2006 March archive at isaac downing

Archive for March, 2006

31Marnew books.

It’s been a long week at the Downing home. Not that anything traumatic has happened or any situation has come up to make it a long and exhausting week, but somewhere between the Monday morning sales meeting at work, and the late closing I had tonight… my energy has been sapped. So, tonight was a date night. Not a fancy date night, just a casual my-wife-and-I-are-still-best-friends date night, so we could just "hang out" together.
Dinner was at Panera…arguably one of my favorite places in Peoria. Breakfast is always amazing. Who would’ve thought bagels and cream cheese could be so satisfying and fulfilling… anyway, we had dinner there and we had soups and sandwiches with tea. Then it was off to Barnes & Noble to find at least one of the books I’ve seen on everyone’s blogs lately, "First Impressions," "Change the Way You See Everything," and "Simply Strategic Stuff" among several others… overall I give Barnes’ a D+ on actually having books in stock. But I did find a copy of "Chasing Daylight" by Erwin McManus. I’ve been subscribing to the Mosaic podcast for a while now, and I am ready to tear into this book! If you haven’t started subscribing to it, you need to start today.
And I did find one book on my list: "Change the Way You See Everything." So, tonight was a pretty good night. I got Panera. I got books. And it’s Friday! No work tomorrow! So, now I am going to sign off for the weekend and enjoy some time of reading and refreshment.

in Books & Film. 0 Comments

30Mareaster designs.

Here is the front and back of the postcards we are using for our upcoming Easter Sunrise Service. We’re only sending them out to the local neighborhood (circulation of around 2,000+) so unless you live within a dozen blocks of the church like I do, it isn’t likely that you’ll see one of these landing in your mailbox…

You can still come to our sunrise service on Easter morning, though! And the breakfast afterwards is always incredible. Eggs…coffee…bacon…coffee…fresh fruit…coffee…pastries… and best of all: coffee.

It’s a beautiful thing to be in the house of the Lord.

Front:
Easter Postcard - Front

Back:
Easter Postcard - Back

in Art & Design and Twelve Oaks. 0 Comments

29Marstill learning.

Once in a while you are walking along, thinking to yourself how everything is so well "together" and then the inevitable happens…the Lord speaks to you through someone you haven’t even met and all of a sudden out of nowhere… [boom!] …they blow your cover wide open.
I was walking along, perfectly happy with my walk with Christ and the way our worship was progressing at Twelve Oaks. Then, I go and read this article by Perry Noble… and Goodbye complacency. I have some work to do. Allow me to summarize it for you…

Qualities of a Great Worship Leader

1. A great worship leader is a Deflector. A worship leader that refuses to touch God’s glory, but instead deflects all praise and honor right back to God.

2. A great worship leader is Intimately Connected With God. What do people remember most about me at church? Is it how great the strumming pattern sounded on that second chorus of "Men of Faith"? Or is it how in love with the Lord I am?

3. A great worship leader Knows And Understands The World He Lives In. Be willing and able to connect with the culture in which we live, and maintain a proper balance of culture with worship.

4. A great worship leader must be Attentive To The Holy Spirit. I have never had a worship set list work out so well as when I truly just began to worship personally before searching through titles. The songs literally just fall into place, and I hardly have to work at "organizing the worship" because it’s a natural outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Also, we have to be in tune with what the pastor is preaching about, and coordinate the two parts well so we can successfully utilize both "wings of the bird."

5. A great worship leader must have a Great Relationship With The Senior Pastor. I can’t imagine leading worship where I didn’t have respect for the pastor that was speaking, but I can tell you that it would be a nightmare. Any tension between these two guys is immediately visible to everyone, because they are the two most visible people in the church.

6. A great worship leader will Seek Talent. Develope other leaders! You aren’t the first worship leader, and you won’t be the last. Pass on what the Lord has taught you to others in the church, and be blessed by how the Lord uses you beyond what you can accomplish alone.

I am a work in progress. I’ll be the first to admit that… thank the Lord for mercy and patience. If I was God, I would’ve fulfilled the Far Side cartoon, where God is depicted sitting at a control booth in front of a monitor, watching a piano plummet towards an unsuspecting passer-by. All the while God’s finger is moments away from pressing the "SMITE" button and ending his miserable existence. But as of this moment, I am yet-to-be-smited…because God is far more patient than I am.

Link

in Worship. 0 Comments

28Marplaxo.

Has anyone else heard of this?

It works with most email services to sync up your computers. I now have my work PC synchronized with my home PC. And I can access my entire contact list from anywhere! That is exciting (and free) stuff… A big round of applause goes out to Scott Hodge for showing me the light.

in Web/Tech. 0 Comments

27MariTunes.

Open iTunes.

Go to your library and sort by song.
First Song: A Beautiful Collision - David Crowder Band
Last Song: Your Name is Holy - Vineyard Worship (Hungry)

Now sort by time…
Shortest Song: I Still Miss Someone - Johnny Cash
Longest Song: Rest - Big Daddy Weave

Now search by Artist…
First: American Hi-Fi
Last: Zemphyra (Russian techno-pop)

And finally the shuffle…
1. Hosanna - Paul Baloche: A Greater Song
2. Hold Me Jesus - Rich Mullins: Songs
3. Anacin - Our Lady Peace: Clumsy
4. A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash: Live at San Quentin
5. Fearless - the Bravery: (self-titled)

There are more steps, but now I’m bored with it.

So, why post something as trivial and time-wasting as some random elements of my music choices? …drumroll please… Paul Baloche released his new album today on his online store, and I
was one of the first 10 people to purchase it! I don’t think there’s a prize beyond receipt of the disc for being among the first, but at least he has the knowledge that I am one of his most faithful and raving fans.
If you lead worship or lead/pastor a church where there is worship, then you need to get the Modern Worship DVD series. It will dramatically help your worship team. I encourage anyone who hasn’t heard of Paul Baloche (even though you’ve probably sang his songs already and didn’t know it) to check out the resources on his website: leadworship.com. Most of which are available free of charge!