Blog

If you're in ministry, what are you passionate about? Learning? Musical excellence? Cool technology and gadgets? Stage time? Good singing voice? Or is your passion found in the people around you - the people that God has called you to minister to? My passion is in my volunteers. Nothing thrills me more than to get volunteers plugged in so they are able to play, sing, run technology, and do it to the best of their ability. God has called them to a specific purpose, and it thrills me to no end to be able to join them as they spend…

This should be entitled "15 Reasons to already own a MAC." Here's an article about all the great new things that Microsoft Vista will do. The funny thing is, it's what MAC has been doing for years now. Don't spend the $300 to upgrade to a buggy Vista. Buy a MAC.

I updated the list of SOME of the music that we do here at OMPC.

The Fray, David Gray, Elton, Bruce, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Rush, Dave Matthews, OdieMcCool, Blue Merle, The Doobie Brothers, Aerosmith, U2, Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Aaron Shust, Coldplay, Nichole Nordeman, Chris Tomlin, John Mark McMillan, Joshua Radin, Imogen Heap, MuteMath, The Album Leaf, Sigur Ros, The Churchills, Cary Brothers, Toad the Wet Sprocket. I'm having a Scrubs music thing going on . . .

First off, I get paid to do what I love to do. It's absolutely amazing. I wake up every day, and get to come to work - which is completely involved in music, and that music is directed in worship towards Christ. So what a blessing - to be able to do exactly what I want to be doing, and making a living at it.Last night's rehearsal was incredible. I love the people that I get to serve with. I don't think they know that, or appreciate how much I mean it, but I really do. Last night started off…

It is radical, and you've got to want it. It's not something that you can stumble into, and something that you can perform your way into missing. It's called us to be real and honest, and called us away from the intuitive - work harder so you can make it. Do more good things. What an incredible sermon this morning. You see, for those who know Christ, God's grace is inescapable. You can't run, you can't hide. When it comes to our sin, our failures, our own performance, trying to "do good" - we'll constantly fail. But our Father is…

I don't talk much during worship. I give a greeting, and dismissal. Sometimes I'll respond to a quip from one of our pastors from the pulpit, but other than the occasional prayer, or leading a responsive reading, creed, or confession, I don't talk much. It's just not my thing. If you take a look at the text that we're injesting during a Sunday morning - the hymns, the choruses, and the preaching of the word, what more needs to be added? Nothing. Think about the inspiration of a song writer - whether it be a hymn writer from the 18th…

I've been reading a few disturbing blogs the past couple of days. I still don't understand people who are offensive for the sake of being offensive - and actually making it a part of their mission in life - Finding out what buttons to press, and pressing it. So as I'm reading these posts, I find people being offensive, again, for the sake of being offensive, and trying to disguise it as the Gospel. Is that what the Gospel is calling us to? Sharing our opinions regardless of who we're hurting? Is the Gospel calling us to proclaim hatred for…

I can't stand it. But I do like the first two weeks. And I really appreciate Simon!

So I revisited the Top 25 List on CCLI's website. You can view the list HEREI continue to be amazed at the number of old songs still very high on the top 25. There are so many artists now writing really great tunes, also taking old hymn texts and rewriting tunes. I think it's time we expand our repertoire and include some of the greater artists of THIS decade. By the way - Check out Ross Parsley. Not Rod, but Ross. He's written some great worship tunes. Heartfelt lyrics, and moving, easy-to-sing melodies. He has a project out called "I…