BabuLife

Worship Recap: 8/31/08

Great worship time today.  Attendance was down about 200 over this holiday weekend...about 880.  we kicked off a two week series on communications hearing from our Executive Pastor, Brian Gann.  Check out the message here.

There were a few key things about this weekend:

• Brad (Soakie) Burrow manned the audio board.  He did a fantastic job mixing the music.  As you may or may not know, Brad has been a part of the band for around 7-8 years.  He's been breaking from the team.  Great job today Brad! 
• Lynnora - This was to be her final weekend playing with us.  That's right, no more beautiful violin garnishing the worship music.  While our team is proud/excited to see one of our own members follow God's calling to the mission field...we're going to miss her. She did AMAZING closing out the serivce with us when we did "Glory of it All" by David Crowder.  I've got to find another player...those are some BIG shoes to fill. Follow her blog www.10HoursAhead.blogspot.com
• Second service flub - Yeah...you heard it right.  If you were there, that little noise before the final song at the end of the service was intentional...however, not exactly what we were looking for.  Without boring you with all the details I'll just sum it up like this...a curveball thrown by the speaker who doesn't do it every week gave us all in the band a little shake up.  Mic movement typically occurs as the speaker prays before the offering is taken...that didn't happen...therefore when I heard my cue (the little funky noise from the drum kit) I was holding a mic stand and not ready to play the guitar. Oops...ah well...it happens.  I should blame it on the audio since it was a newbie guy behind the board. :)

I gotta be honest...for some reason Saturday evening around 10 p.m. I had an overwhelming feeling of "non-desire" to lead worship the next day. Seriously...I don't know what it was.  I decided right then to turn off the TV, pull out the guitar, play thru the tunes and pray back the lyrics to the Lord.  Every once in awhile it happens...I think it was just an opportunity to get my heart prepared for worship leading.

Here's the worship set-list. Don't forget to click the titles to purchase on iTunes:

• Sing, Sing, Sing by Tomlin, Reeves, Gilder
• God of This City by Boyd, Bleakley, Jordan, McCann, Kernaghan, Comfort
• Healer by Guglielmucci
• Jesus Messiah by Tomlin, Carson, Reeves, Cash
• Glory of it All by Crowder

Next week my buddy Foley is leading worship in my place.  I'll be in PA at a Muslim Background Believer Conference...that's right...I'll let y'all know how that goes.  Don't forget IGNITE this Wednesday...one hour of worship at Grace...7-8pm.  Hope to see you there!

Check out other worship recaps from around the world at my fellow worship leading friend, Fred McKinnon's site here.

How's Your Story Selling?

"Worldview is the term I use to refer to the rules, values, beliefs and biases that an individual consumer brings to a situation...Speaking respectfully to a person's worldview is the price of entry to get their attention.  If your message is framed in a way that conflicts with their worldview, you're invisible."
-Seth Godin, from the book All Marketers are Liars

13

Things about the number 13:

• In Judaism, 13 signifies the age at which a boy matures and becomes a Bar Mitzvah (Age of 12 for Girls, or Bat Mitzvah).
• In Scotland, there is no gate 13 in any airport, instead there is a gate 12B.
• Some airplanes skip a row 13, going straight from 12 to 14
• The Apollo 13 spacecraft malfunctioned on April 13 (US time zones) after being launched on April 11th at 13:13 CST, forcing it to return to Earth without a landing on the moon and imperiling its crew.
• After 13 years of being the richest man in the world, Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates lost this title, according to Forbes magazine's 2008 list of the world's billionaires.
• Princess Diana died when her car hit the thirteenth pillar of a tunnel in Paris, on August 31, 1997.
• There is a superstition that should thirteen sit at a table to dine, one will die in the next year.
• Dan Marino, an American football player known for passing the 2nd most yards in NFL history, wore the number 13, although pundits in the sport have often cited him as the greatest quarterback never to win an NFL championship.
• Colgate University also considers 13 to be a lucky number. They were founded in 1817 by 13 men with 13 dollars, 13 prayers, and 13 articles. (To this day, members of the Colgate community consider the number 13 a good omen.) In fact, the campus address is 13 Oak Drive in Hamilton, NY and the all men a capella group is called the Colgate 13.
• This couple has been happily married for 13 incredible years as of August 26, 2008. The husband did not have any time to post the annual Anniversary nod...is this a coincidence due to it being their 13th anniversary? 

Happy 13 to my love!

Worship Recap: 8/24/08

This was the end of one of the most compelling series' we've done this year.  It may be my opinion only...but I've been challenged quite a bit with specific issues in my life that I wrestle with.  I'll let you figure out if it's "Insecurity", "Anger", "Depression", "Negativity" or "Bitterness".  Here I'll give you a hint....I'm afraid to tell you in case I get angry about the fact it'll depress me to be negative about my bitterness.  Get the point?  Every one of these issues spoke to me...this week was no different.  Check out the Podcast Feed and give a listen to these messages. 

HUGE thanks to Bill Vail for letting God use him this weekend.  He was able to share a condensed version of his story during the services.  If you want to hear the entire story in more detail, check this out.  He did an awesome job and I'm sure many people were encouraged to hear his story of overcoming bitterness.

This week we had one of the final chances to enjoy Lynnora with us onstage leading worship with her violin.  I told her backstage we are going to miss her.  She can add so much to a song with just a few notes.  Be sure to check her blog out at www.10HoursAhead.blogspot.com. You can also find her on my "Gracers" blogroll here on BabuLife.  She'll be heading to the mission field in a few weeks.

Early in the morning the team had a chance to celebrate Mindy's birthday with a candle stuck in a chocolate long john.  Just what a singer needs before leading worship.  I was anxious to play the new song "Healer" at the close of the service.  We felt it was a great way to cap off this whole series and particularly the message following Bill's story.  Great job to the band for pulling this one out.  It's a beautiful song. 

The MercyMe tune "God With Us" is quickly moving to one of my favorite spots.

Here's the set list.  Don't forget, you can purchase on iTunes by clicking the title:

• Foreverandever etc. by David Crowder Band
• God with Us by MercyMe
• Everything Glorious by David Crowder Band
• Healer by Hillsong (Mike Guglielmucci)

Be sure to check out other worship leaders set list on Fred McKinnon's site here.

Grace Microcast Notes - 8/20/08

Tim and I were back this week after a month of vacations and schedule conflicts.  This week Tim had the opportunity to share the story of Bill Vail.  Bill is a member of Grace for about 5 years.  He's had an incredibly hard life. Everything from his mother being taken from him at an early age, facing a debilitating disease and fighting depression and bitterness his entire life.  Bill will be sharing a snippet of his story this Sunday during our services as we wrap up the current series "The Enemy Within".  You won't want to miss it.

Listen
Subscribe in a reader or listen here.
Or you can just listen right here.

Links
www.TimHowey.com Sr. Pastor, Tim Howey's blog.
stories@graceks.org (this email goes directly to the pastoral team at Grace.)

Contact
Email the Grace Podcast at podcast@graceks.org or give us a call and leave a voicemail at 206.426.5394. We might even play it on the cast!  Feel free to leave us a comment here as well. We'd love some feedback and topic suggestions.

Worship Recap: 8/17/08

This was the 4th week in our current series "The Enemy Within".  Tim talked about "Negativity" in our weekly addressing of various issues we all face.  Great message on dealing both with negativity within yourself and dealing with it in other people.  If you're a leader of a team (whether in ministry or business) you'll find this message interesting.  Give it a listen here.

We played another newbie this week called "God With Us". Another great song that is apparently all over Christian radio.  A lot of our folks already knew the song...which makes it fun to sing.  This'll be on the rotation.  "Sing, Sing, Sing" was rocking as well...the church has grasped this one and is belting it out.  You Gracers were awesome yesterday!

It was packed in both of the services this week.  There wasn't much of a slump over the summer but today you could see that many folks were making their way back to church since school is starting up.  Our summer has been averaging around 900 and Sunday we were back over 1,000...it was packed in both services.  Have I mentioned recently that we'll be adding a third service probably in January/February? Heads up Grace WST.

I have to give a nod to Hector Ruiz who has run audio the past two weeks. I've received several comments over the past two weeks that the mix has been very nice. Nicely done Hector!  Our audio leader, Scott Stanley, is consistently working on finding a mix that fits the room.  It's not an easy task as there are several opinions that differ. Many want it louder, some want it softer, some prefer less guitar, others prefer less bass...you get the idea. We will never please everyone, but it is something our guys are continually working on. 

Here's our setlist, don't forget, click the title to purchase on iTunes:

• Salvation is Here (B) by Hillsong United
• Sing, Sing, Sing (E) by Chris Tomlin
• You Never Let Go (B) by Matt Redman
• Jesus Mesiah (B) by Chris Tomlin
• God With Us (B) by MercyMe

Check out other worship recaps over here.

See you Sunday!
-Babu

Why I Really Liked Star Wars the Clone Wars

From time to time here on BabuLife I break from the musings of church life, family life and ministry to share one of my other enjoyments in life. That'd be Star Wars.  So to all you readers...here's your warning...I'm letting my geek flag fly with this post.  If you're not interested, check back on another day...this post is for my fellow sci-fi friends.  Here's the countdown to give you an opportunity to enter another address in the web browser, click your "back" arrow on your browser, or move along to the next blog in your RSS feed reader of choice...here goes...3....2.....1....you've been warned.

In 1977 my parents took me to see the original theatrical release of Star Wars at the age of three.  Since that time I've been enveloped in this little creative world George Lucas imagined.  And over the past 8 years or so, I have been able to enjoy it again with the releases of Episodes 1-3.  In 2005 many Star Wars fans celebrated and grieved at the closing of this epic tale of good vs. evil...until this evening.

It was rumored in late 2005 that George Lucas was so impressed with the creative way of telling the Star Wars story through animation in the "Clone Wars" shorts broadcast on the Cartoon Network in 2003 and 2005, he wanted to continue to fill in that story between Episodes 2 and 3 using the same technique.  Giving more details to the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin along with providing more information surrounding this time-frame in the Star Wars universe.  It was a bold idea that any die-hard Star Wars fan would love to see.  What resulted was the new "Clone Wars" movie and upcoming TV series coming this fall.  Tonight I saw the movie and I LIKED IT...a lot.

Earlier in the week I began reading early reviews of the movie which began providing me doubts.  When I read them I remembered back to the comments regarding the prequels and how many reviewers instantly hated them for various reasons.  Yet I was one of those who actually enjoyed them along with a few million other people in the world.  I was determined to enter the movie with an unspoiled frame of mind.  I honestly think many former fans of Star Wars and professional movie reviewers don't get it. 

They have forgotten what it's like to view movies like these through the eyes of children.  That's what George Lucas and Co are creating...animated episodes of Star Wars that tell swashbuckling stories about good vs. evil.  It's nothing more than that.  I can tell you that kids will love these movies whether the geeky adults who harken back to their childhood remembrance of Star Wars professing to know all things about film and story telling enjoy them or not.  The Clone Wars movie is not made entirely with them in mind.  I know my 8 year old daughter is going to love it when I take her this weekend.

The Clone Wars film is an incredible achievement in animation.  It's unique style of incorporating the Japanese Ainme into the CGI world make this film stand out far above many other animated films.  I was impressed with the telling of the story and appreciated the continued character development of the main hero (ahem...villian) in the Star Wars universe, Anakin Skywalker (ahem...Darth Vader).  When you watch this film then continue to follow the story with the upcoming TV series, you'll get an even deeper understanding and appreciation for the character and his relationship to his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (my personal fave in the Star Wars universe).  There is also the deeper story built upon the clones.  Those who were the soldiers of the Republic following the lead of their Jedi generals they eventually turn on at the orders of their political ruler.  There is a friendship built and modeled as a band of brothers in this movie that could not be expounded upon in any of the previous movies.  This relationship building could make the scene in Revenge of the Sith where the clones turn on the Jedi even more compelling.

I enjoyed the film immensely and am looking forward to seeing it again with my kidlet.  Once again, George Lucas and CO. have done something that the rest of Hollywood will stick their noses in the air about.  But that's what he's done best over the years.  Challenging the status quo and doing what he sees fit to tell the story he wants...no matter how many people tell him it can't/shouldn't be done. I think we could learn some great leadership lessons from that.

Final grade on Star Wars: The Clone Wars....B+

Where Did She Go?

Today I took you to your first day of third grade.  I know that every parent feels this....because they all used to tell me when you were just a baby.  "Enjoy it now...she'll be grown up before you know it". It's true. As much as I knew this would happen, it still doesn't seem real.  You're not a baby any more.  You're getting closer to your pre-teen years followed quickly by your teen years. Lord help me when you turn 16...you're only going into third grade now...and I can't even handle this without deep reflection!?! I don't understand where you went?  Where did my first born baby girl go?  If I look closely enough, you're still there.  I would just ask that you please SLOW DOWN.  It doesn't have to be this fast...does it?

Hallucinate, Desegregate, Mediate, Communicate...

Ok...so I used a little rhyming like these guys to get your attention.  As a Communications Director at Grace, I like to experiment with some of the nifty web 2.0 tools.  Some of my friends think I'm a little "off" for spending so much time with blogging, Facebooking and Twittering.  Yes, maybe I am...but somebody has to keep an eye on what the latest and greatest (or not so greatest) tools are being used.  Here are a couple of communication tools being used by Grace Church to keep our community in the loop:

• Facebook: I started the Grace group page a year ago with 3 people.  We are now up to 125 members.  It's used as a tool to inform folks about upcoming Grace events along with letting people "meet" other Gracers.  I've met several people thru Facebook before meeting them in person.  It's been a great way to meet people attending the church where I typically might not have the chance.  A success.
• Twitter: Ok...this is a new one.  I've been on Twitter now personally since March of this year.  I love it.  I'm addicted. I get it.  Currently there are 24 "followers" of @Graceks on Twitter. What is the benefit of being a part of this?  A Gracer can create a Twitter account (and you don't even have to really use it) then elect to "follow" @Graceks.  You can also indicate that you'd like to receive any updates from @Graceks be sent to your phone by text messaging. You'll get updates on what's being talked about this weekend, reminders about events, church closings and various notifications.  They aren't frequent, but it can serve beneficial.  We'll see if this catches on over the next year like Facebook.
• Church-Wide Calendar: Not really "Web 2.0" but still a great tool.  MyChurchEvents.com is the provider of choice for us.  View upcoming events by "interest group". If you want to see men's events, just select "men" as your interest group.  Great tool.

What tools are you using in your church to communicate?

Worship Recap: 8/10/08

H-o-l-y c-o-w.  That's how I felt this morning.  It is truly amazing what a week off can do for a worship leader.  I was so pumped about playing this morning in a way I've needed.  Could've been the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, could've been the rest, or maybe it was last Sunday's visit to Waffle House...I don't know...but what I do know is that I needed the rest.  This morning was awesome.

I awoke this morning with a cough hoping and praying that it wouldn't be a distraction to the worship this morning.  Gave me a little trouble causing me to sing a few flat notes...but hopefully it wasn't too bad.

It was week three with one of our two projectors out.  Here's the story, a few weeks ago our power was cut and ever since then we've had problems.  Unfortunately we discovered the problem right when I broke for vacation and I couldn't get the issue resolved in time.  Hopefully we'll have it fixed this week. 

We played two newbies this weekend.  With Tim's message on depression, we wrapped up the message with the new Tomlin tune "Jesus Messiah". A nice reminder of the power and love of Jesus Christ who gives us the power to overcome anything.  Emmanual = God with Us.  Love it. What's fun is when you play a tune for the first time and everyone knows it. Apparently this one is all over Christian radio.  I had three people tell me after services that they were going to email me this week to ask me to have our team learn it.  HA!  Got to it first! :)

Before I continue...can I just say...OUR WORSHIP BAND ROCKS.  Seriously. I threw out the Jesus Messiah song as a new one on Tuesday and they picked that tune up and had it ready to go in just a couple of days.  I love my fellow team mates.  It is such a privelege to lead with them.  Also need to note that Jason Henderson is rocking my world on Sundays.  He has taken the Worship Director mantle and is doing an AMAZING job.  I cannot tell you how much easier it makes leading worship without having to run around checking all the other stations (lights, video, audio etc) to see if they need anything.

It felt so good being back and am ready for next week!

Here's the setlist:

• Let it Rise (F#) Big Daddy Weave version
• Sing, Sing, Sing (E) by Chris Tomlin
• Center (E) by Charlie Hall
• Hosanna (C#m) by Brooke Frasier
• Jesus Messiah (B) by Chris Tomlin

Be sure to check out other worship leaders worship recaps/setlists at Fred McKinnon's site here.