Floor 27

Last Thursday was our first meeting on Floor 27! It went exactly as God had planned!! There were seven people, including me. Instead of going with the plans that I had made, we just sat around and talked about the week!! We ended up singing a couple songs and having some prayer time, which was awesome. For some reason, talking together to God seems to bring strangers together better than just chatting with each other!!! We will be meeting again this Thursday, March 3, @ 7:30 p.m.!!!! If you are in the area and haven't shown up yet....you are missing out on a great chance to share life with others who are living as well. Come and check it out!! If you were there, come back and share again!! Hope and Peace!!

Phil. 4:13)

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Once again....God!!!

Let me tell you what has been going this week so far...ya..it's not over yet!! Yesterday was my last day working at Dillards!! Hooray!! Now I have my nights and weekends free...just like a cell phone plan!! My two weeks were up and I was ready to go. All of my co-workers had been expressing their disappointment with losing me, but I thought that was just their way of saying good bye. But yesterday I was called back to the office to find all my co-workers and my boss waiting with refreshments, a card, and a party!! I was floored, and almost cried....but I didn't....I'm a man, we don't do that....ya right!! So that was really encouraging to know that someway God was able to use me as a good employee and example there!!! Mark 1 up for God!

After work, my roommates and I had planned to go out and celebrate my freedom at Mafiosas...and awesome Italian restaraunt that has an awesome 2-for-1 special on Tuesdays!! On arrival, John came out to meet me and told me that he found a check for me in the mail!! He told me he just started laughing because he knew quitting this job was stepping out on a limb financially!! God was looking out for me already!! It was a random love offering check from my churh in Unionville!!! It was a complete surprise....deffinently wasn't expecting it at all!! Mark 2 up for God!!

So here we are...today!! I am checking out prices for airfare so that I can fly to Missouri for CCCB's graduation. I found this really sweet deal on Southwest airlines and booked it!! Come to remember....the airfare was just $3 shy of how much the check was I received yesterday!!!! God knew exactly what was needed and provided it!! How Great Is Our God!!! Mark 700 up for God!!! He is deffinently in the lead.....that is the only way we will ever win!! Hope and Peace!

Phil. 4:13)

The Rock Show Begins!!

I know it has been long-awaited, but Kimber Manning is debuting February 26, 2005 at The French Quarter Cafe!! I just found out that the band that I am playing with actually has a website!! Who knew? It is www.kimbermanning.com. Why I didn't think to ask before, I don't know!! I added her to my sidebar, so go check it out. I made the news for December. That was when I was "welcomed" into the band! Kimber is a lady from my church. I band consists of a couple of us from church and then our guitarist attends school with Kimber's husband. He and his girlfriend are beginning to attend church with us....pray for that!! Our sound is kind of a mix between the Eagles, The Beetles, and a chick!! Kimber is a huge fan of the oldies, and so that is what we play! It isn't my favorite music, but it is crazy fun jammin with the guys in the band. If you are in the area, be at The French Quarter Cafe, February 26, 2005!!! Hope and Peace!

Phil. 4:13)

Stepping With Eyes Wide Shut!!

So......yesterday I gave Dillards my two-weeks-notice!! Kind of exciting, and yet terrifying! I finally came to the conclusion that working two jobs (7 days a week), being in a band, and beginning a new minstry was just a little much for my little scooby-doo plate to hold. Dillards one the one thing that had nothing to do with what I am pursuing, and so was an easy loss. But not so easy....of the 4, Dillards was the only paying gig!! Hence, God is completely in control now. I know that He will provide, but it is still hard! God has been telling me to do this for a couple weeks now, but I just doubted that the bills were going to get paid....why do I doubt. He made the stinking world. He created girls....who are the most complex, confusing, and intimidating.....creatures in the world. And yet, nothing holds a candle to their beauty and lure!! Why can't he take care of a couple $ here or there?

So now I will be booking shows at www.bsaa.biz full-time. Taking care of my growing roster of bands. I now am the head booking agent for The Fold, Phil Baquie (buh-kwee), Manafest, Staple, and subseven. So, 5 days a week will be easy to fill!!

February 24th is the launch date for Floor 27!!! We will begin promotion this sunday at church...and the promotion is already on the website (www.lakeshorechristian.com). I will love having my nights and weekends free to plan music and sermons for this. If you don't know, this is the new young adult ministry that I am starting at Lakeshore Christian Church!! I will be leading the worship band, speaking, and ultimately in charge....I know...scary!!

And the lady in whose band I am playing, Kimber Manning, will beginning doing shows in 2 1/2 weeks!! We are starting to nail down the songs and are getting really excited about our first show. The show is at the French Quarter in Nashville, Feb. 26 at like 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.!! It will be this bands debut...and what a debut it will be!! If you are in town, come and check us out at the French Quarter!! Hope and Peace!

Phil. 4:13)

Humiliating...vs...humility

Last night Josh Wilson and I attended a service with Charlie Hall and Greg Pinkerton. Can I just say that a worship leader with a shaved head, a beard, and a waterfall-like gotee is crazy!! Charlie Hall did a great job, but has been spending too much time with Crowder, if you know what I mean! His songs all flowed together with keyboard loops and guitar effects. Then Greg got up to speak. He told us that we would most likely leave there kind of mad about what he said. I didn't walk away mad, but I deffinently walked away ashamed about the Christian light that I have been shining. His message was on submission. He spoke about how we seemed to be getting really good at worship (music), but have lost the submission part of our worship. He talked about how submission was the basis of Jesus' ministry and how we must submit in pretty much all situations so that Christ's light in shining and not our own. It was a message so counter-culture that I felt like I was in a meeting of an underground society!! He brought up submission to our parents, wives (or husbands if you are a girl!), co-workers, bosses, and to the government. He mad a cool point that when Paul wrote that we should submit to the government was during the time of Nero. A government who was burning and torturing Christians for sport!! And he wanted them to submit to the authorities. That is radical! So all in all, the night was a blessing and I feel that as Christians in the work place especially, we need to shine a light of hard work and submission! Greg posed a question about why as Christians we aren't the most saught after employees by every business, and why our bosses weren't begging us to stay because of our hard work. Now that is making a good impression!

Well, I better get down! Hope and Peace!

Phil. 4:13)

I. to the R.O.B.O.T!

Last night, after bible stuty at the Claassen's, I watched my second Netflix's video, I Robot. I guess this is my meager attempt to play Eabert and Roper! I Robot was a great movie. Apologies for a little language and very minor violence...but other than that, it was a great flick! Will Smith shows up with a great performance as a detective in the year 2035. Flying cars, ear-piece cell phones, and robots taking care of every job that humans don't enjoy doing. The first scenes show robots walking dogs, disposing of garbage, bar-tending, doing all the jobs that people tend to hate doing. I love the idea of the "created" thinking that they could logically perfect the "creator's" plan. There are three rules that robots are programmed with. It really got me thinking about how glad I am that God allows us to choose and live our own lives, instead of directing and programming us like robots. And yet, with our free will we decide that God's (who, by the way if PERFECT) direction for our lives isn't quite right. So we try and change our path and go our way! In the end the "Creator" doesn't need the "created". But our Creator chooses to use us...as imperfect and malfunctioning as we are! Instead of junking us and starting over with a better program...He sticks with us, knowing that His plan for our lives is and always will be perfect!! He doesn't need to change or re-program it!! Hope and Peace!

Phil. 4:13)