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)

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! 

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 

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

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