EXALT Costume Contest (6th Annual) ~ IMAGE

We all have an IMAGE problem. I mean, we're usually not happy with the way others see us or we get so fixated on it that we begin to create a way in which we want to be seen. The problem is that, if we were to be honest, it's a waste of breath... at least ours. The prophet Jeremiah delivers God's word to people who spent a lot of time creating IMAGES of themselves or other gods (for us this can be "celebrity worship" or "materialism"). They worshipped these images and God says, "Every man is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them." (Jer. 51:17)

Breath... it's a pretty important part of living isn't it? When God created man in HIS image there was something about breath that was necessary for mankind to truly live! So in Genesis 2:7 we find that God "breathed the breath of life" so man could fully live! Halloween is the most honest of all seasonal events because it's the one day that most people acknowledge openly and honestly that we are trying to be someone/something we are not! It may be ugly and repulsive or an exaggerated version or type of image... but it's certainly not the one we were created in... or how we were meant to live.

When Jesus is allowed into the life of a person God literally breathes a new spiritual life into their being. He needs to wreck the image that each of us has created... wasted our own breath on... and Re-IMAGE us more and more like Jesus! If you want to truly live then I encourage you to stop self-creating and allow God to begin the work re-IMAGING you more and more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18)!

[Ladies Winner: Spencer & Erin Kondak / Dude Winner: Brandon "Chic Magnet" Grimm]

See You At The Pole 9/23/09

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SONFEST Trip 2009 [Mount Vernon Nazarene University]

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Music Review: NeedtoBreathe ~ The Outsiders

Rarely do I listen to a band that stops me in my tracks and really speaks deep into my soul. Familiar with NeedtoBreathe and their early work, namely hit single Shine On from their 2006 debut DAYLIGHT, I had not been moved to further explore their music until a friend of mine plastered his FaceBook page one day with glowing reviews (thanks Matt)! Respecting his taste in music I streamed The Outsiders and found that this once overproduced Christian rock band had transformed into a raw and rootsy acoustic driven band offering Southern Rock and Soul complete with a hint of mandolin and harmonica! This is clearly a band that had earned the respect and confidence of their label to explore who they are without compromising to demands of marketing and potential sales. Success has followed this leap of faith as the disc landed at #20 on Billboards top 100 album sales in early September 2009.

For Fans of: Kings of Leon, Third Day, Big Daddy Weave, GOOD MUSIC

WWJT ~ What would Jesus Tweet?

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FAITH
~ Brett McKracken [Relevant Magazine]

How can we spend time with God when we're always plugged in?

My TV has 500 channels. My iPod has 7,000 songs. My Internet has like 30 billion pages. I have a cell phone with Internet and email. I’m never more than a phone call away from my parents. There are about 60 ways I can communicate electronically with any given person. So why is it like pulling teeth to get me to spend more than a few minutes each day talking to the Creator of the universe?

That’s what technology has done to us. Our sped-up, hyper-efficient, media-saturated world seems to be making it harder than ever to live pious, simple, disciplined Christian lives. There are just so many other options—a world of irrelevant and unimportant activity to engage in—and it’s all so terrifyingly accessible.

Important things like real community, prayer and Bible reading often get crowded out. Quite simply: We’re all just too freaking busy. While most of our new technologies are in theory meant to save us time, our lives are becoming decidedly more busy and our free time is dwindling to almost nil.

Why isn’t the ability to write emails on the bus helping to streamline our lives and make things simpler? Perhaps it’s because we can now write emails on the bus. We used to read books for fun on the bus. We used to just sit there and contemplate. Now, we can think of nothing better to do than stare down at our phone and try to think of a task that can be accomplished during this “downtime.”

The thought of sitting still and doing nothing is unfathomable. The prospect of simply hanging out and thinking for an extended period of time—well, it’s just so unproductive.

Unsurprisingly, this frenzied, obsessive-compulsive proclivity toward being digital busybodies has harmful effects on Christian disciplines like Bible study and prayer. After all, it’s pretty tedious to just sit and pray for an hour when there are Hulu videos to browse, “What Ninja Turtle are you?” quizzes to take and online “community” to cultivate. If we’re not wired, plugged in and communicating with the world at all times, it seems like such a waste of time.

If you've read this far you have clearly resisted all the temptation discussed in this article. Yet, you don't "think" you have the time to continue reading it... BUT you really should. The full article can be found by clicking HERE

Music Review: Francesca Battistelli ~ MY PAPER HEART

With her music showing up everywhere from television, movie trailers, and both mainstream and Christian radio I honestly first heard Francesca Battistelli's hit single Free to be Me when a student at teen camp sang it for our talent night. A few weeks later my wife, Ashley, says "I heard this great song... go check it out"! You guessed it... same song. Later that week while walking through town with my son we saw a poster on a store front advertising that she would be in concert... in Warren the first week of September. Immediately I contacted the venue and started promoting the concert. Francesca's debut album MY PAPER HEART speaks of life, love, and the hope and promise of life yet to be lived. She speaks into the life of the listener who can identify with her finding a place in life with very little answers as to who and where she should be while looking to the Lord for the answers. Young women especially can identify and should listen deeply to the contemplative lyrics found. Every song is catchy and you will find this an album of music that will follow you long after listened too! Ashley would add that Beautiful Beautiful is her favorite track!

For Fans of: Colbie Calait, GOOD MUSIC

Time 4 Revolution ~ Warren, PA 4th of July Parade

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