Lessons Learned from My Dogs- #1 Let It Go
Jan 26, 2009 Devotions and Thoughts
I have 4 dogs and a cat. Each one has their own personality and quirks and I love them all. The amazing thing is that for the most part they all get along, even the cat. What has suprised me though is how, by watching them interact, I have learned some really great lessons.
I thought I would take a chance to break from my usual posts about chords, or music, or worship, to share some of these insights with you from time to time.
This evening we were sitting in the living room watching tv. As usual Jaeda our Cocker Spaniel was on the back of the couch, Ultra had claimed the love seat and Honey, the Lab/Greyhound was laying in the middle of the floor chewing on a nylabone. That’s when Mia, the fourth dog, walked right up to Honey, put her mouth on the nylabone and took it away. Mia walked away about five feet, laid down and began to chew on her recently stolen treasure.
I know if that had happened to me I would have done one of two things. Either gone over and taken it right back, or gone and complained to a higher authority about how something had been taken from me and it wasn’t fair.
So what was Honey’s response? Honey looked at Mia, then got up, walked over to the “toy” box and picked out another chew toy. She did not growl, she did not whine, she just moved on. She could have held on and fought but she just let it go.
What did I learn? Sometimes it’s best to just let it go. I recall this verse from 2 Timothy.
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:23″
As I look through my day I can see countless times where I get into a discussion or argument that really doesn’t matter in the end, when the best thing for me to do would be to get up, go find something else, and just let it go. Earlier in the verse 4 it says:
“No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.”
Before getting involved in one of these discussions, or arguments I really need to ask, “Does getting involved with this have anything to do with what God is wanting me to do? Does it please Him?” This question even cuts out those things that may not be harmful, but just are not relevant to me or my ministry or my calling.
So my question to you. How much of your day is spent in discussions, arguments or quarrels when it would really be best to just walk away and let it go?
Why is this important to do?
Tags: break, Chords, Devotional, dogs, lessons, Music, question, Share, walk, Win, Worship
Monday Morning Musings 9/8/08
Sep 8, 2008 Uncategorized
Here is a thought from yesterday’s message.
Matthew 18:15-20
15If one of my followers [a] sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. 16But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. 17If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector. [b]
Many times this verse has been used as justification for removing someone from the church fellowship. The question posed to us yesterday however was this. How did Jesus treat unbelievers and tax collectors?
What do you think?
Tags: Church, Devotional
Guest Devo: Kerri Crocker- You Against the World
Aug 27, 2008 Devotions and Thoughts, Just for Fun
As I was driving to church yesterday, my eyes were drawn to the clouds and I just had to take a picture! Oddly enough they reminded me of “life”. The large, dense blanket to the right was covering the sky in the distance (a.k.a. our problems, struggles, fears) while the smaller ones looked as if they were pushing their way through… fighting against them so we could enjoy the blue skies (a.k.a. peace, joy, love)Things may look impossible for you, but the Word says greater is He that is in YOU than he that is in the world. You can overcome any cloud because of our Savior!!
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world … Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand!
Ephesians 6:11-13
Written by Kerri Crocker. Kerri is a worship leader at Williams Memorial UMC in Texarkana. She also travels sharing her music with churches and groups all over. Find out more about her and her ministry at www.kerricrocker.com
Tags: Church, Devotional, guest, Kerri Crocker, Memorial, Music, peace, UMC, Worship, Worship Leader
Guest Post- Logan Armatys- How to Survive Summer with a Band
Aug 23, 2008 How To
With an amazing summer coming to an end, I feel the need to write about the most important thing we, as a band, have learned from the experience of traveling together weeks and months at a time. It is our greatest adversary…patience.
So how do you hit the road with your best friends …the amazing musicians with diverse personalities that we as worship leaders can relate to, without wanting to kill them in their sleep? (Metaphorically speaking of course) Well here are some “guidelines” to help you on your quest to lead others to the cross without being hindered by complications/feelings within the band, as well as help make your experience on the road a little bit easier.
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10.Never eat at Whataburger more than five days at a time, as it will cause upset stomachs and crankiness with other band mates (not to mention the likelihood of unsanitary living conditions later on)
9. Try and laugh at each other’s jokes even when they’re not funny. This will create a confidence boost for the “unfunny” one in the group, and show that a good sense of humor is encouraged.
8. Go to bed before 3:00 am so you’re not showing up to morning devotional in your pajamas with your eyes half open. This is also very dangerous as it may also cause quick irritability toward others in the band later in the day.
7. Don’t be a backseat driver for the one in control of the vehicle. This can have a reverse effect which causes the driver to have a strong desire to intentionally lose control and make you cry “mama.” (A Garmin GPS system can be a lifesaver, and is strongly recommended)
6. Don’t forget your instrument.
5. Never steal the bass players bedding, or he is likely to construct a fort with everyone’s mattress.
4. Don’t stay up attempting to have pillow talk. You will be ignored and interrupted by other pointless conversations that wade throughout the night.
3. Show everyone in the band that you truly appreciate their gifts and talents as musicians. More importantly, that you appreciate and value their friendship, love, and support. ENCOURAGEMENT IS KEY!
2. Lay down any ego and pride you may have and know that without the person next to you, the purpose of the band as a whole can not be accomplished.
1. Pray as a band each time before taking the stage, and keep in mind the fact that this could be the day a student acknowledges Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior for the very first time.
Now of course, small internal conflicts are inevitable. But I hope that by following these guidelines you can learn to be a little more patient with one another, and always remember that God has given YOU the gifts, talents, and capability to further His kingdom through the wonderful creation of music, which has been given to us to bless His heart and make His name known.
Logan Armatys is part of the band “So Be It”. Listen to their music and find out more about their ministry by visiting their myspace page. Www.myspace.com/sobeitiscool
Tags: Appreciate, band, CD, Devotional, Funny, How To, summer, Worship, Worship Leader
Song Thoughts- “Instead of a Show”
Aug 8, 2008 Uncategorized
by Russ Bowlin
I was recently introduced to a song that challenges the way we live our Christian lives. Jon Foreman is the lead singer of Switchfoot, but recently began releasing solo EPs (6 song CD). ”Instead of a show” is written from God’s point of view as he expresses his dissatisfaction with our worship and the fact that the other parts of our lives don’t line up with the way we worship. I encourage you to visit Jon’s Myspace and listen to “Instead of a Show” for yourself- just scroll down a bit, double click on the title and it should start playing.
There are numerous things that I think are very powerful (and convicting) in this song. The first one is calling worship a “show.” Not only does this allude to the fact that God may despise ‘productions’ of worship, but also that God hates inconsistency- we should be praising God everywhere we go and in everything we do. Another part that caught my attention was the thought that God would actually “stop up [God's] ears when [we're] singing…” them (hymns/worship songs).
This song is based on Isaiah 1:11-17. The prophet addresses many of the problems we often face as worship leaders- how do you lead others in worship, make it appealing to the masses, and avoid making a “show”? The answer lies in verse 17: “learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” In other words, live a life of worship at all times- find a way to serve in the church as a volunteer, serve in the community, go out and cause a flood of justice.
As worship leaders, we often waste time worrying about making sure every song is perfect, or creating slideshows/videos that will really inspire the congregation… What if you started asking for more than clapping with the beat from them? What if you challenged them to live righteously and help those that can’t help themselves? What if we changed how our congregations looked at worship- from an end, to a means of changing the world by changing their lifestyle? How long is it going to take for us to start listening to the words spoken and written by Isaiah thousands of years ago?
Russ Bowlin is the youth director at Williams Memorial UMC in Texarkana Tx. He shares a weekly devotional called “Observations and Devotions” as well as writing for the Williams E-votional
Tags: blogs, CD, Church, Devotional, Russ Bowlin, Songs, Thoughts, video, Worship, Worship Leader, youth
Looking for Contributors
Jul 20, 2008 Uncategorized
This Fork In the Road blog was started as a way to encourage and share ideas, thoughts, advice and tips about worship leading in various settings from camps and retreats, to church services, to youth praise teams. I can write and share many things but I know that there are many more of you who have your own experiences, thoughts, and tips to share. So I am looking for some contributors. I am looking for people who work with worship teams in churches and youth groups, I am looking for pastors, and youth leaders, I am looking for musicians, and worship leaders who travel, leading worship in various situations. I would like to hear from songwriters, bands and individuals. It would even be nice if there were those who work with recording, graphic design, media, video etc…
So you might ask what do you get out of it. Each submission will include a link back to your website. Regular contributors interested in joining the Blog will get a blog profile page including a picture, contact information and a link on the front page.
The second goal of this website is to create a place for those who are looking for worship leaders, musicians etc.. a place to connect.
If you are interested in either writing an occasional entry, or joining Fork In the Road as a regular contributor please let me know. You can email me at russellmartinmusic@gmail.com
Here is a list of possible topics I am looking for:
Working with youth bands?
What to do when a youth band member graduates?
Songs We Use for Christmas?
Devotionals for Worship Leaders?
How to build a website for your ministry?
Top Ten lessons learned?
Worship leading without an instrument?
Recording a Worship CD?
How to Write worship songs?
It would also be cool to have people submit original songs with a link to chords and audio file for something like a weekly free song.
Tags: band, blogging, camp, CD, Chords, Christmas, Church, Devotional, fork In the Road, Free, Free Song, How To, lessons, Recording, Songs, Team, Thoughts, video, work, Worship, Worship Leader, youth, Youth Band
Free Song#1- Lord Let Your Love
Apr 3, 2008 Youth Worship
“Lord Let Your Love” was written one summer while I was leading worship at Lakeview Methodist Church Camp. Many of the groups I was with would head down to the lake for a morning devotional or would be in a place that didn’t have a way to get words up on a screen or even printed out. I was looking for some songs that were repetitive and easy to learn. I also wanted kind of an opening fast song that was fun to sing. This is where “Lord Let Your Love” came out of.View this Post
Lord Let Your Love MP3 (To download- right click and choose “save link as”)
Lord Let Your Love Chord Sheet.pdf
Hopefully this will be the first of a series of free worship songs for you to use. Each time I will include a link to the original mp3 as well as a PDF chord sheet. I am starting off with some of my songs because that is what is available but I would love for you to share your music. If you have a song you would like to share please send the link to the song along with a chord sheet to rgmmusic@gmail.com. If I post your song I will give you credit and a link to your website. By sending the link you are allowing other worship leaders to use but not sell your music. For more information check out the creative commons license website.
To listen click play!
Tags: camp, Chords, Church, Devotional, Free, Free Song, Songs, summer, Worship, Worship Leader
Kerri Crocker
Apr 2, 2008 Uncategorized
Over the past several months I have been blessed to be able to work with my new friend Kerri Crocker. Kerri came on this year as a worship leader for our contemporary worship service at Williams. She lives with her husband and family in East Texas but she leads worship and shares her music all over. She has just released her second CD entitled “Reason to Be” which was produced by Kyle Lee and recorded at Clean Productions. Kerri is passionate about a new foundation she has started called pray for a cure for cancer.
Kerri is joining me at Fork In the Road Music and will be writing some devotionals and some thoughts on leading worship, leading worship without a band and more on her efforts with Prayforacureforcancer.
I encourage you to check out her music and her ministry.
Tags: band, CD, Church, Devotional, fork In the Road, Kerri Crocker, Recording, Songs, Songwriting, Thoughts, work, Worship, Worship Leader
