BETTER TOGETHER:
Day 22 talks about how we all grow better when we have a model or example to follow. It also asks the question, “Who is being a positive influence on you now?”…I’m thinking about this going “hmm…”
I had some GREAT mentors and examples to follow in college. APU was (and is) filled with folks who are great models of living a Christ-filled life, and transferring that to their classrooms and one-on-one times…but NOW? OVERALL, I can’t think of someone who is that kind of person to me. Chuck models a lot of things for me, like leadership, how to encourage really well, and some other stuff. But I cannot think of someone I would consider a mentor or a person who sets a really strong example…I can’t really tell you why.
But I can tell you, that I am not operating at the same capacity, or with the same potential, or drive and motivation that I did during college. I am not as inspired to achieve as I was at APU. Even just yesterday, while we were picking up some costumes at San Dimas, I bumped into an old friend at Starbucks who had just finished his Master’s and was applying to schools for his Ph.D. I used to really want to get my Master’s…what happened?!?!?!!?!?

Well…this entry has been kinda morbid. Sorry…but I can tell you this: having people to look up to is important. It is too bad that people put as much value on the people they see in magazines and tabloids in Hollywood and such–these folks lives’ are not good examples for us, and are wrongly invaded by paparazzi and stuff anyway. NO one’s perfect, but even Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey are seperated, folks…is the world coming to an end??
Oh well, Mike, as soon as the divorce (Jessica and Nick’s) is final, you should give Jessica a call…

WOW

The Star Trek Experience was amazing! We got there at about noon on Saturday, and didn’t leave until about 5:30 or 6PM. I think I spent probably an hour just looking at the comprehensive Star Trek timelines. It covered about 500 years…and was quite detailed. I couldn’t believe it!

Then we went on the first ride, the Klingon Encounter. Everyone started out in a room in a few lines in front of some doors-(kinda like it looks when you are going to enter the Star Tours ride). You start watching an instructional video on what to do on the ride and then you start “losing the signal”-then the lights go out and we all get beamed aboard the Enterprise (NCC-1701 D). It’s like it is really happening–people in uniform come and escort you to the bridge, where you learn that some Klingons were trying to abduct us, but the Enterprise intercepted us during transport. So they take us down to the shuttle bay, and we all get into this big shuttle and outrun the Klingons…it’s pretty cool!!!!

THEN we went to the Promenade (from DS9) and ate at Quarks and shopped around a little. We bought Mike a tribble. It was fun.

THEN we went back and went on the Borg 4-D ride…this one was scary!!
They put you in a room on this space station, and the Doctor (from Voyager) starts talking to you about some stuff, but then the BORG start attacking! The crew starts evacuating us all to escape being assimilated, but they start coming after us! I was totally freaked out, ’cause you’re just standing there and these BORG are walking around and assimilating various other crewmembers of the space station…help! Then they rush us into a large room of the space station and the BORG abducts us all. It’s a 3-D thing along with other stuff that pokes at you and spits at you (it’s freaky!) and we finally get rescued by Voyager…whew!

Anyway-it was REALLY fun! So thanks to all who helped out, we had a fabulous time on our 5-year Anniversary trip (a.k.a The Piccard Pilgrimage).

NOW LET’S GET BUSY WITH A TIME FOR XMAS!

Kids choir is starting, so I have to be quick (don’t tell Christy!)

“Star Trek: The Experience” was absolutely amazing!! If you’re a fan at all, you HAVE to go!!

THanks MPC!!!!!!!

GOtta GO!
I write more later!
(resistance is futile)

I’m a Nertz-a-holic. What can I say? We played again last night, and it seems that my playing is really off/on/off. I started out REALLY good, dominating the first half-hour of the game. Then I fell behind for the next hour, and by the last half-hour was busting ahead to the lead…but by that time Mike already had won. That stinks! I wish I were a more consistant player…

Are you all on Day 17 of the book Better Together? I’m telling you what-I can think of a coulple people that it would be really hard to show respect to like it says I should…and yet, I need to.
These chapters, combined with Chuck’s messages the last couple of WED nights, have been pretty strongly showing me that I have a lot of work to do. NOT that I thought I was perfect! But it gives me REALLY specific areas to focus on, and a lot to think about. It is kinda hard to balance the way I need to lead, with showing respect to everyone. I.E. I can’t stop a rehearsal with 80 people in the room and listen to one persons question about “Where am I supposed to stand?” when we passed out very detailed sheet with all that info on it long ago, OR listen intently to someone who is talking incessently about something when I have one minute ’til church starts and have GOT to start the service on time-or Pastor Baize will kill me!!! (not really kill me…just in case anyone misunderstands…)

So it’s a little hard to try and figure this stuff out-and balance showing love and respect…I know there are ways, I’m just praying to figure it out.

Before I tackle my thoughts on today’s devotion…I just wanna say that I’m pretty blown away…

First off-we put out the call last week, asking for donations towards the goal of $2500 to sponsor an ad campaign for our church’s Christmas musical on STAR 100.7–the Number one radio station in San Diego County. STAR put together this package where they would give away tickets to our show on air and everything…amazing opportunity. By the end of the night, after I presented the idea, we already had $320 plus an anonymous donor who said they’d match any donations up to half the price ($1250). WOW.
We had people praying all week for the Lord to provide others to step forward and contribute…well, last night we got the rest of the $. It was phenomenal, and God deserves all the praise for it! I am totally excited!

THEN, right before we end choir, we are presented with a gift package for our Anniversary and my Birthday, from the choir members, for an all-expense-paid overnight vacation to Las Vegas and the STAR TREK EXPERIENCE. Holy cow! There is hardly any words to explain how excited we are, and how blown away we are by the generosity of all of you that contributed and worked on that whole thing…AMAZING!

It also blows me away that I was asking for donors for the STAR campaign, and no doubt people were also contributing to our gift…man, that’s a lot of $ to be giving…thanks, you guys…we’re just in awe…

COMMUNITY-
Community is built through commitment. I think that is one thing that is lacking today in our culture in general. Don’t get me wrong…MANY of you guys that are reading this (most likely all of you that are actually reading this…) are very committed to the Worship and Creative Arts Ministry at church. I think I’m speaking more generally. Since we are so ME focused, we tend to be more committed to ourselves than anything else. But I think that commitment is essential to building anything-relationships, community, a ministry. Commitment is important to all these things. BUT, like RIck Warren says in Day 16 of Better Together, it takes time and sacrifice.
Committing to each other means:
1-Loving no matter what. (not just when it’s convenient).
2-Being there for each other. (time, showing up).
3-Benefiting each other. (giving and sharing).

This INCREDIBLES sountrack is super! (hee hee hee) NO really, it’ so unique and perfect for the film! I got it from iTunes with a gift certificate my wife gave me for my b-day. Thanks baby!

This week’s memory verse:

“Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” Romans 12:5b (NLT)

Being a Music and Worship Pastor at a fairly large church, I get a lot of crap from people who want everything their way. Don’t get me wrong, I also get encouragement and positive feedback, as well. However, it is hard for me to grasp HOW it is that I NEED those people that make remarks like, “You wouldn’t have to pay for a copyright license for those contemporary songs if we just sang out of the hymnal”, and “that contemporary music is all about emotion–it’s the hymns that contain the great Theology of the church.”

You wouldn’t believe the stuff people say. Unfortunately for them, it’s all too obvious to me when I talk to them that their heart is not in the right place. I see their attitude, and it is not one of worship. I don’t care about style-at our church we have a Traditional service and a Contemporary service, along with a modern service for younger folks-all of them exist to bring people closer to God.

What I don’t care for, is the ignorant grumpy people giving me their feedback on why I shouldn’t play contemporary music, as if people should like the exact same thing as they do.
ALL OF THAT TO SAY that I have a hard time understanding what the verse above says, “…each of us needs all the others”. Maybe I need them to challenge my attitude…who knows. Maybe I need them to keep me balanced, or give me perspective…I dunno. I FEEL like life would be a lot easier without those types of comments or converstaions, but c’mon now Daniel, GET REAL!

All that said, I’m going to have a great day…
Thanks for all your birthday wishes on my last entry! I appreciate it so much! I had a GREAT day, all glory to God-cause it started out rough…Crazy-Card-Nertz-Night was a blast!
I won the crazy-card game, and somehow Suzie ended up winning the normal game…it was tragic.

It’s my birthday. and my alarm didn’t go off. It’s Sunday, so I’m running late for church…not the BEST start to my day–but I am doing my devotions if it kills me-otherwise this day will really suck…

no one is commenting on my blog anymore…i must be overwhelming you with my entries, that’s the only plausible explanation….

I changed my background color…oooh, it looks good.

We need to show acceptance of others.
Better Together says, “This doesn’t mean we condone sin; yet so much of our rejection of those outside the church is based upon fear and our prejudice that people need to be like us before they can be with us.”

This is a very true statement. So many people think that if they hang around an alcoholic or a bar or something, they might accidentally become an alcoholic also, like catching the flu or something. “Don’t listen to that music” they say, and other various rediculous things like that-when all they are doing is shutting themselves in from our culture, and cutting themselves off from the very people God called us to reach. Rediculous.

John 17 talks about Jesus praying for us to be safe IN the world, not cut off from it. John Fischer talks a lot about this in his various writings. Good stuff. Check out his website, http://www.fischtank.com/

Gotta go. Kids are awake.

WOW!

I just got back from seeing the VERY FIRST showing of the totally awesome movie “The Incredibles”. It was so fabulous and absolutely funny! Every time I see a Pixar flick (like Toy Story 2 or Finding Nemo) I wonder how they can possibly top themselves, but they have done it again!

One of the things that makes Pixar’s movies so incredible (ha, no pun intended!) is the fact that they contain captivating and creative action and animation that appeals to kids of all ages AND they always include emotional themes that connect and relate to adults. Think back to the inner-struggle of Woody to find his purpose in Toy Story 2…or the themes of fear, trust, freedom and family relationships in Finding Nemo. These movies accomplish more than the typical cartoon, they SPEAK to ALL of us, because we can relate in some way. Christy and I were cracking up at a scene in The Incredibles when the family sits down to dinner and the kids start fighting…it was so much a typical day at the Semsen house! (without the super-powers).

All in all, it was a riot! I can’t express how much I approve this movie!

I also have to give a shout out to my homey Shantelle, who slept on our couch ’til 2:30 AM so we could go see the 12:01 AM showing (technically Friday, but really, it still feels like Thursday night to me!). Plus, i would be remiss to forget my sweet wife, Christy, for staying up soooo late to go with me (and Mike and Karen), even though she fell alseep for a great deal of the movie. Never fear, though! We are taking Nathaniel a little later today!

MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

There was a teaser trailer for STAR WARS: Episode III before the above film. It was really cool! One guy at the concession stand came JUST to see the trailer. I think it will be what we have all been waiting for–and a good ending to the Star Wars saga. What a GREAT Trailer!!

AND

I saw the first footage off the Disney lot for a new film coming out NEXT December (2005)–The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is directed by the same guy who did Shrek and Shrek 2, has a few other Oscar-winning people involved, NOT TO MENTION WETA WORKSHOP–the team that worked on all the visuals for THe Lord of the Rings trilogy. It looks like it will be the same calibar as the LOTR, and fantasy is back in! Get ready for an incredible movie with a great message! Ooohhh, I can’t wait.

ALSO: Seinfeld DVDs out this month. I heard it is the best TV series DVD set yet. AND LOTR: ROTK is out sometime in Decemeber on DVD.

Goodnight!

Congrats to Bush!

“Open your homes to each other without complaining.” 1 Peter 4:9 (TEV)

Today’s devotion in the 40 DOC book “Better Together” was about being hospitable vs. entertaining. I had never thought about a distinction, until now. It was pretty cool! Entertaining always puts things before people (as soon as I get my house finished, the bedroom decorated, etc…then I will invite people over), Hospitality, however, puts people before things (we can just eat on the floor). And it made several comparisons like this. A very astute study and stark contrast.

I love having people over, it is so fun. When Amazing Race was on (watch out, it’s like 2 more weeks until a new season!) we’d have folks over on Tuesdays to watch that, Thursdays for THE APPRENTICE, Monday nights for our small group, and sometimes a weekend NERTZ party. SO much fun! BUT, it can get a little tiring for my wife, who likes to refuel alone, as I like to refuel with people (although, I MUST get my time alone in the morning to start my day….hmm…).

It was cool also when RW talked about the fact that hospitable is in the dictionary sandwiched between the words hospice (which means shelter) and hospital (which means place of healing). So our Christian homes should be a place where we offer shelter, and healing to those around us. I don’t know if this actually is the same as having friends over and watching TV or playing NERTZ. But our friend Mike did come to live with us for several months a couple of years ago-he was going through some rough times–and he is doing AWESOME now. No attribute to us, but I don’t think we hesitated when it was our friend Mike. I know that we haven’t taken in others since then…

Which reminds me of my parents. My parents had a different person or teenager living with us all the time. Sometimes it was cool, and others it wasn’t quite as cool (like one time, when this guy Tony tried to steal my sister’s car, and ran away after that–plus he was a little crazy, I think). But I will never forget their attitude of hospitatlity; even when they were unsure of the person-they still opened up our home and trusted the Lord to take care of it.

Last night at choir practice we set forth a vision of having our show “A TIme for Christmas” advertised on STAR 100.7 (the #1 radio station in San Diego). We didn’t have the money to do that right now, so I announced that we were going to pray in faith that a donor (or several) would come forward to give the $2500 so we could do it. By the end of the night, I had three checks for $100 each, and one person who said they would match any donations UP TO $1250. That’s already over half of the funds. I was (and still am) amazed at how God works. We have to know by today, and so I am still praying…Thank you Lord!