Moving toward something bigger than myself.
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I had a request last week to include a set list from each Sunday’s worship. So, here it is. Hope you find it useful. Click the song title for a link to iTunes.
Not sure who sent it, but I just got a free CD from Elevation Church. It’s their newest worship album and I must say, it’s unique. I don’t where else you can find it, but I know you can find it here at CDBaby.com.
Sorry for the gnarly hair-do.
Marc Broussard is one of my favorite artists. His voice is like strong coffee with a little bourbon. Not sure what that means, but it sounds cool.
Anyway, this is why I like Marc Broussard. Does he look like Joshua Blankenship?
Celebration (my church) has been doing a Wednesday night gathering all summer to foster community in our church. The goal is that this weekly event would be a starting point for fostering community, not the actual facility for community.
So, to finish up the summer I did a short video survey of some regular folks and asked one question:
Now that I’m spending more time behind a desk and less time on the waves, I’ve started gravitating toward a handful of songs that motivate me to work harder, smarter, and more efficiently. Here are a few songs I’ve found lately (all were free downloads) that help me put my nose to the grindstone.
Click the album cover for a link to the tune in iTunes.
I just led an orientation meeting for the worship ministry at our church. The meeting was for new recruits and the purpose was to clarify expectations, make sure each person entering the worship ministry is called to do so, and explain the values that guide all of our policies and decision making.
First of all, these meetings are never dry. This one was smaller (only 8 new recruits), but the last one was much larger (27 folks) and lots of great discussion is sparked during every meeting. Most of the discussion orbits around surprising expectations and requirements for participation in this ministry and the need to make sure everyone knows exactly what they’re getting themselves into. Many are surprised at the level of commitment we’re calling for.
As for my current team (and my new recruits), I’m still the least experienced out of everyone. It’s weird, really. They all follow my leadership well (with a couple nameless exceptions) despite the fact that they all probably have more head-knowledge about this particular ministry than me.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that God is blessing me and this ministry with talented folks who have tons of experience and a humble heart. What more could a leader ask for, besides a real office? (inside joke)
I know I told you a while ago that I wouldn’t post tech articles anymore, unless they were really worth your time. Well, this one’s definitely worth your time, so read on.
I’ve been exploring YouVersion.com lately. It’s a much cleaner, more enjoyable, more “Web 2.0″ version of BibleGateway, the online Bible I used throughout Bible college and ever since. To keep this short, let’s just say I highly recommend that you use YouVersion.com if you’re ever in need of linking a passage of Scripture, quick references while preparing a lesson, or using the Bible for your personal needs. It’s incredible.
As far as features, here is a list of what’s available in the beta (current) version:
* Tons of translations side-by-side for easy, quick comparison.
* Several languages including Spanish, German, French and Chinese.
* User profiles for tagging content, creating relative content, keeping a journal that directly correlates with Scripture, following others, etc. Sky’s the limit on this feature.
* Reference and keyword search is accurate and logical.
* Daily Bible reading and one year Bible reading plan.
* Invite new users with a couple clicks.
In the future, I see YouVersion.com becoming a major player in the online strategy that many churches are going toward to reach people with the Gospel and grow them as disciples. Features poised for release in the coming months include favorites, contacts, reading history, and groups among many others I’m sure.
If you’re already using YouVersion.com with a free account, find me. My username is “readscott”, but that’s not real surprising. Also, if you’ve got an account, comment below with your username so I can find you and follow your contributions.
As a sidenote, I added a Bible search widget to my sidebar that uses YouVersion.com as the engine. It’s partly to make this blog look more spiritual and partly to give YouVersion.com a special shoutout in my oh-so-exciting sidebar.
We got back from the Bahamas yesterday. Kind of depressing. After spending a week in paradise, Jacksonville looks like a dingy town in black and white. It made for a gloomy Saturday evening, especially since worship rehearsal wasn’t as peppy as I’d like it to be.
Although I know Erica will be posting details about this trip (I’m sure), I thought I’d share a few of my own highlights. Warning: the rest of this post might sound boastful or sappy.
* Sitting on the top deck watching stars, a huge moon, and wispy clouds can make a partially-grown man cry. It was truly one of the most beautiful scenes of my life. It didn’t help that Phil Wickham was playing softly in the background. Talk about getting misty-eyed.
* The sun is hotter in the Bahamas, but the constant breeze mixed with perpetual sweating is nature’s perfect AC. I could sit in the shade for hours in the Bahamas. It’s irresistible.
* It’s super-fun to drive a boat in open water. Nothing to worry about. No ground to look out for. No other boats getting in the way. (They’re always in my way…I’m never in their way.) I didn’t get to the drive the yacht, but maybe next time. (August)
* Going SCUBA diving without a guide is so stinkin’ fun! This trip, we brought our own gear and tanks and just found some reefs to dive. Every reef was in less than 30 feet of water, so we’d spend an hour and half at a time underwater playing with fish, swimming through caves in the reef, and generally goofing off.
* Tiny heads (bathrooms) get old fast.
* The people at the marina in Marsh Harbour all know my father-in-law (Rick), so they’re all nice. I think they’re nice anyway, but they’re extra nice to Rick.
* It was good to spend a week with my brother-in-law, Boyd Bettis. He’s a godly guy with a lot of awesome ministry thoughts running through his head. We had plenty of time to talk and I love hearing his heart for God and for people.
* My mom also went with us and experienced a ton of new things. Snorkeling was one of them. After her first snorkeling trip, we couldn’t keep her out of the water. She was more interested in what was happening beneath the waves than above. It’s also good to see her grin like a child. Don’t you love it when you parents are so happy they become giddy?
* I found my new favorite dive buddy. Erica. She was a blast underwater.
What a wonderful week! When I got to church last night, I found a letter in my inbox (the real one, not my email inbox). It was an advertisement for the new Baptist Hymnal. The letter said that it’s the centerpiece for Lifeway’s Worship Initiative or something. Seriously? A hymnal is the centerpiece? Wow.
As I prepare to head off for a week of vacation, I wanted to share something that happened this morning that made me smile.
Pastor Paul read a passage out of Romans 14 from The Message. Normally, the pastor reads the sermon’s main passage in a more traditional version and continues calmly with his sermon. Today was different.
When he was done reading the passage, the church broke into applause. They were applauding the Word! That freakin’ rocks!
That’s the end of my story, but it leads me to this question. When was the last time your church surprised you and made you proud? Tell us about it.
I’ve been posting articles about my church lately and the blessing God is pouring on us in the form of changed lives. We played this video in our services on Sunday morning this week.
Over the past four months or so, we haven’t gone a single Sunday without some sort of testimony. Whether it’s on video, in person, or a recounting told by our pastor, stories are flooding the church office. It’s incredible.
Me & Erica in Litomerice, CZ