The Epic Journey

A Year Old!!!!!!

2010-09-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

So this weekend the coolest thing happened, Epic Church celebrated our first birthday!!!! We are a year old!! It is crazy to think that I have been part of this awesome God-filled experience for a year.

We have had a crazy year as a church plant. But through it all God has used everything we do to bring people to Him. And that is all that we care about bring people to Him, one person at a time.

As well as our birthday this weekend we kicked off our Epic Student Ministries as well. On our first night we had 23 high schooler and middle schoolers!! God is awesome and working hard on our students as well as our adults.

Check out our sermon video from this weekend at Epic4life.com

On The Move

2010-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I have moved! Not anything major, just in with another family that is part of Epic. I made the move last night and so-far so-good.

I am getting ready for another awesome God-filled weekend at Epic. I pray that God continues to bring us new people like He has for the past 3 weeks. The best part is most of those new people have decided to jump right in and volunteer!!!! The people at Epic are amazing for all the sacrifice and love that for Epic and the area of Wichita. We would not be anything with these people. They are the reason I can wake up everyday and know that I am doing something greater than my self and that there is nothing else I'd rather be doing.

So, Thanks Epic Volunteers!!

A Year In Kansas

2010-08-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been in Kansas for a ful year now. It is crazy to think that! I have had some many things happen while here and God has really used Epic in so many ways and reach so many people.

As a church we are almost a year old and have made it through our fist summer as such. God has blessed our church with people, volunteers and so much love. Our people really stepped up this summer and worked hard on inviting friends and family to check us out. God is AWESOME!!

So since I have been here for a year I am on the move again, to another family in our church that is. My previous family was and are amazing. The put up with all my weirdness and still never kicked me out. The Smoke's ROCK!! I know that God has me here for a bigger purpose than just the music and creative side of this church. I have been so blessed to have an awesome worship team (past and present) as well some great tech people. All my volunteers give up so much for Epic the people that attend there. They really are the ones that make church GREAT!! There would be no Epic without them.

To all you my friends back home in Louisville and those in Levelland and Lubbock I would like to ask that you continue to pray for Epic and the area of Wichita, that God will use not just us but of His body of believers to continue to reach out to those around us. We are called to tell the world about Him! I pray that all of us will look to God for the strength to tell everyone we know about His Grace and His Love!!!!

Thanks for reading my rants and I will continue to pray for all of you!

YO YO

2010-05-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Alright, so some sweet news this week. My parents are come to visit me this week!!!! So other than that awesome news, things are going great here at Epic. We are getting ready for a busy summer with non stop fun!!

Alright, for those of you who would like to know what songs we have been doing at Epic go to this link epic4life.com/radio.html

Happy Cinco De Mayo

2010-05-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th of May everyone!!

Here is a little update as to what is going on here at Epic. Here getting ready for a busy summer with a lot of things to prepare for. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us as a Christ-filled community.

This past weekend was really awesome! We had so many new people the auditorium looked almost full!! It was so great to see all those new faces and getting the chance to meet them all. Pray that God continues to bless us as a church body and that we continue to follow His will no matter what we think we want to do.

To all my Kentucky friends, I really wish I could have been home in Louisville last week to enjoy the Greatest Festival in Kentucky, Derby Week!! I really wish that I was a gambling man because I picked the right horse to win and man I would have been set for LIFE! Got to love that Calvin Borel!!

Laters

The way things are going

2010-04-13T14:08:00.001-07:00

Well, hello again. I guess I really need to start getting proficent at posting. Go figure.

Things are going well here in Wichita, KS. We had pretty successful Easter Egg hunt, which was more of a grab than hunt because they have nowhere to hid eggs here.

This past weekend was a bit light, but great over all. You should check out the sermon podcast and videos online at www.epic4life.com.

We are getting ready for a franticly fun, God-filled summer. I just can't wait to see what God has in store for my first full summer here in Kansas.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers. I do want to reiterate what I mentioned in my last post. I am still in need of finacial support. Please pray about it and talk to the people you need to. Contact me at jory@epic4life.com for ways in which you can support me.

Ohla

2010-03-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, hello all. I have some great news. Life is going great! Well as well as could be expected. Epic is on the up and up. We have been in the middle school for 4 weeks now and we are getting ready for Easter. We are having an easter egg hunt on Sunday after church! The coolest part of this news is that we got permission from the local school district to have the kids get a flyer on the Friday in their take home packet!! Thats right we are giving our flyer to elementary schoolers, in a public school system, to take home to their parents. If God is not planning something with that then I don't know why it happened.

Things are moving on here with me as well. I am still in need of major financial support. I am living but am no where near being able to move out of the house with the family I live with. So if you are looking for something to do with that Tax Refund I am a good place to send it and any funds you donate to me are tax deductible. I do want to thank those who have supported me and for all of you who have been praying for me and Epic Church. God has some great things that are about to happen here now that Summer is getting close.

Thanks and Love form Wichita, KS

Hello All!!

2010-03-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

This week Epic got an office!!!!! We finally now have a place to work!

Alright, so I guess the big news that I have not told you yet. We have a new facility!!!! Thats right we are no long in the movie theatre. At the end of February we moved to a local middle school called Coleman Middle School. We are so excited to be in this new place and what it will do for us. Epic is making long strides towards working harder to reach our community and being in this school will help us do that.

It's hard to believe that I have been at Epic for 8 months now!! It feels like it was just yesterday that I took that long drive from Louisville to get here. Epic is amazing! To be part of a God-filled experience and to see what He has planned for Wichita and the surrounding areas by using Epic people!!

This past weekend we did a new song and I figured that you all would like to listen to it or buy it. So here it is...

You Are The Light - The Michael Gungor Band

Enjoy!!

Epic Update

2010-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Apologize to all of you who read this. Things have been crazy these last few weeks. Last week we found out that the Warren Theatre has decided they no long wan to rent to us. Our last Sunday in the the theatre will be the 21st. So we have been have stepped up our hunt for our next facility and are waiting to hear form some of them to make our final decision. Our people at Epic have really stepped up and really are trying everything they can to help out. We asked all our people to a day this week and Fast from something and spend that time praying for Epic and where God wants us to go. Of course in this situation God has really grown our people and He will continue to do so through this process.

In the mist of this we have still been trying to continue to have the most amazing services we can have. We have been planning to move, but we weren't quite sure when and where, so with this opportunity God has really challenged us as a church body to really lean hard into Him. I ask that all of you continue to pray for Epic not only as to our building situation but also for our people and the new ones that God is going to send us through this time.

Thank you to all of you who are supporters and prayer-ers for Epic. We love you and couldn't do this with out you!!

Worshiping Him

Weekend Update

2010-01-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

Well, the "Holiday" season is officially over. The one thing I do not like about this time of year are all the sick people who pass on the sickness to you. But, all you can do is take as much meds as possible. So, some of you know this, but I went home for Christmas and New Year's. While home, my twin sister got married. It was really exciting to see her happy and know that her and he husband are good friends. It was also nice to be home to see all my family and friends.

At this time I want to encourage all of you. Sometimes we hit the rough parts in life and really just want to stop working hard or caring. I know it's hard to keep the positive out look on life, but don't stop hoping and praying. I have been learning that if you stop worrying, and stressing, and start looking at the things in life as a growing or bettering experience you start to see the positive in what is happening. Maybe this turmoil is so you can help someone else later on who is about to go through it. Or maybe there you need to reach to others for help instead of trying to "handle" everything on your own. Let take the meaning behind what the Christmas season means and apply it all year-round, not just in December. So I encourage you to be Christ like in every aspect of your life in this new year. Really delve deep into what it is Christ wants you to do this year, not what you want to do.

Alright here are the list of songs we sang this weekend. I want to thank all you who struggled through it with me.

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Everything Glorious - David Crowder* Band

How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin

In Your Freedom - Hillsong

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Happy New Year too!! Epic Church had it's first Christmas Eve Eve Service on Wednesday night. I believe it went really great and it got some people interested in what Epic could look like if we move facilities.

Well, with this being the season that everyone goes crazy during I want to through something to you. While you spend time with your relatives make sure to think about the time you GET to spend with then and no the time you HAVE to spend. Make sure you slow down and really look at those who you are with. Know that there is no better time than now to really show how much they mean to you. LIfe does go on, but there is no reason it can't go on with those who should be close to you. Always remember that it is more important to focus on God and others before you even think about yourself.

In closing, I hope you had a wonderful christmas with those around you and have a great New Year with your friends and family!!

I pray for all of you!

Worshiping Daily

Update

2009-12-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, so i want to apologize for posting anything in the past few weeks. You would not believe how busy and crazy things are right now for us at Epic. We are currently getting ready for our Christmas Eve Eve Service coming up. That's right no Eve service for us we are going Eve Eve with our people. On top of this being the season for hectic life and running around like a mad person looking for that last gift for that hard to shop for person, there is one more important part about all of this season. The answer... Others. I bet you thought I was going to say Jesus, well he is THE most important , but he calls us to serve others. And strangely enough this time of year is when others really need help from people around them.

Along with being busy with work I also get to go home for a week. Partly for Christmas but mostly because my younger sister is getting married on New Year's Day. She didn't give a chose to opt out of being part of the wedding party. Apparently when you are closely related to the bride you still have to be there. But in saying that please note my hint at sarcasm and know that I would not miss my sisters wedding for the world.

Well some of you have been checking this blog to not hear me rant but hear what songs we have playing on Sunday Morning. So here you are my friends. I want to give you what you asked for... Music!

Never Stop - Michael Gungor Band

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

SMS (Shine) - David Crowder* Band

Hope you Enjoy! Keep Worshiping Him

Daily Worshiper

Weekend Update

2009-11-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I hope that your weekend was great and that these first few days of the week have been great! Can you believe that we are 10 days from Thanksgiving. I cannot believe that it's that close which just means Christmas is around the corner. On the Thanksgiving topic I want to throw something out to you. I want to challenge you this week to look at your life and the people around you and see what has happened. What in your life do you have to be thankful for. Who in your life has brought joy and happiness. These are things that we take for grant it sometimes. We wake up, I have to say I have grown to love waking in the morning. Not the actual getting up part, but the "I am alive! It's time to live like Christ" part. The friends and family around us. We forget that they have decided to love and be near us no matter how we act or the stupid that we all do. God knows that we cannot live without human interaction. Now once you have thought about all of that, thank your people and thank God for what He has done. For giving us life through the death of His Son. Because God loves us we live. Our lives at that point are not ours to live for ourselves, but for God alone! Worship is more that music, it's more than words. It's a way of life.

Here are the songs we sang this past weekend. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Listen to the words sometime and try to live them in your life.

Spring of Life - Kristian Stanfill

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Cannons - Phil Wickham

Remain - Starfield

From the Inside Out - Hillsong United

Worshiping Him Daily

Weekend Update

2009-11-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

What is up everyone. Well, we had an amazing weekend yet again. Things are really starting to fall into place and really making an impact. So I thought that with it being November and Thanksgiving being just a round the corner, I want to throw some thoughts your way. I in my not so long life I have realized that a lot of us (including me) tend to look at life as "what can I get out of it', or "what is in store for ME today". I believe that if we take the time to rethink these thoughts we might find that we have a better day all around and we impact more people for Christ. I find myself sometimes waiting in line at the store or some where and start to get this very impatient feeling, thats when I have to stop really think, "Does this do me good to mad and upset?" Once I stop, I am able to really look at what I can in turn do for someone else. Maybe when I get to the cashier I smile and really ask how their day is and really listen and show them Christ in my actions. The first step to being thankful is to look out towards others and not at yourself.

Well, here are the songs we did this past weekend. I hope that you are enjoying them and hearing what their words mean to you as a Christ-Follower. Enjoy!!

Promises - Jared Anderson

Awesome Is The Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Everything Glorious - David Crowder* Band

To Know Your Name - Hillsong

It Is Well - Shane & Shane

Worshiping Him Daily

Weekend Update

2009-11-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize for being late with this post. I have had a busy two days and I have not been able to get this part of my Mondays done. This past weekend went great. We had decided to use a stage prop, which worked great. I really think it got everyones attention and made them visually see what Kent was talking about. We had 2 people go to the back during the invitation, that is what it's all about right there!! As a reminder "The Plunge" is coming up in a few weeks!! Also, next week we start our Connection Groups, lets pray that these go well and the leaders follow God's will not their own gain. And pray that these groups reach the people and make an impact on where they are in their lives. I also wanted to let all of you who have teenagers or if you yourself are one, we getting ready to start our youth group, so get ready!!

Now time for some music. We add a new song this past weekend and I think it made a huge impact. And as always, if you like them buy them.

Counting on God - New Life Worship

Neverending - David Crowder* Band

SMS (Shine) - David Crowder* Band

Mighty to Save - Hillsong

In Your Freedom - Hillsong

Worshiping Him Daily

Weekend Update

2009-10-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hello all! So for those of you who were not able to Paintball with us this past weekend missed out on a lot of fun!! Because we did have so much fun, there will be a future date for another day of paintball. I also want to make a a comment, if you play an instrument or sing or can run a computer or possibly learn how to run sound please contact me. We would really love to have more people on those teams. Go to www.epic4life.com and send me an email.

We had a great weekend. It was a little cold but we were so happy to see all of you who made it. In case you haven't been in awhile, we are preparing for a Baptism Sunday!! If you want to learn more about "Taking the Plunge" or being involved in that day go visit our website www.epic4life.com. We are also go to be starting up Connection Groups, for more visit the site.

So here is what went on musically this weekend. As always, if you like the song, buy the songs. You guys ROCK!!!!

Promises - Jared Anderson

Counting on God - New Life Worship

Cannons - Phil Wickham

Hosanna - Starfield

How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin

Always Worshiping Him Daily

Weekend Update

2009-10-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, I know it cliché, but I have decided to call this post the Weekend Update. Sorry for you none SNL fans. Well the weekend we went rather well considering we were short handed on volunteers. God is always looking out for us though.

Well, to the meat of it all. Here are the songs that we sang this past weekend. And as always if you like them buy them.

Never Stop - Michael Gungor Band

Spring of Life - Kristian Stanfill

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Hope Now - Addison Road

From the Inside Out - Hillsong United

Hope to see you all next week!!

Worshiping Him

The Weekend

2009-10-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Meg Morano

We had an AWESOME weekend @ Epic!! The service went great and the our people ROCK!! There is not a lot to talk about from the past week. I do want to let everyone know that Saturday October 24th we will be Paint-balling!! It is going to be awesome and a bit cold, but that is what makes it fun!!

If you liked the songs from this past weekend here are the iTunes links. Don't forget, if you like the song buy the songs. I hope and pray that everyone has a great week!!

Counting On God - Desperation Band

Neverending - David Crowder* Band

Spring of Life - Kristian Stanfill

How He Loves - David Crowder* Band

In Your Freedom - Hillsong

As always keep worshiping God in every part of your life and in every moment!!

Worshiping Him

The Weekend

2009-10-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend was crazy!! It started on Saturday with Greater Andover Days (GAD). Epic brought the moon bounce for kid feast and man did they love it. Like always. That was an all day event and then afterwards Kent and Jenni's neighborhood had a block party at which they wanted to use the moon bounce. So we spent the evening there. Can I just say that middle schoolers are they funniest and abstract think kids I have ever met. That must be why I we get along so well.

So Obviously the next day was church. It was very strange not have another electric and an acoustic guitars. But the three piece band, plus Amy Jo made it through. We sure missed those two people during set-up though. All in all, the morning went rather well. After service we had our cookout!! Now that went great and I met a lot of people!!

Alright, so here are the songs we did this past weekend. Don't forget, if you like any of these song you can buy them at iTunes, Amazon, or your local music store. The links are to iTunes for those of you wanting to know:

Never Stop - Michael Gungor Band

Spring of Life - Kristian Stanfill

Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

SMS (Shine) - David Crowder* Band

How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin

As always. worship God in every part of your life in every moment no matter where you are or who you are with.

Worshiping Him

Weekend plus my week so far

2009-09-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend went great!! We had a rough morning practice which turned into a wonderful service. On top of that we had people sing to the songs!!!!! That is encouraging to any worship leader. The coolest part is we had two people accept Christ in their lives!! Thats what it's all about!

Last night we had band practice minus a few members and I was surprised as to how well it sound. It always sounds better with our missing pieces being there, but I felling like we might be able to make this one weekend!! Pray for us this weekend, we are having our first cookout as a church as well as being involved in a local event on Saturday.

Time for the Weekend Worship Update. I really should trademark that. Well, here are the songs we played this past weekend and remember, if you like them BUY them!!

Jared Anderson - Promises

Chris Tomlin - Awesome is the Lord Most High

David Crowder* Band - Everything Glorious

Tenth Avenue North - By Your Side

Addison Road - Hope Now

As always keep worshiping God in every part and everyday of your life

Worshiping Him

New Music

2009-09-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally received my pre-ordered DC*B Church Music yesterday! This is on the top of my list of Crowder* Band albums. They keep getting better with each new album and a whole lot more creative. In case you haven't heard any of the news song or unsure about anything new from Crowder, well 1) your crazy to think that and 2) get over it and buy this new album. It will blow you away, I promise!! One of the pluses for pre-ordering the CD was they sent me the Church Music Magazine with it. It has a lot of stuff in it from the band being themselves as well as some inspiring reads. So, if you like DC*B you need to buy this album as soon as possible! It is available everywhere, iTunes, Amazon, and your local music store!

My other new album is Matt Maher Alive Again. If you are not familiar with Matt, the best way to describe him is a bit of Fee mixed with Tomlin and some Crowder thrown in for good measure. He has been co-writing worship music for years but, in recent years has he been putting out his own music through the main stream. His new album Alive Again is amazing with the tittle track being my favorite with a lot of drive and meaning. This album is available on iTunes, Amazon, and check with your local music store.

In conclusion, DC*B's Church Music is amazing and Matt Maher's Alive Again is great!! Check them both out and you will love them!!

This week plus last weekend

2009-09-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome weekend this past weekend! About half the people from the first weekend came. Things went well, we add another stage piece to now have 5 pieces. It has been a busy few days this week. Yesterday I had attended a meeting at Central with their tech people. The end of meeting I never got an answer that I needed. They didn't know where would be a good place for us to practice. I know that God has all of this under control. I want to ask all of you to pray for Epic Church. We are in need of more financial support. Not only the church but us staff as well. I was informed yesterday that an organization that I thought would support me has changed the timing as to when they say they might support me. A bit frustrating and painful to my heart. I know God has all of this under control and He is growing and teaching me through this situation. As always please keep praying for Andover and East Wichita as we continue to minister to them.

Alright, This is the point where I inform you of the song we played this past weekend. Remember, if you like them, buy them!!

Counting On God - Desperation Band

Promises - Jared Anderson

Remain - Starfield

It Is Well - Shane & Shane

From The Inside Out - Hillsong United

Enjoy!

Worshiping Him Daily

Sunday

2009-09-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was our Launch day here at Epic Church! It was awesome with 180 people there! The morning with rather well technically and musically. We only had one hiccup, that was it. After service we had a lunch at the Smoke's house, they are the family that I live with. There were about 40 to 50 people here and a lot of food and encouraging conversation.

I have to mention that my parents as well as Kent and Jenni's parents came out and really gave the emotional and spiritual support that was needed for each of us. For me it was good to see my parents. Can you believe that I have been living in Kansas for a little over 2 months!! I have really grown to love it here. I think I'm figuring it out pretty well and the people are great!!

Well, I guess it's time to do the second half of my blog now. For future info, I will be posting all the songs we did the previous Sunday morning on here. if you like them, buy them!! Support our worship leaders.

Never Stop - The Michael Gungor Band

Counting on God - Desperation Band

Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

How He Loves - David Crowder* Band

In Your Freedom - Hillsong

Don't forget, if you like them Buy them!!

Thanks to all of you for your support. I wouldn't be here with out all of you!

Worshiping Him

What has Happened!!

2009-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, my apologize for not writing sooner. Things get busy the closer we are getting to the 13th. Which, by the way, is in 6 DAYS!!!! I am so excited about what is in store for this week!! Well, I guess better let you know that I did get my truck back from the body shop on Friday. It looks better than it did when I bought it. The funniest part about my truck being in the shop was that my rental car was a Yellow Chevy Cobalt. Yellow. of all the colors I found this to be really funny. At least it wasn't UK blue. I would have had to of returned it for a yellow one.

We also received our free drum kit this past week!! I love getting things like that for free!! It is a rather nice midnight blue Pearl Kit. The guy who gave it to us is a friend of Kent's and he is awesome for doing so. All we need to get were some cymbals for the thing. That is another great story. So one day while I was looking for a music store I walked into the wrong one, not knowing. The guys in this store are awesome by the way. So, this weekend I went in there to find some inexpensive used cymbals. As I was talking to one of the guys there he started helping me, because I am a guitarist not a drummer. I know enough to get by, thats it. So he started looking through the used stuff to try and make a set for me and stumbled upon a new set. He decide that he would make a deal on this set instead of buying a used set. I'm telling you these guys rock!! I had to buy a few more things and after I left I looked at my receipt and he had given me a great deal on the cymbals as well as a discount on the other products!! I am telling you, God knows.

I want to thank all you who have and are supporting on this journey spiritually and financially!! All of you are in my prayers and the prayers of our staff. Go Epic!!!!

My Week

2009-08-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it was inevitable. After I thought I finally had my truck fixed and everything was done, I got in an accident on Monday night. Luckily it was not my fault and no one was hurt, but still I now have to wait for the body shop to fix it. It's funny, Kent and I were talking the other day about Epic Church and Cars. Apparently anyone that works for Epic seems to have bad things happen to their cars. When Kent and Jenni decided to plant Epic, they hit a deer, had the trailer smash into the rear bumper, and the front passenger door got a dent it. As for me, on my out here, as you my have remembered, my transmission broke and eventually completely dropped, and now I was an accident the ruined my front end. I mentioned the funniest thing for me is the most work I have ever done to my truck all happened when I came to Kansas. We know that satan is really trying to knock us down and really put a damper on our spirits, but with all your prayers and faithfulness God is keeping us safe.

It's awesome what God does everyday. On Tuesday Kent and I went out and shot a video. We asked people if they could tell us the story of David and Goliath in 30 seconds or less. We were amazed with all the people because they all got it right, they knew the story!! It was a lot of fun. Then yesterday we went out put up road signs all around Andover and East Wichita. It was a lot of fun for me. Today we were supposed to put cards on vehicles, but with Jenni and Peter being sick, Kent had to stay home. So I, the lone ranger (no pun intended because I drive a Ranger) went and placed cards on vehicles at the YMCA and Dillon's (our local Kroger's, same company). It felt awesome!!!!!!

This weekend is our final preview service!!!! I am so excited to how many people come. The car accident I was in on Monday turned out to be an opportunity for me. I started talk to the lady the hit me. Obviously she asked what I was doing here from Kentucky. So I explained it to her and she started to tell me her church woes. It's true what they say, when people find out your in ministry they confess they either don't like their church or need to start heading back, but haven;t found the right one. Well, after we finished with the cop we said good by and then I invited here to church this Sunday to check out Epic. I believe that God sent me here to make it easier for me to tell people about the church because they always want to know where I'm from and how I got here! It has been a very eventful week.

Pray for Epic Church and for all of us that are apart of it that God keeps us safe and Our eyes on Him!

Yet Another Awesome and Busy Week

2009-08-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, again I was to busy this week to post anything new. I will make sure I do better this next week. The one big thing I want to point out first is 22 DAYS UNTIL LAUNCH!!!!!!!!!! I am so ready and excited!! This weekend I will be taking a small rest and going to visit Aviator Church in Derby, they are one of our supporters and the lead pastor is related to Kent. They are an awesome church that has been meeting the need in Derby. Well this was the week after our first unofficial official service. Last weekend went pretty well. We had a few hiccups that only we knew weren't supposed to happen. But that is in every church service. We are hoping that the 30th we will have all those worked out. I want to make sure that I mention that the worship team is AWESOME and so is our tech team!!!! Things are getting better with each practice and I believe that God has not finished with our team yet!! Today I am hopefully going to meet with a drummer!! I was surprised to find that it is very difficult to find a drummer. Everywhere else I've been those are usually the easiest people to locate. Did I mention we have 22 DAYS 'TIL LAUNCH!!!!!! I think I did, oh well. If you haven't heard, David Crowder* Band has a new single out called "How He Loves Us". It is an amazing song!! Also, check out Matt Maher. I had heard of him because he has co-written with many different leaders, but he has some of his own stuff and it rocks. That is all I got for today. I will post within the week this time, I promise.

Worshiping Him

Sneak Peak Preview Service/Busy Busy Busy

2009-08-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, hello again world. Sorry for not updating you, this has been a very busy week and weekend. Just to keep you up to date, this weekend is our first unofficial official weekend. It's our first preview service or as we like to call a "Sneak Peak". We are all so excited and so with that we worked really hard to make sure that everything would be done and ready for this weekend. I have been racking my brain on how we were going to hang our background banner on our stage. Oh, just incase you didn't know we are a movie theatre church!!! I love saying that, because I love movies and we meet in a movie theatre!!!! It rocks!! Anyway, I wanted to see how many times I could say movie theatre without it being to much. I guess that one was it. Alright back to what I was saying. So because of where we meet and we can't afford Pipe and Drape yet, the black curtains that hang from stands. I came up with brilliant idea to make a PVC frame to hang our banners on. I was rather surprised at how well it came out, with some help from Kevin, the dad of the family I live with, and my Dad who helped give me a better idea of what I was trying to achieve. On top of that project I have also been working on our Bumper Video before the sermon as well as band practice as well as buying any extra equipment we needed, as well as loading our background videos for our words on to my computer, which I am doing as I type. Not say that all this has not been fun, because it has. I love my job and all that it entails!! Needless to say I have been really busy and would not trade this experience for anything in the world! I am so ready for God to take over Andover, KS and I am so excited that I get to be a part of that!! I would like to ask that you pray for us tomorrow and for the people that will be coming to let us know as to what they think about Epic Church.

Worshiping Him

Time for the Fun to Start!

2009-08-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we have our first trial run service!! All of our sound equipment to showing up sunday morning and we will set it up and give it all a try! Also, today I had my second meeting with another university here in Wichita, Friends University. I case you didn't know, Epic Church has decided to try and find some media interns!! My meeting today with Friends was extremely promising! Well, gotta go, time for our volunteers training meeting!

Another Awesome Weekend

2009-08-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was awesome!! Yesterday we went and set up in front of Wal-Mart. We handed out flyers about our up coming Homemade Ice Cream Contest and also handed out free soda to whom ever wanted it. We did have some people who couldn't get there heads around the "free" part. They kept asking "what is the catch", "what do I have to do". The best part was telling them it is just because we want to give them a soda, no catch no strings. Kent was approached by a guy who was curious about the church, but informed him that he doesn't like the way church does music or other things. Kent told him it's okay because we are a church for people who don't like church. After the talk the guy left, but came back later and took a flyer about the church and ice cream contest. I'm telling you God can change your mind about situations in a heart beat. I am loving all this here and how God continually shows up when you least expect it!! GOD ROCKS!!

Worshiping Him

Meeting at WSU

2009-07-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

So today I had a meeting with a communications professor at Wichita State University. The reason is that Epic Church is looking for interns that are graphic art students and video students. This is one of the ways that Kent (read his blog) and I have decided to delegate our abilities and possibly find another avenue to reach people. The meeting went great! I was a little weary about a large university wanting anything to do with a church. Surprisingly the were open to the idea. They told me what they were looking for in their Co-Op employers and other logistics that actually work well for us as a church. I was also able to start building a relationship with the professor and the co-op director. I tell you, God knows how to blow my mind and keep me guessing at what He can do!! I want to thank all of you that have been praying for me and Epic Church. I also ask that you pray for the community of Andover and East Wichita that we as church can continue to reach them.

Worshiping Him

Things are looking up

2009-07-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our second worship team practice on Monday night. It went great!! On Saturday night we were at Central Christian Church in Wichita looking for volunteers to join our church. In case I forgot to mention Central is a local church that is one of our big supporters. So when they offered to give us some of their members from their Saturday night 533 service it was totally an awesome God moment. After service we got 10 names of people interested in volunteering at Epic. A couple approached me and started asking about the church and what kind of music we plan on doing. I tell you God always amazes me in how we hit a speed bump and then he comes around and fixes the problems. The couple just so happened were looking for a church and came from a church plant in California. They came to practice on Monday and it went great! Kevin is going to play electric for us and Kristin is going to be our acoustic guitar player. So with these 2 it will free me up to play what ever I want too. Sunday the staff here at Epic went out and passed out flyers for our up coming Homemade Ice Cream Contest at the Andover YMCA and and was an eventful morning. Later that evening we had a worship and time of devotion for our church. GOD ROCKS!!

Worshiping Him

Guerilla Marketing

2009-07-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Things have been interesting to say the least this past week. Our worship team has hit a small snag, but we are working through it and trusting God has a bigger plan in store for us. I am however really excited because this weekend we are having a time of worship an d devotion with our launch team. It's been something they have wanted and now is the time we are able to give it to them. We are also starting up our phone call marketing next week as well as door to door this Sunday!! I believe God will show no matter how things turn out. I ask that you keep praying for Epic Church and the community of Andover, KS! I also want to say a great big Thank You to all of you who have supported me on this journey and know that I am praying all of you, that God will bless you and your families.

Worshiping Him

First Official Work Day

2009-07-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

So today was Awesome!!! I was so excited about our first staff meeting and how well it went. Man this church is going to be awesome with a TON of hard work involved, like everything that is good in life does. We also had our first band practice tonight. Things are looking good right now, but can always be better. The guys in the band are great! When you introduce new things to people you kind of expect some difficulty, but things went well over all. With a little practice and some time spent together I think we will do great!!

Truck woes No More... for now

2009-07-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Things are back to wonderfulness. I finished fixing my truck this morning and it runs like it's supposed to. A little background for you. On my drive out to Kansas my transmission started to make a high buzzing sound found out the bearing went out or was about to. So I went with Kent and Jenny to her parents house so her dad and I could put a new transmission in. While on the road my transmission dropped and all I had was 4 gear. So Kent got behind my truck with his and pushed me up to speed every time we stopped. I am happy to say that I did not have to have to do all this on my own. I have awesome parents and a Great God and amazing new friends!!

Keep Worshipping Him

I Made It

2009-07-16T07:44:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally made it to Andover, KS. It was a long 2 days and Satan defiantly made it more difficult. I got here on Tuesday and right away I jumped in to one of our many events we do around the community, and sweated like crazy. It's just like Louisville, but a lot warm and less humidity. I got everything moved in yesterday and have almost finished arranging my room to be livable. The Smokes, my host family, Rock!! I can't wait to meet Paul their son when he gets back from a small vacation with some family. I guess to day is my second official day as the worship leader at Epic Church. It's kinda wired not having an office to go in and sign a time sheet, but the freedom to go around and sit in coffee shops and be in the community is great!! Yesterday Kent (the lead pastor) and I met with a guy yesterday who is looking for a church where he can be apart and serve and play bass guitar. I was so excited to meet him and finally have the last member of our band!! Hopefully if things go as planed we will get together this weekend and have our first band meeting and practice, WHOO!!!! All the guys are awesome and have a passion for God and this community. Well, back to the grind.

Serving Him and His People!

Getting Prepared

2009-07-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I have 5 days then I make the drive out to Kansas to start working at Epic Church. I'm totally Stoked!! It's been a busy week with meetings sending out my letters and packing , still.

First Meeting

2009-07-01T13:54:00.001-07:00

I had my first meeting with a church today. Things went great!! I think they are planning on supporting me!!

Close to moving date

2009-06-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a week and a half away from packing up and driving out to start my new life in Kansas. Things are coming down to crunch time right now. But all is going well and some what falling into place.

The Epic Beginning

2009-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, for those you reading this that means that you know that I am taking on a new journey that has lead me to Andover, KS to be a worship leader at a new church plant called Epic Church. I am so excited about what God has in store for this new church.

For some background, I am a Louisville, KY native. I grew up in the church loving music, oh and baseball. I went off to college to be a “Rock Star” or at least be part of band anyway. Funny thing is, God always has a plan better than our own. He kept putting worship leading opportunities in front of me and I decide it’s better to stop fighting God and follow Him instead.

So as I continue on this journey, I would appreciate your prayers and support.