Sunday, December 3, 2006 - His Day

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Sunday night brings the close of Sunday day, one could say. Thought provoking, huh? Yeah. So…
This morning CC, the kids and I get ready to go to church and I checked the phone book for some churches and times and we ended up going to East Valley Church on Hazel; their 11:30 service. The worship was pretty inviting as far as I was concerned , but CC and Missy felt it was a little loud, though Joshy liked it like I did. It was mixed alright; no effects that I could discern and I missed hearing some pleasant appropriate verbing and treating. The band was pretty upbeat for all but one song and CC had suggested that more contemplative songs would have served her worship more effectively. We were taught many years ago, the year before we were married, by Karl Harkey, the Associate Pastor of Huntington Beach Vineyard and one of our marriage councilors that He believed worship should be designed musically in the Outer Courts to Holy of Holies methodology; the beginning worship songs are horizontally directed from person to person and celebrating the gathering then to the inner courts, still celebratory but more vertically directed from us to God, claiming His goodness and greatness. Move then to the tabernacle and a more subdued tempo and complexity and definitely vertical in praise of God and His work in our lives then into the Holy of Holies where the songs are of loving Him and adoring Him and praising him intimately. This intentional approach was to bring the listener/worshiper colder to God through the use of intentionally placed songs within the service, preparing the heart of the worshiper to receive the message divinely given to the pastor who was speaking/teaching in that service. We brought that approach to King’s Way Church in San Mateo when I began playing on the worship team there, though they already embraced a similar structure. Most other churches we attended did not use that approach and we often felt that the services were neat and thought provoking, but they did not usually take us to a place where our hearts were made ready for the message. I believe a service can be beautiful, filled with inspirational music and thought-provoking imagery and still not bring me to the feet of my God to hear what He says.
I’m not sure where we’ll go next Sunday, but I have some church ideas we may consider. Anyway, we went to church and then went straight to the Sacramento Library where they were having a special Sunday event again. A couple weeks back we went and saw that A Capella group from Oakland…I’m pretty sure I wrote about them. The performer today was a gal who sings stories and has a guy counterpart who mans a puppet within a puppet theater; a team of puppet and songstress. She was alright but made me long from the depth and direction of Jana Alayra and her ministry. This gal offer the kids a good time for 45 minutes, but when they leave they leave with nothing but a memory of what just took place. No investments in eternity or the future, no introductions to the Author of creativity Himself. I guess I left feeling like it was time spent versus time well spent. My mood’s been funky for a couple days now; I expect that the reality is sinking in as to the next few months.
After the event at the library, we drove back up to Roseville Kaiser to check Missy out after her bout with Strep and that said she’s doing pretty good and that her ears show no sign of infection and for her to just keep up her meds. After the trip to Kaiser Medical we returned to the house where I was dropped off and then CC took the kids to FOP for the rehearsal to tonight’s Hanging of the Greens service in which they were taking part in a drama; Joshy was one of two shepherds and Missy was one of three angels and had a speaking part as well. Both kids are very comfortable now with dramas and being on stage. I stayed home and worked on music until it was time to go since we (Nana and I) were being picked up and brought to the church. I worked on another tune, different from the one I was working on yesterday. Today’s was much mellower and cleaner where yesterday’s was pretty straight ahead driving rock with an AC/DC bass line approach. Yesterday’s tune needs some direction and a real bass player. I played it in the car today and the bass line just drones its way through without any real articulation or identification, though I didn’t really mess with recording levels when I mixed it down, so I might be able to “fix it in the mix” as they often say…

Service tonight was cool and it was neat to watch Missy and Josh. The blessing was once again seeing my crew working the service. It brought sadness to me in not being with them, which was hard. But it was good to see them and get hugs and handshakes. I’m hoping to set up a date for a tech gathering at my house sometime in the next number of weeks, before Christmas. Crew, if you’re reading this, please know that when I’ve said that I truly appreciate you and believe that you are gifts of God, I meant EVERY word of it and it is even more so true to me now as I receive your warm and kind greetings when I have seen you. You have no idea the depths of me that they touch. You are in the best hands that God could provide (in Rob Fisher’s most capable hands) and I know he shares my appreciation and respect for you all.
I miss you guys…each of you. (the word “guys” is being used in the general and non-masculine noun, referring to both men and women, thank you very much.)

Yesterday and today have been somewhat pain-filled days at different points and I have no medicine to get me through those issues, so I will be contacting my primary regarding a refill of one of a couple possible meds that might work in conjunction with the methadone that didn’t work by themselves. I have to assume that since I am taking a daily amount of methadone now and I am experiencing pain over and above it, that the pain is “more than average” it is surfaces above the daily threshold, so to speak. Prayers on that front are certainly appreciated, though unknown.

Some prayer requests:
• Please continue to be praying for the insurance company to accept the disability claim and to skip any waiting red tape and go straight to the check writing stage. Sorry to be blunt like that.
• Please pray for healing and comfort for Brian Kunz who has just recently badly sprained his ankle.
• Please be praying the health of the crew members, one and all, if you know their names, if not, know that God knows who they are and will bless your efforts just the same.
• Please pray for us as we struggle with figuring out finances for the next 3 months.
• Please pray for Pastor Chris Alford who, in his own words, “feels like death on a stick.”, yet he lead worship tonight because if not him, then who?
• Please be praying for Art Yeaps’s health to become and remain strong and germ-free.
• Please be praying for my state of mind and my focus. If you can’t focus, you can’t know where to advance.
• Please pray for a young lady and young man who I know, that need Him but don’t know Him. God knows who they are and He knows them too.


Well, it’s 12:20 AM and I’ve begun the routine of staying up far too late when I have to get up at 6:00 AM to get the kids going for school each day.

More tomorrow -

peace