You Are My Joy

20 July, 2010

Mick Christianity , , , , , 1 Comment

This is a worship song I wrote.  Enjoy.  Use.  Share.

New Song by Brandon

17 July, 2010

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Here is a new song written by my good friend, Brandon.

We Have So Much

4 March, 2010

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Yesterday, a friend and fellow band mate of mine shared her recent experience while on a mission trip to Guatemala.  One of the things she talked about, as well as almost any other person who has gone a short-term missions trip, was the fact that the people they visit have so little.  More importantly, we have so much that we don’t need.

I know I’m guilty of taking things for granted all the time.  Right now I’m drinking coffee and had about 15 mugs to choose from.  The water used to brew the coffee came from our sink. Most people in this world don’t even have running water.  My socks are clean. I’m wearing glasses to help with my vision. I’m listening to Eric Clapton on a surround stereo. I’m warm even though it’s 25°F outside.

Yesterday I took some time to thank God for things.  Here’s my prayer:

  • Thank you for me family.
  • Thank you for great parents.
  • Thank you for great in-laws.
  • Thank you for coffee.
  • Thank you for my guitars.
  • Thank you for my friends at Crossroads.
  • Thank you for fireplaces.
  • Thank you for the internet and how it can aid ministry in so many ways.
  • Thank you for my journal.
  • Thank you for my record player.
  • Thank you for community.
  • Thank you for Girl Scout Cookies; particularly Samoas.
  • Thank you for Converse All-Stars.
  • Thank you for the blues.
  • Thank you for my musical ability.
  • Thank you for my car.
  • Thank you for the house we are in.

This is a short list compared to what it could be.  It would be easy to go Energizer Bunny on this list.
What do you take for granted?  Take some time a thank God for the things you have today.

church or Church

19 November, 2009

Mick Christianity, Crossroads , , , , 1 Comment

In many ways I am annoyed at the way the word church has been used in recent history. Many people use the word to label a building or even a particular congregation, but I think that is a huge understatement of what the word actually means.
The Church (notice the capital ‘C’) is not a building, and it’s not limited to a single congregation. Jesus calls himself the bridegroom in Matthew 9:15, and his bride is the Church.  The entire body of believers is considered to be the Church. This means people worshiping God in Rwanda, Idaho, and Thailand are all part of the same Church.  This also means that Lutherans, Methodists, and Baptists are also part of the same Church.
I know I can’t change the way we use this word as a culture, much like I cannot change the way people use the word worship to signify singing (worship is so much more than that).  But I can try and change the way I use the word.
Instead of calling the building where the Church meets the church, I try to call it the church building or by the name of that congregation, like Crossroads. I have also been trying to avoid telling people, “I am going to church.” Instead I say worship service, or something along those lines.
I’m not trying to be ubber-pious or ‘holier than thou’ by doing these things, but I really think we need to be careful how we use certain words, especially when it is in relationship to the Creator. Too often we can dumb down a word so much that it has little to no significance.

A Day of Community

24 May, 2009

Mick Christianity, Community , , , , , , 1 Comment

I want to share with you my great day yesterday.  Please do not look at this as me bragging and saying, “look what I can do.”  But rather let this be an encouragement for all of us to pursue constant community with other Christ followers.

With the nice weather comes great activities that can be done outside.  One of those is riding a bike, and Joliet has some good trails that encourage people to enjoy the sport.  I met up with man from Crossroads who also enjoys biking and went out for about an hour and half.  We had some good conversation and got a good workout at the same time.

As soon as I returned home and cleaned up, my exercise was ruined by an Italian beef sandwich from Portillo’s.  Another person from Crossroads met with me there and discussed various things including Crossroads, college, and community groups (how’s that for alliteration?).  We also talked about how we need to be growing more organically… but that is for another post.

A tire on my wife’s bike needed to be fixed, so as soon as that was done I went out again.  This was not for near as long as earlier in the day, but just a chance to do something outdoors.  She wanted to show me where someone else from Crossroads lived in relation to us.  As we peddled by, one of them was outside.  Long story short, I spontaneously hung out and played some video games with another guy in our community.

I wish everyday was filled with this kind of togetherness.  We were not just getting together because we had to or felt obligated to, but because we just wanted to.  That is really what organic community/growth is all about.  Be looking for more on this topic in the near future.

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