andrew dodson

Evidence there is some good remaining in humanity. A violinist leaves his $4 million dollar violin in a taxi. It is safely returned very quickly.

> Go read the story

More and more, we’re being bombarded with the idea of “going green.”  Eco-friendly products are becoming more and more available.  The process of making products is becoming more and more eco-friendly, as well.  With all of the fuss about going green, I wonder where God comes into play?

First, I must admit, I’m not an environmentalist.  But, I’m also not an anti-environmentalist.  I sit on the fence.  I don’t litter, and to my knowledge, my vehicle is the only not-so-environmentally-friendly product I use.  I don’t recycle, personally, but we do recycle cans at CLS (for a person we know - not an employee - that uses them to help pay her bills).  I’m supportive of our city’s recycling program (which I don’t participate in, only because I don’t own a home).  My guess is, if I researched my lifestyle in relation to environmentalism, I’m not doing all that I could to help the environment.

The story of Genesis tells of how God created the earth.  We also see in Scripture that God reveals himself through creation.  Scripture also tells of God’s sovereignty over the earth.

Part of me hears all of this fuss over going green and thinks it’s a futile human attempt to prolong the life of the earth.  Since God is sovereign, it’s up to Him, not us.  Another part of me thinks that since God did create the earth, we need to be good stewards of it, just like we are to be good stewards of our money.  All good things come from Him.  Another part of me is excited about the growing use of organic products to create things we use every day.  It’s like we’ve finally realized that what God created is sufficient for our every day needs.

Where do you sit?  Is Earth Day like Christmas for you?  Or, do you not care?

There’s some good stuff happening in the world of music…

• The Dave Matthews Band released the eleventh installment of its Live Trax series today.  I haven’t picked it up yet, but plan to soon.  From a set list standpoint, there’s nothing spectacular about the show.  But, I’ve read that there are some very solid performances of several songs.  They’re great about making a song sound different each time they play it, so I’m looking forward to hearing it.
• The Counting Crows released their latest album today.  Judging from the 30-second clips on iTunes, it’s good to hear them rocking out a bit more.  August and Everything After is one of my all-time favorite albums, and I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything else they’ve released.  I’m looking forward to picking this up too.
• Starfield also released their latest album today.
• For those that are wondering… The Josh Martin Band still exists.  We rehearsed last night and worked on two new songs.  To date, we have six new songs in the mix for our next album.  Josh has several more ideas that he’s still finishing up, but we’re in good shape for having enough new material for our next studio album.  I’m hoping we can start recording later this spring or this summer.

The Conversion Story

Somewhere in the middle of playing drums at Evergreen, visiting Crestwood and starting to play drums at Crestwood, God saved me.  I had been having weekly conversations with my friend Jeremy.  He lured me in by making great mochas.  He started sharing the gospel with me.  I had heard it a thousand times, but this time, the irresistible grace offered by God grabbed a hold of my heart.  One evening, while driving to his house, I had the urge to pull over.  It was at that moment that I accepted Christ.  I showed up at Jeremy’s house and the first thing I said was, “I did it.”

How funny is that?  The first thing out of my mouth as a Christian was completely heretical!  See, all I did was stop resisting God.  He did everything else.  He sent Christ to the cross for my sin.  Christ endured the cross for my sin.  All of this so that I could be justified by having faith in Christ’s work on the cross.  For the work He did, I am now saved.

Post Conversion

The past five years have been the most fulfilling years of my life.  I’m a part of a wonderful church.  I have great Christian friends and mentors.  I’m a part of two extremely talented bands.  I’ve been able to use the gifts and abilities God has given me to glorify Him.  It’s become a relief to no longer live for myself, but live for someone else.

Conclusion

This Friday is Good Friday.  The day Christ endured the cross for our sin.  This Sunday is Easter.  The day of Christ’s resurrection - the day He defeated death and sin for eternity.  If you’re a Christian, I hope that you will be a part of services remembering and celebrating the glory of these two events.  If you’re not a Christian, I pray that you will think about attending a service at a local church.  I pray that you will give the story of Christ’s death and resurrection a chance to become real in your life.  Is it time for you to stop resisting God too?

Thursday is for links, so today…

• The Resurgence has posted the audio from the conference. Go check it out!
• This is the kind of church Barack Obama attends.
• Rick posted 10 passages of Scripture every Christian should know.
• Now I know why I spend so much time on the internet.
• Shane posts about Spurgeon on sin.

As the steroid saga continues to unfold in Major League Baseball, I came across an interesting quote. This quote sums up sin and repentance quite nicely. In particular, this pitcher’s confession of steroid use publicly is an encouragement to the church. We should confess our sins to one another. Once they are made public, we have nothing to stand behind. If we are truly loved by our Christian brothers and sisters, they will show us mercy, compassion, support and encouragement. Here is the quote:

“I didn’t used to be this way, but I’m at the point where I know what I did was wrong 100 percent, no excuses, not justification, no rationalization. I screwed up and I crossed the line,” the 37-year-old pitcher told The Associated Press in an interview from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday.

“I feel like I’ve been shown mercy in all of this,” Herges said. “If I’m not standing there naked in front of the world with my big secret, I’d still be holding onto it, hiding it. It would still be eating at me. It’s not fun by any stretch holding onto something like that, so secretive, so dirty. I’m grateful it’s out there. I’m freed a little bit, a lot actually.”

Read the full article here.

Some people say the only guarantees in life are death and taxes.  I would say that snow on February 11th in Frankfort, Kentucky comes pretty close to a guarantee.  Nearly every year that I can remember (I’ve lived in Frankfort since I was about seven years old), there has been snow on the ground for my birthday.  The past few years have been hit-or-miss, but, this year, we have snow.

I’m a fan of snow, so I’ll take it!  We’re expected to get 2 to 4 inches tonight, and that’s just fine by me.  The more, the better.

In a few weeks, I’m going to the Resurgence Conference in Seattle.  The conference is titled Text & Context, and I’ll be hearing the likes of Mark Driscoll, John Piper, CJ Mahaney and a few others.  I’m pretty excited about the trip, and I’m pretty anxious for it to get here!  Joining me on the trip will be Rick, Jeremy, Shane, Tim Chase & John Martin.  It will be tough for that group to stay out of trouble, I’m sure.

I always enjoy traveling, and especially going to new places.  Rick, Jeremy and Shane all experienced Seattle previously, so they’re veterans.  Getting to see Mars Hill Church will be interesting, as will all the sights around Seattle.  I’ve heard the seafood is tremendous, so I’m sure we’ll eat well.  I will, of course, have my camera, so be looking forward to pictures.

Most of our trip’s logistics are already in place - plane tickets, car rental, hotel, and conference registration.  All that’s left is for the time to get here and for us to all show up to get on the plane.  It should be a great time!

I’ve just received word that on February 17th, the Extreme Makeover Home Edition in which CLS was a part of will be airing.  The show will be a two-hour special, starting at 7 p.m.  Be sure to watch and keep an eye out for the black and white curtains we printed.

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Tonight is the final rehearsal for Behold the Lamb of God before our performances Friday and Saturday night.  As I did with the JMB DVD, I figured I’d post some thoughts before it’s “go time.”

• Being a part of this has been a huge blessing.  I continue to be blessed with amazing opportunities to perform music with amazing people.
• Derek - thank you for asking me to play.
• Derek - I’ve been extremely proud to see you develop as not only a musician, but a lead musician over the past year.  I was impressed with you this summer at Crossings, and I’ve been impressed throughout the process of this project.  God has wonderful things in store for you, my friend.
• John - thank you for taking care of logistics.  Anyone involved knows that you could easily be on stage with us performing.  Instead, your servant’s heart took over and you have played an extremely important role “behind the scenes.”  We appreciate you taking care of all the details for this.
• The “extras” - John has lined up a bunch of people to help with this, and I don’t know all of them.  But, thanks anyway.  From promotional materials, to helping with the performance, all of you are helping to make this great.
• Randy & Jeremy - thanks for helping make us sound good.  We’re keeping you on your toes and you’re keeping up like it’s child’s play.
• Rick & TPCC people - thanks for hosting the event.  I’m blessed to be a part of this great church and sit under the teaching of a great pastor.
• I’m extremely pleased that this has become a multi-church production.  All Frankfort churches have had a reputation for not wanting to work together, and we’re starting to break down those walls.  I pray that we will eventually remove the walls completely and focus more on the Kingdom than what happens inside of the four walls of each of our respective churches.  After all, we’re going to be at the same place someday.  We might as well learn to get along now!  Thanks for all the different churches represented in this production.
• “So Long, Moses” is the most difficult song, but also my favorite.  It’s been a fun challenge to learn the odd structure of the song.
• I’ll be recording both nights (duh).  I pray that we get a good recording that can be shared with others who aren’t able to make it.  Also, for people to enjoy long after the performances.
• I pray for those in attendance that are lost.  I pray that the message of the songs ring loud and clear in their hearts and they may come to know Christ.
• Thank you, God, for your Word and your Son - the message of these songs.  May you be honored and glorified, and may your honor and glory be our sole purpose.

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