Have any cussers @ your church?

Love this story: Story.

How would people react in your church if a first timer cussed?

Need a Moble Home? (Funny!)

Upcoming Shows

I am looking forward to the next couple months. I get the privilege of leading worship with a lot of very talented musicians at some awesome venues in Ventura County.

Here is what's ahead:

Weekly
I lead worship at the best church venue in the county every Sunday morning at www.riverparkcc.com.

December 11
Leading a worship set at "An EPIC Night of Worship" in Ventura, CA. There will be four other bands playing. Music starts at 6pm and I'm on at 9pm.

December 22, 23 & 24
Playing with the band and leading a couple Christmas songs at Camarillo Community Church's family Christmas event called "Gifts". Nick Vujicic will be speaking. Each show is expected to sell out with 1,000 people in attendance. I heard Nick speak this past spring at Catalyst West Coast. This guy is an incredible communicator and God has opened doors for him to speak to millions of people around the globe. Check out his website and learn more about him! Here is a 2 minute clip of him on 20/20.

Hope to see you at these events! If you need a great worship band for your next event email me at jameslaingmusic@gmail.com. Listen to a few songs I recorded a while back and check out my EPK (Electronic Press Kit).

Eph 4:16

"...according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Eph 4:16

Effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate.

Strongs Concordance:

Word: energeia

Pronounce: en-erg'-i-ah

Strongs Number: G1753

Orig: from 1756; efficiency ("energy"):--operation, strong, (effectual) working.

Are you producing an intended effect where you sit? If not you may be decreasing the body from building itself up in love. That's a sobering thought. We can read a lot from what we produce. We can choose to read into what we produce instead of reading what we produce. Every situation does have a context but we need to be self-aware as to whether we are painting our own context or really seeing the context at hand. Speaking the truth in love to ourselves is an opportunity to "grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." (Eph 4:15)

Healthy community can help to diminish our own self deception. A community infused with trust, with invitations to evaluate on a macro level and personal level. This level of vulnerability is not easy but it's worth it. Imagine a whole community functioning on this level of vulnerability. Every part playing the role it was designed to play. Every part NOT playing the role it was NOT designed to play.

God calls all of us to speak the truth in love to ourselves and honestly evaluate what we produce in our personal, family and vocational roles.

Just a few thoughts God has brought to mind to kick off my week. Does your team communicate on this level? How can you contribute towards this level of health this week in your life, family and work?

66% of You Would Choose the Hard Way

What if they did this on the streets? Would people drive less? ;)

Get In the Ring!

Had a great community group tonight. We discussed Rom 12:18 in the context of family relationships. Every family has some level of dysfunction in it. There are no perfect people, no perfect families. The bottom line of our conversation and the DVD we watched is that within our imperfect families it's always worth fighting for relationship. Even when it will turn out to be a losing fight is still WORTH the fight! Too many family members give up and stop fighting, they quit pursuing relationship and before they know it it's multiple years without communicating and something inside of them feels dead.

I know there are some relationships where physical or psychological abuse is taking place and those relationships just need to stop. But when personality differences, annoying idiosyncrasies, or pride cause friction you've got to stay in the ring. Even if you're the only one fighting, even though who you're fighting for has no interest in reciprocating any kind of relationship... it's worth the fight.

A great application tonight was writing a letter to a parent or child with one goal in that letter: To share all the good memories with that person. Even in all the mess, there is usually something redeemable. There may be tons of dirt between you but it's worth digging through all that to find the gold of great memories. And gold always shines a little brighter when shared with another.

What are you waiting for? Go write that letter.

Orange Tour/Call Update

Last night was not as good. I made 195 calls and secured 7 addresses. Most of the numbers didn't exist. :\

Today I attended the Orange Tour with Reggie Joiner in Burbank. It was a great reminder of what our mission is and how we're implementing our mission. It also reminded me why I left a comfortable position to take a risk and start a new church. "Change will only take place when the pain of the status quo is bigger than the pain of change."

It was a boiling 105 degrees in Burbank today... so nice to live on the coast and be protected most of the time from that kind of heat! (And smog!)