Ever have one of those Sundays where things just don’t seem to be working in your favor? Where it seems like every tech issue arises, your voice just doesn’t sound right, practice is bad, your whole team annoys you. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love my job and the people that I get to minister with and to.  For some reason I was in a battle yesterday, and it reminded me again how much the Deceiver wants to derail Sunday morning Worship. I felt that he was using stuff around me to block me from being God’s man yesterday. In Thessalonians 2:18 Paul struggled with this too. “For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way.” Now, Satan could not physically stand in his way, but he could bring up obstacles, both physical and emotional, that could keep Paul from coming back to worship with and teach the Thessalonians. That’s where I was yesterday, I stand 10 feet from the first row of people and I could have been standing in the parking lot! Thank God, He uses me in spite of my state of mind. I still know He was worshipped.

My prayer each Sunday, for myself and the worship team, is that we are worshipers first. That before being singers, or instrumentalists, or speakers, or greeters, or Tech people, that they are worshipers. That before we lead anyone in worship that we are worshipers first. I hate when I allow satan to get in the way of that. As worship leaders we need to be constantly letting stuff go. We are perfectionists, that hold ourselves up to impossible standards at times.  When those standards are not met, it’s hard not to be thinking about it all through service.

But we need to let it go, we live in imperfect worlds and people and instruments will let you down. But we must be worshipers first!

Sunday Set-List:

The Lost Are Found,
Your Great Name,
Nothing But The Blood,
Jesus Paid It All,
Jesus All For Jesus,
Still

Sunday Set-List

So i’ve been seeing more and more of these commercials, this is in line with the E-Trade baby. I can’t stand them, I wan’t them band from tv! Who’s with me?

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. -James 1: 22-25

Sunday Set List  Oct 30th

You Never Let Go,
Friend Of God,
Always Forever,
How He Loves,
10,000 Reasons,
Cannons,
There Is A Redeemer

*Note from Joe-
This is a repost from rkweblog.com, written by Rich Kirkpatrick (@rkweblog), a blogger and Worship Pastor.  This post was great and had to repost it!
Thanks Rich!*

Many who are very creative deal with this thing called sensitivity. It means that there sometimes is a thought, experience or encounter that most people easily forget that stays fresh in the mind of a creative. The ability to relive an event in full color can bring forth an amazing song or powerful painting. But, both the pleasure and the pain can be a trap to the creative if not leveraged properly.

If the event was positive, then disappointment of current reality could lead to depression. Worse, the most painful moments in life fade slowly, leaving an open wound in need of healing. The healing process for a creative then is a bit different. Where others may cope by refocusing on a new activity, the creative is obsessed. So, my personal experience as a sensitive and creative and in working with many of the same has taught  me a few things. These are five ways to leverage sensitivity.

1. Letting go needs a ceremony. When the world has moved beyond using Papyrus font, you have to move ahead with the times. But, it may be you need to have a party to mark the move. When you realize that it really is a big deal to change, change then is possible. Do you minimize the fact that letting go actually hurts?
2. Pain needs to have meaning. When walking through the tough times, pain can should make sense. You need to heal for this to happen, though. If it is a wound someone has caused, this means you must find the bigger meaning. Of course, faith helps with this. Christ suffered, but for a cause and for love. Knowing your sacrifice is for a greater good allows you see more than the pain. The question “why” is always the right one. Is there a purpose bigger than you that you are working towards?
3.  The future needs a dreamer. If you have failed or lost much in the past, the hardest thing to do is to see a future let alone dream about it. Depression robs this energy with obsessive thinking about events you cannot change. They already happened! No positive energy can come from reliving the past when there are things today you can do. What changes in your life that are possible do you ponder?
4. The human race needs you to join it. Even though you are more empathetic and get messed up because of that, you are still human. I should not complain that people don’t “get me” when I do not spend the time and heart to “get them” as well! Creatives live some things larger than life. But, does that mean we are really all that different? It is easy to stay within our tribe, but there is much to learn from the rest of the human race as well. Do I actually appreciate the people later that I have empathy for in the moment?
5. Your life is a story that needs telling. We can learn bitterness or can excel in sharing the pain and joys of our lives in healthy ways. Our personal stories as people are a powerful thing. The plot line of our lives can draw out the best in others, inspiring them to love, challenging them to think and soothing their wounds with the knowledge of shared pain. Your story matters, even if others do not feel it with you. Do I take joy in telling my own story as a creative?

I am still working on myself, but have found these are helping a bit when I see the sensitivity in my life. Any feedback from my fellow creatives and non-creatives alike?

WOW!  I blinked and the end of summer is here!  I sat down to plan the worship scheduled for the first Sunday in September and I got very sad! This summer as FLOWN by.  But it has been a great summer!  This is our first summer back in Eugene, and I forgot how much fun Eugene can be.  There were the movies in the park under the stars with the girls, and the times out in the county with my folks.  We are near by lakes and rivers, my kids are turning in to little fish!   I love being so close to the coast!

But this last month has been NUTS!  We spent the half of the month at the coast, Week Of Missions at WI-NE-MA was so good, and it was great to catch up with the old PSCC crew.  The girls got to spend almost 2 weeks being on the beach everyday.  They were so use to it, that Reese was so disappointed, to find out that the beach was not a walking distance for out own house!

Then we geared up for Worship in the Park that happened last week.  Planning and preparing for that event was madness, but so worth it!  The day was incredible! (see below for the #sundaysetlist)

I woke up this morning thinking….”Time for a break?”  God said, “HA! NOPE!”

The flood gates of creativity and ideas were broke open the moment I got through my first cup of coffee!  I realized that all summer, I have been doing so much logical (some call it “busy” work) that I have had almost no moments of creativity!  I forgot how relaxing and rejuvenating being creative is.   Thank you GOD, for reminding me of this!  Bring on the new madness!

Sunday Set List Aug 21
The Happy Song,
Awesome Is The Lord,
Mighty To Save,
Our God,
How He Loves,
Jesus Paid It All,
I Lift My Hands,
Your Great Name