In looking back through this blog, I realized I never updated my millions of readers with news on our car...
It is a long, miserable, horrible - "God-thing" story... but bottom line, we did not end up keeping the blue Ford Escape. It is back at the dealership ready to be pawned off on - er, uh - I mean - lovingly sold to - the next victim - er, uh - I mean - customer.
Instead, we ended up purchasing a used Subaru Outback. I never pictured myself in one of those but I really like it! The more I looked for cars, the more I came to find out that the Subaru is really an amazing vehicle. And it's the perfect size for my needs.
I was going to post a picture but they are everywhere on the highway - just turn your head to the right the next time you hit a stop light - you'll see one!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Who Cares? (God Does!)
If you read the previous post (and, why wouldn't you?) you know that I have stepped away from my full time career as a music and worship director in the church - to pursue doors that seem to be opening primarily in the areas of comedy, acting and music.
As of May 1, I made the bold step of faith and have been somewhat up and down emotionally since then - it's a huge move.
At the same time, I have begun to notice something- something that all Christians SAY talk about but I'm not sure many of us really, truly, actually believe it - God really is faithful. He really is interested in our lives.
God really cares!
In the past two weeks, for example, I have had more auditions for commercials and other on-camera opportunities than I have had since January of this year. A former church staff member of mine tried to link that to the reality that NOW my agent feels more free to send me out on auditions - since I am no longer tied to my full-time church job. That sounds so obvious, doesn't it?
But the truth is - my agent did not work LESS on my behalf before, and she is not working MORE on my behalf now. I believe there are two things at work. First, "the biz" is fickle. That's just the nature of the beast. You can go months with "feast" and you can go months with "famine" and neither is an indication of how "good" or "bad" you are as a talent. It just is what it is. But the other aspect of this - the far more important aspect, in my opinion, is that GOD CARES about me. He cares about my dreams, my passions, my gifts, my wiring, my welfare. God is interested in supplying my needs (Philippians 4:19). Therefore, I am of the mindset that God is the one ultimately "behind" me getting these auditions.
He's also the one behind me booking comedy gigs, getting voice over jobs and composing songs for Christian music publishers and projects.
80% of the above mentioned opportunities have yet to see actual income. But that is not the point - at least that is what I am discovering. The point is NOT "the money." The point is me recognizing that God "is at work."
And the hard lesson there is one all Christians deal with - - letting God do His job as our "pilot." Yeah, it sounds corny. But it's true! God does not want to give us directions - - He wants to STEER THE CAR.
It's not easy, but that is what I am learning. He cares. He drives.
It's that simple.
As of May 1, I made the bold step of faith and have been somewhat up and down emotionally since then - it's a huge move.
At the same time, I have begun to notice something- something that all Christians SAY talk about but I'm not sure many of us really, truly, actually believe it - God really is faithful. He really is interested in our lives.
God really cares!
In the past two weeks, for example, I have had more auditions for commercials and other on-camera opportunities than I have had since January of this year. A former church staff member of mine tried to link that to the reality that NOW my agent feels more free to send me out on auditions - since I am no longer tied to my full-time church job. That sounds so obvious, doesn't it?
But the truth is - my agent did not work LESS on my behalf before, and she is not working MORE on my behalf now. I believe there are two things at work. First, "the biz" is fickle. That's just the nature of the beast. You can go months with "feast" and you can go months with "famine" and neither is an indication of how "good" or "bad" you are as a talent. It just is what it is. But the other aspect of this - the far more important aspect, in my opinion, is that GOD CARES about me. He cares about my dreams, my passions, my gifts, my wiring, my welfare. God is interested in supplying my needs (Philippians 4:19). Therefore, I am of the mindset that God is the one ultimately "behind" me getting these auditions.
He's also the one behind me booking comedy gigs, getting voice over jobs and composing songs for Christian music publishers and projects.
80% of the above mentioned opportunities have yet to see actual income. But that is not the point - at least that is what I am discovering. The point is NOT "the money." The point is me recognizing that God "is at work."
And the hard lesson there is one all Christians deal with - - letting God do His job as our "pilot." Yeah, it sounds corny. But it's true! God does not want to give us directions - - He wants to STEER THE CAR.
It's not easy, but that is what I am learning. He cares. He drives.
It's that simple.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tugging At My Ear
One of my favorite things in TV history was how Carol Burnett used to tug her ear at the end of each show to say "so long" to her aunt (I believe it was).
I'm in ear-tugging mode of late...
After nearly 30 years of being involved in church music ministry in some form or another, the past 20 heavily involved as the director of music and worship for churches, I am laying down the baton and heading in a new direction - pursuing opportunities that are opening up for me in the areas of comedy and acting - and, of course, continued opportunities in songwriting.
In some ways this is a very easy move. Frankly, the seeminly never-ending angst of ministry has caught up with me and left me weary and worn out. Some call this "burn out" and, perhaps it is - especially for those out there who just MUST label things for whatever reason. Bottom line, I'm just tired of the on-going debates, fights, arguments, whining, complaining, and more that well-meaning, God-loving, church-going followers of Christ seem to crave.
I don't crave it. I hate it. It is a waste of time, energy, and resources and it has a way of killing whatever joy of the Lord began each day.
I wish more church attending believers realized what they are doing to their leaders. At its core, it is simply pure evil - there is no other way to describe it.
That said - this will also be a difficult transition. It's hard to say "so long" to a nearly 30-year career that has enjoyed pockets of delight, blessing and joy. Music and worship are gifts from God that I have always beed drawn towards. And, of course, there are the people who I will miss not seeing. Especially at my latest church position which lasted nearly 11 years - a true miracle in the world of church music these days!
But it's time. The right time. God's time.
And so, I press on - I cast my net on the other side of the boat...
I tug my ear and say, "so long..."
I'm in ear-tugging mode of late...
After nearly 30 years of being involved in church music ministry in some form or another, the past 20 heavily involved as the director of music and worship for churches, I am laying down the baton and heading in a new direction - pursuing opportunities that are opening up for me in the areas of comedy and acting - and, of course, continued opportunities in songwriting.
In some ways this is a very easy move. Frankly, the seeminly never-ending angst of ministry has caught up with me and left me weary and worn out. Some call this "burn out" and, perhaps it is - especially for those out there who just MUST label things for whatever reason. Bottom line, I'm just tired of the on-going debates, fights, arguments, whining, complaining, and more that well-meaning, God-loving, church-going followers of Christ seem to crave.
I don't crave it. I hate it. It is a waste of time, energy, and resources and it has a way of killing whatever joy of the Lord began each day.
I wish more church attending believers realized what they are doing to their leaders. At its core, it is simply pure evil - there is no other way to describe it.
That said - this will also be a difficult transition. It's hard to say "so long" to a nearly 30-year career that has enjoyed pockets of delight, blessing and joy. Music and worship are gifts from God that I have always beed drawn towards. And, of course, there are the people who I will miss not seeing. Especially at my latest church position which lasted nearly 11 years - a true miracle in the world of church music these days!
But it's time. The right time. God's time.
And so, I press on - I cast my net on the other side of the boat...
I tug my ear and say, "so long..."
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Oh, Come On - God's Not THAT Big...
How BIG is God?
The Bible says He will provide for ALL of our needs...
Will He?
The Bible says He will never leave us nor forsake us...
Is that true?
The Bible says He has a plan for us - one to prosper us...
I dunno - seems a bit "out there" to me.
The Bible says "faith" is believing in things you cannot see...
Yeah, easy for GOD to say!
The Bible says if I commit my way to the Lord He will act on my behalf...
Seems too good to be true, doesn't it?
I think NOW would be a good time to see if any of those Bible truths - or the other bazillion Bible truths that speak of how much God loves me, and cares for me, and is guiding me and directing me - are actually true.
The journey begins - right now!
The Bible says He will provide for ALL of our needs...
Will He?
The Bible says He will never leave us nor forsake us...
Is that true?
The Bible says He has a plan for us - one to prosper us...
I dunno - seems a bit "out there" to me.
The Bible says "faith" is believing in things you cannot see...
Yeah, easy for GOD to say!
The Bible says if I commit my way to the Lord He will act on my behalf...
Seems too good to be true, doesn't it?
I think NOW would be a good time to see if any of those Bible truths - or the other bazillion Bible truths that speak of how much God loves me, and cares for me, and is guiding me and directing me - are actually true.
The journey begins - right now!
RIP169
After about 9 years of great service, our Dodge Caravan finally met his maker - well, sort of... as we were closing in on the 169K mark, "things" began to go wrong... dials stopped working, rear wiper blades gave out - - noises and creeks here and there - - the end was in sight - - or - - money had to be paid out just to keep the thing alive.
So - because we've enjoyed my wife's Ford Escape for a while now, we decided to go find a good used one for me as a replacement for the minivan. One of those wonderful deals jumped out at us and we decided it was time.
Now we have "his and hers" Ford Escapes... hers is a burly "man red" - and mine is a "cute bright blue" -- not sure how that happened, but it gives each of us companionship during the day so there ya go...
No, there WE go!
Vroom!
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Other Side Of The Boat
In some ways, the passage in John 21 is so very simple - almost TOO simple really.
The disciples - skilled fishermen - are out on the sea doing their "job" - trying to catch fish. They are not having much success. In fact, they are catching nothing. They are probably pretty frustrated - they are, after all, SKILLED at this job, right? How hard is it for them to catch fish? Then Jesus - the CARPENTER - makes a suggestion. Hey guys - why not cast that net over onto the OTHER side of the boat?
I can imagine these ruddy fishermen snickering amongst themselves. Pssst - d'you hear what the carpenter said? He told us to cast the next on the other side of the boat. Ha ha ha ha... That is what I would have done. Yeah, um, listen Jesus - thanks for the "tip" 'n all... but, well, I've been doing this for a while - - I think I got this fishing thing down pretty good... at the very least, just to play along, I would have peeked over the edge of the boat to see if I could see signs of any fish before lugging that heavy net all the way over to the other side...
But that is not how the disciples reacted.
They immediately obeyed what Jesus said and tossed the next on to the other side of the boat.
And the funniest thing happened - THEY CAUGHT FISH! Amazing!
In their time of struggle and frustration, they:
> listened
> obeyed
> repead the rewards of listening and obeying
Sometimes we have to cast the net without any evidence of a REASON to cast the net - other than the voice of God telling us to cast the net. That's not easy. We want proof. We want evidence. We want to know before we go - -
But that's cuz we are humans.
These past several months I have been on a journey of net casting - and today, I made the decision to cast the net to the other side of the boat with very little evidence (okay, I do have SOME evidence - cuz God is loving and knows I need it!) to do it. And now, I wait and watch with anticipation as the fish start to wiggle their way to the net...
I can smell the tartar sauce already!
The disciples - skilled fishermen - are out on the sea doing their "job" - trying to catch fish. They are not having much success. In fact, they are catching nothing. They are probably pretty frustrated - they are, after all, SKILLED at this job, right? How hard is it for them to catch fish? Then Jesus - the CARPENTER - makes a suggestion. Hey guys - why not cast that net over onto the OTHER side of the boat?
I can imagine these ruddy fishermen snickering amongst themselves. Pssst - d'you hear what the carpenter said? He told us to cast the next on the other side of the boat. Ha ha ha ha... That is what I would have done. Yeah, um, listen Jesus - thanks for the "tip" 'n all... but, well, I've been doing this for a while - - I think I got this fishing thing down pretty good... at the very least, just to play along, I would have peeked over the edge of the boat to see if I could see signs of any fish before lugging that heavy net all the way over to the other side...
But that is not how the disciples reacted.
They immediately obeyed what Jesus said and tossed the next on to the other side of the boat.
And the funniest thing happened - THEY CAUGHT FISH! Amazing!
In their time of struggle and frustration, they:
> listened
> obeyed
> repead the rewards of listening and obeying
Sometimes we have to cast the net without any evidence of a REASON to cast the net - other than the voice of God telling us to cast the net. That's not easy. We want proof. We want evidence. We want to know before we go - -
But that's cuz we are humans.
These past several months I have been on a journey of net casting - and today, I made the decision to cast the net to the other side of the boat with very little evidence (okay, I do have SOME evidence - cuz God is loving and knows I need it!) to do it. And now, I wait and watch with anticipation as the fish start to wiggle their way to the net...
I can smell the tartar sauce already!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Reaching vs Preaching
In recent years I have come to the very sad realization that for far too much of my Christian life I have acted more like a "preacher" than a "reacher."
I suppose, if we look at Jesus as our example, we would be prone to say that he knew how to balance the two out - he was both a "reacher" AND a "preacher." Unfortunately, we tend to spend a lot more time focusing on, and putting into practice, the "preaching" part - meaning that we come on a bit strong with those unfamiliar with the faith - as opposed to the "reaching" part - which is actually more difficult because it involves establishing relationships with people who might make us feel uncomfortable.
You know - sinners.
I am, today, a firm believer in "reaching" people first, and then letting the "preaching" come later - either naturally, though HOW I treat them, HOW I live, letting them observe the choices and decisions I make, etc. and then, of course, if God opens the door - sharing the gospel (preaching).
Frankly, I am a little tired of hanging around Christians. Let me clarify that - I mean cranky, narrow-minded, critical, bitter, angry, finger-pointing, Bible-waving Christians. Folks who shudder if they hear someone say "shit" or who go into panic mode if they have a friend who smokes or imply that God only loves those who have jumped through some sort of series of spiritual hoops... or, ya know - Pharisees.
I am tired of hanging around Pharisees.
I am hoping that I get more and more opportunities to hang out with a whole lot of people who are in desperate need of RELATIONSHIP and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and ACCEPTANCE. Well, ya know - like the DISCIPLES.
I wanna hang out with Disciples. Because the Disciples had issues.
So which are you - a "reacher" or a "preacher?"
I suppose, if we look at Jesus as our example, we would be prone to say that he knew how to balance the two out - he was both a "reacher" AND a "preacher." Unfortunately, we tend to spend a lot more time focusing on, and putting into practice, the "preaching" part - meaning that we come on a bit strong with those unfamiliar with the faith - as opposed to the "reaching" part - which is actually more difficult because it involves establishing relationships with people who might make us feel uncomfortable.
You know - sinners.
I am, today, a firm believer in "reaching" people first, and then letting the "preaching" come later - either naturally, though HOW I treat them, HOW I live, letting them observe the choices and decisions I make, etc. and then, of course, if God opens the door - sharing the gospel (preaching).
Frankly, I am a little tired of hanging around Christians. Let me clarify that - I mean cranky, narrow-minded, critical, bitter, angry, finger-pointing, Bible-waving Christians. Folks who shudder if they hear someone say "shit" or who go into panic mode if they have a friend who smokes or imply that God only loves those who have jumped through some sort of series of spiritual hoops... or, ya know - Pharisees.
I am tired of hanging around Pharisees.
I am hoping that I get more and more opportunities to hang out with a whole lot of people who are in desperate need of RELATIONSHIP and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and ACCEPTANCE. Well, ya know - like the DISCIPLES.
I wanna hang out with Disciples. Because the Disciples had issues.
So which are you - a "reacher" or a "preacher?"
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