Praise You in this storm...

WOW.

I took a group from our church to go see Hillsong United this past Wednesday. They have become probably my favorite worship band over the last couple years. Their album "United We Stand" is great from beginning to end. And then last year they released an album whose cover was simply this image:

I love that. It can be the simplest in iconography, but there is a lot of depth to the image as well. We Americans are used to seeing "I ♥ NY" or whatever else. But this is much simpler. "I Love" - period. And at the center of the heart is Jesus, the reason for that love. I bought the t-shirt at the concert, by the way ;).

Anyway, Hillsong United usually do not play very many shows in the USA, so I was thrilled when I saw that they were coming to Atlanta. So they get kicked off and obviously we're having a great time. Then the youth pastor from Hillsong Church gets up to talk and I'm loving it. Then things got really going.

You see, I loved the stage production that night. The lighting is good, but it takes some of the focus off of the band, which enables the audience to focus on God. I think that's a great decision. Besides, God had His own light show planned.

Right after the guy gets done talking it starts raining. We're sitting on the last row of seats that are (barely) covered by the pavilion. Didn't matter, 'cause we were gonna get wet. The rain keeps getting harder and harder and yet no one seemed to care. The rain even was coming under the pavilion and getting on stage, and yet the band came back out and kept playing (I don't know why I expected them to quit). So within a few minutes we're soaked but having a great time. Near the end they sang one of their new songs, "Your Name High" and the place went nuts. It was an amazing experience, and one I think I'll treasure for a long time. The energy was amazing and you could feel The Holy Spirit there. I don't know why the fact that it was raining made it so much more powerful, but I'm not sure I'll ever have another concert worship experience quite like it.

P.S. This is one of the best-sounding live bands ever. The End.

And so...

I am ending my time with Zaxby's.

It has been 5 years. Originally, I had started there hoping to get some management experience that would help me in a career. I have gotten that and so much more. 5 years is longer than I have ever worked at one job, and I feel that it was the right time for a change. 

I have not been looking for a new job so much as I have been entertaining offers. I have interviewed for 2 youth minister positions that did not work out, and I had pretty much despaired of finding something else after that. It is kinda neat how God works things out, though, isn't it?

I had a deal for a car almost drop into my lap last month. Good car, reliable, great mpg, great condition, good mileage, and VERY affordable. It turns out that I would need it for my new job, which is about 35 miles from my house. I was not certain that I would be able to go to this job, but it appears to be just what we need! 

And so while I will not be getting into vocational ministry, I will still be able to work at Westwood while also bettering my family's situation. 

Thank you, Father!

Georgia Aquarium

We were able to take a trip to the Georgia Aquarium a couple weeks ago. That was fun! It was a family trip, but we often pick places that we know DJ will love. As anyone who knows us can attest, he is fascinated with marine life and talks incessantly  about it. I was really excited about seeing the whale sharks, as they are examples of the largest fish in the world. In the video I made sure to put in the moment that we first saw them. There is a large window that is oriented towards the central area of the building so that it catches your attention. We were standing there before we entered the exhibit when we first saw the whale sharks. One went by and I caught it on camera and I thought it was huge. Then the BIG one went by and it is ginormous! I caught the last half of it on the tape. I hope you enjoy the video (if you can make it all the way through!).

Doors

Well, I received an answer. And the answer was no. That was ok, but I had to take a couple days to get over the disappointment. I was pretty hopeful that I would be able to get out of a job that is not very stimulating anymore and doesn't look like it's ever going to pay better, but that wasn't up to me. 

One of the funny things about this job hunting process has been that now two different places have told me that they like me, but apparently can't afford me. It's not like I can just up and move for any amount of money - I do have a family that I have to support. I guess I should stop complaining; it's just frustrating, especially when it felt like if the last opportunity had simply told me what they were offering early on I could have not wasted a month waiting.

Anyway, so I am staying at Zaxby's for the foreseeable. There is another dream that I'd like to chase, but it's a much more difficult one. Most people are going to laugh when I tell them what it is. I don't think that anyone doubts that I can do the job, they just doubt whether I could get to the job. But it would be something I well and truly love. 

There's only one problem: it looks like someone that I probably could not compete with will also be in the running. This is where I usually get pretty depressed, because we've all heard the saying "When God closes a door He opens a window." Well this time it feels as if the window is being shut as the door is. Once again, that would be frustrating, but if God doesn't want that dream for me then so be it. 

I just want to be able to chase my dreams and not keep thinking that I waited too long to do so. 

Very interesting...

So I'm poking around the internet last night and went to a blog that I've not been to in a while. It's interesting because a friend of mine and I have been discussing Lent for a couple of weeks. I haven't given anything up for Lent in a while, but we were discussing various things to fast from during the season leading up to Easter.

We come from a religious heritage that doesn't practice Lent, which I think actually gives me a greater appreciation for it. When I was dating Kellie and visited the Methodist congregation that she attended, I remember really liking the fact that they recited the Apostles' Creed. I think it had meaning for me that it didn't for those who attended all the time because I hadn't grown up saying it. Lent (when I actually do it) has a greater meaning for me because I choose to do it, not I have to.

That's not to say that I've never fasted, because I have. I just had never done it for the 40 days leading up to Easter. I love the discipline of fasting. I think it focuses you in a way that few other things can. You take an integral part of your life and sacrifice it for time with God. If you fast from food, then every time you are hungry you intentionally devote yourself to prayer instead. It is a way of saying that you need spiritual food more than physical food. I have heard of many other types of fasting, but I prefer fasting from food. It feels very pure to me. 

However, Anne's fast is so interesting to me that I wish I had thought of it. She is fasting from blogging, Facebook, and Twitter. Wow. Talk about something that could be sacrificed for more time with God! I know God will bless her immensely through this, but I was struck by how hard that would be for me. I am constantly on Facebook, whether it's at a computer or on my iPhone. I just started Twittering. And I'm always trying to think of something interesting to blog about. Could you imagine if every time you wanted to check your Facebook you prayed instead? How much time would you be spending with God each day? What could you talk about? 

The great thing about a fast like hers is that it challenges you to ask where your priorities really are.

Taaaake C!

Why does God take "C"?

Let me explain: I'm in the middle of making a very hard decision. It really should be simple, but just isn't. And in my own over-analytical way, I've probably made it even more maddeningly complex than it should be. But that's just Being Scott Sapp. Welcome to my world.

There have been times in my life (and this is one of them) that I have asked God very specific questions and also asked for a yes or no answer. A or B.

And God answers "C".

I have no idea what "C" means. It wasn't in my original question. It's not so much frustrating as it is confusing. I wonder if God doesn't care; not in a detached way, but in a way that says "Just make a decision - I'll bless you either way!" And sometimes I wonder if it's a test of faith.

Should I sacrifice my goals to do what I would love, or do I play it safe and hope it works out better than the chance I could have taken?

Cool song, cooler video

I saw this on a blog that I follow. This is one of those times that I like the song, but the video is so amazing that I can't get it out of my head. Really good filmmaking.