81:. Sunday Night Recap

So, as I sit here on my sweet futon, listening to some good music (In Rainbows, and by the way, did I mention that I’ll be seeing them in May with some great friends, chillin pretty dern close to the stage? Thank you Jesus for Radiohead and Tom Shafer), I figured I’d make good on my promise from earlier. Tonight was awesome. I feel like RE is getting closer and closer to where it has been wanting to get to. I think there are definitely things that are still being learned, and there is still a way to go before we get there, but progress is visible. Kids are bringing their friends, and I feel like that is the only way the ministry will naturally grow. It’s the same with our church. We’ve grown because people have taken to the idea that we need to ask the people we care about and that we live life with to come and experience Jesus at Port City. I feel like once the kids see and understand this, the community will flourish and can make a huge impact on Wilmington.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the night: We started around 6:30 with all sorts of stuff (including but not limited to a Wii, ping pong table, & 4-square) spread out over the big front room. We started the program at 7:10. Well, we tried. Someone, which is still a mystery, turned off the wireless ears rack so Brooks, Tom, and Missy all had no ears. So I had to stall, which I’m bad at when kids are unresponsive and i’m trying to solve a problem at the same time. They were fixed and we were off. Great set. Here it is:

The Time Has Come – Hillsong United
Come Thou Fount – DC*B into
Hosanna – Hillsong United
Love Song – Victory Fellowship/Jason Morant
Message
*Solution – Hillsong United

*We ended up having to cut this one out due to running short on time.

Everyone played very well. I felt like we were all real sensitive to where the Spirit was leading and did a great job of following Missy and I, flowing very seamlessly. You can’t teach that stuff. Daniel did a great job on the mix, and I feel we did a great job of landing in a place where Tony had their attention. Speaking of, Tony killed it tonight. He talked about the topic of Homosexuality. He did a great job explaining how we, as Christians, are to respond and interact with people who are gay. He talked about acceptance and how Jesus touched the untouchables and what that had to do with how we should live. Very moving and right on point. The kids seemed to be very attentive and were very mature about it all. I was impressed with them tonight.

Alright, here’s my Pro’s and Con’s:

Pro’s:
- Tony was sick. I mean straight up nasty. For those of you who don’t catch the lingo, he was very good.
- The line up of the band was great. I love playing with any one of those peeps. Playing with people who own what they do allows so much more room for creativity.
- Great set.
- Everyone was very prepared and the entire team, down to the production peeps seemed to be on board.

Con’s
- We went over on time. I think we should have started right at 7, which would have given us more than enough time.
- The wireless rack should not have been turned off for any reason. Why someone did that blows a lot of our minds. Weird.
- The games in the front room made us have to move them when we started and made the kids pull their own seats up. Whenever that happens, they sit farther away and are in formations that are more prone to distract the kids. Thats why we have the back room.
- I sweat a lot and I need a hair-cut. Geez. Know anyone?

All in all, it was a good week. Like I said, progress is visible and Brett and the Interns are doing a great job of moving it along. If you are in high school or know high schoolers in the Wilmington area and you haven’t checked out RE yet, you should. We are having different service times for Easter, so check the site for the info.

How was your weekend?

80:. Ripple Effect Preview

I’ve got a few minutes before I need to head out to Studio 3 to get ready for tonight, so I just wanted to drop a quick line to say hang in there for more posts. I’ve been kinda slack recently, but later tonight, i’ll be doin a recap for RE and get back into the flow again. Quick preview for later: We’ve got a great band and the topic tonight is Homosexuality and how we as Christians are supposed to treat people who struggle with it. Should be real good. So I’ll get more details later. Don’t forget to wear green tomorrow!

62:. Friday Update & Weekend Preview

So, I had that dentist stuff today. And to be honest, it didn’t suck too bad. I mean, I didn’t like it by any means, but it wasn’t horrible. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement. I still hate dentistry, but my dentist is awesome. Friday wasn’t so bad after all. PS, the Valium definitely made me a fun person to be around.

This weekend for the Student Ministries is sizing up to be a good one. Brett is bringing the heat and the band is a great line up. However, Brooks does love to make me sing to the utmost extreme of my range. Here’s the songs & keys

Broadcast – Steve Fee – A

We Shine – Steve Fee – D

Burn for You – Steve Fee – D

Beautiful Jesus – Kristian Stanfill – A

Beautiful the Blood – Steve Fee – C#

Come on man, I’ve been sick. Only kidding. Love that guy. So, it should be a great weekend and I should be searching for lots and lots of bottles of water. If you’re reading this and you’re in 6-12th grades, come out to Tsunami or Ripple Effect this weekend. Check the links for the times.

Had any good sets lately?

47:. MyOneWord #5

So, Mike really wasn’t joking when he said it was going to be tough. I think I’m around a month into it and I believe I’m starting to see some root problems. The first being that I have trouble following through with things. I may talk about things I want to do, but I just don’t go through with them. I don’t honestly understand it. I want to be better. I want to be healthier, but I can’t consistently respond the way I plan to. I’ll have strings of good days, but then something happens and I loose focus. Usually, it tends to be something changes. For instance, I’ve stayed at my parents house the past few days because of my car being worked on, and it has thrown me off. It’s cause I’m not in a place where I usually do my quiet time or do my recording and stuff. I need to learn how to adapt to what happens around me.

The second root problem I see is pretty simple, I’m lazy. I just would rather sleep longer than get up and go work out. I’d rather eat what is here than go get something healthy. I need to learn to come out of my comfort zone and into a place where I’m stretched. Its a part of growth. I want to welcome it, not ignore it. I want to embrace it, not deny it. Change is good. Stretching is good. Discipline is good. I need to push myself and I need to learn to take the encouragement from the people around me when it comes to this stuff. So this is where I’m at right now.

Do You Have Your Word Yet?

40:. Quiet Time Help

Two things that have really helped me improve and increase the frequency of my quiet times:

1. Lecto Divina: Read, Think, Live, Pray. I have had these four words on my desk, in plain eyes sight for maybe two years now. Ever since Passion 06′, I believe. Brian is wrapping up a series based around this idea. This way of reading my Bible has really helped me take in what I’m reading. Its awesome to remember what I’ve read, seriously. I never remember things …. What was I talking about, ahh yes, number 2 ….

2. http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/biblereading-1yr.html : I have always wanted to read the Bible in a year. For that matter, I’ve always wanted to be able to honestly say, “I’ve read the whole Bible.” I’m in the same boat as Mike. I have a problem with getting bogged down in some books sometimes. Days become weeks, weeks become months. Next thing I know, I haven’t had a quiet time since 3rd grade (not true, only hyperbole). So, i found this awesome site. It breaks down the bible for a year, but it also mixes between 7 categories, which gives me daily variety in my quiet times. Check it out, it’s definitely helped me out.

Has anything helped you?

Currently Listening: Brooke Fraser – Albertine

31:. Sunday Recap 2

So, Sunday went great, considering the circumstances. Eric pulled through and played it out, and Tom bailed us out for RE. Theo and Ed were both solid and awesome all day long. Welcome welcome, Theo. Yesterday was a great reminder that things may not go the way i have it all planned out in my head, but God will be glorified. I needed to just remind myself that even if the entire band went down, God is still God. He is bigger than RE or Tsunami and definitely me. We serve a mighty and holy God, and i’m stoked to be a part of what He is doing here. Ohh yea, life update: It is Good. Later

27:. The Flow and the Worst Day Ever

So, the start of a new year means two things. 1. School starts back again …. tomorrow. 2. Overflow is back. Tonight was great. For those of you who don’t know, Overflow is Port City Community Church’s 20-something’s ministry. It’s just a great community. It’s been a blessing to see it grow from where it has come from. The band has matured. Brian has matured. The group has matured. Its a cool thing. It was just good to be back in it.

So, when you read, “the worst day ever”, you may have thought i was over-exaggerating. However, i assure you I am not. Lets put it in context as well. First thing is that yesterday was a very awesome day. I felt great and real accomplished. On top of the world some may say. For instance, i got a call from my appt. managers and they told me that i forgot to cash in my parking pass voucher for school, so i get like 250 taken on my rent next month. So random, so awesome. Another thing, I hate the dentist. The sounds, the smell, the feeling i get when i’m laying in the chair. All of it. I do have a very excellent dentist who is very sensitive to my anxiousness and his assistants give me great care while i’m there. But no matter what they do, they still need to do their job, which makes me want to curl up and pull my hair out.

With that said, today started with getting up early, another thing i hate, just to go to the dentist. Double Whammy. Then, at the dentist, they informed me of several problems that i had with my teeth. I have real weak teeth, so i knew this was coming. The solution is this: 4 wisdom teeth are coming out, 2 crowns are being put on, and the best part, a root canal. Love it. Then, work was just blah. Not a good day. However, God is good, and i’m praying to see what he is showing me here. After thinking about it, i’ve got a pretty neat allegory about my teeth and what God does in his Children. Maybe i’ll share it one day.So here’s a new one i’ll throw at you …..

Either Or
**This is the section where i will give you two options, which you would chose one, and why.

Root Canal or Swift Kick to the Throat

Be Heard!