Just Another New Year's Eve

Don't look so sad,
It's not so bad you know.
It's just another night,
That's all it is, it's not the first,
It's not the worst you know,
We've come through all the rest,
We'll get through this.
We've made mistakes,
But we've made good friends too.
Remember all the nights we spent with them?
And all our plans,
Who says they can't come true?
Tonight's another chance to start again.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Another night like all the rest.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Let's make it the best.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
It's just another Auld Lang Syne,
But when we're through this New Year
You'll see, will be
Just fine.
We're not alone, we've got the world you know.
And it won't let us down, just wait and see.
And we'll grow old, but think how wise we'll grow.
There's more you know, it's only New Year's Eve.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Another night like all the rest.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Let's make it the best.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
It's just another Auld Lang Syne,
But when we're through this New Year, you'll see, will be
Just fine.

Just another New Year's eve...sitting here looking back and looking forward to what is yet to come. I spent some time this afternoon looking back over the year and honestly there are parts of 2009 that I would do over and over again, and conversely there are parts that I'm glad only came once during this year.

What will 2010 hold? Only the good Lord knows and I'm ok with that. I'll just trust him to get me through, around, or over whatever is coming my way.

Happy New Year~

Going Home!

My girls were bored yesterday when we were back at my boyhood home for family Christmas. They are of the age now when they can drive around town and so they went on a picture chase.

I just love this picture! Mattie is standing in front of my boyhood home (609 7th Street). Mom sold the house in 2003 but we can't help drive by it each time we're home and tell the story of how 7 of us piled into and lived in this 1300 sq foot home. I'm still amazed that we did that.

The home has been refurbished and sold twice since Mom let go of it, but it will never measure up in the memory area to the occupants who lived here for 36 years!

Mom always said "Wear clean underwear!"

My mom used to always tell me "wear clean underwear, in case you are in an accident. That way when you go to the emergency room you won't be embarrased."

Wisdom, huh? Wonder if the bomber from the NWA flight from Christmas day took the same advice from his mom? How would you like to have your undergarments pasted across the web and ABC news?

It'll make ya think before you go out again!

Resolution Run

It's not even Jan. 1 yet, but I've signed up for this Saturday's Resolution Run at the Sandhills State Park in Monahans. I sure hope that the wind ain't a blowin'.

Here's a video that gives you an idea of the terrain. Daniel is running it too. We'll see if he can keep his record (of winning something in every race that he has entered).

I'm inspired by BORN TO RUN and ready to get out there and get going in 2010. You'll see quotes from this book from me in 2010. It has revolutionized my thinking on running

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's my birthday! Yippee! I'm 46 today (ok, now I'm not saying Yipee!!)

This is me and my twin brother, Jon. We're spending the day together with he and his family and the rest of my immediate family.

It's funny being 46--I still remember being 6! My how time flies.

Oh well, Happy Birthday to me!

Worship Confessional, December 27, 2009

This is a Worship Confessional for December 27, 2009--but I didn't lead it . I was on vacation and celebrating my birthday!

Set List

Scripture Reading (Responsive)

O Come All Ye Faithful (Tomlin)

Welcome/Announcements

Video--A Prayer For The New Year (Worship House Media)

Offering (Baloche)--always a favorite!

Come and See (G3Worship)

Agnus Dei (G3 Worship)

Morning Message --Robbie Boyd

Hark The Herald (Tomlin)

Announcing New Members

Dismiss

This post is part of Sunday Set List over on Fred McKinnon's blog

Sign Me Up--Cowtown Half-Marathon Here I Come

One of the ways I've stayed motivated in my exercise program is to set goals and events to shoot for. I planned for the White Buffalo 5K in October, the Turkey Trot in Fort Worth in November, and today, I signed up for the COWTOWN MARATHON (half) in February. I did it and I'm committed to 13.1 miles in 2010.

This is a huge accomplishment given that the last time I ran in the Cowtown in 2003 I was trying a 10k and I swore then I would never do anything like this again. Well, here's to eating those words.

I'm on track to do it---keep me motivated folks!

Christmas--This Time Won't Last

It became real to me last night that our Christmas celebrations are changing (or will quickly be doing so). The kids have all grown up and in the past I've noticed that the older ones didn't have much in common with the younger ones.

However, last night as the adults gathered around the table I noticed that all of the kids had gathered around the center island of the kitchen and were carrying on and laughing. Later on when the conversation flipped and the adults were at the island, the kids took over the table and the desserts.

I told the kids today to enjoy these days. The time is coming (very quickly) when it will be hard for 5 families to get together and spend Christmas Day together. There will be additions to the family with new sons and daughters in law and invariably there will be absences with some (even this year we were missing some) and so Christmas is changing. Makes me sad, but also is a reality check to enjoy the day and the moments that you have with these family members.

I look forward to the day when my kids come home with their families for Christmas (not yet!) and we'll make our own Christmas memories. But for now, this is Christmas in my family.

How was your Christmas?

Nothing As Exciting As This Happened At Our Christmas Eve Service

Pope Benedict was tackeld in the Nave of St. Peter's today on his way to the altar.

Nothing as exciting as this happened at our Christmas eve service? Did yours?

Worship Confessional, Christmas Eve 2009

Here is our list from Christmas eve tonight. We had a white Christmas with about 2-3 inches of snow!

Never underestimate what a little snow can do. We've had electricity brown outs beginning about 2 AM this morning (which by the way knocked the server down at the church and thus disconnected the Media Shout from the server! So--we had to recreate the service at 4PM--Yikes) All sorts of other technical issues that I wish hadn't happened--but they do. I thought this year was going to be stress free--but I walked out and my heart was racing about 120-125 a minute!) Missing several from our program (calls all afternoon from people that were scheduled but couldn't come). I felt like a one man band or Honey Ray Futrelle (the character from Christmas Belles)--"Wise man down, Wise man down! I'm going on!"

Set List:

O Come All Ye Faithful (Pre service)

Video: Four Words

Angels We Have Heard On High (Tomlin arr.)

Welcome

Hark The Herald (Travis Cottrell)

In The First Light (Travis Cottrell)

Advent Reading (The Christ Candle)

Carol Medley (Hymn Charts)

O Little Town
What Child Is This
Away In A Manger
Silent Night

Message (Robbie Boyd)

Lord's Supper

O Holy Night (Tomlin)

Dismiss

My Soul Magnifies The Lord (Tomlin)

I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas

We awoke to a 2-3" dusting of snow this morning. It really put us in the Christmas mood.

Here in West Texas it is not unusual to have snow at Christmas, but it only comes in cycles (I guess we are in an El Nino year) when the Jet stream dips to the south.

It's melting pretty good here this afternoon, so the only memory of it will be in the grasses by this evening. Anyway, it was a nice Christmas surprise.

Bah Humbug!! Senate Gives Us Scrooge For Christmas

In what can only be described as a "typical" act of Congress, the Senate met early this morning in Washington DC to deliver to America a gift that it didn't ask for (or did it?) when it passed the Health Care reform bill that was only released last Saturday.

Never in all of my years have I seen a bill so fast tracked and shoved down the throats of the American people. The very thing that Democrats cry foul on when they are not in power is the same thing or worse that they do when they are in power. My mantra has been and will be--throw all of Congress out and start over.

I heard on the radio yesterday that Congress has lost the understanding that they serve the people and not vice versa. Here's hoping that in 2010 the message to Congress is delivered in the polls with swift retrobution for what they have done to the United States of America.

God help us everyone! I know it's "God bless us everyone, but girl this is the United States and we need all the help we can get" (these last words were lines from our play Christmas Belles, but I thought they applied here)

Bah humbug!!!!

Top 10 Songs For 2009--FBC Snyder

So, it's that time of the year again where you look back at what you planned and what actually happened. Yesterday (20th) was the last Sunday in 2009 I'll lead (I'm off for my birthday next week).

It's interesting to look back at the list of songs that you planned. So many of them were given to us to use in a season that we had no idea that we would be going through (loss of Senior Pastor and staff) and looking back at this list makes me thankful that the Lord gives the songs in those seasons.

Here they are. Let me know which one was your favorite.

#10 I Will Sing of My Redeemer (You Set Me Free) (Travis Cottrell) We love the combination of the old hymn and a new chorus. This one was a winner!

#9 How Great Thou Art (Baloche) This arrangement is fresh and new. We still love HGTA!

#8 Here I Am To Worship--still a favorite

#7 Grace Greater Than Our Sin (Rich Smith) My friend Rich has done a great "Calypso"type of arrangement of this old hymn. Our congregation loves it and sings it loud.

#6 Today Is The Day

#5 To God Be The Glory (Rich Smith)

#4 The Stand

#3 Mighty To Save

#2 Jesus Saves (Travis Cottrell) A simple song that I heard back in February at Recreate would magically spark the true meaning of Christmas --way back in October when I introduced it. It all made sense yesterday when member of the church came up to me with tears in her eyes. She said " Of all the songs this year, this one is my favorite!"

#1 Big Enough God (Jenny Riddle) A song simply chosen for a series in Jonah would lead us in a time of transition and confusion. Thanks Jenny for these amazing words.

What were your top songs in 2009?

Here we go again....

I've signed on to direct another play at The Ritz Community Theatre here in Snyder. EXIT THE KING will be Feb. 12-14 and Feb. 19-21.

You can read a little more about the play here and you can watch a little of the You Tube version here.

Auditions are Tuesday night in the Ritz Annex (just behind the theater).

It's gonna be a wild ride! Can't wait to start with a group of artists on this journey!

Worship Confessional, December 20, 2009

Christmas is slowly winding down. All that's left now is Christmas eve.

I love Christmas--I truly do, but at some point in a Minister of Music's life you have lived with Christmas since June and you get a little tired of it. I'm almost there. It's a shame at the pinnacle of the season I'm ready to move on to something else. I guess that is just the spoils of being a leader. You know what is coming ahead and by the time everyone else experiences it, you are already past that moment. Maybe when I retire I can really really enjoy Christmas, and Easter.. in their seasons.

Set List

In The First Light (Travis Cottrell Arr.) This little three set book from Brentwood Benson has been a challenge. The orchestrations are tough to get a hold of but the choir has handled it well. We've combined the Worship Choir/Sr. Adult Choir for this season. Just Christmas eve left and we'll be back to normal. Good job choir!

The Glorious Impossible (Carl Cartee) Last time for this song. It's been a great song for the season. Just good theology here!

Welcome/Announcements/Offering (our missionaries from Guatemala were home and presented the church with a plaque from the orphanage in Guatemala that they work with)

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger) Tomlin song which has been our theme for Advent.

O Holy Night (Tomlin arr)--did the Tomlin arrangement. I think it went well. (Kim Bontrager--no legging arrangement here!)

Advent Reading (Candle of Peace)

Winter Snow (Audrey Assad) I've been looking forward to doing this song. Sarah did a great job on this one and I think that it fit with the theme of PEACE

Morning Message--Conclusion of the Christmas Is series. Ed has done a great job with the series explaining the meaning of Christmas, and it's more than just shepherds and wisemen and gifts!

Hark The Herald (Tomlin arr) such a simple way to close the service today

(and at that point my in ear monitors died and I knew we were done)

This post is part of Sunday Set List over on Fred McKinnon's blog

How was your Sunday?

Lottie Moon--Do You Help Her?

At this time of the year in every Southern Baptist Church , there is an emphasis on the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. This is the annual time of the year when SBC churches focus on Foreign Missions (Global efforts outside the US) and this offering funds the entire International Mission Board efforts around the globe. It's all named for a tiny lady missionary Charlotte (Lottie) Diggs Moon.

We show videos for Lottie Moon each year. This church decided to do it's own--maybe I should have shown this one last week instead of the 'snoozer' that I chose from the IMB. I don't know--calling Lottie a "hottie" might now have gone over well. But, give these guys a for effort and creativity in trying to teach their students about Lottie.

The joke in circles is "we've been paying for Lottie for years, haven't we paid her off by now" (that's an actual joke). Our church will give 38% of it's Partnership Offering to Lottie this year. That's the single biggest mission gift we give. And it's worth it.

Worship Confessional, December 13, 2009

Another crazy week, and here I am just now posting this confessional. The play is over, so things should slow down around here. No, wait, here comes Christmas! It never stops.

This week was a challenge, but we made it. Several of our regulars were out (sound, instrumental, etc).

Set List:

Hark The Herald (Travis Cottrell) Worship Choir/Sr. Adult Choir

Angels We Have Heard On High (Tomlin)--No tracks this week so we were kinda thin in sound.

The Glorious Impossible (Cartee) I think they like this one

Open The Eyes of My Heart (Baloche) This one just seem to flow out of Glorious Impossible--and in the same key of E!

Welcome/Announcements/ Offering

Missions Video---We support Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and I love to show these videos--but this one seemed a little dry and out of place

Born That We May Have Life-(Tomlin) This one started out rough...my mic died during the video and we had to make a quick adjustment. We had to start over--just have to do that sometimes.

O Come All Ye Faithful

My Soul Magnifies The Lord (Tomlin)---had wanted to introduce this one earlier in the season, but it got cut the previous two weeks. I thought them the chorus first and then we sang

Advent Reading (The Candle of Joy)

Jesus Saves (Cottrell)---did this one a little more subdued and accoustic. I think they like this one too. Worked well since Ed's sermon was basically a salvation message.

Message: Christmas Is... The Suffering Savior

Jesus Paid It All (Hymn)---change up at the last minute--just went back to this old hymn as we closed out because it fit.

It was a good day. One of the cast members from our play made a profession of faith. What a great way to head to the theater for the last performance. That's the whole reason we are over at the theater--to meet and reach people!

How was your Sunday?

This blog is part of Sunday Set Lists over on Fred McKinnon's blog.

CHRISTMAS BELLES--Cast Photo

Here's the cast photo from CHRISTMAS BELLES! I think it's the best!

Only three shows left--Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Call the Ritz to make your reservations! (573-8880)

We're planning to do the follow up of this play in the Spring.

Worship Confessional, December 6, 2009

It has been a crazy week with the opening of Christmas Belles at The Ritz, Annual Meeting and other things. I'm just now coming up for air enough to write this post. I had intended to write it early, but a 4 AM wake up on Sunday morning with things to get done for the day kept me from it.

Have you ever had one of those Sundays where you just wanted to skip. The music was going to be a challenge not to mention the schedule of the day (event backed up to event). This was my Sunday. We were doing some pretty challenging stuff Sunday and I knew we were going to have to work at it. We struggled through rehearsal with some issues and I just wanted it to be noon and be done. But something in my soul reminded me that on days like this, this is when the Lord shows off. We concluded the rehearsal with a prayer time submitting all of this to God. It worked.

I've heard from people all week long how the worship service blessed them. I just give the Lord the credit for it all. Just when we think we can't--He can!

Set List:

Ring The Bells (Ronnie Freeman) This one is off of the Travis Cottrell Christmas album last year. David did a killer backing track, we added 4 handbells on the chorus and we were off! Worked well

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Accapella) We did the version from "GLORY IN THE HIGHEST"---again, worked well

Advent Reading--Candle of Love

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (from Ring The Bells Album) This exciting version from Travis Cottrell's Christmas album. We combined the Worship Choir and Sr. Adult Choir for this.

Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)---Tomlin's song is exciting. We had to lower the key to get in the chorus (and we still might have to lower it again) But it worked well.

Welcome/Announcements

Offering

Video for Lottie Moon (Foreign Missions Offering)

The Glorious Impossible (Carl Cartee)--Second week for this song. People are beginning to like it

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger)--Tomlin song again this week. Again, I think they're catching on to it.

Emmanuel (Bob Mc Gee)---Threw in the old chorus of EMMANUEL--it just seemed to fit!

Morning Message--Ed Ethridge (Christmas Is....)

Jesus Saves (Travis Cottrell)----This was the odd one for me... it's just a power song, it seemed kind of out of place at the end. We've done it a lot lately so maybe it has lost it's magic for me.

Dismiss

How was your Sunday?

This post is part of Sunday Set List over on Fred McKinnon's blog.