Harry F. Stanley Sr., 73 went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Harry attended Jeff Davis High School in Houston prior to serving in the U.S. Navy from 1954-58, where he learned the electrical trade that he followed for the remainder of his career. He retired from I.B.E.W. Local 716, Houston, and Local 520 Austin.

He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Sharon. Son, Harry F. Stanley Jr. of Tomball; daughter, Susan Kubacak and husband David of Cypress; sister, Sallie Carter and husband Robert of Fredericksburg, Texas; brother, George Stanley and wife Carolyn of Houston; grandchildren; Danny, Nathan, and Katie Kubacak, and Harry F. Stanley III. He will best be remembered for his love for the Lord. He was a man of his word, self-sacrificing, and loyal to the end.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at Marshall Ford Fellowship, 5000 Marshall Ford Road, Austin, Texas 78732.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be made in his name to:

Grace Outreach Family Church
2808 A, Hwy. 71 W.
Spicewood, Texas 78669
www.gofamilychurch.com

About Peace Elephant (from myspace)

David Crane – originally from New Jersey and now living in Austin, TX, Dave has been playing his own material for decades in and out of various honky tonk bars and coffee house venues. His vocal is powerful, sincere and charismatic. Coy “Boy” Fuller – Coy has been around the music industry for many years, originally playing with the Grass Roots back in the 60’s with their touring band. He has graced the stage with some heavy-hitters including Johnny Winter and the likes of Rusty Weir and the Box Tops to name a few. His percussive flair and overall musical talent has brought a key element to Peace Elephant. “Jet-Lag” Jerry Benz – Jerry has been mostly playing guitar and writing songs for decades with various unknown artists in and around New Jersey. He was guitarist and founder of the original Smithereenz band, (before the name was taken by the now famous Smithereens band) Although Jerry is still living in New Jersey, he has been working with both Dave & Coy to produce the Peace Elephant.

BEFORE:

AFTER (Praise God!):

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http://blip.tv/file/3177327/

“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ.”  I Corinthians 4:1

Scenario 1:  You have received an invitation to dine with a distinguished community leader.  On the appointed day, you anxiously arrive at the massive entrance to his palatial estate, ring the bell and wait.  Immediately you are greeted by a gracious butler who takes your coat, puts you at ease with just the right words of how glad the host is that you have come, and escorts you down the hallway to the presence of the revered and generous host.  After greetings and introductions, a great feast begins…

Scenario 2:  Same invitation… same palatial estate… same massive entrance.  This time, however, the butler, after taking your coat, strikes up a conversation with you in the foyer about the weather, his health, what his children want to study when they go to college, and so forth.  You’re drawn into the conversation, and after a lengthy and engaging chat you take your coat and go home.  On the way home, you come to an alarming realization:  you never saw the host!

Why do I keep coming back to song selection? I have found in all my time leading worship that the single greatest indicator of what will inhibit or allow someone to participate in worship is feeling connected. If you think about life in general it’s mostly true as well. If you come to a new church, small group, sports team or social scene the number one thing that makes most people feel uncomfortable is not knowing anyone, not being CONNECTED. This of course changes quickly with time. However, I have listened to feedback on worship leading since 2002 when I had my first large event leading worship for a high-school retreat and from then until know, the absolute most common encouragement or praise and complaint has been something like… “wow you actually played songs i know” … or “could you play something I know”. I think the reason I feel so strongly about this and probably something to my detriment (not introducing enough new songs) is because I know that human beings desire the familiar. I even made a survey back in 2003 when I had learned a large schlew of worship songs and had the entire college group I went to fill it out. I simply wanted to serve them and make sure I had their input on the worship song selection.

HOWEVER, there is a balance. Everyone’s favorite song had to be new at some point… I love new music with a tremendous amount of passion and I listen to it generally ALL day every day, as I work from home. When I hear a “Christian” worship song that gives me chills and continues to move my heart time and time again, that is simple (easy for the average person to learn), has a strong message of exalting God then I take notice.

In my time of leading worship I have introduced songs, for the FIRST time at church that blew the doors of the place with the amount of Holy Spirit inspired connection and participation. Some of these songs, right out of the gate become instant “classics” at our church. The entire church immediately from the first, to every other time played connects with God. Other songs I have played once and seen a blank look coming back to me from the body. You can call it an off day for the band, an off day for the church or whatever. But the more I think about it I really do think that some songs carry the Holy Spirit on their wings more than others. Who knows though because I thought “Healer” had that God “mojo” until I found out the guy who wrote it lied about his entire cancer story and how he wrote the song… so who knows.

Let me emphasize the point I’m trying to make is NOT new songs as much as it is connection with God. I have found that if you introduce something new to people you have to have an extra level of special care, explaining the song briefly, the parts, what’s coming, what the song means to you (again briefly) and carefully lead them through. Like a butler taking someone through a house they have never been. If you have been to the house and you know the route the butler can just turn around and say follow me. But if you’ve never been there and there are a few complicated parts or it’s a little confusing the first time it can help to have him turn around and say … now watch for this and do this right here.

Goodness this is getting long… I’m realizing as I go that I keep thinking of more things to add so I’ll try to wrap up this rant if I can.

God is amazing. Worship is a gift and a blessing that God gives us to connect with Him. It just so happens in our modern ipo-ized culture that music is more important than ever. How awesome that we get to do something we love already like sing and play music and mix that with worshiping and connecting with God. I’m tremendously thankful everyday that God gives me the ability to serve in His kingdom, especially in worship. I try not to take it for granted, though I know I probably do daily as well… sigh. At the end of the day, all we can do is our best with what God gives us, live honest lives full of integrity and trust God for the rest. Praise God for being able to shape and craft the minds of youth for God’s kingdom.

By no means am I asking for emotional manipulation. But I certainly would expect any worship leader to be sensitive and responsive to two factors:

1.      The heart of God.
2.      The hearts of the worshipers.

Such awareness should result in balance. I think a worship leader should be equally concerned about both lethargy and hysteria on the part of the congregation. Both are extreme emotional responses, and both are good indications of imbalance. The leader’s subsequent direction needn’t necessarily be dramatic, but it should definitely be purposeful.

So – how does this translate into action? Three broad suggestions:

1.      Song Selection. Make sure that the majority of the audience will be familiar with the majority of the songs to be played. Don’t open or close with an unfamiliar song, and if called upon for impromptu worship, avoid unfamiliar songs entirely. A leader cannot expect to be followed if he has not met his followers where they are. (To help the band with this, we must supply them with the entire catalog of songs common to the attending youth groups.)

2.      Performance. Keep the focus entirely on The Lord God. Dispense with the needless stage banter and solos – this is not a concert or standup routine. Most of these worshipers are not yet spiritually mature enough to maintain their focus, so their attention can easily be swayed be a careless leader. Once the leader has met the audience where they are, it is his duty to continually point them in the right direction.

3.      Approach. Don’t rely too heavily on a formula. There is no Scripture that says the setlist must open and/or close with a fast song, or that there must be at least three slow songs in the key of G. Be prepared to throw out the book altogether. If the first song has got God’s people on their knees, don’t be afraid to stick with it for a while. So what if we end up preempting the lesson? So what if we don’t get to do the skit? The leader expects the unexpected and is ready to respond.

Weekdays:
- Preparation of Talks
- Preparation of Activities
- Resources
- Discipleship
- Evangelism
- Bible Studies
- Visitation
- Counseling

Monthly Activities:
- Coordinating Youth Calendars
- Finances
- Communication and Advertising
- Family Ministries
- Involvement at Local Schools and Youth Centers

Quarterly and Annual Activities:
- Special Events (mission trips, camps, etc…)
- Formal Youth Leadership Training

General Activities and Responsibilities:
- Building Relationships and Responsibilities
- Coordinating and Integrating Youth Ministries
- Integrating Young People into the Life of the Church
- Leadership and Direction-Setting
- Evaluation of Youth Ministry
- Worship and Music
- Pastoral Staff Relationships
- Administration
- General Assistance
- Community Involvement
- Identifying and Tracking Youth Trends
- Being Available

http://www.youthpastor.com/lessons/index.cfm/Practical-The_Role_of_the_FullTime_Youth_Pastor_in_the_Local_Church_9.htm

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