My Worship Revolution

2pm-4pm.
That’s now.
Come see Delirious live at my Mogulus page.
Let’s worship!

*UPDATE – Delirious? is looping along with Brenton Brown now.  Enjoy!

On the last day of Royal Family Kids Camp, I was getting things
ready for the final object lesson and Bible story at the amphitheater. 
I was walking by the basketball when one of the kids started to talk to
me.  He went on to say he didn't want to go home, and I knew it was
time to stop and sit down.

He told me that in the past year he
had moved five times.  Every time he loses all of his friends, and it
feels like that is just happening all over again this week.  He said
he's moved about five times every year.
My heart sank.
He didn't
think he could come next year cause he wouldn't be in the foster care
system anymore.  I understand it takes awhile to get out even if you're
adopted or return home, so we still might see him.

He shared a
few other things too.  But that was the stuff that really got me.  The
idea of uprooting and leaving all the friends and family you know every
2-3 months.  It really is painful.  It really does affect them.  And
this situation isn't uncommon.

It's hard to know what to say to
that.  He admitted that he was glad that he came.  But that gives you a
little glimpse into the heart of a ten year old little foster boy.

Could it be?
Here's how we started the day here on Tuesday.

It started with this great "Behind the Music" video:

Soon after, this is what ensued:

Comeback tour?
Who's in?

There have been some great times of worship at the Purpose Driven Worship Conference.
And in many of those worship times, my mind keeps coming back to the same thought.
Several times I have found myself moved to tears as I think about Caleb. And about our unborn child.
As I think about Ryan and Noah.
As I think about Zach and Zoey.
I think about the day that I could see them choose to worship Jesus with this passion and excitement.
And then I start praying for them.

I thought of this picture of Caleb and Ryan with their arms up playing.
I look forward to the picture of them older, side by side, with their arms up worshiping their maker together.

Jesus, I lift up the next generation of our family to you.
Please make them worshipers.  Passionate, world changing worshipers.
Prepare them to surrender every day of their lives in worship to You.
Help us as parents, aunts, and uncles to love them and teach them how to worship.
Thank you in advance for the day I get to lead worship alongside Caleb.
In Jesus name,
AMEN!

Sitting in “Leading Your Team Through Social Media” breakout right now.  I’d tell you who’s leading it, but you probably already know, and if you don’t it will give away an answer.

I was hanging out at Saddleback between sessions and noticed that the group I was hanging with contained several bloggers.  So, just for fun for you blog addicts, I wanna see if anyone can name all 5 bloggers in this picture.  I thought about offering a prize, but I can’t think of anything good.  Maybe I’ll send you a CD with chord charts we got.

Anyone?

At Royal Family Kids Camp, I had the honor of sharing with the kids and leading our campfire time on our last day.  It is a time if sharing our favorite memories, then talking to the kids about hurts, pains, and disappointment.  They each get a piece of wood and are invited to bring it down to the fire and throw it in when they were ready as a sign of trusting their hurts to God.  During this time we play a song they know, "Lay It Down", by Jana Alayra, on the guitar.  It's a profound night for these kids, and the emotion that night is pretty intense.

I gave a short talk to set up the time of giving our hurts up to God.  We talked about going back home to the lives that were down the mountain, staff and campers alike.  As part of that, I shared some of my own story with them.  I started by telling them about my parents being divorced when I was two years old.  What I wasn't expecting was a response.  When I shared that, a voice came from the crowd that said,

"Mine too!"

Following that, there must have been 15-20 kids who raised hands and shouted that out as well.  It kinda blew me away.  I stopped for a minute and looked to the right where I caught Chris's eyes while I composed myself quickly before moving on.

All these kids sitting here from broken homes.  In reality I was pretty lucky with parts of my story.  Already many of these kids have lived through things more horrific than I can imagine, or want to.  It reinforced in me a passion to see healthy marriages in our communities to keep these situations from happening over and over again.

*Bonus Story: To lighten the mood a bit, we had lots of great songs to sing at camp.  I had a good time belting them out at random times in the not-so-prettiest of voices.  One time a kid shouted out, "Don't quit your day job!"  To which I then replied, "Actually…that is my day job."

Guess I might need to be job hunting soon!

I was gonna drop in some music.
I was gonna edit it a little bit.
I don't have time this week.
So nothing fancy.  Here it is.

I do think that is the last time I film from the side.
My nose looks freaking huge!

How was Sunday for you?

For a small taste of a session here at the Purpose Driven Worship Conference, swing by my Mogulus page to see a 30 minute looping recording from a live webcast of Brenton Brown sharing some new music and thoughts on worship.
Enjoy!

And let me know you stopped by!

I shared yesterday about my opportunity to be involved at Royal Family Kids Camp this year.  If you missed it, go back and check it out.

Around the middle of the week I was sent up to help out in a cabin as a relief counselor while the regular counselors took their break.  When I arrived I found out that one of the campers would not stay in his bed on the top bunk.  He wanted to get down and go to find his counselor.  He refused to say a word to us.

I shared the job of keeping him in his bed for close to an hour.  Standing on a chair, holding his arm and the bottom of his feet as he tried to get down.  Let me tell you, he was not happy with me at all!  Pushed me away.  Swatted at me.  Wouldn't talk.  But we kept talking to him.  We promised him that his counselor would be back and that we would stay till he did.  My heart broke as I watched the kid, and I also knew he was gonna end up hating the Bible teacher guy, which would do wonders for his view of God.

After his counselor got back, we were able to identify one of his concerns and talk him into going to sleep.  Then came breakfast the next morning, and I was amazed.  He kept coming over to me and playing with me and smiling at me more than he had all week long.  Was this the same kid?  Had he forgotten?

I thought back to our training.  I thought about the time we spent talking about the ways that the kids would even test us at times.  Considering their pasts, it was just something that happened.  Something tells me that somewhat unpleasant interaction had actually built trust between us.  I promised I would stay, and I did, even when I saw him at his worst.  i didn't decide to give up like perhaps someone else in his life had.  His counselor came back too, just like we all said he would.

It's amazing to me to think that an interaction like this, could in such a strange way, create relationship between us.  It was amazing that this could actually influence him in a positive way.  The next day I discovered that this kid had a beautiful smile.  And he probably became one of my favorite kids there.

Can’t seem to get video off my camera right now, including my Worship Confessional for this week.  So a quick recap of the day with pics.

Went by my old churches VBS this morning to visit a bunch of old friends that I really miss.

Jenny always does an amazing job putting this week together, decor and all.  This year seems to be no different.

Afterward, David and I got free tickets to Disneyland to hang with several of those friends.  Good stuff.

The new Toy Story ride is way cool!  As I was told before going, like Buzz Lightyear, but even better.

Oh yeah…we did come down here for a worship conference, huh?  So off to Saddleback it was after California Screamin, Toy Story, Tower of Terror, Monsters, INC, and Soarin Over California.

Great beginning to the conference with a concert with Adam Watts, Meredith Andrews and Leeland.  I’ll try to get some video from that up soon.

I noticed afterward from my twitter feed that several Tweets were headin to Denny’s, including my friend Rich Kirkpatrick.  So I hung at Denny’s for a while with @steveeller, @rkweblog, @englishguy, and @eshouse, as well as a bunch of peeps from Rich’s team, including the infamous Mike Dalton.

Quick side story.  I walk in and a girl at the table looks at me and does a double take.  I know she looks familiar, too.  “Bobby?”  I managed to remember her name.  Ellie.  But I can’t figure out how I know her.  She reminds me and it all comes back quickly.

First, know that Rich leads worship in Temecula where I used to live and do ministry.  Ellie was in the first Jr. High youth group I helped lead there and she led worship with me then.  Now she is going to Biola, and an intern at Sunridge Community Church.  I feel old.  I was proud to hear that she blogs, so go on over and say hello.  Way to go Ellie!

And with that, I’m going to sleep for a couple hours!!  Goodnight peeps!