Blog #2

In my search to look for stuff on David Crowder Band the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting article written about him. Here's the site if you happen to be interested in reading it: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/oct/12/thirdday-side/

In case you've never heard of David Crowder, here's the basic info. He's a musician (we play a ton of his songs @ VI) who approaches worship, and Christianity, in unconventional ways. You can tell just by looking at a photo of the guy that he's not your cookie-cutter, stereotype, average Christian. He's something different. What got me about this article where the author points out that Crowder's church is for people who aren't into a traditional style of worship, and who don't quite feel at home in the standard church environment. This got me thinking: isn't VI kind of like that? We're not about the ceremonies, the religion, the theology. It's a lot more important to be genuine, to have a relationship with God, and to worship him. In other words, VI is a student ministry for people who don't normally like student ministry.

Another great point Crowder makes is that his songs aren't all peppy and happy. "Life just isn't like that a lot of times," he says. "Granted, there's a lot of joy, but there's also a significant amount of pain involved in living, and we thought both were worthy to be written about." Life's gonna suck sometimes, to be honest. That doesn't mean that we should stop praising God. I know in my weakest moments, I cry out to God, and it's not always a pretty song of praise. That's really the reason I've even become a part of the worship at VI. I've learned from my experiences in the ministry that people connect to God both when they're joyful, and when they're in despair. Because God is there. One of my greatest blessings is being able to see how God affects people @ VI on Wednesday nights during the slow worship. Never forget that he's there, holding you in those moments where you feel like there's no one else.

-D.Tro

Blog #1

Hey everyone (gosh that sounds like such a corny intro, but I can't think of anything better). In case you are clueless as to who I am, I'm Drew Troller. I'm a junior @ Mariemont High School, and I've been coming to VI for a little over 4 years now. I've also been a student leader for a couple years, and this year I'm stepping in to help lead the worship on Wednesday nights.

This past week, it was my first time leading both the fast and slow sets of music. I'll be honest- I was terrified on stage during the slow set. Turning six instruments into one solid sound is a lot harder than Phil makes it look. The amazing part was, no matter how much I was freaking out strumming my six little strings, everyone in the room was so relaxed. It reminded me that it's more important to invite God into my heart than to worry about whether every chord is played right and sounds perfect. Still, sitting down, adrenaline was still pumping. I had been so nervous, and it was hard to just step off the roller coaster. Maybe just coincidentally, or maybe because God knew I'd be feeling this way, Lee's lesson sort of struck home with me. He talked about how God doesn't want us to be complacent or comfortable. He wants us to step out of our comfort zone, and to sweat a little bit.

Guess you actually can learn something from Lee's lessons (just a joke, Lee). Anyway, I thought I'd share this story with anyone reading this because my experience on stage last Wednesday taught me a lesson about doing something uncomfortable to grow in my faith. Maybe you see that kind of situation arising in your life. If so, go for it. As for this week, I'll be surrendering the lead mic back to Philly. Meanwhile, I'll be near the back of the stage on electric guitar. While I'm no Hendrix, I just love standing there playing electric, if for no other reason than the fact that my dad's Les Paul makes me look SOOO cool. Don't believe me, come see for yourself this Wednesday. I'll be the cool-looking guy with the beautiful guitar.