Head Into the Wind!

Good morning friends. I hope that this morning finds you happy and feeling positive.

I thought I'd share some thoughts today from a guy that I read almost every morning. Seth Godin runs a website that's ranked #50 in the US for the most internet traffic. It's called Squidoo and if you're like me, you've barely heard of it. This was his post a couple of days ago:

"Yesterday, Squidoo reached one of its goals: We're now ranked #50 among all US sites in traffic. Ahead of the New York Times and Apple.

There are more than four million pages on Squidoo, from a recipe for candied chickpeas to an entire magazine about Halloween. All built by our talented members. The thing is, our tiny team grew this way with intent. Stepwise progress is a choice, and it means you invest, measure and focus your energy differently. It can be frustrating, because shortcuts get ever more tempting along the way.

With 50,000,000 unique visitors a month, our platform seems to be hitting its stride. A typical overnight success that took seven years to build. Thanks to the squids and to everyone who helped us get this far."

Now, what does this have to do with the Bay Life Worship Arts blog? Well, it's an encouragement. As a worship Pastor, I find it difficult to have patience when I don't see results NOW! My nature wants to short-cut or use some fancy process that will turbo-charge my efforts to get things done.

Now, God's word has something to say about this as you may expect. My mind goes to the parable of the seed, the Israelites in the desert, Job's life and so on but I actually have come to love a single verse and feel like God may have put it in the Bible just for me. It's Galatians 6:9 and it says:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

So there you go. Keep on keeping on, step forward and keep making the next best step that you can make. Know that God is for us and that nothing can separate us from His love and care. That's enough for me!

Blessings,

Brad

Happy Summer Break!

Hey Friends,

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I'd take a minute today to say hello.

I hope you're having a great summer! It's getting close to mid-July so if you have summer plans, it's about time to get on with them - don't let the season get away from you. Have a great time!

Recently, I've been listening to a podcast called Car Talk on NPR. It's a great show that features two brothers who take calls from people with car issues and engage in advice that sounds like something that two of your wacky uncles would give you! The car advice is solid but the real attraction is how the brothers manage the conversations! It's a very funny show and a great way to make an hour of exercise easier to take.

Here's what I'm learning:
1. Having a good brother is great, and
2. A conversation with anyone is delightful if you are!

So here's what I'm gonna do - and you can hold me to it - I'm going to hang out with my brothers more and I'm going to have better conversations!

Now if you know me well, you'll understand that this is a challenge for me. You see, I'm a type A personality - I'm ALWAYS on a mission. At any given time, a conversation that interrupts my current accomplishment is in the way of the plan. Often, this is a mistake. Notice that I said often - you'll never get a guy like me to say that it's always a mistake because stuff's gotta get done! I've got to do better.

That's it! So, nothing too spiritual, just something that God is teaching me and well, life is always spiritual anyway, isn't it?

Now in the spirit of Car Talk, I'd like you to comment on this post but would you please tape your comments to the back of a 1965 Left-handed, Gibson Les Paul Ultima with high-grade quilt Maple top and flame inlaid Ebony fingerboard and mail it to my office in Brandon, FL.

Thanks and have a great summer!

Brad

Picnic at Medard Park

Easter Season at Bay Life Church

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to write a little note to let you know that we're going to have a great Easter season - you don't want to miss what we're planning. Go to baylife.org for more.

First of all, I encourage you to get your hands on an Easter reading guide - I'm doing one from the You Version Bible called, Lent for Everyone. I'm enjoying it in preparation for Easter - great to be able to read from God's word as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week.

Secondly, we're planning an amazing experience for April 4-6 called, Journey to the Cross.

"Journey to the Cross is a contemplative experience that will guide us through 9 different elements of Holy Week. It's designed to be a time of reverence that draws us closer to our Savior and enriches our relationship with him." 

Mark your calendars and bring your family, friends and anyone you can convince to be here - it'll be an experience you won't forget.

Finally, plan on attending our Easter Service on April 7-8. It's going to be an exceptional celebration of the glory of our risen Savior. We'll worship, hear from God's word and learn how the word Empty and all that it symbolizes should have a profound effect on our lives. The service is going to be really special - don't miss it.

See you there,

Brad

Psalm 37

From Psalm 37

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

I like the thought in the middle of this passage - "Delight yourself in the Lord ...". I'm not a person that naturally delights in things. I'm the "get it done and don't mess around" guy. So, I've had to actually guard against becoming hardened to the joys of life and God's blessings.

Thankfully, God has blessed me with a wife that is as far the other way, toward delighting in things, as I am from it - He's great at putting complementing people together. So recently, I've been delighting in His blessings - in taking a walk around the lake in my neighborhood, in coaching a baseball team, in friendships and things that mean a lot to me but I forget to enjoy. I've found that when do I forget, all I have to do is pay attention to Reba and she gets me back on track.

Maybe this is something that provokes some thought in you. Maybe you need to spend some time with someone who delights in things more than you do.

That's it for today.

Brad

Romans 7:18

Hello friends,

It's a rainy day here in sunny Florida! Oh well, it'll be beautiful tomorrow. Today, I've been reflecting on some thoughts that my friend Glen shared last night at Bay Life Worship Choir - a great evening together, by the way. We were looking at the lyrics of the song Forever Reign http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US# . The opening line says, "You are good, You are good when there's nothing good in me". Glen showed us a verse in Romans that made this idea jump off the page for me. This is what it says:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)

This is Paul, yes the writer of half of the New Testament, making this confession to us. If even he had issues with doing what is right, who are we to think that we would not have trials, temptations and struggles in this life. If we're relying on our own willpower to keep our Christian lives on the rails we're going to be disappointed. We are human, our faithfulness to our Savior has to be infused with a heaping dose of grace for it to work. To think that we can be Christ-followers otherwise is to devalue His cross and its absolute necessity in this world.

With this truth, we are both humbled and we are buoyed up. We must remember that we can only live for Him as we rely on Him and, that we should not be crushed with the reality of our inevitable failures. Praise God, what a relief! However you're struggling today, be encouraged that He loves us in spite of ourselves and keep on trucking!

Thanks Glen!

Brad

Spring Musical Season Starts Tonight!

Hey Bay Life Worship Choir,

I hope that you're well and that you have plans to join us tonight as we begin our preparations for our Spring Musical scheduled for May 5-6. It's going to be a great choir season with performance events, a good number of soloist opportunities and even an ensemble or two.

I can't wait to go over the music with you all this evening. Come out to at 7 pm and don't forget to make that phone call and bring a friend.

I thought I'd let you see the choir book front cover.

See you tonight,
Brad

Merry Christmas! It's the best day of our lives!

I sit here in my living room, reflecting on the year that was, thinking about the day that is and looking to a future that will be.

It's been a great year. God's favor on me, my family, my church, my city, my country has been real and precious. To say that God has been good is sincerely an understatement. Sure, there have been losses, difficult times and heartache but God has been faithful and He has overcome the world. I am blessed.

Today, friends will join our family for Christmas, I have all of my needs met and my family is happy, safe and present. I am blessed.

From here, the future looks amazing. Our plans for next year are exciting and filled with hope. Much of it will come true and much will happen for good that I haven't even directly planned. Glory to God - I am blessed.

Over time, I realize that the balance of positive and negative experiences in life will change and eventually, life will be hard. That in essence is our human condition but God is still good.

So, today is the best day of our lives because today is the day we have. I pray that you will trust God, dig in and do it with everything you've got.

Merry Christmas!

Brad

Special Christmas Weekend

Hope Has Come! 

Don't miss this weekend at Bay Life Church! We have an exciting, special weekend planned that will be a perfect opportunity for you to bring a friend to church for Christmas. So, if you know someone who attends church at Easter and Christmas, make sure that you extend an invitation to them this weekend.

We'll be live at Bay Life on Saturday, Dec 17 @ 6 pm and on Sunday, Dec 18 @ 8:30, 10 & 11:30 am. To watch online, go to baylife.org and click on watch live.

Christmas blessings to all!

See you there,

Brad

That Starry Night - Christmas 2011

Hey Everyone,

Tonight we begin music preparations for Christmas! Yes, it feels a little late compared to other years, but we're confident that things will be ready for our services on Dec 17-18. If you're a part of our team, consider this is your notice to make sure that you attend all rehearsals as we get ready.

This year we've moved our main Christmas worship event to the week before Christmas to make sure we're able to create something that will appeal to those who come to church twice a year out of obligation - we hope to engage them in a presentation of Christ's birth that they cannot ignore. Start inviting your friends and plan to make a difference in somebody's life this Christmas.

We're also excited to begin our holiday series next weekend, Nov 26-27. Throughout the series we'll be observing the five weeks of Advent by following the weekly theme and by lighting a candle in our weekend services.

Nov 26-27 - Love Has Come
Dec 3-4 - Joy Has Come
Dec 10-11 - Peace Has Come
Dec 17-18 - Hope Has Come
Dec 24 - Christ Has Come

It's going to be a great season - don't miss it!

Brad

Volunteer Profile - Lisa Ranck

Lisa has served in our choir for 4 years and is a member of our Soprano section. Thanks for sharing Lisa!

A Big Weekend for Bay Lifers!

Hey everyone,

I’m so excited to get together with our worship arts volunteers this evening as we continue working on our recording and spend time preparing for this weekend’s services. It’s always a pleasure to see everyone and hear how God has been working in your lives these days.

All week, we’ve been preparing to celebrate baptism with about 30 Bay Lifers in this weekend’s services. Plan to be here so that you don’t miss out on the celebration.

Finally, I want to say thanks to all of the great actors who came out last weekend to audition for our Dec 17th & 18th Christmas Worship event. We’ve cast the drama portion of the service and we’re just finalizing the last few details. I’m excited to get busy producing a creative, engaging event to which Bay Lifers will be eager to invite their friends.

Who will you invite this Christmas season? Start thinking about it now.

Blessings to you!

Brad

Don't miss Worship Night and Artist Forum - Oct 16 @ 7 pm

Hey Everyone,

There are BIG things happening at Bay Life Worship Arts in October!

Mark your calendars and invite your friends for Worship Night/Artist Forum on Oct 16 @ 7 pm. Join us for:

• an exciting display of our artists' works
• a great time of worship
• full band and choir participation
• participation in a recording of the evening - the basis for our live worship recording, being produced this semester

Also, we're currently working on art for our Worship Center. We'll soon have the privilege of displaying original works by Michelle Ferguson, Karen Bockemeier and Casey Moore. This picture is a sneak peek (I don't know if Casey wants me to show this off yet, so don't you tell - I'm excited about these art pieces)! 

Have a great day and I hope to see you all at Worship Night/Artist Forum & in church this weekend!

Blessings, 

Brad

P.S. Go RAYS! I was at Wednesday's game - it was amazing!

Volunteer Profile - Lisa Sanders

Lisa has served with us now for several years and is a member of our soprano section. Her daughter, Kaylie, is an art student in college.

Thanks for sharing Lisa.

Volunteer Profile - Rick Maya

Here's a volunteer profile for my good friend, Rick Maya. Rick serves in our choir and plays latin percussion in our weekend worship band. Looks like he's a long way from where he was born - we're blessed to have him here!

Thanks Rick!

The Worship Arts Staff Welcomes...

Hey everyone,

Please welcome Ben Diehl to the Worship Arts staff as our part-time Production Assistant. Kelly Cheeley has decided that she would like to spend weekends with her family so we have hired Ben to fill the role when she is unavailable. Ben will begin serving this weekend and will be around for all of our production and backstage needs.

Welcome Ben!

Come out to Bay Life this weekend for an exciting time of worship as we have communion together and hear from God's word. If you can't attend, find us live on Sunday at baylife.org @ 8:30, 10 & 11:30 am.

It's not to late to join our choir - come out tonight @ 7 pm - you'll love it! Our next choir performance weekend is Oct 8-9.

Have a great week! And ... wherever you are, I hope that you'll be found attending a great church this Sunday.

Blessings,
Brad

Bring a Friend!

Hey everyone, 


It's another Thursday and I'm excited to tell you what's happening here at Bay Life Church. It's choir weekend and we have the added privilege to be in services where we'll be baptizing around 30 people! We'll be celebrating with folks that have made a decision to follow Christ with all of their hearts and to proclaim it to everyone around them. 


We're also looking forward to tonight's rehearsals as we prepare for what God is going to do at our 4 weekend services. Here's a post that I found on a choir member's (Reba's) Facebook page today -  


"Today is the day! It's here! We've been waiting all summer for it. It's "Bring a friend night at choir!" Come & join us for an ice cream social @ 7 pm & meet some pretty great people like you. We hope to see you there."


So yeah, come out tonight and join us for a great choir season and a very special weekend.


Blessings,
Brad


"Like" Bay Life Church on Facebook
Also, be my friend on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

Choir Starts & Worship Arts Volunteer Profile

Hey everyone,

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all at choir or band practice this evening. Invite your friends to choir, it's a great opportunity to serve God and make a difference in our community. I promise that they'll have a great time!

Here's a fun project - fill out my Worship Arts Volunteer Profile form. We want to get to know you, so answer as many questions as you want on the form and I'll post it here on the blog. I thought i'd get it started so click here for my profile.

Blessings to you!
Brad

Bay Life Worship Arts Kick-off 2011

Hey Everyone,

Happy back-to-school week! I hope it got off to a great start and that your hopes for this school year are realized. We sent Zach off to 11th grade this morning and realized that there's only 1 more back-to-school day left before ours are both off to college instead of grade school - CRAZY! Treasure these days and thank God for every opportunity that you have to be directly involved in their lives - it goes by quickly!

I'm writing to let you know that I'm expecting to see you this Thursday evening @ 7 pm. in the Worship Center. I have some exciting things to share with you and I want you to be aware of our plans for the 2011-2012 ministry year. Bay Life Worship Arts has one all-call meeting per year and this is it - here's the agenda:

• Refreshments
• Inspiration
• Information to help you prepare for your involvement in our ministry together this year
• Opportunities for you to volunteer
• Good conversation

Don't miss it!

Blessings and see you Thursday,
Brad

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Well, it's been a really great week at Kidapalooza! So many kids and a real energy that's been incredible. We've seen great work by so many volunteers including the ones on the worship arts team - way to go everyone! Special mention goes to Stephen Stough for his work with the creative teaching team.

This weekend we continue our series at Bay Life called, Real Church: Beginnings.  Don't miss the men's choir for our Father's Day services. Guys, come out and join us as we provide worship leadership this weekend - it's gonna be a great time together.

One final note, if you're around and available on Friday night at 8:30, we could sure use help getting the worship center back together for church. Our stage will need to be reset and the chairs in our room will need to be put back in place. 

Dads, here's Happy Father's Day to you and also to my Dad in Canada. I think his present came last night when his favorite team (I can't bring myself to say the name) won the Stanley Cup! Go Leafs Go!

Blessings!

Brad