Worship Leadership

Day 10: Chronicles of the "31 Days of Love" (31/DOL) Cheryl's B-Day!!

Today is Cheryl's Birthday!!  We love birthdays around our house.  We start with breakfast in bed for the birthday person.  We give cards and presents.  We sit around in a circle and each family member talks about the birthday girl or boy.  It is not about the presents as much as it is about giving BIG LOVE.  We try to prefer, respect, and honor that person.  

For so many years during our marriage Cheryl's Birthday has fallen during the Christmas season while we were putting n some Christmas presentation.  We have built things, painted sets, been in dress rehearsals or even performed on most of her birthdays.  Not today!  We do have a crazy day ahead of us but we WILL stop and enjoy the finest woman in the world.  

Cheryl is:

• always growing     
• loving 
• creative 
• talented 
• patient 
• loves God  
• loves me 
• loves our children  
• loves the Kingdom of God! 
• an example to many others 
• last but not least SHE IS HOT!!!!!!!     I want to go BIG LOVE today!!                                         

  
 I cannot do enough or say enough today to really show Cheryl how incredibly important and special she is to me.

Happy Birthday Baby!!!  I Love You!

    
 

Day 9: 31/DOL

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;* but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

These 3 verses say so much to me!  If I:

1)     Could speak every language on earth (which would be obviously cool.  Everyone would think I was smart, I could communicate with all 6 billion people on earth and people would look @ me)

2)     Were the most famous prophet in the world (I might be on TV.  People would want to hear what in have to say.  I would be treated almost like a rock star!!)

3)     Spoke the language of the Angels (That would blow everyone’s mind)

4)     Understood ALL of God’s secret plans (I could sit with pastors and educators to unveil the mysteries of God’s word)

5)     Possessed ALL knowledge (I bet I would be the only one on my block like this!!)

6)     Had faith to literally move a mountain (Wow!!!)

7)     Give everything I have to the poor (infomercials)

8)     Sacrificed my body ( they might write a book about me)

IF I DID ALL THESE THINGS ABOVE AND DO NOT LOVE OTHERS I AM NOTHING!! 

The crazy thing about the list above is that these are great things in the Kingdom.  Some would love their children to grow and possess just one of the above characteristics.  But with out love all the above are nothing!

Today I want to seek the giver not the gift.  Lord, you are the giver and I seek You.  You are Love!   

 

Day 8: 31/DOL

1 Corinthians 13

Love Is the Greatest

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;* but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.
  4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
  8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages* and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
  11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.* All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
  13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

This scripture is quoted from so often in messages around the world.  I will be using this passage as a measuring tool in the next few days of the 31/DOL.  Such a high standard is set in this passage.  Yet God gives us the ability to live it out!!

Help me Lord.  I need Your Love!

Sunday Rewind

It was so refreshing for everyone to walk in this morning to view this as we started our day.  My hat is off to the programming team for this beautiful classic Christmas look on the stage!!  Wow, you all did a great job.  I want to throw a special thanks first to Cheryl for putting all of the people in place to take this happen.  You are a great leader.   Then a big salute to Sherie Richardson for a ton of work and conceptualization!!  Anita Bower great job on the center tree!!  Last but not least, thanks Rick and Casey for finishing it off with the light design and snow.  Great job!!!  Thanks for giving us a great setting for a non-Scrooge year set!!

Here's what we did today.

Christmas video opener

"This Is What Christmas Means to Me" (Tommy Walker) stand or sit???

"Hark The Herald" (Praise Carol/Praise Charts) When does this song end??

"Hosanna" (Paul Baloche) I love the new opening!!

"The Whole Earth" (Ross Parsley)

Announcement video (Cheryl and Ben ...Great Job!!!)

Choir "It's All bout Your Glory" (Travis Cotrell) -long medley but very good

"You Deserve the Glory" (old school but great!!)

"Healer" (Michael G.) its already a n FC classic

"He's All I need" (spontaneous)

Once again there were a lot of highlights.  Heather and Ron did great on their duet!  The band really pulled of a lot music today.  Wow thanks.  Choir you really rocked that song.  I am so proud of you.  You really had to work hard to make it come together.  It was more of the choral feel and you were fantastic!!

We are blessed to have each other.  We need each other.  I thank the Lord for then entire worship programming team!!!  

  

Day 7: Chronicles of the "31 Days of Love" (31/DOL)

Well, this is an incredibly busy workday for me.  I started @ the church this morning a little after 6 and have still been going since lunch!  But in the midst of this being wall to wall work, I understand most people honor today as the Lord's day or their Sabbath.  In the midst of leading others and working hard for service and then worshiping with the incredible FC folks I was totally reflective on God's incredible goodness.  In the 31/DOL I have worked on my ability to love.  I have spent most of my time analyzing myself and my capacity to go BIG LOVE!!  I have enjoyed the process.  

But today, I stop and recognize His awesome love for me.   God has no capacity issues.  He does not have to check His motives.  He does not have to do the "infinity days of love".  He just is!!!

Stop and think, reflect, and feel the assurance as you know that....He is.

Just the thought makes me want to be!!!

God I worship You for not just showing me love but being love!!  

Wow, Wow, Wow!!

 Here are the lyrics to a song that student ministries across the country are really connecting with.  

How He Loves Us       

Verse 1:

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realize just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

Pre-Chorus:

And oh, how He loves us so,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all

Chorus 1

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Verse 2

We are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,

If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,

And the heart turns violently inside of my chest,

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way…

Day 6

 

Day 6 was a day dedicated to the Ogle family!!  We started the day by going to the Scrooge Bah Humbug 5k.  Cheryl and I worked 2 the race.  To our surprise both Dylan and Savannah decided to run the 5k.  Dylan was in basketball shoes and was able to finish the race.  Big props to Flo W. for helping Dylan finish strong!  Savannah ended up winning her age divisionn!!  She has never run any distance in her life that I am aware of!!  Proud the the Ogle Children!!

Cheryl and I didn't run the race but we did go on a marathon date!!  It was great!  We first went to the Monroe Symphony and Symphony Chorus Christmas concert.  It was very good.  We were able to spend a few minutes speaking with Russ and Pam Givens.  They both are such fine people!  We then went to dinner with some friends.  We had a great meal and alot of laughs with some of our best friends!  Finally we capped off the night by heading to the Twin City Ballet.  There was excellent choreography and show value! 

Cheryl and I needed this time together and it was incredible!!  I love her so much!! She is an incredible woman! 

Day 6 ...let there be love! 

Day 5: Chronicles of the "31 Days of Love" (31/DOL)

Today is the 5th and that means it is a special day for me.  74 years ago in Alton Il. my dad was born.  He only lived there for a few months and grew up in California.  He has a remarkable story.  I was able to share 2 meals with my Dad today.  First Cheryl and I took he and my mom to Ray's PeGe West.  I have to say I have never been there and only a couple of times to the one in Monroe.  It was fantastic.  It was packed and there were people waiting for tables everywhere.  I am sure i am the only one who has not been, but if you have not gone it is just one of those places everyone needs to try.  Secondly, us four and our children had dinner @ my mom and dad's place.  

The reason this is so important to the 31/DOL is because my kids need to see me love on my mom and dad.   They need to see me prefer them and go to the door and get them.  Dylan needs to see me walk to the door and grab my Father's golf bag and then sees me load it on the cart.  They watch Cheryl treat my Mom and Dad with such incredible kindness!!  She is so amazing!!  I have an incredible wife!!  

I really wanted my Dad to feel loved by me today!

As I mentioned Cheryl was incredible today!!  But to be honest I probably was not my best as a husband.  I have got to keep first things first!! 

After a week of watching and measuring my motives of love, I feel I need to spend some serious time with Cheryl!!!  Tomorrow will be a great day!!  We are going to the Symphony/Symphony Chorus @ 4.  Dinner with friends and then off to the Ballet!!!  Okay I know that seems like overkill on the arts but we are usually in the middle of Scrooge so we are trying to take advantage our this season's break!!

Finally, I want to recommend a book .  Love and Respect.  It is really an incredible book.  Our small group is doing the small group study that is a companion to the book.  It is incredible!!  

So tomorrow I will be going for BIG LOVE with my girl!!!

Good night and Big Love!

       

Day 4: Chronicles of the "31 Days of Love" (31/DOL)

Wow, what a long day.  We just got home a few minutes ago and are now trying to help the Ogle kids get ready for Friday tests.  it is almost bed time for the 3 kids.  I am so thankful for the day I just had.  I had many opportunities to show BIG LOVE in the last 24 hours.  I sat with 2 of my favorite people and they told me how their day started with just a routine Dr.'s visit and by the end of the day they got the news that no one ever want to get.  I sat with them and loved on them but wanted to give more.  I have wept tears of love and compassion for them.  I have prayed prayers of faith, strength, and belief for them.  

In the last 24 hours I have had the opportunity to give tough love.  There are 2 sides to my 31/DOL.  There is the fun side where I deliver coffee to some very special friends @ their office or I give someone a CD they really wanted, or go spend time with a folks I don't usually get to talk with and catch up.  But there is also the side where I had to look someone in the eye and speak the hard truth in love.  It is not fun.  It does not create warm fuzzy moments but it is BIG LOVE.  The trick is to do tough love the right way.  So many of us seem to be able to love big when it is fun and we are passing out gifts but less seem comfortable when we have to look some in the eye and speak something that may be a risk or even they may totally reject you.

Can I still treat people with kindness and love when i disagree with what they do and or have said?

Can I look someone I love in the eye and say something that may really upset them @ first but will in the end be a good medicine?

Am I only good @ the fun side of love?

Well...I have still been checking my motives!!  I am sure of the fact that I can say I love all I want but as we all know Big Love is also an action!!

Isn't this a picture of how the Lord loves us.  We continually disappoint Him and he corrects us and still shows us His love.  I can easily say I love Him but he my actions really are an easy way to measure the truth about my love!! 

I do not want to slow down or let up.  I want to discover more about myself and more about what REAL BIG LOVE is?

Peace, Love, and good night!

 

Day 3: Chronicles of the "31 Days of Love"

Wow, this morning is one of those mornings that my "love meter" feels high but the "love tank" seems low. 

Love Meter - Yesterday I really was trying to raise the bar.  It was a great day!  Isn't life funny how when you are concentrating on something the more you find cracks in the armor...

When you are:

dieting - you are more aware than ever of everything you eat

hurt by someone you love - you are more aware of everything they say and do

doing spiritual inventory - you fix 1 thing and 3 more show up in it's place

Well the same is true for me as I am trying to show BIG LOVE during these 31 days.  Now my motives  becomes more clear with every action and word.  I stop more before I speak.  I analyze the thoughts in my head more than ever.  I wonder if I am doing something or saying something to get people to like me or because I truly love.  I AM GOING FOR IT!

 

"Love Tank" 

I can definitely feel the deficit in the tank.  This morning will be critical to my ability to show BIG LOVE today.  I need quiet...solace...time with God...and a good cup of coffee!  (okay I threw in the coffee for fun)

As Pastor O says,"You can't take someone where you have not been and you can't give what you do not have."  

Lord fill me full of You and who you are!!  Let me love with your love today!

Day 2: Chronicles of the 31 days of Love

Well today would be a day that I could struggle with.  My tendency is to believe everyone cares as passionately about accomplishing the goal.  I have 2 big meetings and I am trying to prepare for the month of music.  So when I get focused on a big rehearsal tonight I can forget the fact that I am in the 31 days of love.  Well today, the Lord willing, I will not get so focused on the task @ hand but I will be focused on the relationships that are most important to me.  

Someone will be getting a Starbucks gift card.  I hope they like coffee!!   

Lord let me follow your word and obey you!

Let me give others the grace you have given me

If it does not matter for eternity...It just doesn't matter!!

Let there be love!  BIG LOVE!!!