Reading and listening..

It’s been a little bit since I’ve posted, and in an ongoing effort for personal/leadership growth I’ve been reading a lot.  I have a hefty stack of books that I’m trying to work my way through.

Here is what I’ve just finished and what I’m currently working on:

 

Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer:

Compelled by Love by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation

Working on these now:

Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putman

 

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

 

Listening to:

Not Guilty Anymore by Aaron Keyes

 

Catalyst Music Project by Various Artists

 

What are you reading/listening to?  And what have you been learning lately?

Reading/Listening

Okay, here’s attempt #1 at getting back onto a somewhat “regular” blog schedule from the Cape.

Took my long weekend to continue finish unpacking from the move, and to fit in my long training run (it was an 18 miler this weekend) … I can’t believe that the marathon is only a month away!  Still raising $ before the race to help benefit the ministry of World Vision to under-developed villages in Africa … if you’re interested helping let me know!

So, I thought I’d just give a quick update today with some things that I’ve been reading and listening to lately.  I’ve got a LARGE stack of books on my desk at home that I am looking forward to getting to, but need to get settled in to a little bit of a more regular schedule right now before I start too many of them!

So here’s the list:

Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal

It’s a great book that challenges your thinking on what the Church is and should be and gets you to thinking about how to live a missional life.

Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin

A book for men on authentic brotherhood, challenging men to find community with one another where you can be completely real, completely honest and free to be who God created you to be.

Listening:

This is my current favorite:

Jimmy Needham  “Not Without Love”

I’ve heard some of his other stuff, but this one has been on repeat since I got it.  This may be a terrible description, but sort of like the Jason Mraz of Christian music? … whatever it is, I like it!

That’s what I’ve got for now… what are you reading or listening to?  Any recommendations?

-E

Weekend… Live Love

Had a great weekend with my NLQ family. We led a retreat for the First Baptist Church of Sedalia youth group at a retreat center on the Lake of the Ozarks. It was a fun group of students, and we had a good time talking with them about Love and challenging them to “Live Love.”
Yesterday afternoon we headed from the retreat down to my friend Jared’s church in Tiff City, MO. They were having an annual FCA Day (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). There were a ton of students there. It seemed like a really neat event. They had been competing in a tournament all day with all sorts of events: softball, volleyball, tug-of-war, dodge ball, etc. We were leading worship for the service to cap off the evening. Worship went great, led a great new song with my good friend Bobbie. I love singing and leading with her … it’s hard to sound bad when you sing with someone as good as her! Then my friend Jared, who is the Pastor of Buffalo Creek Baptist Church there, did a GREAT job communicating a message to challenge and encourage us all from 1 Corinthians 9. Using a sports analogy to connect with the students Jared clearly communicated our opportunity and responsibility to run the race that God has put before us.

I’ve really been personally challenged lately with some things in my life. God seems to be doing something … calling me to some changes, etc. I guess this is where the rubber meets the road. Just like I talked with the students about this weekend, I need to start showing my love/respect for God by doing what He is calling me to. 1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands…” Easy to read, but somehow I find it is often difficult to make the changes in my life. I get so used to doing things the way I always have, etc. But, change is good … and obedience is even better. Time to stop saying the I love God and start living it.

EPIC “weekend” in Lee’s Summit…

Well, I was scheduled to lead worship at a youth retreat weekend in Lee’s Summit this weekend with my friends from No Longer Quiet, however they decided they needed to cancel based upon the forecast of 6-12 inches of snow that was supposed to fall today.  SO, instead of a whole weekend, we just had a Friday night service/rally.  It was SO good.  I love leading worship, I love being used by God to bring His people to His throne, and I love leading worship with these people.  They are my friends, co-ministers, and family.  It has been interesting and fun to see how the “faces of NLQ” have changed over the last few years, but it never ceases to amaze me how God takes those who are willing to serve Him and use them for His glory.  Thanks to all of you guys/gals for what you mean to me, and for allowing me the privilege of serving along side of you!

And, thanks to all the staff and students at Lee’s Summit Community Church for letting us be a part of your EPIC weekend!

What “EPIC” moments have there been in your life lately?

-E

hymns

I’ve been listening to a lot of hymns lately. As a worship leader, I’m always keeping an ear out for good, worshipful music/lyrics.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of a lot of the current worship songs, but they seldom match the eloquence of the hymns from my childhood and beyond.

I grew up singing these songs, but took the beauty of the words for granted as I sang with the lack of a truly conscious reverence.  If you stop to listen to and truly meditate on some of these songs, you’ll see how truly rich they are.

Having said that, I guess I’m a sucker for someone who  can take these hymns and give them a little personal touch as they present their versions.  Now, I’ve also heard some of these GREAT hymns completely butchered, and un-recognizable . . . that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I grew up in a traditional Southern-Baptist Church, so I know what these hymns “sound like”, so I think it’s refreshing to hear someones interpretation on the original.  Here are a few that I’ve been enjoying recently:

Jadon Lavik: Roots Run Deep

Chris Rice: Peace Like a River

What are your favorite hymns/lyrics?