May 2012
3 posts
Thoughts from Storyline
This last week, I had the privilege of attending Don Miller’s Storyline Conference in Nashville, TN. To tell you the truth, I did not quite know what to expect and may have not gone had I not won free tickets. But the experience was invaluable in many regards and I can’t wait to really begin to apply the things I learned. Essentially, Storyline is a life planning process that uses...
WatchHappy Mother’s Day!
April 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Blue Like Jazz - The Movie
A couple weeks ago, Megan and I had the opportunity to go see a pre-screening of Blue Like Jazz, the new film adapted from Donald Miller’s book of the same name. We were invited because we contributed to the film’s Kickstarter campaign last year, and helped it become the largest grossing crowd-sourced film to date. In total there were close to 4,500 people who contributed to the...
March 2012
1 post
2 tags
A Dozen Cassettes
Just after I graduated high school in 2001, I was working at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore and still involved on the worship team at my church in Ft. Wayne, IN. I didn’t have much of a sense of what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to do nothing, so I started taking a few classes at a local community college. All I knew was that I loved God and I loved music. Still do. Around that...
February 2012
2 posts
Ash Wednesday
Today is Ash Wednesday. On the historic church calendar, this day marks the beginning of Lent and the 40 days leading up to the Resurrection of Christ. Lent is a time of fasting in correlation to the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert preceding his public ministry. Ash Wednesday marks a time of fasting, repentance, and contemplative worship. Now, I probably won’t attend an Ash...
Far Off Destinations
This last year at the Resound Conference, I sat in on a workshop with friend Tim Coons. He was talking about all of the preparation that a pastor or worship leader puts into planning a weekend service for a church….all of the volunteer coordination, song selection, sermon prep, prayer, etc.. Then he asked a poignant question:
If you’re planning a worship service, is your...
January 2012
4 posts
It's not an Idea.
I went to a book writing workshop this last Saturday with a handful of other areas pastors and leaders. Jonathan, the guy who came in to teach the workshop owns his own boutique publishing company called Rhizome. I learned several important principles about writing and the book publishing industry, but I loved a story that he shared towards the end of the workshop. Then he told us about a...
Dangerous Prayers
One prayer that I’ve found myself praying this new year goes something like this… “God, search my heart and dismantle every other kingdom but yours in my life.” It’s a good prayer that finds its roots in Matthew 6:33. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how dangerous that prayer really is. What if God actually took me up on that offer? Do I really...
Encouragement File
I’m going to risk sounding fluffy for a moment. Over the course of a year, we hear so many words, and receive so much input from the people in our lives. Nice words, mean words, direct words, words of encouragements, words of criticism, and then the infamous compliment sandwich (2 sugary compliment buns with a [pick your horrible noun] on the inside).
One of my favorites from this last...
December 2011
5 posts
Mornings with Tozer
One of things I’m most looking forward to come January 1 is starting a new devotional that I was given for Christmas. It’s called Mornings with Tozer. It’s a 366 day devotional that takes you through the best moments in all of his writing. I started reading Tozer’s writings back when I was in high school, and he did much to fuel my spiritual growth. I got my hands on...
“The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting,...”
– G.K. Chesterton
Unconquered Sun
Let me just say, I love Christmas. I really do. I sometimes get jaded by a few of the silly peripheral traditions, but it really is a special time of the year. I think the trouble is that it gets too familiar. It’s at that point that we find ourselves doing things without really knowing why. So, it’s fun to dig a little and find some new angles with which to view Advent.
...
October 2011
1 post
"I'm Stressed Out"
It’s a confession we hear almost daily from friends, family members, co-workers, and littered all over Facebook. Even in short bits of conversation it seems to be the first thing some people want to talk about. And it’s only getting more frequent. Usually, when we say “I’m stressed” we’re referring to our external circumstances - the responsibilities at work,...
August 2011
1 post
“Those of us who write, make films or sing songs usually spend the first chunk of...”
– Don Miller - Back to the Art
July 2011
3 posts
Books About Heaven
I just finished Steven Pressfield’s Do the Work. It’s a follow up to the War of Art and it is just as brilliant. Here is an excerpt from the end of the book…
“Have you seen this greatNew Yorker cartoon:
A perplexed person stands before two doors. One door says HEAVEN. The other door says BOOKS ABOUT HEAVEN.
What makes us laugh, I suspect, is that all of us feel...
iamjasonroberson.com: Just Released - All Things... →
iamjasonroberson:
Announcing the release of All Things New.
In January of this year (2011) I began to feel a personal stirring to pursue simplicity and rest in my relationship with God, specifically in times of worship. The playlist’s on my iPod began to fill up with simple songs and musical arrangements,…
June 2011
2 posts
“A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does a genius or the...”
– Steven Pressfield
May 2011
6 posts
2 tags
“What we conquer for ourselves through art is from God, divine...”
– L.V. Beethoven
“nobody tells this to people who are beginners, i wish someone told me. all of us...”
– Ira Glass (quote from NPR)
WatchOn the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, it turns out that many Brazilians celebrate another holiday. I’m not sure what it is called, but it has to do with St. George. A sect of the Catholic Church celebrates St. George. Those who are into Vudoo also celebrate the demon version of St. George called Ogum. Either way, they all link arms and set off one crazy firework...
“Music must become virile to express big things. It is not my purpose to supply a...”
– Alan Hovhaness
April 2011
3 posts
March 2011
3 posts
“There are two kinds of revolutionists, as of most things - a good kind and a...”
– G.K. Chesterton
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned...”
– from the Pursuit of God.
February 2011
5 posts
Creativity and Failure
Reminded today that the fear of failure will kill creativity. Every truly creative effort requires risk. If there was no risk involved, someone else would have already done it.
We find ourselves waking up with dreams that we can’t get rid of…
The new song idea. The event you want to put on. The talk that you’re writing. The non-profit you want to start.
But what keeps us...
WatchNoah discovers trucks
January 2011
3 posts
Sound Thoughts
Just listened to a talk that Julian Treasure gave at the TED Conference about the way sound affects our health and well being. I’ve always been a big fan of the study of sound and the power of music. I’ve heard other talks on this topic but more from Christian world views, so it’s interesting to hear the medical and health community drawing similar conclusions.
You can...
December 2010
2 posts
Reading Scripture
A friend of mine emailed me recently, and asked:
I was wondering if you can help me with getting deeper in the word. I have always struggled on how to pull more out of the word then just reading Scripture. Are there any pointers or any help you could assist me with?
I just responded to him and then realized that this might be helpful to others. So, here’s a few thoughts on approaching...
“The birds are in their trees, the toast is in the toaster, and the poets are at...”
– Billy Collins
November 2010
4 posts
“The process of ‘making’ is the point of it. The object looks good if...”
– From ‘Between the Folds’ - a documentary on the art of origami
1 tag
Top 10 Moments at Resound 2010
1. Laura Woodley Osman brings the heat. This was our first time with Laura with us and I’m so glad we brought her in. She has an amazing voice and is an even more amazing person. Her songs and words over us brought me to tears. Check out her word on Thursday night here.
2. Foto Lounge. So thankful to photographer and friend Jarrod Renaud for bringing over the his home made Foto...
Creative Process :: Resourcefulness
Thought I’d take some time to post some thoughts on creativity as much of my world involves brainstorming new ideas. I seem to spend much of my time staring at a blank computer screen or sitting with teams of people in a quiet conference room staring at a clean whiteboard. I’ve never claimed to have it figured out, but I always knew that if I payed attention to the creative process...