Clearly I'm a pro at keeping this thing up to date, eh?  Okay, not so much.  But hey, at least I'm updating now, right?



And hey, it's a pretty exciting time.  In just a few days, we (Lakeside Community Church) will be spending the month doing our Sunday services in a different building.



For those that don't know the back story, a quick recap:  Lakeside is moving.  We're currently in the midst of a building campaign.  We just have too many people to stay in our current building, and we can't exactly expand in the space we have.  So, we're in the process of selling the building, purchasing new land and then building on said land.  Of course, when we sell the building we are currently in, we won't exactly be moving into the new building the next week.  We are going to have to "go mobile."  And that's what this month is all about: giving the congregation a taste of what that will be like.  We're going to be meeting at Lakeview High School at 10:30 AM each Sunday in October.  Yeah, one service.  We're going to be bringing the two together.  Because the whole series is "Together We're Better."  Together we do this better, together we do that better.



I'm excited about this on all levels, because it (hopefully) will be a motivator to show people "Hey, this is what's ahead for Lakeside."  It's going to be an exciting time.



But I'm specifically excited on the musical level too  (Of course, you were probably wondering when I was going to get around to the music, right?), and for two reasons.  First, we're going to be doing some pretty sweet special tunes throughout the month.  We start it off this week with...Switchfoot.  We're going to be doing Meant To Live, and that's going to be pretty sweet.  Later in the month, we'll be doing Kutless' Sea Of Faces and Stellar Kart's latest single, Me And Jesus (Yes, it's a terrible song grammatically speaking...but it's still a solid track).  And, to top the whole thing off, we will be doing Chris Tomlin's Party.



That last one excites me, but I don't mean the specific song.  Yeah, I think it's a great track (I suggested we do it...mere minutes after Ken suggested it).  But it's the message that week that excites me.  Together We Party Better.  Mmm...tasty.  And yes, I am still speaking musically.



See, if you've read this at all (And if you haven't, you're welcome to backtrack), you know that I've been creating mixes for the "dead space" before and after services.  The only restraints were/are no hip hop and no screaming (And by no screaming, I mean no Underoath screaming where it's the main focus...Anberlin screaming, where it's just sporadic, has been used frequently).



However, we're talking about a party, right?  So I gave Chris a disc o' stuff to listen to...a lot of hip hop.  I left him a note with the disc saying that, even though we have the "no hip hop" rule, this party week might be a perfect time to use some high energy stuff.



And he agreed.  That excites me.  I'm going to get to introduce Lakeside to some hip hop.  Not much, mind you (I would be surprised if more than three or four tracks made the final cut), but some.  And that's a step in the right direction.  Because one of the things I try to do with those discs is create a diverse atmosphere, where there is something for everyone from the middle schooler in the balcony to the old lady in the center of the auditorium, all the while bringing them and everyone in between something positive to listen to.



And look, we're a very white church.  But what kind of impression would it make on someone's black friend if they walked in and heard some hip hop?  And not just hip hop, but good hip hop?



I like to take the mentality with these discs that they are helping someone determine whether they're coming back next week if they're new.  I want them to walk in and, even before worship, say, "Wow, this church is different, and I like it."  And, on the last week in October, at Lakeview High School with Lakeside Community Church, there will be no better way to show that difference than to infuse some high energy, bumpin' hip hop beats into the pre- and post-service times.



And I, obviously, am excited about it.