Still On a High

I'm still reeling from the experience we had in San Antonio. I had an awesome time hanging out with our people and getting to know them outside of "church". I also enjoyed my time with Scott White. Scott, thank you for the opportunity to lead worship and the wisdom you poured into me. I'm forever grateful. On that note, I want to encourage you that every opportunity you have to gain wisdom from someone...take it. I'm so thankful that we have men of God who are more experienced in my area of ministry who want to make an eternal investment in me. Kim Noblitt and Scott White are two of my favorite people on the planet, just for that reason. Thanks Guys!

Another great opportunity was meeting and hanging out with Travis Cottrell. He is bar none my favorite worship leader on the planet. Why? If you are ever led in worship by him you will not have to ask that question. Genuine. Intentional. Talented. I can't say enough about the man. And, you've got to hear his new Christmas praise and worship CD. It is off the charts. Stay focused!

Back From San Antonio

WOW! What an incredible ride the last few days have been. I have seen God working in and through our worship ministry for months now, and He continued His work at the SBC this week. I am so proud of our orchestra and choir. I watched as they arrived at the hotel, worked hard through rehearsals and soundchecks, got up early in the morning, was bused around the city, as they sat in the same chairs for hours, as they ate lunch, as they prepared for another rehearsal, as they rehearsed some more, as they sat in those same chairs for another night...and you know what? I never heard one single solitary complaint from our people. Your attitudes were the proper attitudes needed for worship leaders. You inspired me and I couldn't be more proud of you.

If you would like to watch the services you can sign on to THIS SITE and watch. I must warn you though, some of them look as though they were recorded under water. However, the original DVD looks and sounds great.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Jody and I are taking off today for the great city of San Antonio. This will be our first time flying XPress Jet, so we'll see how good this new airline is. The cool thing is that the flight is a straight shot and is only supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours. I will probably be on a temporary leave from the blogging world for a few days while we are there. However, if you want to watch the convention live, go HERE. At this site, you'll have to look around for the link to watch the convention live. The Immanuel Choir will be singing at various times throughout Wednesday morning, as well as with the combined choirs on Wednesday night. We will be singing for approximately 15 minutes at 8am (Central Time) Wednesday morning, again for 5 minutes at 10AM, and then again just before the Pastor preaches at 11:20. I'll give you low down on all the happenings when I get back!

Awards

I just had to post to tell everyone about my boy. A couple of weeks ago, Caleb was chosen as Student of the Week at school. They sent home a poster that he had to fill out. The poster included pictures of himself and family and personal information such as his favorite color, his favorite movie, and his favorite place to go (Universal Studios-Hollywood). Yesterday, we received a note from his school informing us that Caleb had been chosen as student of the month.

Apparently it's a big deal. They are having an awards program to honor him and a few other awards recipients. We were invited to come to the awards ceremony at the school, but unfortunately it is on Tuesday, when we're in San Antonio. However, I'm glad that my in-laws will be here to attend the ceremony. Because our family is all in Georgia, they rarely get to see events that the kids participate in. This will be good for them, and Caleb.

There you have it. I am the father of the Student of the Month. What more could a dad hope for?

San Antonio or Bust

Well, tomorrow is the big day. Jody and I are flying out for San Antonio, TX tomorrow afternoon, and I can't wait for the rest of the choir and orchestra to get there. I am meeting with Scott White on Monday to make sure everything is set up properly and all that we need is in place. Scott White is the Minister of Music at the great FBC Woodstock in Woodstock, GA, and is serving as the Music Director for the Southern Baptist Convention this year. Scott and I have been friends for about 5 years, and I've loved getting to know him better. I'm looking forward to getting to hang out with him a little, though I know he'll be extremely busy. Travis Cottrell will be leading worship on Wednesday night, and The Immanuel Choir will get to lead with him. That is too cool.

To all who are going on the trip: Have a safe flight (or drive) and I can't wait to see you in TX. It is going to be a blast. A lot of work, tiring days, and long hours - but there is always excitement when our hearts are right and we're working for the Kingdom. See 'ya in San Antonio!

The First Kid

Caleb went to the LA Zoo yesterday with his 1st grade class. He was so excited that it took no extra effort to get him out of bed. His eyes popped open, he jumped right up, and he was dressed and ready in no time. He had his sack lunch and was off to the zoo. When Jody picked him up from school he told her that he had gotten lost at the zoo. He said that he was looking in one of those pay-telescopes with a friend of his, and after his friend finished looking it was his turn. He looked for a few seconds and then looked up and everyone was gone. An elderly couple found him and took him to a nearby office. He had his teacher's number on a sticker on his shirt so they quickly called her. When we asked him what she said, he told us that she said "Caleb, you're the first kid we've ever lost".

That's my boy. The very first kid. We're so proud.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Our Pastor is beginning a new series on the biblical foundation of marriage, beginning Sunday, June 17th. The series is called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Building Your Marriage with God's Blueprints. Make sure you are in place for this. He will be sharing with us what God's word says about a husband and wife's relationship with each other and with God, as well as principles for how to date in preparation for a Godly marriage. Immanuel, make sure that you invite family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to be in place beginning Father's Day - June 17th, for this series on Marriage and Family. This is a tool for you to share with someone who really needs this message - and we all need to know Godly principles to apply to our marriages. Be there, and bring as many as you can with you. Also, send everyone you can to The Chief End dot Com to check out the promotional blurb below that Byron Mathe put together for us.

Water, Ceilings, and Bathrooms, Oh My

We just discovered a leak in our downstairs ceiling. It is around a recessed light, but I didn't know lights had water in them.?. Obviously, we've got a leak. The most obvious place is a pipe - I guess - in the bathroom directly overhead. Our warranty company is supposed to be getting someone out to look at it. We're hoping that will take place sometime before Christmas (sarcasm-intentional). Gerry Ramos, my buddy in the tenor section, is really trying to help us our there. Thanks, Gerry, for all you've done, are doing, and continue to do for my family. You're awesome!

I'm headed over to Chick-fil-a for lunch in a few minutes. I'm meeting one of my choir members, Kevin Soto. One of my favorite things to do is hanging out with our people. I love hearing about their life, what God's doing and has done, and learning about their families. As a church leader, there are so many things our people can teach us if we'll listen. Listening and learning about their lives gives you an inside track to ministering to them, and others. Today will be a great time and then on to San Antonio on Sunday.

Check this Out

I am scheduled to go to a conference in October in Atlanta, GA. I'm really pumped about the conference and what I think God is going to equip me with as a result of being there. One of my favorite authors on the planet, Mark Batterson, is going to be there, as well as some other incredible guys like John Maxwell and Craig Groeschel. Check out the conference website here. It may take a little while for it to load, but it is one of the coolest interactive sites I've ever seen.

That Little Treat I Promised 'Ya

Okay, okay. I've heard the outcry and am hear to answer your request. Below you will find the video link to watch The Immanuel Choir singing Mountain Mover. Enjoy!

Sunday's Report

I'm sorry I am Monday night getting a report out on Sunday's worship services. I've been in meetings most of the day and preparing for San Antonio. Things are going well and I am sure that the trip is going to be a great one. However, on to Sunday -
We had an incredible time of worship yesterday. Any time you are in the presence of God things happen, but yesterday was unique. We brought the entire choir in for our worship services, and the difference was explosive. For those of you who may not be aware, our entire choir does not sing in each of the worship services on Sunday morning. Instead, we have about 50% who sing in both services, and the rest sing in one or the other. For one reason, we don't have the choir loft space for comfort for the entire choir. Secondly, it affords the choir members the opportunity to plug into Bible Study classes during one of the service times, which is important for a worship leader.

However, having the entire choir there together made an obvious difference. As soon as they took the platform they brought with them an electric atmosphere. I often say that the congregation is a mirror image of the choir; and it's true. They modeled what their worship leaders were exemplifying and true worship took place. It was amazing to hear from people throughout the day yesterday and even this morning. I have received numerous emails and phone calls about how God showed up and spoke to people's hearts. And as I told people in response to those statements -God doesn't show up just to say "what's up?". When God speaks He means business. Sell out fully to Him. You can't give Him a portion of anything. He deserves it all.

Continue to give your all for the cause of Christ and watch in amazement at how He will choose to use you. Check back tomorrow for the treat I promised you. Lord willing, I'll have it posted before the end of the day.

New Sermon Series

I know many of you are waiting for a report on Sunday's worship service, but I'm going to make you wait just a little longer. I'll post another blog a little later today with comments and possibly a little treat for you (hmmmm, what could that be?). But, I'm really excited about something else that I wanted to share with you. Our Pastor will be kicking off a new sermon series on June 17th, Father's Day Sunday morning. You will not want to miss this. It will be a series on Marriage and the Family. The first 3 weeks are out of this world.

Use this as a ministry tool, Immanuel. Invite your family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Everyone is looking for an answer to every day issues. "How do I successfully raise my kids?" "How do I deal with an ungodly spouse?" "How do I cope with life in general and lead my family?" Our Pastor has some great tools to equip them with. You have the hope. You have the answer. Share that with all of those around you, and be in place on June 17th for the kick-off to this series. I'll try to get the promotional video up and running and link it here for you to see and use as another tool soon.

Tomorrow is Sunday!

I am really excited about church tomorrow. Okay...I'm always excited about church, but tomorrow is really going to be awesome. I can't wait to meet together with each of my brothers and sisters at Immanuel to worship. I love it when we sing together, pray together, and study God's word together. It truly is a family experience. But, the Immanuel Choir is doing a great song called Mountain Mover, and this choir and orchestra knock it out of the park. Anne's solo is incredible too; but when is she not? Some friends of ours are coming out from Tennessee and will be in the services tomorrow, as well. The choir is growing tremendously and will be in full force, so, it will be an exciting day.

If you are in Southern California, make plans to be at Immanuel tomorrow morning. It is going to be awesome!

Some Tools

As I stated in my previous post, we have to be willing to exegete our culture. In other words, we need to break it down and understand who it is we're trying to reach, discover what it will take to reach them, and be intentional about influencing the culture instead of remaining irrelevant within the walls of the church. Our friends at Outreach Magazine did a study in reference to the rising disinterest of 20 somethings concerning the church. Take a look at the above link.

I'm not saying we have to hit our college campuses tomorrow and conduct interviews. However, we need a better understanding of the world that we are trying to reach in order to see a difference. Let's be more intentional about winning people to Jesus. Afterall, we do have THE CURE to the cancer that is plaguing the world in which we live.

Resources

How do we reach the lost? This question is something that has been at the forefront of the church for centuries. But, have we lost our passion to see people saved?
Recent reports show that out of approximately 45,000 southern baptist churches, only 364,000 people were reported to have been baptized last year. That would mean that collectively, each church only baptized 8 people the whole year. Even sadder than that is the fact that a large portion of our churches baptized 0. O? How do you baptize nobody for a whole year?

I think the answer to that last question lies in the fact that many of our churches have become culturally irrelevant to the people they are supposed to be reaching. I intentionally did not say "trying to reach" because that would not be true. If a church has become irrelevant to the community they have been placed in, it is because they do not care about reaching that community. If they did care, they would not be in the predicament of baptizing 0.

So, what can we do about it. Well, I believe it begins by exegeting the culture. We can not afford any longer to label generations and leave it at that. If we feel that our senior adults only want things their way and are unwilling to change, we have to meet them where they are and bring them to a realization of where they need to be. It is our job as leaders in the churches God has entrusted to us. But, we must have facts to back up our view. We can not serve solutions to a church based upon unfounded presuppositions. We must exegete our churches, and more importantly, our culture. Where we find people is not where we should choose to leave them. We must be intentional about reaching the lost where they are. This means that we have to find out how to reach them.

I'll come back soon and offer you some creative ideas that I've discovered may help us bridge the gap between our society and the church.