This is the story of how one of my favorite modern worship songs came into being. Kari Jobe makes me cringe a bit when she says she thinks the song is “God’s favorite.” On second thought, any song that is exclusively about God and His holy character is probably on God’s list of favorites.
Kroc Center: Partners & Supporters
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I will be all over this one! Thanks for alerting me John Carroll! Thank GOD for music!
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…and Ho Chi Mihn, Pete Townsend and last, but not cute, Grace Jones!
I used to be full of crap now I'm just full of Joy!
Today I celebrated birthday number 33! While my joints feel the effects of 33 years of too much stress my spirit has never felt more alive. I have a core of friends and family that love me for who I am, I have two incredible jobs, two precious children to love and develop, and I have the most wonderful marriage a person could hope for. I think back to mid February of 1996 when I effectively alienated everyone that meant anything to me and I was forced to evaluate the abysmal choices I’d made to that point and purpose to do something different going forward. At 18 years old my life was marked by deceit, selfishness and foolish pursuits. To shorten this epic, I recommitted my life and decision making to pursuing Jesus Christ and the will of God. I didn’t get it perfect but I sensed more of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my heart and the things I thought were important before that time didn’t seem as urgent or relevant any longer. At my lowest, I never felt God could forgive me for my transgressions or use me to do anything for Him or anyone else. I thought I was eternally sidelined. That turned out to be a lie from the pit of Hell. I realize now that the brokenness I experienced in my youth was fertile ground for God to begin His work of restoration in my life. I believed I could plot my own course to success and joy but that left me outcast and irrelevant. Living for Christ has afforded me joy, respect and purpose. I credit all that I am and all that I have to God and God alone. I firmly believe had I continued life under my own guidance I would not have a story of celebration to report today.
Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I will abide in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abides in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
This is pretty captivating. It’s, no doubt, a tool to tempt me to deem my current technology obsolete and sell my soul for something new. I’ll fight that battle while marveling at the wonder of modern cinema. Here’s the interactive weblink introducing you to the world’s first Cinema Proportion TV: www.philips.co.uk/cinema
I am abstaining from buying and listening to new music for Lent. Since I sat through the production of this album before the Lenten season this doesn’t violate my vows. Tedashii’s sophomore release is nearly ready for release and here’s his first single. There are some other songs I hope will be included on this new album featuring yours truly. More on that later. Enjoy!
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Don’t Miss the Identity Crisis Release Party in Nashville at the GMA’s!
Wed. April 22nd 8-10 pm at B.B. King’s. Click here for map
Special Guests: Sho Baraka, Trip Lee, Lecrae, Flame, J.R.
Yesterday I mentioned my fast from purchasing new music as I observe the season of Lent. I was immediately tested by friends who sent me links to the U2 album stream thn I show up at the office where a couple coworkers and a friend were preparing to sample the album at the conference table. I politely and reluctantly declined and made it to my personal office without compromise. While listening to the album doesn’t technically play into my abstention from purchasing new music, the heart of the fast was that I forgo the pleasures of seeking the latest, freshest thing and being one of, if not the first I know to partake in the new ear candy.
The second piece of my Lent observance is a lot more difficult. I am a night person. I come alive in the PM. My church job demands that I be alert and ready on Sunday morning but the rest of the week I am a zombie before 10 am. I get up normally between 7:30 and 8am and there are days when I push it until 9:30 or 10am but even after I wake up I have little social energy, my voice is groggy and I may as well still be asleep. That’s due in part to the late hours I keep after my wife and the kids are asleep. I catch up on indie films, listen to whole albums music, read sports blogs, watch west coast basketball games, study the bible, research trivial things on the net and other mundane activities.
So for Lent I have decided to lay all of that down for 40 days and wake up at 5:30am EACH morning. This is a big deal for me. I worship at Bedside Baptist and am a devout member. Plus, I always feel like I’m missing something when I go to bed before 10pm. Some breaking news, a breakout performance from an NBA player, a legendary comeback on Monday Night Football, a celebrity meltdown on Letterman, you never know. And God forbid I have to wake up and hear the news from someone else. I seriously have my priorities twisted sometimes. So I am laying that all down for Lent and getting out of the bed at 5:30am which means going to bed at reasonable semi-geriatric hours. My wife appreciates it because she likes for me to be in the bed with her even though she is one of those people that can lay down and be completely asleep in 60 seconds or less. I am the idiot that lays there for 30-90 minutes trying to doze off. Now everytime I get sleepy in the day or start to whine about getting up early I will pause and pray for the city of Memphis, praising God for the good in this city and asking Him to change the bad things about it. In my next post I’ll tell you how I will invest those new found daylight hours and my final fast for the lent season.
My pastor, my boss and my brother-in-law (all the same guy) has asked that our church staff observe Lent together this year. We will do it in preparation for Passion Week and the recognition of Jesus’ death burial and triumphant resurrection. We will also do it to take a page out of Jesus’ personal preparation manual. Jesus fasted forty days to prepare for His Earthly ministry. We at Fellowship have a new ministry to lead as we look to open a new, second church site in downtown Memphis. So, starting today, each of us on the Fellowship Memphis staff will implement fasts and particular abstinences for forty days leading up to Resurrection Sunday.
There are hundreds of ways to do this. The most common is a meat fast or skipping meals during daylight hours. I’ve been dieting since January so I felt the food fasts would not have the same impact on me spiritually because starving myself is old hat now. So I have decided to abstain from a few other things that will surely cause me to feel a since of longing and sacrifice and ultimately cause me to lean more heavily on God.
I have started by steering clear of purchasing new music. That may seem inconsequential to the average audiophile but I gravitate to new music like moths to a bug zapper. Sometimes I get zapped! It’s rarely enough for me to get the new albums, I have to be one of the first to review them. I almost hate to have a CD recommended to me. I feel like I’m out of touch in some childish way. I am not bragging as much as I’m confessing. I have hundreds of discs and downloads some of which I’ve only listen to once or twice, formulated an opinion on and moved on to the next record. Sometimes I’m content to say boastfully “I have that!” regarding an album that only has one palatable tune. So I will miss the much anticipated release of albums from U2, Gavin Degraw, Busta Rhymes, Mandisa, Ciara, Lionel Richie, New Found Glory, Static X and Chris Cornell. This will spare me from having to endure the sounds of former American Idol Taylor Hicks’ new album, sure to be blaring over Memphis record store speakers.
I hope my music lust looks like this in April
There are two other fasts I’m observing that I will post another day. To God be the Glory!
