Archives for December 2008

Dec 11 2008

Depth or Breadth?

I just finished reading a great book on endurance. One of the authors, John MacArthur, poses a great quote. In the early years of his ministry he adopted this life posture:

“If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it.”

This is convicting. Before I was ever involved with full time ministry, I feel I focused hard on depth. I went after God. I studied His word. I took steps to witness to the lost and reach out to people. Somewhere along the line I feel I subtly began pursuing breadth at the expense of my depth with Christ. Ministry can too easily become a to-do list and go no further. When you think about it, trying to expand ministry in human strength is completely worthless anyway.

Over the last few days I have been asking God to challenge my heart. If the breadth of my ministry is up to Him, I want to focus my energies on my walk with Him and my faithfulness in the secret place.

Do you feel the same?

Dec 07 2008

The Album Leaf live in Tokyo – "Another Day"

Raw recording, but beautiful. I love the Album Leaf for their electronics, relaxing sound, and, of course, the rhodes. Pretty cool backdrop as well. Enjoy.

Dec 05 2008

Using Social Media in Ministry

Bill Seaver, founder of Micro Explosion Media, writes on the use of social media in ministry. You may be shocked at the title of his post, but it is well worth your read. I was highly challenged. Make content your focus, rather than technology.

Enjoy.

Dec 04 2008

Practical Pointers for Bass

I have a bass joke I like to throw around (please don’t get offended).

Bass players are guitar players who never applied themselves.

Such a statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Well, it may be true for some, but a true bass player is of such importance to a band. Bass is what gives music its punch, power, and deep feeling. A bass player may not get noticed as much as a drummer or a lead guitarist, but without the bass, those other guys don’t sound very good.

Work on a deep, thick tone. Many amateur bass players simply plug in and go. Take some time and refine the sound you’re looking for. A deep, penetrating bass tone is wonderful.
Lock in with the drummer. This is of paramount importance. It baffles me when I see a bass player and a drummer ignoring what the other is doing. My brothers and sisters, this cannot be. While the bass guitar and kick drum don’t have to play the exact thing all the time, be sure and establish the groove of the song.
Less is more, but play melodically. I love it when bass players have a knack for melody. They don’t just play notes, they play lines that speak. Be simple most of the time but add creative melodic lines to your grooves.
Feel it. The best bass players I’ve seen look like they are writhing in pain when they play. That is to say, they are feeling the groove. Engage your whole body in what you are playing. You don’t have to look stupid, but great stage presence is central to great playing.

Any added thoughts?

Dec 03 2008

Breathe the Vision

Leadership is such a buzz word. To hear of another leadership book almost makes me want to take a nap. Still, the importance of it is immense. My question to you is this:

ARE YOU A LEADER BY TITLE OR BY ACTION?

My definition of a leader by title is someone who is a surface leader. There is no cause deep in their heart that they are passionate about leading towards…they simply have a title. A leader by action is someone who breathes vision. They are very passionate about something; therefore, they have to lead. If they don’t lead towards a certain cause they would feel like failures. The importance of the cause drives them to feel responsibility for making it happen. The greatness of the cause compels them to bring others along.

These are leaders worth following. Are you breathing vision?