Music of the Prairie

About September 11

2011-09-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, September 11, the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Kaw Prairie took some time to thank the people who serve in our communities, putting their lives on the line for the well being of others, while also thanking God for the blessing of being able to live and worship in this great country.
We remembered with sadness the losses of that day 10 years ago, and we were inspired once again by the example of those who stepped up to help, at any cost whatsoever to themselves.
We have two identical worship services at KP; one is at 9am and the other at 10:45am. We started off the morning by singing out Hosanna to the God who saves us and who alone is worthy of our praises.
Then we sang America the Beautiful. It was during the first service when, at the end of the song, we sang as a reprise the last line "America, America, God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea." It was right after that I was notified by our tech team that as we were singing that together the clock hit 9:11am.

Thank you Lord for the privilege of living in this beautiful country. May we, like those who've come before us, make the sacrifices each day that will keep this country alive and well, knowing that it is by following in the footsteps of Jesus that we can ultimately make any country, city, or even family, the dwelling place of the Most High, and that our calling is to be the hands and feet of the Father to a whole world of hurting people. Amen.

Worship Set August 14, 2011

2011-08-18T07:21:00.001-07:00

We had a great time worshiping together this week. We did the Blessing of the Backpack to pray over the kiddos who were starting school this week and it was so great seeing all those little guys and gals come forward to prayed for.

We sang:
God of Wonders as by Third Day
Everlasting God as by Lincoln Brewster
Mighty to Save as by Laura Story
Sweetly Broken as by Jeremy Riddle
Beautiful One as by By The Tree

Lake Baptism Service August 7th, 2011

2011-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday evening we had the joy and privilege of worshiping together at Shawnee Mission Park Lake, right on the beach, of dedicating two children from our church, of baptizing several people, both young and grown, and of witnessing the affirmation of baptism of several young people from Kaw Prairie. It was a wonderful night of worship and testimony of God's Grace.

Here are the songs we sang together on the beach that night:

Everything Glorious as by David Crowder Band
Jesus Paid it All as by Kristian Stanfill
Take My Life as by Chris Tomlin
Grace that is Greater as by Bart Millard
Amazing Grace (My chains are gone) as by Chris Tomlin
Happy Day as by Tim Hughes

Sunday August 7th: Morning Worship Set

2011-08-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

These are the songs we sang this week at church:

Agnus Dei as by Third Day
O Praise Him as by David Crowder Band
Grace that is Greater as by Bart Millard
One Pure and Holy Passion as by Passion Worship Band
You are Holy (Prince of Peace) as by Michael W. Smith

A weekend full of music

2011-07-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend a few different KP music teams did a bunch of ministry all over the place.

Friday night a group of our teenage musicians, from our youth program "WILD," played outdoors at the Family Movie Night of New Summit Church, in Lee's Summit, Missouri. They did a great job.

Saturday morning three of us played at the Sunflower Artfest at the Zimmerman Kill Creek Farm. It was casual, relaxed, and fun. The Desoto Explorer even put our picture in their publication.

Sunday morning we did our weekly worship services and sang:

Everything Glorious as by David Crowder Band
Majestic as by Lincoln Brewster
Take My Life as by Chris Tomlin
Love the Lord as by Lincoln Brewster

We also had the privilege Sunday of hearing Andrea Hamilton sing two of her songs. She was a big blessing to all of us. Thank you Andrea!

To finish up the weekend, although it happened on Monday, another team lead worship at our Servant and Leadership Training. We sang

Beautiful the Blood as by Fee
Salvation is Here as by Lincoln Brewster
Come Thou Fount as by David Crowder Band
How He Loves as by David Crowder Band

It was a great weekend of music, ministry, and fellowship. Thanks to all of you who are a part of these awesome teams.

Rock Concert

2010-11-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today a grandmother came to church with her granddaughter, whom she was visiting for the weekend. At one point during the service she turned to her granddaughter and said:

"This is just like being at a rock concert."

After a moment her granddaughter said: "Grandma, have you ever been to a rock concert?"

"Well no," she said, "but I imagine it must be just like this."

November 7, 2010

2010-11-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today we did these songs:

Mighty to Save - Hillsong
Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin
Breathe - Kathryn Scott
Consuming Fire - Tim Hughes
At the Foot of the Cross - Kathryn Scott
Your Grace is Enough - Chris Tomlin

Props to the prop! Our mannequin friends impersonated the bad guy of bad guys today, Satan himself. Pastor Dan challenged us to a clearer understanding of hell and the implications of that understanding on every day life and evangelism.

Have a great week,

October 31, 2010

2010-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

This week a few KPers joined our choir and orchestra and did a fifth Sunday special music worship. We had flutes, clarinets, a viola, a cello, a trumpet and a trombone. That with the choir made for a really cool worship set. They joined us for the first two songs (as you'll see indicated in the list below by an *), and then the band carried out the rest of the set. It was a blast to play and sing with all those folks. If you enjoy singing or playing an orchestral instrument, come join us. This is a no-audition choir and orchestra, and anyone in high school or older is invited to participate. The next special Sunday worship will be the fifth Sunday of May 2011, the 29th.

Here's what we sang:

*A Mighty Fortress - Lifeway Worship
*Forever - Lifeway Worship (much like Chris Tomlin's)
You'll Come - Brooke Fraser and Hillsong
The Solid Rock - Charlie Hall
Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall
Salvation - Charlie Hall

Have a great week,

October 24, 2010

2010-11-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the set from the 24th:

Love the Lord - Lincoln Brewster
You are Holy (Prince of Peace) - Michael W. Smith
Great is Thy Faithfulness - our own version
Hungry - Kathryn Scott
Surrender - Lincoln Brewster
Salvation is Here - Lincoln Brewster

Blessings to you.

Sunday October 17, 2010

2010-10-20T08:44:00.001-07:00

Depending on which service you were at, these are the songs you heard, the only difference being that we did not do the last song at the first service.

Enough - Chris Tomlin
Happy Day - Tim Hughes
You Gave Your Life Away - Paul Baloche
Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle
In Christ Alone - Newsboys
Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin

Have a great week!

Church October 10, 2010

2010-10-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

During first service yesterday something very powerful happened to me. Every week at KP is exciting and I always have a great time playing, singing, and being with friends. However, yesterday, while we were singing (I think it was during communion), I was watching everyone and it hit me with greater force than usual that I was in a room full of folks I know, whose lives have touched mine.
I saw kids that I've held and played with, families I've shared meals with, people I've laughed with. In short friends... family.
There were plenty of folks I still have not gotten to know very well too, and I look forward to getting to know them.
I guess friendship is just around the corner, but you just have to turn the corner; you have to go there. At KP, I know with certainty, that if you're looking for friendship, family, a deep connection, you'll find it. If you're not looking, it's likely to stumble into you, but it's much harder than if you are on the hunt.
If striking up conversation and making new friends doesn't come naturally to you; if interacting with strangers at church takes an effort tantamount to pulling out your own tooth, then just stand in the way of some interactions, loom nearer to a cluster of folks you barely know, and before you know it you'll be immersed in a pool of relationships and love. It's a bit mushy I know, and it's easy for an outgoing person to say it, but I do dare you to get out there and give it your best shot. The results will change your life.

Here's this week's set:
You'll Come - Hillsong
All Because - Fee
None but Jesus - Hillsong United
It is Well - a bit like Newsboys, but it's our own arrangement
One Pure and Holy Passion - Passion
Not To Us - Chris Tomlin

Have a great week.

This weekend's Music, Part 2

2010-09-20T12:42:00.001-07:00

Then Sunday morning came, and an almost completely different KP band led us in worship to this set:

I Am Free - Newsboys
Revelation Song - Gateway Worship
At the Foot of the Cross - Kathryn Scott
That is Why - Joshua Franklin
From the Inside Out - Hillsong United
Happy Day - Tim Hughes

Hope you have a blessed and worshipful week,

This weekend's Music, Part 1

2010-09-20T12:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend we hosted the Heartland Presbytery's meeting at Kaw Prairie on Saturday morning and afternoon.

One of the KP bands had the privilege of leading them in worship during the morning session. It was a great time of worship with our Presbyterian brethren.

Here's the music we did:

Majestic - Lincoln Brewster
Hungry - Kathryn Scott
Mystery - Charlie Hall
How He Loves - David Crowder Band
Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin

The names by each of the songs are not necessarily those of their authors, but those of the performers from whom we got our inspiration for this particular arrangement.

Thank you Heartland Presbytery for worshiping with us. It was a great honor.

Sunday September 12, 2010

2010-09-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the set we did Sunday:

We Fall Down - Kutless
You are Holy (Prince of Peace) - Michael W. Smith
That is Why - Josh Franklin
Mystery - Charlie Hall
How He Loves - David Crowder Band
Blessed be Your Name - Matt Redman

Thank you so much to the band. You guys did a great job.

Listen to this week's sermon at www.kawprairie.org/messages, and watch video of it at http://www.truthcasting.com/player.aspx#showChannel=100000827

Crazy about Wild!

2010-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wild is the name of our student program at Kaw Prairie. This past Sunday was the first night of Wild in this new year and it was incredible!

We meet on Sunday nights from 6 to 8pm and we do some music, games, teaching and small groups, all peppered with hysterical stuff happening all around you at all times.

This past Sunday was no exception. As a matter of fact, it was perhaps one of the most exciting nights of Wild I've ever been to. We've started meeting in the Gathering place, a smaller room on the other side of the building from the gym, and we've altered the schedule a bit. It all comes together for a night of fun, learning, friendship, and Spirit-filled experiences.

I want to take a minute to thank all the adults who volunteer in Wild, caring for students and taking the time to get to know them. I also want to thank the band members who do such a great job leading us in worship. Lastly, I want to thank all the students who attend for their enthusiasm, participation, and their friendship.

I'm looking forward to this next year of Wild and can't wait to witness how lives are changed with Jesus' love.

Olathe Parade

2010-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

I just got done building the last few bits of the new float with Jon, and I'm so excited about the parade this weekend. The KP band will do a song or two through the Olathe Parade Saturday morning on a newly re-designed float. Our old float was awesome, and I'm sure you'd agree if you've seen pictures of it in this week's newsletter article, or on our website; but we just wanted to change things up and keep it fresh.

The new float does more to make the band visible in the hopes to lessen suspicions that we're just pretending to play or that we're playing guitar hero guitars :). I'm sure no one actually thinks that, but seeing the guitars and the drums right in front of you will definitely be a cool new feature. We've also created an array of speakers which will now be on the back of the truck spreading out the sound in a 180+ degrees around the float.

I guess in the end the band has to really rock to make it all count, but I've no doubt they will do just that. If you don't make it to many parades, I hope you'll come join us for this one. Our starting position is # 78. The Parade will start at 10:00. We will meet at Cedar St on the West side of Kansas Ave. Take K-7 South to Dennis Ave and then North on Kansas Ave to Cedar St. Set-Up Crew should arrive around 8:00 and Walkers around 9:30pm.

See you there!

Rockin'!

2010-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend was really upbeat at KP. The set was stacked with some energetic songs and the band was stacked with some rockin' folks! Great job to everyone on the band.

The songs we did are:

Salvation: Charlie Hall
Salvation is Here: Lincoln Brewster
Mighty to Save: Laura Story
Here I am to Worship: Chris Tomlin
He Reigns: Newsboys
Sing, Sing, Sing: Chris Tomlin

Thanks for worshiping with us. See you Sunday.

August 29th Set List

2010-08-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

We've arrived at this week. Finally!

Because of Your Love: Paul Baloche
Salvation is Here: Lincoln Brewster
Hosanna (in the highest): Hillsong United
The Heart of Worship: Matt Redman
From the Inside Out (with the choir and orchestra): Hillsong United
Forever (with the choir and orchestra): Chris Tomlin

To listen to Pastor Dan's messages or watch them on video visit www.kawprairie.org/messages. Both links can be found there.

You gotta listen to the Numb3rs series. I guess all his messages are good (and I really do think that; I'm not just brown-nosing), but this one is particularly interesting to me because I'm learning lots of theology I'd not been exposed to before. That is normally a good thing for me :)

August 22nd Set List

2010-08-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Almost there:

He Reigns: Newsboys
Shout to the Lord: our own arrangement
Hungry: Kathryn Scott
Surrender: Lincoln Brewster
From the Inside Out: Hillsong
Salvation is Here: Lincoln Brewster

August 15th Set List

2010-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Getting closer:

Majestic: Lincoln Brewster
Sing, Sing, Sing: Chris Tomlin
Mighty to Save: Hillsong
Consuming Fire: Tim Hughes
How Deep the Father's Love: Kelly Minter
You Never Let Go: Matt Redman

August 8th Set List

2010-08-30T17:39:00.001-07:00

I'm catching up here:

Salvation is Here: Lincoln Brewster
Revelation Song: Gateway worship
At the Foot of the Cross: Kathryn Scott
Mystery: Charlie Hall
Never Let Go: David Crowder Band
Happy Day: Tim Hughes

August 1st Set List

2010-08-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

A bit late, but here it is:

Hosanna (in the highest): Hillsong United
Here I am to Worship: Chris Tomlin
It is Well: our own arrangement
That is Why: Josh Franklin
None but Jesus: Hillsong United
Let God Arise: Chris Tomlin

There may be several different versions for each of these songs, and these names are not necessarily those of the authors, but if you look in your favorite music store you'll probably find this one and some of the other versions too.

VBS 2010

2010-07-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

We've been having a blast leading worship for the Kiddos at VBS. We started Sunday night and have been going every night since. Must of the music we've done has been from Group Publishing, who wrote our VBS materials.
One of my favorites is a song in a minor key with an Egyptian sound to it. It's pretty fun and has been a fun challenge for us major-scale junkies.
Rock on VBS! And Rock on Mrs. Nancy. You're doing a great job with the kids as are all the VBS Staff.

The day of lost things

2010-07-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today three folks have come by the church looking for stuff. We've all been in search mode all day.

Someone lost a phone; another lost a notebook. I seem to have lost my mind. No big deal

New stuff happening all the time

2010-07-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Courtney sang with us for the first time at KP, and she did a great job. It was very inspiring to hear her sing and to work with her. Thanks Courtney!

We also had the privilege of hearing Pastor John Rutsindintwarane. He shared the pulpit with our Pastor Dan and shared about the work of the Church in Rwanda. It was a very exciting day. I think Pastor John was hoping for a bit more responsiveness from the audience at KP. He would often say things like: "Can you hear me?" I thought he might have just wanted some "Amens!" We'll have to work on that KP. Nothing wrong with some Amening!

Here's the set from Sunday:
Revelation Song- as done by Gateway Worship
Beautiful The Blood- as done by Fee
You Gave Your Live Away- as done by Paul Baloche
Your Never Let Go- as done by Matt Redman
Let God Arise- as done by Chris Tomlin.

Have a great week!

Wow!

2010-07-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday was so much fun. I'll have to admit, I really feel like I wasn't there at all. Last week I was with our youth group (WILD) on their mission trip in Lake Traverse, South Dakota. We had a great time, but I was pretty tired when I got home.
We rolled into town Saturday afternoon, which gave me just enough time to get home, change the flat tire on my wife's car, shower, and get to the church or rehearsal. It was a long day, but man was it worth it.
The band just really put a lot of heart into the music on Sunday morning. We had fun, and really dove into worship. We felt the Spirit move in our humble expression of worship, and our pastor really hit the nail on the head with his message on Romans.

Here's the set we did:
Enough - as done by Barlow Girl
Everything Glorious - as done by David Crowder Band
How Deep the Father's Love - as done by Kelly Minter
Mighty to Save - as done by Laura Story
How Great is Our God - as done by Chris Tomlin
Sing, Sing, Sing - as done by Chris Tomlin

Fifth Sunday

2010-06-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really exciting day. The fifth Sunday orchestra played and the the choir sang. They did a great job. It's always a lot of fun for me to work with them and to spend time with all those people preparing music.

My prayer is that it was fun for those participating and for the congregation who shared those songs with us.

It's a lot of work putting those together. People who have not played their instrument, or who have not sung in public for some time, work really hard to prepare for that worship service. We pour over the music, make decisions about it, tweak the arrangements (if necessary), learn the little details of our service order, etc.

At the end of the day it seemed like the work was every bit as rewarding as the delivery.

Next time we do Fifth Sunday band will be in August. We have three months to prepare for that, so here's the deal:

If you play or sing, you've got to contact me immediately and get on the list. Music will be selected soon and we'll get started with rehearsals as soon as the end of June or early in July.

It's an honor to lead others in worship and at KP we are blessed to be a part of this ministry.

Tech jobs

2010-04-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

The wisest thing ever said about tech jobs at church is: "You don't know those guys are there until something goes wrong."

Isn't that the truth.

You don't notice what's being done behind the scenes. You come in and the lights are on, the music is playing, the words are on the wall, the pastor's preaching, life is good.

However, when something doesn't go quite right, then you ask yourself "who's messing that up?"

At KP, that doesn't happen very much. Our tech guys put a lot of effort into making sure that the technology is aiding us in worship, not standing in our way. However, we're not pros. Our equipment does stuff we don't know how to us, and some of what we do know we just learned.

Still, our team does a great job, and they do it with a great attitude.

For me it's a lot of fun working with those people. Maybe it's because I really like geeking out on tech stuff. I'd like to believe it's because I care a lot about the experience for people and so I guard it carefully, but I'm pretty sure the geek factor is bigger.

I'm posting this for two reasons: one is to tell you how great our team is. Seriously people, our tech guys are a blast to work with and they are really invested in their stuff.

The second is to let you know we have a few empty slots on the team and could really use some new team members. So, if you like operating a camera, if you're familiar with presentation software, or if you know much about stage lighting, there's a place on the team for you.

Email me at germanp@kawprairie.org, or just stop me at church some time.

Easter

2010-04-09T05:43:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time that I posted our sets, but I really wanted to mention Easter.

It was a great day of worship at KP this Easter. The service was well laid out and people were just ready to come into worship. It was natural and genuine to just enter into the Lord's presence and spend time with Him.

Here are the songs we did:

The Solid Rock as by Charlie Hall
Mighty to Save as by Laura Story
Grace that is Greater as by Bart Millard
The Wonderful Cross as by Chris Tomlin
Sing, Sing, Sing as by Chris Tomlin

We're Home

2010-03-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last night we finally made it home after can only be described as a saga.

Now, don't misunderstand, it wasn't a disaster, by any means, just a saga. We had times of fun, of concern, or spontaneity, of joy, of fulfillment, of sadness, of humility, of exhaustion, of uncertainty, and of many other feelings.

You already know much of the story or can read it on this blog. The latest chapter was just the trip home.

After dedicating the house we built in prayer with the family, we handed over the keys and made for market. There we bargained for a few souvenirs and then headed right for the border. The crossing there was by far the most painless thing of this whole trip. It was simply a let down from what we'd built ourselves up for.

The road after that was long, but at least it was somewhat predictable. We stopped in Camp Verde, Arizona to visit Crusty's Pizza (Yum!) and then hit the road again until we reached Gallup, New Mexico, where we spent the night.

The next morning we said goodbye to our friends from Wichita (who had a shorter road trip ahead of them) and took off a little after 7am, local time.

Everything was going as well as could be "predicted" and then we had to kick it back into spontaneous mode. When we crossed into Kansas, and thanks be to God it wasn't until that point, we encountered the winter storm you are now watching outside your window. It was about 9:30pm. We had about 200 miles in front of us but we could not drive more than 35mph. On top of that we found out that all the hotels in the area were booked solid from travelers getting off the road. So we could either sleep in the vans for a few hours and hope the storm would let us enough that we could resume travel by daylight, or we could just inch away at the road before us until we reached our warm beds. We chose the latter after a considerable amount of thought (and knowing the prayers of our friends at home were being lifted up).

We got home at 3:30am this morning, never more excited to be dealing with snow in the middle of the night, a night we could now finish in our own homes.

If you want to hear more stories about our trip, just stop one of us at church. It was a great blessing and privilege, despite of all the changes and adjustments. I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Thanks to all the KP community who supported us and prayed for us. It wasn't for us, and we keep none of the attention. It was for the King, Jesus, and to Him be the glory and honor, Amen.

We're Back Posting!

2010-03-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Another day in Mexico, and an exciting one at that.

Let me first recap yesterday after the post.

In one work day we marked out the foundation, poured it, assembled the walls, erected them, put up all the bailing wire, put on all the tar paper, put on the roof pieces and covered half the roof with plywood. That’s a lot in one day.

After that we went back to camp, with a quick stop at a very American Circle K station along the way, and had the most delicious Chili ever. We has Fritos and dogs to go along with them too. Yum! There’s just no other way to say it.

Today we went right to task finishing the roof (plywood, rolls of shingles, and tar), we put up the chicken wire, hung the door, installed the windows, and as I write, the first coat of stucco is drying. That was all before lunch.

This afternoon we’re going to put on one more coat of Stucco and then it’s off to the beach. You hear me right, the beach. If you’ve not looked on a map, we’re in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, a prime vacation spot for folks in Arizona. It’s a beach town and we get to partake in the parte’ just a bit.

View Larger Map

There is, however, something far more important to report on.

The kids in the neighborhood have all really warmed up to us and there are never less than 4 kids working alongside us. Christina and her little brother have definitely made a nice spot for themselves in our hearts.

Julio, the third child of the family we’re building for, and his siblings, have all found their way in there too.

This is the part you’re going to be jealous of. Today the family fixed us Tamales. That’s right! Home made, made in Mexico, while hanging out in Mexico, tamales. We just ate a lunch of those and let me tell you: they were amazing!

The family has been so warm and gracious; they’ve really welcomed us and been so sweet to us.

I guess one of the hardest things about all of this is that it’s very easy for us to get a savior complex and feel that we’re real super heroes coming down here to save the day. We’re not! That’s just the truth.

Yeah, we (and our church) made some sacrifices to get here, but we’re nothing but hands and feet. We’re not saving anyone or anything. We are following the footsteps of the Carpenter who taught us to care, who taught us to give, who taught us that it’s not about us.

I’d like to believe that He’d be proud of the structure we’ve built. But of one thing I am almost sure, He’d be proud of the not the house, but the home we’re helping to build.

Now Lord, knowing that some plant and some water, may you bring the increase as you nurture this beautiful home in Your love and Grace. Amen.

Wow.

2010-03-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's been such an amazing trip.

You're not going to believe this but I'm sitting at an Internet Cafe in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, on my way back to the work site. Internet access here is $1 for an hour. Fortunately my trusty mac book is with me. Otherwise I could use one of the PCs here.

The work is going very well.

We crossed the border early in the evening last night and drove about an hour to the site of our camp. In the distance we could see the beach resorts standing several stories above the landscape and could picture hundred of American tourists just having a good time.

We started setting up our camp, the KP team as well as the team from Haverhill Christian Church in Augusta, KS, which turned out to be quite a task to accomplish in the dark when half of your team hasn't ever set up a tent at all.

They all did beautifully.

At our campfire talk that night Jason, our leader from Haverhill, reminded us of something that really kind of rocked me. The spring break crowd at the beach just a couple miles away was setting one example for the people of Puerto Peñasco; we, however, were being called to perhaps set a different example. Now, the folks on vacation here cannot be lumped into one category, that wouldn't be fair, but the fact is that we were called here for something entirely different, and there are folks who will not leave the most positive of impressions while partying on the beach. We were called here to leave not our impression, but the mark of the love of Christ, in the shape of framed walls, and concrete, and tar, and chicken wire.

The work today has gone very well and everyone is working really hard.

As I write, the concrete foundation that we poured this morning is drying and almost all the outside walls are up and squared. The roof parts will go on next, then we'll cover the roof and eventually we'll start the stucco phase on the outside walls. Of course, most of what I just described won't get done until tomorrow since it's already almost 5 here and we'll be going back to camp soon.

I wish I could write more but I have to get back to camp.

"Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim. This alone shall be my prayer to Glorify Thy Name!"

Change of Plans

2010-03-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

So this mini saga continues...

Yesterday we woke up in Amarillo, TX, happy as could be that we'd have a relatively short drive ahead of us and we could take it easy and enjoy a bit of Amarillo.

Some went to breakfast; some went to Starbucks; some went to Wal-Mart. We also skyped into both church services at Kaw Prairie to pray with and greet the church there (which kind of reminds me of Paul writing letters to the churches. I bet if he'd known about Skype he'd be jealous). That was a really cool thing.

We could see the church worshiping, we laughed with them, and we prayed with them. It felt a little like being on Oprah, but I liked it way more.

So we head out of town and head for Cadillac Ranch, a little piece of land just west of Amarillo where they buried a line of old Cadillacs in the sand and allow people to come by and spray paint them. That was a totally amazing experience and we had so much fun finding poses for pictures in and around the cars.

I'd be showing you pictures of all this but the 13 people who brought cameras knew they wouldn't have a computer to download their pictures to so none brought their USB cables.

I guess they hadn't heard a Mac was coming on the trip :)

Well, the really exciting stuff is what comes next.

As soon as we were done at the Ranch, we got a call from our partners from Wichita saying to us that Amor Ministries was recommending we do not go to Ciudad Juarez. In the days leading up to this there had been a shooting there, which I'm sure you saw on the news, that killed three Americans.

The most relevant reason, however, why they thought we should not come through, was because just down the street from our camping site, a fight had broken out at a party on Saturday night and a Mexican national had been shot and killed. No harm has come to anyone with Amor, and the violence at this party had nothing apparently to do with the overall conflicts going on in Juarez, but with an incident that close to the camp, they thought it best to send us elsewhere.

This, by the way, is one of the reasons we trust Amor, their attentiveness, and their judgment when it comes to looking after the teams.

So we had a few options, but really only one possible one: to go to Arizona, cross over at Lukeville, AZ, and head to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, and build a single unit there.

This morning we woke up at the Super 8 in Flagstaff Arizona. What we thought would be a short day of travel yesterday turned into a 9-hour road trip which we are now recovering from (the waffles at the Super 8 really help with that).

Later this morning we'll be going to Lukeville, crossing in to Mexico, and heading right down to work as soon we can get to it. Long live the concrete volcano.

After we leave this hotel it will be harder for me to blog, but I'll try to get on here as often as I can.

You'll see tons of pictures when we get home, or you may see some sooner if we can get our hands on a USB cable :)

Thanks again for your partnership, support and prayers.

Amarillo, TX

2010-03-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Amarillo, Texas, around 8pm tonight, had dinner at a local place, and are now settling down for bed time.

Got a complicated schedule tomorrow including skyping into KP, doing laundry, working out, and making it to church, and that's all before lunch.

It's been a while

2010-03-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a while, but now I find I must.

I'm just south of Wichita, KS, with the KP team that's going to build a house in Mexico.

We could not be more excited about this opportunity. We're thankful, and humbled by this whole thing.

At this point there's not much to say. The road has been good to us. Lunch was tasty. We're making good time at this point.

In about 2 hours we'll be stopping at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial for a few minutes and then we'll head out to Amarillo, TX, where we'll spend the night.

We don't know what we'll do in Amarillo, but there is a lot of talk about leaving our mark at Cadillac Ranch.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support. We'll post more pictures and news as we have it and as we find hotspots.

Rock it!

Sunday December 13, 2009

2009-12-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

This week we went all Christmas and did:

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Chris Tomlin
O Come all ye faithful - Chris Tomlin
How Deep the Father's Love - Kelly Minter
Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

The last song we had planned was "All Because" by Steve Fee, but we ran out of time and didn't get to do it, which was big bummer 'cause we were really looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas!

November 29th, 2009

2009-12-05T17:41:00.001-08:00

This week we had the privilege of being led in worship by Dave Lingenfelter, a local worship leader and Scooters Barista.

It was a great honor to worship with him. He really blessed KP with his leadership, talent, and authenticity.

The songs we did were:

Not to Us - Chris Tomlin
Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle
Majesty - Charlie Hall (This was an acoustic version)
Much - Ten Shekel Shirt
Blessed be Your Name - Matt Redman

Thanks so much Dave for your leadership.

November 22nd, 2009

2009-12-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Here's the music we did on November 22nd.

Born Again - Third Day
Mighty to Save - Laura Story
Mystery - Charlie Hall
Take My Life - Chris Tomlin
He Reigns - Newsboys

A couple of weeks behind here :)

Messages Online

2009-11-17T11:26:00.001-08:00

Maybe you already knew this and maybe you didn't, but you can listen to the messages at KP right on the net at www.kawprairie.org/messages. Just look to the right for the messages blog and you're there.
Right now you can listen to the first message of the series: "Shoesapalooza: Beautiful are the feet."

You can normally pick up an audio CD at church of the previous week's message and a couple of the songs the band did, but quantities are limited.

The internet people! Let's do it!

The Worship Experience

2009-11-16T19:18:00.001-08:00

There's a difference between knowing about God and experiencing God. Much has been said on this subject. Henry Blackaby wrote the book "Experiencing God," which has helped a great many people move from a knowledge of God to something far more intimate. In college I read the book "God Chasers" by Tommy Tenney, in which he talks about the encounter of Moses on the mountain when God told Moses that He was about to pass by and he covered Moses' eyes so that Moses never saw God's face, but he saw his back. Tenney challenges his readers to ask themselves whether they are living where God was some time ago, or if they are staying close behind Him, experiencing that place where God was just at, if that's the closest we can get to being in His very presence.

Lately it's the words of Marcus Borg that have brought this to mind. In his book "Meeting Jesus again for the first time," Borg draws that same contrast by saying that people can move from a second-hand experience of God to a first-hand one; from knowing about God to knowing Him personally.

It's made me think a lot about the worship at our church. Our prayer is always that we may experience God's presence. Tommy Tenney would say that's a gutsy prayer. If we were to really experience God's presence, if we had been there and all our faces were glowing like Moses', we might be a bit more frightened about praying that prayer again. Nevertheless, whether in those words or others, my prayer is that at church, and at any church that worships the Lord, people can, through worship and the Word, move from a second-hand God to a first-had God, from a second-hand week, to a first-hand week, from a second-hand home life to a first-hand home life.
As if you weren't ready to stop reading and move on, I'll brave a few more thoughts.
What about all the things that have to happen for worship to go there. Is it harder to commune with God when you're tired, when you're hungry, when you're hurting, when you're uncomfortable, when you're cold or hot or annoyed because your kid wouldn't stop kicking the back of your seat in the car ride to church?

And that makes me think of the faithful people who do stuff like pass out bulletins, arrange chairs, brew coffee, smile at the front door. What would worship be like if those folks hung up their hat and walked away? If the chairs were awkwardly arranged and you could hardly get comfortable? If there were no seats at all? If no one was there to say good morning? If you couldn't follow along with the message more closely with the notes in the bulletin? If you couldn't see the words of the songs? If you didn't know whether it was your row that was up next for the communion line or the row across the aisle? If there was no coffee for that extra jolt of awareness the caffeine affords?

I just don't think it would be the same. And not just because we're spoiled North Americans who can enjoy all these conveniences and without them we'd cry and kick and scream. No, because in order to communicate with someone, you have to be able to focus on them and they on you. Because your wife knows she can't talk to you if the football game is on or the words will fall on deaf ears. Because if you were too annoyed or uncomfortable, you'd be in no frame of mind to hear God speak to you.

That's why those little things matter; because we can do them, they're not that hard, and they make a monumental difference in our ability to pause in the middle of our busy lives and just listen to Him for a while.

I want to send out Big Kingdom Kudos to those faithful people who make all that happen. It is because of them that the table can be set for me to share a meal with the Teacher. It is because of them I can hang out with my spiritual family and spend some meaningful time together.

Lord, may we do everything we can, everything within our frail power, to create a space and time where people can meet with you and move from second-hand faith, to a first-hand encounter. Amen.

Sunday November 15, 2009

2009-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here's the set we did Sunday. It was a good set and we had a great time playing it.
Kudos to Nathan, who played guitar with us for the first time this Sunday. He did a great job!

Hosanna - Paul Baloche
Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall
Consuming Fire - Tim Hughes
How He Loves - David Crowder Band
Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster

Click on the links and you'll be directed to the iTunes URL where you can chose to buy that song and put it on your mp3 player.

The more the merrier!

2009-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

It seems like just yesterday we stood around asking things like: "who do you know that plays guitar? Bass? Drums? Keys?"
It really is not very far from yesterday. One year ago, roughly, we had our first, very own, KP band playing at church. We had found a drummer, a bass player, a keyboardist, and we were ready to rock.
Not long after that we had nearly enough to have two bands. We couldn't believe it.
Today we have enough for well more than two bands, although not enough for three completely different ones.
The reason I'm remembering this journey is because this Thursday we are auditioning at least one person, and maybe two, a guitarist and a vocalist. By the end of the year, as many as three other folks will be getting involved in the music ministry of KP. That's five new people in a matter of two months. My guess is that pattern is going to continue as more people get involved at KP and want to use their gifts for the Kingdom.
This is all so exciting!
But there's a part of me that's sad and even scared.

Could we have dreamed that after just a few months we'd have two bands? No way! On the other hand, could we have dreamed that in one year we might not have enough room for everyone to play and sing? I don't think we gave that possibility too many thoughts; partly because we were afraid of what that would mean.

That brings me to what is now an age-old dialogue: how do you decide who gets to play and sing and who doesn't?

People have debated this for some time, and the discussion has raged in my own heart for a while now. On the one hand you want to get as many people involved as possible; you want people to feel welcomed and valued. On the back side of that hand (because it's not a different hand for sure) is the fear of hurting people's feelings, of leaving them out, of having to tell them that's not actually their strongest gift, and they would better serve the Kingdom elsewhere. That fear contributes to the idea we should just let everyone who wants to, participate.

On the other hand, you have the idea that the work of the Kingdom is of such importance that it must be done to the best of our ability; that to offer anything else is to undermine God's work in His church. On the back side of that hand is the idea that there are right and wrong ways to do artistic expressions. There are, at least in the music of our church, right and wrong ways to use the art form, good expression and bad ones.

So what is the church's calling when it comes to the arts and people's involvement. I don't know the answer to that, but my guess is that it involves both hands.

The church has to be inclusive; a place where people can easily get involved; an organism where people can put their God-given gifts to use. At the same time, the church is called to serve God with our whole heart, and to offer our service to God "skillfully" as the Psalmist would say (Ps. 33:3). We have to reach our culture with the message of Grace in a relevant, authentic and powerful way.

So I think that if we're going to use art to do that, in this case music and visuals, we should do the best job we can do, and when there are lots of folks around who want to do it, our job is to pick the ones that better fit the art form.

Unfortunately for me that means that dreaded, dirty word: auditions! For many it's a word that does not belong in the vocabulary of the church. I think it does belong, and in some cases it's absolutely essential. You wouldn't want someone teaching kids who did not have the right gifts and skills for it. You won't attend a church where the preacher was an ineffective and boring communicator (at least not for long).

It's just a fact of ministry. We have to be wise with the gifts God has entrusted to us. Plus, in a church like KP, there are countless things that someone can do to participate in the work of the Kingdom there; things that don't all require a very specific gift but that are just as important to the work.

So I don't feel badly about raising the bar. We'll try to keep lots of folks involved, but we'll chose the ones that fit better according to where we feel God is calling us to go. We'll offer everyone a place to serve and even challenge them to do so.

Some times we may be disappointed at the outcome, but as Marc James wrote "I Surrender all to You."

If you're thinking about auditioning at KP for a spot on the music team, by all means please pursue that. You're not going to get American Idol treatment. We deal in the currency of Grace and a Kingdom mindset. Visit www.kawprairie.org/music to download our forms and questionnaire.

Sunday November 8th

2009-11-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

These are the songs we did this weekend:

Beautiful the Blood- as by Steve Fee
Come Thou Fount -as by David Crowder Band
How He Loves -as by David Crowder Band
The Stand -as by Hillsong United
Not to Us -as by Chris Tomlin

There was so much energy at church Sunday. The band played really well, the church was singing and clapping, it was just a very intimate time of worship.

Some stories must be told

2009-11-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sunday during the second service we had one of those moments that if you didn't know about, you would not notice.

Right after PD's sermon we started the song Surrender. The plan was that about halfway through the song Dave would do a guitar part to wrap up the song and then we just do another chorus or two. At least that's why I thought.

Now, it is not strange for me to "think" we are going to do something with a song and it be miles from what we planned and practiced. Seriously, it's a weekly occurrence. In the middle of the song, caught in the moment and with no brain waves left to apply to memory, I think of how the song is going to go and no part of my brain tells me "that's not what the band is expecting German!"

That said, instead of going into that guitar part I expected, the band died away, as they would at the end of a song, or for a chorus that we wanted only voices to be heard on.

Not sure of where the breakdown was, I improvised. Knowing that the prayer stations were open in the back of the room, and seeing they were staffed and ready, I encouraged people to go back and pray if they had something they wanted prayer for. By the time I was done the band was pretty much on idle, waiting for what was coming next, undoubtedly clueless.

So I started in alone and hoped they would follow me. They do that very well. I guess they have to 'cause I just can't seem to stick to a plan (if you're a musicians who was thinking about getting involved at KP, you should know what you're getting into). It's really not terrible, but it does happen.

So we finished the song, and went on to the next one as planned. If you didn't know better, you'd have seen it as part of the plan. I like doing that too; stopping in the middle of a song while the music is still going to say a few words. I had even wanted to do it earlier but thought of it right in the middle of a song and knew it would be really mean of me to do that to the band without any prior notice.

Thanks band for being flexible and spontaneous!

November 1st

2009-11-02T13:35:00.001-08:00

This was week three of "City Livin'" After church a bunch of people went to several places around the city to volunteer time serving others. ReStart, Metro Lutheran Ministries, and some others.

The whole day was packed with times of intimate worship.

These are the songs we did:

Give You Glory- as by Jeremy Camp
Here I am to Worship- as by Chris Tomlin
That is Why- as by Josh Franklin (not in iTunes)
Surrender- As by Lincoln Brewster
God of This City- as by Chris Tomlin

This Thursday night Jeremy Camp will be at Lenexa Christian Center. Several people from KP are going. You're welcome to join us.

October 25th

2009-11-02T13:26:00.001-08:00

These are the songs we did on Sunday October 25th, the second week of "City Livin'"

We Fall Down- as by Kutless
Our God Saves- as by Paul Baloche
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)- as by Chris Tomlin
None but Jesus- as by Hillsong United
Yesterday, Today and Forever- as by Vicky Beeching

It was a great set.

October 18th

2009-10-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

I've been totally slacking off, not posting here. Unacceptable! Well, I'm sure if you're reading this you may not have even noticed, so maybe it's not the end of the world or anything.

In either case, I'm going to pick up the pace. Unfortunately I don't have interesting things to write about most weeks so I'll most often post a list of what songs we sang at church that week linked back to iTunes where you can hear a sample and perhaps even buy yourself a copy.

Sunday October 18th we did:
Prince of Peace (You are Holy) - as performed by Michael W. Smith (roughly)
God of This City - as performed by Chris Tomlin
Hungry - as performed by Kathryn Scott
I Could Sing of Your Love Forever - as performed by Delirious?
Father let me dedicate (Be Glorified) - as performed by Matt Redman

It was a great set and a beautiful time of worship as a congregation.

See you Sunday.

Guitar Solos

2009-09-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know how you feel about guitar solos, but having grown up in the 90's with perfect-hair rock, I love them. The electric guitar has been a major part of music now for a very long time and in recent years it finally seems to have made it's way into the church.

Thank you Lord!

I don't know what most worshipers think about guitar solos in church but I'm going to try to explain what I think about them.

King David, before he was king and was just a little guy in the court of King Saul, was known for his skill with the harp.

The Bible says that Saul had problems with "a spirit from God." I will not even touch what that could mean, but I would like to touch on what happened when he had these encounters. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16 that David would play his harp for Saul and that the music relieved him.

The Psalter is filled with examples of God's people celebrating God with not just song lyrics, but with the skillful playing of musical instruments.

So you have this two way street. The music serves as a conduit, and perhaps in some way as the yellow lines in the middle of the road. On one side runs traffic of worship and adoration toward the Father in the opposite direction as the relief, comfort, and joy that comes to His people. The worshipers lift up songs of thanksgiving and joy and praise on the very same medium that the Father sends down peace and comfort and hope.

Maybe the guitar isn't that conduit for you; maybe it doesn't serve as a path or line between you and the Father, but for me, listening to Dave play his guitar, listening to Sam on the keyboard, Kevin on the bass, Jason on the drums, and hearing Lisa's voice beautifully convey the message of the songs, I sense that something opens up, and we are in a place unlike many others, a place we don't get to come to just any moment of any day.

So if you're finding yourself sitting through a 20-second instrumental part of a song at KP (or wherever you worship), and you're not sure what that's got to do with the message, try to take a step onto that road, venture out into the path where these spiritual things can happen. Let yourself go.

If you don't want to do that, or can't, that's okay, just clap along and enjoy good music. The music is being made to honor the Lord and for that it is precious.

Sunday August 13

2009-09-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken to serve as a template for the teams that set up the chair columns every week.
As I look at it I'm reminded of the work that goes into preparing for a Sunday worship gathering. There are folks who show up to put chairs, tables, and all kinds of things in the room, and there's the people that put that stuff away; there are folks who set out the elements of Communion; there are folks who brew coffee and cut donuts; there are people who prepare lessons for kids.

I could go on for a long time talking about the gazillion people that seem to be buzzing about like bees every Sunday morning. It's all kind of a blur. In the picture it looks pretty relaxed, but it is in fact a bit of a whirlwind.

And yet, after the dust settles, we find ourselves offering anything we possibly can in worship to God. When we're done all the rehearsing and preparing, brewing and setting up, greeting and welcoming, we sit down at the Lord's Table together and we bow before the One who alone is worthy.

Worship at Kaw Prairie has slowly been moving toward a place of intimacy and comfort. I don't mean that folks are comfortable like I might be watching football on TV. I mean the kind of comfortable that is safe, that is inviting, that connects lots of different dots in our lives and creates a picture of something glorious.

Worship at KP has been drifting new waters, exciting places that we've not been before and I can't think of any way of describing it to you other than to encourage you to come in and just allow yourself to be part of the family and a part of our effort to be in the presence of the Most High.

May His presence be evident to you this week.

August 23rd

2009-08-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

This post will not do justice to what happened Sunday.

It was a great day musically. It was a great day of ministry too. I have to put a plug in for WILD, our student ministry. We started Sunday night and it was just a ton of fun. If you're on facebook, you should look at our page, Wild @ Kaw Prairie.

It was a great day theologically! PD really brought home the message of Grace. One that we all need for the resentment and vengeance we carry around, but one that, for that reason, we need to extend every chance we get.

Carly rocked Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," a natural lead in to a message on vengeance. I know what you're thinking, "those people are Kaw Prairie are pretty slick!" Well, you're right, but you should know we steal (borrow) most of this stuff. The idea is getting the message across. Carly did just that sporting her cowboy hat. Nice work Carly and band for rendering that song well.

It was funny to me that right before we played that song in the first service, the person doing announcements (who will remain unnamed), finished up with her announcements and said "let's return to worship now." Well, "Before He Cheats" was hardly a worshipful song, although it did serve a purpose in our worship and our application of the morning's message. It was just an interesting introduction. You can appreciate that a bit more by watching the youtube video of that song.

In what you might call a more worshipful tone, we also did:

Here I am to Worship - Chris Tomlin
Come Thou Fount - David Crowder Band
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) - Chris Tomlin
The Wonderful Cross - Chris Tomlin

Have a great week!

August 16th

2009-08-24T20:01:00.001-07:00

I'm catching up slowly.

The week before last was the beginning of "The Theology of Country Music."

Doug did a phenomenal job of singing "That's My Story" by Collin Raye

We also sang:
All Because - Steve Fee
How Great is Out God/How Great Thou Art - Chris Tomlin
Mystery - Charlie Hall
Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall

If you're going to look up those songs please keep in mind that I'm not necessarily listing them by author, but by the artist whose performance we tried to emulate.

I really should get on the stick and get some cowboy boots and a hat for this series.

August 9th

2009-08-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. Bad blogger!

I would hardly call myself a blogger.

So a week and a half ago was great! Here are the songs we did:

We Fall Down (F#): Kutless
A Mighty Fortress (G): We came up with our own arrangement
Sweetly Broken (B): Jeremy Riddle
Surrender (G): Lincoln Brewster
Love the Lord (G): Lincoln Brewster

I suppose if I had posted right after the service I might actually have some anecdotes about it. Sorry :(

I will say that our experience with the new PA system is paying off. We're not seeing a ton of dividends yet, or at least not that we can hear, but we are learning so much about how "not" to run the system. Not that this particular week was aweful, it was in fact as good as could be expected, but that we learn more every week. More to come on that.

Eschatalogy at KP

2009-08-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

This week's sermon in the series of "Things I wish Jesus hadn't said," was about the end times. Jesus did talk about the end, and he said some things that are very intriguing. Opposite of that, He also said that our chief concern was that of doing the work of the Father until the Son returns, not to ignore that work to devote our time and energy to figuring out when and how He's returning.
Admittedly, the study of His return does in many ways yield the fruit of of the Kingdom as it gets people thinking about it and confronts them with a decision. So the sermon wasn't about finger-pointing, and line-drawing between people, it was simply a palette of several scholarly and faithful views that exist on the second coming.

My favorite part of it all was that short video in that church. That part when the lighting strikes and suddenly the room goes from being full to there only being like 20 people there. It was a cool video anyway.

As part of this presentation on such a hot topic, we did our best to cover REM's "it's the end of the world as we know it." That was pretty fun too. There were more words in one verse of that song than there were in all the other songs we sand the whole morning combined. Actually, I don't know if that's a fact, but it sure seems like it.

We also did:
Beautiful the Blood (Fee)
Enough (Tomlin)
How Deep the Father's Love (our own arrangment; more closely resembles Kelly Minter's)
The Stand (Hillsong United)

I'd be curious to learn what most folks at KP thought of the "The Stand." It's a great song with a simple lyric. For me, the intense nature of the words and music of the chorus really draws me in to the meaning of the words. I've been singing that song for a few years now, and as you might know, the words repeat themselves quite a few times. Even with that, the words still draw me to their meaning much like they did when I first learned them.

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the one who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul, LORD, to you surrendered; all I am is yours."

The band did a really great job this week. Aleks was able to play guitar, which was a a lot of fun. Ethan went from being asleep at practice, to being totally rocktastic on the drums during the actual service. I just don't know what happened there. Kasie was a rockstar on the guitar. Doug seemed to have a great time singing. Joe played very well. Sam was his usual awesome.

The coolest thing I heard about our set was that someone said, "on that last song, it was worshipful to just watch the band worship." That is the highest of affirmations and testimony for a worship team.

Last week (July 19)

2009-07-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

I didn't post last week. Oops!

The 19th was a ton of fun. We had Kasie play acoustic for the second time. She did a great job. Of course she sang too, which is always a blessing.

Kevin, Jeff and Rachel played awesomely! We had the awesome blessing of having Corie play Djimbe. She was great.

We did a new song called "Son of God," by Starfield. I, for one, really like the song. It's a cool song musically, but my favorite part are the words. It juxtaposes a God who hung the stars and a God who lives inside my heart, one who dwells in the expanse of the Universe and yet inhabits my own life too. Granted the universe bows to Him more readily than my cluttered soul, but it's still a beautiful thing.

Then the song confesses with gratitude that it is being sung by one "forgiven." I know it's easy to praise God for who He is and His glory, but for me it's more difficult to remember to praise Him out of pure gratitude for what He's done in my life. Maybe it's the other way around for some folks; they worship out of gratitude alone. I marvel at the size and magnificence of this great Lord Jesus, but I also can detach my own life's journey and not worship out of gratitude as well. I hope that makes sense.

We also played "I could sing" by Delirious
"None but Jesus" by Hillsong United
"At the Foot of the Cross" by Kathryn Scott
"You never let go" by Matt Redman.

It's a humbling task, that of leading the children of the Most High into His presence, a task that I certainly don't set out to accomplish, but that I simply participate in and hope to facilitate. It's up to each of us to enter in.

Sunday July 12

2009-07-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday was uneventful in most ways. The set was a really good combination of songs.

You're Worthy of My Praise: Jeremy Camp
Holy is the Lord: Chris Tomlin
You Gave Your Life Away: Paul Baloche
Surrender: Lincoln Brewster
Love the Lord: Lincoln Brewster

We literally did all but one in G, and that was Holy is the Lord in A. I almost talked to band into doing that in G too but they really like doing a key change in the middle of "Worthy," finishing that out in A, and then playing "Holy." It was a the right choice, I was just being lazy when I suggested we keep it in G.

By the way, at the risk of getting in trouble, when I put the name of a person by the song I don't mean to list the author of the song, rather the performer whose version/sound we're trying to duplicate. If authorship is also necessary, please let me know and I will gladly include that information in this space. Naturally, many times the version we're doing is the one done by the author himself/herself, so that will some times work itself out.

A couple of interesting things stick out to me about Sunday. Our sound board has this nifty gifty of being able to record our services to a USB stick in mp3 format. We then import it into Garage Band, split it up into tracks and make the sermon and a couple songs available to folks who were working with the kids that morning or were unable to attend. However, this week, our board had a mental breakdown and just would not record. I say a mental breakdown because that evening, the board was back to normal and recorded without a problem. You're guess is as good as mine.

The unfortunate thing about all of it was that Dave, a guitar player, was back with us this week after about a 6-month break, and he was great. We may have played one of our best sets yet in the building, and, as you've already guessed, it was not recorded.

The other funny thing that happened is that Pastor Dan and I tried to communicate without words or body language again. Don't you just love when people do that? At the first service, I prayed between the first song and the second, and after the second song he prayed before he served Communion. For the second service I resolved not to pray so that his prayer would be the opening prayer of the morning after we had sung two songs preparing us for worship and communion with God. However, I didn't tell PD that's what I was doing so he sat in his chair waiting for me to pray, or at least that's what I thought was happnening. I actually communicated with him later using words, and not assumptions, and learned he was just worshipping along and just missed his cue to come up and do his thing. Either way, it turned out fine. The church's worship has little to do with the level to which we produce it or manipulate it. Our careful preparation and delivery does an awful lot to create an atmosphere of worship and to lead people, unhindered, into a place where their focus is solely on the prescense of God. However, that is not the end, it is a means. Authenticity, humanity, and honesty, are closer to the goal, although in and of themselves also vehicles or elements of the actual interaction that happens between the human and the divine.

These worship services that are marked both by humanity and the ancient practices of the church, really are unlike anything else I've been a part of. I'm blessed and honored to be a part of it.

July 5th

2009-07-06T11:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a lot of fun. There are a few fun stories to tell about it.

At practice we learned two things: Avioms are just so sweet whether you're wired to them or wireless. Those guys are going to start using us for ads.
The second was that Hungry will continue to kick our bums on that one little walk down. It seems silly, but everyone's brain interprets and reproduces things slightly different. The other day Aleks was teaching me a guitar diddy and when I played it he said: "well, that's like the one I do, but not the same." "It's the exact same thing," I said. "No," he answered, "yours is shu-tu-wata-wata. Mine is shutu-shutu-wata." That's not exactly how it went, but maybe you get the point.
Hungry just gets interpreted differently in each of us. One of these days we'll just play our own stinkin' arrangment.

Sunday was an adventure from the beginning. Mrs. Judy couldn't get her brand new computer to put out any sound; we had 18 different things to sound check in a small amount of time; our pastor refused to serve us communion (not really, I just felt the need to jab that out there because he was delayed in serving us. You just had to be there).

We did these songs:
Father let me dedicate (Be Glorified) - Matt Redman
Enough - Chris Tomlin
Amazing Grace (My chains are gone) - Chris Tomlin
Hungry - Kathryn Scott
Holy is the Lord - Chris Tomlin

The set went really well. Everyone did a really great job.

It was Bruce's first Sunday at sound by himself and he did great. Cody had his first go at lights and he did a great job. I think this may have been Jason's first shot at camera, and he was great too.

The only other cool story was that between services Java Joe dared Sam to drink a shot of espresso with pomegranete in it and he gulped it down for a candy bar. I thought kids would do anything for a dollar, but the standard has been lowered to 50 cents. Go figure!

The Lenexa Parade

2009-07-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had a great time playing in Lenexa Yesterday.

We did two songs back to back, since no one watching the parade could possibly even listen to one song all the way through as we were moving the whole time.

We turned the speakers up loud and we did a worship song and a secular song. It was really interesting to see the reactions of people.

Some people thought it was a bit odd that a church band was playing in a float. Some seemed to think it was odd that we were doing Christian music on a parade, and some probably didn't recognize the U2 song we did and just thought they whole thing was peculiar.

Then there were the folks who really appreciated the fact we were singing worship music in a city parade. The applauded us as to say "thanks for spreading the gospel with your float."

Then there were the folks who heard playing U2 and were puzzled, as though they would have never expected a church to play that.

And lastly the folks who thought it was pretty cool we were playing U2.

Everyone on the band did a great job, and the people who put the float together did too. They really worked hard to paint the float, assemble it, and organize everything. The walkers were also great. The biggest crowd of walkers we've had yet (I heard someone say). They were smiling and handed out tons of fliers and candy.

Who knows? Maybe some of the folks who got a flier will visit this blog to find out about KP. If you are, thanks for celebrating the 4th with us at the parade. Come see us if you're looking for a place to worship and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Everything has its pros and cons

2009-06-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

The entire KP music team will have something to say about this next comment, but it's just true.

Having the metronome is a really great thing, but some times it can be so confusing.

Today we played:
Your Grace is Enough (Chris Tomlin Version)
Consuming Fire (Tim Hughes)
Grace that is Greater (Bart Millard)
I Could Sing of Your love (Delirious)
Not to Us (Matt Redman)

It was a good set and everyone did a great job playing/singing.

However, on "Your Grace," We spent most of the song, or at least I did, finding our way back to the metronome. Either we wanted to play it faster, or a couple of us were dragging the others away from the metronome, or the metronome was possessed. Either way, I could just not enjoy that song 'cause all I could do was fight to stay with that thing.

The rest of songs were very natural and the metronome fit right in, and we with it. What was unfortunate about it was the fact that it was the first song and it may have given us, and those gathered, a rocky start to the worship.

We're still learning a lot about wearing in-ear monitors. Everyone uses them differently, but I'm more and more convinced that everyone should have control of their own. It sounds ridiculous, but the ideal way to go is to have an Aviom and a wireless system for each of the front people. It just seems like such a ridiculous waste of money, but communicating with the booth and getting what you need from the system are just way more difficult, and costly, than just buying the darn things.

I'll have to get some more equipment when we can afford to do that. In the mean time, thanks to our sound people for being ever so patient with us.

You might have to be on-stage to appreciate this next part, although I'm sure it will make perfect sense. It really takes some getting use to when all you hear is what's coming out of your headphones, but I've gotten so used to it now that I just feel like I'm right in there with everyone, sitting in a chair just worshiping alongside the others. If the metronome is set to a good tempo for the band, I don't even notice it there. I guess if I distrusted the person mixing the house you might not be able to concentrate, but I do trust the people back there, so as long as I can hear what I need to worship and to lead, I'm good; and that's a really big blessing to me.

I got a few pictures today from one of our photographers. I really like the lighting in these.

Walk it off!

2009-06-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

I always thought telling someone to walk off an injury was kind of stupid. If I've hurt my ankle or my knee, how will walking help? I know it applies some times, and it's not always bad advice, it's just odd.

Well, we had to "walk it off" Sunday. Everything for first service went as planned. Then second service got off to a good start. We played:
Friend of God (D)
The Heart of Worship (D)
Grace that is Greater (G)
Open the Eyes of My Heart (E)
Everlasting God (B)

However, it was when we got to Everlasting God during second service that we ran into unexpected problems. They were not only unexpected, they were unexplainable. There was a strange feedback noise coming from the guitarist's (Aleks) effects pedal, the wireless in-ears were dropping in and out, even the Avioms were behaving in that way. We have no clue what happened, why it happened, or how to avoid it. After service we tried to figure it out and could not. Your guess is as good as mine.

The "walk it off" bit is that we just played right through it. I thought "maybe the guitar is a little wak and my ears are losing the battery, the rest of the band is fine, we'll keep going." Little did I know. So what did we do? We "walked it off," we played through.

I don't know what the church heard (or thought), but I was really proud of us for playing through it in what seemed like a pretty strong way.
After we "played it through," we laughed it off. Hope it doesn't happen next week.

Oh, and cudos to Nancy on her first week at keyboard; she did a fantastic job. And thanks to Carri for filling in at the last minute.

June 14, 2009

2009-06-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Week 3 in the building!

I'm putting a picture on this post of Sam and I only because it's the only picture I got from one of our photographers. Otherwise I would put something more inclusive up here.

It's so funny how different things are for the band on Sunday mornings.
I came in at about 7:10 and I just sat down at the coffee shop, checked my email, brewed some coffee, and then casually walked into the worship space. It used to be 6:30 am, Kevin's waiting for me 'cause I have the key to the school, and then hit the closet with a furry.

Then, we got through all the songs during our sound check, with time to spare. Ahhh!

There are several things I want to remark about this week and I'll start with the people that stick out in my mind.

We were blessed to have Rich play guitar with us. He's been a friend of KP for some time and has seen us go from school to ministry center. He's a great guitar player and he did an awesome job of stepping in last minute and playing with us.

Everyone really did a great job, but a highlight for me was our drummer, Jason. He's really a different drummer than he was 9 months ago (approx.) when he started playing with us, and I'm just really excited to watch his journey.

Someone said something to me about the young fellow that plays piano at church. That's Sam. They highlighted mostly the passion with which he plays and worships. Then the photographer told me that if I would keep my eyes open a bit more we could have a few more good pictures. I agree with him, but I am so thankful to be on a team with people who are passionate and not afraid to show it. May we serve with a pure and holy passion always.

It never fails, however, that something doesn't go the way you want it, or that someone really didn't like what happened. Fortunately, for me, I didn't get to hear any of that, but our good friend Bryan, the sound man, did. I guess the music was too loud for someone's taste and they let him know. I hate he has to deal with that. He, and all the techs, really work hard as a team with me and other leaders, and then they single-handedly bare the brunt of the complaints. I don't want to pick on anyone, but I do want to reflect on the eternal discussion of volume and music at church.

"I don't like the music style."

"I think it's too loud."

"It's not loud enough."

"Turn down the guitar." (I always laugh a little on this one because I just know enough guitar players to know how that makes them feel)

Obviously I can't solve any of that on a blog, but I want to take a stab at some of the things that I believe are at the root of this problem.

I spent a lot of my formative years in church and I still vividly remember the music and the lyrics. I remember fondly what it was like to sing in the church choir, and in special productions they called Cantatas. Still don't know what that means.

I remember my friend Josh getting lead parts as a singer and actor in those and thinking he was the man.

I watched some of my friends play the guitar and just wished I could do half of what they could do.

Then I had the guilt of not taking piano lessons seriously when I realized playing the piano could have been such a cool thing (sorry mom!)

Church music has evolved for me considerably, but it's been a more natural growth for me from something I did in church, to something that more closely resembles what I was listening to outside of church.

I'm taking the long, long way to say that I think at the root of the volume problem at church is not that it's in fact too loud, but that we don't like the kind of music that's being played. It's one thing for a desirable noise to be loud and a whole other thing when something that you just don't find interesting has you cornered and you can't get away. Of course, that can't be the universal answer to the volume question, but I definitely think it's a good start. If you don't like the music, you don't really want to hear it loud or soft.

Lots of people don't like the rock n' roll guitar sound. They don't enjoy the high gain crunchyness of the guitar. I love it! It's very common, and necessary, in contemporary worship music, and for those who like it, it touches something very deep inside of us. It's literally "moving," as weird as that may sound.

Now, the volume and music discussion will be around for all generations, but at KP, we will continue to live in the tension of making worship comfortable for as many people as possible, while holding to the idea that we cannot play music that absolutely everyone will like, and that we cannot be a one-size-fits-all environment when it comes to worship or to anything, for that matter. That was definitely a run-on. Sorry!

We will do as good a job as possible with the genre we feel called to, and we will do it all to the glory of God, and with a missional attitude. We will be as balanced as we can be without compromising artistic or biblical integrity.

The dialog is always welcome, and we might be slow to change, but we will always do so with the leading of the Spirit and the leadership of faithful people who are laboring for the gospel side-by-side with us. I don't mean to dismiss any questions about volume. I'm simply affirming our vision and inviting the conversation, wherever it takes us.

After all that blah blah blah. It was a great day of ministry at KP and I pray people were ushered into God's presence and had the opportunity to ponder the questions posed by the "Payday" sermon:

What is my motivation in giving to the church?
Why does the church needs financial resources?
Am I giving because I have to or because I'm a part of a mission?
Am I giving my resources or my heart to God?

Thanks PD for a very challenging message.

Are we getting the hang of it?

2009-06-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Another week of ministry in our new building has come and gone, and it was another great week.
I had to be gone for the first service, because I was flying in from Oregon, but I was there for second service.
Everything went really well; the lights folks had to improvise, and they did great; the video tech did a nice job of keeping up with a different worship leader; the sound tech has nearly mastered that new high-tech machine; the band did an amazing job without me, too good of a job really.
I want to thank of all the above mentioned folks for their hard work. Doing ministry, as a lay person or as clergy/staff, can be a very draining task, but I pray it was also a fulfilling experience.

So here are some of the things we're learning:
-We cannot over-train in any of our tech jobs. All four+ jobs need ongoing training simply because we keep running into stuff that we had not encountered before.
-Communication is really important, in ways we don't even know about yet. Maybe we should have a short meeting before church every week to go over little details.
-Set up and tear down is a good little chunk of work. Those teams are nothing short of heroes.
-We need more volunteers all around the church. Let's do this, if you're reading this, you are agreeing to our site agreement that to read is to volunteer?

There is no such agreement, but if you want to volunteer, there is a place for you at KP.

Oh, the set list for this week was:
Sweetly Broken
Not to Us
What a Savior (a Jill Phillips arrangement)
Beautiful the Blood
We Fall Down (the Kutless version)

Great job Sam, Ethan, Doug, Kasie, and Aleks!

See you next week.

Our first day on Meadow View

2009-06-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ever since Sunday I've been thinking about starting a blog for Kaw Prairie. I finally sat down to do it.

I'm entirely sure what I will put on this blog, but for now I want to start with reflections from our first day in our new toolbox, the ministry center on K-7 and Prairie Star Parkway, in western Johnson County.

What a day!

Unfortunately for you, you'll get to read most of my impressions. If you could talk to Kaw Prairiers, you'd get a much cooler, and more diverse story.

Sunday started off being interesting when I realized I was the first guy at the building. To my great surprise, the key I'd been given worked. Woohoo!

My priorities going in the door were, make sure everything still turns on, get my instruments ready, prepare anything I can for the band and singers, make sure everyone knows what they're doing, make sure I go to the bathroom before church, and try to stay awake.

I was worried about a few things: will it sound good? Will we remember the music? Will the systems all work like they're supposed to? Will people be really freaked out? Will it be worship or just some kind of showcase?

All things considered, it all turned out perfectly. The band did an awesome job. We even improved some stuff. The ushers knew what they were doing, the greeters seemed to be smiling plenty, the tech stuff was sweet, and nobody made the bitter-beer face when the lights dimmed and we started singing.

Don't like to see the bitter-beer face in church.

It wasn't until the end of the second service that I breathed and realized what was happening. PD had just inspired us with a fresh coat of paint on our calling, the church had responded to worship, and nobody seemed to be frustrated with anybody else.

It really was a great day!

Now I'm sitting at an airport lamenting the fact I'm going to miss first service of week 2, but feeling very thankful that Kaw Prairie exists because of people who serve with passion and authenticity, and who work really hard for the Kingdom of God in our little corner of the world.

Church tomorrow will go well; the band will do great; the tech stuff will be classy; ministry on the prairie will be fun and authentic, like the Mexican food we all love so much (right?).

Oh, and the songs we did were:
You are Worthy of my Praise
Not to Us
Take my life
Breathe
How Great is our God/How great thou art.

That was a fun set.