Guest Speaker - Aaron Crider - CORE, CHARACTER & CRAFT.

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting Aaron & Holly Crider from Gateway Church in Southlake Texas. As a part of our "Weekend of Worship", Aaron led a mini-conference on Saturday morning on the topic of "Core, Character & Craft", the 3 C's of a healthy worship ministry. Here are the three sessions with an added Q&A at the end. I trust you will be as blessed as we were.

Enjoy!

Special Guest for February Night of Worship

Greetings friends. My apologies on taking so long to post. I'm working towards adding more contributors to help with posting more often. Between weekend services & wrapping up our first semester of the school of worship, things have been quite busy around here. 

I am excited to finally announce that we will be hosting a very special guest at our next Night of Worship on Feb. 2nd. Sion Alford is the Executive Worship Pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake Texas. 

As stated in his bio..."I try to give oversight to the craziest and most insane worship department in the world."

In just short of 14 years, this influential church has grown from 180 people to over 20,000. Unlike many "mega-churches", Gateway has amazingly kept that small family feel. As they very proudly say..."We're all about people". 

Gateway Worship has been a strong influence on my leadership, The Community School of Worship & the Worship culture as a whole here at FCC. I am so excited about the opportunity to partner with Sion & his wife as they venture north to the "Last Frontier".

The details are still in the works, but what we do know is that Sion will be leading worship with our team at the N.O.W. on Feb. 2nd. He will also be teaching at our services on Feb. 3rd. Sion wrote the curriculum for the "Worshipper's Character" that we teach at the School of Worship. He will be teaching an excerpt from that class. We are also presently working on putting together a Saturday morning gathering for area Worship Pastors & their teams. More info to come as we get closer.

Now's when you come in. Help us get the word out!

Talk at ya soon.

Gateway Conference - Day 2

What a great day thus far! After a little Chik-fil-A breakfast, Ytamar & myself were off to Gateway. You should see the beautiful table that my brother put together. It's quite inviting!

This morning we met a lot of new people. A group from Taiwan, that we met yesterday, Asked me to come teach at their school. God only knows, but I'm always open. I'm telling you, there's nothing more exciting than following the will of God. You never know where He's going to send you. Get on board!!! 

After lunch I had an impromptu meeting with a long time ministry superhero of mine, Lamar Boschman. He was the founder of the International Worship Institute. The Institute played a HUGE role in my earlier years of ministry. Lamar, a member of Gateway Church, invited me to join him in the worship green room. This was totally a God ordained meeting! I spent an hour making connections with many of the Worship Pastors here at Gateway...Walker Beach, Zach Neese, Sion Alford, David Moore, etc...They were so gracious to help me in any way possible with our school of worship. Anything from curriculum, Video Conference teaching, or even coming to Alaska to partner with us. God is SOOOOOOO Good!!



This has been a trip full of connections. I've connected with old friends, I've connected with new ones & I've made connections that will prove to come to fruition in the future. It's not a coincidence that this conference was formerly called "Connect". 

Tomorrow, I'm off to connect with my family. 

God, direct our path into the future. May our steps be yours!!

We Made It!

Though I look soooo very corny, I am TRULY excited to finally be in Texas, the land of my birth. The road to Texas was interesting to say the least. Let's recap the last week shall we...


...almost missed a production deadline to get our flyers shipped to Gateway (THANK YOU KIM)

...Started getting a cold & I never get sick

...Birthday party with 6 screaming girls. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EM!

...Bomb threat at the airport that put us 6 hours behind & pretty stinkin' cold!

...Little to no sleep on the airplane due to unforeseen seat changes. 'Nuf said.

...And to top it all off, Lisa gets shingles right before I head out.


Okay Okay. Believe it or not, I am not whining! Actually, it's just the opposite. I'm declaring that God must have something HUGE in store, for the enemy to make it so difficult to get here. We are almost finished with our first day here at the Gateway Conference & have made many wonderful connections throughout the day. It is evident that our way has been paved before us. 

So...join me in declaring victory this week! God, use us to raise up the next generation of Worship Leaders in "the Last Frontier".

Talk at ya tomorrow.

Back To School Fun Facts

With my kids starting to hit the books again & The Community School of Worship's Fall season starting next week, I have begun to reminisce on days gone by. I wasn't the best student, but for the most part, have great memories from the many schools I've attended. Ask me sometime about the fireworks incident...it was epic! 

Starting next Tuesday, we begin our first full year of the school of worship here at Faith. We have graduated (pun definitely intended) from four classes last year, to ten this year. There will be five each semester. Monday through Thursday will be our theology classes with Thursday dedicated to music. It's certainly not to late to sign up. You can always grab an application here at our website. With my thoughts ever gravitating towards this new school year, I wanted to give you a few random stats just for fun. ENJOY & have a GREAT year!!

Enrollment

The number of students enrolled in American schools from kindergarten through college now totals approximately 78.8 million.

Crayons

According to a study done by Yale University, the smell of a crayon ranks #18 on the list of most recognizable scents for adults. Since 1903, more than 120 billion Crayola crayons have been sold. Stack those end to end and they would circle the Earth 200 times.

Pencils

Pencils can write just about anywhere - in zero gravity, upside down, and under water. The average pencil can write 45,000 words and draw a line 35 miles long.  More than 2 billion pencils are used in the United States every year.

Back-to-school clothes

In August 2010, families spent $7.4 billion at family clothing stores.

Internet access

In 1995, approximately 50 percent of American schools had Internet access. Today, that number is 100 percent.

“The first day of school is always special to me. It’s the only day of the year when I’m not behind in my homework.” ~ Unknown

Hiland Quotes

Well, I'm only a few weeks later than I expected to be on these. With Easter now behind us I wanted to share with you some "Hiland thoughts" from the mouths of those God used during our trip. Here are some of those... 

"I saw God honor the desire to minister hope and salvation to God’s girls in Hiland. I saw God honor the longing of hearts to be restored to a God that loves them. I saw God honor the faithfulness of godly men and women who are in areas of authority."

- Mary, School of Worship student 

"Each obedient and growing heart played an intricate part, that when sewn together by the Master Designer; produced a resounding fountain of grace, forgiveness, and receptivity of the Father’s redeeming loving sacrifice; uniquely hewn for each person there."

- Leigh, School of Worship student 

"Tens of women got out of their seats and made their way to the stage where they prayed to receive Christ as Savior.  Tears of joy streamed down many faces and one lady told me that she now had hope.  I believe many women went from a state of hopelessness to hope during the evening."

- Lynne, School of Worship student

Here's a few thoughts from the ladies at Hiland. They were so kind to send us many encouraging notes following the evening.

"God's work was done...Seeds were planted...Lives were changed!"

"The Lord was most certainly there. It reminded me that I need to keep my strength & faith in Jesus Christ"

"I have recently accepted Jesus into my life as my Savior. Attending your presentation the other evening just touched every corner of my heart. I want so badly to grow with Jesus."

"Thank you for coming here...See you on the other side."

...AND ISN'T THAT REALLY WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!

School is in Session

Last week officially kicked off the first semester of The Community School of Worship, with last night being the first Foundations of Worship class. It was such a joy to teach this wonderful group of 19 students. Each week I will be posting a few little jewels from my notes. I trust it will be of help to you in your journey of faith. Please leave a comment on your thoughts. I would love to keep the dialogue going.

Week 1: Who Am I?

I am a PRIEST!

1 Peter 2:5

New International Version

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9

New International Version

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

My identity makes a HUGE difference in how I act & behave. If, as a congregation member, I see the platform ministry as being the only Priests, then that relieves me of any priestly duties. What would happen if the entire congregation saw ourselves as Priests? It would completely change the way we relate to God & the world around us.

As a Priest, our first job responsibility is to...

Build tabernacle.

Hebrews called the tabernacle the Tent of Meeting. When going to the tabernacle there was always an expectation of meeting with God. Only Priests can host meetings with God, or set up tabernacle. As a Priest, my most important responsibility is to make tabernacle everywhere I go & in everything I do, to set up intersections between God & man.

Deuteronomy 10:8-9

New International Version

⁸ At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. ⁹ That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.)

The 2nd thing Priests do is...

Carry the presence of God.

Anywhere I go, the Priesthood (Kingdom of God) is with me (ex. diplomatic immunity). I am an Ambassador to the Kingdom of God no matter where I go. The Kingdom of God trumps everything else when the Priesthood is present. When I walk into any room, the Kingdom of God is represented by me!

The 3rd thing Priests do is...

Minister to God.

Your primary responsibility is not to minister to the people, but to the Lord Himself first. Whether you're in the congregation or on the platform, focus your worship upon the Lord & His tastes.

The 4th thing a Priest does is...

Bless the people.

In the passage we read from Deuteronomy, God says that their next responsibility is to pronounce blessings in His name as they do today. Let's look at "blessing" from the perspective of Hod God instructed Aaron to bless the people.

Numbers 6:22-26

New International Version

The Priestly Blessing

²² "The LORD said to Moses, ²³ Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴ The LORD bless you
and keep you;
²⁵ the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

When we bless people we catalyze destiny inside that person. Ministering to their tastes is not ministering to God, but helping them walk into their ministry (priesthood) is blessing them.

If we bless people from the world's perspective, they would remain who they are comfortable being, but if we bless them through the eyes of heaven we're going to propel them into God's destiny!

WOW, THAT'S GOOD STUFF!!

Until next time...

-Original lesson from Zach Neese at Gateway Worship. Modified by Mark Edington

Good Things Come in 3's

You've heard it said that good things come in 3's. Well today is no exception. I am so excited about what God is doing in & around His bride here at Faith Christian Community. Today I want to share with you three things within the Worship Arts Department that you'll want to make note of. No pun intended. Ok...maybe a little bit.

First:

This weekend we will be having a reception following all three services for those of you interested in joining the platform ministry of the Worship Arts Team. Every six months we hold open evaluations for anyone feeling the calling to serve in this way. If that's you, please come to room 201 (the student room) immediately following all three services this Saturday & Sunday. This will be purely informational, with no obligation attached. Come, hang out, eat something, learn something & go from there.

Secondly:

Three times a year we host an extended time of worship, simply called, Night of Worship. LIVE@FAITH will present this next event on Saturday, July 16th from 6-7:30. We will be wrapping up our Psalms series by singing through the same Psalms that Jesus would have used in the worship of His heavenly Father. Mark your calendars for what has proved to be an amazing night of unity in praise & worship.

With much anticipation. I give you #3:

For more than a decade I have waited on the Lord as He planted a seed deep within me to raise up strong worship leaders. I knew & believed in my heart that this would one day come to fruition in the form of a training venue for those called into this area of service, and even those within the body of Christ that simply want to learn more about worship and what it means to be a 24/7 worshipper. Friends, I'm so excited to tell you that the time is NOW & the place is HERE. Starting Sept. 6th, The Community School of Worship will begin Phase 1. We will begin with four core classes (2 theology & 2 music theory) over a two semester period. These will be held on Tuesday & Thursday evenings here on the campus of Faith. Being Phase 1, we've decided to waive all tuition fees. The only costs associated will be a $100 book fee per semester. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please click here for an informational flyer, and here for an application.

These are certainly exciting times! I look forward to you joining us as we seek to serve the King of Kings...JESUS CHRIST!

-Mark