A little Jewish man named Jake, would always deliver a smile and a warm word of encouragement.  You may have noticed him from the photos of our Easter Sunday service, as he came forward carrying his sign of a "resurrected life."  He had to be assisted to the stage, but was obviously thrilled to be accepted and loved by the Farragut Church.

There was a time when I never would have heard the words "funeral" and "celebration" in the same sentence.  Although Christians have always acknowledged (intellectually) the benefits of a heavenly reward, most funeral services seem to have become a combination of grief and somber reflection.

I am encouraged by the trend toward transforming these times into actual "celebrations" of the lives of God's unique children.  Far from the 100% somber occasions of yesteryear, I'm thankful to have attended memorials where family and friends are invited to share stories, favorite memories, and in many cases, humorous recollections in honor of the deceased.

My father passed away during the time of the Olympics.  Jerry Jones read the passage from 2 Timonty 4, "He has finished the race. . ." And in celebration of his "crossing the finish line," Jerry concluded by asking everyone to offer a standing ovation for my Dad in honor of this reality.  We were deeply moved by this unusual, yet appropriate gesture - bringing the "eternal" clearly to the forefront.  I'm deeply touched by a service that embraces all the emotions and encourages tears of sorrow and joy, with songs of celebration.  I hope this trend continues.

When I describe the Sunday singing I've heard at many churches, I 'll sometimes say, "That sounds like a funeral service."  Everyone understands that I mean it is slow, draggy, sad, and devoid of enthusiasm.  Yet, Christian funerals should not be characterized in this way.  When a believer crosses the finish line, it is indeed painful for those of us who miss their presence; however, it's a very positive graduation to be applauded by all whose faith is in God.

What is your experience?  Are most of the funerals you attend merely sad "goodbyes?"  Or, do they truly celebrate precious loved ones and honor their unique contributions to our lives?

I've sung for many more funerals than I have officiated.  A few years ago, I recall a funeral where the preacher did not say ONE THING about the deceased, but proceeded to preach an evangelistic sermon.  My heart ached for that family who were shortchanged with an impersonal, boiler-plate ceremony.

Thank you for listening to my opinions.  Have you witnessed true celebrations?  What are your thoughts about the way funerals ought to be conducted?

The Tulsa Fairgrounds was certainly not lacking energy with the singing this week.

One of the great blessings of big events like the Tulsa Workshop, College Lectureships, ACAFEST and such, is the "family reunion" aspect.  These provide opportunities to see friends we may rarely see otherwise.

Ever read the phrase on a vacation postcard saying, "The weather is beautiful. - Wish you were here." ?
The weather here in Oklahoma is beautiful, yet I think Tulsa should steal the nickname "windy city" from Chicago.
We wish you could have experienced last night's kick-off of the 2008 workshop.  Maybe we'll see some of you Friday evening at the Tulsa Fairgrounds?

Last night, I got to rehearse with the Memorial Drive praise teams to prepare for tonight's "kick off" and for Friday evening's worship time.

It was great to hear from my friend and former AVB vocalist, Shannon Beasley earlier this week.  He sent me a link to this story in Sunday's New York Times about college a cappella groups.

Some consider a cappella enthusiasts to be nerdy geeks.  I suppose I'm guilty as charged.  However, when introduced to the smooth sub-sounds of Rodney Britt alongside the captivating ad-libs of George Pendergrass within original compositions, even the most avid musical critics appreciate the magical tapestry of voice-only music.

Often I have wondered why Sweet Fellowship has been an all-time favorite Acappella album - mimicked, recorded and performed by numerous groups around the world.  Perhaps it has something to do with the "singability" of the arrangements.  Through these simple songs, people connect and discover the joys of making music.  Many have discovered the experience of music and enjoying the "sweet fellowship."

What are your favorite memories of being an active part of a singing group?

I don't want to reopen the "southeast versus southwest" or "pork versus beef" barbecue debate, but I just enjoyed some fine beef brisket at Dickey's in Dallas.  Tennesseans don't know much about brisket and Texans don't know a lot about pulled pork sandwiches.  When it comes to ribs, I think that Memphis is the place to be, except for that esqusite sauce we enjoyed in Charlotte earlier this month.

In college, I remember going to a place by the side of the road that served outstanding barbecue.  I'm not sure if they passed all the health inspections, but they sure knew how to cook.  Where is your favorite place for barbecue?

Here's a shot with some of my buds on the Mexican Riviera cruise.


Apparently, no one told us that we could not fly. 
Thanks, Joy Henry for the photo!

My friend, Brian Knost, who leads worship in West Virginia, shared this story with me.  The Lynn Street Church in Parkersburg celebrated its 100 year anniversary.


The celebration was also joined by members of the Belpre church that was started by Lynn Street members 75 years ago.  The minister for Belpre is Ron Laughery, who is celebrating his 50th year in ministry and has been at Belpre for 35 years.  What a great achievement to be celebrated.

Thanks for passing this on to us, Brian.  I love to celebrate ministers being committed to one church for a long period and also see important milestones for congregations.

Read the story in the newspaper here.

This morning, Farragut hosted a celebration unlike any other I've experienced!  I am so thankful to be part of a loving church family that is not afraid to express their emotions, and who are serious about allowing God to turn weakness, failure and pain into a resurrected life.
Tears were flowing as people came forward with a discouraging message on one side of each sign which was turned over to reveal what can happen when you allow the power of God to touch your life.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this sensitive topic.  The longer we conduct these P&H workshops and the more churches we deal with, the more we are convinced that our generation is facing a dearth of well-trained worship leaders to enthusiastically lead God's people in an adequate way.

For that reason, more of my energy is being allocated toward training worship leaders.  We realize that change cannot happen overnight, but one significant obstacle is how most ANY change (even positive change) is received with skepticism in most churches.  We witness aspiring leaders who are willing to grow, adapt and become more expressive in their worship, only to be "shot down" and criticized when they attempt some baby steps toward change.

How can congregations prayerfully approach change and seek a revival in worship?  How can elders challenge, inspire and support their worship leaders to model worship in a way that people are hungering for?  How can a church move together toward expressive worship without alienating or splintering?

Of course, I'm happy to see that one of the byproducts of the Praise & Harmony workshops is how these settings bring the entire congregation (simultaneously) into an awareness, and more importantly, a desire to change and grow.  In this context, it is much easier for song leaders to upgrade their approach toward excellence within a loving and understanding environment.  I've seen too many well-meaning song leaders discouraged because the congregation was not prepared for, or understanding why there was an  attempt to change (or improve).

The word change is a buzzword of the U.S. presidential campaign.  Perhaps I've gotten ahead of myself.  Maybe some leaders don't want change for their churches, and that should be discussed first.  However, most people I talk with realize the need to improve our singing and make up for the lack of training and emphasis of prior decades.

I'll be conducting some workshops designed solely for the worship leaders for particular congregations.  This summer, we will be working with 12 leaders (from across the country) to help them improve their skills in leading God's people.  We do not want to approach this without the full-cooperation and support of their respective elders, who will nurture and assist these godly men in their chosen goal of serving the church in this way.

I realize my comments have been long-winded, but I would really love to hear your insights as to how we can:

A.  Help worship leaders reach their full potential
B.  Prepare congregations for the changes that are inherent in that process.

Thank you for your comments!

One week ago today, we saw this car show in Nassau.



If you'd like to see more, here's the gallery

Earlier today, we went to lunch with our good friends, John & Beverly Grayson.  It's fun going to places where we've never dined before.  This restaurant, called The Standard, is located in downtown Nashville.

Last Sunday, we saw this entire Anglican Church marching.

Discovering the flavor of this island.

Sharon and I were greatly blessed by our weekend in Nassau.

The Portrait Gallery I recently launched consisted only of the Holy God recording participants - until now.  I have added photos taken at the Highbury Church on Sunday.

The sun is not the only source of light shining on this beautiful Island of the Bahamas. 

Here are some strong visual hints:

Do you have adequate parking for visitors for your Sunday services?  I know of some growing churches where visitors drive up and immediately leave after finding no parking spaces.

As I'm catching up on posting my galleries, here is one of the Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle trip.  The panoramic views were incredible.  Our plan is to make this trip a few more times, Lord willing.

We've all done it.  Almost in horror, we suddenly realize that the words we just spoke were critical, painful and even destructive.  Sometimes it may be on purpose and other times we may utter biting words in jest.
 

With college, careers, travel and activities pulling us every which direction, it is difficult to find time for our family to all be together at one time.  Yesterday was one of those rare times.  Initiated by our youngest, who is a student a Lipscomb University, all of us were together for a wonderful time of laughing, love and fellowship.

It won't be long until we are together again on Easter at the Farragut Church.  We're planning a very special service that Sunday.

Some of you have already registered to join us for the Fall Colors 2008 Cruise.  We'll be leaving New York and visiting some fabulous ports in New England and Canada.  We recommend that you join us for an optional two extra days before the cruise to tour New York City.

See the updated information and book your Fall Colors Cruise vacation with us through Queenslander Tours.

You've seen them in the galleries of the Praise & Harmony recording sessions.  You will hear them at the International Soul-Winning Workshop in Tulsa later this month.  And, they will be making their first appearance as part of Lipscomb's Summer Celebration and ACAFEST this summer - July, 4th week.

What would we do without people to organize and manage details?  Keith Webber did an outstanding job of coordinating details at the Oklahoma recording last week.

I was disappointed when I realized that Kimberly could not be at the Tulsa recording sessions to document the weekend in pictures.  No worries.  Mary Lewis, of Summerville, South Carolina, brought her cameras and captured the experience.  What a blessing!  Although I once feared seeing this weekend escape with no photos, we were blessed with a lot of help from my friends.