You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2008.
At The Pursuit we use Planning Center to communicate with artists and let them know when they are scheduled, what we are doing on any given Sunday, etc. It’s a very useful web-based tool, especially for me – I am not an organized person, and I tend to cringe at schedules, plans, structures, lists, etc. So, this is a great help! I absolutely love this tool. It even helped me plan a wedding I did earlier this year.
Thanks to the online grapevine, I found out they will be updating Planning Center next week. Go to Ministry Centered Technologies Blog to find out more about it. They have some great new features, like text-messaging, links to Amazon’s MP3’s, and other goodies.
Thanks to Jeff Reed from Christ Fellowship for the heads up.
This last week we had the Linn family as guests at our home. They have been missionaries in Venezuela for 20 years, and their ministry has been very successful. They have planted four churches so far in the greater Caracas area, and they are all thriving. I’m also very fond of David Linn because he baptized me when I was about 11. (The water turned black when I got out).
While they were here Matt and I were able to meet with David over breakfast to talk about the future goals for their team in Venezuela: 120 churches by the year 2020! It is a great dream, and very possible for God to accomplish, so we wanted to hear more about it. Matt also shared with David a lot about our vision, mission, values, history, methods, etc. During this time David was taking notes on his planner, which was incredible to me because we should have been taking notes from him! Instead, this man who has more experience than us and a record to show it was trying to learn from us. Talk about humility and dedication!
Furthermore, I think I saw one of the biggest reasons why God blesses his ministry – he is a man who prays. He doesn’t advertise it, like some people like to do so they can be seen as holier than everyone else. He just does it. He loves people, and loves Jesus. And through him and his family, countless people are getting to know Christ. It was a great example for me. God had a purpose for this visit.
Next Sunday at The Pursuit we will begin a series called "Retro" where we will explore some of the mindsets that influenced the Western culture in the decades of the 60’s, 70’s, and 90’s. Not only was the US culture changed forever, but also other cultures around the world. It’ll be a great series, and we have some good stuff planned for it. We’re going to have fun with it!
To get in the spirit of it, I decided to dig up my old yearbooks to see how I looked in those decades. Here’s a sample:
… It is a phrase we use in Venezuela, which means something like "through thunder, rain or lighting." It’s about doing what needs to be done no matter the circumstances. Needless to say, it is easier said than done. However, last Sunday I remembered this phrase and the spirit behind it when I saw volunteers load The Pursuit’s trailer in the midst of rain and heat. They could have made it a miserable time, but instead they chose to enjoy it and keep working until it was all done. What an example! God used them to show me what my attitude should be at all times.
Great job you guys! Your work is inspiring and your love for Jesus’ Church is evident. Thank you for what you do!
Today I got the chance to meet with two guys who are worship/arts pastors in the area: Jon Elswick, Creative Arts Pastor at West Pines Community Church; and, Chris Hughes, Worship Pastor & Student Ministry Director at Oasis Church. I met Jon a few months a go, and I met Chris today for the first time. Both men are really good at what they do, and their churches are also impacting this city for Jesus. They are both a great example for me and I was honored to have met with them.
Two things stood out the most during our time together: 1) the spirit of unity these men and their churches have shed on The Pursuit; and, 2) the fact that they call themselves "pastors who happen to lead an arts ministry." There is a great difference between that kind and the kind who are "artists who happen to be in a pastoral position." Here’s the difference: the former are pastors first, artists second. The latter are artists first, pastors second. It made me wonder about what is most important to me, what is my order of priorities. Hopefully, I am closer to the first kind.
Today we played at The Pursuit the song "My Hero" by Foo Fighters. I decided to do it like in the video below – minus the violins and various other instruments, but it still sounded great I thought. The song fit the Big Idea nicely. I love doing stuff like this at church.
I NEVER use Comic Sans font. I hate it, I think it’s cheesy and old. I know, there are more important things to be thinking about than a font type. But, for those of you who are part of that club, here’s a video that may or may not make us look at it differently. I found it @ holycowablog.com.
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