John 4:19-26

"Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?"

Jesus replied, "Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on the tis mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming-indeed it's here now- when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming-the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus told her, "I AM the Messiah!"

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Back Among The Living

Hey Everyone!

Wow, it feels like it's been three weeks since I posted last! Just kidding! I know it's been at least that. Sorry. I've been trying to finish up this semester of school and juggle family and work along with it. I just haven't had the time to post. 

Anyway, just wanted to keep this short and let everyone know that I'm back and hope to be posting more regularly. I know I've missed getting you guys the songs that we've been doing over the past couple sundays, so I'm gonna list them all here together. I'm not going to differentiate between weeks, I'm just gonna list them. 

I'm excited about Christmas this year (well, I'm excited every year, but this one in particular. My son is almost three years old and he's all about Santa and celebrating Jesus' birthday!) Erik has started a new series called "Operation World Rescue". It is the Christmas series for the Journey. Please, if you don't have a church home, come visit us. Check out the link to see where we are and when we meet. Also, don't forget, you can watch all of Erik's talks online at the website too. I try to get them posted by Wednesday of the next week. SO, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all! Here's the song lists.


"Lead Me To The Cross" (Hillsong), "You Are Our God" (Me, Robbie Cheuvront), "Glory To God" (Fee), "From The Inside Out" (Kristian Stanfill), "Behold" (Me again! I really am trying to get a CD together for you all. I know you keep asking me!) "Jesus Paid It All" (Kristian Stanfill), "Jesus Is Alive" (Fee), "My Savior My God" (Aaron Shust), "Healer" (Hillsong), "Let Me Sing" (Todd Fields), "Let The Praises Ring" (Lincoln Brewster).  

Monday, November 17, 2008

monday morning

Hey everyone.

Yesterday finished up a long weekend. We had an incredible day at the Journey. Erik Started his new teaching series, "Love Sick". It was really good. I hope to have the video posted to the website by Wednesday. Jeff Bode and Alex Perry were hilarious! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're gonna have to watch the video. 

That brings me to my next subject. Our celebration service last night. Jeff and Alex both have been serving at the Journey, relentlessly, for over a year now. They are two, high-capacity, highly motivated guys that I'm blessed to be friends with. These guys will do anything at a moment's notice if it means helping someone out or just making sure the job gets done. I give you both props! Last night was a celebration of all our volunteer staff. We had a big chili cookoff and then gave out some pretty cool door prizes. I think there was an ipod, a digital camera, and a few gift certificates to places like Mojave Rock (day spa). After that, we gave out our Journey Awards. These are special recognitions to certain individuals that have made a HUGE difference in the way the Journey has moved in the past year. I want to congratulate all the recipients, but also say that everyone, who has served, is more than appreciated. I was privileged to be in the room when deciding on who was going to be the actual recipients. I can promise you... it was VERY hard to decide. So many people have been instrumental in what we do. 

After the awards, we ended the night with a bunch of music. Man, I love my praise team. They are some of the most talented, God seeking people I've ever been around. You guys make my job easy! I love you all and am so blessed to serve with you. That goes for my tech team too. Last night Jon Ayers pulled me aside and told me that what he had the chance to see that evening had stirred something in him even more than there was already. Jon is my tech team leader and is an awesome guy. He told me he wants more! He wants to learn as much as he can about video editing, filming, mixing (video and audio), and computer softwares. He is majorly on fire for what's going on in that place. It just goes to show that when you put God at the center of your life, you never know what He's gonna do with it. Jon is a guy who, up until this past year, was just someone who came to church, liked what was there, but didn't know where his place to serve was. He got introduced to the tech team, and what do you know? He found out that he had, not only a talent for that stuff, but a calling on his heart to really KNOW it. And now, he's the leader in that area. (which, by the way, for those of you who don't necessarily know what a tech team does, everything you see or hear on a sunday morning, they're responsible for! Without them, we'd be standing in the middle of the room with an acoustic guitar and a megaphone!) I'm excited about where Jon is going and can't wait to see him rise up in his leadership and bring people like himself into the folds. 

We finished the night with an awesome moment! Every week, during praise and worship, we have about six or seven little kids (and I mean little-we're talking 2 to 4 year olds) who sit on the front row and play air guitar, jump around, dance, raise their hands in the air and sing every word, as loud as they can. Every one of them have a little guitar that their parents have bought them. (Guess I'm going to have to start a music school!) The parents tell me that they all sit at home and act like they are leading worship. My son is one of them! We'll be sitting here at the house trying to watch "The Amazing Race" or something, and Cason will get his guitar out, stand in front of the TV and start banging away on it! He'll say, "Alright everybody! Welcome to the Journey, everyone raise your hands! Let's sing, Church!" Tiffany and I spend the next ten minutes doing what he says. (If we don't, we never get back to "The Amazing Race"!) But we also do it cause it's awesome!!!!! It's amazing to see God work in his little life, and we want to encourage that as much as we can. 

So, anyway, the kids all have a favorite song. It's called, "Sing Sing Sing". It's by Chris Tomlin. If you've never heard it, get on itunes and download it. It's probably my favorite song too! It's a jammin', rockin', full on slamming praise song. When it was time for the last song, we asked all the kids to come up on stage. (They all had their guitars with them, by the way. They figured that since it wasn't a normal sunday service, they would bring them and jam with us on the front row!) We played "Sing Sing Sing" to close the night out and they all did it with us, on the stage. There were so many cameras going off, I felt like we were being chased by the paparazzi! I'm going to be honest with you, I thought the doors were going to blow off that place! It was BANGIN'! Everyone who was there was singing at the top of their lungs, including the kids. I actually pulled my ear monitors out so I could hear it, full force! It was incredible. 

I just want to say to all of the Journey. You guys make what we do, as a pastoral and leadership team, worth every ounce of energy and time we spend. I can't imagine ever doing anything but what I'm doing right now.  I thank you for the privilege of serving you, and serving with you. Let's keep praying that God will ignite this Jesus Movement that we've so desperately been praying for! I love you all.



Here are all the songs from yesterday:

Glory To God (Steve Fee), He Reigns (News Boys), Jesus Is Alive (New song by Steve Fee- don't know where you can get it yet, sorry), People Get Ready (Song I heard at an IHOP conference again, don't know where to get it), Everybody Praise the Lord (Lincoln Brewster), Breathe On Me (Todd Fields), Your Love Oh Lord (Third Day), Saviour King (Hillsong), God of This City (Chris Tomlin), Sing Sing Sing (Chris Tomlin). 

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Catching Up

Hey all! This week, I've been trying to catch up. The last time we talked, I was about to have a garage sale. Just an update... it went off without a hitch, and we made about three hundred bucks, selling junk! (well, not all junk)

Anyway, Tiff's outta town this week, so it's just me and the little man! I love these times. I know it can be overwhelming to be the only parent in the house, especially when the little one has been sick (Cason has been sick all last week. Thankfully, he's much better this week!) Anyway, I love it when he and I get a chance to just spend time together, by ourselves. He's such a mess! He's always into something. But I love to see his ingenuity. He can look at something and figure out how to get into it, mess it up, or just be creative and play with it for an hour before getting bored! It makes me sad though, to some degree, because I know that one day soon, he won't want to just play with his trains and watch his cartoons. I only hope that I build into him in such a way that he will still want to hang around me! 

Well, I don't have that much to say today, so I'll go for now. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to post about the songs from this and last week, so here they are. I'll talk to y'all soon. Have a blessed Day!

-robbie

Songs: "King Of Heaven" (I have no idea who sings this. Someone gave me the CD with no name of the artist, and I've never heard it anywhere else), "Kindness" and "Sing Sing Sing" (Chris tomlin), "Oh How He Loves Us" (Eddie Kirkland), "Glory To God" (Fee), "Let Me Sing" and "Breathe On Me" (Todd Fields), 

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

garage sale

Saturday, we are having an end of year garage sale. So, tonight, my wife and I are spending the evening cleaning out our closets, Cason's toys, all the junk piled up on the shelves in the garage, and anything else that's not nailed down! WE HAVE TOO MUCH CRAP!!!!

It's amazing to me how stuff can pile up over the weeks, months, and years. I mean, I'm finding stuff in my closet that I haven't worn in like three years. But every time I think about throwing it out, I think, nah... I really like that shirt, or that pair of jeans. But yet, I still fail to wear them. 

Sometimes I think our lives are like that too. We keep junk piled up inside our hearts, habits, anger, sadness, a grudge... etc. You know the kind of stuff I'm talking about. So tonight, I made a decision to clean something else out. Me. I'm going to take an inventory of what's hanging around inside there. I know that I've got stuff that, if someone could just pull it out and put it on display, I would probably be embarrassed or guilty about. As someone who walks with Christ, I know that these are things that I'm not required to carry around. And I know. Sometimes its hard to admit you're holding a grudge, knowing full well that its not the person's fault that your holding this grudge. It's yours. It's pride and selfishness. And I'm not just talking about grudges either. I'm talking about all of it. It all stems from selfishness and pride. All of it. And if you're someone who is, right now, sitting there reading this, getting angry at me for calling you out, then it just proves my point. You are a selfish, prideful person. And you better get it under control or it's going to eat away at you from the inside, until there's nothing left except the shell of the person that you used to be. 

I'm not saying these things because I'm better than you. Everything I just said up there, that was for me. I needed to tell myself that so tonight, when I'm spending some quiet time with God, I'll have something to think about when I'm trying to talk myself out of cleaning it out! But if you fall into the same category as me, than take it as I was talking to you too.  Cause here's the news flash: We are not, cannot be, and will never be without fault. We will always have things in our hearts and in our lives that we will need to deal with. Want to know why? Cause we're human. And we're weak. But that's Ok. There is a cure! 

2 Corinthians 17:9-10 says this, 

9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

C-ya all. Many blessings! I've got some cleaning to do. 

Monday, October 27, 2008

Yesterday was a great day at the Journey. I'll, hopefully, have Erik's talk up by tonight. If you have never gone to our website and watched any of his talks, you need to watch this one. He asked the tough question of whether or not we are ungrateful. And you may think you know the answer to that, but watch the talk and then see if your answer is still the same. He challenged us, right there in service, to write down some things that we are grateful for. Everyone had a piece of paper and a pen given to them, and he took about five minutes out of his talk time to do this. I, unfortunately, didn't have the opportunity to, since I have to float around between the Tech Booth and the stage. So this morning, I wanted to make my list. This isn't complete, but it's the first twenty. Just as he asked us to do, in his talk, I'm going to be adding to this list regularly. Thanks, Erik, for an eye opening sermon. I love you, man. You always challenge me, and I need that, if I'm going to be someone who makes a difference in this world. 

1. I'm grateful for my salvation, that I serve a God who loves me unconditionally.  2. I'm grateful for my family, particularly my wife and son, but my whole family.  3. I'm grateful for my friends and meaningful relationships with people who care about me and my well being. 4. I'm grateful for my country, and the men and women who selflessly defend it and all the freedoms that I enjoy.  5. I'm grateful that I have a nice house to live in.  6. I'm grateful that I've been provided for my whole life, by God and by my family, so that I have never had to go without any necessity.  7. I'm grateful for my education.  8. I'm grateful for having a job that I absolutely love, and desire to pour myself into completely.  9. I'm grateful for my talent and the fact that it has allowed me to support my family.  10. I'm grateful for the prayers that I know people send my way. 11. I'm grateful to live in a place where I'm allowed to pray openly, and people are allowed to pray for me and others openly. 12. I'm grateful for great leadership in my life from those who have mentored me and are still doing so. 13. I'm grateful for my health. 14. I'm grateful that I have all five of my senses, that I can see the beauty, smell the sweet, taste the spicy, hear the music, and touch the soft. 15. I'm grateful for pizza (I know that sounds bunk, but I swear, I'm grateful for it!) 16. I'm grateful for technology, that I can call my wife at anytime, or my mom who lives 500 miles away. Or I can DVR a show that I want to watch for later. Or that I can take pictures of my son as he grows up and be able to look back and see how he grew. 17. I'm grateful for warm weather, especially after five months of cold! 18. I'm grateful that I have clothes to wear and a warm bed to sleep in. 19. I'm grateful people who are dreamers and bring us amazing ideas and inventions. 20. And this one is kind of a joke and is definitely for Shawn... I'm grateful for great hair! :)

Make a list guys. Add to it. Just like Erik said, it will change your outlook on life. I'm going to, because I have way too much to be grateful for, and I don't deserve most of it. 

Here's the songs from Yesterday:   How He Loves Us (Eddie Kirkland), Breathe On Me (Todd Fields), Enough (Chris Tomlin), I Stand Amazed (this is an old hymn, but our version is like Kristian Stanfill's), How Great Is Our God (Chris Tomlin), Thank You Jesus (me, Robbie Cheuvront). 

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Hanging with the little man


So, yesterday, Cason stayed home from his preschool and we hung out all day. It was awesome. I'm trying to do this more often, when I have the opportunity. 

Right now, he's at such an impressionable age. It's so cool just to have conversations with him. His little brain is so active right now. He's like a sponge! I can tell him something, and he will not forget it. It's kind of annoying, actually! LOL. Like for instance, when we got up yesterday. We just hung out in bed watching Mickey Mouse and Handy Manny. He leans over and puts his head on my shoulder and says, Dad I love you. I say, I love you too buddy. He says, so.... when are we going to go golf putt! (That's what he calls putt putt golf. I told him on Wednesday, that on Friday, he and I were going to spend the day together, just hanging out, and we could go "golf putt".) It was pouring down rain, as anyone who lives here knows. I told him that it was raining and we'd have to wait. But earlier that morning, when Tiffany and I were talking, before she went to work, we were talking about the weather. He heard us talking about how the rain was supposed to let up by the afternoon. 

So, he says, yeah but the rain is supposed to stop when I get up from my nap! Now, how can you argue with that! 

The point is this. I'm so blessed to be able to spend time with my son. I know a lot of people have hectic schedules, and I do too, but sometimes other people can't take a day to just hang out with their kids. But.... sometimes they can and don't. I talked before about priorities. I was fortunate to have parents that loved me and took time to spend with me. Some of you didn't. But that's not an excuse for you not to do it with yours. If you don't, one day you're gonna wake up and your kids are going to be grown up, and you're not going to know them. And what's even more sad, They're not going to know you. 

Whether you can take a whole day or not, you CAN take time. And I can promise you, the time you take for them, will bless your heart tremendously. And it will build into them something that nobody else can. We live in a busy world where kids are neglected and left to grow up on their own. One day, you're going to be old and need someone to take care of you. Wouldn't it be nice to know that your children are taking care of you because they love you and want to, instead of because they have to? And besides, at that point, you're going to wish that they had time to spend with you, in the midst of their busy schedule! 

Blessings

Friday, October 24, 2008

Mickey Mouse Re-Cap





So, I finally got my pics downloaded into the computer. I'll share some with you all, but it's hard to pick out which ones to post. We took like 300 pictures. Ah, the beauty of digital cameras! When we bought this thing, we bought a 2 gig chip for it. This is a great camera. It takes like 8.5 megapixel photos. You would think that at that high of a resolution, you wouldn't be able to take a lot of pictures, even with a 2 gig chip... Wrong! At the highest resolution, it will still take 489 pictures. So, now we have this game that we play. Every time we go on a vacation, we try to see if we can take so many pictures that we have to download them, in order to finish out the trip. We've yet to accomplish this! 

Anyway, here's some fun pics. 


This is us hanging out with Mickey and Minnie.
 As you can see, I'm weighted down with all of the media gear! (2 still cameras and a video camera!)







Me and Cason with our 3-D "Bug Eyes". Getting ready for the "Bug's Life, 3-D Adventure"
  This, by the way, is probably one of the most awesome things to do at the Animal Kingdom park.








My little man... learning how to be a lady's man!!!! (He gave them both a kiss, by the way, before we moved on!)





Probably one of the most fun times we had at the Magic Kingdom. The Mickey Mouse Club House Show. All the Disney morning characters from, Mickey Donald Goofy Minnie & Daisey, to all the little Einsteins, and Handy Manny! All the kids get up and dance and use "Tootles" (the magic mouse ears) to help solve the big problem of the day! It's a really awesome show, and lots of fun.






Snack time. Desperately wanting some ice cream. It was hot. 




So we got some! YUM!!!!!!!!!  Well, that's enough for now. I'll post some more another time. Needles to say, we had a blast. Cason had sooooo much fun. But I can't lie. I did too! I absolutely love that place! I'll talk to y'all later. 





Blessings!






Tuesday, October 21, 2008

back to school

Well, fall break is over. Bummer! I was really enjoying just hanging out with my family and getting some things done around here that have been getting neglected.

So, today I got up and got ready to go to class. Remember when I told you about all the papers and tests and stuff that I had to do in advance, in order to go out of town? Well, today I had to try and remember everything that I had done, so that I could check with my professors to make sure that I got my grades, and didn't miss doing anything. So all day long, I went to class, feeling like I forgot something. You ever get that feeling? I mostly get it when I'm trying to get out of the house, running late for something, and know that there are like four things that I'm supposed to have with me. I always feel like I'm forgetting something!

Anyway, today made me think about, once again, priorities. I had a long talk with Erik yesterday, just about some personal things. He and I are accountability partners (along with Shawn), and we were just doing our normal, "how you doing?" thing. But, there was an issue that came up that dealt with priorities. I won't go into details, but it directly relates to where we're spending our time and resources. This is something that I'm really having to repent of. For the longest time, I've stayed out of certain things in life. For instance, I leave taking care of all of the bills and budget and money things, like making sure the check book is balanced, up to Tiffany. I mean, why not! This is what she does for a living. She is the executive director of a multi-million dollar company (meaning, she deals with million dollar budgets every day). So why not just let her do it? She's good at it. I'm not, nor am I particularly interested in it. But here's the thing.

There is no way I can be the spiritual leader of my household, if I have no idea what's going on with something as important as our family finances. I'm not saying that I'm going to jump in there and start changing things, cause that's just going to lead to something that Dave Ramsey would have a massive coronary over! But I am going to show her that I care about every aspect of our family, and that I don't expect her to have to do something without my support and willingness to be involved. Fellas, I know that if you look hard enough, you'll find an area in your life like this. Ask God to reveal it to you. If your desire is to be obedient, faithful, and God's man for your family, then you need to be shown these areas and do something about them. It may be that you just have an issue watching your kids for two hours so that your wife can go the movies with some friends, or doing the dishes cause she needs help around the house. Whatever the case may be, Christ said to love your wife like He loves the Church. I cannot see how that means anything less than complete and total sacrifice on her behalf. And if you're not willing to do it, then you have a pride issue. And that's something that will come back and bite you in the you know what! I'm talking to myself as much as any of you. It's pride that has kept me from thinking that I didn't need to be involved in things like this in my family.

Proverbs says: When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. And it also says: Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Blessings!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

sunday thoughts and songs

Hey everyone!  Well, today was a really good day at the Journey. Erik, the campus pastors, the elders, and I all had a chance to talk this afternoon. We all thought that there was a really cool energy there today. Thank you, God, for showing up. I know that people's lives were changed, and I am honored to have been a part of it. Please, come join us for the remainder of this teaching series, if you don't have anywhere else to be. Even if you do, still come join us! You won't regret it. God has really put some cool stuff on Erik's heart. You'll be glad that you came. Remember too, you can go to the website and check out the previous week's teaching, if you missed it live. Hopefully, I'll have this week's talk up by Wednesday, at the latest. You can check out all of the videos at www.thejourneytn.org  Then just go to resources and video library. 

Well, as I told you all before, we went to see Mickey Mouse this past week. It was awesome. Cason really had a great time. I'm still in the process of downloading the pics to my computer. As soon as I have all that squared away, I'll post some. But before I forget, Here's all the tunes from last week and this week. 

Last Week: Savior King (Hillsong United), Holy Is The Lord (Chris Tomlin), All Who Are Thirsty (Kutless), Salvation (Matt Redmon), and  He Loves Us.

Now, I have to interject here! This song, "He Loves Us", is a tune that I heard this past week at the Catalyst Conference. Rarely, there comes along a song that changes my life. And even more rarely, there comes along a song that I wish I had written. Most of the time, I am excited for someone, in that, God has birthed a song in their heart and has gifted them with it to share with the world. I know that Jealously is not a good thing, but I'm jealous of this song. I wish that God would have put it on my heart to write. And because of that, I feel the desperate need to make sure that everyone I come in contact with, knows about this song. There are a few youtube things that you can check out on it, as well. One of them (and I'll post the link here) is the actual songwriter, and the story of the song. The version of the song that I heard at Catalyst was by Eddie Kirkland. He was the worship leader for that segment. You can go to itunes and, at the store, search Eddie Kirkland. It will be the first song that comes up. Again, it's called, "How He Loves Us".  Here is the youtube link to see how the song was written. Click HERE.

Today's Songs:  Let The Praises Ring (Lincoln Brewster), All Because of Jesus (Fee), Glorious One (Fee), How Beautiful the Blood Flowed (Kristian Stanfill), We Shine (Fee)

Ok, so I'm somewhat of a Fee fan!!! Who cares! If you're going to itunes or anywhere else to get this music, you'll understand when you hear the songs. This band is absolutely anointed! Steve Fee (the lead singer and band's namesake) is one of the most awesome people I've ever met. And I've had the pleasure of leading worship with some of his band guys. They are all men who are on fire for God, and what He wants to do in this world. If you don't know about these guys, I highly recommend that you check them out. You can do that HERE!

Talk to you all soon. God bless and have a great week!

-robbie

Friday, October 17, 2008

the mouses house

Well, it's Friday night and I'm in Atlanta, staying at a hotel. Why, you ask? Well, this past week, we went to Disney World, perhaps one of my favorite places on planet Earth. It was awesome! Cason had a blast! 

We left Sunday, after church. Tiffany's parents, her sister and her husband and six kids (that's right! I said SIX!), and we all went to see the mouse! As soon as we got there, it was on! The very first thing, as we got off the tram from the parking lot, there he was, Mickey Mouse, in the flesh... or I guess you'd say, in the costume! Cason was freakin out. He absolutely loves Mickey. So, we stood in line for about ten minutes and got our picture with him and Minnie. I'll post some pictures later, after I download them. And then that's where it all went BUNK, to quote one of my favorite sayings!

Remember, I told you, Tonya and Gerald, Tiffany's sister and brother in law, have six kids. (Ok, I should probably explain a little. They technically have three. Two boys and a girl. They are precious, like all children are! But for this trip, they had their two nieces and nephew with them. Brave! That's all I can say about that.... Brave!) So, we get to the front gate of the Magic Kingdom, after the pictures. I get our tickets out, Steve (Tiffany's father) gets their tickets out, and Gerald starts pulling out pockets, takes the back pack off and unloads it (no tickets). Goes to the stroller, pulls out the other backpack, unloads it (no tickets), hollers over to Tonya to get the tickets out of her purse. He remembers that the tickets are there. That's where they last were.... No Tickets. (you see where this is going, right?) 

fifteen minutes later, after basically ransacking every piece of clothing, bag, purse, pocket, stroller compartment and any other possible place that the tickets could be, it is finally determined that they left their tickets back at the condo. (Six kids! Lot's of stuff to get ready to go at seven in the morning! Apparently, tickets were at the bottom of the list and didn't get checked off prior to departure!) Long story short, Gerald, looking like someone shot his dog, begrudgingly made the journey back to the condo and retrieved the tickets, which were sitting on the coffee table! From that point on, for the rest of the week, we were basically like a herd of turtles, wondering through the four parks, riding everything we came in contact with, and taking in every show available to the masses. It really was a great trip. I'm kind of sad we had to come home. There's something about watching the Magic Kingdom Castle fade in the distance, knowing that you're headed home, that leaves a sad feeling in your heart. It's such a cool place. Everyone there is soooooo concerned with weather or not you're enjoying your stay. The people who work there (they're called cast members, by the way) are some of the happiest people I've ever met. They go out of their way to see a smile on your face. 

It got me to thinking... what if the Church was like that? What if we went out of our way to see a smile on someone's face. What if we did everything we could to make people forget how crummy everyday life can be sometimes. What if we actually did what Christ called us to do... to love one another and bring hope and joy to a hurting and broken world? Why is it that a place like Disney world can achieve this, and the greatest organization ever created can't? Something to think about! 

I hope you all had a great week. We sure did. I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing all our friends, but I can't wait to go back! I know Cason can't wait either! 

Obviously, I've been out of pocket this week, so I'll try to post on Sunday the tunes from this week and last week. I'll see you all at the Journey

God Bless.

Monday, October 6, 2008

sunday thoughts

Hey everyone!

Well this week is going to be a busy one!! As most of you know, Tiff and I are going to take Cason to see the Mouse! Yee haw- 12 hours in a car with a two year old! Does anybody else think this is the equivalent of committing psychological suicide?

But first, let me tell y'all about yesterday. We had a great day at the Journey. Shawn Allen, one of our campus pastors, was our teacher yesterday. Erik has been on a three week break (well not really... he's been working in the kid's area. So you could really say, he's been doing even more work! Thanks, Erik, for your willingness to serve- and lead by example!)

Actually, Erik asked several of us on the leadership teams to spend some time with the kids these past weeks. Our teachers needed some breaks and some help, themselves. I personally got to go hang out with the 4-5 year olds. Man, those kids are CRAZY! :) They are so full of energy and just go nonstop! But they love coming to kid's church! And that's awesome. I was in there with Ginger Reed, our children's ministry leader. She does a great job. If you guys have a kid, you should go tell her how much you appreciate her. She's awesome!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spend the entire time back there. About twenty five minutes into it, I got a text from my tech booth saying that they were having "issues". Imagine that! Technological issues at the Journey........ noooooo. Who'd believe that! :)

Anyway, back to Shawn. Shawn is one of my best friends. He's a great guy with incredible insight into people and ministry. I'm blessed to have him in my life. And his wife, Miranda, is one of my praise team leaders, as well. Tiffany and I adore them both. And yesterday, Shawn got to finish the Elements series with "Purposes". Shawn, you did a great job, dude. Sorry about your muffler! (I'm just glad I'm not riding to Catalyst with you!) For those of you who are saying..."muffler?", go to the website and watch it. It's hillarious! As always, go to resources, then video library, then "Elements-week three, Purposes".

So, back to the Mouse! Tiffany and I are going to Disney with Cason, leaving this Sunday after church. This makes my week long! One, because I'm more excited to go than Cason!!!! (I love that place, dude! I'm the biggest kid of all!) Two, because before we go, I have three class periods of homework and tests (four to be exact) that I have to take and turn it by Wednesday of this week. Fun huh? So, here I am, talking to y'all, when I should be writing an essay on "claim of Cause" for Ms. Cynthia Wyatt, my english professor. (six pages, by the way!) So, I'll leave y'all with this:

Jesus talked all the time about trying to do things and live this life through your own strengths. He even said, apart from Me, you can do nothing. Now I don't think that he meant that without Him we will all stand stagnant and litterally do nothing! Most of the time, well pretty much all of the time, when Jesus spoke, he said things so that you would have to delve into it to get the meaning. This is what I think he meant: He is God, God in the flesh. Therefore, He created us. Apart from His creating us, we couldn't do anything, because we wouldn't exist! Therefore, apart from Him, we can do nothing. But I also think there's a deeper meaning as well. If we do things of this world that are not centered around Him, then what we do is meaningless. Now, that doesn't mean that nothing has meaning, it just means that in the grand scheme of things, if it's not centered around God's will for our lives, then it's in vain. The bible says that all of our works are like filthy rags. There's nothing that we can do, no amount of works or efforts to attain our salvation. Because it has already been done for us. We just have to accept the grace that has been extended to us. So, if you're going around doing things without God at the center of your life, does your life have meaning?

Love y'all. Here's the songs from yesterday.

You Are Our God (Robbie Cheuvront, Erik Reed), Mighty To Save (Hillsong), Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin), Because You Are Holy (Robbie Cheuvront), He Reigns (Newsboys).

Thursday, October 2, 2008

r u kidding me!

Ok. Here's the deal. I've got like ten minutes to post this cause I have to do two weeks worth of homework, tests and papers and have them ready to turn in by this wednesday! 

Tiffany and I are going to take Cason to see the "all powerfull mouse!"  (that's disney world for those of you who are running a little slow today.)

So, naturaly, my professors won't allow you to make up any work whatsoever. This means that I have to do it all (two week's worth) before I go. So, yee haw!!!! Let's git-r-done! 


Hope you all have a great rest of the week. Oh, and by the way, I have officially posted earlier than Erik Reed!!!! So, give him a hard time!

Here's the songs from this past sunday.

You Alone Are Worthy of My Praise (Big Daddy Weave), Oh Praise Him (Crowder), Thank You, Jesus (written by me. still don't have an mp3 available. working on it.), I Surrender (Lincoln Brewster).

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

poli-sci, history, and golf

Well, the title should really be, "How much crap can four college professors pile up on you in one day!" Man, college is weird. I find myself enjoying my education, unlike when I was in high school. It's actually fun. Being an adult, one who has gotten to see the world and get some life experience, it's amusing to see all of these 18 year olds who couldn't care less if they were there or not. 

Erik, who is ahead of me in our educational journeys, told me, when I decided to go back, that it would be fun to watch. And he was right! I actually have an appreciation for the classes I'm taking. However, and this is hard to admit, being the RockStar that I am :) , I am finding out that I'm somewhat of a nerd. I never realized how much I enjoy learning. Especially English. I've always had a passion for writing, and as a lot of you know, I have written one novel already and am in the process of writing my second. All the while, I'm working on a book deal. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for me. I need it! Anyway, I'm a nerd. I like school! Go figure.

But here's what I don't get. Do your professors get together and decide that you don't have enough to do on certain days throughout the semester? Cause it seems like it! I mean, I'll go a week or two without any homework or tests and then... BAM! Three tests, two 800 word papers (with MLA citation and researched documents), and a pop quiz to boot! All on the same day. What's wrong with these people! Couldn't we spread this out over a few days!!! :)

Well, I've spent most of the day, well all of it, actually, studying for the three tests that I have tomorrow, writing the papers, and preparing for the pop quiz that I actually got some inside info on, that's being given tomorrow in one class! Since I'm writing this at night, you all probably will be reading this as I'm sitting in one of said classes, grinding it out! 

Now, I've been in school now for three semesters, so this isn't new. It actually seems to be the norm. And I'm fine with that... BUT, this particular day is not the one that I wanted to have to do all of this during. You see, after my final class tomorrow, English, I'm headed to Birmingham with Shawn Allen (one of our campus pastors) for a golf trip for a few days!  We've been planning it for like four months now. And the last thing that I want to be thinking about, the day before I'm about to go on a trip to play like..... 700 holes of golf!!... is three tests, two 800 page papers and a pop quiz!!!!!!!! I have a wicked hook in my driver that I've developed! I'm trying to FIX MY SWING, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Anyway, I'll be gone for a few days, so I'll talk to you all when I get back. In the meantime, you all stay out of trouble and have a good week! And if you think about it, say a prayer for me and Shawn for safety during our trip. We'd appreciate it. If you really have nothing else to do, say a prayer for my swing! 

Blessings! 

Robbie.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Sunday thoughts and songs

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is well, this fine Monday! 

Not a lot to report on. Kind of a bland day, actually. I'm going on a golf trip with my friend Shawn this week. We are pretty stoked! Gonna be a good time. I'll have more to report on that next week. 

Anyway, this week we started our teaching series called Elements. It's a look into the discipleship process at the Journey. I'm going to do something different this week. I'm going to put the bumper video for the series on this post. I don't usually do that, but this one's kind of fun! It took me almost an entire week to build it! So, you guys enjoy the video, I'm gonna go watch some football! 

Talk to you all soon. Here's the song list from yesterday.

How Great Thou Art (my arrangement), Your Grace Is Enough (Chris Tomlin), Sing To The King (Cindy Foote), The More I Seek You (Gateway Worship), and in the last service... Sing Sing Sing (Chris Tomlin).

Here's the bumper video!




Wednesday, September 17, 2008

sunday thoughts and songs

Well, I know I'm a couple days behind on this but, I've just had a few other things on my mind lately that I wanted to talk about, such as the whole schedule thing. (refer to last post)

Anyway, the big reason I haven't posted on this past Sunday is because, I just needed some time to digest it all. This entire past weekend was something very different for me. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that I was stretched beyond anything that I've been used to since I've gone into ministry. Don't worry.... It's all good! Just, taxing. 

So, my thoughts.... well, let's see. Everything that could've gone wrong technically, did. (But what else is new!!! That's every Sunday! LOL.) I guess I can sum it all up with this: I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that something's going on in this region. And it's a really good thing. I have talked with several of the leaders at the Journey and they all feel like they sense it too. I believe that God wants to do something really amazing around here. And we're seeing the results of it. 

I want to give props to my praise team for their willingness to just go with the flow this week when everything went "crash and boom!". The funny thing is, I told them that it was going to probably happen! All the ingredients were there! Great praise songs, a killer message, and people willing to get out of the way and let God be God! 

So, my thoughts... It's amazing to be a part of a church where there are no pretenses, where people aren't all about serving themselves, but about serving the hurting and broken world around us, and where God is moving! 

God bless and see you next week.

Here's the songs from Sunday.

Indescribable (Chris Tomlin), Everlasting God (Todd Feilds), Lord You Are Good (??? there are at least 100 versions of this!), Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble (Hillsong), and Saviour King (Hillsong)

Monday, September 15, 2008

Time

Hello everyone! I know it seems like I've been on a sabbatical! I mean, John Griffin has posted twice since I have! Now, that just can't be happening!!!!!!! I'll try to do better! 

Well, school is going full swing. I love my classes, but my professors are bent on giving out busy work, which is awesome! Cause, you know, I have like tons of time to sit around conjugating 140 spanish verbs for homework! (For those of you who are a little slow to catch up... that's sarcasm!) Man, has this month been busy! We've got two new campuses that are being launched at the Journey, Catalyst conference is coming up, we're taking a family vacation to Disney World, and then there's the everyday business of school, being a husband and a father! Probably sounds kind of like your life huh? Busy! 

That's Ok. Busy is good. To some extent. What I'm having to learn is this: Prioritize your schedule. If you don't, you're gonna make a lot of people mad. And you still may not please everyone, but there's only so much you can do! So prioritize! God is first, always, no exceptions. Then your family. This is the hard one. I know a lot of times I take for granted that my family understands my busy schedule and that they are Ok with me not spending as much time as I should with them. WRONG! This is the root of all of your other problems, if you don't get it right. Tiffany told me last night that she feels like sometimes we're just passing each other on the way to do something else. I've spent the whole morning thinking about this. And what I've come to see is, that's unacceptable. She and my son need to be the most important thing in my life, outside of my walk with God. Finally, the last thing on the list is, work and all other things that demand time. 

So what's the solution? Well, I'm not Doctor Phil. So, I can't give anyone the clinically correct answer. The only thing that I can offer you is this. Take an inventory of your life. Look at where you spend your time. Are you spending time with God? Are you watching your family as they pass you by while you're on the way to another "something that I gotta do"? If so, you may want to spend some of that precious time you have to decide whether or not it's worth missing out on the important things!

God bless,

Robbie

Friday, September 5, 2008

SEC East Champions?????

Vandy! 2-0... who'da thought! And I was there to see it!!!!

Last night Erik and I went to the Vandy game. It was awesome!!!! We sat in the student section, since Erik is a student there now! It was soooo cool. We were about fifty feet from Spurier. He had that stupid grimace on his face for most of the game. That is always fun to see. 

So, as I am a new UT fan, two things I've learned: 1. You always root for the SEC when someone from the SEC is playing a team that UT isn't going to have on their schedule. Here's why. You don't want to have a looser team like Clemson make it to the national championship just cause they're in a conference that sucks and they have no other competition in! The SEC is the strongest, most dominating conference in college football, and even though I'm still a WVU fan to some degree (that's where I grew up), I have to admit... the SEC is the big daddy! And we'll take care of each other in inter-conference play.  2. Everyone hates Spurier, except the Game Cocks (I guess you have no choice if he's your coach!). 

Anyway, all that to say, I'm excited for Vandy, despite rules number 1 and 2. I've lived in Nashville for 15 years now, and I can't remember them ever having a great season. They deserve to have a good year. And even though I'm now an official UT fan, I've gotta have a heart for the home team. Good luck Vandy! Great game last night. Congrats! Looking forward to seeing you do well this year.

I want to encourage all of you, once again, to make sure that you have yourself in some kind of accountability circle. As you all know, Erik and I are each other's accountability partners. Last night was great cause, we not only got to hang out and watch a great game, but during the drive to the campus, we had a chance to catch up on what's been going on in each other's lives. I mean, we work together and all that, but we don't get the time every week to sit down and just see how each other is doing. Last night was the first time in about a month. Man, did we need that! It was nice to just get to vent to each other and encourage each other. I gotta tell you. There's no way you can keep all the stresses of your life kept up inside and not have someone, that you can trust with everything, to talk to. It's not healthy. It will literally drive you mad. So please, everyone, if you're not in some kind of relationship like that with someone, or even a couple people if you want, get there. If you don't know what that looks like, you can always email anyone from the Journey's team and talk about it. You can reach all of us by email at the website. Just click here

See you all this sunday. If you live in the Nashville area and don't have a church home, please check us out at the website listed above. We'd love to have you come visit us. We are a "come as you are" church. I can promise you, you're not going to find one perfect person in the whole building. We've all got our problems! But I can promise you this: you will find people who understand that while we're not perfect, there is a perfect God. And we have a blast seeking Him out! If you don't live in the Nashville area, and you don't have a church home, I would encourage you to seek one out. You're missing out on the life that you were created to live!

Take care everyone! Blessings. 

Monday, September 1, 2008

So, yesterday was a good day at the Journey! We had tech problems (like that's anything unusual!) but everything else went great. You know, actually, I don't know what I'll do the day that I walk in there and absolutely nothing goes awry! I may fall over and die right then and there! However, I would imagine that, if that did happen, it would mean that Jesus is not far behind in making His return! 

Seriously, though, it was a great day. I was challenged about giving in a way that I hadn't been before. Man, I gotta tell you, Erik really has been growing as a teacher and speaker. There is no doubt that he is right where he's supposed to be. Nor is there any doubt that God is growing him tremendously. I'm privileged to work beside him and get to see it. Hopefully, I'll have this week's talk posted on the website by tomorrow evening. That's the plan anyway! I'll keep everyone posted. 

Tonight is the first night of UT football! I have decided to give in to the old axiom: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Starting this evening, I am officially a UT football fan. I've fought it for 15 years now, but I just don't have the energy anymore. The die-hard UT fan will wear you down. I've come to realize that the only way I can get through another college football season, living in Nashville, is to jump on the bandwagon. So, while I can't quite bring myself to go out and paint my Jetta orange, or buy one of those ridiculous orange hats that has a big T on it, I will be pulling for the Vols. I'm afraid, though, I've subjected myself to a whole other set of problems. Apparently, I'm now subjected to bashing from all other S.E.C. fans. But that's ok. I'm a big boy. I can handle it. So, even as John Griffin (a massive Alabama fan) and Clyde Rountree (an even bigger Florida fan) have pointed out.... I've picked a bad year to be a Vol's fan.  Well, guys, I guess I wouldn't be a true fan unless I said.... "You guys can go ahead and get your baby lotion out. Cause, when UT spanks that hiney... You're gonna need it! 

Here's the song list from yesterday. Hope to see you all next sunday at the Journey. Please remember to pray for all of those in the Gulf coastal region. I've heard of instances where the church prayed tornados and entire weather systems out of an area!!! Blessings!

Let God Arise (chris tomlin), Salvation (passion worship band), Thank You Jesus (written by me, can't get it online yet. still working on it), Kindness (chris tomlin), How Great Is Our God (one of 10,000 versions! my favorite is probably tomlin) 

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

back to school

Well, today was my first day back at school. It was a good day! I have several of my previous professors, all of which I liked a lot! It's kind of been the theme this week, back to school. Erik started his masters program at Vandy, and Shawn went back to school this semester also. I guess we on the Journey's staff just can't get enough of writing papers and taking exams! 

we had a great Sunday, this week. If you missed it, you can check it out on the website. Just click here. Go to "Resources" and then "Video Library". It's amazing how God is growing people. I'm reading other people's blogs and just having conversations with them, hearing them talk about how they are in a season in their lives, where God is just taking them to a whole other level. I'm finding that in my life, as well. 

For the first time in my life, I'm consumed with getting to know Him more. This has been a long process that started about two years ago. I have always considered myself as someone who tried to follow what God wanted for my life. But as I look back on the last several years of my life, I see that, that wasn't always the case. There was too much of me and not enough Him. I've never understood it, really, when John the Baptist said, "He has to become greater, and I have to become less." 

Here's the thing: I've never, until just recently, been someone who fasted. Erik really introduced this concept to me several months ago. And it wasn't just about giving up food. I always knew that part of it. But I never understood the purpose of it. Again, this past Sunday, I got to hear it again with fresh ears. (this was the topic of his sermon). And it's funny, again today, he and I had a conversation about the results of fasting. This is a discipline that I am committed to learning more about and practicing more often. I can't wait to see how God continues to grow me! 

Here's my challenge to you: Just as Erik talked about, I will ask you to prayerfully consider fasting. Do some research. Find out how to fast properly. And start small. Maybe just give up a single meal. But do it. And do it with the purpose of focusing on God, and what He wants to show you during that time. I promise, you won't regret it. 

Here's the song list from this week. Blessings! 

Happy Day (Tim Hughes), Forever (Chris Tomlin, live in Austin), Mighty To Save (Hillsong), Hungry (Joy Williams), All Because of Jesus (Fee)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

crazy

What a crazy couple of days!

I hope you blog-hopped around and read all the Journey people's blogs about Sunday. It was good stuff. Crazy stuff!!!  And it's just the tip of the ice-berg. We had our staff meeting today at the office (Panera Bread Co.), and talked about all the things that have been happening at the Journey, and what is yet to come! Again, crazy stuff! 

If you read Erik's blog, then you saw a few sneak peeks into the new campuses. I am sooooo excited about how God is moving in this region. We've been talking for a long time, around the Journey, about how we feel like God is stirring in this area. We have been praying for a Jesus movement to sweep across this place. And we're starting to see it! People's lives are being changed, doors are opening up, and Jesus is at the center of it all! 

Erik talked about prayer Sunday. I hope you got to see it. If you didn't you can click here and watch it. Go to the resources tab and select video library, DNA-Prayer. You can also watch a new video, just posted, showing all the baptisms that we had Sunday!!!!  CRAZY!!!!  Anyway, I would like to challenge you all to take your prayer life to a new height. I know I'm going to, after hearing that talk! Hope you all have a great week! Talk to you soon!

couple things to pray for:

leaders of not only your church, but other church's leaders as well.

other churches! (if we want to see this Jesus movement happen, it's going to take all of us working together. we are not in competition with other churches!!!!!!!!!!

pray that God would show you what HE wants, not what we want.

that John Griffin would update his blog, more than once every quarter! 

Monday, August 18, 2008

Sunday thoughts

Yesterday was a great day at the Journey. But like every Sunday, it started off crazy! 

Saturday morning, John Griffin and a couple other guys and I went to the school to set up for Sunday. We don't usually do this, but we were going to have a baptism Sunday and needed to set up our baptistry. (for those of you who don't come to the Journey, we meet in a school and are a set-up/tear-down church.) This was awesome, cause then, on Sunday, we didn't have to get there super early and do it all at once. So, I was excited! I get to sleep in another half hour! (This means I got to get up at six, instead of five thirty! Yipee!) 

So at exactly 6:15, I get a call from Joey, one of our guitar players and fellow rock stars! He's sick. Been up all night talking to the porcelain throne in the bathroom! Ewwww! 

No problem, I say. We got it covered. Stay at home and get some sleep. We'll push on ahead without you, my dear, sick, brother! 

And so it began! 

I left the house, forgot my ear buds, went back to the house, got them, left again, remembered that I needed two extra cables for this Sunday, went back to the house, (by this time my wife thinks I've lost my mind), got the cables, walked around the entire house twice to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything else, and then left again. I got to McDonald's drive thru and was about to pull up to the window, when my phone rang again.  The other Joey (we have two of them) is on the other line, sounds like he's been hit by a train, and proceeds to tell me that he too is sicker than a dog. Same thing. Up all night!

Now, at this point, it becomes comical. Here's why. Don and Cindy, our other drummer and keyboard player, are out of town. On vacation! And it's baptism Sunday!!!!! 

So, I immediately pull over in the parking lot and began to pray. I knew that this was going to be a big day, (and it was... we'll get to that later), and I knew that none of this crap mattered. I just asked God to work with what we had at our disposal. I called Erik, told him that it was fourth and twenty, and we were about to call an audible! When I got off the phone, I continued to pray and just ask God, what songs he wanted to have played today and how He wanted us to move forward. By the time I got to church, I was pretty sure that God was telling me that today was going to be a special day, and He wanted something intimate and very focused. 

So, like we do often at the Journey, we completely shifted gears!!! (Sometimes this is necessary in order to keep up with God! It's when you don't, that you end up missing out on something truly mind-blowing!) We decided to go acoustic and completely change the entire list of songs and weave a few scriptures readings into the worship. What happened was incredible. God immediately fell upon us and His spirit had its way in there. Erik gave possibly the best talk he's ever given. The music was soft, and powerful. And on a day that 2 people were scheduled to be baptized, 9 people ended up in the baptistry. Lives were changed. The Kingdom of God grew. And we got to see it! Praise Your Holy Name, Jesus!!!!! 

The moral of the story is this: our plans are not God's. Scripture even tells us that God says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts". It's Ok to make plans and have everything laid out the way you think you're supposed to. But when God decides to do something different, you better be ready to jump on board and wave bye-bye to your plans! Or you may miss out on seeing the Spirit of God at work! 

Here's the song list from yesterday. (the ones we actually did! not the ones we had planned!)

You Are Our God (written by Erik Reed and myself, so you can't download it anywhere yet), And Your Praise Goes On (Chris Rice), Enough (Chris Tomlin), Saviour King (Hillsong United), Oh Praise Him (David Crowder) READINGS: Isaiah 48,  Psalm 4 

Thursday, August 7, 2008

weddings

So, I've got two weddings to sing for this weekend! Yeah! They're both friends of mine, so I'm extremely excited for them!

My wife and I were married twelve years ago. Sometimes I think.... wow! Dude, we're getting old! But then, I look back and try to remember twelve years of marriage. The funny thing is, I can't! Cause it doesn't seem like twelve years! She and I have been through a lot together, but the time has just flown by. They say that time flies when you're having fun! We are a living testiment of that! I love her more today than I did yesterday! And I know that tomorrow, I'll love her even more.

If you're planning on getting married, or maybe you are already married, let me give you some advice. I think that after twelve years, I can safely give some advice!! :)

1: Guys, it's always your fault. Even when it's not... it is! And I don't mean that to be sarcastic or funny, though it is! What I mean is, you are the spiritual head of your household. God will hold you responsible for everything. So, no matter what... it's always your fault!

2. Do not, under any circumstances, go to bed mad at each other! Remember what no. 1 said? it's always your fault. So suck it up, appologize, tell your wife how much you love her, give her a kiss (and mean it!), then go to sleep.

3. and I'll leave you with this. Have fun and enjoy each other. There is absolutely no excuse for "Well, we just fell out of love". That's crap! I don't care how you cut it, it's crap. If you loved her enough to marry her, then you still love her today. You may be blinded by whatever's keeping you from seeing that, but the fact remains, you still love her! And, if you keep God in the center of your marriage, and put Him first, then there's no way you can fall out of love with your wife!

My grandmother passed away two years ago. It was one of the saddest days in my life. She was an amazing woman. It devestated my grandpa. But he said something to me a few days later that I will remember till the day I die. He told me, "You know, Rob, everyone kept saying how bad Grandma looked before she passed, and that you could see how worn down she was." He then said, "But that didn't make sense to me. You see, I couldn't see that. Cause everytime I looked at her, I saw the most beautiful seventeen year old girl that I fell in love with fifty years ago." And then he finished with, "I hope that when you're my age, and you look at Tiffany, you won't see an old woman that time has taken its toll on. I hope you see the beautiful seventeen year old that you fell in love with!"

Good luck, Amber and Trent. And Good luck Joey and Marcella. I love you all and am praying for you! Enjoy each other, and may God bless your marriages!

Tiffany, I love you!

-Robbie

Monday, August 4, 2008

Day Off!!

Hello, everyone!

Today, we are taking the day off at the Journey. Yippee!!! That's a good thing, cause I feel like I've been hit by a bus! I got a call last Monday, from a dear friend in N.C. He is a worship leader there at a church called Pinnacle Church. He told me that he had a wedding that he had to play for and needed my help. So, with almost no notice, I had to cram to learn two hours worth of music, drive to N.C., play for this wedding, drive back to Nashville (the same day, Saturday), and then get up for church yesterday morning. Needless to say, by two o'clock yesterday afternoon, I was whooped! (Kinda felt like a Bama football player!!! Ha, Ha, John!) I fell asleep on the couch and then was pretty much in a funk for the rest of the day, after I woke up. So today, I'm just hanging out and recovering. (Getting older sucks! I used to be able to get like three hours sleep over four days and still be jammin!)

So yesterday was amazing! We commissioned our three campus pastors and their wives, Shawn and Miranda, Clyde and Christine, and Todd and Theresa. Man, I'm really excited about what God is doing in those guys' lives!! We had extended praise and worship. That was like the most songs we've ever done in a normal service! The band was sick! (remember, Danny, that's a good thing!), Miranda and Molly were singing their rear ends off!, the tech booth guys and girls were straight on point!, and God's Spirit was HEAVY! Once again, I saw people just jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, eyes closed, heads thrown back, singing-shouting-and-praising the Creator!!!! I was so overwhelmed that half way through the third song, I almost couldn't sing. God's presence was so evident, it litterally took my breath away.

We are going to be having a praise and worship night at the Journey soon. I'll let you all know when, but you can also check out our new Website. Same address, new site. Just click on the link, if you don't already know what it is. And it will be posted there, as well, once we settle on the date and time. Please invite your friends and families. It is going to be a full-on, lay-it-all-down, time of seeking our Father's face. You won't want to miss it!

As I promised before, here is the list of songs that we did yesterday. I hope all of you have a blessed week! We'll see you sunday! Don't forget, Erik starts his new series, "DNA", this week. It's going to be a very interesting subject. I know you won't want to miss it!

Songs:

Doxology, I Stand Amazed (in the presence), Savior King, King of Heaven, Sing Sing Sing, Your Love Oh Lord, God of This City, Everybody Praise the Lord, Let It Rain/Jesus Is Coming, He Reigns

Thursday, July 31, 2008

getting ready

So, this sunday at The Journey, we are having a really different kind of service. It's kind of a cross between a Celebration Sunday and Praise and Worship Service. Now, if you were with us last Sunday,  WOW! I don't have anything else to describe it but WOW! God's presence in there was overwhelming. It was incredible. 

So this week, I've kinda been a little worried. Not that we are going to "not" experience that again, but that it's going to be even more intense! I mean, we're only human. I don't know how much of that we can handle without our heads exploding!! :)

Seriously, though, I do believe we are in a season where God is growing us. (I don't mean numbers here, either.) I've noticed a trend that has started happening around the Journey. It seems like every week more and more people are letting go of themselves and turning it over to God. I've noticed this both in worship and during Erik's reflective time. People are making moves toward God. (and here me say this... This is nothing of our doing!) But I do know this. As people at the Journey continue to be obedient to what God is calling them to do, He will continue to increase His presence in our lives. I can tell you from personal experience. 

Two weeks ago, I spent the week preparing for Sunday, like I always do. However, I found myself distracted by things that took me away from focused prayer time, my personal worship time, and my scripture reading. Nothing that you would say, "OOOH! I can't believe he did that!" I'm talking about everyday things, like needing to go to the bank, watching TV, playing with Cason. Little, everyday things. And I didn't spend the time that I'd promised God, with Him, that I should have. I let other things come first. Well, that Sunday, I struggled with distractions, forgetting words, and stupid things that shouldn't normally happen. Immediately, I thought of all the things that got in the way of my time with God, during the week. So, I made the decision right then and there, never again!  Long story short, this past week, when I got to church, I immediately felt God's presence all around me. There was a warmth and a peace like I'd never known before. I knew that the time that I had spent with Him this past week was being honored. Just the mere thought of stepping on that stage and singing praises to Him filled my heart so much, that nothing could distract me. I truly felt like I was at His feet, as He sat on His throne. And as we began our service, His presence was all I felt. 

I talk all the time about preparation to my praise team and tech team. Yes, it's good to know your songs, and light cues and computer-powerpoint presentations, and key signatures. But the kind of preparation that I try to encourage is spiritual. Take the time throughout the week to talk to God. Read the scriptures. Spend focused time in prayer. 

Give Him your first of everything: your day, your thoughts, your time, and watch what happens. 

-blessings

Monday, July 28, 2008

answers

Hey everyone,

I keep getting a lot of people asking me what songs we did on Sundays. So, I thought that I would start posting on Monday mornings what we did. I'll try to keep up with this. Most of these songs can be found on itunes or some other downloadable site. Some, however, are originals, meaning, either I, or someone else on the team has written it. In those cases, you're just going to have to wait! We are planning a recording session, hopefully soon, to get all of those songs on a CD for everyone. If there is a song that you cannot find anywhere, and it's not something that we wrote, please let me know and I'll try to get you a copy. Maybe my new press secretary, Alex Perry, can do that for you!

Love y'all, here's the list.

Happy Day
How Beautiful the Blood Flowed
Let God Arise
Jesus Paid It All
You, You Are God
The Voice of Truth
Shout Unto God
We Shine

Sunday, July 27, 2008

sunday thoughts

today was an incredible day at the Journey. We had one of the most complex, technically challenging services ever planned for our Catalyst service. We had everything from a creative reading, video, drama (not the kind that people are always trying to avoid!! I mean, like, actors and choreography!), a kickin' message, and blow-it-up-unabashed-full-on-worship! 

If there was ever a day that things could tank and go straight to pot, this was the day! However, we serve the God of the universe. The One that restores broken lives. And when you have a bunch of people, all in one accord, He shows up.... Big Time! And He did! 

If you weren't there, I'm soooo sorry you missed it. If you were, I hope God moved in your life like He did mine. If you read this blog, and you don't have a church home, and you live in the area, please come and join us. We are, by no means, the best church ever! We are a bunch of crazy people who believe that God wants to do something amazing in this region and are trying to be obedient to what He's calling us to do. And because of that, we are having a blast!!! And lives are being changed. It's an honor to watch it happen and unfold before my eyes. I'm so blessed to just be a part of it. 

Thank you to all who served today. Thank you to our drama team today. You guys knocked it out of the park. My praise team... well, you guys are just sick! (That's a good thing, Danny!) 

Congrats to the Rountree family. I'm so proud to be your friends. It's amazing to see God work in your lives and call you to such an honored life. You guys are an inspiration to all of us. Tiffany and I love you very much! 

I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us over the next few weeks. Next week is going to be a special service. We are going to be taking the sacraments, commissioning all three campus pastors and engaging in extended worship. It's going to be exciting. It's going to be a preview of our "Night of Praise and Worship", which is coming up, hopefully, in the month of August. I'll be sure to let you all know when that's coming up, so you can make plans to attend. the last one we had was great. I know this next one will be just as exciting! See you there!

-Blessings

P.S.   To echo Erik, it's starting to smell like football season! For the first time, since living in Tennessee, I'm going to convert and try to be a VOL's fan. This is a tough conversion for me, but Erik has been working on me for the last eight years. I'm going to give it a try. Bear with me! Go VOLS!!!!! Down with the Gators!!!!! 

Friday, July 25, 2008

golf and accountability

Today, I spent the day with a couple of my good friends, Todd and Ty. We drove an hour away to avoid the pouring down rain, just so we could chase a little white ball around 6800 yards of lush fairway and probably 100 acres of six inch rough, trees, sand traps; which is where we actually spent most of our day!!!

Not really, but you get the point! We had a great time. And what I realized was, if you're playing golf with a couple of really good buds, it doesn't always matter how you play, and we all played really well today, so I'm not saying that to justify a crappy round!!!

I do have to admit. I struggled through the front nine. I played Ok, but I was having trouble controlling distance. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Then, all of a sudden, I developed a wicked left pull. Every shot! I was having to scramble around the greens to save par.

About eight holes into the round, Ty, who is standing behind me as I took one of these wicked-bad shots, started laughing. Naturally, I turned around and thanked him for laughing at my expense!! :) He says, "No! I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because I know what's going on with your swing! And your gonna feel like an idiot when I tell you!!!"

First rule in golf: Keep your head down. No problem. I got that one down.... after five long years of horrible duffing!
Rule # 2: Keep your left arm straight, all through your backswing. (unless you're a lefty, then it's your right arm.)
Long story short, Ty informs me that I'm bending my left elbow so badly, it looks like I'm hugging myself. Thank You so much!!!!! Immediately, my swing is back! I'm crushing the ball, right on target, and the very next hole.... Birdie!!!! Not just a birdie either. I knocked the approach shot within 12 inches, from a 130 yards out! (side note-not to be outdone, Todd stuck his approach right beside mine, from about 100 yards out! Two incredible golf shots, if I do say so myself)

So here's the point of the story. It got me to thinking. I can't tell you how many times something goes wrong with a golf swing and you can't see it, feel it, or fix it, you just know something's wrong. The reason is, the difference between a complete shank and a perfectly executed shot is literally... 1/8 of an inch off plane. And you can't always figure out what you're doing wrong. It takes someone else to point it out to you.

Todd and Ty are two really, really good friends of mine. Either one of them can tell me anything, and they know that no matter what, I know their motive is not to hurt me or putt me down. Even if what they're telling me is hard to hear. Just like in Golf, our Christian walk can get out of alignment sometimes. I'm not talking about the really big obvious things that we immediately know... Uh, oh! That was not something Jesus would've been proud of! I'm talking about the litle things, the day to day things that may not seem like they're a big deal, but can gradually pile up and then, Uh, oh! Now we got a pile of junk to deal with.
This is why I have a couple other really good friends that I meet with regularly. They are my accountability partners. We keep maintenance on each other's lives. Every now and again, I'll get an email that is subject headed- Image Consultant! I know, when I see that, that I'm about to get gut-checked! It's a good thing, to know that I can be completely transparent with these guys. There's nothing that I can say that's going to change the way they feel about me, and vice versa with them. We approach everything with love, knowing that we are only bringing these things up, to make sure that we are following the path that God wants us on.
I would highly encourage you, if you don't already, to find a couple people-people you trust implicitely with everything. People who, it doesn't matter what you tell them, good or bad, it doesn't leave your circle... NO MATTER WHAT! But here's the key. You can't just find someone to dump on. You need to be willing to hear what they have to say about it. You need to be willing to take it to God, with them, and see what He has to say about it. And you need to be willing to accept that you may be doing something that is not what God would have for your life. Sometimes it's very hard. I'm not going to lie to you. Sometimes it's like having to stand in front of a magic mirror, one that strips you of all your facades, and shows you the real you. But that's ok, because God already sees that. And there's nothing we can do to hide it. Sometimes we need our accountability partners to help point these things out, and sometimes we need to point out these things to our accountability partners. That's even harder!! But the point of all of this is, we were created to be in relationship. God expects us, through those relationships, to grow in Him, and learn how to love each other, build each other up and hold each other accountable when neccessary. Sometimes we just need someone to point out that our elbow is bending, and messing up our swing!
Blessings

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

sons and daughters of a king

i had a great conversation with Cindy yesterday. Well, actually, it was a three part conversation! 

Tiffany had a really long day yesterday. She was in meetings all day from 7:00 to about 10:30 last night. So, I had the little man all to myself. Naturally, when the phone rings, he decides that everything he's been holding on to say for the last two hours, he feels the need to blurt it out all at once, at ninety miles an hour!

So, the phone rings. It's Cindy Raffield, our piano player at the Journey. Something you need to know about Cindy: She has been a devoted follower of Christ for a long time. God gives her insight into things that literally will blow your mind. I love talking to her because one of the things she is consumed by is worship. As a worship leader, I personally think it's probably a good idea to listen to those people who God really speaks to, especially when it concerns worship! 

Anyway, the phone rings. I say, "Hello, what's up?" Immediately, as the words leave my mouth, my son is right in front of me talking his head off! I missed the entire first minute of what Cindy was saying. I finally get him to simmer down, and turn my focus back to Cindy. Immediately, the first thing I hear is, "So what do you think?" 

So here I am, completely unaware of anything she just said. Now, here's the cool thing about being a parent. You quickly learn how to use your recall memory. So, desperately, I rewind the last minute of my peripheral hearing. All I can recall is sons and daughters of kings, going to war, defending your honor, and a few other things. So, like an idiot (i've told you all before, I have a unique talent for being an idiot sometimes!), I say, "Wow! That's really cool!" and we go on with our conversation for another couple minutes.

When I hang up, the rest of what she said came flooding in like a tidal wave. To make a long story short, we talked back and forth a couple more times, until I got the whole story.

Basically, what she was saying is, the sons and daughters of kings, all throughout history, have been charged with defending the honor of their kings. They would go to war for their King. This is really cool because, she then pointed out that we are the sons and daughters of THE King. And if you've been following the teaching series War Zone, you would know that Erik is talking about spiritual warfare. And this week, his message revolves around exactly what Cindy was talking about. 

So my question to you is this: if we are the sons and daughters of THE King, and there is a battle going on around us for the souls of these sons and daughters, how are we defending our honor? Are we sitting by, ignoring the battles? Or are we taking on the responsibility of royalty and engaging in the war?  If you are a Journey-ite, please, please make sure that you're there this week. This sunday is going to be out of hand! I don't say that to boast about anything that we are going to do. I say this because I know that God wants to do an amazing thing Sunday. And as we prepare for it, I really feel like He's saying, "Hey, y'all, watch this!!" 

I've encouraged Cindy to start a blog. Some of the stuff she shares with me is simply mind-blowing. If you see her around, please do the same. I know that, what God puts on her heart, we all need to hear!

-blessings

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

10 things that bother me

10. being three cents short of exact change (every time i go to buy something)
9. a drive through that makes you pull up front and wait. (i thought that's why i went through 
the drive through. i didn't want to wait!)
8. hitting every red light
7. hitting the south hartman dr./baddour parkway red light (have you seen this thing? it's like red for twenty four minutes and 16 seconds!)
6. shooting 78 at Windtree on Thursday, then shooting 89 at Windtree on Friday. (How can
that much go wrong with a golf swing in 24 hours?)
5. cleaning the pool filter. (i could install a new one in the time it takes to clean the old one!)
4. the other 10 million things that bother me, that i don't have the time or space to list here!
3. waiting almost an entire year for a new episode of "Lost". (that show is like crack!)
2. the fact that my wife is right most of the time! (love you, honey!)
1. the fact that i know what having a relationship with God is like and there are millions of 
people who don't.

i know this list is kind of funny, except for number one. but that's the point i'm trying to make. how many things in your life are you bothered by? like me, you probably have a million things that bother you. but of all of those things, are any of them as important as walking around everyday seeing the people you see and knowing that there's a good, no great, chance that they have no idea how much God loves them. and the lengths to which He would go to let them know... the lengths to which He already has. 

this is something that God slammed me with. it's our job to love people.  Jesus said we will know His disciples by the way they love people. the church is the only institution on the face of this earth that can bring the love of God. we can do this because He lives in us, and therefore, He can love through us. so, it bothers me that we have this Love inside us, and yet, there are millions of people who have never even seen it. 

my prayer is that God would show me how to love better. would you make that your prayer as well?

blessings,

-Robbie

Monday, July 21, 2008

when all else fails!


ok..... so yesterday was interesting! fun, exciting, and powerful....but interesting!

i know all you PC cronies are going to love this.... but i have to come clean! yesterday the MAC crashed!!!! I still maintain that it didn't crash... it was only taking a coffee break!

seriously, i kind of expected it (well, not the MAC crashing, but something like that happening.) once again, we delved into the realm of spiritual warfare. and once again, erik brought it!!!! and once again, our enemy tried his mightiest to get us off track. but this is what's soooo amazing! he doesn't realize that when stuff like that happens, it causes us to remember the One who makes everything whole. the Once who restores brokenness. we truly had to rely on God's power to get us through the technical difficulties. 

so, when all else fails, trust God, and He will make your path straight! so we did! we completely went off track, from what we had planned on doing. we started worship with a scripture reading... psalm 64. great stuff! click on the link and read it! then, i just closed my eyes and asked God what he wanted us to sing to Him. i felt my heart swell with joy and just wanted to shout as loud as i could His praise! we starting a completely different song, than what was on the agenda. the next thing i know, i look around me, and the entire praise team is in full-on battle mode!! (that means unabashedly worshiping!!!) our congregation was whooping and shouting, and jumping up and down, singing and praising God!!!!!  You cannot plan that! no matter how hard you try... you cannot plan that. it has to come from God. when you let go, decide to put nothing between you and Him and lay everything you have at the foot of the Cross, His spirit will ravage your church! 

to wrap it up... we didn't do one song that we planned, in the order that we had planned it. not only that, as God's spirit led... we just did a bunch of different songs. we allowed God to move us through worship. and we did it without video, power point, projectors and screens, or anything else. we just worshiped! and it was AWESOME!!!! 

i spoke about John 4:19-26 in my last post. i talked about how i have been truly seeking out what it means to worship in truth and in spirit.  i believe that yesterday, we got a glimpse of it! and now... i'm on a full-fledged mission. i am seeking to achieve this, not only on sundays, but every day of my life. don't get me wrong... i'm not saying that i want to kibosh the whole power point and video stuff. it is a great tool to use, to enhance worship. but that is all it is.... a tool! we must remember this. great power point, song selection, a jammin band,  and video presentations do not constitute amazing worship!!!! did you catch that? let me say it again. great power point, song selection, a jammin band, and video presentations do not constitute amazing worship!!! letting yourself go, trusting that your offering is pure of motive and solely focused on praising Him.... now that's great worship!!!

i pray that we would all worship HIM this way!

-robbie