My Worship Revolution

                             make a pledge – make a difference

UPDATE:

current pledges = $25.01 per pound

weigh in:      173.2 lbs
week1:        168.2 lbs    total loss:  5lbs         =    $125.05
week2:        166.6 lbs    total loss:  6.6 lbs     =    $165.07
week3:          163.6 lbs     total loss:  9.6 lbs      =     $240.10

*DISCLAIMER: This banner is not for our life groups.  I ripped it off from some AG church in PA cause I wanted a pic for this post.  I’d love a cool banner though.  Any graphic designers out there wanna give it a go? 

So last night we began the first week of our training with a group of Life Group leaders who will start groups here at CLC in August.  It was a great night overall!  It was so nice to once again be in a small group setting, discussing God’s word together and preparing to launch these groups.  The electric energy in the room was inspiring.

One of the things we talked about as we began to lay out the vision of Life Groups was the shift in structure that this will provide for our church.  We are not looking to start another program to add to the already existing list.  No.  The goal is to really see ourselves become a cell church.  A church of small groups rather than a church with small groups.  Our priority is becoming getting people into significant spiritual relationships with each other and the way we will do that is through Life Groups.

We will spend the next couple of months as a group of leaders talking about what this will look like and really developing the DNA of our groups.  I am pumped to be involved with all of these awesome people as we really prepare to make an impact on both our faih community, and more importantly the surrounding community of Santa Cruz!  And I look forward to sharing here how it goes.  Feel free to pray for us as we take this crucial step in the life of our community.  Thanks!
 

…iChat rocks!

My good bud Will finally got his Macbook Pro last week.  He’s been waitin to get it so he could iChat with Caleb (it really isn’t about us at all).  So last night we got to visit with him and Chris Koble before dinner.  Conference chat is da bomb!  I think you can have up to like 7 people.  We could do life group this way!

So, who wants to join us next time?

IM me sometime.  AIM: bmarch242

This was my drawing.  Apparently it says something about me.  Here’s the analysis:

You are driven and ambitious and tend to make radical moves to reach your goals.
You
are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your
method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.
You
like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and
meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

Interesting.  Not all on the nose.  Not too far off either.  After I drew it, I came to some other ideas of what it could mean.

So here’s your chance to be a clinical psychologist.  People must be better interpreters than the computer, right?  So, how close was that analysis if you know me?  What do you gather as the meaning of this drawing?  My thoughts later.

Try one yourself.
HT: Jamie

And my legs got a workout too.

Rachel recently read me a portion of a book that suggested that in order for an exercise plan to be effective, it must fit into your current life and schedule.  Anything else may stick for a season, but will ultimately fail.  So, what better way to make exercise a routine part of my life than by making it one of my primary modes of transportation?

I was inspired by Pete to try riding a bike to work.  Hey, if I can’t convince my wife I need  motorcycle, yet, we’ll start with a bicycle.  I actually have one coming in July, so I borrowed one for a bit.  The ride to work is 5.5 miles.  I haven’t ridden in years, so I knew it would be a challenge, but I decided to just go for it.  Today I strapped on a backpack with an extra shirt (so I wouldn’t smell to ripe) and rode to the office.  Here’s a few stats and thoughts from this mornings ride:

• It only took me 26 minutes to ride 5.5 miles.
• That’s faster than I get home at the end of most days with the traffic factored in.
• The bike I borrowed is a 21 speed, but only has 3 working gears.  I don’t know a ton about gears, but I thinks this is a bit like golfing a round of 18 with just a driver, a mid iron, and a putter.
• We live in a place with lots of hills.
• It really sucks when you down shift about 1/8 of the way up the steepest hill of the ride and the chain falls right off the gears forcing you to stop.
• I still think I look like an idiot in a bike helmet.
• I like speed, but I am unfortunately am a bit older and…wiser?  I probably could have booked it more on a few parts, but I was a bit afraid to eat it hard.
• I have a new respect for all those bikers on the road that used to irritate me as they rolled through the red light or the stop sign.
• I need to find my iPod shuffle to entertain me on these rides.  Wher the heck did that thing go?
• The good part about this, is unlike the elliptical machine at the gym, I have to finish this workout.
• The bad part about this is, I have to finish this workout.
• Ah crap, I have to do this again if I wanna get home tonight.

Now tune in y’all, cause this is an important post for a lot of you new readers especially.

I recognize that since moving here to CLC I have some more people swinging by to see what I have to say and what is going on in my life.  I am honored to have you here.  Thanks for stopping by regularly.

But through a number of conversations, I have come to recognize that most of you are still not aware of the wonder that is an RSS feeder.  Don’t tune out.  It’s way simpler than it sounds.  And it will save you tons of time and effort.  I could continue on trying to clumsily explain the process to you, but I have a better idea. 

I saw this video on a number of blogs several weeks ago.  It does an amazing job at explaining the process.  Check it out.  It will take only a matter of a few minutes and the time that you will get back as a result will be exponential.  Here you go:

Click To Play

So go get an RSS feeder.  I currently use Bloglines.  It works great.  I highly recommend it.  I’ve had a few people recommend News Netwire Lite to me, as a Mac user.  Haven’t checked it out yet, but I may soon.

So now, stop reading and go subscribe to my blog.  And then my wife’s blog.  And then begin to find a few more that interest you, and see how amazed you’ll be at how many blogs you can efficiently keep up with now.

UPDATE:

current pledges = $16.01 per pound
goal = $20.00 per pound

weigh in:      173.2 lbs
week1:        168.2 lbs    total loss:  5lbs         =    $80.05
week2:        166.6 lbs    total loss:  6.6 lbs     =    $105.67

It all goes to invisible children in war torn Uganda. 
Who else will help?

A few days late, but here it is:

I got some link love from Los this week cause of showing pieces of the set, and it ends up being the first week in months that I haven’t.  DOH!  Oh well, guess you’ll have to come back next week.

And I mentioned this in the video, but it’s worth noting again that my friend Steve down in the big S.D. is doing a confessional now.  He leads worship at Rancho Vista Church, a plant by my old youth pastor from high school, back when I came to know Christ.  My sister and her husband, Tim, go there and you can hear him play lead electric and her sing (except for the part she wussed out on letting him post) in his confessional.  Stop by and check him out.

Hope y’all had a great weekend!

My mom is in town for the weekend, so we cruised down to Monterey for Memorial Day.  It was the first time we’ve visited there and it was a blast.  We went by the Post Graduate Naval Academy where the Monterey Bay Symphony was doing a concert on the lawn.  Caleb had fun playing in the grass and flirting with the other 8 month old girl, Lilian.  Check out the video of this, with quite appropriate music for the moment I might add.

Being on this property yesterday served as a great reminder of what this day is all about.  Seeing men in uniform, imagining what their lives are like.  I am very appreciative of the sacrifices of so many so that I can do what I do and be who I am today.  My grandpa was a Marine, served in WW2, fought at Iwo Jima, and retired with 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.  My dad, Victor Ira Cederquist, was retired Navy.  Regardless of your political beliefs, it’s nice to take one day to remember and appreciate the guys and gals, current and past, in uniform.  Sidenote: that’s why I was irritated by the peace protest across the street from the post.  Of all days, let’s take this one to stop making political statements and protests for a couple of hours and just say thank you.

Anyway, after looking around the Hotel Del Monte, now the Naval academy’s admin building, we went out to the Old Fisherman’s Wharf.  We walked around a bit, enjoyed the view at the end, and when we couldn’t find any decently priced food we could eat, we jumped in the car and headed for home, driving through Cannery Row on the way out.  I look forward to coming back soon to spend some time on Cannery Row, go to the aquarium, and get my dive certification (wink, wink, hint, hint).

Finally, after a quick dinner, my mom watched Caleb while Rachel and I went to check out Spiderman 3 in downtown Santa Cruz.  All in all a good day.  Here are some pics you can enjoy from our day:

"Hope you all had a Happy Memorial Day!"