This Friday I will be hosting the first ever Praisin Jesus Party at my house. I thought it would be beneficial for me and others to describe the vision that has been placed in my heart for what I see this becoming if it’s God’s plan, and I DO feel that God has placed this vision in my heart for a purpose.

30 years or so ago small groups exploded on the scene of college ministry, where friends would get together in dorms, apartments or houses and talk about the Word of God.  It was an age where you could bring your friends, christian or non christian, and it was good!

I feel that the ability to bring your non christian friends to these small groups have gotten more difficult in this age / generation.  I mean, think about it, especially if you’re going on your own, without knowing anyone there, it’s intimidating, scary, uncomfortable and awkward – if you’re a non christian and you’re not an enormously outgoing extrovert.  Coming at it with a non enormously extrovert perspective: I will have to talk to people about things that may not be comfortable for me to talk to, there will probably be awkward silences and moments, I can’t leave once I get there, I will be the center of attention because I’m the new guy and it could most definitely be completely boring to me and a complete waste of my time.

I view small groups, in this generation, as a place for already believers of Christ to get together and dig deeper and grow in the Word of God, to build those relationships that much more and to figure out what life is all about.  So that poses the question, what are ways that I can reveal Jesus to my atheistic or agnostic friend?  I, from experience, know that it is most definitely a hard thing to share and talk about with a friend like that, even if it’s your best friend!

The vision I have is what I feel to be the new bang where people can attend and enjoy no matter where they are in their walk with Christ.  At this Night of Worship there would be very very low lighting, mainly no lighting except on the band and small lights on the side and on the tables in the back with very simple projection for the words.  This will be a place where you can go for a variety of needs.  I could go to just read my bible on the side and dig deeper into the word while having worship music being played around me, I can go and pour my heart out in worship without the feeling of being watched or judged, I can pray, I can go knowing there will be someone there who I can pull aside and talk to, or just sit and enjoy some good music.  A huge part of this is afterwords a bunch of people will go out to eat or just hang out and make relationships and get to know others.

In order for this to be possible I know a few things are required:

1. God – In order for this to happen, I don’t want it to become because we are fenomenal at marketing or spreading the word of the event, it must happen because God wills it and is the purpose of it.

2. A very very strong core team – The worship will be organic and not feel like a song set, the worship leader will play whatever song he/she feels the Holy Spirit is leading them to.  In order to do this, a band with good experience and love of a large list of worship songs, an experienced leader who can discern what song to play next or lead in to would be, an experienced band who can follow the leader’s song suggestions, a tech team who can pull up the words to the song quickly, all of these things are needed and need a strong core team.

3. Recognition – people come from all over in their walk with Christ and come back again and again!

4. A beginning – This vision will not happen from the start.  It will take time and prayer and listening, training, following and yielding to God.  As I mentioned earlier, the team will need to be very experienced and that takes time.  The originality requires patience and the boldness to just start doing it.

So where do we start?  After much discussion and brainstorming the best place to start is to just start having worship parties at a place and time and continue to do it.  Pray about it and as God to guide and direct this.  All we need is someone with a guitar, a voice and some worship songs.  After talking with folks on the team at Windsor, my church, the recommendation is to get a bunch of people and just start getting together at a house and do just that, worship, pray, rejoice, praise and grow.

So that’s what we’re going to do!  This Friday from 10 – 12 at my house, you’re all invited let me know if you’d like to come and I’ll give you more details.  I pray that God will give me the boldness to begin and that he will be in this.  That all who come will love and be loved, and that we can all grow together.

If you have any feedback, please let me know by either commenting, emailing me, a phone call or in person, I would love to gain any feedback you may have.  And please pray for this, it has been on my heart for a long long time and it’s exciting and scary at the same time.  I cannot believe that I am actually planning this instead of just talking about it.

Thank you God for this house you have given me, to have the room and the privacy (sound wise) to do this and thank you for placing this vision in my heart, give me strength, courage and a yielding heart for this.  Amen.

Just wanted to throw this out there, for those of you who know my Schaumburg / Chicago days you know that I am the king in drifting (need for speed that is, don’t have the guts to take my car drifting… yet) and LOVE all types of drifting – the video below IS the best drifting video I’ve ever seen, bar none.  BAR none, there is no bar!

I’ve been thinking about what this house means to me.  Have already had a few conversations on our deck about how much of a blessing it is and what my plans are for it.  Most the conversation includes upgrades and desires to construct for the house, but there have been a couple good conversations about what I suppose the mission of this house will be and how I can use this house as a tool in God’s kingdom, after all, it is HIS house, and HE has blessed me with the abilities and events that have led to me acquiring this house.

If I were to put a mission statement for the house (Garet and I talked about this), it would be: May this house be a place that brings peace to all who come, in God’s name.  A place where all are welcome and where relationships take root and grow and blossom.

I’ve had a deep passion to be a part of a worship experience.  One that is not just one night but every night and comfortable no matter where you are in your walk with Christ.  But only recently have I realized that the passion has been placed in my heart to not only be a part of it but maybe it’s there to start it.  Why wouldn’t this house be a House of Worship?

Clean and stylish

Today we commenced the cleaning operation of my house!  finished cleaning the living room, hallway, stairs, entryway and we finished completely the entertainment room.  I set up my drums last night – was a great feeling finally having a home for my drums and played them for the first time today in a year and that was an even greater feeling.  So much enjoying these days.  Praise God it is all coming together.

Definitely nice to have a house where it is MY style rather than sharing the style with multiple roommates and not wanting to paint the walls because i’ve been in an apartment.  But finally I have a house that is mine to customize and make it home.  For the first time since I was at my parent’s house 3 years ago (wow, only 3 years – crazy how things have progressed) I feel like i have a home.

Time to retire the painting clothes

Time to put the digs away !!! Done painting! finally we can unpack and actually ‘move in’

images:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_simpson/sets/72157622128915107/

The result of a hard night’s work.  I haven’t had the chance to post recently.  Since I’ve closed on my house on August 13th I have been hard at work, with humongous help from dear friends and family.  Including but not limited to: Painting, entertainment center construction, moving, new carpet, plumbing issues, numerous trips to Home Depot, preparing for painting, new flooring in kitchen, installing washer and dryer, connecting the utilities, changing my address for services and accounts, and on and on, did I mention painting?

Last night Garet Stroup (my rockin roommate) and I painted till 330 in the morning, and once again we were up till 330 this morning painting, keep in mind I still have been waking up to work at 7 every morning .  The house is finally begininning to look like a home and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is SO close.  Started out painting 2 weeks ago and the entire inside of the house was getting painted (roughly 2400 sq. ft.).  That’s a lot of paint!  We’ve been doing 2 coats for everything and all we have left after tonight is 2 walls in the living room and dining room, the upstairs bathroom and the small bedroom.  The plan is to finish painting those tomorrow and do some touch up work and be completely done with painting before we go to bed tomorrow night, spend all of Saturday day cleaning and preparing for unpacking and organizing then finally enjoy a case of Corona on my deck watching the sunset.  Can we make it?  I pray God will give us the energy and discipline to get it done.

I couldn’t be happier with how the paint has taken shape in the house, the colors, placement and all is just unbelievable, better than I imagined.  The only thing is the brown in the basement is a little greener than I anticipated but it works just as well.

Check out the images:  September 2nd and 3rd and House Before Da Rehab