What Music Puts You in Mood...for Repentance?

Okay, so maybe I should repent for the post title.  Here's my least playlist entitled “Repentance.”  For various reasons these songs connect with me when I am in need of repenting of sin.  I know it’s a little heavy on the David Crowder Band Church Music album, but album it just very powerful to me.  I would love for to you to look over the list and share your thoughts.  Are their any songs that you deeply connect with in a time of repentance? Why not share them with me? Who knows, I my add them to my playlist. 

1. The Nearness: David Crowder Band
2. Shadows: David Crowder Band
3.  Eastern Hymn: David Crowder Band
4. The Veil: David Crowder Band
5.  We Are Loved: David Crowder Band
6. All Around Me: David Crowder Band
7. How He Loves: David Crowder Band
8. Can I Lie Here: David Crowder Band
9. Birmingham (We Are Safe) : David Crowder Band
10. God Almighty, None Compares: David Crowder Band
11. Never Let Go: David Crowder Band
12.  Remedy: David Crowder Band
13. Surely We Can Change: David Crowder Band
14. First Steps to Recovery: Chasing Victory
15.  Dead Man (Carry Me): Jars of Clay
16. Work: Jars of Clay
17. Boys (Lesson One): Jars of Clay
18. Forget and Not Slow Down: Relient K
19.  Be My Escape: Relient K
20. Castaway: Chasen
21.  Wholly Yours: David Crowder Band
22. Fading: Decyfer Down
23. Shattered Life: Seventh Day Slumber
24.  Rebirthing: Skillet
25.  Happy Day: Fee Band

                 

Day 21 of P90X

Yesterday I announced on Twitter that I would share my 30 day results of P90X with everyone today.  I should have taken a closer look at the calendar and realized that as I enter the recovery week of Phase 1 I am still a few days short of the 30 day mark.  However, I had already done the fitness test, so I'll go ahead and share the results:



  Day 1 Day 21
Resting Heart Rate 78 72
Pull Ups 5.25 5.25
Vertical Leap 12" 20"
Push Ups 20 30
Toe Touch 0 (+)1
Wall Squat 1 min 2 min
Bicep Curls (@ 20lbs) 20 20
In and Outs 30 50
Heart Rate after 2min of JJ 140 147
1 min 98 107
2 min 92 88
3 min 89 76

For those who are unclear, the JJ in the table refers to 2 minutes of Jumping Jacks.  As you can see, every area saw improvement.  The only areas that have stayed the same are the pull ups and biceps, but there's a very valid reason.  The two days prior to this fitness test have done the Shoulders and Arms and Legs and Back workouts. Needless to say, lots of pull ups and bicep curls between the two.  Also, the plus one for the toe touch indicates that I can reach 1 inch past my toes ( I don't know that I have ever been able to do this before).
I know the second thing everyone is going to ask for is an updated picture.  Sorry, you'll have to wait until Day 90 for that.  In the meantime, keeping pushing yourself to be the best you that you can be.

A Pause Button

One of the reasons I love blogging is that I can hit the pause button.  Unlike many other aspect of life (aside from my DVR) I have complete control over when I write a post for this blog.  The break this time was a little longer than expected, but very much needed.  Work has been stressful, I've been getting up at 5:30 to do my workouts for P90X and family has been in town.  I've been reading such great books that I really slowed down so I can everything in that is being said.  Adding in the fact that Gabie started softball last week (and I happen to be her coach) and that Meg and I have been having serious discussions about where our girls will go to school over the last 3 weeks and I just haven't found the time to post.
This week I feel rested.  This week I hit the first recovery week with P90X.  This weekend we celebrated the resurrection of Christ, the renewal of life.  I just felt like it was time to get back to writing.

Book Review: A Multi-Site Church Road Trip

The first thing that caught my attention about this book is the subtitle, "Exploring the New Normal."  A quick look through the ministry podcasts that listen to reveal that the multi-site approach is becoming a standard approach. In fact Mars Hill Bible Church, with Rob Bell and Shane Hipps, is the only sermon I listen to on regular basis that does not come from a church on a multi-site platform (the others are Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Mark Batterson, Mark Driscoll, and Erwin McManus).  As the popularity of these speakers rises, I expect that we will see many young leaders follow in their footsteps, and the question we must ask ourselves is, is this wise?
A Multi-Site Church Road Trip tries to help answer that question.  The book makes clear that there are a variety of ways to do multi-site: live video feeds, DVD, internet, campus pastor teaching, satellite, and as technology develops who knows what else. (As Mark Batterson is fond of saying, "There are ways of doing church that no one has come up with yet.")  Topics is the book include:

• Campus addition vs. Church plant
• Does an Internet Campus provide Community
• Choosing the Placement of a New Campus
• The Structure of Your Network
• Is This a Sin?
• plus a few more that you'll have to buy the book to find out about

I admit that my bias as a reader is the fact that I come from traditional that believes solely in independent, autonomous congregations that are lead by a plurality of elders.  That doesn't mean we aren't involved with missions. Our church currently supports 7 mission teams in 5 countries. I have also seen some ways in which multi-site has been used in Churches of Christ (although, to my knowledge it has only been in overflow rooms that are actually part of the same campus).

Because of my background I would have liked to see the authors dig a little deeper in the Chapter entitled "Are You Sure This Isn't a Sin?" It is shortest chapter, but really should be one of the most important. It felt the authors had already decided that it wasn't and only added the chapter in order to say that it was in there and the topic had been addressed.

As a whole, the book is well written, and could be a available tool for those looking at go with the multi-site approach.  I think. however, the authors first book, The Multi-Site Church Revolution might prove more useful for the reader who is trying to figure out how to approach "the new normal."

A couple of questions to end with:

1. Do you think the multi-site approach is a sin? If so, or if not, why?
2. Do you know of any Churches of Christ that have used a multi-site approach?

As you comment it might also helpful to know if you attend a multi-site church.

For more information about the book and its authors, check out The Leadership Network.

The Best Part of Being a Dad

Over 5 years of being a father has given me lots of hight lights, from the first time I held each of girls to hearing them say "dada" to the first time I have found them climbing something that could get them killed.  I am convinced that the best part of being a dad is watching them succeed.
This weekend, our oldest, Gabie, had 2 soccer games.  She's the oldest on her. She's also the fastest.  In the herd style of play that dominates most soccer games of this age, Gabie stands out as a kid that can create a break away.  But during her first game this weekend I watched as she stopped a break away in order to pass the ball to her best friend, so that some one else could score. I mean she stopped 5 feet short of the goal and waited for others in order to share the glory. I'm not sure where she learned this. I've taught her to share and she has two younger sisters that test her in the application of this lesson... hourly. But it was great to see her take a principle and apply it correctly. It was also great to see her win the game!

What is you favorite part of being a parent?




Recommended Reading: 

Links of the Week

It's #FollowFriday. I do follow all of these people on Twitter (you probably should too) but here are some of their blog posts (obviously more than 140 characters) that had an impact on me this week:

Seth Godin: The WordPerfect Axiom.This is a great look at how everything is changing.
Tony Morgan: Driving the Chevy Impala.If you don't connect with Seth's article, maybe this one of the same topic will do the trick.
Anne Jackson: A Candid Interview.I've included the link to Anne's blog, as well as the direct link to the podcast of her interview. Anne really opens up about her own story and the process of confession in general.
People of the Second Chance: Decapitation and Second Chances. First, great title, it caught my attention right away. It also tags on the forgiveness aspect that comes after confession. This is a powerful story about forgiveness in world that seems hell-bent on getting even and making the other guy pay.
Don Miller: Commericialism and Faith, Part 1. One of my favorite writers starts his new blog with this series. I really connected with it, especially after my post yesterday.
Rhett Smith: ENOUGH.I love reading, as you can tell from the bookshelves on the sidebar of my blog. Here are some thoughts from another minister/therapist that I think every one should chew on.
Jesus Needs New PR: Redneck Jesus and More. Matthew Paul Turner may take it a little too far some times, but everyone needs a good laugh. Check these out and think about what we communicate with our art of Jesus.

Robin Leach Could Be Coming to Your House!

You might qualify to have to Robin Leach, from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, come to house. Of course you did to be famous, but if you live in America, chances are you meet the qualifications for rich.  I know must of us don't think about how we rich we really are, especially in times of an economic crisis, but the reality is that you need to lose more than your job in order to be poor.
Today I got on the Global Rich List to see how my income compared with the rest of the world.  I found out that I rank in the top 3% of the world!  In fact the median income for Americans in 2008 ($52,209) puts us in the top 0.97% of the world!  So are started playing with the numbers.  What would you guess is the median income of the world? (that's the amount that divides the top 50% from the bottom 50%).  I started a little high, thinking, surely it is in the thousands of dollars/year.  Nope, totally wrong.  The median income for the word is $850.  That's for the whole year! I think I got more money and gifts for my 30th birthday than that.  Which makes me sad. It makes me want to change my life. Then I start to wonder if I really have it in me. No, I don't want to try to live on $850 a year, or a month for that matter. Yet I know there is something I can do to add more balance into my life.
One thing that our family has been doing for almost a year now is supporting a child, Lucia, through Compassion International.  Lucia lives in Tanzania. Her parents are separated and she has 5 siblings.  It costs us abut $30/month to help her go to school. It's not much, but it is helping her. It's a place to start.  The rich and famous had to start somewhere, so this is my call to start somewhere, but to go somewhere else with it. Where have you started?