MOVED!!!!!!!!!

Hey all, moved over to my new site! All the new posts and more will be there.

Check it!

 

www.collidewithme.com

Friends. Time. Love.

Ok, this may be a long one, but may be worth your while. Well, for me it is. God’s been dealing with me with some things. With my friendships, my time and my love for others. I think it’s time I shared.

I’ve always known the “philosophy” of New Life Church… Loving God, Loving People, Loving Life… but I don’t know that I ever put it in my heart. I’ve always stood a bit back because of various reasons and questions… is this where I’m gonna be for a long time, or am I just going to build relationships and then leave them for something else that God has planned for me… Are people really that genuine? Do they really care that much?… I’ve even used the excuse that I’m too screwed up to let people know the real me in fear that they won’t be able to connect to God in worship because of me. I know. Lame. No one is perfect.

But I’ve come to a conclusion lately. This may be a “duh” for some of you, so bear with me. We need people. We need to spend time with people. We need to love people. I was thinking of my long list of things I’ve accomplished and done in my life (yes, this may be a bit cocky to some)… Traveled around Europe for two months, live in Portland, OR for a year, Colorado Springs for a year, Africa for about a month, climbed mountains, led worship for thousands of people at one time, I’ve had the chance to meet and talk with various famous people, be apart of a church that is listed as one of the fastest growing church’s in america, done an ironman, eco challenge in the rockies, climbed the largest sand dunes in north america, driven across the U.S. multiple times and seen things that I can only keep in my mind because I can’t explain them, traveling Mexico for a month… and the list goes on…

But it’s all pointless…. if… I never did what I was created to do.  

I watched the movie “Into the wild” today.. (caution, some hippy nudity and some language).. It really made me think. He did all these great things. But in the end, he died alone. And before he died, he realized that it’s better to share life and happiness with people. It was awesome, because while I was watching, I received a text from a friend just basically saying “thanks for us being friends” and I also got a phone call from a friend back home just to say hi and see how things were going for me down here in the south. It’s those things that I’ve started to burn for lately. Traveling the world and experiencing what’s around me is great, but I’d rather do it with people. I’ve begun to be more outgoing with people and help those in need if I can fill it. (keeping in mind that it’ a struggle still with some things) But I feel myself being stretched and my life becoming more of what God intended me to be.

I’m gonna make a commitment over this next month, to spend time with people every day.(believe me, this is a step for me) So if you wanna get some lunch, dinner, breakfast, just hang out and chat, let me know. I’m down. I don’t care if your young or old, guy or girl (there will be boundaries with the girls). Stretch me and tell me about your life. 

E-mail me and we’ll set it up… asmith@newlifechurch.tv

Salute.

A friend of mine showed me this…True? Maybe.

You want me to what?

O.k., So like I said before, we are doing this huge big deal of a thang at the Greater Little Rock Campus in a week and a half and we are doing rehearsal and prep like madness in Creative arts and the Worship department. Well, I found a life lesson out of one of my responsibilities (a “nugget” if you will)… 

Gotta be honest here… my attitude hasn’t been the greatest the past week or so. I’ve been given various jobs…painting, moving furniture, painting, running errands and yes, painting. All of which does not fall under my “department”. Being given these duties around the church has made me have to check my attitude once or twice…ok, more than that. It would run through my head from time to time, that I’m an “Associate Worship Pastor at a major church and one of the fastest growing churches in the country and I need to focus on my music. It’s what God called me here for.” Then I would remind my self that is stupid. Yes, stupid. God didn’t call me to Arkansas and to one of the fastest growing churches for just my music. Bottom line is, He called me here to show His love and show people how to draw closer to Him. One of those ways is through music. One of them. If it means I have to paint a thousand stage sets to show that God exists, then so be it. So if you are questioning what you are doing in ministry and if it’s what your supposed to be doing, check your heart, check the Bible and find out if your right or wrong. If not suck it up and show people that God exists no matter what your doing…Ha! Take that.

Grand. As in Big Deal.

O.K., so the Grand opening of the Greater Little Rock Campus that holds 2300 people is happening in about a week and a half. Let me tell you. It will be amazing. Amazing speakers, amazing art…yes, I said art… amazing dancing, amazing singers, amazing musical interludes, amazing videos,  and amazing balloons…yes, I said balloons. Amazing. I can say for sure that God will be there. Tears will be shed and inspiration will abound. Maybe it will even cause you to say “I will run” (shameless plug).  

People. You want to be there. Believe me. You want to be there.

 

Service times are as follows: 

Friday Sept. 12th: 7:00 pm Speaker: Andy Stanley

Saturday Sept 13th: 7:00 pm Speaker: Greg Surratt

Sunday Sept 14th:

9:00 am… Speaker: Chris Hodges

11:30 am…Speaker: Dino Rizzo

7:00 pm… Speaker: Joe White

Monday Sept 15:

7:00 pm… Speaker: Craig Groeschel

Prayer. Music.

I get asked from time to time what I like to listen to when I’m in my own time with God. So I’ve decided to post 50 songs from my ipod list entitled “Prayer”… Fitting, I know. I like to take these songs and bounce them around in different orders, take songs off, add them, whatever I’m in the mood for at the moment. But here’s 50 out of the 104 that I have right now… and no, I don’t listen to all of these in one sitting. I wish.

(If you have any suggestions to add, hit me up)

1. All God’s Children-Delirious

2. Who is this King?-Pocket Full of Rocks

3. All I can Say-David Crowder Band

4. Untitled Hymn(Come to Jesus)-Chris Rice

5. Lead me to the Cross-United

6. Only You-David Crowder Band

7. You-United

8. Never Let Go-David Crowder Band

9. Refuse to be Denied-Desperation Band

10. He is the Love-David Crowder Band

11. I Could Run Away-100 PortRaits/Waterdeep

12. I Belong-Kathryn Scott

13. You are faithful-Hillsong

14. Over me-Chris Tomlin

15. Here I am-Shawn McDonald

16. Still-Reuben Morgan

17. This is Our God-Chris Tomlin

18. C.S. Lewis Song-Brooke Fraser

19. Your Love is Extravagant-Darrell Evens

20. Give Me Jesus-Fernando Ortega

21. Amazed-Jared Anderson

22. I need Words-David Crowder Band

23. Obsession-David Crowder Band (Originally Delirious)

24. Breathe-Sixpence None the Richer

25. Wherever you Go-Desperation Band

26. Have you Ever-Shawn McDonald

27. To Know Your Name-United

28. Take My Life-Third Day

29. Indelible-Brooke Fraser

30. I want More-Abe Smith (Yes, I worship to my own worship music that I’ve written…)

31. My World View-Audio Adrenaline

32. Audience of One-Big Daddy Weave

33. Wait-By the Tree

34. Who Am I-Casting Crowns

35. Sweep Me away-Charlie Hall

36. Unfailing Love-Chris Tomlin

37. Don’t let the fire Die-Steven Curtis Chapman (Yes, I’m a fan… and no, not because we have the same Birthday and we where born in the same state.)

38. Kindness-Chris Tomlin

39. You are my portion-Darrell Evens

40. I lay me down-Darrell Evens

41. Your Love will Never change-Dave Barnes

42. Come and Listen-David Crowder Band

43. Lord You have my Heart-Delirious

44. What a friend I’ve found-Delirious

45. King of Love-Delirious (Yes, I love Delirious… please guys, just for my sake, don’t break up.)

46. Worlds apart-Jars of Clay

47. The more I seek You-Kari Jobe

48. Carried to the Table-Leeland

49. He won’t let you go-The Kry

50. Storm-Lifehouse

Heaven.

Ok, so we had water Baptism going on tonight at the church. In one word. Amazing. I think God put an analogy in my head while I was watching people renew their lives and let go of their past and become new…

Brandon was playing the song “Second Chance” (Hillsong United-In the Valley by the Sea)… Which by the way if you could play in the background and read this at the same time, it would add to your experience. Think about the words as you finish this reading…

It came to me as I was watching everything happen…Darren was announcing the names of each person as they stepped up to the “pool” and people would clap with excitement… they would step in, the pastors in the  ”pool” would say something that only that person could hear, dunk…and then the crowd would cheer again and the person would then go out to the hall, dry off, then join the rest of the crowd on the other side to give congrats to others doing the same that they just did. 

To me, it’s how I hope Heaven to be. We stand in a huge line with excitement, then our name is called…. we step forward… and there’s Jesus. He takes us in close. We’re nervous. It’s our first time seeing the true savior and we know our life is about to be changed and made new. Then He says something to us… something only we can hear…”I love you”…”Well done”…”I’m proud of you”…”You did exactly what I wanted you to do”…”Thank you”…  to each one of us, it would be taylor made to our hearts. Something that we have longed to hear since we accepted the relationship that changed us with Christ. And at that moment, we become new. Every negative thing that has ever been said or done to us disappears. It doesn’t fall to the floor, only to be swept up by some janitor and returned to it’s owner later. It’s gone. Like it never even existed. And then He says “Welcome home.” And He shows the way inside the gates. Where we run around in amazement checking things out in our new surroundings. Then we go back and join the crowd that is at the gates applauding and cheering more people into our new home.

Thanks God for my “Second Chance” and my second change. I’m looking forward to it.

going…going….going…almost gone…

Well, things are going great with the single, so far over 200 have been sold in the past week since the cd released. So if you want yours, there’s less than 100 left….and then that’s it, no more. . . Unless I change my mind, which is completely within my rights to do because I’m an american and I have rights…but believe me, hand packaging 300 of those does nothing for me to want to make more. Random note…I’m listening to my coo mix on my ipod that happens to be playing 500 miles from the Proclaimers. 

Have a good day.