The four walls were closing in on me. I struggled to breathe…

OK, maybe not.

I just chose to study and write in a coffee shop today.

But the interesting thing to me is not the quiet. Because it isn’t.

It’s the noise.

The different noise.

And the people.

The different people.

And I believe that, as a minister of the Gospel, my place is out in my community from time to time.

Being salt and light.

Being part of life.

Office hours are necessary, I realize. But so are out-of-office hours.

Or even a few minutes.

We have an awesome radio station around here… 99.1 JOY FM. Local Christian station, listener supported, commercial free. On par with Air1 and KLove, but local. It’s the only (music) radio station our family listens to on a regular basis.

Well, when Lyddie wants to listen to this station, does she ask to listen to the radio? Does she ask me to turn the radio on?

Nope.

She asks to listen to 99.1 JOY FM. That is the only way she asks. Turn on 99.1 JOY FM, please.

Marketing works.

In other news, I created another Facebook page.

Huh???

Yep. I decided to create a public page to represent the NoCamo community. Wanna keep up with much of what I post on this blog, and the occasional Twitter tidbit? The Facebook page is the place to do so. Not a tweeter at all? Hop on the FB.

Click the icon or here to get there. Thanks!

Rather than write out a detailed play-by-play, I’ve decided to bullet some points, quotes, thoughts, and memories…

• FBCW does a fabulous job of making their large church seem smaller and friendlier than most big churches. Kudos to the volunteers and staff.
• I went to a couple of great breakout sessions: A Call to Biblical Manhood with Bob Reccord and Fight Like a Man with Troy Haas.
• Pastor Johnny was on fire. More so than years past.
• “One of the strongest things a man can do is pray out loud for and with his wife.” -Bob Reccord
• The opposite of control is trust. -Troy Haas
• Jesus = Exultation. Satan = Reduction. -Johnny Hunt
• “Work on the depth of your life and let God work on the breadth of your life.” -Johnny Hunt
• “When you have the Father, you have HIS resources.” -Johnny Hunt
• “The Devil can only roar because Jesus knocked his teeth out at the cross.” -Johnny Hunt
• Regarding Tim Tebow showing his faith… “Anybody ever tell the Devil to calm down?” -Johnny Hunt
• “Every temptation originates with a thought which turns into a desire. And the we are presented with a choice.” -Charles Stanley
• Any sin you uncover, God covers. Any sin you cover, God uncovers.
• God will teach you to see things the way He sees them and the way you SHOULD see it. -Johnny Hunt
• “Jesus doesn’t just send you… he goes with you.” -Johnny Hunt
• Never disregard the drive. Every year, I thoroughly enjoy the van ride to and from Woodstock. The conversations and laughs are a highlight.
• I haven’t yet done so, but I am glad they have gone to MP3 downloads of the sessions. In past years, someone had to wait in line for CDs reproduced right after the last amen, or wait for the CDs to be mailed. Downloads are much more efficient and a welcome perk.

This is just a sample of some of my takeaways. If you went to the conference, please add your thoughts to the comments.

I have been to this conference several times, and I am always impressed with the way the conference is run, the variety of breakouts, and the spirit in the room when several thousand men worship and study the Word together under a wonderful preacher like Johnny Hunt.

The conference has grown over the years to over 12,000 in attendance, and has been expanded to two weekends. So there is another group of 6,000+ men on their way to Woodstock this weekend as well.

I thought I would offer up some tips to those men on their way to the second weekend of the conference…

1. Bring a Bible and a pen. Lots of notes to take, and lots of scriptures to look up. Most are in the booklet, but still…
2. Look over the breakout list and have a plan. Have a general idea as to which breakout you want to attend and know its location well enough to get there early.
3. Be flexible with your breakout selection. One of the guys in our group could only get in to his third choice.
4. Be honest. With God and with yourself. Arrive expecting conviction and pray to that end. Pastor Johnny has a powerful word to share (I’ll write about my takeaways in a later post), and, as one of our guys said, he will pound you in the face with it. And that’s a good thing.

Here’s a taste of the theme song for the conference…

In it, he espoused the physical printed book and eschewed ebooks and digital media. When referencing consumers’ need for the latest technology, he said…

The technology I like is the American paperback edition of Freedom. I can spill water on it and it would still work! So it’s pretty good technology. And what’s more, it will work great ten years from now… I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been a part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change.

He goes on to speak of books as “permanent” and “unalterable.” Those were the words that caught my attention.

I have often said that I prefer written notes when I speak because they don’t crash ten seconds beforehand. And I have written on NoCamo about my preference for a physical copy of the Bible. In fact, I am drafting this post in my Moleskine.

But are these things permanent?

Is anything permanent?

I think you see where I’m going with this.

When Frazen speaks about the time, effort, editing, and cost of a printed book, I understand his point. If a manuscript is right the first time, it doesn’t need to be updated or manipulated. And once the book is printed, that option is not even available.

But I am well aware that things I produce have a finite shelf life. Should the Lord tary, I have no doubt that this blog and the Moleskine under my pen will be long gone 200 years from now. One is virtual; the other, physical. And, in the grand scheme of things, what I write doesn’t matter. There is worth in the proclaimation of an Almighty God, yes. There is value in the testimony of a follower of Christ, yes. But tangible value in a personal archive? No.

The works of man are as finite as man. The Word of God will last forver. But man’s creations? Not so much.

Please note: I am not anti-book, or anti-ebook. This post is about permanence.

Image via Wikipedia

Tony and I love Wallace and Gromit.

For those that don’t know, Wallace and Gromit is a series of clay stop motion shorts by Nick Park featuring an inventive, oblivious lover of cheese (Wallace) and his attentive and resourceful dog (and Tony is my son).

We were watching their latest adventure, The Loaf of Death, on Netflix the other day. The animation is so compelling that you quickly forget that the characters are made of clay.

Then, during a close up of Gromit, I noticed fingerprints on his legs that changes several times a second. I could see where the animator repositioned and reshaped Gromit over and over and over again.

I have been reading Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian. In it, he recounts how he used the book of Colossians to renew his spirit during his time of distress in 2009. As I can relate to his struggle, I too have been pouring through Colossians for guidance. For the longest time, I was stuck on verses 13 and 14 of chapter 1…

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Delivered. Transferred. And in verse 12, qualified. As Pastor Tchividjian points out, all these words are past tense. All have been accomplished already. And then, we HAVE redemption – present tense. God WAS working and is NOW at work.

And the evidence is in the life of the believer.

God the Father has his fingerprints all over His creation. If we are followers of Christ, He is in the business of shaping us. Remaking us. Guiding is in the right direction. The heavy lifting has already been done. Which is a wonderful thing, because NO ONE could deliver themselves from the “dominion of darkness.” Our deeds are merely the evidence of Christ in us, not the means to the end.

Are you sporting the fingerprints of the Creator?

Still a few days to register for @ElephantRoom2 in 70+ cities nationwide w @jamesmacdonald – ow.ly/8zPSd—
Jon Wellman (@jonwellman) January 20, 2012

The question is… did I really want to go?

For NoCamo readers that don’t know, the Elephant Room 1.0 was the brainchild of James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Walk in the Word. He brought together eight pastors of prominent churches to debate their methods.

When I heard about the conference, I ordered the DVDs. The “conversations” made me rethink my own methods and practices in a very critical way.

E.R. 2.0 has run into its share of missteps, not the least of which was the invitation of T.D. Jakes. I won’t attempt to explain why his invitation was problematic. I will simply affirm my belief in the Trinity as it applies to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God in three persons, distinct yet without division.

While E.R. 1.0 managed to bring together different points of view in order to bring out similarities in these pastors’ views, E.R. 2.0 seems to be a departure from this intent.

So why did I tweet an entry for the contest?

Curiosity, I guess.

I’m interested to see how this whole thing will play out. There is an opportunity to make much of Christ in every situation, and E.R. 2.0 is no exception. We’ll see what happens. However, I do fear for viewers and attenders who are not believers or who are easily swayed, and I pray for them. Some points of view are simply not doctrinal and need to be denounced, not discussed.

I know. I know. Not the best way to start a blog post. But I don’t really like reading posts from once-active bloggers who have been sporadic in their output as they try to work out “why” in a post.

But here I go anyway.

Because, after all, this blog is a ministry. But it started as a place for me to air my views on life, the universe, and everything (You get bonus points for getting that reference. See me after class.).

I have taken writing breaks in the past. Some intentionally. Some not. Holiday breaks. Creativity breaks. “Sick-of-my-computer” breaks. This most recent break stemmed from some a period in my life that, through God’s grace, have taught me a thing or two about faith and “Christ in me.”

So, do I commit to a schedule for my readers’ sake? Do I over-commit? Or do I share with you my excitement about what I am learning about God, the Gospel, His love for me, and the other lessons He is so lovingly teaching me at the moment?

So yes, there are posts in the hopper that I will eagerly share in the days ahead. I am looking forward to getting them out there for you to read. May they be a blessing and encouragement to you. Maybe a few times a week. Maybe a couple of times a month. But rest assured, there is more to come.

It actually surprises me that it doesn’t happen more often.

Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Ministries in the Atlanta area, was heckled by a congregant as he was trying to wrap up his message this past Sunday.

Apparently, the man was yelling theological critiques at the top of his lungs. According to accounts, Andy handled the situation with grace, and security acted quickly.

A couple of thoughts…

1. The man obviously thought Andy was wrong about SOMETHING. But he handled it wrong. I’ve often said that volume doesn’t add credibility to an argument. Access to Andy and his time and calendar might be guarded by his staff (as they should be), but theological concerns could be raised to said staff, which, if valid, would be brought to his attention.
2. There have been too many violent acts committed in churches for this to be considered a wise course of action. American churches didn’t used to need security details.
3. Honor for the man of God is vanishing. It’s just the state of the world. God calls a man to ministry shepherding a church, yet members of said church feel at liberty to spit venom whenever they choose. It’s a symptom of the decline of the church – not Christianity… the church – and the standards that used to be commonplace.

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?

I’ve seen a few posts lately (namely from Carlos Whitaker, Michael Hyatt, and a few others) about Twitter strategy – follow back, don’t follow back, un-follow everyone, cancel your account altogether. Although I am hardly the most followed, most guru-iest tweeter around, I have picked up a few things here and there that I thought I would share.

1. To follow back or not? Yes. For the most part, if you follow me and are a human, I will follow back. If you are a company, only tweet appearance schedules, have a link in every tweet, or are only SEO techniques and more follower strategies… no thanks.
2. The beauty of lists. I have two main lists: a private list that I read instead of my timeline, and a list of tweeters from my church. Since Twitter got a little squirrely the other day, I resurrected a previous account to be my backup list account, from which I do not tweet, DM, or reply. I just read it. But now that lists are back up and running, I’m back on my @jonwellman account exclusively.
3. Hootsuite FTW. Love it. Couldn’t do Twitter the same without it. This is my main screen. 
   Here I have my main list, Facebook (names edited out for privacy), my Twitter stream, and my mentions. There is some other stuff to the right… DMs and church’s feeds. Works very well for me.
4. No rules. I am on Twitter because I ENJOY it. I like the people I get to know, the conversations we have, the insights I get to read on a daily basis. These are the ways I choose to manage this tool, but they are not set in stone and they are not for everyone. If this helps someone navigate the tweetable waters, great.

What are you Tools of the Tweet? How do you keep your sanity 140 characters at a time?

In other news, Albert Pujols recently took some flack from a few baseball fans for taking a pay raise and moving to California to get it. I have never known anyone who would turn down a substantial pay raise in their profession, but that’s just me.

What’s the point, Jon? Glad you asked.

The headphones were not worth the money to me, but obviously some music fans feel that they indeed are worth the money. Pundits feel that Albert isn’t worth what he is being paid, but the Angels, and the Cardinals before them, disagree and are willing to fork it over for him to play on their respective teams.

When Christ came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, God the Father showed His creation exactly how much it is worth to Him. And by shedding His blood on Calvary, Christ showed that we are worth the ultimate price… His life. We are of eternal worth to the God that created us and to His Son who sacrificed Himself to save us.

This Christmas, take a moment to reflect on what was required to pay our sin debt, and the willingness of our Savior to shed His blood for the redemption of our sins. Not a believer? Go here.

Merry Christmas!

We have decided to forgo this approach for now. We intend to revisit the idea when the kids are a little older.

I thought I would outline the reasoning behind our delay…

1. The kids. As much as I tried to believe that internet sources like Hulu and Netflix would suffice in the kid department, I don’t think they are quite there yet. In addition, we need our kids to be able to access the shows that we allow them to watch without too much technological muss and fuss.
2. U-verse. Quite frankly, much of my inspiration to make the move to a cable-free existence is the existence of our cable provider, Charter. Can’t stand ‘em. Random outages, slow internet speeds during peak hours, bad HD functionality, high cost… not much to like as a consumer. When we looked into AT&T U-verse, we were totally sold. Working perfectly so far.
3. Data caps. As our deadline to decision approached, I started reading stories about internet providers capping data downloads, essentially weeding out users of high amounts of content. Not crazy about the future ramifications of this development, as I believe innovation online will lead to larger download needs for the average user. At any rate, the prospect of getting our internet service disconnected or our bill increased due to Daddy’s (read: my) HD fascination was less than favorable.

QUESTION: Do any NoCamo readers have any responses to any of the three issues listed above? I’d especially love to hear from those who have cut their cable.

We invite our church family to meet at the church, pair up, and hit the pavement to welcome our guests and prospective attenders.

Some are unable to do this, so we also write letters to those whom have just moved into the area. Our volunteers write these letters by hand, and our office staff inserts a church brochure which includes the plan of salvation.

A few days ago, we received a letter.

A young lady wrote the letter. She stated that she received our outreach letter. She also stated that she read the brochure and PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!

How awesome is that!

This incident reminded me of a few things…

1. There are no small acts of sacrifice in God’s economy. Everything we do in service to God is important. That outreach letter and brochure changed a young lady’s life forever.
2. We may never know the impact of what we do. Who knew that a letter sent to an unknown individual would result in a new believer?!? We might not have learned about her until we reached heaven if she hadn’t written us a letter herself.
3. We all can do SOMETHING. There is a task for EVERY believer. We just need to be willing.

QUESTION: Have you ever done something for the sake of the Gospel that you felt was insignificant, but proved of immense worth to the cause of Christ?

I have been reading articles lately about standing and treadmill computer desks. In a previous post, I wrote about my desire to get in shape this year, and the idea of a standing desk intrigued me.

So, I tried it.

When I first took the music and outreach position at FBC-FH, the youth group painted my office as part of D-Now 2010 (posed a question about D-Now 2011 here). When they did, they stacked all of the stuff that was in my office against the wall in the choir room. I’m embarrassed to say that much of it has remained there until Monday of this past week.

After I cleaned out much of that junk, I turned my attention to my office. I thought back to the articles I’ve been reading, and decided to take the plunge, so to speak.

I removed a bookshelf, placed a wider yet shorter shelf at the end of where the shelf used to be, ran the cables, and tried it out.

Here’s what I’ve found so far…

1. Meetings will potentially go more smoothly without a laptop in my face. Before the move, I had to close my laptop when anyone would come in to speak to me. Not an issue now.
2. I have to be more intentional with my online work. When I need information or need to access anything, I have to leave my seat and go to my workstation.
3. Any time I’m online, I’m on my feet. Obvious benefits and drawbacks.

One drawback. I have a great window. Anytime I’m on the computer, my back is to it.

I’ll give it some time and report back in a couple of weeks.

May 25, 2011-

Well, the Dell in the pictures above died, so I have put my MacBook Air (that is my new main work computer) in its place. Haven’t connected the monitor yet, but I like having my Air off my desk and working on my feet again. I am also using this opportunity to back up the Air to the external hard drive to the left of the Dell (if I can get it formatted – my Mac is the only Mac in the building, which is a worthwhile struggle). 

My issue now is keeping portability without having temporary wires everywhere. I want to be able to throw the Air into my bag at the end of the day, yet still have a computer on the church’s network if I need to print something or need information. Also, the Air is not designed to be plugged in to power all day, so I’ll have to monitor that more carefully.

I might also need a different laptop pedestal. The Air is so thin that the pads that held the Dell are too thick, and they jab me in the wrists as I type.

This whole thing is a work in progress, for sure.

Enjoy!

In other news, Albert Pujols recently took some flack from a few baseball fans for taking a pay raise and moving to California to get it. I have never known anyone who would turn down a substantial pay raise in their profession, but that’s just me.

What’s the point, Jon? Glad you asked.

The headphones were not worth the money to me, but obviously some music fans feel that they indeed are worth the money. Pundits feel that Albert isn’t worth what he is being paid, but the Angels, and the Cardinals before them, disagree and are willing to fork it over for him to play on their respective teams.

When Christ came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, God the Father showed His creation exactly how much it is worth to Him. And by shedding His blood on Calvary, Christ showed that we are worth the ultimate price… His life. We are of eternal worth to the God that created us and to His Son who sacrificed Himself to save us.

This Christmas, take a moment to reflect on what was required to pay our sin debt, and the willingness of our Savior to shed His blood for the redemption of our sins. Not a believer? Go here.

Merry Christmas!

I love you, Jamy!! Thank you again for marrying me and for your love.

Jon

Facebook has always been about how many friends someone has. Friend requests come in, and hardly anyone gets told no. In this way, I feel like Facebook has really co-opted what the word friend actually means.

Are you a friend because we knew each other 25 years ago and both have a Facebook account? Or because I know your brother from elementary school?

This misconception is especially true in ministry. While not necessarily a bad thing, it does take away the personal aspect of the service.

I have a blog to share my lengthier thoughts with the Internet at large, and Twitter for the more frequent, yet less involved ones.

From now on, my Facebook is for me.

Over the next few days, I will going through the process of limiting my Facebook to family, friends, and those with whom I want to keep in touch. I mean no disrespect if we used to be connected on Facebook and are no longer friends. It’s nothing personal. Besides, if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I post there MUCH more often than I do on Facebook. Not on Twitter? Look to your left. My Twitter feed lives in the NoCamo sidebar.

What do you make of Facebook these days? Am I loopy? Mental? An old fogey?

I would encourage you to read through it slowly. Pray it aloud to God. Acknowledge to Him your failings, as I did. Take solace in His grace. Be encouraged…

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.

I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.

I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,

proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.

My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

1. The Well by Mark Hall – I wrote a review of Mark’s first book, Your Own Jesus, a while back. This book is just as well-written and convicting.
2. The History of Hell – I saw a recommendation from Pastor Mark Driscoll for this PDF book by Christian History Magazine, so I’ve uploaded it to my Kindle and am giving it a shot.
3. Google Reader – Keeping up with my blog reading.

What are you reading during Thanksgiving week?

Just wanted to drop a quick note to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. God has been teaching me lately about being content with what He provides. I have been captivated with appreciation for the little things, and am so glad that God has been opening my eyes in this way.

May God bless you all. Consider the things that God provides -even the “little” things- and let us all grow in our appreciation and love for the God of all comfort.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. -2 Corinthians 1:3–5

Jon

DV

1. They ultimately have a purpose. Whether it is a mechanical issue, a problem at the airport, weather, or other factors, the reasons for a plane to be in a holding pattern are for the good of the passengers and everyone in the vicinity. The purpose may not always be readily apparent, though.
2. They end eventually. Passengers on the plane in question have no choice but to wait it out. But one way or another, a plane has to come down. And the holding pattern may be the difference between coming down gently or, um, not so gently.

Sing to the King

• Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (Psalm 47:6-7 ESV)
• Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42 ESV)
• O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah (Psalm 68:32 ESV)

How Firm a Foundation

• But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)
• fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)
• Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
• When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2 ESV)

You Never Let Go

• Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (Psalm 57:1 ESV)
• Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 ESV)
• There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 ESV)

Forever Reign

• Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)
• and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:6 ESV)
• Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. -James 5:16

Do you pray enough? I’m sure that I don’t.

I was convicted yet again of this fact this morning during my quiet time. One of my new favorite devotional helps is Dr. David Jeremiah‘s book, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God. Today’s installment was about prayer, and it cited Colossians 4:12…

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

The phrase “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers” stood out to me. How often do I struggle on someone ELSE’S behalf in prayer? I know that I struggle on my OWN behalf in prayer. But actually STRUGGLE for someone else in prayer? Infrequent, at best.

I have decided that, with the Holy Spirit’s help, I will periodically open up my prayer closet to my followers and readers the way Mark Hall and Tony Nolan do. I’ll tweet out that I’m asking for prayer requests, and tweet or DM will be the favored way for me to receive them. In addition, feel free to send me prayer requests anytime via these methods or the Contact page. And pray for me as well, that I will take advantage of the power of prayer more faithfully and less selfishly.

What do you do to stay diligent in prayer?

My body aches. My brain hurts. But I’m so thankful for what happened Saturday.

My church hosted its annual Fall Festival. We had an amazing turnout. I keep referencing the inch-tall stack of registration cards that were filled out by folks that DON’T attend our church. What a blessing!

A huge thank you to everyone that had a part in making our Fall Festival a success. As I said Sunday, we were given a great opportunity to show the overflow of Christ’s love for us, and God was honored by your efforts. And a special thank you goes out to Renee Walker, who was integral in every bit of the planning and execution of the Festival.

Thankful for God’s goodness!

I bring my iPod in the car, and they take turns. Lydia picks Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she usually picks A Whole New World from the movie Aladdin (she likes to sing it with me). Tony gets Wednesdays and Fridays, and he usually goes with Lecrae or Israel Houghton.

This morning, however, Tony picked the radio. We have an awesome local Christian station here… 99.1 JOY FM. The first song that came on was Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.

After I dropped the kids off, I got to thinking about the song. The lyrics are taken from, of course, Revelation…

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

(Revelation 4:1-11 ESV)

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

(Revelation 5:6-14 ESV)

I thought about the beauty of this world. I thought about the opportunities we have to see things in creation that take our breath away. And that, in all of the splendor of this fallen world, there is nothing to compare with what we will see in Eternity. Our frail, finite bodies can scarcely fathom what is to come. When we are able to look in the eyes of Jesus and get a glimpse of His infinite love for us… when we see the splendor of our Creator God unleashed in all of His power… we will scarce be able to take it in.

Thought about Heaven lately?

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT a videographer of ANY discernible sort, and make no claims to that effect whatsoever. Enjoy!

Lately, I have been comparing discouragement to keeping water in a colander… too many holes to plug, not enough fingers.

Then I began thinking about that analogy.

Why am I trying to plug up a colander?

When you use a colander, the GOAL is to LET GO of whatever (potentially) hot, messy liquid that is part of the item that stays in the apparatus. The food that stays INSIDE the colander is the good part. The rest goes down the drain.

I need to let go of the hot messes and keep what is good. Eternally good.

I believe there are times of refreshing that come from periods of inactivity that are beneficial. The break did me a lot of good, and I would encourage you writers out there (that have the luxury to do so) to step back periodically to develop some perspective.

Another result of my time away: I’ve decided to try to write more often, and not be so concerned about post length. I have always enjoyed Seth Godin‘s writing, and love how he is able to coax big ideas out of few words. I hope to develop my ability to do this. One method is the iBlog, which I reintroduced a while back. I hope to do more iBlog posts.

Please tell others about NoCamo. As always, you may choose to subscribe via RSS or email. Comments are welcome. Feedback is encouraged.

Thanks for reading!

Jon

DV

This passage of scripture has absolutely gripped my heart lately. I felt like I needed to post it. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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Enjoy! I am taking a brief hiatus from NoCamo to recharge the creative batteries. Please subscribe to the RSS feed or via email in the sidebar for updates when the blog starts rolling out new content again.

Until then…

God Is Great

• Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. (Job 36:26 ESV)
• Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150:6 ESV)
• Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:3 ESV)

How Great Thou Art

• O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:1-4 ESV)
• “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. (Deuteronomy 33:26 ESV)
• For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. (Psalm 86:10 ESV)

God of This City

• For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. (Psalm 18:28 ESV)
• For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14 ESV)
• And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4 ESV)
• To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 ESV)
• For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (Psalm 47:7 ESV)

What are you singing tomorrow?

Have you evaluated your relationship w/Satan lately? What was the last piece of satan advice u took?—
Miles McPherson (@milesmcpherson) September 28, 2011

It isn’t that I haven’t heard these types of insights before. Maybe I needed to hear this. Maybe it truly was different than anything I have heard, especially lately. Maybe God intended to prep me for something. For whatever reason, this quote is going on my office wall.

I got to thinking about Satan’s view of man. When a person receives Christ, we submit to the One that the Devil despises, and he therefore despises us and wishes to trip us up. Not that he has to work very hard. We are all fallen, and our Adamic nature pops up at the most inopportune times. But Satan and his demons are always there to lend the flesh a hand.

But what about the fact that, when we sin, we develop a relationship with Satan? I certainly believe it can be said that, when we rebel and do that which God rejects, that action is associated with the one who embodies that rejection. The first rebel. The one who thought he was higher than God Almighty. As believers, we are not in collusion with Satan when we sin. But we certainly are not partnering with a sinless God when we do, either.

Satan tried to give Jesus advice in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Jesus had just been baptized, but before He could begin His earthly ministry, God the Father decided He should be tested. So, the Spirit took Jesus to the wilderness, where He spent 40 days without food. After this time of fasting, Satan came to tempt Him.

The first temptation had to do with His need for food. Satan’s advice was to go against the will of God and feed Himself by making rocks into bread.

The second temptation was meant to persuade Jesus to pursue His own notoriety. He advised Jesus to jump off the highest part of the temple in full view of the people and have angels catch Him before He hit the ground.

Finally, Satan tempted Jesus to give in to a desire for power. He offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, if Jesus would only bow down and worship him. This advice, of course, would allow Him to rule the world without going to the cross first.

Naturally, Christ in His sinless perfection rebuked Satan and did not take his advice.

When we think of advice, we think of something that someone else tells us for our own good. Is that what Satan was doing? No. Because he is a deceiver. Jesus was better off rejecting temptation, obeying His Heavenly Father, and ultimately glorifying God by sacrificing Himself on the cross. We get to experience eternity with Him because of that sacrifice. Win win win.

Do you know Jesus?

Have you evaluated your relationship w/Satan lately? What was the last piece of satan advice u took?—
Miles McPherson (@milesmcpherson) September 28, 2011

I got to see Miles MacPherson preach at the NWLC conference a couple of months ago. I had never heard of him, so I started to follow him on Twitter.

I have been a Christian for 30 years, and have NEVER heard of temptation described this way.

What are your thoughts about this statement?

I got the opportunity last night, along with the other youth leaders, to meet with the members of our youth praise band and plan out music for the next couple months in the youth department. We had a blast, and I was reminded why we let the members of the team have a say in the music we work on for their worship services. Here’s how we did it.

We began the meeting by having each member read out their wish list of songs that they had prepared ahead of time. I typed all their ideas into Evernote, and read them back so that everyone was reminded of the songs that were mentioned.

Next, I went into Planning Center, our church’s planning hub of choice, and produced service templates for all of the youth worship services through the end of November. We then began hashing through the new songs, determining which ones to work on.

When we picked a new song, we determined that we would do it two weeks in a row so the youth group as a whole would get the chance to learn it with us. Then we built two services around the new song. We referenced the key of the song, theme, key words, scriptures, and their own perspectives to find songs that could accompany each new song in the services they were to be used.

Once we had a couple of services built around a new song, we repeated the process until we had two months of services planned.

The benefits of this approach…

1. Our teens listen to a broader mix of music than I do. They are tapped in to the most current releases, and follow more modern groups than I am able to follow. I got a lot of additions to my personal playlist as a result of that meeting.
2. Their perspective is more secular. Let’s face it… I work with Christians all week. They live their Christian lives amongst unbelievers. This, along with their age, provides a different perspective, one of which I am not capable.
3. I get to train them. They may not have realized it was happening, but as we went through the meeting, I took the opportunity to give them tips and suggestions about how to plan worship. As far as I know, our church’s next pastor in charge of music was in that room with me last night. Might as well give him a leg up. Also, there were a couple of suggestions that were not doctrinal, and I was able to explain why the theology behind our songs is so important.

What is a Behind the Curtain post? Click here to find out.

These are the verses from the Word of God that are found in the songs we are singing today at FBC-FH…

Holding Nothing Back

• and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32 ESV)
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
• For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 ESV)
• I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! (Psalm 119:32 ESV)
• But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)
• So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 ESV)

Friend of God

• and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23 ESV)
• Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13-15 ESV)
• A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 ESV)

Not to Us

• Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:1-3 ESV)
• Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8 ESV)
• All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. (Psalm 86:9 ESV)
• For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21 ESV)

Your Name

• I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. (Psalm 86:12 ESV)
• I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 ESV)
• He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. (Psalm 18:10 ESV)
• And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
• Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! (Psalm 141:2 ESV)

Here I Am to Worship

• Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)
• We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 ESV)
• And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39 ESV)

Anyway, I love the original Batman film with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. While I liked Heath Ledger as The Joker, I LOVED Jack’s portrayal (Yes, we are on a first name basis. I assume. Why wouldn’t we be? What did I ever do to him? We never talk anymore.).

Anyway, there is a scene after Napier becomes Joker-ified where the mob doctor is taking off his bandages. Napier looks at himself in the mirror, moans, laughs hysterically, and bolts up the stairs and out of the room.

As he climbs the stairs, the light hits his face, and you can plainly see that his skin is flesh-colored instead of the white pallor brought about by the acid wash.

I guess the movie makers figured no one would be able to see him that far in the background of the shot, so they didn’t bother to paint his face.

Some Christians believe they won’t be noticed if they aren’t wearing their Christian “makeup.”

They believe they can go certain places and blend in.

Do certain things.

Be around certain people and influences in certain contexts.

Laugh at certain occasions.

Partake in certain concoctions.

No one will notice, right?

First of all, does it REALLY MATTER if other PEOPLE don’t notice? At best, if you are around others and participating in the same things they are doing, they will think you are one of them, when, as a believer, you’re NOT. At worst, you may just show them that following Jesus doesn’t really change a life.

And, of course, there is the matter of the God that we serve Who sees all.

I want to PROUDLY wear my belief in Christ daily, and I pray that I do. I never want to be caught off guard, mistaken for someone who hasn’t been granted eternal life by the shed blood of the Lamb.

-2 Corinthians 6:3–10 (ESV)

If you serve in any capacity at your church, you know that Sunday morning can be very hectic and stressful. Once Sunday is done, the feeling of satisfaction in a day of service to the God of creation is a feeling like few others.

Then Monday rolls around. And the Holy Hangover commences (I didn’t come up with that term, but it is very descriptive of what we go through on Monday).

So, what are some things that we can do to counteract the drained, spent feeling that Monday’s bring?

1. NO big decisions. Monday is not the day for groundbreaking, life-altering course changes or nail-biting choices. We simply don’t fully have our wits about us after a full day of service on Sunday.
2. Take time to refresh. Get in the Word. Pray. Reflect. Refuel. Recharge.
3. Don’t over-analyze Sunday. Any mistakes, missteps, problems, or malfunctions should be addressed as soon as possible, but not stressed over.
4. Get some “busy work” done. This tip is more for those of us in vocational ministry, as those of you out there in a volunteer capacity may not be able to do this. But if you have the option to work on paperwork, emails, data entry… anything that isn’t too taxing… Monday is the perfect day to accomplish those tasks.
5. Get some sleep. I’m as guilty of this as the next person. My mind races after a day of worship and it is hard to go to bed. If necessary, go to bed early on Monday night to compensate. Just give your body the rest it needs.
6. Spend time with loved ones. Sundays are busy for the entire family. It’s important to reconnect and invest some time.

What are some techniques you use to recover and refocus on Monday?

-Here’s another great post on the subject by Clayton King.

The following are the scripture verses found throughout the songs we will be singing this Sunday at FBC-FH…

Let Everything That Has Breath

• Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150:6 ESV)
• Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. (Psalm 146:1-2 ESV)
• All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! (Psalm 145:10 ESV)
• I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1 ESV)
• I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1 ESV)
• Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 148 ESV)

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever

• I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 89:1 ESV)
• I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. (Psalm 101:1 ESV)
• but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 ESV)

I Need Thee Every Hour

• And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 ESV)
• For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. (Psalm 109:22 ESV)
• Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. (Psalm 86:1 ESV)
• I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 ESV)

-Verses courtesy of Lifeway Worship

While I was working on my degree at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY, I spent some time attending St. Matthews Baptist Church. They were planning what they called an International Reconciliation Conference. All I knew about it was that there were people coming in from all over the world to be in attendance.

I was know by those in charge of music at the church, though I hadn’t been at the church long enough to actually be participating in the music ministries of the church. Somehow, I was brought into a conversation about the praise band that was coming to the conference. They were from England and were on their way, but, unbeknownst to the other members of the band, their bassist didn’t make his flight due to flu. So they were about to show up to the conference without a bass player and didn’t even know it.

I knew a little about the bass. I mean, I was a piano major and was self-taught on guitar. I had messed around on bass a few times, but never in front of people. But the pickings were slim. The church’s usual bass player couldn’t be there for the conference, but he did let me use his bass… a five string. I had never played a five string.

Then the band showed up. We met, and began rehearsing. I didn’t have an amp. I was plugged into the PA directly, but was never sufficiently in the monitors to the extent that I was able to hear myself. The instrument in my hand was borrowed, unfamiliar, and a five string version at that. I was playing songs I didn’t know with people from another country. Oh, and an Australian fellow was sitting in on didgeridoo.

And yet, the Spirit moved.

I don’t remember the song. I don’t remember much else about that conference. But I do remember seeing dozens of Christians from other countries LEAPING in the aisles. I hadn’t seen anything like it before, and I haven’t seen anything like it since. It was a truly amazing time of worship that impacted me greatly.

But for now, let’s open up the floor…

What is your #1, top-rated, all time best worship experience?

To some NoCamo readers, that is ancient. To others, it is not. My favorite remark so far is by frequent commenter Ward Walker, who referred to me as a “youngling” on Twitter (and I replied at the time, “I’ll take it.”)

But this birthday is hitting me in a different way than my others.

I’m not feeling old exactly.

But I feel like I’m on the outskirts of OLD, looking over yonder at it. And OLD’s border is in sight.

Now, I’m not sure when I will enter OLD. But it’s closer than it was at 35.

I’ve also grown more aware of my profession of late. As I was telling our office staff last week, I am at a point in my life where I am doing exactly what I want to do in ministry. I get the opportunity to lead a group of people in ministry that serve to exalted our King with beautiful music fueled by creativity from the Creator of all things. And I am quick to point out that those of us in vocational ministry never really retire: we just change jobs.

Thus, I don’t know what my ministry will look like from OLD.

Like I said, there are many in this audience that have seen 36 come and go. Some of you may have been living in OLD for some time now. So tell me… Is my perspective unique?