Scott Clark

Oh wow… had to share this with my tech, worship, sound, media buddies… hilarious…

Confessions from Mike Silliman on Vimeo.

I literally spent hours today researching paid blog hosts for the church blogs and a possible new website provider for our church site. I personally promote blogger as the best blog site, however if you are a coding GENIUS feel free to give typepad.com $180 a year for a few more features than blogger offers for free. I customized a site over at cloversites.com to see if it was something we could use. After editing a few sites I have concluded that cloversites is AMAZING for simple straight forward drag and drop updating. Its 90% image driven and not customizable outside of 6 page templates which for me is a no go. We are looking at another site that will completely customize a site for us at a reasonable price, however, I need to call them and chat about their interface and user editing, not to mention, I just found out that as of January they are not taking any clients. Well see what happens… well, you’ll see too once we decide.

Go over to michaelkyker.com and read my pastor’s blog. He’s always got great advice and challenge out of the word of God. Today is not an exception. His post on God’s timing hit me right in the teeth. I tend to get over-zealous and explode every once in a while, and I learn over and over again that sincere consistancy and patience are SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL than judgemental promulgating. It’s a good post, check it out.

Well, I’m going home to get rested for tomorrow. John Nichols and I are heading out to tape a youth camp promo video. It will be awesome… don’t miss it Sunday. Peace.

So it’s been about a week or more since my last post so here are some updates.

First on the list is the continual changing of my blog here. 1. I really enjoy playing with graphic designs, so don’t be suprised that it changes often and will continue to do so. 2. I am hoping to improve on the design and provide more resources more effectively for you on the many things I cover on the blog here. For instance, the books and music I am currently enjoying can be near the top now side to side as opposed to having a list that goes all the way down the page. I hope you find it helpful.

Ashley and BooBoo are back. Yeah!!! I am so grateful for them. I am truly blessed.

The worship team is growing spiritually, emotionally, and physically. What’s new is that I warned them a few weeks ago that God is moving, the team is changing, and the end product will most likely not look like we expected it to. Some of that is common sense, but God really pressed it on my heart to say that, and I even had them repeat it back to me. So presently I believe they are starting to believe what I said. And it’s great.
– Physically, we have 2 vocalists practicing with us now, soon to join us on Sundays.
– Emotionally, the team is facing some fears and challenges to grow in the areas we need to to better serve and LEAD the church, and a possible new worship leader is in training. God is great!
– Spiritually, I am doing my best to study, seek, and trust God like never before. I will probably be leading my team through a book starting within the next week or two. I think I have decided to take the team through the book in pairs. Sarah & John, Mark & Amanda, Amy, Heather. In other words; separately but at the same time to really share my heart with the team on what worship is, and why WE, AT JOURNEY CHURCH, do it. Not to mention those pairs all have separate roles within the ministry so it will allow me to address them more specifically.

Again God is good!! I could never do these sort of things without acknowledging and trusting in God that HE has called and equipped me to lead my family, this team, and our church both in congregational worship and in life. I am just Scott Clark, a 24 year old married guy with Daddy issues, a daughter of my own who I will try my hardest to not give daddy issues to. I used to be bullied from as early as I can remember. I later decided I didn’t want to go to college, cuz I hated studying and reading. Years later I’m here. I’m just a regular guy who God has gotten a hold of, and is using my life to, once again, prove how merciful and faithful He is. I want more of God, and hope to take people with me as I go. I am always so honored and blessed to be able to serve in the capacity that I do each and every week, and I am always excited to honor God through music. God is good!

P.S. I am getting baptized this Sunday!! WOW, a minister in the church getting baptized? Yes. When I did it as a kid I had no grasp on what dying to myself and being raised into life with Christ meant. So booyaah, I am declaring it this sunday! That’s me!! I’m ALIVE!!

So my wife and boo boo (daughter) are heading out to Arizona here in just a few hours How is it that I can okay the trip, know all the details, I know the days they are leaving and returning, know where they are going and who they are going with, but it takes me all the way up until hours prior to their departure to realize that they are going to not… be…. here… They will be gone for four days and I don’t want them to go. MY little precious baby girl and her sweet sweet face will be miles away. And my beautiful wife who I love and rely on won’t be just minutes away at all times. Even though I will be recording music, playing video games, working, fishing, having a man night at my house that involves, violence, action, pizza, and surround sound I will still have plenty of time to miss them! So honey if you are reading this, I love you and love being around you. I am blessed to see you daily. MWA!

“Not a Safe God” by Tim Riter was quite intriguing at first, it challenges complacency in the christians life which is needed (equally with the realization of God’s grace in our lives). However, here is a warning. Half way through the book he begins explaining that if you do not “remain” in Christ you will loose your salvation. That’s a negative… by all means remain in Christ, but Salvation is a gift that we receive freely, and no, you don’t give back a gift once you receive it, and God is not into regifting, so… Wanna know more? Google Calvanism. As for me and my house… we will continue to read the book and receive the challenges and discard the garbage.

Thanks for reading.

Has the church tied it’s own hands? Are there so many branches, versions, denominations, differing doctrines and perspectives within the “Christian” faith nowadays that we can no longer operate as one? No longer lift a hand in unity in order to fulfill the call to this world? According to some, the last ecunemical council was held in 731 A.D. (basically a meeting of the great minds of the day in the church) then they switch to Roman Catholic Councils….. really?

List of Ecumenical Councils

• I. First Council of Nicea, (325); repudiated Arianism, adopted the Nicene Creed.
• II. First Council of Constantinople, (381); revised the Nicene Creed into the present form used in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.
• III. Council of Ephesus, (431); repudiated Nestorianism, proclaimed the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God (Greek, Θεοτόκος).
• IV. Council of Chalcedon, (451); repudiated the Eutychian doctrine of Monophysitism, described and delineated the two natures of Christ, human and divine; adopted the Chalcedonian Creed. This and all following councils are not recognized by Oriental Orthodox Communion.
• V. Second Council of Constantinople, (553); reaffirmed decisions and doctrines explicated by previous Councils, condemned new Arian, Nestorian, and Monophysite writings.
• VI. Third Council of Constantinople, (680-681); repudiated Monothelitism, affirmed that Christ had both human and Divine wills.
  • Quinisext/Penthekte Council (= Fifth and Sixth) or Council in Trullo, (692); mostly an administrative council that raised some local canons to ecumenical status and established principles of clerical discipline. It is not considered to be a full-fledged council in its own right because it did not determine matters of doctrine. This council is accepted by the Orthodox Church as a part of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, but that is rejected by Roman Catholics.
• VII. Second Council of Nicea, (787); restoration of the veneration of icons and end of the first iconoclasm.

They tackled such issues as the nature of Jesus Christ.. “more man than God, more God than man, or equally both?” Creating words such as monophysitism. Amazing… I think there is freedom in the body of Christ knowing the foundations of our faith, but for the most part operating separately and with flexibility (biblical flexibility). We have to look different if we are to reach different cultures, ages, people of different background, etc.. However, like I said our foundations need to be in the word of God, not in human perversion, i.e. homosexual priests, idolotry in our tradition or religion. The word of God cannot be compromised, so where in the world, literally, are the minds that have dedicated themselves to scripture, prayer, discipline, study in order to deliver and carry-out the word of God?

Oh yeah, it’s just the pope’s job. Well, he is not MY ROCK!! Here I am, God, send me. Where are all of the great minds? Most of America only cares about preventing MURDER !OUTSIDE! of the womb. Making sure kids have condoms in their wallets over cultivating a sense of righteous fear for the one and only God who can, and will, decide where their souls will spend eternity. I know where they are, they are relaxing at home, sipping tea right now, relaxing because if they made the trip to defend the doctrine on which our faith is founded, went through the trouble of calling out the heresy and unbelief of this country, who would listen? Who would act? Since when did we bow down to the educational system in this country? Have we traded our truth for tax exemptions? Have we really lost the majority, or just our freaking guts? Or, really, our convictions?

I know I am rambling now, but it is not like this is not all connected. Where are the great minds? If there is one hidden in me then BAM watch out, because if God is with me then who can stand against me? If it’s not me then it’s time the truely great minds stood up, or God please come back now, cuz Hell is only going to continue to break loose…

Our services yesterday were great. First service was thin in attendance, but it made for a packed second service! The worship was good, but I had the feeling that although most people were worshiping, there wasn’t really a desire to push into the holy of holies (second service, majesty we started to, it was good), but every service every week is not going to be breakthrough, so I am greatful that people participated, and the team did a good job of leading.

I am realizing now that the more I get into team ministry, and the more I spend time with my team communicating and meeting outside of Sundays, the higher the cost to my energy, vision, focus, and spiritual……….. how do I say……. fervor? Basically, I am finding myself drained, especially since we came back from the retreat and Night Of Worship I can’t seem to refresh.

(The dates are not set yet, but Night of Worship will now be about every 3 months, so if you missed it, you can join us next time)

Yesterday I realized that I was definitely feeling empty during worship. After dealing with some issues with a team member, ministering through some spiritual warfare among a potential team member, we had two different potential team members practicing with us this last Thursday for the first time, and then going back and addressing the first issue I mentioned with the new members, why was I surprised that I was feeling empty?

Really, this is new ground for me. I am working to develop my ability to lead other people and other leaders (not in title, but in action). I am realizing the importance of study, rest, GROWTH, etc. so that I am not left feeling empty when it comes time to lead on a Sunday morning, and so that as I grow I can do more and minister and pour out to more people without being left empty. Yesterday was good, maybe better than good, but I don’t care about good when people’s lives, hearts, devotion are at stake. I have to continually strive for that next level both with God and physically/spiritually.

I actually do love that I am feeling this way, though, because it means that I am pouring out, ministering, and it will either lead to my growth or to my demise. And I won’t let the latter win, and neither will PM or God for that matter.