Well folks, too many problems with this blog server has driven me away- you can keep up with my current life happenings on my new blog, www.closetsongs.blogspot.com
Thank you, Bobby, for the use of your computer for this final post. You are making blog history, here!
Signing off…
Jamie
PS- check out the new blog site and leave a message!
Well, if you are all about efficiency and getting things done today, you should probably stop reading here…it’s gonna digress real soon. I’m caught in the “in between hour”; right after you start to get drowsy, but before you lose consciousness for the evening. It’s during this time that your brain goes WILD with thoughts. Like butterflies in an open field- impossible to harness, but lovely to sit back and enjoy. SO that’s what I’m doing. I’m going to attempt to catch a few for you.
In random order (and I mean RANDOM order…)
1. I’m thinking about what an awesome experience I had at my first Life Group Bible Study through Revolution Church. I felt welcomed, excited, and quenched. Praise God.
2. I’m thinking about the scene in “The Office” where Michael and Dwight actually fight at Dwight’s dojo.
3. I’m thinking about how the dinner I ate tonight really didn’t fill me up.
4. I’m thinking about how severely I need to clean my room.
5. I’m thinking of the book Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. I read it a couple years ago, but it seems to be screaming to me from the bookshelf. Perhaps I’ll read it again.
6. I’m thinking about the odd dreams I had last night: one with a girl who had only one earring, and the other with Silke repeatedly uttering the phrase “Intensity of object ramification.” Come on, Silke. That doesn’t even make sense. Look up the word “ramification.”
7. I’m thinking about how hard it would be to switch to blogger.com, because this site makes me crazy sometimes.
8. I’m thinking about Cotton Neal, and thanking God for bringing her safely through her tumor removal today.
9. I’m thinking about my impending trip to Africa, and about the curriculum unit I’m putting together for the first graders there. I’m thinking of changing the unit from my original “Read Around the World” theme, to a theme about “Creepy Crawlers.”
10. I’m thinking about my trip to San Diego this weekend, and trying to decide whether or not I want to spend the day at the zoo.
11. My toe is itching.
12. I’m thinking how I’m glad that Kellie Pickler was excused from American Idol tonight.
13. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
14. I’m thinking about the smell of my parent’s backgammon game. The leather and the felt…I love that smell.
15. I’m thinking that I’ve wasted enough of your time. I promise I’ll write when I’m more coherent next time. Until then, leave a little love for me by clicking below!
Okay…Easter has got to be one of my favorite days of the year. Overwhelming joy. Celebration. Delight. Hallelujah.
This year was no exception. I celebrated the risen Lord at my home church in Stockton and….BOY, have they been working hard! What a production! We stepped off the church grounds for a day and made the basketball arena at University of the Pacific our “Sanctuary” for the morning. I’ll tell you what- people that walk into that building are going to KNOW that we were there, because I think we left the walls dripping with praise. How proud I was of my church family, and to see all of our congregants together at once (all 2500+ of them) was a sight to behold. I wonder how Jesus feels when He hears the roar of His people singing all together…
Speaking of ROAR, my mom and I fit an extra Easter service into our schedule. We attended Calvary Temple in Modesto on Saturday night, where my good friends Toby and Kristen attend. WOW. We were quite entertained by the theme of the night, “The Last 24 of Christ,” which was loosely based on the TV show “24.” No Keifer Sutherland cameos, but the point was driven home- and not subtly. Christ’s last 24 hours were hell on earth. Thank you, Jesus. You deserve this day, and all the rest….forever.
First Baptist Church takes over the Spanos Center at University of the Pacific.
My girls in the hizz-ouse…Carey and Becky in their Easter finery.
And one of my FAAAAVORITE Stockton attractions….my buddy Kim!
Today was a long day…a loooong drive home to Stockton. Surprisingly, I’ve been greeted with beautiful weather (that I’m told won’t last long.) It was a relatively pleasant drive…I stopped for a Starbucks at the bottom of the grapevine and had the most WONDERFUL customer service. How encouraging…it DOES exist!
Today is also THURSDAY, which means THE OFFICE is on tonight! Woo hoo! I have been following along with the blog of one of the show’s main characters, Dwight Shrute. I thought this one was particularly entertaining…so for your reading pleasure…
“Blogosphere” is another word that I just learned. It means “the
world of blogs and blog readership.” Unquote.
Here are some of my other favorite words:
“Sniffles”. That word sounds exactly like it means. Plus, I have them.
“Monkey”. That’s a word that is funny pretty much anywhere and
anytime you use it. You can plug it in anywhere for hilarity. For
instance: “Hey Kevin, you accountant-monkey, why are you so gassy?”
“Ass” also works in the same way.
“Nebula”. Not sure why, just like it.
“Corn”. Because that’s what OUR people call it.
“Smith and Wesson”. No need to explain the power behind those words.
“Mordor”. It just sounds like an evil place, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t
want to go there unless I had to, in order to throw the ONE RING into
the volcano that’s there. Now, “Mines of Moria” doesn’t really work
that way. “Moria” sounds like a nice happy place filled with
shoppers. The Mines of Moria could be an outlet mall.
“Starbuck”. No explanation necessary.
“Salesman of the Year”. Those words send a tingle down my very long
spine.
Do you have any favorite words that I should add to my list?
That, as always, is all.
Dwight K. Schrute
Hi, Folks! Happy Monday, and thanks for checking in. I just put some pictures of our Heart of the Artist retreat in the sidebar album. Check it out! If you are having trouble viewing the album, or would like to see the full collection of pictures, you can view them at http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=aaiqxd6.1w8yqm9e&Uy=hlmqj2&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=1. Since Blog.com just changed their site around, I’m still figuring out how to get them on my actual blog. Soon, I’ll be all caught up on pictures!
Greetings, fellow earth-dwellers.
Just a few tidbits for you today…the first of which is a picture I forgot to post from Disneyland. There, we played a game called “Astro Blasters,” in which I got royally smoked by my dear friend Christi (who, incidentally, neglected to tell me that we could AIM our guns…..). Disneyland will actually e-mail you the picture for free! (I guess ONE thing in life is free, after all!)
The second morsel of information may have nothing to do with galaxies aligning, but it’s a rare occurance and worthy of attention: On Wednesday, April 5th, at 2 minutes and 3 seconds after 1:00, the time/date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06! This won’t happen again for another 100 years!
And speaking of space, at Revolution Church this week I was once again reminded of how B-I-G God is and how miniscule I am. Yet, the keeper of ALL time and space knows every part of me, and has given me purpose in his fantastic plan! Wow. He is Glory.
Tonight was the first of three consecutive nights in Hollywood. We had a lengthy rehearsal tonight, and we have another tomorrow. I’m feeling good about this one, despite lots of new material added to the repetoire. My keyboard is enjoying it’s frequent trips out of the closet and back onto the stage. I also did some background vox recording on Saturday for another band, so I’m excited to hear that final product when it’s all mixed.
The show on Wednesday is at The Mint/Hollywood @ 9 p.m.; I’m thankful for my Bible Study group from Bethany, who are taking a ‘field trip’ of sorts to support our show. LBC REPRESENT!! Woo hoo! For those of you who will miss the show (for whatever lame excuse you have in your back pocket…) OR if you just want to sing along with us on Wednesday, take a listen to some of our music at www.carrieturner.com.
See you at The MINT!
I’m a sorry excuse for a blogger.
This is evidenced in the fact that I went to DISNEYLAND almost 2 weeks ago, and still have not posted my pictures or documented my trip. And SO MUCH has happened since then, I don’t know where to begin!
It’s not that I haven’t had the time; I just haven’t felt like writing.
But, I’m daily inspired by my friends who diligently post consistently- even if it’s something small. THIS is my problem. I overanalyze. I have this stigma in my mind that blogging is for the deep-thinking, intellectual sort, and that everything I say should have value and depth. Therefore, a small task, such as posting Disneyland pictures, becomes more like a research paper (see how I’m rambling now??) This mentality is exactly what led to the demise of my career in scrapbooking. It was an overwhelming process- HOURS spent cropping and taping, cutting and pasting to get the perfect page. I couldn’t leave it mediocre for all posterity! Often, I view this facet of my persona as a curse- why can’t I just let it GO??! But, it’s also what makes the things that I accomplish great. God has installed this anal-retentiveness in me, and now it’s up to me to foster it into something productive. So I’m on a new mission….more blogging, less pressure. It’s a good thing.
NOW….What you’ve been waiting for….DISNEYLAND PICS!
I’ve been trying to get to Disneyland since I moved down here. FINALLY! Thanks to the generosity of my kind, Disneyland employee friend Steven, Christi and I spent a day park hopping and shopping in the happiest place on earth. My main objective: See the 50th Anniversary fireworks that I’ve heard soooo much about. Read on for more news on that subject…
Here’s a little known fact…you can go WINE TASTING at Disneyland! California Adventure has a Napa Valley sector, and offers wine tasting for $10, and you get to keep the glass! Christi and I particularly enjoyed this part of our trip, especially since the bartender hooked us UP! Don’t worry…we weren’t staggering around the park…
Told ya. Featured wines this day were from Manteca, Lodi, and Woodbridge!
Yup…Christi got her orientation in the art of wine tasting.
What trip to Disneyland is complete without the ears??
Or a trip up Tarzan’s treehouse?
This was the extent of our fireworks experience…”Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, due to a high altitude wind advisory, tonight’s fireworks spectacular entitled ‘Remember, Dreams Really Do Come True’ has been CANCELLED. We apologize for this inconvience, and do hope you’ll enjoy the remainder of your stay here at Disneyland.”
Maybe next time.
I’m fighting sleep to bring you this late-breaking story from the office. Staff/Faculty were asked to complete an assessment that would highlight our strengths/talents called the “Clifton StrengthsFinder.” It’s nothing new…many businesses have used it to help employees discover and develop their strengths to acheive academic, career, and personal excellence. I’m pleased to report my own results from this assessment- let’s see if you agree (and see if YOU relate to any of these!):
I am a MAXIMIZER. Excellence, not average, is my measure. Strengths, whether mine or someone else’s, fascinate me. I search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored success, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps- all are clues that a strength might be in play. And having found that strength, I feel compelled to nuture it, refine it, or stretch it toward excellence. I have the capacity to see what people will do best and which jobs they will be good at. I can see how people’s talents match the tasks that must be completed. (Good thing I’m a college advisor…it’s perfect!) My talents stimulate personal and group excellence. If a group or organization is on the move toward excellence, a talented Maximizer is probably somewhere in the midst.
I value INDIVIDUALIZATION. Again, I am intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. I instinctively observe each person’s style, and each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. I hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. THIS EXPLAINS WHY I pick my friends just the right birthday gift, why I know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why I tailor my teaching style to accomodate one person’s need to be “shown” and another person’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because I am a keen observer of other’s strenghts, I can draw out the best in each person.
I am a WOO. WOO stands for Winning Others Over. I enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like me. Strangers are rarely intimidating to me. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. I am drawn to them. I want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that I can strike up a conversation and build some rapport. I derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once that connection is made, I am quite happy to wrap it up and move on. There are new people to meet! In my world, there are no strangers, just friends I haven’t met yet.
I am STRATEGIC. (This comes from the Business Administrator Dad…) The Strategic strength enables me to sort through the clutter in order to find the best route. It’s not a skill that can be taught. It’s a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective of the world at large. This perspective allows me to see patterns where others see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, I play out alternate scenarios, always asking “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” I discard paths that lead to nowhere. I’m a big pro/con list maker.
Finally, I am a COMMUNICATOR. I take the dry idea and liven it up with images and examples and metaphors. I believe that most people have a very short attention span. I want my information- whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery or a lesson- to survive. I want attention diverted to me, then capture it and lock it in. This is what drives my hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws me toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to me. My word pictures pique interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.
Well…I see a few things that are pretty obscure, but for the most part, I think it’s pretty accurate. Good meat for introspection.
I bypassed my weekly Sunday afternoon nap to mull over some ideas for a Worship Planning workshop I’ll be facilitating in a couple weeks. Covering topics like choosing a lineup, transitions and flow, encouraging and working with your team, stage presence, and communicating with the Pastor, I feel I’m well qualified to be an equipper for future leaders. Quickly glancing through my ideas, I briefly thought “wow…that is a fool-proof formula for success!” NOT so fast, Jamie… Let’s recognize the details and planning as a HUGE contributor to success, but let’s not fail to remember that there are ALWAYS things that go wrong. Seen or unseen, calamity will happen, and it’s never pretty. But it’s really good for promoting humility. So what do you DO, and what do you LEARN from such occurances?? Here’s a few of my own personal “moments” for you to enjoy…
A heart-stopping moment for any Worship Leader (or musician, for that matter) is realizing that you’ve started the song in the wrong key. It was the song “You are still Holy,” by Rita Springer, and it was featuring our FABULOUS drummer/singer Tony Edwards. After the first line, I realized that Tony was sounding lower than usual. MY BAD…I was an entire step lower on the keyboard than written. My choices at that point were twofold…1) stop the song have a little laugh at my expense while totally ruining the flow of worship, or 2) Change keys QUICK, before the other band members come in and realize they’re playing in a different key. Correctly trusting Tony’s intuitiveness as a musician, eye-contact and the universal sign for “MODULATE UP” (a thumb up and nervous eybrows) was all that was needed to keep that train on track. Lesson learned: Communicate with your team. (and…sidenote…we liked the impromptu keychange so much, we used it again in the future!)
What would you do if the sound tech kicked off the sound board power in the middle of a song? On a highly attended Sunday, no less, the song “Whom Have I But You” became a capella after just that. Ironically, it was an appropriate reminder that we need nothing else but Him. No amps. No instruments. No microphones. Just Him. It was a scary, but powerful moment. (The solution, by the way, in this case is to send the acousic guitars closer to the congregation and SING LOUDER.) Along those lines, how about when your Pastor calls you at 7:00 a.m. and tells you there will be NO POWER AT ALL this morning? (Solution: QUICKLY get dressed, make sure your lineup is stock full of FAMILIAR songs, double-up on Acoustic guitars, and make sure Karen brings LOTS OF CANDLES!)
Consider the scenario in which your entire church leadership team is due to arrive in town late Saturday night after attending an out-of-state conference, but the plane cannot land due to poor weather. Ah, I love this story. Our Pastor, Media Coordinator, Ministry Team Coordinator, and Worship Leader….ALL going AWOL from the Sunday Morning service with less than 12 hours notice. It was a long night of cell-phone calls at the Phoenix airport as we put all of our competent back-ups in place. I’ll never forget sitting in the airport on Sunday morning with my ministry partners, listening to the service on speakerphone as the service went on without us. Lesson learned: When given the chance, people will rise to the occasion. It’s all about delegation.
Perhaps you, too, have been graced with the presence of a well-intended, self-proclaimed preacher, whose timing is nothing less than inappropriate. I experienced this for the first time early in my Worship Leading years; a man clothed in burlap garments, claiming to be a prophet of God, and feeling the need to preach hell-fire in the middle of your worship set. I was in the process of transitioning from one song to another, and this gentleman calmly walked to the front of the stage. I immediately looked at my Pastor with, I must admit, a little anger- WHY had he not informed me of this special guest speaker!? The look in Brad’s eyes told me that he was just as confused as I was…now what? My plan of action: quickly build the music back up and KEEP GOING! I wasn’t sure if we’d get away with it, but ironically, most congregants STILL think it was a part of the service. Lesson learned: Consistant variety in the Worship service can work to your advantage!
And, as if you aren’t already feeling the pressure of a lead-worshiper, I’ll throw this one in the fire, too! Daniel and Amanda, two of our team’s KEY vocalists (and Daniel was worship leader at the time…) were to sing “special music” in our “big church” while Pastor Brad was giving his message in CrossWalk. It was perfectly coordinated, in theory. My most HORRIBLE memory of worship leading was the moment that Brad was through praying, but Daniel and Amanda had not yet arrived back to sing. Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, there’s hundreds of eyes on you, and the next songs are WAY too high for you to sing. I muttled through it, with the melody somewhere in the stratosphere, and THREE songs later, Daniel and Amanda came running onto the stage. Lesson learned: Don’t let your worship team leave the building!!!
In all seriousness, it’s catastrophes like this that make you a better leader. It’s expecting the unexpected, and, when the Holy Spirit is involved, you’d better believe that will happen. I’m eternally grateful for the lessons I’ve learned about God’s faithfulness when it comes to worship planning…on and off the stage. It’s all about following what God is doing…and that may take you on some STRANGE routes- but God’s ways are ALWAYS higher than our ways. It’s the joy of knowing Him, and the privilege of responding.
Blessings on the Journey.
