BabuLife

Super Cool Person of the Week Category

I've created a new category called "Super Cool Person of the Week".  There are so many volunteers at Grace Church that I would love to just be able to go through the halls on a Sunday and thank.  Unfortunately, that just can't happen because we're all so busy serving.  So keep watching here for a weekly post on the Super Cool Person of the Week.

View From the Stage: 2/25/07

We had a few "hiccups" yesterday closing out our series on the life of David.  Sometimes stuff happens.  I'm not concerned with the stuff so much as I am with how our team handles adversity.  And our team came through. 

When you start a song out in the wrong key...what's the best thing to do?  Start over of course!  That was the best decision since every other instrumentalist onstage and vocalist has rehearsed the song in a different key.  Way to go Scott!!!  What do you do if you get lost on the lyrics?  Just keep going and don't collapse under pressure. Way to go Brian!!!  What do you do when the pastor's mic keeps popping?  Bring him out a handheld.  Way to go Addie!!!

We have an awesome team!  Here's our setlist:

• Everyday - Hillsong
• Let Everything that Has Breath - Matt Redman (Gina added a little coolness this week..Awesome job Gina!)
• Son of God - Starfield (This was a new one)
• You Are Holy aka Prince of Peace - Michael W. Smith (The old Grace anthem.)
• I Stand Amazed - Passion (A nicely revitalized hymn).

Check out the kind note from our Pastor on his blog.

30,000 on the Counter

So tonight my counter down in the lower right corner flipped over 30,000.  That means 30,000 times since about February 2006 you and many others out there have come to this here measly blog.

I'd like to thank all of my peeps out there who continue to visit BabuLife.  I'm grateful that you continue to visit thinking maybe...just maybe Ben's next post will have something of value to me.  Keep watching, I think I feel a good post coming on.  I'd also like to thank my wife for putting me on her blogroll.  It is because of her very popular blog that I have probably received about 15,000 of those hits...just so they could come and see my picture.  They never stay for more than 3 seconds.

Anyway...here are some of the most viewed posts that people "google" for and hit my site. 

• Doctrine of Hairology Post - A lot of people have linked to this and have passed on to their friends in emails.  Glad you all have stopped by the site.
• Fallen Rock Star Post - A lot of Europeans looking for pictures of Michael Hutchence.  I always wonder why.  Anybody know?
• Choosing Worship Songs Series - Many worship leaders googling for worship sets and how to lead.  I actually had a person visit searching with the term "How do you lead stubborn people in worship?" I wonder if she or he found the answer they were looking for.
• Great Ordination Gift Ideas - I guess people are just at a loss on what to give someone for being ordained.
• Cliff Claven Action Figure - Must be a lot of John Ratzenberger fans out there.
• Strolling through the Park - I have no idea how people get to this one...but they do.

Thanks for reading!

-Babu

Blogging Church Promo Video

I'm halfway through The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch.  Excellent foundational book for helping folks see the benefits of blogging within the church community.  Watch out Grace staff guys, I'm going to pass this along to you. I've got to get our Executive/Children's pastor to blog...he'd have some awesome stuff to share.  HT: Rick Watch this video about The Blogging Church:

My Valentine's Gifts

So I'm like what...a whole week late on posting this?  I have to say my wife is probably the best wife I've ever had (did I say that?)  On Tuesday night before Valentine's Day...I recieved another Andy Griffith Show dvd jam packed with great episodes.  We popped it in and watched with the family the night before Valentines.  While that was nice, it wasn't THE gift.

After having an Amazon wishlist on my blog for almost two years and never getting anything (c'mon, you know that's why those things are on everyone's blog...we're all hoping to get a surprise waiting for us on our front doorstep as we come home from work), I finally recieved a couple of items from the list. While my wife is not a huge Star Wars fan such as myself, she has always patiently put up with it.  Not only that, but from time to time she has fed my habit hobby making me a very happy dude.  So bear with me here.  Fellow geeks read on...everyone else...see you on the next post.  Here's what I got from the wife:

Star Wars Clone Wars Vol. 7: When They Were Brothers - I LOVE this comic series.  Very cool stuff connecting Episode 2 to Episode 3.  I have owned Volumes 1-6 and have never completed the series that ends at Volume 9.  I love artwork and I've always enjoyed a good comic book.  But really...what's better than a comic book with great Star Wars artwork?  The story of the friendship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and their eventual downfall is cool.  This series delves deeper into their friendship.  Hey...what can I say...I'm a geek!!!

Star Wars Clone Wars Vol. 8: The Last Siege, The Final Truth - The "Expanded Universe" we Star Wars geeks call it, is filled with cool stories and characters that intertwine with the events in the movies.  This has a VERY cool jedi character who struggles with the natural drawing he has to the dark side and when he is drafted to infiltrate the CIS (Confederacy of Independent Systems ie. Count Dooku's group) pretending to be a Jedi betraying the Republic, he finds himself obsessed with uncovering the second Sith revealed in the movie Revenge of the Sith.  He also ends up fighting himself and winning over the dark side when his friends reach out to him and remind him of the calling and mission he has on his life....hmmm...there could be a message illustration in there somewhere.

Star Wars Clone Wars Vol. 9: Endgame - The story revolving around the other Jedi during the events of "Revenge of the Sith" is told in this issue.  You also get a story immediately following the transformation of Anakin to Vader.  Entertaining for any Star Wars geek.

So to my wife.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I LOVE the gifts.  Geek-fest done.

What Makes a Leader Great?

I'm reading a book my pastor gave me some months ago.  Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.  Here's a passage from the book:

"True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you.  True service is never without cost.  Often it comes with a painful baptism of suffering.  But the true spiritual leader is focused on the service he and she can render to God and other people, not on the residuals and perks of high office or holy title.  We must aim to put more into life than we take out."

This bucks what many people think make great leaders.  Bending the will of people does not make you great...but serving others with a cost.  True leadership always comes with a cost.  It's how you're strengthened. 

So a question to ask is this...what do you seek in becoming a leader?  Are you hungry for "the office"?  Do you long for the respect a title could bring?  Maybe you want to tell people what to do.  Stop trying to shove yourself into a leadership position and just start being/doing what a true leader and worshiper of God is...a servant.  Some of the greatest leaders in the Bible weren't looking for the office...they were just busy "being" and God sought them out.  David is a great example.

-Babu

View From the Stage: A Skit, Porn, and an Old Fashioned Altar Call

Yesterday was powerful.  After a skit dramatizing an issue that so many families face each week, there was nothing but dead silence in the room.  HUGE props to Zach and Kendra for putting on such a great performance.  Such tough material to tackle and you both did an awesome job.  God used you both in a huge way yesterday.  Lisa...you made it all happen.  Way to go drama team!

So what was the big deal?  We continued our series on the life of David confronting the story of David and Bethsheba.  What happens when you "check out" of the race?  When you in essence become a couch potato doing nothing, sitting on the sidelines while everyone around you is out running the race.  For many folks who check out of the race, that void is filled with other "stuff".  Pornography, gambling, crazy uncontrollable spending, overeating, adultery...etc.  When you disengage, you find yourself bored and doing things that eventually stack up to a point where you find yourself hiding (or at least believing you're hiding) from those who care most about you.  And at some point...the jig is up and you get caught.

Yesterday's skit dealt with a husband who had checked out of the race only to find himself surfing the web for porn.  No prob for him until his wife found out.  Very tough and challenging subject matter making the story of David not just a historical moment...but something that can be applied to our lives today.  Thanks again to the drama team for tackling this.  You all did awesome!

We closed the service with something we hadn't done since October 2005 which I posted about here. We brought back the classic "come on forward" invitation.  We kicked it around a bit thinking that if you're ever going to do something like that, this would be the day.  We probably had 4 - 5 people actually get out of their seat to come forward.  Not a whole lot, but there were many people dealing with issues of sin from their seats as we were all reminded of the love that God has for all of us no matter where we are at in life and what we've done.

It was a good day at Grace Church.

Listen to the message here.

Vintage Commercials

I love YouTube's vast catalog of vintage 1980's commercials.  Here's one for a toy I played to death.  I still have a couple of the pieces.  Check out the clothes on those kids!  Izod rocks!

Check out Yanyo...No Relation to Yanni

My Pastor has a blog now.  After almost 2 years of constant harrassing by me and other fellow Grace bloggers, Tim Howey has finally made it happen.  Go check out his blog here.

One of the greatest means of communication with members of a local church can be the blog.  Peeling back layers and creating a two-way conversation instead of the one-way communication a church website can only offer.

Glad you're here Tim!

The Wrath of Pan

It's true.  The news story is a fact.  The wrath of Pan has hit our house.  The wife, the second born and the baby all have been hit by the salmonella poisoning of Peter Pan Peanut Butter.  The diarrhea, the puke, the nausea...curse you Pan!

Stay away from Peter Pan Peanut Butter.  Read the story here.