treehaus. colorado. seeing Chick at frontier ranch. snowboarding. awesome.
Monthly Archives: October 2009
new song called “birds of the sky” should be getting rocked at Aletheia very soon. here’s a sneak peek (and yes, I played the drums…sorry about that).
this year hasn’t been so sure
I’ve watched my life go out my door
Father, is it really true?
will you do what you claim to?
I take two steps forward
You’re running to me with arms stretched wide
I take what you offer
You whisper to me that You always provide
poor and feeble, lost and torn
my soul is drying out
life uncertain with no reward
send Your flood to end this drought
will you do what you claim to, oh Lord?
I take two steps forward
You’re running to me with arms stretched wide
I take what you offer
You whisper to me that You always provide
I look at the birds of the sky
I look at the flowers of the field
how much more am I to You?
how much more?
I look at the birds of the sky
I look at the flowers of the field
how much more am I to You?
I’m so much more to You
I wanted to take a minute to thank my family at Aletheia Church.
As I am growing in the Lord and being challenged way more than I ever have in leadership, I’ve began to see the importance of serving others just because. I’m seeing the importance of going completely out of your way to make things easier for other people. Even if it’s just being at practice early to get people’s stuff set up or taking dudes out to lunch just to let them know that they matter to me, I am learning that I feel the best when I am sacrificing and giving.
Everytime I’m at Aletheia, I am constantly encouraged. The thing that is amazing is that people make sure that it happens. The great people that I serve alongside go out of their way to encourage me and tell me they love me. But they don’t even always use words, because they don’t need to. Instead, they’ll make me hot tea on Sunday morning when they can tell my voice is rough, or they’ll calm my nerves before a service with a smile and a loving word.
I don’t feel excluded by them. Instead of thinking about themselves and their own agendas, they think about me. They think about others. And it’s something that is so unique to the people that I serve with at Aletheia Church.
You guys are amazing, thanks so much for your love and support. Because of you, I have the best job in the world.
-cg
Harrisonburg is ridiculous. I have always thought that Virginia Beach weather was crazy, but I’m not sure if it compares to the burg.
It’s late October and it feels like we went straight from the gross heat of summer to straight freezing. Last week, everyone was digging their winter coats out from the bottom of their closets, and this week we were relaxing on the porch enjoying 70 degree weather. The past two weeks have been so crazy, but today was perfect. I spent the day with some close friends up here in Harrisonburg, and couldn’t have asked for better weather. Chocklett, Lindsey and I took a few friends from out of town over to the the Flying Rabbit to do some skeet shooting. The course we were on took us through the woods where different shooting stations were set up. We were shooting beneath countless trees that we orange, yellow and red. Leaves we falling as we were walking, it was amazing. As we approached the end of the course, we were shooting out over corn fields as the sun was setting. It was one of the coolest sunsets I’ve ever seen. The colors were so solid; red, purple, orange, blue. It was really beautiful.
Anyways, today was just one of those days where you get those glimpses into what God looks like. On Friday I was talking with a guy on campus and we asked him how someone would know that God exists, and his response was “nature.” Today, I saw the Lord in nature, as I do so many days here in the Shenandoah Valley. But there was something special today, as we were walking away (holding shotguns, of course) I turned around and just looked up, amazed by what my eyes were seeing. It couldn’t have been any better. Our God is so creative and beautiful.
I’m so glad that I got a little taste of fall today. I’m on the porch right now at Narnia, sitting in a recliner and listening to Mat Kearney. Everyone else is playing Settlers and being hilarious, but I’m so peaceful just sitting here and taking it all in. Life is good. Thanks Harrisonburg, and thanks Jesus, for being really good at art.
One of my good friends from Tennessee, Chris Scott, informed me today that one of Sean McConnell’s songs was picked up and recorded by country music star Tim McGraw.
McGraw covered McConnell’s “Mr. Whoever You Are” on his new album, Southern Voice. The album was released this past Tuesday and is currently holding the #1 spot for Top Country Albums on iTunes.
Biggie ups to Sean McConnell, so excited to see what happens in the next few years with this guy.
I read an interesting article this morning about the fastest growing churches for 2009. I always enjoy seeing what’s happening around the country in church growth, and this year’s fastest growing church has a very unique claim to fame.
Kris Allen.
This year’s American Idol, Kris Allen, was a worship leader at New Life Church in Conway, AR before trying out for American Idol and becoming the talk of the country. New Life Church is the fastest growing church in the United States, with a growth percentage of 61%. It’s hard to tell if Kris Allen’s rise to fame affected the growth of the church, but it would surely make sense.
Anyways, I just thought this was interesting. I think Patrick Willis should try out for American Idol again and see if the Chesapeake Fellowship of First Baptist Norfolk would all of a sudden grow to 3,000 members. In the words of that little kid from Angels In The Outfield, “Hey, it could happen!”
October 19, 2009
I am a junior in college, on track to graduate in May of 2011 with a degree in public relations and a heart in music.
I am the worship leader at one of the largest and most progressive and creative churches in my city.
I am 21-years-old and have professionally recorded a three-song EP that I am incredibly proud of.
I’ve been given opportunities to play with amazing musicians and worship leaders over the last seven years and I’ve led worship for thousands of different people across the state of Virginia.
God is up to something. He’s growing me into a leader that I never thought I could be.
And for all of this, I give all of the glory to Jesus Christ; the reason there is still breath in my lungs.
In 2006, I made the hard decision to leave the church that I had grown up in and to move to a new church where I only knew a few people. I tried out for the band my first week there, and the youth worship leader, a guy named Patrick, invited me to come out and rehearse with the band before the Wednesday night service. He told me I was going to rehearse before the service for a few weeks, and then start playing. After that first rehearsal, Patrick told me to grab some water and get back on stage, and that I was playing that night. The first night I got to lead alongside Patrick was awesome, and looking back, and it’s amazing to see how the Lord was at work.
I had a friend at the new church that I had known my whole life. Reed’s parents and my parents had been best friends since high school, where they were all in the same youth group in Kempsville. Reed is an amazing communicator, as well as a very talented musician. Building a friendship with Reed was great, because it was the first time that we had a relationship that was not based on our parents being friends. Our relationship was based on us. And it’s been growing ever since.
As thoughts of my future are starting to show up in my mind, I can’t get the idea of worship ministry and church planting out of my head. I feel like the Lord has been at work for a much longer time than I’ve been aware of. I have been playing with Montgo and Logan ever since I started leading worship, and I completely believe that the Lord had us all at London Bridge Baptist at that specific time for a reason. My friendships with Montgo and Logan were not deep at all when we began, they were just dudes that I played with at church. But over the past few years, I have discovered that I really love them. God has blessed us by placing us in situations that we never thought we’d be in, and brought two other amazing guys into the picture as well (Jon and Nic).
The Lord is up to something. Over the past few years, God has strategically put certain people in my life for a very specific reason. While I don’t know what that reason is, I am confident that the Lord’s plan for our lives is much greater than any of us could have ever imagined. Nothing is coincidence when you’re dealing with the Creator of the Universe.
I am writing this blog to inform. I am planning on going for it after I graduate. I don’t know what “it” is, but I want you to pray about going with me. I know some of you have already spoken to me about what our futures look like, but I want you to continue to pray for the Lord to reveal His plan to us. I don’t know if it will be leading worship across the country or traveling out of state to plant a church, or going home to the beach to plant a church, but what I do know is that the Lord has put amazing people in my life that I would be completely honored to do ministry with.
Basically, the reason I am writing this is because I want you all to know that I love you. I only mentioned a few of the crew, but there are so many more of you that I know are going to move mountains.
Let’s be captivated by the Gospel, pray, and see what God does.
With love and excitement,
-cg
The new album from Lynyrd Skynyrd, “God & Guns”
hahahahahahahaha
I’m so excited today, thinking about tomorrow morning when we bust out “True Love” by Phil Wickham at Aletheia Church. The song has been played on Sunday morning one time, and it was almost a year ago. I remember preparing for it and being so thrilled to play it and teach it to the church. We were set to do an acoustic version on Sunday morning.
The day before that I woke up to my phone ringing at 6am. It was Saturday, November 15, 2008. I was told that Aaron and Ashlee’s youngest son, Aaden, wasn’t breathing, and that we needed to pray. I immediately left the house and went to the Ministry House to pray with about 10 other people who were already there. Only minutes later, we received a call and found out that Aaden had slipped away.
Our worlds were shattered. The entire church was rocked. One of my best friends loses a son. And now, all the hype and excitement that had gone into teaching True Love flew out the window. But, the Lord picked that morning for a reason.
Chelsea and I took the stage Sunday morning and sang our hearts out to our Father. My voice was shaky as the tears came and I couldn’t even sing some of the lines. But, in the end of the song, everything changes.
“Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive, oh He is alive, He rose again”
As I was singing these lyrics, I was reminded of where Aaden was. That he was being held in the arms of our Heavenly Father, completely content and perfect.
God used this song that Sunday. While we were playing, an invitation was given, and we saw over 30 people decide to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
God had a plan for Aaden. Aaron and Ashlee, I know these are going to be a hard few weeks, but please know that I love you guys and that I’m praying for you all the time. Thanks to your son, people that you will never meet are going to spend eternity with Jesus.
It’s almost been a year, and I’m ready to bring this song back. This is one of the best presentations of the Good News that I’ve ever heard, and it is powerful and life-changing. I’m asking that the Lord would work through True Love tomorrow morning, just like He did last November.
