You Are Your Playlist

Celebrity playlists are all the rage. Everyone wants to know what famous people have on their iPod. Remember all the buzz about iPod One? Turns out the President is not only a big fan of country music but also listens to Van Morrison and The Knack. Who knew? I'm no celebrity but I can tell you what I've been rocking all week: new P.O.D. baby. If you like hard music, you're going to love Testify.

Ever heard anyone say "you are what you eat"? Now it's "you are your playlist". Last year an article in the San Francisco Chronicle cited a 2003 UT study of more than 3,500 people showing that digital music libraries are like personality road maps. Co-author Jason Rentfrow said, "We do find that people are able to make fairly accurate assessments solely on the basis of a person's top 10 songs."

This got me to thinking about the people we listen to. Friends. Foes. Family members. Have you ever listened to someone and wished you hadn't? Or not listened to someone and wished you had? Who do you listen to? There was this guy in the Bible named Antipas who listened to all the wrong people and totally messed up his life. This weekend, at all four gatherings, we're going to talk about the importance of listening to the right people.

New Car Smell

Don't you love the smell of a new car? That leathery, plasticky aroma is pretty amazing. Too bad it doesn't last forever. Your resolve to not eat or drink in the car eventually weakens. You get your first spill and it's all over. At the car wash, you can choose "new car smell" air freshener but a few days later your car still smells like takeout!

That's nothing compared to what happens outside your new car. You park a mile from everyone else but eventually you get your first scratch. So you start parking a little closer but take two spaces. Once you get your first ding, you'll squeeze into the closest space available. Then it happens. You have your first fender-bender. Now you're driving over other cars to get where you're going.

It's a lot like that with our faith. When we first get it out on the open road of life, there's nothing better. Got the seat back. We're rocking the stereo. But eventually we start to get a little nicked up. A scratch here. A ding there. Maybe even a head-on collision. What happens when we lose that "new faith smell"? We need a lot more than air freshener. We need renewal.

That's what we're talking about all weekend: When Faith Gets Old. Why does it? Why does it get old? Can it be renewed? Please join us at any of our four gatherings. We meet on Saturday and Sunday plus we're a multi-site church so you can attend in Cedar Park, Round Rock, or North Austin. Hope to see you there!

No waiting

Did you hear about yesterday's low-speed chase through the streets of Shelbyville, Tennessee? The driver, weaving all over the road, led police on a seven-mile chase before stopping in front of his own home. Officers thought they were stopping a drunk driver. Imagine their surprise when they found a barely four-feet-tall, seven-year-old second grader behind the wheel! Turns out he was on his way to get a driver's license. Apparently he couldn't wait till he was 16!

It's hard to wait! Especially when we perceive God as the One keeping us waiting. Why does He do that? Why doesn't He answer our prayers as soon as say them? Why does He make us wait for a job? For a house or car? For a husband or wife? To get out of debt or legal trouble? To heal our hurts or our body? It just doesn't make sense! Or does it? What if there is an upside to waiting? I'm convinced that there is and that's what I'm talking about at all our weekend worship gatherings in Cedar Park, Round Rock, and North Austin.

Broken resolutions

How long did it take to break one or more of your New Years resolutions? Some people say that resolutions are made to be broken. What's your take on change? Some people don't believe they can change and they don't. Others take change for granted though they don't ever experience it. Still others don't understand change and, as a result, miss many opportunities for personal growth. You might call these different takes the range of change. That's what we're going to talk about when we gather this weekend.