christmas 2010

Ashley, her family (Jerald, Lisa, Jordan and Landon) and I shot this during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  My folks (Bob and Ruthie) spent the holidays in Indio, California.  This was our attempt to bring them to Iowa City - and Christmas 2010.  Mommy and Daddy T - we love you, we miss you, we wish you were here!  Can you hear that?  The Midwest is calling you home for Christmas 2011!!!  Do not stand her up - she a mean ole' sucker when she is spurned.  Hahaha!!!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Veritas/Salt Company - 2010

The Veritas / Salt Year-End Recap :: Dec 2010 from Veritas Church on Vimeo.


Just a glimpse at what God is doing here in Iowa City.

A God-Story

The Hill Family - How God has been with us from Veritas Church on Vimeo.


This is just one of the many stories that God is writing in our midst.

What a privilege to watch Him move.

Veritas' First Baptisms

Veritas Baptisms from Veritas Church on Vimeo.


Veritas baptized its first 7 people yesterday - Sharon, Jeremy, Kurt, Lindsey, Megan, Kelly, and Frank.

We got to hear their stories during our Sunday morning service - they were amazing!

Then, as a church, we walked down to the local Rec. Center - and lined the edges of the pool - as our brothers and sisters made an obedient 'proclamation' of WHO it is - that they're living for.

We praise God for all that He's doing among us!

"Saaabbbiiinnnooo"

Sabino on the Dance Floor from Veritas Church on Vimeo.


Mark Arant - metropuritan.blogspot.com/ - has already posted this.

But let's be honest - it's worth a second look.  YEAH BOY!!!

The Gentlemen's Academy - I.C.

Greetings to our brethren in Lincoln.  

"Each man a gentleman."

the last month - a few choice pics

Making room for the worship screen @ Salt

The  Rec Center Shower (before I used it)

"the ruckus" - recognize!

Our offices are adjacent to a beauty salon.   This lonely extension was in the parking lot

Ashley's dessert 'spread' at our first Connection Group

Spaid's toe - a casualty of Salt set-up

Mark and I chartered our own plane to get to Ames for a church planters get together (more on that later)

The I.C. as we rise to 6,000 feet

The picture-perfect cup of coffee - care of Paradise Lights

Our plane.  We got lucky - hitched a ride with the boys from Calvary (Muscatine)

a different bar

I want to preface this - with a bit of an admission:  I am a slacking blogger.  I see it, I admit it, I repent of it.  Shoot, even this post is over a week old.  So - please - forgive my inconsistency, or complete absence rather.  Now then, let's move on.

The New Venue - Salt Company (I.C.) started out meeting in the Blue Moose Tap House; and what a great venue!  It was downtown, well-known, accessible.  However, "the Moose" is also one of the most sought after locations for well-known bands on the Midwest leg of their tour.  That being said, some weeks (depending on what 'show's have been promoted) we end up getting bumped.  

So...where to?  We'd been asking God that same question for well over a month.  Finally, after door upon door swung shut - we circled back to a place called "The Fiield House".  As one of the barmaids from the Blue Moose explained to us - The Moose and The Field House are essentially both bars.  But the difference is the atmosphere and cliental.  The Moose - with so many on tap - serves primarily beer.  The Field House, on the other hand, is much more of a club - base-thumping music, dancing, and shots.  It just feels darker.

As we moved in lighting and gear last Tuesday - we were all given to pause.  How is this going to turn out?  Will people show up?  Will God show up?  Can the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ really conquer a place like this?  We hit our knees on the sticky, black-light lit floor - and prayed that God would reign in that place.  Then Mark suggested that the 8 of us - sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" over the place.  The verse, "Holy, Holy, Holy, though the darkness hide Thee - though the eyes of sinful man Thy Glory may not see," seemed rather pertinent.  The sound of our voices echoed through that place, almost as a sign of what was to come.  It was as if God was calming our hearts for what He was going to do there.  And - sure enough - He showed up.  People came, His Spirit came, something happened.

It's still amazing to me how God draws people.  God draws people, and then, as the Gospel is preached - as Christ is exalted - His Spirit moves in and moves on people's hearts and lives.  And yes, that's what 'happened'.  As our guys stepped away from the mic during "From the Inside Out" (Hillsong United) - that entire place (that entire bar) was filled with voices just praising Jesus Christ.  Even if they didn't know Him - they were drawn into something so full of life.

Of course, there are many, sort of 'side-stories' - worthy of being mentioned here: like the bartender getting caught up in the Truth of God's Word;  or the hurting students who came back to receive prayer; or even the barmaids from the Blue Moose, coming over because they didn't want to miss Salt.

All of us - who've ever been in full-time ministry (whatever that means) - we've all spent a good amount of time being "evaluators" - I think I want to spend more time simply being a participant.

For the praise of His Glory.  

Our 1st 'Church' Service

First Veritas service recap from Veritas Church on Vimeo.

1st Salt Video

I promised more was coming...here it is.  God moved, we followed, this is a taste of what went down.  Thanks so much for thinking of us, praying for us, supporting what God's doing.  

(This is a Lance Allgood production - awesome job Lance!)



The First Salt Company in Iowa City from Veritas Church on Vimeo.

what is sin?

We shot this for a series we're doing @ Salt that centers on the fundamentals of the gospel.  I thought some of the responses we got were interesting.

The Daily Iowan

Alicia Kramme writes about Salt Company I.C. 


Check out the link below:


http://www.dailyiowan.com/2010/09/02/Metro/18532.html

Mold, Potlucks, and Junior High

R to L - Mark Oestreicher, Jeff Thune, and Mark Arant.  "MarkO" was Mark and my Junior High pastor.  It was awesome to reconnect - find out all that God is doing in and through him - and allow Mark (Arant) to repent for being such a punk in Junior High - seriously!

Our 3rd (or 4th potluck) @ City Park - "Veritas" Church officially launches in 2 weeks, which is good - there's not as much luck in the pot as there used to be.  But dang was that homemade mac n' cheese good!

 Duvick gets friendly with the mold covering the Arant Family belongings

And yes, Duvick disinfects the deep freeze - the work of an intern is never done

Ryan, Jenee, and 'Sammy' Harmon - headed to Madrid later this year

The 'side' pony (spotted at Whitey's) -  never really out-of-style

The 1st

Wednesday, August 25th was the very first Salt Company - Iowa City. As expected, it is nearly impossible to consolidate everything that went down in a concise, well-articulated blog post. Well, maybe it's not -  my good friend and ministry partner Mark Arant has actually done it quite well - I can't stand that guy! To visit his blog, go to http://metropuritan.blogspot.com/

Here are a few of my reflections from "The 1st":

1) God drew people. From Iowa City, from Cedar Rapids, even from Ames (we had a fair share of supporters from Cornerstone there - very cool). I received an email on Monday of this week from a mom in Arizona. Her son is a freshman at the University of Iowa this year. She so desperately wanted him to connect with a community who exalts and proclaims Christ. Spaid and I had coffee with him on Tuesday, and he was at Salt on Wednesday - thrilled to have found a place to 'connect'. God's drawing people is a remarkable thing!

2) The Blue Moose Tap House. It's pretty crazy to do 'church' in a bar and have the bartenders and barmaids coming back, and standing in the doorway just to see exactly WHAT-IT-IS that's going on. This venue has big 'shows'(concerts) all the time, but even it's employees were ducking their heads in to see this "worship of the King".

3) Prayer. There are times when you hear people say things like "I knew - I FELT that people were praying for me." In this case, it was so very true. We had asked people to be praying, we knew people were praying, and we FELT God responding to those prayers. Thank you for hitting your knees on our behalf!

4) Connections. This is hard to describe but let me try to give you a quick snapshot. At the end of the night, we had our Connection Group Leaders standing in the back, attempting to meet, greet, invite people to their Connection Groups (think small groups with a sexier name). In the back corner of the room, I saw one of our young leaders (who had been to China on a short-term missions trip this summer) surrounded by Asians. God had not only softened his heart toward internationals this summer, He was now BRINGING them to him. I had to chuckle inside - amazing!

5) Authentic Worship. This little phrase gets thrown around a lot - but it remains difficult to find. We have some extremely talented musicians, writers, leaders here - but more than that they are 'worshippers'. This, in many ways, is a product of Mark Arant's influence. To watch him jumping around, hands raised, so alive and at home worshipping his God - I was so thankful.

6) Servants.  Mark already eluded to this in his latest post, but it's worth repeating.  God has brought us an amazing crew of get'r'done boys (and girls).  Of course Clint already has them working like a well oiled machine, but they honor Christ and challenge us, with their hearts and hands and spirit.

I wanted to give 7 reflections - primarily because 7 is God's number (according to my 2nd grade Sunday School teacher).  But this is a blog post, not a short story, and I've got a cluttered garage to organize - Dang It!!!

August 25, 2010 - Salt Company Iowa City

First Salt in the Blue Moose - How He Loves from Veritas Church on Vimeo.

Here's a quick look at "Salt - I.C" @ the Blue Moose Tap House.

Don't forget to turn up your volume! --- More to come very soon!

T-Shirt Snobbery

I have known many men who, at the offer of a free t-shirt, come running - I am not one of those men.  There are simply too many unknowns:  1) In what must I participate in order to receive it? - 2) Doesn't "free" really mean "crappy"? - 3) Is it a "one-size-fits-all" offer? (which generally means Double XL's all the way around).  I don't want any more "free" t-shirts, they never make it out of my closet. I've thought through this more than I should, and I have my conclusions.

First and foremost, being mildly selective when purchasing (or receiving) a t-shirt - is more than just okay, it's necessary.  The push-back, of course, comes from those clinging to the ideal strong and silent type of yesteryear - the man's man who wore whatever his wife set out for him because 'being fashionable' just wasn't on his radar. After all, that kind of talk belongs in the sitting room with the woman folk.  However (I would contend) that kind of man worked in the factory for 30-40 plus years and didn't have access to the killer graphic T's that we do!  Am I right, or am I right?!?! Seriously friends, and hear me on this:  I am in no way condoning a metrosexual worldview, just a healthy balance between all things "Affliction", and old-school Wrangler denim.

Second, and practically just as important, you need a system.  How to quickly and painlessly decide whether or not a particular t-shirt warrants your further consideration.  There is no fail-safe methodology here - but here are a few non-bulleted bullet points that may help:

1) Look at the BRAND - if the tag says Gildan, Jerzees, or Hanes Beefy T...walk away.  Alternative and/or American Apparel are considered slightly trendy, but are recommended nonetheless.

2) Consider the LENGTH - a) of the shirt itself - and b) of it's sleeves.  The shirt itself should sit just barely above the crotch, at least halfway down your backside (depending on the sag of your jeans and the scope of your buttocks).  The sleeves should come to rest no more than an inch or two above the elbow.  Again balance is the key - finding a happy space somewhere between Smedium and G-Unit is advised.  NEWS-FLASH:  If you're still rocking Hollister or anything with a white seagull cresting your left breast, do us all a favor:  go home, take it off, and burn it - then burn the closet or drawer where it used to come to rest.  This brand violates both of these - and yes, it's time to let go.

3) Examine the FIT - Someone, somewhere once said, "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace by those who have been trained by it".  Sketchy use of Scripture I know, but here's my point:  I hate fitting rooms just as much as (or more than) the next guy.  I always feel like I'm in a prison cell - a prison cell with full length mirrors and a really helpful guard  who just wants to get me the right size.  However, this momentary inconvenience has a huge payoff - I know the shirt works before I walk out of the store with it.  There should be fitting rooms for hair-cuts.

Of course there are other factors to consider (i.e. "is this me" is often overlooked but of central importance) -  but a simple awareness that you don't have to wear just any t-shirt is a doorway to freedom.  May you run blissfully through it pulling along others as you go!

vlog 1 (covenant)

Scentsy?

Please tell me you've heard of "Scentsy"? What about Scentsy parties? I realize that I'm lagging behind this growing phenomenon of warm and inviting living spaces everywhere - BUT - I'd like to think that it has something to do with a still lingering masculinity and a fear of accumulating needless trinkets.

"Scentsy" are flameless, sootless, wickless candles. THANK GOD right!?!?  I know, I know - I hear stories all the time of houses and businesses and quaint little cottages that have burned down due to the senseless wicks and flames of the outdated "Yankee" candles of yesteryear. Needless tragedies!

Scentsy has travel tins, and hanging fresheners, and room sprays, and aromatic bricks and bars - but their real claim to fame is "Scentsy Parties" (think Pampered Chef). You can host a Scentsy party simply by having a passion for wickless candles and then contacting an Authentic Scentsy Consultant (or becoming one yourself). There's a Scentsy Party in your area, and they aren't hard to find - my wife found one.  Twenty five bucks later we are fully equipped with echo, vanilla suede, and clove and cinnamon candle inserts - well-suited for a variety of social gatherings.  And I cannot tell you how excited I am!

Thank you Scentsy!  Thank you for changing my life!

The Progressive Sanctification of Taste-Buds

Random Musings - PART 1

Is it possible that the accuracy of our taste-buds is enhanced over time? Here's why I ask: Have you ever stood behind an elderly woman at the deli counter?

"Now...the maple-roasted turkey - exactly what kind of maple syrup is used in that?"

IMPLICATION: "I WILL be able to distinguish the quality and character of the syrup used!"

So, is this a superpower? Perhaps not, but there are some telling evidences that may lend credence to it. Here are three:

1) The diversification of a palette as one grows and matures (i.e. I hated broccoli as a kid and now I love it). Adults don't typically eat mashed carrots from Gerber foods.

2) At some point - usually post-college - the priority shifts from QUANTITY (i.e. heaps of inexpensive preservative-laden cuisines such as pizza, mac-n-cheese, and Ramen noodles) to QUALITY (i.e. pre-determined portions of fresh vegetables, fine cuts of meat, natural grains). "But doesn't this have much to do with one's life chapter and socioeconomic status," you ask. Yes. But I would contend that there are plenty of trust fund snobs, living in the condo that daddy bought for their undergrad, who are eating Totino's pizza rolls tonight.

3) Chefs - most are on the other side of middle age. There's no culinary Mozart - no renowned child prodigy of nutrition - no food critique that isn't capable of DRIVING to the opening of the latest, greatest eatery.

Of course the "taste of food" could simply be a value that increases over time :)

Why the 80's matter

I'm not sure exactly why I'm still drawn to 80's movies, I just know that I am. The music, the simple but fun-loving plot-lines, the recurring nostalgia - maybe its a combination of factors. The other night, I forced Ashley to sit through the majority of "Sixteen Candles" - Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Jake "the hottie". It's not that Ashley didn't enjoy it, but 'enjoy' is so subjective with someone who genuinely fancies life. She'd much rather tune into House Hunters, or Nine By Design, or any other exceptionally lame but potentially addictive piece of programming birthed by HGTV.

This frustrates me for a litany of reasons, but perhaps the one that stands out from the rest is the lack of imagination it takes to enter into these home improvement, home renovation, home design realities. The characters are so normal. They're your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors. They wear khakis, and drive Camry's, and talk about budgets. They're anything but eccentric. The only thing that really distinguishes them is that they're joined by some television personality - fresh from the make-up, the hair, the wardrobe trailer - who once worked at a Lowe's or at Pier One Imports before they were 'discovered', which gives them loads of credibility and makes them an ideal fit to host the program. And all of a sudden, everybody's so excited about the new color scheme, the accented throw pillows, the Artesian-influenced backsplash. Well not me. I know how this ends up, I've seen it before, the story-line never changes.

I want to be inspired: to feel nervous about Donald Miller's attempt to be cool ("Can't Buy Me Love" - 1987), to sing along to Maverick and Goose's rendition of You've Lost that Loving Feeling ("Top Gun" - 1986), to joyfully exhale when George McFly's fist connects with Biff's chin, thus changing the course of history ("Back to the Future"- 1985). I want to be inspired and I honestly believe that everyone else should want to be too.

Of course, I've made this mistake before - projecting my affinity for skinny ties, pegged jeans, and the Brat Pack on people who either don't share the same sentiments, or are entirely indifferent. During one summer in college, my buddy and I decided that a few girls we knew, desperately needed to experience the cinematic genius of "The Karate Kid". "How could they have never been exposed to Danielson, Miaggi, and the Cobra Kai?" Surely our little gathering would open eyes, make memories, create fans. Only it didn't. Our fail-safe plan somehow bombed. The girls smiled, laughed, thanked us for the evening. But it was undoubtedly forced - sympathetic charity at best. And it took us all a while to recover. Things got a bit awkward for a minute. How are people supposed to respond when you talk something up as life-changing - and then it doesn't change their lives?

The harsh reality in all of this, is that you can't always cast your passion upon others. Sometimes it just doesn't take, even when it should.

Live on Jeff Spicoli - Live on Duckie Dale - Live on Ferris!