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I have not been sleeping well lately. Not sure why. I'm dead tired by 11:30pm yet I either toss and turn for hours or sleep so lightly that I miss out on REM time. It's like my mind refuses to settle down into sleepy-time mode. I've got lists and lyrics and recipes and names and faces and places and letters and numbers on a fast scroll and swirl behind my eyelids.
Any drug-free suggestions for getting to sleep sooner ?
My side of the family gets together often for wonderful, food and fun-filled family celebrations. Since we live in AZ and they all live in CA, I miss out on most of the great times. However, at Christmas, we all try to find a day/night when we can give gifts, cook together, indulge in holiday treats, and just hang out. This past Christmas, my mom had a great idea, inspired by Top Chef on Bravo. We had a "Quick-fire Challenge." My mom (as always) had a freezer and refrigerator full of food just waiting to be turned into culinary masterpieces.
We divided into three teams of two. My mom and I chose the bag of frozen large shrimp as our main item. Donni & Crissy went with the frozen, pre-marinated chicken. Sandi & Alyssa went with the frozen tri-tip. We spent the afternoon conspiring and reading recipes and gathering ingredients. We did not go to the grocery store. We just got creative with items we had on hand
At 5pm we began cooking, giving ourselves exactly 1 hour to get it all on the table.
Donni & Crissy turned their chicken into an intensely flavorful chicken tortilla soup, complete with delectable condiments on top - tortilla strips, avocado chunks, jack cheese. Really, really good.
Sandi & Alyssa made a quick marinade for their trip-tip then grilled it outside to a perfectly pink medium. Meanwhile they prepared a great salad and toasted some baguette slices. They made a balsamic reduction just by boiling some balsamic vinegar til it was thick and sweet and syrupy. The final presentation was a baguette slice, topped with the salad, crowned by a perfect slice of tri-tip, finished with the balsamic glaze. I think this one was my favorite.
My mom and I sauteed the shrimp in butter and olive oil, added in some minced garlic til it was lightly browned, added a combination of fresh-squeezed citrus juices, old bay seasoning, little cayenne, few tablespoons of honey. The sauce thickened to a glaze which was nice. Served with toothpicks. The kids loved them.
We had a fantastic time, teasing, tasting, and feasting. This would be a super-fun theme for a gathering with friends. Who knows what kind of crazy concoctions we all might come up with!
I wanted to include a picture of us all cooking or at least our finished creations, however, I was too busy cooking to get a really good shot of anything worth posting! The best pic I've got is of "The Cousins" patiently waiting for dinner to be served...L-R Steven, Levi, Alyssa, Luke, Michael.
When I think of our E3 ministry partners and friends in Africa, specifically Rwanda & Burundi, I have to smile. We have had some pretty incredible, intense moments of worship with them. The reason I love this picture of the drum kit is because it unapologetically reminds me of their dignity and determination to worship God in spite of debilitating poverty, unspeakable circumstances of civil war, and lack of resources that we would consider essential - like proper stage lighting, musical instruments that are in tune, music charts, etc. I'm telling you, you've never worshipped until you've been travelling down the road at 120 kilometers per hour in a toyota van packed with 16 people, singing at the top of your lungs, using every part of the van as a percussion instrument, all the while watching the veins start to pop out of the neck of the hired muslim van driver...
It's like this time of raw, passionate worship paves the way, lights our path, allowing us a glimpse of heaven even before we get to the town/village where we'll be sharing the Gospel, seeing literally 1000s of people turn to God for the first time, watching the Light intersect the darkness and the moment of illumination that means eternal lifechange for these individuals - when we proclaim God's name to the ends of the earth, we get the privilege of watching His creative hand at work. We've seen God do incredible things in those countries, drawing people to Himself in a magnificent, overflowing, can't-believe-this-is-happening sort of way!
Short-term missions, long-term missions, whatever it is that you are divinely appointed to be a part of - just do it, ok? If you're waffling, right on the edge of going or not going, worried about how to pay for it, wondering if you'll still have a job when you get back, or even caught up in how this will impact you once you return (oh, and believe me you'll be changed forever), let me just help you find the answer you're looking for - it's Yes. Go. Don't hesitate. God is in control. God's mercy will be over you. God's path will be under you. God's Spirit is in you. God's will is in front of you. God will never leave you or forsake you. God's ultimate love has already been expressed for you and I and every person on the planet. Let's not wallow in a self-focused gluttonous intake of that love with no outlet for expression of it - let's see the world through His eyes, offering His love through our open hands to a world in desperate need of His love, His redemption, His gift of salvation.
Is God asking you to GO?
This post is part of Sunday Setlists at www.Fred McKinnon.com. You'll find Fred's setlist and many others from around the globe HERE.
Fellowship North Church is a "called to be unique" church in Scottsdale, AZ. We are set back sort of far from the road and have poor signage due to city zoning restrictions. It's a miracle anyone can find us, yet they do. We are in a stage of growing and not just numerically. It's a great season of ministry and I'm blessed to be a part of it!
Today we introduced SHOUT! our un-choir choir. They rocked the house and yes, they really shouted! 10 un-trained voices mixed in with our regular team 18-strong, filling our church with raw, passionate worship! So proud of them-especially the very nervous newbies. Ranged in age from 14-78!! Lots of dancing going on in the front row...:-)
Humorous very cool moment-during Testify To Love the church was so fully present/engaged in worship that halfway thru the song they jumped to their feet and started singing with the soloist with complete abandon. So the "performance" song was not. But it was ever so much more!!
QUESTION: how do you mic your choir or large ensembles? Need help. The rented, aging condenser mics didn't do the job well today. Need to budget for an awesome solution-just wanting feedback from those in the know...thanks!
9:57 countdown video
10:02 intro-Randy
10:04 Let The Worshippers Arise (pocket full of rocks version)- SHOUT! & 3 solo mics & band
10:09 Welcome-Marina
10:10 You Lifted Me Out (Chris Tomlin)-Jeff & SHOUT! & band (huge shout/cheer after "mourning into shouting")
10:15 Youth announcement-Joshua-end with prayer
10:20 Draw Me Close To You (MWS)-SHOUT! & 2 solo mics & band
10:25 Meet Greet Seat
10:27 "solo" Testify To Love (Wynonna Judd)-Karen & band
10:32 Message
11:07 My Redeeming King (Jadon Lavik)-WT & band
11:12 Love The Lord (brewster)-WT & band 11:17 Wrap/dismiss-Randy
We're definitely in the middle of the desert - it's a beauty that grows on you (eventually) in spite of the scorpions, snakes, jumping cacti, etc!!
SHOUT! will be in the house at Fellowship North Church this Sunday!! 17 enthusiastic worshippers+3 great songs+1 great God=a reason to Shout! I took this pic at rehearsal tonight, trying to get a feel for balance and lighting. Definitely have issues to address before Sunday!
I've been invited to participate in a blog carnival at Fred McKinnon's worship blog. It's all about Sunday worship setlists from around the country/world. I "heard" a great idea via twitter (sorry, can't remember who's flash of brilliance I should be crediting) about what to do with these setlists. After reading through them, this worship leader/pastor/director then creates an iTunes playlist to listen to during the week. I'm going to try that this week. Should be fun to virtually (and after the fact) worship with churches from around the planet!
Today at Fellowship North Church we began a new series called "40 Days of Love". This is a Rick Warren-inspired series. We don't typically participate in these series, but we really saw some great potential in this one. Of course, the timing is perfect, beginning on Valentine's Day weekend!
Default background "Valentine's Natural Flourish Loop" (Sermon Spice)
9:45 iPod pre-service mix
9:57 Countdown "God Created Love" (Sermon Spice)
10:03 Intro - Randy
10:05 Welcome - Jeff
10:06 "Never Let Go" (Matt Redman)
10:10 "How Awesome Is The Lord Most High" (Chris Tomlin)
10:14 "Glory To God, Forever (Steve Fee/Vicky Beeching)
10:18 Meet Greet Seat
10:20 Message Part 1 - Randy
10:25 "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon/McCartney)
10:28 Message Part 2 - Randy
10:38 Video embed - "Love Is" (Sermon Spice)
11:00 "Your Love Oh Lord" (Third Day)
11:04 "Amazing Love" (Newsboys) - offering during this song
11:08 Message Part 3 - Randy
11:15 Dismiss - "Can't Buy Me Love"
11:18 iPod post-service mix
SHOUT! will be a group of insanely passionate worshippers of God!
SHOUT! will be for anyone who loves to sing, especially in a big, safe group!
SHOUT! will be a group to connect with and belong to!
SHOUT! will move you from the edge of your seat to your feet!
SHOUT! will be boisterous and fun!
SHOUT! will be an authentic community of insanely passionate worshippers of God!
SHOUT! will be loud!
SHOUT! will be in the house!
SHOUT! will energize and infuse our church with praise!
SHOUT! will make a joyful noise!
SHOUT! will make an enthusiastic difference in our worship service!
SHOUT! will not be silent!
SHOUT! will revolutionize the way we worship as a church!
SHOUT! is at Fellowship North Church – we can’t wait to SHOUT! with you!!
Just ate an amazing meal at Sol in downtown Franklin with friends from Re:create. Now enjoying jazz unlike I've ever heard before featuring Adam Nitti and his incredible band! The hems of my pants are rustling and rattling in rhythm with the unbridled subwoofers in the room! Maybe I should double up on the blood pressure meds...let's just say that my heart is resonating deeply with this music!!
Most stuffed animals are soft and comforting and adorable. Something to clutch and hug while falling asleep. This rhino, with a relatively modest price tag of $550, isn't so great for cuddling but is a great reminder to me of our need to crash thru the jungles of Africa at full speed, not looking to the right or the left, full of faith and perseverance, confident of our mission as Team Berryman...to evangelize an area in partnership with local churches, establishing churches within walking distance of every person on the planet and equipping them to make disciples who then plant churches and continue the work!
Join us this summer...Burundi & Rwanda '09!!
