Be the Helpers

  "If you look for the helpers, then you'll know that there's hope." Fred Rogers It's overwhelming, really, where we have found ourselves. True, we do see the great needs in the world a little bit: the hurricanes and other natural disasters are often in the headlines, but let's be honest: scandal sells and attention is often drawn away from the great needs of the world (which can actually broaden our worldview), and are often given to the most negatively sensationalistic stories that the headlines can muster. Some studies actually show that the psychological effects of the negative sensationalism in the news actually can result in the watchers to begin to catastrophize worries in our own lives. [...]

Minimalization for Maximum Mission

  “The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.” Elise Boulding Even from an early age, the words of Jesus found in the Gospels have resonated so deeply in my mind and heart. I've always seen Jesus, not as a blue-eyed, pale-skinned, white and tidy figure, but an olive-skinned, dusty-footed rabbi: joyful, passionate, and driven, as He took the Kingdom of God wherever He went. So close to my heart are some words from the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor [...]

Thoughts on Worship from a Ragamuffin: the worship pastor side of me

  Like many church professionals, I have more than one income stream. Half of my time I'm a worship pastor at a Vineyard church, and the other half I'm a team leader at a humanitarian anti-hunger organization which is doing some great things in addressing global hunger. While schedule-wise, I need to watch my time allocation so that my family doesn't go crazy (as well as for my own sanity), right now I'm blessed that I get to live out my calling in this way. What I mean by 'calling' is the re-occurring theme in my life that I've been pursuing and endeavoring to live out for most of my life: the reality that worship, prayer, and [...]

39 and the journey

  Today I turn 39. One soul-training exercise that I do: create space to remember God's faithfulness. Part of that process is letting go of the frailty fixations of my false self (i.e. regret), and I believe part of that process is inviting Holy Spirit to give me proper perspective on what really matters in life. As I approached my birthday this year, I couldn't help but remember a song that I wrote back in 1999, called 39 (a letter home). Anyone who knows me knows that a conceptual theme for me is the fleetingness of life, and in light of that this place is not our final destination...it's not our home in that sense. We are [...]

2018-01-16T06:48:42+00:00By |Abandonment, Memoirs, memories, Music, trust|
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