| [..who i am..] |
|---|
| I am trying to be the best husband to Jessica and father to Connor I can possibly be. In the daytime (and after they go to sleep) I am the Innovative Creative Arts Pastor at Powell Church in Knoxville, TN. I love songwriting, creating stupid videos, apple computers, and pie. |
| [..blogs that i read..] |
| journey to claire |
| real live preacher |
| bill wolf |
| cult of mac |
| adam mayfield |
| bob carlton |
| adam feldman |
| futility closet |
| jeph hurst |
| jason edelen |
| jon reid |
| church marketing sucks |
| kem meyer |
| anthony coppedge |
| betsy wolf |
| mark nelson |
| multi-site arts |
| [..graphic & video resources..] |
| sxc.hu |
| igniter media |
| sermon spice |
| highway video |
| worship house |
| digital juice |
| church marketing lab |
| [..music & artists..] |
| gregadkinsmusic.com |
| greg on Myspace |
| new city cafe |
| bill mallonee |
| the innocence mission |
| andrew peterson |
| andrew osenga |
| over the rhine |
| nickel creek |
| david wilcox |
| rich mullins |
| hem |
| andy gullahorn |
| jill phillips |
| arthur alligood |
| dave potts |
| [..my so called music career..] |
|
| [..52 songs in 52 weeks..] |
|
| [..where i serve..] |
| powell church |
| [..disclaimer..] |
| I am on staff at Powell Church in Knoxville, TN but the opinions, thoughts, comments, and humor on this page are solely my own. Wade in at your own risk and be warned, I'm a bit of a goofball. |
| [..my site feed..] |
| RSS |
| [..archive..] |
It ain't exactly 60 minutes...
But I did an interview this morning via email for an online community of Christian singer-songwriters. I spent more time on it than I thought I would and really enjoyed answering the questions. If you're interested in my thoughts on the songwriting process (and believe me, it's fine if you aren't!) you can read the interview right here.Also, I'm playing tonight at New City Cafe here in Knoxville and tomorrow night in Murphy, NC at "The Daily Grind". Come on out and here me if you're in the area.
Emerging Minister... in hardcover?
Don't hold your breath... but for only $29.99, I could put my whole blog in hard bound book format. The folks over at Blurb have created a nifty service that allows you to create a book from your blog and buy copies of it for as little as $30, depending on how many pages are in your book. It looks pretty cool and I have to admit... it's tempting to shell out the bucks just to have a hardcover copy of the site...Church Marketing Lab
A site that I've been using a lot lately and really enjoying is the Church Marketing Lab. It's a user group on flickr for church marketing people. Having trouble coming up with a good idea for a poster? Post your ideas and get some help from some pros. Wanting to come up with a new design for your boring church bulletin? There are lots of really great ideas posted there. It's good stuff. You have to be a flickr or yahoo member (free) to see all the pictures. Just log in and off you go.I can't believe it took this long...
So yesterday I played a concert in Chattanooga, TN at their Sunday's on the Southside concert series. It was really cool... it's a big open air farmer's market with all kinds of local farmers and artists. It's in a big outdoor pavillion and there were at least 1000 people there. It was a great place to play.Anyway, while I was playing, my wife Jessica was manning the merch table in the off chance that someone wanted to buy a CD. (A side note here... I've learned from playing in the last year that you only sell CDs at events where people come expecting to buy a CD... so a farmer's market where everything is for sale... you aren't going to sell any CDs. A concert at a church or a youth event... that's another story. Okay, on with the story...) A total of 4 people approached the merch table while I was playing. If that sounds depressing, it's not... like I said, no one sells CDs at events like this. Anyway, the first people to approach the table were two hispanic women. They bought a CD, because it is a well known fact that hispanic women love my music.
The next two people to approach the table were from England. They said they really liked my music and they asked my wife how much my CDs were. She said "$10.00" and they took the money out of their wallets and picked up a CD. They flipped the CD over to the back where they saw the title of song #3 "Come Lord Jesus".
"Oh. Is he a Christian singer?"
- "Well, he is a Christian, but I wouldn't say he's a Christian singer."
"riiight..."
They put their money in their pockets, dropped my CD like it was hot, and walked away. In almost a year now of doing this, I can't believe it took this long for this to happen. (Actually, I'm sure it's happened a bunch without me knowing it.) I was kind of excited about it when Jessica told me after the show. I mean, for those of us who live in the south, surrounded by Christians all the time, it's pretty exciting when you can feel persecuted, even if it's in a very, very small way.
Okay, after writing that last sentence, I started to think about the people in this world who truly are persecuted... who actually might die because of their faith. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate me claiming to be persecuted just because I didn't sell a CD to a European. Now I feel like a jerk for even trying to use the word. I'm going to shut up now.
Okay, you can stop now!
So, Samuel L. Jackson keeps calling me. He's called me like 3 times this week. I think he REALLY wants me to go see his new movie "Snakes on a Plane".See, if you go to Snakes on a Plane's Website you can have Samuel L. Jackson call anyone you know to invite them to go see the movie. It's pretty cool... at least it was the first time. Now, it's not so much.
Two Spots Left
Come on guys and gals! You know you want to play a little NFL Fantasy Football... I have 2 spots left in my league. It's totally free and a lot of fun. If you want in, just leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you the details. First come, first serve!Getting settled in...
Well, this week I officially started my new position at Powell Church here in, you gussed it, Powell, Tennessee. I started Tuesday and by the time I went home that day, I already felt completely overwhelmed. There were a lot of people waiting for me to start and as soon as I did, they were ready for me! It's good though... this is a good kind of overwhelmed... I am so excited about getting to really focus full time on things like video editing, graphic design, creative worship planning, and team building.They are calling me the "ICA Pastor" which stands for Innovative Creative Arts. So I guess the pressure is on already... I often think of myself as creative and artsy... innovative... not so much. I like a challenge though.
So currently, I am living life as a sponge, trying to learn tons of new things at once. In the past week I have:
Studied the manual to a lighting console. This manual was written by cavemen in the sanskrit language. I think.
Studied the manual to a digital sign and the software pacakge that came with it. This manual was written in english, thankfully.
Taken a 15 hour online Adobe Photoshop training course. I've mostly done this at night while laying in bed. Wi-fi is my friend.
Started a 15 hour online Adobe Illustrator training course. Just getting started on this one.
Configured one new Mac desktop (a big job) and ordered another that will be here next week.
Hooked the youth minister up with a free ipod (that came with the 2nd Mac we ordered). Gotta get on everyone's good side!
Watched the first 10 episodes of season 2 of "Arrested Development" on DVD. This show is HILARIOUS.
And perhaps most importantly, I haven't picked out songs for a worship service, because I don't have to lead one this weekend! When was the last time I went to church and wasn't on stage? I'm honestly not sure I could tell you. My soul finds rest in this.
So, that's a quick update. So far, I'm really loving things... good people and I'm doing things I enjoy. I think God is moving in a big way in Powell. At the same time, the week has been a little bittersweet. I'm really going to miss everyone at West Towne. It's always hard to go from knowing everyone in the halls to knowing practically no one. More importantly, everyone at West Towne knew and loved Connor. Now he's just another 2 year old and there's no one there who has known him since he was born. that may not sound like a big deal but it feels like one... I want so very much for Powell to be a place where my whole family will be happy and will make connections. This Sunday during 2nd hour, Jessica and I are going to a small group that is just starting up... say a prayer that we make some friends. That will be crucial to our success here.
Okay, I'm going to shut up now... and watch another episode of Arrested Development. Seriously, have you seen this show? So, so funny. Tobias in the blue man group? Unreal!
How to Make a Church Sick.
Doesn’t the Bible have a lot of examples of suffering? Of course it does, and often we find that suffering is good for us! That’s why I’m giving you these easy steps to make a church sick. Very few of us have ever been in a healthy church, but if you are in one, if you follow these simple directions, you’ll have your church sick as a dog in no time at all! You’ll be just like the rest of us!1. During a Sunday morning worship service, spend some time thinking about something or someone you don’t like.
2. For the next couple of weeks drop hints in your conversations with people at church to see if you can find a few other people who feel the same way you do.
3. Schedule a meeting with these people at somebody’s house so you can talk about it in private. Don’t call it a meeting though… call it a Bible Study. That’s a great way to stay under the radar. Remember, we want this to be a surprise attack!
4. Send an anonymous letter detailing your concerns to a few people who you think might be convinced to be on your side. This will get the word out and also create a “buzz” that “something is up”.
5. Now it’s time for the big move! How exciting! You’re nearly finished! Gather all of your people together and show up at some sort of official meeting. The best thing would be a board meeting. Remember, it’s crucial that no one in this meeting have the slightest idea what you are going to say before you start. The element of surprise is crucial! Also, it is important that everyone on your “infection team” is there! You want to try to have them outnumbered!
6. Sit back and enjoy as your church begins to get feverish and develops a deep rasping cough.
Congratulations! Your church is now officially sick! See how easy that was!
Lord Jesus, protect your church from the cancer of gossip and grumbling... protect your church from those who seek their own power and not yours... protect your church from division and weakness... strengthen our walls Lord and unite us, even in the face of darkness. Lord Jesus, protect your ministers, place angels around them... guard their spirits and their hearts. They will feel attacked from every side Lord and sometimes they won't even know who the enemy is... pick them up when they fall and set their faces towards the sun. Send them encouragers... send them friends... send them strength and send them patience. When Your church seems sick with anger, lies, secrecy, and slander Lord, grant us a cure. Grant us patience, peace, humility, and the sword of truth... where there is truth, lies cannot remain. Give us the courage to confront and the wisdom to wound with words of love. We love Your church Lord... help us to remember that when the dark night falls and hope seems lost. Amen.
