spent some pretty meaningful time here
morning worship - Jeff Johnson
inspired by the "be the change" author
a little crowder worship...
so i am in atlanta this week at the national youth workers convention. it's a weird mix...part training, part vacation, part free stuff, part connecting, part frustrating and a whole bunch of god just showing up and dealing with me. so far this has been the experience...much walking, close talkers in the exhibit hall, andy stanley, the astounding waste of promotional materials, jared hall, 11:30 am wake up (nice treat after 14 months of getting up @ 7 with the baby), feelings of empowerment/inadequacy/conviction/ inspiration, the desperation band, the georgia aquarium, a really different feeling about being away from my family (baby changes everything) and currently the dog whisperer on my hotel tv.
ever feel like this is a really tough call? i love my sleep as much as the next guy...beyond that it makes me wonder why this rings so true with my own perceptions of our church-going culture. does the commentary lie with the church or the go-er? are "we" (read: institutional church) presenting christ in a way that draws us from our slumber?
today was a good day in the petty realm of the consumer...at least in the world of this petty consumer. i decided to make the jump into the world of geekdom, bypass the cool factor of the iphone and go straight to a new smart phone called the palm centro. the decision was easy because of the cost of the iphone, the process of getting said phone was a bit of a struggle.
Here we are
Here we are
The broken and used
Mistreated, abused
Here we are
Here You are
Here You are
The beautiful one
Who came like a Son
Here You are
So we lift up our voices
We open our hands
To cling to the love
That we can’t comprehend
Oh, lift up your voices
And lift up your heads
To sing of the love
That has freed us from sin
He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who embraced us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy
What teens expect most when it comes to churches is to worship or make a connection with God, a new Barna study showed.
Other important things they look for in a church include spending time with close friends (34 percent); getting encouraged or inspired (34 percent); and volunteering to help others (30 percent). Expectations teens prioritized as less important were learning about prayer (26 percent); listening to religious teaching (26 percent); participating in discussions regarding religion and faith (23 percent); being mentored or coached in spiritual development (21 percent); discovering the traditions of their faith (20 percent); participating in a study class about faith (19 percent); and studying the Bible (18 percent).
Most teens also prefer a church that teaches how their faith should influence everyday decisions and lifestyle rather than one that teaches the traditions and background of their faith (39 percent vs. 16 percent, respectively). At the same time, 45 percent said they would not care for either type of church.
btw...rebekah and sarah amaze me with their blog reading skillsbb
so it's been a few days since i last posted. basically i have been hanging out with the 3rd crowd, doing some midweek stuff, watched the gators really stink it up, went to a jv football game, spent tons of time with the little human we call ayla, and spent copious (great word btw) amounts of time listening, processing, feeling and being consumed by the new David Crowder Band release "remedy".Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something
Oh, the world’s about to change
The whole world’s about to change
surely we can change, remedy - DCB
