This Week @ NewPointe: Set List

For the last weekend of the "UnTypical" series at NewPointe... these are the songs that you can expect to hear:

"The Chase" (instrumental) - Brandon Bunnelle

"Sing Sing Sing" - Chris Tomlin

"Salvation Is Here" - Hillsong United

"Starting To Live" - Danny Bunnelle (with help from Aaron Mencer, Jeff Conn, Brandon Bunnelle & Dan Liebman - the NPCC summer interns)

You will also experience some pretty incredible baptisms and a powerful testimony video... along with another UnTypical message from our very own Dave D'Angelo. It is going to be an amazing weekend. See you there!

My Favorite Shred

If you are not familiar with "shreds"... they are actual concert videos of some of the greatest guitarists of our time... that have been edited by some yahoo (with a lot of creativity and amazing chops of their own) to replace the original audio track... with their own intentionally bad performance. It is actually hysterical to watch. The guys that create these "shreds" do an amazing job of matching up the guitarist's hands with what you are actually hearing... only what you are hearing is pretty bad. It only goes to show that there is a fine line line between genious and insanity. You really need to check out the "shred" videos on YouTube of greats like Jimi Hendix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and even LINCOLN BREWSTER... that have just been totally butchered by these guys.

So... this is my all-time favorite "shred". It is a performance by a famous Flamenco guitarist by the name of Paco De Lucia. Be sure to watch the guys in the background... especially the "bongo dude". Too funny! Check it out:

One AMAZING Weekend at NewPointe

It all started on on Saturday evening... when Aly and I drove to the Akron-Canton Airport to pick up our guest artist, Josh Wilson. We stopped at a couple of places that Aly wanted to visit on the way up (Target and Toys "R" Us). OK... OK... so Toys "R" Us was for me!

Well... we picked up Josh and stopped by Panera Bread to grab a bite to eat before making our trip back to the B&B where Josh would be staying that night. We must have spent an hour and a half at Panera Bread just "talking shop". What a great guy. We had a blast swapping Nashville stories. Josh has lived in Nashville for the past 6 years... where he attended Belmont University. Now... I went to Trevecca Nazarene University... and Belmont was our big rival college. So... once again... something to talk about.

On the trip back to Walnut Creek... Josh had a lot of questions about the Amish folks. He had never experienced anything quite like it before. I took him on a short drive through an Amish community that was just up the road from the B&B. He was fascinated (to say the least).

Sunday morning... Josh was our guest musician at NewPointe. He opened the services with his amazing guitar/loop arrangement of "Amazing Grace". If you haven't seen it... check it out:



Later in the service he did two of my favorite JW songs... "Three Minute Song" and "The Saints". It was amazing! He really connected with our crowd.

After church... we all headed out to Lee Ann Miller's place for another one of her famous "Sunday afternoon chill wit' the artist / humongo feast" events. While we were there... of course... Dan Liebman had to challenge Josh to a game of Guitar Hero. What was he thinking??? I mean... Josh is like an amazing guitarist!!!

Well... they each won a game... and called it a draw.

So you would think that Josh had already experienced a pretty full day with us... right?

But wait... there's more! He was just getting started.

Josh had like (Maybe) a one hour nap before he headed back to the church for our HUGE tailgate party before his evening concert! I'm talkin' brats, burgers, ribs, wings, and all the fixin's! I have never seen so many games of corn hole in one place. Everyone there had a great time! Including Josh. He was right there in the middle of the crowd... playing games... eating ribs... shaking hands... and taking pictures with our folks. Here are a few shots from the tailgate party: ENJOY!

















































































































After the tailgate party... was Josh's concert. All I can say is...

what a night!

I will have some photos of the actual concert in a separate post... including the panoramic photo of the audience that I took before introducing Josh! So check back.

You know... I have worked with Christian artists for years... but I can honestly say that I have never met a more down to earth... authentic... humble... artist than Josh Wilson. He's the real deal. Thanks, Josh... for sharing your music with us... and thanks for an unforgettable weekend at NewPointe!

This Weekend @ NewPointe: JOSH WILSON

Don't forget... this weekend at NewPointe...

JOSH WILSON in concert!

Josh will be singing 3 songs in our Sunday morning worship services... and then on Sunday night it's a whole concert of his music!

Don't miss it! Josh is an amazing young artist.

Hey... come early to the concert! We are going to have a giant tailgate party in the south parking lot... NewPointe style! Bring your family, your small group, your neighbors (and of course grills, food, cornhole, footballs, frisbees, etc...) it's going to be a blast!

See you there!

It's Still A Great Game

When the MLB All-Star Game pre-game festivities began on Tuesday night... I said to April, "I wonder who will sing The National Anthem this year?". Just to be funny... I added, "It's probably going to be Josh Groban."






Now... anyone who knows me very well at all... knows that I cannot stand Josh Groban. Actually... I cannot even watch Josh Groban sing (Sorry Dan). So you can imagine how relieved I was to see...

Sheryl Crow walk out on to the field to sing The National Anthem. Yes!


Over all... it was a pretty awesome night... with all of the Yankee Stadium hype... and the largest gathering of hall of fame All-Star legends in the history of the game (now THAT was awesome!). Just to see Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Willie Mays and Ryne Sandberg (I know... but he was one of my favorites growing up) together on one field was a highlight of the night for me.

It was all good until...

the 7th inning stretch.


So I'm thinking... they'll stand and sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"... right?

Just when I thought that all was right with the world... who should walk out to sing "God Bless America" but...

JOSH GROBAN!

Noooo way!!!! Are you kidding me? My worst nightmare! Of all of the people that they could have asked to sing "God Bless America"... JOSH GROBAN??? Please!!!

Oh well... enough of Josh... back to the game.

It ended up being an extremely long night (4 hours, 50 minutes - longest game in All-Star history). And yes... I stayed up to watch the whole thing. As you probably know by now... it ended up going 15 innings (tied the 1967 All Star Game for the most innings played)... and both teams practically ran out of players (mainly pitchers). Next in line to pitch would have been like (AL) J.D Drew and (NL) David Wright! Now THAT would have been interesting. If someone didn't score in the bottom of the 15th inning... Terry Francona was threatening to call it a tie (Like Bud Selig would let that happen)! So... I just had to stay up to see how it would all unfold!

Well... even though I am a big National League fan... it was pretty cool to see Michael Young hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th to win it for the AL... once again.

That would look pretty nice on your resume... huh?

Drove in the game winning run for the American League in an All-Star Game... TWICE!!!

Pretty amazing!

I know that the game of baseball has it's flaws (like anything else) but it is still a great game!



It's a lot like the church. The church has it's flaws... it's not perfect. It's never going to be perfect. That's because it involves "people"... and last time I checked... there were no perfect people in the world.

When you think about it... much of the criticism of the church is based on personal preferences anyways... right? These days... people actually "shop" for a church that appeals to them... that does everything exactly the way they like it. You have even heard people say "The church is not meeting my needs"... well maybe it's not supposed to.

I recently read the following statement in RELEVANT MAGAZINE. Check it out:

If Christianity is not solely about a private, individual relationship with Christ, and the church’s mission in the world is not solely to help nurture that private, individual relationship, what does it matter if a certain church isn’t “meeting your needs” or if you’re not feeling “spiritually fed” there? It’s not about you. It’s about the body, the greater community.

It went on to say:

"Will we ever find the perfect church? No, it doesn’t exist. We need to stop looking for it. Instead, we need to choose a church and commit to it. Just like you commit to love your partner, with all their flaws, annoying habits and bad taste in music–you commit to the church, the church body, the body of Christ. When we begin to look past those flaws... we will see God. Only then, will we have the opportunity to experience true community."

UNO

This is what happens when you are the recipient of 5 (count 'em) FIVE Wild Draw Fours in one game! I just had to post this pic that Abby took with her camera phone. Yeah... I pretty much didn't stand a chance.

(I did manage to get back down to eight cards before the game ended... woohoo!)

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set List

For the second week of our UnTypical series... you can expect some pretty powerful music. Here are the songs for this weekend:

"Never Going Back To OK" - The Afters

"Happy Day" - Matt Redman

"Glorious One" - Steve Fee

"Jesus Paid It All" - Kristian Stanfill

"Big Enough" - Ayiesha Woods

Dave D'Angelo will be bringing an UnTypical talk on faith...
You will see a powerful testimony video about UnTypical faith ...
and...
we will be sending a pretty UnTypical ministry team off to Egypt at the end of the service!

WOW! It's going to be amazing! Don't miss it!

NewPointe Softball: Game Six

It was an absolutely incredible night! The sky was clear... the temp was around 75 degrees... there was a slight breeze and...

WE WON!

Final Score: NewPointe (17) - Dennison Foursquare (7)

We are back to a .500 season. Whew! We needed that!

We play one of our 3 make-up games tomorrow evening at 5:00. Come on out to Dover Park and support your NewPointe softball team!

Crazy Day

Yesterday started out to be a very strange day. It all started when I met John at Wall House for our regular Thursday morning creative meeting... and the internet was down. Auughh!!! There weren't a whole lot of things that we could get done without that connection... so we ended up going back to the church to work.

Well... when I got back to my office... this is what I saw as I walked through the door.

Very strange... huh?



As I was taking pictures of this unusual blue creature sitting at my desk... I noticed something very interesting about him...












He obviously knows his way around a midi keyboard.











Well... as the day went on, it became apparent that some sort of "who done it" mystery game was being played around the office... and I was the first victim. I guess the way it works is that everyone in the office gets one guess at who is placing the chubby bunny around the office. Once you make a guess... your OUT (unless you guess correctly... then you win and the game is over). It has caused quite a buzz around the office though. It was not unusual to see small groups of staffers standing in hallways and cubicles discussing the new mystery game. Everyone has a suspect... but no one is willing to risk... the guess. Oh well...

There is actually one NewPointe staffer who has made it pretty clear that he does not want to be visited by the chubby bunny at any point in the near future. Check out the sign on his door. Now... I am not going to mention any names... but you can click here to find out who it is.

I am kinda bummed that I am already "out" on this game (somebody had to be first)... but I'll let you know who guesses the right person.

And you thought that it was "all work and no play" at NewPointe?

Abby's Tonsillectomy Adventure

We spent the better part of the day at the Tuscarawas Ambulatory Surgical Center... where Abby had her tonsils and adenoids removed. She was extremely nervous about having the procedure done. I think she had already heard enough stories about "How painful it is to have your tonsils removed when you are older" to completely freak her out.

Oh well... as you can see here... even though she was scared... she still had her sense of humor in tact. That's my Abby.















When you are waiting for someone to get out of surgery... you do a lot of sitting... and waiting. It is always a good thing to bring along your iPOD... or a magazine... or a good book to read. I just happened to find a fascinating book there in the waiting room. In case you cannot make out the title from this camera phone photo... it is "The Hair Book" by Dr. Seuss (a real "page turner").










One thing is for sure... when you're on the mend... there is absolutely no one better at caring for you than... your mom. And April is the very best in the world at nursing wounded Bunnelles back to health.






We are all home now. Abby is in a lot of pain... but resting peacefully next to her bottle of Vicodin and a big cup of ice. We (on the other hand) are looking forward to enjoying a few short days of peace and quiet around the Bunnelle house. Thanks for your prayers.

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set List

We kick off a brand new series this weekend at NewPointe called UnTypical. I am so excited about this new series. It is going to be POWERFUL! God is calling us all to live lives that are far from ordinary. The life that He has for us is a life of adventure... a life that is full of risk... a life that is extraordinary. So what are we waiting for... let's start living that way... today! This series is sure to challenge us all to embrace that life. Here are the songs that we are using to kick the series off:

"Typical" - MuteMath (One of my all time favorite bands... and favorite songs. Trust me... you've gotta be here early for this one!)

"Let God Arise" - Chris Tomlin

"Here Is Our King" - David Crowder* Band

"Sweetly Broken" - Jeremy Riddle

"Live For You" - Connersvine


Whatever you do... don't miss the opener. It will be an amazing creative element that sets up the whole series. You will have to get there early though!

Random Stuf

It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks... and it's been a while since I've blogged... so I am going to catch everybody up with a Random Stuf post. Here it goes:

Random Stuf #1: We have gone two weeks now without a softball game! Auuugh! This weather is so crazy. Last week... we arrived at the field... warmed up... were just about to take the field for our 7:30 game... when this unbelievable thunderstorm came crashing through Dover. I'm talking... people screaming and running to their cars... lightning flashes and thunder... strong wind... and a downpour like you wouldn't believe! Then there were no games scheduled this week because of the 4th of July holiday. I am so ready to play ball! Until next week...

Random Stuf #2: Our good friends, Tony and Beka are in town for a visit. Beka will be singing with the team this weekend. Well... we have this standing husbands vs. wives competition thing going on with the Mullets. Every time we get together... we come up with a game that we can play.We can always expect fierce competition... and a whole lot of "smack talk". Well... Tony and I have already just destroyed the girls at miniature golf and bowling. This time... we decided to keep it indoors and play a card game called "hand & foot". If you have never played "hand & foot"... it is a game played with 5 decks of cards. It is a great game... and a lot of fun to play. Well... the ladies won... for the first time! So Tony and I are no longer undefeated. We have already agreed that the next time we're together... it's gonna be "corn hole". Ladies... all I can say is... you're goin' down.

Random Stuf #2: Last Saturday morning I served with the Angel Food Ministries team once again. I try to get in there every month to help out. Angel Food is an amazing service to the community. What most folks don't know is that these volunteers arrive at the church sometime before 4:30 AM to unload all of the food from the trucks. Not only the food for NewPointe'smonthly distribution... but also for 13+ other churches from our area. We are the largest distribution point in the state for Angel Food. Pretty cool... huh? So they unload the trucks using long conveyor belts to distribute the food to the different churches. After the other churches leave with their food... our team begins to set up for NewPointe's morning of distribution. Many of the Angel Food team members are there from 4:30 AM until the last boxes of food go out the door at 12:00 noon. WOW! Next time you see Wilma Mast... or any of the Angel Food team... be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their dedication this ministry.

Random Stuf #4: We went to see Disney/Pixar's WALL-E last Saturday night. I loved it! Of course Pixar could create an animated movie about Al Gore and I would probably like it (OK... so maybe not so much). I have to admit... I was blown away by the CG effects. It is amazing what they are doing with simulated camera effects now. There are times that you completely forget that you are watching an animated film. Anyways... the movie was very well done. I was a little skeptical about how they would make a robot... as lovable as their other characters have been. But they did it! The robots actually carried the movie. There was very little dialogue throughout the film. At times... it was like watching an animated version of "Castaway". The story line was great. They really made you think about what our future could look like... if we keep heading down the path that we are on right now. With kids addicted to video gaming, text messaging and the whole "virtual reality" experience... we could become a society of fat, lazy, ignorant human beings? I mean... when I was a kid... we played outside... with other kids... right? Oh well... back to the movie review: WALL-E gets two thumbs up. You'll just have to go check it out for yourself.

Random Stuf #5: I received my very first Blogging Award from my good friend Tina Lawver. You'll have to check out her post to see what that's all about. Thanks, Tina!








Random Stuf #6: Most of the time... our Weekend Design Team meets at NewPointe in our large conference room for our weekly creative meetings... but every once in a while we just need a change of scenery. Sometimes it is Wall House Coffee in Sugarcreek... but this week... it was the Berlin Inn. WOW! Was it ever nice! Now I have to admit.. I was expecting something a little more like "small town hotel conference room"... but man, was I ever surprised! It was one of the nicest board rooms that I have ever seen. We had a great meeting out there. Some pretty cool ideas come out of these meetings.

I strongly believe that your surroundings can either stimulate or stifle your creativity. Your workspace, studio, office or shop... should be arranged and decorated in a way that inspires you. Plain white walls are never a creative environment to work in. So if you aren't feeling very creative... try moving to a place with color and textures. Sometimes... you just need to go outdoors for inspiration. After all... you will find yourself surrounded by God's unbelievable creativity. You can't top that for stimulation and inspiration.

Random Stuf #7: When you think of the 4th of July... you think of hot dogs, barbecue, red white & blue decorations and fireworks... right? Well... last night we went out to the Conn's place for a cookout and a backyard fireworks show. We had heard a lot about this big annual event, but this was our first year to actually get to experience it. And we had a great time! The kids got to swim and we played tennis and basketball. There was even a competition to see who could hit a baseball (self-pitch) from the Conn's front yard... to the road (300 feet or so) on the fly (Mike Conn came the closest. Of course it had to be a home court advantage thing.) We ate... and ate... and ate. Then at dark... it was time for the fireworks show. Now... when you think of backyard fireworks... you think of sparklers, firecrackers and (if you are living dangerously) maybe a few bottle rockets ... right? Well this was no "mickey mouse" backyard fireworks show. This was the real deal. It was pretty amazing. Check out the photos. A huge thanks to the Conn's for an unforgettable 4th of July!




























Well... that's it for now... more Random Stuf to come!

7 in 6

This morning in our all-staff meeting... we prayed specifically for our big 7 in 6 projects. These are seven initiatives that we are launching in the next six months at NewPointe. If you haven't heard about them yet... here they are:

1. The GO '08 food drive (July). Our goal is to fill 1,500 boxes of food for our local food pantries. Last year our goal was 1000 and we filled 1300! This year we are expecting even bigger things!

2. Service Sunday (August 3). We'll shut down "church" and go out into our communities to BE the church by serving people. Is that cool... or what?!?!

3. Sports Ministry. Looking to launch this new foyer environment this Fall.

4. Small Groups push. We're doing a special "groups-geared" series in September. Our goal... everybody at NewPointe in a small group for the duration of the six-week series.

5. Stewardship Campaign...we're already thinking about expansion and future ministry opportunities. Stewardship campaign begins in November.

6. Satellite Churches. We're exploring the possibilities of launching two satellite churches (Sugarcreek and Canton?) within the next six months.

7. Mission trips. Next month we're sending another team to Egypt. Our work overseas will continue throughout the year (and coming years).

Man, is it ever exciting to be a part of a great church with a HUGE vision! The next 6 months at NewPointe are going to be one wild ride! Hang on to your hats! Another exciting project taking place right now is our BIG GIVE Challenge. Our people are impacting our community is some pretty incredible ways... and the stories are already coming in! Our small group has started on our BIG GIVE project... and I will definitely be posting about our progress throughout the month of July.

NewPointe Services Canceled

What a crazy crazy morning! A "humongo" storm come through our area yesterday afternoon that uprooted a few trees and knocked the power out for about 16,000 AEP customers... including our church. We were expecting our guest band, Worth Dying For to arrive (From the CREATION Festival in PA) sometime around midnight last night. When they got here... the power was still out. Dave Mast had secured a generator for the stage so that the band could (at least) set up their gear with lights. So the plan was to set up... and then get sound checks the next morning... when the power was back on... right?

Wrong... I was on my way to the church this morning when I received a call from John Bunn informing me that our services had been canceled! Can you believe it? The power was still out... and wasn't expected to be back on before 10:00 tonight! I was sooooo bummed. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was. I was so excited about the opportunity to host Worth Dying For at NewPointe. It was going to be an amazing morning!

Well... when I arrived at the church this morning... this was the scene (photo to the left). Pretty sad... huh? And these guys were soooo ready to rock NewPointe! We are definitely going to reschedule Worth Dying For. They were so gracious and understanding with the whole situation.

After they finished packing up their gear... we headed out to Lee Ann's for breakfast... and a little hang time with the band.



It was an absolutely beautiful morning! And there is no better place to enjoy a beautiful morning... than at LeeAnn and Darrell Miller's place out in the middle of Amish country. Still... as nice as it was out there... it was just a little strange being there and not at the church. It didn't seem right.







LeeAnn put out a spread like you would not even believe. She had everything from pastries and fruit (which their guitarist, Sean is terrified of... too funny.) to cheeseburgers, chicken and chocolate chip cookies! It was amazing! Everybody just "chilled" and had a great time eating and talking and eating and...

playing Guitar Hero! Yeah... it was pretty hilarious watching these guys go at it. Here are a few shots of the challenge that ensued:

























When it was all said and done... it turned out to be a pretty great morning... and an opportunity for these guys to take some time to relax and recharge before heading off to New York City.

Before they left... we "circled up" and prayed for them... for their families back home... and for their ministry. They in turn prayed for our church.

Then... Sean strapped on a guitar that belonged to LeeAnn's son... (small scale... which actually looked pretty funny on a guy who is about 6' 5" tall) and Worth Dying For sang a couple of their songs for us. It was awesome! I will post a video of one of the songs on a future blog.

Even though things didn't turn out exactly like we had planned for this morning... it was still a pretty awesome day. And we made some amazing new friends who will definitely be back to bless NewPointe with their music.

Who Knew?

I was "blog hopping" the other day and came across this photo. Too funny! The cool thing is... Trevecca Nazarene University is my alma mater. Is that crazy... or what!?!?

(If you've never watched The Office... you won't have a clue who Dwight Schrute is.)

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set List

Whatever you do... don't miss the services at NewPointe this weekend. Integrity Music recording artists, Worth Dying For will be our special guest worship band... and they are going to be amazing! They are coming to us from the ALIVE Festival where they rocked the main stage on two different nights last week. After ALIVE they played at CREATION in Pennsylvania. Now... they are looking forward to leading worship at NewPointe Community Church. How cool is that?!?! So... invite your friends... your neighbors... everyone you know... and get ready for some amazing worship this weekend!

See you there!

Thursday Morning "Regulars"

Yes... it's true. If you opened up your copy of this weekend's Bargain Hunter... to the article about the Wall House Coffee Company... you probably spotted a couple of guys that look an awful lot like John Bunn and... yours truly.

It's true... John and I are Wall House "regulars". Every Thursday morning you'll find us seated at our regular booth for a weekly creative brainstorming meeting.


On this particular morning, a photographer for the Bargain Hunter was looking for a couple of willing subjects to pose for a press photo... and I guess we just happened to be in the right place at the (right?) time. Well... we are such big Wall House fans... that we couldn't say no.

Pictured with us are Taryn, Ashadee, and Amy... three of the regular Thursday morning Wall House staff.

BTW: The whole "thumbs up" thing... was the photographers idea.

A New Restaurant in Town!

I've said it before... and I'll say it again... there are not very many options when it comes to good places to eat around this area... unless you are into Amish food (which I'm not). That's why I get so excited when I find something new. Well... today (along with John & Jenny Bunn and family) we tried a brand new restaurant in NewPhilly. It is called Hot Rod City. This place has only been open for about 10 days now. It used to be a classic car museum.

As we drove up... I could not believe my eyes. It looks like a restaurant that you would find in a Disney park. They spared no expense on "theming this place out". Inside... there are real vintage hot rods, old gas pumps, automotive memorabilia and neon lights galore! WOW! It is very impressive to say the least.


You've got to check this place out! They are located just off I-77 exit 81, then south on Old Rt. 21 (Stonecreek Rd.) about 1/4 mile. Directly behind the Department of Job and Family Services.

The food was great... the Velvet ice cream was off the hook... and the atmosphere was amazing. We are definitely going to be "regulars" at Hot Rod City. Here are a few photos from our experience this afternoon.

NewPointe Softball: Game Five

We had a late game last night... which meant that we got to play under the lights for the first time. It was pretty cool. I wish I could say the same about the score. We got crushed again. Well... not as bad as a couple of weeks ago... but it was still pretty painful.




Final Score: NewPointe (9) - Bars Mill (19)

April took this photo of one of my three (yes... count 'em) 3 very hard hit... OUTS! Yup... that's right... it was an 0 for 3 night for me. Man, is that ever frustrating. Oh well... there's always next week.

Check out the yellow ball connecting with my bat in this shot. Pretty cool photo, April!



Here's big Dan Liebman at the plate. He had a great night. I love watching that guy play.

Until next week...

Made Me Laugh

I was talking with Dave D'Angelo the other day about music stuf. Yes... Dave actually asks me questions about music... and the cool thing is... that he is genuinely interested in my answers (which is very cool... and very rare for a non-musician). I love it! So I was explaining to Dave just how limited I am on the guitar... because I didn't study the instrument... I studied piano instead. I told him that I can still get around pretty well in about 4 or 5 keys and then I have to "cheat". Well... Dave had been observing my use of the CAPO on stage... and asked me if I "cheated" by moving that "chip clip" up and down the neck. I had to laugh!

So... here is a photo of my newest CAPO. A little something that I like to call...

The "Chip Clip".

(BTW: Nico and Gino don't stand a chance folks!)

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set list

Here is a list of the tunes for this weekend at NewPointe:

"Now Is The Time" - Delirious

"No One Like You" - David Crowder* Band

"King of Majesty" - Lincoln Brewster

"To The Ends of The Earth" - Hillsong United

"Believe" - The Bravery

"We Shine" - Steve Fee

It's gonna be a strong weekend with Dwight bringing a powerful vision casting message! Don't miss it! See you there!

Dangerous

We experienced another power outage last week at the church. You know... you realize just how dependent you are on technology... when the power goes out. We were all trying to figure out ways to stay productive... without power. I was just getting ready to clean my office (which it desperately needs) when Mike Conn came by and suggested that I find something for the interns to do. Well... all I could think of was grabbing a couple of acoustic guitars and heading over to the practice room (where a piano is)... and start writing a song with them.

It ended up being a pretty cool experience. The five of us spent about an hour brainstorming the subject of our song... before the lights came back on. We talked about how God did not call us to an uneventful... mundane... boring... predictable existence. But he called us to a life of adventure... a life of meaning and purpose... a life filled with risk and danger. One of the scriptures that we explored was 2 Timothy 1:7. It says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity... but of power, love and self-discipline." We talked about what it means to live an UnTypical life (our next series at NewPointe).



I read the following statement from Irwin McManus' book Standing Against the Wind:

“Living is no low-risk proposition. If life is an ADVENTURE, then danger is adherent to the journey. How often have we surrendered our freedoms under the weight of our fears. This is one of the main reasons we abdicate living… for existing. As mundane as it is, existing provides a level of predictability and safety. Freedom is WILD and WIDE-OPEN, filled with UNCHARTED TERRITORY”.

Is that awesome... or what? WILD, WIDE-OPEN, UNCHARTED TERRITORY. Those words get me fired up! Sign me up! I could go for a life like that! But too often... "fear" keeps us from experiencing that adventure. Fear is also what keeps us (as artists) from experiencing freedom in creativity. We allow others to control our actions... because we are afraid of what they might think of us.

We spent a little time talking about the the word UNINHIBITED. What does it really mean to do something in "lost abandon"? What does it mean to just "go for it"... no matter what anybody else does? I shared with the guys how that is an area that I tend to struggle with. I am (too often) controlled by what others thinks of me. I look at someone like Dan Liebman (one of our interns) and wish that I could be as uninhibited as he is. I see him up on that KidStuf stage "gettin' jiggy-wit-it" and I wish that I could be that free. I tend to hold back because I am afraid of what people may think of me. In my mind... I can move like Michael Jackson... but in reality... I am afraid of looking foolish trying. (OK... so maybe the world is a much safer place with that whole scenario staying right where it is... in my mind.)

A friend sent me a copy of a commencement speech given by J.K. Rowling, authoress of the Harry Potter novels. In her speech... she talked about "failure". There were a couple of statements that really jumped out at me. She said:

“I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself, and what those closest to me expected of me.”

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

“Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.”

I read something like that... and think... I do not want to live like that. I want to take more risks... be more spontaneou