit something. I DVR Wheel of Fortune sometimes. Not every day, but when I think about it, I record it, so I can watch it, because I love it. It's one of those simple concepts that was a genius idea. Spin a wheel and guess the words and letters. Amazing. Does anyone else have a favorite game show?

"Just the boys, not the girls!"

That was Josh and I's battle cry tonight. We went and had a boys night out. We saw Kung Fu Panda at the theater. Great movie. Fun for the kids, and funny for the adults. Jack Black was perfect for the Panda character. It was hilarious. I love hanging out with my boy. The older he gets, the more fun we're having. I am blessed. (Josh was eating M&M's when I snapped this)

Champions

It has been 22 years since anybody say this, the Boston Celtics are the NBA Champions. We have banner #17. One year ago, they had only 28 wins, and didn't even make the playoffs. One year later, the best basketball team in the world. Hats off to Danny Ainge for the pivotal trades signings that made this a reality. They had one of the best defensive teams of all time, and played true team ball. Paul Pierce is now a superstar in everyone's eyes, and KG has cemented his place as one of the greats. The long wait has made this a sweet year for myself and all the true Boston Celtic fans that have stuck by them for the last 20 years. What an awesome night it was. I also hope that we will quit hearing the comparisons of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Kobe is no where near the player that Jordan was, more less the same level as Bird or Magic. Those guys didn't get shut down, and they took over games when they had to. Kobe floundered under good defense. He's great, possibly the best in the league, but Jordan, Magic, and Bird were the greatest. We may not see them get eclipsed. It's going to be an exciting off season. There should be a lot of trades and changes coming from different teams like the Pistons, Lakers, and the Spurs. I'm already anxious for next season. We could definitely repeat. Go Boston!

Tonight's the night, tonight's the night

This will be #17 if we win tonight. This will be amazing, and even better to win in Boston. KG will stay out of foul trouble tonight, and that should give them the edge. I can't see KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen allowing this chance to slip away to a game 7. Tonight's got to be the night. 20 years of waiting is almost over.

Father's Day

Happy Father's day to all you Dad's out there. I am so greatful (there you go Emily) that God has blessed me with two amazing kids. I love Josh's independence and decisiveness. He's a lot like me (good and bad). Then there's Jade, who is definitely a Daddy's girl. She has so much of Jennifer's qualities. I think they're very similar in personalities.
I also think about my Dad. He's an amazing guy that has impacted so many people in positive ways. Everybody loves my Dad, and more importantly, I think everyone respects. Outside of my wife, he's my best friend, and we keep growing closer. God truly has blessed me with an amazing family.

Here's a vintage pic of my Dad and I. Check out the suit.

Worship Confessional 06.15.08

Quiet worship. This week was all about quiet worship. Something that has been on my heart lately is keeping our corporate worship services balanced in knowing that the power is God. The power cannot become music, lights, sound, and yes, I’ve even led in a place that has smoke machines. None of the aforementioned things are wrong at all. They’re great enhancers, but we must keep reminding ourselves that the power of worship comes from God, or else it is not worship.

This past Sunday God led me to lead our church in quiet worship. With only a piano and a mic, i led our church in praise of our God. To give a strong visual to what I was teaching, I took EVERYTHING off the stage, leaving only the piano. It looked so naked and blank, and that’s what our church and myself needed to see. All we needed was God. It was a beautiful, peaceful time of corporate worship. It’s not something I will do a lot, but it’s good as a reminder every blue moon. Here was the set list:

"God of Wonders" (which was beautiful with just a piano)

"Let My Words Be Few"

"I Love You, Lord"

"I Give You My Heart"

It was cool to pull out an oldy like "I Love You, Lord" and experience a freshness in it. It’s one of those songs that is so simple, yet so deep, and so on target in a worship song. I think it’s actually the first time I’ve led the song since becoming a full-time worship leader. It was also a great confirmation that our church is understanding what worship really is. Sure, people missed the band, but it was a healthy stretch that we needed at this time in our church.

Good Morning

I'm reading blogs while eating my favorite cereal...Cocoa Pebbles...delicious. I used to eat cereal for the toys, but now I just want the cereal.

Anyone have a favorite cereal out there?

Worship Leader Magazine

If anyone reads Worship Leader Magazine, I'm in this month's issue (June). Let me know if you see it. It's the "Worship Leader Profile" section they do every issue. My picture's weird, but I think the interview went pretty well. Crazy stuff.

The Happening

I just back from seeing the movie "The Happening". Ummm...it was really stupid. I really like M. Night's movies. I love his stuff. I own every movie on DVD he's made. I loved "Lady in the Water", which is regarded as a disappointment at the box office. I have consistently enjoyed everything he's put out, and I truly think they've been quality flicks....but..."The Happening" missed the mark. I hate saying it, but M. Night failed on this project. I still enjoyed his filmmaking and camera shots, but the writing was not good. The movie started really strong and ended very, very weak, which is crazy backwards. I don't think I'll be picking up this one on DVD, actually I definitely won't. I'm bummed, because I really couldn't wait to see this one.

9 years

Yesterday, Jennifer and I celebrated our 9th marriage anniversary. I love my wife. I love that she is perfect for me. We just fit. I was talking to someone this week who had broken up with his girlfriend, because he realized that their relationship was built on shallow things. I told him that when he was entering into his next dating relationship to make sure the person he dates is someone that makes him better. I can truly say that my wife has made me a better person. I am fortunate and grateful that God has given me Jennifer, and that she has put up with me for 9 years.

Night of Worship - Songs of Bethany

This is my contribution to Creative Chaos 14 over at RagamuffinSoul.

About 2-3 times a year, we have a Night of Worship at our church. It's a time where the sons and daughters of God can come together and sing praises. Last Sunday, we had another one called, "Songs of Bethany". About a month before the night, I asked our church to submit 2-3 songs through our website that have impacted them personally. With those submissions, we prayerfully picked out the songs for the night. The cool twist we added was showing a video before each song of people that had submitted songs talking about how the songs have impacted them. It turned out to be a very powerful night. God moved in a great way. The video below is how we started the night. I included a small clip of the first song, so you can get a little feel of the night.



We showed this video as well. If you haven't seen it yet, it says a lot of great stuff about worship. I bought it from Sermonspice.com. It's a great video.

Worship Confessional 06.08.08

We had a big day. We had a great morning worship service and a big night of worship.

In the morning we talked about cultivating our friendships. With that topic, I planned a worship set focusing on our friendship and relationship with God. It is truly amazing that we can call the Great I Am a friend. Do you remember your jr. high and high school years? There was a lot of emphasis put on who you hung out with or sat with at lunch. It was what identified you and classified you. I do not miss those days at all. I was not exactly a "cool" kid. The incredible and biblical perspective we can have is that God Almighty is our friend. We are so privileged to be His friend, and to call Him our friend.

Here’s the set list:

"You are My Friend" - mine
"Friend of God" - Israel Houghton
"Beautiful Scene" - mine
"You Never Let Go" - Matt Redman

We came back that night for a night of worship. We do these about 2-3 times a year. It’s such a special time for the sons and daughters of God to come together and sing praises. The uniqueness of this particular one was the churches participation in it. About a month before, I had the church submit 2-3 songs that have impacted them, and from the submissions we prayerfully prepared the set list for the night. Before each song, we showed videos of the people talking about how the songs have impacted them. Needless to say, it was a special night. As a worship leader, it was effortless for me to lead. The people came to worship, and they connected to God all night. It was an amazing night.

Awesome 80's

When you think of the 80's what do you think of? I think of tight-rolled, stone-washed jeans. I think of jams (long ugly shorts). I think of Nintendo, not N64, not Super Nintendo, not Game Cube, I'm talkin' about the original Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros. Nintendo. Probably the biggest thing I think of is my introduction to the Boston Celtics with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Dennis Johnson. I spent a lot of the 80's being a huge Boston Celtics, Larry Bird super fan. Somewhere, I think my Mom still has a storage tub full of Celtics shirts and hats. When you talk about Larry Bird and the Celtics, you have to think about Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Twenty years later, here we are. Tonight is Game 1 of the NBA Finals featuring the Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA executives are giddy with dollar signs in their eyes tonight, because this will probably bring some old fans back to the game, as well as some new fans. I honestly think this will be a pretty evenly matched series. Tonight I will be finally watching my Celtics play for a championship for the first time in 20 years. Go Boston!

I'm in trouble

I saw this on a couple of other blogs...

I hope hell doesn't see all the sports on my blog, because I definitely qualify according to this sign. If this sign is correct, then ESPN is a pagan temple. As a graphics person, I must say that this is one of the better quality signs that I've seen used by this brand of Christian. They are usually partial to the old-fashioned white poster board with marker artistry. I know this post is very sarcastic, but I just don't see how this sign is helping.