baird - plugged in

When Art Pulls Us Together

2011-05-19T16:06:00.003-04:00

My friend Doug sent this YouTube video to me. I am only a casual Johnny Cash fan, but I love his story and was moved by how his music can impact so many even after his death. But it served as a reminder to me of the impact of art on pulling people together. I know that masterpieces have been created by individual artists, but there is something special about art that is born out of a collaborative effort. It is beautiful how it can build community. I think that is why worship is so powerful in our lives and faith experiences. There is just something special about sharing together the majesty of reflecting back the creativity born in our Creator.

Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash

Godspeed! Johnny

Can't compete with Pa

2010-05-14T09:24:00.007-04:00

One of the things I started a few years ago with my daughters was taking them out individually for "Daddy Breakfasts". I have found a special little diner for each one of them and have worked hard to convince each one of them that their diner is my favorite spot. Because one of my goals with four daughters is to make each one of them feel unique and special. Plus I love bacon (but I digress).

So one of the things I do at the breakfasts is ask them 2 questions. I ask them every time and they have learned to think about their answers in advance because they know to expect them. I am hoping in years to come it will be a safe place for them to talk with me and I want them to know I am not perfect and don't expect them to be either.

Question 1: What am I doing well as a dad?

I ask this one because I want to know from their perspective the things I am doing that make them feel loved. It has helped me learn each of their love languages, too.

Question 2: What could I do better as a dad?

This one they struggle with, not because I am perfect (stop rolling your eyes) but because they are still young and they still see me as Superman, Prince Charming and MacGyver all rolled into one. Eventually they will learn the truth, but until then I will bask in the glory. But still this question has helped me see ways they feel loved or even more importantly how Nancy feels loved. Example: Dad you should come home on time more. When you are 15 min late it makes mom sad. I didn;t think 15 min was a big deal....but now I know.

So all this is just a preamble to the funny moment I had yesterday with Hannah. Last week Hannah turned 4, which meant she was now old enough for "Daddy Breakfast". She has been counting the days. She was so excited she couldn't stop talking about it...which only made me excited too.

I found a new diner to try with her and we ordered the giant choclate chip pancakes with extra whip cream, of course. We were enjoying sugar heaven. Then we get to the time in the breakfast for the big 2 questions. She didn't know they were coming and did not have time to prepare. I didn't expect much because let's face it, she's 4 and I'm perfect, right?

But when I hit question 2 and asked how I could be a better dad, Hannah without hesitation hit me right between the eyes with this one...

"Dad, how come you don't hunt turkey's like Pa on Little House?"

I was shocked, I had no response, I didn't know what to say. It was like she had been waiting for years to ask me this question. And I finally gave her the opportunity. She had clearly identified a flaw in my heroic facade of super dad. Had her sisters tipped her off? Had they set me up? Had Nancy put her up to it?

She was right though, I am no Charles Ingles despite the obvious comparisons. 4 daughters, stunningly beautiful wife, dog, goats, living in the country, musician, flowing black head of hair (ok not that one)

But let's face it, who can measure up to the rest of Pa's resume? He's a pioneer, can build a log house, pull wagons out of raging rivers, befriend the indian, fight off multiple drunken men who dishonor ma, and then befriend them and put them back on the right path. He's a farmer, fiddler, dancer. He defends the whole school from a whip-wielding substitute teacher, and rescues his daughter trapped in a mine shaft. And he can appear in at least 50% of episodes shirtless, bearing his smooth chest under rugged suspenders.

How will I ever recover from this flaw in my fathering? Does anyone have a mussel-loader I can borrow?

(I am definitely deleting Little House on the Praire from the DVR)

I Made the DRIVE Highlight Video

2010-05-07T11:29:00.008-04:00

I am officially famous!!! (not really)
This is from the North Point conference this week. (really)
I have opened for Third Day at SOULFEST (stretch) and now shared video space with Andy Stanley. (less of a stretch)
I can die happy ;-)

Sunday Songs 3/28/10

2010-03-29T13:25:00.014-04:00

At the request of Sheila Laurence...got to keep my boss's wife happy ;-), I am going to try and regularly post the songs that we sing during services. We are hoping this will help you find the music and add it to your personal playlists for car rides, workouts and devotions. I am thrilled that I get so many emails every week looking for the songs we sang on Sunday. It means so much to the whole worship ministry that you are connecting with Christ through the music we sing together.

This week I lead worship and shared the following songs...

"Holy God"
Title track from Brian Doerksen's last CD. I heard Brian perform this song at a worship concert last fall and instantly loved it. There is an amazing choir intro on the recording that we didn't do yesterday that takes the song to a whole new level. I thought Eric Joseph did a fantastic job imitating the drum and percussion parts.

"Beautiful Jesus"
Kristian Stanfill recorded this song for the Passion CD God of this City
This was requested by Pastor Mike. I introduced the song last fall and Mike loved it and ased that we include it during the CROSS WORDS series this month. I was glad to offer it again.

"Humbly We Bow (You Are Holy)"
This is s a grass roots recording from the Cape First Church
Dave Salto showed me this video and I couldn't wait to add it to our rotation of music last fall.
It is from their CD titled To Know Your Heart

"Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)"
This is a remake of the traditional hymn by Wilber Chapman in 1910. It is on the brand new Casting Crowns CD Until The Whole World Hears. Diane McGrew asked me to do this song during the CROSS WORDS series. So I waited until she was running the media slides during services so she could enjoy it from the booth.

"Our God"
Matt introduced this song last week because our teens came home from their winter retreat talking about how much they connected with it. I had to follow up with it again this Sunday. It is one of Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman's latest co-writes off the brand new Passion 2010 CD Awakening. Chris Tomlin is singing in the recording.

Song List from 2/7/2010 Services

2010-02-09T13:23:00.005-05:00

Matt Tomasetti our Student Ministries Worship Coordinator lead worship this week. It is always a thrill for me to see him lead knowing I have been blessed to watch him grow up through our Student Ministries and now serve on staff with me. Matt leads worship with real passion. He is a genuine worship leader.

Several people have emailed me to say the same about Matt's leadership on Sunday and have asked for the song titles that he offered during worship. Here are the songs with links to the artist pages if I had them. All of these songs are available on iTunes. Add them to your library and enjoy times of private worship.

Holy God by Brian Doerksen
Amazed by Jared Anderson
Jesus Paid It All by Charlie Hall
Unwaivering by Matt Maher
Glory to God by Steve Fee

You can look for Matt to be leading worship again soon.

Christmas Music - Sunday 12/06

2009-12-07T16:26:00.009-05:00

I have been asked so many times where folks can get the Christmas music we used in services on Sunday 12/6 that I thought it might be easier to post it here. I hope getting these CD's will add to your Christmas experience this year.

"Christmastime"
We did a choral version of this modern carol written by Michael W. Smith and Joanna Carlson. It is not the same as what we performed but you buy Michael w. Smith's CD. The song is the title track.

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
This version came from one of my all-time favorite Christmas CDs. Jars of Clay do some very creative arrangemtns of the classics on this recording and breath new life into them. They also pull out some lesser-known, less overdone carols that are some of my favorites to listen to.

"O Holy Night"
Sorry folks, this was an original arrangement by Sound Foundation, FCCH's home-grown barbershop group. We may have to talk them into doing a Christmas recording sometime soon.

"The First Noel"
Leigh Nash from the band Sixpense None the Richer appears on the compilation CD, A Winter's Night. Her rendition of this Christmas favorite is by far the best track on the CD.

"O Come All Ye Faithful"
We did a classic arrangement of this song provided by
LifeWayWorship.com
You can get an mp3 of this version there for only 99cents.

Lessons from Mt Monadnock #1:TAKE a DAY of PRAYER

2009-08-22T11:03:00.007-04:00

Last week I finally set aside a day for prayer and fasting. Finally, because Pastor Mike has been encouraging me to add this to my spiritual disciples for.....I don't know.....maybe 3 years. For some it might seem odd that the full-time Director of Worship has never taken a day and spent it praying. I get paid to sit around playing my guitar, reading my Bible and praying, right? Not so much. And for others it might seem awfully nice to get paid to take a day retreating to the peacefulness of nature, climbing a mountain, and enjoying some rare "alone time". The reality is that I am overwhelmed with the business of life, too. I struggle to find time for daily devotions. I am better at being busy than spending quality time with Christ. And often I feel like an under-achiever, spiritually.

So this year I decided to add a few Days of Prayer to my calendar - literally put them on the calendar so that I could vigilantly guard the day, and refuse to reschedule or put it off. And, believe me, I had to do just that. Several conflicts arose that I had to avoid. I had so many undone things on my "to-do" list that I was feeling guilty about going. And I even had to take some criticism on the chin for being selfish enough to take a day for "myself". But whatever... I was determined to see it through.

My goal was to intentionally take some time to listen to God, pray for the folks in my ministry and try to focus on some quality time with Christ. But initially I found it very hard to not think about all the things I "should" be doing instead of hiking a mountain. I was distracted by feelings of guilt about being on staff at church and never having taken a day of prayer. I was thinking I was maybe even a little arrogant to think I knew how to spend a day in prayer. My head was swimming until I simply prayed...

"Jesus, I don't know how to do this. Would you help me learn how to spend time with you?"

And then slowly, my head cleared and I started to look around me. And I heard His quiet voice start giving me word pictures from the experience I was having on the hike. Illustrations about our relationship, the journey of faith, life, leadership, calling and more that were painted from the scenery around me.

In the end, I was able to journal about twenty of them and I hope to blog about several of them. I know I am not the first person to use images from a mountain as metaphors for life. But what made them special was the way God was able to break through my cluttered head and gently encourage, challenge and renew me through them.

So LESSON #1 from Mt Monadnock: TAKE a DAY of PRAYER.

1. Book a day and stick to it
2. Go away to pray
3. Take your Bible, a book, a journal and a list of things/people to pray about

Look, I am as busy as anyone. I hold down 2 full-time jobs between working at church and working for Boston EMS at night. I have a wife and 4 busy daughters that never seem to get enough of my time. I have a to-do list at work and at home that never get completely checked off. I have friends I don't see enough, bills that pile up, and oh yeah...graduate school classes. So, I know busy. And I know how hard, maybe even crazy it is to even think about setting aside a whole day for prayer.

I also know that going to a mountain or somewhere else away from home, away from church and away from the computer in order to pray for a day is a must. Those places just offer too many distractions - good distractions, but distractions. I had to go away in order to be able to really spend extending time with Christ.

I also know how intimidating a Day of Prayer seems. What do you do all day? Do you have to have your eyes closed and your head bowed all day? What if you run out of things to say? Shouldn't I read about about how to pray for a day first?

So I decided to make a plan for the day, but also promised myself I would be flexible enough to change the plan as the day progressed. In the beginning I had a two hour drive where I listened to worship music and sang with the sunroof open. Once at the mountain I hiked for an hour, then journaled about the mountain images I really felt like God was giving to me. I hiked another half hour to the summit and then read my Bible for a while. Then I took out the list of all the folks in worship mistry I brought with me. I used my journal and wrote a 1-2 sentence prayer for each of them. Then I prayed through the list 2 more times. Then I hiked down the mountain for about 30 minutes, found a scenic spot and read a collection of sermons from a pastor in Wales. Then I descended the rest of the mountain just thanking God for the day, my life, family, ministry and future. In all, I spent 8 hours praying, listening, singing, reading, reflecting and journaling. I still can't believe it even as I write this out.

It was fantastic. I can't believe it has taken me 38 years of life, almost 20 years of relationship with Christ, and 7 years in ministry to take a day like this to pray. It won't take another 38 years to schedule another. Tuesday September 15th is already on my calendar.

Lastly..... don't forget the bug spray and sunscreen ;-)

A new goal for worship arts?

2009-04-13T13:13:00.002-04:00

"Why not believe that one day the most critically acclaimed director in Hollywood could be an active Christian layman in his church? Why not hope that the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting could go to a Christian journalist on staff at a major newspaper? Is is really too much of a stretch to think that the major exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art could feature the works of an artist on staff at one of our fine Christian colleges? Am I out of my mind to suggest that your son or daughter could be the principle dancer for the Joffrey Ballet Company, leading a weekly Bible study for other dancers?"

- Roaring Lambs by Robert Briner

FCCH Worship Ministry Update - 3/16/09

2009-03-16T16:06:00.008-04:00

This update is intended for the dedicated worship ministry partners of FCCH.
I hope this is informative, helpful and encouraging to you all.

Celebrating Excellence! - Way to go Walter!

2009-03-05T17:57:00.009-05:00

One of my core values is that "excellence honors God and inspires people". I apply it to my life and I apply it to worship ministry all the time. But recently a friend reminded me of the difference between excellence and perfection.

Perfection is trying to do everything under your own strength, with your own plan and not accepting anything but your intended outcome. Every detail has to be exact. And there is no room for failure.

Excellence is seizing every opportunity God presents to you and making the most of everything God has given you, to give Him glory. It means giving your absolute best, and letting God worry about the results.

Perfection is controlling. Excellence is liberating. Perfection focuses on us. Excellence focuses on Christ. Perfection is stressful. Excellence is exciting and dynamic. Perfection fears failure. Excellence finds God's glory in the unexpected.

So why clarify excellence? Because last weekend I saw it up close.

Walter Pope, a teen from my church, won the All-State Wrestling Championship. I had the privilege of seeing him win all 4 matches, including a triple overtime finals, to take the title. I had several people ask me why I would take 2 days off work, away from family and make 4 hour-long trips back and forth to the matches for a kid who is not a close family friend, and I only know casually from church.

Because what happened last weekend was special. It doesn't happen often. And it had nothing to do with wrestling.

You see Walter lives with a foster family from our church. His mom had to give him up because she couldn't care for him. He bounced around a bunch of foster homes until he landed with the Borghese family. This kid had every reason to be angry at the world, angry at God and no reason to believe in anything....especially himself. Walter should have been a statistic of the system.

But God loved Walter and offered him a different future...

The story is too long to tell all the details. Walter found a loving foster family, he found Christ, he learned to put God first, others second and himself third through the Ron Burton Training Village (a Christian sports camp), and he found a Church where he could grow in his faith and relationships that build him up.

This kid is thoughtful, respectful, kind and leads with a quiet strength that is inspiring. I spoke with his coach, teammates and a school administrator last weekend at the tournament and all of them spoke so highly of Walter, his influence on younger teammates, his positive presence at school, and the faith he displays.

Walter was even accepted into the Naval Academy Prep school next fall.....

So on Saturday night as Walter climbed the stairs to receive his first place medal on the biggest stage of Massachusetts wrestling, I didn't celebrate perfection....I celebrated excellence.

I celebrated the excellence of Christ, the excellence of his transforming power in the life of a young man, the excellent love of a foster family, the excellent commitment of the Ron Burton Training village, the excellent community of First Congregational Church of Hopkinton and the excellence of Walter who gives Christ all the glory.

Why did I go? I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Way to be excellent Walter!

For more information about the Ron Burton Training Villiage and their amazing work in the life of underprivledged teenage boys, go to www.ronburtontrainingvillage.org

FCCH Worship Ministry Update 2/23/2009

2009-02-23T12:15:00.011-05:00

This audio update is intended for the ministry partners at FCCH who faithfully give their time and effort to Worship Ministry.

bald was beautiful

2009-01-29T18:27:00.004-05:00

So in my other life I am an EMT for Boston EMS, and this year the department instituted a new drug testing policy. Within a month of your birthday every year they collect hair samples to test you for illegal or controlled prescription medications.

No problem, because I have honestly never even tried a single drug. Sure, I have wandered from the straight and narrow in many other ways that I am not going to disclose here (my pastor calls that discretionary transparency). But I have never once used anything outside of codeine. I would love to say it comes from a strong moral fiber that has coursed through my veins since birth. But the truth is I have just never had any interest.

So anyway, they had us attend a class that explained the new policy and told us that if we didn't have hair on our head they could collect samples from other areas like our beard, arm pits, legs etc. Perfect, because it has been like 10 years since I started shaving the noggin' and I'm a little scared what my head would look like if I tried to grow anything again.

So I go to the test and the nice lady informs me that my beard is too short and my arm pits and legs aren't dense enough to collect the required 3 samples. Aren't dense enough? What do you mean it's not dense enough?

I can't believe it. I have never, ever not even once tried drugs, ever! And yet I think I just kind of failed a drug test. This isn't happening.

The result? I am given a letter informing me that I cannot trim, cut or shave any hair on my body until further notice or put myself at risk of disciplinary action, even termination of employment.
This isn't happening!

That means for the next several weeks maybe even months I have to cease and desist my dome grooming.

I thought I had come to grips with my male pattern baldness and moved on. But now all those painful emotions are returning with a fury. And what's worse is my neck itches more than anything has ever itched on my body ever!!!!

So in the coming weeks if you notice a new mountain man leading worship or you see my children run from the scarey hairy man they are not acknowledging as their father...
Don't worry. It's just Baird you friendly, drug test failing, hippie.

Lord, why do I have to learn humility over and over and over again?

Say You're Sorry

2009-01-23T17:08:00.006-05:00

What do you do when you find out you have hurt a friend unintentionally?

How do you heal a wound you have caused?

Say you're sorry.

The other night I enjoyed an evening of ministry prep with a friend. We talked and laughed and had a really great time as we rehearsed and tweeked equipment and got things ready for an upcoming worship service. It had been a while since we had spent time together, so I really enjoyed catching up, talking about our kids, sharing recent embarrassing moments. He empathized with with me over the recent death of my father-in-law and listened intently as I talked of my trip to California. I soaked in his unique perspectives on ministry and encouraged him in his struggles at work.

It was a great time. It really was.

But as we were packing things up for the night he shared that he was glad we spent time together for another reason. He too knew it had been a while since we had talked or hung out and we weren't lead worship together as often as we had in the past. He had been hurting as a result. He had worried he had done something wrong. He was wondering if our friendship had changed. He was struggling with his place in ministry. He was wondering if he was really part of a family or a maybe just a hireling being replaced.

One of the toughest things about leadership for me is making time for personal touches. It is so hard to spend time with the friends you have in ministry amidst trying to get everything done. And balance that with your priorities at home with your wife and kids. And sometiems you feel like your family thinks you choose ministry over them while your ministry friends think you don't have time for them. What you want to be a win win often feels like a loose loose situation. And I'll be honest and say that even though I am a people person and love relationships, when there is a task to be done I often default to the task and can unitentionally neglect the relationships and people helping me accomplish the task.

So what do you do when you find out you have hurt a friend unintentionally?
How do you heal a wound you have caused?

Say you're sorry.

Day 1 - Personal Best 1

2009-01-22T15:49:00.010-05:00

So I sit down with a cup of coffee today and decided to have a little quiet time with God. Molly and Hannah snuggle up next to me on the couch and ask me if I am gonna read my Bible. When they realize they can join me, they dash for their little picture Bibles and begin to imitate me.

"What are you doing now dad?" I tell them that I am going to read my Bible for a few minutes, then I am going to sit quietly for a few minutes to think about it, and then I am going to pray for a few minutes - telling Jesus again that I love Him, that I need His help today to learn more about Him, to make good choices and that I look forward to opportunities to tell somebody about Him (maybe even 2 little girls with picture Bibles and smiles that melt me like buttah)

Cute daddy moment over...

I turn to Haggai because I was talking with my friend Jose on Monday night about it. The whole book is only 2 pages....perfect.

So the Israelites have come from home Babylon (thank you Cyrus) and have started to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed. But they have not finished it because they have all gotten distracted by their personal responsibilities and commitments. Haggai steps up with a message from the Lord that He is really disappointed that they have neglected to finish rebuilding and put their selfish interests ahead of Him. That's putting it nicely.

So I sit there and I think. I remember this story. The people get their act together and finish the Temple, even though it pales in comparison to the former Temple. So what do you want me to get out of this God? I know everything is Scripture is useful for teaching. But what do you want me to learn? Surely not every single word has to have a personal impact everyday? (these were my actual thoughts... I know what your thinking, boy is he in for it) Then I re-read the part where God is encouraging the people since they are discouraged by this new less-glorious Temple.

"The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former... and in this place I will give peace"

And it hits me.... That's me! He's talking about me!

Follow me...
The Temple was the dwelling place of the Lord, which was replaced by Jesus, the fullness of God dwelling in a single man, which made it possible for me (and you) to become the human dwelling place of His Holy Spirit; all the glory of God, poured out for and into me. I am the promsed, more glorious dwelling place of His peace!

Then comes the conviction. "Baird, so why do you neglect my house for your own selfish interests? Why don't we spend time like this....every day? Why do you neglect our relationship?"

Confession...
I have become haphazard about my quiet times with God. Sure I study and read books about Christian things, sure I lead worship and talk about spiritual things with others, sure I pray with my girls and model Christ for them, sure I am on staff at church...
But my quiet times have been at best a convenience for me. I am a "Martha", running around trying to make everything perfect for Him, but I am also a post-exilic Jew, worrying about my crops and neglecting the building of His Temple, which is my personal relationship with Christ.

This wasn't just a revelation toady. I have been wrestling with this over the past few weeks. Today just nailed it for me. So no more casual devotionals, no more whenever I can fit it in, no more running around doing stuff for God and neglecting the growth of my relationship with Him.

Today is Day 1 of daily, quiet times with my first love, Jesus.
My personal best is 1 day in a row.

Thanks Haggai. Thanks Jose. Thanks Chuck Booher and Tony Wood. Thanks Jesus.

Psalm 15 paraphrased

2008-10-21T11:17:00.010-04:00

Lord, what does a true worshipper look like?

How do those who know you best act?

Anyone who lives above reproach

...and who chooses daily to do the right thing

Anyone who speaks the truth from his heart

...and who never uses words to tear someone else down

Anyone who never hurts his close friends

...and never speaks unkindly of the people he knows

Anyone who hates the wickedness he sees in people

...but openly celebrates those who honor Christ

Anyone who keeps his promises

...even when it’s hard, or comes with a cost

Anyone who gives freely to those in need

...and never accepts a gift that might sway his good judgment

Anyone who lives this way will never question his faith

A Friend in Need

2008-09-09T08:16:00.003-04:00

Got a phone call last night from a friend I lost touch with because of poor decisions. My heart ached a while back when I watched her make a huge mistake. Felt helpless to her. It was like trying to scream at a blind train engineer heading for a break in the rail, from about a mile away. In some ways I felt like I should have been on the train with her all along, and felt guilt for my own ignorance. A real friend would have warned her sooner. But I hadn't seen the warnings myself. Last night was like watching her crawl out from under the wreckage.

Now what?
What do I have to offer now to a wounded friend?
Say. "I told you so"... that would be real nice Baird (jerk)
Quote scripture about Christ working everything out because he loves us
... true, but also hurtful in it's own way

If I had anything to offer it was that sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God is doing something to help us. I shared how Nancy and I felt after her 4th miscarriage. I have never felt any more helpless than then. At the time I thought we needed to give up, and surrender to what seemed like cruel punishment. And I even entertained thoughts that Nancy was being punished for my sins. You think crazy stuff when you are hurting. And yet now we have 4 happy, thriving daughters.

I guess God really does use the trials of life to bring healing and joy to our lives. And it doesn't matter if was brought on by just life happening or from your own mistakes or bad decisions.

So I listened to her struggle not to cry, I listened mostly because I didn't have much to say. And I tried to encourage her to do the right thing going forward. I begged her not to go alone, to get back to a church where she could hear God's word, take a break from the storm and be with people who can encourage her and challenge her and help her find healing from the train wreck.

Lord, do a good work in my friend's life.

Monday Morning Coffee

2008-09-08T08:10:00.002-04:00

I love this time at the start of the day, at the beginning of a new week, at the close of one season and the start of another. I love finding the quiet of my side porch over-looking our garden with the last of the tomatoes ripening, the pumpkins exploding and some purple flower blooming that we didn't even plant this year. Where did those come from. The trees are the only noise I really notice as the September breeze blows through them. I've got my coffee with me and my Bible in my lap.

I love this time with you Lord.

You know I am wrestling with all that is before me. You know how I feel. I am overwhelmed with the responsibilities before me. I want to be growing closer to you, really growing closer. There are still struggles with sin in my life that I feel like we have been working on forever. I don;t want to be struggling with them forever. Refining my character is one thing. But I want to be clay that you can still work with. Nancy and the girls need me. And I want to be around. The time is flying by. Katelyn and Rebekah are growing up so fast. Molly scored 2 goals in her first soccer game yesterday and I almost missed it. Hannah is speaking in full sentences. I want to be around. I don't want to miss any of this. And I have got to love Nancy first. She really needs me. Keeping this house going and herding the girls is really pushing her to her limits. She has to pick up so much slack for me. If there is anything that has to give or bend or break, Nancy gets it done and gives me the flexibility to do my stuff. Thank you for her Lord. I would be lost without her support and respect. She makes me a better man.

Work is stressful. I can't believe I have to go to a hearing on Wednesday. Did I really make a mistake that may have injured a patient? I can't believe it. Please forgive me. And help me to be humble in the hearing.

Do we really need to talk through all that is going on at church? You know my worries and concerns and struggles. Give me wisdom with people. Help me to be a better encourager. Help me to be gentle with the folks who are suffering. Help me to be a leader with integrity. Help me to follow your leading. Holy Spirit give me strength. Deadlines....past due. Help me Lord to make amends and meet expectations.

Give me peace. And so, you turn my heart towards Psalm 4 and 5

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. Lead me O Lord in your righteousness - make straight your way before me." -Psalm 4:1, 5:8

Now it's your turn, Lord so I listen.... I love having coffee with you.

Alive in the Spirit

2008-08-20T08:27:00.003-04:00

Romans 8:1-17

Key passages:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free... (for) those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires... life and peace.
Romans 8:1-2a,5b,6b

This Spirit of Christ who resides in me is more than conscious or still small voice. He is life, and life abundant... peace, and peace indescribable. And like a lover, when I am with him the rest of the world melts away. He has my every attention. I desire nothing more than to walk with him, run with him, lay with him and grow with him. And when I wander, I long to return to him. Nothing truly satisfies. Nothing brings life like Him.

Lord, give me life this day. Life in and through Your Spirit.

Found in Translation

2008-07-24T09:56:00.002-04:00

Romans 1:16-32

Paul paints a picture of how we lose our passion to worship Christ

Key Verses:
What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.
- Romans 1:21,22,24,25 (TM)

Worth Memorizing:
Scripture has said all along:
"The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
- Romans 1:17 (TM)

This morning I used www.biblegateway.com to re-read this passage from the book of Romans in 5 different translations (and/or paraphrases - for the scholars out there). What a fantastic resource. All I do is click a drop-down box and I can read the scripture in 20 different English forms. I loved how Christ was able to surround me in his Word through different word choice, sentence structure and language to help the message settle in on me. I really found the Message version hit me the hardest this morning. Walking away from God and turning to living on our own isn't just about choice A or B. God is one way, mine is another. It's about the loss of life, of worship, of love, of freedom, of purpose, and the list goes on and on. And the saddest part is the longer we are away from the worship of him who created us, the more we convince ourselves the loss was the right choice. The longer we walk in darkness the more think it's ok and we even want to encourage others to walk with us in darkness. I am not so sure this about people who don't know Christ. I think this is me and my family and my friends who know Christ, but who for some reason make choices to stop worshipping. At first it probably seems little or insignificant. I fail to pray, I get out of reading God's word regularly, I go to church but don;t seem to be connecting with God. But this snowball effect gets going and bigger things creep in because I start to convince myself that I am too busy, or people are pressuring me or I have stressors. And we start lying to ourselves about what's important and what's not. And the snowball gets bigger and and bigger and before you know it, it's been weeks since I have prayed with a friend, or listened to worship music during my commute, or opened my Bible. And then I lie more to myself and I start getting frustrated with my faith and the irony is I will start getting frustrated with other peoples faith. As if pointing a finger will ease my own guilt. And all along Christ is saying way off in the distance of my right mind, "Why are you choosing this? Why don't you come spend some time with me? What are you afraid of? Why do you make your life so complicated?"

Jesus, keep me close. Help me choose to worship you with my thoughts, my heart, my life - always.

There's Nothing Like a Transformed Life

2008-07-21T08:47:00.005-04:00

Romans 1:1-9

Key Passage: "I always thank God for you... because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you."

Worth Memorizing: "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

There have been lots of people in my life who I wish I could be a witness to the transformation of their life; people I have hoped would find the freedom of Christ that I know, people who I have hoped would find the joy and peace of Christ that cannot be found in anything else. And the truth of the Gospel has crossed my lips countless times where I wasn't sure at all if it was heard.

And then there are those people who I have had the privilege to watch transform into what Christ intended all along. People who have gone from despair to hope, wanderings to purpose, bondage to freedom, guilt to grace.

I had that privilege this past Sunday as I watched a friend sing a song in front of hundreds of people that spoke to his new-found love for Christ. A friend who not long ago was lost and wandering, alone and feeling like life was passing him by.

I don't think everyone who heard his song understood the depths to which the lyric spoke or the journey it took to get there. But, oh what joy it brought me to see his face and know what it meant to him to stand changed by Christ for all the world to see.

There is no greater testimony to the reality of Christ than a life transformed by His grace. And I find nothing more beautiful than having a front row seat.

An Appropriate Response

2008-02-15T16:12:00.008-05:00

"True worship will entail a response that is thoughtful, costly and worthy... of our all-gracious God."

- Ralph Martin

On Wednesday morning as I got home from working a shift in Boston, and getting out at 8am instead of 7, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. I knew that there was so much to be done to prepare for our evening of worship training, rehearsals and projects. I knew I needed to finish 4 chord charts. I knew I needed to prepare rooms for our gathering of 60 or more, a vocal clinic, choir rehearsal, and 3-4 band rehearsals. I knew I needed to set up and run cables in the Worship Center and Music Room for sound. I knew I needed to pray. I knew I needed to connect with Byron about all the tech projects going on. I knew I needed to meet a friend for lunch who was struggling in his marriage. And I knew I had only 10 hrs to get it all done.

But I also knew that it had snowed, it was now raining and my dad, who just had hip replacement surgery, couldn't possibly snow blow his driveway.

Nothing in me wanted to go spend an hour in the freezing cold rain, snow blowing slush. Everything in me wanted to let my mom do it instead. Nothing in me was ready for the little worship lesson God was about to give me. Everything me was ready to go my own way.

So then comes the "Call to Worship" and the anthem in my head went something like this...

Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I want to worship You today with all my heart, my soul and my strength
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I know that to love You is to keep Your commands.
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I know that Your commands are written on my heart
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, You want me to honor my parents, don't You?
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, can't I just spend some time in prayer instead?
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, can't I worship You when I am putting those chord charts together?
Jesus, I'll even play them just for you after I am done.
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, but I don't want to worship You with a shovel...

So after an hour...
As I walked home I chatted with God and I told Him that I was really glad I had taken the time to clear my dad's driveway. He reminded me that if I want to really worship Him it needs to be an everyday, all day, even in the little things type of worship. It won't always be a song or a service. Most of the time it is going to be in how I live. I thanked Him for reminding me.

We don't value obedience until after we are obedient. And sometimes we don't value worship in unexpected places.... like on a slush covered driveway in the freezing rain until after the work is done.

Jesus, thanks for being gracious to us.

Some suggestions to help you deepen your worship:

Book - The Worship of God by Ralph Martin
----------one of the first books Pastor Mike had me read as a new worship leader
CD - Beautiful News by Matt Redman
----------I really like the song "You Never Let Go"
Podcast - Baldworshipleader.com (iTunes) by Phil Ayres
----------This podcast focuses on the tech side of worship

The Space Between

2008-02-09T14:28:00.000-05:00

"If we are going to worship in Spirit,
we must develop a spirit of worship."
- Michael Catt

I need to think in pictures sometimes. Especially when I am trying to understand complex ideas. And when I am trying to wrestle with truths about worship, pictures or models bring clarity when words can sometimes fall short for me.

This is why I find discussions about worship so difficult. The word worship is so far-reaching in meaning it can be elusive. When I say "worship" are you thinking about music, a Sunday service, a lifestyle, prayer, a private moment with Christ, obedience, caring for widows and orphans...? The list can be endless. So our discussions about worship can often seem like speaking different languages.

So here is how I picture worship services, private moments of worship and the worship lifestyle co-existing in one picture.

Take any solid object. You can touch it, it has mass, form, color, texture... it's real. And yet science tells us that it is mostly space. There is space between the molecules, space between the atoms within the molecules, even space between the subatomic particles. All that space adds up. So much so that I suppose that in an ideal situation, if all the space lined up perfectly, 2 objects could pass through each other without even touching... but it never happens. I think there is some beauty in that (now I am drifting)

What does this have to do with worship?

Well, suppose that the totality of what worship is could be represented by a solid object. Its real, you can touch it, feel it, see it, hold it. Each molecule representing another experience of worship, a service, a song, a devotional, a scripture verse... the list goes on and on. And yet, that object is still mostly space. And it is the space that makes it real. The molecules could not coexist without the space between.

I think we focus so much on the molecules of worship, we fail to see the object of worship. If we could give value to the space between, that day-in and day-out living in the presence of God reality, our worship would not just be a collection of molecules. It would take shape. And it wouldn't be so hard to talk about or describe. We wouldn't argue about musical styles or Bible translations. We would find worship moments throughout a Sunday Service. And we wouldn't need to wait for a Sunday morning to experience worship. We would encounter Christ in every moment of every day.

Some suggestions to deepen your worship:
1. Book - Exploring the Worship Spectrum
by Paul Engle & Paul Basden
2. Audio Tapes - Worship: As a Way of Life
by Louie Giglio
3. Podcast - The Worship Leader Podcast (iTunes)

2008-01-30T14:59:00.000-05:00

Defining Worship

This week we began a discussion of how we might all go about trying to define WORSHIP. I have been on this journey as both a worshiper and a worship leader for about 10 years now. And I continually fall back on a definition I learned through a series of cassette tapes (no snickering) by Louie Giglio that my Pastor Mike gave to me to help me learn and grow. (And I have to say, before I say anything else, how blessed I am to have a pastor who came along side me as a mentor, a friend, and brother to encourage me and help me find God's calling for my life.) Back to Louie. Louie's definition was...

Worship is our response (both personal and corporate) to God
for who He is and what He has done, expressed in and by
the things we say and the way we live.

But I was coached this last year by a new friend Byron Spradlin, I was challenged to sit with God and wrestle through defining worship in my own words, words that have meaning for me, words that are rooted in God's WORD and born out of my own experiences of worship life and leadership. That process was profound for me. When you put your own words to defining worship, it foces you to wrestle what you really believe about divine encounters with Christ through His word, prayer, music, and living life in obedience to His will for you and His Body the Church.

I hoping we will all have a similar experience as we journey through this process together. Take some time before we get together again and consider these statements I made on Wednesday

Worship is INITIATED by God
Just like the relationship between a parent and a child, there is no relationship until the parent makes the decision to bring life to a child. The only reason we are able to talk about worship is because birthed it in us.

Worship is an ENCOUNTER with God
We do not worship a God who is aloof or distant. He took of the splendor of heaven to dwell among us. ANd He didn;t do that so that he could then leave us to our own ends again. He initiaded the relationship in a very personal way. Becuase we worship a God who is here, within reach.

Worship is a RESPONSE to God
When we come face to face with the living God we cannot help but react in some way. Abraham's response was faith, Jonah's response was to run and hide, Isaiah's response was to fall flat on his face and wish he were dead, David's response was repentance, the sinful woman's response was to wash his feet in her tears, Peter's response was to jump out of a boat, Paul's response was to not speak for 3 days. What's our response?

Some suggestions for deepening your worship.

Book – Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship by David Peterson
CD (available on iTunes) – Michael Gungor Band: All I Need Is Here
Podcast – North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley, The Sinai Code (5 part series)