Blog on its way!

Hey guys and gals, I just wanted to let you all know that I will be blogging about a lot soon but I am very busy now. You should see some cool stuff in a couple days like how I met Bob Dole and I how I kept from getting second hand smoke from a Dave Matthews concert. And it's not the kind of second hand smoke you get when your grandpa smokes out of his old tabacco pipe either.

later

281 miles later!!!

Well, Amber and I made it to Charlotte, NC. We are here to stay. The trip wasn't bad but the packing was horrible. I am going to be honest. I hate moving! It took almost 4 hours to pack a 26 foot truck and the sad thing is because I have so much crap. I am getting rid of a bunch of it. Oh, by the way if anyone is interested in a crock pot and a broken knee board- they are yours (free my friend). Anyway, overall the trip down was good. I felt very manly driving a diesel truck and I think I was just as tall as semi-truck drivers. It was pretty awesome because I could actually see what truck drivers did besides driving. I saw one guy eating a sub and watching the Little Mermaid. OK OK, I made that up but it would be pretty freakin hilarious. Back to the story! We are in Charlotte and we are loving it so far. I went to Area 15 in "uptown" Charlotte (not an alien site), it is one of those 24-7 prayer areas with art and pray stations. The LifePointe staff and I were invited by the director there. We had some cool conversations about being incarnational in the city of Charlotte and helping the poor. We came up with a lot of different ideas. The big challenge is to actually follow through with them. So, thats whats been going on the past couple days. So, whats up with you all.

6-22-08 set list

Pre-teaching songs:

1. You (Bigger than the air I breath) by Tim Hughes
2. You Said by Reuben Morgan/ Shane and Shane version
3. I Surrender All - traditional/ original arrangement

Post-teaching

4. Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman

This was my second week leading worship at LifePointe Christian Church. It went very well and I got to meet some more people. The band did an excellent job and I didn't break a string. I am getting used to leading from electric guitar but it went well. My original arrangement of I Surrender All went surprisingly well because it had a hip hop/R & B feel and that is a new musical genre that I am testing the waters. Those are probably not the best genres to describe the song but that's the first thing that came to mind. Maybe I will record it one day and one day you can hear it on the new Kanye West album. Or just on this blog.

Peace out!!!

New Big Give video

Support!!!

Well, here we go. I am really new to support raising so I am going to need your help. Amber and I just recently accepted a position at LifePointe Christian in Charlotte, NC. This is a church plant or a new church in that area. The church is located in the southwest corner of Charlotte and it is in a very racially diverse area. The area is brand new and there aren't many churches. I will be working with the creative arts teams. Amber will hopefully teach in the Charlotte school system. We are both excited about the kingdom work that is going on in the LifePointe community. Along with the new position comes raising half of my salary for a year or two. Since this is a church plant, they receive funds from outside sources such as other supporting churches, friends, family, and Stadia ( a church planting organization: www.stadia.cc). Here is a little information about stadia:

What is Stadia?
Stadia: New Church Strategies is a nationwide ministry that assists in starting (“planting”) new churches all across the United States. We do this by championing collaborative church planting networks throughout the United States, including partnerships with existing church planting associations and church planting churches. It is not Stadia’s intent to assume the responsibilities of, or take the place of, existing church planting associations or agencies, but to come along side those entities, when invited.

We will need your help in a couple different areas and those areas are:

1) Prayer
2) Resources
3) Funds

Amber and I understand if you cannot provide funds for our mission to work with LifePointe Christian Church. We do ask that you join us in prayer and pray that the transition is smooth for us. Pray for the lives that will be changing and the community that we will be restoring.

If you wish to help us financially you can send all checks to LifePointe Christian Church. Make sure you write for Blake or Strozyk's support on the "for check" line or place the donation in an envelope with my name on it. Here is the address"

Att: Blake Strozyk
LifePointe Christian Church
P.O. Box 38750
Charlotte, NC 28278

In Christ,

Blake Strozyk

Baptism service out of the blue

Yesterday was Sunday and at Crossing there was a baptism service planned after church. I didn't go but I did witness a baptism that day. I ran into a friend of mine and he wanted to be re-baptized which means he was sprinkled as a baby and he wanted to confess his faith now that he understands the meaning of baptism. It was an awesome experience we walked down to the French Broad River and we walked right in the crisp cold water. I felt like I was being baptized all over again because I felt refreshed and overwhelmed by God's creation all around me. I don't have a picture of the scene but just picture a wide river in the valley of the foothills of Tennessee with no highway or road insight. You had to be there. We baptized my friend and then we prayed over him. He was so excited. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to grow closer to God. He wanted to commit his life to a life of Shalom (peace and restoration). He needed Shalom in his life. It was definitely a God thing that I witnessed this act of faith. Pretty simple.

Knoxville to Charlotte

If you have been reading my blogs then you might remember reading one about Amber and I deciding to live in Knoxville forever. Well, that was approximately 3 months and 3 weeks ago. Our plan yet again has changed. Amber and I have been praying really hard and God has just made things happen. We are going to move to Charlotte, NC to work with Life Pointe Christian. I have been building a relationship with this church for over 2 years and the timing just hasn't been right until now. Amber and I decided not to make anymore plans at all because they seem to change as soon as we have it all figured out. We are both very excited. I am excited to incorporate the arts into their church/community. This is going to be a huge learning experience for me. Anyway, so if you want to pray for our transition that would be great. Also if you are interested in supporting Amber and I financially, you can just contact me on the comment section of this blog and I we can exchange information. I will have to raise half of my support because this church is a church plant or a new church. I can explain all the details later.

You can check out the church at: www.lifepointecc.com

Later