What a weekend!! It was completely and totally exhausting... On Friday, Courtney and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with Drew and Kim (and their kids). Saturday, we had choir rehearsal in the morning, a quick lunch break, Courtney taught private lessons, Saturday evening rehearsal, Saturday evening service, Saturday evening cleanup, and then a late dinner with friends. Sunday, we enjoyed two morning services, a lunch date for the two of us, a quick stop at home to change clothes (and see the Steelers were beating the Vikings), back to the church for Uprising set-up, Uprising rehearsal, Uprising service, Uprising cleanup, and then finally home to be with my wife... for about 30 minutes before she fell asleep. It was super busy and exhausting.
So, what did I learn from this weekend?? Well, Uprising turned about to be a struggle... for me... I struggled with the way we sounded as a band. I struggled with the attitude that came with the band members. I struggled with how unprepared we were as a group. I struggled with being a leader. I struggled. It was bad enough, I ended up staying up late to process through what happened and what my role is supposed to be with this group. I want to help. I want to lead. I want to worship lead with these youth. I want to train them. I want to teach them about God. I want to teach them about worship. I want to do so much with them. and... I feel like it's not going anywhere. My efforts go without result. So, I blamed myself. It's my fault they're complacent. It's my fault their apathetic. It's my fault they don't play in tune. It's my fault we fell on our faces Sunday night. It's my fault.
Then God reminded me of a verse in I Corinthians 15... "be enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, because nothing I do for the Lord is ever useless." Once this verse came to mind, I was able to fall asleep. It took a long while to get to that point. But, if it wasn't for God's grace, I may still be awake trying to figure all this out. Once this verse hit me, I realized that it's not about me. It's not about what I do. It's not about my efforts. It's not about my energy. It's not about my plan. It's not about my teaching. It's not about what I know. It's not about what I want to pass on. It's not about anything other than God. I believe that--- or so I thought I did. I realize now that understanding the "it's not about me" principle is a lifelong journey. I can't force things. I am only responsible for who I am and what I do. I can only answer to God for me. On that day, I will be all alone. So, it's not about me, it's up to me. God has surrounded me with godly friends who are helping me through this journey.
It's not about me...
-Just my thoughts...
About Me
- Andrew
- I am married to the best woman in the world and she's way out of my league. Way to go, me. I love being the father of our little boy, Romey. We were blessed with him on July 8, 2010. My daughter, Paisley Joy, brings me so much joy. She joined our family on July 23, 2012. We also have a dog, Sasha, our Shiba Pug. I wear many hats as a music pastor while Courtney works as a music teacher in Kettering. Life is Good!!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Busyness
Well, it's been a little while since I last wrote... but there's a very good explanation. I promise. Last Saturday, my little sister married Kirk. If you've ever put time into a wedding, you understand how busy things can become. It has nothing to do with the actual work, just all the thinking and planning that go into it can drive you absolutely crazy. However, I didn't have much to do. :) I did a few pieces of music... playing keys, singing, playing trumpet... but nothing too crazy. Things, for the most part, went very smoothly. I, with my wife and older sister, got to do the music. We had a great time together. It was good to see old friends, meet new people, develop and nurture relationships, and most of all, get to meet my Uncle Kim and Aunt Donna!! I had a great time with them and am looking forward to many more opportunities to spend time with them.
More coming later... (Keep praying for Lamar and Grace. Grace really needs to feel Jesus right now)
Life is Good.
-Just my thoughts...
More coming later... (Keep praying for Lamar and Grace. Grace really needs to feel Jesus right now)
Life is Good.
-Just my thoughts...
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Prayer
Friends-
Please pray for my friends, Lamar and Grace. They were both burned in a cooking accident with Grace receiving very serious burns to her foot, elbow, and throat. Here's their blog. http://lamarandgrace.blogspot.com Please shower them with prayer
Andrew
Please pray for my friends, Lamar and Grace. They were both burned in a cooking accident with Grace receiving very serious burns to her foot, elbow, and throat. Here's their blog. http://lamarandgrace.blogspot.com Please shower them with prayer
Andrew
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Accountability
So, in light of my recent leg injury, I have placed my running shoes back in their box and called it "quits" for 2009. A little disheartened, but I'm okay with it. Because... I just started a new workout program. Well, it's not entirely new. I did this program about a year and a half ago, and have decided to do it again. The program is called p90x. It stands for Power 90 Extreme. Basically, for 90 days my butt gets kicked around and at the end I'm in great shape. These workouts may be the most insane thing I have ever done. Each workout is about an hour long. There's pullups and pushups, jump training, weight lifting, yoga, lunges, kenpo, cardio, abs, and just about every other imaginable exercise. It's hard, but it's awesome!!
This week I started this workout program with Courtney and my friends, Chris and Matt. Courtney and Matt are doing this for the first time. Chris has gone through this a couple of times and is basically serving as our coach. The great thing about the way we are working out is we get to keep each other accountable. Every morning, I have thought about Courtney, Chris and Matt while I exercised. Every time I wanted to quit, or not finish a rep, or take an extra break, or not follow the nutrition plan, or whatever else, I thought these three. Plus, we talk to each other. We send each other texts and emails. We check in with each other... We are all very sore right now, but we're in it together.
Accountability is such an important aspect of our lives. The reality of life is we are not alone. We get to do life together. God wants us to keep each other in line with His plan for us. He wants us to have strong friends who will help us through situations. Some days, the hour long workout is the hardest part of my day. But, it's easier knowing that I'm not doing it myself. While I may be the only one hanging from the pull up bar, or the only one screaming during bicep curls, I'm not alone. These three are going through the same thing. We can encourage each other, bounce ideas off each other, criticize the stuff we're not doing right, and help each other make it through these 90 days. It's awesome!!
This just like our daily lives. Some days are the hardest days we have to go through. Some parts of the day are the worst things we ever do. Let's be honest. Some days suck. BUT, when you know you're not alone, it gets a whole lot easier. My friend Ryan and I get together weekly to do a Bible study. We are reading a John MacArthur book entitled, "The Book on Leadership". Each week we assign a new chapter. It's our homework. I know Ryan is going to ask me about my opinion of the chapter I read. I better have spent the time reading it. If Ryan and I weren't doing this together, I probably would never finish the book. Just look at the stack of books in my office and the one at home that I started reading and have not finished. I'm also working on my ordination for the C&MA. Jim serves as my mentor. We have set a two year schedule to complete this process and we meet monthly to discuss my progess. I know he is going to ask me how I am doing. Plus, he's going to want to see results. There is a lot of work to do and I must remain faithful to the tasks assigned to me. This 2 year project will not happen if Jim doesn't hold me accountable.
Accountability is a wonderful thing. It makes the load a whole lot easier to carry. Plus, you develop great relationships with people who are living your life with you. It's awesome!!
Just my thoughts...
This week I started this workout program with Courtney and my friends, Chris and Matt. Courtney and Matt are doing this for the first time. Chris has gone through this a couple of times and is basically serving as our coach. The great thing about the way we are working out is we get to keep each other accountable. Every morning, I have thought about Courtney, Chris and Matt while I exercised. Every time I wanted to quit, or not finish a rep, or take an extra break, or not follow the nutrition plan, or whatever else, I thought these three. Plus, we talk to each other. We send each other texts and emails. We check in with each other... We are all very sore right now, but we're in it together.
Accountability is such an important aspect of our lives. The reality of life is we are not alone. We get to do life together. God wants us to keep each other in line with His plan for us. He wants us to have strong friends who will help us through situations. Some days, the hour long workout is the hardest part of my day. But, it's easier knowing that I'm not doing it myself. While I may be the only one hanging from the pull up bar, or the only one screaming during bicep curls, I'm not alone. These three are going through the same thing. We can encourage each other, bounce ideas off each other, criticize the stuff we're not doing right, and help each other make it through these 90 days. It's awesome!!
This just like our daily lives. Some days are the hardest days we have to go through. Some parts of the day are the worst things we ever do. Let's be honest. Some days suck. BUT, when you know you're not alone, it gets a whole lot easier. My friend Ryan and I get together weekly to do a Bible study. We are reading a John MacArthur book entitled, "The Book on Leadership". Each week we assign a new chapter. It's our homework. I know Ryan is going to ask me about my opinion of the chapter I read. I better have spent the time reading it. If Ryan and I weren't doing this together, I probably would never finish the book. Just look at the stack of books in my office and the one at home that I started reading and have not finished. I'm also working on my ordination for the C&MA. Jim serves as my mentor. We have set a two year schedule to complete this process and we meet monthly to discuss my progess. I know he is going to ask me how I am doing. Plus, he's going to want to see results. There is a lot of work to do and I must remain faithful to the tasks assigned to me. This 2 year project will not happen if Jim doesn't hold me accountable.
Accountability is a wonderful thing. It makes the load a whole lot easier to carry. Plus, you develop great relationships with people who are living your life with you. It's awesome!!
Just my thoughts...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Back on Track
Well, today is Friday. It has been a long week. Friday is a great day to be in the office. Basically, very few staff members work on Fridays. This means, I get a lot of quiet time to get my work completed. In fact, right now the office area is empty. With much to do, today should be a good day.
Every six months, each staff member draws up goals to accomplish within each area of ministry. When we talk about goals as a staff, we are referring to the items that go above and beyond our weekly responsibilities. In the past, I have thought through things that need to be accomplished and made them my goals. I would look at the overall ministry and look for the "extra" stuff. Those would become my goals. Often, those goals were not met within the six month timline. This time, I changed the focus of the goals. First, I wrote out my weekly responsibilities with basic information about them. Then, I wrote out goals for each area of responsibility. In my mind, this seems to make a lot of sense. Plus, all of the goals appear to be attainable. That's the point of a goal.
So, next week, we will all get together and talk through our plans. This is an exciting time for us because we are embracing the visions that God has for us and pursuing His leading. If each one of my goals is reached, I think there are twelve right now, this ministry will explode. But, it's not about me. These goals are thought out, written down, talked through with the mindset that God is going to allow all of this to happen. That's why this is so exciting!!
Just my thoughts...
Every six months, each staff member draws up goals to accomplish within each area of ministry. When we talk about goals as a staff, we are referring to the items that go above and beyond our weekly responsibilities. In the past, I have thought through things that need to be accomplished and made them my goals. I would look at the overall ministry and look for the "extra" stuff. Those would become my goals. Often, those goals were not met within the six month timline. This time, I changed the focus of the goals. First, I wrote out my weekly responsibilities with basic information about them. Then, I wrote out goals for each area of responsibility. In my mind, this seems to make a lot of sense. Plus, all of the goals appear to be attainable. That's the point of a goal.
So, next week, we will all get together and talk through our plans. This is an exciting time for us because we are embracing the visions that God has for us and pursuing His leading. If each one of my goals is reached, I think there are twelve right now, this ministry will explode. But, it's not about me. These goals are thought out, written down, talked through with the mindset that God is going to allow all of this to happen. That's why this is so exciting!!
Just my thoughts...
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