Judah Rock

I've Moved

2008-11-07T00:49:00.001-06:00

For all of you readers out there... I have officially moved my blog. This is my new blog url:

judahrock.wordpress.com

Thanks for reading!

Online Church

2008-11-03T22:35:00.007-06:00

So tonight in our usual tiredness, JMann and I dreamt up a theoretical hyper-spiritual online church atmosphere. Here's how we see it all happening:

Classic.

Sponsor Your Child!

2008-11-03T21:39:00.003-06:00

I just went to the Fishers of Men site and saw that the "Sponsored Children" section had some alarming info on it:

It appears that many of the children's sponsors have dropped the ball. If you or somebody you know are sponsoring any of these children, please remember that they are depending on you to follow through each month. You can also now sign up for automatic withdraw on the site through e-giving if you're like me and forget the out-of-site, out-of-mind types of things.

Praise Night

2008-11-03T16:15:00.002-06:00

I've had a lot of you KYC'ers ask me when we are going to have another praise night. Finally we've confirmed a date! Wednesday, November 26th. Be there!

I Am Self Righteous

2008-10-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

There's no pun intended for the title of my blog. I constantly make the mistake of thinking that I have "arrived" in my faith. I think that I can take credit for where I am today. It's at those moments that I prove myself wrong. A while back I read this quote from a book I was reading:

"When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly that evil is still left in him... when a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less."

-C.S. Lewis

It's not that I should constantly condemn myself... but lately I've been praying that God would help me to remember where I came from and keep me aware of the things that my spirit is battling.

"I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does."

-Romans 7:18

I've been watching this...

2008-10-23T13:03:00.001-05:00

It's good... so you should watch it too.

(Phil Wickham)

New (original) Song

2008-10-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

Here's a new song for ya'll! When I say new, I mean like less than a week old... it happened while I was working on another song, so I just kind of went with it. It's not completely done yet but I think we're going to use it as an opener at the Mix (next weekend!) and also give a test run tonight at the Matthew West show. Let me know what you think:

Book of the Month

2008-10-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

I received this book at Catalyst this month. Seth Godin (the author) GAVE away over 12,000 copies before it's release date to everyone who sat in on his session.

It's a very edgy leadership book that encourages you to challenge the "status quo" and to never resist change. There's a lot of great material in this book. I recommend it for anybody out there who is questioning whether or not they have the ability to lead.

The Wolfman!

2008-10-21T23:36:00.003-05:00

I have a new favorite show... It's called "Living with the Wolfman" on Animal Planet. For some reason I'm really into people who have mastered animal psychology and then push the limits of their knowledge by interacting with the animals they've studied. This guy (and his woman) is one of those guys.

He lives with a pack of wolves.

At What Point?

2008-10-20T21:40:00.003-05:00

At what point does a person gain the credibility to say things that completely alter the culture of their field?

When Andy Stanley stands in front of over 12,000 leaders in Atlanta, Georgia... he could say just about anything and nearly EVERY person in the room is ready and willing to swallow whatever he has to say.

So again, my question is this: how do you gain so much influence on people that they will at least TRY to implement any advice you give them... just because YOU said it?

YES!

2008-10-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

Get some.

Irreplaceable

2008-10-18T23:29:00.004-05:00

I believe that there are certain people in everybody's life that are irreplaceable. If you don't have somebody like that in your life, then you need to.

This blog is about ONE of those people in my life.

Josiah Lorentzen. Most of you know him as "Si." He and I have a musical and personal chemistry that is over 8 years in the making. Bass playing is often a thankless job, so I feel like I need to give credit where credit is due. Most of you probably don't realize what is happening between him and I on Sundays, Wednesdays and often Friday and Saturday evenings. It's that thing that makes you start bobbing your head up and down while I fool you into thinking that you're listening to me shred on a guitar solo. It's the goosebumps that you feel as a song starts to build and the thing that you're eager to get back in to while the song gets soft only to build back up again.

And here's the funny thing... we are so use to this chemistry that we often get frustrated with the other musicians we play with because they are more than likely not operating on the same wavelength as us, and understandably so considering the amount of time we've spent together (just ask our drummers! LOL).

Bottom line is this, the next time you think that I have ANYTHING to do with the moments that I sound good, take a second and listen to the backbone of the band.

My hat's off to you.

The Mix!

2008-10-18T18:25:00.002-05:00

We're talkin' less than two weeks away folks. Get ready to get rocked!

The Mix: ReDefine '08 from austinvallejo on Vimeo.

Something to Say Tour

2008-10-18T12:29:00.002-05:00

What's up everybody. Just wanted to give you all a taste of what's coming this Thursday:

That's right! This week New Wine has been invited to be one of the opening acts for Matthew West (in other words... we're opening for the opening act)!!! It's going to be a stripped down acoustic set due to a shortage in channels but it should be good nonetheless.

The show is on Thursday at 7pm at Heritage Wesleyan Church in Rock Island, IL. If you don't have anything going... or even if you do... this is something you won't want to miss!

New MacBook Pro

2008-10-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

So I've really caught on to this whole Dave Ramsey thing. Sell sell sell to get yourself financially savvy in terms of saving for your emergency fund and paying off debt. Does the same principle apply when you want to update your electronics?

Audio Sequencing

2008-10-14T23:17:00.004-05:00

I've been getting into to audio sequencing lately. I'm not even sure if that's the correct name for what I've been doing. Somebody said it at a creative meeting once and it just kind of stuck. Let me explain what I mean.

This is a picture of a program called "Garage Band" which ships pre-installed onto any current Mac products. It allows you to create music via real instruments or the many software instruments that come with it.

On the left you see a list of many different instruments that I handpicked to be a part of this specific composition (which happens to be a John Mayer song that we are playing tomorrow night at KYC). All of these sounds and instruments literally act like invisible members of our band. We play what we play live, and then all of these instruments fill in any extra stuff that I would like to put into the song... like bells, organs, a horn section and even additional background vocals.

This year we plan to sequence many of the songs that we'll be doing at The Mix: ReDefine '08. So when you are in the middle of a praise set and convince yourself that there is a symphony of angels surrounding you... chances are you'll be right... just not in the way that you think.

More Catalyst Notes

2008-10-12T23:39:00.002-05:00

This was the last session of the conference. And a great one at that.

Session 8 - Andy Stanley

“To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing”
-Craig Groeschel
•We have people who live in this world who are waiting for something DIFFERENT. Not better, louder, weirder, etc... but different.
Take Away: Become preoccupied with those you haven’t reached as opposed to who you’re trying to keep.

“The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.”
-Focus, Al Reis
•The next generation product will not comes from the previous generation.
•Don’t do to the next generation what the previous generation did to you.
•Previous generations are recognizers. Next generation are creators.
Take Away: Be a student, not a critique.

“What do I believe is impossible to do in my field... but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business?”
-Future Edge/The Paradigm Book, Joel Barker
•What do I believe is impossible but could fundamentally change my ministry?
Take Away: Pay attention to the people who are breaking the rules.

If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn’t we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves?
-Only the Paranoid Survive, Andy Grove
•Have the mindset of a new-comer instead of falling in love with the way I do ministry.
•No pain, no change!
•Where are we manufacturing energy? Where are things going on [in our ministry] that we’re really not too excited about?
•It’s never easy to change. If it were it would have already been made
Take Away: Acknowledge what’s not working and own up to why you are to do anything about it.

•Why am I unwilling to deal with this?

“When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.”
-Michael Hammer
•Am I more willing to be more vision oriented than celebration oriented.
•The temptation is to celebrate what you’ve done and then coast
•Invest in the future, NOT the present (which is essentially in the past)
Take Away: Don’t let success overshadow your vision
•Success breeds complacency, and complacency breeds failure
•Do what you do best, better than you ever have before. Because our leadership is more important in our country than it’s ever been before.

Look OUT!

2008-10-12T23:25:00.002-05:00

There's a new(er) song out right now that is kind of rocking my world. It starts with "How" and ends with "He Loves." Check it:

I'm normally not into songs that are quite this cluttered with words. But you just can't beat that bridge. I got to experience it for the first time at Catalyst last week. It was awesome... and chances are, we'll be doing this one when we open for Matthew West on October 23rd. If not sooner...

PS - The guy that performed it at Catalyst was named Eddie Kirkland. He led, in my opinion, the best worship out of everyone who led at the conference. Check him out.

Catalyst Day 1

2008-10-09T20:30:00.004-05:00

Today I pretty much got my face rocked. We heard AMAZING messages by Andy Stanley, Jim Collins, Seth Godin, Steve Furtick and Craig Groeschel. I got the most by FAR out of Jim Collins' message. Here are some of my notes.

Session 2 - Jim Collins

•Not all time in life is equal - I have a long runway in front of me (more time now than tomorrow)
•Good is the enemy of great
•Greatness is not a function of the cards that were dealt, it’s a function of conscious choice and discipline. We are not a slave of circumstance, we are free by our choices and discipline.
•A common misconception of an organization getting better is that it become more like a business. But that’s inaccurate because most businesses are considered average.
•Any truly great thing has a culture of discipline.
•Most overnight success stories are about 20 years in the making.
•Overreaching, undisciplined pursuit of more is how “the great fall” happens. You become seduced by your own success.
•The number one sign of overreaching is when you start compromising having your best people on the bus for the sake of growth
•If you have the right “who’s” you get better “what’s”
•The ultimate preparation for what you cannot possibly predict is WHO you have on your bus. Analogy: mountain climbing partner
•The signature characteristic of a level 5 leader from a level 4 leader was HUMILITY
•If it’s about you, you will not build something great. It has to be about the work, cause, values, etc.
•It’s not about personality
•What are you passionate about, what are you good at,
•the presence of a to-do list without a “stop doing” list is a lack of discipline.
•What gets in the way?
•We get in trouble when we confuse values with practices. Denominations are practices not to be confused with the big picture values.
•Every generation needs to create it’s own practices to exemplify their eternal values/faith

To Do’s
1. www.jimcollins.com - good to great diagnostic tool to self assess how are we doing?
2. How many key seats are on your bus? Who are in those seats (right people)? How do you get that to 100%
3. Get young people in your face
4. Build a council
5. Turn off electronic gadgets. Built pockets of solitude. Days without electronics. Take time to think. Work is infinite, time is finite.

•Pay your mentors back by mentoring others
•Your responsibility is to those you are ministering to... NOT those who you are ministering WITH.
•Don’t give people titles, give them responsibilities
•You should only have THREE main priorities, otherwise you have NONE

Catalyst

2008-10-08T21:50:00.003-05:00

YO!

We have arrived in the ATL for the Catalyst Conference. I'm currently sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for Pastor Dan and Terri to get here with the moola so we can FINALLY get into our rooms and rest up for tomorrow's CRAZINESS. More to come!

God Is Speaking...

2008-10-03T17:51:00.002-05:00

Leadership assignments aside, this book is awesome! I feel like God is speaking directly to me through this book. And it sounds like it's having a similar effect on many others who are reading or have read it.

I know we are suppose to have it done by this Sunday, but even if you've yet to start it... go pick it up. I think it's a timely word for us as the church.

Stuck

2008-10-02T17:05:00.002-05:00

There are so many things in life that get us stuck. We don't realize it half the time. We get what we would like to call "comfortable," when actually we are sitting in a pothole ceasing to move forward.

I believe Quad City-ons (ites? ers?) have this problem. You may or may not have heard me say these kinds of things about the Quad Cities before. I don't want you to misunderstand me, I don't hate the Quad Cities. And although you may disagree with me, I believe that you don't either.

That's why you have so much to say about it. That's why sometimes the Quad Cities makes you slam your fist on the table, pisses you off... yet sometimes makes you glad. Sometimes you can't imagine living anywhere else, away from friends, family and the life you've built here.

Let me speak out of experience. I had the opportunity to live half the country away from the Quad Cities. And yeah, it was fun. Yeah, it was different. Yeah, I met people who liked me and I liked them. But luckily (or... spiritually, rather) through my relationship with Jesus I just could not escape God's voice calling me back to the place that HE had strategically placed me.

So back to what I was saying. We get stuck. We run in circles and get into routines. Take some time today or tomorrow and do something out of the ordinary. Try putting on the eyes of an outsider or a child. Get up early and watch the sunrise or take the time in the evening to go watch the sunset.

Then ask God to reveal to you what routines in your life have replaced or blocked the next fresh step that He wants you to take.

Take a risk. You never know...

Quarterlife Crisis Part 4

2008-09-28T21:40:00.003-05:00

This week was a testament to those who may be greater in their years and think that their best times are behind them rather than in front of them.

Meet Kevin:

Worship Music

2008-09-27T23:55:00.003-05:00

You know the first time I heard that music never got saved; that music is just music, it was almost like meeting Jesus all over again. I finally had an explanation for the seemingly spiritual (God) experiences that I've had with songs of all different genres.

I love music. And so do a whole lot of other people. Music touches everybody in a way that nothing else can. It's a powerful thing and can be used for good, bad, selfish and selfless reasons. Music is used for worship.

I'm so glad that God chose me to be a musician. But I now have the responsibility to be a good steward of the gift that he's given me.

What has God given you, little or big, to be a good steward of?

Worship Confessional #10

2008-09-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

I'm biased... but tonight marked the beginning of yet another groundbreaking-could-only-have-been-a-God-idea series in KYC called "Letters to Hollywood." Each week we're basing the entire feel and content of the service around certain Hollywood-status musicians/artist. Each of which is handpicked by the subject matter of their songs.

This week was Kid Rock. He has a bad mamma jamma new CD out. Quite a few of the songs have lyrics of him crying out for more in this life than fame, fortune and all the "stuff" he already has. So we're taking a no-strings-attached initiative to write encouraging letters to Kid himself letting him know that we love him and God loves him and has a plan for his life.

It's gonna be awesome. Pray that God uses us, KYC, to actually reach into Hollywood from Davenport Iowa and make an impact on somebody's life.

Here's the set from tonight:

-Yesterday Threw Everything at Me - Athlete

-More of You - Planetshakers

-Panama/Bigger In Me - Van Halen/New Wine

-Nothing But the Blood - Charlie Hall

Charlie!

2008-09-23T22:14:00.004-05:00

Well, we took the plunge.

My wife and I got our first dog! His name is Charlie, he's a "Teddy Bear" breed which is a mix between a Shih-Tzu and a Bichon Frise. Sometimes referred to as a "Zuchon" or a "Shichon." Non-hypoallergenic and all that good stuff!

He's chillin the most right now on his beloved Chicago Bulls blanky.

I shall be picking up the Cesar Millan (Dog Whisperer) book very soon. He's pretty much the best dog trainer/rehabilitation expert in the world. We're gonna do it right!

Here's more for you!

2008-09-23T00:06:00.002-05:00

Part three of our church's "Quarterlife Crisis" series. A little twang this time around for ya!

FPU Night 1

2008-09-22T22:42:00.004-05:00

Yeah, well... we started the Financial Peace University stuff at small group tonight. So for now, in the name of debt clearing, money saving and overall financial freedom, I'll be saying goodbye to this

and this...

honestly... DANGIT!!!

Tomorrow

2008-09-18T23:50:00.002-05:00

I may or may not begin a blog series that has something to do with me playing acoustic versions of all of my released and not-so-released New Wine tunes.

What do you think?

iPhone

2008-09-18T00:54:00.000-05:00

I'm getting an iPhone in 39 days.

I'm just sayin'...

Guilty Pleasures

2008-09-17T14:59:00.002-05:00

When it comes to music, these are my recent guilty pleasures:

I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry

So What - Pink

And for some reason I really enjoy watching interviews and live performances of Corey Taylor (Slipknot) and Marilyn Manson.

Why?

I think there are two different reasons (one for each category). As far as the pop stuff goes, I think the beats are good, the vocals are passionate and you can see right into the songwriter's heart in the lyrics. And whether or not the message is good... it is speaking to the masses about pain, hurt, anger and confusion.

As far as the heavy metal stuff goes, it's kind of a dark past time of mine. I've told a few people this before but now I'm telling you. I use to be into this kind of music when I was younger. Starting out playing guitar these songs were easy to play in most cases and they made you feel like a BA to rock out to them. My friends and I were all into Nirvana, Bush and all that Seattle rock that was big in the 90's.

What's your take on controversial music?

-All bad?

-All good?

-It depends...

And This...

2008-09-16T00:14:00.001-05:00

This week's "Quarterlife Crisis" Vlog. Meet Brad:

More to come!

Recap

2008-09-15T23:34:00.004-05:00

So in the midst of all these recaps, I thought I'd do a little recap of my own (aside from this week's Worship Confessional). Except this recap is one that spans over the last couple of years.

Today I watched footage from yesterday's 1pm service. For the first couple minutes of it I was totally caught up in the now... "oh we need to work on that," "that was good," "where did I pull that note from?" "OOOO my E string is a little out of tune...freak!" "yada yada yada." And then I took a step back (figuratively) and realized... we (the Rock Church Music Ministry) have grown so much as individuals and as a team over the last 6 years together. And the awesome thing is this... most of us have actually been doing this together ALL six of those years. And the people we have added have done just that: they've ADDED great things to our team.

The singers are blending as one voice, picking up harmonies like it's a sixth sense, taking singing more seriously than they ever have and putting up with me and all of my craziness.

The band is so in sync with each other. I could tilt my head at any one person in the band at any given moment and they would know exactly what I'm trying to say. Our dynamics are solid, everybody is striving to get better and perfect their instrument and most importantly... none of them have to be playing their instrument to praise God.

And let's not forget the beloved production team. These guys have really stepped their game up since JMann left. Allow me to take a second to call a few of you out.

Shannon, you have picked up the baton and ran with leading the team on Wednesday nights better than I would have ever hoped for. I've seen God do so much in your life through the years. Love you bro.

Brandon. You are heroic. A man who wears many hats, and wears each one so well. Your passion is irreplaceable. Thank you.

Tyler. You've broken a few things. You've persevered. You are such a servant. I thank God for you.

Mackenzie... you are probably the longest standing member of the production team. You've stuck it out through thick and thin. You have literally turned running Live Worship into an instrument to praise God with. I don't know if you have any idea how important your job is and what it adds to aiding the praises of our people. And you've learned how to do it well, seemingly effortlessly.

To everybody I've mentioned and everyone serving in the "artsy" departments at Rock Church, thank you for all your hard work. Let's keep running this race together... I'm loving every second.

New Threads!

2008-09-15T16:15:00.003-05:00

Here's my boy Brian rockin' his new threads!

Stunning the ladies with his v-neck!

The funny thing is that he could more than likely care less what style of shirt it is or how it looks. He's probably just glad to have clothes on his back.

If you're a fellow sponsor, go check out the updates on the FOM Ministry site! While you're there, don't forget to sow your monthly commitment!

Worship Confessional #9

2008-09-14T20:47:00.002-05:00

Today continued the second week of Pastor Dan's series "Quarterlife Crisis." So far, Brooke and Brandon, or should I say "Samantha" and "Brad" have graced us with video blogs. Check out last week's:

Here was the lineup for this week:

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

You'll Come - Hillsong

You Are Good - Israel and New Breed

Redefine - New Wine

Hosanna - Hillsong

Our Children

2008-09-09T00:04:00.003-05:00

Still! I look at pictures of the children in Kenya and my heart breaks for them! I just got onto the FOM page and was both encouraged and eager.

Rock Church has made sure that the children who were in need a few weeks ago got sponsored. There are now 32 more children who need sponsors. Where does it end? Where does God draw the line in YOUR life for sponsoring a child? Giving hope to the to the hopeless... doing unto the least of these as though you were doing it unto God.

Or if you haven't sponsored one yet, is God calling you to do so now? If you have $30 to spare per month... which you do... then the answer is YES! Not because of some divine appointment or sweeping revelation. Because we can.

Also, if you have already sponsored a child and it's about time to follow through with your monthly $30, don't hesitate to do it. I would set a date each month to do it, that way you won't forget.

Keep up the God work!

Later Peeps,

-Aus

Brian "Head" Welch

2008-09-08T00:42:00.002-05:00

I realize that I'm pretty late in finding this out. But for those of you like me who didn't know, the lead guitarist from Korn, Brian Welch, quit the band to due to some bad habits tied to the rock-n-roll lifestyle to become a Christ follower. Here's his story:

And this is probably the coolest episode of "CRIBS" I think I've ever seen!

Sweetness.

Worship Confessional #8

2008-09-07T22:08:00.002-05:00

Today was the pilot episode of "Quarter Life Crisis" as well as the groundbreaking (for Rock Church) 1pm service time. Both were a success. Here's what we did:

Alive In You - New Wine

God of Ages - Hillsong

Lead Me to the Cross - Hillsong United

Whisper His Name - Deluge

Next we we're going to open the service with the worship song "Why Georgia." Hopefully there will be some quarter-lifers who can identify with it.

Chuck Norris

2008-09-05T23:36:00.002-05:00

Rumor has it that Steve Jobs is a distant relative of Chuck Norris.

Mexican Wives Club

2008-09-05T16:50:00.002-05:00

There's this club that my wife, Anna Perez, Missy Tapia and Teresa Soliz are heavily involved in. It's called the "Mexican Wives Club." The mission is simple: To learn how to effectively be the wife of a Mexican. My wife does well:

She knows exactly what to get her tejano husband at the grocery store.

Right down in the pocket!

2008-09-05T00:04:00.003-05:00

I have this insatiable hunger right now as a musician for pocketness. For most musicians, pocketness is just being able to groove in relation to what's happening in the music. One article describes it this way:

"In music, the pocket isn't a place where the musician holds something — it's an intangible place that holds the musician."

-thisarticleexplainsthepocketREALLYwell

This really spoke loudly to me. It's being able to play well, while at the same time CONTROLLING your urge to just binge out on tasteless licks, fills and runs. It's like being able to play the perfect note at the perfect time. "Well define perfect..." and yada yada yada. I know... it's hard to explain. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Here's the thing... I realize that most of the musicians that read my blog fall either into the category of a "peer" or an "elder" in relation to me. But let me just speak as one musician to another. I truly believe that we as musicians have no business trying to rip up a solo or push ourselves out there until we know how to play something simple, right and patient.

It takes a lot of musical maturity to play a song unselfishly.

"If you're not in the pocket and you want to get there, the first thing you need to do is to stop primarily listening to yourself. If what you hear is mostly you, then you're not listening to your band members closely enough. Remember that this is not about you, it's about the music."

The Math

2008-09-03T00:05:00.005-05:00

Just did the math on what EXACTLY is standing between me and a shiny new dual sport between now and April 21st (the anticipated date that o u r biker gang will officially start). The money is coming from the music... and the music is the link between God and people... which is an entirely different blog.

Anyway, after selling the ped, if Tri AVERAGES 3.75 gigs a month at $400 per show... that's just enough to pay cash for an '09 Kawasaki KLX 250s.

I think I'm ready to teach a session for the upcoming Ramsy seminar. Either that or flunk it?

Hello Fall

2008-09-02T11:57:00.004-05:00

Well I guess summer decided to hang on for one more day seeing as it will reach 94 degrees today... but alas, the forecast for tomorrow!

That's a 20 degree difference folks!

Hello fall,

You mask the dreadful winter behind you so well.

-Austin

Girl

2008-09-02T09:55:00.003-05:00

I booger cried yesterday. I woke up with a phone call from my mom saying that she had to put my last living childhood dog to sleep. We called her "Girl." I know I'm biased but she was the best dog ever. BIG, sweet, playful and loving. She did what she was told and never begged for food (a feature I hate about untrained dogs).

I sat in bed with tears dripping into my bowl of lucky charms. Then I got into the shower and made the "ugly face."

I believe this is the face that Rihanna talks about in her song "Take A Bow." I don't know why I cried so hard... but I did.

She will be missed.

Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-01T21:51:00.002-05:00

It appears that the worst is over with Hurricane Gustav as far as New Orleans is concerned... and by the grace of God, it wasn't half as bad as some had predicted. Sources say that although there was some damage done to New Orleans, it's occupants should only be days away from returning home as opposed to the weeks and months it took after Katrina's visit.

Also glad to hear that some of the guys I follow are doing okay after the waters have calmed.

Like Woah!

2008-08-31T00:10:00.003-05:00

Just found this guy on YouTube. Curt Chambers is his name. He's like a breath of fresh air... mostly because he's got a lot of soul and his band is sick! I can't find any CD's of his anywhere online or on iTunes so I'm thinking he's just getting started with his solo career. He plays with P. Diddy and LL Cool J. This is kind of the style I've ventured away from, but want to get back into. Just RIPPIN type of stuff that takes quite a bit of musicianship, a GREAT internal clock and lots of energy. Be on the lookout for some new songs with this kind of feel. Here's two of his videos on YouTube:

AAAHHHH!

2008-08-28T23:04:00.002-05:00

This has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen! These are OUR kids... the kids that Rock Church has stepped up to support and practically save from uncertain living conditions.

And there amidst them, standing in the back like a stud is my boy Brian. He's going to grow up and be a man of God. He'll be educated, healthy, clothed, taken care of and have a relationship with Jesus all because God set up a divine appointment one day at Areopagus coffee shop in Rock Island, Illinois with a man named Joshua from Kenya. Then... the church responded. Praise God!

You can click on the picture to enlarge it and find your kid somewhere in there. I saw that there are a few hiding but hopefully you'll see yours! Justin also has another picture of them all holding their new uniforms... go check it out!

Buddies!

2008-08-28T21:03:00.005-05:00

It's always nice to catch up with friends who have "moved on" in life (aka decided to be lame and move away). Today my buddy Luke Haag (left) is in town for a business trip. He works for John Deere and is an awesome guy. We get along because we both are very meticulous people who are sometimes referred to as "obsessive compulsive"... very detail oriented.

The Heart

2008-08-27T00:00:00.003-05:00

I go to the FOM site and look at MY BOY Brian's profile on nearly a daily basis. It's crazy how this little amount of information puts me in my place... helps me refocus and realize how blessed I am. But it doesn't end there. It makes me remember that I am blessed to BE a blessing. I watched a few videos on youtube to get a snapshot of what Kenya is going to be like next year when we will get to go there to meet the children we've committed to. Word on the street is that we will get to build them a new high-school too! It's going to be amazing!

We'll do it because we can.

All I'm Saying

2008-08-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

He said...

That he was sayin...

So so did he...

There Will Be Dark Knights

2008-08-25T23:25:00.003-05:00

This is a follow up post to the below post entitled "New Joker?"... Check out this video... pretty creative.

New Joker?

2008-08-25T13:53:00.006-05:00

Rumors of bringing "The Joker" back in the next "Batman" movie are starting to spread. Which is logical considering that in "The Dark Knight" we never actually see what happens to The Joker at the end of the movie. The only question is... WHO is going to dare try to raise the bar that Heath Ledger so brilliantly set?

It seems that they may have one of the ONLY candidates I could see successfully taking the part. Daniel Day Lewis:

You may recognize him from movies like Gangs of New York or There Will Be Blood (above). He's a bad mammajamma and definitely knows how to pull off a creepo-villain type of character.

Again, nothing is for sure... but I think this guy would do an awesome job with this role. What do you think?

My LA Ink Segment

2008-08-24T23:12:00.007-05:00

Ok ok... I didn't actually GET a tattoo from LA ink. But here's a few pics of Tif and I giving Kat's crew a visit on our recent trip to Cali.

Worship Confessional #7

2008-08-24T21:03:00.002-05:00

We mixed it up a bit today. Took a little trip back in time and did some old gospel goodies. "I'm Gonna Wave My Hands" by New Direction and "I Wanna Thank You" by Clint Brown. Both of which are the types of songs that will push you out of church-mode very quickly if executed properly.

The first, by name, is pretty obvious as to why somebody might forget that they are at church while participating in the songs. Full of hand-waving and jumping-up-on-one's-good-foot, "I'm Gonna Wave My Hands" definitely went over well.

The bridge section of "I Wanna Thank You" gets all call-and-response like with separate congregational parts for the men and women. But it's not in the rock-anthemic way that you may be thinking of. It's more senorita-esque by Justin Timberlake... except replace "It feels like somethin's heatin up" with "Really been good really really been good," and "I don't know but I'm thinkin bout" with "I wanna thAAAAAnkyou" with some ghettitude behind it.

Here's a look a the whole set:

I'm Gonna Wave My Hands - New Direction

I Wanna Thank You - Clint Brown

Nothing But the Blood - Charlie Hall

Here In My Life - Hillsong

Cry a Little

2008-08-23T23:50:00.003-05:00

As I was driving home from my Tri gig tonight, I pulled up next to a pizza delivery guy and heard his radio playing what seemed to be an interesting talk show. So I tried to find whatever radio station he was on before the light turned green so that I could tune in to and give it a listen.

No luck. The light turned green before I could find it. But in my frantic search for the station, I ended up landing on 103.7 (country).

It's always the country songs that make you cry! It was some song I haven't heard yet. It hadn't gotten through the first chorus when I realized EXACTLY where the song was going and how it was going to end. The chorus went something like this, "you can let go now daddy... blablabla." Pretty obvious that the song would end with the "dad" on the hospital bed while the daughter whispered "you can let go now."

I was like, "OH THIS IS SOOO PREDICTABLE HOW COULD ANYONE FALL FOR THIS!?" Not more than a verse later, I found myself gasping for air while I tried to hold back the tears!!! DANGIT!!!

Now I'm home chillin' watching Kenny Chesney in HD and he's playing a bunch of the same sorts of songs.

Sometimes you just gotta cry a little.

Boycott

2008-08-21T23:35:00.004-05:00

I decided to try and follow suit as Los showed his olympic enthusiasm by tuning in on his television AND live streaming from the internet. I logged on to nbc.com to begin the live streaming madness, and nearly cussed when this message popped up:

I am officially boycotting NBC.

Singalong

2008-08-21T16:24:00.002-05:00

Phil Wickham just released a new live CD of just himself, an acoustic guitar and a room full of Dashboard-esque singers. I've never heard of this guy until now. I saw it on this guy's blog and decided to check it out. I'm only two songs into it... and so far it's pretty sweet... raw and old school.

Oh yeah... and it's free here. (on HIS website)

The Whole World's About to Change

2008-08-21T00:48:00.002-05:00

Tonight after KYC Pastor Joshua from Fishers of Men Ministry stayed around to answer questions about sponsoring children from Kenya. After he shared his heart about the situation in Kenya, Pastor Justin posed the question, "Who here hasn't yet sponsored a child and wants to do so tonight?"Pastor Joshua: "Wow..."

"...speak Your still small voice
Lead us to action and compassion"

Bedtime Sucks

2008-08-21T00:05:00.002-05:00

I don't like anything about bedtime.

All of the events leading up to bedtime wake me up more than they relax me:

1. Brushing my teeth

2. Changing my clothes

3. Walking around the house looking for my phone

4. Walking around my house with no lights on

5. Getting a dozen creative ideas at the moment I finally get sleepy

Holler if ya hear me.

1000!

2008-08-20T11:51:00.003-05:00

I realize that this post might categorize me a "noobie" or "over-spender" in the world of iTunes music buyers. But it's an exciting day for me nonetheless. Today I purchased my 1 thousandth song on iTunes! And it just happened to be a song that's been in my head for like that past week. Check it:

So thanks Justin for introducing me to this song via Costa Rica Mission trip video. I'm diggin' it.

Money Money Money Money! (money)

2008-08-20T00:57:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty excited for the new financial seminar that's getting ready to kick off our Rock Church small groups. Here's the flyer:

It's going to be a 13 week series and the stats that people pull from this thing are amazing. The average person pays off $5700 in debt and saves $2200 ish all in 13 weeks and a $100 deposit to take the class... quite a trade-off! I think I'm somewhere around that "average" mark... then again I'm not sure what the standard is. But in any case... I'm excited to see what happens!

You can sign up at church on Sunday or get your own church involved @ daveramsey.com.

Isn't She Lovely?

2008-08-20T00:49:00.003-05:00

I have this seemingly ongoing thing where I like to take candid shots of my wife and post them on my blog. Here she is sleeping:

It's been her big birthday month... where I basically shower her with affection and unofficially make myself her slave. She's wore out. She works hard... both vocationally and as a wife.

She's perfect for me.

Love you boo!

Assimilation Team... Assemble!

2008-08-19T10:39:00.002-05:00

So what had originally been a responsibility of mine by default has suddenly turned into a much bigger deal than I had expected. Here at Rock Church we have begun a new assimilation system that is the heartbeat of our body's growth. I've already got the thing going, but I need some extra hands to help carry it out.

So if you want to be a part of a brand new kick-butt-see-some-weekly-results kind of ministry... get at me ASAP!!!

This Book

2008-08-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

Why haven't I been blogging at all lately? Mostly because of this book. This book has been the rise of my productivity... but the fall of my blogging creativity. It's a great book by David Allen whom Fast Company has also deemed as "The personal productivity guru." It's called "Getting Things Done" - the art of stress free productivity... which in and of itself is quite a feat to be accomplished.

So anyway, that's the update. BTW, I feel like I've posted a blog about this book already? Possibly because it's so long overdue...

The Mix 2008

2008-08-16T01:43:00.003-05:00

It's 1:44am... we just got done creatively planning for The Mix '08. It's going to be off-the-hook! The bed-sheets being messed up DID have quite a bit to do with keeping the creativity flowing as various testosterone-driven physical challenges were presented throughout the evening/morning. Now we're just dorking around on the internet... trying to come down off of our sugar-high's. Good stuff...

New Family Member!

2008-08-14T21:07:00.003-05:00

Today Tif and I did something I've been wanting to do for a LONG time... we are the new official sponsors for a needy child in the village of Kimondo, Kenya.

Meet Brian:

He's 10 and likes football (soccer) and drama.

We (Tif and I) are only two of the 24 plus people from our church today to help pastor Joshua Ngao, the founder of Fishers of Men Ministries. He has a Swahili speaking church here in Davenport (and yes, the Bix winners went to it when they were here) and also the headquarters in Kenya. If you would like to help out with the cause... go here. Thirty dollars a month will be given to them and provide uniforms, education, food, shelter, medical and the Gospel of Jesus.

...because we can.

Thug-Life

2008-08-09T23:49:00.002-05:00

For all you thugs out there... consider this your warning.

2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony

2008-08-09T15:43:00.004-05:00

If you've seen it, then by now I don't have to tell you how absolutely breathtaking the opening ceremony for the 2008 summer Olympics was.

It was a perfect blend of manpower and technology. The organization and excellence of the performers was just as incredible as the media... and sometimes better than any machine could reproduce.

It's starting to whet my own creative appetite for what we might be able to come up with for this years Christmas production... CHRISTMAS?!?! I know... it's coming fast.

Transparency...

2008-08-06T23:22:00.002-05:00

It can be dangerous when a person in leadership decides to be transparent about something. There are two types of people whom that person will hear from: those who can relate and those who wanna hate. Relaters react positively and let you know that you're not alone in this world. Haters push you into a corner and try to isolate you as "abnormal" and in need of change before you embarrass yourself or quite possibly them any more than you already have.

Here's the thing. I am what some might call a "night owl." Night owls don't really fly too well in the wee hours of the cracking sun (morning... I'm also a "weird-musician/artsy-type who says things differently from time to time). As you may have read on a few posts below, I recently took a trip to California for vacation where life happens on a two hour delay in reference to the midwest. I adapted quite quickly to the night being a little longer there. But I'm not adapting well to the nights' legs being chopped out from underneath them when I got back. Not. One. Bit.

As a result... I wake up every morning. Then I fall back asleep. Draw your own conclusions.

Can a Guy Dream?

2008-08-04T12:54:00.003-05:00

2008 Yamaha XT250

2009 Kawasaki KLX250

One more thing to add to the wish-list.

Worship Confessional #6: New Wine vs QC River Bandits

2008-07-31T00:34:00.003-05:00

1 hour 35 minutes post show...

KYC brought something tonight to Modern Woodman Stadium that I don't think has ever been brought before.

The moment New Wine hit the stage and started playing, it was unmistakable that these people came to praise God with EVERYTHING they had. It was raw. It was authentic. It was sweaty. And it was outside of the four walls of our building. Tonight we WERE the church. And we proved to ourselves, God and everyone standing around that we didn't have to be it in a building.

I got to see at the faces of the people of Rock Church and the amount of passion they put into their praise to God on a weekly basis. It reminded me how awesome praise nights are... we need to get one on the schedule for the near future.

Tonight I took part in an already-happening movement in the Quad Cities. We are the next generation church. And we are redefining stuff...

P.S. I think I've led more anointed musical worship experiences with bad monitor mixes than with good ones. Funny.

Make a Joyful Noise - Derek Trucks Band

Alive In You - New Wine
One - Tonex
My God - Jonathan Stockstill
Soul Music - Country Fried Soul Band
Blow the Trumpet - New Wine
My Life Depends On You - Jermaine Edwards
Freedom - New Wine
Closer - New Wine
Hold On - Fred Hammond
The Stand - Hillsong United

Walk By Faith

2008-07-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

Here is a clip of the song "Walk By Faith" by Tye Tribbett that we do in KYC. I've had a lot of people ask me where we got it from. I just found an audio video (?) of it on
YouTube. Enjoy.

John Update

2008-07-29T10:56:00.002-05:00

John... has shaved his head...Does that mean I should too?

Good Day

2008-07-29T00:24:00.002-05:00

I had a good day today. And the funny thing is, it didn't start until about 5:30pm (the goodness... that is... contrary to what you may think I did NOT sleep in that late).

I got to grill out and make dinner for my wife, which was a nice change of pace. Then we went to Menards and bought me a new lawn mower, which was long overdue. We also bought some blinds for our new windows which, too, was long overdue... meaning after this weekend my house will no longer look like a smaller branch of Dillards. Then we watched a pretty sweet movie called "Next" with Nicolas Cage where he can see 2 minutes into the future... which I'll definitely be adding to my super-powers-I-wish-I-had list.

Simple. But good.

P.S. I don't know why, but today was also an outburst of blogs I've been pondering. Sorry for leaving you hanging for the last week or so.

The Best: Part 2

2008-07-28T14:09:00.002-05:00

This is a continuation of the previous blog I wrote about striving to be the "best" praise and worship team.

I just read a blog that a guy wrote about going to a Hillsong United concert. United is currently up there with being considered one of the best our there.

Read it here.

What best-like qualities do you take out of it?

Here's mine:

-All of the energy, lights, media, enthusiasm, hype you’d expect at a rock concert with the attitude and focus towards God. - Appropriate for the type of demographic we're trying to reach.

The Church

2008-07-28T12:50:00.004-05:00

Last week I was finishing up a vacation in California. I can't go anywhere (out of state) without observing what God is doing on location. It was nice to be an "outsider" for a weekend of ministry. It was almost like I got to see the body of Christ through Jesus' eyes and apply more of a big picture mindset. It was interesting to hear how some of the prayers before their service sounded a lot like the ones we pray before ours. Like, "God, show up," "change lives," and so on. It reminded me that we are all a part of the same body, and each part is designed to do a specific task (meet a specific need).

While we (Tif and I) were there we got to spend some time in LA. Anytime I visit a city that seems larger than life, and then come back to Davenport, Iowa, it always seems so dull here. Like where's the excitement? Where's the movement and motivation? This seems only natural. Home is familiar. Home is safe. Home is comfortable. But there's more to life than the rut of carrying out your day to day.

Davenport (or wherever you live) is more than just the place you live. It's where God has strategically placed you (hopefully) to engage with the body of Christ to meet the needs of a city full of hurting, broken and seemingly forgotten people who NEED Jesus.

I don't know where you live or what the current health of the church is in your city. But if you live in the Quad City area, I truly feel like we need to wake up to who we are in Christ.

People ask "where is God in the midst of all this chaos?" Jesus is alive in us and we are in Him. And they will know we are Christians by our love for God, and our love for each other.

Does [y]our city know how much God loves them?

The Dangerous Act of Worship

2008-07-24T12:18:00.004-05:00

I don't want to curse my chances of finishing this book by blogging about it mid-read... but it's been too good to wait.

As I grow more and more as a worshiper and get more revelation of what true worship really is... I begin to understand how little it has to do with me.

When I use to hear people tell me to "make worship your life," I thought that meant that I needed to be singing songs about God every chance I had. Not the case. Don't get me wrong, music is a part of worship and me being the "Worship Paster" at The Rock DOES mean that I need to make sure I know how to get into God's presence via music fairly efficiently and on a regular basis.

But what I've come to learn more-so is that worship IS the life. We are created as worshipers and do it naturally quite well. Here are a few good examples.

Worship is how we live our lives. What consumes us. What is always on our minds. And there is no worship without selflessness, justice and loving your neighbor.

Worship has never been about us, how it makes US feel or what WE get out of it. It's about praising God with reckless abandon. It's about the least of these finding God and meeting Him through us.

What will it take to put God on the top of our list?

The Best

2008-07-24T12:09:00.003-05:00

Last night before KYC, Justin gathered all of the people on the music team around the front of the stage for a "word."

He challenged us as musicians, as worshipers and as a team saying, "This is probably one of the most talented bands out there... but that's not good enough. You guys could show up every week and jam out and sound great. But I think that you guys have the potential to be the best praise and worship team ever."

Quite a challenge. But I agree. This is a challenge that I feel like we only want to rise to on special occasions. I think we need to strive towards it every day! Living a life of worship and constantly growing in our craft and musicianship.

So this presents a question. What do YOU think the best praise and worship team looks like?

Back...

2008-07-17T02:00:00.002-05:00

Tif and I are BACK from SO-CAL. We had a great time. We wore ourselves out... but at the same time I'm completely refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things! I miss all of our friends. I miss my scooter. I miss our church. I love the Quad Cities and that God has called us here to do work!

Being on vacation and attending another church for a Sunday has really opened my eyes to what is going on in our nation and the whole "one church/prayer" thing. We are indeed one church and I really think we need to recognize that more often and stop competing with denominations and how other people do things. Not that The Rock in particularly does that. But sometimes as the body of Christ I feel like we get distracted from the big picture.

So-Cal was awesome. We stayed with Adam and Michelle Soliz. Adam is Stu's (one of the drummers at The Rock) oldest son. He leads worship at the aforementioned church and let me play guitar on Sunday. It was fun. They live about 30 minutes from Los's old church in Riverside, CA and about an hour from LA (which you will get more pics of later).

Anyway, now Tif and I are laying around our recovering air-conditioned house trying to re-adjust to midwest time. Cali is two hours behind us (it's 2:16am here, which means it's 12:16 am there). I think I'm starting to get tired. So I'll see ya'll tomorrow!

PS - Amanda, Josiah, Kyle, Luke, Kris, Jace, John, Sherita, singers, JMann and production team and anyone else I'm forgetting who helped make the music portion of worship go so well this past week, I just want to say thank you for reminding me how awesome you all are. I've heard nothing but good about Sunday and both Wednesdays. You guys rock! Let's keep worshiping with everything we have!

G'Night!

Vacay!

2008-07-08T23:49:00.006-05:00

Not to copy any of my colleague's blog post ideas... but tomorrow, my wife and I will be leaving to go spend some time here...

Do a little bit of this...

Stay with these fine people (Adam & Michelle Soliz)...

And get the opportunity to worship with these people

California, here we come! It's gonna be a great time. And I will officially be twitter and blog silent for the next week. I'm going to miss the team and church but I will come back refreshed and ready to rock!

See you on the flip...

-Aus

Golden Ticket

2008-07-07T18:14:00.004-05:00

So I got home from work today, and my wife greeted me at the door with a Wonka Bar with a Golden Ticket inside!!!

By Wonka Bar I mean a USPS Priority mail envelope. And by Golden Ticket I mean John Mayer tickets!!!

Yes...

New Wheels

2008-07-06T18:03:00.004-05:00

So here's the verdict... I have decided to KEEP the black beauty (truck) and get myself a Yamaha Zuma!!! I was down in Springfield this weekend with the boys fir Kev's wedding, and we came across a KILLER deal.

I've already been around the town on it... this thing rips. I filled it up for just under 4 bucks! Let the savings begin!

Wedding Day

2008-07-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

It's Kev's big day... we had 6 dudes sleeping in our room last night... every one of our wives have walked in saying that it "smells like straight butt in here"... I think I'm use to it, is that bad?

More updates to come as the day goes on.

Holy Day Inn

2008-07-04T14:00:00.003-05:00

So we have officially arrived in Springfield for Kev's wedding. And after a few rounds of hotel shopping, we have decided to go with the Holiday Inn Express. You just can't beat it... figuratively speaking.

Brandon and Josiah have already had a wrestling (tickling) match on the king size bed. Tonight should be fun while I sleep between them.

Hand to Paper

2008-07-03T17:15:00.002-05:00

I honestly can't remember the last time I put my hand to paper to just write something non-signature/list/label related. Like writing a paragraph or EVEN the lyrics to a song. It seems like I use "Pages" for all of my substance-related writing these days.

I need a moleskin.

Is this bad?

RockChurchQC.com

2008-07-03T12:42:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time coming... Rock Church finally has its own (cool) website. Go check it out.

It's Here

2008-07-01T18:16:00.004-05:00

The new John Mayer dvd "Where the Light Is" came out today... and you better believe I was at Best Buy the moment I got off of work buying it for not only myself, but some of my colleagues as well. Some of the best leaders say to always keep the vision in front of your followers.

What can I say... I'm just doing myself and my friends a favor.

Nerds

2008-06-26T23:20:00.005-05:00

This happened... we had the same conversation over multiple internet sources. We are nerds.

I've Got Some Dirt...

2008-06-26T17:33:00.002-05:00

Really... good soil!

A few nights ago as Tif and I were outside working on our yard, our new neighbors decided to come over and introduce themselves (4 months late... but who's counting?). The women started talking about decorating as us men began talking about landscaping and lawn care.

He then mentioned that he had this machine in his garage that could till up a garden in like 30 minutes... putting to shame the days it would have taken me with the new garden ho I had just bought from Menards! But I swallowed my pride and accepted his offer to let me use it for the rest of the week... for free!

It's funny how kind and generous neighbors can be once they realize you actually care about how your house looks in the neighborhood.

So needless to say... I now have some very fertile looking soil in the front of my house ready for fresh flowers and a bed of mulch!. Thanks to Bob and... uh... his wife from across the street!

Not to mention, I think we're up for the Neighbors-of-the-Year award.

Would You?

2008-06-24T13:31:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to make a big decision right now. With rising gas prices and changes in the economy taking place, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should sell this...

Buy one of these...

And start using this on the non-weather friendly days...

Would you do it?

Amy Winehouse

2008-06-24T13:13:00.002-05:00

Amy Winehouse has talent. Not to mention a RIDICULOUSLY soulful voice. But as you may or may not have known, she's been in and out of rehab a few times and has recently been diagnosed with emphysema, a "progressive lung disease that leaves those suffering from it struggling for breath." The cause, in this case, was the excessive amount of smoked drugs she's used.

Tragic to say the least. Here's where I'm going with this. I don't know if this disease can be cured or not, but it seems like such a waste of talent. Talent is one of the many things that can be used to change people's lives. And I'm sure Amy has done that in many ways already, but who knows what else she could have done to positively impact her world had she not fallen short due to some bad choices and substance abuse.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your talent, or what venue to use it in. But the simple fact is that it is God given, and whatever your talent may be, guard it. Don't let yourself waste it.

Funny

2008-06-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

I'm sure there are only a handful of my readers that will appreciate this one. But it made me laugh so I had to share it.

New Living Room!

2008-06-16T22:54:00.004-05:00

Shown below is my wife enjoying our new sectional. Above that is the shelves that we bought on our anniversary at IKEA. On the adjacent wall is an old table that I spray painted black. And all around the living room are the old beat up trailer windows that I shall start replacing this weekend...

The One, the Only...

2008-06-16T13:31:00.003-05:00

I'd like to take a moment and just point a few things out about the one and only JMann.

#1. He's incredibly good looking.

#2. He has skills that you don't even know exist when it comes to audio, video and/or all-things-technical.

#3. He knows how to get things done.

#4. He willingly stayed at the church until 3am on Saturday until the sound system was installed and ready to roll for Sunday morning...

#5. No... he doesn't receive a weekly paycheck from the church.

Justin, you rock. And so does your team. You're going to have your own zip code when you get to heaven.

This...

2008-06-08T23:25:00.004-05:00

...CD has had me jamming for the past year at least. Tri has been doing a fair share of reggae lately and people around here really dig it for some reason. As Josiah said, "there really aren't too many good reggae bands around here... and Austin, you flow like a madman on those songs man... you're the best I've ever heard." Ok so I may have misquoted him a bit on that last part. Anyway, I don't mean to lead anyone into Rastafarianism, but reggae music just gets me going.

What music do you like that people would be surprised to find out you listen to?

I Love My Wife...

2008-06-08T23:03:00.005-05:00

"What are you doing? Why are you taking pictures of me?"

"Mad at you... I look fat"

(sigh)

(giggle @ facebook message)

She has a macbook in her lap... hott... say what you will. What traits, biological or not do you love about your spouse/significant other?

Expectancy

2008-06-04T10:32:00.002-05:00

So apparently there's a "revival" going on right now in Florida through a minister by the name of Todd Bentley. He has videos all over YouTube.

When you (if you) watch any of these clips, you may think to yourself, "this guy has a few loose screws goin on." True as it may seem, miracles ARE indeed happening. And the only difference between them happening in Florida, and happening in your OWN church is the atmosphere of expectancy.

Let me put it into non-church lingo. Imagine showing up to Kingdom Youth Church tonight or at church on Sunday morning and everybody's buzzing about the things God is getting ready to do. People have made road trips to come to THIS service from Des Moines, Peoria, Chicago and there's even a few people who bought plane tickets for their sick, addicted or disabled loved ones to come and experience the power of God at Rock Church. Everybody is uber-pumped! Nobody's arguing, fighting, gossiping or even remembering what they did earlier in the day. All that matters right now is that they (we) are here, and God is getting ready to be God through His church. The lights dim and seemingly ordinary looking people take the stage with seemingly ordinary gifts. They begin playing some high energy music and immediately people are zoned in... passionately singing, dancing and lifting their hands the same way you and I would do at our favorite artist's concert. But this is different. There's a freedom about these songs. The music ends and another ordinary (yet well dressed) dude comes on stage. He's passionate about what he's talking about. Everybody is strangely intrigued by what he's saying. It's as if the words he is speaking are not his own... but those of some wise miniature buddha. You think to yourself, "man, I can't wait to go apply these words to my own life!"

You leave.

Changed.

Full.

Of love.

Expectations... fulfilled.

What do you expect?

Justice

2008-06-02T14:27:00.001-05:00

Because We Can.

PoP!

2008-05-27T16:18:00.002-05:00

This is the leadership book for the month of June. It's amazing. I can actually read and get something out of it in a room full of talking people. That says enough for somebody like me.

Woah...

2008-05-23T14:53:00.002-05:00

Redefine will look like this this year... not the lights, stage, sound system... or all that other stuff. But the presence and energy of God in that room!