An excerpt from “Better Together”: (Rick Warren)

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When we worship with an unprepared heart, we sin.

God doesn’t expect our corporate worship to be perfect, but he does expect it to be focused, with each of us arriving for the service with a prepared heart and uncluttered mind. In this corporate offering to God, we’re to enter his presence–the presence of a holy being, the one and only true God–with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2).
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Is that cool or what? I’ve kinda been waiting for something that is like this. Something that blows me away or knocks my socks off. Most of this devo book has been good, but this chapter (the stuff above, and more!) has been GREAT!

This chapter also tells us a few good things, check it out:

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Once we’ve examined our hearts, we prepare for corporate worship by telling God these three things when we enter the sanctuary for service:
1) I’m coming to focus on you, God, not anything else
2) I’m coming to give to you, not to receive.
3) I’m coming to offer my praises and use my heart, my voice, and my hands to worship you.
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Good stuff!

Good practice last night (Monday night) with the ATFC cast. We focused on the singing quite a bit, and it improved quite a bit. Good. The 20′s, 40′s, 50′s and 60′s group still need a lot of work. Yikes! So do the Dickens Carolers. (actually the 60′s group was pretty good).

Good job everyone!

Less than 2 weeks to opening night of the biggest, most complicated, most stressful and potentially most-fun musical I have ever directed! Things are stupid-crazy right now. I literally stayed in bed today until about 11:30 AM trying to avoid life or anything like it. THAT’S how stressed out I am right now! I bet if I trusted the Lord more, I would be less stressed…see ya

A lot of stuff got done. Ouch-again. I’m praying that everything gets done in time-I think we are going to hit our target. Pray for the painters-they have a lot to do. I’m off to church this morning!!!!

I hurt. Ouch. Not to complain, or anything…but ouch. Call it about 13 hours of manual labor yesterday…that = ouch. The cool thing is I have about 12 hours more today…

I don’t think we got quite as much done as I had invisioned, but we are on the road…we are on the right path. Satan must be upset because we hit just about every roadblock we possibly could yesterday. It was difficult. But the only thing I can think is that we are on the right track, because if it was easy to get this all up-we’d be in trouble…
I’ll just keep praying…

1 Peter 4:10
Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.” (CEV)

Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m off to build our stage for our XMAS program!

This soundtrack is great! And now the movie is out on DVD/VHS…

I went to STAR 100.7′s studio yesterday to watch the guy record our spot (which will air starting next week–11/29) for our xmas show. It was very cool, and from what I understand, also a privelige. This guy was very kind, and started walking me through the process, then he just pulled down a microphone and started recording it. I was like, woah! I didn’t realize that the same guy who wrote the script would be recording it also! Anyway, he gave me a CD of it when I left, and I had a blast being there. Something about that studio just amazes me…

Tonight is the community dinner, I guess we’ll find out just how many people will be there tonight…I really think that God will blow our minds with the amount of people that will come. Everyone says I’m this big visionary for saying I thought 500 people would come, but I really think that it will be even more than that…we’ll see!

Good job orchestra for playing last night with A TIME FOR XMAS!
Everyone else–work even harder than you already are! It’s too close not to…

I am encouraged after our small group last night.
One of the activities for this week’s lesson was to do a service project as a group. Our group decided to get some meals for Joli, who just had her baby a couple of days ago, but Christy and I knew that we couldn’t take on the responsibility of coordinating the details of that project…in addition, we decided as a group that a meal ministry right now is very lacking in our church as a whole. Even poor Amy from our own group had a baby a few weeks ago–needed meals–and didn’t really get any (I think maybe she got one!). SO we decided as a group to put together and help organize a meal ministry for our church-and the coolest thing about that is that we got someone to organize it from our group that wasn’t currently serving in any other ministry! So now this gal has a ministry for the church, and it fits perfect for her ’cause she can do it from home, etc…AND she’s done it before! It was a cool thing to watch unfold, as we began to plan it out and people started volunteering for certain things and offering help in different aspects of the ministry. I think everyone signed up from the group to provide a meal sometime!
God is cool!

I’m sure to be focused on “A TIME FOR CHRISTMAS” over these next few weeks. It’s coming so quickly! PRAY!!

We just saw this movie, Christmas with the Kranks, and it was really cool! Not only was it funny and clever, but it also had some very serious undertones and delt with a couple of real issues that many of us face today–selfishness, pride, and COMMUNIITY!

I have to say that it is interesting to me that Hollywood is writing movies that deal with the issue of real community. We saw it in the bomb of a movie (and I don’t mean a good “bomb”–this one’s a real dud) Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck (which, btw, I hear is the fastest DVD release ever. After bombing so bad at the box office, they are also releasing it on DVD in time for THIS SAME xmas holiday! HA!). In SC, the main character was incredibly lonely, and desired family and real community. In CWTK, there is a scene where Jamie Lee Curtis’ character actually gives a toast and says something to the effect of “Thanks to everyone who pulled together to make this night possible [in reference to her last-minute xmas eve party], it has shown me the true meaning of real community”. Christy and I just looked at each other…wow.

Our world is lonely. People all around are hungry for real relationships and community. How weird that two movies in one season would deal with community like that…PLUS you also have the Purpose-Driven robot in “I, Robot”. Remember?? Rent it and see…it’s crazy-on-the-money!

I think too many people are victims of crowded lonlieness. They are constantly surrounded by people at work, at the gym, at the mall, etc…but they have no real community. No real relationships. No one to share life with–and that is why we fail as folks who should be reaching out. I noticed a new gal at Starbucks, talked with her a little. A couple of weeks later, she was in with her husband–so we talked again, and this guy TOTALLY wanted to come to church. He asked US! They are brand new to the area…it was so simple. I just talked to them about how long they had been married, where they worked, etc…and the Lord opened up the doors to invite them over to our house or whatever…

bottom line–people want REAL community.

The past several days in “Better Together” have been about our relationships with those we have true fellowship with (i.e. our small group). It talks about the fact that we need to be encouragers, teachers, and people who warn our friends about trouble. I do love the part about encourging–I’m a big fan of encouragers. I need encouragers in my life! Everyone does! I hear criticism a lot-which I don’t mind, becuase I am a learner, and I like to be challenged and given honest feedback-especially in my position as Music and Worship Pastor. So when I get good feedback, or encouragement that is sincere (not just doing it for the sake of doing it) it is nice.
I’m sure that I’m not alone; I’m pretty sure that people all around the universe are like me in this way…so for that reason, I need to be a better encourager…sometimes I just neglect to encourage. It is one of my biggest weaknesses-something I need to do better in all areas of my life–family, friends, fellow ministers, etc…
I remember my first and only May tour with the University Choir and Orchestra at APU (the other time I was in UCO, my wife was seven months pregnant by the time May came around, and I was unable to go on tour with or without her). Part of the way through the tour, I started noticing some of my compadres get a little homesick, and at the same time realized that there was a lot of negative talk around…these two things caused me to make a conscious decision to speak life into the people around me and to be a source of encouragement for anyone I could. I remember specifically some of the people that I took time to encourage–people on the PR crew with me…it was a thing that also helped me get my mind off how much I missed my sweetie, who was not on tour with me (btw, now she’s my wife of 5 years!).
anyway-encouragement is cool! I need to do that more!

Clay’s book is great! He is totally a Christian and talks about God all the time in this book. I’ve only read a little bit, but I love it!
OH, and I re-claimed my title as Nertz King last night. IT WAS A BLOWOUT! No one was even close…

I’m listening to this Clay Aiken album, which ROCKS! Go buy it, and if you’re gonna sing-sing like that! WAHOO!

BTW-that’s a picture of me…yeah, and what’s up with the fact that all the haircut places I go to have no idea who Clay Aiken is? Come ON people! I have tried probably a dozen haircut places since I’ve lived in San Diego, and apparantly, nobody down here listens to the radio EVER. The last place I went to, I was so puzzled by the gal’s lack of knowledge of Clay, that I asked her what style of music she listens to–she says “Spanish Polka”. I am almost peeing my pants right now-that is so funny…I would just take my Clay poster with me, but I just don’t think that would work. “Excuse me, I’d like my hair cut like THIS” *quickly unrolling poster*.
Yeah right.

Good night, Clay. Merry Christmas. (hee hee hee)