TONIGHT WAS AMAZING

I LOVE MY JOB!

Tonight was one of those nights that makes me love my job.  I could run off the fumes for a month.  The night was billed as the grand finale to our Love/Dating series we have been doing this month.  This night was initiated by my student leaders so I listened and trusted that sometimes they know what they want more than a balding 25 year old. 

We had no traditional lesson or 3 point sermon, just testimonies.  Honest, real, testimonies.  Some planned and others not and I was blown away.  There are times I know God is working and I see it and others I just assume.  Tonight I got to hear what God is doing in some great sharing.  It felt like we were watching God work in some as they shared and were stretched to let God bless someone with what he had taught them and brought them through.

I am so psyched to see people who are understanding that nothing can be above their love relationship with Jesus.  I didn’t move to Columbus, Ohio because I love Buckeye Football or because it is between where my wife and I grew up.  I moved here to see a movement begin of high school students reaching and impacting their peers in southern Delaware county and it is beginning.  I am so excited for the coming years and the future as a culture is developed and I get to continue to see God work and change people.  It is not about HSM or Grace Church, it is about Christ living in people and changing them .

Fair Weather Friend?

Today I thought I would share something I have been learning about, processing and realizing about over the last couple of years.  By the way it would make a great song if someone can write it, I have been trying for 2 years.

We all have friends.  We all have old friends and we all have new friends.  As I get older and get to know people as well as grow closer and away from others through time, distance, and relationship I can’t help but wonder…Am (was) I friends with a person or just the concept of that person?

I mean that if I became friends with someone because they had the same major as me in college and seemed to have the same interests well that is great.  That really was fun for me for a while.  It is when they change majors and go through a tough time that my friendship is put to the test.  It is when it is not “preferable” or “convenient “ to be someone’s friend that I am truly their friend.

I am realizing that some people never had me as a friend, only a leach.  I am trying to be a better friend and not be in love with the concept of a person but the true person for better or worse.

This is just some quick thoughts, maybe I will put this in a more coherent post sometime.

Thoughts?

LET DOWN

Question: What do Rick Warren and John Maxwell both have in common?Answer:  I was terribly let down the first time I saw a picture of them.It’s true many times when I come to respect someone I build them up in my head to look like Fabio and than come to realize that they have no hair or fashion sense, etc.That is why with markartrip.com you get a picture of me on the banner so you can be let down right from the start.  There will be no false reality here, the balding, beady eyed, pale, redhead is the best you can do. 

THE BODY OF CHRIST…IS MAKING ME FAT!

Since Malachi was born we have no cooked a meal.  Our small group has surrounded us and brought over some sick meals and when those ran out HSM and other people from our church stepped up.  Let’s just say that I am not getting skinnier anytime soon.Here is a pic from a meal the other night provided by the Roberts family.  I think their personal mission is to see me weigh 300 pounds, but I love em for it.  They brought over steak, texas toast, baked potatoes, ice cream cake, grapes, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate eclair dessert, and the biggest salad I have ever seen.Our church has been a great witness of the way the body of Christ surrounds and loves people with God’s love when they need it.  Thanks guys!  

WEDNESDAY NIGHT VOMIT

• I am tired, it’s been a while since I did a Wednesday night.
• Garth Brooks is on The Tonight Show right now.  I am in heaven watching two guys I love.
• When your wife is breastfeeding it makes you feel worthless sometimesJ
• HSM has not skipped a beat with me in and out this month.
• Jeff Martin knocked it out of the park tonight. Great job Jeff, I think you deserve a raiseJ
• I am excited to get back to teaching regularly. 
• Malachi is so stinking cute, I wish I could take him to work with me.
• My parents are coming to visit on Saturday
• HSM is entering an exciting season right now. We have our biggest outreach of the year (dodgeball tournament) coming up, plus we are running the Egg Drop for children’s ministry as well as having Serve Saturday to help out a church plant.
• After HSM tonight I was so psyched I went and ran 3 miles before the YMCA closed
• Did I mention I am tired, it’s been a while since I did a Wednesday night?

MY MOM HAS FACEBOOK

Just wanted to let the world know that my mom has a facebook account.  Look up Jeanne Rae Artrip and ask her to be your friend…you’ll be glad you did!

ps-don’t ask her about my childhood or embarrassing stories.

Malachi’s Video Message to HSM

I made another video of Malachi for HSM tonight and thought the world may want to see it.  This is the first of many times I will exploit my kids:) Sorry my blog isn’t cool anymore, I just like my son too much to post about much else right now. 

CHRISTIAN MUSIC NEWS

1) Those who grew up during what I like to call the “Free At Last” era of Christian music will be sad to see CCM magazine not available in it’s early 90’s printed form anymore.
 2) I have a distant cousin who is friends with Daughtry and says he is a Christian.  He must be because who else would go to WinterJam to see Skillet?

LINKIN PARK THOUGHTS

• The stage was painfully simple (ala Apple or Google)
• You can see in the pics that they didn’t even have a backdrop, they just had screens above that could tilt at an angle, but didn’t use many complex graphics.
• The music and “energy” was what they were selling
• The show was great!
• It was not an over the top pop type show that I am used to
• I had never been to an arena rock show that wasn’t Christian.
• If your catalog is good, you don’t need gimmicks
• Thank you Brandon!
• People want to worship and if that need isn’t filled they will try to fill it.  It blows me away to see people close their eyes and lift their hands for songs.
• When they played Papercut I was a sophmore riding to chapel with Jeremy Byng again.
• The sound was so clear.
• Linkin Park is very comfortable in who they are.  They didn’t do pyro or lasers it was just them playing songs for their fans that sounded great.  They are so comfortable that I am sure they take crap because they make it look easy and effortless.
• We sat real close on stage left.  Here are two pics.

CASA DE ARTRIP UPDATE

As promised here are the pictures to update you all on the status of our house.  As of Friday we will have lived in it a month and had possession for six weeks.  I put the pictures in order so you can see the before and after shots of how each space turned out. Check em out on facebook!