trick or treat

~~i can’t wait to go trick or treating tonight~~

Eli will be buzz lightyear and Eden will be a ballerina, I’m sure Silas will be some cute and fuzzy animal, like every other 6 month old who can’t eat candy!

What was your best costume as a kid?

Pictures from the pumpkin patch this year:

searching for what?

Have you ever headed over to the internet (as if it’s a place) with an actual purpose, and then quickly got distracted by something you think you need? ~~like this~~…or ~~this~~…and then forget why you started “surfing” in the first place? Yeah, that just happened to me.

I tried to remember for a while and then my wife reminded me I was supposed to be checkin’ my online calendar. Lame.

sharing a meal with eric – part 2

Ben and I had lunch with Eric for the second time. Eric is homeless. You can read about our first lunch here. Or you can read a better account from Ben here.

We found Eric on the same bench we found him last time. And he was drinking a pint of whole milk, just like he was last time. It’s as if not much had changed since we met him over a month ago.

Today was like meeting an old friend for lunch. We talked about old times, like the time Eric told us that Bob Dylan’s wife is from Wilmington Delaware. Ben mentioned how that’s his go to now, for random facts about Delaware. We heard Eric has been in the hospital since we last met, because of his diabetes. He’s doing better now, but we had to walk SLOW as we walked to the restaurant.

We were able to go a little deeper with Eric, trying to get a feel for how we can help this guy.

I’ve realized it’s hard to take homeless people to lunch, on many levels. First, it’s hard to find someone willing to take a risk and share a meal with you. But beyond that, it’s hard to know how to help. I felt helpless just being with Eric. I also felt the eyes of those around us, people looking at us probably wondering why we were together. Maybe I’ve had a small taste of what it’s like to be in his shoes. Hard. And a lot of hardness surrounds him.

But there is hope for Eric, even though I don’t see much right now. Maybe we’ll meet him again.

These are the lyrics that come to mind. Lyrics I’ve sung before. I know they’re true – but this would be really really hard for Eric to sing.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
and love for the broken hearts.
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are.

From “Cry out to Jesus”, written by Brad Avery, David Carr, Mac Powell, Mark Lee, & Tai Anderson

the valley of vision – edited by Arthur Bennett

The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett. I read the following prayer during my faith story about a month ago. I thought I’d share it here, because it’s beautiful and powerful.

Here’s the introductory prayer, The Valley of Vision.

Lord, high and Holy, Meek and Lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that they way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.

Paul Potts singing Opera

“so you work at car phone warehouse, and you did that. i was not expecting that.”

this is flying around the you tube world, you’ve probably seen it. but if not – you should.

over the rhine – world cafe live in Philly – November 1

Exactly one week from tonight….Over the Rhine @ the World Cafe in Philly

Libby and I are going to have a seriously sweet date night a week from tonight. We’re headed up to Philly, leaving Eli Eden and Silas in the dust! Headed to the world cafe live to listen to one of our favorite bands – Over the Rhine.

This goes way back, a song called Bothered.   Sample it here!

Your fire burns me like a favorite song.
A song I should have known all along.
I feel you move like smoke in my eyes.
And that is why.

confession of my lameness

i’ve had a terribly unproductive day here at work – i feel bad – i need to start working better. my mind and soul is not here at all…only my body. lame!

kick me next time you see me, ok now i’m going to go to work – reviewing a stormwater management report. ~double lameness~

andy gibb and a virtual slow dance

I was recording a song at Joshua’s studio earlier this week. He said my voice reminded him of Andy Gibb. What? That’s crazy. Andy Gibb was a teen idol in the 80′s, his three older brothers were the Beegees. I grew up listening to the Beegees and country music. According to wikipedia, Andy Gibb was noted for his good looks and vocal abilities. Yeah, that’s me….I just wish I had Andy Gibb’s hair – impressive!

Libby, this one goes out to you…a virtual slow dance.

burn out bright – switchfoot

I love songs.

The song “burn out bright” by switchfoot has had a profound impact on me. Especially today. Don’t you love the way a song can hit you sometimes? I’m feeling a little depressed today, which is so not me! But it is raining outside. The acoustic version of this song is better than the rocked out version, but it’s hard to find.

“Burn Out Bright”

Does it have to start with a broken heart
Broken dreams and bleeding parts
We were young the world was clear
But young ambition disappears
I swore it would never come to this
The average, the obvious

I’m still discontented down here

If we’ve only got one try
If we’ve only got one life
If time was never on our side
Then before I die
I want to burn out bright

A spark ignites
In time and space
Limping through this human race
You bite and claw your way back home
But you’re running the wrong way

The future was a question mark
Of kerosene and electric sparks
There’s still fire in you yet
Yeah there’s still fire in you!

If we’ve only got one try
If we’ve only got one life
If time was never on our side
Oh before I die
I want to burn out bright

I keep cleaning up the mess I’ve made
I won’t run away
I can’t sleep in the bed I’ve made

If we’ve only got one try
If we’ve only got one life
If time was never on our side
Oh before I die
I want to burn out bright

keeping it real

Lib is always reminding me that I can’t do 2 things at once. So typical of me. What gives?

Just to keep things real around here, I thought I’d tell a little story from my day to demonstrate that she is absolutely right (again).

I was driving down North Scott street in Wilmington, and I came to an intersection. I figured I had enough time to mess with my tape cassette player (lame I know!) while I was waiting for the light to turn green. I was fiddling for a couple of minutes and looked up to check to see if the light was green. It was then that I realized I was at a 4-way stop. Awesome.

I love it when stuff like this happens. Do you have any equally lame driving stories?

the life of noah – foester life group schedule

the life of noah – foester life group schedule

the abundant life (on a farm in Winnipeg)

I love the King James Version of John 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus came to bring the abundant life. Thinking of American culture I wonder if we’re off on his idea of abundance.

This past summer I spent some time farming with my brother-in-law and his family in Winnipeg. Darrell grew up farming, but now he has a day job but he still helps out during harvest. I had the chance to ride with Darrell’s dad on the combine, harvesting the early summer wheat. It was an awesome experience, I felt like a little kid.

Darrell’s dad and I talked for a couple of hours on the combine. He is retired now, and his oldest son runs the farm. He said something pretty profound, and it relates to the idea of abundance.

He said that farming has changed over the years. When he was farming, it was done for survival. But now it’s done for profit and it’s turned into big business. There’s no room for the small farmer and farms just keep getting bigger and bigger. He said the whole mindset has changed.

I wonder if that’s where we’ve gone even with our spirituality, and how we view abundance in our life. We’ve shifted from having enough, to turning a profit.

Our whole idea of the abundant life is so far off, that when we hear Jesus offering us the abundant life – our response is just confusion. We want the abundant easy life, filled with easy stuff.

Maybe we need to reclaim the word abundant, in a whole new way – so it has nothing to do with easiness and stuff.

Spiritual abundance is connecting with God in a complete way, that overflows into each corner of our lives. I hope I’m running after this idea and not chasing after profit in my life.

 

worship confessional 10-14-2007

Worship was great this past Sunday. We got off to a late start on our practice, but that didn’t hold us back.

The set reminded us that Christ is our daily bread and He is the very word spoken in our lives.

The sermon – A Life Worthy: Studies in Colossians

We pray…that you may live a life worthy of the Lord…. Col. 1:10

Set list:

• Be Thou My Vision (traditional) by Eleanor Henrietta Hull and Mary Elizabeth Byrne – Key: D
• In Christ Alone by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend – Key: D
• Sing Hallelujah by Mark Stokes/Vineyard – Key: Bm
• You Are Holy (Prince of Peace) by Marc Imboden and Tammi Rhoton – Key: E
• Breathe by Marie Barnett (this version by Christy Nockels) – Key: A
• Mighty To Save by Hillsong United (Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan) – Key: A
• Everlasting God by Brenton Brown – Key: A

Random notes:

• We layered the first two songs, they both had a very traditional hymn feel driven by the piano. Holly did a great job on piano driving those songs. We used a more percussive piano beat on Be Thou My Vision, with less melody and accented each downbeat. We really built the song In Christ Alone at the end of verse 3, then left it just to the piano for verse 4.
• We finally nailed Sing Hallelujah, thanks to John realizing we were jumping on the Bm on the chorus. That song is amazing, if the timing is right. And we pretty much nailed it during both services. I love the lyric: “He has rescued us with a strong right hand” – there is so much energy to the lyrics of that song. We butchered the song during our Monday practice, but even during the practice before service we really had the timing – it was beautiful.
• I used my cut capo on You Are Holy
• The block of the last 3 songs was all done in the key of A. I played in capo 2 G chording. This part of the worship was the highlight. During Breathe we had a scripture reflection time that was powerful. We gave time in between the scriptures for people to meditate. The scripture we used is below.
• The end chord progression on “Breathe” leads nicely right into “Mighty to Save”. I went straight from the G – C – D to the C on “Everyone Needs Compassion”, I did it much better the second service.
• Lowlight- I started singing the wrong words to Breathe during the first service.
• We did the entire first verse and chorus of “Mighty” with just voices and acoustic guitar. Added full band on intro line of verse 2. That was nice, and adding e.guitar, bass and percussion all at the same point had a nice ramping feel to the song.
• In my opinion, we finally hit the right tempo on Everlasting God. In the past, we started too fast and then the pre-chorus and chorus loses some of its power. That song is powerful at the right tempo. I was seriously getting into that song this week, could anyone tell?
• I’m trying to be less stiff when I lead, but I don’t know how much I improved this week. Letting loose is a good thing in moderation.
• The vocal harmonies we had were SWEET thanks to Ali, John and Libby. I love the way our voices blend. Next time we’re all signing together I want to perform “You Are so Good to Me” as part of the worship block.
• The sound mix was the best we’ve had in awhile thanks to James and John tweaking the set up earlier in the week.
• Rick had a great sermon from Colossians 1, that challenged us to evaluate our lives and live a life worthy of our calling.

Some of the screen shots:

 

My wife Libby took the background pictures for Prince of Peace and Mighty to Save. The picture for Prince of Peace was taken of our dining room window with the sun setting through our sheer curtains. The picture for Mighty to Save was taken along the coast of California during our 10 year anniversary trip. Check out her other photos at libbyportraits.com. Let me know if you want to use either of these backgrounds and I’ll email them to you.

Scripture reflection during Breathe:

Develop the idea that

1. Jesus is our daily bread, and
2. He’s the very Word that is spoken in our lives.

“This is My Daily Bread, Your very word – spoken – to me”

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Job 23:11-12

My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.

I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

John 6:32-35

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

1 John 2:4-6

The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Colossians 1:10-11

May you live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.

Final thought

I was inspired to worship. There were a lot of people that gave of their time and energy as a sacrifice and offering to God.

ember

It’s 9:57 pm.

I’m sitting on my patio, next to a fire that’s almost out. The fire is still really hot with lots of glowing but no large flames – follow me? I can hear the crickets and the distant traffic and have heard several trains blowing their horns. I love fires and the sound of trains. It’s really peaceful right now, almost no wind and the sky is clear.

It’s a cool night, so sitting by a fire is perfect. There’s something about the smell, sound and warmth of a fire that is peaceful, inspiring and cathartic.

Eli loves fires. Really loves fires. He’s always saving cardboard boxes for our next fire. Tonight he was stoking the fire for over an hour. The scary thing is he’s actually pretty good at handling a fire. I think that skill is in him, like it was already there he just had to find it. Tonight he asked me if there was lava in the fire. I had a hard time explaining the embers.

Ember is a cool word. Libby pointed this out awhile ago, I just remembered the conversation we had. She said it would be a good name for a church. If we ever start a coffee shop or college gathering or church we’ll use the word ember in the name.

I have a laptop with a wireless connection so this blog is going straight from my patio right now. As David Crowder once said in response to the question: technology’s a killer, right?

well, we’ll have to wait and see i guess

It’s 10:08 PM.

brothers of influence

In reflecting on this past year, I realized that some of my brothers have really helped me along on my journey of life and faith.

My friend Jimmy encouraged me yesterday that things will happen for me in God’s time, and that I don’t need to worry about my resume looking good because that’s not what it’s about. He’s a good friend. He is always there for me and has so much compassion.

I was sharing some fears to my friend Ben the other day, about how I have this fear that I lack some technical abilities in leading worship, and that I have some doubts about going after that as a vision for my life. I loved his response – he said that what I lack in technical skill I make up for in awesomeness. That really encouraged me. Ben has a way of inspiring me to do odd things, like taking homeless guys out for lunch. He’s a source of light for people.

Rick has been a great listener to my ideas this past year. We’ve spent hours sharing with each other, and he is awesome at listening and giving good advise. One of the things he said awhile back was to start taking small steps of action, testing the waters so I can hang some of these thoughts on something tangible. That has proven to be good advise. I feel like I can tell him anything, and he’s my pastor – that’s just pretty cool.

Jon just generally fires me up whenever we meet, I can’t get enough of that. He’s an amazing story teller and visionary. It’s been fun to get each other fired up with Frank Sinatra playing in the background at Fa So Latte. And he also got me back into the Beatles, added bonus.

Brett has taught me not to be afraid to be open about my faith at work, and reminded me that if you ask them, they will come. He also reminded me that brothers are really important. REAL brothers are awesome because you don’t have to prove anything to each other, and you can always count on your brother. I’m glad Eli has a little bro too.

Ryan has reminded me that believing in God is a journey, and that families can grow together. He also has some amazing ideas on how to reach those who don’t believe – like meeting them @ a British Pub for darts and drafts. He has also shown me how to serve unselfishly.

Bryan has reminded me to go after the Kingdom work, and he has never doubted me. That’s been a huge source of encouragement for me to keep pushing. He also taught me that we can recover from the hard things.

Vinnie has reminded me that running a business can be a Godly accomplishment. And that the inner faith in God is more important than looking like a good Christian to those in the church.

Who has influenced you this past year?