A Worshipful Heart

Things I've Learned.......

As I gathered with a group of highly creative, massively talented worship leaders at Re:create, I learned a few things:

1) To be a REAL worship leader, I need an iPhone and a Mac. I am sadly behind the times. When they asked everyone what their favorite apps on iPhone were I was tempted to share that I use my alarm clock on my Razr daily!

2) To be a really believable - and possibly more effective - worship leader I need to change my appearance. Namely, I need some ink and additional piercings. I've long wanted a tattoo, but Phil says no. I hate to use the word submit so I'll just say that I honor my husband's request because I deeply desire unity! I did have my cartilage pierced but took it out one day and it grew up! oh well! I really would love a small tattoo though. Really I would.

3) I must learn to lead from an instrument. I am apparently the only worship leader in the world that doesn't lead from an instrument. I am JUST a vocalist. Sad. I used to lead from an instrument but really, I am not good at it, so I quit. I'll leave that to others who are more gifted than I.

4) Worship leaders are deep thinkers and highly expressive people. I LEARNED I AM NOT ALONE!!!!! Being around them for hours on end for a week helped me understand myself more. I loved being with a group of people who "get me" - whose dreams and goals are similar to mine, whose passions run along the same lines, who feel and think in similar ways, who CRY unashamedly and who are openly expressive as they worship. This meeting of souls ministered deeply to me. Their company was like a long drink of cool water for my soul.

5) I will have to diet before Re:create next year so I can enjoy it to it's fullest. I plan to register as soon as possible and I will need to diet for a year to prepare for ALL THAT FOOD!!! Oh. my. goodness.

6) Next year I'm taking a Sunday off and hanging out in Nashville for a while to allow for recovery from the "Re:create Hangover" as someone called it - you could also call it "Withdrawals"! I just had so much information and inspiration poured into me that I couldn't handle it all. I need a few follow up days to process and think. Rushing back to "real life" was hard.

7) If I didn't know it before, I know it now. I need community outside the walls of my church. I needed to be able to laugh and cry with others who view life through the same lens of ministry. I needed the time to talk and just hang out with other crazily creative minds. I needed their support and their inspiration and their encouragement as well as their wisdom.

8) I need to create more. This feeds my soul. Photography, writing, songwriting, creating services, scrapbooking, even cooking, all allow me to express something of the wonder of God in my life. Without this expression I feel stifled. With it, I feel more fully alive.

9) I need to travel more, listen to more music, go to museums, worship more, and simply sit more - with this I see more of God and I am inspired.

10) I am a unique individual created by God for His glory! His creativity shines in my unique set of abilities and gifts and experiences. I am His and I am loved.

**On another note, read my latest article published on The Worship Community!!**

So what have you learned lately?

What a Ride!

The last two weeks have been crazy busy to say the least. I went to Chicago for a retreat, to Tennessee for a college visit, to North Carolina to do some snowtubing and make some family memories and then to Nashville for a conference. I didn't have time to post this video during that time but thought you'd enjoy this wild ride of mine as I went snowtubing. What a rush!

We went to Boone, NC to Hawk's Nest and happened to pick a day that it was 22 degrees with 27 mph winds. Yes, it was amazingly cold and the wind almost blew me away with my tube a few times. I could envision myself sailing awy through the air with a snow tube for a kite. (the wind actually did blow a little boy off the "people mover" thing we used to go back up the hills)

To say that we are not equipped for snow and cold would be an understatement so I am thankful to my mother and friend Sheila for them lending me their warm winter clothing for the event.

We started the morning with sticky buns and chai (coffee for Phil) at Stick-boy bakery near Appalachian State University and then we hit the hills!

So enjoy the view - please note that none of this is sped up. I simply went around and around in very fast circles so keep your eyes on the trees, background, etc. When I finished the ride I could hardly walk I was so dizzy!!! I had flashbacks to Clark Griswold's famous ride as I sped down the hill!

So what have you done for fun lately?
Snow Tubing - Jan from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Thanking God

Tonight I am very thankful. My home was filled with friends tonight. These are not just any friends, but the ministry leaders at our church, The Brook. Because we all lead differing areas of ministry, we don't actually get to work together on events much. Tonight it was fun to come together and eat some yummy desserts, to sing, to play games and to just hang out.

Many times in church leaders spend most of their time together discussing vision, process, planning, and the like. Better yet, many of our conversations might center around solving problems. This can make so many of our interactions seem intense and serious. Sometimes those are the only conversations we have!

I really believe that it's important for us to spend time just being together and having fun, laughing, talking and seeing one another as real people. So tonight all of the ministry leaders, staff and management team of The Brook were invited to my house where staff hosted an appreciation party. We ate too much sugar, we played a silly game or two, we giggled and we chatted. We gave out some appreciation gifts and said "Thank you". We joined hands and gave one another the gift of prayer and lifted up one another and the ministries we lead. We stopped from our busyness to give one another something we've talked about alot this Christmas - the simple gift of our presence.

Each Christmas we give gifts. We buy stuff and give it to each other. We may give away money. But what we most remember are those precious moments together. Tonight our leaders gave each other the gift of our time, our prayers and our presence. We cared enough to show up and to pay attention to one another and that spoke volumes to me.

Sometimes giving OURSELVES is the hardest thing to give.....

**Tonight I thank God for all the leaders at The Brook, who have unfailingly given their time, their passion, their selves during a difficult year. I applaud them for serving with courage and with joy in spite of budget cuts and a loss of resources. They have great attitudes and are a blessing to our family of believers. We could not possibly do what we do without the leadership and just sheer hard work they provide. My prayer is that they will know that what they do matters and be encouraged in the Lord. If you attend The Brook, take a moment to say "thank you"and give a hug to those that lead. It will be one of the best Christmas gifts they receive!**

Who do you need to give the gift of your presence to this Christmas?

 

 

 

Roll Tide!

I just have to say Roll Tide! I am so excited that Bama is 12-0, #1 and that we beat Auburn. I say this very respectfully as I know all my Auburn friends would have been JUST as excited if they had won! My son Philip and my niece Jacki and several friends got to attend the game. I've been to close to a hundred games but never the Alabama - Auburn game. To see Bama win at Tuscaloosa must have been a phenomenal thing! Phil and I certainly had a great time screaming and yelling here at the house. For those of you who just don't understand my fascination with Alabama football, you can read about my family's addiction and long standing tradition as Tide fans here.

Philip sent me the picture above from his cell phone - his view from the student section at Bryant-Denny Stadium. As you may have read in a previous post, Philip has made a commitment not to cut his beard as long as Bama is winning. My mom was a bit uncertain about this but she called me tonight and said "Tell Philip I hope he grows it so long that he has to tuck it into his pants!". Phil and I thought that showed the strength of my mother's passion for Alabama football.

I will end by saying simply, "Roooollllllll Tide Roll!" Now we get ready for Florida!