Weekend Review for September 25, 2005

I have noticed "Weekend Reviews" on other blogs describing the experience of their churches. I thought this would be a good thing to do for Keystone. So here goes!

September 25, 2005 at Keystone Church

Music (with links to iTunes)
For All You've Done (Worship Leader: Susan Thomas)
Your Grace Is Enough
Blessed be Your Name
Worthy is the Lamb with Majesty (Here I Am)
Nothing But the Blood
Rescue

Series - Losing My Religion
Message - Legalism - Can't Keep All the Rules
Definition of Legalism: strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than its spirit. Rules-driven Religion leads to an Inspecting Attitude, Rules-driven Religion doesn’t like to be questioned, and Rules-driven Religion tends to play “Pick & Choose”
Galatians 5:1 - So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Stats:
348 in total attendance

Thoughts:
This was our second weekend of 2 identical service. Our volunteers are knocking the ball out of the park with set-up & tear down, Camp Keystone and Welcome teams. I really loved the worship set this weekend. God seemed to work in the service during the music. I really loved the transition from "Worthy Is the Lamb" into "Majesty (Here I Am)" both musically and lyrically. I really believed the music prepared our hearts to hear the message on Legalism. Brandon did a great job in dealing with the issue of Legalism. Good day!

AMAZING

I just got back from seeing Coldplay! First of all, it was a beautiful Texas summer night. There was a nice breeze which made the outdoor concert just perfect. Coldplay was amazing. I have been a fan for about a year or 2 and tonight was the first time I had ever seen them live. WOW! The lights were spectacular. Each songs the lights were different. The backdrop was a full stage width video wall. They used it so well...sometimes they showed the band with incredible angles and sometimes the showed random images that helped tell the story of the song.

This may sound strange but I really felt moved by God tonight. As I listened to the lyrics to some of the songs, I was moved by God's grace and how much He loves me. I guess you could say that I worshipped at a Coldplay concert! There was tons of worship at the concert...mostly false worship...meaning true worship wrong god. I looked around a saw the multitudes with hands raised high in awe of something bigger than anything they would ever be. People just giving themselves totally to the moment.

My highlights..."Clocks" was stunning. The lights pulsed with the beat and at the endof the song they kept speeding the song up faster and faster and crowd began to cheer and cheer and then BAM..DONE! nothing but darkness and the crowd went crazy and I joined in!!! "The Scientist" was moving. This is one of those God moments for me. The image on the screen was a constant zoom in from outerspace all the way into a human and then continuing into another image that lead to outerspace. The song is about a breakup but the first verse really was my heart to God at the moment. Here they are...and coupled with the images I just really drew close.
Come up to meet you, Tell you I’m sorry, You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you, Tell you I need you, Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, And ask me your questions, Aww let’s go back to the start
"Politik" was just crazy awesome wicked with the lights. That's it. Finally, the encore...ChrisMartin (lead Singer) ran back to the middle of the section next to us during "In My Place" and just sang out! The people were screaming the lyric..."Yeah, how long must I wait..." It was really beautiful! Then they ended with my fav right now..."Fix You." This was the icing on the cake and in fact, the highlight of the show for me. Not only do the lyrics move me but the they nailed it. The live music and the people singing really was special. During the song, they had this single lantern hanging down...It represented the lyric..."Lights will guide you home And ignite your bones And I will try to fix you ." It reminded me of Christ being the light of the world and how all those people needed that Light.

Some of you may think that it is weird that I experienced God at this concert. I want to remind everyone that worship is not about a place or a song. It is about hearts and God connecting with hearts. So whether it is Sunday morning in church or driving to work or reading the bible in that special corner of your home or a coldplay concert...God will meet with you where ever you are. There is nowhere you can go to escape Him.

Well, that's it. If you ever get a chance to go see Coldplay, do not pass the chance up. It is definitely something I am glad I did. PEACE!

still at coldplay

i am at coldplay

You Just don't fit in?

WHAT? I just finished watching "The Apprentice: MArtha Stewart." It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The task was actually really cool. SPOILER AHEAD: They had to modify a children's tale to make it more modern. The teams were split up in 2...1 team was corporate and the other creative. You would think the creative team would win with a task like this but NO the corporate won. Probably because all the creative people are so strong-willed and opinionated.

So the whole time I am anticipating whether Martha would use Donald's phrase "You're Fired!" or come up with something else. She came up with something else...you know what it was..."You just don't fit in." LAME!!! LAME-O!!! LAMEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!!! What is she talking about? Are they applying for some sorority or social club...maybe it is a clic. In fact, I think the guy that didn't "fit in" was a little unsure if he was being fired or not. He got the picture when she said goodbye though. Oh well...I just want all you guys to know who read this..."In my book, you all fit in." Cheese....

Sooners...not the same but there is hope.

Well, I have not posted yet about how poorly the Sooners are playing. Honestly, I was waiting until I knew there was hope. I think we have hope now. Our major problem has been 2-fold...lack of leadership on the field and a Quarterback. I believe Bomar is going to be the answer to those 2 problems. Even though we lost (I believe we beat ourselves with 9 stinkin fumbles), Bomar began to emerge as a leader and a quarterback. He mostly made good decisions and was mostly accurate in his passing. But most of all, he ran the ball well and for the most part took care of it. Yeah, he can be a loose cannon but hey, I really believe this kid could be the future. We'll see at the end of the year or on Oct 8th (RED RIVER BABY!!!)

I may be completely wrong but I have hope. Gotta have hope!

2 Services - A SUCCESS

Last Sunday we began our second identical service at 9:30am. It was a success! Huge Success! We had a total of 361 people at Keystone on Sunday. 2 people decided to become Christ-Followers. There was a great energy at Keystone on Sunday. I am most impressed with the army of volunteers that God used on Sunday to create an atmosphere for those 2 to become Christ Followers. Our volunteers had amazing attitudes (despite the 6:45am call time) and hit a HOMERUN! Great job everyone! Great Job!

Fix You

Anyone a Coldplay fan. I am going to see them Friday night with Brandon & Susan at Smirnoff in Dallas. Recently I have been listening to their new single "Fix You." In fact, you can download an EP from iTunes to support Katrina Relief. Below are the lyrics.

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

I LOVE FALL

There is nothing like the Fall. Saturday College football, falling asleep on Sunday afternoons to the NFL, the cool breeze (well only for about 2 days in Texas...the season usually gets skipped and we go straight to winter)...AND new tv shows...

The fall is a great time for new shows...What new shows are you most excited about? What are your top three shows?

Top 3 shows I watch right now - 1. Lost, 2. The Amazing Race, 3. Prison Break.

What new shows am I looking forward to... E-ring & Invasion

But My most fave is 24...can;t wait till January.

Mr A-Z

I am really digging some Jason Mraz right now. If you haven't heard Jason Mraz, check him out on itunes. He has a pleasant voice...it is easy to listen to, great pitch and his lyrics are quick and fast. He has a great way with his melodies. My favorite song right now is "Wordplay." Anybody else listen to Jason Mraz?

So what should STOOPS do?

As many of you have heard...my Sooners are just not like the Sooners of the past 5 years. Our passing game is pathetic, or defense...not like the days with Dan Cody, Teddy Lehman, etc. So the only things we have going for us is the running game...the amazing Adrien Petersen...man among boys. BUT...he has decided to skip class and now Coach Stoops is faced with the decision of whether he should play or not Saturday? So does the highest paid coach in college football get paid to show tuff love or win games? That is the question ESPN.com asks. What do you think? Should Stoops play AD or not?

Here WE GO!!!

Just a simple prayer request for Keystone Church. Please pray for us as we move to 2 services this weekend. I know many churches have 3, 4, 5, and even 6 services (like Matt Chandler's Church, The Village - by the way...amazing place!) but we are almost 11 months old. This is amazing! The most amazing thing is the absolute excitement our people have about the 2 services. Keystone is truly blessed. So pray for the details, the volunteers, and most of all for GOd to move in our midst on our 2 services. thanks again! Brian

Losing My Religion

Tomorrow Keystone starts a new series called Losing My Religion. I am very excited about this new series. What's it about? Brandon says it best..."Everyone is looking for something real. That is never more true than when it comes to God. Starting September 11, we will explore the difference between religion and a relationship with God."

I love the new graphic. My friend Bill Jones designed this graphic. He actually drew the hands. Anyways, if you are in the area, come check out "Losing My Religion" at Keystone!!!

This water was too hard to work for...

So last night I was in downown with Fort Worth with Brandon and Susan shooting a Man on the Street video for Keystone. It was a nice evening but by the end I was a little parched. So Brandon stopped into Jamba Juice to get us some bottle water while I was shooting some b-roll. I couldn't wait to drink the water. When I got in the car I opened up the top wrapper and proceeded to pop the drink top and drink away. Usually when you drink bottled water with one of those built-in straws, you squeeze the bottle a little and the water flows. Not with Jamba Juice water. They want you to work for it. This bottle was un-squeezable. I found myself straining to get the water out. By the time I finally finished the bottle, I was parched again from all the hard work. I thought it was just me and maybe I was extremely weak. But when I mentioned how hard it was to drink, everyone agreed. So the lesson...get something other than water at Jamba Juice.

Great NEWS at KEYSTONE CHURCH

I have some great news about Keystone Church! After months of praying and seeking God's face and waiting on Him to order our steps...God opened a door today to allow us to go to 2 Gatherings on September 18th! So today has been very busy and I anticipate the next 2 weeks will be extremely busy. So if I do not post that often please do not take it personally and know that I have not forgoten about the blog!

Thanks for all your prayers and we continue to need them as we trust God to raise up and army of servants to help us accomplish this huge task He has charged us with.

If you are a member of Keystone and are just now hearing about this...check out your e-newsletter for more info and be sure to make the Special Members Gathering this Sunday after the 11:00am gathering. Lunch & childcare will be provided so please RSVP. If you haven't been receiving your e-newsletter then email admin@keystonechurch.com and let them know.

If you want to subscribe to our website newsletter then anyone can subscribe here.

dave matthews concert

I am at the dave matthews concert. amazing.

Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43
But now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy one of Israel, your Savior. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
NLT

Free Hurricane Katrina Video for worship services

My church, Keystone Church, has created a video montage of images from Hurricane Katrina to be used in our Gathering this weekend. This video is free to anyone to use. You can use it in your bible study, worship service, etc. Above is a preview. The downloaded file does not have music for copyright reasons so you will have to provide your own music. We will be using the video during the song "Still" by Hillsongs which is on the above preview. Click here for a chart of the song. The song is on the Hillsong's "Hope" CD. Pass the word along!

UPDATE: We have taken the video off our servers due to bandwidth issues. Our website experienced major bandwidth issues because of the many downloads. Thanks!