Rainy Saturday and Georgia Football

It was a rainy morning today. IT was great to wake up to the sound of the rain, but my day began at 7:45am, calling the parents of my basketball players to let them know our game was cancelled due to the weather. Today is the day of the Georgia/Florida football game. As I write this, Georgia has turned the ball over 3 times and Florida has scored 14 points off those turnovers. How can you win a game playing like that? Ridiculous.

I'm really excited about tomorrow. Worship in the morning, High School Choir rehearsal in the afternoon, and then the Harvest Festival! I can't wait. Our Student Worship Choir is singing at the Harvest Festival, as well. So, it will be a huge day. My parents and nephew will be at their very first Harvest Festival and seem to be excited to see what it's all about. We will be there with a ninja, a High School Musical Star, and 2 lady bugs.

A Busy Fall

Fall always seems to be a busy time of year, but this Fall seems extra crazy. I was recently sharing this with a couple of people and they responded with "what do you do?" Now, they know WHAT I do, but they have no idea WHAT I do. Their question is not one that is foreign to me. Often times, even people in the church have no idea what a typical work day looks like for their staff. So, this is your peek inside my October. Here is my schedule for the upcoming weeks:

October 13 6:30pm Choir Rehearsal, 8pm Worship Band Rehearsal
October 15-19 Immanuel Choir at Carnegie Hall in New York City
October 16 My Birthday!
October 20 Choir Rehearsal, Worship Band Rehearsal
October 22 Beene Family/Liberty Quartet Concert at IBC
October 23 UPWARD Basketball (I'm Coaching) all morning
October 24 SUNDAY Worship (7:15am rehearsal, 3 Services, Ministry
Luncheon, 2:30-4:15pm SWC Prep and Rehearsal, Leave for
CA State Baptist
Convention)
October 24-27 Leading Conference, serving as Messenger from IBC,
and Singing on Worship Team at CA State Convention
October 27 Choir Rehearsal, Worship Band Rehearsal
October 28 My Parents Arrive in Town (YEA! We are so excited!)
October 30 UPWARD Basketball (all morning)
October 31 SUNDAY WORSHIP - afternoon rehearsals, Harvest Festival
(if in the area, this is one event you must attend!) SWC
(Immanuel's Student Worship Choir) singing at Harvest
Festival

This is all in addition to the normal everyday office hours, worship planning, building practice tracks, working with soloists, ministry home visits, ministry to those in the hospital, staff meetings, etc...) And where in the world do I fit time in to just hang out with my wife and kids? (But, I do! Somehow.) Now that you are utterly bored reading my schedule, perhaps you can understand a little more about what my Fall looks like. This is JUST October. November is just as crazy. It starts out with a Revival I am leading for a week and ends with our Thanksgiving Eve Service and Immanuel Lights. December is full of rehearsals and the Christmas Dessert Theater. HOWEVER, let me end by saying this:

I LOVE it when my schedule looks this way. This is the most exciting time in the life of my ministry. I find that I am more driven and focused and the product of my work seems to be at a higher level. I feel blessed that the Lord has chosen to give me greater responsibility. And though I grow tired at times, He proves to me that He is my strength.

I know many of your schedules put mine to shame. So, let me encourage you to stay focused, sharp, on top of your game, and make family a priority even in the midst of your business. And above all else, through every detail give God the glory.

I'm In Chicago

I've never been here before. I'm really excited to be in "the windy city". I've always wanted to visit. Now, I'm actually here. Rob Signs (our High School Pastor) and I are on a "pre-trip". Our purpose: to set up the Student Worship Choir Tour by meeting with ministry partners, touring the areas we'll be performing, etc. Actually, our purpose is to get away and hang out in really cool locations. Then, do it again with the students. Yeah. That's probably a more accurate description.

So, we booked the cheapest hotel we could find and we got free wifi, 2 breakfasts, and 2 free dinners along with it. Pretty sweet. It is snowing outside as I type this, and I can't wait to walk around the city tomorrow and meet with our ministry partners. We are waiting on some food we just ordered. It is 2am in Chicago and we are ordering take-out. The reason is our flight was delayed due to the snow and we haven't eaten since lunch. So, we're going to eat. That Reuben sandwich can't get here fast enough. They are delivering.

I'll post some pics and more updates often while we're here. Check back!

My Worship Staff

I am blessed with an amazing ministry team at Immanuel. Not only do we have awesome volunteers, but I would put my worship staff up against anybody's in the country. I have not been in the office all week, due to the birth of our new little baby girl whose video you can see if you scroll down on this page (shameless plug). But, they have not missed a beat in my absence. They always do an incredible job and I am blessed to serve with them. Thanks Ellen, Eric, Byron, Larry, Amy, Sharon, Lisa, and Brad. You make me look good and I am so grateful for you.

Thanksgiving Eve Services

November 25, we will have a Thanksgiving Eve worship service at Immanuel. We have been planning for a while but have just confirmed what the service is going to look like. Our desire is to make it a multi-generational service. Basically, we want to hear from everyone. I don't like "open-microphone" services because you never know what you are going to get. Some people will go on forever. Others will talk about everything except what they are supposed to. Still others will feel like any subject is appropriate...when it's not. However, we still want to hear from our people. So, we're just going to go about it in a different way.

We are going to have a texting service. Now, before you throw your hands up in despair (if anyone really does that), let me explain. Texting is just a different type of "open-microphone", except that we will have someone filtering the comments that come in. So, if people start thanking the Lord for the San Diego Chargers, we will be able to catch it.

At different points throughout the night we will display these prayers of thanksgiving on the screen. So, our people will text during the service and see their text later in that same service. We will display them in a cool way, as well. I'm really excited about doing something new that honors the Lord in a unique way. Who says we can't use technology to bring praises to His name?

We will also have a video from the kids about what they think the first Thanksgiving was like, some great worship music, and we will observe the Lord's supper together. If you are anywhere near Southern California on Thanksgiving Eve, bring your cell phone and get to Immanuel by 6:45pm. See you there!

Bridging the Gap

As a worship pastor in most churches across America, in any given worship service we are responsible for drawing people from 4-5 different generations into a sweet intimate worship time. That can be a real challenge at times. At Immanuel, we are passionate about reaching young families, building a hope and a future for Immanuel and the community we are called to serve. As a result, our older generations can feel left out and like they have no part in leadership.

One thing I have been passionate about is bridging the gap between generations. Many, when thinking of senior adults, feel that all they do is gripe and complain. Though true with some of them, some of my biggest supporters have been senior adults. I have some seniors who call me on a weekly basis to encourage me and pray for me. Here is a generation that can pour Godly wisdom into me. Many times I have to look beyond their approach to ministry, which can seem dated and irrelevant to our present culture. However, their passion and desire to make a difference is relevant.

Tonight, we are "bridging that gap" between generations, again. We are having our children choirs and Senior Adult choir go out carolling together. They will break into groups and sing in various neighborhoods. But, that's not the best part. After they sing, they will come together for hot chocolate and snacks. It's during that time that our Senior Adults will each share their favorite Christmas song and why it means so much to them. Then, our children will have the same opportunity. We want our mature generations to pour into and become spiritual grandparents to our younger generations. Instead of drawing lines in the sand and writing off whole generations of people, as leaders we need to find strengths in everyone and plug them into areas of ministry where they can flourish and make a difference. They are still on this earth because God still has a plan for their lives. I would love to see that plan lived out in the life of the church, and give them a reason to trust and support my ministry as I seek to serve Him.

Senior Adults

I had the awesome opportunity to lead worship at Immanuel's Senior Adult Luncheon today. They are always so encouraging to me. Far too often senior adults are forsaken as we put our ministry efforts in other areas. However, we would not be where we are today as a church had it not been for this generation of heroes. Every moment I have with them is a blessing from the Lord. Today, we sang some of the great hymns of the faith together, and I debuted a new song the Lord has given me to write. Good times!

Washington D.C.

We're setting things into motion on the Washington D.C. High School Choir tour for 2008. We have some connections at the National Mall and are attempting to set something up there. Possibly a concert...or at least an opportunity to sing a few songs. What an awesome mission field that would be. People from all over the world come through that mall.

We're also looking at possible lodging. One of the vitally important things about a trip of this magnitude is keeping the cost down. It is very difficult to make such a big trip with a large group of people while also making it affordable. If you have any connections in D.C. that could hook us up with transportation while we're there for the choir, it would potentially save us big time in the finance department and make this trip affordable for many of our students.

We're believing God for a huge year in High School Choir. We believe we're going to take one of the biggest groups ever on this tour, and that God is going to use us to impact the world for His glory!

Sad, But True

Please make sure your sarcasm detector is turned on and tuned up for the following:

It is amazing how many people in the church know so much about so many things. I can't tell you how much advice I get from people based on their...well, based on nothing. I am not complaining, mind you. I am simply stating a fact. In a church with nearly 2500 in attendance each weekend, can you imagine the amount of input I get on music? Now, I am not writing this because anyone has been mean or un-Christlike in an email or letter. On the contrary. Most people simply state their request(s) and leave it at that. But, the worship ministry is not KSGN. We don't have an all request line. How could we?

Let me explain it like this: In any given week I may get 10 requests for a specific type of music. In addition, I may get 10 different requests for certain songs. Along with that, I may get 10 requests for a specific type of music that is in contrast to the previous 10 requests for a totally different kind. (Sarcasm alert) And just for the record, I love having people "thank me in advance" for fulfilling their requests. "No problem, sir. In fact, I had no idea what we were going to do for music next week until you approached me. I'll be sure to get right on that."

Okay....now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me say that there is absolutely nothing more that I would rather be doing than worship ministry. It is my heart. It is my passion. It is my calling. I know that people have their favorites. But, ask yourself this question: Is your favorite more important than someone else's? We can't possibly be successful as a church and as a worship ministry by going in so many different directions to meet the needs of everyone that we miss the needs of everyone. Over the past 15 years of ministry, I have learned that if you try to please everyone, you please no one.

In a nutshell - here is the vision of the worship ministry. This statement will not give you the details of how to accomplish this - it is simply a broad view. The worship ministry exists to glorify God, to lead and encourage, teach, and mature believers in worship. But, part of our purpose also involves attraction. We desire to attract the world to the church by glorifying God through whatever means possible. If you have a Kingdom vision, then the details of seeing that vision realized will not distract.

A Few Loose Ends

I've got a few loose ends to tie up today for worship in a couple of weeks. I try my best to stay two weeks ahead. It really helps our staff to have plenty of time to prepare. It also gives me more time to live with the songs, the scripture, and the worship concept as a whole before leading our people in worship.

Wednesday night, I challenged our people to bring just one person into the Immanuel Choir by our fall kickoff date in mid-September. They all seemed to accept the challenge, so I'm very excited to see more people invest in this ministry. One of our altos even gave me two names and phone numbers of people that she has been talking with about joining. I called both and as a result I believe that they both might join soon.

As I explained on Wednesday night - it's not about seeing how many people we can get into the choir. It is so much bigger than that. The more people that come into this ministry, the more people there are that are investing in the life of the church. It also enables us to accomplish greater things. Our circle of influence is also expanded. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. We all get so much out of being a part of this ministry. Why not get others involved, allow them to make the investment and enjoy the rewards just as we do?

I'm so excited about what God is doing and is going to do.

Hangin' with the People

I love people. Yes, where there are people there are problems...but I am people too. So, it comes with the territory. Today, I got to spend some time with two guys in our ministry and just listen to where God has them. I met one for breakfast and the other for lunch. (I'm really into meeting over food.) I am amazed to hear the stories of people's lives. It is also cool to see God develop friendships out of ministry. So often, I look to spend time with our people thinking that I'm going to get to minister to them...but it always works the other way around. I am the one who gleans the most from spending time with our people. I only hope that one day the world will see how great the people of Immanuel are. I am convinced that I serve at the greatest church in the world.

Vacation Bible School

This week is a very busy week, yet a very exciting week. It is Vacation Bible School at Immanuel. We've only had one night so far, but it has been amazing. My kids have had a blast, and I must admit....so have I. During our worship times together in the sanctuary we've had an indoor blimp flying around. VBS is a sports theme this year (Lifeway) so we've had the blimp flying overhead. It is a remote control model and is awesome. We hooked it up with a camera and have been projecting the "Blimp Cam" on our center screen as it flies over the kids. In fact, last night we had it rigged up with a ping-pong ball dropper that...well, dropped ping-pong balls over the kids. If a kid got one of them they could turn it in for a prize. The kids went crazy and loved every minute of it. The blimp has been a huge success already. Even as an adult it pumps me up to see it zooming around.

I can't wait until the end of the week to find out how many gave their lives to Christ. I know of so many adults whose lives were radically changed by Christ at Vacation Bible School. I'm excited to hear of a whole new generation being changed the same way.

The Greatest "Job?" Ever

I can't believe God allows me to do what I do on a full-time basis. I get to work with the greatest people daily, I have an awesome choir and orchestra that make me look good, and I get to tell people about Jesus. Today, I had the honor of making hospital visits. I went by one of the retirement homes and visited with one lady. She couldn't talk due to her condition, but she could give me hand motions and I could read her lips (most of the time). As I finished praying with her, she gripped my hand and wouldn't let go. She just laid there smiling at me and squeezing my hand. She didn't have to be able to talk for me to understand. She was just so appreciative that I had come and taken the time to pray with her.

Witnessing our prayer time together was this lady's roommate. I met and talked with her, as well, and told her about Jesus. She began to cry when talking about her family and how she has no one to visit her. But, she got a thrill out of the fact that I was paying her some attention.

I have opportunities all around me to tell people about Jesus. I've got to be more sensitive to the open doors the Lord constantly presents me with. I have the answer to all of their problems - I can't keep it to myself.

Lisa's Song

Anne Johnston-Brown, just one of many of our awesome Immanuel Choir members, recently wrote a song called We'll Be Alright, dedicated to Lisa Lyons . Lisa, our Outreach Productions Coordinator here on our Worship Staff, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is facing chemo, beginning this Friday, and possible surgery later this year. We're trusting God with this one, and we know He loves Lisa far more than any of us possibly could. Trust His hand!

Anne has also given this song another title that I like even better, Lisa's Song. Check out the music video she made for it below. We love 'ya, Lisa!

In the Words of the Prophet M.C. Hammer

M.C. HAMMER had a song that I often quote just because it seems to fit in every situation. "You Gotta Pray Just to Make It Today" was a hit song many years ago, but that plays out to be true in our lives on a daily basis. Prayer has to be a central focus of our walk with Christ. Not just prayer for ourselves, but also prayer for others.

I have been blessed to have LISA LYONS on my staff as our Outreach Production Coordinator. Lisa is responsible for everything from sermon skits to the three major musical productions we do each year. She ALWAYS does an incredible job yet shifts the glory off herself onto those around her. She is the ultimate staff member. Lisa recently was diagnosed with breast cancer and desperately needs our prayer. To talk with her about it, she is very upbeat and positive. Almost as if she doesn't want others to worry. (She's still protecting all of us) But, she will soon begin chemo for 18 weeks and will need us to lift her up.

Please be in prayer for her and for her family. We're all in this together. Whether you live in Egypt or in Highland, as believers we are a family. When one celebrates, we all celebrate. When one hurts, we all hurt. Let's join together as the body of Christ and pray for Him to do an amazing work in the life of Lisa during this time.

Leading Worship

I can't tell you how often I am involved in conversations about our role as worshipers in the church. Many often want to make it about our individual issues about musical preference and style, when the reality of it is that we were created to be worshipers. It needs to cease being about us and focus in on Him. Now, with that being said, I do believe God has made us musical for our enjoyment as well as His. If we don't like the music we're singing, it throws up a huge road block in our ability to lead others through that particular style or song. Therefore, we must constantly be aware of the people we are leading in worship and choose music that will both honor God and facilitate worship among His church.

I'll be talking soon about our role as worship leaders and the 1 Year Commitment we are asking our people to make at Immanuel. Check back soon and give me your input.

Creative Teams

I'm excited about tomorrow's staff meeting. We're going to be looking at doing ministry in creative ways that will impact lives, help people to grow in their faith, connect our people into the life of the church, and offer tons of ways for people to serve the Lord and others through ministry opportunities. I'll give you a list of things we are going to implement soon. I believe that we must constantly be experimenting and devising ways to reach as many people as possible while meeting the needs of the people God has blessed us with. I agree with Mark Batterson when he says that the church should be the most creative place on the planet. Pray for our worship staff as we seek God's face in planning for His bride.

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!

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!

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.