Low-Tech Idea of the Week

Make home-made ice cream with ice, rock salt, and a (high tech electric) crank. Then again, I bought the ice and didn't mill the salt...so it's still a little high-tech.

Topeka Church Experiences

The past two Sunday's we explored churches in the Topeka area. Below is a summery of our experience and findings. This next Sunday, we'll venture to Kansas City to check out a church.

Name	Church 1	Church 2	Church 3
Worship Gathering Attended	4/15/07 @ 9:15am	4/15/07 @ 11am	4/22/07 @ 10am
Type	Evangelical	Evangelical	Charismatic Evangelical
Parking & Getting In	Gravel parking lot, easy to find where to go since there was only one building on campus, parking was getting kinda full	Paved and gravel lot, they were in the middle of constructing a new worship place on-campus so we things were a little confusing as to where to park and walk-in, we only knew where to go because another guy parked right next to us and walked in ahead of us, parking was extremely full and we had to walk a long way, no signage	Parking lot was nicely paved, even though there were several buildings on campus it was easy to know where to go since it was the most impression structure with the "religious" looking stuff sticking out of the roof (a world globe penetrated by a huge spire), they had visitor parking row but we skipped it because no one else parked there, we didn't want to be known at this point
Staff who helped us once we got in	A staff member greeted us at the door and interacted with us all the way to the children's rooms, he asked us a little about us in a non-threatening and comfortable way, we felt fairly comfortable leaving our kids with the staff, we were given a beeper	No one offered to help, but we walked right in, so I can't fault them on this, but the sleeping veteran in the chair at the door as we entered was an interesting first impression, we didn't leave out kids in childcare (and we should have, but we already subjected them to the torture the first time this morning)	Staff initially greeted us and asked if we needed assistance (because we looked like we did), the greeter who took us to the class simply walked ahead of us for 1.5 minutes without turning around or interacting with us, at one point my wife dropped something and had to go back to get it but the greeter didn't even realize this, we had to hurry to catch up, felt uncomfortable, had to fill out information at the door where I dropped off kids which took 3 minutes to fill out (long time when our kid knows what's coming and they are freaking out), we were given a number that would come up on the video screen if our kids got out of hand, but I've always wondered what if someone takes my number (and my kids?)
Dress	Casual, jeans OK	Casual to more formal, jeans OK	Fairly formal (mostly suits/ties, felt uncomfortable wearing jeans
Facility	Met in a multi-use room (sports and worship)	Met in a multi-use room (sports and worship)	Met in a fairly new 1,600 seat auditorium
Age Demographic	Younger and middle-aged families	Mostly younger families	Broad range
Music Style	Non-top CCLI songs, one traditional hymn/song done in a contemporary style, very fine vocal leaders, decent audio mix	Non-top CCLI songs, very fine electric guitarist, vocalists were average, audio mix was average and slightly less than average at times	R&B Gospel intermixed with one top CCLI song, very fine vocalists especially Gospel choir, good audio mix overall
Worshippers Interaction	Slightly interactive, some hands raised, average participation	Slightly interactive, some hands raised, good participation	Interactive with hands raised, extreme participation and non-participation
Speaking/Preaching	Seemed rushed (probably due to baptisms), I'd love to sit down for a drink with the guy but the public speaking part was OK	Good communicator, however didn't seem as approchable over a cup of coffee (but remember this is a first impression)	Too shallow for me, could have summerized what he said in 5- minutes, but he seemed down to earth
Highlight	Baptisms included great real/authentic and un-scripted stories of how people placed their trust in God alone	Electric guitarist was excellent, pastor seemed like a good communicator	Video announcements done by the church staff, it introduced the staff and got the information out in a timely and un-boring fashion, they were very well done, most likely due to the high-end cameras and
Oddly Enough	Baptism was done in a horse trough, but once I heard the first personal story I didn't care, it was awesome, announcements were extra long however	You walked into the worship area on the second level looking down into the worship area which was very different than other places but I kind of liked it, the sleeping veteran at the door was how I identified this church (he's the first guy I saw)	One dear woman raised her hand to rededicate her life to God at the end when the pastor asked everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes with "no one looking around" (the elders were peeking, and so was I), at the end of this the pastor CALLED THE POOR WOMAN UP to the front to pray with him in front of everyone, as she came the pastor asked everyone to stand, he proceeded to ask her her name (yikes!) and why she came forward (double yikes!!) with his headset mic still on (yikes, yikes, yikes!!!), oh yeah - they use time in the worship gathering to greet each other a total of three times (after I meet the guy on my left once, I found it wierd the 2nd and 3rd time), then at the end I was promted by the pastor to ask the folks surrounding me (AKA guy on my left) if he needed to go down front to recommit his life to God
Follow-Up	Letter from the pastor came on Tuesday	We didn't fill anything out, so they couldn't contact us if they wanted to	None yet, but I did leave an address with the childcare ministry so we'll see what happens
Nicely done	Real authentic stories used, loved the church logo and common identifiable look	Good communicator from the front, unique worship space in a positve light	Video announcements by staff, guest information nicely printed and clear

Made it to Kansas

We finally made it to Kansas. We are all moved in (thanks to the staff at TBC) and all the boxes are unpacked, except for downstairs. In fact, Lisa is working on it as I post.

I don't start at TBC until May 1 - so the plan the next several Sunday's is to check out some local churches to scope things out. It will be interesting to get a perspective as a guest to these other churches. If I'm brave, I'll post the findings over the next three weeks. If I'm really brave, I'll even put the names down. If I'm stupid, I'll send the link to the churches. Yes, I've been known to be stupid.

Fun in the Yellow Truck

Since we have the 26' Penske truck in front of our house...Joshua and I go out for some fun every once and awhile. Why? Because we only have an air mattress in the house.

Our Relationships Remembered

How will we remember Grace since we began the transition to Topeka Bible Church? It came crystal clear to me last week Sunday when I came in early to setup my guitar rig. Garry, a guy who's been a part of our stage crew, said to me..."You know how I'll remember you Bryan? I'll always remember the breakfast we had together with the load in crew before our patriotic event. I was able to spend time with you outside of regular stuff."

Garry is right...it's the relationships that we will remember most. Not the tech toys, not the organized structure of ministry, not the impressive productions, not even the fun music. True, these are important and they can be helpful tools and methods - just not as important as our relationship with each other.

I'll miss my time with Garry...and the rest of the team at Grace. But I know that God will have relationships on the other side too. At the end of this life, it's the relationships that we'd want around our deathbed. Family is some of the most important relationships.

God, help me to remember that people are the most important in life right after my relationship with You. Help me prioritize life right. You first, others second, me last. Help me use things to get relationships. Show me how I can avoid using people to get things.

Nelson's Moving Out

I just found out last night that the video from my phone works nicely with Apple's iMovie on the MacBook. So enjoy the video below...simply click on the link below to check out our moving day and Joshua at the car wash.

I'm Baaaaack

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

...just had to slip it in.

Finally, a new post! For those of you who asked why I haven't blogged for awhile (all two of you)...I took a break for several reasons. One, priorities shift as life brings change. There have been so many changes - they demand attention. Two, I didn't want my thoughts on this blog to affect these changes. So in a nutshell, here's what's happened as of late.

I followed up with our senior pastor, Scott Distler, at Grace Church that I would be taking a new position at Topeka Bible Church (TBC) as the Pastor of Worship Arts. Officially, TBC asked in mid-December last year for me to interview for the position. We traveled to KS to interview and lead worship for a weekend at TBC. We stayed with family, and you can read the highlights in the last post.

So we are down to two weeks left at Grace Church (Lititz, PA). Yes, some on staff are mocking my countdown clock in my office - but hey, they're not the one with the deadlines. I keep telling them it's my countdown to freedom. Really, I'm simply wanting to make sure the transition goes smoothly...so there aren't any bumps the week after I leave.

It's been surreal...moving out of my office, transferring ministry items to Matt McElravy (Interim Worship Arts Director), selling our PA house, buying a house in KS, selling our Neon, taking the last of vacation, sorting out CD's, finding a bank, health care transfers, and everything else that comes with a cross-country move.

It really is bitter-sweet. It's been difficult to leave 10 years of relationships, but God calls us to follow His lead. His lead for us is KS, without a doubt. But it's still sad. Kinda like breaking up with a girl to date another girl. What do you say to the girl you are leaving? "No really, it's not you...it's God who wants this." Yeah, right. Our saving factor is that this is a perfect ministry fit and it's close to family. Our kids will know our family better - and that's important to us.
God, thank You for 10 incredible years of ministry at Grace. Thanks You for allowing me to be a part of Your growing ministry and to be used how You wished. Help me to trust You for the future...whether it's TBC, Grace, or my family. Help me ignore what I want, so You can show me what's needed for Your kindgom.

Kansas Trip Highlights (January 2007)

1. Almost missing the flight out of BWI due to weather...we should of checked the weather before we left PA. But nooooooo...we got stuck in 8mph traffic on the beltway.

2. Econopark Service at BWI, they pick you up AT YOUR CAR, help load all your luggage with a SMILE, offer free BOTTLED WATER in their WARM van to everyone, help load out all your luggage with a SMILE, and all for $5.95 a day. Compare that with no pick-up, no luggage help, no water, no heat, no smile, at $8.00 a day for BWI's satellite parking. It's a no brainer.

3. Joshua (2 years old) sitting in his seat on the airplane with his seatbelt on with no crying for 2 hours. It was a post-Christmas miracle.

4. Observing two flight attendants descreatly pull up the pants of a gentleman who couldn't walk to his seat on the plane. I'll buy tickets on Southwest for years simply because these two attendants demonstrated love toward this gentleman. I know why there's a heart in the middle of the Southwest logo.

5. Lisa's side of the family was able to see our daughter Kayla for the first time ever. Priceless.

6. Trying to figure out how Lisa and I would watch two of our favorite TV shows when they were on at the same time. She's a 24 fan. I'm a Heroes fan. I have the gift of mercy. My wife...well, she watched 24.

7. Being introduced to a game on PS2 called "Guitar Hero 2" by my brother-in-law (the same one who burnt my back with a firecracker on the last trip).

8. Joshua attempting to play "Guitar Hero 2" with me. It's simply didn't work.

9. Uploading over 3 GIGS of information to an FTP site from my laptop at 16Kbps. It took 72 hours. Geesh!

10. The "you might be a redneck if..." calendar displayed on the exterior glass of a Kansas drive-thru bank. Only in Kansas.

Procrastination Sensation

OK, this one takes the cake. A procrastinator clock. You never know if it's running on time or 15 minutes late. The creator is a genius...I think. I'm sure some of my friends would appreciate me using this.

http://davidseah.com/archives/2007/01/17/a-chindogu-clock-for-procrastinators/

Amazing Grace Coming Feb 23

If you haven't heard about the major motion picture based on the creation of the hymn "Amazing Grace," you can check it out here (http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/). First impressions - looks great.