It's time for another Monday Morning Update. What a busy weekend!
Saturday we did another movie night/block party. This time we used Slater Creek Park, the local city park. It's new and a great location, but we had a very low attendance at this movie night. In our evaluation we came up with a few possibilities. 1. The park is not easily visible from the highway - no drive-by stoppers. 2. Poor marketing - We advertised on a mailer that primarily focused on the sermon series (was not easily visible on the card) 3. It was one of the hottest days we have had in quite a while. However, we enjoyed meeting the people who turned out for the event and are already planning and looking forward to one more summer block party in August. We will be collecting school supplies to give away in a needy community at that block party.
The church where we normally practice on Saturday was booked for a wedding, so we set up at the cheer gym Saturday night to allow the band to practice. It was so awesome to be able to practice in our own space. Yes it was hot, and I was sweaty and smelly, but we were able to totally tweak our sound and adjust the settings. I could really get a great feel for what to play and what would sound good in our space since that's where we were practicing. I appreciate the church that allows us to practice on their stage on Saturday, but the sound levels are set so differently that it is harder to really plan out what would sound the best in our cheer gym. The acoustics are just very different in a gym than in a sanctuary.
We had a new drummer hanging out with us this week. He did a great job. I was impressed by how well he listened to me on the keys and to Jake on the guitar. He also really watched Worship Dude and read his body language well for a first timer. Our bass player was also off work and able to come play. So I was just plain excited to be able to mess around a little more on the keys since I did not have to carry the bass line.
Worship Dude picked a great set. Again. This morning while I was drying my hair I was thinking yet again about how amazed I am at the talent God has blessed him with. He came to us with unbelievable talent and great worship leader skills. Then God has grown him incredibly this year. I am absolutely blown away that some guy with that level of ability is serving with us at The Crossroads. It's way more than I ever had the faith to ask God for. Oh, yeah, back to the set - Here it is:
Everyday - Hillsong
I will lift my eyes - Bebo Norman
East to West - Casting Crowns
Wholly Yours - David Crowder Band
Surrender All - Parachute Band
"Wholly Yours" and "Surrender All" have strong surrender overtones. In my Christian walk that is by far the thing I struggle with the most. It is incredibly challenging for me to be completely surrendered to God. I almost always have something that I am holding and refusing to let go. Then I feel like God will strike me with lightening when I sing, "Wholly Yours" or "Surrender All". He knows that what I really mean is "I would love to surrender all, but I don't know how to turn loose of this one thing....or these ten things." So in my head I sang, "God I want to want to surrender it all." Didn't want to lie to God!
Shawn's "God at the Movies" series is great. He has such an eye for seeing God stories in media and using those illustrations to point to scripture. Today's movie was "Terminator Salvation". This movie is an illustration of sacrifice, and second chances. Shawn talked about ways to sacrifice our life for Christ - letting go of our lives so that we can live the life God has prepared for us. (Made me think of that 10th Ave. North song) Then he talked about how we can sacrifice our lives for others. He used that Is. 58 passage that has been speaking to us this summer. His message will soon be online at www.welcometothecrossroads.com Be sure to download and listen to it soon. It's one of the better sermons I've heard from him. It's amazing how he speaks week after week in fresh, interesting ways from God's Word. I love that he always explains how to apply his message to real life. He's an exceptionally brilliant man. He could preach in big, theological terms and be very academic, but instead he speaks simply, with practical application. That takes true genius.
We had several new families stop by to check us out. One of the coolest stories is that a lady who had never been to church - ever in her 41 years- came. And loved it.... wept through the whole service. I heard that she prayed to accept Christ, but I have not confirmed that for sure with anyone who spoke with her. It is so beautiful to see God at work. We also had the opportunity to pray over a new believer in our congregation who will be leaving tomorrow for basic training for the army. We have another baptism coming up August 6. I love this part of church planting - seeing God drastically and dramatically change people's lives.
Continue praying for a meeting place for us. We are in immediate need of space. We are now consistently running about 20 in children's church. We do not have space for them inside. Meeting outside with them works as long as it doesn't rain. When colder weather arrives, we will have to be in a larger space. Please pray for our workers. As we grow, we will have to pull in more workers and right now we are pretty maxed out on volunteers. Pray that those of us who volunteer will be very flexible during this time of growth. We need grace for the journey as we work with children who have not been to church before. We want to provide opportunities for them to hear about Jesus and learn how He can become their Savior. Pray that we will never lose sight of why we do what we do in children's.
We are excited about what God is doing at The Crossroads. I recently reread some of my old blogs. In one of my early ones, I said something along the lines of "I know that some of this is simply excitement about something new and will probably wear off, but I hope that in a year we will still love what we are doing." I am here to say that the excitement has only grown with time. I am definitely tired of sweating and dragging cheer mats, but it is worth every drop of sweat and every tired and aching muscle to see people coming to know Christ. I was looking forward to seeing people accept Christ but it has also been surprisingly beautiful to also see people learning to live Christ. My own lifestyle is challenged as we constantly evaluate how to apply scripture to our lives. I LOVE this church planting gig. I am so grateful to get to be in ministry at The Crossroads.
Showing posts with label worship dude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship dude. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Monday Morning Update
Okay...am trying again to add photos. Be patient if they are oddly positioned. Still having a hard time with this.
This morning I was overcome with emotion during worship to the point that I had to work really hard at keeping my composure long enough to finish the set. I loved the worship set, but it was seeing the now familiar faces of people that were strangers just a few weeks ago that did me in. I was so touched as I realized how God is slowly and steadily moving in Anna. I think that sometimes I forget just how amazing God has already been in the life of The Crossroads. I thought that tonight I would take the time to review the journey with you. Sometimes, remembering where we started from helps us to fully see where God has brought us. So settle in for a long read....God has been really good.....There's lots of blessings to share!
Some Crossroads Firsts
This was back that first night when we unrolled the sign for the very first time and were sorting the things for the first preview service and packing the truck. I remember our excitement. My fear of the unknown and my dreams of the future. God blessed us with start up supplies through many sources....Friends, family, other churches, local and state organizations. Somehow we had plenty of funding for everything we needed to begin a new church. We trained with Shawn's coach for our summer work, and began praying for "the friends we haven't meet yet" (Joel - the second shyest member of the launch team. I was first place.)
Worship Dude
We had supplies, we had been blessed with a big truck to haul and store all our stuff, we had found a place to meet.....we were less than a week away from our first preview service.....and no worship leader. I had prayed long and hard for this unknown man. There are specifics in an older blog, but I had a really long list of criteria. We scouted local bands, interviewed men we heard about through the grapevine, and totally exhausted every single resource and person that we knew or heard of. Nothing. Then Shawn went back one last time to one of our sponsor churches to basically beg them for someone just to help us out through the first three preview services of the summer. They reluctantly told us about a guy on their worship team that they thought was probably interested in worship ministry. To me, this is still one of the most incredible things that God has done. That he united Robby (worship dude) and The Crossroads is amazing. I can't imagine anyone else who would be a better fit with Shawn, the band, and the congregation. God did really good on this one. Much better than I had ever hoped for. Honestly, as a brand new church plant, I expected us to get stuck with some has-been, or some mediocre talented guy until we could afford better. Instead God delivered somebody more talented than I ever expected to have the opportunity to work with in my lifetime. We are richly blessed. Shawn's coach told us to dream big about a worship leader and not be afraid of the big ask. I didn't know to ask this big. But God did it anyway!
Block Parties and other summer events
We did four big events this last summer to meet the community and try to generate interest in The Crossroads. We did everything from cotton candy (ewww.....I was sticky for days) to large inflatables to a movie night to a live band. We gave away door prizes, had lots of fun, and began to love our new community. We made hundreds of contacts and saw people becoming interested in us and receptive to hearing about Jesus. By the end of the summer, God had taken a small team of friends and taught us how to create community events and how to trust God to provide for our every need.
One of our big jobs last summer involved door to door surveys. We learned a lot about the community. About their music preferences, which helped us design a musical style for The Crossroads. About their perception of needs for the community - by far the biggest desire was for a sense of community. We had a mission team come in and help with this huge task. I still could only dream and imagine what God had planned for the Crossroads. But as we walked the streets in the heat and prayed for our community, God created in me and each member of the team a sense of hunger and desire to reach Anna. He bound our launch team together with bonds tighter than I have ever experienced in church before as we united around a common goal.
We did three preview services last summer to practice set up and tear down, to generate interest in The Crossroads, and to give us the opportunity to learn how to best reach the community. The first set-up took several hours as we tried several different approaches. It is hard now to remember a time that set-up wasn't totally automatic. It is hard to remember back in the day when we needed photos to make sure we replaced everything where it went. When it still seemed strange to have church in a gym. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to meet in a location that is inexpensive and meets our needs so well. God provided favor with the landlord. While we could not find anywhere to meet, God was paving the way for a cheaper location with much more space than all the other places we looked at. The inexpensive overhead left us plenty of funds for all the outreach events of the summer! God had a plan!
Since the launch:
We have met weekly since September. God continually brings us new people and is really connecting some families into The Crossroads. We have baptized three people, and licensed one guy to the ministry. This fall we did a trunk or treat at Halloween and handed out spirit towels at a football game. (by the way...ended up with a grant for the spirit towels)
This was back that first night when we unrolled the sign for the very first time and were sorting the things for the first preview service and packing the truck. I remember our excitement. My fear of the unknown and my dreams of the future. God blessed us with start up supplies through many sources....Friends, family, other churches, local and state organizations. Somehow we had plenty of funding for everything we needed to begin a new church. We trained with Shawn's coach for our summer work, and began praying for "the friends we haven't meet yet" (Joel - the second shyest member of the launch team. I was first place.)
Worship Dude
We had supplies, we had been blessed with a big truck to haul and store all our stuff, we had found a place to meet.....we were less than a week away from our first preview service.....and no worship leader. I had prayed long and hard for this unknown man. There are specifics in an older blog, but I had a really long list of criteria. We scouted local bands, interviewed men we heard about through the grapevine, and totally exhausted every single resource and person that we knew or heard of. Nothing. Then Shawn went back one last time to one of our sponsor churches to basically beg them for someone just to help us out through the first three preview services of the summer. They reluctantly told us about a guy on their worship team that they thought was probably interested in worship ministry. To me, this is still one of the most incredible things that God has done. That he united Robby (worship dude) and The Crossroads is amazing. I can't imagine anyone else who would be a better fit with Shawn, the band, and the congregation. God did really good on this one. Much better than I had ever hoped for. Honestly, as a brand new church plant, I expected us to get stuck with some has-been, or some mediocre talented guy until we could afford better. Instead God delivered somebody more talented than I ever expected to have the opportunity to work with in my lifetime. We are richly blessed. Shawn's coach told us to dream big about a worship leader and not be afraid of the big ask. I didn't know to ask this big. But God did it anyway!
Block Parties and other summer events
We did four big events this last summer to meet the community and try to generate interest in The Crossroads. We did everything from cotton candy (ewww.....I was sticky for days) to large inflatables to a movie night to a live band. We gave away door prizes, had lots of fun, and began to love our new community. We made hundreds of contacts and saw people becoming interested in us and receptive to hearing about Jesus. By the end of the summer, God had taken a small team of friends and taught us how to create community events and how to trust God to provide for our every need.
One of our big jobs last summer involved door to door surveys. We learned a lot about the community. About their music preferences, which helped us design a musical style for The Crossroads. About their perception of needs for the community - by far the biggest desire was for a sense of community. We had a mission team come in and help with this huge task. I still could only dream and imagine what God had planned for the Crossroads. But as we walked the streets in the heat and prayed for our community, God created in me and each member of the team a sense of hunger and desire to reach Anna. He bound our launch team together with bonds tighter than I have ever experienced in church before as we united around a common goal.
We did three preview services last summer to practice set up and tear down, to generate interest in The Crossroads, and to give us the opportunity to learn how to best reach the community. The first set-up took several hours as we tried several different approaches. It is hard now to remember a time that set-up wasn't totally automatic. It is hard to remember back in the day when we needed photos to make sure we replaced everything where it went. When it still seemed strange to have church in a gym. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to meet in a location that is inexpensive and meets our needs so well. God provided favor with the landlord. While we could not find anywhere to meet, God was paving the way for a cheaper location with much more space than all the other places we looked at. The inexpensive overhead left us plenty of funds for all the outreach events of the summer! God had a plan!
Since the launch:
We have met weekly since September. God continually brings us new people and is really connecting some families into The Crossroads. We have baptized three people, and licensed one guy to the ministry. This fall we did a trunk or treat at Halloween and handed out spirit towels at a football game. (by the way...ended up with a grant for the spirit towels)
LaRissa and a friend at Trunk -r- treat
11,000 pounds of snow at White Christmas
But more important than the statistics and the numbers are the relationships that are building. Every week I watch as our new friends are becoming old friends. Every week I see the excitement and energy as people set-up for services and tear down afterwards. I can't imagine enjoying church more than what I do. Sunday has become the absolute highlight of my week. The day that I count down to. Church is not routine. It is not boring. It is fresh and exciting and beautiful.
Licensing Brad Brinkley to the ministry
Our First Mission Trip
As a new church,we are hungry to share Christ with the world. We went on our first mission trip over the holidays. If you missed all the details, check out my last few blogs. God provided nearly 700 blankets, toys, van rental, and gas for the trip. Total cost of trip per person - $30. I was blown away by God's planning and provision on the trip. He provided the perfect location for us....which was not where we planned to go. God blessed us in so many ways on the trip.
On a personal note
One of the greatest blessings this year has been seeing my family grow. Many years ago I visited with a missionary wife from Russia. She said that becoming missionaries was the best thing that ever happened to her family. We have not left home for a new country, but I have to absolutely agree with her. I am seeing my children loving church. They are anxious and available to help us out. They have important jobs and enjoy the responsibility and importance of being needed. I have seen the church family adopting my children as their own. I deeply appreciate all of the people who have stepped up to love my children like family. I saw this type of relationship at Saddleback several years ago as I watched some staff children with church members. But I never honestly expected to have that level of relationship in a church. Don't misunderstand me here. People in churches where we have served have always been good to our children and loved them - even sacrificially giving of themselves to help us out. But this is different. This is like attending church with family. Thank you.
I've found that there is much that I've forgotten. And then there's much that I don't have the words or the time tonight to share. However, I do know for sure that if God never did another thing at The Crossroads, it would still have been the best ride of my life. But the really exciting thing is that God is not finished yet. He's just getting started!
As a new church,we are hungry to share Christ with the world. We went on our first mission trip over the holidays. If you missed all the details, check out my last few blogs. God provided nearly 700 blankets, toys, van rental, and gas for the trip. Total cost of trip per person - $30. I was blown away by God's planning and provision on the trip. He provided the perfect location for us....which was not where we planned to go. God blessed us in so many ways on the trip.
On a personal note
One of the greatest blessings this year has been seeing my family grow. Many years ago I visited with a missionary wife from Russia. She said that becoming missionaries was the best thing that ever happened to her family. We have not left home for a new country, but I have to absolutely agree with her. I am seeing my children loving church. They are anxious and available to help us out. They have important jobs and enjoy the responsibility and importance of being needed. I have seen the church family adopting my children as their own. I deeply appreciate all of the people who have stepped up to love my children like family. I saw this type of relationship at Saddleback several years ago as I watched some staff children with church members. But I never honestly expected to have that level of relationship in a church. Don't misunderstand me here. People in churches where we have served have always been good to our children and loved them - even sacrificially giving of themselves to help us out. But this is different. This is like attending church with family. Thank you.
I've found that there is much that I've forgotten. And then there's much that I don't have the words or the time tonight to share. However, I do know for sure that if God never did another thing at The Crossroads, it would still have been the best ride of my life. But the really exciting thing is that God is not finished yet. He's just getting started!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
An Awesome Day
What an awesome day! It started with my amazing husband cooking cinnamon toast- french toast. Yum! Then we did tons of laundry in the newly repaired dryer. Yeah! Have to say that watching him fix the dryer was a real turn-on.
Next was band practice. Always the highlight in my week. Love hanging out with the band and playing music. It's just incredible every week. I wonder how long it will take me to stop being awed by the talent God has placed at the Crossroads. Whether it's amazement at the musician Jake has become as an adult (we've been playing together since he was a young teen) or the incredibly gifted worship dude who's definitely the best vocalist and most talented musician I've ever had the opportunity to work with....I always leave practice just a little bit overwhelmed by what a big God I serve.
Then I was pleasantly surprised by visitors this afternoon. I love when friends just drop by. It's so awesome to not have time to stress about cleaning or anything ahead of time....just free to enjoy the friends. Our church planting intern came by and then Grrr stopped by on his way home from basic training. Loved hearing his stories and catching up with him.
I am so blessed with good relationships. How beautiful is God that he has designed so many unique friendships between very different people!
Tomorrow's a big day at The Crossroads. We have snow coming in at the park. The band is going to play. I'm already nervous. But I am also stinkin' excited about the day. I think we will meet tons of new people and hopefully see some more growth as a result.
Next was band practice. Always the highlight in my week. Love hanging out with the band and playing music. It's just incredible every week. I wonder how long it will take me to stop being awed by the talent God has placed at the Crossroads. Whether it's amazement at the musician Jake has become as an adult (we've been playing together since he was a young teen) or the incredibly gifted worship dude who's definitely the best vocalist and most talented musician I've ever had the opportunity to work with....I always leave practice just a little bit overwhelmed by what a big God I serve.
Then I was pleasantly surprised by visitors this afternoon. I love when friends just drop by. It's so awesome to not have time to stress about cleaning or anything ahead of time....just free to enjoy the friends. Our church planting intern came by and then Grrr stopped by on his way home from basic training. Loved hearing his stories and catching up with him.
I am so blessed with good relationships. How beautiful is God that he has designed so many unique friendships between very different people!
Tomorrow's a big day at The Crossroads. We have snow coming in at the park. The band is going to play. I'm already nervous. But I am also stinkin' excited about the day. I think we will meet tons of new people and hopefully see some more growth as a result.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I want to see
Matthew 20:29-34 Two blind men were begging beside the road. They heard a large procession coming. When they were told it was Jesus they began to yell out for Jesus to have mercy on them. vs. 32, "Jesus stopped and called over, 'What do you want from me?' They said, 'Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!' Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession."
I am so blind. It seems that I often stumble through life without paying attention to where I'm going, or that I miss out on where God is headed until He's already moved on without me. But I love the attitude of the blind men. They pleaded with Jesus for mercy until he heard them and stopped. That's where I want to live my life...pleading with God for mercy and seeking God's hand in my life and not giving up until he stops and lets me join him. "Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes." Isn't it awesome that Jesus is deeply moved when we want him and are seeking him and when we are in need and are burdened! Then the healed guys joined the procession that was following Jesus. That's my prayer. That I will be able to see where God is headed so that I can follow along closely behind. I don't want to be blind and miss it.
A random blurb or two:
James, now in middle school is cracking me up. I was hanging out with him this afternoon listening to him tell me all about band. He's learning to play the sax. Definite progress there! But what was really funny was listening to the rivalry between the clarinets and the saxes. He was telling me that their class is called the trucks and the mice. Because the saxes are big and loud and the clarinets sound like squeaky mice. Then he was talking about a boy, and said with slight disdain, "He's my friend, even though he plays the clarinet."
I am so blind. It seems that I often stumble through life without paying attention to where I'm going, or that I miss out on where God is headed until He's already moved on without me. But I love the attitude of the blind men. They pleaded with Jesus for mercy until he heard them and stopped. That's where I want to live my life...pleading with God for mercy and seeking God's hand in my life and not giving up until he stops and lets me join him. "Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes." Isn't it awesome that Jesus is deeply moved when we want him and are seeking him and when we are in need and are burdened! Then the healed guys joined the procession that was following Jesus. That's my prayer. That I will be able to see where God is headed so that I can follow along closely behind. I don't want to be blind and miss it.
A random blurb or two:
James, now in middle school is cracking me up. I was hanging out with him this afternoon listening to him tell me all about band. He's learning to play the sax. Definite progress there! But what was really funny was listening to the rivalry between the clarinets and the saxes. He was telling me that their class is called the trucks and the mice. Because the saxes are big and loud and the clarinets sound like squeaky mice. Then he was talking about a boy, and said with slight disdain, "He's my friend, even though he plays the clarinet."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)