I spent this past week in Atlanta with 45,000 of my closest friends participating inPassion2012. I’m still digesting everything that I experienced while at Passion this year but for now I wanted to share with you just one of the many incredible things accomplished for the cause of Freedom this week.

So… you’ll be excited to hear that the actual total was over 3 MILLION dollars given to help end slavery and bring freedom to those trapped in it. If you’d like to help you canDO.SOMETHING.NOW.

Lead from the thankfulness you have for the church God has put you in, the team he’s put you on, and the people he’s put you in front of.

FOR THE HONOR

I’m excited to let you know (if you haven’t heard already) that the new album from Elevation Worship “For The Honor” is here! If you’ve kept up with them on their blog then you’ve been able to see first hand what this album is all about. If you missed it check this out:

  

If the heart and humility of the Elevation Worship team wasn’t already evident enough they’ve committed to donating a huge portion of the profit from the first day of album sales to Compassion International. 

I’ve had the opportunity to talk with Mack and Chris and can vouch for their humble hearts and passion for The Church. It shines in how they lead worship, how they write, and how they interact with others. 

I’m excited for what God is doing and will do through this new collection of anthems. 

Worship Leaders: This album is full of incredible songs. Do yourself a favor and get it!

Here is the recap video for this years Fall Retreat “Greater Than”. It was an honor to be able to lead our high school students in worship. Our production team did an incredible job on two back to back weekends worth of students. A HUGE thank you to Sandon, who shot and edited this video. 

THE TEAM

Drums: Drew Stoutenburg

Bass: Ben Dage

Guitars: Joe Mariucci/Justin Thiede

Vocals: Katy Baty/Josh Collesano

Audio/Producer: Kevin Folster

Lighting/Video: Seth Brown

Capture Team: Jordan Kassis/Sandon Voelker

Speaker: EJ Swanson

Strap Locks On The Cheap

I’ll be honest. Back in the day when I was in a band and touring a lot I had strap locks on my guitars for one reason and one reason only, on stage antics:

Nowadays the idea of having to drill and screw in new strap locks on my guitars is not something I want to do. I know how to do it right (wood filler, glue etc) to ensure a proper install but I always thought of them as bulky.  

I was hanging with Chad, one of our guitarists at NorthRidge, on Sunday and something caught my eye. Here’s Chad’s version of strap locks, which I think is PURE GENIUS! Check it out:

 

So, go get yourself and your buddy’s some root beer.