New location...

I've switched to Wordpress because, well, I wanted to, so whatever. You can read it there at http://tylerjz.wordpress.com/. I think it's better. See ya, blogger...

Experiment...

I recently visited the Newspring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, and I decided to try something they were doing. When Kari and I entered the "sanctuary", we were surprised to hear the likes of Linkin Park, Cold Play, and The Verve playing as their pre-service music before the service started.
If they can do it, so can we...
So, I created a long playlist of mixed secular/christian music (whatever those terms really mean) and played them for the last two weeks. Last week and this week were as follows:

1. Your Grace is Enough, Chris Tomlin
2. Beautiful Day, U2
3. Meant to Live, Switchfoot
4. Where the Streets Have No Name, U2
5. Speed of Sound, Coldplay
6. Nothing Left To Lose, Mat Kearney
7. The Face of Love, Sanctus Real
8. Home, Chris Daughtry
9. Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol
10. TOo Much, Leeland
11. Somewhere Only We Know, Keane

This coming week, the set will change slightly, but will contain a combination of most of the following:

1. I Dare You To Move, Switchfoot
2. How To Save A Life, The Fray
3. My Glorious, Delerious
4. Change Me, Sanctus Real
5. days Go By, Keith Urban
6. I Still Haven't Found, U2
7. Let Your Hair Down, Corrine Bailey Rae
8. If Everyone Cared, Nickelback
9. Bittersweet Symphony, the Verve
10. Finding Who We Are, Kutless
11. This is the Last Time, Keane
12. New Shoes, Paulo Nutini
13. Time, Chantal Kreviazuk
14. Lunar, Five O'Clock People
15. Rain Down, Delerious
16. Better Together, Jack Johnson
17. Forgiven, Ben Harper
18. Deliver Me, David Crowder
19. I'll Stand By You, Gina Glocksen
20. Beautiful Broken World, Warren Barield

I know we won't get through all of these, but we'll save some for the change up the following week!
The coolest thing, is that no one said ANYTHING about it!, and the 2 people I asked personally said they had no idea, and never noticed at all. This makes me happy...

At Last...

We can now welcome Kirt Henman as our new Lead pastor down here at our church in Florida! He made the announcement to his congregation this past Sunday, and we couldn't be more excited! We're looking forward to some really exciting things as we look to replant ourselves adn become a whole new church for a whole new generation...

Still don't like blogging...

It's been a while since my last post. The title gives it away. Still, I wanted to share one of my greatest fears: That one day my kids will come to me, and just due to the shear volume of films he as been in, and tell me how great an actor Kevin Costner was, and how lucky I was to have the opportunity to see his films in the theater. I shudder to think...

Place of Epiphany...

Just a couple of quick thoughts from my bathtub...

1. Yes, I take a bath every morning. Say what you will. I'm still ALL MAN.
2. I haven't posted in a while, but that is just a reminder that I still am not a huge fan of blogging.
3. Penguins lost agin last night. Now down 3-1 in the series. Crap.
4. I have to go to work now...

New Wineskins...

I've decided to revamp things on the worship team. After some good, hefty, and convicting conversations, I'm going to start holding the team accountable for daily time spent with God. I have a study that they will all be doing. It is light, brief, but informative and interesting, and about worship. They are reuired to do it. They will also be required to attend the Tuesday night study and prayer time.
They must be (along with myself, obviously) a shinging reflection of God's glory, and if they do not hold true to these requirements, they won't perform duties in teh service Sunday morning. If they continue to balk at these, they will be removed from the team. I will not be afraid to stand up on the stage by myself if I have to, and there may be a time when I do have to, and that is fine. God will be glorified in our Sunday Celebration! We need to be the new creations God intended us to be, and ones that He can use and work in and through.
We are going to start from scratch as well. This means that after tomorrow, I will do the worship by myself, and they will lead by example in the congregation. I'm excited about the change, and I want to make sure I'm taking responsibility for the ministry God has entrusted to me, and I need to feed the sheep he has brought to me! With His leading and provision, we will have the worhsip ministry I've known we could produce from the beginning!

New stuff, for real...

Here are a couple of pics of my new stuff. It's not exactly my dream list, but I'm more than excited about how this is going to sound. I'm going to run two lines through a Morely Amp selector. One will go into the Vox AD-30, and run clean and overdrive with the foot switch. The amp will be mic'd. The other line, for now, is going to go through the Boss Super Chorus adn the Digitech DigiDelay, and straight into the system. This line will stay clean, versus the other through the amp, which will alternate between clean and dirty. I'm thinking it's gonna sound pretty cool!

New gear...

I've been scouring the websites of worship leaders and their bands, and have been looking at some of the pedals and amps they use. It seems the Vox AC-30 amp is the amp of choice for most. Also, most are using the Fulltone Fulldrive overdrive/compression pedal, and the Boss Giga Delay. Also fairly popular are the Line 6 effects units, teh Boss DD-5 delay, adn the Boss Bluesdriver. Lincoln Brewster is fond of the MXR Dyna Comp pedal, adn Daniel from Chris Tomlins group uses a Route 66 Over drive and coompression pedal. It seems most like the Line 6 delay modeler, too. More to add to the wish list! CHeck out the pic, though. It's Daniel Carson from Chris Tomlins band, and his pedal board... Thats a little too ambitious for me!

Number One on the List...Check...

Well I got my first wish from the list last night, when I went and picked up a great looking Fender MIM Strat, which was meticulously kept, and is a great play! It was an excellent price, too! Now it's on to the nex items...amps, effects pedals, mics, etc.!

Good Butt Kicking, Therefore, Good Service...

God's really been kicking my butt over the last week, in a good way. This morning, with most everyone in the family, and therefore, half the church, out of town over the weekend, I scaled back the service, swapped the sermon and worship set around, closing with a very reverent, quiet worship set. John talked about the 3 H's of God's plan, being Humble Worship, a Holy Walk, and Heveanly Warfare. I zeroed in on the first H, because that's my thing, and since we have been experiencing more of the third H over the last month or so, I worked on the second H through this last week, and saw the impact of that in the set up and the service this morning. Interesting how that all worked out...

Tyler's Current Wish List...

I'm pushing to start leading worship on electric, and the following list is what I need (really just want, but whatever!) to make it happen:

1. Fender Stratocaster
2. Vox AC-30 amplifier
3. Danelectro Cool Cat and Doddy-O pedals
4. Marshall 45 watt amplifier
5. Digitech effects processor
6. 2 Sennheiser E609 Guitar Microphones

Merry Christmas...

to me...

in my dreams...

One Fish, Two Fish; Old Church, Small Church...

It's very hard to break a church of the old/small mentality. Nothing is done well, nothing is done professionally or up to quality. No one says no to anyone, it's difficult to establish authority or provide adequate motivation. It can be very frustrating. We are getting there, but every once in a while, it rears it's ugly head, and the lax, same-old, same-old comes out to play, and things get left either undone, or done at half the quality. It is also difficult when you are dealing with a lot of family in your set up crew and worship team. It is very easy to get wrapped up in it, and I need to stay above it. I'm working on that.
Anyway, Sunday mornings have been very frustrating lately. Whether it's getting into the theater late, or people not there, or little comments here and there in a mocking or sarcastic tone. It is very distracting, and I know it affects the worship.
I'm open to suggestions as to how to deal with this.

Electric Guitar...

Tyler has no money

Tyler wants an electric guitar

Dilema?!

Chris Tomlin Concert...

Got back from Chris Tomlin concert a little while ago. It was amazing. Matt Redman was there, and my personal favorite, Louie Giglio as well. He spoke for a while, sort of hitting the highlights of his Indescribable talk, and coupling it with his 2 part series called "Alive". It was good for me as a worship leader to be able to just worship, and not have to worry about the "leading" part for once. Not that I have a problem with that part, but I always enjoy some time on the other side.

New Worship CD

My mom sent me a cd of music written and performed by Christ's Covanent Church's Worship pastor Kondo Simfukwe and the worship team. There are a couple of songs that I really like on there, and we have already done one at church. It's worth checking out. Kondo has quite a way with words!

Idolatry...

Just listened to a great podcast from Mark Driscoll about idolatry. It was great. Something I needed to hear. He asked some serious questions, and I had to think through some had answers on my end. It was a bit of a litmus test for what the idols are in your life. He asked some questions like: What is your greatest fear? Whatever you're afraid of most will most likely link to your idol. If I'm afraid of not having the respect of people, then I will idolize my ideal ofbeing respected by everyone. Also, he asked: What is your greatest passion or desire? If I'm passionate about, and deeply desire for people o respect me, then I will chase after that idol.
I think we as believers look at budhists and other religions of idols and think, I don't bow down to golden things, and yet every home in america faces it's furniture at the television.
Not that there is anything wrong with a little tv, but I guess it made me look at all the little compromises I make here and there that really do damage to my relationship with Him, and I need to knock it off! I'm tired of chasing idols.

History...

I was just thinking about the history of Grace Christian Fellowship over the last several years. I'll be brief in a timeline:

April 2002: Kari and I marry and move to Florida. I start at the "Grace Brethren Church of Maitland" as Associate Pastor of Worship and Youth (unpaid), and day camp worker and bus driver.

June 2002: Name change! Now it's Grace Christian Ministries with a 2 fold focus...The Church (Grace Christian Fellowship) and the school (Maitland Christian School).

August 2002: I'm now the 5th and 6th grade teacher and Chaplain for the school.

October 2002: Things start to unravel, and certain people begin to be seen for who they really are, and I resign my position as "elder in training" and Associate Pastor, due to stress on my marriage. I just didn't want the hassle at the time.

January 2003: Our pastor is now being forced to resign in a messy disaster that hurts a lot of people involved. Pastor Bill Smith is interim and brings much needed healing.

April 2003: we decide to go back to Indiana for me to get my Masters in Counseling. We leave in June.

October 2003: Kari and I make the decision to make Grace Community Church in Goshen our church home, and join the worship team and a small group. We are exposed for the first time to a church with visionary leadership and an exciting direction, and we catch the passion.

December 2004: Kari and I visit Maitland for Christmas, and God puts a desire to return and begins to grow a passion adn vision for our church there, and more, the state of Florida.

March 2005: After 4 months of believing that Florida is the place for us, Kari finally jumps in the boat with me, and we decide to return to Florida for whatever God has in store for us there.

Sat. May 9th, 2005: I graduate from Grace with my masters, and the next day we leave in a Uhaul truck headed for Florida yet again.

May 12th, 2005: We arrive in Florida and move in.

May 17th, 2005: My first Sunday back in Maitland. I'm worried about how to go about transitioning with the man who has been leading there. We co-lead, with myself half planning the service the way I saw that it needed to be. After the service, he gives me a hug, tells me another pastor friend of his called him the night before, and needed someone to lead for his church. He said "You'll be fine here. This is my last Sunday, and I won't be back". I'm shocked, but amazed at God's timing, and this wonderful man's willingness to move at a moment's notice to follow God's will, and I have never seen him again. I have myself, my guitar, and a few vocalists. No musicians but myself, and some vocalists.

Summer 2005: I go back on the elder board, and I set to work to help this church be a relevent place for people to worship. I have my brother make us a logo.

Fall 2005: GBNAM is interested, and gets involved. The Fellowhip begins to step up and take notice. We get visits from Tim Boal and Tom Avey. Tom has a vested interest, having attended and worked in our church in the past. Pastor Bill leaves, and John Nest becomes the interim pastor. Talks begin to look for a senior pastor, and we begin talks to sell the property. We sign a contract with Trammell Crow later, who are brokers dealing specifically with churches and schools. Tom begins feeding us resumes of men who he believes will be a goo fit to help turn te fellowship around in the state of Florida. Things are not dead, but they're not great. We interview people, and people visit. It goes well. One person stands ot to me.

December 2005: We get a drummer via a job interview contact that Kari makes. Things start off a little shaky, but later becomes very consistent and a great addition to the team.

February 2006: I'm grudgingly moving on to yet other pastoral candidates, still holding onto hope that one person will stand out. After a few, I'm still convinced that one was the best, will be again. We get a keyboard, and my sister-in-law plays it. I'm ecstatic.

Spring and Summer 2006: We begin to prepare to be a portable church by moonlighting our service at local civic centers in Altamonte. It is a success, and builds more excitement. We also field offers on the property. Not much success there at first.

Fall 2006: We get a serious offer on the property, and take it.

September 22nd, 2006: Property is closed on. The previous 2 weeks are crazy as we try to get everything out of the building. It's like reverse Christmas for me, as I get to throw away all nature of unheavenly junk that the church was keeping around.

September 24th, 2006: Our first Sunday out of the building, and we meet in my apartment complex clubhouse, and spend much time in prayer over the future of our church. We spend the next couple of weeks in a banquet room at the Embassy suites in Altamonte.

October 15th, 2006: Our first Sunday in the Picture Show Theatre in Altamonte. It was great!

November 18th, 2006: Our portable equipment from Church On Wheels arrives, and we unpack, and learn how to set everything up. It's like regular Christmas before Christmas for me. $46,000.00 later, I'm a happy camper. We're really trying to do this right, and that costs money.

November continued: I'm still in contact with past candidates. There is one that is interested, as many of the obstacles have been removed, and most of the hurdles he thought he'd have are cleared. We start the dialogue again, and phone conference again, offering him a salary package.

January 2007: He's in, basically, but then calls and says no. After feeling God tug at his heart, he contacts another pastor, and is counseled through a couple of issues he's having. He now no longer has issues, and is in, provided we line up with the ideas he outlines in an email. It's a pretty hard-core email, and I'm skeptical as to how the others will take the news. No issues from the elders, and we accept the terms.

Febrary 2007: Now we just await the telling of his congregation to make the announcement by name. I can't wait.

I can't believe where God has taken us over the last couple of years, and I look forward to the direction we are taking, trusting God all the way!

By the way...

My brother, Chris, designed the logo for our church, along with others that I will probably post later, including the logo to this site, Karate Explosion.

Observations...

I have a couple of observations from our service today. First of all, we are a portable church. We have a 24 foot trailer with all of our equipment in it. We arrive at 7:30 am to set up at the Picture Show Theatre in Altamonte Springs. When everything is up and running, we sound check, practice with the worship team, then start the service. Here is What I see. I lead the music, and for the last 2 weeks, I have preached a series called Life Happens.

Observation 1: There is a lack of emotion, people sit as far back as the seating allows, and very few clap along, or show any kind of excitement. (Therefore, I sing with my eyes closed at times to avoid the dicouragement and distraction.)

Observation 2: People don't bring their Bibles. I'm really at a loss for this one. It's church. (I fight the assumption that people don't bring their Bibles because they don't read them through the week, and then really don't know where to look for them in Sunday morning.)

It's hard to not get down, but then there are those who you focus in on during the singing. Those who I can engage with in mutual worship of my God that I can look to during these times, and be encouraged.

Next week is a business meeting. Lots of good information there! A couple of big announcements as well!

I hate blogging...

This is the first post on my 3rd try at blogging. I'm not a big fan, but I thought maybe I'd chronicle our church's journey here, and I do realize that blogging is a good way to get things out there. We'll see.