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Please Come Home – a new Kids Musical

My wife has been doing kids choirs/kids worship for over 18 years. She's an expert at it. I've seen her, in the past, go into churches for week long music camps, and within that week, transform their kids from a hodge-podge group into a unified choir. She's spending time teaching them, not only about music, but about using their gifts for His glory. She's teaching (without them "knowing" it) breath work, pitch, breathing, balance, and other fundamentals about choir, and singing. And i've watched kids under her influence go on to use their gifts in big ways - both later…
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Monday Morning Recap for Sunday – Feb 20, 2011

What a great day yesterday. Bob finished his Gospel Pipeline series - next week he'll be preaching on the power of affirmation...We opened yesterday morning with I Will Sing.After our call to worship we sang Everlasting God - in the style of Anthony Evans, You Alone Can Rescue, Your Name, and Amazing Grace (Chains are Gone).Our offering song was passion's Awakening.We continue in choir with our preparation for Palm Sunday - April 17. Never too late to join. Wednesday nights from 6-7.
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Friday Favorites 2.18.11

1. Favorite Runway show ever -[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQdnSyR-_1k?rel=0&w=451&h=250]2. Favorite - certainly you've seen this already - [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUs7iG1mNjI?rel=0&w=451&h=250]3. Favorite Superbowl Commercial - Love it! "ozzy's in the background..."[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k52bxMjQnso?rel=0&w=451&h=250]4. Favorite Marching Band Show - I marched all four years of high school - one of the best high school experiences ever. THIS is awesome...[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuKQ5aUopYs?rel=0&w=451&h=250]5. Favorite line from upcoming Sunday morning worship service - "like the rising sun that shines, from the darkness comes a light, I hear Your voice and this is my awakening"
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I don't have a gift to bring…

One of my vocalists, a dear friend - that sings on praise team quite often, was told in high school (by an ill-informed chemistry teacher) that she shouldn't ever sing. It scarred her, probably permanently, and affects the way she views worship, singing, participation in ministry, and bringing her gifts before the Lord. What a tragedy - that the enemy can use a chemistry teacher, in high school, to distract someone from bringing a truly sweet gift to the table, to be used for God's glory.There's a movement in the church - just starting out, of artists (creatives - photographers,…
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Monday Morning Recap for Sunday – Feb 13, 2011

Great sermon on Gospel Assertion - don't be a lopsided snowman... We opened yesterday with Let Your Kingdom Come - it's the 3rd week in a row that we've done that song. I supposed folks may be tired of it by now. After our call to worship we sang Awesome is the Lord Most High, Immortal Invisible, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and The Stand (Hillsong). Our offering song was Passion's version of Take My Life. During Communion, Jenny sang Make Something Beautiful. Choir sings next week. Never too late to join choir. Come give it a shot!
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Friday Favorites 2.11.11

1. Favorite DUH! - Apparently this guy tried to break into a bakery - and, through the skylight, fell into a locked room. This is surveillance footage of his attempted escape. He's turned himself into the police... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T8KOCQii4I?rel=0&w=451&h=250] 2. Favorite Vocalise - Gotta love it. http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=100532462,t=1,mt=video 3. Favorite Counseling Session - Showed this in church a few years ago. Love it. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYLMTvxOaeE?rel=0&w=451&h=250] 4. Favorite - I don't even know what to say here... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0UC1bJ7h6s?rel=0&w=451&h=250]
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People that hate you…

This post is really only for other church leadership, mainly other music ministers/worship pastors/chief musicians..."How do you feel about the people that hate you?"O'Reilly asked this question of President Obama a few nights ago - moments before some professional sporting contest...The President kinda laughed off the question - but I thought he had a great response - "the people that hate me don't know me."Made me start thinking about my own ministry, and the ministries of my peers - what do we do with people that hate (or insert other word) us? Where does our security lie? With whom does…
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Monday Morning Recap for Sunday – Feb 6, 2011

Bob was back in the pulpit yesterday - iChurch was the sermon...great message. Be sure and check it out on iTunes.We opened yesterday with Come Ye Sinners. By far my favorite line "if you tarry, until you're better, you will never come at all."After our call to worship we sang Arise, Filled with Your Glory, Break Through, and How Firm a Foundation.Our offering song was a new (to oak mountain) song called Saviour King. Our 2011 Faith Promise Pledge song was Let Your Kingdom Come (sovereign grace).
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Friday Favorites 2.4.11

1. Favorite "i just threw up in my mouth a little bit" - I'm not sure what's more tragic - that someone actually wrote this song and is selling it on iTunes, or that this is being done in church...[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMepzqJvIw?rel=0&w=451&h=250]2. Favorite "I still love technology?..."http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=wabc&section=&mediaId=7621105&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=3. Favorite Pet playing the piano - I may sound like this if I don't get over this cold by Sunday...[funnyordie id=aa7ebcb463 width=450 height=251]4. Favorite SuperBowl promo - Again - from Tripp and Tyler, created a couple years ago - with Jerome Bettis.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eBpUDX851Q?rel=0&w=451&h=250]5. Favorite line from upcoming Sunday's worship set - "You are brighter…
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Time to create?

I taught last week at a conference for church planters. Guys (and gals) from all over the country, spanning 20 different denominations, in all different stages of church planting. One of the parts of my talk is finding "the guy" to lead the worship ministry. In laying out "suggested criteria" i mentioned that he/she needs to be creative. Regardless of WHAT they're doing to create (writing music (or words or poetry or narrative), painting, drawing, blogging, videographing (that's just NOT a word), photography - "the guy" needs to be setting aside intentional time to create - every week. I saw…
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