chase|gentes

Don't forget

2011-08-02T23:07:00.001-04:00

I have moved my blog to http://chasegentes.tumblr.com

What Was Used 2/6/2011:

2011-02-10T14:51:00.002-05:00

I used to always post the set list and I haven't done much of anything and I apologize!

Happy Day- Tim Hughes

Spring Of Life- Kristian Stanfill

Freedom Is Here- Hillsong United

Lord of All- Kristian Stanfill

From The Inside Out- Hillsong United

It's been a while...

2011-02-10T14:31:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been over a YEAR since I have posted anything to this blog. I have honestly just not had the drive to post anything. A lot has changed in a year. As a band we have finished our album and released it - FINALLY!

It is funny that the last time I posted a blog it was snowing... this year has been a snow-filled one for sure! I am sick of it now and I'm ready to hit the beach!

As for the band, we are getting busier and busier! We have a ton of dates for this year already and are still booking. If you or someone you know is interested in booking us, please send an email to booking@aransomplea.com

I will do my best to post more frequently, sorry to my follower(s) who have been frustrated with me, I will try!

Check out these links below for more frequent updates:

facebook.com/aransomplea

twitter.com/aransomplea

twitter.com/chasegentes

myspace.com/aransomplea

Snow in the south...

2010-01-07T22:08:00.003-05:00

It's snowing in ATL and I have to admit that I LOVE snow. I wish at times that it would snow all winter...but then again I think too much of something makes you sick of it.

We are finished tracking the guitars, drums, and most of the bass tracks for the new album. We are still working through album titles, but I think we have settled on one. We will release that asap. Back to the ALABAMA vs. TEXAS game and SNOW!!

Into the studio we go

2009-12-14T15:39:00.004-05:00

Well, on Wednesday our band A Ransom Plea is going into the studio to record our first full length album. We are excited to finally get these new tunes into everyone's hands and ears. The track listing is still to come so stay tuned. You can keep up with us at the links below:

Lata!

New Job

2009-10-30T15:50:00.000-04:00

Well, in case some of you have not heard, I have accepted the worship position at a local church in Cobb County- Christ's Church at Cobb. Please be in prayer as my wife and I are in transition. We are both excited and ready to see what God is going to do through us! My first Sunday will be November 8th!

Sorry I have been out of the loop for a while. I have been crazy busy with this transition and with playing a lot with ARP. Thanks for those who are continuing to pray for us!

One Year Older

2009-09-26T21:15:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday I got just a little older. I don't want to complain about it too much because I know I am still REALLY young. Lord willing I have A TON of life left to live. The cool thing is that on my birthday we got our CO for our home and are now moved/ing in.

Courtney and I lived with my grandmother for over a year and we are SO thankful for her! It was hard to deal with the lack of space at times, but WOW was it well worth it! We will post some pics up soon of the new home.

ARP is off this weekend and we will be attending our area churches tomorrow and worshiping with our families before a BUSY October. Job hunting continues somewhat - although we are talking pretty seriously now with one prospect. Court and I have constantly been praying for God to open the right door and close the wrong ones.

Talk has started about a benefit concert for some of the flood victims in our area that we are familiar with, so please keep that in your prayers. So many people lost everything and have to start over. We want to help them do that! Keep checking back for updates.

Praying for Rain??

2009-09-21T17:03:00.003-04:00

Well, I have been praying for rain for about a week now, and God REALLY answered my prayers! Sorry to those who have been flooded. Some of the things I have seen today have been quite surreal. Keep ARP Guitar player Spencer in your prayers- his house has been flooded!

Dang!

2009-09-15T21:57:00.000-04:00

Well, my wife and I have been praying hard about what's next for us. I have talked to many local churches about their worship ministries and I am still praying through where God wants me.

I think the hardest part at this point is being patient. I KNOW that God will provide for us and will open the right door when it is time...but what do you do when time starts to run out?

I haven't blogged in FOREVER it seems like. I have started back to school, I have been working my butt off at our new house to get it finished so we can move in, and I have been in the studio with A Ransom Plea.

Luckily, our band has been quite busy, but busy doesn't always pay the bills. I have applied to some of the dumbest jobs in the world, just to get the letter, "We will keep your application on file for 6 months..." Wow, thanks!!!

Our prayer will continue to be, "God open the ONE door you want us to walk through and close every other one!"

Last night I woke up at 2:45 am and couldn't go back to sleep till about 5. My mind was just racing with the "what's next" question. I have started writing more songs and have started to pray harder, and longer - which I know God wants of me. I just hope that my character stays in this condition and that I continue to trust in God with all things after this storm has passed.

If you read this (I have probably lost all my readers because it's been too long!) please pray for us and pray for our CHURCH (not individual ones, but the the big one...) Glory to God FOREVER! "I may be down, but I will rise. It may be dark, but God is light!"

More House Pics

2009-07-29T20:17:00.003-04:00

A lot of change to the house. Even today as I cleaned up around the place I wanted to take pics, but unfortunately it's not as easy as it once was. I will see what I can do about getting some up here asap!

I guess just an update...

2009-07-21T18:20:00.003-04:00

I guess you could just call this an update. I have been just posting pics of our new house, but haven't really had anything spiritual/personal on here in a while. So....I though I could get a little personal on ya'll. (That's a southern word if you didn't know, so don't get your panties in a wad!)

The church I have been employed with for over a year is coming to a close. Velocity Church is shutting her doors. I have to be honest and say it's a bitter sweet moment. The rest of the staff and I feel this is the best move for our church, but what sucks is that it puts me out of a job.

The hardest thing for me to deal with personally is how I am going to provide for my beautiful wife. Thank God we have no debt (well except that FAT bill from the pictures you see below! HAHA!) Other than our mortgage, we will be debt free (thanks Dave!)

So what does the future hold? I have no clue to be completely honest. In the mean time, A Ransom Plea (ARP) will continue. We are playing at Christ's Church At Cobb 8/2 (am service), Trinity Church in Dville on 8/9 (am service), Douglasville FUMC 8/9 (pm service), CrossView Community Church in Rockmart 8/16 (am services), and The Discovery Church in Villa Rica 9/13 (am service). So come out and see us. We are also continuing in our recording this weekend.

It's been taking a while to record our album, but it's tough getting all the schedules just right. Keep us in prayer (my wife and I) and please keep the future church(s) of Paulding/Cobb/Carroll counties. God is going to move big and I hope that I can be part of that in some way!

House Pics

2009-07-15T10:35:00.002-04:00

Here are some house pics:

A Lot Has Happened:

2009-07-06T10:02:00.004-04:00

Well, since my last post a lot has been done to our new home:

Our New House

2009-06-19T13:07:00.003-04:00

Well, I don't actually have pics of the home yet, but I do have some updates about it. We have started grading (and really, we are pretty much done with that part). So here are some pics from the process so far:

So Long California

2009-05-26T11:43:00.002-04:00

Well, Courtney and I traveled to California this past weekend again for the Elev8 conference. We had some good times, but now that we are home, we are really freakin tired! We went to bed at like 7 last night and got up about 12 hours later. It was nice to sleep for a while...but have you ever done this:

You wake up, and it feels like you have been sleeping for days, you look at the clock and you have only been sleeping for an hour. It's probably one of the coolest feelings because you realize how rested you feel and how much time you have left to sleep. Great stuff. Check out myspace and A Ransom Plea space for pics from Cali. Later!

My sweet new tat!

2009-05-20T16:37:00.002-04:00

Website Updated

2009-05-19T20:29:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a while, but I finally updated my website. It has some recent photos, bio (needs work...) and some audio clips. Really, I want to use it to network as much as possible. Also, if you are a twitter user...look me up, that thing is kinda weird, but intriguing.

It's Been A While!

2009-05-08T13:03:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since I have posted anything on here. A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. Courtney and I have decided to build a home...we just got tired of looking for the "perfect" home and decided that this would be a smarter (and hopefully cheaper) road to travel down.

My band A Ransom Plea has started booking some dates for the summer and fall...and we are still looking for more dates/venues...so if anyone knows of any churches or bands that need some support, please contact us: myspace.com/aransomplea.

Last night, Courtney and I attended the National Day of Prayer meeting in downtown Douglasville (in the square). It was incredible the see all denominations coming together to celebrate Christ and lift Him high. It was great to meet some new people in the community that truly have a heart after God. I pray that us pastors can begin to see things through the eyes of Christ, and not the eyes of our denominational leaders. Everything we do should bring glory and honor to Him, not our churches, or our families, or our denomination, but to Christ.

Join me in praying that this generation of Christ-followers would begin to see the need for unity. That was Christ's prayer for us, that we would be ONE. Let's be one and honor Christ...how amazing would it be to answer one of Jesus' prayers??!! ONE BODY!

Looking for a Savior

2009-04-23T09:21:00.004-04:00

Last night Courtney and I went to see probably my favorite band in the world, Dredg. I will say up front that they did not disappoint. These dudes are so freakin talented

This song is one of their new ones that will be released with their new record this summer. I didn't pay as much attention in the past as I did last night to their lyrics. It is quite apparent that Gavin (singer) is searching for something. I would say he is Agnostic, but I have not actually asked him.

Some pics from last night: The Masquerade

Now, here is what has me baffled. During the show, there were people raising their hands, closing their eyes, and shouting out to the guys, "I love you!" Here is a question for us Christians out there... When was the last time you shouted at the top of your lungs, "I love you, Jesus!" Or when is the last time you closed your eyes and lifted your hands to Him? We will so readily do it at shows, but what about in our worship gatherings? Just something to think about. We were created to worship something... but what are you choosing to project that worship towards?

What Do You Do When Your Forget You Pick?

2009-04-16T09:28:00.004-04:00

Last night as I was getting ready to play, I realized I left my guitar pick on my desk at the office. So, here are the steps to take if you ever find yourself in such a predicament:

Step 1:

Assess the situation...you have no pick...what should you do?

Step 2:

Look in your guitar case and in your truck.

Step 3:

If step 2 was unsuccessful, find someone with a credit card they do not want.

(this is in no way a commercial for Whitehall Jewelers)

Step 4:

Find some scissors and cut out a pick.

Now you have a guitar pick! YAY! I totally dropped it twice though, so I didn't even play with it half the time...but hey- make the most out of every situation.

PLEASE PRAY!

2009-04-01T14:32:00.002-04:00

Pray for my friend Marcus. He was stabbed several days ago and is in a lot of pain. I know God is going to take care of him, so please be in prayer for him!

(marcus, me, charles)

Working in the Studio Again!

2009-03-30T10:21:00.003-04:00

This past week, we started working on Consume Me. We are re-recording it and I am digging the new sound. Keep checking the Myspace and back here for updates on later news and tunes! SOME PICS:

spencer tracking some git-fittle

my sweet amp! (the Joker)

Brandon trackin drums

Lift Up Your Hands!

2009-03-24T08:43:00.002-04:00

Sunday night, Courtney, Brandon, Thad, myself and others traveled up to Passion City Church. The worship gathering was great as usual, but I noticed something during the last few songs. Louie had asked us to stand in reverence of God and for us to feel free to lift our hands to Him. So that's exactly what I did. After about a minute, my shoulder started to tighten up and ache. I thought to myself, "I am not putting my hands down, I love God too much to whine about my freakin arms hurting." After a couple songs I finally dropped my arms and the music picked up. I thought again to myself, "man, I must not lift my hands to God enough."

Christians in general lift their hands every now and then (some more than others) but usually it's only during the music portion of our worship gatherings... interesting... Maybe we should be lifting our hands to Jesus more often huh? Maybe my arms wouldn't hurt so much if it was a regular occurrence. Just a thought from a broken, sinful, human being that is unworthy of life, but Christ loves me still- so much that He bled and died for me! THANK YOU JESUS!

What Was Used 3/22/2009

2009-03-22T12:56:00.002-04:00

We had kind of a short set this morning:

Consume Me- original

Without You- original

Spring of Life- Kristian Stanfill

Happy Day- Tim Hughes

What Was Used

2009-03-17T16:28:00.002-04:00

It has already been one of those hectic weeks. I don't think I have stopped yet until now...and its only Tuesday! Here is the set from Sunday:

Salvation Is Here- Hillsong United (forgot to take my amp off standby...that was embarrassing!)

Here Is Our King- David Crowder

From The Inside Out- Hillsong United

Glorious One- Steve Fee

All Because Of Jesus- Steve Fee

This week we are going to throw in some loops...looking forward to trying that out!

Promo Video

2009-03-11T15:57:00.002-04:00

Today we shot one of our first promo videos. I think it actually turned out really well. The hilarity of it all is that we only used my Mac. So, it looked kinda crazy while we were shooting but turned out pretty cool. Check it out at youtube.com/Vchurch242

What Was Used 3.1.2009

2009-03-03T11:26:00.002-05:00

Man, I keep forgetting to do this!

Point of Difference- Hillsong

Forever- Chris Tomlin

Breathe On Me- Todd Fields

How He Loves- John McMillan

Let God Arise- Chris Tomlin

What Was Used 2.22.2009

2009-02-23T10:53:00.002-05:00

Here is the set from yesterday:

Velocity Church:

Beautiful Jesus- Kristian Stanfill

Beautiful The Blood- FEE

Jesus Paid It All- Kristian Stanfill version

Marvelous Light- Charlie Hall

God Is Alive- FEE

CRAVE:

Happy Day- Tim Hughes

God Is Alive- FEE

Beautiful The Blood- FEE

Take Me Away- original

Lord of All- Kristian Stanfill

Marvelous Light- Charlie Hall

Without You- original

CRAVE

2009-02-23T10:49:00.005-05:00

Last night I got a chance to lead worship at CRAVE. I haven't actually led worship here in over a year, so I was pretty excited. Right before the last song I had everyone take our their phones and take a picture. Here is the one I took:

I told everyone to post this on their Myspace, but I can almost guarantee that won't happen... but we will see!

THEchurch

2009-02-16T11:17:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was an exciting one! I had the opportunity to preach in the morning, and then the opportunity to attend the first Passion City Church gathering in Atlanta.

The morning worship gathering was great! Krayv led worship in my stead and I brought the message. I simply talked about how BIG God is and how small we are (but that God loved us enough to give us JESUS!)

Around 5:30 we headed downtown and waited in line, yes, we WAITED to get into church--how many people really do that? I was excited to see what God is going to start doing through PCC.

the line was stretched as far as I could see...

it's true that many of these people were from other churches, but I don't see anything wrong with that. We all need an opportunity to learn and to refresh. One couple in front of us in line was from CHICAGO! I thought the 25 minute drive for us was kinda long, but man! Crazy thing is, they have to be back at work today...and they DROVE!

It was great to see Louie and Chris in a different light. There was nothing flashy about the worship, no crazy lights, just singing and great sounds of brothers and sisters in Christ raising their anthem to our King!

I am looking forward to MARCH 22!

MYSPACE+FACEBOOK

2009-02-11T14:30:00.002-05:00

If you like Myspace or Facebook, you need to check out TREKDEN! This site is great because it's the same as myspace and facebook, but without all the SEX ADS and all the other nasty stuff! Sign up!!

More pics from Saturday

2009-02-10T14:45:00.004-05:00

What a LIFE!

2009-02-10T10:01:00.005-05:00

Saturday we had the opportunity to see Charles and Marcus again, and I was pretty excited to see them! I finally got some pics of them:

left to right (Collin, Ninja, Marcus, Me, Charles, Brandon in front)

This is where they live-

These guys are hardcore man! Charles prayed with us and then he sang a song for us. It was so cool to see their hearts again. They love God so much and are so humbled that they get each day to live for Him. I am so inspired by their testimony.

This week at Velocity I am going to be talking about how HUGE and AWESOME God is. Come out and bring your friends that are far from God, or maybe don't know Him at all! Krayv will be leading worship!

The Bones

2009-02-05T09:13:00.005-05:00

I thought that I would take a few pictures of what the gym looks like on Sunday mornings before our worship gathering. This coming Sunday I am going to try and take some pictures of the process... hopefully.

Jesse tuning up

my boy Harold

the stage just before the lights go out...

Let God ARISE!

2009-02-03T09:10:00.002-05:00

This morning I led worship at my old high school. It was a pretty weird experience to be completely honest. I did not get a whole lot of sleep last night for some reason. Sometimes I can't sleep and I just pray for God to show me why... This might sound weird, but it's like my soul is uneasy because there are so many people around us that are so far from God (that has been on my mind for a while now).

Back to this morning- I sat in my truck in the high school's parking lot and watched the sun rise.

so I just want to leave it at this...

Man, I have been SLACKING!

2009-02-02T10:36:00.002-05:00

I used to post what songs we did the Monday after a worship gathering, and I have really been slacking on this one. So, I am going to be starting again. This will help me remember what songs we do!

Sunday, 2.1.2009:

Look To You- Hillsong United

From The Inside Out- Hillsong United

Our God Reigns (just chorus)- Delirious?

Let God Arise- Chris Tomlin

The music yesterday went very well. Message yesterday was good as well. You can take a listen at velocity242.org. Sorry for the sound quality! I forgot to switch the input when we recorded from the built-in mic to the built-in input. STUPID!!

Sick and Tired

2009-01-29T14:16:00.002-05:00

I don't know what it is (well maybe I do) but when I have a cold I am just straight up out of it. I cannot think straight. It's like the wires aren't even touching sometimes. Today during rehearsal, I was amazed at how I totally went blank several times. Most of the time I played without thinking, but the moment I would start thinking about what I was doing... oops.

The hardest thing for me when I have a cold is making decisions (singing too). We had a brief meeting today about a couple of small things and I did not have much to contribute to the conversation.

Please continue in your prayers for your community and people who are less fortunate than you are. It's hard to think sometimes that there are people who have it worse than you, but I assure you... they are out there.

what is CHURCH?

2009-01-28T13:54:00.002-05:00

Today I have been thinking of only one thing. What is church? What does it look like? Who says what it is and what it is not? From what I read in the book of Acts, it doesn't give much description. How many songs are you suppose to sing? What is the message suppose to be about (well it does allude to that one!)? Is the church for Christians, or is the church for those far from God? Who should we be trying to reach?

Being a new church in the area, Velocity has to be unique. Ed Martin put it nicely, "you need to be like a boutique, not like a Wal-Mart." A church our size must have a sort of tunnel vision. We must be striving after ONE common goal. Christ said that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:16-20) So that should be the ultimate goal. How do we do that?? Every church must do this in their own, unique way.

Right now, I am confused as to what God has in store for Velocity, but also extremely excited for what it may be. I know a few things for sure: we must SERVE those less fortunate than us (i.e. the poor, thirsty, naked, widows, orphans, etc...) we must LOVE everyone so much that it hurts sometimes. we must FOLLOW Jesus to battle with our sword in hand, not looking back, but pressing into Him and following Him to death (the ultimate death to ourselves, but life in Him alone!)

Love God, and fear Him. For He is omnipotent, awesome, loving, and terrifying!

interesting...

2009-01-26T16:07:00.001-05:00

This is something that I have been hearing about and it makes me cringe!

"Vatican condemns Obama abortion policy

Published: Sunday 25 January 2009 10:02 UTC
Last updated: Sunday 25 January 2009 17:22 UTC

The Roman Catholic Church has condemned US President Barack Obama's decision to restore US funding for family planning clinics abroad that give advice on or carry out abortions. Mr Obama's predecessor, George W Bush, rescinded the subsidies for these clinics.

Representatives for the Vatican said it was disappointing that reinstating these subsidies was one of the first policy decisions of the new president. The move was described as a harsh blow to those who are fighting against "the slaughter of the innocents".

Christian groups in the US have also condemned the president's decision, fearing that it will lead to a more liberal abortion policy in the US itself."

I could not agree more...

God's Creation

2009-01-26T14:17:00.004-05:00

I had said several weeks back (actually, now that I am thinking of it- it was last year) that it says in the book of Job that all of creation is but the fringes of God's glory and power. Friday evening, Courtney and I were driving through town and saw the amazing beauty of God's creation.

God is so awesome! I love clouds... something about them makes me just sit in awe. I could honestly stare at this scene or hours. Of course, this only lasts for maybe 30 minutes. This brings a sense of fear and trembling over me. The knowledge of how small we are in the scope of things. If you have time, check out this video:

A Bouquet with Different Flowers

2009-01-19T11:27:00.011-05:00

Courtney and I had an awesome opportunity to travel down with Dude Share the Food again this past Saturday. At first, it seemed pretty much like other times that we have gone downtown, with the exception that it was a bit colder...

(here we are packing up the bread truck with some clothes, blankets, and food)

(lining up for some food...there was a huge turn out)

After a little while Courtney, Brandon, Collin, Jessica, Ashley, and I went over to this bridge (not pictured, sorry) and saw Charles and Marcus. These are probably the two nicest men I have ever had the privilege to meet. They were so loving and so humble. After catching up on what was new with everyone, Charles asked us if we could pray and then sing a song. So we all gathered around, held hands, and prayed. After the prayer, we sang "Amazing Grace." While we were singing this song, I looked around us and just thought to myself, "here these men are in the freezing cold, having only the clothes on their backs and a few blankets to keep them warm, and only having a bridge to keep them dry. They are singing at the top of their lungs, louder than anyone else- AMAZING GRACE!!???" This was a very eye-opening experience for me. These two men inspire me. I can only pray that I can have that attitude when things do not go quite the way I plan. After another prayer from a woman with us, we said our goodbyes and Charles had to make a point to hug everyone. "I do this to everybody, you'll get used to me," is what he said. Such love he has. He told my wife, "we all in the same family... like a bouquet just with a bunch of different flowers." That has stuck with me for the past few days.

The family of God is not just white people, not just black people, not just Asian, Chinese, or whatever you want to put on it. We are all sinners and fall WAY short of God's true standards for our lives.

I could care less what you have on your church sign, if you are Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Church of God, Assembly of God... that's just a bunch of junk! We all have ONE God, ONE creator, ONE Savior -- JESUS! Love God FIRST, the rest will follow.

Charles and Marcus didn't ask us what church we were from, they just wanted to know our names. They didn't care what denominational ties we had, they just wanted to sing with us. They just wanted us to pray with them. Not just for them, but WITH them- there is a difference.

So many of us "Christians" like to pray FOR the homeless, but when are we going to sit and talk with them? When are we going to love them where they are? It's so easy to schedule a time to go and share food with them, because we get to go back to our little comfy homes and heat. I am very guilty of this. Let's get real... Jesus had no place to sleep.... interesting huh?

Thank You God!

2009-01-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

This morning as I was getting ready to head to the office, I sat on the couch and started thinking briefly about the past year. It's been a couple weeks since the "new year," but for some reason these thoughts just came to me.

I remember the first time I took my parents and my beautiful fiance to the airport after moving to New Jersey. It was a pretty depressing ride. After I dropped them off I cried the hour trip back to my apartment. (I know, I cried...I am a sissy I guess.) But this is the moment it hit me that I could no longer just go see my parents or Courtney's parents. I could no longer eat dinner with them any time I wanted, or just hang out with my dad while he is working on the house. It was time for me to truly grow up (for lack of a better term).

The 6 months that I lived alone were pretty rough. I made some good friends up there, but most of the time I just wanted to be by myself. I would sit at home on my days off and would watch movies, or watch golf. Other days I played golf (2 to 3 times a week). I liked to play by myself so that I could spend time with God and ask Him why I had to be away from all that was comfortable to me. If I had to do it all over again, I would. I learned a TON the year I spent in NJ. I worked with some great guys and learned a lot from them.

This morning, I thanked God that I was back in Georgia. I can recall the trip back down here in the HUGE moving truck that almost killed me. We had the windows down, the radio up and I was so pumped to get back down south. I wrote a blog about all the things that were great in NJ and GA.

To make a long story short, I took a lot of things for granted. I challenge you to not make the same mistake I did. Cherish the time you get with your friends, with your co-workers, and with your family. This life is VERY short and it will be over before we know it. If we love God with all that we got, we have nothing to fear or worry about. Jesus himself said that this is the greatest commandment. If we get this ONE right, it's easy to live a life glorifying Christ!

Who Owns You?

2009-01-13T11:11:00.002-05:00

I was reading a blog earlier today and it really convicted me. I (in my flesh) want so desperately to travel this great country and lead thousands of men and women into the throne room of our Savior. I think this has been my dream for years upon years (I know I'm only 22...) But here is where the problem begins...this is MY dream. This is what I want for MY life. In the end, it's not MY life. I gave my life up years ago when I told Jesus to take hold of me and use me for HIS purpose.

Any song that I write isn't really mine, it's God's. Any idea that I may come up with is really God's idea and He is using me as the agent. Now, if I have some whack idea...is it from God...well...God only knows.

My obligation is to God, not my music career. In the end, when I stand before God and give an account for what I did on earth, I could never fathom saying, "I made this really awesome record, did you hear it?" God help me if that's my goal in life.

Blessed Be Your Name

2009-01-12T09:57:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday morning I got to the school a little early. I had planned to just sit and pray and spend time with Jesus. I sat in my truck and began singing along with Matt Redman "Blessed Be Your Name." As I was singing, I got a little hot, so I turned the truck off. After another few minutes or so, I started getting cold again. I went to start my truck again and it would not crank! "AWESOME!" is all I could say to myself. I started getting really mad and asking God why. "Why is my truck not starting, what did I do??" (yeah, I know...it gets better...)

A few minutes later, Paul drove up beside me and asked if I needed a ride, and I just said I would walk. So I got my stuff that wasn't too heavy to carry and began the walk to the school. About half way to the school door, I started praying and telling God I was sorry that I had neglected Him. Here I was saying "when the darkness closes in, Lord still I will say blessed be Your name!" But I am getting upset about my freakin truck not starting. Things could have been SO much worse! So I just started thanking God for letting me breathe and live another day.

I looked back at my truck and saw that my interior light was on. "Great, now the battery is definitely going to be fried." So I started walking BACK to my truck to turn the light off. I continued to thank God that he has blessed me so much, even if my truck never started again, I was still blessed beyond measure because HE sent HIS son to DIE for me so that I could be with HIM forever!

When I got back to my truck, I opened the door and said to myself, "I'll give it one more try." IT CRANKED!

Thank you Jesus for allowing me to realize that my truck doesn't matter to You and shouldn't be such a huge part of my life. I was putting my truck not starting in between You and I. I can be so selfish sometimes. I can become so consumed with stupid petty things that I miss God.

This story may seem dumb to you, but I truly feel like I experienced a touch from God. I mean honestly, I tried cranking my truck over and over and over again before I started walking. It was not cranking anytime soon. It wasn't my battery because everything was turning on, it just wasn't turning over...DO NOT BELITTLE GOD! He is in control of the smallest and LARGEST things! He will get your attention if He needs to...trust me.

Chasing The Storm

2008-12-30T23:20:00.002-05:00

Tonight, I was watching one of my favorite shows on the Discovery Channel- "Storm Chasers." As I was watching it, towards the end of the episode, one of the guys compared one storm to a magician and slight of hand...."I'm here, no I'm here, I'm over here..." as the funnel clouds seemed to disappear and reappear hundreds of feet away. Right after I heard him say that I thought about what God was thinking in that moment, while three twisters were rotating together. I recall where it says in the book of Job that all of creation is but the FRINGES of His power...WOW! Just look at this:

This is called a wall cloud. I think the reason I love to watch this show so much is to see this...the fringe of God's power. Honestly...can you imagine how Isaiah felt when he saw the glory of God? "Woe is me, a man of unclean lips..." Or how about when Moses came down from the mountain from being in the presence of God and he was GLOWING! FREAKIN GLOWING! Little me is amazed at a freakin wall cloud. Jesus is awesome!

GO FALCONS!

2008-12-29T13:34:00.003-05:00

I got a pretty awesome opportunity to go to the Falcon's game yesterday afternoon with my father-in-law (later referred to as FIL). To be completely honest, after getting off the MARTA train, I was saying to myself, "there is no way in hell I am coming to another game." I felt like I was being herded with the other cattle on the ranch as they blocked off certain sidewalks so that EVERYONE had to walk one way.

Eventually we got to our seats and sat down. I am not really one to get into NFL games. I don't jump up and hollar on 3rd down "DEEEEEE-FEEEENCE!!!" That's just not what I like to do. I am usually the one at home on the couch with an ice cold Dr. Pepper in the reclining position. But, nevertheless, we were there, and I was truly looking forward to it.

About half way through the first quarter, an older man sat down next to my FIL. I never caught his name, but man was he excited! If anything happened, he was up and yelling, then slapping fives with us. He made the experience worth while.

As I was sitting there in the dome I started thinking. If Jesus was down on that field, I bet I would be up screaming at the top of my lungs for Him. But what about the other 60,000 people in that place...would they be doing the same?

I truly believe that if Christians started living like Christians, this world would become a drastically different place. WE ARE ALL IN NEED OF THE MERCY OF CHRIST! We need to be about Jesus' business of changing lives for HIM!

I continue to pray that 2009 will be a huge year for Jesus. I pray that he would use us as His agents of change in a world shot to crap. What are you going to let Christ do through YOU for OTHERS??

Open The Door

2008-12-22T13:10:00.002-05:00

Last night was the last Crave worship gathering of 2008. At the end of the night, the owner of the 7 Venue got up and talked about how parents of students have come to him thanking him for all that he has done. He told us that he hasn't done anything, all he has done is open the door for Crave on Sunday nights. He then went on to challenge us to open the door for those far from God to come and receive his love, grace, and mercy. Invite the people that are far from Jesus to church before you go and invite those who regularly attend somewhere already.

God changes lives, not us. We must be open and willing to surrender to His calling.

Courageous Church

2008-12-18T15:39:00.001-05:00

check this dude out... THIS is what I am talking about!

http://www.ShaunInTheCity.com/

What's Wrong With Us?

2008-12-17T11:34:00.004-05:00

It is no surprise that if you look around there is something wrong with this world. Whether you believe it's little things like people telling lies, or people being murdered everywhere. There is something broken in this world...

I have become frustrated with church corporately in the fact that we seem to not address the reason this world is so screwed up; the reason is that we are all sinners. If you put a bunch of sinners together in a room, sin happens. Maybe that's why the non-Christians view Christians as such hypocrites. The truth is that we are all in need of the saving grace of Jesus.

The book of Romans says that no one seeks after God. No one is righteous. So this should explain what is so wrong with the world we live in. The sad part is not the fact that there are lost people out among Christians, it's that Christians could care less that their neighbors are going straight to hell! I mean honestly, if you are a Christian, when is the last time you talked to someone about Christ? And hey, I am speaking about myself as well...I fall WAY short all the time. It's almost like we are afraid to...huh?

How can we be afraid to tell people about the life-changing, chain-breaking, redeeming Savior Jesus? "What's the worst that could happen?" As my father always puts it? They won't listen;they won't accept. In the end, that's God's sovereign power that we must press into. If God wants to save someone, He will. We must plant the seed, God will make it grow (cf Matt. 13).

MAN UP and talk about JESUS! Use the word of God to allow Him to change the community around you. It is possible! Christianity started as a small movement that influenced the community around it. Now it is a huge, impotent one...what are YOU going to do about it??

What are you passionate about?

2008-12-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

....comments needed

Each one Reach ONE!

2008-12-08T15:33:00.002-05:00

I had posted several months ago that was entitled "Each One Reach One." I am reiterating that post just a little.

How amazing would it be that if each Christ follower reach one individual that was far from God. Now, before you go and think that someone who is far from God is an individual that shoots up heroin or smokes crack, or maybe even has a drinking problem...these are not the only people that may be far from God...it may be your best friend who has been going to church for a while but has somehow become dormant in their faith. You can reach out to those closest to you at times.

This week, I want to challenge any individual that may come across this blog to invite at least ONE person to your church this coming Sunday. Allow the power of God to change their lives, but it must start with those who are following after Christ to plant the seed. So go out and plant those seeds and watch your church be transformed!

We Are So Blessed

2008-11-30T16:19:00.004-05:00

We are so blessed, and I am so guilty for taking that for granted. This afternoon, about 20 of us traveled downtown to give out sack lunches to those less fortunate than us. It was about 48 degrees and raining. As I walked through Hurt Park (interesting name...) I realized that there is absolutely NO way I could live in such cold, wet circumstances. I am such a spoiled brat! Just when I though I was bad, I saw that there were some people that had broken down across the park from us. Brad and I went over and asked the MAN if he needed any help and HE said, "No, we got someone coming to change the tire for us." So he got back in his Lexus to wait. WOW...

What is wrong with us that are blessed in America? There are so many hurting people out there and we could care less. Yeah, I guess you could say they did it to themselves, but how about this one-

Patricia was telling me that her and her husband (Russell) had moved down here after Russell was offered a job. Well, that job fell through, and so they had to sell their truck and now are homeless because they can't find work. Oh yeah, he is a freakin VETERAN! I felt sick after hearing that! It was sad enough that he got screwed out of a job, but how about that he is a veteran? No veteran, in my opinion obviously, should go without being taken care of! We live in a sick, sick world. Praise Christ that He loves me in spite of my selfish ambitions. I have a freakin "limo" as Erik would say compared to what these people had. God help us!

CiCi's VS Stevi B's

2008-11-24T11:31:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Courtney and I went over to CiCi's pizza. I was craving some of their dessert pizza (the cinnamon swirl with the icing, by far the best!) I have come to realize that CiCi's blows it's competition out of the water. The only thing that Stevi B's has on CiCi's is the ice cream machine, but that usually sucks too.

So if you are ever in the mood for some good pizza, head over to CiCi's. It was WAY cleaner than Stevi B's, the selection was better, the pizza was better, the service was AMAZING, and it's CHEAP!! Thank God for CiCi's pizza!

Is there something more??

2008-11-13T11:38:00.005-05:00

I have often wondered at times in my short lived life if there is something more than this. I used to wish I lived somewhere else, wish that I was famous, or wish things were different. I wonder now if there are teens or young adults around me that are thinking the same things...

I am happily married now, never want to live anywhere but Georgia again (did that, it's not as cool as I thought), and I am doing what I love. But sometimes I still feel like there is something more; maybe because there is.

This dude named Jesus came to earth as a man and he died a brutal death so that I would be able to live forever (no, not like on the earth, but in heaven with God our creator). It's kinda like when you were little and playing a game with your friends, let's say football. You know when you pass the ball and it would go over the dudes head and you would yell, "do over!" Well, that's kinda what it's like when we begin a relationship with Jesus; we get a "do over."

Or let's think of it in financial terms, since that's where everyone's head is lately. Let's say that you have $500,000 in credit card debt (yes, it's possible!) and you have no clue how that's going to get paid down. Then, all of a sudden, someone comes to you door and writes you an anonymous check for 500 grand! Boom, all your debt is gone, they paid it. Well, that's what Jesus did. The Bible says that NO ONE SEEKS AFTER GOD, and that NO ONE IS PERFECT AND NO ONE DESERVES THIS GRACE, but Christ freely gives it anyway. Isn't that AMAZING!?!

So if you are ever sitting at home, school, or work and wondering, "isn't there something more to this?" The answer is YES, Jesus! That may sound lame, but I promise you, if you let Jesus take over your life, it's amazing the things He can do through you- then it doesn't seem like there is something more, because you are experiencing the fullness of God.

Christmas? ALREADY??

2008-11-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

Last night I walked into my parents house and saw they had their Christmas tree up and decorated. It seems like Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. I can remember when Courtney and I went over to the mall around mid October. I looked up and saw this really frilly, girly, light things hanging from the ceiling for Christmas. It wasn't even Halloween yet!

It's kinda weird to think about all the things we do around Christmas time. We sing different songs, we eat things we would NEVER eat, and we hang out with people that otherwise we would never want anyone to see us with. Have you ever wondered what's the point of it all?

How He Loves

2008-11-05T15:19:00.001-05:00

I was corrected today when I was complementing the dude who I thought wrote this song, when he corrected me and told me it was John Mark McMillan. You have GOT to hear this story...

Dredg

2008-11-03T16:26:00.003-05:00

Court and I went to see one of my favorite bands on Saturday night- Dredg. I would have to say that they were amazing as always, but something interesting comes to mind. There were hundreds of people raising their hands, banging their heads, and jumping up and down for this band. Some people would close their eyes and just sway back and forth to the rhythm of the songs. I would say there is nothing wrong with that, but there is...I think God should get some of that "worship."

If I compare Saturday night to Sunday morning it makes me cringe. I recall seeing some hands in the air on Sunday, but very few. I also recall a few people closing their eyes, but very few. What's the deal?

I know that I get pumped about college football (except when Georgia gets raped). You see thousands of fans in the stands shouting, throwing up their hands for HOURS on end. But how many of those die hard fans that are Christians do the same for Jesus on Sunday mornings?

Just something to think about the next time you are at a concert and you want to put your hand in the air... why are you doing that? Maybe something to think about the next time you exclaim loudly when your team scores a touchdown... why are you doing that? What's so great about man that we praise him more than our Creator? Where is the fear?

2008-10-29T09:02:00.002-04:00

I saw this hilarious video on Keith's blog today! Awesome! Apparently these people just bust out in song in the middle of a public place, and the public is oblivious to it!

Downtown

2008-10-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

Last night Courtney and I went to eat in downtown Atlanta. Sometimes I get a little nervous when it comes to driving those narrow roads with people walking EVERYWHERE! I am not used to that. GET A CAR!

The place we ate was awesome, I definitely recommend it! (Dailey's) It was pretty cool to see the live jazz band that was playing down stairs in the bar area, but the really cool part was that the music that was playing upstairs while we were eating was the same band...interesting.

I almost hit a pedestrian that was crossing the crosswalk- I do not really know why (it must have been that I didn't really know where I was going and was looking at the signs instead of the people walking right in front of me.) By the grace of God I did not hurt anyone.

After dinner, we stopped in at the local Krispy Kreme. I would have to say those were the worst doughnuts I have ever had. I should have just gone to Kroger and bought them--Im thinking the grease was really, really old!

We had a great time, but we kinda talked a little about "why do we think we have to go downtown to a really nice restaurant on special occasions?" Of course, I enjoyed it, and I know my wife loves to dress up and go out, so that's what we did. I also thought, "why do we think we have to buy a "card" for special occasions as well?" Those dudes make a FORTUNE!

Anyway, I love my wife!

ONE YEAR!

2008-10-27T11:19:00.003-04:00

Today is our 1 year wedding anniversary (Court and Me). It is pretty crazy to think that a whole year ago we got married. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago! I love her more and more everyday and I am looking forward to many more years! I am excited that we get to spend some time together in a couple of weeks and travel up to where we had our honeymoon!

This week should be an exciting one!

To Bill

2008-10-10T21:14:00.003-04:00

Bill,

I don't know anything about you (I don't think). You seem to have something against me, or maybe just some personal issues that you need to talk to Jesus about. But you know what? I love you. I love that you criticize pretty much all my posts, that's great! I don't see how I "evaded" the issue, but if you took it that way maybe it was because I felt that it needed to be addressed to more than just ONE person.

I am guessing that you are a "Christian," and please correct me if I am wrong on that. I say words like "piss" "freakin" and "crap" and I could really care less if that offends you. You are saved, so who cares...I care more about those who are going to hell than whether or not "Billy" thinks I should say nicer words.

So Bill, thanks for being such a jerk. It's men like you that keep me on my toes.

FINALLY

2008-10-07T16:25:00.003-04:00

I could no resist the amazing deal. This baby is the exact "replica" I guess you could say, of my first guitar. My grandfather bought me a guitar (i think it was a squire though) on my 10th b-day that looked exactly like this. I have been wanting to buy one (American Tele of course) since I trashed the last one (not knowing what the heck I had at the time). So here it is-

Anonymous

2008-10-03T12:49:00.003-04:00

There is something to say about someone who can speak honestly and not worry about the consequences, but there is something else to say of certain individuals who like to leave comments and not say who they are. It really drives me insane when someone (and I really think it's the same person every time) leaves a comment under "anonymous" and throws out all these bold statements, but doesn't have enough gumption to leave their name.

In all honesty, if you are offended by something I said, and do not have the courage to tell me, please stop reading my blog. Sometimes I will use words that maybe you do not like, but that is just who I am, it is never meant to offend anyone.

The only reason that certain individuals are allowed to leaved anonymous comments is so that you do not have to login to blogger or gmail to leave a comment, but you can still say who you are.

What a Weekend

2008-09-29T08:37:00.003-04:00

Courtney and I had the opportunity this past weekend to travel back up to NJ and see some good friends. My friend Trevor got hitched and it truly was a one-of-a-kind wedding. There was a countdown to the wedding, there was worship music before (with full band and light show) and then the actual ceremony. It was definitely memorable. We flew back in to GA around 9:30 and I got back to the house in time to see Georgia get their butts handed to them. I will have to admit, I saw this one coming.

Down in Georgia, we are having a bit of a crisis. THERE IS NO FREAKIN GAS! Luckily, I do not live too far from work and will resort to riding a bike if needed. It is pretty crazy to drive by a gas station and see a ton of cars lined up to get as much gas as possible. I have even heard people saying they had to call in to work because they could not make it. Some say recession, others say depression, and I personally do not know. It is hard for me to compare what is going on in the economy today to the depression of the 1920's.

I was reminded on Saturday of how much we must rely on Christ for all our needs. If you look in Exodus 16, you can see how God supplied just enough food for His people to survive. It was never enough for them to save, because if they did so, it would rot and would no longer be edible. We have to trust God, we have to run after Him, we have to surrender our wants and come only with our needs for that day. I can pray and ask all I want for a beautiful new guitar, but I do not NEED it. At this point, I do not NEED gas, I have plenty enough to get by. I know that if I did NEED the gas, Jesus would provide for me. But for now, I got legs, so I can walk if I have to.

Launched

2008-09-22T16:27:00.006-04:00

Velocity Church has officially launched. We had an awesome time worshiping Jesus yesterday and I am looking forward to the weeks to come and see what God is going to do through HIS church.

One Week and Counting

2008-09-15T08:49:00.003-04:00

There is just one week until the official launch of Velocity Church. We still have a lot to get done before next Sunday, but with God's hand in it, it should be no problem.

Last night while listening to a pastor talk to about 60 kids, I realized something- I can't stand Christians! Now, before you start thinking I am some sort of agnostic freak that hates the church, let me clarify. The Christians that I am speaking of includes myself. We are SO SELFISH! We want it to always be about us, our wants, our needs, our agenda. If you read about the first church in Acts, you will find very few times when the church was all about "the church." The "Christians" that want you to clean up before you step foot in THEIR "Sanctuary," the "Christians" that say "wear your Sunday best, because THAT is what pleases God." Are you freakin kidding? My clothing is what pleases God? I can remember when I was a little younger and I walked into the church building wearing some holy (not the spiritual) jeans and got some horrible looks. Are we "Christians" so HOLY that we cannot look past what someone is wearing to see their heart and where they are in their walk with Christ?

One more vent-

I find it so frustrating when a pastor (and I am not talking about the one I referred to before) stands up on the stage and has a 30min alter call and keeps saying "you don't have much time, accept Jesus now!" A church ON MISSION humbly helps others to find Jesus in their own timing rather than forcing them to make superficial decisions for it's own glory. I am sorry to say that just because Joe Somebody walked down the aisle because YOU TOLD HIM TO and says a little prayer he is "saved." Jesus will save him when Joe is ready, not when YOU are ready.

Ok, these were just some things that have been on my heart for the past couple of days. I pray that Velocity Church will not be a superficial gathering of Christians who do not want to get dirty. I am ready to get to work.

Clarity

2008-09-08T15:48:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I have logged on, so there are probably like two people who will read this.

This past week we wrapped up another "practice" for our church plant Velocity. It has been an interesting learning experience. Setting up, tearing down, "what goes where, how many of these do we need, what exactly do these things do?" So many questions, and sometimes I just want to crawl in a hole in the ground.

This coming week is our last practice before our official launch. It seemed like only yesterday I moved back to Georgia looking for a place to get involved, and now we are about to launch. I am excited to see what God is going to do through this little plant. I look to the future to see other churches planted in the Villa Rica and Dallas areas.

I don't know how or why, but sometimes we get so caught up in the "ins and outs" of church that we lose sight of Jesus and HIS mission. I pray that the pastors on staff here can keep Jesus lifted high and ourselves as low as possible.

A couple of things I am really looking forward to:

- Georgia vs. South Carolina this weekend

- Worship this Sunday

- The official launch of Velocity Church

- CATALYST!!! (It's going to be AWESOME!)

"don't knock it till you rock it!"

The Power of God

2008-09-02T10:59:00.005-04:00

I was amazed yesterday as I watched for about an hour the devastation that was taking place in New Orleans. Obviously it was not as bad as Katrina in '05, but it was still amazing! This morning, out of curiosity, I checked the weather.com site to see what was going on with it. This is what I saw:

there are THREE more storms headed our way. The one closest to Africa looks pretty big, and it's only just formed.

I am just so amazed at God's power and wonder. It is hard at times to believe that God controls all of the storms, all the rain, all the wind, the earth's rotation, the atmosphere, EVERYTHING, He holds it all together. Then, he still reaches out His hand to help me in the times I am about to give up. He sends His Son, Jesus, to die a horrifying death on a freakin cross for me. That is amazing!

PACK it UP!

2008-08-19T11:05:00.003-04:00

Saturday, we all met up to pack a rental truck full of our crap to transport to the school. It was a pretty crazy experience. The funny thing is, the staff had come up with a "teams list" that we were going to use to keep the chaos to a minimum. Well, that didn't work. I am sure that it could have been a whole lot worse, but God was totally in control.

It took a whole heck of a lot longer than we thought it would to set up the sound and staging. By the time we were ready to start the sound check, we had to leave. We only had from 1pm-4pm. That wasn't long enough! I know, that sounds pretty crazy!

The awesome thing was that on Sunday morning, we all gathered together and Christ was praised. No other name was lifted high this past weekend but Christ Jesus! That is the way it is always going to be.

This week should be much more smooth. We know what goes where now, so we are pumped about getting back to it.

PRAISE CHRIST!

BLinK!

2008-08-11T08:36:00.004-04:00

Yesterday a friend of mine, Erik, talked about serving. It was a great little message on how we blink and a year goes by, or five years go by. So many Christians, and non-Christians I am sure, set out to "do good things" for the community around us. The sad fact is scarcely do we actually do anything.

Erik is the face behind "Dude, Share The Food!" He read an excerpt from a book he is currently reading that went a little like this-

(This is a paraphrase!)

"Today, we got a shipment in from a local church who will remain nameless. On the top of the box it said, 'for the homeless.' I was excited so I opened the box eagerly and the inside was full of microwave popcorn. We hardly have electricity, and sure do not have a microwave. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Within a few days we got another shipment in from the Mafia. They sent some bikes for the little girls, a turkey for each family, and donated thousands of dollars to the organization. I guess God can use the Mafia, but I really wish He would use the church..."

This man lives on the street if you didn't catch that. He and some other homeless have obtained a warehouse to live in, and he is there to minister to them as much as possible. It is so sad that the church has better things to do then to spend time with those who are less fortunate than they are. I know I am guilty of that and I was totally convicted yesterday.

We are just TOO busy these days. At least we like to think we are. "I can't, I just have so much to do." Read or Re-read Matthew 25:31-35...

-cg

What is a "little" church?

2008-07-30T08:59:00.004-04:00

Originally posted by David Foster:

"Because I am a church-planter myself, and I’ve got to be around and talk to as many church-planters as I can, one of the things I keep hearing in our conversations is the description of these new, fledgling churches as “little church.”

When I hear that it intrigues me. What is a little church? Is it a few people? Small building? No building? Little budget? So a big church: lots of people, big building, big budge? I think we all can see that is an inaccurate and inadequate statement.

Let’s just think about what a little church is.

1. A little church is a church inwardly focused thinking only about the needs of the Christians who are already there.

2. A little church is a church that develops endless programs for the care and feeding of their own people, necessitating more time at the church and less time out in the real world engaging people who are far from God.

3. A little church is a church that does the same thing in the same way today that it did 3, 4, or 5 years ago.

4. A little church is a church that excludes anyone who is not the skin type or the political persuasion of those who inhabit the church already.

5. A little church is a church that let’s its buildings and grounds fall into disrepair, failing to realize that how we treat the spaces in which we meet has a lot to say about what we believe.

6. A little church is a church that doesn’t want difficult or broken people because they’re too messy.

7. A little church is a church that doesn’t welcome alcoholics, drug addicts, adulterers, prostitutes, or any of “those kinds of people.” We only want nice, clean, acceptable people who won’t be a bad influence on us.

8. A little church is a church that replaces the gospel with a long list of do’s and don’ts.

9. A little church is a church that compromises on their belief of the absolute authority of Scripture.

10. A little church is a church that hires a pastor to lead them and then fires him when he does.

11. A little church is a church that feels they’re in competition with the other churches across the street or across town and seeks to impugn or diminish the ministry of other churches so they themselves can look better.

12. A little church is a church that hijacks the gospel for a moral agenda or a long list of things they are against.

13. A little church is a church in which information is constantly disseminated but no lives are changed.

14. A little church is a church that neglects its children and sees its them as something to be out of sight and out of mind so that the real people (the adults) can worship.

15. A little church is a church that carries on its ministry week in and week out, year in and year out and has absolutely no impact with its surrounding community or its needs.

Well I could go on and on, but you get the point. If you are a pastor or a leader of a church, be careful if you judge it as a little or small church by its budget, or whether or not its pastor gets to speak at a church growth conference. God judges it very differently than we do. So should you."

I love what David says in #7 about drug addicts, alcoholics, adulterers, etc. There is a pastor in Texas who had the same problem with one of his members. He said the individual came up to him after service one Sunday and asked him why he let people smoke outside of the "sanctuary"? "We bring our kids here to get them away from things like that!" I am not sure what Matt did about this, but if it were me, I would have said, "Well, there are plenty of churches around here that do not allow this kind of behavior, maybe you should check them out."

What Are You Waiting For?

2008-07-28T13:57:00.003-04:00

Last night we went to the community makeover worship service in the Sams parking lot. There were (my estimate) about 4000 or so church goers there. It was an amazing worship time and it really was awesome to see the vision of "Engage Atlanta" that Brian Bloye has started. I pray that next year, Velocity Church will be one of many churches involved in this community outreach service project. It is really all about BEING the church. I heard it said last night that too often the "services" that we do ofter SERVEus. Interesting to think about. Check out this video of my bud Erik:

Dude, Share The Food!

2008-07-13T16:43:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Courtney and I went down and hung out with the folks from "Dude, Share The Food!" We set up down the street from the Fulton County Jail downtown and started cooking hot dogs. I was not sure what to expect really, but I knew that I would be way out of my comfort zone.

After a couple of hours of hanging out with some homeless men and women, it really made me appreciate all the little things. It is so amazing and sad how we take EVERYTHING we have for granted. It was great to see how gracious these individuals really were. They kept saying "God bless." That was nothing short of amazing! I hope to go down with these guys more often. If you get a chance to share with someone with no strings attached, do it! NO RESERVATIONS!

BE THE CHURCH!

Fourth of July

2008-07-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was pretty awesome! Velocity really took some great steps in making our voice heard! We had a couple of tents set up at the parade in downtown Douglasville on the 4th, and on the 5th we were at Taylor Farms giving away some free stuff. It was truly amazing to see what God did through all of that. We had several individuals express interest in a relationship with Jesus. Praise Christ for that!

This coming Sunday, our "plant team" is assembling at New Life Christian Church to worship together. I am guest worship leading there and I am pumped about it! We are going to have an awesome time of prayer for our plant and really seek after God's will for HIS church!

Today, Paul and I started talking about some details and some housekeeping issues. There is so much to do, and really, our start date is just around the corner! It's so exciting, but at the same time, it is kind of a scary beast we are dealing with. So, keep us in prayer. I love Jesus, and I want the community we plant in to know that. We must be bold; we must BE THE CHURCH!

FREE SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT!

2008-06-28T22:56:00.002-04:00

I will be playing with Krayv tomorrow night at New Life Christian Church. Come out and worship with us. I am going to try and do some recording and post some more videos up on the youtube site. Bring all your friends if you are in the area and join us for a night of worship and communion!

A lot of Pictures!

2008-06-21T00:13:00.009-04:00

I thought I would post some pics from the California trip since I was checking them out myself:

You can't really put this into words.

chase, tim, collin

my beautiful bride

i could have stood there all day

I don't have a title

2008-06-19T13:36:00.003-04:00

Velocity Church is moving forward pretty quickly. It is a pretty scary time, but exhilarating!

- We have confirmed our location which is awesome

- We have nailed down our logo design

- We have some events coming up that give us a chance to serve this community

- We have started praying over our new meeting place weekly

- I am still in the search process for band members (not an easy task!)

I read a blog the other day about a key verse for worship leaders- John 15:1-11. It's kinda long, so I won't post it here, but it's so true! I pray that I can stick close to this verse and truly run after what God wants, not what I want.

Velocity Church is committed to Christ and the power that He and He alone possesses. We will not back down from the gospel of Jesus Christ in this church!

Per Request

2008-06-19T13:33:00.001-04:00

Ok, here is the full photo that has been requested:

New Hair

2008-06-12T22:59:00.004-04:00

Well, I had to come to grips with getting my hair chopped off. This Georgia heat was just killing me. So, as you can see below, I cut it all off! I will have new (better) pics up soon.

Still looking for band members for Velocity. Keep that prayed up!

Huge Hurdles

2008-06-06T13:17:00.002-04:00

This week we have jumped some huge hurtles regarding church planting.

1) Our logo is finally decided on

2) We have a location nailed down

These are two issues that needed to be solved fast, and thank God they are now! Velocity Church will be meeting at Baggett Elementary School! We prayed over this school because we knew it would be conducive to our worship services, and God answered, almost immediately! Praise Christ for that!

I am really looking forward to what is in store for us. Keep us in your prayers!

-cg

Without You RELEASED!

2008-06-03T10:46:00.003-04:00

Without You has been released to MYSPACE exclusively at this point. Please go by the myspace page and take a listen. Enjoy!

to live-

What is Church?

2008-06-02T17:47:00.001-04:00

I saw this video today and I thought it was great! Perfect example of what the Church should be:

Professional Musicians Needed!

2008-06-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

I have been on the look out for professional musicians that are willing to partner with Velocity Church. We do not just want anyone, we want experienced, young (30s and under!), committed individuals! We want to have a cutting edge and driving worship experience.

So, with all that being laid out, do you know anyone? Auditions are underway until we find the right fit for the following: Drummer, Lead Guitarist, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, and Vocalists.

If you know anyone who is interested, or if you are interested, please contact me ASAP! You can reach me at this email: chase@velocity242.com!

New Song To Be Released!

2008-05-30T12:22:00.005-04:00

Without You is going to be released next week! I am going to release it on the 3rd!

Keep checking the myspace and be the first one to hear it in it's entirety!

In other news- I read (and was told) yesterday that Giglio and Tomlin are starting a church in my neck of the woods! I cannot even being to express my excitement! Thousands of young people will come to know Christ because of what they're going to be doing. I do not know many details at this point, but when I know I will be posting something about it, I'm sure.

Elevate Video

2008-05-28T15:09:00.003-04:00

Here is a video from Elevate. We had an awesome time out there!!

Keep checking back for more updates and videos. Without You is going to be releasing soon!

Almost Over

2008-05-25T21:16:00.003-04:00

It is crazy to think Elevate is almost over. Tonight is the last night! It was a great conference and I really had an awesome time in California. Tonight's set:

Without You

Solution

We Shine

All Because Of Jesus

Beautiful Jesus

From The Inside Out

Look for videos coming out next week!

Indiana Jones

2008-05-24T14:20:00.003-04:00

We had our first session of Elevate yesterday and it went very well. The kids seemed to have an awesome time during the worship.

Last night we decided to go see Indiana Jones 4. I have always loved the Indiana Jones Trilogy, so I knew I had to see this one!

Well, not to spoil it for anyone who wants to see it....so if you are going to, PLEASE STOP READING NOW!

To be completely honest, I was pretty disappointed. If anything, I thought that maybe Harrison might have a little trouble pulling the crazy stunts (or at least looking like he did) but he did well. Shia did awesome as usual. That kid is going places man. He is really talented.

The movie was good until the last twenty minutes or so. I won't give away anything, but when you go see it, you will know what I am talking about for sure!

Tonight we have a session around 7:30. I am excited about getting back up on the stage, it was a little hard yesterday since I have been out of it for almost a month!

Here is last night's set:

Solution- Hillsong

Beautiful Jesus- Kristian Stanfill

Blessed Be Your Name- Matt Redman

Marvelous Light- Charlie Hall

Everlasting God- Brenton Brown

Let God Arise- Chris Tomlin

Planes, California, and Pizza

2008-05-20T17:28:00.004-04:00

This morning we got up early to go wait and see if we were going to catch a flight to California today. My cold seemed to be better, but then we got to the airport...yeah, not so much.

I was told Tuesday is the best day to fly, who the heck came up with that one? There were a TON of people there. The number one downfall of the ATL airport- ONE SECURITY CHECKPOINT! Every single person who is flying that day must go through the SAME PLACE! In this respect, PHL wins out.

Good news is we got on the first flight, and really, the going up didn't hurt my head too bad, but the coming down....yikes!

We arrived in California around 10:30 this morning, after leaving at 9... weird huh?

Our view is great:

i know, not the straightest picture, but I am still getting the hang of this computer. That's the ocean just over the house and the palm trees.

Courtney and I ordered a little pizza and are just hanging around today, enjoying the nice breeze.

I will be posting more pictures (hopefully they will be straight, but no promises!)

-cg

Well Crap!

2008-05-18T17:13:00.005-04:00

Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat. Saturday morning I woke up with an achy body, and today I am just plain miserable! I hate being sick! What sucks even more, is that I get on a plane in a couple of days and I'll tell you, that pressure that you experience when taking off and reaching the right altitude, OUCH! When your sinuses are already killing you, that sends you down for the count!

I have gotten some medicine and I will be trying to get better asap! I would hate to be in CA and be miserable. I will be posting some videos up here soon during Elevate. I will be trying to record (Lord willing) every session so that you guys can check the myspace page and the youtube page for live stuff. It should be pretty awesome! Brad and the guys did awesome last year, so I am really looking forward to playing with them again.

Keep us in prayer...my wife is REALLY sunburnt from laying out way too long yesterday...so she is dying!

Keep checking back for updates and videos!!

to live-

Planting My Feet

2008-05-14T11:39:00.003-04:00

I recently took a job at a church plant called Velocity. I am excited to start on this journey and really begin to build the structure around this church start. It's an interesting thing, church planting- so many things to do, but never enough time to do them in. Keep us in prayer as we run after this! It's going to be awesome!

Got the final cut of Without You. It sounds great, but there were a few little things we missed...so, I look to release it next Tuesday!! Be sure to take a listen to it!

Elevate is one week away now. Courtney and I fly out of ATL on Tuesday morning. I will be doing a little recording out there and I will be sure to post pictures and videos soon!

Romans 11:36 "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

Update

2008-05-09T15:00:00.003-04:00

It has been an interesting week down in Georgia. I have been trying to tie up some loose ends with the Elevate Conference. It's only two weeks away! I am looking forward to seeing the west coast again.

I talked with Jon today about the worship E.P. and he has gotten Without You finished and is sending it to me this evening! I am really looking forward to hearing the final cut. Some of you have previewed the quick mix at the Myspace page . I will post the full length song soon, so keep checking back!

I have some other news to post at a later date, so keep checking the myspace and the blog for more info!

to live-
chase<><

Crazy Weekend

2008-05-05T13:30:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, Courtney and I attended TWO churches. There a lot in the area we have been wanting to attend, but never had the opportunity (I have always been leading at a church). It was nice to sit back and not have any worries this week. To be honest, I did miss leading the church in worship, but God always teaches me something when I am the one being led.

I did have some thoughts about sound this weekend. THE VOCALISTS MUST BE HEARD! The first church we attended, the music was awesome, but it was a little hard to hear the vocals. The second church we attended, the mix was perfect to my standards. I could hear the guitars, the drums, the vocals, and even the PIANO! Great mix, and great service.

Keep checking back for pics and updates on how the worship EP is coming.

-cg

Home Again

2008-05-02T11:46:00.003-04:00

Well, we made it safe and sound. I had some scares along the way (the truck I was driving was really driving me at times) but in the end, here we are.

I drove around town a little today to see how many things have changed over the past year I have been gone. A LOT has changed! I am thankful I can take left turns, turn on red anywhere, and pump my own gas. The weather is beautiful, 80 degrees and partly cloudy.

I am currently in the process of getting "Without You" mixed and ready to release. Keep checking the Myspace page for the entire song to be posted soon.

to live-
cg

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

2008-04-28T22:19:00.002-04:00

Today I picked up the moving truck for the long haul...dude, that thing is BIG! I can't lie, I am pretty nervous about driving it. Brian had to be my co-pilot on the trip back to the apartment. So, if I thought that driving a huge truck was bad enough...right when we started to pack, it started raining! So we loaded our furniture into the truck and then had to wipe it all down so it wouldn't get ruined...

So, we got all packed up, came back inside, and we were beat. Todd did most of the lifting. (That dude could just look at the furniture and lift it!) So, we cleaned a little more and went to go get our nice and cozy air mattresses....um, yeah...they are packed somewhere in the freakin truck! So, I guess it's the floor for us tonight.

I am really looking forward to what God has in store for us. I am looking forward to taking a few weeks off from leading and being stressed about the in and outs of Sundays. I am sure when Sunday rolls around, my feelings will change...I will want to be back up leading instead of standing in the crowd. But, I love when God smacks me hard and tells me to sit back and watch Him work without me! I am just a pawn. Glory to HIM!

Keep checking back for pics and road trip info. Should be an interesting one!

-cg

What Was Used 4/27/2008

2008-04-27T09:41:00.002-04:00

Kingdom Come- Hillsong
All Because Of Jesus- Fee
Sweep Me Away- Hall
Spring Of Life- Stanfill
Let God Arise- Tomlin

Perfect

2008-04-24T13:15:00.004-04:00

Today was a perfect day for golf. I went out this morning to play some golf before going into the church. If I could do that everyday, that would be awesome. It's so relaxing to go out and play some golf, spend some time in prayer, and take in all God has created.

Just a few more days until we make the drive back down to Atlanta. I am looking forward to a lot of things.

Things I am looking forward to:

- Pumping my own gas
- REAL Mexican food
- Grilling out on the deck
- Seeing my new nephew
- Knowing where I am going
- Lower taxes

Things I am NOT looking forward to:

- Pumping my own gas (just when it's cold or raining)
- The beach is at least 4 hours away
- Leaving some good friends we've made
- Higher gas prices
- No more Sugar Hill Subs (best ever!)

NEW SONG UP!

2008-04-21T11:20:00.005-04:00

I posted a little preview from my new worship EP due out in June. Check it out at www.myspace.com/chasegentes

Let me know what you think. Keep checking back for more songs and eventually info on how we are releasing, it will be crazy!

-cg

What Was Used 4/20/2008

2008-04-20T17:12:00.002-04:00

Set from this morning:

Marvelous Light- Hall
You Never Let Go- Redman
Jesus Paid It All- Stanfill version
Beautiful Jesus- Stanfill
Everything Glorious- Crowder

Wake UP!

2008-04-17T17:06:00.002-04:00

I had heard about Oprah's new church recently, but did not know anything about it. I came across this video today...CRAZY! Check it out:

What Was Used 4/16/2008

2008-04-17T09:00:00.002-04:00

Here are the songs I used for last night's youth service-

Everything Glorious- Crowder
Beautiful Jesus- Stanfill
Spring Of Life- Stanfill
Remedy- Crowder

chase|gentes

Don't forget

What Was Used 2/6/2011:

It's been a while...

Snow in the south...

Into the studio we go

New Job

One Year Older

Praying for Rain??

Dang!

More House Pics

I guess just an update...

House Pics

A Lot Has Happened:

Our New House

So Long California

My sweet new tat!

Website Updated

It's Been A While!

Looking for a Savior

What Do You Do When Your Forget You Pick?

PLEASE PRAY!

Working in the Studio Again!

Lift Up Your Hands!

What Was Used 3/22/2009

What Was Used

Promo Video

What Was Used 3.1.2009

What Was Used 2.22.2009

CRAVE

THEchurch

MYSPACE+FACEBOOK

More pics from Saturday

What a LIFE!

The Bones

Let God ARISE!

Man, I have been SLACKING!

Sick and Tired

what is CHURCH?

interesting...

This is something that I have been hearing about and it makes me cringe!

"Vatican condemns Obama abortion policy

Published: Sunday 25 January 2009 10:02 UTC Last updated: Sunday 25 January 2009 17:22 UTC

God's Creation

A Bouquet with Different Flowers

Thank You God!

Who Owns You?

Blessed Be Your Name

Chasing The Storm

GO FALCONS!

Open The Door

Courageous Church

What's Wrong With Us?

What are you passionate about?

Each one Reach ONE!

We Are So Blessed

CiCi's VS Stevi B's

Is there something more??

Christmas? ALREADY??

How He Loves

Dredg

Downtown

ONE YEAR!

To Bill

FINALLY

Anonymous

What a Weekend

Launched

One Week and Counting

Clarity

The Power of God

PACK it UP!

BLinK!

What is a "little" church?

What Are You Waiting For?

Dude, Share The Food!

Fourth of July

FREE SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT!

A lot of Pictures!

I don't have a title

Published: Sunday 25 January 2009 10:02 UTC
Last updated: Sunday 25 January 2009 17:22 UTC