Pastor Zak really rocked out the message this week; If your weren’t here this sunday for the third installment of the Break out series you can check it out on iTunes this week or revyourlife.com.
Often, people ask where they can get the stuff we are singing at Revolution. If you enjoyed the tunes we played you can check them out and purchase them on iTunes!
I realize that many of my heroes are not the kind of heroes a pastor should have. I’ve been into extreme sports my entire life. Many consider church planting the “extreme sport” of ministry.
So, its a match made in Heaven right?
Here are a few of my heroes that I follow regularly…guys you probably never thought I’d care much about:
Travis Pastrana – Motocross Champion. Most successful X-Games competitor ever. Rally Car racer. King of freestyle. Basically, master of anything with wheels.
I read about 20 books a year. This year, my good friend Josh Rosenthal released his first book titled “An Oak Tree Late in Winter: Ten Vignettes and a Triptych.”
Josh is also a very talented musician and songwriter. He has seven albums on iTunes. You need to get ALL of them.
In 2009, Rosenthal released phase one of what he calls the “Villages Suite” by putting out four albums in four months. His new book is phase two. With the book, Rosenthal speaks outside of his typical outlets using the art of narrative to show God’s ability to redeem even the most seemingly irredeemable memories. The book really is the icing on the cake, wrapping up the entire Villages Suite in a fresh, creative and sweet new kinda way.
If you’ve ever seen him in concert, you know that the stories he tells before his songs often impact the concert goers just as much – if not more – than the actual songs. If you’ve not seen him in concert, he’ll be playing at Revolution Church on August 29th during all worship services.
I love the format of the book. An Oak Tree Late in Winter takes 11 of Rosenthal’s songs and expands on those stories. Rosenthal says:
“I stepped back for a season of my life to focus on these narratives because I believe there’s a great redemptive power in them. As much as I believe in the songs I write, I, believe in these stories.”
And right there is my favorite part of this book. Its not just about the book…its about the concept, the passion, the songs, the concerts and the excellence with which all of these elements have been executed. The last couple of years of Rosenthal’s life have culminated in this one masterful piece of art.
If everybody loves what you are doing then you are probably not doing much at all.
If you are truly creating something worth loving then it will be worth slamming too.
I’m learning that criticism isn’t something you get thrown at you but that it’s actually something you earn.
See, if you really are creating something great you’ll get some black eyes along the way.
You have to be willing to shake things up in the present if you want to go down in history. It is an art form because you have to learn to be challenging without being defiant. You must be able to disturb but not annoy.
I am learning that the quickest way to do this is to bleed truth.
If its worth doing it will be worth the slam that comes with it. Its risky, its demanding and its not all that glamorous at times. But I think any real difference maker would say “that’s just what I do.”
