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OK. It's obviously been quite a while since I've posted anything on here.
Shame on me.
I've been working on a new website to consolidate all my online efforts. So, if you are interested in what's going on in my world, head over here.
I won't be adding anything to the Between Nut and Saddle blog anymore. Everything will be at www.keithbarger.net, so go hit the subscribe button and let's see where this thing takes us.
See ya on the other site!
When we think of Easter, images of bunnies and eggs and family dinners come to mind. There's a nostalgia to the Easter celebration. Reliving our own childhood fun in the eyes of our own children.
We used to go to my grandparents house in Kingman, KS every holiday. And every easter eggs and candy would be hidden in the yard or around the house and the seven of us grandkids would gleefully hunt down the sweet prizes that were the celebration of Easter. I remember finding and re-hiding and finding again over and over. I remember the smell of the cedars in their back yard. I remember the warmth of the sun and the fun of running outside.
Our parents would all sit inside talking/cooking/sleeping - coming out to check on us every so often. I remember the tables all pushed together for lunch and the leftovers for dinner. And when we were quite young, my cousin Kevin and I would petition the powers-that-be to stay the night at grandma and grandpa's.
Those memories are joyful. Full of warmth and love.
What I don't remember is talk of the resurrection. Oh, we went to church. Either our own or my grandparents church. And we would sing and pray and listen to the preacher. But I don't remember our family talking about Christ's sacrifice.
And that's something I want her to remember.
Lots of work going into Harvest's Easter celebration.
But more importantly, lots of people are volunteering their time to make this Resurrection celebration a truly exciting time in the life of Harvest Community Church. And not just exciting because it's different. But exciting because God is working on Harvest in big ways - and this celebration is serving as something of a catalyst.
So, if you're a Harvest regular, make your plans to be at the South Milwaukee High School Performing Arts Center on Sunday, April 12. Doors will open at 10am. And our planned presentation will begin at 10:30. But the celebration?
The celebration has already begun.
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
I'm not sure how many times I've read this Psalm. Many. But as I was reading it again this week, God smacked me with something new.
Isn't it cool when He does that?
Anyway, I usually see this Psalm as the "sing and be happy because God made us and He is good" Psalm. But this week, verse 2 really struck me. "Come into his presence with singing!" His presence.
It doesn't say come to church with singing...
It doesn't say come to youth retreat with singing...
It doesn't say come to your home group with singing...
It says come into his presence with singing.
Galatians 2:20 says this: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
If Christ lives in me, then THE PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD is IN ME.
So, Christian, sing His praise all the time. His presence is in you.
Be glad, sing, make a joyful noise.
Need help figuring out how to spend time with God?
Examine.me is a great tool. Check it out!
I haven't posted here for a while. I see my blog every time I open up Firefox and I feel a little twinge of regret that I haven't been diligent in posting.
I've been busy.
But I've been wondering the last week or so. Why am I feeling so busy? Especially when I'm not feeling terribly productive.
I think I tend to work on the immediate tasks that pop up throughout the day rather than focusing on what I need to do to be productive. And it seems to me that most of us are this way from time to time. The biggest frustration for me is that I know that I have loads of things that I could be doing and being productive.
Planning services, planning Easter event, working on home projects, developing personal leadership and leadership skills in others. The list goes on.
After coming back from Catalyst One Day, I've been spending considerable energy and time in working on/ reading about/ listening to podcasts about leadership. And focus is a big part of what the leaders of leaders talk about . Focus on being productive. Focus on what is important rather than what is immediate/urgent.
I guess today is a day for renewing focus. And I'm going to focus on being productive.
I'm no good at taking notes. Unless, that is, I've got some cool tech that goes along with it.
Thursday I'll be at the Catalyst One Day conference in ATL. Cool stuff. But I thought I'd take a shot at live blogging the event.
So join me at Between Nut and Saddle for a live blogging session and we'll all gain some insights from Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. They're talking about Momentum. I'm stoked for the event and even more stoked to live blog it for all of you.
So, join in the fun. You can ask questions live, make comments, interact a little with the event in ATL even though you're not there in person. Now that's just more fun than a bag full of hammers. (strange Don Robins reference)
See you here on Thursday!
I know I'm in some good company.
I'm soon to be outnumbered 3 to 1.
Had the sonogram on Tuesday and is quite clear that we'll be having another girl. Amelia gets a little sister. At least we've already got all the girlie stuff. Clothes. Toys. Decor...
What we won't have a lot of is testosterone.
Just booked my travel for Catalyst One Day on the 26th.
I'm looking forward to a day focused on Momentum - getting it and keeping it. This is God timing with everything else that's going on here at Harvest. I'm really hoping to take away some serious content. And this is plenty to get me excited for the trip.
But there's more...
Carlos posted a couple days ago about an event tied to CatOneDay. Off The Blogs is after Catalyst and I'm really pumped to meet some of the people I've been reading/commenting with/ in community with for a while now. Christian bloggers from all over the place are gonna get together and mess the place up. Should be awesome!
Carlos is giving away a book I'd like to have. He has laid out the rules here. But I need your help.
If you're following me on twitter, please, leave a comment here and reference my twitter name "@bargeria". We could both win!
If you're not following me on Twitter, why not?
Thanks!
Hillsong United has been delivering some great songs for the church and personal worship.
Their newest album has some great songs. Fun live performance and a wide range of style and theme. We've been using "The Stand" and "Mighty to Save" and we'll likely use some more in the weeks/months to come.
Get your own copy of this album and be ahead of the game at Harvest!
Easter @ Harvest Community Church
well... not exactly. I'm excited that Easter won't be @ Harvest Community Church in the generic sense of the word.
Yes. That's right.
Not.
@.
Harvest.
This year we are trying something completely outside the box. And if you've been to Harvest - ever - you know what I mean. 
This year we will be celebrating together. In one service. How can this be? You ask.
We'll be celebrating the resurrection at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) @ South Milwaukee High School.
This will be an awesome time of celebration and a chance for us to see who Harvest really is. Make your plans. Invite your friends.
Easter.
Outside the Box.
I live in Wisconsin. But I am, and will always be, a Kansan
People often ask me why I like Kansas so much.
There are so many reasons. And I suppose that most people like the place where they grew up - assuming that they enjoyed the process. I loved growing up in Kansas. I love the values of the people, the history of the place, the fruitfulness of the land, the beauty of the sunsets.
I love the openness of the skies, and the power of the storms that move across the plains.
I love that you can see for hundreds of miles in any direction. Especially in the Flint Hills.
I love that my parents and my sisters are there. As well as some cousins and my Grandmother.
I love that it still feels a little bit undiscovered.
I miss the wheat fields and the beautiful sunsets. So, to my friends and family in Gods Country - enjoy it for me.
Yeah, I know. It's been a long time since my last post.
So sue me... I've been busy.
And by the looks of my desktop reading list, it's not likely to ease up any time soon. I will be diving back into "Worship Matters" and then digging into "Leading from the Second Chair."
I'll let you know how it goes.
I promised myself that I wouldn't be watching American Idol this season. My horse won last time. And I was pretty well sick of the whole thing.
Then last night happened. Regina and I sit down after getting Amelia to bed. We're talking and flipping channels. There is NOTHING on. Then I see American Idol...
I click and there's Seacrest in his perfectly coiffed wonder. We proceed at our own risk. And it turns out to be an amusing show. But then I ask the question.
"Why does everybody think they can sing?"
I am amazed each season at the number of people who try out, who clearly thing they can sing better than anyone else, but couldn't carry a tune in a Samsonite suitcase. I am amazed that they cannot hear what they sound like to the rest of the world. And I am amazed that they are amazed when Simon shoots down their hopes and dreams of making the big time.
So, I posted to Twitter, which updated my Facebook: well no Heroes tonight. Strangely we're watching American Idol. Why does everyone think they can sing? about 17 hours ago from vlingo
I need to explain. In my heart I truly believe that every person has the capacity to sing. For some it comes much more easily. For others it takes lots and lots of practice. I also believe that everyone has the right to express themselves in song. Further, I believe that when it comes to personal expression, we are all called to lift our voices in praise to God. To sing.
So please, when you come to church, sing. Sing loudly. Sing boldly. Sing to God from your heart.
But, when it comes to standing on a stage. By yourself. Karaoke. Music Theatre. Whatever. Give it a little critical thought.
And please, please, please, if there is even the slightest chance that you might be on TV - singing, do me this one favor. Find someone and sing for them. Not just anyone. Someone who will give you an honest opinion. A renowned vocal coach at a school would be good. Or the guy in the office down the hall who isn't afraid to hurt anybody's feelings. Or even a perfect stranger.
And above all things, if you are singing somewhere and you are told you are bad by four professionals...
listen.
Words?
Think about it. How many times has your mind been changed strictly by
words? Just words?
Strong words, inspired, and well presented can, I believe, change a
persons life. But they must be presented well. It is in the
presentation that pasion becomes an amplifier of truth.
Strong words.
Passion.
Truth.
Change.
I really dig my new iPhone. For lots of reasons. And if you have one, you already know.
One major plus for me is the Bible app that I use. It's from the wonderful folks at Lifechurch. They've got a free online bible tool called Youversion. It rocks! And they have a Bible app for iPhone that covers a lot of the same functionality as the full site.
I think my favorite part of the app is the built-in Bible-in-a-year readings. I started fresh on Jan 1. Nothing unusual about it.
But, I've got it with me everywhere. So, I've got no excuse not to keep up with my readings.
And so far, I'm 8 for 8.
My girls are looking out the windows at the airplanes while I sip
caramelly goodness...
Good day
I'm also trying to get the pounds off. 3 lbs so far. About 20 to go.
I gotta get my sorry butt back in the gym when we get home.
What are your goals for 2009?
Sent from my iPhone
