I had a feeling about you guys

I love our God. I love how His people are everywhere and we can just sense things about eachother in the spiritual realm with out even knowing eachother. This weekend Amber and I led worship for a World Hope conference in Buffalo Wyoming which went really well by the way for all of you that were praying, thanks. So in the afternoon before rehearsal Friday, I went and sat down at Deerfields coffee shop and was going to work on my set list, drink a Peach smoothie, and hand out relaxing. When Amber and I got there we were greeted by the 26something year old manager who just seemed like a really cool guy. After a few questions we discovered that we were both christians but not only that, we were both youth pastors. He said "I had a feeling about you guys", crazy. I love that. So that sprung all sorts of conversation for the next 1 1/2 hours about music and youth stuff and life and culture. We both were so identical in hobbies and other things it was crazy. Anyways I locked in a gig with him at his coffee shop, and a couple potential things with worship, which was pretty cool and was able to encouraged eachtother in some things. We knew similar people which helped with the concert stuff. He is new to the area and doesn't know anyone really, so he is going to get connected into our ultimate frisbee games we do every sunday as well as getting connected into our college ministry here. I love meeting people and helping them get connected like this, especially in the public places.

* also a side note: we had a hangout night last night over at some friends house with a bunch of friends in Buffalo and Amber invited her co- worker and husband who have been very dissatisfied with life and opposing to the gospel and church. They have been saying weird things lately like "I want to read the Bible", or "I don't feel alive inside", so we have got her reading the Bible which she has been doing faithfully daily for like 2 weeks straight and also she has been reading Purpose Driven Life, and says "I can't put it down". Don't know what God is doing here but they don't have a lot of friends in the area and they never come when we invite them to stuff, but they showed up last night and stayed late and had a great time, I hope this is the beginning of great things to come. Isn't God good.

I just love how God works, nothing profound that I am writing just was thinking about this and how much I love to be a Christ follower and see how he connects all his people. I love meeting new people and it really sparked a fire in me for whats going to happen in cheyenne. Its going to be a lot of coffee shops and meeting new people, some believers and some not, but just meeting people and thats what I love.



for the Lamb's reward,
Adam

culture relevance and biblical depth

I have read a lot of blog's today, its jeff's fault. For the last year I have been thinking and processing this thought. In August last year I went to Belize for a mission trip. I know that all of us when we get out of our comfort zone and do missions or something we come back all fired up about what is important. Then often times it fades till the next time. Anyways, this thought hasn't faded from my mind. One night after our youth service here in wyoming, I was thinking about how cool and creative it was, how much fun the kids had during the game, how powerfull our time of worship was, and I really felt like the kids had connected with the message. And I remember thinking about the kids in Belize who had no youth pastor, no worship leader (they worshipped with cd's), no fun games, and no fancy lights or comfortable chairs and yet they connected with God. So I thought what would happen to our youth group if we took all the posters down, took out the sound system and just had the guitar and vocals, took away the projector and creative videos, and took out the comfortable couches. What would happen after a few weeks, the first few weeks the kids would love it cause its different, something we have never done. But after a couple weeks they would stop showing up. Now maybe they wouldn't but I did have to think would they really keep coming. Are they coming to connect with eachother and God and really listen to the message and small groups, or do they come just for all the fun, glitz and glamour. Now listen, I am not pushing for a dull boring service, cause you have to connect with them where they are. Kids and for that matter all of us want to have a good time. But sometimes in our entertain me generation I wonder if we just come to church to be entertained or do we come to connect with God. Now understand that I believe every culture is different, we couldn't take american ways and expect some remote tribe in africa to respond to our style, we have to learn their culture. And so this is where our culture is, lights, loud music, rock worship, creative videos, creative stage set up, relevant topics, donuts and coffee before service. So to reach our culture this is where we have to go, but I just want to know that we remain biblically sound and deep. I know a lot of people who loose focus of this and are concerned week to week with being culturally relevant and being the coolest new thing out there, with our 6 different services all with a different style, all that but let biblical and relational depth fade. I am not saying to do away with all this, and not to be culturally relevant. Trust me I love the New Life Church style and the Desperation Conferences, but the flashy experience isn't going to keep me on fire for ever. It will be a relationship with Christ that is vibrantly growing day by day that keeps me on fire.

I met a young pastor who told me I needed to watch mtv at least 1-2 hours a day to know what was relevant among teenagers today. lol. Hogwash. I think thats crap. This is the kind of heart I am talking about.

I am all about being professional in presentation and doing it well cause otherwise you risk being a distraction.

Anyways there is a balance and I just found myself asking and checking am I connecting and really hepling these people connect with God or are we just entertaining them on a weekly basis. Cause in the end I want people that are experiencing the depths of God and not just surface christianity.


for the Lamb's reward
Adam

I love to worship!

The other night my wife and I were driving home from Gillette after visiting some family. On the way home she was working on a resume and so I decided to grab my ipod and see what I was in the mood for. I cycled through all my normal rock stuff I listen to and landed on some old Dennis Jernigan stuff (if anyone even knows who that is these days). lol. Anyways I was inspired by some of my old favorites and there driving home with the sun going down, it was a beautiful moment. I love to worship God. I love that it doesnt have to be Saturday to do it, I love that the songs don't have to be the right style, I love that it doesnt have to be perfect, I love that I don't even have to sing, but my soul can just connect with God. I love that. So from there I found some United, then Desperation, and just worshipped my heart out and felt so revived. I needed this. I love that we can worship God where ever and when ever, for example Grant's most recent post. I felt so alive and thats what I love about worship, its not that its just about music although that is my favorite element in worship, but I can connect with the heart of God and be fueled to fight the fight. Ahhhhh! Yes, I am getting excited just typing this. Anyways just thought I would share.


For the Lamb's reward!
Adam

Transition

Like I said in a previous post, Amber and I desire to leave well and to transition smooth. Please pray that God would give pastor Tony and I the wisdom in finding the next guy as Youth Pastor. Ideally I would love for him to be here for the last couple of weeks that I am here so I can hand off the baton so to speak. The reality is, that is probably not going to happen (not saying God can't if he wants) so just pray that we would be able to find someone quickly after I leave. We have some leads but nothing solid right now. I know that if God has called us on then He has someone else moving in. We trust that and hold to that, but we have to be faithful on our part to and do some of the work in finding him. So just pray for the process and the wisdom to do it right.





...for the Lamb's reward

Adam

A successful life

...is often thought of as someone who has made it to the top of a corporate ladder, or someone who has enough money to do what ever he wants with, or someone who becomes a celebrity or who writes the newest hottest song. We are painted this picture everyday by what this world pursues as success. As if success is determined by the eyes and hearts of people.

I asked my Dad one time "what is success to you, how do you know you have been successful in life", he said "if I can come home and lay down for the night knowing I obeyed God, worked as hard as I could to be a faithfull business man, and loved my family the best I could, then I was successful today". I thought wow that is completely opposite of what our world teaches us as success.

As a worship leader or really any kind of leadership position in the ministry we are tempted to have everyone's approval in order for us to feel successful . So many become addicted to a crowd or the eyes of people that they forget why they are doing what they are doing. And yet at the end of the day this is not success. But like Prov. 27:21 says, "the crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives".

Let us strive to make God huge like it says in John 3:30, and not become addicted to our positions and being in front of people but to realize that success is found each day in loving Jesus with all you are and obeying him, being faithful in the areas that we are called to serve "positional ministry" or not, and loving our families above all else. Here we will find true success, leading a mega-church or just being a faithful painter who loves his family.

One last thought. This is a story of a man who is a gifted worship leader and songwriter. He said one time God was speaking to him through his children. After a long day's work he came home, walked in the front door and was takled by his three young children who were excited that he was home. Admidst the love and kisses they poured on him, the Lord spoke to him, "this is as famous as you'll ever need to be." I love that, if we could all just learn it."

Thanks to my Dad for being such a great role model.
This is just some thoughts I was having today, thought I would share.




...that the lamb would receive the reward of His suffering

Adam

My hearts on Fire!!!

Here I am Tuesday morning in my office in sheridan wy trying to get ready for High School Youth Group. I love what I am doing but I am on fire for where we are going. I am trying to stay focused but all I think about 24/7 is Cheyenne and loving the people there and serving them. My heart is on fire to see God be huge in that community through our team. I know God wants that here also but my heart is in cheyenne now. I can't wait to learn and serve under and alongside with Jeff, Grant, and Keenan. I guess this is how you know your headed the right direction when God burns in your heart this kind of passion. I want this fire to never seize. I hear of pastors that come into a community to do great things and after so long of being there it just becomes inward focused and no longer about seeing the lost saved, but about the right colors going up in the church walls and such. I want to never become lethargic in my pursuit for God to move, regardless of how long I have been in a community. If we have the right focus and our eyes are on Jesus we won't go there. So Jesus keep my eyes on you and my heart ripped open before you that you may keep the fire alive inside.

Element Team- only 7 more weeks. I am praying for this weekend wish I could join you!

...that the Lamb would receive the reward of his suffering
ADAM

essentials to an effective worship arts ministry

Mac computers and Taylor Guitars and you will do well!



lol

How it came together!

In October of last year I had been praying and feeling like God was stirring a heart for leading worship. Worship and Music is my passion, its my heartbeat, what I love, and feel called too. So when I started feeling this I thought, what now, because I wasn't going to take over DeAnn here at Cornerstone. I thought maybe I need to ask her if I can lead more on Sunday mornings, but still that I didn't know what to do I just knew I wanted to worship God. So that month my wife and I started a thing called Noon Worship that we did once a week over lunch for people to come out and worship and pray for an hour. If nothing else I just needed an outlet to worship, I had to do it. Well, 2 weeks had passed and a guy comes up to me at church on a Sunday morning and shared with me that God was saying "I am about to open your music ministry". WHAT! Ok. Then I get this call from Jeff that week and he asks, "have you ever thought about leading worship instead of youth ministry". I was like um YES! lol. God's timing of everthing is just awesome. So Jeff and I began talking about this whole church plant idea, theology, business stuff, everything. Amber and I felt like yes, this is it. This is what we have wanted to do and felt called to. But the youth ministry is strong, growing, and we didn't feel released. So Amber and I went to gillette and met the team, Grant, Keenan, Jeff and the awesome wives and had an incredible time dreaming and getting to know eachother. My heart was there, I wanted to say yes right there, but I felt like I couldn't. So after a week, I actually told Jeff to look for someone else that I didnt think the timing was right for us. So Jeff said ok, well lets stay in touch. The whole time this was in the back of my mind and heart so we kept praying and I knew what God had put on my heart and it just made since that this was it but I didn't have a peace, or I was just letting fear keep me back instead of taking a step of faith. Then in December 2 different people at 2 different times in my home church spoke words into my life that they felt like God was speaking. These words were timely and exactly what Amber and I needed to hear about God doing a new work and that we needed to push forward, (they had no idea what we were even dealing with). So I felt like I needed to talk with Jeff again so Amber and I started praying hard and moving forward on this. We met once more in Cheyenne for dinner and it felt like if we don't do this we are disobeying God. We prayed all week and God gave us such a peace about it all and we knew this is it. So here we go.
God puts desires in our hearts for his purpose's and if we submit and follow Him he will lead us.

Its not about a new church, its not about fun ideas, being creative, or just that sounds like a good idea, cause thats not enough for me to join based on those terms, but the fact that Element Church has been established for an appointed time, and a specific people, that there is a purpose in going down and a calling to fulfill is what this is about.

More on my local church transition later!

Adam

Leaving Well

I heard it said very well a couple months ago and I have been trying to stay focused on this. "The way you leave one place detemines the way you enter the next". And for Amber and I it has been very important to finish strong. We are announcing that we are leaving to our Home church today. Already we have had so much support and backing. Its great to be in such a healthy family that will bless you on the way out. Its important to us that we are blessed out as we go and thats just what Cornerstone Church is about. Reach Them, Teach Them, Tend Them, SEND Them. So thanks you Cornerstone Family for being a healthy family.

Just remember as you leave one place give 100% and say "thank you" to a lot of people, (you can't say this enough), to people that have invested in your life and you will LEAVE WELL.