Another toy recall from China

Las Vegas

Last weekend we went to Las Vegas. We is Traci and I, my mom and dad, as well as my brother, his wife and their baby. The reason we went was to go see Mystere. If you have not seen a cirque du soleil show before, you should try to see at least one.

The show was good. We also took advantage of some good and cheap breakfast buffets, a little slot machine here, a little roulette there, and had an overall good time.

The one thing that amazes me about the shows like Mystere is the live music. Since the guys on stage are doing acrobatics and such there is always a chance for a mistake. Well of course this happened while we were there, and the band did not flinch. Paying attention to what was happening on the stage they continued on with another buildup to the big stunt for a second time. Now I know they have done this for years as a group.... its still very cool.

I think worship would benefit if we were able to build teams like this. I am sure this is happining on a lot of teams already. First of all have enough practice so you are comfortable with the material. Have a plan ahead of time of sequence, what gets played when, where, buildups, quiet part etc. Third plan for moving away from the plan.... If the leader feels that something outside the plan should take place we should allow for that, practice that, have an idea ahead of time how something like that might look. This would allow a lot of freedom in the worship service and help to avoid the dreaded train wreck.

While presentation isn't everything, we don't want to be distracting to people when they are trying to worship with huge blunders.

Pray - Do - Adjust

We all struggle at some point, or many points, with the direction God has for us. Many times the immediate direction is not super clear. So I am here to give you the definitive answer on how to handle those situations...... Just kidding. This is just some more of my rambling thoughts that I hope would help me, you, and others really think about what they believe and why? I am no theologian so don't pick me apart here, I'm just throwing up some ideas.

In general I have always been a advocate for praying, taking some sort of action, and adjusting as His will becomes clear. I know this is not the only way, as a matter of fact my friend Eric Beeman has shared a great example with me of when praying and waiting is what God prescribed. I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat.

In Exodus when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God had hardened the Pharaoh's heart and he was headed out with an army towards them. It says that the Israelites saw them, that's when they cried out to God and complained to Moses.

Apparently Moses began to petition God at this point. When in doubt stop and pray right? Well God didn't think so. He said "Why are you crying out to me? Tell these people to get moving!"

I guess in this case it was a very practical command from God. You see the enemy over your shoulder, pray while you run... In the very next verse God lets Moses know his plan, but for those moments in between, what must Moses have been thinking?

I'm sure you have all heard the metaphor that you cannot steer a ship that is sitting still, just as we should be moving for God to steer us. I still think in most cases this is a good idea. Have a plan and a goal and adjust it along the way.

In some cases, including mine, its easy to get started toward a goal and only see that goal. When, in fact we should be watching for what God has in store for us along the way. It may be something that takes us on a slight detour, or something that changes our goal completely. I think we need to be open to that especially when we know we are goal oriented people.

What about road blocks? Speed bumps along the way? Should they detour us? Should we charge through them? How small of an obstacle in our path will knock us off course? On the other hand how big of a wall does God have to put up to get our attention and stop us?

I don't think there is a set answer here. Depends on the person. Depends on how well you know his word. Depends on how deep your relationship is with Him and how well you know His voice. So maybe the closer your walk is, the smaller the obstacles need to be to turn you to the path the the Father wants for you? And maybe the closer your walk the bigger your speed bumps can be because He knows you will stay the course?

Maybe my prayer for maturity should be, "God allow my speed bumps to be bigger and my walls smaller." I guess he'll know what I mean...... :-)

Emily

Traci is the lucky one this week. She gets to babysit Emily for a few days....

We were blessed to have Emily as our foster daughter from 6 days old to about 2 months. She then went to live with her aunt who is a christian and lives fairly close by. We keep in contact with her and babysit when we can. She is now about 8 months old.

This little girl holds the record for making me loose the most amount of sleep in a two month period ever....... but it was worth it.

worship

Let me preface this by saying that these ideas are not wholly mine. They were initiated by conversations with leaders at my church http://www.impactchurch.tv/. These are not official views held by impact church, but my little twist on some conversations I had there. So if you have any problems with anything I am saying here don't blame them! :-)

As a church, if we really want to worship God how should we do it? There are 'canned' versions of what and how to do things that people and churches have successfully done before. These are great and there will always be a place for them.

But.... Think for a moment about a prayer. There are many great prayers that have been, and are recited that we would consider 'canned'. Standard for all to use. These fit great in some situations, but not all. A prayer from your heart... personal, relevant, and filled with the relational conversation you may have with the Lord, in many cases is where He touches you, your church and your community. It may not be as eloquent, polished or profound as the 'great' ones, but they are your conversation, worship, and relationship with Him.

What if we extend that idea to other areas of ministry?

Can we write songs filled with passion from our heart that are very relevant to our congregation? They may not be the next Hillsong United, but could God be putting a song in your heart for your particular church?

Can we use visual arts to worship and hold high our maker? Paintings, photographs, and video of His creations. The beauty and majesty of our Lord can be found in many things.

Can we use excellence in execution of the service to show honor to God using the management and creative skills he has given?

How about opening our lives to others so they can see the struggles we go through and how God works in our lives?


I have not even come close to mentioning all the ways we worship our Lord, but one thing is certain. We are heading toward a common goal. Just as players on a football team all do different tasks yet are headed toward the end zone at the other end. Now lets take that one step further. On any football team you could have the greatest players ever at each position, but without a game plan, or set of plays, they would not be very successful. As a church we should be looking to have a 'game plan'. With all of our great 'players' we could be much more successful if we not only had a common goal, but a unified way to get there. And if we take it one step further than that, all the churches in the temecula valley could have a profound impact if they came up with a common 'game plan' to reach the goal of worshipping our Lord and reaching the lost.


Anyway... just a little something to get the mind thinking.