In The Presence of the Lord

Eric Clapton, pretty much my favorite as many of you know, wrote a song called “Presence of the Lord” that he recorded and played in the Blind Faith days. I recently found out He admits that the song isn’t really all that “spiritual” as he put it. Instead the song is about the feeling he got when he first visited Hurtwood Edge, a house that became his first real home in Surrey.

The chorus says

“I have finally found a place to live.

Just like I never could before.

And I know I don’t have much to give

But soon I’ll open any door.

Everybody knows the secret,

Everybody knows the score.

I have finally found a place to live

In the presence of the Lord.”

No matter what Clapton meant by it, today it spoke to me about finding the comfort of home in the presence of God and God alone. Rob Bell reminds us that all ground is Holy Ground, but sometimes we just need to be reminded like Moses was. And Andrew Peterson sings, “Love is just another word for home”.  Amen and amen, however there is a comfort and homeliness of really living in to what God has “called” or “made” you to do.

Since leaving my home of 18 years to go to college back in the day I have lived a lot of places; dorm rooms, apartments, friends couches, in my car (not really but you can imagine, right?!), and it recently ended with the purchase of a rockin’ house. Each place has seen me doing many different things…all ministry related but varied and different. I have loved every minute of it and wonderful things have come my way at each stop.

But now…Now is a time I have longed and prayed for since the awkwardness of spending that first night in the dorm room away from everything I had ever known. I finally feel like I am coming Home. Around every corner the past few weeks I have found affirmation that I am not crazy and the things I feel God calling me to do are not bogus or stupid. These confirmations have come in lots of shapes and sizes. My house is finally starting to feel like a home, and I am enjoying seeing visions I had when I bought the place come to life. God is teaching me lots about gratitude and appreciation daily. Plus to top it all off… I feel more comfortable in my skin now than I think I ever have.

God is so faithful and as I open doors and uncover secrets, I am abiding in the presence of the Lord and I am home!

Deep thoughts from the Recording Studio

Old school dudes follow old school rules and make old school tunes...and you will like it because it's awesome! That's it. The end.

Picture of the Day

This is how my extremely, ridiculously talented friend Mark Trussell makes me feel when he plays guitar...

The journey continues...

Today is a day of celebration. All the graduation parties have been attended, all the food eaten (Andrew Hinson wins the party food award), and everyone has finally graduated. It's bitter sweet really. 

Last night my small group (all seniors) celebrated together with a joint party at the church. Tons of people came by to share, celebrate, and tell them how much they are loved. There were pictures of the journey to this point scattered all over the place and a slide show on all the tvs. Favorite songs were pumping out of the sound system, and great friends, coaches and teachers were coming and going all night. It was really cool. 

However, my favorite part was a small, quiet time of sharing together in the prayer chapel after everyone else had gone. We talked about taking the things we have learned from one another with us as we all begin new journeys. We looked at Matthew Chapter 13 where Jesus shares a turning point with His friends in the upper room. After an intimate time Jesus tells his disciples that he has shown them things so they will know how to act in service to each other. Then he basically says "So do it!" 

I hope over the last three years I have shown my small group friends a good way to serve, walk, and experience life together that they can take with them in to this next journey. I also hope they continue to serve the new people they meet like I have seen them serve each other and like Jesus teaches us to serve.

...just do it...

Nope. This is not a plug for Nike. It's not a plug for anything really.

You see I have been waiting for my buddy Darren to send me some pictures before I posted again. For some reason I wanted my next blog to be all about how amazing it was to work for Casting Crowns at the Dove Awards last week. Man, I could see it in my mind...all the pictures and witty comments. It was going to be awesome. So I just quit posting as I waited. Sure there were things I thought would make an interesting blog, but I didn't want to deviate from "the plan". How dumb is that?!

Well that got me thinking (that and my New Testament exam today). When was the last time you did something half way or half heartedly? What was going through your head? How did you feel afterwards? I called my dad today after the exam and he of course asked how it went. My initial response was "It was hard!" but then I was honest with myself and in that moment decided to share my realization.

I told him that I know I didn't do so well (which might have been the understatement of the century). His first words were "Well that's not good Case." I of course agreed. The fact is I was not invested in this exam. I should have been, but I wasn't. Do you ever do this? Why do we do this?

Again I ask... When was the last time you did knowingly less than your best? Why?

Now I know we all do things for different reasons. Some of us even slip in to just do it or just get it done and forget about it mode. This approach can  be taken for lots of different reasons

• Just finish it so you can move on.
• At least do the work so no one can talk bad about you.
• Once it's over. It's over.

How terrible do these statements sound? But you know at some point you've thought it. Am I right?

So. How do we overcome the just do its? And what do we do with ourselves when there are the time we don't do it at all? Thoughts?

Tax day...blah.

Hey. Happy Tax Day! Did you get yours in on time? Me? Nope. I had to file for an extension. Felt like an idiot. I lost my W2 from my real job which is not at all like me, so I confessed to my accountant and she hooked it up. Of course the next week in a meeting the stupid thing fell out of my planner... The W2 not my accountant. Anyway, I have had a little extra time to get the self-employed part of things together with meticulous care as to be super honest and forthright. This year is the first year in a while that I am filing as having a salary position all calendar year. Add in lots of home improvements and minimal business expenses and I hope it is going to be a fairly painless experience. You never know though. Either way after I do finally file I am going to go around saying "I've got people".

The Chains were Rocked!

Last night we hosted an event in the youth space called Rock The Chains. The whole night was about awareness, action, and education. The problem is modern day slavery and human trafficking. The whole shebang started out on our youth calendar as a simple battle of the bands to get "those" kids in the doors. However, Kelsie Overton, a junior in our ministry, had become aware of people in our world who were being forced to work in bondage and fear. Obviously this is unacceptable, and thank God Kelsie could not just feel bad for a little bit and get back to her normal Brentwood routine. She began to share her conviction and make some of her friends aware of what was happening to these modern day slaves. 

On a youth retreat called Breakthru, Kelsie stood up and challenged the whole youth group to not just feel bad and talk about the situation but to take Jesus at His word and do something about it. Her words were empowering and quieted lots of the voices inside the students that they were to young to really make a difference. So last night after four months and little help from the youth staff, some fired up kids from our youth group turned a battle of the bands in to a benefit concert for slavery and all proceeds, totaling almost $6000, are going to the International Justice Mission (IJM). 

The youth area was rocked. Brentwood was rocked. My life was rocked and the chains were definitely rocked!