Thursday, July 28, 2011

My Current Playlist

So, anyone that knows me knows I love music. I have it blasting on my computer all day long or I am playing my guitars and rocking out to it. So, here is what is currently lighting up my playlist.
  • Needtobreathe - The Outsiders....LOVE their sound. Unlike anything else out there now.
  • Hillsong Live - God is Able....nothing like Hillsong when it comes to rocking out worship.
  • Darius Rucker - Charleston SC, 1968...Look I know it's Hootie....but the dude can flat out rock a country song!
  • Keith Urban - Get Closer....who doesn't like Keith...I wish I could play guitar half as good as him....
  • Karosene Halo - Really love the stripped down versions of some cover songs. Very well done...Love Derri's voice.
  • Lee McDermentt - I have never heard a hymn redone as well as his updated version of Go Tell It....I so want to do this song like this!
Anyone have anything else I need to be listening to? Let me know!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sunday Mind Dump

So, I am sure this was a tough Sunday for many at 242 to hear that Craig was stepping down from pastoral leadership at 242. I can assure you that he has given this months of thought and he's wrestled with this decision for some time. As I mentioned today, if you aren't sure of your calling pastoral ministry will eat a person alive. It shouldn't be that way but it just is....ministry is difficult on the best of us and if you're unsure of your calling, well I am not sure how you do it.....

So let's dump:
  • I'm flattered to be a part of the discussion about the future of 242 Church. While, I have said I would take on the role of pastoring the church on a part-time basis I want everyone to know they are free to choose to go in a different direction if they feel that's where the church needs to go.
  • We mentioned this morning how having the pastor go part-time will allow the church to bring on a couple of other part time staff persons. Here is what we are thinking.
  • First, a part time administrative assistant/congregational care director. This person would handle all the churches phone calls, paperwork, finances, in addition to taking care of hospital and shut in visits. It would allow us to have one person we can call for almost everything...which is something that we just don't have now.
  • It will also allow us to hire a part-time Children/Youth Pastor. Right now the most pressing need is finding someone to run the Sunday morning kids program, but we also have a host of kids going into JR and SR high school that need to be taken care of. Till now, we just haven't had the resources to do it. Bringing someone in will go a long way toward making that happen this fall.
  • As always, people can email anyone on the Commission about what's going on and with any questions you might have. Feel free to email me about this stuff as well :)
  • The vote will be held in two weeks be sure to have all your questions addressed before that time...not that we won't answer questions after the vote! Ha Ha!
I better get off this computer. I smell brownies!!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sunday Mind Dump

So, I got a little busy today and this is my extremely early version of a Monday morning mind dump. Let's just say I can't sleep tonight so I got out of bed and figured "what else is there to do but write?"

So let's dump!
  • Heard some of my sons bands songs today. Very good stuff, they are in the studio three more days this week putting the finishing touches on them. Proud of the boy. He really works hard at his craft.
  • I watched the World Cup today. Never again...Soccer is still the most boring sport in history....I would rather go to an opera than watch soccer....at least at the opera you know when the fat lady sings it's over....soccer never ends.
  • On a more personal and serious note, God has been stirring some things up inside me lately...which is good and bad....that usually translates into a message or two at some point :)
  • Nice day at church today...enjoying being back at 242....looking forward to fall when everyone is back most every week...
  • Only 3 weeks left till vacation....bring it on!
  • Making some decisions. Always leads to counting the cost....still excited about the possibilities...
  • Time to head to bed....peace out everyone!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Should the church accountant be the one called the "worship pastor"?

I follow a pastor online by the name of Dan Kimball (www.dankimball.com) and he wrote the blog post listed below. One great thought provoking question that we in the church need to wrestle with. I know it's such a sensitive topic but it really pokes and prods our hearts at the same time....you can read the entire post here or click on the title below to read it on his web site...enjoy :)

Should the church accountant be the one called the "worship pastor"?

Accountant The title of this blog and question that I ask is not one I am totally serious about - but I do have the question of how we have overwhelmingly defined "worship" to primarily be music and singing.

I have become very aware of the power of words—and the power of defining words. In the Christian culture we have created I don't believe we can ever assume anymore when we say the terms "gospel", "Jesus", "salvation", "inspired", "evangelical", "evangelism", "missional" etc. we all mean the same thing. I have learned (and sometimes the hard way) that you need to be asking definitions of terms with specific meaning to understand how someone else uses a term that may differ from your definition.

One of these terms is "worship".

If you were to ask most teenagers and young adults what comes to their minds when they hear the word "worship" it will likely be singing. I understand why they do, as we have pretty much defined worship to them over the past 20 years or more as worship = singing. Now it is totally true that we worship as we sing. But that is only one aspect of worship. We have subtly taught (in my opinion) a reductionist view of worship limiting it primarily to music and singing as what defines the word and practice.

I try to pay attention to reasons why we define worship mainly as music these days. And it is not too difficult to discover. What do we call the person in a church who leads the band or singing? It is normally the "worship pastor" or "worship leader". When our music leaders say, "Let's now worship," that is when the singing begins. When a sermon begins or when the offering is received we often don't say ""Let's now worship" like we do when the singing starts. When we think of Sunday gatherings of the church and when does worship happen, we generally think of the singing - not the teaching or the sacrifice of people who are worshiping by volunteering time in the children's ministry or other things happening. You look the Christian albums and as we call them "Best of Worship" or "Worship Greatest Hits" that reinforce the idea that music is the primary—or even only—form of worship. I just read on a Facebook post how a group was bringing in a guest person to "lead worship" and of course this guest person was a musician.We constantly, constantly reinforce by how we use that word casually all the time that it primarily means music and singing.

I recently attended a college-age gathering, and after the time of musical worship ended (I personally try to always say "musical worship" ), the person up front who announced that the offering would be taken referred to it as a time of sacrifice as we give our finances as an act of worship. The word sacrifice really stood out to me as being defined with worship.

I also fully am aware that there are times when "worship" occurred without any actual physical sacrifice. but when you study the whole of the Bible, you will see that worship so often involved the sacrifice of something. Romans 12:1-2, after the first 11 chapters teach on the act of Jesus and His sacrifice for us, tells us to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices." This kind of sacrifice includes all areas of our lives, and it is costly. We choose to refrain from something we may otherwise want to but is could be sin, so we sacrifice aligning ourselves our ways to God's ways. The Old Testament was filled with times of coming to worship and sacrificing something. Generally something that was costly with animals or grains.

What is intriguing is that as we primarily define worship as singing, in terms of sacrifice - singing doesn't cost us too much. We mentally and emotionally bring ascent to our thoughts as we sing and focus on God. But we aren't really sacrificing something. Are we? Maybe I am wrong and would love to hear other thoughts. But it is pretty easy to come into a room and sit and then "worship" by singing (which is worship). I am super glad in our church we have worship times of singing. So I am not saying at all that I don't thoroughly believe we worship in major ways as we sing. But what I am saying is that worship through singing doesn't involve much sacrifice or cost us. It is probably one of the least sacrificial ways we do worship. Worship it is of course when we sing. But I can't say it is too much sacrificial worship.

As you look at sacrificial worship, in today's world what are the two most sacrificial things that do cost us something as we worship? It seems to be our time and most of all, our finances.

At the college-age gathering I attended, I watched the bags being passed around for the offering, and maybe one out of every 20 people put anything at all in the offering bags. I fully understand that people give online, and people may give bi-weekly or monthly, so this isn't an accurate representation of how much actually was given that morning. Still, this interesting to watch response to the request for financial sacrifice served to illustrate how easy it is for us to worship God when all that is required is singing a few songs, and how difficult it is for us to worship God by giving financially or giving up some of our precious time.

Church accountant In hyperbole way, I have been thinking about why we use the title of "worship pastor" or "worship leader" to designate the person who leads an area of worship that doesn't cost us to much to participate in with our singing songs. So why don't we switch the title to the person who does lead or oversee the area that people generally sacrifice the most - is finances - so shouldn't the title of "worship pastor" or "worship leader" be the person who oversees the finances of the church? Usually the church accountant. Isn't that person the one who truly oversees the most sacrificial worship of the people of the church, not the person who leads the music when people sing?

Now in our church, we don't do this. Our bookkeeper is called the bookkeeper. It would be confusing calling the accountant the "worship leader". We actually try not to use too many titles for people and on our bulletin we don't even distinguish between paid staff and key volunteer leaders in our church leading major areas of ministry.

But I am curious about whether anyone also has thought of this? Whether we unintentionally have reduced the power and true meaning of the word worship by generally assigning the title to the person who leads the music? Have we incorrectly and unintentionally taught youth, young adults to think of worship primarily as singing by how we title roles and use the term? Try listening in your church gatherings to how the word is used during the gathering. I know in our church we try our best to always say what aspect of worship we are doing. "Let's now worship God as we sing" "We are now receiving our sacrificial worship of giving finances" etc. Even on our actual offering envelope it says "Sacrificial Worship" instead of just giving or offering. Try paying attention to how you generally see the word "worship" used in the Christian world in general. It is fascinating. Words matter. Definitions matter.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Mind Dump

This has been a long and very trying week. I haven't been sleeping well, couple that with the class I have been taking and that has made for one cranky Jeffrey...I am thankful that April has been understanding of the pressure I was under this last week and gave me enough space to work things out.....so let's dump:
  • Hard talk this morning on how to handle things when friends let us down. I gave a few examples of times in my life when I've been hurt by others. I could have given a host more...which leads to my closing point. If you are going to do anything in ministry, pain is just a part of that.
  • We talked about needing to pray that God would give us thicker skin and a softer heart at the same time. It's not easy but we all need growth in those areas.
  • Some big decisions to make this week. Would appreciate everyone's prayers for April and I.
  • Going to be planning a fish fry for sometime over the next few months. Gary Nissley has offered up enough Walleye and Perch to feed a little over 100 people. If you'd like to help us plan this thing let me know! I always love it when I can give people the basic ideas and let them run wild with it!
  • April has only 3 weeks left at work! She is scared and excited at the same time!
  • Praying and seeking....Praying and seeking.
  • Reminded again this morning about how we need to get out of the Lighthouse! If you know of a place that we can meet let me know....we need a room that can hold 75-100 people plus 3-4 classrooms. Would prefer to have a church meeting location that is on a main road where we can get some signage on the street.....we don't ask for much do we?
  • Well I better get outta here!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Sunday Mind Dump

What a great day at church. I have to say I was expecting almost no one to be there today. After all, it's a holiday three day weekend and we knew we had a lot of people out of town. I was wrong about that, we were full and had to get some extra tables and chairs out to make room for everyone....Now that is what I am talking about! So let's dump:
  • So this morning we talked about truth. Learning to accept the show up with the truth in our lives and face reality. Not an easy message when you start talking about looking at our own sin.
  • Great to see Cori stepping up and leading more from the keys....nice job with the communion meditation!
  • With all the extra help we were set up in like 20 minutes today. I didn't know what to do, so I found a quiet spot and prayed. In fact, everyone is welcome to join me between 9:25-9:30 and we'll pray for our church, the service, our members, and the community before each service.
  • Spoke to several new people who talked about how much they've enjoyed the church and the messages. That's nice to hear. Hopefully, we keep seeing growth!
  • Next weekend Craig is taking a group over to serve breakfast at the City Mission before church. Let me know if you want a chance to help cook and serve, we'll get you in the right place at the right time!
  • On a personal note, I haven't been sleeping good at all! I run in cycles where I just cannot sleep....would appreciate your prayers to get through this season of it.
  • Not sure what I am teaching on next week...Time to start thinking about that....I am outta here!