What Makes Your Heart Smile?


Today was a day that made my heart smile.

It was one of those days with no schedule, nothing major on the agenda, just doing something I love and going with the flow of life.

Today that was spending the day with a dear friend who I don’t get to see nearly enough. Breakfast at a local diner, a little shopping, and some time catching up on some reading at Caribou. Throw in some good conversations about faith and life, sharing some great stories, and several cups of delicious coffee and you have a day that makes my heart smile.

Nothing major, just good ol’ ordinary life. But, when spent with the right people ordinary is just right.

On days like today I am grateful for friends, especially those who understand my heart and with whom I can be completely myself without fear.

A day like today is just one of the things that makes my heart smile. What is something that makes your heart smile?

What’s Vision Got to Do With It?

A couple thoughts:
1. Vision is important because it allows you to focus – It allows you to say no to some things you could do so you can do better things or other things better – the things you should do.

2. It fosters perseverance. When you are committed to a vision that you feel God as placed on your heart you are willing to endure a lot and the Holy Spirit will give you the strength to endure a lot.

So what does that mean for the visual aspect worship? I think that as a visual worship leaders/artists we need to have a vision for how we want to lead, which I would hope is in line with how God wants us to lead. That vision should complement or organizations’ visions for worship which should complement our organizations’ overarching vision. Again, that vision is God-given, it’s founded in Him and the power to live it out comes from Him.

It goes back to answering my favorite question – WHY. Having a vision allows us to answer that question. It allows us to be intentional in the elements and tools we use to create and facilitate visual worship. Having God-given, Kingdom minded vision will help us as visual worship leaders be intentional about reflecting and echoing God’s story rather than telling our own.

What’s your vision for the visual aspect of worship?

Spring is Just Around the Corner!


Spring is just around the corner. Okay, not really, at least not here in Wisconsin. But, when I think spring I think dandelions, the prettiest weed around.

You may not be able to pick dandelions yet, but you can pick up “Picking Dandelions” by Sarah Cunningham, author of Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation, in stores today. Or, order it on Amazon here: Picking Dandelions: A Search for Eden Among Life’s Weeds.

I am excited to be participating in my first ever blog tour here on Cautious Creative with Sarah. My review of the book and an interview with Sarah will be coming soon. For now, this is what Amazon has to say about “Picking Dandelions:” In Picking Dandelions, author Sarah Cunningham explains how coming to religion through the front door–rather than through a weeping, born-again conversion–can make it difficult to understand how faith changes life, and even harder to grasp why it must. This memoir is a candid and personal account of outgrowing laissez-faire Christianity, moving into mature faith, and realizing that a God-following person is a changing person…and you just might follow suit.

So, pick up the book today and stay tuned for an interview with Sarah, and if you have questions you’d like me to ask her, leave a comment below.

For more information about Sarah check out her blog at www.sarahcunningham.org