Meet a Friend Monday: Brandon Grissom

Monday is for meeting new friends.
Today I want to introduce you to Brandon Grissom. He's on staff at Willow in Chi-town. I've known Brandon for around 13 years.
He is an amazing musician and writer. But he's an even better guy. Brandon's originally from Prague. That's Prague, Oklahoma. He's one of my two tallest friends. Both come out a Prague. Brian Bergman is the the other. He plays with Charlie Hall. Brian is another post.

Brandon works with Axis at Willow and was formerly the worship leader for the Jr high ministry.

Lyrically he is growing into some amazing company. There just aren't that many worship leaders who write about the Kingdom of God. Brandon is growing into this in wonderful ways.

check out Brandon's myspace. buy his music. You'll not only get amazing music you will want to sing with your church, but you'll also be supporting a genuinely great guy.

Rob does it again.

I love this post from my friend Rob. There's so much power in this little story.

I really thought Tom (my boss and workout partner at a gym) would share my excitement, not get angry. And the worst part was, I didn’t understand what he was so upset about.

It all happened some 25 years ago when I found my very first deer antler in the woods. You may know that a difference between horns (think bulls) and antlers (think bucks) is that animals with antlers drop them each year in the winter and then grow new antlers again in the spring. Animals with horns, however, keep their horns all year around.

Knowing this, every winter when I went in the woods I looked for dropped deer antlers. Given all the time I spent in the woods watching deer and learning their habits, you would have thought I would have easily found an antler or two. But even after years and years and years of looking for them, I never did (part of that is that animals like squirrels and mice eat deer antlers on the ground as a source of calcium).

Finally, when I was maybe 23 years old, I found one (and, ever looking, I haven’t found one since until this year, when I found two!). Finding that antler was one of my life’s great thrills, the culmination of so much time, effort, and tightly focused seeking. Immediately I thought of my little brother, who I would take hiking with me one day every week. “I bet he’d love to find an antler,” I thought to myself.

With that in mind, I put the antler back down in the woods, hiked with my brother to that spot, and then let him “find’ it (he didn’t know I’d found it first). Well, it was telling Tom this story that got him so worked up. “You ruined that for him,” Tom said. “He didn’t spend years longing to find an antler. He hasn’t spent years searching for one. He has no context in which to fully appreciate the accomplishment, and by your making it so easy for him, he never will.”

I was so happy with myself for giving my treasure away to share my joy with brother. Why couldn’t Tom understand that? I didn’t get it.

I do now. There are things that are not ours to give, no matter how desperately we might want to do so. There are things we cannot give, no matter how much we might wish we could. And when we do give them, the danger is not that our gift will not be appreciated or fail to meet our desired ends, but that it will take something even more precious away from the one we seek to love.

I think parents in particular would do well to remember this. We all want to make life easier for our kids, and often have the means to act on our desire. But the truth is, in the end we might just be doing the opposite.

Link

I'm a fan of Craig Groeschel

Just for the record, I'm a fan of Craig and while I don't completely understand what he's doing, or why he's doing it, I'm a fan of the guy.

Just want to be clear on that.

Jimmy on Rollins Quote

Jimmy chimed in on the Peter Rollins quote from last week with this beauty on my facebook account.

"The general idea of resurrection for 2nd Temple Jewish culture was centered around vindication--that God will stand behind the lives of those who have been defeated by the world, yet have stood faithfully for God. Specifically, belief concerning resurrection for the righteous martyrs in Jewish history, for example, was that their persecutors were not ultimately the victors, but that YHWH and his faithful would win-out.

Jesus' resurrection is also vindication. In the resurrection God backed-up the words and life of Jesus. He _is_ the Son of God, Messiah and Lord. It shows that Rome, power, and death did not win. That the values of the kingdom are ultimately true: that the meek, the downtrodden, truly will inherit the land; that he first _will_ be last; that the kingdom _is_ at hand. If I act contrary to these words of Jesus, even if I think Jesus walked out of the tomb after his death, I think I do deny the essence of the resurrection."

This is Jimmy at his best.

Rob Merola Quote

My friend Rob lives in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington D.C. A really nice part of the country to live in. Rob can also put a few words together as you see below.
This is the kind of thing that seems to pop up in my conversations with friends recently. He just says it better.

"Sometimes, even right here in some of the nicest places in America, there are people suffering such anguish that it is a very real question of whether or not they will survive.

It’s not something I think any of us expect in our civilized world where most people’s lives look so neat and well kept. Maybe it didn’t seem so foreign in past generations when people faced death on a regular basis. Maybe it doesn’t seem so foreign today in those places where life is lived out in the midst of war. I really don’t know. I only know I feel a distinct incongruity between the insulation and comfort of modern life and the knowledge that a person not unlike you or me might not make it to see another day.

It happens more frequently than you might think. Eating disorders, addictions, and depression are all some of the things that can bring a person who on the outside seems to have everything to the place where inside they have nothing left. Sometimes, despite love and prayers, they do not make it through.

Our ability to affirm goodness in life is such a great gift; seeing it absent in the life of another makes us realize anew how fortunate we are, and what a mistake it is to take that fortune for granted without being deeply grateful for it."

-Rob Merola


You might consider reading Rob's blog. Link

Happy Birthday to John Raymond!

Happy Birthday to John Raymond!
I thought I'd include a picture of John from years ago. John's on the right. Can you name to other member of the team standing to his left?

John if you're reading this, spend the day listening to Elvis Costello, Green Day and U2.
Love ya man! Happy Birthday! See you in February at NPC!

Following the Bible or Following Jesus

My friend Wade has some thoughts:

Link

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Jesus means in Matthew 5:17-20. He calls his disciples to a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees.

How is this possible?

I think it’s possible by following Jesus and his interpretation of Scripture as articulated through is words and embodied by his deeds.

What is the difference between a disciple of Christ and a Pharisee? A disciple follows Jesus as He embodies the ultimate intent of scripture. A Pharisee follows scripture without following Jesus. The difference between the two is massive.

We can take scripture so seriously that we miss Jesus. That’s what the Pharisees did. But if we take Jesus seriously, we will also take scripture seriously in the way that God intends for it to be taken seriously.

I was talking to a church leader recently about what kind of church he leads, how they operate, their philosophy of ministry, etc. He said, “We keep it simple, we follow the Bible.”

I understand what he means by that, but I wonder if it ultimately points us in the wrong direction?

Are we called to follow the Bible or are we called to follow Jesus? If we follow Jesus, he will teach us how to read the Bible the way God wants the Bible to be read. If we take the bible more seriously than Jesus, our desire to follow the Bible will land us in the same pit with the Pharisees.

Advent and Suburban life - For Eikon

This is for my friends within eikon and who I hope we will be and remember. The rest of you all are welcome to comment and provide your thoughts as well.

The suburban life I live is not normal. Most people don't live like this. But as a suburban person I see myself needing to resist the constant gravitational pull of believing that the way i live everyday is the only and best way to live.

It is not, on both counts.

I must also fight against the constant pull to look down on others in some capacity because they are unlike me. They don't live in a house, in the burbs. They don't dress like me, or share my preferences about grooming, how to spend their money, or their time.

I assume this kind of thinking happens in other neighborhoods as well. they talk about me, or my neighborhood.

This is flawed thinking from us all. The self-proclaimed redneck, the suburban soccer mom, and the hip urban dweller have more in common than we;d like to think.

Arrogance is at the core and an inability to be compassionate toward others is the issue. If we are unable to see the world through the eyes of another, we are doomed to isolation in our little ackwardly and perhaps sinfully separated neighborhood.

Until myself, and my friends in the suburbs are able to understand the details of the pain and humiliation of others, we will fail to live out the kingdom of God in the world in the ways we are called to.

Surely the homeless man feels differently than I do. He somehow deserves it, the thinking goes. He or she suffering on the street from mental illness, or a bad break, or bad choices is somehow acceptable to us.

Did I just write that? Tell me it's not true. That it's acceptable that people suffer. that we simply write off people as being different than we are.

My friends we will understand the heart of God when we engage the pain and suffering of others. Until then, we are holding tightly to something else. Something other than the gospel. Until then we will always be able to write them off as homeless, prostitutes, exotic dancers, trailer trash, alcoholics, druggies, unbelievers, homos, cut-throat corporate executives, or senior pastors.

Advent is about Jesus coming and engaging in our pain, humiliation and suffering. It is the way of Jesus to live this way.

May we be a people who become sensitive to the reality of others.

Update: Just for clarification. I believe that Eikon does this better than any other community than I've ever been a part of, but it's something I need to remind myself of and hope we can keep before us.

An unbelievable proposal

My buddy Brandon put this on his blog. His buddy proposed to his girlfriend. Pretty much how I proposed to Pam 16 years ago. (not quite)

Today I am a Jayhawk

Today I stand with my Jayhawk friends, especially Dan Mayes, and I'm pulling for a win against Texas. It doesn't need to be to be a big win. One point will do.

Rock Chaulk Jayhawk!

Jimmy on the AntiChrist

My buddy Jimmy has written some on the anti-christ. I would venture to guess that he's thinking about the subject because, in our neck of the woods, people are asking if Obama is THE anti-Christ. He doesn't say so. It's my take. And while you might write off such thinking as nutty, or completely out of touch with reality, it is in fact some of the very talk one might have seen popping up on facebook status on the eve of Nov. 4th. Or in a church near you this coming Sunday.

Here's Jimmy's take. on the anti-christ.

If you are a left behind fan, someone who thinks about the end times alot, or are a Kirk Cameron fan, then you really need to read what Jimmy wrote.

Come Hang with me in Tulsa in April

April 27-29th my friend Jonathon Reitz (of the Leadershed fame) will be hosting a Leading Church B conference in Tulsa. So much of leadership presented by publishers, conferences and speakers is based on a leadership style few people actually have.

This is Leadership for the rest of us. This is NOT for everyone. Everyone is a participant and you will experience a fundamentally different way of leading people.

If you want more info let me know and I'll send you some info on it!


mark

Band name meme

Bevan has an entertaining game to come up with your hypothetical Band’s name, album title and cover art for your first album.

You do that by:

1. Band Name: Random Wikipeda Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

2. Album Title: Random quote generator (take the last four words from the quote) Link: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
3. Album Art: Flickr Interesting Photo: http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

To cool.
My Band name: Blackwater
My Album Title: except death and taxes
Cover Art:

I'd love to see what the band names and titles might be for other friends of mine.
Marko would be the kind of music you play on a pink guitar,
Dan Mayes would probably be named after Amy Grant,
Todd Littleton would likely be some kind of college music,
and Dan Kimball's band would be a rock a billy band that covers elvis...
I'd also like to see Brandon Grissom's band name. That is if it weren't named after himself. :-)
and though I don't think he reads my blog, I'd love to see what Zach Lind would name his band if it were to be changed from Jimmy Eat World.

Toying with an idea

I'm toying with an idea. My good friend David Welch recently suggested this idea and I've been tossing it around and thought I'd get your input.

Folks email me questions pretty often these days wanting some outside perspective to various issues and I respond to every email I get. I give my take and I try to get the takes of others I know. When appropriate I might even spend some time talking with them you) on the phone.

Still others invite me into the church and I partner with them in their own context.

David suggested that I answer some questions that people ask me via video and post them in a video blog post.

What do you think?

I'm really asking here friends. What do you think?

High Noon

A friend of mine, Andy Mullins, has developed some pretty cool software. It's build for his Marketing and T-Shirt company to better care for his customers and increase pace and quality. If you own a creative company this might be a good solution for you.

Check it the software out here.

Here are some of his ventures. here. and here.

Educating my friends

For Bevan and Ryan who haven't heard of Dimitri Martin.
I think of Dimitri as the Sufjan Stevens of comedy.

Brandon Grissom's Brighter

People are starting to notice. Brandon Grissom is the real deal.

Link

I liked this part in particular:

There a some seriously horrible worship albums out there. I want let you in on a secret. A diamond in the rough. His name is Brandon Grissom … and he’s the the real deal.

Living in the Chicago area, I get to meet some very creative and talented people. Living in the back yard of Willow Creek Community Church–I am friends with many young, shiny faces that come to Willow from around the world because of their gifting. Often these folks, while talented, seem to be on the fast track to become minor “Christian celebrities” and, to be brutally honest, lack a collaborative heart. The bright lights of the mega church (and the notoriety and salary that come with it) have drawn them like moths to a flame … and some hearts just get burnt up.

Grissom seems to have escaped all this nonsense. Why is all this important for a music review? It’s really simple, if you are going to make real worship music what’s in your heart is 99% of the battle.

Out of a man’s heart flows his music. Out of a man’s heart flows his lyrics. You should investigate Brandon Grissom’s heart.

Great job B!

Uke Shaft

In honor of Marko, who loves uke music.

Bevan on Spiderman 3

Bevan's a new friend who is also part of the eikon community. He loves movies. Today he writes a personal letter to Spiderman 3. Feeling the need to get his feelings off his chest. Freakin hilarious. Read it here.

My personal favorite part:

The problem is that I ended up pretty much liking Black Spiderman about 1000x better than normal Spiderman. Let’s review the major “evil” choices that “evil” Spiderman took:

1. He was mean to his landlord. This seems like fair play to me, that dude was always yelling at him. And while we’re on the topic, why does Spiderman have rent concerns? Doesn’t his inability to make even a small financial arrangement with the New York for his living conditions hinder his ability to fight crime effectively? Isn’t Spiderman just hurting New York due to his love of personal poverty?
2. He jazz danced down Broadway. Don’t even get me started with that damn scene.
3. He ate too many cookies from the landlord’s daughter. Was never quite sure while this was “evil”, she seemed to enjoy the whole thing.
4. He exposed a fraud whose lies endangered their mutual employer. The movie never even touches that it is a just thing to right a wrong, it only deals with emotions. “Oh, you hurt my feelings because you exposed me for the fraud that I am.” Batman wouldn’t deal with that crap.
5. He told whiny Harry the truth about his a-hole dad. Seemed like fair-play to me, the kid needed to know the truth. Especially since enabling his lie made him your mortal enemy and endangered your crime-fighting operation.
6. He was mean to Mary Jane by jazz dancing (again?!?) at her jazz club. This is the Mary Jane who brutally broke his heart by acting like she had an affair with his best friend. Seemed necessarily cathartic to me. She is a selfish girl who can’t sing well. She ain’t the Queen of Sheeba.

Faith, Disbelief, and @$%holes

Warning: If you are easily offend by the use of "cusswords" then don't read any further. Below is an fairly accurate example of a real conversation I had today.

I met Susie today at a coffee shop while talking to my old friend Jon. Susie heard me talking about eikon and thought I was talking about an old club downtown. Sitting, separated by 5 or 6 feet of space we started a conversation across the coffee shop. We talked a bit about the old teen club ikon, that was downtown in the 80's and then we started talking about eikon, the community we are living into in these days.

Susie told us about being raised Hindu in Tulsa and then we dove into a discussion about faith, religion etc.

Here's a few quotes as I remember them from our conversation.
Susie: "In Hinduism, Islam and Christianity there are fundamentalist. In every religion there are a couple thousand assholes who ruin it all."
Jon:"I'm an asshole."
Susie laughs.
me: "Me too. Maybe if you declare yourself an asshole in advance it somehow keeps the asshole factor down and keeps you from being a fundamentalist?"

Susie: "My father taught me that faith is the suspension of disbelief. I think he's right. People who watch movies are having faith in movies. They choose to suspend disbelief and have faith in what they are watching."
Jon: "Yeah, like reality TV. All those people play a role. But we still watch it. It's faith in the show in some way."

We talked for 30 minutes about faith, Jesus, arranged marriage, and my family.
I look forward to more conversations with Jon and Susie.