OK, blogheads. I have gone radical and changed my blog name. TeleDan was a good start but it was too superficial for me and, besides, alot of people thought I was saying Taliban. Can’t have that now. You ask why the name Boatrocker? Couple of reasons. Number one, it appears I will be living on a lake soon so I thought it would go well that way. The second, and most important reason, is to to stay on the edge with worship and my relationship with Jesus. That means saying some things that will challenge the religious staus quo and keeping the idea of constant transition in church life alive so many are reached for Jesus. Jesus was a boatrocker. Third, I plan on using this sight to pilot and feature a new band called The Boatrockers. After all, rocker is in the name and I love it. Stay tuned.
I had a totally awesome turkey hunt this morning. After two hours of trying to convice a nice gobbler to leave his girlfriends for another woman I scored! 24 pounds, nine inch beard, just 3/4 inch spurs but a wiley bird for sure. I had to pull out all the stops, including decoys and aggressive calling, but it payed off. My family had a very nice turkey stir-fry for dinner tonight. Thank you, Lord, for the food and the adventure. Wild at heart, eh Mud Puppy?
I’m back! I was told recently by a person I have known for some time that I am a good friend. That is up for debate. A question to anyone out there who cares to chime in. How do you define a “friend”?
P.S. I feel like I am writing to Dear Abby.
Well, most of you in NewSong land have probably already heard the news about the big move (again!). It looks real this time. Last week my position with the hospitals was eliminated and yesterday was my last official day. I lost my educator position in 2001 too, but God had a back-up plan then that kept me with the organization. No back-up this time. This was my twentieth year and I just found out that twenty years gets you a pretty nice severance package. Remember the “Georgia On My Mind” post a few weeks ago? Yep, I was interviewing for a great job right there in Susan’s home town of Gainesville during that time. We had not planned it. Susan had booked the plane tickets and the next morning I received a contact on the job. Things started happening from there. The current plan is for me to leave for Georgia the first week of June. Susan and the boys will be down July 1st. This is our current plan. God could change things in an instant but I feel He is leading this. Stay tuned. For you NewSong crazies… you will always be family to Susan and I.
One day I had the privilege of hearing the accounts of a World War II veteran who fought in the European theatre of operations. He was asked what his least favorite part of fighting in the war had been, other than the constant threat of instant death. His answer? “Oh, how I hated snipers”. He described what it felt like to lead a platoon of men through deserted burned-out, bombed-out villages under the constant fear of ending up in the reticle of a german sniper scope. It gave you chills.
Over the years I have found myself leading, never really wanting to do so. I just want to do my part. Why do I not want to lead, you ask? Reason number one: snipers. Leadership get-a-clue point number one: There will be snipers. What is a sniper? A sniper is someone who covertly airs their discontent or dissatisfaction with something or someone at the expense of the church and her mission. You know a sniper or snipers are around when you sense tension in the environment but can’t put your finger on what the issue is or who it involves. Let me present the tragedy of sniping. Every day there are people dying without Jesus Christ in their lives. People lost eternally. While these people are losing their eternal souls snipers covertly mobilize to relieve their dissatisfaction. Snipers attack in a number of ways. Insinuations of all sorts from blogs to passive aggressive comments, accusing emails, gossip disguised as private conversations, and even an occassional face-to-face confrontation are all popular kill-zones of snipers. These tactics stir up debate about the ineffectiveness of those who have been called to lead. True, leaders make mistakes and should be held accountable. True, leaders sometimes repeat mistakes until they get it right. But snipers hold people accountable in ways contrary to how Jesus has commanded us. Most snipers don’t even realize they are a sniper because they get sucked into a “sniper cell” through someone who seems to care about the church. The sniper is deadly to a church. And all the while people are dying apart from Jesus.
I wouldn’t want to lead in a sniper-rich environment. What I have found is no matter where you lead there will be snipers. They lurk in the shadows. They slow-bleed the church by sapping the life out of it’s troopers. Oh, they eventually come out of the shadows after they have stirred up enough angst. When enough people with pitch forks and torches start showing up as a result of their efforts they reveal themselves, ready to ”lead” for sure… which leads me to Leadership get-a-clue point number two: The Art of Multi-tasking (How to influence people for Jesus while getting your head bashed in). And we wonder why people don’t want to come to church. Silly us! Tricks are for kids!
For those of you new to Jesus and church life, know this. Sniping isn’t a church thang… it’s a people thang. It is really a satan thing. Sniping is unacceptable to God. Though it is a common human dysfunction existing wherever groups of people gather, it is wrong. It is always the result of self-centeredness and one’s unresolved insecurities. A form of projection, if you will. Jesus died for the church and the church is the hope of the world… when it’s working right. Jesus dealt with snipers. So did Paul. Let not your heart be troubled. We forge ahead despite sniper-fire. Strong leaders deal lovingly but firmly with snipers. Don’t be a sniper. Read Galatians 5:16-26. Peace out!
P.S. If you are a Detroit Lions fans you are probably a sniper. A whole other blog topic. :)
My life is about to change. Pray that God is honored and glorified through me no matter how the path might change.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I probably shouldn’t do this but I can’t resist. The Man of Steel has tremendous vocal potential! I was polishing off a weight watcher’s meal (yes, fast food isn’t just burritos & burgers) in the studio and heard this voice I had never heard before. I had to look up from my tray of tripe to make sure it was Superman. Whoooaaa… where dat come from? A strong voice, vocal distinction, different. Moldable, developable, just what we need. I am excited. Lookout NewSong! TD out.
For you die-hard Wolverines. I read a great snippet out of the Clinton Local from last Thursday. A group of middle schoolers from Clinton, MI. had the incredible good fortune of visiting the Michigan football team during their spring practice. They met coach Carr, Jamar Adams and star running back Mike Hart. Here is a cut from the story… “Head coach of the football Wolverines, Loyd Carr met with the visitors plus two players who are pictured here with the team. Jamar Adams and Mike Hart. The two talked with the kids about getting to know God’s word and using God as their strength and protection for when the “BIG” guys hit”. Let’s face it. College campuses these days are bastions of humanism and God-bashing. For Mike Hart and Jamar Adams to put their faith out their to influence kids for Jesus is flat out awesome. Go Blue!!
I can do this. pant, pant, pant. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. pant, pant, wheeze, cough, spit, pant. Chooo chooo. These are just some of the word hallucinations I experienced this evening as I lugged myself around the running path. The things I think about when I run… or jog… or walk fast… or whatever it is I did. Someone tried giving me CPR. I fought the old woman off. I’m tired now. TD out, literally.
I was on my way back to my brother & sister-in-law’s house here in Gainesville, Ga. with two bags of boiled peanuts (there had been three!) and an ice cold Stewarts rootbeer. The moment had come, finally! I snuck over to Ted’s Pro Music located downtown. I walked in the door expecting to peform my annual ritual of pouring over the many Fender Strats & Teles, Parkers and Gibson Les Pauls on the wall. I had no way of knowing that there in the store on a makeshift stage in the adjacent PA/audio room lurked a legend waiting to unleash his six-stringed magic upon a small gathering of Tele-heads. Jerry Donahue of the nationally famed Hellecasters was about to put on a clinic free to all who could afford the time. Whether you had the time or not, once the Bravado of the Bend began weaving his tapestry of bends and mutiple scales from one end of the neck to the other, time dissolved. Wow!! Its one thing to hear Jerry Donahue on CD, but to see him in person and witness his work first hand is amazing. There is no way I can describe to you what I heard and what I saw. If you get a chance, look him up on google or buy a CD from your nearest music outlet. Keep in mind Jerry Donahue is one-third of the Hellecaster trio. Give it a listen.
Hearing guys like Jerry remind me of how talented and awesome our God is. Each and every one of us have talents and abilities placed within us by our mighty Creator. I am reminded of the scripture in Psalm 139:14, ”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well“. Whether you are a lead worshipper, a worship musician, a worshipper or someone who is simply seeking God know that God has placed very special abilities within you for His purposes. Gotta go. TD out.
