Alpha in the Workplace has arrived!

Today is the big day. We've been planning this event for months and I can't believe that the day has finally arrived. I should have realized how important this course is by my frustration level last night in trying to pick music for this weekend's set or by the simple fact that my littlest boy is terribly sick. Call it a spiritual attack if you want. But we persevered and the day has finally arrived. Yes, Alpha in the Workplace has finally arrived.

If one person would have signed up, we would have been excited. We would have walked the whole 12 weeks with this person on their faith journey. But God blessed us with close to 20 people of various backgrounds and ages.

It's been a couple of years since I've been involved with Alpha as a host/facilitator and I am most excited to watch God move through the lives of those attending. I don't want to set my expectations too high but at the same token I don't want to sell God short.

Granted this will be a totally different situation since this is happening in the workplace over a lunch hour as opposed to a 3-hour a week commitment, but it's still going to be awesome.

I'm proud of our team. I'm proud of Holly and all the work she's put into this. I'm thankful for the support from our home church.

Father God, we ask that you move in the marketplace. Soften the hearts of those guests coming today and we ask that you would open up the eyes and ears of their hearts to your Words, love and grace. Move Lord God. Move.

In Jesus name...amen.

Congratulations Zach Johnson!

I loved the quotes from Zach Johnson, winner of the Masters this past weekend and Iowa native. Check out the article below for quotes about his faith...

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Winning on Easter makes Masters more special for Zach Johnson

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Zach Johnson will take a win at the Masters any day.

That he did it on Easter made it even more special.

"I don't know if I was necessarily calm. I had some people looking after me today," Johnson said after he finished the 18th hole Sunday. "Being Easter, my faith is very important to me."

"I felt Jesus, I felt my grandfather, my family, everybody," he said, his voice shaking. "So it was awesome."

Johnson became one of the most unlikely Masters champions ever, holding off Tiger Woods to win the year's first major by two strokes. It was only his second victory on the PGA Tour.

Johnson is known as one of the more religious players on tour and he makes no secret of his faith. When he climbed up on a riser behind the 18th green for an interview, he joked that he should "start preaching."

But he turned serious later, discussing a thought that was foremost in his mind the entire day.

"Regardless of what happened today, my responsibility was to glorify God," Johnson said. "Hopefully I did."

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I love that last quote. Regardless if you just won the masters or you're working in a diner, imagine what the world would be like if we all lived to glorify God?

Losing My Marbles

Yesterday an e-mail came into my inbox that turned me upside-down. I read through the note and thought about how much time I am going to be away from my family the next week and a half from my over-extending myself. I thought I might be losing my marbles.

You see, I love worship music. I love worshipping God through music and playing with my NorthBranch worship team. I love worshipping at the Lutheran Church of Hope's Easter service and at Kingdom House of Prayer. But yesterday I forgot all of that because I was so focused on what day I might actually be free.

Our worship team from NorthBranch is leading worship tonight at Kingdom House of Prayer and I am really, really excited about it...except that 4 hours ago I didn't have a drummer. I seriously called like everyone I knew to see if they would drum for me. While everyone expressed an interest to play sometime in the future, they weren't available for this evening's worship. It gave me butterflies. What's an electric band gonna sound like without a drummer? This is no good, especially since this is our first time leading worship there.

Then I thought about my schedule the next week and some change.
Friday: KHOP
Saturday: Dinner with the parents
Sunday: Lead worship at church followed by Easter practice followed by Alpha training
Monday & Tuesday: Free (Phew)
Wednesday: Easter practice
Thursday: Easter practice
Friday: Lead worship for Good Friday services
Saturday: Lead worship for Easter Vigil
Sunday: At Wells Fargo at 6 AM for Easter service and sound-check

My wife tried to talk some sense into me. I think it helped a ton she was okay with my crazy schedule and that we'd get through it together. But none of this helped me until it was bedtime with my kids. We all took our turns praying and when it got to me, I handed it over to God. I prayed for my friend walking through the mountains on his way to California...praying for our country. I prayed for my friends Mitch and Melissa Matthews and their game "Q" which was going to be featured in the paper the next day. I prayed for my friends Bill and Ronja Butler that God would pour out His favor and anointing over Thomas Lift so they can begin making apparel that glorifies Jesus. And then I prayed for a drummer and that my schedule would seem easier.

Today I got a call that we have a drummer. And I learned that it will be easier for me to get to practice this week since it's downtown where I work and not way out west.

My family came for lunch today and it put things in perspective. I got to spend some time with them and love on them. We're there for each other no matter what. And God is there for us.

40 Days of Community

My church has been focused on community this year and especially during the Lenten season. We've embarked on a 40-day journey about community that's got me thinking.

I struggle when I hear the goal for community is to do life together. It seems that all of the small group communities I've been exposed to over my Christian years do not last much longer than 2 years. And when the small group dies a slow death, I'm not sure it ends very healthy. Friendships are no longer and you fall out of touch with one another. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I just think that we go through a season of relationships throughout our lives.

There also seems to be this expectation that we're going to become the best of friends as a result of being in community with one another. I don't discount that I genuinely care and love the members of my small group, but I wouldn't say that we're at the BFF point in our lives yet. It takes a pretty special person to fill this role and truthfully looking back in life I can count on one hand the number of best friends I've had in my life. More on that later...

I wish we wouldn't sugar coat the idea of community. Maybe we just need to be straight talkers for a change and not say we're going to do life together. Maybe it makes more sense to say, "We're going to likely hang out for the next two years exploring life's questions together."

Just because I am not a presence in your daily life doesn't mean that I'm not in community with you. I think giving up a Saturday evening is pretty precious when you're living a busy life with a full schedule. And I think you can be in daily community with one another through prayer. Sure touch points are nice throughout the week but we need to remember that our ministry priority begins the home first.

And can't we be in multiple small groups? I would venture to say that I am in three: my church small group, my accountability partners I meet with weekly, and my worship team. Each one offers something different that the others don't. Along those lines, I contribute differently to each one as well. I think they each serve a need and are equally important.

Sorry this is kind of a rant, but it's been on my mind. I wanted to get it written down to remember my feelings on this particular day.

Walking Across America

On Monday, March 5th one of my dear friends, Craig Leaming set out on the third leg of his journey across the United States. His goal is to wlk across America (follow his journey online at www.acrosswalk.com) starting in Des Moines, IA and carrying out four separate journeys to the far edges of the US.

In the fall Craig walked from Des Moines, Iowa to New York City in about 35 days, averaging around 40 miles a day. At one point on his trip to NYC, he actually walked 73 miles while traveling through the Appalachians. This humble friend will tell you that Jesus is carrying him the entire way. I have to believe him.

After he completed his journey to NYC, he took a short break before trekking north to the Canadian border from Des Moines. He tackled this trip in about 2 weeks and had some amazing stories to share about the beauty of God's creation and the folks he met along the way.

Despite everyone's concern for the weather, Craig was faithful to his calling to leave on Monday, March 5th from Des Moines in his quest to reach the Pacific Ocean in northern California.

My family has been blessed to offer him the opportunity to call our voice mail system and I've been posting his audio journal entries to his site after he calls. Today was his first call and he's already to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Praise God! He sounds like he's in great spirits and that God is once again carrying him west.

In checking the weather, it's going to be pretty decent the next week and he should be blessed with 40-50 degree weather...perfect for walking 40 miles a day!

Now that we got all of that out of the way, I wanted to share with you what was really on my heart. You see, on Sunday before his journey, many friends and family members gathered at the Leamings to pray for them and show their support. My wife and I got there a little late as things were winding down but we were blessed to be a part of the closing prayer. I happened to stand next to one of Craig's sons, Joey who is in his mid-20s and living for God. He and his beautiful wife are actually planning on heading to Jamaica at the end of the summer on a 5-year missions journey.

As we slowly went around the circle praying for Craig and Diane, the folks he would meet, revival in the US and more, the prayer time finally reached Joey. Choking back tears, he prayed his heart out for his daddy who Joey mentioned was the perfect example of how to be a father and live faithfully for God. He continued to pray words of affirmation, encouragement and love for his dad.

And as I stood next to Joey gripping him with my arm around his back, I asked God in my heart if I could stand in the same position and hear that from my three sons. God said it was possible if I continued to faithfully live for Him.

That short time in prayer made me realize the impact I have on my beloved children. It made me realize that life is too short and we should NEVER take for granted these blessings bestowed upon us from God. It made me realize the importance of loving and serving my family as Christ came to love and serve the church.

Thanks Joey for the words from your heart. Thanks Craig for living out a life of faith and obedience to God. Thanks Diane for your banana bread. hehe. She's an awesome baker but more importantly a VERY supportive wife and Godly woman! =)

Mission 61

I'm proud of my friends, the Butlers. For the past few months Bill has been painting like a possessed man...possessed by the Holy Spirit. A mutual friend of ours loaned him some space in his warehouse, and Bill quickly converted it into an art studio. During the course of the past few months, he's produced approximately 50 amazing pieces of art work. What's really interesting is that when I looked around the art exhibit last night, it looked like 20 different painters developed these pieces.

Bill developed a style of paint pouring and he let the Holy Spirit guide his hands, producing image after image of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God, the Lion of Judah, the apostles and some abstracts. Honestly, it was the first time in my life in which I felt the presence of God just by being surrounded by these art pieces. They weren't just pieces of art, they were prophetic and alive. They spoke different meanings to different people.

So why sell all of these magnificent pieces? Bill's visual communications firm Thomas Lift is to begin operations creating clothing that glorifies the Lord based on Isaiah 61. The making of the clothing is integral to the entire process. The clothing is not to be made by those who are oppressed and abused. Instead, the clothing will be made by a community of people in Jamaica. By paying these workers fairly and treating them with love and compassion, Thomas Lift will help restore broken lives and communities.

This clothing is to be a blessing to those who wear the clothing as well as to those who make the clothing. 90% of the profits from this clothing will be given back to bless the orphaned & poor in Jamaica, thereby blessing the very communities where the clothing is made.

Last night when the new proud owners began removing their artwork from the wall, I stared at the empty spaces left behind and felt a sudden rush of emotion. I felt like it was symbolic of the Butlers leaving Iowa for Jamaica. As the paintings left the wall and space was created, it felt like I was watching them pack up their belongs and move from their house.

I wish I had a speck of their faith. They are great examples of living faithfully and following their calling. What if more of us lived this way, chasing our dreams and the face of God without fear?

God speed Butlers. I love you guys.

Worship Web Site Idea

For all of my faithful readers (I think there's just one - hi Mom!) I thought I'd let you peek into my brain for a moment. After much prayer, our family recently decided we should lend our support to our satellite church, NorthBranch in the northern suburbs of Des Moines. Despite the30 minute drive, the move has proved to be a blessing to our family. I've taken on the role of worship leader and have been driving the music since the beginning of the year full-time. I've been tasked with developing and growing the worship ministry from the ground up. Thankfully I already have an awesome and anointed band. I could just use some more worship leader types.
As I pick music and build the worship set each week, I take a look at the sermon topic and try to align the music to the subject. Sometimes this proves to be kind of difficult as some of the subjects are either vague or outside the norm. I've been contemplating this dilemma for the past couple of weeks and am pondering developing a worship leader web site that helps worship leaders pick music based upon subjects. (If you already know of a site, please let me know)

So let's say the subject matter is "Why does God allow suffering?" A perfect song for that might be "Sweet River Roll" by one of my favorite bands: Waterdeep.

What if the topic was missions? Then "If We Are the Body" by Casting Crowns might be the song for you.

This kind of site would definitely need to be driven by its users...a.k.a. "consumer generated content" if you're an internet marketing junkie like me. =)

The other part of the site that I would like to incorporate is the ability to let worship leaders build and post their worship sets for their respective services. They could post the songs/artists and write comments about what worked and what didn't work.

I think this would be beneficial to worship leaders because they will likely learn about new worship songs but more importantly learn from the example of others. Plus it would hopefully encourage and support the community of online believers.

I don't think the role of the site would be to post lyrics, chords and mp3s of songs. There are plenty of sites out there that already do that (eg: greatworshipsongs.com).

So if you stumble upon this post and have any insight, I'm all ears.

Thanks for reading!

God bless,
ECC

Studio Time

For Christmas this year, my wife and my champion arranged for some studio time so that I could start recording a worship project. When I opened her gift I was stunned. But after the initial shock wore off, dark thoughts started creeping up in my mind.

I unfortunately listened to the voices which said berating comments like "You're not good enough to record a worship project." and "No one will like what record and what you have to say."

After much thought, I finally realized that these self-confidence voices that I hear have been obstacles in my life that have prevented me from choosing to follow-through on my dreams.

How long have I wanted to record a worship project? I honestly know that I've been talking about it for close to two years. Our sound technician at church offered to help me two years ago, right before I was leaving on a missions trip to Jamaica. At the time I told him I wasn't prepared and that I hoped to use my time in Jamaica to finish some material.

Two years have slipped through my life like water through my hands. It happened so quickly I don't know where the time went. And I sit here with the same thoughts. Am I prepared? Are we ever truly prepared when we're about to embark upon a spiritual journey with God? I hope the answer is no. If we ever truly feel equipped then perhaps we've lost sight of God guiding and leading us through the journey of life.

I feel so ill-equipped in most of my spiritual life.

Do I know the Bible as well as I should? Nope.

Do I pray as much as I should? Nope.

But when I get down to the root of the issue, I find grace and affirmation in God.

Do I love Jesus and want to bring Him glory? Yes.

Do I trust in Jesus that He will lead and guide me in life? Yes.

He is the only compass I have in this journey of recording a worship project. I have to love Him and faithfully trust Him to lead and guide me through the recording process.

The songs are written. It's time to record them.

When Is Jesus Going to Heal Us?

It can be discouraging when God doesn't answer your prayers immediately, especially when your family is hurting from illness. To date this year, we've had pink eye, ear infections, the stomach flu, the regular flu, coughs, colds, etc. You name it, I bet we've had it this year. I even hurt my shoulder shoveling a few weeks ago.

So we've been praying over each other at home. Praying that Jesus, the ultimate healer, would come and make us well again. There's nothing more beautiful than having your four year-olds pray over you. It's so sweet and pure and they truly pray believing it will happen.

I think when your kids get sick, you can get a better understanding of how Jesus feels about us when we are hurting. I would trade places in a minute with my son if I could take his constant cough away from him or with my littlest so he didn't need to get tubes in his ears on Thursday. When they hurt, I hurt. When their hearts are broken, my heart is broken. But in this case, Jesus has given us more than I could ever offer my children: grace and salvation.

While God's word definitely suggests we'll have many hardships to endure, that's kind of a difficult subject to explain to your kids. This morning over breakfast, one of my sons said, "When is Jesus finally going to heal us?"

I couldn't very well quote 2 Corinthians 12 to him which reads, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

But I did tell him, "I think Jesus wants us to keep praying, son."

What did you say?

My friends have been nudging me to blog more, and I always feel this pressure to post something that is stirring and relevant to whoever reads my posts. I feel like I need to always say something that is inspirational and motivating; something that someone is going to write down in their journal and treasure forever. But the problem with that mentality is that it becomes more about me and not about what's relevant to the reader.

You see the reason why I've felt this writer's block when it comes to blogging, is because I am not listening. I'm simply not listening to what God has to say. If I am going to devote time weekly to blogging, then I need to be purposeful in asking and praying, "God, what do you want to say this week through me?" And then I need to spend some time listening to what He has to say.

I kind of stumbled upon this revelation this morning after some accountability and coffee time with some friends from church. I felt like God had been saying specifically about accountability time, "Ask (name withheld to protect the innocent) what's really on his heart and what God's been saying to him." I didn't have to this morning because he came forward and answered my question before I could ask it.

My beautiful wife gave me the best Christmas present on record this year. She arranged for some studio time so that I could lay down some tracks to a few songs I've been working on. My dream for so many years has been to record a project that would hopefully bless people who listen. But with that dream comes the pressure of writing material that's moving and worthy of placing my name on it.

As I was driving into work, I realized that I hadn't been faithful in listening to God recently on this stuff. I have had writer's block when it came to blogging and more recently I've been in a desert when it comes to writing music. And the biggest reason is because of my lack of listening. God inspires 99% of my music and when He doesn't, it's not normally very good anyway. After this revelation in the car this morning, words, lyrics and melodies started flowing in head. I wanted to pull over and write down these surfacing thoughts and ideas. I pulled out my journals when I got into work today and will probably noodle for a while now as long as I stay true to listening.

Are you listening? What are you hearing?

2007 Manifesto

One of my favorite ministry creatives, Mark Batterson, is the Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC (www.theaterchurch.com) which meets in movie theaters. On his site, Evotional.com, he recently posted a 2007 manifesto during a series called "Chase the Lion" based upon a recent book he wrote. I loved what he had to say so I decided to share this with you.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Grab life by the mane. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion!

Where's Jesus?

Sometimes I will walk the halls of my place of employment or the downtown skywalk, asking God to reveal himself to me. Many times, I see Jesus walking along side or trailing people as they hurry to their next meeting or appointment.

Today as I was walking over to grab some lunch from our cafeteria, I asked God to reveal himself. In the short time that it took me to trek over to our dining hall, I saw Jesus with almost every person I encountered.

Sometimes Jesus was hurrying along trying to keep up in someone's busy life.

Another time Jesus was trying to hold the hand of a woman who needed to feel his touch.

Jesus was trying to scoop up another person and carry her in his arms.

A threesome approached and I felt the presence of God in their lives and I saw a vision of a cross across the chest of one of the nice man's sweaters. Jesus was huddled with these three with arms around all of them.

When I walked into the elevator to return to my floor, I was processing the various times I saw him chasing after his beloved children. And then I thought to myself, "Where's Jesus in your life, Erik?" And he was standing beside me, tapping me on the shoulder trying to get my attention.

Confession Is Good

I will admit that my prayer life flourishes when I am worshipping. That's always been my form of prayer that most resonates with me. I have a difficult time humbling myself, bending my knees and pressing my face into the dirt. Granted, I definitely need to discipline myself more to do this.

My wife and I were recently talking about the need to go deeper in our confessions to God. I find that if we're in the middle of an argument, my tendency is to ask God to help me get over my feelings of anger instead of confessing and repenting of my sin while apologizing to my bride.

The past few weeks at KHOP I have felt very numb when we've worshipped. While the rest of the crew has been into the worship a bit, I feel like I haven't been very authentic up there and have been just giving God lip service. I don't want to stand before God as a bumbling idiot. I want to stand before him, worshipping him with my whole heart.

Yesterday I confessed these feelings to one of my worship partners and he expressed the same insight to his feelings. I'm not sure if it's because of our confessions last night but it was extremely easy to make it through the 2-hour set...even without a prayer leader. Praise God.

Last night was one of those nights in which God laid several choruses and songs on our heart. It's normally a good sign when we only make it through 2-3 songs as opposed to 8...and last night was no exception. Praise God (again).

The Public Library

So today I ran over to the Des Moines Public Library to pick up a book called "Boundaries With Kids" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. I asked my wife what she wants for Christmas and she said for me to read this book. Man, I love her!

So I was looking up some Christian authors and I found myself checking out the bottom shelf of books. On my knees, I spy a book entitled "Falling In Love with Jesus" by Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli. I smiled realizing I was in a position of humility and prayer, on my knees in the middle of this huge library. "This is definitely one way to fall in love with Him," I thought to myself...

Alpha in the Workplace

I was incredibly blessed to be invited by our Adult Ministries team at church to a recent Alpha in the Workplace conference at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Lakeville, Minnesota. Lately I have been enveloped in thought as to what it means to be salt and light, especially in the marketplace. I think ultimately it means to show love to your fellow neighbor or colleague, walk with them through life, share the Gospel with them...and when necessary use words. But this course is a more purposeful outreach to your fellow employees.

What is Alpha?

The Alpha course is an opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed,
non-threatening manner over ten, thought-provoking weekly sessions.

A nyone interested in finding out more about the Christian faith. Adults of all ages are welcome.
L earning and laughter. It is possible to learn about the Christian faith and to have fun at the same time.
P eople meeting together. An opportunity to get to know others and to make new friends.
H elping one another. The small groups give you a chance to discuss issues raised during the talks.
A sk anything. Alpha is a place where no question is seen as too simple or too hostile.

When I arrived at the church Thursday morning, I was purposeful about getting into one of the vans in which I didn't know anyone. We were going to be traveling for several hours so I wanted to make a point of connecting with some new brothers and sisters. It was a blessing to share in fellowship, conversation and trail mix for the four hour drive to the Twin Cities.

I was surprised by the small attendance at this particular event, but appreciated the opportunity to network with other folks from various churches and businesses around the country. Again, I grabbed a chair at a table next to some ladies I had never met before. After a brief introduction, I learned that their boss had flown them up from Edmond, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) to learn more about Alpha. They were interested in introducing this course to their employees.

Our conversation was truly interesting and it sounded like this:

OK Lady: So, do y'all pray before your meetings at work?
Me: Excuse me? Did you ask if we pray before our meetings?
OK Lady #1: Yeah, don't you pray before your meetings?
Me: (Choking on a cookie) Actually it's a very secular work environment. Because we're a Fortune 500 company, we're very "tolerant" (doing the hand gesture) of diversity but in respect of everyone's beliefs we don't practice that.
OK Lady #2: Well you know Erik, someday we'll all have to stand before the Lord and answer to him.
Me: (silence)

Thankfully the programming started but I learned later:
1. They pray after their monthly employee town meetings
2. They have an on-site chaplain that prays for employees, does hospital visits, etc.
3. The company tithes 10% of its profits
4. All of upper management is Christians and they continually pray to God for guidance and wisdom
5. There are PLENTY of opportunities to learn about Jesus and the Gospel including several classes and Bible studies
6. They have never been sued but HR has certainly had lots of conversations with employees

Our conversations definitely made me pause and appreciate their situation. It would be amazing to open up our meetings at work in prayer. However, we do have lots of opportunities to get plugged into various ministries at work including Bible studies, prayer groups, book clubs, etc.

The guest speakers were awesome, however after several hours my thinking shifted from "This is going to be pretty easy to implement" to "Wow. We're really going to need to get on our knees and pray about this. There's a ton of planning to do to ensure this is seamless and impactful for our colleagues so that God can do his thing."

Thankfully, I have a partner-in-crime at work and she and I are going to meet tomorrow to pray and dialogue about next steps so please keep us in your prayers.

Hosanna did an amazing job or putting together this conference. There was great worship, hospitality, presentations, and prayer. At the time, I had really been under the weather and had been experiencing horrible fatigue, dizziness, a rapid heart and more. I came forward during prayer time and let a gentleman lay hands on me and pray for my health in addition to God preparing the way here in Des Moines. I felt a rush of blackness leave my body and it was the first time in my life I thought I was going to fall over.

Lastly, the highlight of the event was meeting singer/songwriter and amazing worship leader: Tim Hughes. He was rehearsing for the main Alpha conference the next day and I was blessed to catch a couple of songs (Blessed Be Your Name and Beautiful One, which he wrote). After the conference I sought him out and thanked him for blessing me with his music and allowing God to work through him. Needless to say, I've kind of been on a Tim Hughes kick ever since. A site I stumbled on that I should pass along to you is WorshipCentral.org. Not only is there some great content on the site, there's some awesome songs they've posted.

Please keep Alpha in the Workplace in your prayers and especially here in Des Moines. I have a feeling that this could be a spark that could fan into flames...a passion for His name...uniting the Church here in Des Moines and spreading the everlasting love of Jesus Christ in the workplace in my company and several, several others.

Who's Your Neighbor?

Sometimes it's lonely in the corporate world especially as a Christian. It's not like we're branded believers versus non-believers so I can automatically connect with my brothers and sisters in the marketplace. I think this is a good reminder to live a radical life for Jesus, even in the workplace by modeling and living by the fruits of the Spirit. People will eventually catch-on.

A good indication is when people swear around you. Once they figured out you're living for Jesus, they normally apologize when they swear. Maybe not always when they are taking the Lord's name in vain, which is more offensive to me, but sometimes.

Yesterday I held the elevator for an unaware colleague of mine, who was busy stuffing confidential documents into the shredding bin. She hurried in and we exchanged the normal pleasantries. Normally we wouldn't have much in common so she hurried a few steps in front of me as we exited the building, following the same route to our cars. This time she turned back and said, "Do you lead worship at KHOP on Tuesday nights?"

Surprised by the connection, I responded, "Yeah, do you go to Elim Christian Fellowship for the Bible study on Tuesdays?" It lead into a bigger discussion about her experiences at Elim and KHOP. But I walked up the dreary hill to my car with a smile on face knowing I made a connection with another Christian on fire for Jesus.

Matthew 18:20 reads, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

God didn't want us to be alone. He gave Adam, Eve. Jesus had 12 disciples. They were companions, partners, buddies, brothers and sisters. It's the same way in the marketplace. God wants us to connect with other Christians in the workplace. After all, we spend SO much time together, why not make it pleasing and fruitful to God?

Web 2.0

So I found some cool Web 2.0 tools online including Meez.com, where I designed a 3D version of myself. Check it out...

When God Gives You a Voice

Now let me praise the keeper of Heaven's kingdom,

the might of the Creator, and his thought,
the work of the Father of glory, how each of wonders
the Eternal Lord established in the beginning.
He first created for the sons of men
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator,
then Middle-earth the keeper of mankind,
the Eternal Lord, afterwards made,
the earth for men, the Almighty Lord.

From Wikipedia:

Caedmon (IPA: [kaedmɒn]) is the earliest English poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon herdsman attached to the double monastery of Streonaeshalch (Whitby Abbey) during the abbacy of St. Hilda (657–681), he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but supposedly learned to compose one night in the course of a dream. He later became a zealous monk and an accomplished and inspirational religious poet.

Caedmon is one of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets identified in medieval sources, and one of only three for whom both roughly contemporary biographical information and examples of literary output have survived.[1] His story is related in the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastical History of the English People") by St. Bede who wrote, "There was in the Monastery of this Abbess a certain brother particularly remarkable for the Grace of God, who was wont to make religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much sweetness and humility in English, which was his native language. By his verse the minds of many were often excited to despise the world, and to aspire to heaven."

Caedmon's only known surviving work is Caedmon's Hymn, the nine-line alliterative vernacular praise poem in honour of God he supposedly learned to sing in his initial dream. The poem is one of the earliest attested examples of Old English and is, with the runic Ruthwell Cross and Franks Casket inscriptions, one of three candidates for the earliest attested example of Old English poetry. It is also one of the earliest recorded examples of sustained poetry in a Germanic language.

Bede's account

The sole source of original information about Caedmon's life and work is Bede's Historia ecclesiastica.[2] According to Bede, Caedmon was a lay brother who worked as a herdsman at the monastery Streonaeshalch (now known as Whitby Abbey). One evening, while the monks were feasting, singing, and playing a harp, Caedmon left early to sleep with the animals because he knew no songs. While asleep, he had a dream in which "someone" (quidem) approached him and asked him to sing principium creaturarum, "the beginning of created things." After first refusing to sing, Caedmon subsequently produced a short eulogistic poem praising God as the creator of heaven and earth.

Upon awakening the next morning, Caedmon remembered everything he had sung and added additional lines to his poem. He told his foreman about his dream and gift and was taken immediately to see the abbess. The abbess and her counsellors asked Caedmon about his vision and, satisfied that it was a gift from God, gave him a new commission, this time for a poem based on “a passage of sacred history or doctrine”, by way of a test. When Caedmon returned the next morning with the requested poem, he was ordered to take monastic vows. The abbess ordered her scholars to teach Caedmon sacred history and doctrine, which after a night of thought, Bede records, Caedmon would turn into the most beautiful verse. According to Bede, Caedmon was responsible for a large oeuvre of splendid vernacular poetic texts on a variety of Christian topics.

After a long and zealously pious life, Caedmon died like a saint: receiving a premonition of death, he asked to be moved to the abbey’s hospice for the terminally ill where, having gathered his friends around him, he expired just before nocturns.

Time to Sit Down?

My father-in-law surprised me a few years ago at Christmas with a decent Yamaha "Portatone" keyboard. While he knew I loved music, I really didn't have a clue how to play it.

When I was in grade school, my folks attempted to introduce me to the piano unsuccessfully. I just wanted ready for it yet. Maybe if they had only waited 26 years, they would have gotten their money's worth.

In high school, I found a creative outlet in the piano and began feeling my way around the keys. I had no idea what the chords were I was playing, but I was dangerous enough to make up songs primarily about high school romance and puppy love.

My knowledge of the piano quickly faded away, especially when I gingerly took up the guitar in my 20s. Little did I know that playing the guitar would help me feel my way around the keys of this piano again.

This keyboard has gotten some use over the past couple of years, but lately I have been playing the guitar and prodding around on the keyboard forming the chords. I am dangerous enough to be able to pick up most worship songs and fake it. It is a little difficult to develop any sort of rhythm although I'm slowly improving.

But music has been given a new life through this learning process. You could definitely say that as I am typing this at 1:05 AM after spending the last three hours playing the guitar and piano.

I think Misty Edwards has given me inspiration in wanting to learn how to play. Apparently when she took the call at International House of Prayer, she only knew a few chords. After her set, she ran out of the prayer room and said she would never do it again. Another missionary there chased after her, encouraged her, and prophesied over her. God breathed life into those fingers and into her lungs and now she sings and plays like an angel. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is.

Then there's Bill who keeps sending me the story of Caedmon...and that, my friends I will post tomorrow.

God's Music

I started a little home improvement project at home over the weekend. I'm painting what we've dubbed "The Dorm Room," and it's transforming into a warm, inviting room. I spent a great deal of time over the weekend sanding and priming the paneled walls. On Sunday, I was able to knock out a bunch of the painting.

Last night I determined it needed another coat so I got started after the kids went to bed. After my wife called it a night, I tuned into the IHOP webcast and was blessed to have caught Luke Wood's worship set, who is one of my favorite worship leaders. He spent the entire two hour set play D - G - D2/F# - G over and over and over. As simple as it was, it was an incredible blessing. I sat down at my computer to take a break, listening to the chords resonate in my ears. I opened up Biblegateway.org and navigated to Psalm 46 and began breaking down the scripture into lyrics and a melody. Truthfully, it came easily as I was inspired by the music I was already listening to. I finished about half the song and decided that I'd work on it the following day, resuming my painting.

It's unseasonably warm here and despite my high powered fan motoring a cool breeze throughout the room, my utility light kept it pretty toasty downstairs. At one point in the night, I found myself on my knees trimming above the baseboards. I was uncomfortably warm and sweating, yet I was reminded of Mary sitting at Jesus' feet. My guess is the music had something to do with that vision but it was easy to ignore my discomfort because of the subtle reminder of a Savior who loves me.

As soon as Luke's set was over, Clay Edwards transitioned into worship and began playing some recognizable chords in the key of "E" on the piano. Something stirred in me and God captured my attention. Clay was singing the exact same melody to a song about Psalm 121 we wrote down at KHOP several weeks ago. Despite the difference in lyrics, the melody was exactly the same down to the chorus and lyrics. Instead of singing "Hallelujah" over and over as we do in the chorus, Clay was repeating "Jesus".

This was a reminder to me that the music that pours from my heart and soul is not my own. It's on borrowed time from God who surgically implants it when I am focused on Him alone, when the Holy Spirit is on the move.