January 2006 - Posts
We went to see the “End of the Spear Movie” tonight.
It moved me greatly. I read the “Jungle Pilot” and “Through Gates of Spendor” again in order to write a song to pitch to the movie or the CD release. That process was also very moving. I was struck most by the words spoken by these men that evidenced their preparation to give up their lives for the gospel. I got to meet Steve Saint a few months ago. Our conversation led me to a title for a song that challenges me to the same committment. Here is the lyric.
To The Ends of the Earth ©2005, Phil Mehrens
Their lives were lost
But the story hasn’t ended
It tells of what it cost to plant the seed
And greater love has no one
Than to give his life for someone
Sometimes the end is really the beginning
And You alone could turn this into good
And like the first disciples
They would blaze the trail for others
(Ch)
To the ends of the earth I will follow
Anywhere You lead me I will go
To the ends of the earth I will follow after You
To the ends of the earth I will follow
Ready to deliver the life I owe
To the ends of the earth I will follow after You
Yes, I will go to the ends of the earth
I dare not stay
When there’s so much hunger
When there are those
Who’ve never heard your name
How can I stay here
When You have sent us there?
“He is no fool
Who gives what he cannot keep
To gain what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot)
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I'm sitting in the surgery waiting room, waiting for a young man in my worship team to come out of serious surgery brain surgery. Earlier I e-mailed out the request to a bunch of friends. While I am on-line, I'm seeing the names of those who are praying flash up every few minutes on my notebook screen. Simon from England, Twila from Nashville, Chris from Joplin, Dave from Carthage. It moves me to to see the prayers of the saints appear as they go up to the Father.
Please lift up a young man named Seth.
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We are back home after a wonderful week co-writing in Nashville, though we took a little side trip. I missed a turn in Missouri and we were 30 minutes on our way to St Louis before Jodie woke up and saw the mileage sign. I guess I need a bumper sticker that says, "I'm lost...I'm writing a song in my head."
Wow, what a week! I actually feel like I have more energy than I did at the beginning of the week. The process was so invigoration... but I also know I had a ton of people praying for me. Thank you, everybody for doing that
I LOVE CO-WRITING!!!! I couldn't help but write being around such incredibly gifted people. It's like when Gary (my bass player) and I get together and play. I play things I would never have come up with on my own. I learned a ton this week. I knew I would. Just soaking in and analyzing the whole process was cool. The Lord really hit me this morning with a wave of gratitude.
On Thursday, Twila Labar and I picked a target and worked up chorus with an AC feel and got the verses mapped. It was based on an idea I had been rolling around for a few years that started with a comment from my dad. That morning I heard a TV preacher preach on the same thing and that gave me some more ideas to bring. We spent the first part of the write just listing a ton of lines and then we got into constructing a melody line and piecing the song together. That was a fast write but we could have used more time together to finish. We are going to do that over e-mail. Twila is also a worship leader as well, so it was great to share with her about that.
Thursday afternoon with Jamie Harvill (“Ancient of Days“) was priceless. We got to share a lot of stories about life and ministry. He really went for the up-tempo worship chorus idea I brought. He came up with this cool verse rythmn that contrasted the chorus and the first time time we improvised a melody for the verses we knew exactly were we were going and we sang it together. That was a great moment! We had most of it done till we ran out of steam. Then we just talked about God and Life. I e-mailed the final verse lyric before we left the hotel yesterday. We are pumped about the song.
Thanks to so many who told me you were praying for me. Man, did I feel the prayers!
Thank you to all the great writers I wrote with this week and especially, thanks to Sue, who set up all the contacts for me and has cheered me on since the day we met.
And the highest thanks to the Lord for a single chance to do anything for Him. He is gracious above all things.
p.s. You can read more about my trip in the previous blog below or by visiting Sue's Blog at http://www.writeaboutjesus.com/suesblog.html
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This is the daily account of my Nashville trip that I wrote for Sue C. Smith's blog.
I thought I would put them here for you convenience.
| January 21, 2006 |
Going to School
If you are looking for Sue, she is on vacation, sitting by the surf, sipping lemonade, and taking in a few rays in San Diego. Phil Mehrens here…Sue asked me to cover for her a couple of days while she is away. If you would like to hear all about it, she will be at my blog place http://blogs.chcchurch.org/PhilMehrens/ She said not to expect to much the next few days…after all she is on vacation (We'll see...maybe she can stand not telling us all about it)
I typed “gracious” into my thesaurus this morning and “Sue C. Smith” popped up in the list. I remember my first year a Write About Jesus listening to her talk to new writers, guarding our hearts in critique sessions, speaking honest but encouraging words about our first attempts at writing, and cheering them on in our passion. I also remember the tremendous regard the other clinicians showed for her…even that Dave Clark, who teases her to death when they do workshops together. Last year, Sue came to be a part of our Christmas musical (we were doing one that she and David Moffitt wrote). It was a huge blessing to our choir to hear her words of encouragement. Moreover, so many times she has personally encouraged me, not only my writing but also in my life and ministry. Brian Copeland told me once “I’d do anything for Sue” (I’d take him up on that, Sue). I know what he means. A lot of people do.
Well, Sue and John, have a wonderful week! Check out Laguna Beach, that is my favorite!
Well, today I go to school. This will be the most concentrated weeks of writing I have ever done. I think Sue gave me all her writing appointments so she could go to the beachJ I guess I will get a little taste of the real world of writing. I’ve got a notebook computer loaded with ideas but have this feeling like I am about to get dusted by the pros. I may have to be digging with Dave through Tony’s wastebasket by the end of the week. Seriously, what a blessing! I am really looking forward to “chasing the idea” with a bunch of wonderful writers whose hearts I have grown to love.
My first class is with Mr. Funderburk, I hope I can remember my locker combination. |
| January 24, 2006 |
Greetings to You, faithful Sue's Blog readers.
This is Phil Mehrens again, sitting in for Sue (I feel like a weekend
newscaster). In case you didn't scroll down to the last post, we are trading blogs for a couple of days. I'm in Nashville writing and she is playing with snakes on the Lawrence Welk golf course on the west coast(what a strange vacation). You can read all about it at http://blogs.chcchurch.org/PhilMehrens/
After 9 hours of driving in the rain and 4 hours of sleep I had my first co-write with Marty Funderburk yesterday. I'm not sure all of my synapses were firing right. I went early to aclimate myself to the writing scene and was able to nail down a melody on a chorus I am working on. Ronnie Freeman and Tony Wood were writing in the next room. I haven't seen Ronnie since Write About Jesus a couple of years ago. Brian White popped in his head to say hey.
We had determined to write a Southern gospel song (I'm pretty green at that genre). The first hook I brought, I was sure would be winner. It was a big winner...a few years ago when sombody else wrote it. Probably due to my brain dead condition, Marty and I had a pretty dry run at first and chased a bunch of rabbits. We worked a long time on a song where we ended up being dissatisfied with the hook. Time to change gears. I finally found the right hook in my files and one great line. I saw the twinkle in his eye and the train started moving. That was a lot more fun. Too bad it happened in the last 30 minutes of the co-write. But Marty encouraged me a lot. He is a great guy and he can write southern gospel in his sleep (come to think of it that is what I was doing).
When I got home last night I was so tired I didn't know which way was up. But I got a great night's sleep and hit the exercise room this morning. That helped a lot.
Writing with Belinda was a gas! We talked about when we first met in a critique class with Billy Sprague and Mark "Gersh" at Estes the first year I was there. The moment is forever etched in my mind because when I played my song...Billy teared up, Mark said "You must love God" and Belinda said "don't put this one in the drawer" but I did put it in the drawer until I pulled it out today. She told me she wanted to hear it again and we ended up fixing the things that didn't work in the song. If nothing else it makes a great song story. It's probably better than the one I was planning to write with her...an inspo love song about King Kong (you have to read her blog to get that).
Writing with Chad was just awesome. It was a different approach to writing than my other co-writes but I fell in love at once with his style. It was really easy to communicate musically. We determined we wanted to write a worship song. We knocked out a "killer" chorus (in our humble estimation) for an up-tempo opener worship song. Then we kind of stalled out on the verses. They just paled in comparison to the chorus. Finally we had another burst and got a verse that was worthy of the chorus. Tony came in and helped us nail a few lines at the end.
Thanks so much, Belinda, Chad, and Tony...and Sue! Jodie, Jubi and I hit the chinese restaurant for dinner. I couldn't stop smiling. What a great day!
I'm writing with James Tealy tomorrow at Universal. Chad said I'm gonna like that. Then Thursday with Twila Labar and Jamie Harvill.
Sue will be back soon. Till then, this is Phil signing off.
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January 25, 2006 |
Hello again, If you like to hear about Sue's bombing mission over Iraq or pregnant seals rather than songwriting, (I told you it was a strange vacation) you probably need to visit my blog where Sue is currently residing. http://blogs.chcchurch.org/PhilMehrens/ (How's that for a teaser, Sue?)
Today I wrote with James Tealy at Universal. Man, talk about classy writing rooms. Great coffee, grand pianos. It's like a bed and breakfast. James and I had a great time sharing about our journeys. We both have been worship leaders in churches that have gone through the headaches of major building programs. We have very similar journeys in the pursuit of songwriting. We both have led worship in other countries and have a heart for missions. He just got back from Turkey...my daughter had a short trip to the same city and type of ministry he was involved with. I could go on..
It was great just to talk and share philosophy about worship songs. That also gave us direction in our writing. I brought a lyric that was a writen as an altar call. We hammered away on phrases and several motifs for the chorus...it took us quite a while to find just the right rhythm and melody but when we did, mmm good. I love that moment when a really hard piece finally falls into place and you look at each other with that..."Yeah" look.
After a lunch break and at San Antonio Taco Co., the verses went together quickly with a few adjustment. We took turns on the piano trying out melodies. We laid down a work tape and had to break before we added a bridge, He e-mailed me a rework on the verse melody that was a great improvement and a bridge idea that is looking good. Maybe this is too much information but it is cool to me to think through all this.
I am formulating a list of the things I am learning this trip Here are a few:
1. Every co-writing session is unique in its flow and approach.
2. Writers have different styles and techniques of writing
3. Every session is full of things to learn from your partner. i.e. James had a cool way of breaking writers block on the melody by charting out the possible lines on paper.
3. Patience, keep at it. Just about the time you are ready to give up on the idea a breakthrough often will come.
4. Hold out for the great idea and melody. Ask yourself, "Can it be better"
5. Listen to everything they tell you in the worshops. It works!
6. Belinda is not really scary, stuff just happens to her.
I'll quit there for now, blogs shouldn't be too long.
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You've got one last day of me blathering on about my vacation instead of Phil's insightful spiritual discussions. He's just a click away at my blog space-
http://www.writeaboutjesus.com/suesblog.html. Phil is headed home later today and I'm sure he'll have lots to tell you when he gets back to Joplin.
Thanks, Phil, for doing such a superb job while I've been gone.
Yesterday we drove north to Garden City on the outskirts of Los Angeles and visited the Crystal Cathedral. It's pretty amazing. We took a brief tour, and our guide was so enthusiastic about everything we saw. The sanctuary itself is beautiful and seems to absorb the sunlight. It seats 2800 people. Every seat and every window have the name of a donor on them. There's a huge pipe organ in the front and an even larger one in the back balcony. While we were there the organist was practicing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.“
If you've been paying attention to the news, you know that Dr. Robert Schuller has just retired and his son Dr. Robert Anthony Schuller will assume charge of the ministry. The grandson, Robbie Schuller, is just about to graduate from divinity school and he holds services each Sunday for the youth in the arboretum.
One of the things I most enjoyed was the beauty of the grounds, which are meticulously cared for. There are beautiful larger-than-life statues everywhere you look- Moses the Lawgiver, The Smiling Jesus, Job, Jesus Intervening for the Woman Taken in Adultery, Jesus Blessing the Loaves and Fishes, The Holy Family Returning from Egypt. That last one was incredibly detailed with Mary and a little boy Jesus on a donkey and Joseph leading it. Joseph has a look of surprise on his face, and when you look closer you see that the donkey is biting his robe. The material used for Jesus in this statue is shiny enough so that when you look into the face, you see yourself reflected back.
Two of my favorite statues were of Jesus with children. In one, Jesus plays with a group of children in biblical dress and some little lambs on low steps. Our guide told us the statue was created on the little steps so that children who come to the church can climb and play on it. I love that the art was created for people to interact with, not just look at from a distance. In the other, Jesus plays with children in present-day dress jeans, tennis shoes, a smiley-face t-shirt.
We finished our visit to the Crystal Cathedral with a stop at their bookstore. I discovered the new Avalon CD there. Well obviously I had to buy it! There are songs on it by so many of my friends, so what a kick to snap it up right away. Congratulations to Joel, Twila, Tony, Chad, Ronnie, Ian, Barry and I sure hope I'm not missing any other WAJ clinicians who have cuts on the project.
We went right from the Crystal Cathedral just down Interstate 5 about 30 minutes to another famous church- Saddleback. We had learned that there was a Bible study at 7 p.m., and so we showed up early, Bibles in hand.
The Saddleback campus is equally impressive in a different way. Lot of huge buildings which almost seem like a shopping mall rather than a church. Once we got inside, were were given a warm greeting by a lady and her husband who were putting table cloths on the tables and setting out signs that indicated where different small groups would sit. As the people began to arrive, about 500 of them, many brought snacks for the people they'd be sitting with. We sat at a table marked “Whatever,“ close to the front.
Rev. Tom Halladay taught the study called “Foundations,“ and it was terrific- an hour that just zipped by while he talked about why and how to read and study the Bible. In the middle of the study, Tom's son, just home from seminary, helped out by teaching a section. He was just great- funny, self-effacing, soft-spoken, knowledgeable.
When the evening was over, we stopped by to say hello to Rev. Tom, and I suddenly hear our friend Ed, who can't let an opportunity to brag on me pass by, saying, -“ won a Dove Award“... “Everything To Me... Avalon“... The next thing I know, Rev. Tom says to me, “You're kidding. Let me give you a hug!“
It turns out that his daughter who just graduated from high school last year, absolutely loved “Everything To Me.“ Every morning as she drove her little brother to school, they would listen to the song together. So when Rev. Tom made her graduation video, he used the song at the end of the video under all kinds of pictures of her growing up.
He grabbed me by the hand and said, “Come over here and meet Ryan.“
Christian songwriters just don't have experiences like this very often. You become used to most people not knowing anything you've written or anyone you've written it for. So it was such a treat to meet Rev. Tom's wife and younger son Ryan. The two of them immediately grabbed their cell phones to try to call the daughter, who is now away at college, and when they couldn't get her, Ryan left a message.
One of the very sweetest moments for me was when Tom said, “I used pictures of her when she was little at the beginning where the song says 'I grew up in Sunday school?' Well YOU know what it says, YOU wrote it.“
It was just a God-orchestrated experience. Just something God did to encourage me and give me a little boost. He's just like that with His children. He loves us, delights in us, plans fun surprises that He knows will make us happy.
The Saddleback Bible study will not meet next week. They are having a worship night' an evening of music and sharing the Lord's Supper. I said to John, Ed, and Janet, “Can we make it back here for that?“ Wish I could. That would be a lot of fun.
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Hey, it's still Sue here, writing from San Diego while Phil is writing me out of a job in Nashville. It sounds like he is doing great, and if you want to read about it (of course you do because we ALL love Phil), go to:
http://www.writeaboutjesus.com/suesblog.html
I love going places I've never been before and doing something I've never done. Lisa Qualsett had emailed me that when they came to San Diego over Christmas, they had toured an aircraft carrier. Then at the airport we picked up a flyer about it. That sounded like fun.
Well we couldn't have imagined what a great day that would provide. After eating lunch at a seafood restaurant in San Diego harbor, we drove down to the USS Midway and for the next three and half hours, we soaked up the information and atmosphere of the United States' most historic aircraft carrier. It was first commissioned during World War II and then saw its last action during the first Persian Gulf War. More than 225,000 thousand people served on it during its history. As we toured the huge ship, I was overwhelmed by the knowledge of all the men and women who had lived a portion of their lives aboard it.
The Midway has been a museum now in San Diego Harbor for around a year and half. After you board, you pick up a small digital player and headphones and do a self-guided walking tour, going from station to station and hearing interviews with people who served and have amazing stories to tell.
The crew quarters are bunks stacked on on top of the other. Each narrow bunk has a thin mattress on a slab that can be raised to reveal a shallow storage area in a container underneath it. This was home to thousands upon thousands of kids, basically, since the average age of people who work on aircraft carriers is so young. The junior officer quarters were just one step above that.
Each link in the gigantic chains that hold the anchors weighs hundred of pounds. A crew of 4300 sailors comprised the crew that suppored 200 aviators. There were dozens of statistics to absorb? they ate 10 tons of food a day, 1000 loaves of bread a day and served 10,500 cups of coffee at a time.
We paid an extra $6 each to go on a simulated mission over Iraq. It was basically a virtual reality ride and you've probably been on such things. But this had the feel of something real because you took off from a carrier deck and flew support for troops who were under fire. It was fun, yes, but more than that, it sure was a great reminder of what our men and women in uniform are facing all the time.
If we had wanted to spend the time and the extra $40 each, we could have taken an hour of flight training in a real simulator. Now how cool would that have been. If I ever go back, I'm doing that for sure. I contented myself with sitting in an actual cockpit for a few minutes.
The hangar deck is huge and has several airplanes on display. But then when you go up on the flight deck, that's where you're really blown away by what they've done with the Midway. There are so many different fighter jets, helicopters, supply planes, vintage aircraft everything you can hope for sitting on the flight deck, and you can even go in some of them and look into the cockpit, imagine yourself taking off for a mission or flying back from one.
All over the Midway, men who served on it at some point in its history are available to tell you in person how planes got catapulted off its deck and how they got back to it. You could feel their pride and joy in what they were doing. So many times during the tour, I was thinking of my own dad. The little LST he served on during WWII would have been a tiny gnat next to the Midway and yet they were serving in the same effort.
Our last visit was to the island area where all the people who actually navigated and ran the flight operations worked. That meant climbing up narrow ladders several flights. When we got to the bridge, our guide said, If anyone wants to sit in the captain's chair, go ahead. Well, no one else was, and so I scurried over there and climbed up into it. They told us that captains of aircraft carriers usually only served about a year because that was the longest time a person could go without sleep!
Well, can you tell I had an awesome time? I think it will go down as one of my most memorable experiences. I was having so much fun, I forgot to worry about falling off into the bay.
We ended the day by watching the sunset on a beach just north of San Diego. We thought that was all we were going to see. But when we got there, we discovered there were about a hundred pregnant seals who were sleeping on the beach. The sunset just amazes you because you just stand there and watch the sun sink into the ocean in a matter of seven or eight minutes.
That was yesterday. Today we have another day planned that doesn't involve golf at all. But I'll tell you about that tomorrow.
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Hello, Phil Mehrens Fan Club people! This is Sue, Phil's songwriter friend. Phil has gone off to Nashville to write songs. Since I was going to be out of town on vacation while he was there, I asked him if he would write my blog for a few days. I knew that people who check in at
www.writeaboutjesus.com/suesblog.html would enjoy reading about Phil's adventures in Nashvegas. Most of them know him from the Write About Jesus Workshop anyway.
So Phil agreed to do my blog if I would do his. I'm out in San Diego, taking the week off (Sort of because I was actually up until 3 a.m. last night trying to finish an Easter drama I had been working on. My first conscious thought this morning was that I needed to read through it again, make some tweaks, and then get it emailed off.) I suppose there are many, many jobs where you just don't really leave and not think about it while you're gone, and songwriting is sure like that.
But now that's done, and I can devote myself completely to admiring the California weather and scenery. Wow, the sky is really blue here. Not the mostly faded gray blue of the St. Louis January sky. This is a blue that really likes showing off. And there are flowers everywhere. The air smells like spring. I'm loving it here.
On the downside, there's a sign on the first hole of the golf course we've played the last couple of days that says Rattlesnakes are an important part of the eco-system here. They will not attack you, but if they feel threatened or cornered, they will defend themselves.
Uh? hello, Mr. Rattlesnake If my golf ball comes bouncing in where you are hiding in the brush, it is only because I'm a terrible golfer. I am truly apologetic if I disturbed you. Please do not feel threatened. You can keep the golf ball. I will not be coming after it.?
While we're talking golf, (I know you don't really care about this but) I broke 100 yesterday. I'm not lying. I really did. Sure, the course is kind of short. No par fives. Lots of par threes. It IS the Lawrence Welk Resort, after all. But with golf, you've got to enjoy these moments when they occur.
Phil tells me he has readers in Japan and many other parts of the world. So I'm going to take a few moments to tell you what I'm sure you already know: Phil Mehrens is a great guy and one of my favorite people. Here is my list of the top ten things I like about Phil:
10. Last year while I was in Joplin, Phil and Jodie took me to an authentic Mexican restaurant where I had the best tamales I had ever had in my life.
9. Phil sends me the spots he records with Jubilee to promote special musicals that their church is presenting. I'll bet listeners in the Joplin area look forward to those commercials! I know I do.
8. I love it when Phil leads the worship time at Write About Jesus. It really sets the perfect tone for the day.
7. Phil is transparent in the best sense of that word. He not only lets you see the real him, but when he leads, you never think about Phil and what he's doing. You just think about how great God is.
6. Phil is a true poet. Read the lyric to “Sovereign Lord“ and you'll see what I mean.
5. I love the way Phil talks about his kids. You can feel the joy he takes in their surrender and service to the Lord.
4. Jodie always comes with Phil to Write About Jesus, to Estes, to GMA Week. I always look forward to seeing her. It's like they come as a set and that's cool!
3. There's just something about Phil's voice that is honest and warm and inviting.
2. Don't you love that smile. It doesn't overpower you or anything. It's just real.
1. Phil winning the grand prize at Write About Jesus is just a precious memory. I love it that he continues to come back to the workshop every year.
More from San Diego tomorrow. We're going to visit an aircraft carrier. I confess I'm already a little nervous about falling off into the bay.
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We just checked into the the hotel after 9 hours of driving in the rain. We are in Nashville, or rather Brentwood, a few miles north of the Provident Building where I will be writing most of this week. After a good nap, I plan to use the morning to get ready for my first co-write in the afternoon. Three more people told me they were praying for me this morning. What a blessing!
I know what Sue Smith means about carrying all those electronic gizmo's when traveling. Computer, camera, cell phone... remember when all you had to worry about was your wallet? I even brought a small keyboard for me to use in one co-write at a guitarist's house. How does Simon make it to Nashville with a complete studio in his suitcase? I needed a minivan. Of course we needed to bring all of Jubilee's stuffed animals.
I remembered about five hours after we left this morning that I forgot a sustain pedal and a mic for my notebook. Jodie smiled and asked if I wanted to turn around and go back and get them. I did the same thing when I led worship in Australia one summer. I left my sustain pedal in Joplin. I got a hold of one “down under” with the wrong polarity (somehow that seems fitting...this was before you could switch polarity on keyboards) so I came up with the idea of putting it under my heel instead of my toe. Try it sometime if you know what I am talking about. I took a keyboard on a trip to lead in Jamaica once. That was the end of that keyboard. We found out later that we were using bootlegged electricity in our street meetings (not exactly what I think Jesus would do). They just run wires up the poles, hook onto the wires and feed it to their houses. After a few voltage spikes it was acapella time. Somehow, It didn't seem to matter there. They are their own instruments. Come to think of it, the acoustic guitar still worked.
I have been writing with guitar quite a bit but I'm not sure I'm ready to take that instrument into a co-write. I don't like fumbling around trying to find the chord that is just there on the keys. In fact, I love it when technology becomes transparent and you can just focus on leading worship or writing songs.
Sorry, no profundity tonight, I'm going to try to get some sleep.
Tomorrow, I will be somewhere else and someone else will be here (Did I say that right?).
Hint...She learned about the Golden Rule.
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Hint...She grew up in Sunday school...
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Don't you just love it when people walk up to you and say “I'm praying for you?” I don't mean just when you ask it of them, but when they just say it.” Several people have done that to me recently (this was before my last blog). I have learned over the years that when you start thinking about someone a lot, the Lord is wanting you to pray for them. We tend to dismiss things like that as if we are only living in a physical world...as if our thinking and praying is merely a physical function. Jesus focused a lot on the heart in His teaching. Our heart is where the physical meets the spiritual...where our spirit interfaces with a physical brain and the mystery of all of that is contained. “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouths speaks,” He says. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,” says the Proverbs. Do we speak with our brain or from our spirit? The answer, I think is both. What is thinking anyway? I don't know if we will ever understand that connection of physical and spiritual, that “incarnation”. Perhaps it is one of the “deep things” of God. Furthermore, what does it mean that “His Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God?” How does He “convict us” of sin, as Jesus promised, and what is the mechanism of the conscience? How is He able to “help us in our weakness“ or help us “to will and to do” His purpose. How does He give us boldness like Paul, in times of need? How is He able to do what we cannot do- change our “want to”...our hearts?
Just some thoughts in my brain today (or my spirit or my heart......)
The men's retreat is going awesome... wow, nothing like a couple hundred men singing, testifying, praying together!
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I don't feel like I have time to do this tonight. I lead worship at a men's conference tomorrow and Saturday, then rehearsals and services on Sunday...then I hop in the car and drive to Nashville to write for a week. I'm excited about all of it but I know I will need the strength of the Lord to make the most of it. If you read this, please mention me to the Lord...that
He will make the most of it.
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Yesterday we had a debriefing meeting at Joe Muggs about our Christmas Event. I love meetings where there is espresso. It was great to run down through the evaluation check list and remember the details of what happened- how well we planned and advertised, things we wanted to repeat, and things that needed to be adjusted. This being our second year working together with Christ Church of Oronogo, a lot of the details we had already figured out in the year prior. What were the highlights?
- Those who came to the Lord through the program.
- Two choirs becoming one for Jesus.
- Working with Russell and Caleb at CCO.
- All our incredible volunteers.
- The 2,500 who came to worship at the concerts.
- Working with the great people at Missouri Southern State University.
- Singing the music of the Lord.
The music of the Lord...what a staggering thought. Someday when all of heaven is finally assembled, the nations have shouted their praises, and men and angels are moved to silence before Him, what kind of song would He bring to us? Will He pull out His ancient journal and sing from the pages written long ago...a song prepared for that moment? I hope so. If His word is sweet, how much more His song?
I feel a song brewing...Hey Sue, want to write this one?
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The last few days the greatest number of hits on my website has been from someone in Japan. This month there have been a number of visitors from China, Austria, Italy, UK, Turkey, Israel, Germany, and Iceland (now that's intriguing). Almost as many from outside the US as inside. After all, it is the “World Wide Web“. A few may be people I know such as in the UK (Simon), Taiwan (my Brother-in-Law and Sister), or a missionary I have met on the field. Many I will probably never meet. It makes me wonder what brings them there and their impression of the content. Did they just stumble over it with an accidental click or are they a secret Christian in a closed country? Or even a seeker? Did they like the music, or was it strange to them?
When I went to the Statue of Liberty last year, it surprised me that many, if not most of the visitors were from other countries, speaking different languages. I wondered if their impression of Ellis Island was the same as mine. Back then, the destiny of an immigrant depended on a chalk mark on their lapel. Often I wonder if something I write or sing will affect someone's destiny, perhaps even someone I will never meet.
My brother-in-law, Chuck in Taiwan sent me a humorous link of two Chinese students singing a Backstreet Boys song. It hit me once again, the power of a song to reach across the waves, even across languages and cultures (which often is a greater leap). They could have been a couple of students in our college group but they are somewhere out there in the WWW. Watch the clip and smile. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648&pr=goog-sl
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It was the most powerful moment to me. We have sat in that chair before. It's called the “mercy seat“. Usually you express your burdens- your heart to God and the other pastors gather around and begin to pray over you. This time, not a word was spoken. It didn't need to be. The silence was too deep for words. We had prayed for each other for several hours prior, had conversations around the dinner table. In fact, some of us have had a prayer relationship for 8 years. Whoever wanted to sit in the chair, could. Again, not a word was spoken, but one by one, God broke us. We began to weep. Those gathered around wept too, knowing God was going deeper than we expected. Gratitude for God's faithfulness, past victories flooded over us. The current burdens and struggles of ministry and family passed into the capable hands of God. Those who encircled and interceded for the one in the “mercy seat” seemed like angels of God surrounding, strengthening. Prayer relationships...there is nothing like them.
Last night in the prayer gathering at church, I shared a brief testimony about the Pastors Prayer Summit I was a part of this week. One lady shared with me afterward that the past few years, she and her husband have been praying together every night. It has totally changed their relationship. They had been married a long time but that one step had brought them closer together than all the years before. There is nothing like prayer to draw us closer... to God or each other.
”My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”
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It was a wonderful evening. Jubi wanted to “do something fun.“ That usually means going to the park or a walk on the nature trail. But tonight it was “Hot-dogs roasting on an open fire...“on Jan 8th no less. No Jack Frost in sight either. It all started when she wanted to turn out all the lights in the house and play with the flashlight. Mom said she should take it outside to play since we needed the lights on to work. But Jubi didn't like being outside in the dark alone, even just on the back patio. So I built a fire in the fire pit on the side patio and one thing led to another. Jubi loves to collect sticks for the process. Soon we were taking turn telling stories about wild coyotes that live down the hill and someone got the idea about the hot-dogs. “We could pretend we are camping out, dad.”
Watching the fire, my mind started to replay some thoughts I had a while back on a similar night. It's a pretty cool gift from God- this beautiful process of rapid oxidation. Watching the flames dance and feeling the tension drain out of my body makes me think of how many people down through the ages have sat beside a fire and done the same...staring at the mesmerizing flicker. I wonder what stories they told, what they laughed about, what new ideas came into their heads. I wonder how many kids (big and little) have poked a fire with a stick to watch the sparks fly.
I remember sitting at a fire with my dad countless times at retreats and church camp. It was always a wonderful time to talk, to just sit and think, to dream. I always thought about bible heroes at those time. You know, Elijah and the fire from heaven, or David running from Saul, hiding in caves. It has to be the best place in the whole world to listen to a story and you know there is nothing like singing around a blazing fire.
Nowadays the flicker of the TV usually takes the place of the ancient fire. Our strumming, dreaming, and storytelling is replaced by someone else's disappointing sitcom or melodrama.
I think I need a fireplace in my writing room.
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For some reason, I am up at 4 AM this morning. That usually happens when I am getting ready for an important event. I remember getting up really early the day of my first Little League game, adrenaline pumping. I had my uniform laid out the night before with those cool socks, my ball-cap and glove, my brand new 21 inch bat.
I woke up with a few of things on my mind. There's always a song. Sometimes it's a new one...sometimes an old one, or one I am working on. I am also headed to the Pastors Prayer Summit next week...a gathering of 30 to 40 Pastors for a few days of prayer. That is always wonderful after a Christmas full. It never ceases to amaze me what God does in these gatherings. One of my favorite parts is hearing how God orchestrates the prayers of these veteran pastors...each holding a prayer thought and savoring it, waiting for just the right moment to speak it. Proverbs say “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
I have come away with a principle from this gathering. Relational prayer...pure and simple...can put the Church back together. I believe it is the key to unity in so many areas...church, marriage and family, workplace, friendships. I even believe the starting point of doctrinal unity is a prayer relationship. This is because when you pray for and with someone, you begin to love them and when you love someone, you suddenly find the way is open to learn from each other. I have also discovered that each group brings something vital to the body of Christ. From my Episcopal brother I have received a deeper appreciation for the Lord's table and it's importance in worship. From my Assembly brothers, I have found many profound teachings from the scripture and a passion for prayer and heartfelt worship. I have seen two rivaling pastors from the same denomination forgive one another and pray for one another. I have discovered a whole world of agreement. I have also discovered that much of our disunity is functional rather than doctrinal. The church where I serve is filled with members from different church backgrounds that just want to worship and serve the Lord together. I just believe that one day God will answer Jesus' prayer in John 17. I hope it is my lifetime.
The other thing on my mind is the upcoming trip to Nashville. I'm hoping to walk into the writing room with something to say and melodies that move. I've been sorting through song ideas trying to see what comes up to the surface...what stirs my passion. Even more, I keep asking, “Lord, what moves Your heart? What do You want spoken into this culture?” A week of prayer couldn't hurt this goal either.
So I feel like a big game is coming up...got my glove out...where is my favorite bat?
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$1,400...that's what a new transmission costs these day...in case you wanted to know. Thankfully today was a much better day. In fact it was a cool weekend. We had my daughters' college-age cell group over for New Years Eve. Have you ever heard 9,000 fire crackers go off? Impressive! It takes a while. They had a big bonfire (we live on 5 acres) and played games and ate and ate. Jubilee, our 6 year old stayed up until midnight. She was estatic. At one point, while the fire was going, a small ash from a burning leaf flew up and landed on my other daughter Laura. While others patted it out, Jubi saw it and shouted “Laura! Stop, Drop, and Roll!” That had the group in stiches. I guess she knows what to do in an emergency.
Our older children were also raised by college students when I was a campus minister. They learned a lot of useful things from hanging around them. Having honed their skills on upperclassmen and being “tender” young grade school age children, they used to trounce unsuspecting freshmen in the game of spades during ski trips or missions trips. They also received a boatload of love and encouragement. It's pretty cool when someone ten years older than you skis down the blue slopes with you and says “Way to go! you're doing great“
I remember the elderly gentleman that always looked for me in church and never failed to speak the words I needed to hear. What would the world be like without mentors...I hope we never find out.
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