WHAT IF??

SHOULD BE A FUN NIGHT!!!
Wow....that would be amazing if it were true! Unfortunately, Josh and I are taking a little hiatis from touring together so he can focus on the release of his new album, due in stores on Tuesday! (Mom...this should make you happy!) I MIGHT even take a break from my Shawn McDonald album long enough to check this one out! (Plus, Josh wants me to start learning the new music for our big return to the stage...) Look for "AWAKE" coming to a music store near you!

Get Out and VOTE.

This Tuesday is election day, as I'm sure you have become aware by the millions of political campaign ads currently running on television and by lawns decorated with colorful signs. I just finished mailing off my absentee ballot. It feels good to be a contributor to the democratic process. Be sure you do the same next week! Your vote COUNTS (and, you'll get a cute little sticker. Apparently, there are no stickers for absentee ballots....)

YODA-RRRRRRIFIC!

Here are a couple clips from our AWARD-WINNING BOOTH! (Yep....we're talkin' FIRST place. PIZZA is on it's way!!!) Our booth was a Star-Wars themed Wack-a-Mole game, with our own heads (masks) as the moles and a pool-noodle as a light-saber. Of course, Darth Vader was in full costume to represent.


This shout-out goes out to my FABULOUS, COMPETITIVE friends at the LBC Life Group! You are the best!!

Off to Neverland!

Here's a couple snapshots of pre-halloween fun with my girlfriends Cheri, Christi, Kara, and Silke. My actual halloween will be spent at our church's carnival, Bug-a-Boo, manning our booth. The concept is top-secret, so more to come AFTER the event is through (in case there are spies scoping out my blog for ideas), and we have proved VICTORIOUS in the booth design contest. Muaaahhh haaa haaa.....

Oy! Oy! Oy!

We experienced the German phenomenon that is OKTOBERFEST this weekend... No other way to explain it except one must really enjoy beer and polka. Since the drinking aspect really didn't appeal to any of us, we spent our time at the festival eating bratwurst and doing the chicken dance to a lederhosen-clad German polka band. Some things you do for the cultural experience- this was one of them! Here are a couple pics from the event- the Phillips sisters (Kara, Cheri and Christi) enjoying some Polish Sausage, and the musicians that kept the joint jumpin'.

Currently Listening To...

Shawn McDonald. Even my more mature readers would dig this one! Acoustic, mellow, kinda-jazzy-folk-vibe with a beautiful message and melodies that will stick with you all week long- if you like John Mayer, you'll LOVE his album "Simply Nothing." I predict that artist such as this will be the "next big thing" on the Christian Music Scene.

SHOUT OUT to my Portland/Carmel friend ASHLEY, whose fault it is that I am now Shawn McObsessed.

Professor's Last Day

Today was my last day as a "professor" with the conclusion of my First Year Seminar course. I had the best time facilitating this course, and absolutely loved the students I was working with. I'm really sad that it's over! Fortunately, I am retaining many of my students for academic advising, so I'll see them often. Today we chilled out under the trees and had a pizza lunch (which Biola provided for my students). I had the opportunity to pray for their years to come at Biola and to hear about their first weeks of college. Many of them are finding that they have more or less time than they expected, more or less homework than they expected, and are surprised that not all Biola students value the student contract. One girl said she is surprised that dating is taken so seriously here...as if it equals marriage (to which the one boy in my class responded, "hey...I just want to be your friend!)

Now, back to the daily grind. My current project is coordinating the Emerging Leaders Institute at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Some of our Biola Alumni and faculty (and me!) will be meeting with various legislators and policy makers in the Department of Education and Assembly. We'll get a first hand look at how educational policy is adopted and administered (the State Superintendent coordinator is a Biola alumni, as well). In previous years, our students have met with Governor Schwarzenegger's spokesman, who is also a believer. It will give me the opportunity to see a different side of Sacramento!

$15.07

My portion of our electric bill was $15.07. This, compared to what I was paying at my Stockton apartment, is a miracle. There are perks to living in temperate Southern California! Thank you, God, for small electric bills!

"His divine POWER has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

(Today's shout-out....to my good friend, and electrician, Chris! The chandelier you were supposed to hang for me is still on the floor of my dining room. Every time I see it, I think of you. It's alright...we're still friends!)

Diary of a Podcast Junkie

While listening to looping CD's and completing some mindless work, I realized that I could be listening to something of substance (not that worship music ISN'T refreshing). I've been craving something that engages the mind. SO, I became a podcaster. For those of you who are not familiar with a podcast, it's a vehicle to transmit audio messages to my itunes program...and it's free! Most of them are automatically sent to my itunes every sunday, which makes Monday a fun day to catch up! If you don't know what itunes is, I can't help you.

I was recommended several pastors who podcast regularly, and have been an avid listener (especially in these days when work is slower than normal). Thought I'd share some of my recent favorites with you!

THE VILLAGE CHURCH (Highland Village, TX);
www.thevillagechurch.net
Pastor- Matt Chandler
**They are in the midst of a series on the book of Ecclesiastes. Really interesting and entertaining messages! I particularly enjoyed "Communal Lessons" sermon. Another great thing about The Village Church is that they have a sermon database organized by topic. A great resource.

MARS HILL (Grandville, MI);
www.mhbcmmi.org
Pastor- Rob Bell
**Loving the series titled "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." Rob has incredible insight into Jewish/Hebrew history. Deep.

NORTH POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH (Alpharetta, GA);
www.northpoint.org/messages
Pastor- Andy Stanley
**These are on my list of "to-listen" podcasts. First up, Andy's series called "Twisted." Can't wait.

7:22 (Alpharetta, GA);
www.722.org
Speaker- Louie Giglio
**Louie is my all-time favorite. He has been a tremendous influence in my life. Although he is no longer consistently at 7:22, he did make an appearance this summer for a 3-week series called "Tattoo." I'm almost finished with this one. Check it out!

REVOLUTION CHURCH (Long Beach, CA);
www.revolution242.com
Pastor- David Trotter
**Can't forget my church home here in Southern Cali! I've missed quite a few Sundays due to my travel schedule, so podcasting has been pivotal in my catch-up! Our current series, "Bread, Juice, Water and Boxes" just concluded yesterday. These are also available in vodcast (video) format. Have fun!

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH (Stockton, CA)
www.fbcstockton.org/messages.html
Pastors- Jim Dunn and Brad Stahl
**Both Main Service and Crosswalk are posted on the web. Crosswalk features the summer series about the life of David. Pastor Dunn's messages are always powerful and full of surprises....


AND......my new fun thing.....
I figured out how to listen via online streaming to KHOP 95.1 in the central valley where my good friend and DJ, Jack Paper, is now hosting the morning show entitled "The Morning Paper." It runs 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., so getting to work a little early has a great incentive, now! And, you guessed it....today's shout-out goes to JACK (or, JP #2 as he is affectionately known)- keep up the good work, brutha. You are a warrior! Spreadin' the love for you down in LA...

Fighting for Joy

Hello all. It's been an interesting week for me. I've been ill, overworked, frustrated and tired. What bothers me more is that my friends are seeing this "crumpled-up" side of me that even I don't enjoy. Normally, I can sift through life's rubbish to find God's gift of joy (and it IS a gift...Galatians 5:22). But lately, I feel like my joy has been all dried up, like a forgotten peach at the back of a refrigerator (as John Piper would put it). It was today during my devotional time that I was reminded that joy must be fought for RELENTLESSLY, and because faith births joy, I must continue to fight for faith. Sometimes, to be honest, this continual push towards complete faith leaves my heart weary.

The song "Effortless," by Rita Springer, has been a stuggle for me. The song begins with "May my praise be effortless, may my words come easily, may my worship be pleasing to You." It seems to contradict scripture that calls for our SACRIFICE of praise, yet, ohhhh I can identify with that longing to just accept God for God and to have this inherent fountain of joy always bubbling.

So, today is a battle and my sword is the word of God.

"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we WORK with you for your joy." (2 Corinthians 1:24)

"I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and JOY IN THE FAITH." (Phillipians 1:25)

"I have FOUGHT the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." (1 Timothy 6:12)

"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who ENDURES to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:12-13)

"RESTORE to me the JOY of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing SPIRIT." (Psalm 51:12)

Shucks!

Those of you who were following my OLD blog may remember the hootenanny of fun from last year...Corn Maze 2005. Well, folks, this year's report is equally as thrilling. Last weekend I was up in the central valley for some harvest cheer which included traipsing through 40 acres of corn with a couple of my best girlfriends. Since there were no BOYS with us to throw us off course (somehow we ended up OUTSIDE of the maze last year....), we finished like pros, and in record time found ALL of the bridges seen in the picture above. We highly recommend going early in October, as there are less crowds and more pumpkins! To see the evolution of the corn maze since it's conception a few years ago, or for more info, visit www.pumpkinmaze.com.


(Today's shout-out goes to FRANSE and MONIQUE, who navigated those fields like they designed the thing. Well done, girls.)



Here's Mo examining the map...
We made it to bridge #4! (The three of us stand victoriously above the corn field)

Broken Glass

Perhaps someone is wearing my coat right now.

It is unfortunate that memories from my recent trip to Sacramento for a work conference are tainted by vandals who left a pile of broken glass by my parents' car. Aside from scraping up the car and shattering the back window, the thieves also got away with several valuable items; many christian CD's, my favorite brown winter coat, and my brother's digital camera. (ugggggghhhh, my insides groan....)

I hope they are ENJOYING the music of the following artists:
Chris Tomlin- "See the Morning" (my promotional CD that I got a week ago. Darn it!)
Watermark- "All Things New"
Watermark- self-titled
Darlene Zschech- "Kiss of Heaven"
Salvador- "Worship Live"
Chris Tomlin- "Arriving"
Jars of Clay- self-titled
By the Tree- Hold You High
Passion- "Everything Glorious"
Simply Great Music- "The Green Album"
and....
2 Crosswalk Monitor mixes (awwwwww.....)

(Thankfully, all of these CD's were uploaded onto my ipod this weekend, so I have retained the music itself.)

Now....I start saving up to replace my brother's camera, as well as mine- which was stolen a few weeks ago in Oregon. What's with the CAMERAS!?!?

Today's shout-out is to my mommy and daddy, who had to deal with the aftermath of the break-in: fixing windows, filing police reports, checking with insurance, etc. .....but who still love me! : ) I LOVE YOU!

Jamie's Twin?

Alright...
My pastor e-mailed this shot to me and seems to think it's my twin.
She's certainly as WHITE as I am, and perhaps the hair is similar, but the jury's still out on this one.
What do you think?



....and while I'm thinking of it, I'll give a shout-out to DAVE TROTTER! Thanks for reading, and for connecting me with my long lost sister (?) See you on SUNDAY, brutha!

Women's Retreat 2006

I can NOT believe it's been two weeks already since the Women's Retreat. As you know, I no longer have a camera, so I've stolen a photo from David Trotter's blog to bring you a snapshot from this weekend. It was a great kickoff to this new ministry at Revolution, and I was excited to be a part of the worship with these wonderful ladies. There were times of great fun (LOTS of competition, and for those of you who know me, ......) and times of intense reflection and communion with the holy spirit at the forefront. Several times during our Saturday night worship, I felt a pressing weight on me, pushing me down. It was reverence and the need to be on my knees before this huge God. The food was amazing, and the speaker had a fantastic message to bring about the story of Esther and the various seasons we enter and endure during our life's journey.

Today's SHOUT OUT goes to a WONDERFUL woman of God who inspires me daily and encourages me always...my dear friend Kim Conner. My visit with you was the highlight of my weekend. Thanks, girl!

Buh-Bum....Buh-Bum....Buh-Bum...

Can you hear it, 24 fans??? Can you hear the countdown clock yet? My internal 24 clock has been dormant....that is, until my good friend WILL (yep....you're my SHOUT OUT today, Will...) sent me this bit of info regarding the paragon of television excellence:

::::24 Returns with Trailer, Four-Hour Premiere::::

Fox announced on Wednesday morning that Season 6 of 24, this year's most Emmy-adorned series, will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 14, and on Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, with a two-night, four-hour premiere. (Must. Rest. Brain. Cells.) An online countdown to 24's return commences today at www.24trailer.com, where an extended "Day Six" teaser will debut on Oct. 24, and the new season's first promo is set to air during Fox's coverage of the World Series' Game 3.

Among the new faces appearing on 24 this season are Regina King (as President Wayne Palmer's sister), Peter MacNicol (as a presidential advisor), James Cromwell (as Jack's estranged father), Rena Sofer (as bad-guy Graham's wife), Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar), Marisol Nichols (In Justice), Harry Lennix (Commander in Chief) and David Hunt (Everybody Loves Raymond).

An Amusing Little Story...

Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home. As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver. "You know" he said, "I am 87 years old and I have never driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?" The driver said, "No problem. Have at it." Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway.

A short distance away sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap. The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone. The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and he got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure. The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down, he was surprised to see who was driving. He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor. He told the supervisor, "I know we are supposed to enforce the law... But I also know that important people are given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very
important person."

The supervisor asked, "Is it the governor?"
The young trooper said, "No, he's more important than that."
The supervisor said, "Oh, so it's the president."
The young trooper said, "No, he's even more important than that."
The supervisor finally asked, "Well then, who is it?"
The young trooper said, "I think it's Jesus, because
he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!"

(Today's shout-out goes to my faithful readers from First Baptist, Stockton...I know you are out there, and I'm grateful that you are keeping up with me! I miss you!)

See the Morning!

YEP...It's that time again! Chris Tomlin has released a new CD, entitled "See the Morning." Although I haven't heard it for myself yet, Chris and his gang have set a precedent for writing powerful, singable worship songs that have blessed the church in major ways. Follow me to the nearest music-seller and pick one up!

You can visit www.christomlin.com for news of his upcoming "See the Morning" tour and for more album details.

(This post's shout out goes to JESSIE, who shares a crush on Chris Tomlin with me. *wink, wink....LOVE YA, JESSIE!)

UPDATE:::::::::On the same day that I wrote this post, I returned home to find a package waiting for me from SixSteps Records- and guess what was inside?? You guessed it- "See the Morning!" After a weekend of grooving to the new tracks, I can now FORMALLY recommend this album! Another well done compilation. And, as a sidenote, I'll be seeing Chris in PERSON this month when he plays at Universal Studios CityWalk on October 22nd!

Caleb's Life Group Debut

Okay, so I'm a little behind....in our blogging circle, I'm just about the last person to post pictures from our Life Group on Tuesday- you can check out Will or Bobby's blog for more pics. For Life Group this week, we celebrated the birth of Caleb Genesis Marchessault, and we did it with the usual Revolution flair...we all congregated at a secret location, then made our way over to the house all together- food in hand. Somehow, all twenty+ of us snuck in the back door, set up shop in the kitchen, then raided the living room where mom, dad, and Caleb were patiently waiting for the troops to arrive. It was an enjoyable night of fellowship and lotttts of good eatin'. Caleb was a champ, being passed from one adoring fan to the next with no complaining! Here are some pics from the event (again...not MY camera....)





P.S. I feel the need to give some shout-outs to those who faithfully read my blog...today's shout-out goes to SARAH, who was really concerned the other day that my profile had seemingly been deleted. THANKS for caring, Sarah! See you soon?

Tidbits

Well, I don't even know where to start...today's post will be a smattering of random thoughts. It's just one of those days.

First, congratulations to Bobby and Rachel Marchessault, who had their first child on Sunday. Welcome to the world, Caleb Genesis!

I had the most fantastic time in Oregon this weekend for the wedding of my old roomie, Juliann, and Thad Rask. I flew into Portland late on Thursday night, and my new friend, Ashley, put me up for the night at her new digs in downtown Portland. The skies withheld the rain long enough for me to get the heck out of there! Ashley and I then made the three/four hour drive to Bend, in central Oregon. It was a breathtaking trek through the Mt. Hood National Park, as the trees were preparing for autumn and showing off their colors, along with a snow-capped backdrop of Mt. Hood in sight. Wow. In addition, STARS were visible in the sky. I could see the swell of the milky way so clearly...something I appreciate about being away from the smog canopy.



I stayed with several friends at a Chalet just outside of Bend- right on the golf course. We enjoyed beautiful weather and a fascinating traditional Catholic mass at the ceremony. The tradition is admirable, but I'm very thankful I'm a protestant! Juliann had asked me to sing "Enough," by Chris Tomlin, for the communion portion of the ceremony. I'm not sure, but I have a hunch that this church doesn't hear a lot of Chris Tomlin.



On Sunday morning, Ryan, a mutual friend of Ashley and I, gave us the grand tour of Bend. I can see why it's bursting at the seams with new development and an increase in it's population. I have never considered myself an outdoorsman, but I could seriously get used to that place! It was a refreshing retreat away from the concrete jungle that is Los Angeles.

Tainting this beautiful weekend is the loss of my camera, which disappeared during the wedding reception at Eagle Crest. I'm still hoping that the next phone call I get will be the concierge, but my optimism is fading fast. Therefore, my apologies for the lack of pictures from this event! (sniff, sniff) Please pray that it is returned safely to me.

I've been a little overwhelmed with "fix-it" projects lately. I'm having perpetual toothaches that get worse at various times throughout the week, despite my recent trip to the dentist. Solution: I keep ibuprofin close at hand. My car has been crying for new brakes recently, so I had a friend check them out yesterday. Yep, I need new brakes. Solution: Call Charlie, who has a car maintanance service, "OilWorks Pro." MAJOR holla to Charlie, who will get my car fixed up next week. Sadly, that's not all...My keyboard, which I reported a while back had a broken "A" key, is gradually getting more sick. The infection has now spread to the B, B-flat, and A-flat keys. No sound at all. In fact, they don't even play! This is a dehibilitating illness for a musician like myself. Solution: I don't even know. Call a music repair shop, I guess?

This weekend is our Women's Retreat for Revolution Church. I'm very excited, despite the problems with my keyboard. Another weekend in the mountains just may change my mind about living in LA! Beware...

Mickey's Marathon

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hosting Chris Alexander on his trek to So Cal for the Inaugural Disneyland 1/2 Marathon. Heidi and I hustled over to Disneyland eaaaarly in the morning to watch our friend cross the finish line, and got fantastic seats on the bleachers. A chip in Chris' shoe notified us periodically of his progress, so when it announced that he was crossing the finish line, we watched diligently in order to capture some photos. To our dismay, Chris called us and told us he finished a few minutes earlier. WHAT? How had we missed him!? Perhaps it was when Heidi and I were both distracted by a girl who collapsed at the finish line and had begun dry-heaving. DARN IT!

Chris and I had to trek to the Health and Fitness Expo @ Downtown Disney the day before the race, and afterwards had some time to gallavant about Downtown Disney. Chris was particularly captivated by the Lego store, which featured a life-sized Darth Vader made entirely of Lego blocks. We also enjoyed lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, where I had some fun with the frogs!

"Pardon me, but which one of these buttons calls your mother to come pick you up?"

(Yeah....I haven't seen the "after" picture yet...)

Chris had never seen the entrance to Disney California before...It's A for Alexander!

.....AFTER!

FINALLY! Every box is unpacked and all of my belongings are now at home in my apartment- not yet ORGANIZED, but unpacked at least! Here are some picks from the NEW PLACE...(sans the wreath that is supposed to be over the couch, and my keyboard that was still in my car at this time)

Highs and Lows

Our opening routine at Life Group is the sharing of our "Highs" and "Lows"- noteworthy experiences from the previous week. This week I had to miss Life Group to do a presentation for work (LOW!!!) so I thought I'd use this medium to reflect on this past week...(The standard answer is one of each, but this is MY BLOG and I can do as many as I want!!)

HIGH- The 1096 worship recording on Sunday; and the culmination of a LOT of hard work in the rehearsal phase. Both services were quite energetic and that lent itself to a lot of fun on stage.



LOW- Realizing that we have a LOT of work left to do in the studio- perhaps more than we initially realized. Ughhhh- it's going to be a scheduling nightmare.

HIGH- My first year seminar went really well this week. I discussed the Liberal Studies program at length with them and...(get this!)...I was able to answer EVERY question they asked me. FINALLY, I feel like I KNOW something around here!

LOW- Our department receptionist resigned her position, so we are in the process of reconfiguring jobs for the interim. Unfortunately, that's going to mean a lot of time away from our desks for a while.

HIGH- I led worship for the first time on a Sunday at Revolution and, despite some shakiness in the comings-together of it all, it was a peaceful and exciting time of worship for me, and hopefully others! It was also a historic day in the life of our church, revealing the 10-year-plan for our congregation and setting lofty goals! Let's see some Holy Spirit ACTION!

LOW- Going to the dentist. Always a low, but this was a new kind of low. The kind in which the numbing agent causes your jaw muscle to spasm and lock. The kind in which the dentist literally has to PRY your mouth open to complete his work, and the kind that is STILL sore as you write a blog three days later. Loooooooow.

HIGH- I celebrated the birthdays of 2 friends this week; First, Nader's party at Lucille's (at which I sat next to a dead-ringer for Chris Tomlin!), and Sara's party in Hollywood. Sara's birthday was in conjunction with her husband, Drew Lawrence's, show (see pictures below). At both events, I was surrounded by friends that I've met since being in Southern California, and I felt extremely blessed.


LOW- not being at home for the last WEEK! I've neglected my unpacking (which, sadly, is not finished) and cleaning. I've lost sleep, but intend to clean and turn-in early tonight.

HIGH- YAY! A night at home!