Posted by justinfox on Jan 30, 2008
…just received the boxes today…I’m FREAKING OUT!!!
A year and a half ago… 8 cameras, 2 cranes, a video truck, a stage/sound/lighting crew, a mobile studio, and a few hundred of our favorite friends descended on a little patch of grass in the middle of Costa Mesa
for ONE night
with ONE goal
to capture 15 YEARS OF MUSIC AND MINISTRY from the Justin Fox Band
and WE DID IT!!!
THE CONCERT DVD IS HERE!!!
If you pre-ordered your copy, it’s being sent this week…
If you haven’t ordered it, please do so by clicking on the cover picture below.
Your support means a ton to us, and it’s one of the big things God uses to keep us out on the road and reaching people with the joy and hope of the greatest message ever told! Thank you!!!
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Posted by justinfox on Jan 30, 2008
It’s true. We don’t get together as much as we’d like to, but the band and I make it a point to hang once in awhile at our favorite rehearsal space in Costa Mesa; The Brainyard. It’s an ad agency actually, owned by some great friends and supporters of ours, and they let us jam after-hours. Here’s a little video of one of our DVD rehearsals at our beloved Brainyard. We’re working out the new changes to “Poolman”… Get the DVD and see if we pulled it off!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiDmVoYCCjs[/youtube]
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Posted by justinfox on Jan 30, 2008
Hello friends—
I pray you’re all settling into ’08 with a sense of hope in God’s redemptive journey ahead. It’s going to be a great ride – thanks for stumbling along with me!
Could I share three prayer requests with you at the beginning of this year?
1 ::: The DVD will be here in a week! Please pray God uses it in big ways!
2 ::: We are hoping to record a new CD in the next couple of months. We’re praying for finances, schedules, and
God’s hand on the music!
3 ::: Please pray our concert calendar fills just as God wants, and that He grants me His peace and wisdom in the process…
For those of you who have not heard of our year of faith, I’ve included the explanation letter below; “A New Journey”. God provided for us miraculously last year – growing and stretching us along the way. There’s been tough moments for sure, but we love the adventure and don’t ever want to look back! We’re diving into this new year’s calendar with the same conviction not to ask for any specific honorarium amounts or financial agreements…ever. It’s so thrilling surrendering and trusting that area to God in this unique way! So, if your church’s financial situation has prevented you from partnering with us, may it no longer! Contact me, and let’s dream together…
Thanks for your prayers and partnership!!!
Justin
A New Journey
Around November of ’06, my wife and I felt a nudge from the Lord to trust Him even more with our finances. I’d always felt like I was “walking by faith” in that area all these years, but God showed us how we had fallen into some subtle patterns of looking to churches, pastors, and individuals to be our “providers”. Passages in the Bible, our church’s Give Yourself Away campaign, and missionary stories from Corrie ten Boom and others began to fuel the flame for a deeper faith adventure, and we took the leap! We gathered our family together, and decided to surrender to the Lord our monthly budget, our home, our cars, and everything else we think we “need” in order to be free to pursue what GOD wants in our lives. It’s been an exhilarating journey!
One of the first things we decided to do was to no longer ask for any specific amount of money from churches for ministry engagements. It’s been fun! Pastors are stunned…unsure…encouraged… and then excited! I love the scheduling process now more than ever, and my calendar has been filling fast. So far, God has been providing for us through Spirit-led offerings and honorariums, meeting our normal budget just as before, but these days it feels so different: It’s all coming straight from Him, without me messing it up somewhere in the middle, and it’s so thrilling seeing God in action!
We’ve also been challenged to take even greater risks by giving away more money. Above our regular tithe and missionaries we support, we decided to donate a portion of our CD sales to Iris Ministries; an orphanage in Mozambique, Africa. It’s been awesome being able to provide calling cards, a washer and dryer, and 40 pairs of shoes… and we can’t wait to see what’s next!
This whole journey has brought a new sense of thankfulness for His gifts and goodness. My heart is light with fresh air, new songs, and a priceless freedom. Thanks for letting me share this with you! I just wish I would’ve figured this stuff out sooner, and I know there’s more learning ahead. Our future mission trips, CD releases and ministry dates have been completely given over to the Lord in a new radical way. Please pray along with us that we continue to honor Him at every turn…
With open hands,
The Foxes
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Posted by justinfox on Jan 30, 2008
OK, I survived New Year’s (600 balloons falling on me!) and the holidays, and I’m finally getting back into the groove. It’s been a mellow ’08 so far, to be honest. I’m spending some great time with the fam, and having some memorable conversations with God, as well. Some of my prayers have been in response to this challenging verse in Luke. Before I unvail it, let me set it up a bit, cool?
OK -finding your true self- It’s THE quest, right? Finding Yourself. For some, it’s the search of a lifetime. Here’s what Jesus has to say:
(Luke 9:23-…in the Message) “Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; EMBRACE it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-SACRIFICE is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your TRUE self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”
Is that CRAZY????! Embrace suffering? Ditch all “self-help” and go for self-sacrifice instead??? What about striving for and thinking into existence all the things we want? On the contrary, Jesus says getting all the things we want could be dangerous…in fact, it could veer us off track so much, we’d LOSE YOURSELVES.
I’m really wrestling with this! Every human instinct in me tells me to go the other way, but the truth is God wants to do something good in my life as I “embrace suffering”. What does that even look like?
Well, that’s a little window into my spiritual dialogue these days… I know God’s up to something…the journey is never boring!
See you on the road—
Justin
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Posted by justinfox on Jan 1, 2008
It’s New Year’s Eve, and I’m resting up for my midnight gig tonight…
(even though the date to the right says “1/01″…is this Y2K???)
(starting to stockpile some water now…)
Anyway, the family and I are up here in Nor Cal, staying with relatives, playing Guitar Hero, Webkinz, Tamagotchi…everyone still in their pajamas and socks…definitely experiencing “down time” at it’s finest!
I’m reflecting on the eve of the new year ahead, and actually struck by the faithful, unchanging nature of God! Just like you, I actually have NO IDEA what the new year holds (or what next week looks like for that matter), but I feel comforted by the simple fact that in this season of change, we get to experience a love that never changes. God’s ridiculous, undeserved favor toward us is a constant reason to wake up in the morning. Everyday He’s there. He’s excited to lovingly lead us toward REAL LIFE…His song is playing…He’s ready to teach us the steps to the dance…
…and He’ll be there tomorrow.
Nothing’s changed.
Happy New Year!
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