Archive - August, 2008

A Guitar Hero Alternative

August 29, 2008 in Church Related, Youth Ministry with 2 Comments

Most of you know that I love Guitar Hero.  I’ve got Guitar Hero III and Guitar Hero Aerosmith for the Wii.  I’m currently working my way through Aerosmith on Hard doing just a few songs each night.  I even have my own Guitar Hero webpage on their site.  But it is a game that I would struggle recommending to others.  It is awesome, but there are certain songs (on GH3 especially) that definitely are not Christ honoring.   I would hate to see any youth get hooked on some of the bands that are anti-Christian.   Today, the blog world was buzzing about a new alternative to Guitar Hero (thanks Ronnie for the heads up)

At first I thought this would be pretty lame, but after watching the videos on their site and looking at the song list, I think this would be great for youth at Church.   They have a great mix of old and new and praise and rock and alternative.   Everything from Skillet to Kutless to DC Talk to old school Petra.  I’m wanting to buy this and hook it up to the big screens downtown to play during our youth meetings.  It only runs on PC’s or Macs, there’s no playstation or xbox versions yet, but it still looks cool.  The controllers are wireless and the game plays almost identically to Guitar Hero.  Check out their site at DigitalPraise.com for all the details. I’ve included the feature list and song list below. 

http://www.digitalpraise.com/

Features

Unparalleled Game Play
• Custom Lead and Bass notes per song.
• Four levels of difficulty per song.
• Supports two players at once.
• Onscreen lyrics emphasize Christian themes.
• Unlock new songs in sets of five as you play.
• Tilt the guitar to activate the spinner bonus for maximum points.
• Power Duel Mode sends surprises to mess with your opponent.
• Record high scores per song so you’ll know who’s on top.
• Earn new guitars with cool sounds and effects.
• Post high scores online and see how you rank.

 

Guitar Praise songlist includes:

Artist Song Name
12 Stones Broken
Bride Same Ol’ Sinner
Caedmons Call There You Go
Casting Crowns Lifesong
Chris Tomlin Made to Worship
Darrell Evans So Good To Me
David Crowder Band Foreverandever Etc.
Day Of Fire Reap and Sow
dc Talk Jesus Freak
Family Force 5 Love Addict
Flyleaf Perfect 
Hawk Nelson The Show
Hawk Nelson Friend Like That
Inhabited Rescue Me
Israel & New Breed All Around
James Clay Franklin Park
Jared Anderson Blind Man
Jennifer Knapp Undo Me
Jeremy Camp Tonight
Jessie Daniels What I Hear
Jonah33  Father’s Song
Josh Bates Perfect Day
Kutless Beyond the Surface
Kutless Hearts of the Innocent
Lincoln Brewster Spin
Nate Sallie All About You
Nevertheless The Real 
Newsboys Something Beautiful 
Paul Baloche Rock of Ages
Paul Baloche All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises
Petra Backsliding Blues
Pillar When Tommorrow Comes 
Red Breathe Into Me
Relient K I Need You
Seventh Day Slumber Awake
Skillet The Older I Get
Skillet Rebirthing
Skillet Savior
Spoken Wind In My Sails
Spoken Falling Further
Spur 58 Sleepwalkers
Stellar Kart Procrastinating
Superchick We Live 
The Crucified The Pit
This Beautiful Republic Going Under
Thousand Foot Krutch The Flame in All of Us
Thousand Foot Krutch The Art of Breaking
tobyMac I’m For You
Todd Agnew   This Fragile Breath
Warren Barfield My Heart Goes Out
Whitecross Who Will You Follow
Whitecross When The Walls Tumble Down

Updates from the life of Mike

August 28, 2008 in Church Related with 1 Comment

I haven’t blogged much lately because there are quite a few things going on in the life of Mike.  If you really want to know what’s going on in my day then you can check out my page on twitter or the sidebar on this blog titled What I’m Doing.  Here’s a quick sampler

New Downtown Church Building
We are completing renovations to the Galax Towne Centre building at 227 South Main Street in Galax.  It looks like we will plan on moving to the new facility the first weekend in October.  We have finished out 7000 feet upstairs and 3000 feet downstairs for church use.  The elevator has been the biggest holdup, but it is being installed and should be finished by mid September.  To save money, we are doing the audio/visual install ourselves.  We installed projectors and screens this week and the audio stuff will probably start being installed next week.  Everything from kid’s classrooms to cabinets to lights to furnishings is being picked out and put in.  I finally am fixing up my office so I don’t have to play musical chairs at home trying to find a quiet place to study.  I’ll try to take some pictures tomorrow to include on the blog.

Preaching and Planning
Sunday comes every week, and no one knows how much time it takes to prepare sermons unless you have done it.  In years past, it wasn’t hard to preach occasionally because there was always something exciting to share when you only have to preach once every month.  When preaching most every week, it becomes so important to stay in the Word and really listen to God.  I know that sounds like a cliche, but it is imperative that I continue hearing and learning from God if I want to truly share from my heart each week.    I like to stay planned out several weeks & months ahead, but with everything going on right now it is still week to week.

Pastor/Computer I.T./Counselor
We are currently evaluating several church management software solutions, so I am going through demos and webinars for that.  We also bought a used desktop computer to use as our main projection computer so I have been updating it and getting it ready for use.   On top of that, we ordered a new laptop for our church administrative assitant and the old laptop has to be prepared to pass over to our children’s ministry.   I have also been extremely busy calling, writing, and connecting with people who are going through some hard times.  I’m not the best counselor, but I feel I have a connection to a few people that I can’t neglect.

That’s a quick update so hopefully you can see what it’s like during a typical day for a small-church pastor.  It’s exciting to see many more people from the church get involved and I’m really thankful that God has chosen me and placed me at Cornerstone.  My reward for serving God is just that I simply am able to serve Him.  Think about that!

Satisfied

August 26, 2008 in Book and Music Reviews with 0 Comments

The guys of Decemberadio released their new album today. Check it out on itunes here.  I have blogged about them before, and I think you will keep hearing from these guys for a while.  Their mix of heavy guitars, southern rock, and gritty vocals really stand out from typical CCM.  They aren’t afraid to turn up the gain.  They toured with Third Day during the spring of this year, and I’m sure they will be making the rounds with the new album.   I was able to spend some time with the group when they led worship at our church last year.  We also hosted a local concert for our high school and they rocked it out. 

They are based in Southwest Virginia, and our church has several ties to the group.  Josh, the lead singer, is the nephew of one of our members, and one of their past drummers (back in the day when they were called Soul Divine) is the son of one of our elders.  Anyway, you don’t want to miss them if they play anywhere close by.  I can also tell you that they all love God and are in this for the right reasons. 

http://www.decemberadio.com/

Wildlife in our backyard

August 22, 2008 in Family with 0 Comments

One of the great things about living in the mountains is that our backyard is full of wildlife.  Our yard is about 2 acres and since we are on the edge of a large woods, we have all types of wildlife coming through.  Deer, turkey, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, and possums are in our yard all the time.  Here are a couple of pictures from last night and this morning.  Last night we had a large number of deer playing in the yard, and then this morning we had two different groups of turkey walk through the yard.  Check them out

How Track Athletes Compare to Church Members

August 22, 2008 in Church Related, Sports with 0 Comments

In the spirit of the olympics, here are some thoughts about different types of track athletes and church members.  Back in the old days, I used to run hurdles and the 400 meter, so I really love track.  I have noticed some common traits and characteristics from the different track events.

Sprinters
In Track:  These are the prima donna’s of the sport.   Have you seen how cocky and arrogant they have been in these Olympics?  Although they talk big, they constantly struggle with injuries and with living up to the expectations.   They are able to go incredibly fast for very short periods of time, and then they love to talk about what they did to anybody and everybody.  Forgot about them working as part of a team.  Just look to the relays as an example this year.  They’re in it for themselves.

In Church:  These are the members who constantly remind you how valuable they are to your church.  They talk big, but when it comes down to actually helping, they often have an excuse for why they can’t be there.  When they do help, they show that they have the ablity to really make a difference, but then they spend the next month reminding everyone of what they just did.  These people typically won’t help unless they are the one in charge.  Forget working as a team, other people just slow them down.

Hurdlers:  
In Track:  Hurdlers are analytical.  They constantly watch their technique looking for little things to improve.  They’re fast, but they are also precise.  They are also not afraid to practice and do things over and over again.  They are typically quiet as well.  They let their actions speak louder than words.

In Church:  These are the people who are constantly looking for ways to improve.  They notice when the floors need sweeping.  They notice when the words aren’t syncronized between the screen and what you are singing.  They even notice when you start a minute late.  But they want to do things with excellence and they aren’t afraid to improve.  When mistakes happen, they believe that practice and meetings should be scheduled to keep the mistakes from happening in the future.  They don’t boast about what they do, but they love to plan and lead.

Milers
In Track:  These middle distance runners have a great balance of speed and endurance.  They have to run a smart race and not get caught up in the pack, and they have to finish with a strong kick.  They work together to get in the right position and they are great teammates.   Because of their intense training, they have the ability to run almost any race from sprints to marathons.

In Church:  These are your dependable, fill in the gap volunteers.  They love serving and aren’t afraid to jump in wherever they are needed.  They are the backbone of the local church.  Whenever a church has a large number of people who work well together and aren’t afraid to dedicate time to training and preparation, you will see a church that does amazing things for God. 

Marathon
In Track:  The long distance runners are methodical.  They are able to run and run and run and never get tired.  They run every day until running becomes second nature.  They keep an incredible pace for an incredible distance.   They also compete because of their love for the sport, nothing else could motivate them for the pain that they endure.

In Church:  These are the people that you have to constantly ask to slow down. They keep an amazing pace, but they do it because of their love for God.  You do have to make sure that their family is not neglected because of the time spent serving, but they would do anything you ask. 

Wild Goose Chase

August 20, 2008 in Book and Music Reviews with 0 Comments

I finished reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson and I wanted to share my thoughts.  First as I have mentioned before on this blog, his first book, In a Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, had a profound influence on me.   It should probably win some type of award for the book with the longest and most interesting title, but it is a book based on the Biblical story of Benaiah.  It is really a story about seizing opportunity and about facing the fears in your life so that you can live dangerously for Christ.   I read it when I was faced with the decision of leaving my job and profession after 12 years of working as an engineer in order to follow my calling and passion to serve God in full-time ministry.  If I wanted to wrap up this review in one word, it would simply be “INSPIRING”

Mark’s new book continues the animal/book title connection, but it really is a continuation of the thoughts of his first book.  While In a Pit focused on why we should seize the opportunity, Wild Goose Chase focuses on what is holding us back from doing just that.  The title is described best by the following quote from the introduction

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…. 

I have heard Mark speak on several occasions, so as I read I found myself hearing Mark’s voice sharing the story with me.   The book is very conversational, moving from topic to topic with fluidity.  Mark’s writing style is fast moving and full of powerful statements.  He has a gift of taking the complex and organizing it in a way that sticks with you.   I read the book with a highlighter in hand, just mining the many great quotes and ideas.   As a pastor, I saw many ideas and stories that could be used as the basis for sermons.  I read the book straight through, but in hindsight I wouldn’t recommend it.  This is a book you want to read slowly, taking the time to answer the many questions that are posed throughout the book.  It is a book that requires you to think and analyze your own life to find out what is holding you back from truly following the Holy Spirit. 

I appreciated how Mark utilized real life stories, Bible stories, and personal anecdotes to make the book really come to life.  I also appreciated his love for the natural sciences.  Coming from my engineering background, I enjoyed reading how God uses nature, psychology, and anatomy all to shape who we are.  I do think the illustrations and writing style would lend themselves to those in college or who have graduated from college, although the principles in the book would challenge believers on any educational level. 

The book is really a story of the cages that we let contain us in life.  The cages that keep us from following God on this Wild Goose Chase we call life.   Cages of responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure, and fear.  Just like animals caged at the zoo, we tend to live our Christian life sheltered and protected from life in the wild as God intended.   It challenged me to really think about the way I am living my life.  Am I letting these things cage the desire and passion in my heart to follow Christ? 

I wanted to share just a few of the statements I highlighted in the book.

  • You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored. p.7
  • I’m not convinced that your date fo death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that.  p.16
  • Here is the mistake so many of us make: we start out pursuing a passion and end up settling for a paycheck. p.17
  • When God puts a passion in your heart, … that God-ordained passion becomes your responsibility.  And you have a choice to make. p.20
  • Our problem is not so much that we don’t know what we should do. We know perfectly well, but we don’t want to do it. p. 28
  • Don’t wait to worship God till you get to the Promised Land; you’ve got to worship along the way. p. 47
  • I know from experience that you can do the work of God at a pace that destroys the work of God in you. p. 53
  • One of the greatest dangers we face spiritually is leanrning how and forgetting why. p. 58
  • We need to quit praying out of memory and start praying out of imagination.  p. 60
  • It is so easy to get focused on what God wants to do through me that I totally neglect what God wants to do in me. p. 64
  • It’s never too late to become who you might have been. p.79
  • I’ve come to think of closed doors as divine detours. p.122
  • One trip, one meeting, one article, one class, one conversation can radically change the trajectory of your life. p.132
  • But I’ve come to realize that getting where God wants me to go isn’t nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process. p.137
  • Most of us are educated way past our level of obedience.  p.145
  • The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be may be the painful decision you refuse to make. p.157 quoted from Craig Groeschel
  • The way to stopping sinning is by getting a God-sized vision that consumes all your time and energy. p.161
  • and finally,  We fail to take the first step, so the Wild Goose chase never even begins.  p.164

In summary, I do highly recommend this book.  I want to challenge you to read this book and actually take the time to answer the questions that Mark poses at the end of each chapter.  I plan on going back and re-reading the book slowly and intentionally, so that I can really think about the things that are holding me book from following Christ with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I would also love to see this developed into a small group study, similar to Chase the Lion by Threads.

Here is some information about Mark. He is definitely on my list of pastors who I listen to on a regular basis.  Also check out the official site at Chase the Goose!

Author Bio:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

Do you want to go on a wild goose chase?

August 17, 2008 in Book and Music Reviews with 6 Comments

I am currently reading through Mark Batterson’s new book, Wild Goose Chase. It continues the strong sense of adventure from Mark’s first book about being a Lion Chaser.   It officially goes on sale this Tuesday, but I wanted to give you a chance to win a copy of the book before the release.

Here’s the deal: If you would like to win a copy, leave a comment on this post about why I should give it to you.  I will pick a winner at 10pm Monday night, so be sure to get your comment in.   I will either ship the book or hand deliver it on Tuesday.

Look for my full review of the book tomorrow as well.  Until then, Chase the Lion and Chase the Goose!

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.


“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” –from the introduction.

Check out the official site at Chase the Goose!

Olympic Obsession

August 15, 2008 in Sports with 0 Comments

I am getting a little sleep deprived this week watching the olympics.  I just can’t stop watching each night.  The competition and passion just draws me in.   I have always loved sports, but there is something special about the olympics.  Watching both the excitement and the heartbreak brings out your national pride.    I’ve enjoyed the swimming and I’m amazed at Michael Phelps, but my favorite part is getting ready to start.  Track was my favorite sport in high school.  I ran hurdles and did some of the longer sprints, so I really get into watching the track and field events.

My blog has been pretty quiet this week.  With our trip out of town and the olympics on each night, my computer time for blogging has been pretty low.  I’m also reading through Mark Batterson’s new book, Wild Goose Chase.  Look for the review in the next few days and also the details on how to get a copy.  I’ve got one to give away, and I can tell you already that it is great and inspiring.   Now I’ve got to get back to watching the olympics.  

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