20 months with my beautiful wife!

We recently celebrated 20 months together. These pics are from our recent visit to a B & B in rural Virginia.
I know, I know. Most people celebrate annual anniversaries, not monthlies. My friend Daisha who interned at our church last summer, would always correct me when she heard me speaking of our "anniversary" when it was truly a month-i-versary. But hey, when you're 37, and about to have a baby, you celebrate the months AND the years.
Thank you honey, for marrying me, and making me the happiest man alive! I love you!
MS

We've got a little soccer player in the making!

Baby Sanderson (Lincoln Harold Sanderson or Faith Kinder Sanderson...that's the first time I've ever typed his or her name out...it brought a smile to my face!) is quite a kicker! We rejoice with each big kick and each little punch and every roll of the baby. This is such a fun stage, and we are trying to soak it all in. We're 32 1/2 weeks along...due December 15. Please keep us in your prayers.

Had a great visit with my mom & sister this past weekend, who came for a fall getaway to Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, and then on to Williamsburg. Fall is a WONDERFUL time to be in Virginia...actually, there's not a bad season here except for the occasionally smothering humid hot summer afternoon. The colors are in, and the trees are beautiful. We're looking forward to seeing Mom & Mel again on Thursday before they head back to Dallas.

Had a TERRIFIC worship team retreat this past weekend! Thanks everyone! Let's keep talking up our vision of encouraging our church to praise God wholeheartedly. Lifting up God's name in song is the passion of my life (Jaime & baby excluded) and I'm thankful to be working alongside such insightful, talented people. And wow, wasn't Joan memorable! Thanks to John, our elder, for your message of inspiration & encouragement. A few pics from the retreat...

How Great is Our God!

I recently received this email from my dear friend and FXCC member Dave about his reflection on God's goodness, springing from two songs we often sing: the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art" and "How Great Is Our God".

Why is Our God So Great?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? It almost seems like I need to whisper it, because I’m afraid God might hear me doubting Him. But two songs I know of – one old, and one new – tell me some very definite things for which I can admire God. How Great Thou Art (#76 in Songs of Faith and Praise) allows me to thank God for His creativity, for His incredible generosity to me through the gift of Jesus, and for making my eternity certain. There are so many things God has done for all of us, it sometimes seems a little weak as I try to thank Him by singing a few words. Perhaps the words in that old hymn let us say to the Creator ‘thanks’ for those things which are tangible, and for those gifts which should be most meaningful. A new song –maybe not unlike the one I’ll sing in heaven—let’s me marvel at His nature, His being, and not so much because of what He’s doing for me. ‘How Great Is Our God’ isn’t a question, it’s a proclamation that our God is glorious. He exists where there’s light, and everything trembles at the sound of Him. One phrase calls Him a lion and a lamb, which to us earthbound beings is confusing, until I read that He’s timeless, and capable of being both creatures. A lion…strong and courageous, and capable of inspiring fright in those nearby. A lamb…can you imagine anything more gentle? Our God is a doer, and I thank Him for creating and taking care of me eternally. But there are times that I need to stand in wonder of Him, just be near the Holy One and imagine (like another song tells me to do ‘…I can only imagine’) what awaits me after life here on earth. Being near – no, IN Christ is almost too much to fathom. But it lifts me, somehow. Wow, is all I can say at the moment…

Thank you Dave, your thoughts inspire & encourage us all to ponder what we sing, and to meditate on God's goodness. Sometimes "wow" is all there is...

This weekend is our Worship Team retreat! AWESOME! I am so pumped. I'm even glad it's raining...because we could use the rain, and it forces us to be inside allowing the brightness of God's presence to shatter the gray clouds outside. Say a prayer that God will lead us and inspire us, and show us HIS WILL for our ministry as we meet together tonight & tomorrow morning.

Jaime had her 32 week check-up on Wednesday of this week. Baby's heartbeat was strong. The doctor said Jaime & the baby are "perfect". I couldn't agree more. Please keep Jaime & the baby in your prayers as we approach mid-December. Thanks for all the prayers & well wishes already!

Above All Lyrics

My good friend Ronald asked me the following question today about the song "Above All".

In the song "Above All" there is a comparison of Jesus with a rose. Do you
understand it? A rose certainly doesn't think about anybody, and I'm not
sure what they mean by "took the fall."

Great question...here goes...

A beautiful, perhaps the globally recognized most beautiful flower...with the most highly regarded aroma...and the highest demand for flower arrangements...a ROSE. Imagine it being trampled underfoot. That's what happened to our Rose of Sharon. (Song of Solomon 2:1) He, the most beautiful person (on the inside) was cast down and trampled by mankind. He embraced the fall of man...our decision to disobey God. Thus, he took, he assumed, he owned the fall. We should have taken the fall, instead we simply fell, but didn't have to pay the ultimate price.

Now, the song continues on "you took the fall, and thought of me above all." You might could argue that instead of thinking of US, he was thinking of "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame" (Hebrews 12:2). I'm not sure we, the people He died for, are truly the JOY...or is HEAVEN, BEING WITH GOD the joy set before Him. But I'm quite confident that the love Jesus had for the sinners who were crucifying him was one of his motivators for going to/staying on the cross.


Anyone want to weigh in? It's great to think through song lyrics.

(Speaking of roses, as I write, there are 20 beautiful red roses on our kitchen table. Yes, Jaime & I celebrated our 20 month anniversary last Friday. I don't usually spring for roses on the monthlies, but this time, I went for it. It's the last time I'll give Jaime roses prior to our having a child. It's so funny, all of these "this is the last time we'll go through Halloween without a child" moments. Babies change everything, or so I'm told.)

Last Sunday's Sermon ~ the Body of Christ

Ok, I realize this post is about 5 days late, but let me just say that last Sunday's sermon was incredible. Bruce is preaching through Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life.
Last Sunday we concentrated on the theme that 'you were created to be part of the body of Christ.'

So true. We were not created to live isolated lives, with our paths only crossing for an hour on Sunday mornings.

From the very beginning, the FXCC worship ministry has had I Cor 14:26 as it's theme verse...all of this (introducing new songs, mic'd singers, creative scripture readings, congregational readings, meet/greet, etc.) must be done for the strengthening of the church...the church overall, not you, not your family, not "the way you were raised"...the church that meets now at 3901 Rugby Road. What we do together in worship should build us up as a body. Our primary goal is to give glory to God, but if we're causing chaos in the body, our hearts have a hard time entering the throne room.

Thank you FXCC for being a great big wonderful diverse loving body of Christ. Let's continue to seek God together in worship, for His glory, with the thought of strengthening each other to perfect unity...not sameness, but unified in spirit.

We are the body of Christ!

Second Milers

I'm so thankful the Fairfax church is made up of people who go the 2nd mile regularly. Just to name a few...

Thanks to Ed Cox, who regularly makes sure trees on our property are cut down, chopped down, pushed down, or pulled down at the proper time. Yesterday, I helped Ed with two old dead pines, and at one point, I was worried that my baby might not have a daddy. It's not always safe to go the 2nd mile.

Thanks to Grace Sundling, who makes sure our grass looks good, and who regularly weeds our gigantic juniper beds at the Burning Bush entrance to our property. Grace took soil samples earlier in the summer and had them analyzed so she would know best how to treat the grass for weeds. Some of you leave soil when you come in our building, Grace takes soil away. Thanks Grace!

Thanks to John Cleveland & Dave Golden, who have spent hours with our staff in the past several weeks, applying tried & true business principles to help us think strategically about the Kingdom. Today's 2 hour session was very helpful. Once we find our target, we shoot it, right? I better look at my notes again, or our visitors may be in danger.

Keep going the 2nd mile, FXCC folks. No pain no gain. (except when you have the flu, and then you just have pain for no reason at all, and nothing comes of it, except you're glad to be done with it! Thanks everyone for your well wishes. I'm firing on all cylinders again.)

Looking forward to rehearsal tonight !

Week 30 Begins!

[Friday, Oct 7th]

This morning we heard our baby’s heartbeat again, for the 7th or 8th time at least. Every time we do, it’s a terrific, invigorating, intimidating, scary, hope-filled moment. I always hold my breath until the doctor picks up the heartbeat on the Doppler. But there it was again today, strong as ever…

Today’s visit was great because the Dr. was able to feel Jaime’s tummy and tell us where the baby’s head, rear, arms, legs were. How cool! (Fact: from her directions, I’ve most recently been talking to his or her rear! Now I know!) And the baby’s moves are getting exciting because you can see them as well as feel them. (and for the past 2 or 3 weeks really.)

[Saturday, Oct 8th]

Back to me…I’ve still got fever, chills, aches, etc. Day 6 of the flu! It started Monday at noon. I have never had this strain before. And thanks be to God, Jaime has NOT caught it yet. We’re really missing not being at Zoe this weekend. Thanks for the phone call, Deen. And my thanks to my wife, Jaime, who has taken such good care of me this week, despite being 30 weeks pregnant. She's an amazing woman.

My thanks to Lane Lawrence who was already lined up to lead worship at Fairfax this Sunday…I look forward to worshipping under your leadership, bro!

Have a great Saturday everyone!

MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT (don’t worry, the baby is fine, read on…)

Went to the doctor today, found out I had the flu or some other type of infection. Doc says it should last 3 or 4 more days. So, we have decided NOT to attend the 2005 Zoe Worship Conference in Nashville! Major bummer. (I’m writing this at 7:48 pm, when I should be at church with my worship team peeps praising the Lord and working on growing our skills together for the building up of the church! Man, the flu is a drag. Thank you to Lane Lawrence for filling in tonight, and Sunday morning.)

Things we’ll miss by not going to Zoe:
• Networking with other worship ministers around the country
• Catching up with old friends
• Worshipping God in a powerful way with 1,200 people
• Learning, growing, maturing in my role as worship leader
• Seeing our ‘ole buds from Preston Road (and Jaime’s college buddy Candace)
• The beautiful fall foliage of Nashville, TN (ok, so maybe their color hasn’t come in yet…and hopefully they’ve had more rain than we have, or it won’t be very colorful)
• Going back to the church where we got hitched in a midnight ceremony on Valentines Day 2004
• An annual ritual…I think I’ve gone to this conference for 6 out of the 8 past Octobers…

I could go on, but I’m too depressed. Also, it’s time to take more Tylenol to combat this fever / aches, etc.

Suffice it to say, we will miss terribly having this amazing experience…it was to be our last trip together before the baby comes.

We’ll enjoy the time at home, being together…maybe we’ll even register for baby stuff this weekend. I know I will get to feeling better more quickly by resting and taking it easy as opposed to getting on a plane at 8 am in the morning and non-stop fellowship/worship/funfest all weekend. I just had to mourn a bit. I’m better now.

Say, isn’t Martha Stewart’s new apprentice show on Wednesday nights? NOT.

Too much Freedom of Speech

I mentioned in a post last week that we were unfortunately subjected to an extremely offensive conversation on our flight from Dallas to Washington last Saturday night. The only reason it bears mentioning here is that I think as Christians we must start speaking up more in situations such as this.

Here’s what happened. A man and woman were seated in the row behind us, with one seat between them. Over the 2.5 hour flight, I learned WAY too much about this couple. They worked for the same Dallas-based company and were headed to Reston, VA for a training seminar. The guy was married. The girl was divorced. They ordered beers twice (at $5 each) and I’m certain their beverage choice reduced their natural levels of decorum and/or shame. His only hope after we landed and he checked into the hotel room was that the bar downstairs might still be open.

They spoke loudly and openly, using four-letter words as main staples in their vocabulary. (As she often does, Jaime put in ear plugs so she could sleep better on the plane. She still heard most of their conversation.) And it wasn’t an argument; it was just a co-worker chat on a long plane ride. She lamented her divorce and also spoke of her recent purchase of $200 jeans. He spoke of bars and was trying to get to know her better. I got the feeling that his marriage wasn’t all it could be.

The conversation was totally inappropriate and offensive. Looking back on it, I wish I had turned around and started a conversation. I could have said something like this. “I overhead your seminar is in Reston, I live in this area and it’s a great place for a corporate meeting, lots of good restaurants and shopping. You should really enjoy it. I hope it goes well. [change of subject] If you don’t mind, would you please lower your voices a bit, especially when you say words like _________ and _________? I find those words offensive. That would be much appreciated. Thanks, and enjoy your time in the D.C. area!” Can you imagine the looks on their faces when I turned around?

Usually, my first reaction in situations like these is to send a dirty, unapproving glance their way. But really, this brief life calls for more directness…more straightforward speech. I also began wondering what my life, my speech would be like if I didn’t have Christ in my life. What if no one has ever taken the time to tell these people about the life-changing grace & forgiveness of God? I truly did care about their souls. Normally, I view plane conversations as potential outreach moments…from the sound of things, I jumped to the conclusion that they would not be interested in Jesus.

A year from now, when we have a child within hearing distance of words like this, it won’t be a problem. I’ll have no trouble mustering up courage. But my goal is to have the Proverbs 4 kind of “speak from the heart” speech that it completely honest and direct in all conversations, without having to have exterior motivations (children around, or fearing for their souls.) I don’t want to suffer in silence anymore, and I don’t believe I have to…it’s okay to speak up and challenge a total stranger if his or her behavior is offensive. Maybe a well-worded admonition will make someone think, and plant a seed that a better way of life is out there somewhere.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6

Any suggestions??????

Quick Recap of the Weekend

Great visit with our friend, Sharon, from Indiana. She came in Wednesday morning, and left last night. Lots of great laughs, reminiscing, meals, fun. We toured Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, the national mall on Saturday. INCREDIBLE weather. This visit was Sharon's first to D.C.; it's so fun to discover all of those stirring monuments with someone for the first time.

I performed the wedding of Keith & Beatriz on Saturday afternoon & met so many nice new people. It's always so exciting to see a couple all nervous before, and then all happy & relaxed afterwards. They were determined to make God the focal point of their marriage, so they sought out our church via the internet. Too cool. I loaned Beatriz's 5-yr old son, Jimmy, my fructis hair gel right before the ceremony, and he was very grateful. I'm certain one of my legacies on earth will be the effective use/application of product.

Jaime, Sharon & I went to see "Flight Plan", Jodie Foster's new movie on Saturday night after the wedding. A GREAT movie, even if it is de ja vu of "Panic Room". What can she say? She does well under pressure, so hey, let 'em make another one in a few years. Maybe on a boat this time, instead of a house or an airplane. I'll pay $10 to see it. Seriously, it's a great flick and it emphasizes the essentiality of clinging to the truth when everyone else around you is lying to you. Seeing how the devil is the father of lies, we encounter those kinds of situations every day in our lives. HOLD ON to the truth, and it will set you free!

We sang "How Great Is Our God" for the 1st time on Sunday morning, followed by "How Great Thou Art". Chris Tomlin wrote the 1st one, and suggested the pairing of it with the classic hymn. "How Great Is Our God" is one of the songs we're learning for Powerhouse 2005, so I wanted to get it out there in front of the church. It worked well, even if we were still polishing the harmony parts! Hey, all God asked for was a joyful noise! :) God loves it when we sing our hearts out to him, and I'm hoping that's what everyone did (and does) on Sunday mornings, regardless of how perfect it sounds.

After 2nd service, Nita confessed Jesus as lord of her life, and was baptized into him! What an AWESOME way to "end" the Sunday morning worship time. Praise God, and welcome to the family, Nita. Thanks for sharing your faith, Vicki. We must remember that when we open our mouths to share, that God will draw people to Him.

Our 1st ever Block Party yesterday afternoon was terrific, despite the 1/2 gallon of water I got up my nose while bobbing for apples. Bruce & John were favorites in the dunk tank. The cake walk, the cotton candy, popcorn, not one but TWO inflatable obstacle courses, horseshoes, face-painting, balloon animals...it was all good, and hopefully fostered a sense of community between our church and the surrounding neighbors. Thanks for the great weather, God!

We leave for the annual ZOE worship conference in Nashville early Thursday morning. It's going to be a quick week in the office. Lane will be leading at FXCC this Sunday.

Have a fun Monday everyone! And if I could figure out how to post pictures on this thing, it would really be a lot better! Anyone??? Hello Picasa confuses me big time.