Adoleo Worship Night

Last Friday around 500 people packed into the Englert theater for a night of worship. 

The Anthem band kicked it off (their main event will be on November 11th at Cornerstone in Ames), then Adoleo played the rest of the night. 

Some highlights included Voices of Soul gospel choir that joined us for an epic set of worship and Ally leading "Savior", which included crowd participation in a video project. 

I was sitting around thinking about how to include the crowd in the song. So I pulled 15 volunteers from the crowd with iPhones, and asked them to film the experience. I let four of them up on stage to get closer shots. We'll see at the beginning of November (the video deadline) whether or not that was a good idea. Here's a shot at the end of "Savior"...

I'm so proud of the Adoleo team, who has spent countless hours writing, recording, producing, worshiping, and praying- this was one of those late Monday night rehearsals at an empty coffee shop...

It's easier to use someone else's music that's tried and true, and there are good reasons most churches do that. But there's also something about giving our people their own voice with original music written by people in the church. It ignites latent creative juices, and energizes the people of God when they see writers using their gifts to encourage the body of Christ.

At the end of the day, most of the songs will not get beyond our church walls (if we had them), but the offering is not for man, but God.

Thus the name, Adoleo. ("I offer a sacrifice of worship")

Immersed!

It was a privilege to baptize my two friends, Grant and Joe. They just started attending Salt Company last year (chasing some girls) and I asked them if they would be interested in studying the Bible over the summer. Within a few months, both made decisions to follow Jesus.

Here are their stories, along with a few others dunked in obedience to Christ...



Grant had never been to church, and Joe grew up in church. Both had different paths to understanding their need for Jesus, but ended up getting dunked in the same pool.

Mike! What a cool story! He's been working in the prison system for the last 25+ years. He took me on a tour of the women's prison in Mitchelville and Oakdale, a men's prison in Coralville. Both were eye opening. I thank God for a new ambassador in that arena...

Baptisms - Oct 16th 2011 from Veritas Church on Vimeo.

Again we say with boldness, "To God Alone Be Glory!"

Words

This year my blog has been mostly neglected. Here's the pathetic stat... 12 posts in the last 5 months.

For the first time in a LONG time I felt like I had some "creative" space. No visitors, nice back porch weather with a perfectly placed breeze, and a thought provoking book (Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln) are the ingredients that led to this epiphany...

I love ideas, and I love the words needed to communicate them.

In fact, that's what inspired the metropuritan blog a few years ago. I started blogging to sharpen my writing skills, share excerpts of my life, and hopefully bring a little encouragement to others on the journey. I'm sure there was a little narcissism mixed in. Me and everyone else with a blog, FB and Twitter account.

As I read on this utopian day, some phrases jumped out at me, renewing my desire to read and write more...

"[Lincoln] read and thoroughly read his books whilst we played. Hence he was above us and became our guide and leader." (a childhood friend's recollection of Lincoln) p. 49

"Books became his academy, his college. The printed word united his mind with the great minds of generations past...It was through literature that he was able to transcend his surroundings. He read and reread the Bible and Aesop's Fables so many times that years later he could recite whole passages and entire stories from memory... With remarkable energy and tenacity he quarried the thoughts and ideas that he wanted to remember...once he obtained paper, he would rewrite it and keep it in a scrapbook so that it could be memorized. Words thus became precious to him, never...to be lightly or indiscriminately used." (p. 51-52)

In Lincoln's own words, in some advice to a law student, he said, "Get the books and read and study them...The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places...Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other thing." (p. 54)

Well, hopefully I've found enough inspiration to churn out a few more than 2.4 blog posts per month for the rest of 2011.

In other news related to "words"...

I got my tweeterfeed updated and therefore these blog posts will be synced to my FB and Twitter (not sure why it ever stopped...). I had to tell the world on FB about this important news and nearly hit "send" when I noticed the "w" missing from "twitterfeed". As a pastor, I could've been fired for a status update with "ti..." Nevermind.

Another word debacle came when Ava kept leaving the "r" out when she was telling me about this new book she was reading, "Little Britches". She had no idea what she was saying, and I was left wondering what kind of books Leatha had put on the kids' summer reading plan.

Speaking of bad words...I'm determined that my kids hear every bad word in the book from my mouth before they hear it on the playground. That's another blog entry for another day...

For now, I'm resolved to get back to the basics... reading and writing.

Errrr...wait a minute... the NBA finals start tomorrow. Shoot. Go Mavs.

The Psalm Project and Anthem

I have to commend the Psalm Project blog to you, especially to all of you aspiring songwriters and artists out there. Here's a little background.

In 2006, I started this event called "Anthem." My vision was simple: young people gathering for a night of extended worship and prayer. Nothing revolutionary. But my hope was that through this God would draw out the talent in our youth and college ministries, causing students to aspire to write and create music for God's glory. I was a frustrated youth pastor, who often watched the most gifted musicians sit in the back and scoff at our worship team, who basically just covered the Big 3 (Crowder, Tomlin, United...). The mockers in the back were so eager to throw their instruments and voices in the mud of idolatry.

There's obviously nothing wrong with using mainstream songs for corporate worship, but I wanted to create our own worship culture. I thought we might get more buy in from students. What would it be like for kids, teenagers and college students to grow up dreaming of writing Anthem songs? Not for fame or career, but as an overflow of their passion for Jesus Christ and personal time spent with Him.

Anthem has recently multiplied- the movement in Ames is still strong (April 29th, 8pm at Cornerstone auditorium), but we've also started an Anthem team in Iowa City. Some amazing young talent has quickly emerged here- so much that we're recording an album this May! But one of the highlights from the last Anthem for me was during our prayer time before practice...

Here's where the Psalm Project ties into this Anthem rant

One of our new female vocalists and songwriters, Brianna Goodman, shared about being at the very first Anthem back in the Fall of 2006. She recalled being more into athletics at the time, with no thought of ever being a musician. Well, God has lit her heart on fire for Christ, and has given her the gift to express it. People like me (who don't have the writing gift) are so glad when God inspires gifted people! We get to use their songs to inspire our own worship.

That's why the Psalm Project gets me stoked and a little choked up (though I'm sure not as much as her mom, dad, and aunt :)... many of you know the Goodmans and Erin Burmeister).

Well, here's the link for Bri and Lauren's Psalm Project blog, with some YouTubes embedded. I'm sure you'll hear a song or two on the new Anthem album...

Just a quick P.S.... many of those scoffers in the back row of youth group have since given their lives to Christ. Alex Register plays electric in the Anthem (Ames) band. And others have come to help us plant Veritas in Iowa City (Jamie, Jack). Thanks Travis Pierce- it's never in vain 1 Cor. 15:58. SDG.

Vacation, Naked Barbies, and Sex Talks

It was a long, cold January. And a challenging one for us, so I did what I haven't done in 11 years of marriage...

I took Leatha (without kids!) on a vacation. It was a week of sun, ocean, reading and relaxing. I was working my way through Leviticus and didn't expect it to be the oasis for my soul that it was. Leviticus 25 reminded me that it's my pride that keeps me from not resting. Workaholism is another manifestation of self-reliance and idolatry. God seemed to think there needed to be a rhythm to rest- 1/7 days, 1/7 years, 1/50 years, and a few extended vacation/parties in between.

I almost didn't post anything about our vacation because it's easy for people cooped up their rooms reading this to struggle with jealousy and perhaps get the wrong idea ("Why can't I...?"). At least that's what goes through my mind on occasion. But I went ahead and posted this because I think in general we need to hear that it's not a sign of weakness to rest...
There was something really funny that happened on the trip- you can read about it (click here for iloveshelling.com). There was a popular shelling blogger that stumbled upon me stumbling upon this treasure on my first ever shelling exploration... (Don't get distracted by my muscles- I'm getting ready for a body building competition)
This sums up the last day of our trip, "Awesome...best day of the year"
Here's downtown Chicago from our plane. I was singing Rich Mullins in my mind, "We are not as strong as we think we are."
Last night Troy Nesbitt came to speak to Salt Company in the bar. The topic- "Sex". As always, he did an awesome job. You can find it here (it should be up sometime today on the saltiowacity.com website- click media). I also just finished listening to the brilliant Peter Kreeft on the topic of "Sex in Heaven". This is exercise and worship for the mind. Here's Troy at the Blue Moose...
I guess my kids could've used a sex talk. This is our junk drawer. At least someone colored a (Janet Jackson) bra on Barbie. She's getting ready for a half time show or something.

Troy joined us for our "Elders in Training" meeting this morning. Here's Troy in all his glory at 5:45 a.m. Troy is in a competition with a Cornerstone staff guy to see who will cave first on getting a hair cut. I guess we'll all get an idea of what Samson looked like (minus the muscles)

Here are the elders in training, minus Jeff Allgood and me (L to Rt: Jeff Thune, Aaron Hill, Dave Graber, Eric Bodin, Dale Mullikin, Rod Reinertson) on our first retreat.

Only 16 days between blog posts. I'm getting back on track to my 5x/week pace!

So somehow I've got to incorporate this as I plant a church. Wow, thanks to the good people at youtube, planting a church is going to be as easy as "just add water." Thanks, Mikaela for the vine.

I guess the last video post ("This is church?") was a rip-off from this movie trailer.

Speaking of movies, last night I watched "Brothers" with Jeff and Ashley Thune, who just moved in with us temporarily before the move to Iowa City here in a few weeks. There's nothing "fun" about that movie, and as it ended, I was thinking... "Hmmm. If I had that 105 minutes back, would I have spent it the same way?"

But as I've thought about it today, that is one of the most powerful movies I've seen in awhile. In a word, I think the movie is about "grace." There is so much to be written on the themes that were brilliantly woven into the story line: family dynamics, father-son issues, jealousy, betrayal, faithfulness, forgiveness, child and adult psychology, anger, war, love and Grace.

The more I reflect on it, the more I realize how much I loved that movie. This is the most trite way I could think to end this post, but it's true: I want to be more like Jesus having seen this movie. More like Grace.

Cliques

I was meeting with a graduating senior, and he asked me, "Do you think Salt Company is cliquey?"

Yes. Salt Company is very cliquey.

But our problem is not that we have too many cliques, it's that we don't have enough. 

I'm all for packs of people who like to hang out with each other. The beautiful thing about a large group (i.e. TSC) is that you're bound to find people you "click" with. 

The obvious "duh" here is that the body of Christ should not exclude people or show favoritism based on interests or outward appearance.

But please no Christian butt head cliques. Those are banned.

Mo's Advice

Yesterday I got choked up at our TSC leader's meeting. We said good-bye to a few staff people, who gave their farewell advice to our leaders. Mike Mogard's ("Mo" as we call him) was so money, I had to post it. He did it in the form of a top ten...

 10.  If you want to get close to someone, go on a trip and have an experience where the main activity is laughing.

9.  There is a glorious fire coming...so stop every once in a while to make sure you are building with gold and not straw.

8.  The amount of fun you have has everything to do with who you're with and little to do with what your doing.  Spend your life accordingly.

7.  With that said, some of the best leaders meetings/connection groups involve brightly colored discs and metal baskets (disc golf).

6.  If you find yourself ministering to someone and you realize you don't truly care for that person, think back to the beginning of the conversation, and realize... it was at that point where that person realized you didn't care.

5.  Before you tell someone they are dead in sins and separated from God and deserve judgement, ask yourself why your life hasn't already brought them that revelation.

4.  If you lift weights to the point where the circumference of your neck and waist are the same, it is time to stop lifting. (Below: I took a picture of myself and cropped in Mo's head. It's amazing what can be done with technology)

3.  A short parable.  A man came along who lived by the principles of God and couldn't decide whether he should feed the hungry, heal the blind, or preach the Gospel.  He chose to preach the Gospel because it seemed more important.  Then a man came who lived in the presence of God.  When faced with the same decision, he asked God.  The man decided to heal a blind man. The healed blind man then gave his testimony to the king.  After the king heard the blind man's testimony, he believed and threw a celebration and fed all of the hungry in the city.  Live out of the presence. 

2.  If people don't show up at an info meeting because Mo is scary, its time to unfold the arms and smile more. 

1.  If you ever stand to give a word in front of a group of people who have impacted your life in such a profound way that you know you could never repay them, just tell them thanks.  Thank you for everything.

Leadership Reminders

James is a student in our ministry who will be leading a trip overseas this summer. He just blogged about some of the highlights from his leader training in Wichita (click here for his blog):

• "Vision is the clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be."
• Gravitate toward conflict and call fouls early. "A straw never breaks the camels back if we're continually unloading the camel."
• Leadership must be earned, it's a privilege granted by the follower. Serve according to their needs - not your own strengths.
• Girls will cry. DON'T PANIC.

Thanks, Red!

This is one of the more important leadership principles I've discovered...

"How you select people is more important than how you manage them once they’re on the job. If you hire the wrong people, for whatever reason, you’re in serious trouble and all the revolutionary management techniques in the world won’t bail you out.”

- Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics

I have to be good at selecting people, because managing them is not a strength of mine. I've seen this over and over- the good and the bad. Right now I'm reaping all the benefits of a rockin' staff team. I just finished doing evaluations with all of my staff, and the team is hitting on all cylinders. I don't see a lot of weak links. Well, except for... (just kidding)