Response to an Inquiry

To: Me
From: Justin (in the deep south)

“Dude, your obsession with this 5,000 gifts thing is making me do a double take on it. Explain to me again what this is all about? Oh, and looking for an album recommendation from you...I've got iTunes cash that's burning a hole in my virtual pocket...and since you're in my musical parallel universe...”

Justin –

To summarize:
This 5000 gifts thing is birthed out of our small church’s desire to live lives of worship far beyond the Sunday Church thing. It’s birthed out of questions like, “If every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights, then what exactly are these good and perfect gifts? What would change in our lives and our church if we were to spend far more time than we are currently spending looking for God’s good gifts?”

To unpack it a little bit more:
In addition to questions like the ones above, we think the exercise of finding God in our daily lives would go a long way into shaping how we view God and how we approach the life He’s given. If God is always at work in this world, then there are infinite number of places (including “dark” places) that I can find God’s good works in operation and If I stop long enough to identify those places, then God get’s honor, glory, praise and worship… which just happens to be what I’m created for.

I think the spiritual practice of gratitude has often been underrated and overshadowed……wait, hold on, I’m trying keep myself in check… I’m feel a long-winded blog coming on. Focus, Joe, focus…

So, Justin, the 5000 gifts project is a place that we can collectively tell of all of God’s wonders (Psalms 9). We recognize that a collection of “Thank You’s” couldn’t possibly tell of all God’s Wonders, but it’s sure if fun trying! At some point, the idea came to shoot for a massive, global list that goes far beyond our little community.

As far as an album to purchase:
Here’s a few that I wish I could buy, but It’s a high possibility that you already have these (or don’t care to own)

Over The Rhine: Drunkards Prayer through the latest, “The trumpet Child“
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City
The Cure: Festival 2005
David Crowder Band: Remedy
Van Morrison: The Best of Volume 3
John Mayer Trio: Try – live
Angels and Airwaves: I-Empire
Sinead O Conner: Theology