Monday, November 10, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Brandy's View Of Life...At 6pm
From Jason: What follows is a weekly post from Brandy Malachowsky. Brandy and her husband Tim have been around for years at Tree of Life and they have been with us for the Sunday night service since we started back in July. Brandy asked me if I was going to write something about the election and I responded, "I don't know..maybe". My enthusiasm level wasn't high enough for Brandy, so here is her election day post.
All day long, I have had the Christmas song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" stuck in my head. That's because it is election day in America, and I truly think this is one of the most wonderful times of the year. This is the day when people from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, get out to vote for who they think will best run our country. Or whoever did the best skit on SNL. Either one.
I am one of those strange people who look forward to election day. Election day is game time for me. My friends actually avoid me in the months of October and November. My 6 year old knows who is running for President & Senate, and who we are voting for, because that is what is discussed at the dinner table in our home this year. I spend months knocking on doors, sending emails, and calling voters. Why? Just to watch someone get sworn into office and think about who could run against them in 4 years. I love political campaigns. This is my passion. So I was a little disappointed this year when I got to choose between Candidate "Oh-Come-On-There-Must-Be-Someone-Better" and Candidate "I-Will-Seriously-Move-to-Canada". But this Presidential election, more than any other, has taught me something crucial: how important praying for our country is, and how wonderful it is that we have an all knowing, all powerful God.
So as you go out and vote today, and as you watch the election results come in over what will hopefully just be hours and not days, try not to get too discouraged.....God is still on the throne! And, hey, there's always 2012!
~~Brandy Malachowsky
All day long, I have had the Christmas song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" stuck in my head. That's because it is election day in America, and I truly think this is one of the most wonderful times of the year. This is the day when people from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, get out to vote for who they think will best run our country. Or whoever did the best skit on SNL. Either one.
I am one of those strange people who look forward to election day. Election day is game time for me. My friends actually avoid me in the months of October and November. My 6 year old knows who is running for President & Senate, and who we are voting for, because that is what is discussed at the dinner table in our home this year. I spend months knocking on doors, sending emails, and calling voters. Why? Just to watch someone get sworn into office and think about who could run against them in 4 years. I love political campaigns. This is my passion. So I was a little disappointed this year when I got to choose between Candidate "Oh-Come-On-There-Must-Be-Someone-Better" and Candidate "I-Will-Seriously-Move-to-Canada". But this Presidential election, more than any other, has taught me something crucial: how important praying for our country is, and how wonderful it is that we have an all knowing, all powerful God.
So as you go out and vote today, and as you watch the election results come in over what will hopefully just be hours and not days, try not to get too discouraged.....God is still on the throne! And, hey, there's always 2012!
~~Brandy Malachowsky
Monday Downloads [on tuesday...sorry...]
*Sunday night felt different from the moment I walked into the church at 4:30. It was hard to explain then and even harder now, but everything just felt gloomy. I probably should have found a room to pray in right up until 6:00 but instead, I pushed Jakie around in his stroller and tried to encourage people and pray as I walked. Donovan is always happy so he cut into the gloom factor a bit. Joe seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and since he handles all of the tech and media and sound he was covering a lot of bases. Lindsey lost her grandfather earlier in the weekend, so she had a brave face on but she was hurting inside, and generally everyone seemed tired. The reason all of this is relevant and the reason I am being transparent about it is because I want everyone to know that even church leaders struggle. We get attacked. We get down. We worry. We carry burdens. We are real people with real life going on. This service is about real people journeying together and bringing each other along as we try to move from where we are in life to where God wants us to be. Sometimes we have tough times and Sunday night started out that way.
*The worship through music was wonderful. Things kept going wrong and Joe kept fixing them. The power on the stage went out during practice and Joe jumped right on it. The worship band, Face To Face, sat there through it all and took it as it came. They are wonderful and when the time came to lead us in worship they did. I still lose track of time when they lead us.
*I was able to talk to a lot more people Sunday night. People are hurting. I am overwhelmed by that, but it just pushes me closer to the Spirit and I know that I have to rely on Him for wisdom and discernment.
*The message came straight from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes things happen that we don't expect, but our responsibility is to make sure that anyone that the Lord trusts us with is able to worship with us through music and the sharing of God's Word.
*We had lots of people interested in reading through the Gospels with us during the month of November. If you haven't started, or if you've already fallen behind, don't let it get you down. Find some time to get away and read. Three chapters per night will take us through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John during the month of November. By tonight, we will be through Matthew 12. Please consider joining us. Its not too late. Right now, there are about 25 of us reading together that I know of.
*I will be posting several things this week about discipleship. I feel like I need to flesh out the message from Sunday, so tune in throughout the week.
*We are also posting this blog on WordPress and we will eventually switch completely to that site. Check us out at www.LifeAt6pm.wordpress.com.
*Can't wait until next week. Face To Face will be leading us in worship throughout the entire service. Donovan has been seeking the Spirit's guidance on this for quite a while now and I cannot wait...
*The worship through music was wonderful. Things kept going wrong and Joe kept fixing them. The power on the stage went out during practice and Joe jumped right on it. The worship band, Face To Face, sat there through it all and took it as it came. They are wonderful and when the time came to lead us in worship they did. I still lose track of time when they lead us.
*I was able to talk to a lot more people Sunday night. People are hurting. I am overwhelmed by that, but it just pushes me closer to the Spirit and I know that I have to rely on Him for wisdom and discernment.
*The message came straight from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes things happen that we don't expect, but our responsibility is to make sure that anyone that the Lord trusts us with is able to worship with us through music and the sharing of God's Word.
*We had lots of people interested in reading through the Gospels with us during the month of November. If you haven't started, or if you've already fallen behind, don't let it get you down. Find some time to get away and read. Three chapters per night will take us through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John during the month of November. By tonight, we will be through Matthew 12. Please consider joining us. Its not too late. Right now, there are about 25 of us reading together that I know of.
*I will be posting several things this week about discipleship. I feel like I need to flesh out the message from Sunday, so tune in throughout the week.
*We are also posting this blog on WordPress and we will eventually switch completely to that site. Check us out at www.LifeAt6pm.wordpress.com.
*Can't wait until next week. Face To Face will be leading us in worship throughout the entire service. Donovan has been seeking the Spirit's guidance on this for quite a while now and I cannot wait...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Reading Through The Gospels In November
I would like to invite you all to read along with me through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John during the month of November. If we read three chapters each day, we can travel through the Gospels by the end of the month. If you view this as a race or an obligation, then you will miss out on a sweet opportunity to spend time with Jesus in His Word. What a great time of year to learn more about our savior.
Please pray about this and join me, Misty, Joe and many others in this journey together through the Gospels.
Please pray about this and join me, Misty, Joe and many others in this journey together through the Gospels.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Post From Last Year Regarding The 2007 Christmas Play
This is a post from last December. I am posting it again because I am once again determined not to be in the Christmas Play at TOL. This post described my feelings from last year. Will I be tougher this year???? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, enjoy this post from December 2007:
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Our church's Children's Pastor is also in charge of all of our dramas. He is responsbile for dinner theater, dessert theater, skits during our services, illusion shows and Tree of Life's Annual Christmas program. Year after year Don waits until the last minute to recruit actors and year after year I publicly proclaim that he will be unable to recruit me and year after year I find myself on stage as Joseph or a friend of Joseph's or someone in a crowd scene or someone leading someone to Jesus. I always say that I will never do it again, yet I always do it.
My resolve to never act for Don is not because Don is a jerk. He is not a jerk. He is a godly man. My wife loves him and acts in every single thing he does and she even helps lead worship in the children's ministry. My kids love Don. They think of him as their pastor. He is a good man. He is a kind man. He is a persistent man. He is a determined man. He is the human version of one of those raptors from Jurassic Park. He gets you in his sights and he approaches you with tunnel vision. When he talks to you his eyes begin to swirl like that hypnotic snake Kaa from The Jungle Book. He asks you to help in a way that you cannot deny and before you know it... you're backstage, tying on a headband and making sure you don't trip over your robe as you practice your lines.
I'm not a good actor. I worry about acting. I worry about performing. These plays traumatize me as I practice my lines throughout the day and as I picture in my mind where I am supposed to stand and when I am supposed to come out. I become obsessed with not messing up and I worry myself to the verge of ending up in the fetal position in a deserted choir room at the back of the church... And when its over I publicly proclaim that I will never act again.
Last night at church I began to breathe easy. We are three days away from the performance and I haven't been asked about being an actor. I'm safe. Aaaaahhhh...
I began to plan in my mind where I would sit in the audience. Who I would sit with. I even pictured myself relaxing in our church's comfortable chairs as I watched the performance. I might even smuggle in some eggnog and sugar cookies. It would be a peaceful Christmas without practices and costumes and...
My musings were interrupted by the intense feeling in my spine that someone was watching me. I looked around and saw no one. I began to breathe easy again but I suddenly noticed a movement in the crowd to my left. More movement. The crowd parted. And there he was. Pastor Don. Staring at me. Moving towards me. He was holding a clipboard and his eyes were burning into me like an infrared light.
I began to walk backwards. He walked faster. I counted the paces to the media booth. My friend Joe was in there and I was quite certain he would grant me sanctuary. I made a break for it but my legs felt like they were in quicksand. I was moving slower and slower and Don was moving faster and faster. He outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds but he is gaining on me. I stop and I face the inevitable. I am prepared to debate my way out of this. What follows is as accurate a transcript of my conversation with Don as possible.
Don: Hello Jason.
Jason: Hello Don. How are you?
Don: Not good Jason. Not good at all.
Jason: Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something I can do to help?
Don: Yes Jason. You can agree to be a shepherd in the Christmas play.
{Jason clears his throat and produces the following brilliant response to Don's plea}
Jason: Okay.
My first practice is tonight. I'll be standing with the sheep.
In the meantime, enjoy this post from December 2007:
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Our church's Children's Pastor is also in charge of all of our dramas. He is responsbile for dinner theater, dessert theater, skits during our services, illusion shows and Tree of Life's Annual Christmas program. Year after year Don waits until the last minute to recruit actors and year after year I publicly proclaim that he will be unable to recruit me and year after year I find myself on stage as Joseph or a friend of Joseph's or someone in a crowd scene or someone leading someone to Jesus. I always say that I will never do it again, yet I always do it.
My resolve to never act for Don is not because Don is a jerk. He is not a jerk. He is a godly man. My wife loves him and acts in every single thing he does and she even helps lead worship in the children's ministry. My kids love Don. They think of him as their pastor. He is a good man. He is a kind man. He is a persistent man. He is a determined man. He is the human version of one of those raptors from Jurassic Park. He gets you in his sights and he approaches you with tunnel vision. When he talks to you his eyes begin to swirl like that hypnotic snake Kaa from The Jungle Book. He asks you to help in a way that you cannot deny and before you know it... you're backstage, tying on a headband and making sure you don't trip over your robe as you practice your lines.
I'm not a good actor. I worry about acting. I worry about performing. These plays traumatize me as I practice my lines throughout the day and as I picture in my mind where I am supposed to stand and when I am supposed to come out. I become obsessed with not messing up and I worry myself to the verge of ending up in the fetal position in a deserted choir room at the back of the church... And when its over I publicly proclaim that I will never act again.
Last night at church I began to breathe easy. We are three days away from the performance and I haven't been asked about being an actor. I'm safe. Aaaaahhhh...
I began to plan in my mind where I would sit in the audience. Who I would sit with. I even pictured myself relaxing in our church's comfortable chairs as I watched the performance. I might even smuggle in some eggnog and sugar cookies. It would be a peaceful Christmas without practices and costumes and...
My musings were interrupted by the intense feeling in my spine that someone was watching me. I looked around and saw no one. I began to breathe easy again but I suddenly noticed a movement in the crowd to my left. More movement. The crowd parted. And there he was. Pastor Don. Staring at me. Moving towards me. He was holding a clipboard and his eyes were burning into me like an infrared light.
I began to walk backwards. He walked faster. I counted the paces to the media booth. My friend Joe was in there and I was quite certain he would grant me sanctuary. I made a break for it but my legs felt like they were in quicksand. I was moving slower and slower and Don was moving faster and faster. He outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds but he is gaining on me. I stop and I face the inevitable. I am prepared to debate my way out of this. What follows is as accurate a transcript of my conversation with Don as possible.
Don: Hello Jason.
Jason: Hello Don. How are you?
Don: Not good Jason. Not good at all.
Jason: Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something I can do to help?
Don: Yes Jason. You can agree to be a shepherd in the Christmas play.
{Jason clears his throat and produces the following brilliant response to Don's plea}
Jason: Okay.
My first practice is tonight. I'll be standing with the sheep.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Hope For The Worrier
Check out this passage from Habakkuk chapter 3. I'm a worrier and this passage speaks to me about where I need to be in relation to my reliance upon Jesus. My prayer is that I will get to the point where this is my testimony:
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.
Debating
This is a post from my old blog and it is even more true today:
I used to love to debate with people. My friend Joe calls it "battling". He loves to "battle" mormons. When I need a good laugh I picture Joe "battling" Donny Osmond.
I've grown tired of debating. I'm not talking about defending my faith. I have no problem doing that and I welcome the chance. I'm talking about the type of debating where two people waste their time going back and forth on some obscure issue like "can a pop-tart sin?"
Its kind of like taking your dog for a walk and using a bungee cord for the leash. It starts out well but ends badly for all involved parties.
I used to love to debate with people. My friend Joe calls it "battling". He loves to "battle" mormons. When I need a good laugh I picture Joe "battling" Donny Osmond.
I've grown tired of debating. I'm not talking about defending my faith. I have no problem doing that and I welcome the chance. I'm talking about the type of debating where two people waste their time going back and forth on some obscure issue like "can a pop-tart sin?"
Its kind of like taking your dog for a walk and using a bungee cord for the leash. It starts out well but ends badly for all involved parties.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
