Sunday Antics…

This is just a good time for all! I have nothing else to say…

The Imperfections Curve…

How have you seen this play out in your organizations? In this crazy economy your churches, business, etc… are feeling the crunch. What creative things are you doing to keep both ‘Values’ at ‘amazing’ while living with the reality of less in this season??

Justice | Talking and Doing…

It’s surprising that my previous post could be so silent! I can post a stupid video about us getting In Ear Monitors or smoking a turkey, point people to a free give away from my wife or friend and get a dozen comments in a day on meaningless things, but, when it comes to justice the blog goes COMPLETELY silent.

I’m just curious why we, as a generation/culture, are so good at fronting that we’re about justice, but, when it comes to people actually doing justice we play a different card.

Don’t worry, I’m just as guilty of doing this too. I’m really good at talking about justice and I’m finally giving of myself to actually go and do it. What I find is interesting is that justice is sexy right now. It’s sexy in pop culture, it’s sexy in church culture and in and of itself maybe that’s a God thing. After all the reality of engaging the less fortunate was most revolutionized by the sexiest man in the universe, Jesus. HA! I know that’s a bit provocative, but, I’m just sayin’.

Seriously though…we’re the generation that’s good at talking, blogging, iChatting, leaving churches because they’re not justice driven enough, etc… but I’m just curious how serious we are about bringing the Kingdom of God here and now. The Christian sub-culture has a lot to say on the subject, but, I’m ready to move past hearsay and start doing! I’m having a moment of checking my own heart on how serious I really am on engaging the less fortunate for the sake of the Kingdom. It’s definitely easier to talk about it then to actually do it.

I guess my encouragement for all of us is to engage this on a practical level. Whether it’s you getting mobile and going or it’s just simply supporting people like Promise and I (who are getting read to get mobile) through your resource of encouragement or money. If it’s not money, which is TOTALLY fine, how about just a word to say…go for it, do it, we love this, press on, I’m with you…ANYTHING. HAHAH! It was honestly just a little discouraging to have ZERO support in our comment cues today. I know some of you did give, financially, yesterday and for that Promise and I are super grateful. I think I was just hoping for a bit more encouragement from our blogging communities, but, maybe I set my expectations way to high and I just need to settle down, humble up and shut up.

I wanted to share a little word from Mama Zipporah. She was the FIRST comment on Promises blog today. Listen to what she writes:

Thanks promise and brian . I do not have enought words to express my gratitude. I did not know that l was beautiful. But now l know l must be beautiful. I look forward for your coming in august. This time my heart is healed and l will really sing and l am telling everyone you are coming. I love you and l care. Mama Zipporah

Let’s keep lending out our lives to follow Jesus, radically, in these days. Let’s get behind people like Mama Zipporah and the orphans here and around the world.  I definitely want to hear from some of you, my friends, on where you’re at as it relates to engaging the less fortunate. Do you feel lost in your aim? Do you feel, like me, that you’re better at talking about it then doing it?

Two Scriptures to ponder and then leave a comment with your thoughts! Come on now and then don’t forget to go read my previous blog post about the journey Promise and I are about to take to Kenya. ENGAGE US, PRAY FOR US, SEND US!!!

Micah 6:8

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Isaiah 1:17

¹⁷learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. [a]
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

Kenya | August 2009 | Send Us…

Brian & Promise – Seeking Justice in Africa

To You, Our Friends…

Promise and I wanted to post a quick note to see if you’d be willing to help support us in fundraising and prayer as we get ready to go serve some people we love in Kenya, Africa.

A couple of years ago our church, Cornerstone, crossed paths with a brilliant and beautiful African woman named Mama Zipporah. Oddly enough, I was aware of the work Mama was doing in Kenya as she was the primary reason that the filmmakers from the revolutionary documentary called Invisible Children found their story.

Mama Zipporah has an orphanage in Kenya called Huruma Childrens Home. She is in the business of living out the scripture in Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:17

learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. [a]
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

Right now Mama has 150+ children in her home. Most of the children come from a horrific background of abuse and abandonment. Mama and her team have made it their aim to not just be a transitional orphanage but rather to provide these children with love, dignity and family.

Let me just say that Promise and I know Mama, personally, and spent a great deal of time with her here in Arizona last fall when she came, unexpectedly, as a broken widow to grieve the loss of her amazing husband Papa Isaac. We cried with her, prayed with her, laughed with her and dreamed with her about how God would continue to use her in the plight of the less fortunate.

As a church we are in the process of helping them fund and build a dormitory that would allow them to bring in 200 more children. It’s our privilege to have been invited to come, serve and help build this additional dormitory so that they can rescue more of these orphan children and give them a place to call home. Mama’s dream is to bring these children into the home, share her love with them, share the love of Christ with them, give them an education and, effectively, raise up the future leaders of Kenya. This is the dream, this is the hope and this is the heart of the Kingdom of God.

Promise and I will be leaving with our team on August 7th, 2009 and we will be in Kenya for 10 days doing a wide array of things with the Staff at the home and with the children. One of the things we’ll be doing is putting on a ‘summer camp’ for the older children (ages 12-18). I’ll be leading some worship, Promise will be teaching some Art & Photography and we’ll have some great time to build into some of these amazing kids. Additionally, we will be helping finish up their dormitory and chapel spaces.

Here’s the reality, WE NEED YOUR HELP funding us to get to Huruma! The cost of the trip is $3200 dollars, total, for both of us to get to Huruma. This is actually an AMAZING price for both of us to be in Africa serving for 10 days (flights, food & transportation for both of us are all included in that price). We are trusting God that we can raise all of that support in the next 6 weeks. We are just going to be bold enough to ask you if you would consider helping us get to Kenya. Honestly, any amount is a huge help at this point. If you have $10 dollars, $1000 dollars or anything in between IT WILL HELP US!!! Anything you give is completely tax-deductible and we would be forever grateful!

Here’s the two ways you can give financially:

1.    Give Online – Cornerstone has a website where you can give directly to our account for this trip.  When you click the link below you’ll have to click create an account, which only takes like 2 minutes, and you’re then able to use a debit or credit card to give to this mission. Creating the account allows our finance office to mail you a giving statement at year-end. Be sure to select one of our names (Promise or Brian) in the drop down menu so that you can give to us. Here is the link: http://is.gd/16yFI

2.    Mail Check – Make any checks out to “Cornerstone” and in the memo section put “Wurzell – Kenya Aug. 2009”. You can mail Checks to us at this address:

Cornerstone
c/o:Brian & Promise Wurzell
2211 E. Pecos Rd. Suite #2
Chandler, AZ 85286

For more information on Huruma Childrens Home – check out their website: http://www.hchngong.org/

You may also email Promise and I if you have any questions regarding this project. Please email us promiseandbrian@gmail.com

If you cannot give financially, seriously, would you pray for us and our team? Pray for Mama Zipporah and pray for these children that God would use Huruma to be a place where they’re built up to be the future leaders of their country. Mama is the widow serving the orphan and we want to do whatever we must to support this Kingdom mission. We believe it’s possible. Thanks for your support and your friendship!

Gratefully,

Brian & Promise Wurzell

P.S. – We would love to see some of your prayers for us and for Mama Zipporah and her team right here on this blog post. Just leave a comment and type out your prayer. We will be sure Mama and our team get to see these prayers too. That encouragement would mean a lot to more than just Promise and I. Thanks in advance!

Sonic Awareness – Session 1

Earlier today I had the chance to team up with Ryan Axtell to really dive into the nuts and bolts of the evolution of the Acoustic Guitar for the Worship Leader. In this video, Ryan uncovers a new discovery of ours that we think could shape the culture of equipment for Worship Leaders, internationally. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts! This will also be featured on our Cornerstone Worship Arts Blog.

Work Mates

Can you believe I get to work with these guys? Meet Ryan Axtell, Jason Williams and Luke Peach. A couple of weeks ago we took our friendships and working relationships to a whole new level on a road trip to Catalyst Westcoast in California. We had an amazing time and on that long drive, via I-10 West, many things happened and this was one of the moments that got captured. Comments are required. Please enjoy!

iBible – Definitely Order Yours!

Catalyst West Coast 2009

Check out what I had to opportunity to be a part of with the Catalyst team. It was an amazing conference.

Good Friday – His Suffering, His Death…

I watched this video today and it just is amazing to consider what Christ did for us! We have an amazing Savior, Friend, Hope and Sacrifice in Jesus. He truly paid it all and thanks be to God for giving us Jesus. Today is a day to remember his suffering. Today is a day, not to move to His resurrection, but, to soak in his suffering. Today is a day where we remember, that where animals used to be slain for the remission of our sins, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. He took the place of an animal, a Lamb, but, moreover, a PERFECT LAMB that we might be Co-heirs with Him in the Kingdom of God.

In a few sentences what does Christ suffering mean to you? Comment if you would!

Listen as this Surgeon explains, from a medical perspective, what Christ did for us on that cross. Reflect, consider, be still, contemplate, medidate and remember Christ in his suffering today. Let Easter come where it will this weekend, but, for today just consider Christ in his suffering for us.

Isaiah 53:4

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Also, this Lenten prayer has been one that I’ve mediated and prayed many times during the season of Lent (thanks for the lead jarrett stevens). Join me in this prayer today:

A Prayer for Lent, by Henri Nouwen

How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it?
But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die-with you, through you, and in you-and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection.

There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger,impatience and stinginess…. I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it.

O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen.

A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee; Image Books, 2002

In a few sentences what does Christ suffering mean to you? Comment if you would!

Catalyst Westcoast – Announcement – Part 2

Announcement – Part 2 – Catalyst (could look something like this, but, totally different)

I’m excited to announce that I have been invited to join the team at Catalyst Westcoast. I’ve been asked to host, what they are calling, the ‘Catalyst Green Room’. Basically, I’ll be working with Jeff “Truitt” Seymour from Fellowship Church in Texas. Jeff will be doing all the web/stream/video/content updates and kind of making the site happen.

My role for the conference will be to have a presence in the ‘Green Room’ in the effort to bring the Catalyst Westcoast experience to the world via the web. I’ll be interviewing and interacting with a good chunk of the ‘key note’ speakers/leaders, Hillsong United and many other leaders that will be in the room in those days. It sure poses some exciting possibilities. If you watched Anne Jackson last year at Catalyst in ATL, she hosted a deal called ‘Backstage’ and it will have remnants of that idea, however, the web engine being put together for what we are doing is going to be improved and AWESOME!

My question for you is simply this…if you could sit down with some of the guys that are speaking/leading at Catalyst (Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Guy Kawasaki, Brian Houston, Hillsong United, etc…) what would be the one or two things you would ask those leaders? The fun part is that I may ask your questions to these leaders. I want to get a running list of questions for these leaders that you want to know. Leave a comment with what you would ask these people!

Pretty exciting opportunity and I’m humbled to link arms with this amazing organization, called Catalyst, as they lead one of the most prolific conferences of the year! Many thanks to LV Hanson, Aaron Foster and Ben Arment over at Catalyst for seeing something in a scruffy guy like me. It will be a great few days! More to come as we get closer to the event!

Ben Arment’s Blog (he’s running the Catalyst Westcoast Event) – Click Here

FOR DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR CATALYST WESTCOAST (FOUND NOWHERE ELSE) – CLICK HERE

MEET THE CATALYST TEAM