Challenge Failed!

So my challenge to find a job here in St. Louis has failed! I guess there are no jobs out there to be had! Either that or no one cares about the blog! :-)

Contest....

I'm working on a contest for all my blog, twitter, facebook, myspace readers/people. Here's the contest: If you can find me a job that pays over $60,000 a year plus benefits, I will give you half of what I make that year at said job. I know this sounds too good to be true, but I am DEAD SERIOUS!!!!!

There are several stipulations. First, I must get the job and keep it for at least 3 months. After that, you will start receiving the money. I can't just apply for it and not get it. Second, You must tithe 10% of what YOU EARN to the church/religious organization of your choice. This could be convoy of hope, your local church, my local church :-), World Vision International, Red Cross and so on. The only stipuation on this is that they must be a Christian organization and they must help people!!!

I'm completely serious and to prove that I am serious, if I do not hold up my end of the bargain, you may confiscate my imac, all my guitars, my macbook, my truck, and anything else you find of worth from my possessions.

This contest is localized to the St. Louis area, but don't fret! If you are out of the area, you can still participate!

Here's what you need to do:
Find the job
Contact me with the information
Send me an email @ geoffmclarty@gmail.com
I will then apply for the job

It is very simple! All you need is some connections and a willgness to earn money!

This contest will run through the next few weeks. I will let everyone know how it turns out!! Blessings!

Ray Boltz.... the tale goes on!

I'm sure many of you have heard of Ray Boltz, or maybe just his music. The famous song writer who wrote and recorded Thank You, recently came out as a homosexual. Personally, I was never really moved by any of Ray's music, but that's because of stylistic differences. What saddens me is the comments he has made over the past few weeks. You can read his comments in the issue of Blade here: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2008/9-12/arts/feature/13258.cfm

What is most upsetting to me is Boltz's rationalization of his homosexuality. He says that God made him this way and that he wants to live the way God made him. I feel there is a misconception here that most people fail to admit. God created us, gave us the earth to inhabit, mates so we could populate, and a choice to follow Him. Adam and Eve sinned and unleashed it on their generations. We are sinners because of the choice of our ancestors. Once sin was introduced, we were left to deal with it. Fortunately Christ died on the cross for our sins. That means we have redemption through His blood. We only need to repent (turn from our sins) and trust in God. This is much easier said than done. I am sure that Ray's life has been a wreck for a very long time. God didn't create Him gay. God just allows free-will to be a part of the equation. No one ever said it was easy being a Christian. Having to turn from evil all the time. Personally, I know this struggle, and so does every other Christian out there. Sometimes our flesh wins out. Sometimes we have the strength to continue on the path that we have chosen in Christ. I hate to see the rationalization of sin as the "way God created us". It's more complicated than that. It's about the decisions we make and how we deal with our sins.

Someone made a clever comment on a blog I was reading. They said that if we use the rationalization of "this is the way God created us", then what can we say to the pedophiles, murderers, rapists? Do we tell them it's ok because God created them this way? No! We tell them that sin is a part of every persons life. That it is a struggle to be who God created us to be. That there are easier ways to live, but that we were meant for so much more. God loves EVERYONE and wants us to be with Him, but we have to make that choice. That choice involves denying ourselves some of the pleasures of this world. It involves laying down our desires and submitting. It's not easy, but it's rewarding in so many ways.

I earnestly pray for Ray Boltz. I pray that God would bring Him some tender correction. That the church would rise up and love Ray, but also stand up for the values that we believe in. It's time to stop rationalizing our sins, displacing our faults and begin to take responsibility for our actions, thoughts, and words. Ray, I believe you love God with all your heart. I believe you have a relationship with God. I just don't see where you can validate this sin with scripture. Correct me if I am wrong, but sacrificing for the cause of Christ is what every follower is called to do.

In the end, I can't judge Ray Boltz. I can only pray for him and his family. On the day of judgement, God won't ask me what I think of Ray Boltz. God will ask me what I did with my life. He'll ask me why I did and didn't do some things. There is only one person I am responsible for right now, that's me! Ray, keep on seeking God. Geoff, start seeking God more! Anyone reading, figure out to live up to God's potential and not what the world, or anyone else, wants you to be!

Funny.... BUT Sometimes True

Lately, I've been dabbling in a little of everything when it comes to media. I've started updating the church website, working on powerpoint slide designs, making backgrounds for sermons, doing print and web artwork... basically trying to get into everything. It's been fun trying on different hats and I love wearing them all.

So I've been scanning the internet, looking for some inspiration. It's been really interesting and I've learned alot. Take a look at what I found on Church Marketing Sucks:

YOU’VE EVER CONTEMPLATED BREAKING INTO YOUR
OWN CHURCH IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT SO YOU CAN
DELETE THE COMIC SANS, PAPYRUS AND CURLZ
FONTS FROM STAFF COMPUTERS.

YOU’VE EVER USED A CROSS INSTEAD OF THE LETTER
T OR X.

YOU’VE EXPLAINED DPI MORE TIMES THAN YOU’VE
EXPLAINED YOUR FAITH.

REDESIGNING THE CHURCH LOGO IS A WEEKLY
PROJECT, YET YOUR NEW DESIGN IS NEVER USED.

THE WORDS “DON’T WORRY, THIS WILL ONLY TAKE A
MINUTE,” SEND YOU INTO FITS OF RAGE.

STAFF MEMBERS TRY TO MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER BY
ASKING YOU TO SEND THEM LAST YEAR’S FLIER AND
THEY’LL JUST ‘UPDATE IT A BIT.’

YOUR SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS BRUSHED ASIDE
WITH, “BUT THAT’S HOW WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT.”

THE DESIGN THEY HAD TO HAVE TOMORROW IS
NEVER USED. AND YOU’RE NEVER SURPRISED.

STOLEN IMAGES, PIRATED SOFTWARE AND BREAKING
COPYRIGHTS IS JUSTIFIED BECAUSE IT’S “GOD’S
WORK.”

YOU’VE EVER WONDERED WHY GOD GETS THE
CREDIT WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT, BUT YOU GET THE
BLAME WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.

YOU’VE EVER CAUGHT YOURSELF PROOFREADING
THE POWERPOINT SLIDES DURING WORSHIP.

YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF BILINGUAL BECAUSE
YOU’RE SO ADEPT AT TRANSLATING CHRISTIANESE.

YOUR ONLY INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP INVOLVES
LATE SATURDAY NIGHTS WITH THE CHURCH
PHOTOCOPIER.

YOU CAN’T ACTUALLY ATTEND THE EVENTS AND
PROGRAMS YOU WORK TO PROMOTE BECAUSE
YOU’RE TOO BUSY PROMOTING THEM.

RESEARCH FOR SERMON SERIES BRANDING MEANS
WATCHING TV.

YOU CAN’T INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO CHURCH
BECAUSE YOU’VE TOLD THEM TOO MANY NOT-SO-
FLATTERING STORIES ABOUT YOUR PASTOR.

YOU AND THE SENIOR PASTOR HAVE CONFLICTING
DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD “DEADLINE.”

IT’S PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE TO USE A VOLUNTEER’S
WORK OVER YOURS, BUT USING A VOLUNTEER’S
SERMON? THAT’S A GOOD JOKE.

PASTORS INEVITABLY BECOME YOUR ART DIRECTOR,
AND THEIR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH “ART”
INVOLVED CRAYONS.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A LEGITIMATE EXCUSE FOR LAST-
MINUTE CHANGES.

Now, most of these don't apply to myself, but I thought they were funny! I laughed so hard reading it because I've heard tons of friends mention a bunch of these!

This is my Hero!!!!

"Big Bang" Test

Scientists are preparing to smash protons together in a 27-kilometre tunnel underground in late October. The team hopes to detect extra dimensions, 'dark matter' and the mysterious Higgs boson---- the so-called 'God particle'. They are trying to recreate what happened immediately after the Big Bang.

Personally, after reading this I am mystified! I never knew that science could come up with this kind of experiment. The only problem I have is that they are trying to collide protons together @ such high rates that the quarks inside the protons will collide. If you know anything about physics, you will understand that colliding protons together at such a high rate causes a huge amount of energy to be released. Now I really don't know much about the facility they are conducting this experiment in, but I do know that it is located in a mountain. I am thankful for that!! The fact is that releasing this amount of energy several times over (they are colliding several strains of protons together) can be pretty dangerous. If this were taking place here in St Louis, I might find myself out of town for a few days when it occurred. In any event, plenty of my friends have been talking about it!! They've said they are worried science is trying to disprove the existence of God and that this could be some sliver of hope for those trying to debunk God.

Personally, I have no problem with this! Go for it scientists! Try and prove that God doesn't exist! Finding out that there is some particle that started this whole thing does not prove that God is fake or that He doesn't exist! Quite the contrary! To me, that proves that God exists and that He actually works through science. Does it seem logical these protons and neutrons and gases all came from nothing? There has to be an existence greater than these few particles randomly colliding! Space is so expansive and so large that the likely hood of these particles colliding @ any point is so extreme without a greater being pulling them together.

My point being this, Christians are sometimes afraid of science and that is sad! Science is a wonderful thing. Every time science refines it's theories and practices, we are brought closer to the very existence of God! He constructed the universe! He brought things into existence with His very hands. Whether He used the "Big Bang" or some other way, the fact is that God created science and created our universe. He is not above using science to aide in creation. In fact, I'd bet my money on the idea that God used and uses science every day to bring about His will.

I'm pretty excited about this experiment and can't wait for the results! I just hope it doesn't rip open some weird black hole and swallow us all! Then I wouldn't be able to go to Sonic everyday for a Route 44 coke!

We've Launched

So it's Monday morning around 11.45 and yesterday we launched New Life Community Church. To understand what a moment this is you have to understand all the work that has gone into this church over the last few months. It started with small projects like cleaning up the office and moving Jason and Ashley into their apartment. Then a team from Ohio came down and helped us clean up the closets, fix broken drains in the parking lot and general cleaning around the place. Then we cleaned out the garage (which was one of the dirtiest places I've ever seen). We then organized the office and had a garage sale which all went great. Then a Young Adult team from Wisconsin came in and really got this thing movin! They painted most of the church (inside and out) and really helped us change the way the whole building looked! Since then we've painted a few more rooms, got the bathrooms rehabbed, tore down the chandeliers in the sanctuary (Hallelujah!!), redecorated the whole stinkin' place and replaced the sound board.

So after all that work has been completed (which is only part of what we've actually done), I have to say that I am so thankful for all the people that have been involved at New Life Community Church! With out all of you, we'd be up the creek without a paddle!

So as I sit here, thinking it is really nice to have launched New Life, I can't help but ask....... WHAT'S NEXT?

This Helped Me....

This video was truly inspirational to me. I think this guy has it right!!!
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=nyB-PpF20kI&feature=related

Sad Day.... for Christian Music

Well, what can I say? It's another sad day for Christian music! I would normally say that a sad day for Christian music occurs when the "Dove" award goes to Point of Grace instead of a musical group who write their own music and make music, to which I can actually sing along. All joking and ribbing aside, it is a sad day for Christian music. As of Saturday, the world has started to hear that the wonderful worship anthem, "Healer", by Planetshakers Pastor Mike Guglielmucci was promoted as a fraud. Saturday the Executive Committee of the Australian Christian Churches (a member of the Assemblies of God) met with Mike and he told them that he did not have cancer. For those of you who know, 2 years ago Mike wrote a song called "Healer". This song started gaining momentum, when Mike told people that he had a rare form of cancer and that had been the inspiration for him writing the song. Since that point, Mike had been all over the world, singing his song, telling people about the reason that he wrote the song. Mike had become a huge inspiration to all those who heard the song and to those who were afflicted with any type of illness. Listening to the song took on a whole different meaning.

This was a huge shock to me, as I had been using the song is worship sets for the past year or so. I used it at Evangel University Chapel, 20Twenty and at countless worship sets since then. I love the song! It has a message that no matter what, God is still God and He is the ultimate Healer. In fact, this past Monday, I introduced the New Life Community worship team to the song and shared the story behind the song. Little did I know that the back story is a fraud! It makes me sad.... and at first, very angry!!!! How could someone weave a web of lies so thick? In fact, Mike performed "Healer" with the Hillsong worship team and recorded a live album/dvd that has since been released. The song hit #2 on the Australian charts. It has become a huge success and all because of a lie. Whether or not the song would have been as popular as it is without the back story, is hard to tell. All I can say is that I am having a hard time comprehending the whole thing.

That isn't the real reason I am writing this blog. The real reason is to talk about the way "we" need to deal with this situation and others like it. I can already tell that people across the world are going to come down real hard on this guy. That might be a fair response, seeing as he made a lot of money off the song and the donations that people made for him and his disease. I did at first! Then I had a second to think about it....

Mike was wrong... plain and simple!! He lied and took money from people on false pretenses. It is ridiculous how many people will and have been affected by this. BUT let's understand something. Mike sinned and he has to pay for his sins. That doesn't mean that we are judge and juror! He will have to explain all of this and pay back lots of money. He will have to do deal with the humiliation of being "that guy" for the rest of his life. It's going to be hard and very trying and he can't do it all on his own. Personally, I am going to be the hand of grace. I've made some mistakes and had plenty of moral failures in my life. They may have not been as large in scale as this one and may not have affected as many people, but I've still failed. I've fallen short of the Glory of God. I've given in to the flesh and fulfilled my own desires. So I know how it feels to be the one who falls short. So I'll be the first to say this:

Mike I forgive you! I know this isn't a proud moment for you. I know that people are going to

send their disappointments and anger to you in the form of letters, emails, phone calls and such. You are going to be tried in your faith and in your patience, but it's your time to step away and be with God and your family. Take some time to evaluate who you are and why
you are doing what you are doing. Spend time with God and truly repent. If you do that, God
will forgive you, and everyone else will eventually forgive you. I just want you to know that I
am praying for you and your family. Praying that restoration and healing will take place in an
instant, and that this situation will make your faith stronger! Please remember, that I love
you as a brother in Christ and you are not alone! Hold strong brother!

I know that Mike may never read this blog, and no one will probably care that I've forgiven Mike, but I want to start exercising the grace that God has extended to me. I want to be the agent of grace to those who might not normally receive it. I've been given several chances and plenty of grace, so it's time to start giving back. I pray everyone else will follow suit!

Inspiration

I don't think I've ever been more inspired by a movie than tonight. I rented "The Great Debaters" partly because there was nothing else in Blockbuster that seemed interesting and partly because I have an insatiable craving for movies. I sat down @ my imac and decided to put this movie in first because it seemed like a movie I needed to pay really close attention to (ie. it required more attention than I could give while working on design stuff). So I put the movie in and waited for the heart warming goo to flow out.

As I sat there, I realized the weight of this movie. It is a deep and really heavy movie. It motivates plenty of emotion, either being hate, sadness, pain, or simple discomfort. I hate movies that bring up racism in order to prove that a certain group has done lots of wrong and should still feel bad about it. Those kinds of movies irritate me as much as Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson do when they are in the news trying to pick apart some instance of wrong doing as a huge racial issue. Not that they aren't right some of the time, but usually they are out to get publicity because the American people have forgotten about them.

"The Great Debaters" is not one of those movies. It has a wealth of intellect and wit that most movies lack now a days. There are emotion filled rants, tearful moments and sad travesties. For every one of those moments, there are three moments that break the human spirit down into a simple, better notion. That mankind has lost the passion that once fed freedom. I sat there listening to young men and women debate over topics that are weightier than tax breaks and campaign ads. It brought about compassion, not sympathy. It stirred desire to see equality, not hatred towards those who have done wrong. I was half through that movie when I picked up my notebook and penned a heart felt response to what mankind has done to itself. I look at this movie, not as a reflection of the past, but as a mirror image of our current situation. We sit back and watch as the world around us falls into a cyclical motion of rising and falling. Not only are we living in racially charged times, where a black presidential candidate stirs voters because of his race, but in a time where there are those around us who can't see past their social class.

I'm not saying I'm going to go out and change the lives of every American. I can't do that. What I can do is understand the struggles others face each day and show compassion to someone who, otherwise, might not see a friendly face. I can step up and show my fellow man how beneficial him being around really is. People need to know there are needed/wanted. People need connection to something more than just a job or a loved one. They need to know that God has reached out His hand towards them in the guise of someone smiling at them or telling them they are great.

This movie was intended to show the will of the human spirit. To show that even though racial tensions were strong, there were a few who stood tall and stood proud. It gave me the will to exercise my civil disobedience. My disobedience to the norm of looking out for myself first and then if I have the time or resources to give help to another. My act of civil disobedience is to reach out to any and all, and give them the hope they are looking for.... My Lord

There's more than just the music!

Recently, I've started thinking about the different aspects to worship. As a Worship and Creative Arts Pastor, I tend to get stuck in the mindset of music. Don't get me wrong, I love music! It's one of my three big passion! Unfortunately, the "Church" tends to think of worship in terms of music. Worship is a lifestyle. It's a way of thinking, breathing, eating, sleeping.... living. We worship God with our hearts, our actions, our minds, and our talents. Not everyone has perfect pitch or can play an instrument. Which can make it difficult for them to get into worship because they feel they aren't contributing to the overall experience.

So that being said, I am working on different ways to think about worship. Whether we think of art work, music, handy work, or some other expression, I am trying to find ways to incorporate the entire church body into contributing to the overall worship experience. Some ways I've thought of so far are:
- Art work (painting, sculpting, literature)
- Sound and Technical (sound board, video projection, etc)
- Setup (It takes a lot of work to prepare for a service and setup is essential!)
- Call to worship (Giving a word, reading a scripture, or sharing a testimony at the beginning of the worship set)

I know that isn't a whole bunch of ideas, but I think that people often feel disconnected from the worship experience. Almost like it is a concert and not a time where they can personally take a few moments and share their heart with God. I wonder what the "Church" would look like if everyone was in tune with God on a corporate and PERSONAL level, simultaneously?

New Life Parkfest

First of all, I just wanted to announce to everyone that our Church website has finally launched!!!! Woo hoo!!!! There are still some updates that we need to do, but it's running! I have attached the address: thenewlifecommunity.com

Ok, so we had our New Life Community Church Parkfest yesterday and it was definitely great! We had a blast and had a great turn out! Hopefully I'll be able to place pictures up pretty soon!

We had a young adult team down from a church in Wisconsin. Many those guys were awesome!! I led worship with their worship team. It was an awesome time. They arrived on Thursday and started to work on helping "update" our church. They painted the inside and outside of our church.... now it looks AWESOME!!!!!! I'll take some pictures pretty soon and post them up. I got back in town on Saturday afternoon, from JP and Jana's wedding (congrats guys!!!!) and when I drove up to the church they were almost done painting. It was one of the best surprises I could of come back to. So I gathered my guitar and equipment up and headed home (actually to get a new cell phone.... I need everyone's numbers). I arrived at the Vlasses Park early Sunday morning to get setup. I finally met the band that morning and we had our first run through for the worship set. Now, normally I panic at this point. I'm a stickler for practicing until we have the whole set this down and can play it in our sleep. Well, we had one run through and decided that was enough.

The worship set was awesome!!!!!! I can't believe how well we all meshed and how quickly it happened!!! It was so refreshing to go through a worship set like that! I am so worked up about it that I've had a hard time sleeping! This whole weekend was an upper for me! Coming back to see the church painted and having a great service where people really responded to God and to our vision is what I really needed. We are moving along quite nicely! Hopefully soon we'll have new lighting!!

I say all of that to say that sometimes things seem to stop and you seem to be making no progress. That time will pass and all of your hard work and time spent agonizing over the little details will lead to your dream being realized! You just have to embrace patience and realize God is working things out in His own way.

Now it's time to dream more....... dream bigger.... and dream cooler (don't know what that means).

July 13, 2008

So we just finished up service at New Life about two hours ago. It was a good service! Worship was splendid (who uses that word anyway!?) as usual! W only had three song on the set list this morning, but they took plenty of time.

New Life Set List: 7/13/08

Jesus I Surrender- Jeff Deyo
All I Need Is You- Marty Sampson
Freedom Reigns- "Some guy"

I know that's not fair to the author of the song, but heck.... I don't remember his name and I don't really want to go look for it. Laziness! I tell you, kids these days don't have value for hard work. When I was their age.... wait I am... crap! Oh well.

Jason spoke on the second half of our "motto"..... Grow In Love. The first half is Grow in God. They may sound redundant, but the fact is that the two are the same and separate. He talked about how we love one another. To Grow In Love we must first learn what love is. The Father has love abounding and it is easily accessible to us by simply accepting the gift of His love. We tend to worry about whether or not God has "feelings" for us, like some worrying girlfriend or needy lover. The fact is that He loves us and we have to deal with it. Once we do that, we then have to start loving others.

Jesus in Matthew 22 is speaking to the people and the Pharisees try to catch Jesus in His own words. One of them being an expert in the law asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is? The ever clever Jesus replies with one of the greatest sayings in His ministry. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

The reason this is so important is that Jesus puts these two commandments side by side. He equates loving the almighty creator of the universe with loving the man next door. We often neglect loving God by being mean to our neighbors. We forget that God has created every being on this planet and His love for mankind surpasses them all! So if he loves someone and we are mean, rude, hypocritical, and not loving towards them then we are neglecting God. He created us in His image. So leaving out one person is like leaving out the master of our hearts. It's sad to see people continually neglect the heart of their Savior by hurting their fellow man.

We worship God through many avenues. Songs, dance, prayer, preaching the word, but the most powerful of all of them is showing compassion and care for those who are around us. Whether or not we like the person, we are still to love them with the love we show towards God. We can lift our hands into the highest of the heavens, sing the praises with our loudest voices, but if we have not love for those with whom we interact with on a daily basis then God will turn a deaf ear to our clanging cymbol.

Leaving A Church?

I found this on another blog site. This guy is an interesting pastor and I really like what he said here. So here is John Voelz's ideas on leaving a church


Tonight, The Times reported that Senator Barack Obama left his church. Obama was an active member for two decades at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago where he was married and his daughters were baptized. But, as we all know (unless we’ve been under that proverbial rock) the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor of TUCC hasn’t made life too easy for Mr. Obama in recent days.

Some folks are speculating this will be great for his general election campaign while others are questioning why it took him so long to leave since this controversy is probably indicative of a deeper sentiment the church has always communicated.

I cannot begin to speculate whether this was a good decision for Obama or not. I don’t know the “whole” story. I don’t know how they handled themselves behind closed doors. I don’t know if they followed biblical means of confrontation and/or reconciliation. Since I don’t know, I won’t form an opinion.

However, it does have me thinking tonight about people leaving churches.

I have read so many articles and heard so many opinions about when it is “okay” to leave a church. And, quite frankly, unless you know the situation inside out it is hard to make a blanket statement about when it is okay.

For instance, some would say it is okay—and even necessary—to leave a church when the “truth” is no longer preached. While that makes some sense, there is also honor in staying at a church and lovingly holding leadership accountable through the proper channels in order to save the church’s reputation and not drag the name of Jesus through the mud.

There is a bigger question behind the question of “when is it appropriate to leave a church?” and that question is “have you committed to the church you are thinking of leaving?” In other words, if you are not a member (partner, owner, etc.) of your church, you can pretty much do what you want.

If you have issues with your church but you aren't a member, you haven’t committed to anything so your leaving is just like switching grocery stores.

I'm only halfway joking.

So then, if you haven’t committed to any church body there may be a bigger question you may want to ask yourself—“why?’

P.S. If you haven’t committed to that body (through whatever process the local body has in place) and you are not an active participant and financial giver, you should keep in mind you really don’t have any "right" to voice your opinion on your way out.

If you have committed, there is a higher standard for you on how you “go about your business” with raising concerns, communicating issues, and/or leaving.

A commitment to a church is like a commitment to a spouse or a relationship or your family. You don’t just walk out on a family. You don’t just give up on a relationship when it doesn’t “meet your needs.” When you have an issue with your spouse you talk it through—maybe even with a counselor (third party). When the passion wanes, you work on bringing back the original passion.

And, if you do break up with someone or air your grievances, it is not looked upon favorably when you do so by note, letter, or email.

So, without talking about all the possible reasons you might have to leave your church. Let’s talk about “how to do it.”

Let’s assume you have every biblical reason to leave, you have had every conversation you need to have, you have prayed incessantly about your decision, you have gone through the proper channels, and you have exhausted all other possibilities. Now what?

It is 99% inevitable that the church you belong to now is the church you will be from one day.

But, there is a right way and a wrong way to leave a church.

In no particular order, here are some suggestions : : :

1. Don’t make a scene. This is Jesus’ church. No matter how pissed you are at Pastor Bob, Jesus does not deserve your prideful attention grabbing hissy fit.

2. Don’t slander. Again, Pastor Bob and his wife may be idiots. His kid may be the demon seed of Mayberry. But, the church belongs to Jesus. You owe it to your own reputation, the reputation of Bob and his family, and the reputation of Jesus and his church to keep your mouth shut.

3. Ask your pastor(s) out for lunch and explain your decision to leave. Let them know what the “agenda” is before asking them out. Give them the option of not going to lunch with you. Depending on the circumstances that have led up to your departure it may be best you part friends without talking any further. However, give them the courtesy of the lunch invite.

4. In the best of all possible scenarios, part on good terms. It is always better to go out like Seinfeld did—nothing wrong, top of your game. Make sure when you leave you are leaving on the kind of terms where you won’t have to duck down aisle 3 of the supermarket when Bob is on aisle 5 up ahead. Make it the kind of departure where you would be asked to come volunteer in a heartbeat if you ever came back.

5. Do not write a letter or email listing your grievances. Seriously. Trust me. A departure letter gives your church leadership no way to win and leaves them with a bad parting opinion of you. It would be better for you to slip away quietly never to be heard from again than to send a flaming email and disappear.

6. Do not take anyone with you. A common disaster in most churches happens when someone gets their shorts in a wad and starts to build a network of support they take with them on the way out. Truth be told? Most of the folks who were invited to take up pitchforks usually end up coming back after they realize how dumb it was to leave and how invested they are in a place they call home.

7. Don’t talk about “your old church” with your “new church.” Trust me, your new pastor doesn’t want to hear your smack talk. We are all on the same team. Truth be told, when I hear talk about the “last church” I know it is only a matter of time before we fit the profile.

8. Never use your tithe to hold the church hostage. Believe it or not, some will dangle their tithe in front of the church leadership as a way to grab their attention—“I’m gonna leave and take my money with me.” First, your money is Jesus’ money. Second, said money does not buy you privileges.

9. Set an example. Be cognizant of the fact that others are watching you. Young believers, not-yet believers, seasoned believers, and everyone in-between is watching. So is Jesus.

10. Don’t say anything you will regret. Words mean something. Words have lasting effects.

Have We Missed It?

Tonight I went to my first concert since I moved to St Louis. It was downtown near the loop and I have to say I really like the area. It's a neat little nook where all the hippies chill. There are cool clothing stores, vinyl record stores (yes I know what those are), and there are some colorful characters down there. I really like the area, although it isn't very safe. But none of this is the point.

I saw Iron and Wine in concert (A BIG thank you to the Copelands for the free ticket and ride down there) and I really like their music. I couldn't make out the lyrics real well, but their music was off the hook! (90's catch phrase brought to you by VH1's Pop-Up video) Their melodies were insane, they blended an eclectic array of musical instruments, and they had this stage presence that was very unique. The lead singer is a very quiet man. He speaks very little and I like that. The transitions between songs were flawless and the drummer was amazing! (why is it that all the really awesome drummers seem to be black. We white people need to learn) Even the opening band was good! I was just really impressed.

I say all that to say this: I think the Christian community has missed out on a really cool style of music. Someone sitting near me said: "If your church had this style of music then I'd be there every Sunday!" He went on to say that most worship music is very dull and outdated. I laughed and agreed with him and then began a pretty cool discussion on some of my favorite worship bands and how they are different from mainstream worship stuff. Unfortunately, I can't say that my style of worship is any different from the "mainstream" stuff. I've become content with boring chord progressions and bland melodies. I feel like I've not done what I've wanted to do all along, that is buck the system. Change the way people see and hear worship music. I've stayed where I've become comfortable. This style of music was really cool and added something of an eclectic feel to the whole concert. Steel drums, percussion that was abnormal, guitar lines that were out of the box. It was just.... fresh. I think I am going to work on that.

I wonder how people at church would feel if I did something very very very different from what they have known. I mean I am already pulling them out of their comfort zone with the music I am using now. I just want to do more. Bring something fresh so that when new comers enter the building they realize we aren't like the other churches in town. We have something fresh! For me, it all starts with finding more band members. Right now I am hunting down musicians. I am posting flyers in music stores and on college campuses. I am trying to bring people in. My first priority is to find some really good electric players. Next, I think I am going to look for someone who is pretty good on the turn tables. After that, I think I am going to stretch even further. Who knows what that will look like, but I'm going to give it a shot! Maybe in ten years people will look back on what I have done and think to themselves "Geoff did something in worship that I've never seen before!" Maybe I'll change how worship is done.

This night really inspired me! Thanks again to the Copeland's! You have challenged me as a worship pastor. You have opened my eyes to something I never thought a 40's something couple could. Now it's off to brainstorm and dream!!

Something I've Found Helpful

So I found this nifty list and figured I would share it here on my blog. I will be using it at New Life when we get off the ground. Check it out this list !

And I will be updating the song writing vlog soon!

"You Took My Place"

Here is a song that I wrote called "You Took My Place". In subsequent blogs I'll be discussing song writing issues.

Voice Issues

So I am sitting here on my futon, relaxing from a weekend in Topeka, KS. We were at Good News Church this weekend leading worship and doing ministry. I had kind of a rough weekend and it's hard to get over. You see we got up there Friday night and stayed in the house of a gentleman in the church. As soon as I walked in the house, I knew I was in trouble. You see the guy has a cat. For some people, that's not a big deal. For me, that's a huge thing. You see, I've become allergic to cats in the past few months. Not sure where that came from, but it's terrible. So I slept in the house that night and the next morning... it was terrible.

Later that day we practiced and I knew it was over. My throat was on fire! I felt like I was breathing fire every time I sang a note. It doesn't help that I am not very friendly to my vocal chords when I sing. So I bore down and began to sing. As we hit the set that night, it was a struggle. I couldn't hear much because our monitor went out and had to listen through the main speakers and we had a drummer with no drum shield. The first song went terrible for me. I was off and my throat was dying. By the time we hit the last song (a very high song) I was done. I'm still getting over the soreness and being hoarse.

All that being said, I am trying to figure out some things I can do to preserve my voice. Singing when you are hoarse and when you are sick..... VERY BAD for you vocal chords. The only thing you can do is drink water and rest. I am looking for some voice remedies as well. Any suggestions?

Writing.... An Art Form?

There have been several worship albums come out in the past couple of months.
A few of my favorite include:
- Free by Planetshakers
- The I Heart Revolution by Hillsong (this is a re-release of some of the their old material live with some new stuff)
- My Savior Lives by New Life Worship

All of these albums are really good. Like any other album, there are songs that I like more than others and there are a few that I think are terrible. Maybe I am just biased, but worship songs always sound better when the bands and artists take time to work out every aspect of the song and then go back and fix the mistakes at a later point. This just shows commitment to excellence, which I firmly believe is a scriptural foundation.


I've always wondered how these song writers produce such quality songs. It's amazing to look at the simplicity of the lyrics and hearing such an anointing on the songs. The compositions are so refreshing and the music behind the lyrics is so deep and complex. God's wonder and glory seem to be encompassed in these songs. Maybe it's just my biased towards to the music, but the music just inspires writing every time I listen.

What a Decision!?!?!

Let's see, I've made my decision. Im going to join the church plant that I talked about previously in a blog. It was a tough decision. I'm going to take a job with undefined hours and no pay. Well, I think it's the best decision for me. Who knows that will happen in the next few months. Who knows what I am going to do for a paying job. That's scary, but I know God will provide!

Here is the website for the project (we are calling it a project because it is a church revitalization). The website has vision for the project, bio on some of the team, and a place to donate. Now I am not a person to push donating money for things, especially ministry. Most of that is because I have televangelists and their greedy ploys to get your money to buy houses and thousand dollar suits. I can mention this safely because I know that isn't the case! We are going to a church who can't pay anyone's salary, not even Jason who will be the lead pastor. Every single one of us is going have to get an extra job or two so that we can pay rent and even eat. Many people have already donated. We have a church sign donated, some printing material to promote the church and other things that we greatly appreciate! I am not asking or trying to pull any heart strings so that people will give money. I am simply just giving you the option. If you feel like you want to help us, then I wanted to give you an option. I really feel uncomfortable doing it, but I know that we all need help!

On another note, I really appreciate all the support I have been given so far. Everyone who has been praying and lending an encouraging word, THANK YOU SO MUCH! All the prayers and well wishes have meant so much! It has been really overwhelming. All I really feel comfortable asking for is prayer. Please for myself and the rest of team. God has been working behind the scenes and it is all coming together so beautifully. I'm so encouraged and I know it is because of the prayers that have been lifted towards Him. Continue earnestly praying for us and the community we are heading into. God is moving!


http://www.thenewlifeproject.com/

Blessings
Geoff McLarty

Worship and Creative Arts Jobs?

There are few things in life that can cause the type of stress that looking for a job does. There is definitely nothing like looking for a job in the Church. I am graduating in a few weeks and I am at the point of no return. I am looking for a job. I am looking to be employed by a church as their Worship and Creative Arts Pastor. Some might say that I shouldn't have a problem, there are so many church's in need of someone to take over that aspect of ministry. Unfortunately, it is a little more difficult than that. It is true, there are a large number of church's looking for a Worship Pastor. There are actually some quality church's out there in need. The unfortunate part is that most of these church's, though great church's, cannot afford to pay this position or pay inadequately.

You see, most church's want someone who has been in ministry for many years and has experience in leading in a church of over 500 or more. They are not willing to take a chance on a 23 year old straight out of college. The church's that are interested in taking that chance, typically are not large enough to pay an adequately enough for me to live and pay off school loans. You see the issue?

I have come across one or two church's that are very promising. The first is a church in Arizona that is a church of 250 and willing to bring me on full time with very promising salary and benefits. The other is a church plant that isn't able to pay off the bat. Most would say, why not just take the job that pays? Well, I have decided something in my search. I have decided that I want to go to a church that has strong leadership, vibrant vision, stable and logical belief's and promise of growth (whatever that looks like). I want to go to a church where I trust the leadership and their ability to lead. I also want to go to a church where I have some freedom. Freedom to work within my ministry, without a dictator telling me what songs to sing each Sunday. Freedom to be innovative with the media and graphics. I want t be valued for what I can contribute.

With that said, I am debating. Go to a church where the salary is great, but I don't know the leadership as well. Or go to a church where I know, trust and love the leadership. Where I know I will be valued because I have ministered with the Pastor and leadership team for the past two years. Where I know I can go in and mold my area of ministry. It's tough, because the first church might be a place where I can do that as well. I know God will guide my steps, I also know that he gave me a brain to be logical.

God guide me in Your will, that I might be where you are working!

Worship Retreat

I just returned from an awesome weekend, where God really had His way. My college and young adults group here in Springfield has held a worship retreat for several years, with great results. We take a weekend and head to a facility about an hour or two away. The weekend is designed specifically for, us as a body, to gather and just spend time with God. It's chief purpose is to unite the body in corporate and private worship. I attended last year, and received great blessings from what God did in my life. This year, I was a part of the worship team that led the services. It was a completely different time than I had previously enjoyed. Instead of being in the crowd, I had the priviledge of being on stage and leading. Looking out over 150 or so young people, giving God glory for who He is and what He is doing brings me to tears. I am in awe of what God does.

The weekend gave me some perspective on several issues, that I will write about over the next few days. First, God has an interesting way of speaking. I've often felt the presence of God move over me, in ways that I find it hard to put words to. He just has a way of striking chords in my heart, that no other person or thing can. I specifically remember sitting on the side of the stage after our wonderful speaker, Jason Patterson, had given us some perspective on Abraham and his journey. Mary was on the piano, as I was gathering my thoughts and composure so I could get on stage and play. She started singing a song written by Throne Room Worship. Lyrics follow:

The more I seek You
The more I find You
The more I find You
The more I love you

I want to sit at Your feet, Drink from the cup in Your hand
Lay back against You and breathe, Feel Your heartbeat
The love is so deep, It's more than I can stand
I melt in Your peace
Its overwhelming

Simple song, with powerful lyrics. I literally found myself weaping in God's presence! How true those words ring. The more I seek God, the more I find Him. The more I find Him, the more I truly love Him. It's an awe inspiring moment, realizing that God is as close to you as the person next to you. The concept of sitting at God's feet, drinking from His hand, leaning against Him, feeling the closeness of His heartbeat... it just conjures emotions that God has placed deep inside. I've never thought of my relationship with God in this way. Sitting with Him, not needing to say a word, but really enjoying what His is giving. Man, I wonder how it feels to be in heaven! If that night is any taste of what it's like, then I am there!

I honestly, don't remember the timing, whether it was the same night or the next, but a few people got up and spoke some encouragement. Will Kitchen got up with a powerful word. He said as much as we talk about believing in God, God truly believes in us. The more we seek Him, the more He seeks us. The more He finds us, the more He loves us. The thought that God is seeking us, trying to find us more and more brings out more humbleness than ever before! I remember thinking of God fighting through the sin, the anguish, pain, and clutter in our lives, looking for that sliver of the true us, that we have hidden deep inside the clutter. He is searching through all that we have put in front of us and trying to break down the walls. Almost like a huge house with countless rooms. Rooms that we have filled with the things in our lives and God is searching each room, anticipating what He will find. With each door comes the anticipation of finding us, until He bursts through the door which holds our heart.

I know this may be a weak analogy for some, but for me, it brings me to tears. I've always thought of my relationship with God as me trying to reach high enough and far enough to grasp the outstretched arm of God. This new thought, the thought that God is running after me, looking for me, hoping that when He opens the next door that He finds me is inspiring. God truly seeks us. He wants us at His feet, waiting for what He has to feed us. He wants us to yearn for time with Him, where we just sit heart to heart.

I say all this to really highlight how God wants us. We lift our hands toward heaven and sing songs of how great God is, which is wonderful and theologically true. I just wonder if we reach so high that we sometimes miss God standing right in front of us, holding His arms out. We are so focused on reaching heaven, that when heaven is before us, we never even see it. God has done it all for us, the only thing we have to do is to reach forward and embrace Him. He has found us, where we are. Now can't we just step forward and embrace Him?

Plan or no plan?

I love reading blogs and reading the perspective of others. Recently, I have been reading the AG Think Tank blog. The topic of planning came up.

I am a planner. I like having a game plan for things. It is the only way that I can get all the things that I want to accomplish done. This is no where else more important than when I plan a worship set. I first start with song selection. I look through my list of songs and I start studying the chord charts and transitions. I make sure that they key are relative, or that I can at least transition from song to song. Then I look at the themes of the songs. Do they relate? Are they compatible? Am I going from a song where I say that God has made me who I am, to a song where I talk about how terrible I am compared to God (there are songs that at least give that assumption)? Then I look at the time restraints I am dealing with. Finally, I look at the difficulty of the songs. Are the songs easy to play so that my team can worship along with those who are singing?

I find it important to plan out things. I want to know what everyone else thinks? How important is planning in a worship set?

Conundrum?

Recently, I've come across some questions involving worship ministries. I've looked at some blogg sites and some magazines and the topic of worship ministry vs. fine arts ministry. I read a magazine article that interviewed Randy Quackenbush (James River Assembly of God) and John Lindell (JRA). A couple of years ago, John and Randy made a switch from a worship ministry, to a the more encompassing title of fine arts ministry. This switch involved adding dance, drama, and other facets of art to the ministry, which Randy oversee's with the help of ministry leaders.

I guess my question is, how relevant are these ministries? Are dance and drama (along with other facets) valid for completeing the purpose of ministry, which would be converting and discipling? I offer no criticism of either of these two, at least not yet. I am just asking. Also, what other things could be incorporated into this area to be effective?

Where Are We Goin?

So I've been researching new music in the area of worship. I've grown a little tired of the music out there. Not that any of the current music is bad music, but I'm looking for some new stuff. We've all heard of Worship Circle, Hillsong United, Desperation Band, Lincoln Brewster, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and the list continues. I'm looking for something a little more fresh! Any ideas?

Limited Worship?

So for those of you who don't know, I am a student at Evangel University. I'm lead worship at church, school chapel and on a church impact team at school. So I have dealt with worship on many different levels and in different venues.

The other day I was having a conversation with another worship leader, discussing worship and the limits that have been placed upon it. I've experienced time restrictions, style restrictions and almost any other restriction you can place upon worship.This student and I agreed that we sometimes feel that worship can be stiffled. That when we try and fit it into a time frame or style box, we harm ourselves and those we are leading in worship. My question is: Are we wrong to place limitations (i.e. time, style, instruments involved, songs done) on the musical aspect of worship? I state the question this way on purpose because I know someone will tell me that worship isn't just songs that we sing. I agree, but I am specifically talking about the song portion of worship. Discuss... enjoy!

Here's to sharing

I started this blog to dialogue with others that are involved with worship. Those who lead, sing, oversee or just participate in worship in some fashion. There are questions I have, answers I've sought and general discussion topics that I think are worth tackling. The first question I pose is:

What makes worship relevant? Is the style, the leader, songs, instruments, mindset of congregation, or something else?

When you post on here give some information about yourself so that we can understand your perspective better.


Enjoy!