Zimmerman

Tooting Your Horn

2012-01-27T13:48:00.001-08:00

Self-promotion stinks, and most people can smell it.

I've noticed a recent trend on Twitter where creatives doing great work talk about all the reasons that announcing your own great work is a bad idea. Re-posting a compliment you receive online is lame/disgusting/distasteful. I get it. No one likes the guy at the party telling everyone how awesome he is. And 99 parties out of 100, that guy isn't awesome at all. Or he was born on 3rd base and acts like he hit a triple.

In fact, I recently saw a post from a creative professional I respect immensely, @JeremyCowart that nailed this sentiment on the head:

I should say I wish there were a 100 Jeremy Cowarts. He does phenomenal work and seems to love Jesus. Those that I have worked with, that work with him, adore him. That's a good sign he's a stand-up dude.

My contention is that this oversimplifies an important piece of most artist's lives.

The same pin used to pop the "humblebrag" balloon, is also frequently used against those trying to do what God commands for our joy. Brag on Jesus. Brag on what he's doing. Brag on what's he's done. And when you have 140 characters, it's not always easy to tell whether someone is trying to throw themselves a party, or share their gratitude and excitement about what is happening around them. Cowart's point seems to be, "don't be that guy" but reading others I wonder about who gets arrested by the Humble Police because they tried to celebrate something worth celebrating.

Does it matter who is at the bar? At Cowart's watering hole there are currently 47,000 patrons, and I'm willing to bet he hasn't shaken hands with many of them. That's part of being crazy talented like he is; his Twitter follower list is a lot longer than his Christmas card list. What if you're online audience is mostly people that know you well and know your heart? I suppose that's not common, but I do wonder if announcing a big break in a bar's backroom with friends and family is different than the picture he paints. We all don't have 47,000 people at our party.

Maybe who's in the room doesn't change anything. But if someone follows you on Twitter, aren't they agreeing that your particular networking/promotion efforts are of interest to them? Obviously, posting your work, and posting other's comments on your work are not the same. That said, if Obama posts a message about Cowart's work with the Dalai Lama being awesome, I'm interested and don't blame him for sharing it.

It seems God is not a fan of folks who make the world about them. That said, most circles I run in are not proficient celebrators. Cynics don't celebrate. They criticize. I want to be less critical and better at celebrating.

As someone who is assigned the task of communicating on Twitter what God is doing in our community weekly , I wish I had a better handle on this topic. Would love input on this one.

The silence is ending...

2011-12-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

After 3 years of quiet...

Zimmerman is heading back to the studio!

Here is what we know now:

At least 8 tracks of brand new material.
Release date set for late spring.
It will be our best work ever, we are quite sure.

We're working hard to show you what our next project will be like, not just tell you, so keep your eyes peeled. The most exciting details involve how we are going to make the record and who is working with us in the studio. More info coming around Jan 7th.

With great love and affection,
Donald, Cory, Liz, Mike, and Trevor

Why Creativity is Hard to Find in the Church

2011-11-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Four years ago I made a video to request some of our church attenders to switch services. It is seen below.

The first copycat I ever was sent was the video below. The notes indicate that they admit they stole the idea.

Then they started popping up all over, mostly for men's retreats. I don't particularly care, as I didn't contract our Gerard Butler to make the first one, but I can't help but feel that part of what is wrong with creativity in the church can be summarized below. (this is a SMALL sampling)

At our church, this kind of thing happens a lot. We recently received a request from a church on the east coast to purchase some of our artwork (both physical and digital) from the last teaching series. We're sending them the full graphics package for free.

I wish Christians weren't known for this sort of thing. I wish Christian bookstores weren't chock full of rip-off goods that tell people we should just copy culture and add a cheesy tagline. I think we can do better.

Thoughts?

Melodi-wha?

2011-11-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

A few people asked about the instrument I played this past Sunday.

It's called a "melodica". Made popular by Hohner in the late 50's, it's popped up in reggae, folk, and pop music now and then over the last 5 decades. Most melodicas have two octaves, and they have a warm tone. They were used heavily in Asia and Europe to teach children music theory and basic music skills.

I first found one in a studio owned by Shane and Shane called Spaceway outside of Dallas, TX. Our producer at the time encouraged us to try it on a track and we did...

I've hung on to it over the years and pulled out for special sets, especially those when we strip the electric guitars back and use more folk-style instruments.

There you have it. A brief history on a fun little instrument...Watch for a reappearance at Christmas!

Oli's First Song

2011-11-05T16:30:00.001-07:00

My son Oliver wrote his first song a couple days ago. We're pretty sure the song is called "Train". I think you'll hear why.

Sounds kinda Dylan-ish to me. While this isn't his first harmonica attempt, it is his first vocal performance. Enjoy!

Fall Fishing

2011-09-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Fishing on the Truckee is always fruitful time for me. It's one of the only times I feel like my A.D.D. ramps down, along with my stress and internal chaos. It's time I can have conversation with God, and get my heart pumping.

Fall is the best time to be on the river. While I finally bit the bullet and took up fly fishing, you can do just fine without the pomp and payments. Evidenced below by my 20 inch friend...

Catch and release of course. Get out there and catch something!

Last night's word...

2011-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I stepped out of my comfort zone as a leader, and shared with the congregation during the gathering what I thought God was saying in that moment. This is something I do frequently with general concepts, but last night's impression was very specific. So specific that I walked off stage to type it out, and then brought the page back on stage to recite. It seems from my email inbox today that people were ministered to, and for that I am grateful that I didn't screw up what God was trying to do in that moment. While nothing profound, it's still a victory in combining faith with listening to the Spirit. If interested, read below for what I heard/read aloud.

There are a thousand things we live for. Our problem is not lack of passion, but desperate passion for other things.

Most of us are desperately waiting for something to save us from loneliness, exhaustion, and weakness.

Some of us are desperate for a job.

Some of us are desperate fora promotion

Some of us are desperate for this semester to be over already.

Some of us are desperate for a person to reciprocate the feelings we have for them.

Some of us are desperate to get out of our current relationship.

Some of us are desperate for a spouse.

Some of us desperately want to finally get pregnant.

Some of us are desperate for our kid to straighten up.

Some of us are desperate for a little more money.

Some of us are desperate for a little more free time.

Some of us are desperate for a sickness to be healed.

Some of us are desperate for a little more attention.

None of things are bad.

But none of these things are God.

If we place any of these things at the center of our life then we can not be satisfied in the one thing we have been hard wired to be satisfied in:

The King, the Healer, the Provider, the Lover, the Warrior: Jesus Christ.

Acts 29 Bootcamp Part 2

2011-06-15T11:20:00.001-07:00

It was a real honor to be a part of this event. Grateful for all the incredible volunteers from Living Stones that helped pull it off.

Click on any image to see it larger...

Huge thanks to prize winnning photographer Thomas Hurst for these shots. You couldn't meet a better dude.

Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp

2011-06-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from the last 2 weeks. I took these on my D-90. I don't know anything about photography, as is evident below.

Scott Thomas (president of Acts 29) and Zimmerman.

Scott Thomas preaching at the Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp.

Q&A session with Scott Thomas, D.A. Carson, and Mark Driscoll.

Jeff Vanderstelt preaching at the Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp.

Mark Driscoll preaching at the Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp.

Matt Chandler preaching at the Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp.

D.A. Carson preaching at the Acts 29 Bay Area Bootcamp.

Jonathan Edwards on Bodily Worship

2011-06-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

I don't suppose that any understanding men, of whatsoever sect or opinion, will say that God is really pleased with bodily worship as such, that is, that merely such and such gestures and motions of body are what delights him as a part of virtue; but only as they are helps to the exercise of real virtue and the worship of the mind. Now there is an indissoluble, unavoidable association, in the minds of the most rational and spiritual, between things spiritual and things bodily. Thus when we are joyful and express our joy, 'tis natural to do it with a lively voice; and when we express sorrow, to do it with what we call a mournful voice. This is natural to us, and the association becomes much stronger by use in other matters.

So we are necessitated to join some gestures to some habitudes of mind in common affairs, as uncovering the head, and some other gestures besides fitting with reverence. Thereby there grows a strong association, so that if one be restrained the other will unavoidably be restrained too. So that some bodily worship is necessary to give liberty to our own devotion; yea though in secret, so more when with others.

'Tis necessary that there should be something bodily and visible in the worship of a congregation; otherwise, there can be no communion at all.

...So many as are thus necessary, we are allowed in gospel worship, and more [than that] are contrary to its nature; for the gospel supposes the church to be no longer an infant, but as come to the stature of a man. Wherefore the weak and beggarly elements are rejected, and the childish bodily ceremonies cashiered, as being fit only for children, and unworthy of those who are come to riper years; and the worship that is now required of [us] is only that which is manly, rational and spiritual.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love this. Really, really love this.

Chris August show coming up....

2011-05-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

We're playing a show in June with Chris August, 3 time Dove award winner and fantastic songwriter. Join us for a wonderful evening?

Maturity Matters

2011-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

I regularly run into folks that believe themselves spiritually mature, but within a very short conversation, you are given reason to question that self-assessment. They complain about this, they bicker about that, and all under the umbrella of learned wisdom.

I will say this: We are not given experience and time as a Christian to become a calculated critic, but instead a seasoned servant.

The mission is not solely to assess what is wrong with the world or Christ's bride, the church. Any coward can do that. It seems to me that Jesus calls us to be a part of the solution.

Recent Ruminations

2011-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts on what God has been showing me recently.

Knowing Christ means walking His path.

Some days, the length of this path is daunting. On other days, the narrowness is ever present, with the scorching heat of either side grazing your face. Yet Christ is both here and off in the distance, walking along side and up ahead. He is our treasure now and the goal around the bend.

Sin's plan is always to alienate and jeopardize the things that you actually desire in your life.

His burden is light, but not always comfortable. He is our sole hope in each breath, and the only reason worth enduring the discomfort of His kingdom colliding with what wars inside us.

The optimist who finds their hope in frayed safety nets is just as endangered as the pessimist who insists that there is no rescue available.

Believing that God is powerful enough to do something about your condition is insufficient. Without also seeing His goodness for what it is, you will see Him as a jail warden, passively patrolling your life at best, and a vicious dictator who abandons you in times of despair at worst.

I want the hope of Christ to grip me more tightly. Hopeful and discouraged people are both contagious.

The Tipping Point

2010-12-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I walked out to my '96 Tacoma in the driveway last week, and had two thoughts:
1. "My car is dirty. Like, 'just got back from Burning Man' dirty."
2. "That tree only has one leaf left. Tomorrow, that tree will be different than today."
(see above picture I snapped)

Last night, Pastor Harvey spoke on the basics of idolatry, and how we as Christians have a means of escaping the clutches of idols in our lives. He defined an idol as anything the we trust, love, or obey. We're called to actively throw down our idols and run the race that God has marked out for us.

Over the past few years, I've watched as the occasional church folks have quit their race...some have given up on God and others have given up on His people. Some have done both. A common thread I see is frustration with the pace of renewal. Many aren't getting the results they thought they would, or in some cases, what people told them they would.

Salvation is typically addressed in three different ways in Scripture:
1. A starting point or decision to acknowledge Jesus as King
2. The ongoing process of becoming more like your King, what we call sanctification.
3. Our King Jesus' return and the end of all that is not as "it ought to be".

It has been said that sanctification is a crawl. That instead of the 100M dash, it's more like a marathon you run over the course of all of your days. There are seasons of rest and seasons of hardship. You are either gaining ground or losing it.

With things like bankruptcy, cancer, and divorce, it's easy to lose perspective on our trajectory. It's easy to not feel the presence of our King. It's easy to slip into discouragement or even frustration about our sin and the remaining brokenness in us.

Our identity is changed the moment we receive Christ. The power and penalty of sin has been dealt with. The presence of sin is here, but time is running out. The leaves are indeed falling, and soon...only one will remain. Then, it too will fall and all things will be made new. Even the presence of sin will be gone forever.

I can't help but long for the day the last leaf falls. We will then see how altogether different we really are.

Come Jesus.

DZ

Piano Project - Part 4

2010-10-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

Got the other half of the lid on, and put the 2nd shelf in. Freaked out that it wasn't level until I realized it was my garage floor that was off, not the piano. Oops. So close.......

Piano Project - Part 3 continued...

2010-10-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Finally peeled the plexi-glass protective coating. Looks better than I expected. A huge thank you to Mr. Needham for the donation!

I spent the rest of my project time today fabricating some stops for the kick board on the bottom. Because of the pieces I took out, it doesn't have anything to keep it from falling forward or backward.

This one below is little more complicated because it needs to turn 90 degrees so that you can remove the kick board when access to the guts is required. Little square of foam on the end will keep the board from rattling too much.

Last coat of polyurethane is drying on everything that needed it.

The last step will be popping in the 2nd shelf, re-hinging the other half of the top, and getting started on the electrical wiring. The end is near!

Piano Project - Part 3

2010-10-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

Next up was a set of new casters, because the old ones had seen better days and I knew I was going to be wheeling this thing around a lot. Excitedly I mounted them, and then realized maybe I should have waited. It turns out, my timing was right as I was going to be moving this thing a lot throughout the end of the project.

I knew I wanted to stain the inside and back, and paint the exterior frame complimentary shades of aqua and deep blue. Here's a quick shot of the finishes I landed on:

1. Behr primer/paint combo in flat. Sample can. Plenty of paint to hit the panels I wanted.
2. Glidden high gloss for the kick board. Easy to clean, durable, slightly different shade than the paint on purpose for depth.
3. Minwax water-based stain, dyed custom by the lady at home depot based on my paint swatch.
4. Clear coat for the stained areas.
5. Also, some serious wood glue I used for reattaching the bottom of the piano back on.

Then, a quick fit-test to see what kind of room I would have on the edges, and how big the plex would need to be that would function as my "bottom shelf". This 49-key Axiom fit nicely.

Next up: the shelves. I wanted the top one to be stained wood and the bottom to be made of plexi-glass so that I could inlay custom artwork in the 4 wood squares and they would be seen through the working surface. Picked up a piece of plex from a dear friend who is known for having this sort of thing on hand. Cut it with a jigsaw, then drilled holes in the notched sections to get the jigsaw running side-to-side to finish the notches. Despite all advice, I found running the saw quickly (instead of slowly like everyone suggested) made the cleanest cuts with no melted plastic.

Here's one of the glass laid in, with notches taken out of the back edge to stabilize any sliding. (It still has the protective blue coating on.)

Piano Project - Part 2

2010-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

STEP 2:

I knew the next part was gutting this beast. All 88 keys came off pretty easily once the guard plank was removed. I removed the cheek blocks to maximize the width of the "bottom shelf". Next was the piano strings...you know, the kind gangsters kill people with in old mob movies?

Rather than unwind all of them with a piano wrench I did not own, I opted to grab the bolt cutters and go one by one with protective glasses on. 88 wires isn't too bad, right? Wrong. Most keys hit 3 strings so do the math...I was cutting a couple dozen a day for several days. Then I had to take a pair of vice grips and pull the remnant rusted strings off of the pegboard. Nasty.

Next was yanking the cast iron plate. That meant finding a way to pull the huge steel piece (75 lbs) from inside the wood frame. That was the hardest part of the whole project. Other than being heavy, there was no clear path to pull it out without deconstructing some of the frame, which was risky because anything I disassembled had to be rebuilt creating more work. Finally, I decided to drive it out the bottom, which meant I pulled off the bottom piece of the piano. Here she is, free of her piano prison:

If I am still feeling ambitious when this project is done, I may turn the plate into a coffee-table. One side is perfectly flush and would hold a custom cut piece of glass well. Legs would be easy to attach. Just an idea...

Here's the pinblock cleaned of all its rusty whiskers.

In an attempt to have a clean canvas to begin rebuilding, I started pulling off wood pieces that were either cosmetic, or structurally unnecessary. Now we're getting somewhere!

(end of part 2)

Piano Project

2010-10-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

On various tours, I have across a particular DIY project that I always thought would be a fun undertaking; converting an old upright piano into a MIDI workstation. The basic concept is:

Step 1: Find an old upright for cheap. Really cheap.
Step 2: Gut it.
Step 3: Refinish it to your liking.
Step 4: Install your favorite MIDI/audio devices.

The reasons for the project are functional as well as aesthetic. It could be used by the bands at Living Stones, as well as look cleaner and cooler than a table full of wires and cables.

So...

Last month I decided to stop just thinking about it, and try it. Step 1 was finding a piano for "free-fifty". I had noticed a guy on Craigslist that was always selling old uprights, and in some of his photos it seemed he had a storage space full of them so I gave him a ring. Our conversation:

DZ: Hello, I have a question for you that you probably don't get a lot. Do you have an upright that is damaged beyond repair?

GUY: Why yes, i was taking one to the dump tomorrow. Want it today?

Sweet.

(end of part 1)

Brown Monster

2010-08-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

My blog is supposed to be about art and life. I don't know which this falls under.

Don't know the guy, but he's a local angling celeb now. Caught at 1pm during 100 degree weather last week. 32" on a 5 wt fly rod. In its stomach they found a pigeon, a bike tire and the redevelopment plans for downtown Reno. Okay, I made up the last sentence, but the rest is true.
DZ

Cleaning

2010-07-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Sometime around age 14 I decided that my bedroom needed a major overhaul. I basically woke up one morning and realized that my disaster of a room wasn't as cool as I thought. It didn't communicate independence and freedom as I previously believed. In fact I was suddenly pretty sure that it communicated that I myself was a disheveled disaster.

As I gazed around the room, I noticed that the most noticeable visual offender was the stack of decrepit and dilapidated CB radios on the shelf closest to the door. I had gathered these from garage sales over the years, a hobby I inherited from my grandfather. Most of them were not working, but a man can never have enough CB radios. My conversations with passing truckers on the nearby highway were often salty and a great place for me to learn new words I could throw around at school.

I decided that this CB graveyard would be the starting point for my full frontal attack on the clutter in my room. After clearing the shelf and inhaling a whole farm of dust-bunnies, I stared at the newly resurrected shelf and wondered what should replace my communicative toys.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was a collection of dusty trophies. These were mostly obligatory "great attitude" or "most improved" type trophies. Most kids who were at my caliber of play knew that they really should read, "you used to suck worse" or "thanks for not quitting and making me look like a bad coach". I dusted them off and placed them neatly side by side on the shelf. Regardless of the means by which I obtained them, they were a bit of a treasure to me.

I was recently reading when Jesus said that casting out demons, while amazing and supernatural, was not the fix that a demonized person required. In fact he went so far to say that if you remove an "unclean spirit" from the space of someone's body, and don't follow up with a replacing of that same space with the Spirit, that the person is actually worse off. Not only that, but he mentions that the demon would return and find "the house swept and put in order". Those words bounced around my head for a bit, as I wondered what that means and if I knew what that looks like.

Immediately I began thinking of all the people that taste the things of the Kingdom, and maybe even experience a season of victory over an area of struggle, but quickly resort to tactics of self-reliance. They start removing the things that cause them to struggle but never address the issue of treasuring Jesus, making him utmost, and loving His kingship. The picture we have in Scripture of repenting has 2 parts: then turning from, and the turning toward. Yet the turning from is what is emphasized and what most people identify as repentance. I've assuredly seen this in my own actions and felt this in my own chest.

There are very few guarantees in life, but I feel confident guaranteeing that if you remove temptation, modify behaviors, or resolve to change but never receive and treasure Jesus, it is only a matter of time before things go back to the old way or even get worse.

Jesus isn't looking for clean shelves. He is interested in being our treasure and filling our shelves with the things that only He can provide. The beautiful experience of walking with Christ, is that when He is your trophy on the shelf, the rest of your house looks different. He takes your life of disarray and breathes peace and change into the messiest of rooms.

²⁴"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' ²⁵And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first."
Luke 11

The Band Rivalry

2010-06-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, feast your eyes on this:

Benefit Concert for Romania Orphanage
FRIDAY, June 11th.
at Grace Church
at 7pm
All ages. Tix are $10 at the door, and all proceeds go to the orphanage.

Alldaydrive and Zimmerman will be playing tunes for your enjoyment. Spread the word...we're depending on you!

DZ

Changes

2010-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

5 years ago, only Harvey and I were on staff and I tried to take care of anything that wasn’t preaching. It was messy.

When I think about where God has brought us now, I get a bit foggy eyed at the sheer amount of people pouring out their lives for something bigger, and mostly just grateful God has kept the wheels on this thing. It’s been a twisting road thus far, and certainly not a script that I am smart or brave enough to have written.

We’ve been receiving a lot of questions recently about all of the changes in the worship ministry of Living Stones. Some of those questions have come in from those curious and caring. Others have wielded them as weapons.

One thing I have gleaned from those wiser and more experienced is that effective ministry is built on an unchanging Gospel through constantly changing means. So the “why” we do ministry and the “who we do it for” is constant, while the “when”, “where”, and some of the “how” is always in a state of flux. Things like Jesus and the Scriptures stay in a closed hand while things like music style, ministry structure, and systems are in an open hand.

This past year, it became clear that in order to grow we were going to need to revamp some of the systems in the open hand. My role was shifting from leading a team every weekend at services, to overseeing six bands and developing band leaders. As the needs of the ministry grew, I knew we were going to eventually tear down what he had previously built in order to grow, progress, and serve the community.

Many have noticed that the faces on stage every weekend have changed, including my band ‘Zimmerman’. Actually, all 6 bands have been reworked and more changes are planned for the rest of the year. The “why” of ministry hasn’t changed; to worship Christ with our lives and to help the LS community articulate things of the faith in song. But as the ministry continues to grow, the needs and requirements of what I oversee have grown too.

New objectives have arisen, such as:
-providing a consistent worship experience for all of the services
-limiting new material presented to the community so they can learn and engage with current songs
-balancing out the bands in terms of maturity and talent
-setting a consistent schedule so that the community feesl more connected to their worship leaders
-providing opportunities for new musicians to prove faithfulness in using their gifts for the Kingdom

These objectives could change at any time, but for now this is a sampling of what we are striving for.

‘Zimmerman’ is changing too. Aaron is moving his family to Las Vegas and will be missed. He’s a good friend and has been a servant to the community for many years. Brennen is now singing with Ricky Turner’s band, ‘Outlet’ to help take that band to the next level and will be singing at Living Stones a lot more often really soon. What has been known as ‘Zimmerman’ in the past will look different in the future, with some musicians playing with me at Living Stones, and others playing outside events when they arise. I have been revitalized by some songwriting and recording these past few months with several different artists in the LS community.

I can honestly say that I have never been this excited or at peace about the worship ministry of LS. Things are still messy and I’m trying to learn as much as I can while applying the Gospel to how we grow and develop. I am desperately trying to make sure the right things stay unchanging, and the rest is held in a very open hand.

The Nest

2010-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Shortly after moving into our current home five years ago, I began to recognize certain critters that would frequent our address. Of these creatures, my favorite was Mordecai.

Mordecai is a dove.

Mordecai had hard working parents that tried to provide for him a suitable life. They left several summers ago and left him to fend for himself. He struggled for a while, but presumably urged by the pangs of spring hunger, he finally flew the nest. I saw a few of his early attempts and they were not the icon of grace and triumph one would hope for.

These days, Mordecai has grown up a bit. He's seen stuff. He's learned things an upstanding dove needs to know in order to survive in the 89503.

Last year he found a mate and they built a nest in the exact same location as his parents did in years previously, my ornamental cherry tree. That seemed to work well for them. Sturdy branches. Protected from predators.

This year however, was different. Despite the experience of last year they landed on a new location, the young pine tree in my lawn.

I took the picture above 2 days ago. 2 snowy eggs lay nestled along side each other.

Then this one below was taken yesterday after the typical gale-force wind gusts that frequent Reno in the spring:

The wind knocked the nest clean out of the tree. Eggs. Gone. Doves. Gone.

I remember when I was a new Christian someone was speaking on why we aren't taken up to Heaven the moment we trust Jesus. The speaker phrased it as if this was a question that had plagued everyone, burning us alive, robbing us of peace, and wreaking havoc on our faith. He was going to solve the mystery so we could all sleep better.

The question had never crossed my mind.

What had crossed my mind, was that even though you trust Jesus once and that salvation has a starting point, learning to trust everyday was for more difficult; making tiny decisions that reflect that trust a much taller task. In fact, I saw in my friends and in my own heart the ability to completely forget what I had learned yesterday and choose self, choose me, choose sin.

Even though God had shown me the futility of my own plans, and the cracks in my own foundation, I was quick to return to those old tattered construction plans. I was and still am very capable and even willing at times to build my life on things that will not last. Some of those things are revealed by the slightest breeze, and others require a potent storm to be pried out of my heart. Sometimes things have to come crashing down for us to even realize what we are doing. It's in these moments of clarity that we can make incredible headway in our relationship with Jesus.

Learning what a firm foundation is can not alone save you from the storm. You actually have to build your life on it. Brick by brick, choice by choice, moment by moment. The good news is that Christ gives himself as strength and power to do just that.

I hope Mordecai comes back. I think he could make another run at life here and make it.

Some worship quotes I have come across recently I enjoy...

2010-03-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

“You mistake gifts for grace when you believe that you are your ministry. You are not your ministry!”
-Tim Keller

“The whole person, with all his senses, with both mind and body, needs to be involved in genuine worship.”
-Jerry Kerns

“Without worship, we go about miserable.”
-A. W. Tozer

The Balance

2010-01-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

The past 3 months have been a blur.

When shooting photography, images can come out blurry if the subject or the camera are moving during the shot. It has felt like everything has been moving, and moving very quickly...camera, subject, me, you, and everything else.

I like to think that for most things in life, if I invest much time in thinking about them, eventually something comes to fruition. A song idea becomes at the very least an ugly recording on my laptop. A craving for cheap, spicy chicken leads to the local Wendy's drive-through. A home project eventually materializes, an old friend gets called at some point.

Passion and rest. That's one I have spent countless hours wrestling with, and I'm not sure that it has come to any kind of fruition...yet. I see a balance of these two areas in the Scripture and yet can not wrap my mind around what it is supposed to look like in my life.

The two are intertwined, and in fact spun together into a symbiotic relationship that I have not navigated well. They need each other. Without each other, a host of dangers become apparent. I have felt a strong urging for some time that God has wanted me to revisit the conversation of how passion and rest coexist. All that I do know is that I don't know much about the balance of passion and rest.

I know people who rest a lot and it makes me anxious about the lack of urgency in their life. Sloth seems contagious and I typically spend very little time with these kind of people because I feel like I might catch something. It makes me wonder about the stewardship of the hours and days God has given us, and the stories Jesus told about all of us being accountable for what we have, including our time.

I know people who rest very little and they choose a slow and poisonous death. 'Riding it till the wheels fall off' is romantic but completely impractical because the wheels do in fact come off and now you have a vehicle traveling at high speeds with passengers on board and pedestrians around and everyone's life is in danger.

I error with the latter group. I have in fact realized recently that I tend to run in circles of people who live 100mph most of the time. Athletes trying to make the pros. Professionals making the next deal. Musicians trying to make a career. Ministers trying to pour themselves out for the Gospel (a more noble cause, but a group that needs the balance even more because of what is at stake).

I have a really hard time resting. There are many reasons for this, some chemical and some deeply embedded in my heart. My A.D.D. doesn't help my efforts to slow down, but neither does a flesh pattern that seeks approval and worth in productivity. Medication could help my attention deficit, but will not change my heart condition. Yet, I still feel like God is asking for me to do the hard work of figuring this out. I guess He is not impressed or dissuaded by my excuses.

If we ignore God's leading in our life, He will often bring about circumstances that allow us to take Him seriously. This is important for Him to do, because we are not very good listeners and we often are not very good caretakers of ourselves and others. In the last few months I have seen mental, physical, and spiritual manifestations of the pace of life I keep. Sleep issues. Lack of mental retention. Chest pains. Tripping over my words. I even got out of the shower with shampoo still in my hair. This is not normal. I have felt out of balance, like the scales have been tipped for so long that the scale itself in rusting into a dangerous position.

As if all that wasn't enough: I was cleaning the American icon that is the kitchen junk-drawer and came across a small plastic tube that is found in a carpenter's level. Whatever casing it fell out of has been rendered useless for it's only purpose in the universe...showing what is level and what is not.

I took that as not a coincidence but a comical and poignant reminder from God that I too need rest. Pray for the leaders of Living Stones as I see a weariness in the mirror and through office windows that can only be remedied by our Rest.

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest..."
Hebrews 4:1-3

3 Guys I Don't Wanna Be

2009-12-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

When you are a music pastor for a while, you start to wonder if God secretly slipped magnets into your pockets that attract very specific kinds of people.

I've been thinking recently about the commonalities that many of these folks share, and how Jesus conversed with these kinds of people. I'm not usually one for putting people into boxes or categories but the trends have been so strong I decided to pen them out as a reference for myself down the road.

I should preface this all by saying that I see these three people in my heart sometimes, and it freaks me out. It is a frequent and needed reminder that ministry has its pitfalls and snares that will leave you bleeding if you are not aware and cautious.

#1. THE INSPECTOR
Every church has at least a few of these. This guy will gladly chat with you after services about how the typo in the slides ruined his worship experience, or how his parking spot was taken when he arrived. The sermon was too long and the music was too loud. If three dead theologians are not referenced during the sermon you are labeled a seeker-church with a watered-down gospel.

He is critical to the core, and can find faults in others without even trying. The amount of critique will typically be inverse to the amount of courage; to help, to serve, to ever be a part of the solution (assuming he saw something that was indeed not right). They have no follow-through and if you challenge this guy enough times they usually leave in a huff, exasperated that no one is listening to their wisdom and guidance. If their ideas aren't honored, then the clock is ticking before they leave permanently.

This guy is a staple of any church, and my observation is that healthy churches challenge them and unhealthy ones fear them and in some cases appoint them as leaders.

COMES DRESSED IN: Collared shirt, tucked in, and a shiny watch.

DANGERS: giving them authority, fearing them, basing decisions off their opinions, and confusing them with godly folks that want to help and move the ministry forward.

#2. THE JAMMER
This next guy is really nice, and most people like him. He will have a MySpace page with some songs he recorded on his laptop using an internal microphone. He wants to help with the music but he has no formal training or experience of any kind, outside of his jam sessions with his dorm-mate. He has strong opinions about how the heart is the only thing that matters in ministry. If you approach the subject of calling or gifting then things will get ugly fast. He commonly questions the need for the use of technology in corporate worship and will invite you over to his house to jam if he likes you. If you politely decline those invites you can count on a CD finding its way to your desk/mailbox/guitar case within 1-2 weeks.

COMES DRESSED IN: Socks with sandals and Christian rip-off tee (ya know, like "A-bread-crumb and Fish," or "Get Outta Hell Free Card."

DANGERS: Putting them on stage before testing them, going over to their house to jam (this will end in hurt feelings 9 times out of 10).

#3 THE ARTIST
Music ministry is a natural landing pad for this last guy. You will often hear about this guy 2nd hand from his friends or a mutual acquaintance. He can fly through a guitar solo almost as fast as his allowance from his parents. Jobs don't appeal to him because it cuts into his online gaming schedule. He's 21, living at home and goes to a lot of concerts that his parents pay for.

Deeply talented and seldom timely, this guy is late to everything. If this guy had a pet fish, it died years ago and is likely still decaying in the bowl. He doesn't know the color of the carpet in his bedroom and the only budgeting skills he has is figuring how much food you can get at Taco Bell for $10.

Again, he is really good at guitar.

COMES DRESSED IN: Overpriced graphic tees, skinny jeans, and slip-on loafers.

DANGERS: Styling your hair like them. They can pull it off. You can not. Letting them slip through the cracks (challenge them to step up!)

And so there you have it. Three guys that I most certainly see at church and in my own heart.
In fact, it is most certainly the presence of these character issues in my heart that allowsme to spot them so readily in others. Isn't that how it usually works?

I want to never criticize the church if I am unwilling to be her champion. I want to make sure my heart is repentant and focused on the works of Christ before I lead others in worship. I want to be known for following through on my word and my service to others.

Jesus help me.

DZ

The Crash

2009-12-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

This girl crashed her car because she was distracted listening to the LS podcast. Be warned.

Thoughts on Giving

2009-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Giving has been a hot topic since people rubbed their first 2 pieces of silver together, and the conversation continues today. People pick churches based on whether or not they talk about money or take an offering. People leave churches when they do talk about money. If that person is you, I'll wait here while you go cut out all the places the Bible mentions money. See you in a couple of hours.

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the subject, however one thing is clear: Financial giving is a worship issue.

Calling yourself a Christian means you are identifying yourself as a worshipper of Christ. Many people qualify their Christianity by saying something like, “I like Jesus in theory,” “I was raised in a Christian home,” or “I’ve been to church a few times,” but none of these things makes a Christian. Faith and trust in the only Son of God makes a Christian. One of the best barometers for what someone really believes about Christ is whether or not they give financially. You can argue in circles, but monetary sacrifice is truly a great measuring stick for spiritual maturity and true obedience to God.

So, I’d like to cover some common questions on giving.

How much should I give? I’ve heard 10% thrown around before…
In the Old Testament, God specifically said that believers should give a tenth because it represented the most important portion of what they owned. The message was clear: God gets your best, not what’s left. The specifics of 10% have not carried on into the New Testament, but the principle certainly does.

For today, Paul tells us that we should give “in keeping with our income.”
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Cor 16:2

This makes sense. If you are a poor college student eating Ramen and ravaging your friends’ couches for laundry quarters, then giving will look different than for the lawyer sitting next to you in a church service. Also, notice in this verse that when the giving happens, it happens before any other expenses, it happens consistently, and it happens with everyone. If you are a poor college student and you are not giving, you’re sinning. If you are a doctor with a 6 figure income, and giving $20 a month to ease your conscience…you’re sinning. If that is you, you need to address the idol in your heart and turn from that idol to restore money’s rightful place in your life as a tool for the Kingdom.

Will God treat me differently if I give?
God blesses those that give. To be clear, you can never purchase favor from God, nor can you buy a miracle. You couldn’t pay God back if you robbed Oprah, Donald Trump, and that IKEA guy. God does not and will never owe you or I anything. However, as a loving Father that owns every atom in the universe, it’s understandable that He will entrust more to those that hold nothing back from His direction. He may bless the giver in a wide variety of ways; a deeper understanding of His love, an opportunity to bless someone in need, an unexpected check…but the reward will always be Kingdom-oriented.

... remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Acts 20:35

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38

I give because I have to. God’s happy, right?
God cares a lot more about the heart behind giving than the amount and so do good pastors. If you give financially because you feel obligated to do so, you’ve already missed the point. If you give because a sermon or church leader made you feel guilty, keep your cash. Then ask yourself if your bank statement looks any different than the atheist on the bus, in the next cubicle, or across the lecture hall. Giving because you want to bless others and be used by God is what God is after.

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor 9:7

I serve at church so I don’t have to give, right?
Wrong. That’s like telling your wife that she should calm down about you cheating because you only bought your mistress expensive gifts but went to the movies with your wife. Our time and our treasure belong to God, and the sooner we realize that all we have is His, the sooner we can use those things rather than be owned by them.

Hasn’t the universal church abused money? (i.e. Tele-evangelists?)
This question is popular. My response will not be.

In the book of Mark, we see Jesus watching the temple attendees throwing in their financial offerings. It is safe to assume that the temple was corrupt at some level and that those who were giving had no guarantee that it was being used in a godly fashion.

Here’s the problem. Jesus doesn’t address that. He points out an old lady giving out of her poverty and says that her fraction of a penny is worth more in the kingdom than the hundred dollar bills falling from the rich folks shiny bill clips.

Does God care how your money is spent when you give? Absolutely. I believe there will be terrifying consequences for church leaders that squander offerings. But your job as a church-goer is to trust that God will oversee that process. I am proud to serve on a staff where money is handled wisely, and with the Kingdom at the forefront of our monetary decisions. If you can’t trust your leaders with your cash, you certainly shouldn’t trust them with your soul. Ask questions. Find out how your church spends. But don’t let fear serve as an excuse to walk in sin against a God who gave you everything you’ve ever touched.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44

Final Thought: Financial giving reflects the rest of our Christian walk.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Picture this: You buy your friend a Porsche (stay with me). You deliver it to him with the pink slip taped on the windshield. Your friend can’t believe it. The next day you go out together for a spin around the block. As he takes a corner at high speeds, you notice a pack of Trident in the console and ask for a piece of gum. Your friend replies, “Sorry man, things are tight.”

It’s hard to think about what Christ has done for us and not respond in gratitude. But many of us don’t consider it. We don’t consider the price paid for us. We don’t remember the death that gave us life. We don’t recall the memory of an innocent man beaten bloody for our mistakes. That same Jesus is asking His bride, the church, to cling to Him and abandon their empty trophies and trinkets. Jesus gave Himself as the ultimate model of giving, and we are to ask what God would have us give.

The simple fact is that Jesus has designed the local church to be a center of mission in their community, fueled and resourced by the people who call that church home. I often hear that people desperately want to make a difference. There is no more powerful force than a Spirit-led community of faith.

Christians are marked by their worship and giving is a worship issue. If you think you can hide behind your church attendance, low income, family history, selfishness, or other lame excuses, know that God sees past it. You look like a 3 year-old playing hide-and-seek behind your own hand. God is not fooled, and He passionately wants your heart.

He invites you to use what you have to play a part in His reconciliation of men and women to their Maker.

The Swing

2009-10-07T08:25:00.001-07:00

What A Mess

2009-09-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have what's called an ornamental fruit tree in my front yard. That means, in layman's terms, that it pumps out fruit that can't be eaten, baked, or canned. The rabbits used to come in at night and try them but now they've moved on to fruit that is meant for consumption I'm sure. It's only purpose as best I can tell is to litter my yard with orange grenades of acidic dye. It's some kind of cherry variety although I'm not sure what kind specifically. The picture above was taken yesterday morning in my yard so if you are knowledgeable in the area of fruit trees or perhaps you were raised on a cherry farm, please let me know.

I have a weekly ritual of getting on my hands and knees and picking as many cherries as I can off of the ground and tossing them in the trash. Pounds and pounds of cherries are shed every fall. I think of all the water, sunlight, and nutrients required to grow this purposeless fruit, that rots in the landfills of northern Nevada.

It seems to me that one of the hardest evidences for the supremacy of Christ is that you can objectively see what happens to the enemies and friends of God. If we assume that God is indeed the source of life, and everything that is good, then it makes sense that the happiest, most content, and most loving people I know, are people who have surrendered to Christ. I can look at the results of their relationship with Jesus, and see evidence that they do actually love God, and that God is a keeper of His promises. They are bearing good fruit.

Because working at a church puts you in relationship with a wide variety of people, I also see an alarmingly large number of people that if taking a standardized test would check the Christian box, but it's near impossible to see the results of their faith. In fact their lives are full of what I would call bad fruit; envy, quarrels, jealousy, lust, pride etc...

What has recently shifted in my perspective is this: the absence of good fruit is not the same as bearing bad fruit. Avoiding sin and "bad things" isn't the same as being filled with the Spirit. A lot of religious people find comfort that they haven't robbed a bank or cheated on their spouse...but God says this isn't the point. The point is that we receive mercy and grace and so in turn give to, bless, serve, and love others and God.

No one is bearing no fruit. In fact, I am convinced that we are all bearing fruit of some kind. God has hard-wired us in His image to do so; to produce. Some will produce hope, love, selflessness, and kindness. Producing good things are only made possible by the saving work of Christ on the Cross. Therefore, a Christian bearing fruit is not "better" than someone who does not know God, but they are intended to be a better reflection of Christ's supreme love and hope, because they have received the power to do so.

Others will reject His offer and relationship, and bear the fruit of lack, of loneliness, of insecurity. One thing is clear: we are not saved by our works, but saved for good works...good fruit. Those of us that call ourselves Christian and are unable to point to specific good fruit in our lives should not sleep in false confidence that God is as apathetic to their rebellion, laziness, or excuses as they are.

"The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
John the Baptist - The Gospel of Matthew

Green Thumbin' It

2009-09-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Something most people don't know about me is that I spend a fair amount of time in the yard. I take pride that I have the greenest lawn on my block, and that I do the work as homeowner. This has actually been a very progressive year for yard-work. I finally finished the back patio which was something on my honey-do list with a deadline of "pre-baby". I'm not really a 'flower guy', as much as a 'get your hands dirty and grow stuff' guy.

My pepper garden is doing well this year, especially after I dealt with the neighborhood pepper thief. He won't be coming back to say the least. I normally like to leave ecosystems intact and undisturbed. Last month I was washing my hands at the sink and saw this thief going at it on my peppers. My "normal" went out the window and my pellet gun went out the back door.

This has been a weird year of weather for Reno, and so the vegetation has responded accordingly. We have a lot more flowers in the back than we ever have had before. In the early summer however, we had a weird combination of heat and moisture that left some plants exposed to molds and diseases that would normally not be an issue. Seeing your once healthy flower-boxes ravaged by death and disease is disconcerting. It affects you as gardener because you paid for them, and they reflect you in a way.

For much of the summer I've been trying to nurse these affected plants back to health. Watering. Weeding. Spraying (organic, don't worry). Dead-heading. Typical plant care. Recently one of the flowers that had caught some rust, a pretty vicious fungus, started bouncing back and actually bloomed a single flower.

The phrase "bring glory to God" has troubled me for a long time. I feel like a clear and practical definition has long escaped me, even though I understand the basic concept. It's a phrase that is overused, diluted, and used rather carelessly most of the time.

As I stood there soaking the soil, hose in hand and listening to the backyard ambient noises, I felt something. Maybe a more accurate description would be, I "heard" something. A voice inside.

"It's gonna make it."

I felt for a brief second a sense of accomplishment...that the care I had offered had served a purpose. It felt like, for a fleeting moment, that I had played a role in the flower doing what it was supposed to do in the universe. It was blooming. It was being a flower. And not only that, but it was being restored from a broken picture of what it once was. The feeling of restoring something was subtle and potent.

That feeling has got to be, although imperfect and minuscule, a lot like what God feels when He redeems us. His redemption is far greater, far costlier, and far grander than my stupid yard. But I feel like I understand His glory a bit more.

He who has...

2009-08-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

I recently read a disturbing article on what kind of damage can happen to your eyes when you spend a lot of time outdoors and don't protect your them from sunlight, both direct and reflected light. I spend time outdoors regularly so I had a vested interest in the information.

Last week my wife and I went to the mall in hopes I could find a pair of shorts to replace the pair I ripped furiously recently (from the end of the pant seam to the crotch. don't ask how). After finding some shorts, I was reminded that I haven't owned a pair of sunglasses in quite a while, so with the article bouncing around my head, we stopped in a hip clothing place to see if I could spot some shades I liked.

The tricky thing is this: I have a "connection" for discounted sunglasses through a friend, so shopping for sunglasses always feels a little weird, because I have no interest in making an actual purchase, just finding a style I like.

The guy behind the corner immediately spotted us eyeballing the locked plastic case of sunglasses and hurriedly bee-lined over. Upon unlocking the case, he confessed that he liked the brand I preferred, in fact, he "had that one in every color, and a few pairs of that one too. I have a few of those down there, and I hardly ever wear this one". This would bring his personal inventory to somewhere around 15.

In that moment, I thought 3 things:

1. Wow. What in the world do you do with 15 pairs of sunglasses? Storage alone would be a nightmare.

2. This guy's personal sunglass warehouse is diminishing what little desire I had to own a pair of sunglasses. He probably meant the opposite effect, by luring me in with his confident purchases.

3. If I could figure out this guy's address, I could take one pair, and he would be none the wiser. How can I get his drivers license out of his pocket and in plain sight...of course if he was 15 pairs of sunglasses, he might have lots of other things, like guns or rottweilers.

I quickly sorted through the display models and found one that got the thumbs-up from my wife. We made a mental note and left.

On the way out to the car I found myself doing a personal inventory of all the things I had in multiples: pants, shoes, cereal bowls, televisions, vehicles. Then a list of questions came streaming through my mind:

What do I have that I really need?
Who do I know that needs something I have plenty of?
Do I see what I have as belonging to God?
Is anything I have that I want keeping me from having what I really need?

Thoughts on your own personal stashes?
DZ

Perspective

2009-06-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

So I've been fishing the Truckee River quite a bit recently. I was wading down there last week trying to navigate a deeper pool of water. I decided that getting out of the water was necessary, so I found a tree root that hung above the pool and sat down.

After a few casts of my trusted lure and little response I decided to change my approach. I broke out the ol' jar of salmon eggs. My hands were numb from being in and out of the water the past hour. As I began to remove the lid from the little jar, it fell down, through my legs, through the roots and into the fast-moving river.

I should have cut my losses here. I didn't.

As a means of protection, I always keep my Blackberry in the pocket on my fishing vest that is furthest from the water. As I reached down into the stream to try and retrieve my lid, it became quickly evident that the length of my arm and fishing net was not long enough to accomplish the task.

In the following 10 minutes of struggle and pseudo-strategy, I managed to lose some more things from my pockets, an additional lid (don't ask) and soak the top pocket of my vest.

Once I realized I had endangered the phone, I pulled the battery to prevent any further damage. It was the first time this summer I was going home having not caught anything, and losing $20 of tackle.

When I got home I was pretty bummed. I looked online and saw the best remedy for my predicament was placing the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice. I also noticed a flurry of information on Twitter about Iran and someone named Neda. I spent the next hour learning about the election and the rioting. I found the video of Neda, (which I recommend for mature audiences only) a young woman and innocent bystander of a riot in Iran. I began to feel empathy...and shamefully selfish for caring about such a trivial loss in light of watching a father cry out his daughter's name as her life slipped away, taken by a stray bullet.

My phone suddenly didn't matter anymore.

I once again had lost perspective, and instead of bemoaning my stupid phone, I spent sometime praying for another country that is in desperate need of peace.

How quickly we lose sight of where we truly stand.

P.S. When I finally surrendered my rescue effort on the river and packed up my things to leave, I began the hike out in my soaked vest. Just before I crested the hill and regained view of my truck, I looked down on the ground. There, covered in dirt, was a salmon egg lid, dropped by some other angler. The irony made me laugh out loud. Oh, and the rice thing worked.

P.P.S. Pray for Iran.

DZ

the Quail

2009-06-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

I was driving home from work this week, when I noticed there was a quail who I will call Dan, flying parallel with my vehicle on the other side of the street, roughly the same speed. Quail are about as common here in Northern NV as sagebrush (in other words, really common). There was a large SUV about 2 car lengths ahead of me in the lane between Dan and I. Suddenly, the quail gained speed and began to gradually veer across the lanes of traffic going the opposite direction, and then suddenly...he sharply turned.

If for only a moment, he must have thought he could split the gap between the SUV and I. He banked hard and began his path to certain collision with the back of the SUV. In 2 seconds, (which for Dan must have felt like an eternity, if Dan knows what an eternity is) he threw his brakes on, coming to a hovering halt missing the SUV by inches, then pausing, then trying to cross again, all in mid-air. In that 2 seconds, my vehicle had then closed the gap, and Dan's brakes were surely worn down from his first attempt only moments before.

Dan flew and hit the side of my truck, making a sound comparable to a neighborhood hooligan throwing a tennis ball at my vehicle. I thought to myself, "He's a goner".

Moments later, grey feathers erupted from the side of my vehicle blowing past my windshield. Dan was done. Surely the impact or my all-weather tires had finished him.

Then without warning, like a sandy-colored rocket of victory and hope, Dan arose from the concrete graveyard. He was trying to gain altitude as quickly as possible, although it was clear that he had not escaped unscathed. You don't know how a bird is supposed to fly until you see one flying injured. It's a peculiar but clear observation. He made it back across the street as best i could tell, but who knows what happened after that.

Maybe he found cover in the shade of a shrub and breathed his last. Perhaps his buddies watched the whole event and had a round of beers recounting the tale. Maybe he got captured by a neighborhood cat because his normal response time had been affected by the ordeal.

I found myself wondering, "why did he try again what so clearly hurt him the first time?" Before I hit the next traffic light, my mind had wandered. I thought," I do that too".

Isn't it funny how we will often return to the places and people who have hurt or ensnared us, even though we promised we wouldn't? We willingly walk into environments that have eased us into sin, relationships that have robbed us, and situations that set us up for failure but often aren't willing to make a change...

In Hebrews 12, the author says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." I'll be spending some time reflecting on the things that stir my affection towards God, and the things that rob me of it. I would invite you to do the same.

"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
Proverbs 26:11

Font Snobs

2009-06-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

This one hit too close to home.

Losing Face

2009-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I got ready to head into the office and locked my front door on my way to the driveway. As I approached my 1996 Toyota Tacoma, I noticed the door was unlocked, which was highly unusual. As I opened the car door, I saw all of the miscellaneous items that were normally stored in my dashboard nooks were strewn about the bench seat. Then I saw it...

My stereo was gone. Kind of.

The face of my stereo had been stolen. Probably a neighborhood thug who wasn't very bright, as he left behind my CDs, a nice mag-light, brand new jumper cables, and a variety of other resell-able goods.

For the next few weeks, I kept an eye on Craigslist to make sure no one was selling my stereo face. I imagined bringing a police officer from my small group along to render payment for the stereo face I found online, posted by the thief.

It's too bad the guy didn't get my whole stereo, for a couple reasons:
1. The face won't do him much good.
2. The faceless stereo won't do me much good.
3. My vocal warm-up CD was in the stereo. That would have been a great moment for the thief.

The hardest thing about losing the stereo is not having music in my car to listen to and sing along with.

I think that (prepare yourself for the segue) sometimes we view corporate worship like singing in the car. We aren't really singing TO anyone, just going along with what's happening around us. It can be about as mindless as watching TV (save the Office and Ultimate Fighter) and you can usually do at least 2 other tasks concurrently...like drive and text. I do not recommend this trifecta combination.

At a birthday party, you never sing the birthday song to yourself, or to no one. At a birthday you gather to celebrate someone you care about, usually with others that feel the same. You light the candles and hit the lights. Then you sing. You sing TO a person.

Some songs at church are directed at God the Father, others to Jesus Himself, and yet others are sung amongst the congregation. All of these have a purpose, but the truth that we sing is certainly good to remind our souls who we are and what God has done.

It seems that God wants our worship to be more like a birthday party than a ride with your favorite radio DJ. Let us be always mindful of who we are singing our songs of praise to.

DZ

New Resources

2009-05-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a reading kick recently...

Finished Craig Groeschel's "It". Not bad. I appreciated how it addressed the dangers of doing vocational ministry and how that can negatively affect your relationship with Christ.

Favorite quote: (actually from Howard Hendricks, not Craig)
"In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering."

Wow.

Really excited about some resources coming down the pike as well. Tim Smith, the worship guy at Mars Hill is finally launching Re:Sound and Michael Bleecker is starting a new blog as well.

Zimmerman on Relevant Podcast

2009-05-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are featured on this week's Relevant NEUE podcast.

It's great stuff, and they do some great work so check it out:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=290813074

Carina Round

2009-05-06T11:48:00.002-07:00

My friend is in this video. The song is amazing.

The "Green Chile Tour"

2009-05-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

How To Attract and Engage Artists

2009-04-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

I've had a few conversations recently about how the Living Stones community has attracted artists to contribute to the community. A few thoughts:

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE TEAM
1. Start small. Pick a weekend in advance where an art piece would contribute to the sermon. If that works well, think through other options and bigger projects.

2. Intentionally create opportunities that communicate the Gospel and reveal the opportunity fro artists to the community.

3. Posting a public sermon schedule goes a long ways towards helping the art team execute. The goal is always communication of the gospel, not just an art show. That said, sometimes the creative elements will be more subtle and others more obvious as to how they tie into the message.

4. Artists recruit artists.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR TEAM LEADER
1. Determine who the team leader answers to on staff. Make sure the staff person's management style matches the team leader's work ethic. Some people need more direct management than others.

2. Be as specific as you can be about what you want, and what will actually serve the community.

3. Address character issues and beware general artist-type tendencies. Overly emotional, non-linear, inconsistent, flaky, etc...

4. Reward faithful volunteers with public recognition. We're not talking giving glory of man here, just reinforcing their service to the community.

Our artists reside online at:
http://gracechurchdoma.blogspot.com/

DZ

Radio Interview - NM

2009-04-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

What does it take to be a worship leader?

2009-04-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Loved this.

http://theresurgence.com/Keldie_and_Boswell-Worship_Pastor_part2

http://theresurgence.com/Keldie_and_Boswell-Worship_Pastor_part1

Good Friday

2009-04-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

I was very thankful for the showing of the community at the Good Friday services last night.

Harvey did a great job of bringing to our hearts the weight of the Cross.

Looking forward to Sunday...

PSA

2009-04-07T09:24:00.001-07:00

I am "pro" law enforcement.

Legalism and License

2009-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

We talk a lot about balance in the Christian faith, and it is a gut-wrenching exercise to try and live out that balance in each area of life.

Not because there are so many "rules" as is often thought, but because God has given so much freedom.

In that freedom, many will choose legalism; closing the door completely on themselves AND on others and forming regulations that the scriptures do not inform. Others will chase license; throwing the door open and disregarding other texts in their drive to be free, ironically enslaving themselves to addictions and being mastered by small things.

It seems that the abuses of legalism and license are all around us.

Because food can involve gluttony, do we abandon it all together?
Because sleep can involve laziness, do we starve ourselves of rest?
Because money can involve greed...
Because sex can involve lust....
Because alcohol can involve drunkenness...
Because music can involve idolatry...

The obvious (hopefully) answer is no. Making a list of "don't do's" is much easier than finding the biblical position on many of these issues, but there are balanced positions. I'll detail those in the next week.

Tour Video

2009-03-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

Pauline Observations

2009-03-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

I've been reading an epistle an evening recently...

Here's what I've done so far:
-1 Thessalonians
-2 Thessalonians
-Colossians
-Philippians
-Ephesians

It's funny the things you notice when you read Paul's letters to the churches back to back. My 2 most prominent observations:

1. Laziness is bad. Especially in the church. Love this one. Especially given the amount of people that complain about the church but clearly have no interest in being part of the solution. I need more patience with these kinds of people. I need repentance for the times I do the same.

2. The people you invest in and help grow in the faith are your "crown of glory" before God. It's like the ultimate sign of authentic faith, is the works of God in your life contagiously healing/restoring/saving another. God still gets the glory and we get to offer a great gift to our heavenly Father; the investment of our heart for Him in the heart of another.

I dig it.

DZ

Reno News and Review

2009-02-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

A very kind article from a great guy at the Reno News and Review.
It's a thriving paper in a dying market.
http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=918833

Enjoy!

DZ

Sail or Row

2009-02-25T16:03:00.001-08:00

Leading a band and being in vocational ministry is an incredibly rewarding and taxing task. I have often thought long and hard about our role in the ministry we dedicate ourselves to. Specifically, the cosmic balance between relying on God and being a good steward with what He has given us. Resting and working. Waiting and acting. Watching and building.

There are some that have affected the course of worship in the church that have "fallen" into their role. They woke up one day and were writing the songs that churches would sing everywhere. Others have worked hard for years (or longer) and finally gotten traction where they made lasting contributions in their local church expression as well as abroad. Much of this topic has to do with calling and integrity, but for simplicity, I often see a word-picture.

The analogy I use is that of a small boat.

Some have awoken to a strong wind and realized that they were en route to a place requiring means much bigger than themselves. These are those that sail.

Others have with blistered hands grabbed the oars and paddled on God's strength towards the destination that God put in their heart. These are those that row.

As best I can tell, many have been used for impactful ministry in both camps.

Neither is superior, and I do not intend to make a value judgment on either. I would say that I am trying to paddle while praying for a strong wind. The tragedy is that no promise has been made by God, or can be made by man, that the rowing will realize the vision of one's heart. The beauty is that there is nothing more worthy of us dipping our oars and laying in to our task with all our might. By His strength we can get to where He wants us...a far superior destination.

DZ

Date with the Band!

2009-02-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember from our CD release party that we had a trivia game with contestants from the crowd answering ridiculous questions about Zimmerman. The grand prize winner was Kristin Thomas.

This past weekend we treated her to a nice steak dinner at our favorite piece of Texas in Nevada, Texas Roadhouse. As if the peanut shells on the floor weren't enough, she one-upped our amazement by unveiling her "#1 fan shirt".

The home-made tee reads "I love Zimmerman band" on the front and "#1 fan" on the back.

Wow.

DZ

Suffering

2009-02-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:9-11

I had a conversation with a friend today about the Gospel, specifically that the power of God in Christian living and the suffering that comes with associating with Christ are two sides of the same coin, and inseparable.

Not to be that guy, but we as Americans live in true luxury. Compared to most of the world, we enjoy daily comforts that many do not even comprehend, from the dozens of pairs of socks in my drawer, to the laptop I am writing this on at this moment. Not just geographically, but historically too. Americans 100 years ago had a different standard of comfortable too. So are we to feel bad about the things we have been blessed with? I don't think so, but I do wonder if our luxuries haven't made it more complicated to "know the fellowship of His suffering". The expectation of comfort is far scarier to me than the availability of it.

While most Christians I know at least desire the power of God in their life, they hardly ever mention suffering. My friend made the point that you can not separate the two. In other words, the closer you press in to Christ and really learn Him, your life will be filled with more power and
suffering. With as much as we put into avoiding anything resembling suffering, it's hard to reconcile that we really want Christ more than an easy life.

Examples: A high-school girl wants God to do amazing things in her life, but not if she has to be single to learn to love Christ above all else. A college guy wants to have purity in His life, but not at the expense of living alone with internet access. A parent wants their child to grow up in the faith, but not if that means being responsible for the hours invested in spiritual guidance at home. All of these show our desperate attempts at separating power and suffering. It doesn't work.

This really drags the "health and wealth" pseudo-gospel through the ringer, and exposes it for what it is; a false teaching with disastrous dangers of painting God as a slave genie that has insufficient power to protect His kids from difficulty, or worse, a works-based merit system that leaves cancer patients, the unemployed, and pretty much anyone who experiences the winter seasons of life asking God where He has gone, since they must not have enough faith or their life would be...easy.

What further complicates things (or perhaps simplifies them) is that God is pretty clear in His word that hardship is a tool of His love and not a punishment in some twisted karmic payback for transgression. Hardship brings about suffering, and with it a deeper and more meaningful relationship to Christ. To know that suffering is an inescapable part of chasing Christ and actually desiring it...actually longing for that piece of the beautiful mess God brings us through as Paul did, is a leap I need Christ to teach me.

The point is, suffering in this life doesn't mean the system is broken, it means that it's working.

DZ

Equipping

2009-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

One of the primary purposes of the pastor is to equip the saints to do ministry.

I have recently pondered about what role corporate worship plays in this process.

There is undoubtedly great power in singing true things of the faith. Believers have included music and song in their liturgy for generations.

The power however, is commonly a jumbled blend of emotionalism, mystery, and authentic transformation through the spoken and sung Word, as well as the Holy Spirit.

So how can the church intentionally focus their worship times to equip the saints?

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts...

New Facebook Page!

2009-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

So here's the deal. Most of you know, that we started a new chapter in our band life. With that new chapter, we lost over 6,000 friends on MySpace. It's lonely these days...that's all.

Come be our friend at our brand spanking new Facebook page. We like Facebook a lot better anyway.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimmerman/53670158535?ref=s

And by all means, if you can spare but 30 seconds, tell every electronic friend you know about our new Facebook page and ZimForFree.com...I mean c'mon! Free music?!

Love,
Z

Try this again...

2009-02-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, commenting should be fixed...

Character

2009-02-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

This year has been marked by a lot of questions and conversations about the relationship between talent and character.

It presents 2 opportunities for disaster and 1 for incredible output.

The dangers of talent without character are obvious; doping baseball players, sex scandals in churches, etc... The picture is of a grapefruit on a pencil...heavy up top with very little to support it. When the pressures and responsibilities that accompany high performance come, there is no sandbar to keep the waters from washing out the whole thing.

Character without talent leads to a different juncture. This can play out a few ways, primarily having someone be passionate about something they aren't necessarily gifted in. No harm done in the realm of entertainment or hobbying, but professionally this can be disastrous.

Bring this conversation into the social sector, and particularly the church, and the stakes are raised. No one balks at the fact that character is a non-negotiable in great churches. But what if someone has great character and average talent?

Talent is subjective sure, but most people can identify when someone is functioning in their sweet-spot from a mile away.

One last thought: it seems we have more (not absolute) control over our own character than our talent. Yet everyone knows the value of working hard to develop your skills. This informs where we invest our efforts.

Both.

New layout...

2009-02-10T23:41:00.000-08:00

I got some email stating people couldn't comment on my previous layout, so I mixed it up to accommodate.

Enjoy.
DZ

Patient

2009-02-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Our God is patient.

I was at a birthday party tonight, and after a conversation with an old friend about how we were both faring in this tumultuous life, something dawned on me. It may be inspirational to me today and passé tomorrow...but here goes:

I found myself thinking about the nature of God, and His patience with us.

He doesn't seem bothered or put out at all by the constant reminders we require to live a life of faith. What I mean is this: Many time in my life I have asked God to do something "God-sized". Something showy. Something inexplicable. He has often humored me in answering such piddly requests.

That alone is ridiculous. The word 'ridiculous' is far insufficient but will have to suffice for now.

He repeatedly entertains those requests (not always) and seems to never anger or become fed-up or exhausted or tiresome of some solitary and often misguided child living in the high desert of Nevada asking him for a sign or begging Him for an answer.

Perhaps it is because only imperfect reflections of what God's patience looks like can be found in humanity...whatever the reason, there is nothing like it.

Breathing again...

2009-02-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

To be honest...it's really good to be done with the Christmas season, and the CD release.

Drowning is both a scary and exhilarating experience.

I do feel however, that I am breathing again. Time to rest a bit, gather my strength, and move on to booking our spring tour in March.

Zimmerman is covering a Mute Math song I have wanted to do for a very long time, so I am excited for that this weekend.

DZ

Zimmerman Video Interviews

2009-01-27T18:31:00.001-08:00

Set from tonight

2009-01-25T23:15:00.000-08:00

Dust - Anchordown
Let Our Faith Be Not Alone - Robbie Seay (unreleased)
Thank You - Sinnead O'Connnor
Song of the Broken - Something Like Silas
Glory of It All - David Crowder Band

I love our community. Today was a good day (baptisms) and tonight was a good night.
DZ

Origins

2009-01-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

Last night we started the new Genesis teaching series at Living Stones.

It got me thinking about the origin of sin and why people rebel against their Maker. The Maker that we are made in the image of.

We are made in His likeness.

We are made with similarities to Him.

The differences between us and God seems more obvious to me than the similarities. But that probably comes from a long history of false beliefs about God and man. Especially, the notion that God is an angry blob in the sky, or even a happy blob, but not a person.

So back to the topic of sin. I started to ponder how the sins of humanity are often shattered reflections of something true and good revealed in the character of God.

We get jealous, because of insecurity and infidelity. We want focus, affection, and attention to be on us.
God is a jealous God, because He is completely satisfied and secure in Himself, and desires his lovers to be faithful to Him, the only thing that can satisfy them.

We lust and get envious because we want what we do not own.
God owns everything. God never has to desire anything else because every atom rests secure in his bank account.

We get angry because we have been wronged or perceive injustice.
God gets angry because He IS justice.

We get addicted to empty and hollow things.
God is "addicted" to His own fame, which is appropriate because He is the most beautiful and powerful thing in the universe. He sees empty and hollow substitutes for exactly what they are.

We try desperately hard to do things our own way.
God lovingly calls His image-bearers to live things His way...the way of life and hope.

DZ

Release Party!

2009-01-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well everyone, it's time for a party...announcing the ZIMMERMAN CD RELEASE PARTY.

FRIDAY JANUARY 30th, at 7pm.

It's a concert of fun, friends, and some good tunes. Zimmerman will be playing their new record, old favorites, as well as some unexpected covers (rumors are Coldplay and Johnny Cash).

Free admittance with a friend and childcare is provided.

A Big Day

2009-01-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Today was a very exciting marker in Living Stones history...the first 10am LS service. I am honored to be a part of this ministry...and all that God has done to get us on mission and serving Reno.

On another note, here is the set from tonight:

Sounds Like Home - Zimmerman
How Great - Chris Tomlin
At the Cross - Zimmerman
God of this City - Bluetree (redone by Chris Tomlin)
Let Our Faith Be Not Alone - Robbie Seay

Night!
DZ

Ninja Who?

2009-01-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night that if turned into a movie, would rock the big screen. It's too complicated to detail here, but it included the following:

-a secret stairwell
-hidden tombs
-clay ninjas
-real ninjas

See what I mean?

Generational Reflection

2008-12-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

I was reading in Genesis today and it got me thinking about ministry life cycle. How younger pastors typically behave one way and older ones another. Generalizations sure, but hard to argue.

What I find interesting is the common differences in purpose of ministry. Primarily, the difference between charging forward for the Kingdom as He allows and empowers vs. minimizing your losses and shielding your assets. Their is wisdom in some sort of balance but I am not old enough to know where. I am old enough however, to delve into this concept in the Scriptures.

When Jacob and Esau are about to reconvene, Jacob splits his livestock and people into two groups so that if Esau attacks, one group will have enough time to get away. He wanted to minimize damages.

As I read those words, I was reminded of the great business writer, Jim Collin's assessment of successful organizations; that the greatest enemy of "great" is "good". That many will never become great because good is simply "good enough". I hope that I remain faithful to whatever God calls me to for however many days He has granted me, and that I will be wary of the side-roads of comfort, ease, and security.

You know it's almost New Years when...

2008-12-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

You know it's almost New Years when every other commercial on TV is for a weight loss program. New Years resolutions are an astounding evidence of the human ability to resolve to do something and then completely forget about it in 30 days.

God is a very patient father, who doesn't seem to mind reminding His children about things that matter over and over again...like loving Him, loving others, sacrificing, giving, our insufficiency...stuff like that.

Radio Interview

2008-12-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

Here's the audio from an interview with KNIS Pilgrim Radio a few days ago. They wanted to talk about our relationship with our home community as a band. Good question!

listen here

or go to: http://www.zimmermanband.com/zimmermanpilgrim.mp3

BAND NAME is CHANGING!

2008-12-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

Anchordown is a worship band based out of Living Stones in Reno, NV.

Anchordown the band started in early 2006. We had cycled in and out some players in search of a team that could tour. There were many kind and generous people that contributed to Anchordown in those days. We finally arrived at the cast of Donald, Brennen, Tim, Aaron, and Cory.

We made a record locally. Our home town friends loved it. We toured.

We then made a record with a man named Will Hunt who was good at making records. He worked with Shane and Shane, Bethany Dillon, and Shawn McDonald, all of whom are artists we respect. That record did very well for a band like us. We sold 3,000 physical copies and around 7,300 single-track digital downloads. We toured. We got radio play.

We later wrote a song that was different stylistically from our previous work, and decided to play it along with some other favorites at a battle of the bands in the huge state of TX. 175 bands entered, one would win. The judges liked us, so we took that top spot and made a music video of that new song. We still didn't feel like we had found "our sound" but were enjoying the journey.

Time passed. I did some soul-searching about what I wanted and what I thought God would want from us. During this time, I received an interesting phone call from my father.

Apparently, the man I had always known as my "Grandpa Z", was not my dad's biological father. That man had left when my dad was very young, leaving him with only one memory of a dimly lit room, and a pack of cigarettes on the counter alongside a glass of whiskey.

My biological grandfather had contacted my grandmother several times over the years to reconnect with my Dad but she hid the letters in a dusty shoebox in the attic.

On her death-bed, she made mention of the box to my dad. This was the beginning of the truth getting dusted off, and a new chapter starting in our family's life.

My dad found out after 50 years, that not only was his biological dad still alive, he wanted to meet his son. After prayer and deliberation, my father Don Zimmerman arranged to meet his biological dad, Don Otto. He later met a whole portion of the family tree that he never knew existed. Including, my aunt Wendy, in the chair with her dad Don Otto below.

My Grandpa Zimmerman (Zimmerman is German for carpenter...I know someone famous who was a carpenter for a while) legally adopted my dad at a young age and changed his name to Donald Zimmerman. He worked long and hard hours at a car dealership to make ends meet. He raised my dad with love, compassion, and a gentleness that was truly unique.

This band has always been about telling the story of God's redemptive love. Ephesians 1:5: "...He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will". God has adopted us into his family, and we have a new and perfect Father in heaven.

And so begins a new chapter for the band. We have worked very hard on a new record with producer and artist Robbie Seay. He is excited about it, and so are we. The new CD is coming out in a few weeks. We are waiting for new doors of opportunity to open. It seems a fitting time to close the previous chapter, and commence a new one. Anchordown is no more.

Zimmerman has begun. German for "carpenter", and a name of adoption. We are Zimmerman.

Our purpose is the same. Our hearts are for people to know God and experience the rescue He offers.

http://www.zimmermanband.com

Getting closer...

2008-12-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

I can't put in words how ready I am to be done with this CD project.

Let there be boxes arriving already!

Our new record, "This Missing Peace"

2008-12-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

Got to hear the first round of mixes on the whole album today.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it. More info soon...

DZ

Gifts

2008-12-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend Harvey our teaching pastor spoke on spiritual gifts from Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12.

I noticed that each of the gifts (and we can argue all day long about which ones are "still around") all point to something that God is passionate about. Obvious perhaps, but I never made this observation before.

"7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

To summarize, most of the gifts have to do with the communication of TRUTH and the carrying out of HEALING. Our God is a God of both of these.

Out.

X-mas Tree Hunting

2008-11-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

As is the newest Zimmerman tradition, my wife and I went hunting for x-mas trees with my friend Taylor today, along with about 15 people in his family on their 7,000 acre property in eastern CA. Before we left the family ranch, we had to kill an hour, so Taylor suggested we take the quads out. My wife surprised me twice; first by saying yes, then secondly by pegging her quad out in 5th gear at 34 miles per hour. Who did I marry?

One step closer...

2008-11-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Good news on the new Anchordown CD front...

Our engineer Ryan Booth and producer Robbie Seay are working on "pre-mixes"; getting the tracks ready to send off to the guy who is mixing our record.

I don't know how to spell his name, but he lives in Nashville and is from New Zealand so that information should excite you alone.

Christian in Reno

2008-11-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

I led worship this morning for Paradox, the high school ministry of Grace Church. Not something I do often, but circumstances allowed for me to fill in. They meet off-site from the church, up the street, next to a Domino's pizza.

I should have taken a picture to show you what I saw as I was leaving.

As I got in my car (maybe 30 feet from inside the ministry room), I saw a car parked next to mine. It had 2 decorations on the back of the vehicle.

1. Darwin fish.

2. Bumper sticker reading "Dear God, please save me from your followers."

And that is Reno.

DZ

Breathe!

2008-11-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

This week has been a whole new kind of insane...

A few of the things on the plate:

-shoot, edit, and export video for LS this weekend
-create template from scratch for new Theology Booklets
-paint and finish construct "Sand & Light" box for x-mas services
-finish artwork for new anchordown album
-upload percussion tracks for new album
-research ideas for new grace website
-design, order and place name placards throughout church

Oh, and do the things I normally do, like prepare the worship set for Sunday.

Not complaining, just putting it out there.
DZ

Genesis part 2

2008-11-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

More Genesis...

Gen 11:
v4 Why would they build a tower AND a city? If the plan carried out, they thought they'd have access to heaven...That to me is like buying a plain ticket to Hawaii but booking a hotel in Elko. Maybe to protect the tower?

Gen 12:
v1 From the very beginning of Abrams promise, it is clear that he will have to leave what is familiar; "leave your country", "leave your father's house".

v19 Would love to know how Pharaoh figured out the plagues meant wife and not sister.

Gen 13:
v17 Would you be tempted to walk a little further than you were told?

Walk through Genesis

2008-10-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

It's weird to think that I have been rather excited for the past few months for the new ESV study Bible to come out. Not because it's weird to be excited about God's word, but weird because not too long ago (10 years), that concept was completely foreign to me.

And so, I have the new ESV and am very excited about it. To channel my excitement into something useful, I am going to make some brief observations on the book of Genesis. A few chapters at a time. Hope you enjoy!

Gen 1:
Always been fascinated by the idea of "night and day" counting as one day, and not "day and night".

Gen 2:
Interesting that Adam is assigned the naming of animals before Eve is introduced. This could be so that the first marital argument would be delayed to a later date.

Gen 3:
God says "don't eat this fruit or you'll die".
Woman says "we can't touch this fruit". (not what God said)
Satan says "you will not die" (a lie) but he ALSO says something true..."you will know good and evil". He loves to mix truth and lies...
Woman saw practical and positive things about the fruit and decided to pursue that instead of obey God's voice.

Gen 4:
9 generations in, we see the first Biblical example of music (with instruments I might add).

Gen 5:
235 years in, people begin to "call upon the name of the Lord". "Worship" occurs hundreds of years before music is mentioned.

Gen 6:
v3:Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."
What in the world?

Gen 7:
Why aren't the animals in the water killed too?

Gen 8:
Kind of humorous that some of the animals survive the flood in an ark just long enough to then walk off the ark and be sacrificed. Bummer for them.

Gen 9:
Lex talionis applied to animals. Wow.

Gen 10:
Language begins, but soon with disastrous results. Unity in of itself is not a Godly virtue. The question, "to what are we unified?" is key. People can be unified in their rebellion against God...

More thoughts on Genesis later...

Sets from last night...

2008-10-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

You guys did a great job this weekend. I really like "request" nights.

5pm
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount
He Is Near
Only You
You Are Mighty
Doxology

7:15
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount - You guys picked it both services...
Joshua's Song
Anchor of My Soul
Glory of It All
You Are Mighty
Doxology

Can You Hear Yourself?

2008-10-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

And now, a very special treat for the few that follow this blog:

A quick sample of this weekend's fun for all.

You guys sound great...truly wonderful.

DZ

Last night's set.

2008-10-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Got lots of requests for details on last night's set.

1. Control - Mute Math
2. Come Thou Fount - old hymn
3. Sounds Like Home - Anchordown
4. Song of the Broken - Something Like Silas
5. Glory of it All - David Crowder Band
6. Thank You - Sinead O'Connor (redone by David Crowder)

I do want to say that last night's 7:15 service was one of my top 3 favorite LS gatherings ever. God is so good.....

Exciting news...and an invitation.

2008-10-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Something very special is happening this weekend...

As an exciting addition to Anchordown's new record coming out late November, we are inviting and recording 1004 of our closest friends this weekend at Living Stones. This means you.

So, we are recording everyone who attends Living Stones this weekend for about 3 minutes. Anyone who chooses to participate will be on our new CD coming out very soon.

Living Stones is on Sunday, at 5pm and 7:15pm in Reno, NV at Grace Church.

Come one, come all. Be there. Tell your friends. Come sing with us.

Love,
ADB

Commercial for this blog.

2008-10-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

I did not ask, request, plea or encourage the following voicemail from a friend in Seattle.

Click here to listen.

Song and Comfort

2008-10-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

As I was reading in the Psalms today, it occurred to me one of the many reasons that music and singing as personal worship is really "hit or miss" for a lot of people has to do with comfort.

Not comfort like, my car has individual climate controls for driver and passenger. More like, an overall comfort in life, where we have no immediate needs.

I should preface this by saying that singing to God is commanded in scripture, and there are no qualifying statements about singing only being performed by people that love music,(like me) or people that are really talented (like others).

It seems that comfort and singing are rarely next to each other in the scriptures. Singing has often through human history been a means of comforting the soul, or at the very least expressing something that you feel. This occurs most often in times of trouble, times of sorrow, and times of elation or joy. These are not neutral places for the soul, but instead a time when a person is most aware of themselves and their Creator.

The problem for many church attenders is that they sit through a church service and feel nothing. The problem for many worship leaders and service planners is that worship is not about emotion and sometimes emotion can even lead us away from true worship.

From the pain of David in the Psalms fleeing from his enemies desperately trying to save his life, to the richness of the old Negro Spirituals, there is undoubtedly a connection between great anguish and powerful, evocative music. Joy and deep peace have been a spring of art as well, but an exciting joy (the birth of the child, a financial windfall, a new relationship) is what leads to song. Not a stripped down, middle-of-the-road joy, like the joy I feel over my favorite burrito at Qdoba.

I guess my point is this; comfort in many ways removes the human need to respond to anything. At its most basic level, the human soul will seep in apathy and a numbing stillness unless provoked. Grace seems pretty provocative to me.

I pray that we would be a provoked people.

Mark Driscoll - Sexual Sin

2008-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Some of you asked about the video we showed tonight.

Or, check it at the mars Hill Church site below:

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/sexual-sin

Thanks!
Donald

Adobe After Effects

2008-10-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Living Stones is in dire need of finding someone with solid experience in the program After Effects.

Do you know someone who fits the bill? Let me know a.s.a.p.

Thanks stoners!
Dz

Thoughts today...

2008-10-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today about how many in our generation are apathetic and in some cases even hostile towards the local church.

It may be oversimplified in my mind. No one questions that the church is made up of people that are broken. Therefore, churches are often broken, sometimes in obvious areas and other times in more difficult to perceive ones.

This is a part of what Jesus sees in His bride regularly, and lovingly works through and despite her on a regular basis.

The rub comes in when believers see said brokenness and decide that they will have nothing to do with the local church. Rather than being the catalyst for change that the church may desperately need, they isolate themselves and turn into the church's critic rather than her champion.

I hope that the brokenness of the church at large is a means for us to never take credit for advancement in the Gospel, a humbling presence that allows us to welcome others into our community, and ultimately, something we admit openly to give glory to our Maker for.

What do Piper and Chandler have in common?

2008-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

They both made cameos in my dream this morning.

Basically it went like this:

I was a seminar with Dr. John Piper attended by a full room of about 200 people. At some point he heard I was a worship leader and kindly asked if I knew that "new worship tune" about going back to the heart of worship.

I chuckled at Dr. Piper.

Without making him feel outdated (that song came out via Matt Redman circa '98), I told him I did. This pleased Dr. Piper very much. So, as I had now gained a bartering chip, I requested that I be able to tag along his next trip involving Matt Chandler. It's kind of a weird request, but that is what a said in my dream. Piper agreed, and I walked away with a worship melody in my head, and a victory in my heart.

End of story.

DZ

We need a title for Anchordown's new record...

2008-09-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of a few album titles I thought of for Anchordown's next record coming out end of October-ish:

Get You There
Hearts Resound
The Missing Peace
Echo in My Heart
Not Far Off
In Its place

Ideas? Votes?

DZ

Teaching on Worship...

2008-09-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Pastor Tim interviews Bob Kauflin (3/9) from Re:Sound on Vimeo.

Home studio takes shape...

2008-09-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Since getting married almost 4 years ago I have had the desire to be able to write and record song ideas at home. I have very slowly acquired the equipment necessary to achieve this undertaking, and recently the final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place...physical space in our home.

What you see: (I realize most people don't care, but here goes)
dynAudio BM5A's (studio reference speakers)
Presonus Firebox
Alesis Qs8 keyboard
MacbookPro (with Digital Performer)
Custom shelf with notch for wiring and candy apple red paint job
not pictured: BlueBall microphone

All to say, this is the recipe for deep gratitude in my heart today. A long time ago this space was dreamed and now I can sit in it.

Comment card I received

2008-09-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

"It is hard to worship to the more poetic songs. I enjoy them but it is hard to worship. Why do we do those songs in worship?"

I have about 5 thoughts on this question. I think I know what you're asking, and I would love to ask you some clarifying questions, but as is often the case in church feedback, this card was unsigned.

1. Poetry is the heart of lyrical composition, whether put to music or not. The greatest example of musical worship we have in the Scriptures, the Psalms, are poetry. In the original Hebrew, some Psalms were even alliterated! Literary genius or nightmare, depending on who you ask.

2. Worship is both a time to praise God with things that are true, and encourage one another with truths about our God. I addressed this issue a few weeks back on stage. Some songs are written with the "audience" of the song being God, others with the audience being the room full of people. I do not see this as inherently bad, as long as the things that are being sung are communicating truth and the hope of the gospel. I run the songs that my teams play at Stones through this filter, and if somehow you were offended by my selection, I do apologize.

3. People tend to see "worship time" primarily about how they feel. This is dangerous and contrary to the Scriptures.

4. We play songs that are commonly referred to as "specials" that are meant for reflection (see #2). These songs are not meant for the congregation to sing along necessarily.

5. I appreciate your wrestling with these things. It makes me feel less crazy, because i think of these things often.

Thanks again for your question!
Donald

Fiberglass?

2008-09-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone know a cheap place to find 5' sheets of fiberglass?

Anima Mundi

2008-09-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

So we've gotten a lot of questions about the band from this weekend, Anima Mundi.

It's one of the 5 worship bands at Living Stones.

Anima Mundi: (latin) mover/animator of all things, the soul of the world

Goal of the band is to use music to draw people into deeper understanding of God's character and grace. We like using a wide variety of instruments, like the xylophone this weekend. Everyone involved is a friend and that makes playing together all the sweeter.

Thanks for those of you that shared encouragement about this weekend's time of worship.

Set:
prepare the way (charlie hall)
love is here (new song by 10th avenue north)
his be the victor's name (hymn, public domain)
shine your light (robbie seay)

DZ

Hope for Hip-Hop

2008-09-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.vimeo.com/1227698

Excellent.

Saw this live at Mars Hill in February.
DZ

Quick update...

2008-09-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Started vocals last night...

I think doing them in Reno might work out. Good gear, good engineer, good atmosphere. That all rhymed and was completely on accident.

I promise. I like llamas. I miss the days when I wore pajamas.

I better leave before things get worse.

Good News...

2008-09-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Breaking news:
Next Tuesday I will begin to record vocals here in Northern Nevada. This is very good. This saves me another trip to TX.

Trip to TX = $$$

Excited?

How Can This Be?

2008-09-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

"So the problem is this..."

Reno does not have the thriving music industry and history that many other places have, such as Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.

This has made it very difficult to find an affordable option to record the vocals here in Reno. Recording here would be ideal so that if I have an off day, the whole thing doesn't come crashing down. If I go back to TX, then I have roughly 36 hours to sing all 6 songs perfectly and get home. As it stands, it's cheaper to go to TX and record there then to do so here with no airfare (obviously).

Guys in town like Sierra Sonics and Tom Gordon kind of have the market cornered. So, the prices reflect that "monopoly". They are great studios but too expensive for me. Not too expensive for Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Collective Soul though, to name a few.

So, it's cheaper to fly half-way across the country to finish this record...that is a bit crazy I think.

Donald

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I thoroughly enjoy being back home with the LS community. I believe that God was blessed by our time together as a community last night.