Caught in the show

For all those who lead worship or participate in worship, check out this article. It has a great perspective for people on the stage AND people in the seats!

Battle of the Praise Bands?

I was grabbing some lunch at Chic-Fil-A (aka: Christian Chicken) the other day, and I saw a poster for a local “Battle of the Praise Bands.” Since I’ve been involved with praise music for quite a few years, these posters always grab my attention, because these questions immediately come to mind:

1. What is the purpose?- Are you trying to see who can lead worship better or get the most crowd response? How do you judge it? Doesn’t praise music begin and end with Jesus? Why doesn’t Passion have a battle with HIllsong United to see who wins? If that sounds ridiculous, then what makes it different for local churches to do the same?

2. What do the bands want to prove?- That you have better musicians than other churches? Isn’t the purpose to engage a local body of believers and allow them to express their worship to God through music? This is just my opinion, but I think there is a danger of crossing the line of pride by entering one of these contest. A good way to monitor your pride/motives is your response to the results. How do you celebrate the win? Is there resentment in the loss?

3. Is there a better way?- I know some of these events are to raise money for various causes. But, some are just to “showcase” the different bands from around the community. But, could the same results be achieved through a different avenue? I think it’s great to bring churches together, but to do it through the disguise of competition can create issues. Trust me, I know! I’ve played church softball and basketball! Can we achieve the same purpose by showcasing God instead of our individual bands?

Again, this is just my opinion. What do you think?

God of This City

I remember when I first heard the song God of this City. I remember vividly seeing images of Wilmington and people’s faces all throughout the city. Since that moment, the song has always been more than just a song.

For the past 2 months, God of this City has been on repeat in my head. Not just occasionally, but every single day. At first, I thought it was just because it has become my favorite song. But as the days went on, I realized this song represented the entire reason Kristen and I are in Wilmington. Although things are still vague and we’re just taking one step at a time; we know He is the God of this City and that “greater things have yet to come”!

Confirmation::The Second

The summer after my junior year of college was the best summer EVER! I was selected through a nationwide audition process to join Keynote Summer Project, which is the music ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. I was chosen to be in a band called Flashback, which preformed music from the 1960’s and 2000’s to show how we are still searching for the same things in life, and the only thing that will fulfill us is a relationship with Jesus. After putting in countless hours polishing and perfecting our show, we were finally ready to set out on our tour; which covered 9 states and 6,300 miles in a span of 17 days.

After 2 consecutive days of travel, our first stop was at a waterpark in Houston, TX. We were all pumped to finally perform our show that we had been working on, and excited about leading people to a relationship with Jesus. As we began setting up our equipment, we noticed hardly anyone was at the waterpark. But, our leader kept assuring us that it was still early, and more people would be coming later in the day.

It’s now showtime. I look from behind the stage and notice that our audience includes our 2 directors, Jamie’s (one of our band members) family, and…….that’s it. As the performance started, I kept giving myself a pep talk, “Hey, it’s still early. This is just a rehearsal before the big crowd gets here this afternoon.” Well, the afternoon performance arrived, and this time, the audience includes our 2 directors, Jamie’s family, and………..one of their family friends. So, the crowd size had grown by 20%! I wish I could tell you I kept the spiritual mindset that God had the people there that he wanted there. But, to say I was MAJORLY disappointed, is an understatement.

I was in a crappy mood as we began tearing down and loading the truck. During one trip to the truck, one of the girls in the band stopped me and said Jamie’s sister wanted to talk to me. Being the Godly focused person I am, I instantly thought: 1) Why aren’t you helping load the truck, 2) I have a girlfriend, and 3) I don’t feel like talking to anyone. But, by the time I made it to the truck, Jamie’s sister was there waiting for me.

That’s when it happened. She nervously said, “Ummm, I would never do this and I’ve never done this before, but there is something I have to tell you. As you were speaking today, God told me you are going to reach a lot of people.” This made me feel a little better, so I politely said something like “thanks for the encouragement and I’m glad you enjoyed it.” But, as I began loading the truck, she said louder, “No. God told me you were going to reach A LOT of people. A LOT. So get ready.” Then she walked away.

I was blown away! This was totally a God moment. I instantly snapped out of my woe-is-me mood, and totally praised God for His love and faithfulness. Since then, I have seen evidence of what Jamie’s sister told me. But, deep inside, I know I haven’t even scratched the surface of “A LOT“. It is undeniable that in my life, “greater things have yet to come“.

2008 Summer Camp Recap

We just got back from Student Life Camp at Daytona Beach, FL, and it was an AMAZING experience! Here are a few things that stuck out to me the most:

-Last week was the fastest week of my life! I could have sworn we skipped a day or something.

-Stopping every 2 hours (or less) on an 8 hour drive extends the travel time quite a bit!

-Sam has a bull-ring piercing through his nose. As we stopped for lunch, I jokingly said it would be funny if someone put a straw through his nose and drank out of it. A few seconds later….Cody took me seriously.

-Since (I thought) we were staying in a hotel with kitchens, we planned on fixing lunch and dinner each day. The only minor catch was that this hotel didn’t have any full kitchens. No wonder they looked at us funny when we brought in all of our pots and pans. Anyway, we smuggled in a hot plate and worked some miracles just short of 5 loaves and 2 fish. Thank you Barbara, Kelly, and Publix for making it happen!

-Louie Giglio straight up brought it! I’ve heard Louie speak literally hundreds of times, but I’ve never heard him be so direct on on point. All 33 of our students and leaders were in awe of God after each session.

-3 of our students stood up and made public decisions for Jesus!!!!

-Chris Tomlin was rockin’! He has always been one of my favorite worship leaders because of his passion, heart, and authenticity. His songs “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “Jesus Messiah” are unbelievable!

-Worshiping with 6500 teenagers is an unforgettable experience. Seeing students with hands raised, neck veins popping, and weeping is incredibly moving.

-I hate the “We love Jesus yes we do” chant. Our group responds, “We love cheese puffs yes we do…”

-Daytona Beach is officially the most humid place on planet earth!

-Lifepoint students are amazing! It’s going to be scary to see how they point their friends to life in Jesus this year! They are ALL on mission!

-It never gets old seeing teenagers come to life in Jesus. We had several let go of anger, depression, insecurity, fear, self doubt, and sadness. I’ve already heard stories of our students telling their friends and families about what God did in their lives this week.

These are just a few, quick highlights. Later this week, I’m going to post some of Louie’s notes that really challenged me and our students.