"Mary Christmas and a Happy Knew Year" - Christmas & New Year's Blessing

"The Joy of Losing" - Listen to Brett's latest CD

    "...an extraordinary experience with Jesus..." BJ Caldwell
    "...I expected it to be good, but I'm blown away by it..." R Hawkins

It's true, worship is the only thing you take with you when you go. That's why God is so concerned about growing us into the fullness of His likeness. He delights when we worship Him with our actions (what we do), but His heart is to fully have our heart, that we might actually become worship (who we are), the result of unhindered relationship with Holiness.

One of my greatest struggles in this process of becoming is the tendency to disagree with God when my circumstances appear to be going differently than I think they should. He clearly proclaims one thing, yet I allow my mouth to spout another - my ears hear it, my heart tends to receive it and my emotions usually follow. You can see the process here. This cycle reveals that my heart isn't yet fully surrendered to God's Spirit in me - for out of the heart's overflow, the mouth speaks.

In light of this, I'm humbled to offer "The Joy of Losing" - a tool for putting passionate agreement with God in the hearts and mouths of worshippers as they listen and engage. For agreement with God, regardless of how things appear, is the key to His power being released into our lives and circumstances. Ultimately, it's how we stand, how we overcome. I trust it will help you in your process of becoming, even as it's helping me.

Erin Barry

For those who haven't had the pleasure, I'd also like to introduce, Erin. She's an amazing woman whom I had the good fortune of meeting a few years back - too many to discuss here. (Man, time really flies when you're having fun...and kids...and work...and friends...and life...) I know you'll enjoy getting to know her, as I certainly have - she has such a tremendous amount to offer. She loves to give, and most of all, she just loves. You can't go wrong when in her presence. Erin is a licened pastoral counselor and is currently studying for her masters in marriage and family counseling, a service we'll be

adding to Worship Is in the hopefully near future. She certainly has an amazing gift for understanding life and relationships - what makes them tick, click, fly. She's a wise counselor for sure... and yet she still let's me tell her what to do... go figure! (Perhaps that's a sign of wisdom... but then... maybe I only think I'm telling her what to do, when in reality... I'm actually only telling her what she wants me to say - so she's really getting exactly what she wants! Maybe I'm just her pawn... but somehow I can't see it! ... or, maybe... oh boy, I don't know if I'm going to like this psychology stuff...)

Anyway, here's a random thought: It's a wise person who learns from his own mistakes and success, but it's an even wiser person who learns from the mistakes and success of others. May you grace the latter.

Brett