Merge Worship

I got an advance copy of PRIMAL from the good folks at Multnomah Publishing and Random House. I've been reading it as I could during the busyness of the Christmas season in church life. I've made it through a few chapters but figured the release day would be a good day to give you my take so far.

When I started reading it I was a little taken back by the idea that they wanted us to encourage people to make it their first book of the new year. Twenty pages in I realized that that's exactly what it should be. I've found myself challenged and left wanting to be closer to who Jesus calls us to be. Mark's writing style, that I came to know on his blog, speaks clearly in the early part of this book. He has a way of stripping away a lot of the trappings that we use to talk to each other without ever saying anything. When I read him I don't think about his theological bent but about my own heart. I don't find myself just listening to a lot of christianese strung together but really hearing the heart of the matter, and having my heart challenged to change. The one thing I can say succinctly about this book is that I walked away from two parts early in crying to find a place of prayer and reflection.

I can't wait to finish Primal but it's not a quick read for me. It's one of those books that I feel like is reading me. I've been left very dissatisfied after my reading; not with the book, but with the condition of my heart. It's delivering on its promise to "an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down two thousand years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again."

You can purchase the book on Amazon here: http://ow.ly/OHhL

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I'm honestly taking a bit of a break from blogging. This season of life has been rewarding and revealing and I just need some time to process in my own head before I share it with the world. (or the 100 people who stop by here regularly {and I LOVE you guys and gals!}) I'll leave this post with something I read today that totally resonated with me.

"Love to worship? Pray for Iranian Christians who long to 'shout to the Lord' but usually have to sing quietly and in secret." -From IRAN 30 (http://twitter.com/iran30)

This so speaks to why I work with them and why I respect those who worship Christ in closed environments so much. My heart hurts for their oppression and longs to live with their level of passion.

I just got some amazing news from my friends @Iran30. They just announced that Maryam and Mazrieh were released after 259 days in prison. I've been overwhelmed and amazed at the response from twitter and facebook friends. People have really responded and it has shown me that people are indeed praying for those being persecuted for their faith. God is indeed good. All the time.

You can check the entire article here:

http://elam.com/articles/Released/

My heart has been a little wrecked recently. There's more than one explanation as to why that could be the case but none are really worth rehashing here. I was surprised by the way my heart has been revealing itself recently. Just the other day I sat down at the piano and this chorus came flowing out:

I want to tear down the walls of apathy and make believe

Take off the mask I wear of everything is perfect here

I wonder if I will ever find a place where I can just be me

I want to live...honestly

Now I hadn't been doing a ton of thinking about living honestly but I will say that I live (and have for the past couple of years) in a state of what I call "holy discontent". My heart has been heavy with the desire to be a great leader, a phenomenal Dad, a wonderful husband and a difference maker in the world for His sake. And the truth is that on any given day I feel like I stink at a number of those things but I don't know who I'd actually say that to. I have a great wife, amazing family and wonderful friends but some days I still feel all alone.

In many ways I think I just want to be able to be real. Human. Honest. Broken.

Do you ever wonder if you'll ever find honesty? Do you ever dream of a place where you can share all your stuff and hear truth and love in response? I do.

This is worth 15 minutes of your time. Check it out and bring your kleenex.

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

{stepping onto the soap box}

Yesterday's phone call wasn't the one I wanted to get. I love getting the calls about exciting things happening in ministry. Even the calls about life crises are welcome because they force me closer to Christ. This was one of those calls. The friend who had to move. Not because they'd done anything wrong but because someone else trashed them. Ruined their reputation. Tried to destroy their life and ruin their marriage.

I know this friend pretty well. Not perfect, but honest. I was sickened that the pain they've experienced (tragic loss, personal sickness) was multiplied by their church family. Petty disagreements led to personal assault and what was once fun and games became life or death.

The accusations being thrown around had almost destroyed a family. I was reminded in that conversation that accusation of the brothers was somebody else's job.

Revelations 12:10--

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

Some people close to my friend have been doing the devil's dirty work and I wish they'd stop.

{stepping off of soap box}

It's been a minute or two since I last blogged. The family and I have been on vacation and I'm just getting back into the groove.

I wanted to share something with you that I read before leaving for vacation. It's called "A Jesus Manifesto" and it was written by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola. Not the most obvious pairing on the planet, but a great testament to the truth that they've agreed to in this document. Here's a taste of what they have to say:

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology. Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity is the “good news” that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are found in a person. Biblical community is founded and found on the connection to that person. Conversion is more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection. Jesus’ use of the ancient Hebrew word shubh, or its Aramaic equivalent, to call for “repentance” implies not viewing God from a distance, but entering into a relationship where God is command central of the human connection.

I challenge you to take a few minutes and visit their site. Read the manifesto and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. If you're like me (and let's hope you aren't ;-), expect to be confirmed, convicted, challenged and motivated. My prayer is that we would all embrace Him and make it our mission to make Him known.

I shared this illustration with our congregation this past Sunday in worship and I thought it would be worth sharing here. We were finishing up our set with a little old school Tomlin; "We Fall Down". As we sang the chorus in rehearsal ("We cry holy, holy, holy") I began to reflect on the eternal nature of the song we were singing.

We hear the song being declared from eternity past in Isaiah 6. Isaiah describes seeing seraphs surrounding the throne of God singing continually "holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty. The whole earth is filled with His glory."

We see the song declared in the eternal future by these same creatures in Revelations 4. John describes them singing "holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. Who was and is and is to come". This triggers a worship offering from the 24 elders that I can't wait to see.

The point is that there is an eternal song happening right now. At this very minute those creatures are somewhere in their "holy, holy, holy" song. How powerful is it that at any moment of any day we can join their song and sing the eternal praises of our God?

I encourage you to think about that imagery the next time you hear those words in a song. Allow yourself to connect to that eternal song and appreciate the depth and wonder of an eternal song to our eternal King.

So this is going to be a little off the beaten path, but honestly I wanted to just do something fun. I heard yesterday that Disney is going to be buying Marvel. This prompted a 30 minute discussion with my 8 year old son about what Disney/Marvel pairings would be the funniest or clearest connection. He even asked if I thought they could do the deal in time to get Mickey and the gang on the roster of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. (I told him I doubted it.)

Here's a list of some of my faves from our discussion. (btw...if you don't know who some of these people are, I need you to up your nerd quotient a little bit before continuing) :-)

Iron Man & Buzz Lightyear

Frozone & Iceman

Deadpool & Goofy (also known as the laugh track)

Thor & Stinky Pete (They both use a hammer/axe type deal...work with me. Besides, you can't say Thor & Stinky Pete out loud without laughing. Go ahead and try it....told you.)

Minnie Mouse and Jean Gray (both with more power than anyone credits them for)

Donald Duck and Gambit (similar accents)

Dash and The Human Torch

Cruella DeVille and Mystique

Mickey and Captain America

What are some combos you'd like to see or that would make you laugh out loud?

I'm reading a new devotional called "Solo" by Eugene Peterson. In the first devo (on Gen. 3:1-10) he challenges the reader to confess ways that they've rebelled against God. I began listing my transgressions aloud and then I heard the still, small, overwhelming voice of God in my heart say...

"You're confessing the overt rebellions, what about the ones that fly under the radar? The covert ways you rebel against me. Your refusal to trust. Your refusal to hope. Your willingness to just live and get by. I want all of you. I want you to be ALL MINE."

Boys and girls, the word for today is "conviction". See you on the other side.

I was watching The West Wing last night while I couldn't sleep and this scene was in that episode. The young lady in the scene wants to say thank you to a teacher who is retiring and has asked for the President to issue a proclamation for her. I'll wait until you finish...





This scene moved me and I'll tell you why. I'm moved by a lot of things, but consistently I'm moved by people making a significant impact on the lives of others. It's why some of my favorite moments in life haven't been musical or public. It's the phone call from an old friend telling you how much you meant to them. It's sending an email to my childhood pastor to tell him "a lot of what I do has a little 'Steve' in it. It's the teenage drummer crying when I left my last church because of our friendship. It's receiving an email that says thanks for your encouragement or sending an email that thanks someone not for what they did or do, but for who they are to you.

Relationships matter to me. Honestly, I'm not that moved by title or position. I love the opportunity to lead, but the opportunity to impact others is what motivates me to keep going. Be encouraged all of you who give your life trying to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Someday you'll get your call too. The one I'm hoping for is "well done good and faithful servant".

Is there anyone out there who is missing a moment like this phone call from you? You might not be able to get the President on the line but I'm sure they'd love to just hear it from you.

I had a thought over the weekend that kind of haunted me. Here it is:

What would I change about my life if it were being filmed 24/7?

Don't worry; this isn't going to be one of those "God is already watching your life 24/7 so change it anyway" kind of posts. It did challenge me to think of what I would do differently. I'd probably:

• Pray more & stress less
• Spend more time listening than talking
• Spend less time tweeting
• Play less Halo and play more board games with my kids
• Spend less time watching TV and more time reading
  
• Hug my wife more
• Never ignore my kids when they want to do something
• Spend less time on Facebook and have my "face in the book" more (that's a Tony Sutherland special)
  

All these things are good, but as I thought them through I had an overwhelming response rise in my heart. On my journey to try and know God I've gotten to the place where relationship has replaced religion and it is a wondrous thing. I'm going to work on some of these things and change where I need to but I'm not going back to viewing God as a taskmaster keeping galactic tabs on my dos and don'ts.

I refuse to trade beauty for duty. How about you?

I love helping others figure out how to navigate the issues going on in their life/team/church/organization. It makes me feel alive to help other people. I've given advice over this last month on social networking, worship team policies, connecting a firewire hard drive to a USB only computer and church service formats. I love seeing others succeed. I have my bouts with personal ambition and jealousy when others go further than I do, but at my heart I'm a servant leader who believes in supporting the dreams of others.

I'm becoming convinced that one of my strengths moving forward will not be knowing all the information but knowing where to find information. I am building more relational capital by sharing information freely than I ever did by trying to keep my sources on lock down and appear smarter than I am. I have my former church to thank for that to a large degree. They helped open my heart even more to how to bless others.

There is a paradigm shift from being the guy (or gal) with all the answers to being the gal (or guy) who can steer someone to thought and on their own process to find answers. It's one of the reasons I'm always linking to others. Sometimes it can get annoying if you turn into some one's personal google, but people truly appreciate someone who knows where to find answers.

Do you share your knowledge freely? Any thoughts on how this applies to your world? I'd love to know your thoughts.

The guys over at Church Crunch have posted a dynamite blog today. Check it out below and sign up for their rss feed and continue to get great stuff from John and crew.

This is a Guest Post by Nate Beaird.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to make a historical film for the 75th anniversary celebration of some local churches. Reviewing the script, I read about the power of the Great Commission and the momentum it gave the individuals who followed it.

It was an unforgettable experience. After completing the project I walked away amazed.

I learned about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the birth of these churches. My generation knows very little about the stories of old, yet, I believe to work together effectively, the different age groups need to become acquainted with each other.

Some from my generation call the “older” generation “out of touch,” but I know the truth: The older generation has been more in touch with the heart of God than I may ever be. These are the people who have lived through the history I read about in school, the open range cowboys, the civil rights activists, the veterans of wars fought for my freedom, those who knew and loved Christ before I ever lived.

They have been faithful to their calling, and are cheering me on to be faithful to mine.

What is my calling? My generation, just like Noah, Moses, Esther and other heroes of the Bible who had a heart for their home, and their generation. No one is going to be able to reach my generation as well as… my generation. That means new methods must be used, “out of the box” ideas, maybe even ideas that are possible and feasible, but previously unheard of.

More thoughts after the jump…

Just as the pioneers of these local churches were trusted to build a church, so must we be infused with trust to push forward for our generation. We are visual. We are relational. We are unlike any previous generation before us, which is probably why we’re misunderstood.

We pierce our face and buy jeans with holes already in them.

So!? It’s time, Church, to let appearances go. Our passion for Jesus eclipses the naysayers and bonds us to any age group that lets us worship by reaching people on a different level. We may need to be patient at times. We don’t want to just attend church, we want to be apart of something that’s making a difference. We don’t pledge our commitment lightly, but once we find something to live for, we’ll die for it.

For the past 15 years God’s been breeding an army so massive, so passionate, so united, that Christianity as we know it will be rocked to the very core. We are kingdom-minded with no strings attached. As the older generation is like Elijah, we are like Elisha, asking for a double portion of God. We are reckless and fearless for God. If he says we can do it, we believe we can.

Peter Craig, of the 24-7 Prayer Movement, writes in “The Vision”:

Their DNA chooses Jesus.
(He breathes out, the breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings.
They’ve had a blood transfusion with Jesus.

Their words make demons scream in shopping centers.
Don’t you hear them coming?

Herald the weirdos!
Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes!
They walk tall and trees applaud, Sky scrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.

I realize there are issues we all could work on. The older generation worries about how low my jeans hang and I can’t get up to go to a prayer breakfast at six in the morning.

Nonetheless, we will not unite our generations by bickering about our weaknesses, so, what if our strengths got some talk time? If we were to combine the older generation’s wisdom, knowledge, and experience, and our networking, strength, and passion the possibilities would be endless.

“We” are not the future; we are the today. “They” are not the past, they are the today. We are not the next of “them,” we are the first of “us.”

We don’t want them to pass the baton to us, because that means their race is over. We want their blessing on our baton, so we can run together.

My song, We Will, is being used on Iran30 in their video to promote prayer for Iran. These are trusted friends of mine and I'm thankful for the opportunity to play a small part in helping bring awareness to what God is doing in this country. You can check out the video by clicking here.

God has been gracious enough to do some cool things with this song through us giving it away over the last year. We're making it available for sale for the first time now. You can purchase either the single or the background track if you'd like to perform it in your own church. You can get it by clicking on one of the buy it now buttons below. 25% of the profit will go back to Iran30 and their ministry. Thanks and feel free to link and tweet away. :-)

We Will (Single) $0.99

We Will (Background Track) $5.99

(begin rant)

I'm angry today. Pissed would be a better word, but my Mom doesn't really like it so it couldn't be the title of this post. I'm going to share something that I loathe here today. I got a new twitter follower today who will remain nameless, but reminds me of all these guys who buy up time on BET on the weekend to ask you to send them money for them to give you a prophecy.

Get your golden key here. Buy my prosperity package there. Here a scam. There a scam. Everywhere a scam scam.

This guy in particular has a pretty famous parishioner who he ordained and is the logo for my fantasy basketball team. He has a church in NYC and a TV show and website. All dedicated to the greatness of him and how you can give him or his associate's money to prophecy over you. You can also get a prophecy for free mailed to you right after you provide him with all your pertinent information. In researching him briefly, I found several of his followers on Amazon debating about one of his books. Here's some of their direct quotes:

"I am an example, he awaken me as to who God is in me and who Iam in God....so guess what??? I DO NOT PLAY GOD...I am God." (I think I threw up in my mouth a little after pasting that)

"You are a child that's why you can't hear the Lord's voice. God is a gentleman. He does not MOLEST kids. Good luck with your irrational mind." (this was in response to someone being critical)

This stuff really makes me angry. I've heard the testimonies. After I called the 800 number XYZ happened to me. One preacher in particular stopped a woman testifying to God's provision of a house to make sure she added "after I laid my hands on you" in several places. Are you serious?!

How about this? "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." (Isaiah 42:8)

These men prey on people so poor and desperate that they are looking for saving wherever they can find it. They distract people from the one, true source of salvation and freedom; Jesus. They are wolves among the flock and this pastor, for one, wants to kick them out forcefully.

I normally don't use this space for rants, but this is something that has been stuck in my craw for a while now. I'll leave with these words from 2 Peter 2:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

And all God's people said amen.

(end rant)

I've been trying to think about something profound to blog about, but this last week has left me with somewhat of a blank slate so I thought I'd share these verses.


It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. ---Lamentations 3:22-23

Here's to being thankful for blank slates.

This season of life has been fascinating for me. I've alternated from extreme days of multiple ideas (like a random twitter idea I got in the shower this morning) to days of feeling completely barren creatively. On top of all the stuff going on with my Mom (who recently underwent a stem cell transplant for cancer treatment) and adjusting to a new church with a very different environment than I'm used to, I'm being deeply challenged in my faith.

Don't get it twisted, not challenged in my faith as in "wondering about the validity of Jesus and Christianity", but challenged in the mode of "why do I believe what I believe". As I said in an earlier post, "I hate walls" and I'm willing to go beyond my narrow circle to hear what other Christ followers are saying and what the Holy Spirit is speaking to them. I won't rehash that here, but I will say that there are so many voices out there. And there are extremists in every camp.

The real genesis of this came when I was listening to Derek Webb's new CD. He uses some pretty provocative word pictures to ask some pretty pointed questions about our practice as believers. As I listened and explored I found myself reading a post called "Should Christians Be More Worldly?" on John Mark McMillan's blog. (love his song "How He Loves Us" btw) I didn't finish reading it because I just began to get overwhelmed.

It's the same feeling I had when reading "A New Kind of Christian" by Brian McLaren. (Not a resource I'm recommending by the way. I only recommend that book to close friends who I think it would benefit which has been a grand total of one person since I first read it. For a book I'd recommend without hesitation on the topics of freedom in Christ that will challenge you, check out "Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning or "Messy Spirituality" by Mike Yaconelli) Just this overwhelming since of "I don't want to miss it". I don't want to live my life in a wasteful way and I need to reevaluate my view of what God's purpose for our lives as believers is. The bottom line is that I desperately want to please Jesus. I want to please Him in every way that I can so I search for Him. I search for ways for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to me as Jesus said He would.

When I get overwhelmed like this I am finding I have one of two responses. I either shut down and ignore those feelings for a bit or I retreat to Jesus and His Word. I'm all for pushing forward, growing and stretching but I will say that I think sometimes the best thing to do is retreat. Go back. Find out exactly what Jesus said. Allow the Holy Spirit to use His Word to challenge you. So I'm taking a step back from the controversy and the company line. I'm retreating to the solitude of Scripture. Because one thing that my "wall breaking" lifestyle always does is lead me back to Him. And I love the adventure.

Do you need to retreat? Where do you find you go to find your footing?

I've been thinking about grudges/offenses/hurts/unforgiveness (especially as it relates to other believers) for a little while now. I've got a couple of people in my life who make me cringe when I think about them because thoughts about that person take me back to a not so fun time together. I will say up front that I have been extremely blessed. My life has been free from traumatic events. I have no abuse to forgive. No great injustice to grieve over. I've got no story like my friend Danny Wallace. (check him out for an amazing story of God's faithfulness in a life that could have been filled with bitterness and struggle)

What I do have is insecurities and a list of grievances of people who have treated me unfairly. That list is shorter than it used to be, but I've been reviewing the list and came to this conclusion. 90% of the people on that list are believers. According to what I see in Scripture, I'm spending eternity with these folks. So here's what I'm thinking...forever is a long time to hold a grudge.

Do I really think that four millenniums from now I'm still going to be ticked at brother so and so for what they said in the 90s? How ridiculous is that? So if it's true that forgiveness will come eventually, why not start the process now?

Who's that person in your world that you're going to be in eternal fellowship with that you avoid today?

Let's get this forgiveness thing started today. I'm not sure if we'll be forgiving each other in heaven, but eternity is a long time to dodge someone. There's going to be more important things to do with our time then.

I spent some time with my Mom this weekend. She and I got about an hour and a half together. It was precious time. We talked about life, pastoring, calling, relationships, mission, healing and holiness. She is coming out of a stem cell transplant and this is expected to be a tough time for her. But here’s what I noticed.

Her love for Jesus is deeper. It’s as if this time of physical purging has honed her focus on what really matters. When we talked about holiness, it was interesting to hear her take on it. Basically it was this. “If you really know Jesus and understand to some degree the depths He went to to save you, you would avoid sin because you’d want to please Him in every way.”

Jesus asked the Father to do this; “Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) As we talked I realized one of the truths of this passage. I began to see the seasons of my life with more clarity and acknowledge that my level of “sanctity” (for lack of a better term) was directly proportionate to the amount of time I spent engaging God in Scripture.

Now; people who know me will tell you I’m not very “sanctified” by old school standards. I joke about everything. I’d probably fail most of your holiness tests. I’m really comfortable with the truth that my righteousness is filthy rags to Him and that I’m in desperate need of Jesus’ saving grace to make it through.

With that said, I am intensely interested in pleasing Him. I’m not overly into pleasing everyone anymore. I’m slowly coming to the reality that my life needs only to please my God and my family. For me it’s less about whether I hit a certain target or do or don’t do certain things on a list of church prescribed holiness. It’s about making sure the condition and intent of my heart pleases Him.

Honestly; little else matters. When I blow it there it feels like my world is coming apart. When I know He’s pleased, even the storms feel like ocean breezes on a sunny vacation day. And how do I know when He’s pleased? When I look in His Word and find out what pleases Him and walk in that. When I allow His truth to be my sanctification. If I were in the TBN world still I would say “allowing His truth to be my sanctification brings my soul satisfaction”. Well!!! (said with a little organ music in the background)

Can I get a witness?

The title of this post won't be a shock to those who know me. I'm not a fan of walls, rules, consequences (for me...big believer in them for others), concrete and stiff mattresses. The only things I really like being impenetrable are my house, car and the airplane I'm flying in.

*DISCLAIMER* I'm very thankful for the heritage that I've been given and the passion I was trained in to study scripture, believe in a God who is close to us and to treasure His truth and presence.

With that said, I grew up in a denomination that, at the time, was pretty rigid. Don't wear jewelry. Don't wear wedding rings. Don't wear shorts. Don't. Don't. Don't. In some ways I think we could have played Tesla's "Signs" in a worship service and people would've been into it.

At my first church job I had a 16 year old ask me in all seriousness; "Baptists aren't going to heaven, right?". (Don't worry @EdStetzer I told him you guys were golden. Like Ed ever reads this thing:-) I was like WHAT?!?!? I think that kind of upbringing had something to do with my disdain for concrete.

Don't get me wrong. I believe in absolute truth. I believe Jesus is the only way anyone gets to know God and gain eternal life. I'm not talking about walls of divine truth or clear guidelines for holy living.

I hate the walls we make. Walls of denomination. Walls of worship styles. Walls of race. Walls of "if everyone else was just more like me". And here's why...

I went to a conference that was filled with hardcore reformed speakers and attended widely by students at a local Southern Baptist Seminary. I would not consider myself reformed, didn't go to seminary and am a charismatic believer. But I learned a TON! I was inspired by the commitment to the Word, to Jesus and to His Church. I had God reveal things in my heart that needed to be repented of and I had my dedication to His purposes strengthened. I know friends that would not have gone because of the walls they've erected in their hearts.

I'm in no way saying "don't belong to a denomination" or "don't ascribe to a certain stream of theology". Don't get it twisted. I get that we all have a place of deep belonging, but I also understand that there is a greater Body beyond the one I meet with on a weekly basis. And here's the real deal. I believe God is HUGE. Bigger than our walls. So broad that our walls can't contain Him and by hemming ourselves in we diminish a full picture of who He is.

I'm not saying embrace every teaching under the sun, but I am saying embrace every brother and sister. The reason I hate walls is because I believe my particular outlook on life, minuscule understanding of God and personal worship preferences can't contain the whole of the greatness of our God and that other people, with other viewpoints can help me see Him more clearly. I'm on a lifelong pursuit to know Him in "the fellowship of His sufferings and the power of His resurrection" and I believe that pursuit shouldn't be restricted by walls that He didn't put up.

How can you reach beyond your own walls and learn from someone else?

BTW you can check out audio from the sessions by clicking here. I'd recommend Mark Driscoll's talk on "Ministry Idolatry" for any of my ministry friends.

I have a problem. Ok. I have several problems, but the one I wanted to share today is this. I punish myself. If I mess up I feel like I deserve the worst for it. It doesn't matter what it is. Sin. Anger. Offense. If I blew it I think I should pay. It's one of the reasons I tend to be gracious in my relationships. I have a definitive handle on how much I need grace.

At any rate, I'm beginning to see this place of brokenness in my 7 year old son. If he doesn't succeed at something he feels the failure deeply. If he mistreats a friend he'll beat himself up for it. Just this last Thursday he asked Misty to punish him for being mean to a friend. We told him a simple apology would do (it was a small thing) but he was sure he deserved punishment. It broke my heart.

There are times as a Dad that are joyous. Thursday wasn't one of those days. I wept on the way home as I saw this broken place in my son so clearly. I prayed and called my Dad to ask for prayer and wisdom. When I got home my son and I had a heart to heart.

I told my little man that my love for him was unconditional and that I wanted to help him navigate this emotional minefield. He told me I was going to make him cry and I told him it was ok. We talked for about 15 minutes about being able to recover for mistakes and being able to receive grace. At the end of that time I held him and prayed over him.

I cried openly asking God to heal the brokenness in my buddy and asking him to help me be a great Dad. Judah hugged me and was clearly uncomfortable with the fact I was crying that way. At the end of my prayer he squeezed me tight me and said "Daddy don't cry". I told him I was ok and he said "I was really worried you were going to get water on my hair while you were praying".

I love having a 7 year old boy. Never a dull moment.

I thought it would be fun to share a few albums that might not be on your radar but should be on your iPod. At another time, I might do some categorized recommendations, but for now I'll share some albums that stay in my rotation. So, with that said, here's four newer albums and one classic gem.

1. Jonny Lang-Turn Around

This is a gospel album from an accomplished blues guitarist. Jonny Lang has a great, soulful voice. Dude can also kill a guitar. Favorite tracks are "Don't Stop for Anything", "One Person at a Time", "Thankful" (featuring Michael McDonald) and "Turn Around". Do yourself a favor and check this beast of a record out. Good from beginning to end.



2. Marc Broussard-Keep Coming Back

If you're not familiar with Marc Broussard, all of his stuff is worth picking up, but this latest album is chock full of 70s soulful goodness. Think Bill Withers/Tower of Power kind of vibe. Favorite tracks are "Hard Knocks", "Come in From the Cold" (live) and "Man for Life". Definitely a great throwback album with great musicianship and production.



3. Fellowship Church-Closer to the Start

This is not your Daddy's church worship project. It feels more like a good pop album that happens to be worship and outreach focused. It's also not your average church album's production. Everything is crisp and clean on this record. Favorite tracks are "God So Loved", "Shores of Mystery", "Til You Throw it Away" and "New Creation". Pick this one up if you're a little tired of "normal" worship music and use as inspiration to shake your own worship times up a bit.


4. Brooke Fraser-Albertine

To say I love this album would be an understatement in the arena of saying I merely love Coke. This is easily my favorite album I've purchased in the last 2 years. Brooke is a great writer and her voice is like fresh air. Favorite tracks are "C.S. Lewis Song", "Shadowfeet" and "Albertine". There really isn't a track on the CD I don't like. When the bridge of the "C.S. Lewis Song" hits and she sings "we are not long here..." it hits me like a ton of bricks every time. You can also hear Brooke singing on some Hillsongs United records. She wrote their song, "Hosanna" among others.

5. Cannonball Adderly-Somethin' Else

This is the best jazz record most people have never heard of. It's right on par with Miles Davis' Classic "Kind of Blue". Cannonball is a tour de force on sax and the rest of the band is smoking hot. Favorite tracks are ALL OF THEM! This record has my favorite version of "Autumn Leaves" ever recorded. The sax solo to kick off the improvisations on "One for Daddy-O" still slays me even though I can sing along with the entire solo note for note. If you're jazz collection is missing this iconic project pick it up now. You won't regret it.

What are the albums that get continual love in your iTunes?

This is a part of the Tribes Group Blogging Project based on Seth Godin’s book “Tribes”.


“Leadership happens out of the corner of your eye, in a place where you weren’t watching”.

It’s so true that the genesis of great leadership often goes unnoticed. One of the great challenges of leadership, in my opinion, is seeing that potential and developing it in others. To embrace their hope and help them pursue their dreams.

Seth says that everyone knows the “leadership tricks” but it’s really about creating an experience for your tribe. If that’s the case, and I believe for the most part it its, then leadership is about helping people connect. Helping them “care” about your cause. If your “cause” is getting people clean water like in the case of charitywater.org then make them feel the thirst of others and see clearly how they can make a viable change. If your cause is making people better bloggers then do what John Saddington (yes he gets 2 separate links. he's the guy who started this tribe up.:-) does and constantly give people tools to do more and go farther.

One thing I’m noticing more and more about leadership is that it really cares about others. It reminds me of when the love chapter of the Bible says “love is not self-seeking”. The leaders I truly admire are like Tasmin Little. (mentioned on p.123) She cares more about getting classical music heard and appreciated then she does about the profit she’s losing from giving her CD away. Seth did the same thing by asking people to give away their audio copy of his book at the end. Or guys like Shawn Wood and Anne Jackson who used their influence in the last year to get people to buy shoes, sponsor children and provide clean drinking water for people in need. By caring more about the message than the bottom line, these people inspired me to find out more about their cause and to spread the word.

I wonder. How many people could we affect if they could see that we care more about their connection than our reputation? If they understood that your chief concern as a leader was seeing their dreams soar? I loved Seth’s last line about hope. “Without it, there is no future to work for.”

Where would we be as leaders if we oozed commitment and hope? Better yet, where would our “tribes” be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

So this is my 100th post. It feels like I've done a lot more but the numbers don't lie. It's odd that this would happen today. I'm going to go ahead and say that this will be one of my most vulnerable posts I've written.

It's been one heck of a week. (my more liberal brothers and sisters can feel free to substitute an alternate work for heck) I went on Monday to visit my Mom in the hospital. She's been battling cancer (I refuse to capitalize that word) for right at 2 years now. It's been an amazing journey of learning to see God's hand in the little things in life.

Then today I got the call that a long time, close friend is dealing with another type of cancer. He's angry. Trusting. But angry. And I can't blame him. Ed's not much older than me. I cried for him and his family after I got the news. Just closed the door to my office and cried. I'm crying now. Life is so precious. I'm beginning to understand more about why King David described life as a "vapor".

To be honest, it's a bit overwhelming at times. Knowing that this life is temporary and it will be over often before we want it to be. This season of my life is not easy. I've thought about how old my kids might be when it's my time to go. Wondered about why I haven't done more things of significance and wondered if I ever truly would.

You see, I want to live a life that matters. But days like today make it difficult to find that pulse. When you see the world of those you love flipped on it's ear it's a jarring thing. (not nearly as jarring as what they are going through to be sure) The perspective I'm gaining is that I HAVE TO GET BUSY DOING WHAT I'M CREATED TO DO.

Maybe you're like me and can't find that thing. Maybe there's a persistent deficiency that haunts you. For me it's lack of discipline and self worth. I get hung up on my shortcomings and rarely celebrate my longcomings. (i just made that word up. my creative moment of the day) But you know what...in the end I want my life to count and I know you do to. What can we do to get busy living? How can I harness the impact of this season and the weight of today into forward momentum? If anyone has the answers, please let me know. Because I'm trying to find them and the view's a little hazy through my tears.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately on the commitment it takes to generate change. Creating culture rarely happens overnight. It (usually) means doing the back breaking work of plowing fields and tearing down walls. This came clear to me on Monday. I was helping my Dad spread mulch in their yard. We'd already picked up a truck full of mulch and we were doling out load number two. I realized in that moment that most things of value take TIME.

Take on the challenge
Invest in the outcome
Marry yourself to the vision
Engage the process

One tough thing about being a leader is that part of you wants to look for the easy way out. Whether that means acquiescing to those who want to refuse change or settling for the status quo. That's much easier to do. And frankly, there are a lot of people willing to settle there.

I'm not one of those guys. I want to see people move forward and the Church grow and innovate. My prayer is that more people will be willing to spend TIME on seeing change happen.

What ways do you take the TIME to build culture where you serve and lead?

btw...my friend Chris said I should say that I just came up with that acrostic so no one would think I stole it from a book. :-)

Last night I had a daunting thought. Sometimes I treat God too casually. I mean, I get that He wants relationship with us and that we should "talk to Him like we talk to a friend". But I was reminded that He's not just another friend.

He's beyond another relationship to be pursued. He's more than just another interest. He's beyond being a part of my life. Scripture says He is life. I've spent a lot of my time trying to figure out how to fit His life into mine instead of asking how to fit my life inside His.

I LOVE the truth that Jesus loves us like we are. I embrace the fact that my imperfections are opportunities for His strength to be made perfect. And deep down inside I KNOW that my life is empty and useless outside of His presence and purpose. I want to be more Him and less me.

I'm feeling a tug on my heart back to reverence. Not the "you don't wear anything but a suit to church" (or a dress for the ladies) reverence. But a "God is holy and so far beyond my comprehension that I need to evaluate my continual respect level for Him" reverence.

So I guess what I'm saying is more of a prayer... Jesus help me to hold You in higher esteem. Help me to latch on to Your truth beyond my current circumstances. Help me to hold on to Your Word as the truth in every situation. Thank you for being my friend. I love you for that. But I also want to honor You as my King. Teach me that balance...amen.

How do you practice reverence?

I had a thought today. (congratulatory notes accepted) Could one of the reasons that people leave in leadership transitions in churches be because we as leaders have failed to connect them beyond ourselves to the source of our passion and drive? Could it be that we may have led well, but not really introduced true community to the people we led? I do understand that sometimes people will leave when you exit. It's happened to me in places. I get that people enjoy different styles and connect to various leaders/pastors in a special way. I still resonate and connect with people I helped lead/pastor in various churches but, if I'm doing my job well, I'm steering every one's heart toward Him. A proof that ministry is done well, in my mind, is that when you leave people stay because their connection to God is deeper than a personal connection to you.

One of my personal practices in this area is to deflect all the praise to God and accept criticism for myself. Not to be self deprecating, but to steer people to God in the good and to walk with them through the bad. I'm finding that continually refusing to embrace praise and pushing to embrace community is one way to deepen the bonds of friendship and also build the relational capital to help steer people's hearts past minutia to what really matters.

When it's all over, I doubt the Lord is going to ask me how well people resonated with me personally. I feel He's much more likely to ask how much of my life I spent steering people to the only true hope in this world.


How do you steer people closer to Jesus and deeper into community?

This weekend we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love this time to reflect on the goodness and greatness of a God who came to earth. Who lived and died and now lives again.

His victory is eternal.

His love is never ceasing.

His mercy is amazing.

His worth is unending.

I want to share with you the verses of a hymn we will be singing and would encourage you to take some time this week with these lyrics (and/or the Gospel story) and remember the work of the cross and the freedom available now to all who dare to believe that Jesus is real and His word is truth.


Crown Him With Many Crowns

Crown Him with many crowns the Lamb upon His throne
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but it's own
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity

Verse 2

Crown Him the virgin's Son the God incarnate born
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn
Fruit of the mystic rose as of that rose the stem
The root whence mercy ever flows the Babe of Bethlehem

Verse 3

Crown Him the Son of God before the worlds began
And ye who tread where He hath trod crown Him the Son of Man
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast
And takes and bears them for His own that all in Him may rest

Verse 4

Crown Him the Lord of life who triumphed over the grave
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save
His glories now we sing Who died and rose on high
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die

Verse 8

Crown Him the Lord of lords who over all doth reign
Who one on earth the incarnate Word for ransomed sinners slain
Now lives in realms of light were saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night their God, Redeemer, King

The Tarheels are National Champions...again. This is their 4th title in my lifetime and it's always a fun thing. However, this team is different for me. Special. And here's why.

When we won the title in 2005 it was a welcome home for Coach Williams and a welcome back to our program. The next year, little to nothing was expected of this team. Then comes Frasor, Hansbrough, Green and Ginyard. Four guys who none of us knew. I loved Felton, May, McCants and that crew but I probably cheered harder for that 2006 team then I ever had. They reminded me of what it felt like to be a fan again. I pulled for us through the lean years, but this was different. There was a special connection for me to these gangly group of freshmen.

I love this team because they gave me a reason to cheer. They worked their butt off and showed us all what could be done when people come together with a common purpose and a willingness to work toward that end. They gave my 7 year old the same euphoric feeling I had as a 6 year old in 1982 watching my Dad's favorite college team bring home a national title. They came back (albeit mostly because of poor projected draft position) and came back on a mission. They brought joy to the Tarheel experience and proved that old Coach Roy could win with his own crew.

Honestly, I'm thankful that I got to pull for these guys and will always appreciate this ride from 2006-2009. I hope my son will get to experience a journey like this. And I get this will make me sound like an old fogey, but with the proliferation of early exits to the NBA, I'm not sure he will.

Thanks Tyler, Ty,Wayne, Bobby, Danny, Mike, Marcus, Deon, Coach Roy and crew. It's been amazing.

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These are the folks currently following me on Twitter. I'm thankful for the relationships that are forming and growing there. Do you use twitter? If so, hit me up @adamherod.