johnragsdaleblog.com

i first heard this phrase last year
when a friend of mine called and left me a voicemail
he said something like this…
john, i was riding down the road
and i saw a huge sign that said
“keep calm and carry on”
he went on to say
that he felt God impress on him that this was for me

honestly
after hearing the voicemail
it made no sense to me
things were great
we were living the life we had dreamed of
our family was healthy
our ministry was thriving
we were having a blast
of course we were calm
and for sure carrying on

then came september 2009
and life decided to dump it all out at the same time
without rehashing the details
that many of you already know
our lives changed dramatically
from my brother’s diagnosis and battle with leukemia
to my family-in-law walking through the darkest time of their lives
then due to the current economy situation
many churches began cutting back on guests ministers
this slowed down our ministry travel
everything in our lives was effected

as we walked through this valley
there were days that we were not sure we could make it or take it
then i would hear…
“keep calm and carry on”
and so i would do both
and i have continued to do so
and i will continue to do so

i suggest you try it out
it is much better than the alternative…
panicking while standing still

click here to read more of the history behind this phrase at wikipedia

this picture says so much
about so much

what does it speak to you?

portrait by Jim McGuire, 1978
for more info and to see more of Jim’s work
nashvilleportraits.com

my little brother has a blog…
joshua has always been the most
creative
insightful
honest
writer that i know
and the trial he is trudging through
has only made that even more so

if you want to read the writings of a man that is
strong
weak
sick
tired
brave
afraid
and yet not afraid to tell it like it is
then you need to read my little brother’s blog

here is a post he wrote february 21, 2010

1st night on the transplant floor

there isn’t much i can do about the leukemia coursing thru my blood, thru my bone marrow. i drink plenty and eat to keep my weight up. i watch things on tv that make me laugh and avoid those songs on my ipod that break me down into tears. i’m a pro at this…i tell myself. at this point it is all between the ears. that braveheart like battle where i paint my face blue every morning and charge down the hill screaming “FREEDOM”. but i’m scared…and the blue paint wears off quickly when my transplant team comes in with their heads together and discuss my case in low, dreary tones. i write down how much i drink and measure how much i pee. the chemo eats my stomach and pulls at my hair till it falls out on my pillow. fever comes in waves and i find myself laying on the cold bathroom floor begging God to either heal me or kill me. i miss my dogs and the farm. i miss my pickup truck and my sweetheart sitting next to me…driving into town for shrimp tacos. the room i’m in is bleak and smells of death. the man that was here before me didn’t make it like he thought he would. cancer overpowered him in the night and he drowned in those terrible waters. they rolled him out and moved me in. motors buzzing and iv machines beeping. a sticker is slapped on the door that reads “RAGSDALE”. where is my blue face paint? i reach for it but all i find is a plastic cup of apple juice. i cry in a circle…till i can finally look God in the eye again. here i am…broken but breathing…32 years old…laying on a death bed with new sheets.

to read more go to joshuaragsdale.wordpress.com
you also need to follow him on twitter twitter.com/joshuaragsdale

i was honored to be at lifechurch.tv
in oklahoma city
this past weekend [feb 27-28, 2010]

i was invited by my buddy chuck dennie
you need to know that i am a chuck fan
click the link at the bottom of this post
for more chuck info

chuck and i led worship
for 6 worship experiences
at the northwest oklahoma city campus

we had a blast
the “ndub pdub team” (northwest praise & worship) is incredibly gifted
they are also anointed and authentic

let me say that lifechurch.tv is the real deal
their vision and excellence is unmatched
God is certainly in the middle of
and honoring what they are doing

it was also great to meet and spend a bit of time
with the campus pastor scott williams
if you do not know about him
you need to
his info is at the bottom of this post as well

my weekend at lifechurch.tv was amazing
busy
tiring
but amazing
and since i could not take all of you with me
i shot some video so you could get an idea of the experience
enjoy…

chuck dennie’s stuff
i wrote a blog post featuring chuck in feb 09… the chuck dennie post
you can keep up with chuck on twitter at twitter.com/chuckdennie

scott williams’ stuff
check out his blog at bigisthenewsmall.com
follow him on twitter at twitter.com/ScottWilliams

another reminder why i feel that mute math
is one of the best bands to see live…

there is a short interview up front
if you would rather hear bands sing their music
instead of talking about their music
skip to 2:52

Interview/Burden (Live from The Armistice Tour Japan)

i am a fan of billy ried
no doubt about it

the first time i walked
into the billy reid store in nashville
i felt like i had come home

billy reid

and while i fell in love with the clothing
{click here to see why}
it was more than the clothing
it was the atmosphere

it felt as if the old mississippi i grew up with
had been transported to the present
without losing the things i loved about the south
the hospitality
the grounded lifestyle
the sweet tea
the old furniture
the tradition
the cherry sours
the front porch community
the laid back mentality
all of that was here

yet along the way
it had somehow ridded itself
of the south i did not want to remember
the musty complacence
the prejudice
the piousness
the castigating of anything creative
the “you ain’t from around here are you?” mentality
none of that was here

when i walked into billy reid the first time
i was reintroduced to a part of myself
that i had lost somewhere along my 40 year journey

so billy…
congratulations on winning the
2010 GQ Best New Menswear Designer in America Award!
but maybe more importantly
thank you for helping me find me

for more info on billy
billyreid.com

billy & family

the past few weeks have been tough
on all of us being away from joshua
while has been in bethesda, md
we miss him so bad
and talking on the phone only tells you so much
we need to see him

video chat has been such a blessing
we have spent a good bit of time just hanging out
it has been wonderful

we thought we would share
one of those conversations with you all
enjoy…

i am once again reading
“The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer

it is an amazing book
a must read
and a must re-read
for anyone wanting more of Him

todays reading just jumped out of the page at me
with all the talk going around about
how to do church
mega
mini
house
campus
big
little
public
private
on and on

Tozer seems to explain it perfectly
read the following excerpt
and let me know what you think
by commenting below

“Someone may fear that we are magnifying private religion out of all proportion, that the “us” of the New Testament is being displaced by a selfish “I” Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole Church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life.”

The Pursuit of God
Chapter 7 – The Gaze of The Soul
A.W. Tozer