by tashmcgill | Apr 29, 2005 | Uncategorized

Song Of The Moment : Natalie Cole—This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)

Hey, you’re so deservin’
You’re so deservin’, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
The love, the love, the love, the love, the love, the love, love, love,
love, love
The love, the love, the love, the love, the love, the love, love, love
From now on, from now on, from now on, from now on
From now on, from now on, from now on, from now on
From now on, from now on

Movie Of The Week
Watched ‘Taxi’ and ‘Envy’ tonight with Michael and Josh, looking after Jesse while Andy & Kirst are away at Ben’s wedding. Both good laughs. Funny how the simple things in life become the most delightful.. a feverish child’s limp embrace as you carry them up the stairs is condensing. In that it simplifies all the emotions and hurry out of life, making everything crystalline. Some perfect moments.

Nothing Is Perfect
This week I have talked about finishing with this particular brand of ‘ministry’. Talking to Jeremy last night made it even more poignant. That there is something in the world that God loves enough to send us all out to keep, or save, or something. And in all my ‘entrenched-ness’ and me being less entrenched than some.. am I saving the world or losing myself?

Honesty..
There is room to hide in large rooms of people, and room to hide in lots of the ‘gift-friendly’ language we use. I could hide behind the phrases.. I’m not gifted for this, God’s calling me to something else, this isn’t making the most of my strengths. .. etc etc. You get the idea. I’m not saying this is 100% of what I’m doing. I’m just saying that there’s room for escapism and redirection in the current linguistic context. But I’m not wanting to shy away from character development or growth experiences, learning curves, Peter principles, opportunities to be refined. I don’t want to escape responsibility. I just want to feel like I’m in the flow again.. Maybe enough with the ‘quittin’ talk’. At least in certain forums. It was never about quitting, it’s always just been about finding the pathway. I’m still not convinced that I’m on it, but for now I am paddling in the still waters.

Hence, this will be an everlasting love.. from now on, from now on..

by tashmcgill | Apr 28, 2005 | Uncategorized

The Art Of Conversation
I slept so well last night. Long and deep, dreaming but not unwelcomingly so. These fears have been put aside, at least for the moment and I’m relieved. Well.. momentarily. Just for a second. So far we can write together and play together. Maybe we can get back on this horse after all.

Getting Back On The Horse
This website is great. Eventually I think it will get added to the sidebar. That’s a thrill. Also the conversation here about emerging church and women has been a good one. I’m still figuring out how to embrace the energy of the emerging without having to take hold of the ‘us’ and them’. There is enough work to do with a transitioning community, without having to deal with the separation issues.

Speaking of ‘us’ and ‘them’ issues however, recently there has been a round of rigourous feedback between music teams at church. I’ve never quite encountered the type of leadership that exists here before. Young adults have been raised in some very dominant leadership patterns, with clear ideology. Needless to say, I struggle with some of the ideology that the music team culture has grown out it. It’s a long slow road to change anything.. but recent feedback has included inferences along the following lines..

1. slow down, it’s not fair of you to go steaming ahead if we can’t keep up
2. you guys are early adopters, that’s unusual, we’re not, stop it
3. you are doing too many new songs, too many different elements

In Response, With Love
We are not exceptional, but we love excellence. We love the wholeheartedness with which we are worshipping, leading and playing. We love each other and the community we have in our team. We love what we can achieve together, as high up and far out as those goals sometimes are. We accept our humanity, our foolishness, our over-enthusiasm, our failures, our mistakes, our triumphs and our differences from each other, & you. We have no intention of slowing down what God is doing in us, and through us. It’s too exciting to consider even for a moment, what would happen if we put down our instruments. Please reconsider, with new eyes, what it means for our community to experience all the freshness and newness that we are. Our hearts, minds and lives are expanding. Please don’t pull apart everything that we might do better, for we are designed to spur each other on towards the goals, towards the end of the race. Instead, use your voice to encourage and enhance what we are doing, as we will seek to do for you. This ought not to become ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘you’ versus ‘I’, but rather we ought to run the race ‘we together’. We may not always run side by side.. but we are running the same race.

We are considering this as fodder for a new Worship team mission statement.

by tashmcgill | Apr 28, 2005 | Uncategorized

The Ongoing Adventures Of The Metro Man
Just so we are clear, if the charcoal and pink ensemble was a winner.. there are no words to express the glories of light sky blue. Open collared shirt, subtle & classy silver belt buckle.

Wow.

PS
If you’re looking for Ben Norrie, he’s not here. But I’ll pass on your regards.

by tashmcgill | Apr 26, 2005 | Uncategorized

Adventures Of The Metrosexual Man

Who knew that Mitre10 was a secret haven for the metrosexual man? Certainly not I. However, they are here in abundance. Well dressed, well groomed, well heeled. They are perfectly manicured, graceful, smoothly coifed, oiled, moisturised.

Today’s absolute winner ensemble is the charcoal black flat front pant, with matching leather black square toe lace up shoe. Pink with grey and white pinstripe collared shirt, open at the collar, half rolled sleeves… is divine.

Like I said, who knew this treasure trove existed at the local hardware store?

by tashmcgill | Apr 26, 2005 | Uncategorized

Saul & David
Some more thoughts in reflection on leadership and opening doors. It struck me the difference between Saul and David and the way they passed on their respective kingdoms. One leader became precious, and saw all that he had been given as his own, held too tight, developed a paranoia, saw a threat behind every corner.

The other accepted that even though it pained him to not build the temple, it was the task of the one who came after him. So he instilled himself, and his passion into his successor. He handed over the reigns with as much wisdom, guidance, strength and support as he could, including instructions to complete the work he had begun. He saw the kingdom as it was, a gift from someone Other than himself.

Business & Pleasure
The Sir Peter Blake Foundation is giving out Leadership awards. There’s something interesting in the numbers. One award for a current leader in business and marketplace. Six awards for developing and emerging leaders, to support and encourage their development. In business, the emphasis is always towards the positive, maximising potential, spurring to success. Read this book, improve this, take this opportunity, take this risk. In church, we emphasize the obstacles. Work on this aspect of character, not quite ready, not your time yet. We hide behind ‘divine timing’ rather than taking the risks on those how might supercede us, if only we helped them to maximise what they have been given, rather than concentrating on developing what they haven’t been given as much of.

We seek well-roundedness by developing our weaknesses, but we suffer for our folly, when we create well-rounded mediocrity, that has lost confidence and assuredness in that which once we grasped with both hands.

I feel my goodness being leached away in the non-practice of what I am exceptional at, and the continued rigours of that which is mediocre. Someone save me, and open a door, so that I might do what I am designed to do. I am tired of knocking.

Show me the way.