February 2006 - Posts
We have barely begun and the stories are beginning to roll in from our “40 Days of Purpose” home groups. Most of staff meeting today was sharing and praying over them. This is so timely for our church. One lady got very lost on her way to one of the homes and ended up asking directions at a house and inviting them to come. It so happened that they had discussed that they needed to find a church that day. They came to the group and found there were several people that they already knew to some extent. He has His fingers everywhere.
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What an interesting day! A German minister friend, Bert brought me a lyric to put to melody. He had asked me about it a while back. It is a modern German hymn. I love the English translation. Tomorrow, I am going to record him speaking it in German it so I can hear the accents and flow of the words. Hopefully I can get past the language barrier and find a melody that works.
Though my name is very German my speech is not. My mother is a full-blooded Dane but the only grandparent I knew was her mother, and that was when I was very young. I know just a few phrases in Danish- things like “What time is it“ or “I love you“ and “I am a good little boy“ which was useful at times. I can still hear grandma talk in my memories. We would to ask her to say “refrigerator” so we could hear the strong accent. It was beautiful to me. Every time I see a Victor Borge video I think of her. Mom used to tell us “The Germans said the Danish sounded like they were choking on a crust of bread and the Danish said the Germans sounded like they were getting ready to spit.“ My mom and dad got along fine despite the tension in their ancestors.
If you translate the German phrase “Herzlich willkommen“ into English on Babelfish
http://babel.altavista.com/tr it comes out with “Cordially welcomely“
I hope my melody lands closer than that.
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Children have a way of speaking things into your life- reminding you of seat belts, your diet, and various inconsistencies in your logic. Jubilee said to me tonight, “Why do you do that every night...play your guitar and mess with your computer?” I detected something in the tone. I guess I have been at the writing a lot. “Would you like me to read to you”, I said. She brought me a favorite horse book (that is a book about a horse, not one written for a horse, though my daughter would much prefer being equine to humine) “Sea Star, Orphan on Chincoteague”... She has to keep reminding me how to pronounce that famous horse place. Because it is a bedtime story, of course I started drifting off while reading. Jodie (who was wasting her time on the computer) woke me up with her giggling over my slurred speech and the long pauses in the narrative.
This reminds me of my mom. Being a mother of eight, it's a wonder she had any time for stories. She always did but often she would fall asleep during Goldilocks and wake up with Peter Rabbit. “Once upon a time there were three bearszzzzzzz...............Hippity hop, off to Farmer Brown's houuuusezzzzz..............not I, said the cat. Not I, said the pig.................Uh,...then I'll huff, and I'll puff....”
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Last night Jodie and I got to hear the Brooklyn Tab Singers and Jim Cymbala at James River Assembly in Springfield. It was their “I'm Amazed” tour. Because I oversee our prayer ministry, last year at this time we made a trip to Brooklyn to interview their Prayer Pastor and attend a Tues evening Prayer Meeting. The concert with it's testimonies and songs brought back so many great memories of that trip and all we learned there.
I led worship at the “fifth day” of the Pastors Prayer Summit this morning. This is a day where we come back together a month after the summit, pray, share testimonies from the summit, and plan what is next. Because of the way the prayer time flowed, I ended up using a song that James Tealy and I wrote. It just fit. What an encouragement to spend time with these brothers.
I received my CCLI report today. It gives me insight into the ministry of my songs in the churches. More churches are picking up “Sovereign Lord.” It is nice see some other songs showing up. Most surprising was to see “Here” doing really well. I don't even have that song for download on my website. It is taking on a life of it's own out there. Who knows how that happens. Someone hears it somewhere and takes it home to their church or campus ministry. A college age worship team from OCC asked to take it on tour last summer. Perhaps that is how some of that happened. What a joy to think that God might use any of them to touch anybody.
This weekend we started our “Ignite” services for our 40 days of purpose. That title really fit tonight. Normally on Sat night we have a small crowd, mostly made up of people who work Sundays or will be going out of town. Tonight literally every seat was filled and we had people sitting in the foyer. What an amazing time it was. I gave the worship team the week off and led from the piano. There were only a couple of live worship songs in the service. The rest of the 2 hour service was a DVD of the Simulcast from Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. Afterward the congregation was buzzing with conversations. I got in on two of those. I have the feeling this process will have an incredible impact on our church. It already is.
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The image of Christ...that what He calls us to. What an awesome thought. "And all we with unveiled faces beholding the glory of God are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory into another"
Jubilee has this thing she does with her eyebrows. Whenever she wiggles them it indicates she is thinking of ice cream. It usually happens when we are at Lowes (right next to Braums). I don't remember exactly when she started doing it, but I think she got it from me. I worked at Baskin-Robbins for a few years in Jr. high and for a long time had a two-dip-a-day habit till it started catching up with me (a moment on the lips...). Anyway, somewhere along the line, hanging with me has produced this interesting eyebrow thing as well as a fondness of singing mumbo-jumbo words around the house. We have a lot of made-up words that only we understand. For instance, I say "snorkle" and she will say "dorkle." I say "borkle" and she says "workle" We know what we mean. Sorry you are out of the loop.
I have had an interesting effect on all my children to say the least. They were all raised on "Wilbur" (the story-telling hand). They all love deep discussions and plays on words. They are all musicians. They all possess a quirky sense of humor characteristic to the Mehrens clan (I blame my brother Dave). Most of the practical, sane stuff is from their mother. Like it or not, “the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree“.
Jesus came to hang with us- to change us to be like Him...isn't that cool? The more time we spend talking to Him, watching Him work, trying out His teachings, accepting the tasks He assigns us...the more we will take on His characteristics. Oh, how I want to be like Him.
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Jodie and I got away for Valentine's Day, thanks to our choir and orchestra who for Christmas gave us a night's stay at the Leggett House Bed and Breakfast. It is a beautiful place and an incredible breakfast. You have to check it out sometime. http://www.leggetthousebb.com/ Thanks Gang! For fun we got the DVD of Wallace and Grommit's “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” (sounds romantic huh?) We are still chuckling today, remembering the scenes and lines.
It was so cool doing the new song with the worship choir Sunday. It was a moving Sunday! I told Lynn yesterday “There are two things I love to see in worship...when people really sing out and when they are so moved they are unable to sing.” Both happened yesterday.
We are getting ready for our “40 Days of Purpose.“ Ignite Sunday is next week end. We have approx. 150 small groups ready to meet together to explore the themes and study together. We are moving to finish up our building plans for a new worship facility. PTL! Cool Stuff!
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I'm sitting at Dioko Coffee Co. enjoying a mocha catching up on e-mail. My son is playing tonight. Simon, a writer/ producer friend in the UK e-mailed an mp3 of a song start to write. It sounded so good. You can check out some of his work on the link at the left of this page. He's in Nashville writing next week. Wish I could be there my friend. Thinking of his commute, I won't complain of my little 9 hour drive.
It was my job this week to get the sermon from last Sunday edited and uploaded to the radio station webpage so they can broadcast it. The server kept rejecting my file so I had to load it on my jump drive and run it the the station. Rob, the station manager was the only one there this late in the afternoon so he had to leave the booth to help me. He has been at KOBC a long time. It's a great station. When we sent over last week's sermon, the mp3 was accidently saved at the wrong sample rate so Mickey was preaching for a while instead of Randy. At least we don't broadcast the music part of the service, or it would have been the Phil and the chipmunks in worship.
Remember Charity the singing Churchmouse? My kids grew up on it. G.T. and the Halo Express scripture songs helped them in Bible Bowl. Now my youngest is listening to them. They didn't have those tapes when I grew up. I grew up on Bill Cosby's “Chicken Heart“ on pure vinyl LP's. Then there was Alan Sherman's “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, here I am at Camp Grenada“ or “Strange Things in My Soup“ (my friend Jay is always trying to get me to sing that one). Alan was the “Wierd Al“ of yesteryear. He could just talk and make you laugh (which seems to be common among comedians).
Well, the music is starting...
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We have two worship spaces we use on Sunday and I alternate leading in them each week. Last week I led in the multi-purpose room (a gym converted every week for worship). This week I will be in the auditorium with the choir and orchestra for three services. Last Sunday week we used a song in worship that I brought back from a co-write in Nashville. It is an up-tempo worship song. I taught it to the choir tonight in preparation for the weekend.
It is always fun to lead with the choir- all those voices singing behind me and the congregation in the front. Sometime I just have to stop and listen. It seems like the best “seat” in the house. Then again, not!...think about the Lord. I wonder what it is like on Sunday mornings for Him...all the praise, the prayers in all the languages, the thoughts of so many hearts focused on Him, besides what is going on in Heaven. Yeah, He has the best seat in His house.
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"There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon this earth; and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth." - G. K. Chesterton
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Now for something deeply theological...
Well, it happen to me.
My cell phone went through the washer in my pocket. It is very clean now.
Thankfully though, Jodie found it before it went into the dryer. I followed Guy's suggestion and took it apart, dried it with the hair dryer and for extra good measure put it in Jodie's dehydrator for a few hours...reassembled it and plugged it in to charge. When I turned it on after a couple of hours it was fully functional and even retained all my numbers. Thanks Guy!!!
I guess my pocket was lonely. Someone told me that my pocket called them the other day (using my cell phone of course). They said they couldn't really understand what my pocket was trying to say. They just heard these muffled tones. My pocket didn't even ask to use my phone. I think that is rude. It could have run up a big bill and then...well, it would have to ask my back pocket for a loan to cover it. My back pocket is the one with the big money...my front pocket just has change once and a while. It usually spends every dime it gets on a parking meter addiction or carelessly loses it in parking lots or sofas. It also gets robbed a lot for the garage sale jug. Sadly, it is a repeat offender in using my phone. I was working very late on a song one night and my pocket decided to call my daughter who was sleeping at a friend's house. It was 3 in the morning. She didn't appreciate it and I always get blamed. You would think it would have more sense than that...unless...Oh no! maybe it is a prankster.
This is like something my daughter L. would write...or dream.
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Check out his comments:
http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php
also check out Mark Roberts comments on the Prayer Breakfast:
http://www.markdroberts.com/
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Just got done with rehearsals for tomorrow's services. It was the first day for a new bass player (Doug). He did great. It took me about four bars at the audition last week to recognize those familiar skills of a great bassist- timing, technique, an ear for progression and an ability to know when I am about to make an unannounced turn as a worship leader. He knows his way around the bass. He hardly missed a note the first time through, reading charts he has never seen. It never ceases to amaze me how many gifted people are out there waiting to be used and how fun it is to turn them loose with something they love. He thanked me several times for letting him play. Is there anything cooler than using a gift God has has given you for Him? It's a blast! I was thanking him and the Lord in return. I have been praying for another bass player to help with the worship team work load and he evidently was the answer.
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Some of the people I had the pleasure of writing with last week were nominated for Gospel Music (Dove) Awards.
Congratulations to some incredible writers...Way to go!!!!
Marty Funderburk and John Lemonis for "Good Morning Lord”; Faith, Hope, Joy; by Young Harmony, nominated for Southern Gospel Song of the Year.
Belinda Smith and Tony Wood for “Not That You Died”; Monuments; by Legacy Five for Southern Gospel Song of the Year.
Wayne Haun, Marty Funderburk and Mike Richards for “One Rose”; One Rose by the Lewis Family for Bluegrass Song of the Year.
Wayne Haun for producing Live in NYC; Brian Free & Assurance; Southern Gospel Album of the Year.
Wayne Haun for producing One Rose; Lewis Family, Bluegrass Album of the Year.
Wayne Haun for producing Songs of Remembrance for Instrumental Album of the Year.
Sue Smith and Russell Mauldin for Amazing Grace, Musical of the Year.
David Moffitt, Sue Smith, and Travis Cottrell for Redemption: Power of the Cross, Musical of the Year.
All the nominations can be viewed at: http://www.gmamusicawards.com/categories/
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I just sent out my first mailing list e-mail (pretty sad after having the site up since Jan of 04) but you can't say I've been bugging you with endless e-mails, all you who have signed up. I will only use it once in a while, when there are significant developments in my ministry or songwriting.
If you would like to sign up to receive these updates you can do that on my web page at http://www.PhilMehrens.com/ Just click on the “Email List” link and enter your e-mail address. It's that easy!!!
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