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I’m sitting here laughing out loud reading responses to this weeks music. Most people seemed to really enjoy it for a change. I got some very encouraging notes from “Loved the music!!” to “Do the Folk thing again soon!” And then a couple anonymous “I hated the music tonight” notes. It’s amazing how opposite ends people are always on. It’s funny how most criticism is anonymous about music. Interesting. Well, Noel had a great post about criticism and he basically groups people into three categories: Bereans, Encouragers, and Cowards. What separates the Bereans and the Cowards, I would say, is their heart, their tone, and their attitude. Good stuff to think about. Read his whole post.

It’s interesting being in a position where I hear positive and negative criticism almost every week. It can be really distracting either way, either pride can creep in when we are praised for doing a good job or insecurities tear at us when we are slandered. This comes when too much personal value is connected to our task. But it is complicated because we are leading people in corporate worship because of God and for God, but we are also serving the body, it isn’t just us up there singing our praises to God, it’s that plus the act of leading others in their praise of God. It gets tricky because you want to make music in which people will become mindful of God and it’s easier for some people to connect with God using different kinds of music. I’m sure some monks in Germany, genuinely feel like they are able to think heavenward during a chant, whereas it’s easier for me to hear a guitar solo and think of God.

One thing I hear sometimes from people is “we went to another church on vacation and their music was sooooo slooowwww…” or “they had no young people there…” but this is the same type of thing is going on. These words meant to encourage are sometimes slaps on the face to another group of Christians. We are needlessly criticising our brothers and sisters who are trying to serve God in a different way. It all adds up to elitism and that takes away from the Gospel and from God, because in the end, God gets the glory. He’s the one who deserves it.

There is a really good thing about encouragement if it is done right. It’s understanding “God is using you” rather than, “you are better than some other people.” It’s hard to tell the difference, but I know when my heart is wrong on this. I see the way God is working in something that I’m not a part of and sometimes I feel like “man, that’s a dumb way to go about things etc…” But the cool thing about God is that he is the one working, not us. And he loves those people and he loves that they are responding to him. Sometimes we get lucky and he uses us to do great things, but when we see him face to face, He gets the glory.

But It’s a crazy tension we have here. I think we all face situations where we either get too much affirmation or not enough and that affects us. We should always strive for balence and do thinks “as unto the Lord.” Our goal in everything we do should be to please God. That means everything. Treating our families well, doing the dishes well, not gossiping about our boss, working even when we aren’t being watched. Things change when God is your boss.

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Friday:
We had fondue with Jen and Eric craft. It was a great meal with steak, bread, cheese, toffee, fruit, artichoke dip, Chimay and best of all, good friends. A special occasion for sure.

Saturday:
The Amsterdam team met and a few people shared about their lives. It’s amazing how much our past sticks with us. It’s amazing to hear everyone’s crazy background and to now see how God is working on them. Good stuff.

Then that night we started a weekend of folk-band music at the Riverview services. Brandon, Laura, Jeff and I played and it was some of the most fun I’d had playing in a while. We did some Hank Williams, some Nitty Gritty Dirt band and some Wilco/Woody Guthrie. Fun stuff.

Sunday:
Continuation of the folk stuff at Riverview.

Tonight we studied chapter 3 in Romans in our Bible study. It was probably the best talk so far. It felt like people were listening and respecting each other’s opinions really well and it felt like we are starting to get to know each other. All good things.

Then later, I just hung out with the wife and kid. I love them so much. They are the greatest of my earthly joy.

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I have an incredible opportunity to travel with a team of 8 other people to Amsterdam in April and serve our sister church Zolder 50. Zolder 50 is a church started by people involved in Great Commission Ministries a few years ago in Amsterdam which is one of the least churched cities in Europe. Zolder 50 is no either the largest or one of the largest chruches in this city of over a million people. We’ll be serving in whatever way the church asks us and possibly scouting out other towns for future church plants.

I’m really excited about the chance to serve them and to be a part of a team of people from Riverview.
The one thing is that I have to raise support for this trip, so if you would be interested in helping out, then let me know! Thanks!

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Does anyone have any pictures of the dance that they can send me?
Here are a couple I took. I only had my camera out for about five minutes, so I didn’t get many good shots, so these will have to do.

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So we had the Valentine’s dance at church this past weekend and it was a lot of fun. We had about 120 people there and it was crazy and pretty fun. Met many new people there. It’s interesting that relationships are easily built when people are enjoying something good that God has given to us. I feel the same way about poker. I have all these new friends who I’ve gotten to know over beer and cards. I feel like as we pray for relationships that lead to people finding God, God is answering. I feel like he is doing all the work, we are just showing up. It feels like God works in so many differnt ways through so many different people, it really shows the character of God to use people who are unskilled, or introverted or have a foul mouth or are really poor or really rich or whatever, but he is using all kinds of people to reach others. This says so much about his character.

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I did something dumb and hurt my ankle, bad. Stupid Dan.

What a day!

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My car is broken down. Have to take it in tomorrow. Stupid Car.

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Wow

Radiohead
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Phil Lesh & Friends
Beck
Elvis Costello & the Imposters
Bonnie Raitt
Death Cab for Cutie
moe.
Bright Eyes
The Neville Brothers
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
Buddy Guy
Damian Marley
Ben Folds
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Dr. John
Matisyahu
G. Love & Special Sauce
My Morning Jacket
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Steel Pulse
Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove
Cat Power
Medeski Martin & Wood
Nickel Creek
Gomez
Atmosphere
Steve Earle
Blues Traveler
Amadou & Mariam
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
The Dresden Dolls
Son Volt
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Jerry Douglas
Soulive
Rusted Root
Devendra Banhart Band
Donavon Frankenreiter
Mike Doughty
Sasha
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
The Magic Numbers
Bill Frisell
Seu Jorge
Bettye LaVette
Dungen
Shooter Jennings
Rebirth Brass Band
Robinella
Andrew Bird
Steel Train
Jackie Greene
Devotchka
The Wood Brothers
dios (malos)
Toubab Krewe
The Motet
Marah
I-Nine
Balkan Beat Box
The Cat Empire

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“Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt … making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird.”

Chalk one more up for the Daily Show!

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This has been a strange weekend for sure. I’ve been super busy in general, but this weekend was very up and down.

Friday night the Detholz were again amazing. $5 was cheap to see the televangelist/Halloween rock antics of the Chicago based band. “When we were all growing up as young Christians, we all agreed on one thing, the devil didn’t get enough play” was basically used as and 8 count to screech into their next song of charismatic/faith filled (albeit very unorthodox) rock.

Then Saturday night the six o’clock service was one of the worst services I think we’ve ever had. Nothing flowed well, we made mistakes. Everything was awkward. I wanted to leave. I thought about how great it would be to work for UPS or Fed Ex or be a farmer or something other than a mistake riddled worship leader. But I guess God’s teaching me something. I’ll let you know when I find out. The next service went a little better, but things still weren’t clicking quite right.

Sunday morning my alarm went off at 6:30, I was still sleeping, but I shut it off. My wife woke me up at 7:35 and told me that. I made it to church with my dingy self (but fresh breath) by 7:45. I was a little out of it for the first service, but the next couple were ok. But I was still exhausted from the stress of the night before.

I know God is working at Riverview. People’s lives are changing. People are becoming more selfless. People are getting to know God. I just felt like I was getting in the way and I couldn’t help it. It felt like there was nothing I could really do. It was weird, because most weekends I love everything I’m doing. I love being a part of something greater than myself. I love knowing that I’m pretty weak, untrained and vulnerable, but God is using me anyway. But this weekend, I felt like everything was set up to go right, I just had to be there and do it. But things just weren’t right. This could have something to do with letting God work instead of myself, but I don’t know.

I realized that I had church related stuff planned through Saturday this week, every single night, so I cancelled practice tonight. I’m going to go home eat dinner with my family, then watch some 24 with the gang.

I’ll let you know what God is teaching me as soon as I find out. Sleep always helps and I’m feeling better today.

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