Indescribable

Leading pre-service worship music on saxophone at Hill Country Bible Church - Northwest, Austin TX

Influence

Mi familia - as we began our 2009 family summer break

I've had the privilege of having my life touched by some wonderful people. I just returned from a trip designed to visit a few of them. I feel the Lord Jesus has really blessed me by the people He has placed in my life. I credit Him for the timing and order in which He has placed each and every person.

So here are some photos of my vacation. A few years ago, my wonderfully wise wife helped me realize I get "the summer blues" in ministry every year. I suppose when the summer rolls around and people are in and out of what I consider their "normal" places, this people-oriented pastor gets a little down. She has been instrumental in helping me take myself a little less seriously. I realize many of you only see the sunshiney-happy side of me, but she sees...a lot.

So, thank you God for the awesome people YOU have placed in my life, starting with my wonderful wife, Jen and including, but not limited to, others including (this is my way of signing off and saying "Enjoy the photos." I'll make a photo album in Facebook as well):

John & Wanda Strappazon with the kids and me.

John and Wanda had to deal with super-raw Adaryll.

John discipled me in the faith, leading to the re-commitment of my life to Jesus Christ which led to a call to pastoral ministry.

Young Adults of Traders Point Christian Church

God gave me the great privilege of ministering at this wonderful church for 5 1/2 years of my life right after leaving New Orleans Seminary.

Tom Nelson, the family and me
For 8 years of my life I was encouraged and challenged as a member of the Song of Solomon Conference team with Tommy. Tommy told Elena how Jen and I drug Elias around to some conferences with us beginning when Elias was ~ 3 months old!

I pray that whoever and wherever you are, God will place some fantastic influences in your life as well - that is, people who will help you grow more into the image of Christ Jesus. There's nothing like it!

Continuing On, Patriotically...

My last post being a day at the Texas State Senate, why not continue that patriotic spirit by presenting to you my performance of the National Anthem at the Round Rock Express baseball game? Round Rock (Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros) played against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets) that night, for you sports fans.

Big Day at the Texas State Senate

I had the privelege of opening the Texas State Senate with an invocation on April 15. It was an amazing experience. Thanks Tim (Hawks - lead pastor at HCBC Northwest) for the opportunity. There was way more activity going on there than I care to describe in a blog post. Here are a few things I found interesting about the day:

• I never saw the Governor that day, but I saw a lot of activity around his meeting rooms. I did not know until later he was speaking at the T.E.A. Party protests that day
• One of the senators had a bagpipe procession that day
• Colt McCoy visited the Senate that day
• The hallway behing the back part of the Senate chambers, where the food is served and near where I was to report, reminded me a lot of the 2nd floor of the Northern Ireland Assembly. I told my host it felt like deja vu
• Emmit Thomas, honored in the NFL Hall of Fame, was honored in the Senate that day
• There are 31 TX State Senators. They all seemed like they enjoyed each other's company...see, they are really GOOD politicians!
• Below, a photograph of my TX State Senator, Stephen Ogden and me.

Punched in the Face?!

No, my son was not punched in the face.

He did get hit in the face with a baseball during the warm-ups before each of his 1st two baseball games last week, but that's not why he looks like this (photo below).

Elias is in the "losing teeth" phase of life and when one of his two most loyal buddies (Holloway Raulie) lost his front tooth recently, reports came in from teacher and mommy (Jen) that Elias had been wiggling his front loose tooth vigorously to be...I don't know, 1 front tooth-less brothers?!

Sunday afternoon I heard loud laughing from Jen and some playful hollering from Elias going on upstairs in our home. When I came up, this is what I saw - he didn't get punched in the face, but my oh my, he pulled it himself:

Jordan Men

My dad, my son & me!

It Begins!

House of Commons

Buckingham Palace and surrounding

I am so glad I am here. I am excited to serve this country and the other countries in Europe. We expect large crowds at our concerts, and our vocalist has a radio interview coming up on BBC London (I think tomorrow).

I am thankful for the opportunity to experience one of the "great" post-Christian cities in the world and I am super-duper-crazy-excited about what the Lord is going to do.

I appreciate your continued prayers. Financial support, accepted through a week or two after my trip, may be mailed to this address:

Communication Institute
4699 Auvergne Avenue Suite 10
Lisle IL 60532

Thank you, and may God bless us all!

-aj

It's A Trip (My Life Right Now and How You Can Help)!

I am scheduled to embark on quite an adventure beginning this week and I'd like to let you know all about it and ask for your help.

The short and sweet details:

WHO: Me and a couple of folks from Piladelphia, PA in participation with Communication Institute, a ministry out of the Chicago, IL area
Communication Institute4699 Auvergne Avenue Suite 10Lisle IL 60532

WHAT: A Mission Trip. In this post-Christian culture we are going to perform jazz concerts speaking about the roots of the music (African-American, spirituals, jazz) and highlighting how the Spiritual roots of all of them point towards Jesus Christ

WHERE: Europe - U.K., Ireland, Hungary and the Czech Republic

WHEN - beginning Thursday through Feb. 2. Raising support from now through Feb. 9

HOW - through the grace of God, prayer and financial support

HOW MUCH - total to be raised (from this point) $4000

The WHOLE STORY:
I am writing to tell you about the Heaven in a Nightclub: The Spiritual Roots of Jazz Tour and to ask for you to consider supporting me in this quickly approaching mission trip. Let me explain.

I have been asked to serve as a musician in a jazz group for an overseas mission trip! Beginning January 23 through Feb 1, 2009, we will be serving the European Church by enabling the key leaders of 4 countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic & Hungary) to hold evangelistic outreach concerts at their churches.

Jazz is an international language. Europeans have a great appreciation for this musical genre and this jazz tour will encourage the believers in a very secularized European culture. Most importantly, our brothers and sisters in Christ in Europe will use these events to reach out to the very large number of Europeans who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jazz music is a very easy entry point, and our team is equipped to share the gospel through jazz music!

It may be helpful for me to explain a bit about the music group with which I’ll be participating and the tour:

“Heaven in a Nightclub”

Description of the Program: short version (written by Dr. Edgar)

"The jazz group is called Renewal. William Edgar, the pianist and presenter, is a Professor at Westminster Theological Seminary. He studied musicology at Harvard, and ethnomusicology at Columbia, and has written widely on subjects related to African-American aesthetics. Our vocalist is the renowned Ruth Naomi Floyd, one of the great gospel-jazz singers of Philadelphia. She now has five CDs on the Contour label. (She's on youtube.com Here is one of her many clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZVltM1iD8&feature=related).

Our philosophy is that jazz ought to entertain, but that its background is in the spiritual experience of African-American people, reared in slavery and nurtured on the Gospel message.

It carries the twin themes of suffering and hope, so characteristic of Black culture. We hope our audiences will sense the realism, the passion and the joy as we perform.

Specifically, we take the audience through some of the history of African-American music, both sacred and secular, mixing narrative with music. We outline the problem of finding spiritual roots in the music, and then go on to explore specific genres, including ragtime, blues, spirituals, funeral bands, etc. The program lasts around one and one half hours, but that can vary."

“So be wise and satisfied with the joy that comes to you through the reflection and miracle of God, such as all the wonders and beauty we live with and are exposed to on earth.”

~ Duke Ellington ~

I am very excited about this unique opportunity I have been given to share the Gospel message through music, teaching, and proclamation. I am believing on God to raise $4000 this month for participation on the trip and I would be grateful if you would support my participation.

I would ask four things of you:

1. Pray that I, and the other members of the music group/Mission team, will be able to serve the European leaders on the tour.

2. Pray for the European leaders hosting each outreach concert event, for God to powerfully use the tour and that the Europeans are encouraged and helped by this evangelistic event. Also, please pray that many Europeans would come to a relationship with Jesus Christ by hearing the Gospel message at each event.

3. Pray for safety in travel. This is a "planes, trains and automobiles" kind of mission trip and I am depending on the Lord to keep us all safe. Also, please pray for our families at home.

4. Consider supporting me in this mission trip. If you would like to support me, please send a check made out to Communication Institute* and send it to them (address included).

Thank you so very much,

In Christ,

Adaryll D. Jordan
ajordan.music@gmail.com

Communication Institute

4699 Auvergne Avenue Suite 10

Lisle IL 60532

*Communication Institute is based in the Chicago, IL area. I served with the institute for the first time in the summer of 2007 with the European Leadership Forum. To learn more about the wonderful ministry of the Communication Institute, please see: http://euroleadership.org/ and http://communicationinstitute.us/