Alive (and well) in Texas

It's been over a year and a half since my last confession...er....blog entry. Hard to catch up for all that time, so I'll just give a snapshot of what's happening right now.

BACK IN MINISTRY. August 1st I will officially re-enter "vocational ministry" and take the position of Director of Worship at a local congregation in my own town. I have been in discussion with the Senior Pastor there for nearly two months and it seems like a good fit. I have not been in full time minstry since January of 2005, and I've had a lot of time to think about what's really important when contributing to the mission of a local church. This church desires to reach people, and they seem to genuinely place a high value upon community and authenticity, which I applaud. I will do my best to bring what I have to help make the mission an ever-occurring reality.

LATEST BOOK READS. As usual, it seems, my book stack grows ever taller, no matter how many I read. Here are the most recent ones that I have actually finished:

Simple Church by Ranier and Geiger
Static by Ron Martoia (a must read)
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Simply Christian by N. T. Wright
The HP Way, Perfect Enough, and Backfire (3 business biographies about Hewlett-Packard)
iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon by Steve Wozniak


And those I am currently reading:

Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson
Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono
Sex God by Rob Bell
Recalling the Hope of Glory by Allen Ross (which will be a long, slow study)


That is, in addition to the plethora of magazines to which I subscribe each month: Wired, Fast Company, Keyboard, Electronic Musician, Relevant, Worship Leader, and MacWorld.


THE STRATA BIG BAND. I have finally reconvened my big band after a nearly 5-year hiatus. We had a couple of rehearsals and then a jazz club appearance. You can see a photo gallery here. The gig was completely satisfying both musically and socially; I got to play with many friends I hadn't worked with in quite a while, and got to try out many new arrangements. The band was hot, and the audience was really receptive. We will be playing more often, for sure!