wow! it's been since march!!

alright. so a ton has taken place in my life since march. i only have two months left in the army. i resigned from north point community as the youth/worship pastor almost two months ago now. a lot of stuff has changed and a lot of decisions are about to be made. but the one thing that stays a constant flow in my life is my pursuit and love affair with my Creator. He is all in my life. He never fails. He stays constant. i am trying to figure out the next steps in my life. i've got a few things up in the air and i'm still seeking guidance from God but still no pillar of fire to follow yet. i've just been taking the past two months to draw closer to God through reading, writing, worshipping and leading different folks to the throne when i get the chance. some of my favorite moments spent with God have been all alone in the silence with nothing but me, my tears and my Saviour. this blog isn't meant to be a long drawn out one but one to say that the biggest thing i'm working on in my life was re-spoken into my heart last week at the Jesus Culture conference in Atlanta. that was to realize the devil seeks us out like a lion and the less flesh we have for him to grab a hold of the better. so how much flesh is lingering around for him to devour?.... ouch!! hits to the core. i've had to ask myself what has become so much more important than Christ in my life. what has slowly creeped its way in without notice. but i will have a full updated blog entry sometime later on this month. it's 3:28 am. i'm having a conversation with a friend of mine on facebook and i'm waiting to get the call that Colie, my sister, has had my first neice...Paisley!!! love you guys and chew on this chapter and verse... Isaiah 42.

later... *josh

180 Weekend & New Guitar

(the top pic goes with bottom paragraph)...So this past weekend I had the privilege to lead worship in Augusta at a youth event called 180 Weekend with True North Church. This was probably one of my favorite events that I've lead for yet. I didn't take the Atlanta boys with me. Which I was real sad about not playing with my band but the band from True North brought it that's for sure. We flowed so well together like we'd been playing together for a while. By the altar call of the third service their was such a move of God and His presence was so thick in the Depot that I had to literally get on my knees because i just wasn't able to stand. We shouted, cried, laughed and just had a blast the entire weekend. I truly believe that God set some students free and did a work in all of our lives who were a part of it.

The last thing on 180 that will stick out in my mind forever was the Saturday night worship house. The last session took place in a vacant, one-level house that was for sale and someone in the church allowed the event to use it. As the students walked into the house they found that in every room there was different venues to worship the Lord with. Whether it was a massive easel to paint on, take communion, draw, write a letter, make worship out of Play Doh, or walk down the hall to the last room where i was sitting with my Gibson and candles on singing worship to the Lord. I started with a simple call to worship and then led those who chose to come in the room with the three anthems we sang all weekend...How He Loves, Center and We Press In. As I began to sing the first line of How He Loves the room started to fill and by the second chorus their were students and adults from the room all the way down the hall, shoulder to shoulder, just lifting up worship louder than I've ever heard before. Many of the students couldn't even get into the back room but didn't care. They just wanted to sing praise to their King! My heart is about to leap out of my chest as I sit here in my office typing this. You HAD to be in that house to understand how amazing that hour and a half was. There were moments during those three songs, that we sang forever by the way, that I stopped singing and just listened as i strummed in awe of the passion behind the voices from a group that was singing out of thanks to all that God had done in the past day and a half in their lives. As the students filed out of the room, Tommy Wafford (the youth pastor), Ben Miller (the speaker for 180) and myself stayed in the room as I continued to play We Press In and I promise you that we met with our Creator in that back corner room. It was probably one of the most real times that I've ever been in the presence of God and just couldn't get enough nor did I want to leave. I enjoyed the tears and joy that came that saturday night worshipping like never before. It was SO LOUD, SO BEAUTIFUL and SO GENUINE!! It reminded me of the "upper room" from Acts 2 but we can call it the "back room to the right." Haha. It was just a room but God used it as a place to meet us and blow us away with His love. It brings tears to my eyes as I sit here and think about it. But that was 180. What a powerful weekend to be a part of and I pray that the ball only continues to roll with those students!!

Many of you know Nathan Wright. He is a gifted guitar player and a good friend of mine. He contacted me about two months ago as we discussed me getting my first electric. It just so happened that he was selling his first guitar. A Fender '72 Reissue Telecaster Thinline. For those of you who get into worship as we do you'll know that Charlie Hall, Chris Quilala and a few others lead worship with this very guitar. Well after long debate and me selling/trying to sell some gear I met up with Nathan and was handed down the Tele. It was a solemn ceremony. Just Nathan and I in a Starbucks parking lot in Kennesaw, GA. It lasted about 30 minutes but was a good moment. Haha. I'm excited about the versatility this will bring me on stage as a worship leader. Thank you Nathan for passing your baby down to me. I'll take good care of her.

Lastly, pray for me as I am embarking on a pursuit of God this next week like I never have before. I feel like my walk with Jesus is closer than it's ever been and I'm excited to do something out of the norm for me. Just pray for direction, patience and stillness on my part to just sit and listen to the Lord and seek His will for the next steps in my life. A lot of times when we come before God we always want to talk but it's good to just sit and let Him speak to you. So for the next seven days I will be doing that along with one of my best friends. I'll be spending more time than normal in worship, prayer and stillnes before the Lord. I'm anxious to see all that God will reveal through obedience but I just pray for patience. For all that know me you know that is not a good avenue with me sometimes..patience. When's the last time you just sat and listened rather than talked? Try it. It could be good for you! He holds our moments in His hands and He is faithful to those who call Him Lord!! Have a great week everyone!

A Whole Month?

WOW!! a whole month has gone by without a blog post from me. i think that God has just been moving so strongly in my life that i really haven't had the words to express all that has gone on. 2009 couldn't have started better than it has! God has totally refocused my energy towards Him and has helped me realize my true calling and passion in life which is to serve Him through leading His people in worship and also lead this generation to a revelation of His great glory! i have had the opportunity over this past month to lead worship for some very amazing groups of people around South Carolina and i have loved every moment of it. playing with my atlanta boys was a blast!!! i'm looking forward to getting my first electric from my friend nathan pretty soon! it'll be great to have that diversity in worship now!

well, there have been two chapters in the Bible that have continued to ring out in my head over the past week or so. They would be Psalm 37 and Colossians 3. in Psalm 37 David speaks about trusting in the Lord and finding pure delight only in Him. then and only then will He give us the desires of our hearts. but the key to it all is trusting and waiting on God to move. i've spoken at Illuminate on this topic a couple of weeks in a row and just can't shake it. i am beginning to realize that even in my own life i need to put complete trust in God, His will and His timing. that's something that, as a dreamer, i can easily try to push....God's will. it's like i see so many great things that are ahead of me and things that God is teaching me right now but i have found that waiting on that to come to life is sometimes a hard process. dreams and passions don't just come alive over night. they go through a process. not always the same process but it always takes patience and perseverance. it's like God is saying in my spirit..."enjoy where you are and what is here but let it completely develop and you'll be a better man, leader, and friend to all those that you minister to and are a part of their lives. " i am so excited about the dreams that God has given me and just can't wait to watch God unfold His true journey for my next chapter in life. in Colossians 3 God teaches us through Paul how we should live our lives. it's hard to sum up all of this chapter but it's basically reminding us to live with Christ as the center focus of all that we say and do. been really cool just diving into these chapters and learning so much from them.

this next month is really busy but is going to be a great month full of youth retreats, worship events and just going to church and leading the local church here in worship. i'm excited for all that God has to unfold this month!!

just a quick update

wow!! God is so faithful! i can't even begin to describe this past week except to say that. He has just amazed me at His love for me and all that He has blessed my life with here lately! i've seen such a change in my pursuit of God. i find myself fasting more, praying harder and reading more than i ever have. i also have noticed a change in my passion behind my music and my worship leading. on a side note, you need to go to http://www.jesusculture.org and order their new worship cd/dvd "Your Love Never Fails". what intense and amazing worship. i haven't heard or seen anyone worship like this in a long, long time...maybe ever. as a worship leader it's such an encouraging thing to witness. i've found myself deep in worship as i watch/listen to this music. you'll just have to go get it and you'll see what i'm talking about!!! and all their stuff is great! enough of that tangent.

what a great service this past sunday. worship was amazing at north point this week. i feel very privileged to be able to lead worship with these folks each week. it's been a great journey since may really learning how to lead with the musicians at our church and we have really started to be able to just flow so good together. God really moved our hearts during our time of worship this past week! then i played drums for a friend at a worship service tuesday night at USC which was so much fun. i'm not able to play the drums as much as i used to anymore because of my new direction in worship. but it's so great to be able to sit in with people and just get back to my roots of how i started with music! then Illuminate started back this week at north point. Illuminate is the student ministry at our church that i'm the youth pastor over. what a turn out for our first night of 2009! it was one of my most favorite nights yet. everything from start to finish went better than planned! i spoke on Luke 4:1-13. it was really cool to speak and pray with some of the students before and after the service about things going on in their lives. i see a turning point with a lot of our students lives towards having more of a desire for God and His word so i'm just praying that He use my words to help with that. whew...deep breathe....okay, well that has been the past few days!

Now that all of that is in the past i am preparing to head to Tennessee/Alabama for the weekend. It's going to be so good to spend time with Lauren, Clay, Nichole, Craig and the parents along with some other family of my sister's that i've never met. We are going to worship at Word Alive on sunday and i'm so pumped up about going! What a great weekend ahead. I'll put up some pics from my adventures this weekend on my next blog. okay, i'm about to hit the road! later!

fearfully and wonderfully made

what a time to get away and take a deep breath. have you ever had a moment in your life where you weren't expecting God to move and re-stir your affection for Him and your love for Him catches a blaze brighter than ever before? well, the past two weeks have been that moment for me. if you keep up with my blog you've read that i've been on a journey of learning what seeking God really means in my life and how i've had ups and downs the past six months with it. over my time home this Christmas break a couple of factors played a huge role in God doing just that in my life.

first, i had the opportunity to worship at my old stomping grounds two sundays ago, Trinity Chapel. what a morning to worship with friends and family that have been shaken to the core. the church recently went through something that would bring division in most ordinary churches but i knew that it would be different at this place. in a nutshell, the founding pastor had to step down from the pulpit and the state office of the denomination decided that his son, Jason, take over. they couldn't have picked a better man! well, i walked in with my parents and we were early enough that i was able to watch the massive sanctuary fill up for the first service. it was so amazing to watch the tangible worship lifted up that morning. it really shook me when Dwight Motes started singing "Moving Forward" by Free Chapel. simply incredible. thus began the stirring in my heart.

and here's the second factor. in the place that i live i don't always encounter people who TRULY have an amazing love with their Creator. yes, a lot of them have a relationship with Christ but only a small number of them have any kind of exuberant love for Him. within the past few days i've had the privilege to make a new friendship with someone who has gone through so much in life. and somehow she is so amazed by God that her love for Jesus screams out like the piercing rays of light in the early morning darkness that fills this earth. even spending five minutes with her was enough to break my heart that my affection for Jesus was immeasurable next to hers. don't misunderstand me, i love Jesus with all i have but go back and read my blog titled "Do You Seek" from September 22, 2008 and you'll understand that statement. but throughout the few days that she and i were able to spend time together...she was exactly what i needed at this very moment in my life. it's been a while since i've had this kind of excitement towards anything and the fact that the journey over the course of six months was shaken to the core over this past weekend just blows my mind. i've been praying that God show Himself to me but never thought that He would do so in the form of a petite, brown-haired, green-eyed girl from Tennessee. it just goes to prove the scripture that says we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. and if we are walking with Him closely He'll use us even when we don't know it.

as i drove back last night from atlanta i just spent time in worship and thanksgiving for all that God has done through a short time away when i wasn't even expecting anything more than time home with family and friends. it's just like Him to move in our lives when we are open and ready but our "ready" might not be His "ready". so never try to rush the move of God or you'll miss out on what was truly meant for you. who or what has God used to draw you to Him? i never expected Him to come the way He did. but i'm so glad that i was ready and waiting with my heart open wide for Him to just pour in!

"The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

(Zephaniah 3:17)

It's Christmas Time!

the title to this blog says it all. i love Christmas time! time for families to come together. time to enjoy the company of friends you haven't seen in a while. and time for me to celebrate my birthday along with about 10 other friends who all of us have a birthday within a week and a half of Christmas! and also to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! there's no better month for me than december. so much goes on and it's just a fun month!

i know it's been a while since i last wrote on here but i've just been in a place of learning from God and now am starting to just gather all my thoughts and everything that i'm learning and all that is on my heart and am writing them down. hoping to make a few worship songs out of them. and even some messages for the youth at our church. i'm looking forward to getting almost two weeks of vacation to just go to atlanta and relax, play a little music and enjoy friends and family that i never get to spend quality time with! there could even possibly be a trip to nashville for year two of new year's eve in nashvegas! anyways, here's a link to Shane & Shane's new Christmas album called "Glory in the Highest". there's a link on the page to download their version of "Away in a Manger". get the whole thing because it's amazing!! Feliz Navidad!

desire

so over the course of the past two months i have been on a journey of seeking. if you remember, one of my older posts i confessed that one sunday i was hit with the realization that i had stopped pursuing God. that i had become what, as a Christian, i desperately want to avoid...and that is comfortable with where i was in my walk with Christ. it's been a really cool journey to say the least. to see God show up when i'm driving on a 7 hour trip to nasvhille and when i am sitting on my couch with my guitar just pouring my heart out to him. phil wickham is a musician/songwriter whom i respect. he just writes great worship songs. one song called "desire" is on that has been really great to have a hold of during this time of my life. i'm about to teach it to the band here at North Point and can't wait to bring it to the church! here's the lyrics...

DESIRE
I'm running through the gates of love, as fast as I can
I can't wait to see You I'm a desperate man
You made the light and sent it down
To show us who You are
Now It's bursting out my heart

My desire is burning like a million stars. And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You. My desire, is burning with the fire You sparked. And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You.

I'd be nothing without You, yeah I would die
If I didn't have Your hand if I couldn't look into Your eyes
Jesus if Your love's the fuel then I'm the desperate flame
That's screaming out Your name

This is glory rising, over a new horizon
I See Your love, I feel Your smile
Your in my heart and I will run with all I have to You

Song Description:"This song is about a longing to be with God and yearning for His presence. It's about wanting to run deeper into Him, to know Him more, to continue moving forward. I had all of the music and melody written for this song a while before I sat down to write the lyrics. But Once I did sit down with a pen and a piece of paper it wasn't very hard. The lyrics just spilled out onto the paper. The whole feel of the song is hopeful. Kind of like joy and urgency wrapped up in a bunch of drums, bass, electric guitars" - Phil Wickham