Worship without Singing?

Family Jules just sent me this great article from BooMama about a service that they had at their church without singing!

You'll love the honest way she writes about her experience: "I was still a little squirmy - couldn't we sing, you know, just a little bit? Just a smidge?"

And you'll be touched by her conclusions: "...sometimes, in worship, I get it backwards. Sometimes, in worship, I get it all wrong. Maybe it's because I find myself more interested in what we're singing than what God's saying. Maybe it's because I respond more to my emotion than I do to His Truth. Maybe it's because, in a way, I worship a god I've created instead of The God who created the universe, The God who created me."

Read the entire article HERE.

HT: Family Jules

Just Congratulations...

...to Just Charlie. He dropped 72 lbs. in 8 months. Read about it HERE.

Congrats, bro.

Tagged!

I've just been tagged by my buddy Rich Kirkpatrick (who was tagged by one of my favorite bloggers, Mark Waltz). I have been secretly been wanting to be tagged... I've been sitting here like Rudy, just waiting to get into the game.

So here goes (and I am just going to say that you can insert "The Bible' for every question except the "never written" one)...

• One book that changed your life: Be the Leader You were Meant to Be, by LeRoy Eims. This was the first leadership book I was ever introduced to (when I was in high school). Also, If Only He Knew, by Gary Smalley.
• One book that you've read more than once: The Winning Attitude, by John Maxwell. I can - and have - read anything more than once by Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, John Grisham, and Louis Lamour.
• One book that you'd want on a desert island: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere, by Chris McNab. I thought this sounded like a practical book to have there.
• One book that made you laugh: Letters from a Nut, by Ted L. Nancy. If you have not read this book, go out right now and buy it and read it. Make sure you are wearing adult diapers - you're gonna need them.
• One book that made you cry: The Sacred Romance, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge. Also, Where the Red Fern Grows gets me every time.
• One book that you wish had been written: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, (or anything else) by Patrick Lencioni.
• One book you wish had never been written:
• One book you are currently reading: I just finished The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost, and have moved on to Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton.
• One book you've been meaning to read: Leadership, by Rudy Giuliani.

OK -so that's my current thoughts on what I've been reading. So who to tag next?

How about... Carlos, Julie, Charlie, Justin, and Brian.

Two Goodbyes

This week we had two say some painful goodbyes.


















The first was to Maynard Fergusen. Fergusen was a jazz legend and one of the reasons I loved playing tromobone.

Walter "Maynard" Ferguson, one of the most influential musicians and band leaders in the history of Jazz, passed away August 23rd at 8:00 pm Pacific Time at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California. He was 78 years old. His death was the result of kidney and liver failure brought on by an abdominal infection.

Maynard Ferguson, born May 4th 1928 in Montreal, started his career at the age of 13 when he performed as a featured soloist with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. He played with some of the great Big Band Leaders of the 1940's including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Barnett, Jimmy Dorsey and Stan Kenton. In 1945, at age 17, Ferguson became the leader of his own Big Band. The 78-year old musical phenomenon went on to record more than 60 albums, receiving numerous honors and awards including the GRAMMY® nomination for "Gonna Fly Now."

The other fond farewell was to Pluto, former 9th planet in the solar system. Right when we thought we were going to induct 3 new planets, Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet and - BAM! - just like that, we were down to 8.










We're gonna miss you at the planet parties, Pluto. As Heidi Klum would say, "One day you're in... and the next, you're out."

Auf weidersehen Maynard and Pluto.

Udderly Wrong!

I always use half-and-half (and cream) when I make homemade ice cream. It gives it a super smooth and creamy texture. Although it is high in fat, it is the milk fats that make it smooth and creamy. Plus, who ever ate ice cream to lose weight anyway?

Half-and-half, by definition is, "half milk and half light cream and contains 10% to 18% butterfat. It is a dairy product... typically used as a lower-fat substitute for cream in coffee."

Enter a product I was introduced to a few minutes ago: Land-O-Lakes Nonfat Half-and-Half.

As I was walking through the reception area of our office, I noticed our receptionist (who has asked to remain anonymous) having a bowl of cereal with half-and-half. I thought to myself, "Wow! That must be extremely rich!" You see, I am a nonfat milk guy - even whole milk is like cream to me, so the thought of cereal with half-and-half was a bit much.














Then I notice that the stuff our receptionist is using (let's call her, "Klaren), is Land-O-Lakes Nonfat Half-and-Half. Now I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do know that if you have anything that is half-cream, it's gonna have fat.

That got me checking the ingredients. Essentially this stuff is 50% nonfat milk and 50% corn syrup (with a splash of cream for effect). Gross!!! Not only does that sound utterly (no pun intended) disgusting, but that seems just a little deceptive on the part of the nice people at Land-O-Lakes.







Taste aside - and "Klaren" assures me that it is delicious - that is just udderly wrong! (Yep, that time the pun was intended).

UPDATE: "Klaren" also uses Karo syrup on her pancakes, too...

Funny Videos - The Trifecta

Sunday I posted the treadmill dancers video (with a sneaky link to the Mac commercial).

Yesterday I posted the Darth Vader video.

I TOLD YOU THERE WAS NO QUIT IN THIS COWBOY!!!!

WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

So today, I give you the Trunk Monkey - not just one... ALL OF THEM.

BAP!

Funny Video - Two in a Row!

Can it be - two in a row?! I know... some people are thinking, you should save this for another time. Pace youself, big man.

Well, buckaroos, there just ain't no pace in this cowboy.

Funny Video Drought

It's been a little slow in the funny video department lately. It's not that I haven't seen any, it's just that I haven't seen any that would work well for me to post (if you know what I mean). Which is why I recommended that Los post THIS ONE on his blog ('cause he's edgy that way).

Anyway, I think you're gonna like this one - funny and smart. And check out the guy in pink singing the whole time. Very nice. These guys have what I don't have enough of... free time.

I Got WORKED!!!

I could play some video games in my day: Space Invaders, Frogger, Ring King, Galaga, Pac Mac, Asteriods, Centipede, Battle Zone, and Tempest (just to name a few).

And I could work you on the computer games, too: Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Doom II, Heretic, and Command and Conquer.

My son and I just got done playing Command and Conquer - The First Decade. I got schooled. I was handed a pen and paper and asked to take notes until lunch. I got flat out WORKED by my 12 year-old boy.

And did I take it well? No. I walked away in disgust as he obliterated my base for the 10th time. I called him out aas a cheat when he beat me in Renegade.

And I threw down the final shred of my pride when I said, "Well, at least I could beat you racing REAL cars."

Real mature.

Updated Header

That last header picture for my blog was from a year ago. This one was from the lake trip.

I am getting ready to finish up a couple of days vacation - it has been nice to do nothing (well, next to nothing). I am finishing a great book called The Greatest Game Ever Played (the inspiration for the movie from Disney by the same name). If you like golf (or history, or even a personal interest story) pick up this book (or borrow mine when I'm done).

It's coming...

It's coming...

Only 176 days away...

Re:create. The best conference for those who make the "wow" happen in churches.

That's right. It's THE BEST. Bar none.

How do I know? Because I've been every year. Let me say this. If you are a worship pastor, producer, artist, or creative you need to be at this conference: February 5-8, 2007 in Franklin, TN.

I will be writing more about re:create over the next few weeks to give you an idea of what to expect. Want to know more? Check out the re:create blog.

Mark your calendars now, sports fans - the week after SuperBowl. Don't ask why.

Just do it.

re:create, worship conference

Link Love

Linking is the key to power in the blogosphere. Not that I want to rule the world or anything... I don't. I don't do a very good job with my portion of it most of the time. But I would like to make an impact where I can and in the blogging world links are the way to do that.

So give a brother a little love... you link me and I'll link you. DFriss - you are my first - my inaugural, if you will, link love. I saw that you had linked to me, so I am reciprocating.

So link me - e-mail me or post a comment to let me know you have - and I will link you here.

Week in Review

It has been a weird week... lots to do and running like crazy most of the week. Here's a recap of the highlights:

1. Watched Talladega Nights.
   
2. Registered the oldest blonde boy for Junior High at Alta Sierra Intermediate School.
   
3. Watched Taken (awesome job, Ben and Paige and team).
4. Drove to Tracy and back.
5. Hale-Yeah had a daughter.
6. Funny video at Ragamuffin Soul.
7. Leading worship tomorrow for a Men's Breakfsat featuring Kelly Talamo.

Great Young Filmmaker

Last year I blogged about the 48 Hour Film Project. I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and thought that Randy's future son-in-law (now his real and true son-in-law) would be the perfect person to do something like that.

And he did.

And he is.

Ben and Paige's film film "Taken" won a number of honors at the awards ceremony in Nashville:

"Most Inspirational Film"
"Best Art Direction"
"Audience Award"
"Best Musical Score"
"Best Editing"
"Best Romance"
"Hon.Mention- Directing"
"Hon. Mention - Cinematography"

Check out the trailer for their movie HERE. Randy said he will be putting the entire 6 minute movie up on Ethos soon.

Congrats!

(HT: Ethos)

Teamwork 2 - How to Create a Great Team

In this second "Teamwork" article (see the first in HERE), Fortune's Jerry Useem makes the point that great teams start with me.

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These four men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune.

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.

The A-Team went off the air in 1987 - still wanted by the government - but television has never produced a better blueprint for team building. The key elements of its effectiveness: a cigar-chomping master of disguise, an ace pilot, a devilishly handsome con man, a mechanic with a mohawk and an amazingly sweet van.

Those particulars might not translate to all business settings. But clear definition of roles is a hallmark of effective collaboration. So is small team size - though four is slightly below the optimal number, 4.6. And the presence of an outside threat - like imminent recapture by government forces - likewise correlates with high team cohesion.

The fact is, most of what you've read about teamwork is bunk. So here's a place to start: Tear down those treacly motivational posters of rowers rowing and pipers piping. Gather every recorded instance of John Madden calling someone a "team player." Cram it all into a dumpster and light the thing on fire. Then settle in to really think about what it means to be a team.

We're certainly not against the concept of teamwork. But that's the point: All the happy-sounding twaddle obscures the actual practice of it. And teamwork is a practice. Great teamwork is an outcome; you can only create the conditions for it to flourish. Like getting rich or falling in love, you cannot simply will it to happen.

We will go further and say: Teamwork is an individual skill. That happens to be the title of a book. Christopher Avery writes, "Becoming skilled at doing more with others may be the single most important thing you can do" to increase your value - regardless of your level of authority.

As work is increasingly broken down into team-sized increments, Avery's argument goes, blaming a "bad team" for one's difficulties is, by definition, a personal failure, since the very notion of teamwork implies a shared responsibility. You can't control other people's behavior, but you can control your own. Which means that there is an "I" in team after all. (Especially in France, where they spell it Equipe.)

Again, let the greats show the way. During a public appearance in 2000, an A-Team cast member was asked by a fan to name his favorite co-star. "Listen," Mr. T responded. "That's wrong for me to pick a favorite, because I'm a team player and we were a team. Remember, they say"--here it comes again--"there's no 'I' in team." No, but there is a "T." And pity the fool who forgets it.

Read the entire article HERE.

Wednesday Round-Up

Here are some great blogging tips from some great bloggers...

• Tony Morgan's 49 Simple Strategies for Better Blogging (Tony... what's with the mug shot?)
• Seth Godin's How to Get Traffic for Your Blog (HT: Mark Waltz - love the new banner!)
• Joe Carter's tips on How to Start a Blog (HT: Hugh Hewitt)

There it is. Enjoy!

The Youngest Blonde Boy

He can melt me with his smile...

He can make me laugh until I almost pee...

And he got up on skis!

Say a Prayer for...

If you get a chance today, say a prayer for...

Los...

and Bill...

(click the links for details).

Thanks!