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Interesting press release I got today … congrats North Point and congrats EMI:
EMI CMG DISTRIBUTION AND ANDY STANLEY’S NORTH POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH ENTER LONG-TERM DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – December 15, 2009 – EMI CMG Distribution and North Point Community Church, the Alpharetta (Atlanta), Georgia-based church led by Andy Stanley, have agreed to a long-term distribution agreement for a new line of products produced by North Point Ministries and its newly launched record label, North Point Music.

The agreement calls for EMI CMG to handle distribution rights worldwide to all retail channels for recorded music products, as well as for select DVDs starting with four products releasing today.

There will be three projects in a new line entitled “The North Point Series Featuring Andy Stanley,” with each product comprised of a DVD and CD.  Additionally, EMI CMG will distribute the all new worship CD North Point Live: Awake. Read more »

Hey Everybody,

73 weeks … that’s how many consecutive weeks we’ve shared recaps of our worship services here in the “Sunday Setlists” blog carnival.  Thanks for a great year!

For more details on the “Sunday Setlists” program, click here.
To receive a reminder email each week to post your setlist, click here.

Here’s a recap on how to participate: Read more »

The Setup:

As those who have been reading my blog and following my “tweets” and “facebook updates“, you know I’ve been involved in an outdoor fitness program since May of this year called “Island Regimen”.  Since that time I’ve dropped from 238 pounds to around an average of 215.  I’ve seen a change in my body, endurance, and attitude.  Since it’s too cold to do the outdoor regimen during December and January I took a last-minute invite on Sunday to join a group of friends at 6:00 AM on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the “P90x” program.

Recently one of our associate pastors at SSCC was asking this guy in our church to consider training him in 2010 … getting himself in shape.  This guy works out all the time, goes to bodybuilder competitions and is a giant.  He gave him some preseason advice before the training starts.  The most profound thing that he said was this:

“80% of this is what you eat”.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard that.  Eric Taylor, the trainer (and now good friend) from Island Regimen was constantly reminding us of how important good nutrition and diet is.

The Revelation:

So I got this revelation, although it’s clearly no profound statement and it’s certainly not a new word.  Our spiritual lives are the same way.  I bet you could say this:

“80% of how effective your spiritual walk is will be connected to what you put IN your spirit”.
(the truth is, it’s probably more like 100%!)

Think about it.  All the weights and exercise in the world will yield minimal results if you don’t pay attention to good nutrition, and what you put in your body.

And in our spiritual walk?  All the “talk” in the world will be void of power.  All the religious meetings, lingo, and obligations will be dead works with no power if we don’t put the right things inside of us.

What are those things?
Prayer.
God’s Word.
Meditation.

If the bulk of what I feed my spirit is this world’s entertainment, your blogs, your tweets, and not God’s Word, breathed by His Spirit, my spiritual life will yield minimal results.

Would you agree?  Care to comment?

Hey Folks,

I’m trying out a new provider for audio streaming, stats, and sharing called SoundCloud.  Here’s a test.

This is my piano instrumental version of the two “Away in a Manger” tunes.  Hope you enjoy.

So .. what do you think?

Yesterday I came very close to being the victim of a hack/scam on Facebook.  I’m always very cautious about emails and entering my passwords … but this seemed legit.

I got a desperate IM on Facebook from one of my friends … a guy who’d been on the worship team with me when I lived in Mississippi.  He was telling me that he and his family were in London and had gotten mugged at gunpoint the night before.  They were a few hours from missing their departing flight back to the states but couldn’t pay their hotel bill because all of their cash and credit cards had been stolen.

Since I know this friend, I thought it was legit.  But there was this “discerning” thing happening in me that just didn’t feel comfortable.  Scott (my friend) wanted me to wire the funds via WesternUnion.Com.  That was the first real check.  I don’t wire funds usually.

So I asked if I could make some phone calls to his family back here in the States … no response.
So I asked if the hotel could just call me and I’d pay his bill with my AMEX …. he says “the hotel’s credit card machine is broken”.
So I asked “where are you anyway”.  He says “I’m at a public library”.
So I say, “if their credit card machine is broken, they couldn’t check you out anyway, so just leave and call them back when you are stateside and pay them”.

He says,
“But all of our stuff is still at the hotel, and the manager of the hotel is right here with me” ….

That’s when I get really suspicious.  He keeps insisting on having me wire the money.  I stall for time … (I’m trying to google his home phone and call to see if they are really out of town).  I come back later and the REAL Scott is now on Facebook chat.  His account had gotten hacked.

So I nearly sent a thief $550 because he was posing as one of my real “facebook friends”.

So, if this happens to you, beware.  NEVER wire money to someone, even if you think it’s your friend.  Confirm this stuff on the phone.  If they can’t call you, or you can’t call them, you can’t help them.

Oh yeah, I called my awesome wife during all of this to make sure she was cool with us helping them out … and she says “something doesn’t feel right about this at all”.  I love my wife.

So what about you – have you been the victim of any online scams, or scam attempts?

Share your story!