Derrick Logan

Worship Set
Salvation's Chorus (listen) (buy) (Fields)
Marvelous Light (Hall, Stanfill version)
Happy Day (Hughes)
Create in Me a Clean Heart/My Chains Are Gone (Keith Green/Tomlin)

I've backed posted the set lists I failed to post from late July to the present. You can check 'em here...

7.26-27
8.2-3
8.9-10
8.16-17
8.23-24
8.30-31
9.6-7
9.13-14

Every Thursday, Ragamuffin Soul hosts a "blog carnival" where bloggers can share creative things they're doing at their church to reach people for Christ. I'm jumpin into the chaos...

This coming weekend at Palm Valley Church will be the third week of a five week teaching series called Ultimate Fighter. It's been a killer series thus far. Not because of cool videos, music, graphics, or staging (that you'll get a glimpse at in a moment) but because men in our community are waking up to who Christ is, what He has to offer them, and what He's calling them to. Killer stuff.

First off, if you're not familiar with Palm Valley, we're portable. When meet at a high school in a southwest suburb of Phoenix. We run five identical services each weekend, utilizing the school's auditorium as our worship center.

For this series, we transformed our stage to resemble a UFC "octagon". The large set created a space dilemma for our band so we found space on stage we hadn't used before. Although I was involved with conceptualizing the set design, Sean Smith (our Pastor of Creative Arts) is to credit for pulling it off. There's nothing this guy can't make happen on a stage.

Enjoy the pics!

Back in July, Kim and I spent in a week in Durango, CO leading worship for Palm Valley's summer high school camp. As we headed home, we hit a run of road construction that actually had us at a stand still for about 20 minutes. While driving through that construction, we drove over a stretch of very loose gravel for about two miles. At some point, as the tiny rocks were kicking the underbelly of my SUV, one of those little boogers lodged itself in one of my wheels. I would’ve never guessed that such a tiny object could cause such an awful noise. We noticed the sound once we got into town and promptly called On-Star to locate the nearest GM dealer. Kim and I both drive Saturn vehicles (a GM make); I drive a Vue and she drives an Outlook. We took the Outlook on the trip since it’s roomier. On-Star helped us locate the nearest Chevy dealer just a few miles away. Every car and pedestrian within an ear shot stared at every stop light on the way there, it was that loud. I pulled up to the Chevy service station and walked in to get some help.

They wouldn’t help me. At all. Under any circumstance… even one that involves a family w/ a young child trying to get home to another state. First off, they’re not certified to do work on Saturn’s under warranty. Yes, you heard right; the company that makes my vehicles doesn’t certify their own employees to service them. To have a certified mechanic service my vehicle, I would have to take it to a Saturn dealership. Since there isn’t a Saturn dealership in Durango, GM is telling their Saturn customers that they’re screwed if they live there… or travel through there, as in this case. Thanks GM. [sarcastic thumbs up] Secondly, the Chevy service department manager was a jerk and did everything she could to wash her hands of me.

There was another GM dealer across the street… which serviced every GM make… except Saturn. Fortunately, these guys were a little more understanding, worked us in very quickly, and were very understanding and courteous. They told me upfront that they weren’t certified to work on my vehicle but they offered to take a look at it and see if it was something simple. It was, so they took care of it for a small service charge. While our vehicle was being serviced, we were updated frequently as to the status and what they were doing to the car. They were very sensitive to our situation and eager to help us.

I realized that Christian churches suffer the same dilemma. There’s very little consistency from church to church. How confusing and disheartening it must be for a new follower or seeker to find a new church after they’ve moved to a new city. We’ll never see a perfectly unified church around the world or find a certified Saturn mechanic at another GM dealership. But we can be that other GM dealer across the street; by meeting the real needs of real people that come in our doors. At Palm Valley, a mantra that’s heard often is “where people matter." If people are our priority, we can know that we’re being that other dealership. We might not be able to change the world but we can change our world… and just maybe it’ll rub off on others.

If Phil Wickham isn't on your iPod, he should be. Killer vocals, killer writting... the best word I could use to describe his music is piercing. I absolutely love his stuff.

Well, he's recently recorded a live record featuring him, his guitar, and few hundred friends... and it's free! Download it here!

Can you pick out your favorite worship leader on the cover?

Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear about Ray Boltz's lifelong secret. One of the most successful Christian recording artists of all-time is gay. You can read the article here; very well written.

After reading it, I was saddened. Not because Ray Boltz is gay (although the news is troubling). Not because the enemy is rearing his ugly face, once again, in the life of a very public Christian. I was saddened for homosexuals.

More than likely, Ray Boltz will be banished from "Christian culture." His music will be pulled off the shelves by Christian retailers. Churches, who once sang his songs, will disassociate themselves from him. Mentioning his name in "Christian" circles will provoke slow head shakes and looks of great disappointment.

You see... for Christians... homosexuality is like the plague. We stay so far from it, like we'll get Satan coodies if we actually meet a gay person. The thought of having gay friends makes us feel dirty... kinda like listening to a "secular" song and liking it. Frankly, there is not another sect in our society that is more alienated by Christianity than the homosexual community... and it's infuriating to me.

We jump at the chance to feed starving children in Africa, provide clean water for those who don't have it, and even set aside a few hours on the weekend to feed the homeless... all in the spirit of Matthew 25:40.

Have you ever considered who "the least" are in the eyes of God? I think that they'd be those who are furthest from Him. Consider the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (read it here). Jesus himself said, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.” (John 4:13-14)

It's estimated that 1% of the American population consists of homosexuals. That's more than 3,000,000 people that, by in large, we care nothing for.

Many Christians think that the greatest need for homosexuals is to be freed from homosexuality. In reality, their greatest need is Jesus. And it's our obligation to bring Him to them.


Dear Christianity,

We've shunned the homosexual community for far too long. In their eyes, we're nothing more than judgmental, hypocritical people who know nothing about "loving thy neighbor." We're a joke to them. A really bad, dirty joke.

Let's change. Let's engage them. Let's be a friend to them when they need to talk, a shoulder to cry on when life hurts. Let's show them that, despite our differences, we love them anyway. Let's ask Jesus to allow His light to shine through us to them, and trust Him with the results.

Yes. Homosexuality is a sin. Like every other sin, it separates people from God. Let us not be sinful by turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to those who need Christ so desperately.

Let's not throw Ray Boltz under the bus. Let's love him. Let's pray for him. He's no different than you and me; a sinner who desperately needs Jesus.

I hope you consider this.

Wholeheartedly,
A Saddened Christ-follower

It wasn't intentional. I never would've guessed that I would go nearly two months without posting. To be honest, I've gone two months without hardly venturing into the blogosphere. Kim has to literally hold my face to a computer screen to get me to read her blog.

Reason? Fatherhood.

No other reason. The time I would use to write and to read other's stuff has quickly translated into late night feedings and walks around the house to keep Jude from crying. After he's in bed, I can barely muster a blank stare... until I fall asleep.

Everything at home has changed.

Kim and I's time together consists of diaper changing and bath time. She's no longer working at the school, but instead she's taking pictures, tutoring, and being a stay-at-home mom. We used to eat out all the time, now we have a calendar telling us what we're eating everyday this month. Instead of debating over a new wall decoration or Wii game, we're shopping for a second car seat 'cause our kid is a beast.

I love it all.

I'm tired all the time. I don't have time for anything. And I'm at an incredible moment in my life. I have a wife who loves me... I mean REALLY loves me. I have a little boy that lives at my house; he's my son... MY SON! He's the most amazing gift I've ever been given. I go to work everyday with one agenda: lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. I've had dozens of jobs, all of which required me to do things that didn't matter. There's nothing I do at Palm Valley that doesn't matter. My life is absolutely amazing.

I'm finding a pace.

That's so important for me. Honing in on the right tempo for my life is so important for me. With all of the changes that came with Jude, I'm now starting to find my new pace and it's energizing. Time is still at a premium but I'm finding ways to be more efficient with the 1440 minutes I'm given everyday.

So that's what's been up with me lately.

Worship Set
Holding Onto You (Colman)
Salvation's Chorus (listen) (buy) (Fields)
Mighty to Save/The Stand (Hillsong United)
Savin' Me (Nickelback)

Worship Set
All Because of Jesus (Fee)
Jesus Paid it All (Stanfill)
What the World Will Never Take (Hillsong United)
Hanging by a Moment (Lifehouse)