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RUN TODD RUN, Week 68

2011-08-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

Since I'm transitioning the blog to Wordpress, the blogger account will probably just hold my running info...for my own sake.

MONDAY, 8/15/11
Got up super early (for me) and went to run with my friends, Ross and Clark. They've been doing an early morning Galloway run three days a week and I invited myself to join them.

I had a good time. Naturally, it's a little easier to get up and run if you know you've got somebody to do it with! We ran 1/1, which concerned me at first, since I've been doing 3/1 at home. However, the shorter runs help us to run farther. We did about 3.5 miles, I think. It was also nice to run parts of the trail I've never seen before!

RUN TODD RUN, Week 67

2011-08-13T22:54:00.003-05:00

Since I'm transitioning the blog to Wordpress, the blogger account will probably just hold my running info...for my own sake.

SATURDAY, 8/6/11
Would have made sure the Saturday run got into the last post, but I was without internet all day. (GASP!) Kristen had been gone since Wednesday, so I was itching to get some exercise in. (But also dreading it because I had gone for four days without running!) Got out and did 40 minutes. It was hard the last 10 minutes or so, but I powered through.

MONDAY, 8/8/11
Did 48 minutes on Galloway. Also used a pedometer. Glad I got 48 minutes in, but the pedometer is kinda' depressing! Didn't sweat all the way through my shirt this go 'round. Maybe that means cooler weather is on the way. I also wanted to see if there was any noticeable difference if I went to a 4 min / 1 min regimen. I only did it a couple of times, but it felt pretty much the same.

WEDNESDAY, 8/10/11
Figured I start w/ the 4 min. regimen to see what happened.

Turns out I'm not too good at the 4 minute regimen.

Did about thirty minutes of running (good grief I'm slow) and an extra 10 of walking to cool down.

FRIDAY, 8/12/11
Since I had the day off, I decided to head over to Southern Trail and run there. I like the trail because it's a little more flat and the distance is clearly marked. That way, I know exactly how far I've gone.

I did a long warm up walk to get to the "start" of the trail and then started running. I wanted to see how long it would take me to do three miles. I'd like to do a 5k this fall and I wanted to see if I'll end up being the last person through the finish line.

I did three miles in 33 minutes, which was better than I thought it would be. I'd like to be at a 10 minute pace, but I'll take 33 for right now!

SATURDAY, 8/14/11
Went out for a little run. I spent the morning on a little yardwork (I hate yardwork) and then ran errands with Jonah later in the day. I was whipped by evening, but figured I better put in a little time if I was going to have that schoolgirl figure for church on Sunday morning.

I did about twenty minutes on Galloway, then walked a good bit. Nothing crazy, but my legs hurt anyway. Must be all that "weed-eating."

RUN TODD RUN, Week 66

2011-08-06T23:00:00.002-05:00

Since I'm transitioning the blog to Wordpress, the blogger account will probably just hold my running info...for my own sake.

SUNDAY, 7/31/11
40 minutes on Galloway w/ 10 minute cool down.

Why do I even write these things down?

TUESDAY, 8/2/11
Another 40 minutes on Galloway w/ 10 minute cool down. For some reason, this one was hard. I got out there pretty late, so that could have been a factor. Wanted to quit around 20 minutes in, but kept going. I've found a way to power through the end of my run when I'm really wanting quit, so that helped.

THURSDAY, 8/4/11
Kristen was gone the last part of the week, which cut into running. I did Slim in 6 Thursday morning, though, just to try to get some cardio in. That's a weird program - while I'm doing it, I think, "Oh, this is easier than I thought." Then, three hours later, I'm feeling it. Guess crunches will do that to a man.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 65

2011-07-30T23:00:00.003-05:00

Since I'm transitioning the blog to Wordpress, the blogger account will probably just hold my running info...for my own sake.

MONDAY, 7/25/11
Well, I kept the promise to myself to go for an hour! I did Galloway (3 min run / 1 min walk...I'd bump it up but I'm still too slow) for a total of 60 minutes. I don't know if it's the same when running an hour solid, but for me, running that long has some weird peaks and valleys. Around 35 minutes in, I went from feeling terrible to feeling pretty good and the last ten minutes felt kinda' numb - not too terrible, not too ecstatic.

For the first time in 65 weeks, I completely soaked through my shirt. That's gotta' count for something.

WEDNESDAY, 7/27/11
Galloway.
50 minutes.
Running is dumb.

THURSDAY, 7/28/11
Didn't have practice tonight so I figured I could get a run in. When it came time, I didn't want to. At all. But I got out there. This is telling, but my time keeps decreasing...40 minutes tonight. But I did eat like at 16-yr. old today, so that probably didn't help.

FRIDAY, 7/29/11
Another 40 minutes, Galloway style. Slightly cooler out Friday night. Listened to a podcast, but in retrospect, my angry hip-hop playlist might have been better.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 64

2011-07-23T23:00:00.002-05:00

Since I'm transitioning the blog to Wordpress, the blogger account will probably just hold my running info...for my own sake.

MONDAY, 7/18/11
Got out in the late-night heat and ran.

Ate supper late and definitely felt sluggish on the run. Did 10 minute warm up, 20 minute run and a 10 minute cool down.

Mondays are tough because they're usually my first day back on "no sweets." I had reserved the weekends for whatever culinary delights I might desire, but they sure do make me feel lousy. Why do I keep eating them?

WEDNESDAY, 7/20/11
Thanks to the Reluctant Runners website, I added a few new tunes to the running mix. I noticed an abundance of rap on the weekly lists they post and I figured I'd give it a shot. I threw in some Kanye, some Eminem and even some Niki Minaj. (Don't hate.) I liked the Eminem stuff, but he got me a little too pumped up and started off way too fast. It felt good at first, but after 20 minutes, I was thinking, "I better turn on some easy listening and calm things down."

When I had 10 minutes left in the run, (I wanted to do a 30 minute) I fired up that same opening song from Mr. Mathers and that propelled me the thirty minute mark. Did a long walk to cool down. Heat is still suffocating at 11pm, gang.

FRIDAY, 7/22/11
Another day with no sweets! I realize that's a pretty normal accomplishment for most people, but every day I can avoid junk food and candy is a minor victory.

Started the run around 10pm, which is later than I like, but you gotta' do what you gotta' do. I also ate supper late, which is never too fun. I need a good two hours of no food before a run to halfway enjoy it. Did a 10 minute warm up, then a 20 minute run. I had decided beforehand that I wanted to run my whole playlist, which was about 34 minutes long. After twenty minutes, I switched to Galloway (run 3, walk 1) like I did last week. It still feels like cheating, but it did allow me to put in another twenty minutes so that I could go 40 minutes of running! Forty minutes non-stop would feel more like a win, but heck, I'll take it!

Next week, I'm gonna' opt back to Galloway for all the runs and try to log some 30+ runs each time. I haven't done Galloway consistently, but I feel like I could get longer cardio in. The downside is that too much of that method makes the long running harder to get back into.

2011-07-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

If you're an RSS subscriber, the new site will be

http://toddwright.wordpress.com.

Make whatever changes you desire...add me, delete me...your call.

2011-07-20T01:55:00.000-05:00

This is a test post.

Please disregard.

RECENT THINGS

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a collection of some things that I saw, encountered, experienced last week. None of them are related to each other and they're not all that important.

But they did happen.

While running the other night, I noticed that a guy in our neighborhood has a rack in his garage holding about seven compound bows.

As someone who grew up in a bow hunting household, the presence of hunting equipment wasn't all that surprising, but the volume was.

And let me tell you something - obtaining and maintaining seven of these dudes is no small feat. The cost alone would be quite substantial, as these bows looked to be of a high quality.

I joined Google+. After a day or so, I realized it's super boring and a colossal waste of time. I'm sure it'll become more valid and important and creative and all that jazz eventually, but why can't Google stick with the 2 things they do best - providing me awesome email and knowing everything in the world.
I will give props to the logo, though. It's a nice one.

This past week, I was able to find projector lamps for $300 under normal market price. I'm not much of a bargain shopper, but this was just too good to pass up. I even did that annoying thing where I tell everybody I meet about this great deal I found. (The checkout girl at the grocery store didn't seem all that excited.)

The low price meant that I could by three new ones for almost what one cost. So I did. Worship is gonna' bright and shiny this Sunday morning!

I Post Way Too Much About Jian Ghomeshi

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here's Jian interviewing Hugh Jackman.

Watch out...the combined cool of these two in the same room might just knock you unconscious.

Great interview.

7/17/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-07-17T15:01:00.002-05:00

I'm sure that folks who read this blog get tired of me starting these posts by saying...

"Wow! Worship was awesome! My team did great!"

Because worship can't always be great, right?
Musicians are that consistently awesome, are they?

Well, I have two answers for that. First off, I love the way Bethel approaches the worship of God. When you lead a group of people who worship out of obedience and not out of some pursuit of an emotional response, then yes, worship is always awesome because God got the praise! You hear that? God got praise today! That's a win, every time!

And secondly, yes. My musicians are awesome. Every week. Here's what we did.

GREATER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE (A)
Second time to do this tune. As I've mentioned many times before, while Sovereign Grace may not seem like obvious "groove" music, the more I listen and use their stuff, the more impressed I am with how solid their rhythm stuff is. Or maybe just my band is extra groovy.

Call To Worship
I read from Jude 1:24-24.
²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

As I read during the first service, I thought, "Why didn't I go with Ephesians 3:20?" That might have been better, but celebrating that Jesus presents us blameless is pretty good, too!

REDEEMED, RESTORED, FORGIVEN (A)
This one is feeling great. The band is really at home with it and the crowd seems to have embraced it. I noticed today that it seems to prompt some physical responses to worship - hands raised, loud singing, etc. We don't really base worship success on how man people raised their hands, but it is an encouraging sign when folks are engaging in responding to the Gospel so early in the service.

Welcome
Our youth pastor, Mark, was preaching today, so he jumped up to do the welcome. Mark was preaching out of Jude and he gave a little preview of what he'd be preaching and then prayed over us.

MAKER OF MY DAYS (C)
We had a guest drummer today and he did a great job. This tune tends to be a struggle for some drummers. Our drummer, Clay, did a great job on this tune. Tim also did a lot of cool organ stuff that was new that I loved.

Introduction
My friend, Toby Baxley, co-led with us today. He's filling in for me in a couple of weeks and it was a good chance to introduce him to Bethel. He quoted scripture before we went into his song.

GLORIOUS (C)
We've never done this Baloche song and I was excited when he suggested we play it. The song went great. I've always found the intro of the song a little sparse. Toby had a few other instruments fade in early to beef it up a bit when helped. Toby did an awesome job leading this tune. He's gonna' do great on July 31.

Prayer
I prayed as Tim started the low D chord. It was a nice transition and Tim started it perfectly during both services.

ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING (D)
I caught this version from Enfield on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. I love Enfield's take on hymns and this was a fun one today. Smitty did a great job of carrying the guitar riff on this one. Whole tune had a great dynamic.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 63

2011-07-16T23:00:00.003-05:00

TUESDAY, 7/12/11
Hadn't run in a few days, so I spent the day thinking, "Dude, you need to run tonight." It was one of those terrible, baking hot Texas nights, but I fired up a podcast and got out there.

(Side note: I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts and one of my favorite things is to try to guess what sort of 'riff' or 'punchline' is coming up. When I guess one right, I feel like Bill Cosby or something.)

Did a five minute warm up, ran for 30 minutes, then a 10 minute cool down. Dang, I was going slow by the end. Wanted to bail around the 20 minute mark, since that's been my regimen lately. But I've dropped a couple more pounds so I figure amping up the run is the right thing to do.

I haven't blogged about this yet, but my goal is to lose 50 lbs. I'm pretty daunted by it, but I'm trying. I'd like to have it off before the holidays get here, but it's hard!

WEDNESDAY, 7/13/11
Did 5 minute warm-up, 30 minute run an, d 10 minute cool down. Used my pedometer to track distance, which proved what I already know. I am slow.

But the run wasn't terrible and I finished it. That's something, I guess.

FRIDAY, 7/15/11
We were in Lufkin on Friday, which sometimes means no running. However, there was a nice rain Friday afternoon that cooled things down enough for me to take an actual "day run."

It was still hot and a little steamy, but probably 20 degrees cooler than normal. I did five minutes warm up and a 20 minute run. Thirty minutes was my goal and I had to creative to finish it. At 20 minutes, I had to go Galloway Method (run 3, walk 1) to finish it out. I did about a 15 minute cool down. My shirt was soaked!

It was a tough run to finish, but I felt pretty good afterward. (Usually, I'm useless for about thirty minutes after I exercise!)

SATURDAY, 7/16/11
My body never responds well to running two days in a row, but I wanted to get some exercise in. (To fight the effect of all those brownies I ate on Saturday, you know.) I did a 40-minute walk - nothing fast, just trying to put in a little exercise before bed. I try to hit an early bedtime on Saturday nights and a good walk seems to help.

CONFESSIONS

2011-07-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Time to clear the air.

Time to come clean.

Time to share another set of confessions.

Maybe you'll read this post and feel impressed to share your own. Fire up your own blog, hit Facebook or you know...actually talk to a person. (If you must.)

They say confession is good for the soul. So let's all get honest and see if that's actually true. Here are my confessions.

I have never seen a zombie movie. Of any kind.
In the church I grew up in, I was the reason the sound system was messed up. I'd get in there during the week when no one was around and rewire junk to make songs and videos and see how loud I could make it. Don't tell the sound guy, 'kay?
I'm keeping a list this year of how many movies I see. The number is quite high. This concludes the confession. I will not share how many movies I've seen this year. (Blame Netflix.)
I love to read scary books, but hate scary movies.
One of my dreams is to become a YouTube partner.

Okay, your turn to 'fess up!

First Preview of TAKABISHA, now the world's steepest roller coaster

2011-07-12T16:53:00.001-05:00

1:26 into the video...dang.

This is me...

2011-07-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

This is me every Monday morning.

Only not nearly this cute.

Top Five Favorite Places To Eat in Tyler, Texas

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

I like to eat out.

This is no surprise to anyone.

We've lived in Tyler almost three years now and in the time, I've developed some definite "hangs" where I most enjoy sharing a meal with family and friends.

Some of these places grabbed me right off; others are new and are quickly becoming the most likely place you'll find me on a fun Tyler night.

If you're not from Tyler and you're here visiting, I strongly urge to consider this list when making your dining plans.

*Please note. Restaurants are listed in no particular order.

Bruno's (Pizza)
We first had Bruno's when interviewing with the Bethel elders. I remember taking a bite of the best lasagna I had ever tasted and immediately asking, "Where did this come from?" Now, Bruno's isn't necessarily the easiest place to eat. It's expensive. It's crowded. And the take-out clerks could be a little nicer. But I don't care. I love it. And I'll eat it any place, any time.
Don Juan's (Mexican)
It took us awhile to find Don Juan's. But once somebody mentioned dollar-taco Wednesday, we knew we had to check it out. Here's what we like about Don Juan's - sure you can get the giant plate filled with enough food for a high school football team, but we like how many small options there are. A taco or two, a side, some queso and you're good to go. Plus, it usually a pretty cheap meal. But be warned...if you go there and don't try the choriqueso, I can't be your friend anymore.
Smashburger/Jucy's (Burgers)
Yes, I've listed two places, primarily because this is a rift in our family. Kristen is a straight-up Jucy's girl. It's her favorite burger place. My favorite is Smashburger. (Please understand...I'll make myself eat Jucy's if I have to.) Kristen likens Jucy's to a place in Lufkin called "Ray's" which we always loved. I still think Smashburger's better, though. Those fries...man, those fries.
Newk's (Sandwich)
Definitely the most unassuming restaurant on the list, but I've yet to have anything NOT awesome at this place. Plus, they sell a "big salad." I'm sure it's called something else, but when I get the chance to name something after Seinfeld, I take it. I used to do the club sandwich. Until I found the grilled steak. Let's just take a minute and thank God for His many gifts...like STEAK. STEAK. The only problem with Newk's is that you can't eat there for lunch without getting shanked by corporate women in business suits who need your table the second you're done eating.
BJ's (Everything)
My family is so tired of me saying, "Let's eat at BJ's!" But I can't get enough. The pizza isn't technically "deep dish", but it's thick and greasy and wonderful. The burgers don't look like burgers but make me want to cry and they make their own root beer. Little pricey so I don't go there often, but when I do, I go big.

What are some of your favorite places to eat in your town?

7/10/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-07-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

Another Sunday...another chance to gather together as the family of God and celebrate all His wondrous works!

Our very own Dan Bolin preached today and did a great job. Like usual! Not only does Dan have a ton of wisdom about scripture and ministry and life in general - he's also great at communicating it.

Dan's sermon was focused on "hospitality." It was a great, timely word for all of us. Here's what we did for worship.

YOU HAVE SAVED US (A)
We've done this Baloche song a couple of times, but it never really worked. We really struggled with the groove. In all honesty, I don't think the band was "ready" back when we first learned it. However, the band did a great job on it today. It's one of those songs that I love and that I keep thinking the church will really grab, but it just hasn't happened. Could be a case of the band loving a song that's just not working. That really is one of the hardest parts of the job - cutting songs that might be awesome that just don't work. We didn't have Tim on B3 this week, so I think that might have hurt us a little bit.

Call To Worship
While looking through some liturgy books, I came a cross a lengthy adaptation of Isaiah 40. The longer liturgy was great, but didn't really support what we were singing and saying in worship for the day, so I decided to shorten the piece as a "call to worship":
Hear and know that the Lord is the everlasting God! He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives strength to the faint. No matter what befalls us, those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint!

However, once I started reading it, my projectionist flashed the actual scripture on the screen. I didn't mind - mine was a paraphrase and I appreciate him taking initiative. If I had known, I could have stopped him, but since it happened live, I just read it.

SONG OF HOPE (A)
Karen, our keyboardist, kept playing through the transition, which was nice. Dale counted us into this one, an old favorite. Karen learned the "bell riff" from the bridge and played it on our Korg and it was really nice. I don't know that we've ever played that particular riff during the bridge, but it was nice. Weird thing about riffs - sometimes they don't matter, but other ones can really make a section stand out. Shawn, our bassists, had learned every single lick of the bass line and it made a huge contribution to the overall groove.

Welcome
Dan did a quick welcome, asked folks to sign our visitor book and turned it back over to the band. We're used to a welcome that's a bit longer, but Dan is such a friendly face, I think he made everybody feel welcome right from the start.

MY HOPE IS YOU (C)
I keep trying to not love this song, but it's just not possible. To me, this one of the tightest band tunes we've got. Ray Wilson had all the electric stuff down cold! Karen even took the synth line from the mp3 and played on piano/synth in verse 1, which gave the song some nice shimmy before the drums came in.

Scripture Since I was going to be teaching a new song about community, I read from I Peter 3:8-9:
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

I then tried to remind folks that scripture is instructive for us. In fact, scripture gives us a great application on how to do this in I Corinthians 12:26:

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

COMMUNITY (F)
This Ross King tune is one of the most original, relevant worship songs I've ever heard. There's no song like it and it's great for congregations to sing. I actually taught the chorus a few times before the band took off on it. I think it went okay. New songs take time, but I felt confident that this one really supported the message of hospitality that we were sharing.

Prayer
Over the intro of the next tune, I prayed that our love would be like Christ's and I thanked God for the amazing love shown in Jesus.

HERE IS LOVE (F)
My cue wasn't as obvious and a couple of the band members didn't land the intro, but with such a vast song, I don't think it mattered. (Plus, they nailed it in second service!) This is also the first time we added the "no love is higher" part at the end. The band and Sarah ROCKED it. I'm not sure how the crowd took it...as I was doing it, I realized I might could have kept the melody the same all three passes instead of ascending each time.

The other big news today was the introduction of a drum shield. This gave our sound guy some leeway and it allowed Dale to go back to using real sticks. (Happy day!) I think the shield allowed for the drums to sit much nicer in the overall house mix instead of being something that the mix had to fight.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 62

2011-07-09T23:00:00.001-05:00

TUESDAY, 7/5/11
I was all geared up for a run when Kristen walks in and says, "There's lightning out there."

I make it a policy to avoid electrocution whenever possible, so I sadly conceded. Then Kristen said another thing. "Do Slim In Six."

"Slim In Six" is this DVD exercise pack that we bought a couple of years ago. At the time, it was pretty hard for me, and I ended up injuring my knee while doing it. I put it away, ate junk food for another year and then decided to try running.

And while this is supposed to be a running post, I DID exercise. I did the basic 25 minute regimen, which wasn't as hard as I remember. Knees bothered me a little bit and the arm stuff killed me. Sorry...arms aren't my thing. (But you should see my calves. I'm all calves.)

I was glad to get some exercise in. I took a break from the "no sweets" on Sunday and Monday and definitely felt it during the exercise. But it gave me an energy boost and I went to bed satisfied that I had put in some exercise time!

WEDNESDAY, 7/6/11
Remember when I said the exercise DVD wasn't that bad.

Well, I was wrong. Very. Very. Wrong.

Starting Wednesday morning, I got progressively more sore as the day wore on, most noticeably in my legs. That can't be...my legs are widely hailed as massive, muscular forces of nature! How can a little DVD make me get more sore rather than less?

By the time I came home from a Life Group Leader meeting at church, exercise was the last thing on my list. But since I had "looked forward" to running all day long, I threw on the sneakers and did it. It was hot, but I did it. Five minute walk to warm up, then 25 minute run, then another five to cool down.

SATURDAY, 7/9/11
Kristen was early to bed on Friday night due to a full day out of town on Saturday, so I postponed exercise (and posting) until Saturday night.

Did 5 min. warm up, 25 minute run and about a 10 min. cool down. Losing weight, but not feeling all that "light" on my feet, yet. Luckily, the running, plus the no-sweets is gradually paying off.

Now, This Is Metallica I Get Excited About...

2011-07-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

The Problem With Jetpacks

2011-07-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm kinda' over the whole jetpack thing.

It seems like every month or so, there's some new story in my Google Reader about a guy who's "this" close to finishing his prototype and moving us one step closer to future.

One morning this week, I was thinking about jetpacks.

I'm know, I'm kinda' bewildered by it, too.

But as I thought about it, I realized that we're going to be in big trouble once everybody has a jetpack.

MID-AIR COLLISIONS AND/OR DEATH. How are they going to regulate this? If everybody's just shooting into the air where there are no lanes, it's gonna' be raining blood pretty soon. I can't even drive past a automobile accident without getting distracted; how am I going to walk around with people slamming into each other over my head?
GRASS FIRES. I live in Texas. East Texas, where from about July to October, you'll got to jail for lighting a match. There's not way we can get through summer with guys laying down 4,000 degree flam bursts multiple times a day. Most of our towns would be ash by the afternoon.
FUEL PRICES. Think auto fuel is expensive. Wait until you gotta' fill up with jet fuel 9 times a day.
DESCENT. I've yet to see any of these jetpack proponents show where exactly they've placed the parachute. That's a big deal, right? What if you run out of fuel in mid-air or have engine failure? Descent really is the most important of flying, don't you think?
COPS. You think motorcycle cops are mean, now? Wait until you strap giant flashbang to their back and make the work even closer to the sun during summer. Everybody's getting a ticket then, y'all.

I've got smart readers. What other red flags am I missing with all this jetpack nonsense?

Every Thought Captive

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've had some terrible songwriting sessions lately.

I'm sitting there with my computer and my notepad and my guitar and my notes and privacy and time and desire and...

NOTHING.

I start playing and mumbling melodies, throwing some words in there, and yet, nothing happens. Or better yet, the stuff that does come out of the sessions sounds tired and trite and like something I would have written as a 14-year old.

And that's when the thoughts come. Those terrible, nagging thoughts. Thought like these:

Well, that's it. You're done. You've completely exhausted every square inch of your creativity. There's nothing else to say. There's no fresh way to say it. You had a good run, buddy. But you're done.
There are too many good songs. Give it up because even the best stuff you've got is terrible in comparison with what's out there right now. Why on earth would you try to write more worship songs when there are so many good ones?
One line. You can't even come up with one line! How are you going to build a hook and keep it Biblical and make sure it's linear and have a bridge if you can't write one line? One line!
It's been 20 minutes and nothing has happened. You could be doing a lot of other stuff right now. Stuff that actually matters to people. Stuff that will bless and lead and encourage them. Why are you so selfish?

I have these thoughts a lot. And the truth is that I don't have comebacks for them. More often than not, I put my guitar down and think, "You're right. I'm done."

But I do know that God calls us to do things. And He gifts us to do those things.

I don't know how to stop those thoughts, but I know what God's called me to be. And if I'll remember that, suddenly, the 20 minutes spent exercising my gift in glory to Him becomes time well spent.

10 Silly Things I'm Thankful For

2011-07-05T14:48:00.002-05:00

It's important to cultivate a life that's characterized by gratitude.

But being grateful is tricky. There are huge, life-altering, massive things to be thankful for, but there are also small, insignificant markers of joy and blessing in life that might, at times, feel a little "silly" to be thankful for.

But, heck, I'm just going to go ahead and embrace the silly. Why not? It's my blog, right? That's why I'm listing ten of these small things that make me thankful to God for the life I have. I bet you've got some silly things to be thankful for, too.

10. Rute 202. These are "rod" drumsticks that drummers sometimes use to limit their overall volume. I have come to love these things. (Sorry, Dale & Bruce...drummers at our church!)

9. Cute dental hygienists. Look, I get nervous at the dentist, okay? It helps if the woman scraping my teeth for an hour at 8am is a cutie. My wife knows this and cuts me some slack. You should, too.

8. Queso. Always queso.

7. Early morning cartoons. For when Daddy needs a little extra sleep. ("Here's the remote, kids. Now don't bother me for an hour.")

6. Summer Staff Meeting Schedules. I love the people I work with. I just don't need to love them every Tuesday.

5. The difference between Twitter & Facebook. Facebook for the general population. Twitter for the people who know how truly dumb I am.

4. Google Reader. How else could I be able to access hundreds of blogs each day?

3. Losing my cell phone. That way I have an actual excuse for ducking calls.

2. Netflix. With as many movies as I've seen, Netflix ought to be paying ME.

1. Kelly Clarkson. Obviously.

Your turn. GO.

Somebody Fooled Penn & Teller...

2011-07-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

I already love magic...

2011-07-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

I already love magic...this is even better.

This Is America

2011-07-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

7/3/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-07-03T22:00:00.001-05:00

Wow, lots of stuff in one little song set. This post nearly gave me carpal tunnel! Summer is in full swing at Bethel, which means LOTS of new faces. While Fall always brings familiar faces back into the sanctuary, Summer seems to be when new folks decide to give us a try.

We're trying our best to meet new people and help them in their journey to know God's Word. It's hard work, but there's nothing we'd rather do!

If you're a worship leader, I'd love to know what you did today! Leave a comment below and share with all of us...we'd love to hear about it!

YOUR GRACE IS ENOUGH (G)
Nice intro here. We used a click for the electric guitar and drums, so they both came in right on beat. During the first service, I had our singer, Sarah, welcome everybody. In second service, I TOTALLY forgot and did the welcome instead of Sarah. I felt stupid, but luckily, nobody knew I messed up. Other than the band, that is...

Scripture
We ended the first song and I started reading Romans 5:1-2 as our drummer started the beat.
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

MADE US ALIVE (A)
We changed up our arrangement just a bit. First off, we taught the congregation the vocal part that runs under the bridge. I had drums hold the beat while I taught it to them. Bass and B3 grooved through the progression...nice and smooth! I flubbed the order during 2nd service and jumped to the chorus too quick, but luckily the chords were all the same. Once again...Todd's brain was not working! I just pretended like I did it to challenge the team. (Hee hee.) We have a tendency to rush this one, so we used the click live.

Welcome
Our Executive Pastor Fritz Hager was on deck this week. He welcomed folks and read from Psalm 115. We mentioned our freedom as a nation and encouraged the congregation to focus on the fact that we are freed people through the work of Christ. It was a good welcome.

RISING (E)
Second time we've brought this one out. Both times, I've had some concern about it, but the congregation seems to respond to it. We had to change up the introduction since it was over our "greeting" time. Our electric player, Ray, did a great job on the lead break.

Transition
Sarah, our vocalist, leads "I'm Singing", so we had her talk through a transition. She did so good. It was funny and personal and perfect for our service. She admitted to be addicted to an American Revolution series and made a great comparison of "heroes" to Jesus. In second service, it was the most comfortable I've ever seen her!

I'M SINGING (E)
Used click on this one, too. Our keyboard guy, Tim, uses a nice Rhodes-like patch on the keyboard with a slight flange, which has a nice shimmer. We use click to keep this one nice and jazzy. Drums and bass had a little trouble locking in, but the song still went okay. Sarah did a good job leading this one.

Communion
I explained that communion was an act of worship and celebration of God's grace. I also gave a brief preview of what we would be doing (response, order of communion, etc.) I called the men forward and then started the communion liturgy.

I began by reading the COLLECT FOR PURITY:
Almighty God, unto Whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then the congregation responded based on I Corinthians 10:16-17.
The cup that we bless is participation in the blood of Christ. The bread that we break is participation in the body of Christ.

As the music started, the men distributed the bread and juice.

IN MY PLACE (G)
We played through 2 passes of this song (V-C, V-C). We were supposed to fall right into the bridge, but the guys weren't done passing out the elements. In the first service, I let the band play through the C to D transition, then called an audible chorus repeat. For some reason, I didn't call the audible in the second service, going right into a repeat chorus. Initially, I just forgot, but I kinda' expected the band to know where to go since the guys weren't back to the table yet. (Just like first service.) I think most of the band was too tied to their charts, but I also just dropped the ball.

Communion
When the men returned, I read the communion text from I Corinthians 11:
In the same night that he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Likewise after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of this; for this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins; do this as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. As folks ate and drank, we went back into "In My Place".

Sermon
Fritz taught from Romans and did a great job. Plus, his sermon was short. (Hear that, Ross Strader?)

A good day. Hate that I flubbed more than usual, but I think the set still came off okay. Gave me some good "notes" to take home.

SATURDAY: WORSHIP LEADER CHECKLIST

2011-07-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Saturdays can be a strange day for worship leaders. It's technically a "day off", but often ends up the busiest day of the week. If you have a family, you know that Saturdays often involve housework or errands or running kids to and from as many locations as possible.

But it's also the day before you stand in front of God's people for corporate worship. It's an important thing to lead worship and too often I end my Saturday having done nothing to prepare for Sunday.

Below, you'll find a short checklist of things you can do on Saturday to get focused and prepared. Every Saturday is different, but trying to hit these consistently may just make your Sunday morning a little less stressful.

Go to bed early. I'm a late-night guy. "Going to bed early" is not really my thing and many worship leaders feel the same way. (What's wrong with us?) It may seem boring, but a good, long rest at night can definitely prepare you for worship leading. Better sleep makes waking up early a little bit easier and it allows you more time to pray and prepare for Sunday. But there's also a third benefit - discipline. Going to be early is an obvious and intentional way to prioritize the importance of corporate worship. When I lay down on a Saturday night, I know that I'm doing something for the good of our worship service. And because it's an intentional, disciplined act, I'm able to value it...even when I'd rather stay up and play video games.
Look over your set. Some of you may make up a song list on Sunday morning, but I think that's a small percentage. Most of us know what we're playing beforehand and for some, we've even rehearsed it with our team ahead of time. Saturday is a great time to look over the set and think about how it all fits together. This is a great time to make notes on specific scripture you need to share or to gather your thoughts as to what you'll be saying and praying. In my own life, some of the most beneficial, impactful worship moments have happened through a Saturday look-through and prayer.
Be with your family. Take 'em to lunch. Let the wife sleep in. Eat donuts. Most of our families make big sacrifices every Sunday for the sake of our calling...spend Saturday goofing off.
Don't go to the church. This one is HARD for me. Every Saturday night, I'm sitting around thinking, "I need to run up there and burn those CDs so I won't have to do it tomorrow" or "Did I make sure that monitor was moved?" At the core, this is actually me trying to lead well - organized, at ease, all that jazz - but it ends up totally messing with my Saturday night focus. Because I will inevitably spend way too long up at the church trying to make sure I've got control of everything. Which I never will. Unless you're running down a crisis...don't go to the church on Saturday night.

What about you? What helps prepare you on a Saturday night?

RUN TODD RUN, Week 61

2011-07-01T23:00:00.001-05:00

TUESDAY, 6/28/11
I'm eight pounds down since I cut out sweets. Feeling extremely proud of myself, I thought, "Oh, I can run outside this morning."

IT. WAS. HOT.

But I powered through and did 20 minutes outside. I definitely slowed down toward the end (even though I wore my Flash shirt....weird.) It was hard, but I'm glad I did it.

WEDNESDAY, 6/29/11
After my Tuesday run, Kristen looked at me and said, "No more running in the morning. You sweat all day!"

She's right. If I run in the morning heat, I'm wasted the entire day. That's why I opted for the night run on Wednesday night. While it's certainly not "cool" even at night, it is much cooler, as evidenced by less of a sweat bath once the run was completed.

Walked for 5 minutes, ran for 25, then walked for another 10. Felt strong and light and quick.

Figuring It Out...

2011-06-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

When Kristen and I were newly married and childless, we were very involved in the youth ministry at our church.

Some of our most favorite worship moments came out of that church. The people were great, the ministry was growing and we learned a lot.

Especially me.

God, in His grace, challenged me and stretched me to think Biblically about the work I was doing...

One Wednesday morning, I got a call from the youth pastor. Instead of the normal Wednesday night fun/hangout program, he wanted to devote the night to prayer. Normally, there was no music on Wednesdays, but he asked if I could come do some "acoustic worship" as the kids prayed. Naturally, I said "YES!"

I got home after work and started planning out some songs. Suddenly, I remembered an interesting tune I had heard on a SongDISCovery CD a week earlier. It was a sprawling, drum-loop, studio song called "Here I Am To Worship" by a guy named Tim Hughes. I didn't know the artists and I had no idea if the song would work with just a guitar. (If you've lead worship very long, you know that song ALWAYS works on an acoustic guitar!)

But the song was so new and so different melodically, I was a bit cautious. That night, I led worship and that song was a pivotal moment in the service. People immediately caught on and outsang both me AND the guitar! It was a powerful moment.

And a dangerous one.

You see, over time, that song and experience (as well as others) built something wrong in me. I started thinking that the "gift" of worship leading was being able to naturally hear songs that would be hits. Certainly, that's a gift that some of us have, but I thought that's all there was to worship. To live my life like a critic for Rolling Stone magazine...my job was simply to operate like a trend-hunter.

Over time, God, in His mercy, showed me that I was gifted. But I was also called. And I was called to do more than just hunt for hits. I was called to find songs that were more than just memorable - I was called to find songs that were true and God-centered and instructive.

I'm still called to that.

And so are you.

So, the next time we sit down to pick a songlist, let's worry less about pleasing ears and more on girding up hearts and minds.

This Is How Kristen Does Every Time We Buy Nutella

2011-06-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Thoughts On Hairspray

2011-06-29T09:33:00.000-05:00

HT: 22 Words

HECK. YES.

2011-06-28T23:30:00.001-05:00

6/26/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-06-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

Felt a little weird, but I went ahead and scheduled this post before Sunday was even here! Take that, laziness.

While there are currently lots of forums and sites devoted to letting people post their song lists, I always wish there was more there. How did the crowd react? Why sing that song versus this one? How did you connect those songs together?

This type of post is one of those I don't do for other folks to read. (Although it's awesome if they do!) These recap post are more about forcing me to think analytically while I'm leading worship - to hopefully accurately assess the why and the how of worship each week at my church.

COME AND WELCOME (A-B)
This is one of my favorite Indelible Grace tunes. While there are lots of good IG songs, sometimes it takes a little work to find the "celebratory" ones. We let the drum lock in for awhile before we all joined it. Song was strong in both services. Especially loved how closely our percussionist locked in with the drum kit.

Call To Worship
Last week's transition between song one and two felt so connected that I decided to try it again. As we ended "Come and Welcome," one of my guitar players immediately started playing the rhythm part to "Glory To God Forever". Our drummer joined on the floor tom and I read Psalm 26:8-12:
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

GLORY TO GOD FOREVER (B)
We've done this song A LOT. Definitely one of those cases where we're sick of a song but it's still something our folks respond to. The band did a great job...the transition was really good from the first song. I felt like the second set worked a bit smoother, but both were good versions. Without drums and bass locked in on this song, it just doesn't work. Our guys did a great job.

Welcome
Ross stepped up and read from 2 Corinthians 3:4-6:
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

GREATER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE (A)
This is a Sovereign Grace song that I've wanted to do forever. After Thursday's rehearsal, I was kicking myself because it took me so long to add it! It went so great. SovGrace does a great job of writing songs that are a strong sum of many parts. While no one part is all that complex, combined the songs have a great dynamic build and theologically-rich lyrics. Today was the first time we did this one...the normal bridge has a pretty wild vocal ad-lib that's not very congregational. We opted to simply do a chorus breakdown since it was more singable and it was the first time to do the song.

Prayer
This past week, I figured it would be good for us to think and meditate on what unifies as a church. Since we're prayerfully pursuing church planting this year, I looked around for some good stuff on unity, vision, etc. I went to the Book of Common Prayer, which is rich with prayers and responses. I found a Prayer for Unity, but decided to also reference the "Modern Language" appendix to the BCP. I loved this prayer: O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace; Deliver Your Church, we beg You, from all prejudice and contention, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; That, as there is but one body, and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one mind, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION (E)
Second week to do this one. Again, the band really impressed me with their take on this hymn. There's an interlude in between each verse and my guitarists especially have built a very compelling approach. At the end, we've added a bridge that's commitment-based. We've sing all these things about Christ's church...then we commit to follow Him!

Prayer
Initially, I was worried about praying again. (Lots of times, worship leaders just pray to fill time.) I didn't want it to seem as if I was simply needing a transition. I wasn't going to pray, but during the first set, I just felt led to pray in response to the song we'd just sang. Since the earlier prayer was a read prayer, it was pretty neat to pray after the tune from a personal place.

A THOUSAND GENERATIONS (A)
What better to sing at a time like this, right? God is faithful! Lately, we've experimented with different styles of songs for our last tune. Often, it's a more quiet, reserved song, but this Poythress tune was perfect for where we are as a church.

Sermon
Ross did a great job on the sermon. (He always does!) However, about ten minutes into the sermon during the second service, our fire alarm went off. It was quickly discovered that one of our 4-year olds had activated it. Thankfully, about 50 people came out of the sanctuary to help. (Ha!) Do you know how to turn off a fire alarm? Neither do we. Finally, we rip cables out of the unit to make it stop. Ross waited until the alarm scare was over and recovered pretty well.

A great day to be with God's people, in the unity that Jesus brings!

RUN TODD RUN, Week 60

2011-06-24T23:00:00.001-05:00

WEDNESDAY, 6/22/11
Sad to say that I didn't run until Wednesday, but I was sick Monday & Tuesday and exercise was the LAST thing on my mind. We went to the gym Wednesday morning. Did a 35 minute run, which is probably the longest I've run in awhile. Didn't do the weights because my right shoulder's been bugging me. But I was glad for the long run.

FRIDAY, 6/24/11
Jonah was at a friends and Kristen wasn't feeling it, so Finley and I went to the gym by ourselves. Did a 30-minute run that felt pretty good. Trying to stay off the sweets and hoping the running will combine with that to produce results.

WINNING

2011-06-24T19:03:00.002-05:00

Guy makes super life-like Charlie Sheen mask and takes it to a mask competition.

6/19/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-06-22T15:50:00.001-05:00

Sorry this post is so late...I was sick Monday & Tuesday, so blogging definitely fell off the radar!

Good day at Bethel! Even though it was about 1,000 degrees outside, we had good crowds and lots of great worship & teaching! I was especially glad to hear Ross share with our folks Bethel's vision for helping other churches. (You can hit up our podcast on iTunes to hear it!)

Here's what we did!

BRAND NEW DAY (E)
This is definitely a favorite...heck, it's got a nice bluesy slide part...why wouldn't we love it? It's a weird one to start with simply because it starts w/ just an electric guitar part, which isn't always the best option for the start of a service. This week, we added a footswitch to our metronome, which helped. (We don't use clicks live, but we do rehearse with them.) The footswitch allowed our drummer to give the band a click to reference to start. Once we were in it, he cut the metronome off so we could groove.

Call To Worship
Song #2 was in the same key as song #1 so I had our keyboard/organ player go right to a nice, spacey pad at the end of "Brand New Day". As he played some nice, ambient stuff, I read Psalm 96:8-12. Since song #2 starts with just a vocal line, it worked pretty well. Plus, it made our whole opening block very smooth.

RISING (E)
I love this song, but it always feels weird right at first. There's a lot of chord movement, some interesting droning tones, and a very specific groove. I think the band nailed this one, though. Crowd in first service was a bit more into it.

Welcome
Drawing a complete blank on what Ross said during this time. Sorry.

MADE US ALIVE (A)
This rocker from Village Church has become a staple, but we struggled a bit with the tempo this go 'round...I had to rap the bridge FAST. There's a nice guitar riff, but it's pretty mid-range...we have 2 electrics this week, so the other player was able to add some higher register stuff that worked.

REDEEMED, RESTORED, FORGIVEN (A)
Second week to do this one. Started it immediately after the previous song. Drum roll in was perfect. I think our congregation is feeling this one. It will be interesting to see how quickly it catches on. The band especially nailed some nice drops and builds toward the end of the song.

Story
Although "The Church's One Foundation" is an old song, lots of people don't know it. I had done a little research during the week and spoke about it's origins. Since we're in a series about Jesus leading by example, this song was a good reminder that with Christ our foundation, we can rest on His promises.

THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION (E)
The version I found of this song was simply acoustic guitar and voices. At rehearsal, we worked on building the tune toward a little chorus I attached to the song. It was probably some of the smoothest playing our band's done to date. We opted to lift the dynamic in each of the musical interludes, which is always tricky. The band handled it well.

Sermon
The sermon was a big one. Ross preached an amazing Father's Day message that was missional and Kingdom honoring. He ended the sermon with a pretty big "announcement." Ross shared that the pastors and elders of the church believe that God has called to become a planting church. In the second service, Ross a bit more obvious announcement....WE WILL PLANT A CHURCH! You can hear it here.

Video
After the service, our outreach director invited people to fill out a guest form and shared this video about two folks at Bethel who are on mission!

One very busy...but very good...day!

RUN TODD RUN, Week 59

2011-06-17T23:00:00.004-05:00

SATURDAY, 6/11/11
Since I'm doing the three runs per week at the gym, I decided to just put in a walk on Saturday evening. Walked for about half-an-hour. Nothing too strenuous...just a little exercise for bed. I was surprised at how cool it was out there!

MONDAY, 6/13/11
Late Sunday night goings-on meant a call to they gym Monday morning saying, "Um....can we reschedule the childcare?" So, we went in around 4:30 to get some exercise. Afterward, I decided that 4:30 or 5:00pm is not the ideal time for Todd to run. I dialed up the treadmill for twenty minutes or so of running and burned it hard. After that, did the weights for just a little bit. (Good thing is that I was able to jump up a weight setting on all the lifting...still not great, but progress is progress!)

TUESDAY, 6/14/11
No, I am NOT a glutton for punishment. Instead I walked Tuesday night, just to put some time in. Walked a little over two miles. Hate walking...it takes so long! I could be RUNNING and back on my couch in half-an-hour!

WEDNESDAY, 6/15/11
Golly gee, I did not want to go to the gym. But we did it anyway. Walking the night before was good, but man, were my legs stiff! It also didn't help that the gym didn't have the A/C on in the treadmill room. Kinda' funky.

Did two miles and hit the weights probably the hardest I've done so far. Hoping to jump to the next level on the lifting next week, but we'll see!

FRIDAY, 6/17/11
Went home for Father's Day, which meant two things - lots of eating...and doing a neighborhood run. Believe me, I didn't WANT to run Friday night, but I made of goal of three exercise sessions per week and I was determined to get it in! Fired up the pedometer to see just how far an outdoor, 20-minute run would take me. Guess what? NOT FAR. But, it was good cardio and a challenge I powered through. About ten minutes in, I was internally screaming, "Why did you eat so much queso tonight? Why, Todd, why???"

Why I Am Such A Sucker For Stuff Like This...

2011-06-17T09:49:00.001-05:00

Morning Music Prayer: Friday, 6/17/11

2011-06-17T04:30:00.000-05:00

A friend recently asked me if I would start posting the lyrics of our Sunday sets at Bethel. He mentioned he'd like to have those lyrics during the week to use as his prayers as he gets ready for work.

Worship leaders talk all the time about how we're putting "prayers into the mouths" of our people, so I thought this was a great idea. Since we do five songs at Bethel each Sunday, I figured I could post one each morning! Let's see how it goes!

Forever Faithful
written by Todd Wright

Let the song of faithfulness rise up from these You have blessed
Let every strain of praise be Yours
Forever faithful and sure

Let the tale of providence ring out loud a song of Him You sent
Every praise is Yours alone
Forever faithful and strong

Weʼve no worth, no payment we could make
Nothing deserving of Thy grace
We are faithless, frail and weak
But time after time we have seen
Youʼre forever faithful

Let the sound of thanks arise, lives set free by Your sacrifice
Every song we sing for You
Forever faithful and true

Worship Leader Toolbox...FORMATIVE

2011-06-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I grabbed the Indelible Grace live CD, The Hymn Sing. (You can check out the review here.) As I mentioned, one of my favorite aspects of the record is the introductions by Kevin Twit of Reformed University Fellowship.

I was struck by what Kevin had to say about the unique nature of hymns: "Worship is formative one way or the other."

My heart leapt when I heard him say this because it was such a concise way of saying what we try to do at Bethel each Sunday with our singing. As soon as I heard it, I wanted to use it. It was such a simple, easy to understand way of starting a conversation about the importance of theologically rich singing in congregational worship.

A week or two later, I used Twit's line to communicate the value of songs - not just on Sunday - but every day, in every place. It did seem to encourage our folks and invite them into the song a bit better, but I was surprised when someone found me after to thank me for the service.

I shook his hand, found out a little bit about him and talked for a few minutes. He had really enjoyed the worship and wanted to say so before heading back to his home (out of town.) And this is what he said:

"That thing about worship being formative? That was great! I've never thought of it that way."

I appreciate this guy's honesty because I don't think we naturally approach worship in this way. Most of the people we lead have a solid grasp of what worship is in its purest form - giving glory to God, but I'm not sure we really think of the things we're singing as being formative in our spiritual development. And as Twit says, it's formative - one way or another.

Worship leaders, let's endeavor to sing songs and pray prayers and read scriptures with a 'formative' perspective. Each week, we're ascribing, but we're also describing. Plan your sets to do a good job of accurately describing God!

Next week, we'll talk about how to test the formative qualities of our worship!

Morning Music Prayer: Thursday, 6/16/11

2011-06-16T04:30:00.001-05:00

A friend recently asked me if I would start posting the lyrics of our Sunday sets at Bethel. He mentioned he'd like to have those lyrics during the week to use as his prayers as he gets ready for work.

Worship leaders talk all the time about how we're putting "prayers into the mouths" of our people, so I thought this was a great idea. Since we do five songs at Bethel each Sunday, I figured I could post one each morning! Let's see how it goes!

Redeemed, Restored, Forgiven
as heard by Matthew Smith Watch The Rising Day

Once on a dreary mountain
We wandered far and wide
Far from the cleansing fountain
Far from the pierced side
But Jesus sought and found us
And washed our guilt away
With cords of love, He bound us
To be His own today

Redeemed, restored, forgiven
By Jesus' precious blood
Heirs of His home in heaven
O praise our pardoning God!

Dear Lord, receive the glory
Of each recovered soul
Oh, who can tell the story
Of love that made us whole?
Not ours, not ours the merit
Be Yours alone the praise
And ours a thankful spirit
To serve You all our days

Now, keep us, holy Savior
In Your true love and fear
And grant us by Your favor
The grace to persevere

'Til in Your new creation
When Earth meets Heaven's shore
We find our full salvation
And praise You evermore!

Morning Music Prayer: Wednesday, 6/15/11

2011-06-15T04:30:00.001-05:00

Thank You, Internet

2011-06-14T16:21:00.002-05:00

via 22 words.

QUIKREVIEW (High Street Hymns - Hearts and Voice)

2011-06-14T10:30:00.004-05:00

Alex Mejias and crew offer up another creative, well-paced collection of hymn remakes. (Record seems to have a nice groove reminiscent of John Mayer's best acoustic pop.)

Morning Music Prayer: Tuesday, 6/14/11

2011-06-14T04:30:00.000-05:00

A friend recently asked me if I would start posting the lyrics of our Sunday sets at Bethel. He mentioned he'd like to have those lyrics during the week to use as his prayers as he gets ready for work.

Worship leaders talk all the time about how we're putting "prayers into the mouths" of our people, so I thought this was a great idea. Since we do five songs at Bethel each Sunday, I figured I could post one each morning! Let's see how it goes!

Greatly To Be Praised
as heard by Fee's Hope Rising

Lift your eyes, lift your eyes to the One
Whoʼs reigning over us for He has overcome
Fill the skies, fill the skies with a song as Heaven sings along
To glorify the Son

Who is like You? None compares!
Thereʼs no one like our God!

Great and greatly to be praised!
Name above all other names!
Powerful and strong to save!
Hallelujah, our God reigns! Our God reigns!

Tell the world, tell the world of the love
Heʼs lavished over us, His daughters and His sons
Made alive, made alive, now weʼre free,
Rescued and redeemed f or victory is won!

Great and greatly to be praised!
Name above all other names!
Powerful and strong to save!
Hallelujah, our God reigns! Our God reigns!
Glory in the highest place,
King of mercy, God of grace,
Together let the earth proclaim
Hallelujah, our God reigns! Our God reigns!

We lift our eyes up, behold the Son
Lift our voices and sing as one
Hallelujah, our God reigns!

Conan O'Brien Speaks To Dartmouth

2011-06-13T09:36:00.001-05:00

O'Brien is famous for his Harvard address years ago, but this one has a weight and experience and, dare I say, a pastoral nature that the previous address did not. A funny, insightful speech.

*Speech includes some language for those with sensitive ears.

Morning Music Prayer: Monday, 6/13/11

2011-06-13T04:30:00.000-05:00

A friend recently asked me if I would start posting the lyrics of our Sunday sets at Bethel. He mentioned he'd like to have those lyrics during the week to use as his prayers as he gets ready for work.

Worship leaders talk all the time about how we're putting "prayers into the mouths" of our people, so I thought this was a great idea. Since we do five songs at Bethel each Sunday, I figured I could post one each morning! Let's see how it goes!

Never Stop Singing
written by Todd Wright

One thing we know about the love that freed us
It was nothing of our own doing, but the grace of Jesus!
Any good You see is the work of His hands!
Those changed by His grace sing out 'cause they understand

He alone is our righteousness
He alone is the way
Let it be known that we'll never stop singing
that Jesus Saves

Brand new hearts, brand new lives
Because of Jesus we're seeing things
With brand new eyes
So we sing a little louder and we lift our hands
He's poured out favor and forgiveness
So we give Him all the praise that we can!

We were strangers and enemies separated
But now we're reconciled
Free from blemish and accusations
By the work of Christ!

6/12/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-06-12T11:44:00.006-05:00

Felt good to be back leading worship! I enjoyed my break last week, but I was looking forward to singing for the Father!

We had a great rehearsal Thursday night and I worked on some worship "elements" that I was looking forward to using.

Here's what we did.

CALL TO WORSHIP
Read Colossians 3:16 (Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God) over the intro of our first song. Didn't editorialize...just read it and asked folks to join us in singing.

NEVER STOP SINGING (F)
I don't like doing songs back-to-back, but I wanted to hit this one again as soon as possible. The groove was pretty good...we had a new piano player so there wasn't quite as much "honky tonk" piano as we usually have, but the song still came off great. Smitty's solo was especially great.

GREATLY TO BE PRAISED (C)
After the first song, I talked a bit about us singing to each other each Sunday. Dale and Tim started the intro of this one as I talked. Second service was a bit more smooth on the intro, but both times this song came off great. Maggie sang the lead vocal and did a good job. This version wasn't quite as "four-on-the-floor" as previous versions, but I think it worked.

Ross Welcome
I love the way Ross welcomes our people each week. While this is certainly introduction and an announcement or two, it's more than that. Ross opens the Word every week during this time to prepare people for worship. Today, he read from Ephesians 2. It fit perfectly with what we had sung in the first song: "we were strangers and enemies separated / but now we're reconciled!"

RUIN ME (D)
After a great welcome regarding our status as redeemed people, I worried for a second about singing a song that so prominently declares us as "sinners", but I still think it went okay. This is fantastic prayer for people to sing out and to be quite honest, the band KILLED it.

RESPONSIVE READING
Responsive readings are pretty new to Bethel, but I think they're good for us to do. I've been getting quite a few readings from the people at Sojourn church. Their weekly blog features the songs and service elements they use every Sunday. When I found this one based off Romans 8:34 and 2 Cor. 5:17, it seemed to fit perfectly with what we were singing about:

WL: The reality of our sin speaks loudly to us. But the forgiveness of sin through the cross of Christ speaks even louder. This is the good news of the Gospel: Who is in a position to condemn?
CONGREGATION: Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.
WL: Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone; a new life has begun. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace.
CONGREGATION: Thanks be to God.

REDEEMED, RESTORED, FORGIVEN (A)
I talked for just a second about this song. Basically letting folks know that it was an old hymn that perfectly said what scripture teaches. I've been loving Matthew Smith's new record and this is the song that absolutely hooked me. Some folks don't like comparisons, but to me, it's got the melodic power of Fee's "Glory To God Forever" with all the depth of old hymn lyrics. It was new, but folks seemed to latch on to the chorus pretty well. We'll hit it again next week.

FOREVER FAITHFUL (A)
This is still one of my absolute favorite songs to hear people sing. The segue after "Redeemed..." was a good one. I always want more power in Verse 2 and it's never really there. The chorus explodes but wish I could us to build more consistently.

I can't say it enough...I love being a part of Bethel Bible Church.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 58

2011-06-10T23:00:00.003-05:00

MONDAY, 6/6/11
Took the family to the gym and did battle with the treadmill. Did two fast miles...well, fast for me...and hit the weights for just a little bit. I got a little ambitious the last time I lifted, so for this one, I kept it pretty sane. Just maintenance today. No more trying to prove you're the toughest guy in the room. (Fat chance!)

TUESDAY, 6/7/11
We went to the gym, but didn't exercise. We went SWIMMING! Not really much exercise if you don't count throwing your children around a swimming pool for an hour, but it was exhausting!

WEDNESDAY, 6/8/11
Back to the gym. Had to run on of the weird treadmills, which I normally don't like. Until I saw they have a dedicated monitor screen that shows your pace/per mile based on the speed setting you've selected. That was very discouraging...I thought I was really flying until I saw "You are running a 14-minute mile." Dang...had to crank that speed!

THURSDAY, 6/9/11
Didn't necessarily want to run since I knew we had a gym appointment for Friday. Instead, got out for a walk. It was hot, but walked for about half-an-hour around the neighborhood. I also faced my fears and stepped on the scale Thursday night. Whew. That'll inspire you to put down the cookies, won't it?

FRIDAY, 6/10/11
What a morning! Went to the gym, worked out, then stayed at the gym to go swimming! Had the brilliant idea of using my new favorite treadmill to dial up the 10 minute mile setting and putting in a couple of miles.

Why do I do stupid things like that?

Actually, I'm glad I did it. I'd much rather start at a crawl and work up, but after the first mile, I was even knocking the speed up a bit to see how it felt. Did a little over two miles in 20 minutes, a few weights, then played in the pool with the kids for an hour.

Great

2011-06-10T20:20:00.001-05:00

5 Ways That Uncle Jesse Is A Hipster

2011-06-10T07:28:00.002-05:00

I've made no secret of my daughter's love for the late 80's sitcom, Full House. Finley likes everything about the show, but her favorite has to be Uncle Jesse.

Jesse was the hard-rocking, heartthrob who gave up his dreams of rock n' roll stardom to help his brother-in-law raise his three daughters.

"Uncle Jesse" gave us quite a rich catalog of cultural catch-phrases that people still use to this day. I mean, you realize, of course, that Uncle Jesse gave us the phrase bad-hair-day. The man was a trail-blazer, to be sure.

But since I've been watching the show for a few months now, I submit that Jesse Katsopolis was years...decades...ahead of his time. He was a hipster.

Nobody rocked a cleaner, deeper V-neck that Uncle Jesse. Seriously...go back and look. This guy owned the v-neck and he pulled it off. Granted, he usually added a long gold cross necklace to the wardrobe, but the V was deep. Hipster.
Vests. Yes, yes, vests were big in the 80's, but typically only on stages. It was rare back then to see a grown man wearing a tiny leather vest in his normal everyday duties. Hipster.
I'm not sure when it happened, but there was a period in the show where Jesse wore suspenders. Maybe it was supposed to be his "preppy" phase? Unfortunately, these suspenders made him look like a weirdo, but Jesse didn't care what people thought of his suspenders. Hipster.
He had a really long-hair phase followed by a really short-hair phase. Hipster.
He rapped. Don't believe me? When and Joey started their own advertising company, quite a few of their commercial ideas were raps in the early stages before they ended up finding the hook. And what trendy young-adult of today hasn't delved into rap at some point? Hipster.

A few tidbits
*Did you know that Full House ran from 1987 to 1995? That's the year I graduated high school and I can tell you that I had no idea the show was still on at that point. Granted, it was 16-years ago, so I might have forgotten some stuff.

*Even though Jesse was supposed to be a "rocker", any cover tunes he ever played on the show were old rock songs from the 60's. Weird to see this bad-to-the-bone character rocking out to "Rockin' Robin". Family safe, for sure.

Nothing Cool Ever Happens To Me...

2011-06-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

Cops...

2011-06-08T20:16:00.001-05:00

I Think I Like This Version Better

2011-06-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

HT: 22 words

See, video games CAN be educational...

2011-06-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

2011-06-07T11:36:00.001-05:00

Last week, the internet discovered this heartwarming story of a Dad who went above and beyond to show his son just how much he was loved!

Earlier today, Lana posted this link and I figured I'd share.

George Lucas Strikes Back

2011-06-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

A Letter To Justin Romack, Father-To-Be

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

When Justin Romack told me a few weeks ago about Baby Romack, I was excited. Everybody knows that Justin's one of my best friends in the world and I think that Angela is actually an angel sent from Heaven to cheer us all with her spirit.

But the more I've thought about it, the more concerned I've become. Oh, sure, they'll do fine, but I realize that Justin has a few "issues" he'll need to work through if he's going to pull this fatherhood thing off.

So it's with love that I submit this letter to Justin (via the internet) to guide him and caution him as to some things he'll need to change before little Toddina Romack gets here.

Justin, you can't just grab up a tambourine and jam into the wee hours of morning anymore. The baby will need sleep and your drumming will be a problem.
Justin, you're going to have to get rid of all the inappropriate rap music you have in your collection. Sure, it won't matter much now, but sooner or later that kid is going to accidentally activate your phone and it won't do to have Tupac filling up the house.
Justin, you need to pace yourself. Seeing your child born is the most amazing thing you'll ever experience. And as a guy who nearly faints over queso or a chicken sandwich, you're going to need to make sure your head doesn't explode in the delivery room.
Justin, do not teach this child how to prank call. I know it's tempting. Heck, you've got a gift for it and it only seems right that you'd pass that fine legacy down. But the sad fact is that by the time your child is old enough to carry on your legacy, the technology will be so advanced that he or she will be arrested before they hang up the phone. Think of the children, dude.
You probably know this one, but I'm just gonna' go ahead and say it. NO MORE CURSING.

ANNIVERSARY TRIP, DAY 3

2011-06-05T10:07:00.002-05:00

Checkout of the hotel was noon, so naturally, we slept in and laid around until 11am before we ran around like crazy people trying to evacuate a bomb raid or something. (Why do we do that? Anybody else do that in hotels?)

We had the whole day left, so we figured we'd just goof off around Dallas. We drove over to Dealey Plaza (I'm a conspiracy guy), had lunch at Twisted Root (first time...loved it) and then went on a search for an Apple store. We ate desserts and walked around and had a super lazy Saturday afternoon.

Now, the bullets:

At Twisted Root, they give you a card instead of a number. On that card is the name of a celebrity. When the girl at the counter calls your "name", she makes a funny, culturally-relevant joke. As we waited on our food, I kept thinking, "Wow, you'd have to be pretty hip to have that job." Then I realized they probably use the same 50 cards over and over. That probably makes finding the jokes a bit more easy.
At the restaurant, I got a "Big Ass Burger". AND IT WAS. They also custom root beer that was the best thing I've ever tasted.
At a gas station, the attendant couldn't understand Kristen when she handed him the money. She actually had to say these words: "Twenty...plus ten...equals thirty." Ain't that America?
There's nothing more frustrating than realizing your three minutes from a downtown Apple story only to drive up and find it covered in black because of a remodel.
As we drove into Northpark, Kristen and I realized we were going to Northpark mall. On a Saturday. The Apple store was packed to overflowing. Nearly didn't go in, but then I realized that was stupid.
I had a few realizations at the Apple store. First, Steve Jobs is RICH. Secondly, the dudes who work there are a little too proud of the Secret Service ear pieces they wear.
In the space of a ten-minute sales encounter, the clerk helping me mentioned his weight-lifting three times. I guess he was proving that we wasn't your "typical" Apple guy. Waste of time, dude, because I'm buying stuff here. I am that guy.
I referenced the Big Bang Theory to the clerk to which he instantly started talking all creepy about Kaley Cuocco. He knew a lot of stuff about her. When I mentioned that I follow her on Twitter, he gave me a weird fist-bump. Maybe he didn't hear the end and thought I said "I follow her."
On the way home, we stopped at the Tanger Outlet in Terrell. While Kristen shopped, I walked around and discovered the "Visitor Center." Did you know that Visitor Center has a TV room with a couch? There was a dad in there asleep! Why has it taken me years to find this place? I could have been sleeping the whole time!
This was our third day without kids. As much as we enjoyed being together, three days felt like our limit. We were ready to see them!

This Is Why I Don't Go To Air Shows

2011-06-04T18:17:00.001-05:00

ANNIVERSARY TRIP, DAY 2

2011-06-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Despite being up at 4:30am, I did go back to sleep.

Woke up at 7, and then again at 9:20am. Kristen (or "Lazy Bones" for the purpose of this post) would have kept sleeping, but once I got up and moved around some, she woke up.

Here's another exciting bullet list of how our day went.

Went down to the hotel gym for a run. Good run. Until the timer ran out and the treadmill came to a screeching halt, almost throwing me from the device. Luckily, the other girl in the gym didn't see me. She was too busy bench pressing 260 lbs.
Krist and I stopped at a small Panera Bread for lunch. As we walked to our table, I see an Asian man working on a HUGE laptop. He's watching one of those crazy Japanese game shows. I can't be sure, but as we left, I could have sworn he was editing one of those shows.
After lunch, we went to the Grapevine Mills mall. We hadn't been there more than 10 minutes when we hear a train whistle. That's when we see a train full of kids. Driving down the center of the mall. Later in the day, I remarked that the train should make stops so that adults don't have to walk around as much. To which my wife said, "But doesn't that sound like something off of Wall-E?"
Grapevine Mills mall just built a Legoland Discovery Center and a SeaLife adventure museum right next to each other. It's like some executive thought, "What could we build that would drive Jonah Wright bonkers?"
Why do all food courts smell the same? And must every one of them be so humid?
When did we decide we were okay with headless mannequins?
Krist and I saw the new X-Men movie. Nothing funny to say here. Just that we saw a movie and we liked it.
We ate at Abuelo's Friday night and had every intention of a nice, long, relaxed dinner. We were seated, served and done in 35 minutes. Then, like the young, wild couple we are, we went back to the hotel and watch TV.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 57

2011-06-03T23:00:00.001-05:00

MONDAY, 5/30/11
The Wright family finally got to the gym! Did 20 minutes running on the treadmill and then hit the weights. Felt pretty good!

WEDNESDAY, 6/1/11
We were scheduled to exercise on Tuesday, but we slept in instead. It it didn't help that Toddy's triceps wouldn't move. So we figured a break might be in order. On Wednesday, we went back in for another session. Did 27 minutes on the treadmill and didn't do the weights. (Just didn't have time....)

FRIDAY, 6/3/11
Hotel had a nice gym so I went down and run for a bit. Did about 40 minutes total with a run that was a little over 20 minutes. I took a long time adding speed on the treadmill, which was fine until I realized if I wanted to hit 2 miles in twenty minutes I was going to have to crank the speed dial on the machine. I cranked it, but still couldn't make it. Did two miles in 22:50. Felt good, though. Lots of energy when I was done.

ANNIVERSARY TRIP, DAY 1

2011-06-03T04:37:00.004-05:00

It's 4:37am on Friday morning and I'm awake. Kristen and I are spending the week in Dallas and since she's totally boring, I thought I'd bullet point our first day.

And no, I don't know why I'm up at 4:30 in the morning. It's a little disconcerting.

But why not pass the time trying to funny on your own blog, right? I mean come on...readers love this stuff.

Driving two hours without kids is actually pretty nice. Love those two, but driving on the interstate with your wife makes for some pretty interesting conversation.
We're staying at a really nice hotel. The valet guys keep opening the doors for us when we leave and I'm not sure how the whole 'tipping' thing works when you've already carried in your own stuff. I'm not supposed to tip these guys for opening a door, am I? (That could get expensive.)
There are at least two conventions going on at the hotel. One of them seems to be for white guys in their 60's who wear phone holsters and talk on out-of-date cell phones. The other group is almost 100% Asian people, all in matching suits. Cult?
Do hotel hallways have cameras? I pinched Kristen's butt on the way to dinner and she got on to me because someone would see. When I pointed out the hallway was empty, she said "there are cameras!" But I've been looking and I don't think I've ever seen cameras in hotel hallways. Is this true? I could have been committing murders for years and getting away with it!
We skipped dessert at the restaurant. By the time we get back to the hotel, Kristen wants "something sweet." The choices were A) spend your life savings at the mini-bar or B) send Todd to the convenience store. They have a lovely Racetrac store a few blocks from here.
At the convenience store, a smarmy clerk exclaimed "look at you!" when I set down my items. I then told her she was a convenience store employee and I was a regionally-famous songwriter and worship leader. (in my mind)
I know I'm not the first guy to point this out, but why do the cheap hotels have free internet and the expensive ones charge me $48 per day?

YOU CAN DO IT!

2011-06-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Future Is Now

2011-06-02T07:18:00.002-05:00

I've been pretty astounded lately by how advanced life these days has become. At the risk of sounding old, recently, I've been thinking about how actually miraculous the things of today would seem if I had known them as a kid.

Imagine a crazed man from the future shows up in a DeLorean to give you a glimpse of the the world looks like when you're an adult. What do you think would freak you out the most?

A few things have seemed extra 'miraculous' to me lately, so I thought I would jot them down. I've tried to stay away from just saying "the internet." While I think the internet would surprise us, as a child of the late 80's, I actually think the Internet would have made sense to me back then. Heck, all the sci-fi movies had people connected through a giant virtual network...why wouldn't it actually exist in the
future? It also seems pointless since quite a few things on my list are internet-produced items.

In the comments below, share one or two things that you think would have blown your mind if you had known about them when your eleven-years old.

NETFLIX - I think this would freak me out the most. "Wait, wait, wait...they mail movies to your house?" "You click a button and watch them instantly?" We've come a long way from driving to a store to rent movies. (Or in my family's case, rent a VCR.)
GPS - This would have scared 13-year old me. In fact, it probably would have been the most "Big Brother" moment for me personally. It still freaks me out a little bit. Unless I'm lost and need to find an address.
DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC - I was a music addict as a kid. Seeing that I could buy "CDs" instantly any time I wanted (without technically handing somebody a wad of bills) would have blown my mind. It most definitely would have proved that future was awesome.
THE 24-HR CARTOON CYCLE - I sound like an 80-year old man when I talk about this to my kids: "In my day, we had one day to watch cartoons. One day! It was Saturday! We couldn't just turn on TV any time day or night and watch our favorite cartoons. Be grateful!" Not that I'm here in the future, I'm not so sure it's a great thing. If I see another episode of Pokemon, somebody's getting kicked.
YOUTUBE - This would have appealed to my 18-year old self. The notion of creating and owning your own content as well as the means to distribute it would have been huge to me when I was figuring out that I wanted to make my life by creativity. I might not have understood the "how," but I would have jumped at the chance to start uploading videos.

Your turn! What about "today" would have freaked out the you of "yesterday"?

5/29/11 @ Bethel Bible Church

2011-06-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Haven't done one of these in awhile! Might as well, right?

JOYFUL (D)
We've been doing Brenton Brown's modern take on this classic for awhile. I love the juxtaposition of the verses-to-chorus. It seems to work great. We didn't have any keys on Sunday, so it there was lots of guitar going on!

(Call To Worship)
As soon as the first song was over, I welcomed folks and talked a bit about Ascension Sunday. That we celebrate that Jesus is ALREADY King! I don't think many Christians intentionally think of Jesus as somehow not-yet-the-king, but I do think that His lordship and rule is something that church must always be diligent about celebrating. From there, I told them we were going to sing a "war hymn" about following our Victorious King.

LEAD ON, O KING ETERNAL (D)
The guitar-heavy version of this one felt great. Normally, we have a piano carrying a lot of the riffs, but this more "rock" version seems to perfectly fit the battle-theme we were talking about. Kristen sang the verses and did a great job.

(Welcome)
For this Sunday, our youth pastor, Mark, was preaching. Mark came up on stage, welcomed folks and shared an announcement before praying. After his prayer, we asked folks to greet one another.

NEVER STOP SINGING (F)
I know it's not "cool" to love playing your own songs, but I really love how our band plays this one. I definitely missed the B3 and piano on this one, though. It felt okay, but the choruses didn't have quite enough lift.

(Intro)
We taught this song a few weeks ago, but we did a much slower version. Now, that it's been tracked in a more full-band demo, we gave it a shot. I explained that we believe that worship is formative - it shapes how we view and think of God. In fact, it is even more than just honoring God with singing...it trains us. You'd be surprised how shocking this idea is to folks. We often think of worship as something done just for the sake of the congregation in one set moment. It's not. It's more!

GOD OF EVERY MOMENT (F)
Loved playing the full version of this one. I think the current version may be a bit too short, but that could be just because I like playing it so much and don't want to stop. I do think that song is going to be a real value to our people over the next few months. Looking forward to making it a part of who we are as a people.

(Intro)
When the day was said and done, I had to say this might have been one of the scariest song transitions we did. Because "Ocean Floor" is very rock n' roll and uses a common Christian image that isn't specifically cited in scripture, it felt pretty tricky. I opened with a story about Kristen's grandmother - a story recognizing that there are moments in life that deserve loud singing. I then segued into Micah 7:18-19, where the Lord is said to cast our sins into "the sea."

OCEAN FLOOR (C)
I'm not totally sure this song went over like we thought it would, but that's okay. I didn't mind the awkwardness of saying, "Hey, having our sins washed clean deserves loud singing. So I'm about to do some loud singing." They certainly joined in, but I didn't mind modeling that aspect of Christian faith and worship.

A good day with good musicians and ministers. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of leading worship!

Here's A Hobby I Bet You've Never Heard Of...

2011-05-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

American Freestyle canoeing is the art of paddling a canoe on flat water with perfect control of its movements. The canoe is usually leaned over to the side to help the boat turn sharply and efficiently and paddle strokes are taken on either side of the canoe depending on the individual move. Balance, paddle placement and turn initiation are a few keys to this control. Since the movements seem dance-like, some practice this art timed to music, which is the ultimate in control.

TUESDAY REVIEW: Matthew Smith - Watch The Rising Day

2011-05-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew Smith - Watch The Rising Day
I first heard of Matthew Smith through the music of Indelible Grace. (Check out last week's IG review here.) I eventually grabbed a couple of his solo CDs and immediately was struck by his great song selection.

As a worship leader, I appreciated seeing some good versions of songs-we-all-know as well as some new (or so old-it's-new-again) hymns that I could use in worship. As I've continued to use the music of both Matthew and Indelible Grace in my church, I've seen the songs impact our congregation and help to form our theology of God, but I've one complaint:

TOO FOLKY.

Now, listen...I grew up with a Dad playing bluegrass banjo. I grew up in East Texas where country radio was king. And as much as I hate to say it...I sang Southern Gospel songs as a kid. So, believe me when I say that I love folky.

But over the years, some of these hymns have fit weirdly into our worship sets. While we're certainly not a Top-40-CCM church, our worship sets are typically modern-leaning. We're what most would call a "contemporary worship" church and because of that, finding a way to seamlessly transition from those types of songs into an acoustic/mandolin jam is tough.

That's why I'm glad Matthew Smith made Watch The Rising Day. This has to be one of the most "modern" sounding hymn project I've ever heard. There's a warmth to the guitar tones and a some nice size to the drums, but the record so skillfully balances itself. It's modern without being gimmicky and congregational without being nostalgic.

The song selection and writing are some of Matthew's best. Of course, there's lots that sings about us as the recipients of God's righteousness through Christ's sacrifice, but there's a lot of other stuff, too - Communion, dealing with trial and the promise of Heaven are just a few of the themes evident in this project.

I'm already making notes on which songs to add and I'd encourage you worship leaders to do the same. What a great way to hide lyrically rich, theologically sound, well-crafted acoustic pop to your weekly songlists! Go check it out!

Well, this is ONE way to be creative...

2011-05-30T22:13:00.001-05:00

13

2011-05-30T07:53:00.004-05:00

I've been married 13 years today.

The live we've led has been absolutely nothing like what we expected...but God has been faithful and I wouldn't trade anything for these first 13 years together.

In some ways, she's the exact same girl I met one night at a gig, but in so many other ways, she's grown and changed. I don't how God does it, but it's the miracle of marriage - that you could live a live with someone who is still the apple of your eye and at the same time, a person who has matured into something to be respected and emulated.

So here are 13 things I'm thankful about being married to Kristen.

She still makes me laugh. All the time.
She likes to go to big, dumb, blockbuster movies with explosions.
She's the most loyal person I've ever known.
She lets me take naps.
She sings like nobody else I know.
She doesn't freak out when I procrastinate. Much.
She has taught me what it means to value home and family.
She loves the internet.
She's fascinated with scary movies but is too afraid to watch them. For some reason - I love this.
She's loves looking stuff up. Seriously...she's like our own Cliff Claven.
She's 100% honest but also considerate of others. That's hard to do.
You know...the hotness.
She said yes.

I love you, Kristen Wright.

FREAKY

2011-05-29T17:03:00.000-05:00

An optical illusion or mirage was seen by three or four farmers a few miles from this city a few days since, the appearance of which no one is able philosophically to account for. The facts are these: A gentleman, while plowing in a field with several others, about 7 P.M., happened to glance toward the sky, which was cloudless, and saw apparently, about half a mile off in a westerly direction, an opaque substance, resembling a white horse, with head, neck, limbs, and tail clearly defined, swimming in the clear atmosphere. It appeared to be moving its limbs as if engaged in swimming, moving its head from side to side, always ascending at an angle of about 45°. He rubbed his eyes to convince himself that he was not dreaming, and looked again; but there it still was, still apparently swimming and ascending in ether. He called to the men, about 100 yards off, and told them to look up, and tell him what they saw. They declared they saw a white horse swimming in the sky, and were badly frightened. Our informant, neither superstitious nor nervous, sat down and watched the phantasm, (if we may so call it,) until is disappeared in space, always going in the same direction, and moving in the same manner. No one can account for the mirage, or illusion, except upon the uneven state of the atmosphere. Illusions of a different appearance have been seen at different times, in the same vicinity, frightening the superstitious and laughed at by the skeptical.

– Telegram from Parkersburg, W.Va., to the Cincinnati Commercial, reprinted in the New York Times, July 8, 1878

HT: Futility Closet

Afternoon Distraction

2011-05-28T16:13:00.002-05:00

If you've lounged around all Saturday doing nothing and being lazy, you should probably avoid this video.

Because this is only going to make you feel worse.

RUN TODD RUN, Week 56

2011-05-27T23:00:00.004-05:00

SATURDAY, 5/21/11
This run would have been fine.

If a dog hadn't tried to eat my leg off.

TUESDAY, 5/24/11
We had every intention of scheduling some gym time this week, but alas, our days have not worked out. Feeling that I better get out there and exercise before I give it up altogether, I drove over to the ROC around lunch time to work out.

Bad idea.

Do you know how hot it is at lunch time in East Texas? Well, I don't. Or at least I forgot.

I did a mile of walking for warm up and then did 2 miles running. Did another mile of walking for a cool down. Felt pretty good, but good grief did the heat take it out of me! Had my first "heat headache" of the year. Tried to combat it with an Ooey Gooey Concrete from Andy's.

THURSDAY, 5/26/11
Nice, cool weather. Drove to the ROC. (And yes, I do sing Aaron/Jeffrey's "I Go To The Rock" every time I exercise at that particular park.) Decided before I left the house that I would do 2 miles non-stop...no walk breaks...no resting...just running.

Did a little warm-up and then kicked it off. I ran the flat portion of the trail and did 5 laps around in 21 minutes. That last lap wasn't too funny, but I kept thinking about how great I'd feel for doing a run with no breaks!

FRIDAY, 5/27/11
Did another 20 minute run in the neighborhood late Friday night. Muggy, but dang, felt great when I finished!

RULES FOR TRAMPOLINE WRESTLING

2011-05-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

My nine-year old is a trampoline maniac. He loves it. He's good at it, too, creating flips and jumps and all sorts of silliness. In fact, it's one of the few things he does without stopping for long periods of time. (Well...other than video games.)

Like any kid, he wants Dad on the trampoline, too. We've got a few games we've created, but his favorite is definitely wrestling. And so, now I present to you, Todd Wright's Guide For Trampoline Wrestling.

Narration is key. Trampoline wrestling is an event. Both opponents must have names and must be introduced by the announcer (i.e., the other wrestler.) Throughout the battle, the match must be narrated. While this is more of a challenge for overweight fathers who are trying to jump, fight, strategize and breathe all at the same time, it's still a must, especially as the battle builds to final, game winning pin move.
Match must exceed 20 minutes. (No maximum time limit.) There are no quick pins in trampoline wrestling. In fact, the match isn't even viable unless there are two 'reverse' moves per fighter. A match with an instant pin has no drama in what is supposed to a battle of wills, biceps and heart.
Battle must be multi-level. Naturally, every trampoline wrestler does floor work. You gotta' pin those shoulders down after all, right? But the best matches are a nice combination of rolling around and flying high. I suggest starting with the air game first - getting as high as you can before attacking each other with a series of slaps, karate kicks and guttural screams.
Smack talk. In addition to the narration, fighters must engage is hushed threats when they are in close quarters. A sinister, "Now is when you die" or "I must break you" takes the drama to a whole new level that all of the fans don't even hear.
Surprise Ending. The most common surprise ending is the after-match attack. The loser lays on the trampoline as the winner prances around the ring. Loser beckons the winning fighter over and extends his hand, inviting the winner to help the loser back to his feet. Once contact is made, the loser engages in a last-ditch, no holds barred, non-regulation attempt to rip off his opponents head. WARNING: Loser is expected to lose this unsanctioned battle as well.

This Guy Plays Guitar Better Than Me

2011-05-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

TRAGIC WORSHIP, PART 2

2011-05-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we discussed things we can do to equip ourselves for times of struggle within the church.

Today, we'll look at what to do when the church is already hurting. How can we lead our people well, with grace and faithfulness?

While leading the church during a 'church-wide' crisis is a bit easier to process, we also have to realize that, if our people are connected with each other, then even one or two personal struggles can create a ripple-effect of hurting.

I welcome your comments. Many of you have endured church trial and you've seen firsthand how worship leaders have served the congregation in hard days. Maybe you've got some wisdom to offer us...trust me, we need it!

Here are a few suggested ways to lead your people in hard times.

#1. MODEL IT.
Start the service five minutes late...take a minute or two to sit in the pew with that person. Hug them. Ask them how they're doing. Forget the green room and be visible. You'll often find that even the smallest act of comfort will immediately ignite that same desire in others.

#2. BE HONEST.
Talk to your pastor about ways that you can honestly lovingly minister to your people. If you have to cut a song and get off stage to make time for pastoral prayer, do it. If you've got hurting people, no amount of posturing or stage dramatics or pump-up-the-crowd music is going to erase that from their minds. Acknowledge it and minister to it.

#3. SHARE HOPE.
This is the hardest part of leading hurting people. While we want to be sensitive and caring, we also know that Jesus is our hope. This is where an extensive song catalog can really bless your congregation. Sing about Jesus bearing our sin and the weight of death. Sing about heaven, that God reigns victorious and that Jesus has prepared a place for us where no tears are shed. Sing about peace. Don't give easy answers. Give the hope of Jesus.

How have you seen this done? What are ways you've seen worship leaders do a good job of serving hurting people?

This Video Made Me Smile

2011-05-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

TRAGIC WORSHIP, PART 1

2011-05-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Over the past few months, I've seen numerous friends and colleagues within worship ministry face tremendous challenge.

Some are fighting to hold their families together.
Some are struggling to find their identity in ministry.
Some are trying to lead churches in crisis.

My heart breaks for worship leaders feeling ill-equipped and out of touch.

Today and tomorrow, we're discussing leading worship in times of tragedy. My prayer is that these thoughts and suggestions will encourage those that lead worship and encourage them to stay faithful and to never stop growing!

For today's post, we'll talk a little bit about how worship leaders can prepare for times of trouble. What can you do now - when things are okay - that will be a blessing later on during trial.

#1. TRIAL WILL COME.
None of us want to be dealing with family issues or church politics or illness, but we're only hurting ourselves if we don't reserve some mental space for the inevitability of days that will impact the church. It may sound dark, but once or twice a month, spend some time thinking through how you'd lead the church during a hard time - the loss of a staff member, financial instability, or even problems of a more personal nature like marital struggle or illness. Nobody wants to dwell on problems, but being willing to face the possibility expands your ability to face it head on.

#2. COULD YOU LEAD RIGHT NOW?
Get very practical. Look at your song catalog and your service order. What if you got the call today to lead worship at a funeral at the church? Would you have songs for that? What if 2 or 3 public marriages in the church were falling apart? What sort of scripture and prayer would you have to offer? The lack of resources poses a huge danger to a church already in trial. If your church lacks songs and sermons and resources for times like these, add them now. Don't be afraid to teach these songs or service elements to your people - use that as a time to instruct and encourage! It's a powerful way to remind people that God's power and provision are enough for us when we're struggling.

#3. STAY INVOLVED.
I know my readership pretty well, and I can safely say that none of us lead worship at megachurches. And most of us don't lead in teeny tiny churches. No, most of us are in mid-sized churches. But if we're honest, we'd admit that even the mid-size church is too big for us to keep up with. That's why it's important that we stay involved with our congregation. Join a life group, talk to folks after service, pop in during Sunday School - find some way to stay in touch with the people. You won't be able to know everybody and what they're going through, but you might be surprised when the time comes and you have a personal relationship with someone struggling. It will immediately allow you to lead the church (and those people) as a pastor and a friend.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about leading worship in the middle of crisis. As for today, though, I'd love to know what you think. What other ways can we 'prepare' for trial?

TUESDAY REVIEW: Indelible Grace - The Hymn Sing

2011-05-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Indelible Grace - The Hymn Sing
"Indelible Grace," may have started out as humble hymn-remake songs of the Reformed University Fellowship at Belmont University in Tennessee, but over the years, the musicians and records have become the very public face of the ministry.

After 15 years and six full-length albums, RUF hosted a live "hymn sing" at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for a sold-out crowd. The result is impressive.

Beyond the success of creating a compelling musical work that's pleasing to hear, this record proves two important things for those of us who lead worship.

HYMNS...IN REAL LIFE
The Indelible Grace catalog is full of memorable, creative, theologically rich songs. However, the albums have historically had the feel of a "sampler" project that might feature 10 different musical groupings to present 10 separate songs. This seemed to make it hard to find songs that work corporately because the songs have historically been arranged for studio purposes. As an example, lots of these hymns are lengthy and many of the studio versions seem to ignore the use of dynamics to keep the songs engaging.

That's why I find this new record so encouraging. Since it's recorded in front a live audience, the musicians and singers and producers have obviously worked many of the songs to make use of dynamic build and to make them easy to sing for the people. In fact, almost every one of these songs that I've thought, "Hey, we could do that at my church" are songs that I used to pass on when they were studio versions! Weird, huh?

I haven't read through any liner notes, but it also seems as if the folks at IG used the same band for every song. That sort of consistency also put the music in a context much more like what we have in our churches on Sunday morning.

THERE'S A REASON TO SING THESE
Obviously, the music is fantastic, but the record also features Kevin Twit, the director of Reformed University Fellowship, hosting the event. Throughout the project, Twit shares background of the specific hymn or comments on the songs effect at RUF. But what's even more impressive is the way that Twit gives proof and support for using these sorts of songs.

I challenge any "modern" worship leader to listen to Twit discuss these hymns and try to ignore the value of hymns. He really does a good job of outlining the pastoral effect of songs like this.

So far, this has been one of the best worship projects I've heard in 2011. It's done well, it's encouraging and easy to implement and it provides us with songs that we need.

HECK. YES.

2011-05-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

The Surrender Sound

2011-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I heard about Josh Taylor for a couple of years before I met him. Through mutual friends, I kept hearing about this songwriter and worship leader who had a knack for writing captivating melodies and a devotion to make God-exalting music.

Over the past year, I've had the privilege of meeting Josh and getting to see first-hand his dedication to the craft of songwriting. That's why I'm excited to hear his new summer release of worship tunes. Under the name The Surrender Sound, Josh will be releasing nine new songs this year. Josh was very gracious in letting me hear a pre-release track entitled "Banner" and I'm happy to spread the word about this new record.

THE SONG
The "banner" image from scripture was prominent during the worship explosion of the early '90s, but soon was eclipsed by other images that have hung around longer - fire falling, shouting louder than the heavens (which makes no sense, by the way,) and singing "whoa whoa whoa". But the banner is something we need to sing about. We need to embrace the idea of finding ourselves under God's banner - finding our whole identity in Him as the Victor-King and submitting our lives to His purposes.

The tune is simple - acoustic, percussion and vocals - and doesn't rush the pace. This isn't a song trying to become an anthem, just waiting around for the big drum solo bridge. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that this specific tune finds it real power when the voices of the congregation overpower it with their own volume.

THE ARTIST
I'm encouraging my readers to check out Josh at his Kickstarter page. He's got about a week to raise the money needed to finish out the project. Poke around the site and if you like what Josh is about, then throw a few bucks his way.

I'll try to keep you updated on Josh's progress with the new project. Thanks, readers! You're great!

RUN TODD RUN, Week 55

2011-05-20T23:00:00.002-05:00

TUESDAY, 5/17/11
Took me a couple of days to recuperate, but I finally got out on Tuesday for some exercise. As you well know, morning runs are always shorter due to my schedule...and the fact that running in the sunlight sucks.
Did about 35 minutes total with a little over 20 minutes running. Weather was nice, but I still managed to sweat through a shirt. (In Texas, that's not that big of an accomplishment.)

WEDNESDAY, 5/18/11
Same sort of regimen. Long walks before and after a twenty minute run. Heck, these little runs are pretty easy, maybe I COULD do one every week!

THURSDAY, 5/19/11
Boom! Consistent! Long walks with the 20 minute run! Definitely feeling the three-days-in-a-row in the old leg muscles, but heck...I might just keep it up!

FRIDAY, 5/20/11
Got out for 27 minutes. It was humid and threatening rain, but I did it anyway. On the last three minute push, it started sprinkling, but I figured I would make it home in time. I did not. By the time I was cooling down, the downpour had started. While it was refreshing, it made think about the homeless...can you imagine the frustration of being out in a downpour with nowhere to go for shelter?

U2 THOUGHTS

2011-05-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

I've only seen U2 live once, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to watch every video recorded of them ever.

And it never fails. Every time I sit down and watch concert footage, I have some recurring thoughts.

I recently watched the DVD of the 360 tour and those thoughts came back around. While I didn't enjoy it as much as U2: GO HOME, it was still pretty impressive. Certainly, the production value was much improved, but some of the same lessons still apply.

So, here are my U2 thoughts:

The songs of "No Line On The Horizon" are actually great songs. It's the album that's bad. Whatever is fun and freewheeling about the newest material somehow didn't get pressed onto the CD project.
I have no doubt about the use of processors, correctors, pitch control, etc. on Bono's vocals, but you gotta' give it to a guy his age belting for all he's worth. Plus - I like to see him working to hit those notes.
I'm tired of "Where The Streets Have No Name." There, I said it. That one used to do it for me, but things have changed. Now, classic U2 is "Mysterious Ways" or "Until The End Of The World".
EDGE. Still the best part of seeing the show.
Could Larry and Adam look MORE bored? I like to imagine they're hearing that cash register sound non-stop as they play. Song #7, I just made $10,000. Song #8, another $10,000. Song #9, I'm so bored, oh...there's another $10,000.
I like it when they sound like a 4-piece. The other instruments definitely make a lot of the songs, but some of that stuff still sounds good with three instruments and a voice.
When I watch a live show, my production-hate-buzzer goes off. Instead of listening to the music, I'm thinking, "Okay, who changes that one panel on the HD screen when it wigs out?" Because you know it wigs out.
I know it'll never happen, but I'd love to see them play a small room - a place packed and a show that doesn't allow for 22 second applause breaks. I'd like to see them as a small band.
They need another record. If they end it all with No Line On The Horizon, I'm going to be hacked off. You could have just stopped with Atomic Bomb, guys. We would have been fine with that. It would be cool to hear them do a blues record.
Remember back in the 90's when Bono was everywhere doing vocals? Special concert performances, duets, guest spots on other records? You'd think in a vocal-driven culture like our United States of American Idol, he'd still get strutted out to show his stuff.

What about you, too? (See what I did there?)
If you're a fan of the band, what are some recurring thoughts?

Conversation (w/ Bert)

2011-05-19T15:09:00.001-05:00

I'm used to seeing Andy Samberg being the funniest guy on stage.

Except when Bert's around.

There Are Days When I Think Overdubs Are The Problem

2011-05-19T09:59:00.003-05:00

...then I see something like this and realize that sometimes technology frees the mind and music to go to places yet undiscovered.

Donald Glover on Freedom & Power on QTV

2011-05-18T08:51:00.001-05:00

TUESDAY REVIEW: Monsters

2011-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I began reading about "Monsters", an indie sci-fi film directed by a British special effects director named Gareth Edwards. Edwards devised the plot, directed the film and did all the special effects work on an extremely small budget (by Hollywood standards.)

In fact, "Monsters" was so impressive that this seemingly unknown director got the nod to oversee the massive Godzilla reboot that's in the works.

Currently streaming on Netflix, "Monsters" is perfectly balanced. This is more than a monster movie. Yes, there are impressive, well-shot interactions with the creatures, but the movie is a more about what happens to relationships when put under extreme pressure. There's an added creepiness of the dystopian setting where the two main characters are thrown together in a race to escape. There's a love story here, but most definitely a sci-fi one...which is refreshing in a film culture obsessed with the romantic comedy.

The movie has been described as something between Cloverfield and District 9 and it's a good comparison, mostly due to the shell-shocked setting in which the storyline takes place. It doesn't hurt that the movie ends with a twist.

This movie isn't any ONE thing. It's fresh and surprising and unexpected. Sounds awesome, right?

I'm Just Gonna' Go Practice Now

2011-05-16T23:58:00.001-05:00

2011-05-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

RUN TODD RUN, Week 54

2011-05-13T23:00:00.001-05:00

SATURDAY, 5/7/11
Got inspired over the weekend to try to do a full 7-days of exercise. Got out Saturday night to run some and quickly realized that my legs still don't do great running two days in a row. (Maybe after 7 days?) Did a quick warm-up walk, ran for 20 minutes or so, then did about 20 minutes of walking afterward. Would have liked to do the normal 30 min. run and come inside, but more cardio probably doesn't hurt me too bad, right?

SUNDAY, 5/8/11
Happy Mother's Day! Instead of lounging at home Sunday afternoon with the mother of my children, we packed up our car and went to Lufkin to be with our families. You know what means? Well it means no running, that's for sure! We stayed at my parents' Bed & Breakfast out in the woods so there was no option for late night running!

MONDAY, 5/9/11
Spent Monday night at Kristen's moms, so got out for a run. Did a full hour of running and walking. Tried to mix it up. Felt good, but can feel my willpower slipping. Keep making excuses for bailing on my planned distance.

FRIDAY, 5/13/11
Did a 43 minute run! BOOM!

Jian Ghomeshi Sets The Record Straight

2011-05-13T19:20:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen Ghomeshi's infamous interview with Billy Bob Thornton, you're missing out on what is one of the most simultaneously awkward and gracious broadcasts ever recorded.

I immediately became a fan of Jian after watching the way he graciously reacted to Billy Bob Thornton's attempt to humiliate and embarrass the host, the show and the network.

The Canadian broadcaster hasn't said much about the famous meltdown, but happened to touch on it in his recent interview with Kinky Friedman. It's pretty good stuff.

SHAD

2011-05-10T18:50:00.001-05:00

Caught this guy on Qtv from Canada.

I dig it.

This dude makes me like rap.

And that's something.

ANGRY VIDEO. ABOUT ANGRY BIRDS.

2011-05-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

5 Facebook Frustrations

2011-05-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I doubt I'll quit Facebook any time soon. It is all the stuff it claims to be - it's a great way to find friends and it allows you to stay connected with family. It gives organizations the ability to stay up-to-date on what it's members are thinking/feeling about issues of the day. And it seems to be perfect for spreading the ToddVlog worldwide.

A little humility goes a long way, right?

But Facebook can also be terribly frustrating. Everybody's got their own list of stuff that bugs them about Facebook. So here's mine.

POLITICS. I like politics. I like discussing pertinent political issues with people who are smarter than me. But I don't think there's anything more frustrating than some dude who has dedicated his entire wall to post non-stop partisan politics. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think all Democrats are evil. I don't think Republicans are God's chosen party. And as intriguing as all the other "third parties" are (and they are), if I've added somebody as a friend, I'd like to know stuff about their lives, too. Not just how much they hate the other guy.
THREADS. So I see something I like on Facebook. A picture, a comment, something that grabs my interest. So I comment. And I'm done with it. Until someone else comments. The next thing I know, I've got 17 emails sharing the comments of people I don't know. This is actually a good thing, as it allows you to stay up-to-date on a thread without constantly going back to check it, but that off-handed comment about some guys new truck ends up engaging me in a conversation thread about glasspacks and cylinders and insert other truck words I don't know here.
INVITES. Hey, person-who-lives-122-miles-from-me, I ain't coming to the Fun Run At The Park in August. Keep it local.
SPAM. As funny as it may have been the first time I saw that my grandmother "liked this video of hot girls in a gunfight", the whole viral spam thing is getting old. The next time we get on the giant web of computers that connect everyone and log in to an online community run by a site who already has shady privacy views, let's maybe not click that thing we think nobody will see.
REPLY ALL. I blame Facebook for this one. You get a message that's sent out to a dozen or so and you click the reply button there at the bottom of your text window, only to now send your response to everyone in the message. Oh, there's a "replay all" up at the top of the text editor, but it's not the intuitive place is it? Why, Facebook? WHY?

I love it when you guys comment. What frustrates you about FB?

Pomplamoose Guy Is Strong All On His Own

2011-05-09T13:12:00.001-05:00

Kristen Is Really Good At This Thing

2011-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

See that woman right there?

When I met her, I fell in love almost immediately. Within a few weeks, I could already see that she was great. And while somewhere in my head I probably thought, "She would be a good mom!" I have to say that the reality of life together proves that I didn't have the slightest clue just how great she would be at raising a family.

So in honor of Mother's Day, below are listed some of the most amazing things she does and is for our kids.

KRISTEN IS FUN
I might good for the occasional trampoline wrestling match or a tickle fight, but Kristen is fun. She knows our kids so well and she knows exactly how they have fun. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the three of them down the hall just laughing. Not bouncing up and down or screaming or doing anything like that - just being together and loving it.

KRISTEN IS SMART
I can't tell you how many times one of the kids has been inconsolable - completely unaffected by my best consoling/scolding/encouragement. And then my wife shows up with the perfect phrase. She's lighthearted when the kids are down, serious when they need to focus and she seemingly always says the exact thing they need.

KRISTEN IS SENSITIVE
Kristen has the gift of empathy. Even in our most foolish times, our wife and mom has the ability to know exactly where we're coming from. She's able to immediately connect with our hurting in a way that's completely sincere.

KRISTEN IS RESOURCEFUL
It doesn't happen often, but when we forget a deadline or can't seem to pull our stuff together, Kristen goes full-on MacGyver. Whether it's a school project or a bill deadline or a schedule conflict, she can figure it out.

KRISTEN IS DEFINITELY COOL
When the pressure is on or somebody's bloody or a kid is freaking out, I'm the one who has a mental breakdown. I'm the pessimist, the doubter. Not my wife. She takes absolute charge and almost always figures out the mess with plenty of time to spare. When stuff goes down, Kristen rises to the challenges in ways that astound me.

This is the woman God created for me. I love her for many, many reasons. And being an funny, insightful, compassionate mom is way up on the list.

THIS. IS. GREAT.

2011-05-07T22:46:00.001-05:00

RUN TODD RUN, Week 53

2011-05-06T23:00:00.002-05:00

SATURDAY, 4/30/11
Went outside Saturday night and thought, "Oh, heck, I'll just run non-stop." That didn't happen. Ended up being more of a run-a-little/walk-a-little sort of thing. Very humid and hot.

TUESDAY, 5/3/11
Rain on Monday night so I didn't run, which meant...EXERCISE IN THE MORNING! UGGH! Instead of sweating myself down with a sad morning run, I did 30 minutes of walking. Felt a bit weird walking into the house and not being drenched! (Our strange fall-like weather helped, too.)

WEDNESDAY, 5/4/11
Finally put in a good morning run. Did 31 minutes running with the long walks before and after. I've been noticing that I never listen to music anymore when I exercise. I've turned into a total podcast junkie. It engages me and occupies my mind with information that's fresh and unpredictable and it helps the minutes go quicker.

FRIDAY, 5/6/11
Got out around 9:30. Did 31 minutes in Galloway method. Nice weather. Legs were a bit stiff and I definitely spent most of the run thinking, "Why did I eat so much ice cream an hour ago?" Glad to get the time in. Did a bunch of water intake today, which always helps.

Found Footage

2011-05-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

I Know The Feeling, Dude.

2011-05-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

10 Great Ways To Stay Up Late At Night

2011-05-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

I don't have insomnia. I can sleep just fine.
As long as I don't do it before midnight.

Each night, I end up fighting this inner battle that's been with me ever since I can remember...

First, I'm just a late-night person. The later it gets, the more energetic and creative and focused I become.

The second thing is relatively recent. I'm getting old. Which means I can't sleep as long as I used to. Now, on those nights where I'm particularly exhausted, I go to sleep at 11pm and wake up before 5am. I try to get under the covers and sleep more, but it just doesn't happen.

So, because my energy rises with the moon and it's not best for me to go to bed early, I've come up with some great ways to stay up late and occupy yourself.

Video games. You knew this one would be right up there, didn't you? Fans of video games know this - there's something relaxing and restful about video games. It's even better because I am terrible at them. Playing late at night means I can struggle for an hour before Mario finishes the level and no one will judge me. (Like my 9-year old son.)
Cereal. Oh, sure. Cereal is fine in the morning, but I think we all know that sweet, crunch stuff is really built for the midnight hours.
Reading. This is a great time to catch up on Bible reading (Oh, okay...like I'm the ONLY person out there who gets behind on Bible reading?) or some other encouraging works. I like read a lot of dumb stuff, too, but late night always seems especially designed for digging deep before bed.
TV. You gotta' clear the DVR out somehow, right? For me, this is where you plow through that Netflix queue. Don't you?
Exercise. Can't do this TOO late (you know...the muggings) but I swear to you I can run farther at 10pm than any other time of the day.
Blogging. You know, a lot of people ask me when I come up with such insightful, humorous helpful posts on my blog. Okay. No one ever asks me that. BUT WHEN THEY DO, I'll gladly say "late at night!"
Planning. I'm not talking about work. (That's #9 on this list.) But late at night is a great time to look over your schedule, research taking a trip with your family or planning out goals for the next week, month or even year!
Songwriting. When I first started in full-time ministry, I thought I'd work on songwriting every single day. Not so much. While you can't necessarily kick off a full-on jam session in the kitchen at midnight, but late at night is a great time to spend some time on those tricky lyrics or figure out a chord progression.
Work. I know what you're thinking..."Work at night? At home? What are you, Todd, some kind of workaholic?" If you're accusing me of being a workaholic, you don't know me very well, but I am resolute! Working at night after everybody is in bed is awesome! In fact, your house may be the one quiet place you can concentrate each day!
Online Stalking. How else am I supposed to be engaged in countless interesting common threads, browse thousands of cell phone pictures posted online or find out what my friends (and enemies) are up to? And face it...online stalking just isn't the same in the middle of the day.