Get Lost

As many of you know, I am a die-hard fan of Lost. Now, other than a couple of people that I work with and Blake Stewart, I don't know that many people who are into the show.
I attempted to go the official web forum last year for the show to see some of the theories, but there's like, a billion people posting every five seconds.

To tell the truth, I'm also into Prison Break, Threshold, and 24 (when it comes back on.) I also like Alias, but who doesn't? It's Jennifer Garner, dude.

Anyway, what do you say we use Todd's little blog for some talk about Lost? Let's talk about last night...

• Does Desmond recognize Jack?
• Have a friend who tivo'd the show and says the "S" shaped logo was on the shark's tale. Anybody see that?
• Does Lock have any idea what's going on?
• Other questions/answers?

I love my son.
Here are a few of his favorite songs

• Are You Gonna' Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
• Vertigo - U2
• City of Blinding Lights - U2
• No One Like You - David Crowder
• Here Is Our King - David Crowder
• You May Be Right - Billy Joel
• Anything from the VeggieTales catalog
  

That is one cool kid.

I saw something interesting in Wal-Mart the other day.

In actuality, I’ve seen this before on church signs, business windows and the back of vehicles. This time in particular, it was scrawled across the back of an older model pickup that looked quite black and menacing.

America Bless God.

This is a strange comment to me. I don’t quite understand what it’s supposed to mean. Here are some possible things it could mean…

1. America needs to somehow vocalize or communicate praise to God. America is being told to bless God. Why? Not sure, especially since this came about right after 9/11. Are we being told as a country to praise God that hundreds of people were burned to death or force to commit suicide off of a skyscraper?
2. America should somehow actually “bless” God by living right. Rather than emote blessing, we should be a blessing. Why? Hey, America, see how those evil non-Christians came in and killed our fellow countrymen? Better get your life right, USA! I wonder if the same folks who came up with this feel the same away about Katrina?

This particular piece of bumper-sticker theology really bugs me, but I’m not sure whay. I’d love to know your thoughts on the “America Bless God” line. Maybe you can offer something of value I haven’t thought of.

October issue of worshipnotes is coming along nicely. Still loving Andrew Peterson's Christmas record. (It's all Jonah and I listen to these days.)

All of my church stress has been temporarily ceased by Rita. (Hauling giant bags of stinking evacuee trash carries with it its own stress.) But once things settle, I've got to start building a schedule for the youth band, coordinating an all new video team. I'm also planning on recruiting a guy to be my 2nd...ideally, he'll organize tech sheets each week and operate as our floor director. Of course, I haven't actually asked him yet, so...

However, through it all, one thing remains...one thing picks me up when all of life's worries get me down.

I'm going to see U2!

PS- By the way, check Tally Wilgis' plane analogy with regard to church business.

My recent adventures:

Wednesday - sick
Thursday - sick
Friday - Hurricane Rita (get gas, try to find water)
Saturday - hide in closet at in-laws with no electricity
Sunday - attempt to help over 600 evacuees at a church

However, the only thing I've cared about blogging about has been the fact that I got the new Crowder cd in the mail last week. Crowder fans better get ready...at times its a really great record and other times I feel like I'm on a 3 day acid trip.

I don't want to spoil it for any of you who are planning to rush out and buy the record Tuesday, but I just have this to say.

Bluegrass.

Sunday's Set
All I Want To Do (Heaslip)
For Your Name (Packiam)
Love Me Like You Do (Keller)
There Is None Like You (LeBlanc)
You Deserve the Glory (Unknown)

Pretty good day. Tiny crowd but music went alright. Band did a great job on "Love Me," but I rushed "There Is None Like You." Also going from G to F could have been done better. Out of "For Your Name," I should have let Mark do the percussion intro while the F decayed. Oh well...lesson learned.

Sermon was okay. MediaShout V3 did great on the mpeg video, so that was nice.

Otherwise, the church is kicking my tail. I've got to get the youth band up and running quick, have tons of volunteer scheduling to do plus all the regular weekly stuff. I'm getting loaded down here. They better start talking full-time quick.

I met with Mike today and we talked a bit about our Christmas Eve service. I have been really interested in doing something different for it, since its usually me with a guitar, singing carols. I ran my idea by Mike and he really dug it.

So, I called up my brother-in-law to see if he would arrange music for a 3-piece ensemble of classical guitar, piano and percussion. I'd like to include cello or violin, but there's not a lot of that around these parts.

Justin seemed interested but said he would think it over. I really hope he can do it. I think it would be really cool for our people and a great opportunity for Justin to get to use his magnificent classical skills!

Thank you…
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Todd Wright and I am extremely happy to talk to you today. I want you to know how much I appreciate you and your willingness to come out here and talk about the real issues that matter to real Americans!
(Hold for applause.)

I don’t want to take too much of your time today, and the fact of the matter is that there are way too many issues to discuss in a meeting like this. But I want you to know that I care about the issues and that I’ve made a personal commitment to fully investigate each and every issue that my constituents are concerned with.
(Hold for applause/laugher/affirmation.)

Today, very briefly, I want to focus on the cornerstone of my platform.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for America to decide on one type of debit card machine AND TO PUT THAT MACHINE IN EVERY COMMERCIAL BUSINESS IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF OURS!

(Hold for applause – might stand.)

I’m not gonna’ lie to you folks. I’m not. I’ve got nothing against debit cards. I think they are the true genius of America’s banking giants, but I gotta’ tell you that these machines are getting out of hand.

Tell me something: this sound familiar?

At your local gas store, you pop out that debit card you and slide it face up, just like it sits in your wallet or your purse.

Then you head down to your local supermarket. You’re standing in line, ready to pay, but does that machine accept the card the same way as the gas station. (Sarcastically)NO!
No, of course not.

At the grocery store, you’ve got to crouch over the liquid crystal display and try to understand that tiny little drawing they’ve given you so you can know how to put the card in. Oh, you face it toward the girl working the register.

Take your family to a nice restaurant and try to pay that? Oh, they got a machine alright, but you ain’t touching it.
(Play up anger.)

No, you give this little card to some 17 year-old kid on probation and he takes your card off in the back and has his way with it!
(Hold. Hold. Wait. Go.)

(Build excitement.)
In the spirit of every great American before you, you work yourself to death to provide for your family and now, you’ve got to waste valuable time that YOU COULD BE SPENDING WITH YOUR FAMILY until some high-school dropout finally shows you that, no, you’ve got flip the card over, turn it backwards and slide it from right to left!

(Hold for applause. If they don’t, ask "Does anybody feel me out there?")

(Softly now, show concern.)
People, I’m not a trouble-maker. I’m just a regular guy like you. I know what its like to work an 8-5, take kids to soccer and music, make sure the water heater is working and make sure that my family is provided for.
I’m not try to stir up anything, but there are times

(Hold. Crease forehead.)
Ladies and gentlemen, there are times when a man can either stand up for stay hidden in the crowd. Well, I’m standing up.

(Possible light affirmation.)
I’m standing up.

(Affirmation will build.)
I’m standing up to say that
I will not stay at your gas pump and try to read tiny writing. (Pound podium!)
I will not allow some child I don’t know to cart off my valuable card to a dark room behind the kitchen. (Pound behind – the – kitchen!)

I will not be forced to get sliding suggestions from someone I don’t know!
It stops here!

(Speak over ovation.)
It stops here!It stops here!
IT STOPS HERE! THIS IS AMERICA, I’M AN AMERICAN AND I WANT TO REPRESENT YOU THIS FALL! I’M STANDING UP TO SAY THIS IS MY COUNTRY AND I WANT TO MAKE IT BETTER.
THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

(Exit quickly, stage right. Be done waving by the time you get to stairs.)

Stopped and got gas today. Things have changed, my friends.

This has bothered me for quite some time, but today was the last straw; I have to speak out.
When I was a kid, my mom would let me go in and pre-pay before I pumped the gas. So I would go pay, come back out and pump the gas. It was nice. It was pleasant. I didn’t even have to worry about stopping right on the correct amount.
I would stand and watch the numbers click higher and higher until the pump would begin slowing somewhere around $.85

However, a few years ago, I noticed that all of the pumps would come to a screeching halt around $.70. This bugged me. I don’t know why but it did.
Over the years, I have watched the slow-down time on gas pumps dwindle. And today, I saw it all.

$.20.

Twenty stinking cents! I spend more time waiting on the remaining $.80 that I did for the whole tank! I understand that gas is, like, a hundred buck a gallon now, but come on! You mean to tell me that a machine that accepts 21 different types of plastic cards with pre-programmed magnetic strips and that can be programmed to stop on the exact amount I’ve paid has to be gradually slowed down?

What the heck is this thing, a go-cart? My modern-day gas pump has to be downshifted?

blah blah blah
switchfoot
blah blah blah
david crowder
blah blah blah
lifehouse
blah blah blah
coldplay
blah blah blah

The Best Worst Hero Ever

Ask any man age 25-35 to tell you his favorite superhero, and he'll more than likely say Superman.

Superman - who's better than Superman, right? For many of us, he was our first superhero, and because of that, he will always be our best.

But the comparison of Superman to other superheroes is much more than a "my guy's stronger than your guy."

Let's think about Superman's history - he's been around a long time. And it is the character's origin that strikes me the most.

The character of Superman was created in some of America's most ideal days. Most of us have at least seen the 1950's live action series. And the idealistic nature of that time period is so evident in Superman. It's as if a comic creator sat around and asked his lackeys to fire off possible threats to the hero.

"What if somebody shoots him?"
He's made of lead!
"How does he get around?"
He can fly.
"What if he can't fly?"
He can run faster than a speeding bullet.
"What if he doesn't know where to go?"
X-Ray vision!

Do you see this? Do you see how idealistic this hero is? Compare him to more modern characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Flash and The Hulk. These other heroes were created much later in the life of art and literature and therefore possess more "flaws."

Oh, sure, Superman has the flaw of being affected by Kryptonite. But how plentiful is that? Compare this weakness to other-worldly chemical solid to the unchecked rage of The Hulk or the completely un-confident Spider-Man.

So, which do we prefer? What are we looking for in a hero? Someone who is something we will never be or someone who reminds us a lot of ourselves?

Sunday's Set
Stir Up A Hunger (Baloche)
Praise the Lord (King)
O Come Let Us Adore Him (Public)
Lay It Down (Lubben)
I Surrender All (can't remember)

Sunday was crazy...I get there at 8 to rehearse w/ Mark. Rick Eubank, the TV guy from traditional service is there looking for a camera. Here's how it went:

Todd: You guys already have one of our cameras.
Rick: Did y'all come get it?
Todd: No. We do have a 2nd one here...wait a second, where's our other camera?
Rick: You don't have another camera?

So we spend about 10 minutes discussing how exactly 2 cameras have gone missing, then Rick goes looking for it (or them.) While Mark and I are rehearsing, the rest of the band shows up and we were able to have a rocking little mini-practice. At 8:50, our sound guy isn't there for sound check. Finally, he shows up and we get things done.

I go upstairs to finish up some projection stuff when Kristen calls. She's got a flat on her car. A massively huge scary blowout. I run to pick them up and Krist and I try to decide whether or not I should try to change this thing before church or just let it sit. We let it sit.

Drop off Jonah at Sunday School, take Kristen the nursery-pager, go change shirts, meet w/ Mike for last-minute service stuff, meet with tech team at 10:15, pray w/ band at 10:20. Rock and roll at 10:30.

Although it was crazy, worship was really good. Our people really took some time to express themselves in the transition between "Praise the Lord" and "O Come Let Us." It was cool. We had 238.

Also got the new MediaShout upgrade-awesome! Sorry for the long blog...it's been awhile and I've missed my little blog community!

I had a very interesting lunch Thursday.

On Monday night, I got a call from a man named John Monk. John is a member of First Methodist and a member of the "SPR." Within the Methodist church, StaffParishRelations is the group that hires and fires non-pastoral staff. A couple of years ago, John Monk is one of the men who hired me.

He attends the traditional service and from what I understand, he was not a big fan of contemporary worship when I got here. However, over the past couple of years he's been very supportive and encouraging.

About five or six months ago, the SPR decided to create mentors for the staff. A member of the SPR would be assigned to a staff member - for fellowship, accountability, all that mentorish stuff. So, John Monk became my SPR-Mentor.

He's been out of town most of the summer, but called to invite me to lunch. He picked me up at the courthouse in a GIGANTIC suv. So we pull out and he asks me where I want to go. I respond with my usual comment when I'm being taken to lunch..

"You're the driver."

So he suggests "The Grill" at Crown Colony.

Crown Colony. Me, eating at Crown Colony. That just seems wrong doesn't it.

You know, you think about the specifics of this lunch - the massive age gap between John Monk and myself, our financial "differences," the size and dependability of the cars we drive and the style of worship we prefer - and it would seem that the sum of these parts would create a lunch that was a complete nightmare.

But you know what - I loved it. I had an amazing time talking to this man who was so different than me. All of the know-it-alls are ready to post...."see, Todd, you and John weren't really all that different." That's a lie. We're totally different.

The reason why I liked this lunch is that a guy who is SO completely different than me took the time and made the effort to be a positive influence in my life. That impresses me, because for all my hip and trendy "knowledge" about community and authenticity, I would never have dreamed of inviting John Monk out to lunch.

He impressed me because he called me.

Sunday's Set
Trading My Sorrows (Evans)
Who May Ascend (King)
I Stand In Awe (Altrogge)
How Great is Our God (Tomlin/Reeves/Giglio/Redman/Crowder/Hall/Bernard/Wright)
The Beauty of the Lord (Anderson)

Today was nuts. First of all, our technology team upgraded the projection computer to XP. Cool, no problem, right? Wrong - secondary monitor would not work, which meant no projection. Around 9:45, we got it going. Awesome. Yeah!

Then around 10, Cesar calls me to say that he's sick and can't run sound. Dangit.

In the end, worship went really great. We had a large group considering it was Labor Day weekend. At the end of the service, I felt really good about the way things went. The closing of the service was a bit awkward...oh well, lesson learned!

in this month's issue of relevant magazine....

http://www.lufkinfirst.com/songs/relevant.htm

Well, the year is coming to a close and that means one thing - the annual "Should we hire Todd full time" situation.

However, this year it seems to be more possible than before. If it happens, it will happen in March (after the baby is born and Angelina County pays for it!)

I keep alternating from intense excitement to crippling fear, sometimes simultaneously. I kow it woudl challenge me far beyond anything I've experienced and I want to serve with integrity. (I don't want working in a church to turn me into a bitter freak.)

Oh by the way, the new worshipnotes is up!