TV Tuesday - This Is Us

I know. I know.
Some off you saw the title of this post and are already calling to have my man card revoked.
I refuse to give it up and will fight you if you think this show is girly.

This Is Us is the best TV drama that has been on TV in years. If you don't believe me, you're wrong.
Some people might say it plays with the viewers emotions. To that I say "play away." It does it in all the best ways.

There are lots of things great about This Is Us, but by far the best is Sterling K. Brown, That dude is just so dang likable. I first became aware of this acting giant in The People Vs OJ Simpson. He was great as Christopher Darden. Then when I saw him on This Is Us, I was hooked. I now wish this guy was on every show. He might have even made the movie I watched last night better, if given a chance.





Ok, so he's great, but the writing on the show is too. I find myself connected to the different story lines in so many different ways. Of course, I understand some of their daddy issues due to the fact that my father passed away in 2011. So anytime there is father drama, I'm pulled right in.

I hope this show continues on for many years and then after that they spin off Sterling's character to his own show called "This Is Me."

In the meantime, I completely agree with something I heard Chris Hardwick say on a talk show recently. He really needs to do a "This Is Us" after show called "That Was Them."


(I know I said I'd watch TV for 2 hours. I did, but we'll have to talk about Lethal Weapon later. It's. so good and so not, but that's a conversation for another day. )

Movie Monday - Why Him?

Ok, so here's the deal. There are not enough hours in the day to see/read/enjoy all the good entertainment content that is available today. I enjoy movies, tv, video games, podcasts, and VERY rarely, a good book. So I had a bright idea.

I'm generally a late night guy. I rarely go to bed before midnight, so I thought I might try something crazy. I'm going to try to more carefully choose how I entertain myself and when. So here's the plan I came up with.

From 9pm-11pm on most nights I will attempt to tackle a different form of entertainment.

Monday nights becomes Movie Mondays
Tuesdays are TV Tuesdays
Wednesdays are church night, so I guess I get a break from all this.
Thursdays are for video gaming. I am taking suggestions for a better title for this than "Gaming Thursday." That's pretty lame.
Fridays are Fiction Fridays. I plan to actually read some of the books I've bought over the years that are taking up space around here.

That all sounds like a great plan, right.

Well, I thought so too...until...

I chose an awful movie to start with.

Last weekend, DirecTV offered a free weekend of all the movie channels. Like any movie lover, I set my DVR to record a whole buttload (technical term) of movies that I hadn't yet seen.
As it turns out the first one to record was "Why Him?",  an R rated comedy starring James Franco and Bryan Cranston. My one sentence synopsis is this: Dad does not get along with rich loser his daughter is dating.

I'll go ahead and admit, I did not watch the entire movie. Franco's character REALLY liked the F word. While I'm generally not offended by foul language, it was just way too much. Not quite halfway through this movie, I started hitting fast forward, A LOT. It wasn't funny enough to keep watching and the few scenes that were funny were only funny because of shock value. I do feel like I saw enough of it to have an opinion of it. so I'm going to go ahead and offer it now. SKIP IT.

I should probably quickly describe my rating system for movies:
SKIP IT - don't waste your time
WATCH IT - watch it if you can for free on tv or streaming
RENT IT - it's worth spending a few bucks on
BUY IT - Add it to your collection. You'll watch it more than once.


I will admit that Megan Mullally and Keegan Michael Key were very funny in their scenes that I saw, but they were the only bright spots in this film. I expected way more from Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, but what I got instead was a movie that  Malcolm in the Middle's Bryan Cranston would have made.

They say that every journey begins with a single step. I think my journey of trying to consume entertainment this way started with a single mis-step.

1 Pound

Just a quick update on things since I haven't posted anything since October.

Home - Life is kuh-ray-zee. Baseball season has taken over our lives. We are at the ballpark every day of the week except Wednesday. It's fun... most of the time.

Church - Everything is going great. I'm seeing more passion in our worship. People are simply responding to what God is doing in and around them. It's beautiful. I'm thankful to witness some walls coming down in the way we worship.

Health - Last week, I hit my highest weight since 2008. =/ I decided enough is enough. So, I've lost 1 whole lb since Monday. My plan right now is more water, less carbs, no eating after 8pm, and more movement. I'll will start running again, but haven't yet because of a million bad excuses. I really want to lose 90 lbs, but my only real goal right now is to lose 12 lbs. We'll see what happens after that.

Personal growth- Right now, life is basically work, baseball, then an hour or so of TV until I fall asleep in the recliner. I know I need to ditch the TV and read a book, but those programs on the dvr aren't gonna watch themselves ya know. Somebody's got to do it. Right? Right?!?

And since no blog entry is complete without a picture... here's a picture of my family on Easter.

Ain't we cute?

The Stinson Family - Easter 2015

Rock And Roll Church: Thoughts On Lighting A Worship Service

Rock & Roll Church

That is what I have sometimes jokingly called churches that use smoke and cool lights on stage and turn the house lights way down or off the congregation during the worship songs.

I enjoy almost every part of what we think of as "modern" worship; The songs, the musical style, the video screens, the bands, etc. The only part of it I've never embraced is the lighting. I've had a few opportunities to lead worship in a set up like this and as a worship leader I was uncomfortable not being able to see the audience well. I've always liked to see the audience so I could judge if I should end a song of praise shorter than originally planned or if should I extend it. (I'm aware you can't really judge if someone is worshiping by their outward appearance, but you CAN tell if people are completely disengaged.)  So for years, I've been an "all lights on" kind of worship leader.

Recently however, I've been questioning my stance on this.

I was fortunate to be able to go to FUGE with our Student ministry back in June. I saw our kids worship there with a freedom I hadn't seen from them prior to that. After worship one night, I had the following conversation with a student...

Student: "I wish we could worship like that at Northside."
Me: "YOU CAN! We sing the same songs, our volume is just not as loud and our lighting isn't the same."
Student: "I just feel like everyone would be watching me."

Her reply has stuck with me.

Later, an adult told me the same thing. She wished she could feel more free to worship outwardly with hands raised, but she felt like everyone would be looking at her. I reminded her that raised hands is a biblical expression of our worship. I also explained that if God were leading her to do that, I think she'd be blessed if she followed His direction in spite of what anyone around her was doing. (Of course, everyone is free to worship as they feel led at our church, but as of this writing, I'd say less than 10% of our worshipers at Northside choose to worship in this way on any given Sunday.)

Back to the lighting...
I heard a pastor recently explain why his church turns the house lighting down during the worship. His church does it to make people feel more comfortable. When the lights are low, you feel like you can't be seen as well, because... well... you can't be seen as well.

I think Don Chapman explains what I'm talking about well in his article on worshipideas.com.
Here's an excerpt...
"The church I’m attending dims their lights during worship as most contemporary churches do. Then one Sunday, the lights were up during the music. I immediately noticed and felt… weird. I felt oddly exposed and unfocused. I realized the effect the dimmed lights had on me and how it enhanced my worship time – I somehow felt more comfortable to worship and could better concentrate on the songs. The dimmed lights took away distractions."

So my question to you (worshipers and worship leaders) is this...

Do you prefer lit congregation or dim lighting on the congregation?

To my Northside family, don't freak out. I'm not saying we will or won't make any lighting changes. I just think it's wise for me to examine my own opinions on such matters from time to time. If my preference of having a fully lit room is hindering anyone from worshiping more freely, I know I need to change...
 because it's not about me.

How I'm Going To Be A Millionaire

Disclaimer: I wrote this at almost midnight on Thursday. I might have been a little delusional.

If today were a normal day, I'd begin this blog entry by making up some excuse about why I haven't blogged in almost 6 months. But today is no normal day. Today will go down in history as the day millionaire tycoon Shawn Stinson came up with the idea that changed his life and the lives of all his family forever. So, no, I will not apologize for not blogging since February. Instead I'll begin this blog by saying this....

If you need me, I'll be at the beach thinking of ways to spend my new fortune.

Oh wait, I guess you probably want to hear my idea.

OK. Fine.

Here it is.

As I packed clothes into a suitcase tonight for a trip I'm going on, I thought "Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to pack for vacation." Then it hit me...

Rental Clothes.

Yep, that right. Clothes you can rent.

Going to the beach?

Got a couple cool kids who like sporty comfortable clothes?

Got a lovely young wife who likes to dress fashionably?

Got a dad who's on the hefty side and prefers comfort over style?

Most of all, are you tired of packing the car, unpacking at the condo, then repacking just days later to head home. Of course you are.

Don't fret. Call BeachWear. 

For only $250 a week you can rent clothes for your entire family for the week.

Just log into our website, let us know all about your trip destination, your family's sizes and styles, then you can arrive at your destination and find clothes there waiting on you. When your trip is over, just leave them. Well pick them up.

For a nominal additional fee, we can also include toiletries, beach toys, other related supplies.

Once we have offices on every popular beach, we'll expand to MountainWear then SkiWear.

Man, how has no one thought of this before?!?  

It's a genius idea, right?

Yep, I thought so.

I know I'd pay anything right know to keep from having to finish this packing.

Well, It's been nice knowing all of you.

Thanks to this great idea, I might not see you again.

I'm moving on up.

Hey, You! Get Into My Choir! (Sunday Setlist 02-02-14)

The stage at Northside Baptist Church's building (without the worshipers.) 

As I write this, it is Wednesday night and I'm still smiling thinking about this past Sunday.
You see, we did something a little different than the norm.

I forced some people to sing in the church choir Sunday morning.

Well, maybe not forced, but pressured them into it for sure.

I'd done this a few years ago at my former church and it went well, so I tried it again.

Wednesday night in choir rehearsal, I explained to the choir what we'd be doing.  I told them that, Sunday, everyone would just sit with their families, then during the fellowship portion of the service, they were to each bring someone into the choir loft with them. I knew this would cause people to laugh and cut up and have conversations like:

Congregant : "I'm not going up there!"
Choir member: "Why not? Do you not love Jesus?"

Once we were all in place, I'd take a few minutes to discuss worship and how important it is that we smile and worship with more than just our words...

If we are just singing the words on the screen, that's not worship. That's just singing.
Worship has to start with our heart,
that overflows into our thoughts,
then that overflows into our facial expressions and voices.

Sunday, when our impromptu choir began singing "Shout To The Lord" (a song I felt confident everyone would be familiar with), I was blown away by the volume and by the great sound the choir had. Many of our choir members chose people to bring up that had been in the choir before or who they knew could sing well.
It sounded great! I was blown away by both the beautiful harmonies and the expressions of worship in smiles, raised hands, etc. It was a day of worship I won't soon forget.

Big thanks to Tonya Rice for posting the video to facebook.

There were other great moments in the service too.
Here's a full list of what we did Sunday...
click the song title to go to lifeway and hear the exact version we did.
                                                                       

Sunday School Report/Announcements - John                                                                       

Sing To The King                                                           

Come Christians, Join to Sing     (An updated arrangement of a good old hymn)

Welcome / Prayer / Kids Message - David                                                       

Lord, Reign In Me                                                                                   

Choir Special - Shout To The Lord                                                                  

The Wonderful Cross                                                               

Offertory Prayer                                                                                                    

Offertory Interlude                                                                                               

Message - David

Invitation - Wherever He Leads I'll Go

Closing Prayer

Looking back on this, I see that I was very 1990's in my song choices.
But that's ok with me. I wanted to stick with songs most people would be familiar with.
It was a good day worshiping God with my church family.

How would you react if someone forced you onstage on Sunday morning?

This post is part of the blog carnival at TheWorshipCommunity.com. You can go here to see what other churches are doing in their services around the world.

New Year's Day 2014 - A Video

I considered sitting on my rear all day today and watching the "website I've never heard of" sponsored "bowl game that doesn't matter."

Instead, I decided to join the kids in the yard for a lot of fast and furious fun. I chose wisely.

I hope you enjoy this recap as much as we did filming it.

 

 

Sunday Setlist 12-08-13

First, a quick recap, since I haven't blogged much recently.
In mid-September of this year my family and I started on a new journey when I accepted a full time ministry position at Northside Baptist in Jasper, AL.

-My first Sunday was September 22nd. This church for years has worshiped with a blended worship style using only piano and organ.
-My second Sunday, the organist (who had played here for 50+ years)  turned in her resignation. Upon receiving this news, I was afraid I had done something to offend her, but she quickly let me and the church know she felt like it was just the right time. As usual, God has a way of working these things out, because that same week we filled the position from within the church and began discussing the possibility of adding a keyboard.
-My 6th Sunday, we added guitar and percussion to the praise band.
-My 11th Sunday, we added the keyboard we'd been researching. (We chose the Kawai MP6 for it's ease of use and great sound.)

-Yesterday, my 12th Sunday at Northside, we added another percussionist and our other percussionist played mandolin some (and will likely play bass soon.) Have I mentioned the fact that the Northside church family is dripping with musical talent? I should have. I'm looking forward to utilizing all these soloists and musicians more in the future.

I am LOVING this process, every part of it:
-Getting to know the folks here.
-Working with our 40-50 voice choir.
-Adding people to the praise band, allowing more folks to be a part of the worship leading process.
-Working with the sound guys to get the best possible sound from our system.
-Watching the church family worship God and enjoy the music.

There is still a growing list of things I want to accomplish.
This list seems to get longer everyday. A few of these things I'm working on include:
-Evaluating the current sound system to see if it can meet our growing needs. Comparing options for either a hearback system or maybe just getting a new digital board with personal monitor iphone app capabilities.
-Adding a full drum kit and bass player. The only thing holding this up is the sound system issues.
-Incorporating a vocal praise team.
-Continuing to tweak the service flow.

While we work through all of those, we continue to strive to glorify God in our services every week.
Here's what we did to accomplish that yesterday, along with a  few notes...
__________________________________________________________________________
Prelude - Organ  (I said we got a keyboard. I never said we got rid of the organ.)
Sunday School Report - John

Sing To The King (Billy James Foote)
O Come All Ye Faithful (contemporary hymn arrangement)

Welcome / Prayer - David

Fellowship Song  - Angels From The Realms of Glory (contemporary hymn arrangement)

Children's Message - David

Your Name (Paul Baloche) w/ new Christmas themed 1st verse from Baloche's Christmas album.
Looking back, I think I should have done the chorus to this another time or two. Based on the raised hands and worshipful expressions in the room, I think people were really connecting with it.
Cornerstone (Hillsong)
This was our first time to sing this as a congregation. The youth choir sang it a month or so ago for the first time at Northside. I was a little surprised how many people sang out on it since it was new. It went great.  I had planned ahead of time to trim the 3rd verse and choruses at the end. But, when doing it, it felt like we ended too soon. I definitely wish I had kept the song going longer.

Offertory Prayer

Choir Special - Do You Hear What I Hear? w/ solo by Jill Bailey.
This was the first time our choir and praise band did a song together. It sounded great. We've been having some choir mic issues in recent weeks (mostly because I moved the choir mics a month ago and they didn't perform as well where I put them.) but this week we tried something new with the mics. Based on feedback I've received so far, it sounded great to others too.

Message - David
Invitation: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus (Hymn)
Closing Prayer
Postlude - Organ
______________________________________________________________________

I continue to see how God has led my family and I to Northside. I know we're where He wants us to be.
We're looking forward to seeing what He has in store for us here in the weeks, months, and  years to come.

Want to get updates on all my posts? You can like Tales From Street Road on facebook.

This post is part of the blog carnival at TheWorshipCommunity.com. You can go here to see what other churches are doing in their services around the world.

10 Questions I Have About My New Job

Have you heard I got a new job?
No?
Then you must not follow me on social media.
I've kind of talked about it a lot.
Too Much?
Maybe.
But alas, I continue....

I worked out most of the details regarding my new position during the interview process, but now that I'm only a few days from actually starting, I've realized I have some more important questions about my new position. Most of these are rhetorical and don't require an actual answer. But you Northside folks feel free to answer any that you can.

1- The New Thor movie comes out in early November. Will I have met and friended a group of fellow nerds by then to go see it with me?

2 - Will someone be offended that, instead of the typical "footprints in the sand", I'll have this framed poster hanging in my office?

3 - How many times during the first month will I turn the wrong way off of Street Road when heading to work?

4 - In my 15+ years of driving an hour to work, I've gotten pretty good at getting important tasks accomplished from the car. You have to learn to be productive when you're in the car for 2 hours a day. Now that my commute will only be about 1/3 as long as it used to, when am I supposed to watch all those shows on netflix listen to all those podcasts that I used to while commuting?

5 - Will the Northside family be interested in going to Cricket County?

The cast of Westwood's 2010 play "Christmas in Cricket County"... and my farmer's tan.

6 - I've got to decide which senior adult woman to adopt as my grandmother. How will I figure out who is the best cook? (I know the answer to this one. Eat a meal with them all.)

7 - It is very important  that  I  that my boys figure out who is the candy man. Every church has one right? You've got to know the man who will slip you a piece of candy when you shake his hand on Sunday morning.

8 - Will Gavin and Ethan do well in the Northside children's choir? Their musical tastes are pretty varied.

9 - Who at Northside will Kristi have a "special"* relationship with like she did with Joseph at Westwood?

I know I used this pic yesterday. It's too good not to use again.

10 -  Do the folks at Northside have any idea what they've gotten themselves into?

I know I said 10 questions. But this just has to be included.

11 - On my first night there, someone asked me, in front of the whole church, if people who live in the community where I live "fight your chickens before you cook 'em." I knew right then we'd get along just fine. But still it's worth asking.....

Do I have any idea what I've gotten myself into?


*special = love / hate

Sunday Setlist - September 8th 2013 - Goodbyes, Tears, and Laughs.

I'll admit, this should probably be 3 or maybe even 4 separate posts, but I'd rather just get it all out there because all this happened on the same day.

This past Sunday was my last day on staff at Westwood Baptist Church.
When planning the Sunday morning service, I really wanted to take the focus off of me completely, but it was hard not to pick some of my favorite songs knowing it would be the last time I'd lead them with this group of worshipers.

Here's what we did, and why, along with some video clips. (Thanks to my mother in law, Karen, for the videos)

Special Music: Deep Down (Selah)- Kara Kinnaird, Heather Potts, and myself.
We had done this song together a few times over the past couple years. My life was threatened by at least 4 people if I didn't include it one of my last Sundays.


Days Of Elijah (Darlene Zschech)
I had never heard this song prior to joining Westwood in 2001. It was one of our favorites then and still gets everyone on their feet when we sing it. Such a powerful song that focuses on our returning Savior. I especially love the drum solo we always start with.


My Savior, My God (Aaron Shust)
I picked this one for two reasons..1.It is a solid worship song the church knows well that would be a little more mellow that the previous two songs. 2. Because of the first line of the verse. "I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stand one who is my Savior." I teared up for the first time that morning singing that line. Trusting in Him as my family makes this transition.

Welcome / Announcements / Fellowship
As I looked over the announcements to be made, I purposefully skipped mentioning my ordination or farewell fellowship to take place that night. It just felt a little self serving to say anything about it. I was tempted to say "There's some kind of fellowship tonight. I heard rumor that people like cheesecake." But I avoided that temptation and didn't say anything.

One thing that I did out of the ordinary is I paused to take some pics of everyone. I even went as far as to say "Bear with me while I do this. But then again, if you don't like it, what are you going to do? fire me?"
I was not expecting my hands to begin shaking as I took the pics. They started shaking because the realization that this is the last time I'll see this view hit me like a ton of bricks. So I apologize that these pics are so blurry.

Power In His Blood Medley (HYMNS)
This is just an arrangement of hymns that I put together years ago. I love hearing the Westwood musicians jam on this. I wouldn't generally describe them as southern, but they know how to groove on this when asked. Lots of fun and a perfect song of celebration while coming out of a fellowship time.


10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman)
Love this song. Picked it because of all the reasons I have to Praise God.


Offertory Prayer

Choir Special: Saved (Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)  - Solo by Kara Kinnaird
As soon as knew when my last Sunday at Westwood would be, I asked Kara to sing this song. It's one of my absolute favorites and I love to hear her sing it.

Your Name (Baloche)

Message: Bro. Steve

Invitation: I Surrender All (HYMN)
Closing Chorus: Sing To The King  (Billy Foote)

It was a special day to all, as evidenced by this picture of The Lovely Kristi and Joseph hugging. THIS IS A MIRACLE YA'LL.

That service was very powerful to me. I was encouraged. I was spiritually fed. I was led in worship by the musicians, the choir, the praise team, and the congregation. I am SO thankful for every day I was allowed to serve this church family.

Now on to Sunday night...
Sunday night I was ordained into full time ministry.

I thought it might be emotional because I was leaving but the emotion I felt was also fueled by the seriousness of the service and...
knowing that all these people were praying for me, praying with me, supporting me,
knowing that God had clearly let me know His will and that I was following it,
knowing that my Dad would have been bursting with pride if He had been there,
It was all very moving.

I'll admit... I cried like a baby.
But tried to hide it as I looked towards the floor in prayer most of the time.
(Note To Self: The next time you participate in an ordination service make sure the candidate has tissues nearby in case he becomes a teary/snotty mess.)

I will never forget some of the things the men said to me as they prayed with me.

(I guess I could have laid down on the step and looked a little more like Jabba The Hut. {sigh} Oh well, I guess I'll keep my weight comments for another blog entry.)


I will also never forget the words that my "best good friend" Joseph shared with me as he challenged me during the charge to the candidate.

Not only did he encourage me to be myself and not compare myself to other worship leaders, but he also ended by sort of singing and dancing the song "Brother Friend" including the part where you say "you're my beginning and my end" and point to your butt.
It was precious.
Sorry, no video is available.

The day ended with a farewell fellowship. We were given lots of encouraging words and hugs. We were also given a ton of cards and unexpected gifts. It was a fun time with lots of laughs. But it was also very special for me and my family.

One of my favorite ladies at WBC, Mrs. Elaine Fuller, asked me if I would accept this rose. I'd be a fool not to. I'm definitely going to miss her, Mrs. Olive, Mrs. Maxine, and many others who have been special to me over the years.

As we left there that evening, I walked into the main office, removed my church keys from my key ring, and placed them in my empty office mailbox for the office staff to find the next morning. We walked out of the office with no one else around.
We climbed into the car and started to leave. Instead of just pulling out onto the road, I took a right turn, taking us all the way around the building one last time. The boys asked me what was wrong.
I was crying.
Kristi was crying.
We were holding hands and I drove.
I explained to the boys we were just thinking about the past. This church ministered to us when Ethan was born, when Gavin was born, when Kristi's Grandfather passed away, when my father and grandmother passed away, and every other day over the past almost 13 years that we've been members.
I explained to them how excited I am about our future and about what God is doing with our family.

By the time I was done talking we were almost out on the highway.
I think that's when Kristi said something like...
Can you believe that idiot (Joseph) ended his talk with "Brother Friend?!?"
It was the perfect way to stop the tears and starts the laughs.

This post is part of the blog carnival at TheWorshipCommunity.com. You can go here to see what other churches are doing in their services around the world.

Memories, Moving, And Mystery Milkshakes

My multi-career life is quickly drawing to a close.

I have had 2 jobs almost consistently since I was 18. But that streak will end in a few days.

I had my last choir rehearsal with the gang at Westwood Wednesday night. But we didn't sing a single note. Instead, they surprised me with a farewell party. It was fitting, not only because I like to eat, but also because it brought back memories. Ethan was born on a Monday in 2004. I led worship the first time as interim the following Sunday. Within a couple weeks, the choir threw us a surprise baby shower. So you could say we began and ended our time there with food.

Photo credit: Deb Ingram. Cake Credit: Deb Ingram via Edgar's Bakery.

We did eat a lot. But we also laughed a lot remembering the past 9 years.

Those memories kept coming to mind tonight as I cleaned out my office. Apparently I'm a hoarder of sample music from publishing companies. It took me multiple trips to the dumpster to get rid of all of it. But, with the help of The Lovely Kristi and both the boys, we finally got it cleaned out.

The After picture. The Before pic is not suitable for public viewing.

One of the best parts about cleaning out the office was looking through almost a decade of memories.

The Shawn Action figure. It does not include swivel arm battle grip.

This is one of my favorite things on my shelf. Back in 2004 Millie Caffee made a figurine action figure of me including my Penske logo shirt, Birkenstocks, pigeon toes, and hand on my heart as I led worship.

One of the many memorable comment cards I received over the years.

I received this comment card after wearing a Clone Trooper helmet into the service to promote our Fall Festival in 2010. I was glad to have inspired someone in such a powerful way. I'm not sure who wrote this, but I think his name starts with an "A" and ends with an "ustin Cranford".

Another memorable note from a worshiper

Unfortunately, not every note was always encouraging. But in this person's defense, he or she was right. At the time, I was trying to do too many songs. When I focused on better songs and less "filler" songs our services got better. Note: this person's name is not "Happy". I added a random sticker to protect his or her identity.

Warning: The next paragraph gets serious for a minute. One of the best parts of the night though was when we were finished cleaning up. I was overwhelmed. Having just packed up or thrown out almost 10 years worth of ministry stuff was a lot to deal with. I asked my fam to sit with me around the desk and just pray. I thanked God for the wonderful memories, friends, and ministry we'd had there. I thanked Him for blessing us in so many ways. I asked Him to continue to bless Westwood. I prayed for our future church family and ministry at Northside. I think my voice only broke with emotion a couple times. It was a powerful moment that I'll never forget.

Ok, the serious moment is over now.

After everything was packed, The Lovely Kristi headed home and the boys and I stopped for milkshakes at Sonic. I ordered a peanut butter shake. I drank it as I drove home and quickly realized there was something crunchy in it.

IT WAS BACON YA'LL!!!

Now, I was aware they had a bacon shake. But I had not asked for it. So basically, I got a bacon surprise! After such an emotional night, you know what can help make things all better?

I'll tell you... surprise bacon.

Sunday Setlist, September 1st 2013

I knew that making the announcement about my upcoming move would be emotionally difficult, and I was prepared for that. What I was not prepared for is how emotional the services after that would be.
Even though I tried to plan a service without any references being made to it being one of my last Sundays at Westwood, somehow every song made me think about it.
Here's what we did...

Lord Reign In Me (Brenton Brown)
Who Can Satisfy (Brooklyn Tab choir arrangement) This is one of the first songs I remember learning at Westwood when I joined there in 2001. For many years we've done this choir arrangement with the entire congregation singing along. Great memories flood my mind when I hear it.
Welcome / Announcements / Fellowship by Bro. Steve
Included special scholarship recognition for Sabrina Dodd. Congrats Sabrina!!
I Stand Amazed In The Presence (Hymn)
Jesus Messiah (Chris Tomlin)
Offertory Prayer
Choir Special: Walking With The King (Brooklyn Tab) I'd been wanting to do this song for a while and finally decided a few weeks ago to go for it. I'm glad we did. Everyone did a great job on it. I'm gonna miss that choir and orchestra.
More Precious Than Silver (Lynn DeShazo) Pulled out this classic chorus to discuss the first time I realized that real worship is not just singing, it's praying.
Message: Guest speaker: Dr. Don Hawkins
Invitation: Your Name (Paul Baloche)
Closing Chorus: Lord Reign In Me (Brenton Brown)

My favorite moments of the morning were:

1. While singing Jesus Messiah, as we sang the bridge "All our hope is in You!" I took a moment and really enjoyed watching the church worship.
2. Before the service, our pianist, Deb, gave me a painting she had painted for me. I love it! I've told the choir many times that sometimes they hit that perfect last note and I just want to "pull a Bugs Bunny". You know know what I mean, where I have them hold a note out and I leave my glove floating in the air while I walk off the stage.

What was your favorite part of the service you attended Sunday?

This post is part of the blog carnival at TheWorshipCommunity.com. You can go here to see what other churches are doing in their services around the world.

Sunday Setlist August 25th 2013

I blogged yesterday about how I resigned from my position at Westwood this past Sunday.
But I haven't yet told you about some of the other things that happened in our worship service.
Here's what we did at Westwood yesterday...
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The theme of the service was Listening to God: "When God closes one door and opens another."
I'm thankful that Bro. Steve focused on that theme and made my announcement so much easier to make.

Orchestra Prelude: Be Thou My Vision (Hymn)

Choir Call To Worship: Lord God Almighty (Speak Your Name)

With trax

*Worthy Is The Lamb (Zschech)

I love singing this one... beginning with "Thank You for the Cross Lord." It just doesn't get much more worshipful than that.

Welcome / Announcements / Fellowship

*I’ll Fly Away (Hymn)

Upbeat southern style, maybe even a little rockabilly

Kidz Praise – All The People Said Amen (With Shawn on solo and Joseph on Guitar)

I had a blast singing this one with the kids (even if the bridge was too high for me.) You'll hear little Alec, I believe he's 4, adding in his own part that he wrote himself. Thanks to my Mother-in-law Karen for the video.

*He Knows My Name (Walker)

*Be Thou My Vision (Hymn)

Offertory Prayer

*Where He Leads Me (Hymn)

1^st & Last

Message: Bro. Steve

Invitation: *I Have Decided To Follow Jesus (Hymn

...My Announcement

Closing Chorus: *Lord I Lift Your Name On High (BH#347)

I had this closing chorus planned, but in the tearful state of me and some others in the church, Bro. Steve opted in the moment to close in prayer. That was kind of him. Not sure anyone wants to hear me sing anything while I cry. 

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What was your favorite part of your service? 

This post is part of TheWorshipCommunity.com's Sunday Setlist. Check it out to see what other worshipers are doing around the world. 

Why I've Resigned From 2 Jobs In 3 Days

The title is true. I've turned in my notice at both of my jobs this week. 5 months ago I never would have thought I'd be writing that sentence today. But a lot can happen in 5 months.

In May, I received this email at my church email address.

My immediate thought after reading this was "Sure. I know a couple guys." I clicked 'forward' and sent the email on to some folks I know. I thought that was the end of it, but God had other plans.
A week or so later, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried to convince myself that I should just ignore it because I wasn't looking for another ministry position, but God just wouldn't let it go. I was pretty happy with my full time job in industrial sales, and very happy in my part time worship leader position at Westwood.  Why would God not get off my back about this? So I did something crazy. I prayed about it.

For some reason, God led me to send in a resume. There were a number of conversations, interviews, and lots of prayers over the next few months. The whole time I was praying for God to give me a clear sign about what He wanted me to do. I was also praying for clear stop signs if I was moving in the wrong direction at any point.

So last Sunday, I led worship at Northside Baptist and was voted in. Wednesday, I let our choir and praise band know of my decision. Friday, I turned in my notice at my full time job. And today, I tearfully shared what God has been doing in my life with the folks at Westwood.

Here's what I read to them today...

To my dear Westwood family,
In January of 2001, Kristi and I visited Westwood for the first time. Since then Westwood has not only been our church, you all have been family to us. That is why it is so hard to write this letter.
After much prayer seeking God's will, I am announcing my resignation from Westwood Baptist effective 2 weeks from today, Sunday September 8th.
I have accepted a full time position of "Minister of Music and Outreach" at Northside Baptist in Jasper. When I first heard about this open position, I immediately thought of other people who might be interested in it because I was not looking to make any changes. But over time, God would not allow me to stop thinking about it. Since then Kristi and I have diligently prayed for God to reveal His will to us and He has.
I am so thankful for the experiences, relationships, and ministry God has allowed us to be a part of here at Westwood. I feel like this church family has ministered to me and my family as much or more than I've ministered to the church. You were there for us for the birth of both Ethan and Gavin. You were there for us in times of loss, such as when my father passed away. You were also a key part, through every person involved in our Children's ministry, in helping to lead both my boys to accept Christ as their Savior. In addition to all this, the entire music ministry and our Sunday School class has been such a blessing to us.
I will always refer to Westwood as my home church and will always consider you family.
As my family and I head into this new mission field for us, I have 2 requests of you. 1) Will you support us in prayer and 2) will you do me the honor of ordaining me into the ministry, thereby agreeing with me that worship ministry is God's calling on my life?
Thank you so much for allowing me the honor to serve with you these past 12 1/2 years as a member and these past 9 1/2 years as a staff member.
I now know what Paul felt when he wrote
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."
With love for you all,
-Shawn & Kristi

The next month or so is going to be very emotional. I am excited about the new position. I am excited about what God is doing in my life and in my family. But I am also going to miss my Westwood family and fellow staff very much.

I'll likely be posting a lot more in the days to come, journaling this whole process. As I make this transition, I'm going to invite you to do two things..

1. If you live anywhere near the Forestdale community of Birmingham, AL and are looking for a home church, you should visit Westwood Baptist. I can tell you, from 12 years of being a member there, that it is a loving and welcoming church that is worth checking out and getting involved in.
2. If you live in the Jasper, AL area, come join me at Northside Baptist as I get to know that church family and we work to show and share God's love in that community.

Sunday Setlist August 11th 2013

This was the plan for our worship service at Westwood today:
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Praise To The Lord, The Almighty (Updated Hymn Arrangement)

1^st, 3^rd, Key Change, 4V, tag (Use Hymn #1 for lyrics and in bulletin)

How Can I Keep From Singing (Chris Tomlin)

V1,C, V2, C, C.

Welcome / Announcements / Fellowship

Down At The Cross (Hymn)                                                                  

Southern upbeat style, 1, 2^nd, & Last verses

Mighty To Save (Laura Story)

C,C, B, B, C, C, B, B

Offertory Prayer

Choir Special: Cornerstone (Hillsong)

As Written, will invite congregation to join us towards the end.

Message: Bro. Steve

Invitation: Have Thine Own Way (Hymn)

Closing Chorus: Because He Lives (Hymn)

Chorus Only

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I really enjoyed today's worship service. My prayer is that God did too, since that is the main goal.

I think my favorite moment of the morning was when our choir introduced the song "Cornerstone."

It was great. Halfway through the song I turned and invited the congregation to worship with us. Not only did they really sing out, but some people (without being asked) stood and raised hands in worship. I love it when people express their worship in different ways regardless of what the crowd around them is doing. Seeing one lone worshiper stand and sing in the midst of a crowd of people sitting gives me the same thought every time...We should always be willing to stand out in a crowd in our walk with God.

My second favorite moment is not near as serious.

During our fellowship time our band/orchestra played a VERY upbeat and southern version of "Down At The Cross". Toes tapped, people clapped, and people smiled. ( I couldn't think of anything else that rhymed with tapped.) I wouldn't normal describe us as a "southern gospel" style church. But our musicians really know how to let loose when called upon. It was awesome.

What was your favorite part of your service? 

This post is part of TheWorshipCommunity.com's Sunday Setlist. Check it out to see what other worshipers are doing around the world. 

Free Bacon, Fun Splashing, & Wet Burgers

I took the day off work Tuesday just to have fun with the fam at our local water park, Splash Adventure. Overall we had a great day.

Our day started out GREAT! I shared this on the book of the faces....

 

We had a couple of "buy one get one free" coupons that we got online. So we expected that many other folks wold have them as well, making the crowd almost unbearable. We were SO wrong. There was a very small crowd today. We rarely had to stand in line on any slide. It was great.

 

We learned a few things that day:

1. Most humans are weird looking, myself included. The various stages of undressed humans on display at waterparks is proof of this.

2. If a 9 yr old rides "Upsurge", he will go about this high...

 

Ethan riding Upsurge

But if you are a 7 year old, and ride with your "more than pleasantly plump" father, you will almost touch the top...

Gavin & Shawn riding Upsurge

3. One might normally complain about the long lines at waterparks. One who would complain might want to consider how much more tiring it is to be able to walk right onto every ride. After a day with no lines, one might feel like he spent the day on a stair master.

4. It's amazing how many used band aids can be found on the ground and in the water at a water park, even with a small attendance.

5. If it begins to storm while you're at a waterpark do these 2 things.

A. Make a plan to cover your burgers and fries as you run through the rain to feed your family. Cheeseburgers are not as good when they are wet. I'm thankful the deli worker thought of that and gave me a tray to carry it on and a tray to cover it with.

B. Wait out the storm. Some of the folks with us waited it out and had the park almost to themselves for the last couple hours. I came home and took a nap. So it was still a win.

After that awesome nap, I've spent most of the evening watching Shark Week documentaries on discovery channel.

Again I'll say, overall, we've had a great day.

What have you learned at a waterpark?