Weekend Worship Awards June 28th edition

The following awards a real and have not been retransmitted or rebroadcast.  If this had been an actual emergency this emailed would be followed by instructions from your local authorities.

Please do not sell or distribute this information for profit.  There are no side effects known contracted by reading these awards at this time, but no scientific testing has been done to prove that.

 

Weekend Awards June 28^th edition

 

BEST JANET IMPERSONATION

This one goes to Janet who looked a lot like herself in The Eleven except darker with a definite Honduras glow about her. 

Runner up goes to Carolyn Pullen who was a shoe in until Janet showed up!

 

MOST MISSED

Was Bethany who had to pull out at the last minute due to illness.  We missed you!

 

BEST DRESSED

Please know I have nothing to do with this award, the official committee makes me put this here per the rules.

But since I have to judge it and I’m really not good about remembering what people wore, I declare this a tie between Joyce who always dresses high class and Bob Thomas who decided to break the khaki trend and go dark.  Gutsy yet effective for the award. 

 

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER

Come on, you know this has to go to the one armed wonder.  WARREN!!!  You have now entered the stuff of legend. 

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

Has to be seeing Holly and her kids in the room on Sunday in The Eleven.

 

MOST OFFICIAL LOOKING

Dania Behrens.  Three words.  Huge head phones.

 

BEST USE OF TIME

Apparently all of us when we realized we had a full hour before the service started and we were done, talking and eating in the green room.  Tyler dreamed of sleeping in more as a result. J

 

BEST USE OF SPACE

The worship choir who had got to know each other quite well on limited riser space.

 

BEST POD

Mike Matousek, thanks for keeping the flow and setting up Bob’s song so well.

 

BEST IDEA THAT DIDN’T GET USED

Eddie’s idea for the You Tube key over.  Way to think inside the box J

 

MOST REPITIVE SONG

Shout unto God.  By a landslide.   We do this to give the media shout operator a much needed breather in the flow of the morning.

 

BRAVEST MOMENT

When Jill actually started playing Michael Jackson’s You are Not alone underneath Ron’s set up for prayer and healing.  It was all I could do to hold it together.  

 

 

Thank you all so much for a wonderful weekend!!!  Bob, thanks for doing what you do so well, singing a song with such excellence and heart.  You bless us every time.  Thank you Wayne for doing such a great job on the board.  Thank you Kuskie Clan for all you do each time you are here.  Thanks entire Tech Team for supporting the morning and everyone with such care.  Thank you Steve for your playing and your prayers which always center and focus us.   Thanks Rebecca for singing so beautifully and for serving right before your trip!  Thanks Worship Choir for modeling and encouraging participation in worship.  It is so wonderful to hear you on those songs I can’t even express how cool it is.   

 

Until next time

Jay

Undivided

I used to travel with a group of guys in a singing ministry, and I learned something about team over the years.  I learned that in a team, one of the most important things is chemistry.  The way that we relate to one another, the way we treat one another, the way we work through things, the way that we resolve conflict, handle disagreements, listen to one another and speak to one another, had more of an effect on our ministry than learning the right notes, or the right places to be etc.  When we were unified, our ministry and effectiveness and even our sound had a dramatic difference to it.  When we weren’t right, when we weren’t resolved, our ministry suffered, and we weren’t as effective.   You probably know this from teams you are on or serve in.

I think of the verse in Matt 12 where Jesus said, ²⁵“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” (The context of this verse is when the Pharisees accused Jesus of using Satan’s power to perform His miracles.)

Much in the same way a team needs to be unified to function well, individually; our hearts need to be undivided when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

Exodus 20:3 as, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Here are some different translations of that same verse.   “You shall have no gods but me.”  “You should not defy me by making other gods your own.” “You should have no other gods beside Me “You shall have no gods to set against me.”

When I first became came to know Christ, it felt way easier to have an undivided heart, it seemed more natural that Christ was all consuming.  Today it seems harder, increasingly harder for me to have an undivided heart.  So many things pull at it, vie for it, subtly and not so subtly. Good things and bad things threaten all the time to become god and make Christ only a piece of my heart. 

Prov 4: 20

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
       listen closely to my words.

 ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
       keep them within your heart;

 ²² for they are life to those who find them
       and health to a man’s whole body.

 ²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
       for it is the wellspring of life.

10 Things I’m loving

Just writing 10 things that come to mind that I’m loving at the moment.

#1.  If I’m being real, loving the new iphone 3Gs.  First time iphone owner.  Blown away. 

#2.  Singing with RESCUE again.  Really enjoying being part of that ministry.

#3.  My daughter Ava’s sense of humor.  She is hilarious. My favorite thing she is doing right now I call the chicken dance when she hears a song she likes.

#4.  Voice lessons.  Found a teacher Marisa Frasier that is a really awesome instructor and is stretching/challenging me.

#5.  Watching my wife Allison suddenly enjoy reading fictional books.  She is hooked on the Twighlight series. 

#6. Being in ministry with the team I serve with.  I am SO blessed.

#7. P90x. (workout program)  Started it again, I’m on week 4, and loving it.

#8.  A book called Crazy Love.  Its Crazy good.

#9.  Peanut butter.  It should always be on this list somewhere. Currently its a healthy kind called Smart Balance, but normally its Jif.

#10. I’ll end where I started, back on the iphone.  I love the app called Trapster.  Notifies me of all police traps, red light camera’s etc.  Not that I need that.  But its fun 🙂

A few current pics from my iphone…

Weekend Awards Father’s Day Edition

The following awards are real and recognized in Troutdale by me and certified by official electronic email transfer as well as posting to an official Web Log.

 

New guy award.  This one was tough, really tough.  I think what made it so challenging is there were two new guys, Dustin and Steve.  In the end it was a split decision. 

Thanks to both of you for bringing it, and joining our team!  Can’t wait to have you back.

 

Best drama/skit/sketch  Even though this one was easy because there was only one, I have to say I was SO impressed with the how well you all acted!!  Ben please have me over sometime to watch a football game.  Loved your passion.  You all put in some work not only memorizing but in your delivery, and it showed.  And it really helped break up Ron’s sermon in a good way and keep people engaged.  Nice work Daphne and Dania on that script.

 

Hardest on the equipment  I keep wondering why this should be a reward, seems counter productive.  This one goes to Dustin for almost breaking Ben’s record for pulling the aviom down.  One more Dustin and you would share the title.  But you will have to wait a while it looks like to get another chance at it.  Maybe you can win it while you are on the road, keep us posted.

 

Best Janet impression  This week goes to Carrie, who stepped her game up in a big way and did so many behind the scenes actions to keep things movin.   Thank you Carrie.

 

Moron Moment Goes to me, for forgetting in the nine that I was supposed to release to welcome and greet not Ron, and basically looking like, a moron, immediately qualifying me for this prestigious honor and securing my victory.

 

Best sound during an offertory.   I actually got to sit in the congregation during May Our Praise.  This one goes to Ryan Barmore.  The mix from where I was sitting was like my favorite mix at Cold Stone.  Half coffee ice cream, half cake batter, peanut butter, oreos, and fudge.  Now transfer that to the mix I heard on the platform.  It was that good.  And now I have to go to Cold Stone.  And relive that analogy.  It will symbolize and honor and really bring authenticity to this award.

 

Special mention goes to Laura VanderGiessen, Kristin Hopper, Travis, Chris Goodell, Ed Stillwell, Tyler Braun, Phil Van Dyke, The entire Kuskie Clan, Ushers, Debbie, Carolyn, and all the tech team.  And my mom.  It takes an army of people to do what we do each week.  Thank you for making it such an awesome experience, and thank you for serving, you are appreciated more than you know.   Have a great Monday.

 

Sincerely,

Jay

Weekend Awards for Sunset Worship Community

Hey all,
Welcome to the weekend awards. The following awards are real, and serious, and recognized in the State of Oregon by me and certified by official email transfer.

MOST IMPROVED OUTFIT This award goes to Bob Thomas, who wore a shirt with a basic definable color this week. Bob you sounded SO good on Hear Our Prayers and as usual delivered it with heart and passion as well.

PLAYING ON YOUR BIRTHDAY AWARD This one was tough, but I ended up giving it to my dad John McKenney, who did in fact play on his birthday. Way to go John. And nice work on the cool bass part on the time has come. I wanted to put some sunglasses on you in that moment.

BEST JANET IMPERSONATION This award goes to Carolyn, who is a faithful volunteer who does whatever she can to help each week, with such an awesome attitude!

BEST LOOP AND WITTIEST COMENT AWARD Combo awards are rare and should be treasured. This one goes to Rhett Lee who submitted the best loop AND made us all laugh during our sharing time as usual.

FIVE PLACES AT ONCE Goes to Travis, who was everywhere this weekend doing everything, in the midst of some wacky stuff going on in our sound system.

SMILE AWARD If you have ever seen the Ramblin Rod show, you know what this award is about. This one goes to Bethany, who always has a beautiful authentic smile and lights up the platform whenever she is on it.

MEMORY AWARD This one goes to the choir, who had to remember verse three and four of Come Thou Fount several times, without lyrics, or with the wrong lyrics, and pushing through it sometimes just by willing the mouth to move open and shut regardless of actual words coming out

COOLEST PRELUDE Holy cow that was awesome. Matt and Randy and Rhett hit it out of the park, that was just, cool.

There are SO many other awards that could have been given, but policies and by laws restrict more than 8 being handed out, and I don’t want to discredit or hurt the award process so I’ll stick with the rules.

Choir and Orchestra, THANK YOU SO MUCH for an awesome year! We love you and appreciate your time, talent and heart and what you bring to Sunset!! You have blessed us!

Thank you band and singers, who still amaze me that you pull off two services formats each week! That is no small feat.

Thank you tech team, who work your tail off behind the scenes, putting in so much effort for a large time block each Thursday and Sunday.

And thank you prayer warriors, who hit the front lines of battle for us week in and week out. Priceless.

Praying for you all this morning, that your relationship, your communication, your prayer life with Jesus will deepen and come alive on a new level this week.

Jay

Sunset Season of Service (Or Sunset Season of Worship)

This morning I sat in my office about to go through the motions of the tasks at hand.  God stopped me, and forced me to look at Him for a while.  It came in the form of this link to a short video called “Awe Factor”.  (When the page opens, click on the Videos option and choose “the awe factor of God”.)  

 Just watching and hearing about God, a snapshot into His bigness and I was moved to worship Him in my heart.  It was a moment I was desperately in need of and a moment for which I was so grateful.

 In thinking through what to write about this week, I thought it was a good time to write about Sunset’s Seasons of Service.  It seemed appropriate to let you know about all these wonderful areas to serve in and to make an impact in our community as well as the lives of hundreds of people.  And the opportunities are wonderful.   But I realize now I want to let you know what I believe at my heart level.  I believe serving is really worshiping… and worshiping is really about responding to God’s greatness.  We have to start there, because then our response comes naturally, freely, and overflowing.

 So I guess what I’m challenging you to right now is make sure you are stopping to look at God and His greatness, whatever/however that happens for you.  You know how He has wired you, you know what speaks beauty to you and where you see or hear Him the clearest.  Go there… do whatever that is… immerse yourself in Him.  And when your soul is moved, when He sets things in context, when He sets your heart on fire and you think you are going to explode if you don’t tell someone or do something, then check out this link to find out about more ways Sunset is reaching out this summer as a family and in response to our God and Creator and Savior.

what’s goin on with me lately

I haven’t written just a normal life post for a while.

I along with so many of you have been rocked by Scott’s death.   Trying to figure out what to think, how to feel, how to help and support,  how to go on in the new reality in Holly’s life, how to deal.  As I have watched people step up and respond,  it has also really been making me aware that the need is so large, so much more than just Holly.

I have recently rejoined RESCUE.  This is really exciting for me for so many reasons.  I love the ministry, love what it stands for, and love singing with the guys.  I also love sharing the gospel in that setting, and will have lots of opportunities now to share my faith more in that context.  Getting outside Sunset and seeing other churches, getting a feel for their worship expressions etc is very intriguing for me.

I have recently started vocal lessons again.  Oh boy have I needed them.  Just have stopped growing, and like most things in life, there is no coasting, if you’re not growing, you’re regressing, and I have been falling into lots of bad habits vocally and have been regressing.

Have been walking through some friends divorces recently with them the best I can.   Part of me longs for life when it was so much simpler, so much more black and white, so much less yucky and messy.  Now that I’m 35, the reality of the onslaught of the ememies attack on the abundant life is sometimes more than I can handle. 

I got to see my older brother Mike’s boys Drey and Devan last week as they were up here visiting from Colorado.  So good to see them as it had been years. 

Its actually harder for me to blog lately, seems like facebook, twitter, learning music for RESCUE etc has taken up that time.  But I also want to make sure that devo’s and ministry updates are not the only thing that I put on my personal blog so I’m gonna try to make sure I write these type of posts from time to time.

CAST

Here is a description of a living nightmare for me… I wake up and I am alone.  Not that there is no one else alive, but that I have no relationships, no connections, no family, no friends.  I am increasingly aware and grateful for relationship in my life.  And in the context of ministry, I truly cannot imagine doing anything alone.

 

At Sunset, and in this ministry, we do things together, and in team.  Obviously, with 200 plus serving in some capacity, we can’t all meet every week to make decisions together, nor should we!  But there is a small team of people that meet every week.  The goal is to truly serve you, and this church, as you serve in this community.  This team is called CAST, which stands for Creative Arts Serving Team.  The team consists of myself (Jay), Janet Fraser, Jill Hofer, Tyler Braun, Ben Porter, Laura Padur, and our elder of worship, Bob Thomas.

 

Our role first and foremost is to support the vision and leadership of Pastor Ron Kincaid.  We seek to line up with our church’s desire to connect people with Jesus; and, we seek to do that in the spirit of Pastor Ron’s heart (and our hearts) for excellence in what we offer and in mobilizing the gifts and hearts of those people who are part of the body at Sunset.  

 

From there, here is a small sampling of the types of things we discuss/decide in a CAST meeting: 

• We discuss big picture things like:  Who are we serving/trying to reach in our gatherings?  How do we best do that with who God has brought to our community today?  How do we create a sustainable, healthy environment for the people responsible to carry that out?

• We discuss more mundane, practical things like:  How much money should we budget for choir music or leadership development or volunteer food, etc. and how does what we decide line up with the overall vision and mission of the church?

• We brainstorm ways to inspire and mobilize our teams to think about issues like serving, worship as a lifestyle, concern for the community both inside and outside Sunset and beyond.

 

Two principles we constantly realize are #1 – we are imperfect humans who will fail, make wrong decisions, and will need to course correct often; and #2 – getting what is said out of the room and filtered into our ministry and into your conscious thought is WAY easier said than done.

 

 

One of the things we talked about this week was getting our ministry on Facebook as a way for all of us to be more connected.  The Sunset Worship Community Facebook is up and running, check it out by clicking http://bit.ly/18aJJ7 !

 

As a team, we (CAST) would appreciate your prayers for us as we seek to serve you and this church. We also value your input, ideas and opinions… we discuss them often and they help shape our direction as a ministry.