scottkeller.org

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.  - The Declaration

What an amazing document and declaration. Thomas Jefferson understood the way that God view mankind. In God’s eyes, we are all His children, and God knows each one of us down to the numbers of hairs on our heads. I love to read this document and remember the courage and the brilliance that our Founding Fathers had.

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I got a call this week from John, a friend of mine who happens to also be a pastor at a nearby church.  He was calling with a request for me to start meeting with an intern named Matthew from Fuller who is studying in the worship arts and attending his church.   The call came at an interesting time for me.  God has been knocking on my door lately with this message: “Step Up”.

But the call came last week when I was in the middle of one of the hardest weeks of my life at work.  Deadlines looming, downsizing already done; work has been tough lately.  I wanted to tell John, I don’t now if I can fit this in right now…..I don’t know if I can really do this.    But the words “step up” kept ringing in my head.  I said yes, although I wasn’t sure how I was going to add one more thing to my calendar.

I together with Matthew, and what an incredible guy he is.  He’s from Singapore, and has come to the US to study and grow in the area of worship arts.  I am just floored at the incredible passion that guys like him have, that he would leave his home country to come here to study for the ministry.

I know that God is going to use me to help Matthew along in his internship, but I also know that God is going to use Matthew to rekindle my passion for worship and the worship arts.  Matthew talked about his quest to find his “creative spirit” again in songwriting, and his passion for God, for the lost, and for God’s Justice are palpable.

This little scenario in my life is a reminder that when we Step Up and pour out a little bit of ourselves, that God gives back in an even greater measure.

Filed under: Christian Faith, Worship Leading

It’s Monday, and been a week since I posted already.  I’ve committed myself to posting more often, but getting into the swing of things has been tough with everything going on.  Busy-ness is “no bueno”.

Friday was a hectic day at work.  It was the last day with my boss gone, and I was carrying a lot of stuff on my plate at work.  I came home, and fired up the grill (grill therapy works) and spent some time talking with friends.  The horrible week I had just melted away.

Saturday was a busy day.  I helped out a friend of mine with a sound “workshop” at a local church here in SoCal.  It wasn’t really a true workshop, because I’m not really very qualified to teach much on sound, but I shared what I knew.  But through the workshop I found out that the hardest part of running sound is dealing with the relationships involved (this might be true of all ministry???).

So instead of teaching in depth about gain, eq, and mixing, we talked, listened and prayed for the sound team.  I think it was good.  It is a little hard to tell.  I hope I helped.    By the end I just need some Starbucks to get through the rest of the day.  It was an early morning (for Saturday)

And what a Sunday we had with Darren and friends at the La Habra Vineyard!  Melisa and I had a chance to be a part of their worship celebration yesterday morning, and join in worship with some great friends of ours.  It was a lot of fun.  The people there worshiped with all that they had to give, and we joined in with them.  It was a lot of fun to play electric for Darren.  He gave the team the authority and freedom to play out and sing out as God led us, or as our hearts desired to.   God blessed us all yesterday, and I came away feeling so free and refreshed.  God is good.

We capped off a great Sunday morning by spending part of the afternoon at The Olde Ship in Fullerton.  I usually get the Fish ‘n Chips, but Darren talked me into the Bridie with whiskey gravy.  I’m glad he did!  Wow, that was some good stuff.

The bonus is that Melisa got the large order of Fish ‘n Chips so I could have leftovers tonight (Monday) after work.  She’s a nice lady.

As I drove into work today, I was pretty tired.  I knew it was going to be a “recovery Monday” for me, but it was totally worth it.

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Monday.  It gets a bad rap. It takes the brunt of our disappointment that the weekend is over, and introduces us to a whole new week of stresses, challenges, and labor.  But I have found that Monday evening is a good time for me to slow things down.  After the fun of the weekend, and the sometimes morning and evening services I lead or play at, Monday seems easy sometimes because we keep things simple and low key.

Tonight was one of those nights.  Melisa got home around 5, and I jetted past Guitar Center to pick up a few things, and came home to fire up the grill and make some BBQ chicken.  I love to grill.  The smells, the fire, the act of cooking in the elements, the whole experience is relaxing to me.   We currently live in an apartment, so I have to grill in this community “grilling area”, so It’s not ideal, but I still enjoy it.   Maybe it’s because when you cook on the grill, things slow down.  If you want things cooked right, you can’t rush the process.   This process gives me a chance to take a breath, to think, to pray, to ponder.

C.S. Lewis was known to be a pipe smoker.  I think that this habit, this passtime, gave him more opportunities to think, pray, and ponder.   In today’s world of insta-everything, we often leave little room in oiur lives for this kind of “slow” time.  I need, somehow, to find more of this time.

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Varietal Records recently released a highly anticipated sophomore release from Jeremy Riddle, a release that did not disappoint.  Riddle’s second full-length solo project for Varietal, “The Now and Not Yet” is a powerful record that combines themes of worship with the sonic textures of U2 and Coldplay, yet is delivered in a unique way.

Varietal Records is a sub-label of Vineyard Music, which historically has produced congregational worship albums. Riddle’s effort, however, goes beyond congregational worship on most songs.   But the themes involved are deep and powerful.  On Track 3, Prayer for the Church, Riddle calls for the church to live without comprimise, and in full integrity, and does it in a creative way that reaches the listener in a very non-churchy way.

The production on the album is absolutely stunning, and I have had my copy stuck in the CD player in my car for about a month.  It’s really a great album.  I’ll leave the witty album review up to others, but I recommend this record to anyone who likes good music, especially if you’re into U2.

A couple of the songs can be adapated for corporate worship. At Live Oak, we used “Christ Is Risen” for the weeks leading up to and including Easter, and the congregation was able to grab onto the song fairly quickly.

Here’s more from Christianity Today:

Jeremy Riddle
The Now and Not Yet (Varietal Records)
Released March 2009
reviewed by Andrew Greer
[3½ Stars - Good]

Sounds like … the energetic worship rock of Delirious and recent Sonicflood with the mainstream sensibility of U2 and vocal sensitivity of Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

At a glance … modern pop/rock worship with more emphasis on rock than pop.

Track Listing

1. Christ is Risen
2. Prepare the Way of the Lord
3. Prayer for the Church
4. Bless His Name
5. As Above, So Below
6. Among the Poor
7. One Thing
8. To be Like You
9. Surrendered in Praise
10. The One and the Only
11. Joyful Noise
12. I Am Redeemer

Jeremy Riddle considers himself more of a worship leader than a performing artist. And without a doubt, his years of experience leading worship corporately have heavily influenced his song catalog.

But Vineyard Music created Varietal Records, Riddle’s home base, with the implicit purpose of commercially exposing a wider audience to the unique voices and individual artistry of standout worship leaders and their songs.

In an effort to do just that, Riddle’s sophomore set, The Now and Not Yet, showcases layers of delayed guitars, thick programmed beats, and tons of gutsy vocals, giving the twelve-song set a broader commercial appeal than say, a Passion CD, and more grit than the acoustic leanings of Chris Tomlin’s best-known work.

Don’t be alarmed. Riddle is not shying away from his roots. Rather, in the same way Delirious fans have come to expect elements of a rock show during a night of worship, so Riddle is expanding his sonic platform to encompass broader audiences that will surely benefit from his modern hymnody.

Hitting it hard from the top, “Christ is Risen” boldly proclaims belief in Christ’s resurrection, coupling Riddle’s rock proclivities with congregation-ready lyrics in a perfect introduction to his corporate and commercial combo. Read the rest at ChristianityToday.com

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Wow, it seems like Christmas was just a few weeks ago, and now Easter is here! How time flies when life gets busy, and you are on the go!

But Sunday is Resurrection Sunday, the high point of the Christian year when we all stop to stand, bow, and worship in awe if God and His raising of the Christ, Jesus. I am so excited about tomorrow and am looking forward to celebrating with my church family tomorrow.

This week’s set is stacked with celebratory anthems of Christ’s resurrection.

1. Christ Is Risen - Jeremy Riddle
2. Happy Day - Tim Hughes
3. Stand In Awe - Jeremy Riddle
—-Baptisms!
4. Hosanna - Paul Baloche
5. Special Music - I Will Rise - Chris Tomlin
6. We Sing - Melisa & Scott Keller (closing song)

I love the idea of Baptisms on Easter Sunday. The parallel symbolism it carries to the resurrection is so rich, and that makes it even more special on Easter.

May the peace of Christ dwell in you richly over these next couple if days!

Filed under: Worship Leading

From americancatholic.org:

At 16, he (St. Patrick) and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.

After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish.

In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts.

Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.

He suffered much opposition from pagan druids, and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission.

In a relatively short time the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.

Patrick was a man of action, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rocklike belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused. -Read the rest

I especially like the historical commentary about St. Patrick’s education. The author writes, “Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task.” He wasn’t educated at the greatest schools and wasn’t approved by the establishment, but the Holy Spirit still rocked a nation through this man’s ministry.

He seems to have been a man broken for a people he deeply loved, and filled up by the Holy Spirit to do ministry. It’s a good thing for me to take a look at St. Patrick’s life and realize that this day is about more than shamrocks, food, and celebration. It’s a chance to pray that the same zeal, that same heart for the lost that St. Patrick had would be given to to me.

Filed under: Christian Faith

So I spent my weekend at “The Spirit & The Bride Say Come”, a worship conference at  the Pomona Vineyard.  It was an intimate weekend, with group  of about 60 or 70 people who all came to meet with God.  It was  great.  The teach over the weekend really focused on living a full life of worship. One of the quote that stood out was from Randy Butler.  I am paraphrasing, but he essentially said:

If you  think you are walking a life of love and worship, simply replace ever place in the Bible that says, “Love your neighbor” with “Love your drivers”!    It was profound, considering all of the tailgating, honking, and bad driving I was guilty of on  my way to the Friday night session in  rush hour traffice.

Another friend, Ellie, taught on living a life of worship, and how our ’service’ to the church is separate from our relationship with God in so many ways.

The whole weekend emphasized how important the “wholistic” Chrisian life is.   If we aren’t walking out faith, hope, and love in our daily lives, are we really living lives or worship.

The teachingwas pretty hard-hitting,  and I was corrected and blessed by all of it.

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Here’s what we *probably* will be doing as a set at LOV tomorrow. You never know what could change.

1. More Than Ever (Reider/Fuller)
2. Everlasting God (Brown/Riley)
3. Nothing But the Blood (Redman)
4. Kindness (Tomlin)
5. I  Found A Love (Canelton)

As we start into the Lent season, I wanted some songs that focus on repentance, need and making the way for Christ to come forth. It fits the season, and reflects the scriptures that we are studying during Lent.

I’ve got roll. I’m late for Mens’ Breakfast.

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