No, I haven't changed jobs again. Last Thursday, I got a peculiar e-mail from Tommy indicating that he had a "proposal" for me which he would speak to me about on Sunday. After confirming that it wasn't a marriage proposal, I speculated that maybe Brandon had decided not to return to ICC as worship leader.
After Sunday's service in North Park (which was awesome), I approached Tommy about his proposal, but he said I'd have to wait on a few things before we talked. About two hours later I received a call from Brandon and, as I speculated, he passed the torch to me. He feels that God is leading him in another direction and that it was time for him to move on. Even though I will miss playing with him and seeing him regularly, I am really excited about this opportunity to continue to lead the worship band on a full-time basis. God never ceases to amaze me in the ways He works. I have gone from not going to church at all, to worship band member, to worship leader in 14 months time.
God has obviously been planning this for a long time and I took some time to reflect on one of my biggest passions this week. I can remember playing records (yes I am that old) with my sister on my dad's old stereo (which had an 8-track player), really getting into music when I was in seventh grade with the guidance of my uncle Jimmy, becoming obsessed with bands like Van Halen, Kiss and Rush, going to the first of dozens of concerts in 1985, driving mom and dad crazy with the racket coming out of my room, finally picking up a guitar in 1992 after years of wanting to play, playing along with my favorite CD's night after night, and finally getting the guts to play in front of people last fall (with a lot of prodding from Tommy).
I guess music truly is my gift and what God wants me to do at ICC. I am so psyched about this opportunity to help my friend grow the church, help bring people into a relationship with Jesus and glorify God all at the same time. It's not all that profound, but all I can say is WOW!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
My New Gig
Well, after months of praying about it, investigating other options, arguing with Dena about it, and having an opportunity present itself, I have decided to become a semi-retired electrician.
Back in June, I decided to send a resume' to Accountemps just to see what they could do for me. It took about a month, but they were able to place me in an office position with a pharmacy about five miles north of my home. The company contracts with various nursing homes and assisted living homes in the region to provide their residents with all their pharmaceutical needs each month. I am working in the billing department, something that I did for ten years prior to becoming an electrician.
I started with them three weeks ago, and I must say that I am quickly learning what needs to be done and am very happy so far. The job requires a lot of analysis of reports and can get a little boring, but I have had more than my share of excitement at work over the past year and a half. I have no delusion of grandeur this time - I just want to do a good job for them and go home to do the things that really matter to me. It's a very casual atmosphere and my co-workers all seem like they're pretty cool - I even worked with one of them for a time about four years ago. I have my own office, although it doubles as a makeshift kitchenette - which is okay because I get to at least say hi to every one who comes in the room. I get to listen to my tunes all day long too.
My favorite part about the job (besides the five mile commute and wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work), however, is that I am utilizing my lunch break to dig into God's word. Anybody who knows me, knows that I devour books at a rate of about one every ten years. I'm just not much of reader and have really been slacking on reading my Bible since Tommy and I got so busy that we can't meet as regularly as we once did. Not anymore. I have spent at least 15-20 minutes each day just reading and digesting what I have read. What an awesome fringe benefit!
I have even been afforded the opportunity of doing a little ministering already. I'm sure everyone noticed that I was usually carrying either my Bible study workbook or my Bible with me and I made it a point to keep them visible on my desk in the hope that someone might ask me about my faith. I even prayed with my small group about that very thing.
Well, that prayer was answered this week when one of my co-workers and I struck up a conversation about tattoos of all things (my next tattoo is going to be a cross and crown of thorns), which led into a discussion about my faith, ICC and Christians in general. She has the same fears and doubts about church and Christians as I did before I found ICC. She wants to have a closer relationship with God but she just can't seem to find a place where she fits in - sounds familiar. I invited her to come to ICC, shared a bit about the "More Jesus, Less Crap" philosophy and directed her to their web-site and to my blog. After spending a little time doing some investigation, she was totally psyched about it and said she would try to make it this Sunday! I'm praying that she will be able to attend. At the very least, she will be able to check out the messages that Tommy has posted on the web-site.
To sum up, I just want to say that I am very grateful for this new opportunity that God has placed before me. Along with the steady paycheck I was looking for, it's providing me with time to read my Bible, the opportunity to share my faith with others, and the energy to get involved in and stay involved in the areas of the church where He has led me. That's pretty awesome stuff in only three weeks on the job!
Not getting shocked as often is a pretty good thing too!
Back in June, I decided to send a resume' to Accountemps just to see what they could do for me. It took about a month, but they were able to place me in an office position with a pharmacy about five miles north of my home. The company contracts with various nursing homes and assisted living homes in the region to provide their residents with all their pharmaceutical needs each month. I am working in the billing department, something that I did for ten years prior to becoming an electrician.
I started with them three weeks ago, and I must say that I am quickly learning what needs to be done and am very happy so far. The job requires a lot of analysis of reports and can get a little boring, but I have had more than my share of excitement at work over the past year and a half. I have no delusion of grandeur this time - I just want to do a good job for them and go home to do the things that really matter to me. It's a very casual atmosphere and my co-workers all seem like they're pretty cool - I even worked with one of them for a time about four years ago. I have my own office, although it doubles as a makeshift kitchenette - which is okay because I get to at least say hi to every one who comes in the room. I get to listen to my tunes all day long too.
My favorite part about the job (besides the five mile commute and wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work), however, is that I am utilizing my lunch break to dig into God's word. Anybody who knows me, knows that I devour books at a rate of about one every ten years. I'm just not much of reader and have really been slacking on reading my Bible since Tommy and I got so busy that we can't meet as regularly as we once did. Not anymore. I have spent at least 15-20 minutes each day just reading and digesting what I have read. What an awesome fringe benefit!
I have even been afforded the opportunity of doing a little ministering already. I'm sure everyone noticed that I was usually carrying either my Bible study workbook or my Bible with me and I made it a point to keep them visible on my desk in the hope that someone might ask me about my faith. I even prayed with my small group about that very thing.
Well, that prayer was answered this week when one of my co-workers and I struck up a conversation about tattoos of all things (my next tattoo is going to be a cross and crown of thorns), which led into a discussion about my faith, ICC and Christians in general. She has the same fears and doubts about church and Christians as I did before I found ICC. She wants to have a closer relationship with God but she just can't seem to find a place where she fits in - sounds familiar. I invited her to come to ICC, shared a bit about the "More Jesus, Less Crap" philosophy and directed her to their web-site and to my blog. After spending a little time doing some investigation, she was totally psyched about it and said she would try to make it this Sunday! I'm praying that she will be able to attend. At the very least, she will be able to check out the messages that Tommy has posted on the web-site.
To sum up, I just want to say that I am very grateful for this new opportunity that God has placed before me. Along with the steady paycheck I was looking for, it's providing me with time to read my Bible, the opportunity to share my faith with others, and the energy to get involved in and stay involved in the areas of the church where He has led me. That's pretty awesome stuff in only three weeks on the job!
Not getting shocked as often is a pretty good thing too!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Holding Down The Fort
Well, "Guns 'n' Moses" is on a temporary hiatus. All the guys but me are involved in some sort of activity that will keep them away from ICC for the duration of the summer. With Brandon working as a counselor at a camp in North Carolina, I, with Dena's assistance, have assumed the role of temporary worship leader. I was really nervous about it, but two weeks in, I can only say that things are going way better than I had expected.
Dena sang while I accompanied her on guitar last Sunday and our friend Sami joined us to sing this week. We will probably have another guitarist/vocalist join us this week too. Everyone has been really supportive and I think they are really impressed with the job we're doing so far.
Dena and I are trying to keep in mind that we are doing this to glorify God and it doesn't really matter if we make a mistake here and there, which is what worried me the most the first week. I got pretty comfortable playing with a full band that could cover many of the mistakes I made, but I think this experience is going to give me the opportunity to continue to improve as a guitarist.
I can't believe that only one year ago I had absolutely no intention of going to church and now here I am leading worship. I can't even begin to imagine what He has in store for me next.
Dena sang while I accompanied her on guitar last Sunday and our friend Sami joined us to sing this week. We will probably have another guitarist/vocalist join us this week too. Everyone has been really supportive and I think they are really impressed with the job we're doing so far.
Dena and I are trying to keep in mind that we are doing this to glorify God and it doesn't really matter if we make a mistake here and there, which is what worried me the most the first week. I got pretty comfortable playing with a full band that could cover many of the mistakes I made, but I think this experience is going to give me the opportunity to continue to improve as a guitarist.
I can't believe that only one year ago I had absolutely no intention of going to church and now here I am leading worship. I can't even begin to imagine what He has in store for me next.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Indiana Jones
Dena and I did a couple of new things today, but I want to talk specifically about our first trip to the movies in quite some time. Following a lot of excitement about the new Indiana Jones movie, I asked Dena if she would like to go see it this evening. I've always been a big fan of the first three movies and figured that this one would at least be on par with those pictures.
The movie was decent enough but nowhere close to any of the first three installments of the series. The humor and action were there, the characters were good, but the plot was far too fantastical. It seemed liked they put special effects in just to put effects in. A little bit of a disappointment in both Dena's and my opinions.
All in all, I expect way more from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. My advice is see it at a matinee showing or wait for the DVD. Better yet, save your money and put it towards the new DVD releases of the original movies or towards the upcoming Lego Indiana Jones video game, which if it's anything like the Lego Star Wars games, will provide hours and hours of entertainment.
The movie was decent enough but nowhere close to any of the first three installments of the series. The humor and action were there, the characters were good, but the plot was far too fantastical. It seemed liked they put special effects in just to put effects in. A little bit of a disappointment in both Dena's and my opinions.
All in all, I expect way more from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. My advice is see it at a matinee showing or wait for the DVD. Better yet, save your money and put it towards the new DVD releases of the original movies or towards the upcoming Lego Indiana Jones video game, which if it's anything like the Lego Star Wars games, will provide hours and hours of entertainment.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
New Glasses
I need to share something really cool with all of my loyal eyeglass-wearing readers. I am sick and tired of paying $200 or more for a pair of glasses that only end up getting scratched or destroyed. As an electrician, I have been through 3 pair of glasses in the last year. If I'm not getting hit in the face with a light fixture or getting my head stuck in a ceiling, I'm getting covered with drywall or concrete dust which ends up messing up my lenses when I try to wipe them off.
I found a really cool web-site that offers glasses that they manufacture at a more than reasonable rate and they are actually better quality than I ever could have imagined. I got two pair of regular prescription glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses for $60. That's right, $60!!!!!
If you wear glasses, do yourself a favor and check out http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php. You just need to get a copy of your prescription, pick out some frames that you like, and enter the info. I got my new glasses in 12 days. I'm more than impressed with these guys and I can see again!!!
I found a really cool web-site that offers glasses that they manufacture at a more than reasonable rate and they are actually better quality than I ever could have imagined. I got two pair of regular prescription glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses for $60. That's right, $60!!!!!
If you wear glasses, do yourself a favor and check out http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php. You just need to get a copy of your prescription, pick out some frames that you like, and enter the info. I got my new glasses in 12 days. I'm more than impressed with these guys and I can see again!!!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Reborn!
On Sunday, I took the next step in my walk with Jesus. Following an abbreviated service, my pastor and good friend, Tommy, baptized me along with 3 other members of ICC. The water was pretty cold (look at my face in the top photo) but it was truly an amazing experience that I will never forget. It was even more special to me because 15 of my family members, including 8 from Ohio, attended the service and we had close to 40 people over to the house for a celebratory luncheon, which despite Dena's anxiety, could not have gone more perfectly.
The band (we're unofficially using the moniker "Guns n' Moses" until we come up with something better), rocked the service again despite problems with a new sound system. Definitely not our best gig, but the energy of the day more than made up for what we were lacking in sound quality.
I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next! If it's anything like the last 8 months have been, I'm sure it's going to be something pretty awesome.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Under Attack
Ever since I made my commitment to Jesus last summer, people have told me that Satan would do his best to turn me away from that relationship. My mother-in-law, Dena's best friend Marianne, and most recently, Tommy, all mentioned that this is something that would happen. I didn't give it much thought until this week as I prepare for my baptism this coming Sunday. The past month and a half, since Tommy asked me if I was ready to be baptized have been a total nightmare for me as far as my job is concerned and I'm starting to think that this is all the work of Satan.
Most people don't know it, but my job has always been a very defining part of my life. I don't know why it is, but I have always taken most of what goes on around me at work very personally and have gotten very far down about it on many occasions. Perhaps that is why I've switched jobs so many times in my life. This has been the case since early March - almost nothing has gone well (a crappy advertising deal with YellowPages.com that has resulted in zero phone calls, doubting myself every day, every job being a total pain in the rear, etc.) and I've pretty much decided to close my business. Just last week, after installing the ceiling fan from hell, I mentioned to Dena that God wasn't there for me that day. Thinking about it now, I was really wrong and it could have been a lot worse - I fell off the top of my 12 foot ladder and was somehow able to catch myself on the loft in the house, I met and talked to a fellow Christian, and made her and her mom very happy customers.
I have also been working with another electrical company on a new Walgreens Pharmacy that has kept me very busy. I haven't had an off day in weeks. This is another thing that I think God has played a huge part in. The company is owned by a guy I used to party with back in my late teens and early 20's. We were never best buds or anything like that, and we probably could have done without each other all together but something has brought us together and I am very grateful for it. Jimmy has been an electrician for almost 20 years and, despite my initial ineptitude on the job, was able to teach me a lot of cool stuff that I didn't previously know. I busted my rear helping him out and I'm pretty sure that he is very happy with my performance. He's got two more Walgreens stores and two Mexican restaurants to wire in the coming months and he has already invited me back to help with the projects as soon as I complete the wiring of my sister's new house. I have no idea if this will result in something permanent but it will keep my busy with a steady income for a while.
Tommy's dad mentioned just the other night how some people are able to create a web that helps bring many people to Christ. Dena thinks that this may be what He has in store for me and what makes me a huge threat to Satan's plan. I am not what most people would call a stereotypical Christian - I like loud, secular music, I smoke, I swear too much, I occasionally drink a beer or six, etc...just a regular guy who is an idiot sometimes. I'm hopeful that I can reach other "delinquents" like myself and help bring them to Jesus. This is really cool stuff!
As for Satan, I need to tell you that you've lost this time so you might as well back off. No matter what you try to throw at me, I'm down with Jesus for the long haul and I'm shouting it to the world this coming Sunday when I get baptised and as much as I can for the rest of my life!
Most people don't know it, but my job has always been a very defining part of my life. I don't know why it is, but I have always taken most of what goes on around me at work very personally and have gotten very far down about it on many occasions. Perhaps that is why I've switched jobs so many times in my life. This has been the case since early March - almost nothing has gone well (a crappy advertising deal with YellowPages.com that has resulted in zero phone calls, doubting myself every day, every job being a total pain in the rear, etc.) and I've pretty much decided to close my business. Just last week, after installing the ceiling fan from hell, I mentioned to Dena that God wasn't there for me that day. Thinking about it now, I was really wrong and it could have been a lot worse - I fell off the top of my 12 foot ladder and was somehow able to catch myself on the loft in the house, I met and talked to a fellow Christian, and made her and her mom very happy customers.
I have also been working with another electrical company on a new Walgreens Pharmacy that has kept me very busy. I haven't had an off day in weeks. This is another thing that I think God has played a huge part in. The company is owned by a guy I used to party with back in my late teens and early 20's. We were never best buds or anything like that, and we probably could have done without each other all together but something has brought us together and I am very grateful for it. Jimmy has been an electrician for almost 20 years and, despite my initial ineptitude on the job, was able to teach me a lot of cool stuff that I didn't previously know. I busted my rear helping him out and I'm pretty sure that he is very happy with my performance. He's got two more Walgreens stores and two Mexican restaurants to wire in the coming months and he has already invited me back to help with the projects as soon as I complete the wiring of my sister's new house. I have no idea if this will result in something permanent but it will keep my busy with a steady income for a while.
Tommy's dad mentioned just the other night how some people are able to create a web that helps bring many people to Christ. Dena thinks that this may be what He has in store for me and what makes me a huge threat to Satan's plan. I am not what most people would call a stereotypical Christian - I like loud, secular music, I smoke, I swear too much, I occasionally drink a beer or six, etc...just a regular guy who is an idiot sometimes. I'm hopeful that I can reach other "delinquents" like myself and help bring them to Jesus. This is really cool stuff!
As for Satan, I need to tell you that you've lost this time so you might as well back off. No matter what you try to throw at me, I'm down with Jesus for the long haul and I'm shouting it to the world this coming Sunday when I get baptised and as much as I can for the rest of my life!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
I Try Something New...Again
Last night, Dena took me to my first Christian rock concert (my birthday present). I had seen Jars Of Clay twice in the past, but that was before I thought of them as anything more than just another rock band. We saw The Newsboys at Robert Morris University. To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting to see/hear much. I'm not exactly familiar with many of their tunes and what I had heard was a bit on the tame/lame side as far as I'm concerned.
Much to my surprise, these guys absolutely blew me away! They rocked as hard as and put on a show equal to just about anyone I have ever seen...except for Kiss, of course. That's really a lot coming from me - I've seen a lot of concerts in my day - Kiss 7 times (5 in make-up), Jimmy Buffett at least 6 times, Rush 4 times, Bob Mould (2), Sugar, Ace Frehely (2), The Ramones, The Kinks, Iron Maiden, INXS, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, The Who, Goo Goo Dolls (3 - when they still rocked), Yes, Ted Nugent (2), Jethro Tull (2), countless local bands, etc.
On top of the great music and absolutely stunning visuals, the addition of God's message and the awesome crowd made the show one the best I have ever seen - definitely top 10 material. If you haven't seen them, I suggest you check them out. What a great time!
Much to my surprise, these guys absolutely blew me away! They rocked as hard as and put on a show equal to just about anyone I have ever seen...except for Kiss, of course. That's really a lot coming from me - I've seen a lot of concerts in my day - Kiss 7 times (5 in make-up), Jimmy Buffett at least 6 times, Rush 4 times, Bob Mould (2), Sugar, Ace Frehely (2), The Ramones, The Kinks, Iron Maiden, INXS, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, The Who, Goo Goo Dolls (3 - when they still rocked), Yes, Ted Nugent (2), Jethro Tull (2), countless local bands, etc.
On top of the great music and absolutely stunning visuals, the addition of God's message and the awesome crowd made the show one the best I have ever seen - definitely top 10 material. If you haven't seen them, I suggest you check them out. What a great time!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Super Bowl Sunday
Well, tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday - at least that is how Tommy refers to Easter - "The Super Bowl of Christianity". I can't remember a time that I've been this excited about Easter Sunday. It actually means something to me this year.
We are really hopeful for a huge turnout for the service at ICC and Brandon has really picked out some rocking tunes for the service. I'm totally psyched about playing tomorrow, how could I not be, besides it being the Super Bowl, we're opening the service with some Social Distortion ("Ball And Chain") - one of my favorite punk bands of all time.
Thank you Jesus for all you did for us! You really do rock!
We are really hopeful for a huge turnout for the service at ICC and Brandon has really picked out some rocking tunes for the service. I'm totally psyched about playing tomorrow, how could I not be, besides it being the Super Bowl, we're opening the service with some Social Distortion ("Ball And Chain") - one of my favorite punk bands of all time.
Thank you Jesus for all you did for us! You really do rock!
Been A Few Weeks...
I found out quickly how easy it is to get away from blogging on a regular basis. I'll just say that this has been a rough month for me. Despite the recent "Heroes" series at ICC which talked about not giving up, I have felt like giving up on my electrician career just about every day this month. I don't know what it is, but I just have so much doubt about my competancy and physical stamina to do this job. The calls aren't coming in like they normally do and when I do work, I literally take a physical beating.
The worst part is that I know I shouldn't feel bad about these things. I mean, in over 15 months of working as an electrician, I have not received any complaints or encountered many problems that I wasn't able to overcome. It just seems like every job is a major pain in the butt lately and I just don't feel like dealing with it. I also feel like I'm just not charging people enough for my work, which sucks for both of us. As much as I hated sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, at least I was able to deal with the majority of problems that arose or quickly find someone who knew the answers to my questions.
To make matters worse, I started working on a Walgreen's Pharmacy with an old friend of mine last week. He has been an electrician for almost 20 years and really knows his stuff. I have no idea how he is able to make sense out of all the electrical systems that are involved in a new commercial building. I walked in there last Monday and just felt totally lost. I had no idea what to do and I feel like a moron in comparison to this guy. I realize that this is an experience thing but it's still frustrating all the same. I need to be grateful for this opportunity to learn from yet another skilled electrician.
Dena and my family all want me to hang in there and I know Jesus wants me to hang in there so I'm going to keep at it for now. I hope I can get my head and heart in line with them ASAP.
The worst part is that I know I shouldn't feel bad about these things. I mean, in over 15 months of working as an electrician, I have not received any complaints or encountered many problems that I wasn't able to overcome. It just seems like every job is a major pain in the butt lately and I just don't feel like dealing with it. I also feel like I'm just not charging people enough for my work, which sucks for both of us. As much as I hated sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, at least I was able to deal with the majority of problems that arose or quickly find someone who knew the answers to my questions.
To make matters worse, I started working on a Walgreen's Pharmacy with an old friend of mine last week. He has been an electrician for almost 20 years and really knows his stuff. I have no idea how he is able to make sense out of all the electrical systems that are involved in a new commercial building. I walked in there last Monday and just felt totally lost. I had no idea what to do and I feel like a moron in comparison to this guy. I realize that this is an experience thing but it's still frustrating all the same. I need to be grateful for this opportunity to learn from yet another skilled electrician.
Dena and my family all want me to hang in there and I know Jesus wants me to hang in there so I'm going to keep at it for now. I hope I can get my head and heart in line with them ASAP.
Monday, March 3, 2008
A Really Great Question
During our small group meeting last night, one of the group members posed the following question to me which has had me thinking about it ever since. "How could you ever choose not to have God as a part of your life and what made you change your mind?"
I'm finding it very difficult to answer this question. I really think that my decision to not make God a part of my life until now was more an issue of pride than anything else. I've been something of a loner for the majority of my adult life and I guess I didn't feel that I needed His help and that I could do it on my own. And even if He was there to help me, how could I know for sure? I'm pretty certain that I was not in the minority among those who do not have God in their lives when it came to my skepticism.
As for what made me change my mind, again, I am having a hard time definitively answering this question. The past few years of my life have been a roller-coaster ride. Problems with depression, my marriage, my family, my career, etc. have pretty much defined my thirty's. I hit bottom many times during that time and experienced very few truly happy moments.
I can only say that I just think I was just ready to give God a chance. It also helped that He pretty much dropped Tommy and ICC on my doorstep. ICC literally meets less than a half-mile from my house and everything about the church fits what I'm about - cool, hard-working, faithful, "normal" people who are trying to make Jesus a part of the lives of those who have either lost faith in or have never had a relationship with Him. They are literally removing all the "crap" from what I have experienced with church in the past - this is a come-as-you-are church that focuses only on the only things that matter - His word and making it part of your everyday life. I just can't imagine being in a better situation than I am at this very moment.
I'm finding it very difficult to answer this question. I really think that my decision to not make God a part of my life until now was more an issue of pride than anything else. I've been something of a loner for the majority of my adult life and I guess I didn't feel that I needed His help and that I could do it on my own. And even if He was there to help me, how could I know for sure? I'm pretty certain that I was not in the minority among those who do not have God in their lives when it came to my skepticism.
As for what made me change my mind, again, I am having a hard time definitively answering this question. The past few years of my life have been a roller-coaster ride. Problems with depression, my marriage, my family, my career, etc. have pretty much defined my thirty's. I hit bottom many times during that time and experienced very few truly happy moments.
I can only say that I just think I was just ready to give God a chance. It also helped that He pretty much dropped Tommy and ICC on my doorstep. ICC literally meets less than a half-mile from my house and everything about the church fits what I'm about - cool, hard-working, faithful, "normal" people who are trying to make Jesus a part of the lives of those who have either lost faith in or have never had a relationship with Him. They are literally removing all the "crap" from what I have experienced with church in the past - this is a come-as-you-are church that focuses only on the only things that matter - His word and making it part of your everyday life. I just can't imagine being in a better situation than I am at this very moment.
What A Great Week!
I was doing some thinking last night - I'm sure the smoke could be seen for miles - I really had an awesome week last week (2/22-3/2)!
Even though I had a small car accident on the ice on 2/22 - I plowed over this guy's mailbox on the way to my sister's house - and business is still pretty slow right now, I got to spend plenty of time with my family (dinner at Joe's Crab Shack for my sister's b-day - yum! and lunch at my mom and dad's on Wednesday with my 2-year old nephew, Walker - he's a riot!), rocked the ICC church service twice, had a great lunch with Tommy, led our small group meeting twice, both cars passed inspection, had dinner with my good buddy Greg and his wife, and ICC had it's best attendance yet - my mom put us over the top :) Not too bad if you ask me.
The topper for the week was that Tommy asked me if I was ready to be baptized. I was like "heck yea!". My baptism is scheduled for 4/20 following the church service. I'm really psyched up about it!
I'm 100% certain that a year ago, I would have been so consumed with the fact that business is slow that I wouldn't have noticed most, if any of these great things. God is really working some cool stuff in my life! I really think 2008 is going to be a great year!
Even though I had a small car accident on the ice on 2/22 - I plowed over this guy's mailbox on the way to my sister's house - and business is still pretty slow right now, I got to spend plenty of time with my family (dinner at Joe's Crab Shack for my sister's b-day - yum! and lunch at my mom and dad's on Wednesday with my 2-year old nephew, Walker - he's a riot!), rocked the ICC church service twice, had a great lunch with Tommy, led our small group meeting twice, both cars passed inspection, had dinner with my good buddy Greg and his wife, and ICC had it's best attendance yet - my mom put us over the top :) Not too bad if you ask me.
The topper for the week was that Tommy asked me if I was ready to be baptized. I was like "heck yea!". My baptism is scheduled for 4/20 following the church service. I'm really psyched up about it!
I'm 100% certain that a year ago, I would have been so consumed with the fact that business is slow that I wouldn't have noticed most, if any of these great things. God is really working some cool stuff in my life! I really think 2008 is going to be a great year!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
So, Do You Wanna Play?
I'm getting pretty close to wrapping up my adventure to present, but it definitely wouldn't be complete without talking about the ICC Worship Band (for lack of a better name). I have been playing guitar since 1992 or 1993. I started out on guitar at a fairly late age and really only picked it up to have fun and emulate my guitar heroes (Bob Mould, Ace Frehley, Angus Young, Johnny Ramone, et. al.).
From our many conversations, Tommy knew that I played and that I was very shy about playing in front of people. Early on, the worship band line-up was very inconsistent at best. One week they'd have a five piece band and then one guy playing guitar or piano and singing alone the next. They really needed help in this area but I still wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to do or not - I've got this terrible fear of screwing up and looking like an idiot. Even though he'd never heard me play, Tommy kept nudging me a bit about it every time we'd meet and I finally gave in sometime in November.
I wish I could say that my first time out was perfect but it wasn't. The guys were late and I didn't have time to learn the songs just by running through them during the pre-service rehearsal. After all, these guys are trained musicians - in comparison, I'm a novice at best. Being me, I got mad, picked up my gear and left. It wasn't so much that I didn't get to play but that they had been asking for people to step up and when I finally did, they were late - it was just a big let down for me because I can't read music and can't jump in on songs I'm not familiar with like they would be able to. I'll chalk that one up to growing pains of a new church and a new Christian.
I was ready to give up on the worship band but Tommy and Brandon (now the Worship Leader) talked me in to giving it another go. If I remember correctly, it was just Brandon and me the following week - him on piano and vocals and me banging away on Dena's acoustic guitar. I was far from perfect but no one seemed to notice my mistakes and I had a blast. Who would have thought that my first live performance would be at church - certainly not me.
To make a long story short, even though there have been some set-backs here and there, I have been playing in the worship band ever since that day and have no intentions of giving it up any time soon. It's so much fun to be able to make music with the other guys and to do it in the name of Jesus. We do it loud too! ICC isn't exactly your typical church. We rock it out and, on most weeks, even throw in a secular song that relates to the message.
I think the coolest things about my experience in the worship band are that I have become a much better guitarist and playing is really fun for me again - not that I ever lost interest in it but it just kind of got boring only playing along to CDs in my room. Like I said, these guys (we now have a full band on a regular basis) are real musicians and I have to get better if I want to keep up with them. I probably practice more than I ever have before. I'm sure that The Holy Spirit is at least a little responsible for that. I have also become pretty good friends with Brandon. He's really growing into a quality band/worship leader and I have already learned a lot from him. He always listens when I make suggestions and always takes the time to help me out when I have questions about the music. He's a good guy.
I'm very grateful that Tommy kept on me about playing in the band and staying in the band on at least two occasions. I'm pretty sure that he could talk me in to buying beach front property in the mid-west. He's pretty slick like that. I can't wait to play on Sunday morning!
From our many conversations, Tommy knew that I played and that I was very shy about playing in front of people. Early on, the worship band line-up was very inconsistent at best. One week they'd have a five piece band and then one guy playing guitar or piano and singing alone the next. They really needed help in this area but I still wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to do or not - I've got this terrible fear of screwing up and looking like an idiot. Even though he'd never heard me play, Tommy kept nudging me a bit about it every time we'd meet and I finally gave in sometime in November.
I wish I could say that my first time out was perfect but it wasn't. The guys were late and I didn't have time to learn the songs just by running through them during the pre-service rehearsal. After all, these guys are trained musicians - in comparison, I'm a novice at best. Being me, I got mad, picked up my gear and left. It wasn't so much that I didn't get to play but that they had been asking for people to step up and when I finally did, they were late - it was just a big let down for me because I can't read music and can't jump in on songs I'm not familiar with like they would be able to. I'll chalk that one up to growing pains of a new church and a new Christian.
I was ready to give up on the worship band but Tommy and Brandon (now the Worship Leader) talked me in to giving it another go. If I remember correctly, it was just Brandon and me the following week - him on piano and vocals and me banging away on Dena's acoustic guitar. I was far from perfect but no one seemed to notice my mistakes and I had a blast. Who would have thought that my first live performance would be at church - certainly not me.
To make a long story short, even though there have been some set-backs here and there, I have been playing in the worship band ever since that day and have no intentions of giving it up any time soon. It's so much fun to be able to make music with the other guys and to do it in the name of Jesus. We do it loud too! ICC isn't exactly your typical church. We rock it out and, on most weeks, even throw in a secular song that relates to the message.
I think the coolest things about my experience in the worship band are that I have become a much better guitarist and playing is really fun for me again - not that I ever lost interest in it but it just kind of got boring only playing along to CDs in my room. Like I said, these guys (we now have a full band on a regular basis) are real musicians and I have to get better if I want to keep up with them. I probably practice more than I ever have before. I'm sure that The Holy Spirit is at least a little responsible for that. I have also become pretty good friends with Brandon. He's really growing into a quality band/worship leader and I have already learned a lot from him. He always listens when I make suggestions and always takes the time to help me out when I have questions about the music. He's a good guy.
I'm very grateful that Tommy kept on me about playing in the band and staying in the band on at least two occasions. I'm pretty sure that he could talk me in to buying beach front property in the mid-west. He's pretty slick like that. I can't wait to play on Sunday morning!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Who The Heck Are You?
One of the big reasons (excuses) that I always gave Dena for not going to church was that I didn't want to attend if I wasn't going to give 100%. Anybody who knows me, knows that I don't believe in half-assing much of anything. I mean, what's the point in going to a church service if you're just going to sit there looking at your watch the whole time? I didn't want to be one of those people who just show up on Sunday mornings to get their ticket to Heaven stamped for that week. After my meeting with Tommy, I decided to jump right in...
As a new and mobile church that meets in a high school auditorium, ICC needs all the help they can get with setting up prior to and breaking down following the service each week. It's a pretty big production setting up a reception/snack area in the lobby, a children's area, and the auditorium/stage area. I'm not exactly known for volunteering for anything but I immediately volunteered my services for the set-up team. I started out by helping to do just about anything and everything that needed to be done - setting up the reception and children's areas, assisting with parking, and taking the offering was my main focus each week until I was approached about helping with the auditorium/stage set-up, which I was very open to doing. Sunday mornings are usually pretty long for Dena and me, but busting my butt helping my friend Tommy get ICC rolling and doing it all for Jesus is way better than laying on the couch watching some stupid show on TV - did I just say that?
As the weeks passed, Tommy and I made it a point to get together weekly to discuss the Bible and become better friends. He provided me with assigned reading and then we would discuss what I had read. I'm not exactly know for being much of a reader but I decided to give it a try so we started with the book of Matthew. My experience with reading the Bible in the past was one of complete non-comprehension. It always seemed like it was written in a language that just didn't make any sense to me. With Tommy and Dena's help though, the messages started making a lot of sense to me. Even though a lot of what Jesus said through his parables can be confusing the main messages are quite clear. Even his disciples didn't always get it so I guess I'm not a complete moron after all. There's a reason why people study the Bible for years and years.
I wish I could say that I immediately bought in to everything I was reading and hearing but I still resisted for some reason. Life and work were still a pain in the rear end and I still made it a point to blame God when something went wrong. I'm sure I even considered chucking the whole church thing on a few occasions. I guess I was expecting some over-night change. I have to remember that living for Jesus is marathon and not a sprint.
This resistance came to an end in October 2007. I remember having a major breakdown after an electrical job I was doing didn't go quite as well as I hoped. I don't think it was a conscious decision, but at that point I gave my life up to Jesus entirely. Things started going better on jobs, I was working smarter, I was more patient when things did go wrong on a job, I didn't panic as much when work was slow, etc. Most importantly, I wasn't blaming God when things went wrong. I know I was getting better as an electrician through experience but something else was helping me get through the days...I had Jesus as my electrician's helper and from what I've seen of the electricians out there, he's way more reliable and hard-working than any of them.
As a new and mobile church that meets in a high school auditorium, ICC needs all the help they can get with setting up prior to and breaking down following the service each week. It's a pretty big production setting up a reception/snack area in the lobby, a children's area, and the auditorium/stage area. I'm not exactly known for volunteering for anything but I immediately volunteered my services for the set-up team. I started out by helping to do just about anything and everything that needed to be done - setting up the reception and children's areas, assisting with parking, and taking the offering was my main focus each week until I was approached about helping with the auditorium/stage set-up, which I was very open to doing. Sunday mornings are usually pretty long for Dena and me, but busting my butt helping my friend Tommy get ICC rolling and doing it all for Jesus is way better than laying on the couch watching some stupid show on TV - did I just say that?
As the weeks passed, Tommy and I made it a point to get together weekly to discuss the Bible and become better friends. He provided me with assigned reading and then we would discuss what I had read. I'm not exactly know for being much of a reader but I decided to give it a try so we started with the book of Matthew. My experience with reading the Bible in the past was one of complete non-comprehension. It always seemed like it was written in a language that just didn't make any sense to me. With Tommy and Dena's help though, the messages started making a lot of sense to me. Even though a lot of what Jesus said through his parables can be confusing the main messages are quite clear. Even his disciples didn't always get it so I guess I'm not a complete moron after all. There's a reason why people study the Bible for years and years.
I wish I could say that I immediately bought in to everything I was reading and hearing but I still resisted for some reason. Life and work were still a pain in the rear end and I still made it a point to blame God when something went wrong. I'm sure I even considered chucking the whole church thing on a few occasions. I guess I was expecting some over-night change. I have to remember that living for Jesus is marathon and not a sprint.
This resistance came to an end in October 2007. I remember having a major breakdown after an electrical job I was doing didn't go quite as well as I hoped. I don't think it was a conscious decision, but at that point I gave my life up to Jesus entirely. Things started going better on jobs, I was working smarter, I was more patient when things did go wrong on a job, I didn't panic as much when work was slow, etc. Most importantly, I wasn't blaming God when things went wrong. I know I was getting better as an electrician through experience but something else was helping me get through the days...I had Jesus as my electrician's helper and from what I've seen of the electricians out there, he's way more reliable and hard-working than any of them.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I Meet A, Um, Holy Man
As I was saying, at the kick-off picnic (July 2007?), I had the opportunity to meet the man responsible for this new church, Lead Pastor, Tommy Duke. At first glance, Tommy isn't exactly your typical "holy man". At well over 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, he looks more like an offensive lineman, than a preacher. The bald head and goatee only added to this look. I only spoke to him (me in slight Pittsburghese, he in a Southern twang) for a few minutes that day, but I could tell that there was something very different about this guy. At least very different from any "holy man" I'd ever encountered before.
I don't remember the exact timeline, but Dena and I had the opportunity to meet with Tommy and other members of the church on a couple more occasions and attended our first service at ICC. At that service I showed an interest in pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. The following week, Tommy contacted me about meeting for lunch. I hardly knew what to expect out of this - I certainly never met with a priest or other "holy man" in a social situation before, at least not voluntarily. The priests at my old church always seemed intimidating with their "holier-than-thou" attitude. In fact, I probably did all I could just to avoid them. I didn't hesitate in agreeing to this meeting though.
I don't remember the exact timeline, but Dena and I had the opportunity to meet with Tommy and other members of the church on a couple more occasions and attended our first service at ICC. At that service I showed an interest in pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. The following week, Tommy contacted me about meeting for lunch. I hardly knew what to expect out of this - I certainly never met with a priest or other "holy man" in a social situation before, at least not voluntarily. The priests at my old church always seemed intimidating with their "holier-than-thou" attitude. In fact, I probably did all I could just to avoid them. I didn't hesitate in agreeing to this meeting though.
Tommy and I met at a nearby Subway, ate lunch and just shot the breeze about life, his vision for the church, and what it means to be a Christian. I learned that Tommy and I have quite a bit in common - we both played football, are both quick witted if not hilarious at times, have awesome wives, etc. I thought, for a "holy man", this guy is actually really cool. Of course, Tommy also used this meeting as a chance to request that I give my life up to Jesus if I felt I was ready to do so. I felt a little put on the spot, but I also felt I was up to that challenge. Dena's faith in God has never failed her and she is always strong even when the chips are down. It's something I never understood before but was always curious about. I figured I had nothing to lose so I agreed. We prayed together and ended our lunch.
That evening, I remember feeling pretty excited and energized about living my life - something I hadn't felt for a very long time. In fact, over the past couple of years, I had begged God on many occasions to just take me because of all the pain I felt in my life. That day though, at a small table in a Subway restaurant, something new was born inside of me and things began to change for the better...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to my blog. I don't really like that term "blog", so let's just call it my "on-line journal".
I am Bob Masterino. I'm 37 years old (next month) and live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Been here for most of my life. I have been married to a wonderful woman, Dena, for almost 10 years now. Since I am the one who is the goofball in our relationship, she has added a bit of a serious side to me. In turn, I think I have helped Dena to take life a little less seriously. We are quite a complement to each other.
I was raised in a Roman Catholic home and hadn't attended a church regularly in more than 20 years. In retrospect, I have always believed in God, but I don't think I ever really took it seriously or even considered having a relationship with Him. I guess the only relationship I had with Him was as a scapegoat for everything that went wrong in my life.
Last summer, I quite literally received a sign from God in the form of a new church based here in the North Hills. "Iron City Church, More Jesus, Less Crap" is what the sign, posted less than a half-mile from my house, said. As we drove by, I said to Dena (who has always wanted me to attend church with her) that sounds like my kind of church. Dena did some research on Iron City and contacted them regarding their mission. They were having a kick-off picnic right up the street the following week so they invited us to attend.
With much resistance that evening - I'm sure I had a crappy day - Dena was able to drag my butt up the street despite the rain that was falling. We were greeted with smiles by everyone there and there was plenty of food to be eaten. That's when I met the most significant person who has come into my life in quite some time. I actually have to leave to meet him right now, so more about that later.
Bob
I am Bob Masterino. I'm 37 years old (next month) and live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Been here for most of my life. I have been married to a wonderful woman, Dena, for almost 10 years now. Since I am the one who is the goofball in our relationship, she has added a bit of a serious side to me. In turn, I think I have helped Dena to take life a little less seriously. We are quite a complement to each other.
I was raised in a Roman Catholic home and hadn't attended a church regularly in more than 20 years. In retrospect, I have always believed in God, but I don't think I ever really took it seriously or even considered having a relationship with Him. I guess the only relationship I had with Him was as a scapegoat for everything that went wrong in my life.
Last summer, I quite literally received a sign from God in the form of a new church based here in the North Hills. "Iron City Church, More Jesus, Less Crap" is what the sign, posted less than a half-mile from my house, said. As we drove by, I said to Dena (who has always wanted me to attend church with her) that sounds like my kind of church. Dena did some research on Iron City and contacted them regarding their mission. They were having a kick-off picnic right up the street the following week so they invited us to attend.
With much resistance that evening - I'm sure I had a crappy day - Dena was able to drag my butt up the street despite the rain that was falling. We were greeted with smiles by everyone there and there was plenty of food to be eaten. That's when I met the most significant person who has come into my life in quite some time. I actually have to leave to meet him right now, so more about that later.
Bob
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