What an amazing adventure this is turning out to be. It's slowly coming to me that I'm not just visiting NC like I normally would, but I'm actually living here?! I have a feeling that this surreal feeling won't go away for a while, but maybe once a routine is developed that I can follow, it will be a much easier concept for me to grasp!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of worshipping alongside Eric and the other AMAZING DayStar musicians during the Sunday morning worship services. Leading the congregation at DayStar in worship was a new experience for me, and was nothing short of amazing. Eric decided that he wanted me to vocally lead a song (Mighty To Save). What an honor! If you'd like to hear the recording of the song I lead this past Sunday you can hear it at http://www.mediafire.com/?kk4njan8dqp3d9b It's such a blessing to be able to be a part of the worship services here and I've learned so much already. Not to mention how AWESOME it has been to use in-ear monitors on stage. I'd love to go get myself some custom-molded ones! Well...maybe if I wasn't trying to save up for a wedding. :-)
After an AWESOME lunch at Jason's Deli (COBB SALAD!!!), I headed back to the church to prepare for my first time directing and leading the VERT service for the high school students of DayStar. It was a lot harder than I thought to lead a practice with musicians that I don't work with very often. I'll have to take the time and learn how each person functions so it can make for a smoother practice session. I was a lot more nervous than I think I should have been, but things turned out great, and Eric said it went really well. So that, if nothing else, makes me feel like I did a decent job! Next step: get to know the high school students to develop a personal ministry with them. Eric brought a very important point up to the band...How we carry ourselves off stage is just as important as how we carry ourselves leading the songs. See, I knew this already, but it was a much needed refresher.
I'm SO glad that tomorrow I am meeting the Stephen (24/7 director) over at the apartment complex where I will be living to add my name to DayStar's lease. It will be such a relief to actually have a place that I can settle into and unpack.
Kayla is in the midst of reading like, four thousand children's novels/picture books for one of her classes. Or at least it seems like it! But she seems to have a really good knack for finding time to finish all that stuff and still get a good amount of sleep. The only hard part about seeing her every day is PARKING. And maybe walking to her apartment on campus, depending on where I have to park. But I can say with full confidence that it's WELL worth it.
Prayer requests:
-For my confidence in taking over the VERT service, that I can develop good relationships with the students, and that it will (hopefully) be a little easier than I anticipate it being.
-For patience this week as I'm growing a little impatient for lack of routine.
Song For The Moment:
Hammock - Breathturn (THIS VIDEO IS INSPIRING, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
First Full Week In The BORO
I figured while my lovely Kayla is off dress shopping for/with some of her bridesmaids, I could post an entry! YEAH! The past couple of days have seemed to go pretty slow, mainly because I'm in a semi-strange city with no frequent responsibilities! I'm very excited to get a routine down and stick to it. That should start in a week on Sept 4th when 24/7 begins. I'm looking forward to it a whole lot! At this point I'm just getting antsy with a schedule that consists of...wake up, breakfast, check email, shower, occupy self until Kayla gets out of class at 4 so we can hang out.
The more notable things of this week (aside from the incredible milkshakes from Cook Out, which I am now addicted to thanks to Jason Brinkley) happened in or around DayStar. On Monday, I went out for coffee with Stephen (24/7 Director) and we got some details clarified about the program in general. The best part about that meeting was figuring out what my potential living situation. It's MOST likely that I'll be rooming with three other guys (Jordan Limerick, Ian Kitchen, and Zach Brown) from college leadership at DayStar as opposed to living with a host family. All of which I've known for many months and I'm excited to be interacting daily with them because they are all great guys and have hearts hungry for the Lord. The staff at DayStar thought this would be the best situation for everyone involved. The reason this situation will work monetarily is because I won't be responsible for paying for anything I wouldn't already be paying for if I lived with a host family (rent, utilities, etc.) It's such a relief to figure out what my living situation will be. Now the next step...ACTUALLY GETTING SETTLED IN! Since I've been here, Kayla's cousin, Garrett, has let me stay in a spare bedroom at his apartment until I get figured out. Thank you so much Garrett!!
On Tuesday, I got to meet up with Eric Freeman, the worship pastor at DayStar, for coffee. I've learned an awful lot from him just in this past week about how to minister and create a culture of worship. It was an honor to hear that he would like me to start leading up the VERT services every Sunday night, which is the high school/middle school worship service/ministry. I'm really excited to be able to serve in that way and hopefully help these to understand the weight of the importance of the Lord being in their lives.
Wednesday night was "The Tap" at DayStar which is their college/career/singles service. The turnout was actually almost 3 times the number of people that it's seen on it's good days. Which I think is pretty incredible!It's put together very carefully and strategically, and it definitely shows. Eric, the worship team and the tech team do a great job of making everything seamless and distraction free. That was a great time just to worship and mingle. Kayla was a sweetheart and took me out to dinner afterwards to Natty Greene's even though she had already eaten before the service!
It was a pleasure to have lunch with Jason Brinkley (Connections Pastor at DayStar and also will be the officiant at the CUNNINGHAM/HEETER WEDDING on 06.18.2011) It was nice to be able to catch up and see where his family is in the process of adopting a lovely little girl from Uganda. I was ULTRA fond of the place we went to lunch, Lox Stock & Bagel. Boar's Head EVERYTHING on their sandwiches, and great bread. It's so wonderful to hear the love, passion, and respect in Jason's voice when he talks about his family. Interacting with the Brinkley's has been a huge inspiration to Kayla and I, and gives us a model for our family some day.
I got the chance to practice for Sunday service with the worship band on Thursday night and it was a great time. Mainly because I got to use in-ear monitors for the first time ever and that was AMAZING. Being able to see the way Eric ran a band practice was refreshing and definitely a learning experience. It felt similar to the ways I've run practices in the past, which gives me confidence.
The time has come, where I must depart and get Chipotle, thanks to Mallory Skaggs. This burrito is going to be a good one!
Song For The Moment:
REUBEN MORGAN - ALL THE HEAVENS
The more notable things of this week (aside from the incredible milkshakes from Cook Out, which I am now addicted to thanks to Jason Brinkley) happened in or around DayStar. On Monday, I went out for coffee with Stephen (24/7 Director) and we got some details clarified about the program in general. The best part about that meeting was figuring out what my potential living situation. It's MOST likely that I'll be rooming with three other guys (Jordan Limerick, Ian Kitchen, and Zach Brown) from college leadership at DayStar as opposed to living with a host family. All of which I've known for many months and I'm excited to be interacting daily with them because they are all great guys and have hearts hungry for the Lord. The staff at DayStar thought this would be the best situation for everyone involved. The reason this situation will work monetarily is because I won't be responsible for paying for anything I wouldn't already be paying for if I lived with a host family (rent, utilities, etc.) It's such a relief to figure out what my living situation will be. Now the next step...ACTUALLY GETTING SETTLED IN! Since I've been here, Kayla's cousin, Garrett, has let me stay in a spare bedroom at his apartment until I get figured out. Thank you so much Garrett!!
On Tuesday, I got to meet up with Eric Freeman, the worship pastor at DayStar, for coffee. I've learned an awful lot from him just in this past week about how to minister and create a culture of worship. It was an honor to hear that he would like me to start leading up the VERT services every Sunday night, which is the high school/middle school worship service/ministry. I'm really excited to be able to serve in that way and hopefully help these to understand the weight of the importance of the Lord being in their lives.
Wednesday night was "The Tap" at DayStar which is their college/career/singles service. The turnout was actually almost 3 times the number of people that it's seen on it's good days. Which I think is pretty incredible!It's put together very carefully and strategically, and it definitely shows. Eric, the worship team and the tech team do a great job of making everything seamless and distraction free. That was a great time just to worship and mingle. Kayla was a sweetheart and took me out to dinner afterwards to Natty Greene's even though she had already eaten before the service!
It was a pleasure to have lunch with Jason Brinkley (Connections Pastor at DayStar and also will be the officiant at the CUNNINGHAM/HEETER WEDDING on 06.18.2011) It was nice to be able to catch up and see where his family is in the process of adopting a lovely little girl from Uganda. I was ULTRA fond of the place we went to lunch, Lox Stock & Bagel. Boar's Head EVERYTHING on their sandwiches, and great bread. It's so wonderful to hear the love, passion, and respect in Jason's voice when he talks about his family. Interacting with the Brinkley's has been a huge inspiration to Kayla and I, and gives us a model for our family some day.
I got the chance to practice for Sunday service with the worship band on Thursday night and it was a great time. Mainly because I got to use in-ear monitors for the first time ever and that was AMAZING. Being able to see the way Eric ran a band practice was refreshing and definitely a learning experience. It felt similar to the ways I've run practices in the past, which gives me confidence.
The time has come, where I must depart and get Chipotle, thanks to Mallory Skaggs. This burrito is going to be a good one!
Song For The Moment:
REUBEN MORGAN - ALL THE HEAVENS
Monday, August 23, 2010
A New Chapter
Exit familiar. Enter unknown.
-Chris
-=-=-=-=-
WOW! This is new, and so unlike me! But the Lord has challenged me to go beyond my comfort zone and take a step of faith! So here I am, by the will of the Lord, in North Carolina - away from my family, and away from my friends and ministry at my beloved Bethel, in order to FIRST pursue my beautiful fiance Kayla, and also to intentionally seek His face through 24/7 Leadership Academy and the ministries of DayStar Christian Fellowship.
Within only 2 full days of living here, though I have always been nothing short of reluctant to take this step, the Lord has calmed my heart and I can almost feel all of your prayers surrounding me as a cushion of comfort. I have never been more confident that I have made the right decision by making this move.
What a joy it is to be in this city with my Kayla knowing that I don't have to wake up the next morning just to drive back for 7 hours - that we can share so many more special moments together - that I can be here for her through the stress of her school - and to know that we don't have to deal with the sorrow of maintaining and trying to grow a relationship while 400 miles apart.
In the past 2 days I've been to DayStar (www.daystarcf.org) three times, and each one of those times was a learning experience.
On Saturday, I had been blessed to be invited to an exclusive event called Worship Culture Creation Day. Eric Freeman (the Worship Pastor at DayStar, and mentor to me for about a year now) had put together a 5-hour agenda to re-ignite the passion for a genuine culture of worship in people involved in worship ministry, and to describe what worship culture is. The event started at 9am with a 45 min set of worship music, lead by people who aren't normally involved with the music at DayStar. This was so those who are normally serving on the worship team had the chance to worship without focusing on what the next transition is or what chord or rhythm to play next. The worship set was followed by a talk given by Eric explaining what worship culture is as a whole, and what it is for DayStar specifically. I believe strongly in every point Eric made, I just could never put it to words before, and maybe haven't even thought about a lot of what he said. But it was clear that the Lord is working through Eric and the ministry he has helped create there. It just goes to show that when you keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus, everything will fall into place.
Yesterday morning was church, which was nothing short of Spirit-filled. DayStar has an incredible team of musicians, all of which have such a heart and passion to serve in the name of Christ, and it excites me to know I will be able to play alongside of them. Later that evening, I had been scheduled to play at VERT, the middle/high school service. I've never seen so much thought and careful planning to into a church SERVICE for middle/high schoolers, and it was very refreshing to see. It was great to be able to lead these young people into the presence of the Lord.
It would be impossible for me to complete this first entry without extending my greatest gratitude to those of you who have sponsored and supported me through monetary gifts and through prayer. I have never seen such an incredible display of generosity and I have been greatly ministered to through it. And also, I'd like to specifically thank my parents for putting me up for the past 4 months so I could save money to prepare for this move, and for providing such a large amount of support and encouragement that I hope I will be able to return one day.
I apologize greatly for this wordy first entry. If you enjoyed the wordiness, I don't suggest you get your hopes up for more entries like this one. SORRY! I will, however, try to update this guy as often as possible in the case you want to keep up with what's happening with me and how you can pray for me. And also if you have the urge to respond to one of these posts, or just want to drop me a line, you can email me at heeter.chris@gmail.com or you can call/text me at 614-563-3711 . If you've read through this all, I applaud you. And extend this to you... *HIGH FIVE!*
What a joy it is to be in this city with my Kayla knowing that I don't have to wake up the next morning just to drive back for 7 hours - that we can share so many more special moments together - that I can be here for her through the stress of her school - and to know that we don't have to deal with the sorrow of maintaining and trying to grow a relationship while 400 miles apart.
In the past 2 days I've been to DayStar (www.daystarcf.org) three times, and each one of those times was a learning experience.
On Saturday, I had been blessed to be invited to an exclusive event called Worship Culture Creation Day. Eric Freeman (the Worship Pastor at DayStar, and mentor to me for about a year now) had put together a 5-hour agenda to re-ignite the passion for a genuine culture of worship in people involved in worship ministry, and to describe what worship culture is. The event started at 9am with a 45 min set of worship music, lead by people who aren't normally involved with the music at DayStar. This was so those who are normally serving on the worship team had the chance to worship without focusing on what the next transition is or what chord or rhythm to play next. The worship set was followed by a talk given by Eric explaining what worship culture is as a whole, and what it is for DayStar specifically. I believe strongly in every point Eric made, I just could never put it to words before, and maybe haven't even thought about a lot of what he said. But it was clear that the Lord is working through Eric and the ministry he has helped create there. It just goes to show that when you keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus, everything will fall into place.
Yesterday morning was church, which was nothing short of Spirit-filled. DayStar has an incredible team of musicians, all of which have such a heart and passion to serve in the name of Christ, and it excites me to know I will be able to play alongside of them. Later that evening, I had been scheduled to play at VERT, the middle/high school service. I've never seen so much thought and careful planning to into a church SERVICE for middle/high schoolers, and it was very refreshing to see. It was great to be able to lead these young people into the presence of the Lord.
It would be impossible for me to complete this first entry without extending my greatest gratitude to those of you who have sponsored and supported me through monetary gifts and through prayer. I have never seen such an incredible display of generosity and I have been greatly ministered to through it. And also, I'd like to specifically thank my parents for putting me up for the past 4 months so I could save money to prepare for this move, and for providing such a large amount of support and encouragement that I hope I will be able to return one day.
I apologize greatly for this wordy first entry. If you enjoyed the wordiness, I don't suggest you get your hopes up for more entries like this one. SORRY! I will, however, try to update this guy as often as possible in the case you want to keep up with what's happening with me and how you can pray for me. And also if you have the urge to respond to one of these posts, or just want to drop me a line, you can email me at heeter.chris@gmail.com or you can call/text me at 614-563-3711 . If you've read through this all, I applaud you. And extend this to you... *HIGH FIVE!*
-Chris
-=-=-=-=-
PRAYER REQUEST(S):
-That the Lord would give me clarity with details that haven't yet been established.
-That I could connect further into the community at DayStar and reach out and try to get to know them. (It's easier for a bunch of people to get to know one person, but it's difficult for one person to get to know a lot of people)
-That the beginning of Kayla's school year will have a solid start, and that stress would be a minimal issue this semester.
-That the Lord would give me clarity with details that haven't yet been established.
-That I could connect further into the community at DayStar and reach out and try to get to know them. (It's easier for a bunch of people to get to know one person, but it's difficult for one person to get to know a lot of people)
-That the beginning of Kayla's school year will have a solid start, and that stress would be a minimal issue this semester.
SONG FOR THE MOMENT:
Jared Anderson - Pleasing To You
Jared Anderson - Pleasing To You
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