Cool Videos

Within the last couple of weeks our worship band, The Pulse, has been posting some new videos of our live worship from Vineville North over at our myspace page. I've got another new one that's getting posted today. If you are interested in checking out our band a little, you can visit www.myspace.com/pulseworship to see our vids. We have one that's on the homepage...all the others are in our "videos" section.

If you dig it, let us know what you think. If you don't...just keep that to yourself. Hah!

Later,
Johnny

Great Day...

Well after taking a couple of days off from blogging I figured that I needed to get back in here and type one out. This morning we had an awesome worship time. It was a great set list, the band was smokin', but above all we met with God Almighty. There's something almost unbelievable about the fact that when we gather in Christ's name, He is actually there in our midst. The fact that our God comes and dwells with us as we praise Him blows my mind. It's not like we're just singing songs to some far off God in a distant universe somewhere. God is actually there.

With that in mind, everything we sang today was from the "us to God" perspective. We started by establishing our recognition of His holiness, power, and majesty with "God of Wonders". We then expressed our gratitude and humble awe for Him with "You Alone". And finally we declared our dependence on Him with Charlie Hall's "All We Need".

I am so grateful for the group of guys I worship with every Sunday. They are so dedicated and "on the same page" with me and I love them very much. Matt, Marshall, Charlie, and Ben ... Thank you. It wouldn't be near as much fun without you guys. And, our Tech/Media crew are absolutely the most talented, creative, professional group I've ever worked with. Bass, Wall, Russ, Tim, Terry, Dennis, Wes, and all the rest of you Rock my socks off.

Thank You God for a great day.
j

Long to Worship

Man. I'm sitting here tonight full of thanksgiving and recognition of who God is in my life. I wish I could crank up my guitar and just start belting out praise. Not for a service, not to lead anyone, but just to sing at the top of my lungs to my God, my Father, my Savior, and my Friend. The worship inside is wanting to bust loose. I'm a little confined because I'm at home, it's late, and the family is sleeping. But my heart is full. God, I love You. Thank You for letting me know You. Here's my song to You tonight God:

When every word of every language completely fades away
And the earth itself stops from spinning ‘round
The essence of my heart and soul will resonate your praise
And the glory of your name will still resound

‘Cause the day you touched my heart
It began to sing along
With all of creation
In that ancient worship song…

Saying, Holy Holy…Lord God Almighty
And worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Honor and Glory …to the Great I Am
And this can never end…
‘Cause my Lord You’re always the same

The tongues of men can not express the power of Your love
And our songs alone could never be enough
So our lives must sing a silent song that echoes without words
And tells of the wondrous things that You have done

Surrender

Surrender... Total surrender to God's will for your life. Sounds glamorous and spiritual doesn't it. "I'm just surrendered to whatever God wants to do". I'm sure I've said it a thousand times before. But how glamorous and easy is that statement when you find yourself enduring something you don't want to endure. What happens when your "surrender" leads you into a firey furnace. What happens when God asks you to wait...patiently wait.

It's hard. That's what. Or as my drummer would say, "Dass wassup". I feel sort of like I'm sure my little boy feels when he asks for a cookie right before dinner and I tell him "no". He knows that cookies in general are o.k. 'cause I've given them to him before. And he's hungry so surely daddy will feed me. But knowing what's best for him I say No or Not right now. He doesn't like it. Sometimes he even gets a little fussy about it. I don't expect my 2 year old to act all giddy when I tell him no. I don't expect him to look at me and say "Ok Dad...No problem...I feel great about your decision." I simply expect him to obey...not lash out at me or his mother...and eat what I have prepared for him.

So I don't like it. I'm even a little fussy. But today I'm sitting in my high-chair with my bibb on eating what God has prepared for me. Today it's a plate full of valuable stuff. There's a good portion of patience, a side of humility, and a little pile of "trust me". I can see on the counter the sweet yet small portion of encouragement dessert...He even let me lick the spoon from it after I calmed down from my "cookie" fit.

God is always good. He is my Father. He knows what I need and when I need it.

God, help me rest in that.
johnny

In a groove

It's been just over two weeks now since the "healthy again" journey began. I'm feeling great. I'm in a good groove with going to the gym at least 3 times each week. I'm eating more healthy foods and have more energy than I've had in a long time. God has truly been with me through the hardest part of this process, which is getting started and developing new habits. During my toughest times of temptation, either to eat something that violates my new plan or to be lazy and not work out, I keep hearing God say, "I'll sustain you". And He does.

Thank You God for loving me enough to convict me, caring for me enough to help me, and believing in me enough to stay with me.

johnny

A cool day

Well this morning was different in a cool way. This morning we changed up our instrumentation and style a little for worship. Instead of 3 guitars driving out a "big" sound, I led from the piano and had Marshall, my rythm guru, play acoustic. Of course, we had bass and drums. It was cool. It was a simpler, more laid back type of feel that was refreshing. It seemed that the church responded well, too.

Also, tonight was a lot of fun at MORE, our college/young adult service. Me, Marshall, and Matt (Bass player) had a great time leading worship at the meeting and then Marshall and I spent some time hanging out with the group at a Mexican restaurant afterwards.

Altogether, it was just a really fun, different, refreshing sort of day where we encountered God through fellowship, worship, and prayer.

Thanks God for a really cool day.

johnny

Ready to Worship

It's Saturday night. Tomorrow morning I'll be worshipping with my church family at 9 and 10:30 and I just have to say that I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to serving as a guide for our church during our time together. I know that as we sing together, pray together, and fellowship together in Christ's name that God will be in our midst. What a blessed hope and wonderful promise from our Creator.

God, help us to sense your presence when we walk through the doors of the church. Help us to sense the freedom we have to worship You openly. Clean our hands and hearts so that our offerings will be acceptable to You. Above all be glorified, exalted, and magnified God.

Johnny

What are we doing?

It seems that we (church leaders) are limiting people from doing the very thing that we say we are equipping them for. Let me explain. In your church, the type of person that most people would point to as the "model christian" are the ones that are at the church every time a meeting is called. They're a "dedicated" christian because they show up for every regularly scheduled meeting. And, there are a LOT of regularly scheduled meetings. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to imply that dedication and love for God's house is a bad thing. Here's my point. We recognize our "best" christians as those who show up around 100 or so times a year for meetings. And we get All Excited when 12 of our 600 men go ONCE A YEAR and help habitat for humanity, or go feed the homeless, or go help some elderly people cut their grass. Isn't that ratio off a little?

What are we non-verbally saying? Shouldn't our people be doing the work of ministry rather than just showing up for pep talks? As church leaders, why do we limit people from doing the very thing we say we're equipping them to do by scheduling so many meetings and expecting them to be at all of them? Why do we give in to the consumer mentality of the majority of the people that show up each week? What are we doing?

Will this ever change? Will church leaders do something radical like schedule less "teaching" and spend more time mobilizing people so that they can be fully "trained"?

You know, it would be crazy for me to try to teach a kid to hit a baseball by limiting his training to book reading, inspirational pep talks, and watching baseball on television. In order to effectively train a kid to hit a ball...you've got to take him out in the yard, hand him a bat, stand behind him and help him swing a little, and eventually throw a ball at him.

Yet somehow we expect that if we gather our people together often enough, inspire them enough, and pray enough that they'll magically know how to share their faith and minister to those around them. By the time our people work their jobs, have quality family time, and show up at all our meetings, they don't even have time left to go and serve. Even if they had time, they don't have the emotional energy to do it.

We seem to still be chasing after bigger programs, buildings, and other "bait" forgetting that the most effective bait out there is the impact of the Gospel on someone's life. Someone encountering Christ through the personal touch of another human's sacrificial servanthood is by far the most effective way to impact their life. We know that. We just don't prioritize it. I love "big church". So, don't get me wrong. But, are we just building big shiny boats and hoping that fish will come jump in? Or are we building sea-worthy boats and training our fisherman how to get in the water with their nets and catch some fish. That kind of fishing is smelly business. Are we up for it? Really?

I'm itching for it. While I can personally continue to mentor, coach, and disciple people within my sphere of influence, I'd love to see more intentionality from organized churches on this. What would it look like if our churches started using Wednesday night or Sunday night to mobilize the congregation into the neighborhood to feed people, pray with people, cut people's grass...etc.?

I know this sounds really sharp, or on edge. But it's what's going through my mind and heart tonight as I meditate and pray.

johnny

Nothing to say

Well here I am sitting down to type out whatever is "most" on my mind from the day's activities and I must say, "I have nothing to say". It's sorta weird. Any of you who know me would understand how wierd that is. I usually can't keep my mouth shut. But I'm finding myself at the end of a fairly uneventful day just happy to be a dad, husband, and minister. So that's it. No big stories. No funny quotes from the day. Just good night I reckon.

later,
Johnny

Eeyore on the Moon

This morning my wife and I were watching the new show "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" with our little boy Cooper. In this particular episode the friends found a rock that looked like the little sliver of the moon that was currently missing in the sky. So they built a rocket ship out of a box...rigged up a big slingshot...and off to the moon they went in order to "repair" the moon. Of course, they only made it just over the hill and were still in the hundred acre wood...but what happened next is what caught my attention.

First, Tigger started jumping around and said, "Yes...we are on the moon...look how much higher I can jump!". Within moments Eeyore...the depressed one who never smiles or moves...starts dancing. That's right Eeyore was Dancing! Pooh and Tigger were initially worried and asked Eeyore what he was doing. He just smiled and answered, "I guess the moon just makes me feel all happy".

I thought this was the perfect example of how our perspective of things will affect our attitudes, our outlook, and ultimately even our actions. Did Eeyore's circumstances change any? Was he in a different world? Or did he choose deep down to view his current location as exciting, fun, and worth dancing about?

How are you viewing your current circumstances? I pray today that I'll have a greater resolve to view mine through God's eyes and with His perspective because everything He does works out for the good for those who love and serve Him.

Thanks Eeyore for opening my eyes a little today.

Lead A Horse To Water

All my life I've heard people say that "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink". I don't believe this is true. I understand the basis of whoever originally coined the phrase. The point is that you can't "make" people do the things you want them to do. However, I feel that this mentality or even philosophy for some has become an excuse to not lead well. It seems to minimalize leaders' responsibility to lead effectively as some think that their job is simply to make a decision and it's up to chance as to whether or not people buy into their decision and follow them. So that way, if people don't follow it's not their fault because "everyone knows that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink!"

So here's my adaptation of this quote: You can lead a horse to water and he'll drink if you make him thirsty on the way there. I believe that it's the leader's responsibility not just to spot water (or a needed change). But, rather, it should be their responsibility to investigate and plan for every aspect of the journey to the watering hole, including the physical and emotional condition of said horse, current location, timing, and the current trust level of the horse with the leader altogether.

Ok, I'm going to stop the horse talk and just focus on people now. I believe it's time for leaders to take a good look at these things before attempting to implement change. In order for us to effectively lead people through Positive Change we must consider the current morale, trust level, and timing. We must compare the possible rewards for the change against the possible cost of making it. Ultimately, I believe that we have to make sure that our people are thirsty for it. I believe that there are two major ways people become thirsty for change.
1. Effective Communication - Clear, Creative, and Frequent
People should have plenty of time to buy into the need for the change long before the actual change itself is presented whenever possible. It's not ALWAYS possible. But as leaders we should plan for this whenever we can. By the time your idea is presented, your people should have already been looking or asking for a solution to the very issue your change will address. You should be creating that thirst.
2. A desert experience - Sometimes great crisis or dry spells can cause a healthy discontentment in people. Effective leaders should be able to recognize those times and navigate them properly. It should NEVER be a leaders intention to create the desert experience in order to make people thirsty. I believe that God appoints those times for different reasons and it is our responsibility to see it, assess it, and address it when the time is right.

Is there any way for a leader to guarantee that everyone in their organization will want to go along with every decision they make? I don't think so. That's not what this is about. I'm just tired of hearing leaders cop-out on leading effectively by using this quote and blaming it all on their stubborn horses. It's our job to lead effectively before we can expect them to follow effectively.

I'll pick this up again later...that's probably enough for now.

later,
johnny

Loves and Hates

I figured it'd be a good idea to lighten things up a bit and add some more to my original post where I started listing things I really love and like. Here's a little ranting about stuff I love, stuff I hate, and stuff I love to hate:

I love the feeling I have at the end of a great workout
I hate the feeling of starting a workout

I love to sometimes just drive my car
I hate getting stuck behind some idiot with their blinker on for 30 miles

I love the sound of my little boy greeting me and laughing with joy when I get home
I hate the sound of my alarm when I've been up all night with my little boy who just wants to laugh and play

I love to play raquetball
I hate losing to that 72 year old Chinese dude at my old gym...how embarrasing (isn't it enough to just be fat?)

I love to ride bikes with my wife
I hate...let's just say..."Tucks"

I love a great cup of coffee
I hate Starbucks..They charge too much for that cup of acid they call coffee...and then want to charge you for WiFi... Even Krystals and McDonald's offer FREE WiFi...but Starbuck's is Sooooo uppity that they have to charge you for it. Again, I rant.

I love playing a guitar with a new set of strings on it.
I hate changing the strings on my guitars.

I love to watch a really good competitive ball game or really any sporting event
I hate, hate, hate bad sportsmanship, arrogance in the game, and multimillionaires whining for more money

I love my wife more than I could ever put into words
I hate it when we fight...she's an attorney...a professional arguer...it's not that I completely hate to have a little tension or anything. That keeps me on my toes. It's that I hate to play any game that I know I'm going to lose at before I even start. Of course, even if by some chance I seem to have the better argument...she's so dang pretty I can't help but drop my head and admit defeat anyways.

I love blogging...so far.
I hate trying to read blogs that are way too long.

the End

Encouragement

I can't remember now who the original author was of the quote I'm about to share with you. It's not mine but it comes to mind today.

"Encouragment is like oxygen to the soul"

Not flattery...true encouragement. Find someone today and tomorrow that you can encourage. And don't whimp out and just tell someone their hair is nice. Compliment their character, work ethic, or attitude. Be an encouragement to someone so they can breathe.

I thank God for bringing encouragement my way today. And I was blown away while participating in a special service that was planned in order to say "thank you" to volunteers who serve in our church. It was awesome watching people come alive to encourage one another and applaud each other's efforts. God was there. He ultimately received our praise and thanksgiving in every segment of the service. So spread a little love and encourage someone.

Fascinating

For most of my life, I thought that I would probably never have kids. I'm not sure why. I always liked other people's kids. I just wasn't itching to have a child of my own. It may be because I've always felt like a kid myself and knew that I'd have to grow up if I ever had one. Either way, God had a different plan. Suzii and I had a little boy, Cooper, almost 2 years ago and Every Single Day has been fascinating to me. Yep, it's true. I turned into one of those sappy parents who "makes over" every little thing their kid does. But it truly is fascinating to watch someone grow and learn and explore. It's amazing to me to hear him begin to put words together into sentences. And when he can't say all the words to the sentence he's trying to say...he improvises with "diggle digga digga...juice".

Tonight I asked Cooper if he was ready for bed. He got down from his momma's lap and walked over to the stairway gate...looked back at Suzii and said, "momma..nite nite". He then groggily waddled up the stairs and into his room...turned around and climbed up in my lap so that we could have our prayer time together. As simple as that little accomplishment sounds...I was fascinated. This little person who seems to need so much guidance and direction...to feed him, change his clothes, etc., knew exactly what to do and when.

God has continually revealed Himself to me through this parenthood journey...and I'm doing my best to embrace every moment so I don't miss it.

So God tonight I thank You for trusting me enough to bless me with the life of a little boy to mold, train, teach, and model for. I'm overwhelmed with love for this little guy and am amazed by him every other minute. I know that the way I am moved by him doesn't even scratch the surface of how You feel about me and that is unfathomable. Thank You God. You truly are good and Your love endures forever.

Quick update

So my body is screaming at me for more sugar, fatty foods, and anything unhealthy at this point. It was harder than ever to work out today at the gym. It might have been the time of day. It might have been because I didn't have a workout partner. I dunno. Either way it was just tough. Nevertheless, by God's grace I'm plugging away. I had raw broccoli and carrots with some light dip for a snack today. I continued to have water all day. I'm still glad I did my full workout even though it was hard. Here's why: It's time for my body to understand that it is NOT GOD. I've prayed for God to help me and He has. He's not just making my pounds fall off or anything. But He is speaking to me in that still small voice, "I will sustain You".

Thank you God that today You weren't just "there for me". You've been "here with me" and will be tomorrow and the day after and the day after. Since You're already at tomorrow...I don't have to worry about any surprises. You knew today would be tough, and You were enough for me. I look forward to seeing how You reveal yourself again tomorrow God. I love you.
Johnny

Simplify

Recently I had the opportunity to teach a 3 week series at The Element, the student service at my church. The title of the series was Simplify. I just have to tell you...it kicked my butt. The purpose of the series was to take a look at the over busy, hectic pace of life that we all seem to be living; or dying in if you take a closer look. Our culture not only makes it acceptable for us to live a life with no margin, it actually encourages it. We talked about how every time we say "yes" to something, we're forced to say "no" to something else.

God used this opportunity to call me to simplify my own life and pursue a life that reflects Psalm 23. Let me just say that it's not easy. The idea is simple (no pun intended) but the actual changes require a whole new heart attitude and mindset as to where I find my fulfillment. I MUST find contentment in God's opinion of me. I MUST be willing to be misunderstood when saying "no" to good things. I MUST be driven by the desire to choose the BEST things and define which things are best by God's word.

So, what does this look like in Johnny's life? I've had to say no to some good things where I knew I could step in and help and my help was needed but in order to do it I would have had to say "no" to my family. I've had to say "no" to consistantly working on my day off. I've begun saying "yes" to more quiet time, more study time, more gym time, and more rest.

Whenever you say "no" to someone or something, there's an initial "let down" or dissapointment with all parties involved. But that doesn't last long. What you end up with long term is a sustained healthy schedule. Whenever you say "yes" to something out of obligation, there's an initial "yippie..you're the best" kind of feeling that you get from parties involved. That doesn't last long, though. What you end up with long term is a commitment that you are now obligated to by your own word.
Doug fields said it best, "The wedding I said yes to a year ago was an easy yes. Now that the wedding has arrived and it conflicts with my daughter's soccer tournament, It's a very hard yes."

So I'm seeking to simplify my life and bring it into better focus. I'm changing my priorities to bring better focus to my efforts. Tim Elmore teaches that the only difference between damaging floods and useful rivers is one thing, "Focus". Floods might not be very deep. But, they're wide and untamed and damage everything in their path. Rivers are focused, can be used to generate energy, can be deverted to bring life to barren fields, and even be an enjoyable thing when rafting or boating. I want to live on the river...not get overtaken by the flood.

More later...
Johnny

Getting Healthy Again

For the last two years I've continued to let my health go. I've eaten worse food, exercised less, worked too many hours, got less rest than needed and it has SHOWN. Over the last couple of weeks I've been more and more convicted of this. So, several days ago something finally just snapped. Even the thought of some of the food I was eating makes me feel sick. And, I'm finding myself longing for the gym again.
So I'm doing it. I'm getting healthy again. I'm definately not mr. sexy yet or anything. And I'm sure it will take a long time to undo the unwanted pounds and lack of breathing capacity. But, I'm going there. My little boy deserves a healthier dad. My wife deserves a stronger husband. My God deserves my best. My ministry deserves to have self discipline modeled. My pants deserve to be used as a sail on some big ship. My closet deserves to have those "skinny" clothes dusted off. Uh oh, I think I'm rambling now.

God, help me to stay this course. I know that my body is the temple of Your spirit and that every thing you've entrusted me with should be taken care of and well maintained, including my body. I'm not asking for You to make it easy God. I just know that with You and through You I can accomplish anything as You strengthen me. Amen.

Later y'all
Johnny

First Blog

So I decided it would be a good idea to start e-journaling on the small chance that someone else might benefit from my life story. I'll probably have a LOT to say over the next couple of days as I try to catch up on all the cool stuff God has been doing in my life over the last several years. Of course, I'll focus on the highlights and not overwhelm the page with too many minor details. But, after getting caught up I'll be adding stuff each day to properly capture God's work in me in real time.

So I guess first things should be first, or I guess second since I already typed an opening paragraph: Hi. I'm Johnny. I'm a sinner. As of today I've been living with my faith in Christ for just over 23 years. God has captured my heart and saved my soul and I'm attempting to live in total surrender to His will for my life. I don't always get it right. But, I want to really bad. As a husband and father, God has my family. As a musician, God has my song. As a communicator, God has my mouth. As a child, God has my attention. My wife's name is Suzii. She's my best friend and drop dead gorgeous. My son's name is Cooper. He's the coolest, funniest, cutest kid you'll ever meet. Over 12 years ago I answered the call to full time vocational ministry and have been more fulfilled than I ever could have dreamed.

I love to laugh and make people laugh. I love to hold my wife close to me and dance even when there's no music. I love to roll around on the floor with my little boy and chase him all the way to the "tickle chair". I love to cook on the grill. I enjoy any good sporting event. I love people. I love to be an agent of hope for people and express God's love to them.

I like video games, chinese food, ping-pong, tennis, raquetball, and parties. I'm sure I'll think of more stuff later. Maybe I'll put a category on here just for personal stuff I like or dislike. Either way..Thanks for checking out my blog.

Later,
Johnny