Thursday, December 31, 2009

Things I See

There are many passages of scripture that bring us comfort and encouragement as we journey on toward our final home.  But, one in particular is my favorite.  John 14:1-4.
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

Sometimes I miss little things in life because of the stresses and business that tends to consume me.  Mostly do to the fact that I can't say "no" very well.  However this Christmas, I got to see the truth of this passage while preparing a gift for some wonderful kids.

Mark Thomason is a great friend and keyboard player.  I am blessed to know him and his family.  Mark asked if I would help him transform his home office into a playroom for his girls, Erin and Emily.  We started on Tuesday with removing office stuff and painting, and finished at 2am Dec 25th.
Now during the prep and painting, the running of wire in conduit, I never really had a spiritual though.  We may have talked about the worship set for the coming week, but nothing deep or life altering.  To tell the truth, setting up a wii, projector, screen, sound system and lights, we were more irreverent that reverent.  But something happened to me on Christmas morning when the girls had opened all there presents and then went down stairs to put them away.
Emily saw the bow on the door and said "did we get a new door?'.  I about fell over.  Mark told her now and had the girls open the door to there new game room.  It was awesome!  The girls were blown away!  Erin looked around with her mouth hanging open.  Emily stopped in the middle of the room and turned around to face her dad and mom and yelled "This is awesome!"  That's when what Jesus told us in John 14:1-4 hit me. 

While we are sleeping and doing life, our Jesus is working on a room in our Fathers house for us.  And I know that I will walk into my room and yell "This is Awesome!"

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Primal by Mark Batterson

This is my first every blog book review.  In some ways I am excited, and in some ways I'm scared out of my mind.  The book I was asked to review was Mark Batterson's new book Primal.

First the book is a great read.  I would say a must read for anyone looking to rekindle the spark for Jesus that gets weak as we journey through this life.  Mark does an incredible job of breaking down complex truths in a practical and understanding way.  Mark explores the mysteries of Jesus' command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  In each section of the book, he takes us through each of these aspects and breaks them down for us.  I enjoy the very technical information that mark uses explain the great scientific mysteries, and how he is able to tie them to God our creator.  The illustrations are clear and easy to grasp.  If you are not into tech stuff, you may not fully enjoy the book.  However, Mark also includes other, equally engaging stories to bring the point home.

I conclusion, I feel Mark has done a great job of communicating to us the need to get back to the basics of our faith.  He did so in a respectful non-comdeming matter as well.  While reminding us of where we are lacking as Christ followers, he only needed to remind us of the wonders of God for us to realize we have strayed the course.  And don't we all need to get back to the basics of loving God?

Peace...

Monday, December 21, 2009

Monday downloads...

Cool week for sure.
  • Staff meeting/Christmas dinner was amazing.  It's like Christmas at all our evening staff meetings though.
  • Made sure the sound system we installed at Priceville Elem worked for their xmas program.
  • Unloaded a bunch of furniture for Jeans co-worker who lost her home in a fire.  It came all the way from Houston, Tx.  The generosity of people never ceases to amaze me.
  • Went shopping for that same family on Friday night with the Revolution Youth.  Great times with great young people.
  • Shot 2 video segments for Epic.  We actually had a director and sound guy.  Made editing real easy too.
  • Got my first book in my blog review.  Trying to finish it this week.
  • Started working out with Marlin Gill in the mornings.  After my first day, my bronchitis from last week flared up and took me out again.  I'm back though for tomorrow.
  • Watched Christmas Vacation with the Potters.  Amy had never seen it.  She has now!
  • Amazing services at Epic yesterday.  The band was spot on.  The Tech team didn't miss a transition and The Kids from Journey did an awesome job!  Way to go Pastor Kenny!
  • Made fried mashed potato cakes yesterday for Jean.  They were great, especially with cheese on top.
  • Went to see the Dave Matthews Band in 3D movie with Justin Potter and David Simon Friday night.  Amazing 3D and really inspired me to get off my butt and do some Dangerous Hours shows.
  • Came to realize that adversity is the catalyst to great things.  Makes you determined to push through to the finish.
  • Great vision casting meeting with IV this week.  Lots of great things in the future for Epichurch.tv. and more importantly, the people of Northern Alabama. 
  • Filled in the last puzzle piece that is live streaming.  Working out the kinks now so that we can "go live" with an iCampus at Epicchurch.tv.
Just excited about the future with my wife Jean.  She is the best life partner.  She teaches me stuff all the time about being like Christ.  She is only beginning to see the leader she is gonna be in the kingdom.  Look out people!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday downloads...

I was sick, sick, sick all last week.  But, God saw in His wisdom to heal me before Sunday.  So all went well at Epic.

  • My Grandmother Tina Hallock, 99, passed away Tuesday night.  It was good to spend time with her over Thanksgiving.  I will miss her for sure.  She took me in when I had no where to go, and was always excited to see me when I would come to visit.   I'm glad she can now rest.
  • Spent the greater part of last week in bed due to a self induced NyQuil coma.  I love that stuff.
  • Great times at The Brick on Friday night.  Got to hang out with some cool Epic people and listen to a great band/Artist.  If you get a chance, check out Michelle Malone.  I also got to hear a potential guitar player for Epic.  Good times.
  • Traded some stuff to Guitar Bob for an amp to have as part of our backline at Epic.  It is a Line 6 Spider 2x12.  It will work perfectly for what we need it for. 
  • Ate some great Italian food at Melody Gills home on Saturday.  Wow, what good stuff that was.  Melody is the CEO of Doctors For Doctors and is huge part of our creative team.  Thanks Mel!
  • Finished the Pushin' Daisies Series yesterday.  This 2 week series on heaven and hell was a very cool way to segue into our Christmas series "Better Days".
  • Even though our ace keyboard player Mark Thomason was out yesterday, the Band did a phenomenal job.  We had pedal steel player Warren Lynch back with us.  Good stuff.
  • Got to watch the Drs4Drs and Epic community get onboard to help out a single mother of 5, whose home burned down on Tuesday.  The response has been huge.  Within a week, she has another house on the way, and lots of stuff to fill it.
  • Picked up another student this week.  This now means 3 for me.  Yes, finally getting back up to where I was in Vegas.
  • Jean handed out Hot Chocolate at the Decatur Christmas Parade on Monday night.  I stayed home and slept.
  • Watched the 4 Christmas' last night.  Pretty funny, but the 4th Christmas was not as funny as the other 3.  Seems like they ran out of things to mock.  I thought Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakum were hilarious. 
Anyway, today already is shaping up to be the beginning of a great week.  Peace.

Monday, December 7, 2009

What if?

I've been thinking about this for a long time...

Questions I have:

1. Can a volunteer serve multiple churches at once?  I help out church A on Sunday morning because they are portable.  I am on staff at church B that is not portable.  My free time on Sunday is spent serving at another church.  This is really a good one for musicians. 

2.  Can resources and materials be shared between churches? I think this happens more than sharing people.  Lifechurch.tv is great at this.  They give it away for free.  What about chairs and lighting, or PA equipment.  What about another church using your facilities for something like meetings or special services, maybe even band rehearsals?

3.  Supporting another churches ministry?  Epic does not have a homeless/hardship ministry.  We don't have a food pantry, clothes closet or kitchen.  We have 3 Sunday services and a  Wednesday night youth service.  That's all we do AT Epicchurch.tv.  But we support 2 other churches who have established homeless/hardship ministries.  One is the Neighborhood Christian Center and the other is The Dream Center.  We funnel funds and people to both of these ministries to help them realize the vision God has placed on there hearts.  We maximize everyone's potential by working like this.


Just a few thoughts.  Comments please.

Monday downloads...

Wow, the weeks are flying by!  Soon it will be Christmas.  I missed last week, so I may have a little bleed over.  But It's my blog.
  • Cookie went back to Vegas Tuesday.  We had a great time hanging out with her.  Looking forward to her spending the summer at Epic.
  • Great time cruising abound Birmingham.  Got to meet some very cool people on my tour of Bham music stores.  My favorite was a tie between Highland music, and Homewood.
  • Started production on our new Video announcements.  It's gonna be cool.  Announcements are needed, but really mess up the flow on Sunday mornings.  Just my thoughts.
  • Had to most amazing rehearsal Thursday night. 
  • Helping a friend in Vegas with an arrangement for his drumline.  Very honored and humbled.
  • Used Motion to create a video roll in for our Pushing Daisies series.  Technology is amazing in that it lets regular people like me do great things with video.
  • Visited the NCC in Decatur this week.  Glad to be a partner in the work with them.  
  • Totally "tuned" the PA system at Epicchurch.  Sounds way better!  Thanks Mark and Ownthemix. 
  • Getting to do some book reviews.  Scary for me.  I'm really stepping up my game for sure.
  • Went to Elaine Gills financial seminar on Saturday.  It is always good to hear financial wisdom.  No matter what stage of the financial freedom journey you are on, there is always something you can learn.
  • Hung out with the Thomason's on Saturday afternoon to watch Alabama roll over Florida.  Great game.
  • Tried to find a church in Cullman for Saturday night service.  Lets just say they were not where mapquest gps had them located.  Matter of fact, they had no map on the web either.  Reminded me that it's the little things that count in ministry.  Updated maps are important.
  • 3 Rockin services yesterday!   Foo Fighters, Pink, Hillsong United, and Nickleback all in the mix yesterday.
  • Long nap after services yesterday...4 hours.  I was wiped out.  Worth it for sure.
  • Caught up on The Office and V.  Still undecided on V.  Can't wait for LOST!
  • Started Justin Potters Maori warrior tattoo.  It's gonna be amazing.  Stay tuned for pictures.
I'm sure there was more, but that's okay.  Peace.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Thoughts on Musicianship

Here are a few of my thoughts on musicianship.

  1. Prepare.  You have to be prepared for the musical situation you are going into. Are you familiar with the style, song selection etc.? The less experience you have, the more you need to prepare.
  2. Gear.  Do you have the right gear for the job?  I just had a phone conversation with a guitar player considering joining the Epic band.  He had looked over the song list I sent him, and he said he would need to get another guitar to make sure he would have the right sound for us.  I about fell over.  That is what a musician considers when taking a gig.  "Do I have the right gear?", not "do I have gear?".  I have mixed sound for many a band with a Marshall Stack in the backline for a small club, and destroyed the mix.  Marshall Stacks are my among my favorite amp rigs along with some killer boutique amps.  But they don't fit every situation.
  3. Know your place.  If you are not the MD, don't try to become one.  Be ready to give input if asked, but don't try to run the show.  I have had many a professional give me suggestions that made the song rock.  I love that.  I have also worked with people that totally wanted to rearrange the entire arrangement or tell everyone else how to play their parts and not even know their own.  Ouch, I have even done that once or twice.  It's a hard lesson, but one that needs learning.
  4. Attitude.  Don't bring your emotional junk to the gig or rehearsals.  Be positive about what is going on.  Remember, you are making music! If you are doing a church gig, talk with the worship pastor long before rehearsal or the Sunday you are scheduled.  He/She will be able to focus on you and help.  Encourage others in the band too.  Everyone loves a little encouragement.
This list could be, and should be expanded on by greater minds than mine.  If any of you readers, have a comment or suggestion, please respond.

Peace

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Do You Get It?

Most leaders agree, that you need so surround yourself with people who "get" the vision.  Knowing the vision and "getting" it are two entirely different things.  Here are some practical ways to identify people who get it.
  1. They talk about it as much as you do.  Maybe more.
  2. Ownership.  They give you unsolicited feedback.  This means they are thinking about it and owning it.
  3. Time and treasures are invested.
  4. They may not be Christ followers yet!
  5. Multiplication. They get people involved that you didn't even know existed.
  6. They encourage, not criticize.  Solutions are presented with problems.
  7. They are not spiritual Vampires that suck the life and love of ministry out of you.
Who do you have on your team that is like this?  Don't spend time babysitting people who will never get it.  Invest in those who do, and ask God to give you discernment.

Peace and Love.

Thoughts from Tony Morgan: Church Math

One of the blogs I follow is Tonymorganlive.com.  Here is some cool stuff from his blog.

more staff = fewer volunteers
lack of planning = financial challenges
more meetings = less ministry
unclear vision = packed ministry calendar
packed ministry calendar = volunteer burnout
more announcements = less ministry engagement
more ministries = more announcements
fewer people inviting friends = smaller crowds
lack of added value = fewer people inviting friends
fewer constraints = less creativity
same methods = same results

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thankful...

I am giving thanks this year for so much that, it will be hard to get it all on here. 

First I am thankful for a loving God who allows me through grace to be his kid.  I love my Pappa.

Second, my wife Jean, for being an amazing partner in life.  I don't want to do anything or go anywhere with out her with me.  She loves adventure and we have definitely have that going on.  Love you baby!

Thankful for:

  • Epicchurch.tv Decatur, Alabama.  You are an inspiration to me on what a church can be to the broken and lost in a city.  I know God is opening the heavens over Decatur, and you are pouring out all so he can fill it up.  
  • IV and Bene' Marsh, Garrett, Josh and Ella.  There are no words to explain your love or express the gratitude for all you have done for Jean and I.  What started out as a desire to do some consulting work for you guys has turned into the dream that started back in Las Vegas.  Never thought we would serve in the Kingdom together and yet here we are.  IV, I know our hearts were knitted together for the sake of the Gospel and it is a honor to call you friend
  • Marlin and Elaine.  I am inspired by your steadfast love for Christ's bride.  Thank you for following the voice of God and making the way for us to come along side you in the work.  You both Rock!
  • Mark Thomason, you are my hero and don't even realize it yet.  Thanks for helping me stay sane and showing me true musicianship and professionalism.  We have only yet to see what sonic awesomeness is coming.  Stay focused on what is good in life and you will find the peace you are looking for.
  • Jeremy, Jane and Jackson Strawn.  I miss you guys terribly.  I cannot listen to DMB without thinking of you guys and all the support you brought.  You supported me through some tough stuff and I thank you guys.  I know we will see each other soon, but you need to get your butts to Decatur.
  • My Family in Michigan.  Can't wait to see you all tomorrow.  All that comes to mind is, Good Times!  I am glad I no longer live 3 days drive from you.  
  • Kenny, Jodi and Colton Gonz.  Bring on the "Gringos"!  I hope I make it through the holidays without you guys.  Wow....is all I can say.  Kenny, when you are ready, we have a place for you guys!  Love, Love, Love, is all we have for you three.
  • My two dogs, Joy and Muffin.  
  • Music
  • Justin, Amy, Tina, Kenny (and the 8 kids), Jason, Linda, Melody, Grant, Houston, Wes, Andrea R, Mike, Andrea H, Latrice, Doug, Charles, Barbara, Landon, Sam, Summer, and all the other Epic folks who have welcomed us with open arms.  I know I've forgot some, Terry, Tasha, Dallas, Keisha, Brilley...okay don't everyone else get butt hurt.  I still love you all.
  • My Crosspoint Peeps, Wendy, Jack, Kevin, Stacey, Jason...you guys rock.  Love being a part of the Decatur God story with you all.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

This week so far...

Only Tuesday and man I am deep into the business of getting things ready for Sunday morning.  I'll be traveling out of state this week for Thanksgiving so got to get everything set up in advance.  Maybe I should pretend that I am off Thursday-Saturday every week?  Hum, makes me wonder if my production value would go through the roof?  Well I'm videoing tomorrow over at the church we are supporting for Thanksgiving by cooking and helping serve meals.  I love that fact that we are able to partner with other churches who have bigger facilities to handle stuff like meals, and we give them volunteers.  Very Kingdom minded.  I think Jesus instructed us to love each other and that's how people will know we are His disciples.  Programing lights next and then EQing the monitors, followed by uploading a video to Vimeo and adding a link to our Epic video blog.  Yay!!  I also have two guitar students this afternoon and band rehearsal at 6:30.  Told ya, busy bee I am.
I everyone has a great time with family and friends this Thursday.  Share some love with those who are going through tough times too.  Peace.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday Monday

Oh yes, how time flies when you are having fun.  Seems like a blur this past week.  A good blur, but a blur none the less.  Let me see if I can re-cap.


  • My Mom turned 68 this past week.  She is doing real well, and can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with her and my family this week.  Love you Mom!
  • Cooked a Turkey and made gravy for Jeans Thanksgiving party at work.  Turned out real well.
  • Spent a majority of the week watching and learning at www.ownthemix.com.
  • Edited a new video that shows the churches and ministries that Epicchurch.tv partners with in Decatur.
  • Picked up another guitar student.  Grand total of 2 now.  Gotta start out small ya know.
  • My wife is killing it with the production team.  They are making weekend services jam!
  • Tackled some tough songs this week.  "If Everyone Cared", "Broken" were some awesome radio hits that we did.  Mark Thomason on keys really took us to a new level.  Everyone in the band is growing and getting better each week.
  • I still think church musicians have the toughest jobs.  Learning different songs each week is challenging for sure.  Glad to have some great people on the team.
  • Leaders are not the most popular people sometime, especially when they have to make a tough decisions.  
  • Got to watch the Lawrence County Pee Wee football team play in the championship game Saturday night.  The got beat pretty bad.  But it was the championship game.
  • Unveiled our "Decatur Dave and Decatur Danielle" profiles at the Dream Team meeting yesterday.  Very aggressive move I would say.  My favorite quote from IV, "We will do anything short of sinning to reach people."
  • Actually watched an Alabama football game on Saturday.  Well, it kinda played in the background while we worked on vocals for Sunday.  
  • Did a tattoo on Friday night.  Love pushing ink.
  • Enjoyed some wonderful quality time with my wife Saturday morning.  Advice to husbands, DATE YOUR WIFE!!
Peace out!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Good times

So yesterday I cooked my first turkey of the season.  Yes me.  Jean works for a company called Drs4Drs, and they had their pot luck thanksgiving lunch yesterday.  So, Jean informs me that I am on turkey duty.
Actually, I love to cook turkey.  I want to get a deep fryer one day and fry one.  Maybe Christmas.  Anyway, I did what Grandma used to do, I got a turkey bag!  I love those things.  Cover Turkey with olive oil (the real stuff not Popeye's girl), flour the inside of the bag, put in the oven and bang zoom...turkey awesomeness.  Now the real trick is the gravy.  I like to use all the juices from the turkey plus the giblets.  This part is scary for me though, thickening the gravy.  Now Jean trusts me with the turkey, but here words to me as I dropped here of at work stuck to me like a sweaty t-shirt on a hot Alabama day.  "Don't make the gravy runny!"  I was paralyzed with fear.  I was confident until those words were spoken.  So the whole time I'm prepping the gravy, all I could think about was getting it thick enough.  So with a mixture of flour and water ( I mix the flour up with some cold water so when I add it to the hot broth I don't get lumps), I started the thickening process.  Of course I wasn't sure how much I would need, so I made a bunch.  Two cups of my flour/water mixture and still not thick enough.  So one more shot, except I added more flour than water.  So you know what happens next.  Lumps in my gravy!! Aaarrrggggh.  If only there was no pressure to have thick gravy! Only kidding.
Jean didn't like it though.  She was ruined by Angela Neal, our good friend from Kentucky, who makes awesome gravy.  Everyone else in the office loved it, or at least told me they did.  I think I got props only because I was a man making turkey and gravy.  I'll that that.  I did get to enjoy the pot luck too. 
Good Times...

I still need to get a grill so I can make my own BBQ... Peace.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Big God

Wow, I thought I posted this on Friday!  Maybe I was so upset, I forgot to hit send?  Here it is from Friday morning at Starbucks.

I am reading "Starting HD Chuches" by Ron Sylvia, and God just decided to speak to me.  I am really toast right now.  Tears are flowing from my eyes.  I had to stop to write down what I am feeling.  I was reading Chapter 4 and on pages 46-47, Ron is telling a story of needing finances to keep the church going.  Needed $18000.00 for the year to keep going.  So he has a special offering and explained the situation to the people.  Took the offering and brought in $50000.00!!  When I read that God sort of whispered to me "Why don't you believe I can do miracles like that?"  And so here I am weeping because He is right.  Somewhere along the way, I stopped believing He can do anything!  IV just walked in and I'm sitting here in a mess of tears...he is puzzled for sure.  We are shooting a video today, so I'll give him the 411 in a minute.  I just want to get back to the way I used to believe in God.  Powerful, able and wanting to do miracles for His children.  Now time to ask Daddy for forgiveness for my lack of faith.

Monday on Tuesday

Wow, the holy hangover was kicking yesterday.  We had our creative team meeting as well.  Thank God for coffee and diet Mt. Dew.  Here is the download or scoop if you will.

  • Over 400 at Epic yesterday.  The third service is really rockin'.  There is something to be said about sleeping in Sunday morning, then coming to church to get your praise on.  I want to call the 12:30 service "The Brick" service, since people who were out at The Brick on Saturday, can still come!
  • The band, did Money by Pink Floyd and did a really great job.  If you are not a musician, you wouldn't understand how challenging that song is.
  • We had our first Jam session Sunday at Epic.  It was amazing.  Our keyboard player Mark, is the most amazing keys/piano player I have had the chance to work with.
  • Jean made here first batch of cornbread...it was amazing!!  She got the recipe from Benny Perrin who owns BB Perrin's here in Decatur.  Thanks Benny!
  • Got messed up by the book "Starting High Definition Churches" by Ron Sylvia.  Really made me realize I don't trust God.  Almost afraid to pick it up again.
  • Great hang time with IV Marsh and Justin Potter on Thursday.  It's great when leaders can get together and sharpen each other.  
  • Shot a Video with IV on Friday about all the things Epicchurch.tv are involved in.  Funny thing, we never set foot in our building.
  • If you haven't been to the NCC on Bank St here in Decatur, you need to stop in and see how they do ministry to the poor.  
  • Love the new direction with the music at Epic.
  • Got to tour Athens, AL with IV and Bene.  
  • Ate at Dub's Burgers in Athens.  I'm told it's been around since after the great flood.  Moses loved the place....I did too!
  • Trying to get into college football here.  Never really been into sports that I am not currently playing in, so it is a challenge.  But Auburn needs to stop giving the games away!  
  • Got to admit Alabama is tearing it up this year.  
  • Our Tech team is setting new standards in creativity...Love you guys!!
  • Starbucks is the greatest office you could ever have.  I love it.
  • Got to hang with Kevin Burns from Crosspoint Community this week.  Love hearing God stories about other churches.  
I know that is not all, but it is a lot.  Overall it was a great week filled with God, friends, and music.
Peace. 

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Leadership stuff...

After dropping Jean off at work this morning, I made my way to my Starbucks office again for some meetings.  On the way I was thinking about all the technology at my fingertips.  Literally at my fingertips.  That thought morphed in to the information available at those same end of digits.  Then I thought, "I have no excuse not to be a great leader, because I have access to some of the greatest leaders of our day, right on my phone!"  So just saying that if we are leading people, we have no excuse to suck at it.  I may blow it from time to time, but it is not because the skill or technique or truth is not out there for me to grab a hold of.  Just a thought, so get out there on Twitter, the blog-o-sphere, Facebook, Podcasts and the whole other host of resources, and lead!!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Starbucks Observation

Okay, I am sitting at the Starbucks store in Decatur, AL.  I am studying Jesus, trends in technology, blogging, reading and enjoy the people.  As I watched people come in and place orders, I had this thought; People come to Starbucks because they want a great coffee beverage, not to be convinced that coffee beverages are great.  The customer comes in and is asked what they would like and the customer orders.  Now a fist time customer will look at the menu, and maybe inquire about a certain beverage, but they know why Starbucks is there.  They don't expect a pizza from Starbucks.

So then I thought about churches.  And I could totally be off here, but if someone comes to your church, don't they expect to here about God, and maybe even Jesus?  Did someone already invite them?  Did someone already tell them about Jesus?  Did they hear the audible voice of God say "get to church"?
When someone comes to Starbucks, the Barista doesn't explain the way the coffee beans are grown and processed to become the awesome beverage you are enjoying.  No, they make it and you enjoy.  In church we need to present Christ and let people enjoy him.  How to present Christ?
  • Be yourself and reflect his love to everyone who walks through the door.  Everyone!!  If by being yourself you are judgemental and unhappy about life, you may need to do some self evaluation.  Ask someone that will tell you the truth, not someone who surgarcoats it. 
  • If  you are a teaching Pastor, teach a practical life lesson, something anyone can start applying to their everyday journey.
  • You must believe in the product, or in the case of the church, the message of Christ.  If you really don't think Christ can change lives, well, you might want to talk to him about that.  
  • Celebrate change.  When Starbucks announced the new instant coffee, I didn't hear one employee at my, yes my, store complain about it.  In fact they were giving out free samples.
  • I call the Starbucks I go to "my store", because it is where I spend my money and time.  Let people know that you support "your church".  I don't bash other Starbucks stores, there is only one other in Decatur at Target, but I celebrate the whole Starbucks experience. We should celebrate the Kingdom of God the same way.  You may have your favorite place to worship, but don't bash the church down the street.
So I hope I was able to translate what was going on in my mind to "paper".  I started blogging to do just that.  If you have any comments or additions please share.  

Are we too focused??

At Epicchurch.tv, we have our creative meetings on Mondays.  We begin my debriefing Sunday service.  We "walk through" the service beginning with the parking lot and end with the dismissal of the last service.  With three services, it is a lot to download and digest.  The funny thing about it is, we all have a different perspective on the service.  And what I've found out is that the closer the area of ministry is to your heart, the more you notice what went wrong.  I'll try to explain better. 

I really thought we struggled with a few songs on Sunday.  We don't do 3 chord 4/4 songs to just get by.  I throw challenging stuff at our band.  But, learning a new popular song each week is a daunting task for any band.  But I knew where we missed vocal cues, missed a transition to a chorus, played the wrong chord, etc.  The rest of the creative team and staff thought it was off the chain.  I was perplexed to say the least.  But again I know what was missing and they were enjoying the energy and vibe that was coming from the stage.  And they were worshiping Jesus. 

Now, when we discussed the greeters, I thought they were awesome and friendly.  The kind of people who make you feel welcome when you go to a know place.  But, there were missteps and cancellations, and some challenges had to be overcome.  Same thing in the parking lot and kids. 
I didn't notice because, it's not my area of passion.  I am focused on the worship band and tech crew.  I spend my waking, and sometimes sleeping, hours fixed on what Sunday will look and sound like. 

So in light of this new although simple revelation, I am gonna really enjoy Sunday morning and not get too, focused on things that don't happen the way I think it should.  I'm gonna step back a little and see the forest.

I love our team!!
Peace

Peace.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Monday Monday

Time for the weekly data dump.  Second week of the "Jack" series. 
  • We had 9 people get saved during a series on Money!!  Just goes to show you how powerful the message of the Gospel is.
  • IV preached up a nice little storm for us.  Man it was awesome. 
  • The Louis CK clip from Conan was a big hit.  Makes you think for sure.
  • Did another tattoo this week.  Lots of fun, but scary because it was on a friend of mines daughter.  She is 21, but still, I was nervous.
  • Keyboard player Mark Thomason joined the Epic band this week.  What an amazing player.
  • Did Madonna's "Material Girl" for the opener Yesterday.  April tore it up.  Fun song.
  • Took Jean with me to help out at Crosspoint, we had a blast helping out those guys
  • Went golfing in Alabama for the first time.  Enjoyed the company, did not enjoy my crappy swing. You can't go 3 months without hitting the ball and expect to have a great round.  
  • Our whole leadership team is on Twitter now.  Very cool to see us embrace technology. 
  • We were given a new dog this week.  We are still trying to decide a name for her.  She is doing real good and Joy is loving having her around.
  • Joined the Dream Center for adopt-a-block on Satuday.  Me a guy named "Skimp" who lost his son to drug overdose in October.  We are gonna hang out more for sure.
  • Got caught up on "The Office" and "Grey's Anatomy" this week.  I love Hulu.com.  Gonna watch "V" next.  I remember the first one.  I was a little young still, so I don't remember the graphics being too cheesy. I just remember on of the nice "V's" was played by the same guy that played Freddie Krugar in the Nightmare movies.
  • Had a tragic loss in Las Vegas this past week.  DJ, who was a solid christ follower, was killed in a motorcycle accident last Tuesday.  He was 21.  He had a band called Cross Out These Eyes.  His memorial was yesterday.  Over 500 people attended.  Gonna miss him for sure.  
Remember to love each other. Especially those who don't like you.
Peace.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Video

It's been a very productive week.  I am doing some video work today with FCP and Motion.  I am loving those programs.  I think I can get real good with 3d graphics if I keep putting in the hours.  It is so fun learning new stuff.  I think that is the key to staying young and keeping your mind healthy.  So not much today other than that.  I don't think I really have anything of super importance to share.  Just loving technology today.  Peace.

And more Tattoos

Here are the pictures of my use of color and shading.  I used a no 3 liner and 9 round shader for each of these.  The little butterfly to the lower left of the big one, I did at the same time as the big one. My customers were very happy with the work.  I was too.





Monday, November 2, 2009

Monday Monday

Lot's going on, but just gonna talk about Sunday at Epicchurch.tv.
  •  4 conversions and 8 re-commitments!!
  • We launched the "Jack" series.  Already messing people up.  It's amazing how people respond to money series when you just tell it like it is.  
  • Our band went to a whole new level yesterday!  The energy was crazy.  It was loud, and raucous and full of excitement. 
  • The tech team was spot on with lighting cues, video and sound.
  • Showed and amazing video of our Epic yard sale.  We gave away so much stuff.  I cried everytime I watched it.  And I'm the one who shoot and edited it!! 
  • In case you missed it- 4 conversions and 8 re-commitments.
  • Great snacks in the green room.  We have some people who make sure we stay fueled up.  Of course I'm like a tanker so to speak.
  • Our 20 year old drummer thinks I'm on some kind of "look younger" diet or supplement.  He can't believe I'm as old as I am.  I told him I was only 12 years old in God's kingdom.
  • I get to work with one of the best leadership teams around!  Truly committed to reaching the lost, hurt and broken.  A bunch of little Jesus' they are!!
  • I love our smoke machine!!!
  • Pastor Kenny is creating a Kid frenzy over in the Journey building!  In 10 years, there is gonna be some 15 year old freaks for Jesus in the youth group. 
Peace... 

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Tattoo you? Tattoo me...

Okay I finally got up enough nerve to finish my Koi tattoo on myself.  It was my second tattoo ever, and I was a little timid about coloring it in.  So this afternoon, I sat down and started pushing ink.  I am really happy with the outcome.  I tried many different technique to find which shading effects worked and didn't.  This is why you practice on yourself, you can experiment.  Total time invested about 4 hours.  I used a no 5 liner and a 7mag shader.

 

A penny saved...

My brother and sister-in-law, Pat and Melissa, have been on this incredible journey over the past year.  They have been living off the land so to speak, on their farm in Michigan.  You can follow their blog here at True North Found.  Anyway, the goal is to cut spending by using the natural resources that are abundant on our property in Mi.  Our family shares 120 acres of land, of which my brother has a house on the west 40.  The started small, just turning off lights and unplugging things from the outlets when not in use.  Now they have a garden, pigs, clothes lines, and a wood burning stove.  The have literally cut their expenses in half if not more.  My brother has coined this phrase, "Every dollar I don't spend, is one I don't have to earn."  Basically he decided not to have to work 50-60hrs a week away from home, but now works 50-60 hours around the farm.  Anyway, you can check out his blog and get more info.

Jean and I are always looking for way to cut cost.  And I have my brother to thank for keeping us inspired and giving us valuable information.  I think more people can do this if they want to.  Jean and I were shutting off lights, unplugging things, keeping the heat at 64 degrees etc.  But we still would have lights on at night while reading or watching TV.  So I thought about oil lamps.  Ya know the kind with the glass globes on top and the really wide wicks.  So we inquired of my brother and he said, "Candles".   Candles are a lot cheaper and would last longer than the oil lamps.  So we went looking for those tall candles that come in the glass containers.  We call them "holy santos" candles cause they look like you would see them in a Catholic church.  We actually had to go to a hispanic grocery store to find them, but we did and they work great.  We started out with 8, and at $1.80 a piece it was very inexpensive.  The store we went to was on the northwest corner of Central and 14th st here in Decatur.
Now you can use the expensive ones if you want, totally up to you, but we wanted to go as cheep a possible.  So now we will wait for next months electric bill to see if our usage has dropped.  Oh we also decided to remove the extra bulbs from the ceiling fans and bathroom mirrors.  We ended up removing 6 light bulbs total.  6 light bulbs not using up power. 

I hope this helps anyone who is trying to cut expenses and save money.  Also GET ON A BUDGET!  You will be surprised at where you are leaking money.  If you have any tips for us, please comment. Peace and blessings.

Monday, October 26, 2009

It's Monday again??

Wow, what a great week.  So much happening that is is keeping me busy for sure.  Loving the weather, even the rain.  It's really been kinda crazy, but the sun has been out this last week and it is wonderful.  The leaves are just beginning to turn colors, something I haven't seen in a long time.  Anyway I know this week is going to be full of blessings and challenges so time for the reflective last week data dump.
  • creative team meeting at Panera bread, not really all that impressed.  Good meeting though.
  • Traded some unused gear for some much needed stuff at Epic.  We have a fog machine now and drum mics...woooo whoooo.
  • Met a guy named Guitar Bob.  He has the craziest guitar shop I have ever been in.  I should have took pictures, but that wouldn't have explained it.  You just gotta go and see for yourself.
  • Gave my second guitar lesson on Tuesday.  It's good to be teaching again. 
  • Went to support our fellow Epicans at a softball game Tuesday night.  We have some people who can hit the ball.  We walked from our house to the ball fields.  It was cool.
  • Shot the teaser video for our next series "Jack".  Kenny and Jean were awesome.  We got a bunch of laughs.  I will post it online later.
  • Learning lots about leadership from God.  This is a good thing, cause' man sometimes gets it wrong.  It's good to get direct teaching from Daddy.
  • Working my way through "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  Great time of study and reflection.  I highly recommend reading it.  Borrow a copy if you can't afford one.  First 3 chapters are familiar stuff, but starting in Chapter 4,  it gets real good.
  • Went to watch Garrett Marsh play in his second Varsity football game.  He is only in the 8th grade.  Can you say "Talent".  He even got about 5 minutes of playing time in the homecoming game.
  • Woke up early Saturday for our Epic Yard Sale.  It was awesome to see so many people get blessed, both those that served and those who got served.  It was cool to see peoples faces when we told them it was free!  Got lots of great testimonies from people who really needed stuff.
  • Hung out at Bridgestreet in Huntsville after visiting Guitar Bob.  It's a lot like The District @ Green Valley Ranch.  Good times with Jean!
  • 3 killer services at Epicchurch.tv yesterday.  This is why I am vegging today.  The holy hangover is kickin' hard today.  Totally worth it though, we had some people get changed by Jesus yesterday.  Lot's of emotional wounds getting healed. 
  • The band was rockin' yesterday too.  Thanks guys for your commitment.
  • It is great having a building.  I was able to program lights for each song.  Very cool not to be up against a time crunch. 
Have a good week...

Friday, October 23, 2009

Ministry...

My daily devotion has had me reading in 2 Chronicles this past week or so.  I really get a kick out of chapter 7.  My charismatic discipleship early on gets real excited about the first 3 verses.  God's glory filling the temple, fire from heaven, people falling on their faces in awe.  I love that stuff.  But it is in verse 4 that the really good stuff happens.  Ya know the stuff that you go "wow, that would have been awesome!".  I'm kidding of course.  Let me share verses 4 and 5 with you.

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord.
5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.  So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

That is a lot of animals going to the slaughter!  If PETA was around there would have been problems for sure.  Anyway, this passage has some real significance for anyone who is in ministry or feels called to the ministry.  Can you imagine having to slaughter all those animals?  The blood, guts and goo?  Your nice white robes and tassels all soaked on blood and entrails.  I think I might be sick by ox number 10,000 or so.

The point is, we love to see God pour out His glory in ways that remind us of how awesome and magnificent He is, but we forget the sacrifices and day to day offerings we are to be to Him.  Romans 12 anyone?  But serving Him becomes gooey, bloody, messing and sometimes just plain boring.  Come on be real, doesn't is get old sometimes?  I mean you are on sheep number 200, and you have 119,800 to go!  Any all you hear is more bleating of these 119,800.

Now of course, I am not talking about a very important part here.  Teamwork.  I know it wasn't only one priest doing all the work.  I bet is was every priest and every Levite in the the kingdom!  And if you read on to to verse 6, there was a band playing!  Yes, music to serve the Lord by.  In addition, the priest were excited about serving God.  Also, they did just see the God of all creation, rain fire and smoke down on the temple.  And it wasn't cause someone left the smoke machine running back stage!

Anyway, I love the encouragement I get from know that serving God is not all clean and neat.  It gets messy.  It gets loud, and dirty.  But you get to see God too.  I hope everyone gets to see God today...
happy serving my fellow Levites!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Planning Center Does It Again!!

Now you can get your Planning Center updates via Facebook.  Check it out here..
Adding Planning Center Online to Facebook

Enjoy...next is Twitter!

I want to go Deeper

There is a song that I learned early on in my journey with Jesus by a band named Delirious?.  The lyrics of the first line go "I wanna go deeper, but I don't know how to swim...".  I have thought about this subject over the last few weeks and decided to write about it.  Gonna be simple cause that is how I am.

The first step in going deeper, and I mean in the things of God, is learning how to swim.  If you don't have the basic fundamentals of swimming, you will drown.  Even exploring the deep things of God.  How many times have you met someone who just crossed the line of faith and they are confused because some more advanced believer started talking to them about the millennial reign of Christ, or the end times?  Or my personal favorite, the Nephilim. All great things to know, but can really overwhelm someone who is trying to stop looking at porn, get over a lifetime of addiction, or just wants to take the nest step on the journey.

I remember Navy dive school very clearly.  They didn't just stick us out on a dive boat and throw us in after we learned what the acronym SCUBA meant.  They didn't even let us put on gear until they knew we could float on our own (with your hands and feet tied).  Then when you got to put on your gear, you practiced in a pool with a bunch of instructors watching you to see if you were doing okay.  Then every once in a while, an instructor would dive from the surface an put you and your buddy into a "situation" to see how you would react. I am using the term "situation" very loosely here.  I never made it to the pool week due to asthma.  See they have to make sure you are ready.

So ya, I want to go deeper, but can I teach people how to swim first?  Can I swim myself?  Do I get so deep that I never come up?  I love that Jesus, who definitely was deep, keep it simple and on the surface for us.  I think each person should decide for themselves what deeper is, and then go there.  If you want to study Tozer, go for it.  I wouldn't spring that stuff on your small group of new believers.  It's a challenge to just get your head around John 1.

Thoughts and comments very welcomed....

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Passion pt 2

Had a great all staff meeting on Monday night at the home of Marlin and Elaine Gill. After discussing mission, vision and goals, we all gathered around Kenny Thomas prayed and licensed him as a Minister of the Gospel. Kenny was blown away. The leadership team had been watching him and grooming him, and he didn't even know it. Kenny just started revamping the kids environment at Epic and never has looked back. So we laid hands on him and prayed for his anointing to increase and it was awesome. It reminded me not to overlook the little things, because God uses the simple things to confound the wise. Kenny is passionate about God, and about kids knowing about God and His son Jesus. I will call him Pastor Kenny, he still can't believe it. I think it's awesome.

After that, we had some cake and coffee and talked at length about the road Epicchurch.tv has been on. Marlin and Elaine shared about God calling them to start a church back in 94-95 (Marlin kept reminding God that he was a Doctor not a Pastor). They shared the ups and downs, the joys and the sorrows. Through it all I thought "these guys are sold out to Jesus on a level that is hard to fully understand". The reason for my reaction to their story was, they grew up in church and then did something crazy, they went against the norm and totally pursued the calling God gave them. Amidst all kind of obstacles and roadblocks, they are here today, still excited about God, still passionate about serving Jesus, and still pumped up for the vision called Epicchurch.

Then I looked across the table to Justin and Amy Potter, our Youth directors at Epic. I wanted to know their story. I wanted to know because, Justin just spent 10 or so hours of his off time from work, to help me with lighting in the auditorium. In addition to the time he and Amy put into preparing for Revolution on Wednesday nights. I thought surely he grew up in church and thought that serving was the "right thing to do",out of obligation to the system, not out of passion for the Savior. Not that all people who grew up in church are that way, I'm just stating my observations. Obviously the Gill's are not those type and they grew up in church. It is my blog, and my opinion...nanny nanny boo boo. Back to Justin. I found out he never even stepped foot in a church growing up. Not even like me, the Catholic boy, who at least heard about Jesus.
But yet he encountered the grace of God, and the love of Christ, and you can't slow him down.

So it is the Kenny Thomas', Justin Potters, IV Marsh's, Jack Alford's and Moviepastors, Elaine Gills and countless others that pour out passion in all things Kingdom of God. Passion and a desire to see lives changed by the Gospel of Christ. I love being around people like these. But I really love to be around people who don't know, or want to know Jesus more. So enough typing and off to the streets of Decatur.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday downloads...

Ah yes, another week in the Kingdom. Lots of great stuff happened to me and to others. I hope you are being blessed, and more importantly, recognizing how you are being blessed. Here is the download.

  • Creative team meeting was off the hook. We meet on Mondays, and man did we get some Holy Ghost led work done. Excited about the next series "Jack".
  • Got to use Final Cut Pro for the first time. Yessss.
  • Made a 3D motion bumper for our video this week. My first.
  • Added 4 new lights to the Epic lighting rig, and man what a difference that made. Need 10 more.
  • Made the stage look bigger by creatively placing some Muslin sails and lighting them.
  • Carved our pumpkins and put them on the front porch. They won't shrivel up and die on us in a day out here in Alabama.
  • The Rain Stopped on Saturday!!!
  • Made a trip to Gulf Shores, AL with IV and Joshua on Friday.
  • Attended the wedding of Gary Wood and Jill Ferguson on Friday. It was on the beach, cold, but very nice wedding.
  • Returned to Decatur on Friday night after the wedding...that was a long drive.
  • Laughed so hard riding with IV and Josh while listening to a song called "Sic'em on a chicken" by Zak Brown Band.
  • I love serving with my friend IV. We definitely were meant to be in ministry together.
  • The Epic band is just a blessing. I am enjoying playing with them every week.
  • Justin Potter is the man...couldn't have pulled of the lighting with out him. IV and Justin were major help with the sails too.
  • Jean watched here first Friday Night Lights football game. She even got up and danced while the marching band played.
  • Had my first guitar student this week. I love teaching. Thanks Drew. Miss my students in Vegas too.
  • I am enjoying setting up at Crosspoint Community Church on Sunday mornings. I'm gonna have to blog on this one later.
  • Auburn keeps giving away W's. What is up with that?
  • I love the buzz about changing the service order. Good and bad, the last seven words of a dying organization are "We never did it that way before".
Good stuff for sure...

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Passion...

Awhile back I was contemplating the difference between the "sold out" for Jesus person and the "regular church attender". Both believe in Jesus. Both have acknowledged his Lordship in their lives. However, one is consumed with a passion for Christ that is evident in every facet of life. It goes beyond attending each Sunday. Don't get me wrong, attending each week is an awesome part of being a Christ follower. But for "sold out" Jesus person, attending church is as natural as breathing. It is consistent, sustaining, and live giving.

Regular Church Attender, RCA, has a heart of gold and may even give consistently, but there is a time when they are confronted with a deeper level of commitment to the body, that forces them to stop in there tracks so to speak. That crossroads is, serving in the church. Sold Out, SO, person is serving from day one. Get saved, wants to start doing something for God right out of the gate. And yes we all know someone who does it for the wrong motives. Time weeds those people out. I remember sitting in silence after accepting God free gift of salvation and thinking "how can I ever repay him for what he has done for me?". In fact I can't, but because he is my King, I will be a loyal subject in his Kingdom and do whatever he asks of me. And believe me, he has asked me to do some very challenging things in my time as his disciple. My point is, I never thought about not serving in the church. I made a big mistake early on in my journey and being on the worship team, I was asked to sit out while everything was worked out. It was, but in the mean time, it was killing me not to do something. So, I volunteered for everything that I could to from picking up trash to wiring mic cable. I even ran the monitor board in the new building. Which by the way was in the back and no one even knew you were there. Once my situation was resolved, I was back on the team. But I learned a lot about serving. I learned, it didn't matter how high profile the position was, or how behind the scenes it was, I loved to serve the church. By the way, it was not a moral failure as to why I asked to sit out. To long of a story to put on this page. By me a coffee one day and I'll tell you.

Fast forward 10 years. I still have that drive and determination. It has ebbed at times, but only because I was introduced to some different philosophies about serving in ministry. As with everything, there is a season. I have been a part of 2 church plants, and am now serving with one that is 2 years old. And SO person is the reason they are successful and survive. Even thrive for that matter. The more SO people the greater the movement will be.

SO person wants to mow the lawn, direct traffic, vacuum, hang lights, run sound, play music, teach a life group, and all at the same time if they could. So, how do you get RCA, to become SO? Is SO person just bent that way naturally? Maybe we, the leadership, needs to become creative in way to get RCA involved in a way that is meaningful to them. Maybe, SO has some RCA friends and doesn't know how to get them involved? Again I am just pondering these things. I think of this passage when ever I get thinking about this.

Luke 7:47 (English Standard Version)

47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

Don't really know the answer, I just know I can see a difference. I love RCA's and SO's equally and don't pass judgment. I have seen some SO's blow out cause they get going so fast they forget to pause and "Bam" they are out. More on this later. I'm going to search my own heart and make sure I am doing all that God wants of me. Later...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Tattoo you?





I've really not tried to hard to find people to tattoo on. Once the word gets out people kinda find you. Don't really know if this is going to be more than a hobby for me. Like painting, I don't really feel I will make this my source of income. I still love the media and people love to be tattooed. Here are the latest tattoos I've done.

Monday Monday

We have had a jammin' week at Epicchurch.tv. On Wednesday we packed all people from all three Epic services into the Princess theatre in downtown Decatur for an awesome time of worship and prayer. The freedom to just let go and worship with out being on a time schedule was amazing. Definitely a defining moment in the history of Epicchurch.tv. But tons more...
  • Shot some video with IV out in Limestone county.
  • Went looking for a new mattress on Saturday
  • Jean and I purchased our very first new mattress.
  • Convergence on Wednesday...huge success. 291 Epicans showed up.
  • The Epic band is finally jelling together and rocking.
  • Did a tattoo last night on a willing subject. Turned out real good.
  • 3 awesome services yesterday...very cool stage props. What seat are you in?
  • Watched some JV football Monday night
  • May have meet my new golf partner finally. I guess people don't golf here as much as hunt and fish.
  • Went to a pumkin patch and got some pumkins and some apple cider.
  • found my favorite store ever in Athens. Can't wait to spend some money in there.

That's about it for now.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

I should be back to normal with all my online stuff now that we are moved into a house. We finally moved from the RV parked outside of IV and Bene's home in Moulton. It was kinda cool living in the RV, but it gets old after 3 weeks, especially when you are not traveling anywhere.

The new place is a nice 2bed 2bath townhouse located on the southwest side of Decatur. We are within waking distance to a very nice park, Walmart, Starbucks, etc. We are about a mile from Jean's office too. We had someone give us a table with chairs and a nice couch that actually matches our carpet. Thank you Jeremy and Tina Reeves. Joy is pretty happy with everything. I think for a dog, she has adjusted well to all the moving around and having to share with other dogs. She actually got in a fight with one of IV's dogs and got a little beat up. I had to move in to save her. I guess she thought she could take on a big dog and play like her and I play. The other dog took it serious.

All in all we are adjusting well. I am having trouble getting used to not having IT stuff as readily available as in a bigger city. It seems you really have to be in town to get cell service and internet. Of course this won't be a problem now that we live in town.

Big shouts out to the Marsh family. They have loved and supported us through every step of our transition to Epic. They loved us as they love themselves, and it was a huge blessing that Jean and I will never forget. Real people for sure. I love that I get to serve the Kingdom with IV again. Epicchurch.tv could not have picked a better person and family to lead them.

I'll wrap this up with a little scripture that keeps me on the journey more that any other. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Over and over again God chooses to provide for us no matter what. Even though this passage sounds like a conditional statement it is not. In context, if we seek first to be like God and serve him, you won't worry about what is going on in your world. You will only see the blessings that God is giving you. You will see His provision in your life. Jean and I are living testimonies to this. See ya on the journey...

Friday, September 11, 2009

Alabama!

This is my first day at Epic. Yay!! I have felt like I have been floating around since Jean and I left Vegas. I set up Planning Center Online for us today...very exciting. I got the new video camera so learning how to work that bad boy is gonna be fun. Ordering Final Cut Studio next week so we can get Epic Video going. Started working on my drawing assignment from the Tattoo Shop. It feels good to be productive. Just taking a little time to blog. Jean and I are going to look at some homes this afternoon and visit a music shop. Very cool stuff. Later on I'm gonna share my latest tattoo on here. stay tuned....

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

More Tattoos

I was able to tattoo some friends tonight. Ya know dinner, drinks, tattoos. Anyway Jeremy Martin and his wife Martha, wanted some work done, so I hooked them up. Needed more practice before showing up at the shop in Decatur, Al. So the first is the one I did on Martha. It means "grace" in Hebrew. And yes I checked to make sure it was right and didn't say "moose" or something. The second is a "nautical star" that I did on Jeremy's calf. Both of them were very satisfied with the end product as was I.

Movers

Today we get to have a moving company come out and give us a bid on how much it will cost to move us. We have basically 1 room to move, so we have been getting quotes around 900-1000 bucks. This is cheaper that renting a small truck and then paying gas, food, etc to drive it to Alabama. Plus they load and unload it for you. As with anything, there is the possibility that something could go wrong. We have been on the better business bureau, and like I thought, everyone has had a complaint about service. Anyway, we will see what they say today and go from there.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

7 Days

It's Sunday night and the house is real quiet. Jean is sleeping, so I thought I'd write a little.

I had a wonderful weekend filled with music, friends, food and good drink. Dangerous Hours
played at B Ryders Bar in Bakersfield, CA Friday night. The management was awesome and we got payed right away. Our hotel was comfy and they treated us like kings. Everyone was on it in the band, great moments for sure. The crowd roared for us between songs. They were amazed at how we were able to duplicate the DMB sound. I even had some people asked why we decided to tribute a band that is so amazing. We do it because they are amazing. Went to another place after the show to toast the band and relax. Good good times.

Saturday, after driving home, I just chilled and watched some movies with Jean and Cookie. I actually took a nap too. Jean and Cookie were packing boxes, so I just drifted off to sleep.

So today, Sunday, I went out to breakfast with the ladies, then played guitar at Denny Walkers Church, Dunimus. I'm sure I've spelled it wrong. We had a great hour or so of free flowing worship jammin. I miss that alot. Structure is good, but sometimes it feels good to just let the Holy Spirit lead you. Denny is a great guitar player and has a huge heart for worship. I will miss jamming with him.

So tonight is the last Sunday for me and Jean as residents of Las Vegas. So much has happened here over the last 12 years. I still love the fact that Jesus sought me out in Sin City, go figure. I will miss alot of people here. Some may not even know that I have left. I guess this is why you have facebook and myspace, right? I'll never forget the night I left for Michigan in 2002, not knowing if I would be coming back. Mars music had closed it's doors. I was living in a studio apartment. I was not in a relationship with anyone. It seemed right to move. But God wouldn't let me forget the work still to be done in Vegas for the Kingdom. I remember praying and God showing me faces of people who were in my life and I needed to love and witness to. I recall my mom thinking I was crazy for moving back when I had no job. But God in his mercy, opened doors for me that remain today. I was able to help open another music store, do some session work, work a show on the strip, and meet my wife to be Jean.

Since then I have fought with the thought of leaving Vegas. Jean used to tell me she wanted to move to New York, Hong Kong or even Australia. I would just laugh at the the thought. Never felt it was time. It's time now. I felt the release and acted upon it. Another door opened. I didn't see it at first, but knew it was right in the eyes of the Lord. I am at peace, hopeful for the future, and thankful for divine revelation. I will miss ICLV, Extreme Church, Red Rock Baptist and Grace Point. Each of these bodies helped shape me and prepare me for my next mission. Each one of these churches is as different as the people who attend them, but each is fulfilling the mission of God.

At the end of this week, Saturday, I will wave goodbye to the lights and faux decor of Vegas and drive over railroad pass, across our great nation and on to Decatur, Alabama. The lush green forests, the rich history, the best bass fishing around, and a whole new mission for the Kingdom. Our new home in the body of Christ, Epicchurch.tv , has opened its arms to receive us. My good friend IV Marsh and his family; wife Bene, Garrett, Josh, and Ella, all the dogs and animals, are excited about us joining them in the work.

7 Days...

Friday, August 21, 2009

Moving and Tattoos

New things in the life of the Wojo family...Moving and Tattoos. Jean and I are excited about taking a new job with Epicchurch.tv in Decatur, AL. I will be getting to serve the Kingdom with my friend IV Marsh. Never thought I'd get to see IV after he moved from Vegas, but now we will be working side by side. I'm gonna be leading worship, teaching some, and basically anything else my gifts might be needed for. Gonna miss Vegas, but it's time to go.

Tattoos. I have a bunch. I almost became a tattoo artist back in the early 90's, but ended up giving my stuff to my younger brother Pat. He actually opened a shop and has been tattooing ever since. You can see his blog at . Anyway, after deciding to move to Alabama, I was looking at some part time work I might want to do. So I decided to find a shop in Decatur that would take me as and apprentice, and start tattooing. I purchased a complete kit with 3 machines and all the stuff you need to get started. After some practice time on the practice skin, yes its call practice skin, I began tattooing myself. Here is my first one...

Not bad for my first one...of course it is a tribal and all black, but it gave me the "feel" for drawing with a tattoo machine. My second one was a little trickier, and I still need to add color, but came out fine.


I also did a little one on Jeans foot for her. I am really enjoying the art form and can't wait to start working in Decatur. Peace.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Busy week

Wow the days are flying by. I seems like just last week I was in Beaver, Ut hanging out, and now we are half way through June!? Oh well Carpe Diem, right. I need to be seizing some days that's for sure.

Going into the the studio with Dangerous Hours to cut our Demo/EP of Dave Matthews Band hits. Still waiting on the publishing side of things to come in, but we are confident all will go okay on that end of things. The music business is a wonderful, but tricky place to be in. We are only doing 7 songs to start out with. Just some hits and stuff that we play really well. We has some stuff posted, but I wasn't really happy with the quality of the recording. So we shall see what comes out of our session on Tuesday.

Been getting real excited about the Grace Point Band. We are really pushing some boundaries in Worship. Trying to bring different sounds and elements into our environment. This seems like such a small thing, but we are now all playing to a click track and it has really taken us to a new level. I was really amazed at how much you can push and pull the tempo when you don't have the click. Actually played to a loop today in service which was lots of fun.

I am covering some stuff for my homey and fellow staffer Ty Neal this week. I'm glad to know he trusts me with some of the awesome things he does around GP. I am also glad that he can take some time off with his family and know we have his back while he is gone. He won't cover for me as worship leader when I'm gone though. I'll have to talk to him about that...okay everyone should be laughing 'cause Ty listens to some great music, but he can barely play his iPod. Love ya Bro!

We had our Worship Arts team BBQ this past Saturday. What a great time we had. It was amazing to see how the ministry has grown since GP started. We ate, we drank, we swam, we had some great conversations about being a Christ follower. It was a great time. I think we are gonna do some more of that soon.

A huge shout out to Dan and Jackie Widdis. They opened their home for the BBQ. Dan is a retired LCDR from the Navy and now is a consultant for the Government, so it was nice to be able to enjoy what my tax dollars helped him purchase...his huge pool!!!LOL!
Any way, they are such a wonderful giving couple who have huge hearts. Dan plays the keyboard for us and Jackie builds the services and basically runs them on Sunday. Thanks you guys for being Awesome.

That's all for now folks. Peace.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Stuff

Okay so what makes a person sold out to the mission of Jesus Christ? What is the difference in the regular attender in church and the person who serves every week? If everyone served with the passion and self abandonment that Christ displayed on the cross, how would our Sunday services be different? How would it affect the world around us? I think I will spend some time exploring these questions over the next few months. It is said that summertime is when church attendance drops, I want to know why? So I guess I will be thinking out loud on my blog. I don't have to worry about offending anyone, cause I don't think I have any readers...LOL. But these questions bug me.

Laters....

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Cool Stuff...

I had a great weekend away from Vegas this past Memorial Day. I got to go with my good friends the Gonz' to Beaver, Ut. I'm gonna post some pics and let them do the talking. I will say one thing though about Kenny Gonz, if everyone in the world gave as much as he does, no one would go without.


Joy, aka "monkey" on the wood pile.

The team photo right before Jodi earned her new Native American name "Arrrrgggghh












Thursday, May 21, 2009

Stuff

Have you ever felt that someone was shoving something down your throat because of their agenda? I remember in the Navy, we would be working on some project that was absolutely ridiculous, because some one needed to look good or get some kind of award. Makes everyone around the situation uneasy cause the troops know what works and what doesn't. I want to lead trusting in my troops...Kirk out!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Worship At Canyon

Pretty excited to be able to play at one of my favorite churches, besides Grace Point, in Vegas, Canyon Ridge. My good friend Mitch Harrison asked if one of our teams would like to come over and lead worship at the Ridge on a Wednesday, so we said "yes". This is a great opportunity for the GP band to get some experience as well. Gotta bail on my small group tonight, but they understand. Anyway, gonna have a great time singing to our Awesome God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Monday, May 11, 2009

It's Monday...again.

How can I sum up this past week? Amazing! Good times on all fronts. Devin likes to use bullet points, so I will do the same...
  • Great Staff meeting on Tuesday, very productive and creative.
  • Had some major breakthroughs at small group Wednesday night. Holy Spirit really doing some great stuff.
  • Got to go film a wonderful guy who has been on the journey and has had some tough times, but still stays on course and has an awesome servants heart. It was good to see him on the big screens at GP.
  • Awesome rehearsal with Dangerous Hours on Tuesday night. I am blessed to be on a project of this magnitude with some amazing musicians. We already are playing the new Dave Matthews stuff and the album won't be released until June 2nd.
  • Went to see the Lon Bronson All Stars at Green Valley Ranch on Thursday night. It was my training concert for Dave Matthews Band on Friday. Great band that covers a lot of music. The horn section is amazing, with Smokin' Joe Escriba on Tenor Sax.
  • Friday and Saturday was the surreal experience of seeing Dave Matthews Band live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Jean and I had a blast both nights. I was really awesome to have two shows in Vegas. It's hard to say which night was better, but the second sticks out more in my mind. Out of 38 song played both nights, only 3 songs were repeated. That means 32 different songs....Amazing band. You never get the same show twice!
  • Amazing services at Grace Point on Sunday put the cherry on top! God is pouring out His love on people in so many ways. It is wonderful and humbling to be included in this chapter of God's redemptive story. To watch peoples lives be changed, and not just the "I made a mess of my life" people, but even affluent, educated people as well. No matter where we come from, or what we did/do, we need Christ in our lives.
  • Wrapped up the weekend with a 2 hour nap, and then hanging with some friends in the evening.
Now I'm focusing on playing lots of music this week. Yessssss!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Dave Matthews Band

As Friday approaches, I feel like I'm a kid again waiting on Christmas morning. Oh, ya, Friday is the day Dave Matthews Band comes to Vegas! And most importantly, I have tickets! No longer will I stand outside the arena like the young man in the song "Jukebox Hero", no I will be in the midst of the sonic spectrum of awesomeness that is DMB live! The whole reason I started Dangerous Hours was to be a part of the live DMB experience. The albums are great, but the live shows are what people remember the most. Anyway, I am excited to see them for real and not on DVD. Later...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Monday Monday

Had a great weekend hanging out with some old friends and new ones too. Friday night I went to see Rusted Root at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was cool to be able to sit on the faux beach and put my feet in the pool at a concert. Watched "Wolverine" on Saturday after a wonderful dinner at Shane's Rib Shack. Jean got ribs, I went with the pork sandwich. The movie was good, campy in some parts, but entertaining. I still use "I am Legend" as the standard of over-hyped, bad movies, so anything better than that, is a good movie. So Wolverine, was quite entertaining.

Two great services at Grace Point. Lots of lives being changed. Got two great bands that alternate each week. Great hearts and lots of talent. We have been having some great discussions about being authentic Christ followers. Anyway, great rockin' services, and wow, people were singing loud.

Went to a birthday party at Cilis located at Bali Hai golf course. Man, I would like to play a round on that course sometime. Very beautiful place. Stopped at Guitar Center to browse, which really means lusting, and checked out how technology is changing the way we make music. After GC, went to grill mass quantities of meat, at one of our GP drummers house. Jeremy Strawn is his name, drummin' and grillin' is his game. Lot's of laughs, good food, good drinks, played some game where you throw bean bags through a hole in the top of a board (i don't like the real name for that game). Jeremy has a wife named Jane and a 3 year old son named Jackson. Jackson was playing with the light saber app on my i phone, and actually was changing characters and sounds on his own. See, iPhones are so easy, a 3 yr old can run them.

Got home around 10ish. Long day, but great time with people.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Working

Lots of great things going on. Feeling like I am a part of God's great plan for humanity. I've been meeting lots of new people, followers and searchers. Getting up to speed on technology for the greater good of the Kingdom. Some one gave me an iPhone so that helps me stay up to speed, so to speak. Loving my wife deeper and more sincere each and every day as God moves in her. I see us always being partners in ministry and that really excites me. Looking forward to seeing Big Woj (the name bestowed on my son), this summer. I am watching the vision for Dangerous Hours unfold and continue to be an awesome tool for my mission.

I am giving attention to the gifts of the Spirit that I have neglected over the past few years. Only my fault as to not using them more. Its like having a real expensive guitar sitting in your closet, that you know how to play, but you settle for guitar hero instead because you're lazy.

I am taking time to see God in all of humanity. Redefining what it means to "be Jesus" in this world.

Just rambling here, which is what blogs are for.