Are You Guilty of a Prayer Violation?

Over the past three months I have had countless people tell me that they would be praying for me and my family. I'm sure it's always meant with good intentions, but it's become a "pet peeve" of mine. Are you guilty of a "prayer violation?"

Here's a scenario:

A friend of yours resigns from their job. Well, not really resigns, more like let go, but that's another story. Anyway, you hear about it and stop by to see how they are doing. After listening, small talk and such, you get ready to leave. What do you say next?

A. "It was good to see you. Let me know if there is anything else I can do."

B. "Sorry for what's happened. God always has a plan."

C. "I'm sure there is a reason for this. I'll be praying for you."

You probably fall into one of the categories above. It's kind of like a visitation; you feel compelled to see the family, but you're not sure what to say. But what really gets me is when someone chooses response C. BAM! They've just committed a "prayer violation." Why a violation? Let me explain.

So many of us throw out numerous religious terms, including the "I'll be praying for you" line. What they really mean is that they need to sound like they are connected to God (aka "I'm religious"), and besides, isn't that what Jesus would say? In reality, they probably won't give it another thought unless they happen to see you at WalMart. Even then, there is a 50/50 chance they won't know what to say next and they will turn and avoid you by going down the sugar and baking goods aisle.

My point in all this? Instead of talking the talk, change your tune and "walk the walk." Instead of saying that you'll be praying for them, DO IT! Stop what you are doing, put your arm around them and PRAY! That one moment in time will make a bigger impact than you "thinking" about doing it a million times. Turn your M.I.A. into F.I.A - Faith In Action. I guarantee you that no one will be upset when you take time to pray.

While it's important to keep others in your prayer thoughts, it's more important that they experience it first hand. Besides, God already knows they need the prayer.

National Wave Day

Disclaimer: A few days ago, I posted a quick comment on Twitter which automatically updates my Facebook status. Within minutes, several folks posted a comment and the discussion was on. This post is a humorous attempt to discuss a serious topic.

National Wave Day. Yes, this fictional day took the "heartland" by storm. This past Wednesday, several volunteers took to the streets to find out exactly who or better yet, who "would not" wave. While I will encourage others to post their thoughts as well, you'll find below my discoveries on this historic day.

The morning started at 6:45am as I took my son to early morning band rehearsal. Even though it was dark outside, I stood firm by my decision to wave at anyone I met while I was driving. As the few early morning travelers approached, my hand immediately shot into the air for a friendly "wave." Not surprisingly, there was no response. Obviously it was too dark to see.

My next test would be the drive through town. This time it was light outside, and the cloud cover made for a perfect hand-waving day. I made my way to the elementary school to drop of my youngest daughter. First car. WAVE! No response. Second car. WAVE! No response. Dang! What's going on people!?! There's a bus! WAVE! It's a friend, Kelly Korokis. She spies me in the car and with a smile...WAVE! YES! Score one wave! Two no-waves to one wave. At least it's close.

On my return home I pass at least ten more cars, all of which I incessantly wave at. The response? Zero. I had been brushed off. Surely my next trip out would be more enlightening?

About an hour later, I make my way out of the house, this time driving through town and then out towards the highway. WAVE! WAVE! WAVE! Each time I wave, but this time I try some different techniques. First I try the "one finger wave" (not that finger!). Not much luck. Then two fingers. Still no response. Then I hold the steering wheel with my palm/thumb and shove all four fingers in the air...AHA! Success. The first car sees me and responds politely with a wave back! Maybe the key is in the technique?

As I pass several more cars, I give it the four finger salute...WAVE! Very little response even with my new found technique. In desperation I throw my entire hand in the air, nearly running off the road as I do so. Out of the next five cars, only one waves back.

After a day spent teaching, I head back home trying to figure out this apparent tragedy. I pass many cars on the way back through town...dissed...again. I finally arrive home, head hung low, reeling from a lack of self-confidence. I smell my armpits. They smell delicious. It wasn't body odor then. What could it be? Would National Wave Day be destined to failure? I'd have to examine the results.

Here are my official results from National Wave Day:




As you can see, National Wave Day was a dismal failure. 6 out of 52 cars? Are you kidding me? What would cause people to be so rude and uncaring? Who do these people think they are not waving at me!?!

When it comes down to it, most of us lead a very busy life. When you're in the car, a lot of us tune out the world, our minds become focused on our current problems or situation, and our "auto-pilot" takes over (either that or an alternate form of ourselves takes over, kind of like that new TV show, "My Own Worst Enemy"). What happens to you when you enter the car?

Now, I must admit, most of the time I don't wave to people while I'm driving. I just don't. But then again, neither does the person in the other car. But...have I been guilty of a "no-wave infraction?" Not that I recall. I don't ever remember actually seeing someone wave at me, only to glare and turn my head and continue driving without so much as lifting a finger. I would much prefer someone give me "the finger" then totally do nothing...on purpose. Has society digressed so much that we can't offer our fellow citizens a courtesy wave?

So for now, National Wave Day is complete and in the books. A dismal failure? Perhaps. Or just maybe this day has opened the "hands" of would-be-offenders as they take their next drive around the neighborhood. May your hand (and the others you see) be with you.

Hickory Dickory...Canyon!

I'm not sure where the weekend has gone. Blink once. Blink twice. Boom. It's now after midnight and we're already into Monday. Does the world actually move faster the older you get?

Melissa, Emilee and I spent the afternoon at Hickory Canyon park near Farmington, MO on Saturday. A nice place, although it's really just a wide spot in the road and one might miss it if not careful. The "canyons" are on both sides - one trail of 1/2 mile and the other of 1 mile. Both trails are incredibly beautiful with horizontal bluffs and craggy creeks made for walking.

The Fall season typically finds dry creek beds, but you can imagine the rush of water during a thawing Spring day. There seemed to be multiple spots where waterfalls once roamed and one in particular on a gorgeous drop of nearly 30 feet. We can't wait to visit again next Spring. A word of caution however...bring shoes you don't mind getting wet. While the creek beds were mostly dry, there were definitely spots of oozing mud and small pools of water.

A beautiful park spent with some beautiful people on a beautiful Fall day.

"Ben" There

Uh...thanks Ben. You've said it well.

Warren Sapp, The Bears and A Marathon

I was listening to the radio this morning on the way back from taking Emilee to school. I flipped over to a sports station (I'm a HUGE sports fan) and the hosts were talking with Warren Sapp. I didn't realize Warren was such a funny guy! But the thing that struck me most was a simple truth that most of us have heard quite often..."It's a marathon."

Warren was referring to the Bears, who suffered a humiliating last second defeat on Sunday. He was asked what the Bears should do to recover. He simply told them, "It's a marathon." It's not one game, or even two games...it's a season; a marathon.

How true that is for all of us. It's a marathon. We may face challenges or setbacks today or even through periods in our life, but it's a marathon. The race will continue. Paul tells us to finish the race strong; not giving up. That's not always easy to do in light of circumstances. But we must continue to push forward, dreaming the dreams and putting our faith into action. Eventually we'll cross the finish line and look back at all that was accomplished.

Run the race...you won't regret it.

Discovering the End

Today is a day like any other day. Except today God taught me another lesson. And today I listened.

I'm continuing my reading of the bible - this time in the Message Paraphrase. I had just finished up Job and turned the page to discover the next chapter...that of Psalms. Now I have to admit that my first reaction wasn't one of joy and excitement. Unlike most people I talk with, Psalms is not one of my favorite books of the bible. I don't quite know what it is, but for some reason I found reading Psalms the first time to be excruciatingly painful. "How can the bible be like that?" I often thought to myself. I'm sure it didn't help that I was reading the NKJV version and trying as a new Christian to decipher the "code."

So this morning, as I turned to the first page of Psalms, I read the opening discussion by Eugene Peterson and here's part of the lesson God taught me: read Psalms not as a description of what happened, but from a place of emotional discussion between a human soul and it's maker. Psalms doesn't simply describe...it's a vibrant, open, honest and sometimes gut-wrenching conversation with God. And when you put yourself in the shoes of the writer, the words suddenly take on an entirely new meaning.

So I started where every good reader starts...Psalm One. This first Psalm opens with an unexpected entry:

"How well God must like you—"

Not what someone would expect to find in an opening sentence! Psalm One goes on to explain that we could be less than nothing - totally lost in darkness and unfit company for others. But yet, God has chosen us anyway. We are loved.

The last few verses set the stage for everything to come:

"You're not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.

God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row."

There is a thought that I have long held as a possible scenario for our lives...we are all on a path in life; from beginning to end. God prescribes the best path for us, but for some reason we like to take little detours along the way. In our detours, our "path" becomes more like a winding road. But God, in his goodness and faithful, redirects the course towards His destination.

I love how Psalm One confirms this: God charts the road you take. We may THINK we chart our own course, but God has already chosen the path. And while we may question the direction we are headed, He knew in advance the path we would take. Robert Frost may have taken the road less traveled, but it was God who uncovered the path.

The last few months have definitely been a detour on my path, but God is slowly directing a new course. Sometimes we find a new beginning by discovering the end. I love how Nancy Ortberg describes this in her book "Looking for God:"

"Endings teach us how to begin, what we should center our lives upon, and what is really important...Endings have a purifying effect. When the dust settles after a crisis hits, we can find what is real - what is core - by what is left behind and who rose to to the occasion."

My soul has been bottled up for the past few months and part of me is ready to explode. There is much to share and much more to learn. While the "bucket" has been full and then emptied, Bucketology is back and ready to trod forward on the next path that only God himself knows.

Even though one chapter in my book of life has ended, it has also signaled the beginning of the next. That chapter has many blank pages to fill. And fill them I will. It's a challenge I am ready and willing to face. And besides, how well must God like me?

I'm still here. The journey will continue. And more importantly, the path still awaits...

The Great Sadness

I'm finding great comfort in this book right now. I don't know much about the author or his beliefs, but I am gaining a lot of insight to life and the circumstances within. There is much talk of "The Great Sadness" in this book, and unfortunately, I can relate in a not-so-horrific but definitely connected kind of way.

I have so much to share, but for now my soul must continue to heal.

To those of you who have provided comfort, prayers, phone calls, emails, cards and so much more...I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

All Tied Up and Everywhere To Go

Well, I've been on vacation all week now...

First few days full of mowing and other outside activities.

By the third day I couldn't quite grasp "not doing anything" and my body was trying to tell me to do something. I couldn't sleep and wasn't quite sure what else to do.

By day four and five I started to relax a bit. I've been reading multiple books. Really enjoying "The Tipping Point" by Gladwell. Very intriguing stuff. Next up - this book. I have heard it is amazing.

It's Saturday. Softball makeup games - all six of them. Tomorrow? Off to St. Louis with friends. Going to try to check out services here. Rumor has it that this guy will be there over the weekend as well.

Still lots to do and think about. One week to go.

MH Worship Concert 2008

We completed another year of the Meadow Heights Worship Concert. This weekend seems to get better and better every year!! Of course, it would not be possible without an awesome team (I think more than 40 music team members participated this year!) and some great people leading those teams (props to Jeremy and Craig for a job well done!).

It's amazing to me how God has grown our Creative Arts teams over the past year. The funny thing is we still get comments from people that don't think they could possibly be a part of the team - and boy are they wrong! We are continually looking for more artists and I'm pleased to say that we'll be adding a few more this month. We'll be adding a new musician and a new vocalist to the team as well as adding some new folks to our tech teams.

I thought it would be interesting to post this year's top ten. You can go here and check out last year's top ten as well. The number one song held steady for the second year in a row. It was nice to see some new stuff cracking the top ten as well. Thanks to all of you who voted. We'll do it all over again next year!

Don't Stick A Fork In Him Yet...

Matt West, a.k.a. The Tech Master, is now blogging. Check it out here.

You can also follow him via Twitter here.

Oh...and in case you're interested, you can follow me via Twitter here.

FACES

Frustrated. Amiable. Contemplative. Elusive. Satisfied.

Five emotions I experienced today. How about you?

DonoWHO?

Lanny Donoho is one of the funniest people I have ever met (okay, I haven't technically met him, but I did see him from 30 rows back at the Catalyst Conference). His humor, creativity and passion for life are nothing short of contagious. Now you can experience all this and more in his latest blog, "What If?" (although this may be changing...)

Lanny is looking for your unique words and titles. Are you creative? Do you use words in conversation that cause others to tremble in fear at your intellectual prowess? Click here for more details.

And why you're there, don't miss the incredible story of Jack...check it out here.

Innovate08

Just watched the Innovate08 trailer from the Granger crew. Looks like it's going to be a great conference. You can find out more info and register here.

Adobe's After Effects is becoming the mainstream choice for many videos, especially trailer, intros and the like. I've used AE for about 5 years now, but I haven't taken time to learn the "new ropes." Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts? Anyone currently using AE?

Best Message Promo Ever?

This video promo is probably THE best I have ever seen. Kudos to the gang @ LifeChurch.tv for putting this piece together. Enjoy!

Not For The Squeamish!

I had an unfortunate run-in with some glass yesterday. My wife had set up some candles for communion over the weekend and I was helping her remove them from some glass containers. One candle in particular was stuck in a long 10" glass cylinder, and when I pushed on the cylinder it completely exploded - directly into my right hand.

As a musician, my hands are an important part of my livelihood. Not that everyone's hands aren't important as well, but this is a major part of who I am so I was a bit concerned. After 17 stitches I hope things will heal properly and I'll be back to normal in no time. I'd appreciate you prayers that everything goes as planned.

In the meantime, I can't play my instrument (although I have a gig on Friday...we'll see...), I'm out of softball for a few weeks, my typing is very sucky, and most importantly, I haven't figured out how I'm going to wipe myself when I have to use the ole' potty!

For your viewing pleasure, I've included a few pics below.

TTJ Video Opener

I never got around to posting our "opener" video for the "Take This Job" series. We were within a few days of launching the series and some quick creative content was rapidly in the works!

Thanks to Steve for the initial artwork design and some ideas for the video. And of course, thanks to the "star" of the opener, the infamous Wilbur Leach!

We shot about 10 minutes of footage including some quick "stop time" stuff. It took a total of about an hour to edit, render and export. A quick idea that didn't turn out too badly. ENJOY!

Take This Job and Love It!

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. TITUS 3:1-2 (NIV)

Our new teaching series, “Take This Job and Love It” has generated a lot of great discussion about God and the workplace. I’ve heard many of you talking about how this series has stretched you out of your comfort zone – especially dealing with many of your co-workers. While it’s been a great personal challenge for each of us, I’d like to shift the focus to a different topic.

What does it look like to honor God up, across and down? Sometimes we live in our own world, but the Bible is very clear about submitting to one another, including those in leadership above us. Listen to this passage in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” God has commanded us to submit to authority.

What about leading across? Have you honored God by loving and respecting your co-workers? This is one of the challenges Jeremiah issued this past weekend. How is that going this week? Are you making progress?

Finally, God has asked us to lead down as well. This means those that you have authority over. Go back and re-read Hebrews 13:17. Are those under you leading up? If not, you may not have set a very good example. Instead of blaming them, take a look inside yourself and identify ways you can improve.

The workplace can be a fulfilling environment. If you’re facing challenges at work, let me encourage you to keep God’s word close to your heart. How are you doing leading up, across and down? Are you honoring God and others? I pray for an incredible closure to your work week as you continue to “take this job and love it!”

Creative Process Videos

For you creative gurus out there, head over to this blog and check out the creative process at Fellowship Church in Texas. Fellowship has been a leader in creative design for the church for a long time, and their C3 Conference is phenomenal!

Pace is doing a great job - make sure and leave him a comment!

Beauty In Action

My wife and daughter accompanied me to a video shoot last night and we decided to take the "back way home." What is normally a very beautiful drive turned into a fantastic display of God's beauty in action. Check out this pics below - this spot is only 12 miles from our house! Unbelievable! (sorry for the quality...shot from my Blackberry!)

Say Hello to Mr. Toilet

I've made the statement before that two of the best places for creative thinking are the shower and the toilet. Don't ask me why, but I have a sneaking suspicion that those of us with kids know the answer!

Tonight's question:

Where's your best spot for creative thinking?