This is why I love my church. Well, not really why I love it… but it’s fun. Knowing that we have a community that can not only handle the explicit stuff, but hard stuff, too.
If you don’t subscribe to our podcast, you should (you’ll need iTunes for that link to work). Thanks for the inspiration Los.
Now THIS is what we need in eXchange. The Baby Grand Master. Check the deets on this one:
Features & Specs
Video:
•Dual Pioneer DVJ-X1 DVD Players
•Edirol V-4 Video Mixer
•3 Marshal LCD Monitors
•Slot loading assemblyAudio:
•Allen and Heath Xone 92 Audio Mixer
•Dual 15″ Subwoofers
•18″ Subwoofer
•12″ Subwoofer
•3 Bullet Tweeters
•AB 1100 Watt Power AmplifierDrivetrain:
•Moog Slip Ring Assembly
•8 Foot Rotating Turntable
•Wall Mount Variable Speed ControlFinish:
•Ultra reflective white projection surface
View more images at their gallery here.
Well, another Easter in the bag. Not sure of our count in both the 9 and 11 a.m. services today, but turnout seemed to be pretty good for both. This year’s theme was Come Awake, with Vince delivering the teaching, and our musical worship set culminating with David Crowder Band’s Come Awake.
We also had some guys from ArtReach doing live painting during the latter half of the worship set (my pop was one of the guys painting, and I’m told he was like a kid up there). The image in this post is their finished product.
Today’s worship set (for both gatherings, obviously) looked like this:
I think this year’s song selection was spot on, and it didn’t hurt that we already knew last summer that we were focusing on Come Awake (even though the actual final song set wasn’t completed until a couple weeks before Easter).
All in all, I think it was a fine morning, and a great way to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
He is risen!
jesus, easter, resurrection, come awake, exchangemcc, mccth, vince mcfarland, scot longyear, shawnw
We had our first full band practice tonight in preparation for Easter this Sunday. We didn’t have the choir with us (they’re practicing separately) but check out this lineup for Sunday:
Little ‘ole me will be doing some singin’ and rockin the electronic loops and turntable.
Perhaps you heard Scot say that this year might not be as good as last year (listen to this past Sunday’s teaching for more deets)… well, consider him wrong. We had a couple moments during practice tonight that were, as they say, dy-no-mite!
But, that’s not the best part. We had to delay practice for a few minutes (we normally start at 8pm) because of a baptism. Easter. Probably the biggest day of the year for the Christian church. Our next to last practice… someone wants to get baptized? Like… isn’t that why we do what we do?
Easter at Maryland Community Church is 9am and 11am, be sure and check us out.
easter, scotlive, maryland community church, terre haute, shawnw
This weekend is Crashapalooza, where eXchange does all kinds of outreach to the Wabash Valley to show the love of Jesus in real and practical ways.
My wife, Wendy, decided she wanted her Crash to be cleaning toilets at a couple bars in town (inspired by Vineyard Church’s outreach of cleaning the toilets at the Hustler magazine offices). Radical? You bet. She got a few people to sign up, and we were to meet at Java Haute at 12:15 a.m. (yes, that’s a.m.; I don’t remember the last time I was up this late!) Everyone was there by 12. Omar, Joanne (hope I spelled your name right), Elizabeth, Ezra, Jenny, Rick, Wendy and myself. Mike T., our video guru, was there to capture what video he could as we’ll be showing a montage on Sunday evening of this weekend’s events. I was simply along for the ride. This was my wife’s gig, and I didn’t want to get in the way.
The plan was to go to a couple bars, get in, clean the restrooms, and get out. Turns out the two bars we picked were packed to the gills and, frankly, cleaning busy bathrooms at peak time didn’t make a lot of sense. We were hoping the crowds would be thin enough at our scheduled time (scheduled with the cleaners, not with the bars), but we were wrong. No worries. Mike says, “I know the owner of a place just a few blocks away, let’s try them.”
Pay dirt! The owner of the place we stopped at was thrilled that someone was going to clean his bathrooms for free. It was Karaoke night, so the place was blaring with familiar beats and unfamiliar singers. The smell of smoke and beer was thick. Our crew waded through the crowd, found the bathrooms, and went straight to work.
The entire time they were cleaning, the owner couldn’t stop saying, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” At one point some of the employees were crowded around the open door to the women’s bathroom in wonder as to why anyone would do what our people were doing. One guy came up and said, “you guys are in trouble, right? This is some kind of community service?” Jenny answered him. “No, we’re just doing it to do it. Jesus wants us to show love to people, so that’s what we’re doing.” He said a curse word and walked off, shaking his head in disbelief, a smile on his face.
At one point, Elizabeth stated (in so many words), “I’m glad I did this. I’m glad I’m here.”
Once those bathrooms were cleaned we decided to try another bar in town. We drove the few minutes there and got approval to head in and clean (”but be quick” they said). Everyone went straight to work, but we wore out our welcome sooner rather than later, so we called it quits and headed out.
While all of this is somewhat radical, it’s not what everyone did that amazes me. It’s how they did it. Everyone involved wanted to clean. Everyone wanted gloves on. I had to go get more gloves out of the car, because everyone wanted to get in there and get busy. Ezra was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor in the men’s room. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Omar was chatting it up with anyone that walked by, eye to eye, person to person, laughing with them. The patrons in the establishments we visited couldn’t quite grasp the concept, which is okay. I’m not so sure we were doing it for them. The ladies in our crew got to see a girl puke at the second place we went. What’s a trip to a bar if someone doesn’t puke?
My wife and I have spent more than our fair share in bars on Friday and Saturday nights (in our younger, wilder days), and a couple three people from our group did as well. There was a familiarity to it all, and yet, I firmly believe Jesus would be right there in the middle of it all. Scrubbing on his hands and knees, like Ezra did. Just talking to people, enjoying their company, like Omar did. I looked at this group of Jesus followers, and I saw them disappear. In their stead, the visage of Christ emerged. Christ shined as they cleaned dirty, nasty bathrooms and toilets. All with a Thessalonians-style joy in their heart and in their eyes. I saw Christ’s hands and feet tonight. I saw his heart tonight.
We have a saying in eXchange. “Community happens on the way to cause.” This is true. I can’t wait to see the people I hung out with tonight, shake their hands, give them hugs, chat about our experiences together, and look forward to being together again. Community can and does happen on the way to cause.
Scot talks of thin places. You know, those places where it seems heaven and earth move just a little closer to each other for a time. Tonight was one of those moments. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to bask in it. I wanted to raise my hands to God and worship him in it. It felt like a river washing over me. It was as if we could feel angel’s wings beating just over our heads.
It might have been midnight but He shined. There was no darkness. Only light. And it was good.
jesus, service, outreach, crash, exchangemcc, vineyard, hustler
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