Want or Need: COMPUTER

In an ever-growing materialistic society, it's becoming more difficult to distinguish the difference between what we really want and what we really need. It's time for you to weigh in on this discussion. It's real simple...is it a want or a need?

COMPUTER
WANT or NEED?

Word Wednesday .::105

Word Wednesday is posted every Wednesday. Each week I post a scripture that I've read that week that has spoken to me in a fresh way. I believe that if we read God's Word every day, He will give us at least one scripture every week that will impact us. Sharing Scripture with each other is like iron sharpening iron. Leave a comment and share a scripture that has impacted you this week.

Here's the scripture that stuck this week:

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 The Message

Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.

² Don't hoard your goods; spread them around.
Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.

^3-4 When the clouds are full of water, it rains.
When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.
Don't sit there watching the wind. Do your own work.
Don't stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.

⁵ Just as you'll never understand
the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman,
So you'll never understand
the mystery at work in all that God does.

⁶ Go to work in the morning
and stick to it until evening without watching the clock.
You never know from moment to moment
how your work will turn out in the end.


Don't get caught staring at the clouds, as your life passes by. Life was meant to be lived, and eventually you'll understand it.


What's your Word?

Whoops

I jacked this from my brother's blog. Great to see the pro's mess up & great to see that lack of ego. The mess up's can really reveal the pride in people.

Music Monday 33

This is a post that you can participate in on every Monday. Everyone likes music, and there are obviously many tastes in music. This is here to see what different types of music are filling everyone's lives. Chime in!

Yesterday, I led worship from the piano. For me, it was a very healing time of worship, so...

What's your favorite artist(s) behind the piano?

Well, immediately, I've got to go with Elton. That guy's a legend. Overall, I've been most influenced, along with everyone else, by Chris Martin from Coldplay. You can pretty much hear his influence in everything past 2000.




your turn...

Worship Confessional 07.25.10

Setlist with itunes links:
O Praise Him
Breathe
You Alone Can Rescue
How He Loves

Flow Sheet from Planning Center

Also part of Sunday Setlist.

Word Wednesday .::104

Word Wednesday is posted every Wednesday. Each week I post a scripture that I've read that week that has spoken to me in a fresh way. I believe that if we read God's Word every day, He will give us at least one scripture every week that will impact us. Sharing Scripture with each other is like iron sharpening iron. Leave a comment and share a scripture that has impacted you this week.

Here's the scripture that stuck this week:

Proverbs 21:31 The Message

Do your best, prepare for the worst—
then trust God to bring victory.


That's some pretty simple wisdom to live by.


What's your Word?

Hope in God

A great word from Bob Kauflin. I'm currently reading his book Worship Matters, which is a MUST READ for any worship leader.

Music Monday 32

This is a post that you can participate in on every Monday. Everyone likes music, and there are obviously many tastes in music. This is here to see what different types of music are filling everyone's lives. Chime in!

Today I am flying to Kansas City for the NWLC, so...

Do you like to listen to music when you fly? If so, do you use an Ipod, Ipad, mp3 player, or are you still using that Discman?

I've got my Ipod touch, which has been my friend, especially on my trip to Africa.


your turn...

Worship Confessional 07.18.10

Setlist with itunes links:
Unchanging
What Can I Do
You Alone Can Rescue
You Never Let Go


Flow Sheet from Planning Center

Also part of Sunday Setlist.

The Decision

Love this commercial

Word Wednesday .::103

Word Wednesday is posted every Wednesday. Each week I post a scripture that I've read that week that has spoken to me in a fresh way. I believe that if we read God's Word every day, He will give us at least one scripture every week that will impact us. Sharing Scripture with each other is like iron sharpening iron. Leave a comment and share a scripture that has impacted you this week.

Here's the scripture that stuck this week:

Proverbs 15:1 The Message

A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.


Proverbs are amazing. They are full of wisdom and truth. This verse is one I have used more and more, and it's proven true time and again. In a time and society where anger is becoming more and more prevalent, it's vital that we, as believers, practice these truths. They work!


What's your Word?

Album Review - Worship Rises

Worship Rises

Background from chrisfromcanada.com:
Over the past year and a bit I’ve been spearheading this thing called WorshipRises (facebook|twitter). I’ve mentioned it a bunch of times on the blog and you may be familiar with it. Basically we’ve been gathering Canadian worship pastors/leaders together to develop worship resources for & from the Canadian church.
It’s been amazing to see the response to this thing so far – we’ve had 3 writing days attended by a total of about 50 worship leaders from every kind of church/worship expression you could imagine. Young, old, men, women, white, black, hispanic, conservative, charismatic – it’s been incredible. At our last writing day we were very fortunate to have Paul Baloche and Jared Anderson join the 32 worship pastors/leaders who were there in attendance.

This is a great contribution to the Church. All 4 of the songs on this EP are very accessible for any church, and as a worship leader, I really appreciate it. The standouts for me were "Everlasting Light" and "Worship Rises". I especially like "Everlasting Light". It's infectious!

Thanks to Chrisfromcanada.com for the chance to review this project. Great stuff!

Go get it on Itunes today!!!

Worship Rises (Live In Chicago) from Joshua Seller on Vimeo.

Music Monday 31

This is a post that you can participate in on every Monday. Everyone likes music, and there are obviously many tastes in music. This is here to see what different types of music are filling everyone's lives. Chime in!

I performed my first wedding this past Saturday, so...

If you are married, what song(s) did you have played. If you're not married, what's your favorite song you've heard at a wedding?

We had the song, "Love of My Life" by Jim Brickman & Michael W. Smith during the unity candle. I remember it was weird cause we had to stand there until the song ended.



your turn...

Worship Confessional 07.11.10

Setlist with itunes links:
Happy Day
Our God
How Great is our God
My Peace

Flow Sheet from Planning Center

Also part of Sunday Setlist.

Judging Lebron

Well, here we are...the day after the big announcement. Lebron James is going to the Miami Heat. Why is he going there? According to Lebron, because he wants to win championships. He's going to be playing with two superstars in Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, who is arguably one of the best ever. I certainly can't fault him for that, and I like the idea of seeing superstars dropping their egos a notch for the sake of a ring, because that's what's going to HAVE to happen if they want to win. The big 3 in Boston did it, and I'm sure they don't regret it. What's interesting is the backlash, which is inevitable. This is mainly coming from Cleveland. The Cavs owner is really crossing professional boundaries with accusations about Lebron's efforts, by saying that he basically gave up and threw games. Hopefully that wasn't the case, but those are very unprofessional, emotionally-driven comments. So, are they judging Lebron too harshly and quickly. I think so. Lebron is 25 years old. He's given his first 7 years in the NBA to a team, and they came up short a few times. The reason they came up short is both the Cavs and Lebron's fault. The Cavs never truly put solid talent around James, and a guy can only go so far by himself. Let's face it...he carried them everywhere they went. And let's remember, they went to the NBA finals on his back in 2007, and they posted the best record in the NBA the last 2 years. It's also Lebron's fault, because he's young. He's not even in his prime yet. Cleveland will forever be the place known as where Lebron grew into an NBA superstar. He learned a lot, and now he is taking his skill, knowledge and wisdom to Miami. I truly believe the best is yet to come from the Lebron era, and it's exciting to know that we'll all be witnesses to it.

Album Review - Joel Auge - Invisible Things

Invisible Things by Joel Auge

Invisible Things is the sophomore solo album from Integrity’s artist, Joel Auge. Joel is a Canadian singer/songwriter, and he is a also a worship leader for The Meeting House family of churches in Ontario.
“To all who listen with an open heart and mind, thank you… My goal was to make something original, inspiring, and with no boundaries - as a reflection of the Saviour I serve.”, says Auge. I listened to this project with an open heart and mind, and I definitely appreciated this album. In his goal to make something original and with no boundaries, Auge succeeded. The opening track, “Be Lifted”, is an out of the box worship tune that takes you by surprise. Musically speaking, most churches will struggle to emulate the style, but the song in it’s raw form could definitely be implemented into corporate worship. Another song that grabbed me was “You and Your Things”. I thought it was daring and beautiful to have a raw feel through half of the track. It’s beautiful song musically and lyrically. The message is very convicting and powerful. Certainly a song that needs to be heard. The song that impacted me the most was “Here to Love”. It talks about purpose and meaning to our lives. Why are we here? It’s simple…we’re to here to love. “Help me to lose myself to gain all that You’ve spoken.” Jesus said that if anyone wants to follow Him, they’re called to deny themselves, and that message was so clear this song. It’s also another tune that could be used in corporate worship.
I did feel that the album was weak lyrically at times. There was some predictable times in the lyrics that did not match the originality of the music. I did enjoy the album and appreciated it, though. Good stuff from Joel Auge and Integrity Music!

Go get it on Itunes today!!!

Word Wednesday .::102

Word Wednesday is posted every Wednesday. Each week I post a scripture that I've read that week that has spoken to me in a fresh way. I believe that if we read God's Word every day, He will give us at least one scripture every week that will impact us. Sharing Scripture with each other is like iron sharpening iron. Leave a comment and share a scripture that has impacted you this week.

Here's the scripture that stuck this week:

Proverbs 8:10-11 The Message

Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

Lady Wisdom saves us a lot of trouble in life, and we should want it most of all because it comes from God.


What's your Word?

Album Review - John Mark McMillan - The Medicine

The Medicine by John Mark McMillan

For those of us in the worship circles, when we hear the name, John Mark McMillan, we smile. We smile because he brought us a fresh heart cry for the church in the song, "How He Loves". That definitely has to be, if not the biggest song, one of the biggest songs for the church in the last few years.
When you listen to his new album, The Medicine, you find out there's much more than just one song when it comes to John Mark McMillan. You find a true artist. This is easily the best Christian album I've heard in a very long time. For me, the album represented a quality Folk/Rock project that glorifies God. McMillan is definitely a story-teller, which brings a Dylan quality to his music. I love that. Also, the electric guitar work really rounds off the recording with a very raw Kings of Leon feel. It's not too often I think of Bob Dylan and Kings of Leon when I hear Christian music, but that's what you get with this album.
As far as stand out tracks, "How He Loves" is easily the best recorded version of the song. I like the other ones that have come out by different artists, but it's an appropriate thing that the author of the song records the version that exceeds the others. Bravo on that! I also really like "Skeleton Bones". In a word, it's infectious. The other song that knocked me off my feet was "Dress Us Up". This is not an album full of songs for the church, but this is another one that could definitely find itself in corporate worship. I felt it was an incredibly fresh and daring recording. They definitely captured the energy and passion of the song.
I absolutely loved this album, and I expect to see many more projects from McMillan in the future. I'm excited and encouraged to see this special artist in the Christian music industry. Hopefully, we'll see more like him in the future. Great job John Mark McMillan and Integrity Music!

Go get it on Itunes today!!!

Music Monday 30

This is a post that you can participate in on every Monday. Everyone likes music, and there are obviously many tastes in music. This is here to see what different types of music are filling everyone's lives. Chime in!

It's Fourth of July weekend, so...

What's your favorite America, patriotic song?

I love "America, the Beautiful", especially by Ray Charles.



your turn...

Worship Confessional 07.04.10

Setlist with itunes links:
I Am Free
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
Freedom Reigns
Liberty



Flow Sheet from Planning Center

Also part of Sunday Setlist.

When God Interrupts Bumper Video

Here's a bumper video I made for our new sermon series.

Too say the least...

I can't wait to hear this album.

Doc is Back!

This is a good thing for Celtic fans. This could mean at least one more title run with the big 3. Fingers crossed.

Josh and Scooter