Rainy days and mondays

Walkin' around, nothin' to do but frown... Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

I love the song made popular by Richard and Karen Carpenter. I grew up on the Carpenters and as a tribute recorded that very song for my Christmas cd, "Free Duckies for Everyone". However, I must confess... I do enjoy rainy days and Mondays have for the past few years been my day off. So why do I bore my readers with such trivial information... hmmm... Nope! I got nothin'! Sorry.

I've been wrestling with some past sins recently and this weekend and I encountered my Savior in a convicting and redeeming way on Good Friday. I had the opportunity to contribute my art to the prayer service Friday evening at CGPC. I put a video together to accompany a live performance of song I wrote inspired by Psalm 63. As I awaited my "performance" in the balcony, I listened to the last words of Jesus before his final breath on the Cross. After each of Christ's seven last words, a candle from the menorah was extinguished and in response to Pastor Steve declaring, "Lord Jesus - You gave Your life for us," together we all repeated, "You suffered and died that we might be made whole."

I kept meditating on that... "YOU, Lord Jesus, SUFFERED and DIED that I might be MADE WHOLE." Why does my life not reflect that? Jesus took upon Himself the curse for my wrongdoing so that I could be called a child of the Most High God. I moved from contemplating the weight of this truth to worshiping this same Wonderful Maker and Rescuer to Whom alone my allegiance belongs through the words of King David and the craft of my artistic passions... I left some stuff at the Cross that evening... the very stuff for which Christ suffered and I embraced His mercy. I hope that others will find themselves embracing the incomprehensible love of the One to whom our hearts cry out, "Abba, Father!"

Shapes and sizes

A week ago Sunday I had an amazing conversation with a few close friends. We shared vision for the Church and the ministry. I then shared with my brother Ryan the bizarre and wonderfully unpredictable story of how God brought me from high school through college into marriage and adulthood to the exact place I am today... I've had similar conversations with likes of Kyle and others and have been blessed to see how my story has encouraged them as they wrestle with identity and future and purpose... I am where I am today, not because I made all the right choices and planned my future step by step to be at a particular place at this particular time in my life. I reached a point in my life where I realized that to search for all of those things--identity, purpose, life--outside of Christ, who is the very author of my life, was a hollow pursuit. Letting go of all our plans for the future and all our dreams to trust Jesus with them is the beginning of a wild and dangerous ride that sends us up and down through life like a roller coaster, unsure where it will take us next and uncertain when it will end... But man, what a ride!

I read an article in Youthworker magazine yesterday about students and career counseling... something I never had much interest in as a student. Don't get me wrong, I think there is value in seriously considering where God might be calling you in regards to career and ministry, but part of figuring that out is in the shaping and seasoning we experience in those uncertain seasons of life when have no clue of what the future holds and all that we can do is trust Him and His promise that HE does indeed have a plan for us--"plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." [Jeremiah 29, the Message]

The revelation that popped for me in reading this article went something like this: The most important job that youthworkers have with students is helping them to find their identity in Jesus Christ and to experience, learn, and truly believe that they are a deeply loved child of God... My identity, your identity should not and cannot be found in what we do, but in who we are. And who you are is a deeply loved child of God. Do you believe that?

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God--You're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration--what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day." [Psalm 139, the Message]

An apology and other assorted bits

I must apologize to the kats whom I share breakfast with on Friday mornings. I rented the film "Ray" last night and began watching after Tyler and Ryan left my place... I couldn't stop watching. Jaime Foxx's academy award winning performance as the incomparable Ray Charles was brilliant. Needless to say, it was rather late by the time I got to bed. Therefore, stacked on top of my recent nights of restlessness, I failed to pull myself from my deep slumber this morning.

Good times playing the tunes last night...

Still piecing together words with music...

Praying for my brother Kyle while he's in Honduras...

My brother Jere and I are gonna "Be Cool" tonight...

Galatians awaits...

Get off the computer and spend some time listening to God...

jr

Bambi pun

I tell you, it's pretty bizarre waking up to an inch of snow lightly covering everything outside your window in March. Fort Wayne must be just north enough... The bulk of my weekend was spent there with my wife visiting her family. We enjoyed an evening of fine Italian dining and cake with chocolate icing in celebration of our niece's 1st birthday. I'm quite relieved to report that she did receive from her grandfather the fully restored Walt Disney® masterpiece "Bambi" fresh out of the Disney vault! I'd be remorse if I did not urge you all to hurry and snatch it up from your local DVD retail outlet before it is thrown back into the Disney vault only to be released ten years from now as "Bambi: the Ultimate Collectors Edition". But hey, what's 20 bucks, right? Bucks... Bambi... Get it?

So on the way home, my wife and I were in the mood for some mindless theatrical entertainment and we treated ourselves to a viewing of the new Will Smith vehicle "Hitch". Let me just say this: Will Smith could touch a three day old dirty diaper and turn it into gold! Two thumbs up!

Sunday was a great day... I love spending time with the kids in our youth ministry... We went duckpin bowling in Fountain Square and it was an experience! By the way, if Mr. Randy Klopp is ever coming at you with a four pound ball, do yourself a favor and get the eff out of his way! Seriously. Afterwards, my wife and I had the privilege of spending the evening at the home of our good friends Phil and Debra.

Monday, I spent much of the early day hanging out with my cousin Jason. We had lunch, caught up on our lives, played some music, played some Dig Dug, Pac-Man and other assorted video games from our youth. Good times.

Yesterday, I made dinner for my wife and we enjoyed a evening of grocery shopping at Meijer... I can't imagine enjoying the company of anyone any more than I enjoy with my wife. I love you sweetie.

Good night Harvey Pekar, wherever you are!

Today, Thursday...

Where has this week gone? I beg an answer! Last Saturday, I got to visit Neighborhood Fellowship and Olive Branch Community Church with my wife and several folks from cgpc youth ministries. It was a great day of serving alongside one another and worshiping God. I have to say one more time how proud I am of the work that our kids did! They worked hard and we had such fun. I'm sure Maude would be proud as well.

After having the opportunity to lead worship a few times this weekend, I was invited to play some music at a Bible conference downtown. I shared four original songs including, "Strong Enough", "Offering", "Still", and "Psalm 63". It was great to be able to share these songs with people and to hear about how God used the performance to minister to their hearts.

I've been feeling really wierd lately... kinda out of it... I'm not sure if it has to do with illness or what, but I've had a real hard time sleeping the past two nights.

I'm heading to the Fort with my wife this weekend to visit our niece for her 1st birthday! Happy birthday Megan! Plenty of time on the car ride to listen to some Crowded House! This Finn Brothers concert has made me a junkie...

Thoughts on following

I'm really looking forward to visiting my buddy Phil's church in Broad Ripple on Saturday to help with some renovation and painting. I'm even more excited for him to meet the kids in our youth ministry at CGPC and for them to meet him...

I was browsing the xanga sites of some friends and read a great quote from Daniel Parkins in Relevant magazine shared by my friend Emily:

"I was looking at my situation and was perplexed in my faith because God wasn’t coming through the way I thought He should have. But God wasn’t asking me, “How do you feel about all of this?” He was challenging me, as He did His first disciples, “Come, follow me” (Matthew 4:19). I had forgotten that the greatest adventure and the greatest blessing is being a part of God’s agenda, not mine."

"Follow Me..." We really DO NOT understand that Jesus doesn't ask us to let Him follow us around... "FOLLOW ME." In life, in suffering, in death, in resurrection...

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him... I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings..." [Philippians 3]

An evening with the brothers Finn

Wednesday morning... it's been a personally challenging week after making some hard decisions... I've been encouraged as well as challenged by people I love... I'm still not sure... HOWEVER...

As soon as I discovered about a week ago that the brothers Finn--Neil and Tim--were going to be at the Vogue in Broad Ripple, I wanted to seize the opportunity to see these incredible songwriters live. Tim, the eldest of the brothers started the band Split Enz in their native New Zealand in the early Seventies. His younger brother Neil joined the group for a season and later founded the band Crowded House. Probably unlike most fans, I didn't really discover the Finns until I picked up their 1996 "solo" project Finn. I was immediately drawn to the songs. They seemed at once beautifully makeshift and brilliant. Thus began my exploration into the discography of the Finn Brothers.

In the Fall of 2004, the Finns released the beautiful collaboration Everyone Is Here. As I had hoped to do, I took the opportunity to see them live at the Vogue last night and it may indeed have been the most incredibly enjoyable live music experience I have ever had. The music was wonderful... The boys' banter with one another and the intimate crowd was warm and hilarious. They performed several songs from the new album as well as some their work from the Split Enz & Crowded House days such as "World Where You Live", "It's Only Natural", "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" and "What's the Matter with You". My wife who is a 6th grade teacher was quite tired through much of the show. I'm so glad that she joined me though and that we both got to see and hear the Finn Brothers perform an brilliant live set and an outstanding encore!

Well, well, well...

Work has begun in the renovation process in the place that we at cgpc are referring affectionately as "the Attic". It's been a long time a-comin' and last night, our Jr High ministry team began the purging process by throwing out over half of the nasty couches and chairs. Tyler and Kip literally threw a couple broken recliners down the stairs. It was quite a spectacle to be sure! Renee and Rose found some costume apparel for spirit points day at the Great Escape this summer. The "green" room has nothing on the floor now but the air-hockey table! It's unbelievable! Carpets are getting cleaned on Friday. I won't spoil the surprise of what's in store.

I'm ready to start recording for this next project [what once was to be known as maquette]. I am now tentatively calling it Not What She Used to Be... It's quite possible that could change within the next couple of days. Jason and I have been meeting and writing and playing... I've been talking to Bob and we're gonna get together soon to work up some stuff... and I'm ready to try some of the new stuff out soon...

I am sad to say that my favorite coffee mug which was purchased at Goodwill only last October--the same one featured in the profile photo to your left--recently had to be put to sleep. His handle apparently wasn't doing well and it just fell off while being pulled from the cabinet one day. None of us saw it coming. He wasn't with us very long but judging by his aesthetic features, he lived a full long life. Let's all raise a hot brew for our defunct friend! We barely knew ye!

Don't feed the baby strollers

Peep this my scalawags,

It was quite an interesting weekend once again. At first seemingly ordinary yet delightfully lovely. My brother-in-law and his wife were in town for a wedding in downtown Indy and my wife and I had the opportunity to babysit our 1-year-old niece during the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening. She is ridiculously cute... no, no, seriously. She looks like a Muppet baby version of my brother-in-law... which may or may not have clarified things for you.

My wife and I wheeled her around in her stroller at Circle Center mall for a few hours. We got to experience feeding a baby an olive-green pudding-like substance refered to on the label as Vegetable Medley with Pasta! It took all the will-power within me to keep from grabbing her jarred dinner and making a run for the Banana Republic to lose myself in euphoria! I withheld. However, while visiting Bath & Body Works [one my wife's favorite places to be] I nearly lost my niece to her collapsable stroller. Here's a hint for all you stroller manufacturers out there: Try putting the collapsing lever somewhere other than THE STROLLER HANDLE! Maybe it's my own fault for being the curious little monkey that I am, but if it weren't for the combination of encouragement of my apathetic on-lookers and sheer alligator-wrestling brute strenth, my dear young niece may not have been with us today.

I also got my Epiphone back from Guitarworks after being in the shop for a couple of weeks. It sounds rather acousticky and capoish... indeed. I am looking forward to recording some of the new songs I've been scribing recently.

Love and Lollipops,
Joel

A wiseman once told me

Good morning, depending on whether indeed in is morning or not when and wherever you are. It's Thursday and the seemingly eternal sinus infection which plagues me all of my days is growing into its full maturity. As the seasons change, so must we all...

It has now almost been a full week since our youth ministry's Sr High retreat at Pyoca but, I simply cannot slip through without commenting on the experience. This was arguably the best weekend retreat we have done in my almost-three-year tenure at CGPC. As God has been working on my own heart in a lot of hard, uncomfortable places recently, I found this weekend retreat to be a humble affirmation of my place in this ministry which He has called my wife and I to during this season of our life. I found it in the relationships, the discipleship, the community of worship and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Just as I pray that our teens and adult leaders alike wrestle with and explore the possibilities of their spiritual gifts, talents, values, personalities, and how God has uniquely made them, so do I continue to grow in my understanding of how and why I've been made. His Glory. That's the bottom line. Not to us, but to His name be the glory.

Well, just as I couldn't let that slip by, it is also imperative that I also let anyone who care to hear know this as well:: Thomas Wiseman is the Roller Skating King! Argue with me if you will, but you must know that it's futile. Keep on rollin' T-Shades!

Peace, love, and pancakes,
Joel

Intruder alert

The love, grace, and mercy of Christ invades us in a way that demands more than a portion of our attention. The God who loves us so perfectly and completely with unmerited favor deserves the attention of our entire being [heart + soul + mind + strength]. His perfect righteousness, perfect justice, and perfect love inspire the worship of our lives, not one day a week, not only in our grand endeavors which are seen, but also in the smallest details of our ordinary existance. He is, was and will continue to be our loving Redeemer who has rescued us from death and slavery into life where we are called His beloved, His sons and daughters, His heirs. How can we who are hopelessly broken be capable of such love and worship? Christ is the answer... Only by the intrusion of this Wonderful Lover into our broken and contrite souls can we begin to respond with our lives in worship to the One who deserves nothing less.

"Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thanksul hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father." -Colossians 4:16-17

Tuesday morning

It's Tuesday morning and I've got about 4 and a half days until the Sr High Winter Retreat. Though there's much to be done before we leave on Friday evening, I'm really excited about the group we've got going down to Pyoca this year...

I've been so encouraged through the fellowship of several of my brothers in Christ this past week. As I spoke with Kyle yesterday afternoon, we both marveled at the idea of the revealing of God's mysterious plan for our lives does not end once you've reached the age of 28. As we both wrestle with our futures in very different seasons in our lives, I think we're able to pray for each other understanding our mutual sense of confusion as we step into the unknown having to trust fully in Christ with where he may be leading. I was able to have similar conversations recently with my good friends Josh, Phil, and Nick. These are other men in my life who challenge me to be honest and real about my brokenness. Their very friendship sharpens me like iron and presses my disobedient heart towards Jesus. I am so thankful for these brothers in Christ.

I love Jesus for how He loves me and loves me and loves me when I'm so dispicably unlovable.

May His unceasing love and mercy find you wherever you are at today!

Phil not Phil, etc.

The clock on my computer claims 10:01am, but I'm a little skeptical... For you see, this clock tends to lose track of the time quite often, but I digress...

I had lunch yesterday afternoon with my great friend and mentor and brother in Christ, Phil Jackson. For those of you scratching your proverbial head asking "Phil Jackson? Famed NBA championship coach several times over and Zen guru Phil Jackson?"... I'll let you ponder long and hard on that one.

Wrote a new song last night inspired by recent emotional and spiritual bouts... Enjoyed a homemade calzone made by my beautiful wife [Thanks for the GT Xpress 101 Mom!] and the company of some of our Sr High students at Center Grove Church [Tyler, Brad, Nicole, and Ty]. I poured myself a dark cup of decaf and listened to Brad and Tyler jam in the Mustard Room before watching a brand new episode of ER with a gun in it... Promos claimed America would be talking about this one. Well, America, are you talking?

Tonight we set a course for Lafayette to be musically and mentally challenged by the beat-driven, spiritually minded stylings of Josh Garrels!

Peace of Christ!