LOST BLOGGER ENTRIES: a series of ministry and worship related blog posts ideas]
this past November, i led a retreat with the youth group and decided to become intentional about taking a simplified approach. i designed a series of mini sessions with the flexibility of adding to or deleting from any given session at any given time. the retreat was dubbed the Q Retreat. the Q stood for Quest - whereas looking at life's big questions involves a 'quest' of sorts, a journey leading deep into one's very soul.
perhaps the deepest question was this "What does your soul look like?"
discussions ranged from 'How to deal with the unbalance of life' to 'Things we search for' and to 'Things that make life complicated'. At one point the students made a list of 'Life's Biggest Questions.' This, no doubt, was most meaningful and impacting.
After a lengthy discussion on the tough questions of life (why do bad things happen to good people?, how do i know God's calling on my life?, what is my purpose? etc.) i showed this video: (a video made In Association with: the Melbourne Skydive Centre)
in other words: it's all about perspective. for the person experiencing human flight the view is simple yet magnificent... the challenge overwhelming yet exhilarating. basically, God is in control. He enables mankind to do great and mighty things. and some things can make our problems look small... from His perspective, there is a plan and that path leads to full life. life's problems may seem big - but God is bigger than our questions, our problems & our doubts.
Later, after a discussion on life's big dreams and a challenge for students to 'dream big' i showed this video:
I concluded by saying "the next time you let life overwhelm you remember... someone is surfing off the coast of California."
it's all about perspective. form God's POV he's got the everything under control. he's got a plan for one and all and his creation speaks of his power and might and order.
life is complicated - but when we utilize our senses to see, hear, taste, touch and smell all that God has for us, our perspective suddenly simplifies our life - even if for a moment... it's a moment given to us by God himself.
it's all about perspective. sometimes a change of scenery is all we need...
Every Second Counts!
thee videos are unique and creative. they could be used as a tie in to a discussion on making every second count or on the beauty of life. Luke 12:27 comes to mind as well: "consider the lilies..."
i've followed Jonny Baker's blog for a many years now and i've always enjoyed his posts about worship - so it was no surprise that i also liked his book: Curating Worship.
Curating Worship is mostly a collection of conversations with alt worship leaders, designers, creators and visionaries all whom seem very capable with their craft in their own right. Baker's book dives deep into the world of alternative worship - and he brings an interesting perspective on what the role of a worship designer might be - comparing it to a curator of art at an art exhibit or museum.
i really clung to this analogy and felt a close connection with this form of worship creating. in my experiences of leading, designing and coordinating worship services, interactions and experiences i've never quite known how to describe exactly what it is that i am most passionate about. this book helped me process my God-given desire and passion.
i feel drawn to the role of curator. the church in America needs more curators of worship to help people connect with a living and loving God (in a fresh way).
the ideas and stories shared in Baker's book were inspiring and helpful. I underlined and highlighted a lot - particularly the interview with the leaders/creators of Ikon in Ireland.
the appendix in the back was also helpful for any one person or group eager to learn the in's and out's of how to put together an interactive worship service.
bravo Jonny Baker for bringing forth a fresh perspective of how one might lead others to experiential & connected worship of God.
i've collected and filled (some partial, some entirely) a handful of journals over the years. most of the journals are used for brainstorming. lately, i've been looking through some of them. i figured i'd take a picture of some entries and then blog about it.
[the following journal entry was written while in the midst of 'worship' during a Youth Specialties training event in Pittsburgh in 2008]
worship music plays... it's praise... it's God centered. i don't feel like raising my hands my arms are crossed...am i wrestling with something? what am i waiting on?
"God with us... mighty to save"
voices raised... not mine. contemplative and silent. that is my voice right now. 'Blah' is the word to describe me.
foot begins to tap.
i think i need to express myself.
it's like i've discovered a poem written by hand in a book -- but it is not my own. i'm borrowing the words. are they someone i know? are they psalms of David?
"You are God with us, you are victorious, you are strong and mighty to save. for your word stands true -- there is none like you. and when all else fails you remain."
when all else fails... why do we wait until all else fails? stupid human nature waiting... not on God - but on all of the other options to fail.
same mistakes repeated.
dumb. stubborn. silly. full of ourselves. unable to be filled by God.
glass full of water. add water of God and it spills on to the ground. wasted. not in us. we are full. of it. not Him.
no room for God. no room for God to reign. also, then, no room for His love + grace to 'rain' down on us/in us. we are full. can't experience the filling of God's grace reigning + raining onto + into us and our soul.
[my scribbled notes - tucked into a free journal i received while attending this youth workers convention in 2008.]
last year i read a review of the book Spiritual Intelligence on Jonny Baker's blog that piqued my curiosity. once the book was available in the United States i ordered it and read it last fall. Brian Draper wrote the book that looks at spirituality from a Christian perspective - but written for a wider audience.
Draper uses 4 icons to help guide the reader though a process of deepening one's spiritual focus in life.
the alarm clock icon is Awaken. the eye is See Afresh. the paint brush and palette is Live the Change. while the arrow is Pass It On.
The book follows a pattern of these four icons while Draper also lists on his website a clearer understanding of what each of these four icons represents.
i liked the ideas found within the book (see my brief review on GoodReads) and felt compelled to design an interactive worship service based around the 4 themes Awaken, See Afresh, Live the Change & Pass it On. This time of worship meshed well with the natural tendencies of setting new years resolutions and what not - but i think this kind of service could work at any time.
this experience was also designed for a youth worship service - but i think it applies to all ages.
here is what we did:
introduction: God is doing a new thing.
18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. ~Isaiah 43:18-19
brief overview of 4 themes: AWAKEN / SEE AFRESH / LIVE THE CHANGE / PASS IT ON
awaken: what was the top song of 2010? Katy Perry ~ California Gurls (i played a 10 second snipit of that song on repeat) What if this song were played on repeat indefinitely? it wouldn't take long to grow tired of it (some may already be tired of hearing it.) Why? because it would get old, etc.
it's a new year - and it's time for a new song. What will your song be for 2011? are you awake enough to see what new things God has in store for you this year? sometimes we need to slow down, look and listen for the the simple things in life - trying to get our attention.
see afresh: showed some photos from Steve McCurry (including his famous 'Afghan Girl" photo). talked about how art and photography, if studied and investigated - can help us 'see afresh.' Each picture has a story behind it. What is that story? where is God in the image?
I also showed a series of 'found' images (lost photographs that have been found in random places).
i finished up this segment with a brief reference to the Apostle Paul's transformation (Acts 9) where he was blinded on the Damascus road - but when the scales fell of his eyes - he saw a fresh vision from God. It was Saul/Paul's journey that was transformational - and enabled him to see something he had been missing (i.e. the truth found in Christ alone).
Peter Rollins once shared a story about Two Chimney sweeps that proved the point "it's the journey that is most important - not the destination."
live the change: the Parable of the Sower was then shared (Matthew 13) in a modern way (a surfing story created by a co-leader, Bryan).
Christ's challenge to be 'salt + light' was added to this. (from Matthew 5). Draper talks about this in his book: "salt doesn't tell you what to do. it simply is." light is the same way. live the change means grabbing ahold of the story of Christ and His redemption and 'living it' with action and word.
pass it on: how can we/should we 'pass it on'? check out 1 Peter 3:15. check out Matthew 28 (the great commission). one easy simple and easy beginning step is what Draper calls the 'Smile Project.' it's easy - when you walk into a room of people, smile. watch for the reactions of others. watch how a simple smile can bring change (both in you and in others). watch how it can be contagious.
after this - we finished the worship with a time of interactive worship - a time for students to connect with God. here is a brief description of each station.
awaken station (a new leaf): various leafs were cut out and placed on a table. students were invited to list the high and low points of 2010 on one side. then they were to 'turn over a new leaf' and write hopes and dreams and goals for 2011 on the flip side. then they tacked the 'new leaf' side to a bulletin board.
see afresh (every picture tells a story): this station featured 48 images from the Youth Specialties publication Every Picture Tells a Story. the instructions were as follows: look and examine the image. what stories do they tell? what are the stories of their past... their future? then 'if one were to take a snapshot of your life, what would people see when they looked at it?
live the change (salt and light): on one side of the table were some flashlights. students were to shine the flashlight around the room and take note of how the light illuminates the things it shines on. they were then asked to write on Post-it notes 'how can you shine the light of Christ this week?'
on the other side of the table were some salted and unsalted Saltine Crackers. Students were to try one of each and to note the difference in taste. Then they were to write on Post-it notes ' how can you add flavor to your life and to the lives of others?'
pass it on: 5 or six different pieces of card stock were laying on a table with words like Generosity, Kindness, Stillness, Genuineness at the top. Students were invited to write, in their own words - how living this out would be a benefit to their life and to others.
one final station had a printout of The Lords Prayer (in NIV and Message translation). along with the text i had images from the deluxe version of Derek Webb's Feedback album (an instumental album based on The Lords Prayer). the images were painted by Scott Erickson and photographed by Jeremy Cowart. (feedback video promo on vimeo)
we had a good response to the interactive stations. thanks to Brian Draper for the inspiration. it is my prayer that all who participated and interacted will be compelled - God willing - to Awaken, See Afresh, Live the Change and Pass it On. may you be compelled, also.
collection of interactive stations images [1] [2] [3] [4]
i've collected and filled (some partial, some entirely) a handful of journals over the years. most of the journals are used for brainstorming. lately, i've been looking through some of them. i figured i'd take a picture of some entries and then blog about it.
[from Nov. 18, 2006; general session three of National Youth Workers Convention in Cincinnati] "When I close my eyes, the worship is like a musical." ~ Jen Beck
what prevents worship (at other times) from being dramatic? does worship need to be dramatic? no. but when worship is compelling to us - might it also be compelling to God?
The real dichotomy is this: does worship then become more about me and less about God?
i don't think that this morning's worship is self seeking. it is real and honest and difficult and like a painted picture that tells a story. the story is Jesus Christ. May he be glorified.
Ubi Caritas et Amor ~ Charity in Love
-----
So many different styles of worship. the "new" ways seem hard to grasp for many. are they that "new"? Why is worship such a struggle? is it possible to have a community of worshipers without boundaries or traditions or things that bind? things that hold us back?
where many gather, can there be silence?
the struggle within me is finding a place to create worship for self, others, young & old, youth, teenagers, etc... to gather and worship in ways beyond our current Sunday morning tradition. not that i desire to throw out traditions...i think traditions have value beyond what we even understand.
but some traditions or experiences have been forgotten. Acts 2?
God is with us. now. forever. do we recognize?
I need to be shown ways that God is with me. How he speaks to me. old ways are not bad ways. yet i feel compelled to think outside the box.
i rewrote the story of the Demon Possessed Man for a worship service last September on the theme of Brokenness. i scribbled it out on to a few journal pages first...
here is what it says:
the story about the Demon Possessed Man found in Mark ch. 5:1-20
I come from the region of the Gerasenes. I had been living in the tombs (with dead people)... i was in hiding. No one wanted to be around me. Some said i was crazy. They tried to chain me - but i'd always bust out. No one was strong enough to contain me.
Night and day i would cry out. i swear, i had these evil spirits in me. a whole group of them. i was out of control. i'd yell. scream. i even cut myself.
then, out of nowhere, this guy, Jesus shows up. when i saw him, i ran to him - fell at his feet.
"What do you want from me, Jesus?" "Don't torture me! Please Help me!!!"
i told Jesus my name was Legion.
There were abut 2000 pigs in a smelly field nearby.
These demons in me then begged Jesus "Send us to those pigs over there."
Then the evil spirits were cast out of me and into those pigs.
Then all of those pigs rushed down the hillside and into the lake and drowned. All of them.
Man was that pig farmer mad. the whole town was mad.
There i was, clothed and in my right mind, healed by Jesus.
The people - mad about the pigs - asked Jesus to leave. I wanted to leave with Him but he told me to go and preach to the people of Gerasenes.
after video - brief description/explanation of Logic vs. Emotion (the song has a lot to do with these two things).
took the line from the song I'M GOING BACK TO THE START and briefly talked about 'when God gives us second chances.' Examples sited: the story of the Gerasene Demoniac (found in Mark 5) and Saul's conversion to Paul. (found in Acts 9)
PRAYER
song: A Message played live by Bryan. (A Message is from the album X & Y)
Question for Prayer/Reflection: Who do you know is in need of a message of love? how might you bring them that message?
students were asked to reflect on these questions during the song.
SPEAK 2 ME
Katie chose the song Fix You to play. Lyrics were posted via Power Point.
after the song, Katie shared about what she felt the song was about and how God speaks to her through the lyrics.
THINK ABOUT IT: imagination
for this segment, we talked briefly about 'imagination'.
Questions posed:
can you draw?
how 'bout sing?
can you dance?
can you act in plays?
if i were to go and visit a kindergarten class and ask them those four questions, i would bet that every hand would go up for each question. you, on the other hand, probably would claim ability in one, maybe two of those areas.* (*idea taken from the books All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten by R. Fulghum and Awaken Your Creativity by Les Christie) somehow, as we get older, we lose our sense of wonder... we lose our imagination and we seem to feel like we are lacking in creativity. perhaps we could blame this on the system... a system that has not given us the freedom to learn in a variety of ways... but regardless, the older we get, the more inhibited we become. we lose that inventive nature that is, i believe, a part of our DNA.
Quotes:
(The purpose of) education should be to create men and women who are capable of doing new things, rather than simply repeat what other generations have done. ~Jean Piaget
Knowledge is a child with a mind and a crayon. ~MC Serch of 3rd Bass
HOW TO JUMP START YOUR IMAGINATION: inhale helium climb a tree hang by knees on monkey bars swing as high as you can roll down a hill spin like crazy take a different route... do random things
(students were encouraged to add to this list...)
We then looked briefly at Genesis 1 - how we are all made in the image of God...
on the Power Point, various images that symbolize God's imagination and creativity were shown. (waterfalls, field of flowers, butterflies, sunsets, etc.)
Students were challenged to recapture our God-given creative, imaginative abilities - much like children, while the video for Coldplay'sStrawberry Swing played. Strawberry Swing is a very creative, imaginative video, to say the least.
Scared of losin' all the time He wrote it in a letter? He was a friend of mine He heard you could see your future Inside a glass of water With ripples and the rhymes He asked 'Will I see heaven in mine?'
The song largely has to do with (as the lyrics go) how we can often Spend our whole life living in your past Going nowhere fast.
We humans tend to stress about the past and worry about the future.
INTERACTIVE:
Students were given a piece of paper with the words "I WANT..." written at the top. Students were given a pencil and were asked to finish the sentence: "i want..." and to write about it on the page.
Jesus provided a way of life that is not filled with stress or worry (Proverbs 3:5-6). Jesus gives us life to the full. (John 10:10)
Participants were then given a glass of water (refer to lyrics of Glass of Water) and encouraged to 'drink up the present' and to not stress about the past and worry about the future.
REFLECTION: time
While the song Clocks played in the background we talked about time and urgency and busyness. urgency can often bring a sense of chaos or fear to one's life. Sometimes time (or lack there of) can lead to hectic lifestyles that prevent us from connecting with God or hearing from Him.
this transitioned into the song A Whisper (from A Rush of Blood to the Head)
sample lyrics:
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks Who remembers your face Who remembers you when you are gone I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks Come back and look for me Look for me when I am lost And just a whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper
i briefly talked about 'The Story of Isaiah' found in 1 Kings 17-19 were Isaiah has a confrontation with the prophets of Baal and calls down fire from heaven... in the end, the false-prophets of Baal are annihilated, yet Isaiah gets a fearful sense of urgency and flees. He hides out in a cave and wonders if God has forgotten about him. (note lyric from A Whisper: come back and look for me when i am lost...) But God finally speaks to him, not in the wind or earthquake... but in a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12)
INTERACTIVE
paralleled that despite his fears, Isaiah had specific God-given gifts and abilities and was asked to use them to help connect people to God.
Scrabble boards were set up and students were invited to spell out one gift that they felt God had given them. these gifts inter-connect with other people's gifts. when we work together, we can accomplish much for the sake of Kingdom advancement and helping those in need.
CLOSING:
Referenced the song Lost! (from Viva la Vida) and shared a few examples of people who were 'down but not out.' Gideon. James J. Braddock. Rocky. Kurt Warner. (many examples could be referenced here)
2 Corinthians 4"8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
If we remain focused on Christ - we will remain in His light and we will be assured that nothing can or will remove us from the Love of God.
I reminded students that the name of the latest Coldplay album is Viva la Vida... which means "live life!"
We have to remain focused - or we lose our imaginative ability... we forget that God is a God of grace and grants us a second chance at life... we aught not to mess it up.
i found this website: http://www.eyechartmaker.com/ where you can customize your own eye charts. i printed off a variety of charts with hidden messages in the charts (Y R U FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THINGS?; etc.) there were a variety of Eye focus charts under each chair.
No I don't wanna battle from beginning to end; I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge; I don't wanna follow death and all his friends.
Living life means you can't follow death and his friends... the things that lead to destruction. God's plan is life. Live it! live life. Drink up the present. GEt busy livin' or get busy dyin'.
[idea derived, inspired from JoelDanielHarris' blog & the Dr. DKS] Joel had a contest to see who could use this YouTube clip in worship or some other form... here is what we did...
***
we have a worship service directed towards youth that takes place monthly, called the Breakfast Club.
at our Feb. 1st Breakfast Club the theme was Meltaway. we talked about what we need to do to avoid having our faith ‘melt away’ like snow in 40 degree weather.
get involved in Christian service, tame the tongue, confess, practice sound wisdom, & find and share your faith.
when we find our faith, we have to leave our baggage behind. baggage might be those outside influences that bring unnecessary hurt, anger, fear, etc… Baggage that weighs us down and prevents us from having true faith. We need to dump the baggage, leave the suitcases behind and run toward faith.
when we run towards faith and find God - it is impossible for us to contain our sense of joy and hope.
long story short… o.k. long story, i know, but here is when we got to the EMERGE youtube clip from William Lamson. I showed the clip and talked about how hard it is to contain our faith when we are in tune with God.
it’s like the balloons popping out of the water… they cannot be contained any more… not only do they rise to the surface, but they rise up and float away for all to see. i paralleled this by reminding the students that when they are swimming in a swimming pool, what happens when they try to hold a floaty toy, raft or beach ball underwater… what happens?
eventually the ball or toy will shoot out of the water… it can not be contained for too long.
this is what it looks like when we share our joy and hope and faith rooted in God’s love with others. It can not be contained… not meant to be contained!
one of our ideas that would have gone along with this was to have a 40 gal. tub full of water up on the stage with balloons in the water. we were then going to have a few youth come up and try to hold them under the water.
we secured the balloons, but it proved to be a bigger challenge to get a tub of water… it was possible, but better planning was needed.
a few weeks back, my 5 year old son spent the weekend with grandma. he sat with her in church that sunday morning and as he is prone to do, got out his notebook and began to doodle.
last nite - i found that notebook. he had scribbled on one of the sheets the following prayer...
(below)
prayer.
O father, let us love and be safe. be your self's. to believe from the cross of heart to the heart of all. we love you forever and ever and ever.
Change Your Life But there's also this, it's not too late— God's personal Message!— "Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"
Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your God!
the second chance. it's beautiful isn't it? think when your a kid... "just one more time... just one more time."
for his birthday, my son got a nerf basketball hoop that now hangs on the back of front door in the foyer. He couldn't wait to play it... and to play it with someone. it took him a while to get the hang of it, being that the rim and net are a good 7 feet off the ground... pretty high for a boy who's 3 and a half feet tall. he kept trying and trying... wanting to play more and more. it was time for dinner and he kept saying "just one more time... just one more time."
beautiful. the second chance. the do-over. if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
i was thinking about the image from the Sistine Chapel created by Michelangelo, commonly known as The Creation of Adam. You can see God's hand stretched far - with his finger, reaching out to connect with Adam... and yet Adam lazily reaches back. "I'm too tired... I've got things to do. I don't have time..." And God continues to reach... again and again. "Just one more time... Just one more time."
He longs for us to unite with him.
when we're united - we're tied to Him.
switch around the letters though... move the 'i' in united and you get... untied. united. untied. when i move... the bond is broken... but God's hand is outstretched as if to say "Please, let's try again."
My son's joy wasn't complete until he made that final basket before dinner. 'one more time' brought great gladness to his face, heart, mind and soul. Satisfaction.
The Father says to us "one more time" because he knows what will bring about joy and satisfaction. it's a relationship with the One who loves us so much, searches for us lost sheep and celebrates our homecoming.
i attended a men's Bible study last nite - a friend of mine - his dad, a pastor, was leading it. the scripture reference was Jeremiah 29. of course vs. 11 is commonly known by many... it is probably frequently underlined and highlighted...
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
we looked at more than that commonly quoted verse... we looked at the context... my dad used to say 'a text taken out of context is a preftext.' (or something like that...) so with that - i discovered so much more than that oft recited verse.
if you look at Jeremiah 29:4-14 you will see the bigger picture.
God's people - they had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon... on foreign soil... amongst foreign people. what does God ask them to do? Build houses. Plant gardens. Marry. Have sons & daughters. Increase in number.
that stuff there - that is the easy stuff. but then in verse 7 - God commands something more... Seek peace. Seek prosperity for the city. Pray for the city to prosper - for if it prospers, you too will prosper.
keep in mind that the people of God had been defeated by Babylon... so they were captives. and yet God asks that they pray for their captors... and pray for them to prosper.
one might conclude they were instructed to 'infiltrate' the enemy and win 'em over to Jesus!' I don't see it quite that way... there is no infiltrating... just living... among people. side by side. not us vs. them. just us.
how does this relate to my city or your city... or our state or nation or even the world?
i think God is saying to all Christians - GET OUT OF THE BUBBLE. we're so good at holing ourselves up in our own subculture 'protected' from the evils of the world. but the bubble doesn't protect us - it prevents us.
Rich Mullins - the late singer/songwriter and ragamuffin theologian once said this: "Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children and your beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups near you. Christianity is about learning to love as Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor... and Jesus loved the broken." [July 19, 1997]
how is it that the church seclude itself from the rest of society? we are called... better yet - instructed to be a part of the culture. when the culture prospers - our mission prospers. that makes sense if you think about it.
so the challenge then - that was laid before us last nite was to pray for our cities... our communities. to be out in the community... living.
so back to the key verse that we all know and love. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
how 'bout that. we have a hope and a future... but our 'prosperity' comes when we pray for the city. and our prosperity isn't driving Lexus' and having memberships at the country club... i'm not talking 'bout the prosperity gospel here. that's bogus... he will make us strong and we will flourish - because we will be fulfilling his will.
vs. 12 and beyond serve as a nice closer: "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." [from the Message]
we call on Him. He listens. we look. we find. and we won't be disappointed! nice.
i have to be honest - this whole passage - about being out there amongst the non-believers and the poor and those who oppress... that kind of living has been giving me a kick in the butt lately. i am striving to be more missional in the way that i live and in the way that i lead the youth group. i pray that we would not be so self-centered... even if out of ignorance.
You may or may not know that I am a Youth Pastor in Ohio. Every year - we take our group to some cottages on Atwood Lake for a Fall Retreat. This year's theme was H2o. our goals being: Hang Time with God - develop Habits that'll change our Lives discover Ordinary ways to connect with God.
I burned a playlist onto a CD and gave it to the youth a week or so in advance so that they could import it onto their Mp3 players. Then on Saturday morning - the youth were given 65 minutes (the length of the CD) to listen to the songs and work through a sort-of workbook that went along with the music. Each song had a page with pictures, scriptures, questions, comments and lyrics. They were encouraged to 'seek God' and to 'find Him' in the music.
Needless to say - this was the highlight of the weekend for most of the teens. It allowed them a time to creatively express their emotions and to connect the dots to see where God is in those moments that make up their complex, yet purposeful lives.
I truly believe that God uses unexpected things in order to speak to people. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush... to Balaam through a donkey...to Elijah through a gentle whisper. To many of today's youth - He speaks to them through the music... or through film... or through art. God is alive and kicking, moving and breathing life into the things that surround us.
Below are 14 posts that correlate with the 14 tracks of the H2O cd. Each image was created in Photoshop by me (sized 8x10 @ 180dpi). The pictures used were found in a variety of places... some were pictures that my wife or I took, others were found via friends on my blog roll... others were found randomly. I've tried to cite what I could and have provided links to assist in further study.
Enjoy them. Let me know how you find God... or how he finds you... in the music... in the images and in the lyrics.
