Ragamuffin Soul

1.  Memorize the lyrics.
The confidence monitor has become the worship leaders worst enemy.
People want to see your eyes during a song.
2.  Change up your schtick.
If I say “Do You BELIEVE?!!!” more than once in a set, I’m being lazy.
That’s my go to lazy worship leader line.
3.  Stop asking if they are happy to be there this morning.
Most of them aren’t.
4.  Trim the prayer fat.
I pray Father God, that Father God You show us Father God how amazing you are Father God in our Father God lives.
5.  Stop praying the chorus or the title to the next song in the prayer before that song.
“Show us You are Mighty To Save in this song God”
I mean I don’t tell you what I’m about to tell you before I tell you in real conversation.
6.  Smile.
Everyone likes your smiling face better than your emo face.
7.  Remember that probably less than 50% people in that room connect to God through music.
We exist in a culture where we place a large emphasis in our gatherings on music.
I think that is fine.
But always remember not everyone is gonna be with you.  So don’t get mad.
8.  Just because you wrote it and your friends love it, doesn’t mean you should sing it.
Ask a friend of a friend to listen.  Probably 10 of them.
They won’t lie to you.
Because even the friends who say they will be honest, their lying.

There are fantastic songs out there that work already.
Only bring the ones that can hang.
9.  Open your eyes.
See #1
10.  Keep It Simple.
You aren’t on American Idol.
Your job isn’t to sing TO the people and have them go “WOW”.
You’re job is to get the people to SING with you to God.
11.  Have fun.
Laugh, dance, and sing.
If you aren’t having fun, neither are they.

OK.  I’m done.
No go BE the church before you show up and sing AT the church.
Los

And just start playing…
Los

I was at the airport the other day and running late for my flight.
I swung by Wendy’s to shorten the duration of my life by one day in order to grab a Asiago Chicken Sandwich Combo.
I waited patiently.
I could see from my position that my plane was almost done boarding.
So I walked up to the counter and asked how much longer.
Brother with his Wendy’s hat cocked sideways looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.
Ugh.
By the time the last person had boarded the plane Wendy had finished killing the chicken and cooking it for me.
“Order 87!”
That was me.
Thank God.
“Hey man. Could I get lots of ketchup?”
To this request he looked at me and while maintaining eye contact the entire time, grabbed ONE packet of ketchup and placed it in my bag.
“Hey man. I said a lot. Could I get some more?”
To which he gave me one more packet.
“OK. Sorry. I guess I’m not being clear. Like give me 7 packs. I like to drink the stuff.”
“Sorry man. I ain’t allowed to” and he turned around to fill someone else’s order.
“EXCUSE ME? EXCUSE ME? Are you seriously telling me you won’t give me anymore ketchup? Stop what you are doing…And grab me another packet of ketchup now. It’s not that difficult.”
After this the lady in line behind me spoke up…
“He can have my ketchup buddy. You think you can understand that? Can you GIVE. HIM. MY. KETCHUP?”

At this moment the hardness on the face of the man with the crooked Wendy’s cap went away.
He grabbed a handful of ketchup and placed it in my bag.
He then kinda put his face in his hands for what had to be a nanosecond but I saw it long enough.

A plethora of emotions and thoughts flew through my head.
1. This guy looked like he was in his 30′s. He had been through a lot. He was close to my age plus or minus 2 years and probably had some kids around.
2. I was getting on a plane with my laptop and iPhone and Asiago Chicken Combo. He was filling someone else’s soda.
3. I was actually offended that the woman behind me spoke to him so rudely. Who does she think she is?
4. I realized that he was probably more offended by me than by her.
5. When he placed his face in his hands it was with a look of exhaustion filled with determination.

The small moments of our lives are the things that make up the big moments.
We may feel like we exist to create big moments for ourselves, our family, and the people we interact with, but that is actually such a small part of our existence.
We exist in a way that places most of our significance on small moments.
And my small moment ruined that guys big moment of a day.

So this week, while you are pumping your gas, walking out the door to work, making that routine business call, or asking for more ketchup…
Make your small moment someones BIG moment.
It’s better that way.
Los

Rihanna is my crush.
Chris Brown beat Rihanna.
Rihanna was in the crowd at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown danced at the GRAMMY Awards.
Rihanna then sang at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown then won a GRAMMY Award.
Rihanna was shown celebrating every award on camera from her seat at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown then did another song on the GRAMMY Awards.

And I was left wondering…
How many people were disturbed at The GRAMMY’s choice to showcase so much of Chris Brown.
How was Rihanna feeling about all the Chris Brown?
I’ll let you know how I felt.
Then you can let me know how you felt.
Chris Brown is a great entertainer.
He actually was amazing.
The GRAMMY Awards are not a morality award show.
Chris Brown deserved to dance, sing, and get an award.
Rihanna was BRAVE.
She had strength in her eyes.
It could not have been easy.
It made me crush on her more.

The reality is that a stage and an industry built for fame was quicker to forgive Chris Brown than most stages and communities built for Christ were.
It’s not my job to forget, but it is my job to forgive and not place a label on Chris Brown.
Chris Brown may have once been a woman beater…
But that does not mean he will always be one.

What are your thoughts?
Could Chris Brown sing on your church stage this coming Sunday?
Is Chris Brown forever a woman beater? Maybe just a recovered one?
Talk Ragamuffins…
Los

The 8 year old is perceptive.
Perceptive is probably the wrong word.
She is a Jedi.
I can’t get crap past her.
She moves items around the house with only her mind.
It’s freaky.
Anyways…
Yesterday she got sick.
Like really sick.
She called me crying asking when I was getting home.
She needed her daddy.
“Daddyyyy.  I feel sooooo sick.  I needed yooooouuuu.  When are you coming home?”
Those 13 words we littered with moans, tears, snot, sighs, wailing, and gnashing of teeth

“Baby.  I’m so sad you are sick.  Daddy is on his way home.  Probably like 15 more minutes ok?”

And like a storm in Oklahoma, she completely transformed the atmosphere of our conversation in a fraction of a second.
No moans, no tears, no snot, no sighs, no wailing, and no gnashing of teeth.
It was all gone.

“Daddy.  15 minutes means 45 minutes.  You are just like your football games.  When you say 15 minutes, I know you have to call time outs and get out of bounds and wait for the timer to start and stuff.  So can you just say 45 minutes instead of 15?”

OMG.

8 year old – 1
Dad in his 30’s – 0

Game Set Match.
Los

Not like WANT his body…
But want his body…
Like only if it wasn’t so pasty.
A bit more tan.
But like my head on top of his body.
Not like that.
Not with his head on his body and my head on his body.
Like cut his head off and put my head on his shoulders.
I mean I would never actually do that.
Cut off his head.
You know what I mean.
I just want his pecs as my pecs.
His abs as my abs.
Not ON my abs.
Whatever…

This post started off really safe and ended up wounding my masculinity.
But face it…
The J Dog is ripped
Los

When the 5 year old crawled on top of me at 4:30 this morning it pretty much felt like someone had just taken him out of the microwave.
The kid was burning up.
“Hey buddy?  You ok?  Daddy’s got you.”
“I know this daddy.  That’s why I came. You make me feel less sick.”
Out of the mouths of babes…

Losiah didn’t crawl up and snuggle next to his new Power Ranger sword.
Losiah didn’t crawl up and snuggle next to the wii.

He came to me.
He found rest.

How quickly we, as adult followers of Christ, forget this simple concept and try and find refuge in crap.

The kid is not an idiot.  He came to dad.
I will drop everything and hold him and scratch his back and give him medicine and rock him to sleep.
Your job, your car, your porn, your food, your books, your Power Ranger sword won’t do that for you.
Only your Father will.

He’s waiting…
Los

Today I Am…

To Be Famous
It’s said that mans greatest desire is to know and be known.
I mean who wants to live and not be known?

But even if all you do is preach or sing or write about Jesus, the satisfaction from being known is sometimes greater than the satisfaction of Jesus being known.
Ah humanity.

So I ask 2 simple questions…
How has the current culture of Christianity helped this problem?
How does the current culture of Christianity solve this problem?
Los

3 Hours Left.
If we had just 3 hours left to watch one movie.
After those 3 hours we would never be able to watch another movie again.
Ever.

What movie would you beg us to see?
What is the one movie that you would tell the world is not to be missed?
Los