New Watermark Blog…

Check out my new blog at the Watermark Freiburg Blog: No Strings Attached!

PODCAST - Duesseldorf Worship Workshop (pt 2)

Duesseldorf Worship Workshop (Jon Perrin) – This podcast is from a Worship Workshop I taught in Duesseldorf, Germany in 2004. Although it primarily applies to worship leaders, the principles taught will benefit anyone in church or ministry leadership.

Dieses “Podcast” kommt von ein Worship Workshop das ich in Duesseldorf, Deutschland gelehrt habe. Obwohl es sich hauptsächlich auf den Lobpreisleiter fokussiert, sind die Prinzipien die gelehrt werden für jeden der in der Leiterschaft ist, sei es im Dienst oder in der Gemeinde, von Vorteil.

http://www.perrinministries.org/upload/Dues_Worship_Workshop2.mp3

Settling for less

One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram's wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran. - Gen. 11:32-33

I believe this is one of the saddest verses in the entire Bible.  Here we see a man (Abraham’s father, Terah) that set out on a journey.  He had a specific destination in mind.  But when he got halfway there, he stopped.  It says he settled in Haran (named for his son).  There may have been good reasons for it, but fact remains that he never reached his destination.

I believe this is a great metaphor for us today.  We all have hopes and dreams.  We want to accomplish certain things with our lives (like in “The Bucket List”).  The questions we must answer are, “How bad do I want it?” or “What price am I willing to pay to see the fulfillment of my dreams?”

There are always reasons to settle.  There are always plenty of opportunities to remain in our comfort zone, relax our intensity or just plain give up.  But you’re not remembered for your beginning... you’re remembered for your end.  It’s not how you start, but how you finish that counts!  We need to finish well!

Watermark Freiburg Online

The website for our coming Freiburg, Germany church plant is finally online!  Check it out at http://watermarkfreiburg.de.  Although it’s not yet finished, you’ll be able to get an idea of what we’re trying to accomplish through our church in the Freiburg area.  I’d be interested in your feedback about the site.

Fishing Lures

When I was younger, I loved to fish. And it just so happened that we lived only 300 yds from a creek. It was a perfect match! I played there every single day after school. With my faithful (and very stupid) dog, Shaggy, by my side, I was in heaven. Mom only asked that I finish my homework first. So I did it as quickly as possible.
I learned that for different types of fish you need different types of lures. For catfish you need worms and other things of that sort because they are bottom feeders. For bass you often use things that pop along the surface like an insect would or move through the water as a sort of injured fish.
Each lure has one thing in common… it has a hook. Once you get the fish’s attention, it thinks the lure is a source of food and it strikes. When it does, depending on the type of fish, you let it swim off with the lure for a little while (my dad called this “letting the fish play with it”) then yank hard to set the hook. Once the hook is set, you simply reel it in. Sometimes you have to just fight the fish until it just gives up.
The world system around us seemingly has everything to offer, just like a fishing lure. What it has to offer jiggles, wriggles, sparkles, shines and smells just right. The marketing and hype surrounding this system is that if we don’t buy in to it, we will be less of a person. We become just like Homer Simpson: “Ooh… shiny objects!”
According to 1 Jn. 2:15 there are three main lures in our everyday world

1. Lust of the flesh – Physical gratification (Wanting your own way)
2. Lust of the eyes – Greed, desire for possessions (Wanting everything for yourself)
3. Pride of life – arrogance (Wanting to appear important)

The problem with this system is that, just like a lure, it has a hook. When we “strike”, everything seems so exciting. We seem to have finally caught something that promises to make our life better. And we’re given some time to “play” with the lure. But my experience (and that of many I’ve spoken to) is that once the hook is set, you’re left feeling even more lost, alone and disappointed than before. It’s a hollow promise. And you’re reeled in until you finally give up and quit fighting.
Christianity, on the other hand, has only a plain, rough wooden  Cross. It is earthy, dirty and barren. It doesn’t seem to have anything of value to offer us… nothing to capture our attention, nothing that is flashy or loud, and certainly nothing that would have the outward promise of changing our lives for the better.
But unlike the lure, which is nothing more than a shiny object, this Cross has the power to transform lives. It’s the real deal. Its power is not in the Cross itself, but in the One that hung on it.
The whole message of Christianity hangs on what we celebrate this weekend. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead sets Him above all the other systems. He beat the biggie: death! And the Bible says He offers the same resurrection power to us. God doesn’t renovate or remodel… He resurrects!
1 Cor. 2:1-5 It's important to know what we believe and why... we need to be able to answer the tough questions. But it's the central message of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross that has the power to transform lives. (Rom. 1:16)

PODCAST – Duesseldorf Worship Workshop (pt 1)

Duesseldorf Worship Workshop (Jon Perrin) – This podcast is from a Worship Workshop I taught in Duesseldorf, Germany in 2004. Although it primarily applies to worship leaders, the principles taught will benefit anyone in church or ministry leadership. (The first part of the podcast is missing, but we started with John 4:23-24)

Dieses “Podcast” kommt von ein Worship Workshop das ich in Duesseldorf, Deutschland gelehrt habe. Obwohl es sich hauptsächlich auf den Lobpreisleiter fokussiert, sind die Prinzipien die gelehrt werden für jeden der in der Leiterschaft ist, sei es im Dienst oder in der Gemeinde, von Vorteil. (Die erste Teil dieses Podcast fehlt, aber haben wir mit Johannes 4, 23-24 angefangen)

http://www.perrinministries.org/upload/Dues_Worship_Workshop1.mp3

It’s all about the journey!

I have been thinking about how people are treated in churches. This one thing can really make or break a church. One of the things I see in the life of Jesus is that He was willing to be interrupted. If anyone ever had an important mission, it was Him. And He was laser-focused on this mission. But He didn’t let that stop Him from noticing the people and the needs around Him.

So often we get so concerned with the goal that we lose sight of the people around us. It’s like the bookstore owner that never opened his shop because he didn’t want the floors to get dirty. He completely forgot the purpose of the bookstore.

I’ve heard it said that our “mantras” will determine our church culture. One of the mantras I want our coming church plant to have is, “It’s all about the journey!” We can’t get so bogged down in the details and so focused on our goals that we miss the core value of connecting with people.

Remember what Jesus said…

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? – Mk. 8:36

My paraphrase of this verse goes like this: “What does it profit us if we get everything on our ‘To Do List’ accomplished, but fail to connect with and minister to the precious people God sends us?” We must remember that in our push to reach our goals, we have to hold to our core values.  And if Jesus put people high up on His list of core values, so should we.

The journey (who we are becoming) is much more important than destination (what we do for God)!