Via the twitters ...

@joelosteenmin - Share your dream with us and join Joel and Victoria for a special DREAM WEEK webcast Tuesday, October 6th 7 PM CT http://ow.ly/sJBU

For whatever reason, I thought to check in and see if Joyce Meyer was heading back to Houston for a November visit, as she's done in recent years. Sure enough, it's on the calendar for November 5-7. So that's something to add to my little Birthday Extravaganza that seems to be going on around then, as it seems there's now tons of stuff aimed at my very own unique consumer demographic happening in the days around my birthday..

I can't believe how often I go without checking for updates on the Lakewood speaking schedule lately. This week looks to be particularly interesting ...

Wednesday: Praise & Worship ... always great nights when we have these. I really need to be sure to get away from the office in a timely manner for this one.

Saturday/Sunday: Arthur Blessitt ... I doubt this will be boring! Check his wikipedia page for some background info. Here's a promo video for the movie recently made of his life (so far):

Hopefully, the movie either gets a showing in the Sanctuary or at least among some of the distributed ministries throughout Lakewood (*cough*Koinonia*cough*)

KHOU offers up a recap of the Yankee Stadium trip. As always, their coverage is pretty generous.

Rob Bell plans his tour for later in the year ... and there's no Houston date on the schedule. Austin and Dallas are it for Houston.

The topic of the tour, "Drops Like Stars", looks promising. I'm guessing it's going to be based heavily on the series he's just wrapping up on Lamentations.

Saturday night, as many of you may know, is Joel's "Night of Hope" at Yankee Stadium. Since it coincides with church for those of us who attend on Saturday nights, there will be an experiment to try and have it recorded for viewing at Koinonia after the service. TBN is broadcasting the event live (they also air live online) and if all goes well, I'll have a copy of the event recorded for replay during Koinonia.

Otherwise, this weekend is Game Night for Koinonia. Yep, we're confiscating junior's air hockey, ping pong, and Pac Man ... and claiming it for our own use. Either reason you come for, it's fun.

One nifty tech thing from the Yankee Stadium event is that if you have bluetooth devices, you'll get some video treats. As if going to church in a brand new, humongous baseball stadium wasn't cool enough.

If you've never been to a Spanish service, tomorrow might be a good excuse to make it. The whole service is apparently devoted to praise & worship by Marcos Witt & band. I'm pretty sure that a working knowledge of Spanish isn't entirely necessary for this. With some luck, I'll be there for this.

... and she's bringing Delirious? this time around.

Maybe I've been thoroughly spoiled by the elbow room that Wednesdays and Saturdays provide at Lakewood, but I'm tempted to make Saturday an all-day affair there in the hopes that the crowd is somewhat thinned out a bit for Joyce.

If you're more than 51 weeks younger than me ...

C30 Journey Service: Got Talent Showcase
Friday, October 24 - 7:30pm - The Loft

Join us as we discover our friends talents! A community for indiciduals in their late 20s to 30s who are professional, just out of college, married or single.

As busy as I've been this week, I did muster the strength to agree to volunteer for this event. No idea what I'm in for. Is it scriptural to pray that someone's gonna bring an electric guitar and go to town for the crowd? I think it should be if it's not.

Anyways, I'm blindly guessing that more would be merrier. Get there if you can.

The news is official ...

Thank you for visiting us at www.CindyRatcliff.com and we appreciate your interest in what's happening with Cindy... We're happy to bring joyful news with this update and let you know that we've been blessed to adopt new born twins, a boy and a girl, born on July the 19th! We are happy to announce the arrival of George Merrick Ratcliff and Emory Carrington Ratcliff as new additions to our family...

God is so faithful and we'll be eternally grateful for everyone at Mercy Ministries for making this dream a reality for us, "what beautiful people they all are, they truly have a special place in our hearts". You can visit them online at www.MercyMinistries.com

We never intended to be gone this long from our Lakewood family and we've missed them dearly. We are so thankful for all of their prayers and support while Cindy's been on Maternity leave. We're finally back home now and Cindy's eager to get back to doing what she loves more than anything in this world and that's leading people into the presence of God! In His presence is fullness of Joy... Cindy is back at Lakewood starting this weekend and you can watch the services live via streaming video at www.Lakewood.cc

We want you to know that God loves you and He's longing to be good to you! Hold on to your dreams and trust in Him, for He is faithful to complete the good work that He has begun in you. We sincerely thank you for your support and prayer for this ministry and we know that your best days are ahead...

Sincerely,
Marcus Ratcliff
Cindy Ratcliff Ministries
PO Box 56091 Houston, TX. 77256

Just passin' on the news. Cindy's return will wait a week.

Personally, I'm pretty lucky. Full power. Full A/C. Cable has been spotty over the late night hours. Internet ... obviously good. Just hoping Metro is running downtown either Sunday or Monday. Still have to check the homestead.

This weekend, apparently.

It pays to read the comments here. Rachel's been tipping us off for a week now, but just to plug it for one and all to see ... Cindy Cruse Ratcliff will be back this weekend leading praise and worship and also performing the special. Don't miss it.

Two outtakes from this past Wednesday here. Overall, I thought it was great to have the L7 band for a change. Lots of energy up there on stage, and I think the opening song captures a bit of that.

"My Savior Lives":

"Inside Out":

Christine Caine was great, as well. Turns out she's Greek, not Australian. So the "R"s kinda came and went.

You didn't think I could pass up posting some video from April Simons' trip back home, did you?

From KSAT:

The local Chronicle also filed a report from the San Antonio paper. Not sure what to make of this poor reporter's assignment:

Even in the men's room, AT&T custodian Donald Fuqua, 47, sensed something special.

"I can tell the Holy Spirit is here," Fuqua said. "When you see people come together, it's the way they look. You can see it in their face. He's alive today."

There's also some "playing to stereotype" reporting in the article (emphasis mine):

He said his aim isn't to compete with churches, but "to plant a seed of hope" for those facing economic woes, ill health and other troubles.

His smile never faltered when asked by reporters about critics who decry his feel-good sermons as "Christianity lite" that depart from strict biblical teachings.

Osteen said he tries to inspire people to do what's right, to give them hope and help them cope with problems. He also said his message is aimed, in large part, to people who otherwise have limited exposure to religion.

The upbeat theme clearly resonated with spectators like Mary L. Dickinson, 72, who drove from Laredo despite four herniated vertebrae and an ailing leg

I'm not sure I should have expected better from a reporter who works out of the men's room. I'm curious that if the reporter's characterization that a message of hope was primarily aimed at those in need of "health and wealth", you'd think there might be some aspect of an actual quote that should be included. And while it's by no means off limits to highlight an interview with someone who drove a ways to worship or that might even have a health issue, it should be pointed out there do exist a fair number of people who are perfectly ambulatory in attendance. Shocking though that may be to some.

I contemplated the trip to San An, but it looked like most of the organized trips out there were overnight stays and I was looking forward to some rest & relaxation on Sunday anyway. One of the groups that reported from their journey noted that they couldn't even get in since they failed to get tickets in advance.

Two random thoughts that finally clicked for me last night while waiting for the service to get started.

Thought #1: Lakewood's 3-yr anniversary arrives in the middle of next month.

Thought #2: The speaking schedule at Lakewood's website still lists "TBD" for July 12-13

Ya think there might be something special in store for that? No idea why I never thought about putting those two thoughts together. Guess I was just thinking they were maybe lining up another John Maxwell-caliber guest speaker for us and had to wait for things to get finalized.

Who knows ... maybe they are and nobody's saying much about it. Not that anyone should be disappointed if Joel just kicks off another three-part sermon on what food we can and can't eat again ;-)

Actually, the reason it probably clicked for me is that I realized I've got three rather significant anniversaries coming up during the summer. My "Lakewood-iversary" which coincides with the anniversary for moving into the current digs. My blog-iversary for my first blog in August. And the blog-iversary for this lil blog in September. All pretty much a month apart from each other. I'm not sure that I'm into big celebratory moments or anything, so the range of celebration will probably run anywhere from me posting a picture of a party hat to sleeping late each day. Don't say you weren't warned!

Seeing Michael W. Smith is as close to going to Branson as I'll likely ever experience without crossing the Missouri state border. It seemed like everyone who was looking for an alternative to an R-rated movie on Friday night was at Lakewood. Like ... from the ages of 7 to 70. And it looked like they were all getting into it except for the one row of kids in front of me, all of whom fell asleep two songs in.

The mob scene was certainly not as bad as was feared. I arrived by 6pm and folks were lining up at all the 2nd floor entrances, but it wasn't terribly bad. By 6:30, the concourse was by no means as claustrophobic as it was for the last Hillsong show. Come to think of it, I also didn't see busloads of church groups depositing kids at Lakewood's doorstep. Guess that's the difference between Sunday night and Friday night.

Had I wanted to force my way in, I could have gotten a onesie seat up at the front section. But since I didn't view myself as a big enough MWS fan to warrant that sort of behavior, I meandered back toward the sound booth. I arrive, I sit down, I patiently allow various groups to obtain seats further toward the middle of our row. I'm at something like the fifth seat from the end. As the others settle past me, they arrive in groups of 2 or 5. Minutes later - after they've all arrived - they depart one-by-one to the restroom. This is the most brutal form of brutality imaginable to a guy looking to kill 45 minutes of dead time sitting near the end of a row. I don't think I ever made it past two sentences before hearing the faint echo of one more bladder-strained individual offering their "Excuse me's" to get past the dwindling number of us still seated. Naturally, they all returned one-by-one as well. I swear, I think I've finally got abs of steel from my Friday night workout. Feel free to check back in about 50 years and I'm sure my most lasting memory from this concert will be that everyone had to go to the bathroom 45 seconds apart from someone else. That and maybe that nobody else in my section knew how to clap in time to any song performed.

So there was, in fact, a concert, also. A little personal history here. I own all of one Michael W. Smith CD - "Go West Young Man." I remember when I bought it, the guy at the record store took one look and said that the guy on the cover looked like George Michael. Realizing he was spot-on in his analysis, I did some quick rationalization of how much it meant to have the full CD just to get one song - "Place in This World." I really could have used itunes back then. So I'm not the biggest, baddest MWS fan who can recite endless trivia tidbits of his musicianship, ministry, or favorite fast food menu item. Don't bother going head-to-head with me on such matters when it comes to Stryper or Whitecross, though. You'll be trapped in a month long lecture series.

Still, I know the guy's got some chops and he's no slouch, and I'm willing to guess he's a very genuine guy whose efforts should be rewarded with as large a crowd as possible singing along to whatever songs he's singing these days. To my regret, neither "Place in This World" nor "Go West Young Man" were among them. Drats. For better or worse, though, his setlist is a bit more populated by Hillsong material that I've become accustomed to.

The highlight of the night is one simple, brief moment. "Mighty to Save" ... not the most unusual song in the world for someone like Smith to belt out, but I think this earns high marks for the camera work. There's a point where the chorus seems to go on like forever

Shine Your light and
Let the whole world see
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King

And the cameras are just trolling around, picking up so many of the choir folks that I know and love. Singing. For the whole world to (ultimately) see. For the glory of the risen King. I obviously have no idea how the finished product will end up, but I've got to think someone would be making a huge mistake to not use that type of footage for the DVD.

Sure, there were several other great moments to report. Guest spots with Israel Houghton (in English) and the Spanish worship leader who's name always seems to escape me (in Spanish ... natch); Aimee Beard, Stephan Jackson and Dos Mellett's on the background vox. Christa Black on guitar, vocals, and violin (note: every female on stage had red hair. That automatically pushes this event up the ranks on my all-time list right there. Oh, and we should seriously look into what it'd take to get Christa back for another guest appearance. Dibs on picking her up at the airport!). MWS offering a 36-hour old song that at least has the distinction of being written in Houston. I'm not sure why - mixing, my seating choice - but it seemed like I picked up a lot of Stephan Jackson from the background vocalists. No complaints there - he's good.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up Friday night.

A glimpse of what we've got in store this Friday ...

It was certainly entertaining by my count to have the stage setup the way it was Wednesday night. Much of the band is right up front and seemingly more a part of worship. Only drawbacks were that everyone's favorite horn section was stashed back in the far corner and the percussionist area was pretty well hidden behind the new location for the drum kit.

Be that as it may, there was some great song selection for the night and Israel always seems to be the surest to break from the routine that we sometimes find ourselves in. I think I was commanded to address/pray with those seated around me more than any Marcos Witt sermon ever. Seeing a service with Israel & Stephen leading the way was also a treat that I don't recall offhand whether we've gotten to see before.

Be sure to make an excuse to catch the concert on Friday. You might find yourself on a DVD later this year.

Expect another madhouse on June 20. Michael W. Smith is recording a live album at Lakewood.

LIVE ALBUM RECORDING - JUNE 20th IN HOUSTON, TX!

05/27/08

Don't miss your opportunity to attend a LIVE MICHAEL W. SMITH ALBUM recording on June 20th @ Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. The show will be completely free to all comers. The First 16,000 people who come to the church will be allowed in for this SPECIAL recording!

Here are the details:

* Doors open @ 6:00 p.m. CST
* Concert begins @ 7:30 p.m. CST
* There are NO tickets for this event, the entire Church will be general admission.
* For Directions to the Church CLICK HERE!

Make sure you plan on joining us for this special recording. YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS NEW ALBUM JUST BY ATTENDING!

I know I've been a bit negligent in my blogging duties, but better late than never. Hillsong's Brian Houston will be preaching this weekend at Lakewood. So come and get yer dose of Australian accent ;-)

I can't help but notice that there's a big "TBD" on the speaking schedule for the weekend of July 12-13. And on a similar note, I've not seen or heard of any concert performances coming up this summer yet. So who knows ... maybe there's some exciting news to look forward to in the coming weeks.