ramblings of a wannabe rockstar

Today was a pinnacle day for me. Just thought I’d mention it. Amazing.

Returned home late Saturday afternoon from the trip to Honduras. It was an amazing time! Now I begin the process of decompression, gathering thoughts, sorting through pictures, and everything that goes with being back home after a week like I just experienced.

It’s been an emotional couple of days, recalling various aspects of the trip with Raquel and friends. I’ve cried a lot. There’s a part of me that desperately misses being there, but mostly so relieved to be home.

In the coming days, pictures will be posted up on Flickr, and excerpts from the journal will be posted here. Please stay tuned.

The 1990’s was a great decade for Christian music, particularly in the alt-rock genre. Shannon (from the Dallas band Farstar) and I are collaborating on a music blog to share out-of-print music from some of the greatest bands and artists of that era.

Head on over to the Alt Christian Music Archive to check it out. Leave us comments from time to time and feel free to make suggestions on what you might like to hear.

Peace.

We leave in six days for Honduras. This week has snuck up on me. I don’t feel like I’m prepared for it. I mean, technically, I’m not…still need to go pick up supplies, clothes, etc…that’s a given. But mentally and spiritually…I’m not there yet either. I was kinda hoping I would be there by now.

I mentioned it a couple months ago how I haven’t had to rely so heavily this time around on some of the basic faith elements like I did in preparations for for last year’s trip to Nicaragua. But I find myself being distracted by that, I think. Frankly, I have a bit of a difficult time placing a finger on the reason for my lack of connection to the spiritual aspect of the trip.

Writing about it here helps a bit. I need to slow down. Take a moment to let God show up and find out from Him, what to expect from Him. I had to lean so heavily on supernatrual provision last year…not so much monetarily…but in so many other ways, that I felt so connected to who God is and what He was teaching me through that experience. I haven’t had that same urgency, with this trip.

So, now I sit here…on a surface level…being very excited about getting away for eight days with some of my best friends to do what I love to do best, which is to serve those who need to be served. Deeper than that though, I lift up this prayer:

God, remove the blinders of comfortability and steadiness that I have put on since my return last year. Help me to see what you need me to learn. Prepare my heart to see Yours. Most of all, remove me from getting in my way and let me find peace and restoration in You.

Thanks to the monetary and prayer assistance of several of you (and the winnings of my participation in Matt Neuenburg’s Summer Blockbuster Pool last year), my trip has been provided for entirely. I will never cease to be completely humbled by the willingness of people to participate in something like this on a financial level, and I thank you for it…both to those of whom I know, and those who gave anonymously. I would ask again that you remember me and the team with whom I am traveling across the next two weeks in your prayers. Pray with me for the things I mentioned above. Pray for our safety. Most of all, though…join me in praying for the people of the villages we will visit.

Again, I thank you.

It’s been a while since I bagged on Christian music so I thought I’d take a moment now to to let everyone know that I still think Third Day sucks. I mean, they really, really suck. I was reminded of how I feel about this a few minutes ago when perusing the iTunes Music Store and thought I’d listen briefly to their latest offering. It’s crap. That is all.

July has been a busy month. I’ve wanted to post up something several times throughout the month as it as gone by but just haven’t been able to wrap my mind around my thoughts to be able to write them down. I fear that if I don’t do that now, they might get away from me for good.

• Sunday nights with the MasterLife group continue to inspire me, keep me pressing forward. I know that i serve in a leadership role with these guys, but sometimes I feel like I walk away from Sunday nights having learned more from them than they did from me. I suppose that’s OK.
• I love Independence Day. If you’ve kept up with this blog across the years, you know this. But it’s worthy of mentioning again. This year was spent sleeping in late, hanging with the Breauds, Varners, Golatas and Bonnie at Bonnie’s house jumping off the pier into the water-filled quarry, cooking some dead cows and chickens, and watching a fantastic fireworks display at the soccer stadium. After all this we headed over to the Breauds where Jeremy, Marc, Joey, Terk and I enjoyed homemade fireworks shows from all over town and several brewskis until about 2AM on Jeremy’s back porch. This was a great time. Many laughs were enjoyed. This is the kind of stuff for which this holiday was made. It was a very complete day.
• Last week (Wednesday — Saturday) had Raquel and I hanging out on the Gulf Coast near Freeport, TX with nearly 30 of the kids from the Middle and Senior High School groups of Genesis Metro. I had the very fulfilling pleasure of leading worship for them. We got there three days into what was a 6-day trip for them. By the time Thursday morning arrived and we started worshiping together, they were ready. I started working with this youth group a year ago in the worship capacity a year ago and the week was (as it was for many on staff) a bit of a coming to full circle for me. I learned how to play the guitar 17 years ago for the direct purpose of leading worship. I never would have expected though, that the most fulfilling part that would be experienced 16 years later leading a youth group in their worship. I am consistently amazed by their comprehension and expression of authentic worship.
• In a related thought, I love those kids. They inspire me.
• In another related thought, I’ve been thinking about writing a blog entry about what inspires me. Several of our high school kids in particular would probably have a part in that blog post.
• This year is more than half over and there have been some amazing album releases. Significant notables are Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, John Mayer’s Where The Light Is, and Punch Brothers’ Punch.
• I leave three weeks from today for the mission trip to Honduras. I can’t wait for that week. The funding is going well. I still have a few things to get done, but I find that all in all, things are going much more smooth than they were at this time last year.
• I am way overdue in sharing my thoughts on a pretty significant reunion I experienced a couple months ago. That will come soon enough. I need to get better at this blogging thing.
• As of about 6PM tonight, I’m a little over a pound away from having lost 50 pounds since I started dieting and working out.

I think that will do for now. Thanks for reading.

For the past 18 weeks my good friend, Bill, and I have been co-leading discipleship Bible study for 8 guys from our church. This has been an incredible journey for all involved. Bill and I have had the opportunity to be personally active in praying with two of our guys to enter in to saving relationship with Jesus Christ and begin walking with them on their journeys. We’ve been with guys as they experience life-change, realize their purpose, acknowledge their calling, and we are all growing together as brothers. It really has been a totally humbling experience for me to be able to share in these stories with these guys…to be part of their stories of life-change.

I just got home from tonight’s meeting and I’ve just got to put it on record how blessed I am by these guys. They inspire me.

This past week’s portion of the study was centered in large part of the text from 2 Chronicles 20. In a section of the study on this passage, we understand that we can pray, relying on God according to His purposes. In verses 8-9 of the above-noted passage, we see God’s purpose for the people of Israel.

Jehoshaphat reminded God that His purpose was to establish them in the land. He identified God’s overall, long-range purpose, saying: “We’re in the midst of Your prupose, O God. One reason we ask you to answer our prayer is that we’re doing what You wanted us to do.”

I take hope in that. In my personal life, in my church, as I prepare for my upcoming trip to Honduras…

What a joy to be alive in this time, in this place!

As of this morning my total weight loss is 42 pounds. I am now within about 30 pounds of my goal. I frickin’ rule.

In related news, I’ve taken up running for the first time since I was 17 years old. I’m logging a little less than 2.5 miles in 25 minutes two or three days a week.

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