Where I’m at…in pictures
19 Jun
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Jimmy Needham-Live at The Journey Church 5.24
13 May
It is a concert to benefit The Journey Church’s Mexico Mission Trip. You can look at videos of last years Mexico Mission Trip by going to: www.worldshakerministry.org.
The event is on Sunday evening, May 24th at 7:00pm (doors open at 6pm) at Lake Worth Christian School, 7592 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach, Florida. You can find directions to The Journey Church at Lake Worth Christian School by going to The Journey Church’s website at: www.realjourney.com.
Tickets are $12 each (pre-purchased), $10 each for groups of 10 or more (Bring your youth group! What a great field trip!), and $15 at the door.
You can get your tickets at iTickets.com by clicking on the following hyperlink:
http://www.itickets.com/events/228063/Boynton_Beach_FL/Jimmy_Needham.html
Feel free to call Tom or Rachael if you have any questions or need more information. You can also order tickets from World Shaker Ministry’s website at: www.worldshakerministry.org
We thank you so much for you support of this worthy Mission to Mexico.
Grandfather Mountain
11 Apr
Grandfather Mountain cradles me tonight
caught in between Tennessee and the Carolinas
Yeah she’s sitting next to me
feet on the dash, been asleep since mile 23
you and i are meant to be
i can feel it, can’t you see?
ask anyone we know and they agree, yes they agree
that we look so good together
no matter what the weather
being cool or being clever
we look so good together
we look so good together
this must be what they call forever
i’ve kept every single letter
we look so good together
when she wakes i ask her how she feels
been listening to “3 then 4″ since Nashville
looking at me with sleepy eyes
she says, “hey baby, i’m alright” and take my hand so gently
you and i are meant to be
i can feel it, can’t you see?
ask anyone we know and they agree, yes they agree
that we look so good together
no matter what the weather
being cool or being clever
we look so good together
we look so good together
this must be what they call forever
i’ve kept every single letter
we look so good together
Copyright Josiah Potter 2009
and then Puffy showed up with Ma$e and I was in the room!
10 Feb
namedropper name‘-drop‘per n.
To mention casually the names of illustrious or famous people in order to imply that one is on familiar terms with them, intended as a means of self-promotion.
How often do we do this? I’ve noticed a growing trend in people I follow on Twitter that ‘name drop’ on their updates and it got me thinking…do I name drop for the sake of self promotion? Do I associate my name with the names of other people in order to feel validated in some way, shape or form? I know I have in the past knowingly and most likely unknowingly. Let’s clear up the facts though.
Here are instances of name dropping. (These are all made up in my head for the sake of unity)
“Just talked to @christomlin on the phone and we’re setting up something HUGE this coming weekend!”
“So…I was talking to Dave Grohls management team last night and they want me to come by the studio this Thursday”
here are some examples of how to reword those pride-inviting sentences into something a little less “me”
“@christomlin is leading our body in worship this weekend. it’s going to be a joy filled night so bring a friend!”
“Hey man, if you think of it…throw up a prayer this thursday, I have something really important I’m trying out for and it could be really cool”
What’s the difference? You’ve shared your excitement about both situations but the second time around was less about you and more about what was happening and by inviting other people and incorporating the need for prayer says that what’s happening in your life is bigger than you.
I love humble people…probably because I work on humility in my own tiny brain all day everyday, pride is the BEAST in my life! More importantly though; I love BRAGGING on humble people….it makes them so uncomfortable and brings me so much joy to build them up since I know they are doing everything they can to deflect that attention.
Example: M. Lot
M. Lot has shared the stage with people who sell lots of records (Trying not to name drop) and I still haven’t even pulled out of him the really BIG names he’s toured with. But you would never know this kid Garrett from Boston was even a rapper unless you found his myspace or saw him at a show. You wanna know why? Because Garrett knows it’s not about Garrett. I’ve been working alongside Garrett on some music stuff and not once has he glimmered a hint of pride or arrogance. It’s rare, especially in the rap game, to find an artist that isn’t completely about himself. So, there you go….wanna know what humility looks like walking around? Wanna know what it’s like to not read a twitter or facebook status that is self promoting? Kick it with Garrett for a day and you’ll see what that looks like on a tangible level.
Ok, Josiah, you’re an artist and blah blah blah so how am I supposed to promote my music/art/poetry/website/book if I’m focused on not name dropping or being prideful?
pride
noun, verb, prid⋅ed, prid⋅ing.
–noun
| 1. | a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. |
inordinate - 5 dictionary results
in⋅or⋅di⋅nate
–adjective
| 1. | not within proper or reasonable limits; immoderate; excessive: |
Now…in case your deductive reasoning has lost it’s way this morning. I say go ahead and promote your music/art/poetry/website/book! Just be careful. There’s nothing wrong with marketing!! However, if your music/art/whatever is truly “good” then you won’t have to do much leg work. For example, I just read this little gem:
Anne didn’t call me up or twitter about how awesome her new book is. She didn’t post all over her facebook about how everyone should go get her new book, no, I heard about it from other people. I read about Anne’s book on Los’s page and saw it at the bookstore.
Ps, this book rules and I’m going to do a full review of it soon!
See what I just did? I promoted Anne’s book for her. She didn’t ask me to, I wanted to, because that book is of great worth to me.
The disconnect is when we allow our anxious hearts to force our lack of validation on others by promoting ourselves without warrant. I don’t need snap crackle and pop to come to my supermarket and tell me how good their cereal is because I already know because I’ve tasted it. It’s the same with you friend.
I don’t care that you know so many people in the industry, you’re my friend because we think Love is Hell was better than Heartbreaker, not because you know Ryan Adams personally.
How does this add up in your life? Do you name drop? Will someone please love me enough to let me know when I am name dropping?
Thoughts? Comments?
The Best Music I’ve discovered this year….
12 Jan
photo by: Jeff Boriss check him out, he’s legit!!!!!!!!!
Here you go folks…the best music I’ve gotten my hands on this year. For all you critics….FYI……this is NOT a top 2008 list….just the best music I’ve been exposed to this year. Some is old, some is new, some is too hip for you. ha.
These are the roots-Micah Dalton
The Bittersweet-David Ryan Harris
Gutter Phenomenon-Everytime I die
Universal Mind Control-Common
Lupe Fiasco’s the Cool-Lupe Fiasco
The Light Divides-Winterpills
Soul Variations-AM
Big Chad Famous-Big Chad Famous
All Four EP’s-Jon Foreman
A weekend in the city-Bloc Party
There you go folks….what new music did you discover this year? Share with us!
Worship is not about you
5 Jan
This picture would have been inspiring a year ago but it no longer is. This picture would have captured my idea of “worship” six months ago but it no longer does. This picture would have been used as a promo shot for a worship night with the time and location on it a month ago, but it will no longer even be considered.
This is a dangerous area to enter so I am going to explore it cautiously. I know there are some of you waiting to bite at the throat the moment you finish reading this and I ask you to keep one thing in mind before you comment….have you ever led worship?
If the answer is no, please be gracious in trying to communicate your thoughts because they may fall to a deaf ear. I am coming to realize through this whole blog thing that everyone has an opinion on everything and half the time they don’t have the vaguest idea of what they’re talking about. Some people like to say things just to say things. So, with that in mind, before you comment, think….”If my mechanic was telling me something he found out about working on cars, would I attack his opinion even though I don’t know how to change my oil?” Just a thought…on to the writing.
I’ve been reading “The Dangerous Act of Worship” by Mark Labberton and following up his commentary by exploring the scriptures to test the waters he’s been testing for years. Along with quotes from his book, I’ll provide commentary on what I’m feeling and exploring this new year in regards to worship, biblical worship.
“Christian worship is only possible as our response to the glory, power and love of God as revealed most clearly in and through Jesus Christ. The gift of God’s revelation enables humanity to worship.”
I am convicted in the knowledge that my response to the glory of God is continually sinful and selfish. This goes way beyond Sunday morning. We’re all good to go on Sunday morning. Worship goes beyond Sunday morning. Your opinion of worship in the context of instruments and click tracks and hands raised is elementary and short sighted. Worship goes beyond our preferences. Worship should not include our preferences in the fashion we’ve sutured them to our ideology of how things should operate within the confines of the “church.” There wouldn’t even be a “church” if Christ hadn’t died for us and somehow we lose sight of the only reason we are able to gather as one body.
“What is ironic and especially pertinent is that many debates about worship are just indirect ways of talking about ourselves, not God. Our debates can readily devolve into little more than preference lists for how we like our worship served up each week. It’s worship as consumption rather than offering; it’s an expression of human taste-not a longing to reflect God’s glory.”
Every week I receive a request to do “Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe. No name, no email, no contact info, no identity. Just an anonymous request every week from the same person. I don’t know who this is and I’m not trying to embarrass anyone but this is precisely what Mark is talking about. This person continues to submit this anonymous request with one thing in mind; “I want this song played.” It’s tough receiving this request week after week because I have no way of contacting this person to tell them that I have listened to the song and ran it by my teams and we decided that we cannot do the song. It’s a beautiful song, but it’s one of those songs that you need an entire symphony and four part harmony on to even attempt and just thinking about needing that much production on one song makes me think, “is it really worth it when we have to dress it up so?”
We are consumers. We live in a nation that glorifies over-consumption. Sex, media, music, cars, fashion, fame, consume consume and consume some more. Why wouldn’t our natural upbringing of consumption be reflected on Sunday mornings as well? This is the Goliath we are trying to attack on Sunday mornings as a worship team at The Journey. We truly believe, that personal worship is important, but that’s another blog and exactly what it sounds like, personal. How you choose to personally worship God throughout the week is between you and the Lord. That’s not what we’re exploring. We’re exploring worship as a body, a gathering to glorify God as a community, as a family.
Exodus 7:16
16 Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened.
Exodus 10:8-11
8 Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But just who will be going?”
9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD.”
10 Pharaoh said, “The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. [a] 11 No! Have only the men go; and worship the LORD, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
Exodus 10:24-26
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”
25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD.”
There’s a running theme in Exodus. Worship as a community. Worshiping together. They needed everything they had in order to worship. Let me repeat that sentence and maybe write it down somewhere.
They needed everything they had in order to worship.
I’m going to leave you with that thought because that’s where I’m at today. What does that look like? What would it look like if we needed everything we had, not to live, not to exist, not to get by, not to be entertained, but to worship?
Thoughts? Comments? What do you think?
