Thanks to all of you that were able to come to this year's Spring Celebration concert on Sunday :) We had a great time with pianist Roy Webb, and I appreciated the great turnout of CBC people for a wonderful night of music :) Special thanks also to the Worship Choir members for all their work...I got a lot of awesome comments about how great the choir sounded!
Life in the worship pastor's office calms down considerably now. Choir's done for the summer...the concert's over with...it's not QUITE time to stress about Christmas yet...so you'd think it should be easy to sit down and JUST work on the worship service.
Not so much...it's Wednesday now and I still don't have a lot of ideas...I think my creativity is slightly zapped or something!
On the personal side of things, Molly and I have had a great week so far. We had an open gym for basketball on Monday...it's always nice to get out and run up and down the floor a little bit. Then last night, a bunch of Molly's friends from her Cedarville basketball team came over...we grilled burgers, shot hoops, watched American Idol, played euchre, and laughed a lot!
A lot of my free time lately consists of watching the Red Wings and Lakers try and win championships...(when they both play on the same night, it's a bit of a struggle :)...and working on my big summer piano show. For those of you who don't know much about "Tim Cary's Summer Spectacular", here goes:
I'm putting together a program (translation: piano extravaganza) that will be held on Saturday, June 28th here at the church to raise money for the family of one of our Northwestern basketball players. Her mom was in a serious car accident in January and is in the midst of a long and difficult recovery. I could really use your help inviting people to the program and also getting the word out to friends, family, and local businesses that would be interested in contributing to this worthy cause.
The program should be a ton of fun -- I'm scheming up some hilarious videos...some songs from High School Musical...a great patriotic tribute...a zillion TV themes...maybe even a little upside-down piano playing. Best part -- it's free! So anyone you know that likes piano music or free entertainment...invite them!
You can print out flyers and get all the information at my personal website: www.TimCary.com. If you can give even a little bit to help the Dabrowski family, that would be awesome too!
Hope you're having a wonderful week! See you Sunday!
No, you can't say typing on the computer, that's cheating. Be more specific.
Guess again.
Are you one of those people that just skimmed halfway down the post to find the answer? Shame on you!
ANYWAY...I am currently sitting in my office, way too close to the piano in the sanctuary...and listening to the incredibly painful sounds of a piano tuning. Big concert this week, you know.
Have you ever listened to a piano getting tuned?
Don't. (if you can at all help it.)
Since my mom was a piano teacher, I grew up listening to these "joyful noises" over and over, and I've never quite outgrown them.
Basically, the piano tuner plays two notes that are supposed to match up into a nice unison...and don't. Then he uses his wrench to tweak one...and plays them again. And again. And again. And again and again and ag...oh, he's finally done! WITH THAT NOTE. He moves up one pitch and starts it all over...and my sanity slips away slowly...
Nah, it's really not that bad. Our piano tuner does a good job...and it's important work. The end result (after 45 minutes of constant cringing during the process) is several months of a beautiful sound from a beautiful instrument. Until it starts to slip out of tune again...then we repeat the cycle.
The worst kind of piano to tune is one that hasn't been played or tuned for a long time. It's a much more difficult endeavor to get that kind of piano to make a beautiful sound...believe me, I've been around a few in my time. Played quite a few in concerts, but that's another story altogether :)
What I'm getting at is the more regularly a piano is tuned and played, the more useful it stays.
And so it is with the Christian life. If you live out of tune Monday-Saturday and just trust Sunday will be the little "adjustment" you need to get back on track, the end result can be painful, difficult, and the six days in between basically ugly. Isn't it better to learn from our piano illustration and devote time during the week to the study of God's Word, communication with Him, and a lifestyle that pleases your Savior? We all need a Sunday tune-up (Hebrews 10:24-25), but please don't let yourself slide out of tune Monday morning. Live a blatantly Christian life. It's music to God's ears.
As I have said before, we are reading a book in staff meeting called "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands". What I love about this book is that it speaks directly to the heart of why I do what I do. I enjoy reading books that speak the truth and challenge me in my walk with the Lord. Here is a part of the book that I thought was really powerful:
"The Redeemer lived, died, and rose again so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him and his glory. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)"
"It is the drama that lies behind every sad earthly drama. Sin has made us glory robbers. We do not suffer well, because suffering interferes with our glory. We do not find relationships easy, because others compete with us for glory. We do not serve well, because in our quest for glory, we want to be served. But the story of Scripture is the story of the Lord's glory. It calls me to an agenda that is bigger than myself. It offers me something truly worth living for. The Redeemer has come so that glory thieves would joyfully live for the glory of Another. There is no deeper personal joy and satisfaction than to live committed to his glory."
I must remind myself daily that my highest joy and greatest satisfaction is found in humble obedience to the Creator, not in the things of the creation.
Tuesday morning was our weekly staff meeting, which consists of Tim Cary (Worship Pastor), me (Utility Pastor aka I do a little bit of everything), and Paul Gathany (Deacon Board Chairman). We had a great meeting this week and I was reminded of some great truths from our devotions. We are reading Paul Tripp's book "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" for devotions. This book is a must read. The following is several random quotes from chapter one that I thought were really great. Enjoy!
"God's redemptive solution would not come by political revolution or physical war. The primary battle would be fought and won in human hearts. In our self-absorbed culture, we need to see the grandeur of this kingdom. We cannot shrink it to the size of our needs and desires. It takes us far beyond our personal situations and relationships. The King came not to make our agenda possible, but to draw us into something more amazing, glorious, and wonderful than we could ever imagine."
"How cruel it would be to call sin-paralyzed people to repent without giving them the power to do so! This is where the message gets most exciting. Jesus is saying, 'Because I have come, lasting heart change can take place.' Yes, the world is terribly broken, but the King has come, bringing the power and glory of his kingdom with him!"
"In all of this, God's ultimate goal is his own glory. Christ came to restore people to the purpose they were made for: to live every aspect of their lives in worshipful, obedient submission to him. He accomplishes this by breathing life into dead hearts so that we grasp our need for him."
"As human beings, we cannot walk through life on our own. We need rescue, healing, and forgiveness. In short, we need God. We need the good news of the King who has come, making lasting change possible. This alone is our personal hope and the basis of our ministry to others. The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship, suffering, and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from myself. His rescue produces change that fundamentally alters my response to these inescapable realities. The Redeemer turns rebels into disciples, fools into humble listeners. He makes cripples walk again. In him we can face life and respond with faith, love and hope. And as he changes us, he allows us to be part of what he is doing in the lives of others. As you respond to the Redeemer's work in your life, you can learn to be an instrument in his hands."
Please don't be alarmed by the title of this post...I just thought I'd write about what's going on my life right now...and since it's a beautiful "MAY DAY" outside, I decided that was as good a title as any :)
So what's going on with Pastor Tim? Here's a sneak peek:
--I'm planning for and organizing the last two weeks of choir for the 07-08 year...and already daydreaming about 08-09.
--I'm looking around at my office and realizing sadly that it couldn't stay clean and organized forever :) Chris Hatton, our new janitor, will quickly figure out like the McKinneys did that my office floor is only empty enough to be vacuumed a couple times a year!
--I'm excited to go to Cincinnati and watch my Cubs play baseball tonight! In between keeping track of the Cubs...as well as the Lakers & Red Wings in the playoffs...that occupies a good chunk of my free time in May!
--I'm really looking forward to a short trip to Michigan this weekend...Molly and I will be able to spend time with my parents and see a lot of my family members, so that's a real treat.
--Northwestern basketball seems to occupy our schedule year-round. Even now in May, six months before our team plays a game, we're having open gym a couple times a week and getting ready for summer practices, camps, and leagues.
--Last, but certainly, not least, I'm hard at work in my occasional bits of free time preparing a piano extravaganza. I'm calling it "Tim Cary's Summer Spectacular", and it will be held at CBC on Saturday, June 28. For those of you who want to hear me play patriotic music, television themes, and a bunch of other "fun music" on the piano, I hope you're able to come. For the rest of you, I hope you'll come too :) It's for a great cause, and you can find all the details you'd ever want here.
That's the scoop on how I've been spending my May days...hope yours are going splendidly!
As part of this year's Most Wanted List campaign, we're hoping to invite 1,000 friends to attend our Christmas program, The Richest Family in Town, in the 1,000 hours before the first performance. You can find more information about our production at: SpringfieldChristmas.com
Thanks to all of you that were able to come to this year's Spring Celebration concert on Sunday :) We had a great time with pianist Roy Webb, and I appreciated the great turnout of CBC people for a wonderful night of music :) Special thanks also to the Worship Choir members for all their work...I got a lot of awesome comments about how great the choir sounded!
