So as I turn a year older (again!), it does seem to me that each year sprints by in more and more of a blink. This one especially snuck by without me much noticing at times (though there have been many others that seemed to drag on and on!). I have spent a good portion of the year away from home on various trips, etc, so I suppose the endless stream of airports and fast food has added to the "blur" effect of it all. Even so, I find myself reflecting more than usual on this day of March 9, 2009.

Hey Gang!

Just thought I'd post a quick note to let you know that "You Are Love" is Song of the Week at http://WorshipSource.com

Stop by to grab the downloadable chord chart and have a listen!

Sheri

So it's 3:05am and I find myself unable to sleep...again! This time it is because of allergies (I think) - runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes. I just took a Claritin, but need time for it to work, so here I am as another last-ditch effort to "count sheep" via blogging in hopes that when I am finished I can just drift off into dreamland.

As usual, I'm in that state of "can barely keep my eyes open but feel too miserable to actually sleep" - that state where even when you do try to lie down you just toss and turn and the sheets feel really itchy and you're hot and then you're cold and your pillow feels unusually stiff and uncomfortable - where TRYING to fall asleep feels more painful then just prying yourself out of bed and propping your eyes open a bit longer. Then, add that my mind is also spinning with all kinds of randomness, and I give up. I'm awake!

So what is whirling in my head? All kinds of things, but one is that I feel like after a year of being on the road quite a bit, things have begun to slow down significantly. Some blame it on the economy, but I am tending to wonder if the Lord is simply trying to get my attention - perhaps in some way to prepare me for a change or new season to come.

So I recorded a new video tutorial for "You Are Love" today - all during our (March 1st) springtime snowstorm here in Atlanta! Gotta love it!

I just returned home from my church's Ash Wednesday service. I sat next to a girl from our youth group who was asking me if only United Methodists and Catholics celebrated Ash Wednesday. She explained that her Baptist and Mormon friends had never heard of it. The service was beginning just as she asked, so I gave as quick of an answer as I could in 10 seconds...but it got me thinking that perhaps there are a lot of people out there who may not understand what it's all about, or where the tradition comes from.

So I have been thinking about getting out of my comfort zone, learning some secular cover songs, and trying out to sing at a local family Bar & Grille. Now some of you are thinking, what's the big deal? You're a musician right? Honest truth: I've just never done anything quite like that before.

Over the years I've mostly sung at churches or in school when I was a student. I've never even karaoke'd in my life. But I've had a desire to find new ways to both reach out to my home community and to use my creativity and gifts to bless others both in and outside the Church.

So I've been a "night person" as long as I can remember, though I've tried to change that over the years with no success. Here it is 9:54pm on a Sunday night, and I face the usual dilemma: go to bed, or start some sort of "project" that will most likely keep me up a while?

For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen's University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

So I’m twenty days into a sinus infection and chest cold (along with much of the world out there from what I can tell!). Originally (on day 5) the doctor said it was viral, and I continued to my travel plans to events in Iowa and Alabama the following two weekends. I tried every kind of home-remedy stuff you can think of, hoping to kick it with Emergen-C, Zicam, and various liquids. Instead, it ultimately got worse.

For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen's University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

I recently read about Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who on April 12, 1961 was the first human in space and the first to orbit the earth. After landing, apparently Gagarin claimed that he didn’t see any signs of God and therefore had disproved God’s existence. Quite a claim!

Hey All!

Just a little note to say hey from the road! I'm in Cedar Falls, IA for the weekend (at Heartland Vineyard), leading worship and teaching at a worship retreat they hosted for other churches in the area. It was a great way for folks to connect relationally and just take some time to worship, hear some teaching, get some ministry, and glean from some practical workshops.