Summer & Fall Fun!

Wow! The summer has flown by and now fall has arrived! Unless of course you are in Florida, it feels like summer most of the year. Not really, we live for about 8 weeks of wonderful winter weather. Enough about the weather.

The boys all played baseball in the spring, which seems to carry on through half of the summer months with all-star tournaments. Even thought I haven't coached baseball in a couple of years, I was able to manage Colton's Big League team (ages 16-18). We played respectable even though our team had a lot of younger players. It was a great experience overall! With only a two week break, football season began with daily practices. Spencer and Tate are both playing football now while Colton is back into fall ball baseball with the high school team. Watching Tate in full pads out on the football field is something to see. Fittingly, his team is in the Tiny Mite division.

This summer was very different from last year. We stayed home this year and worked at the school with some summer camps and such. Things have picked up at the school and we are enjoying a very productive fall semester. The boys have all increased their musicianship by learning to play additional instruments. All three boys are killing the drums! Colton has played a lot of bass guitar the past year, and also picked up the guitar and keyboards. Spencer is learning the keyboards and continues to play acoustic guitar as well. Tate has realized he needs to place his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar instead of playing air guitar for the rest of his life.

The highlight of my week is to watch the entire family playing and ministering together on the same platform. Kim sings on the worship team, while the boys all participate on their respective instruments. It seems as though last summer's experience of traveling country playing and playing with the boys has paid off. We are a blessed family.

Doors have opened up for me to take a music and ministry team to Mexico over the upcoming holidays. We will be teaching a conference December 27th-January 3rd. I am hoping to raise funds and purchase the sweet children and teenagers in Mexico a guitar for Christmas. Equipping and empowering them to become productive in the kingdom of God is a wonderful opportunity. For more information, you can visit www.blueoceansmusic.com and find additional ways to support the vision.

As you can see, we are enjoying the journey...

The Month of May

Spring has come and gone. It has been a wonderful time for our family. We've adjusted to some changes in our lives and making the transition an enjoyable experience. We have kept busy and enjoyed all the excitement that life brings. Colton had a great baseball season on the JV team before being called up to the varsity and starting several games all the way through the district tournament. Spencer is still doing well on his Little League team by pitching and catching. His first homerun was a grand slam and I was lucky enough to catch it with my video phone. Tate's tee-ball games are so much fun. He is adorable. He wakes up early on Saturday morning, gets into his uniform and waits all day until his game begins. It must be nice being a child again.


Now as spring comes to an end and summer approaches, I always look forward to the month of May. School is winding down, along with the baseball regular season. The summer months mean trips to the beach, baseball tournaments, the boys being out of school, and just having some great family time. May is a time of anticipation and expectancy in our family.

May also brought us the swine flu epidemic which has kept Kim extremely busy at work. Not only does she take good care of us at home, she also takes care of all of Orlando and central Florida by being on the nightly news during the flu frenzy. She is nurse of the year!

I am keeping busy with the new school of music. Last month at a community event, I offered free guitar classes for all ages and word is spreading and things are catching on in east Orlando. We are gearing up for summer day camps offering music, dance, art, theatre, worship studies, etc. At the moment, we have about 35 families coming through our doors each week to study music. It's wonderful to see the wheels in motion as we begin to reach out to people and touch their lives. Check the school out at www.blueoceansmusic.com and help spread the word.

Life is good.

Spring Time!

Spring time in our family usually means one thing. Baseball. It's been a wonderful time for us this year. Colton is playing on the high school team now, while Spencer and Tate are both playing in Little League this season. I must say, tee-ball is so much fun to watch! I had forgotten just how much fun it can be to see the little tots out there on the field. Between all of the practices and games, their schedules keep Kim and I pretty busy.

In addition to the world of baseball, our new venture has finally begun to take shape. For the past year or so, I've had a vision to launch a school of music, fine arts, and worship studies. We are so blessed to have that opportunity right here in Oviedo (east Orlando) and as a bonus our family was able to find a new place of worship and participation. Christian Life Center of Orlando is now our new church home, and it is wonderful to see Kim and the boys minister together each Sunday in leading worship. The congregation is growing and things are falling into place. We are blessed. It is a nice feeling to see so many families coming through the door to study music and all the arts. We are offering free classes and opportunities as a way to reach new people and be a blessing to as many families as possible. The gifts we use may be music, but the mission has always been, and will remain to be people. To see so many people come through our doors is encouraging and serves as a reminder that we are on the right track. The vision is alive and well.

I will try to start blogging more on a regular basis. Meanwhile, you can follow things at blueoceansmusic.com and see what we're all up to. I hope you all have a blessed weekend. Be blessed!

Happy New Year!

I know it has been two and a half months since I've blogged, but things have been extremely busy, plus I've enjoyed being back home in Florida so much... that taking the time to blog hasn't been on the top of my to-do list.

Touring four months straight has a way of taking a toll on things. I'm thankful for good health and looking back at it now, I really felt great physically most of the time while out on the road and never really was sick at all. The boys sneezed whenever we were with people who owned cats or dogs, but other than that, we survived the challenges of being away from home and out of our normal routine. I must add that doing the tour was one of the best things we've ever done as a family. It helped us re-group emotionally, and allow God to prepare some changes in our lives. In addition to meeting many new people we've never met before, we saw a lot of familiar faces from the past. And along the way God helped establish a ministry within our family, which had been spoken to us in faith by many ministers, most of whom we had never met in person. It has been a special experience to watch our boys grow up and find themselves in the middle of ministry and the things of the Lord. I anticipate many great things from them in the future. They are excited about all that the future holds for our family.

I had flown Colton up to Greensboro, NC to spend a few days with me at a conference. I was so excited about getting back home earlier than expected, I asked him to ride with me and keep me awake while I drove all night long back to Orlando. Colton assured me that he would stay up and ride shotgun for me. After pondering my options, and being reluctant to cancel some things in Georgia; I knew it was time for me to get home and be with my family. Wouldn't you know he fell asleep after about two hours on the road, and I ended up pulling over at two different truck stops to rest about an hour each time. We made it back home about mid-morning and other than pulling an all-nighter... it felt oh so good to finally be home!

After taking it easy for a couple of weeks, I made a few quick trips out of town, but not to the point where it was disrupting my schedule at home. I was able to check out a few of Colton's baseball games, and even allowed Tate to play hooky from school a day or two over the next few weeks. I took the family to New Mexico for the holidays and we had a blast! It was one of the nicest vacations we've ever had. Spending two weeks relaxing in the southeastern New Mexico desert, skiing the snow covered mountains of Santa Fe, and exploring some scary terrain on four-wheelers helped us ring in the new year!

We flew into Orlando around midnight on New Years Eve...what a way to celebrate right? Then again, as long as we landed safely, we should consider ourselves blessed. The next day (January 1st) I picked my stepdad up from the airport and he spent two weeks with us. We had a wonderful time with him visiting and it was good to just relax and kick around with him. It has been a tough year on our family after losing my mom in April. We are glad to see 2009 get here, and look forward to all that God has in store for our family.

I trust everyone has a wonderful weekend and may your favorite NFL team be victorious on Sunday. I might add, it has been so good getting to watch more college and NFL action this fall than I had in previous years. Feel free to invite me over for the Super Bowl. I'll being the chicken wings and pickle burgers.

Florida!

When I say Florida, I don't mean the University of Florida Gators. Even though they are doing well right now, I mean Florida is home, and Florida is where I've been for about three weeks. It has been nice being back home and getting back into the swing of things. Along with ministry opportunities and playing out some, I've been able to catch up on some football and baseball games, fine tune my Bobby Flay cooking techniques in the kitchen, and re-establish my taxi-cab service for the boys.

Tate is doing much better in school with his behavior and his grades have been great all year long. Spencer is learning the french horn in middle school band, singing in the all-county chorus, and getting ready to try out for the middle school basketball team. Colton is having a good year playing baseball (pitching and catching mostly), and hitting the ball good. His drumming and other musical skills are coming along quickly! Now we just need to work on his math class.

Kim is keeping this fall with her flu shot campaigns, keeping all of us in line at home, and getting ready for the holidays. All in all, it feels great to finally be back home. Even while touring I've been working on some things since last spring and looking forward to seeing those dreams come to pass. God has been good to my family. I'm thankful for His faithfulness and blessings in our lives.

I probably won't blog as much in the upcoming weeks, but I'm working on an additional website and some new musical opportunities. Keep us in your prayers.

Tennessee!

I left Knoxville early Friday morning and drove to Nashville to pick Kim up at the airport. Her flight arrived mid-morning and she walked outside just as I drove up to the sidewalk. Perfect timing! I think buying the new Ricky Skaggs cd at Cracker Barrel helped keep me on time. (It also helped get me another speeding ticket.) We drove to the hotel over near the Opryland area and checked in early. We rested the afternoon and then headed to a wedding I was singing and playing at over in west Nashville. It was a beautiful wedding with 19 bridesmaids. It was maybe the largest wedding I've ever been to, and it was a wonderful evening. We were able to see many friends from the past and enjoyed catching up with them and the latest changes in their lives. Saturday we enjoyed the Opry Mills outlet mall and went downtown Nashville for dinner and some music. Sunday I played over in Dickson, TN (west of Nashville) and we had a wonderful time. Again, there was no agenda really, just a desire to find where it was God wanted us to be, and to help lead His children closer to His presence. It is just that simple. Freedom is a wonderful thing. To be free in a service and take your time in ministry is a real blessing. God did some great things in the service and we had a wonderful day. Kim and I enjoyed the weekend and are counting the days until I get back home to Florida. I took her to the airport yesterday afternoon, and then drove back to Knoxville to return my rental car. (I can honestly say a PT Cruiser isn't in my top ten list of favorite vehicles to be in.) I made it back to my friends house and am enjoying just being in the smokie mountains for a couple of days before heading to Greensboro, NC for a conference. I plan on being back in Florida sometime later next week. It will be nice to be off the road and finally back home.

Light at the end of the tunnel...

So much has happened since my last blog. The end of the tour is in sight, so I'll attempt to bring you up to date with things. As difficult as it was to leave Apopka and fly back to Memphis, it was a bit easier knowing that I would be on my last leg of the summer/fall tour. A week ago Monday, I flew back to Memphis and spent some quality time with family, my siblings and stepdad, and friends. It is always good to "go back home" and re-live some childhood memories.

After resting up a day, I was in service at my home church and thoroughly enjoyed the pastor's message. After service we went to a local hamburger joint and endulged ourselves. (At least I did.) The next day I visited the college campus where Kim and I met nearly 25 years ago! I walked around the campus, viewed some yearbooks in the library, took plenty of pictures, etc. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a rehearsal of one of the bands that I played in back in 1983. Wow! Then the dean of music and I discussed life and music in his office for about an hour. What a delightful day it was! I was missing Kim pretty badly by this time. Later in the afternoon I drove to visit a friend who owns a recording studio and was able to see his new studio (in the process of being built), and enjoyed talking old times and friends. I rushed back to my hometown to watch the vice-presidential debate with my stepdad and wasn't disappointed with Sarah Palin's performance. On Friday night, my siblings, nephews and their families met for dinner at Cravin' Catfish. Catfish is one of my main weaknesses, although I suppose it could be worse, right? Saturday morning I drove my stepdad down to visit my Uncle Fred and Aunt Linda. Uncle Fred is my mom's only surviving sibling. Aunt Linda walked me down to their catfish pond and she fed the fish a plate filled with homemade biscuits. I immediately asked if I could "borrow" a rod and reel, and quickly caught about a 5 pounder. I set the hook in his mouth so hard, I had to call for Uncle Fred to help me with a pair of pliers. (I know how to get a hook from the mouth of a fish.) Uncle Fred cleaned the fish, as Aunt Linda made lunch. There must have been a dozen vegetable selections on their table. It was veggie heaven! After lunch we drove to a motorcycle shop to see a bike that my cousin is trying to sell. I have no idea why I went there, except maybe hoping for a miracle that somehow, this time, I would make a purchase. No such luck. Later that night I left for Florence, AL so I'd be there for service the next morning. On the way, I stopped at Catfish Country in Booneville, MS for one last taste of Mississippi catfish before I head home...

Sunday services in Florence were fantastic! The music, worship, and the Word was just what I needed. I always have a wonderful time with friends in Florence. Monday morning, I stopped by the mall for a few new shirts, a haircut, and lunch, before heading to Athens, AL to see more friends on my way to Knoxville. I met a friend at Starbucks for coffee (which doesn't sound like me at all), and enjoyed our discussion on the changing times of music and ministry. He is younger than I am, and that always seems to bring a proper balance into the discussion. Then I went over to visit some friends who I hadn't seen in a long time. We talked politics, the upcoming presidential election, kids, food, life's necessary changes, etc.

I left for Knoxville, TN on Wednesday morning and drove all the way in a rainstorm. I finally arrived at my friends' house, just in time for visit a while and drive over to a music conference I was attending in Maryville, TN. Again, the music, worship, and Word was awesome and just what I needed! There is no substitute for God and His anointing in our music. Many times we don't see anointing in our music is because there is too much of "us" present, and we leave very little room for God. We try to make things happen on our own, and what eventually begins to happen is we find ourselves in a rut... of going through the motions and relying on our human abilities instead of God's anointing. Going through the motions is no way to live life.

Thursday night I was in service in east Knoxville and had an incredible time there! Little did I know the church had just completed a ten day fast and there was a wonderful presence of God in the place. It made ministering in song so much easier. There was no set list or long outline. There was no agenda. There was no pre-concieved idea of what was supposed to take place. The only thing that we wanted was a powerful display of God's presence. Wow! It is amazing at the differences in flowing in the spirit and following a song or service outline. It's like eating a cheap hotdog or a filet mignon. I love it whenever God's presence is so strong it seems the only thing to do is simply stand still and be reverent and quiet. To be in awe of his greatness. In awe of His might. Less of me, more of Him. I am so undeserving. None of us deserve His blessings.

Just a few more days and I'll be heading back home to Florida! I can the end now... and really, it is only the beginning.

Pride, Joy, and Treasure

A few times this summer while the boys and I were on tour, the question arose that of my three sons, which one did I love the most? Actually, it wasn't a question as much as it was an accusation that I must love one more than the others. How absurd is that? I hadn't heard that "question" since I asked (screamed) it out myself as a young child. This topic usually came up when one of the boys didn't get their way about something, or they didn't get what they asked for in the mall, etc. I usually explained to them all how I loved them equally, and how parents don't love one child more than another. Somehow, this answer never satisfies them, especially the younger two boys. Even though they are all three different in personalities and dispositions, naturally they all mean the world to Kim and I.

For example, Colton being the oldest child is pretty independent and head strong. He has his own idea about things (most everything), and sometimes needs extra time with dad or mom to come around to our way of thinking. But when I see where his interests are, I can't help but feel good. He plays high school baseball, yet most of his friends, at least the ones he wants to hang out with, are from church. If given the choice between playing a baseball game and rehearsing with a worship band, he would choose the band most of the time. Colton's main instrument is drums, but he learned to play the bass and acoustic guitar this past summer. (One night he even found a microphone that was louder than mine, and started singing in it.) We can't have that now can we? Haha His grades are good for the most part, and he is very sociable with others. He loves the things of God and is always willing to do whatever is asked of him when it comes to giving himself to the kingdom. I am very proud of Colton and all that he has accomplished so far in his life.

My middle son Spencer, is sometimes called "Little Deano". People have a big laugh whenever I let him put on my glasses for a moment. We've never had any problem out of Spencer. He too loves playing baseball and football and does a great job at both. He has played on some teams that went to state tournaments and has achieved quite a lot in the sportsworld. But when it comes to sports or church or music, Spencer jumps at the opportunities for music and church. He is very talented and has become a good singer. Along with playing the guitar, he is picking up some things on the piano as well. Spencer is tenderhearted and has a soft and sweet spirit. Everywhere we went this past summer, people often commented on how they enjoyed being with Spencer. It is a joy to watch Spencer grow up in the ways of the Lord, and I am excited to see what all God has in store for his life.

Tate. There are times I wonder what was I thinking... at age 39, when we were sure we'd have a little girl, if only we tried one more time. I just have to thank God that Tate is our last child. Tate is quite a little ham. He loves to entertain others, and is the owner of a huge imagination. Tate immediately wins people over. On the summer tour, it was Tate that people always wanted to see play the drums. I could be singing, but all eyes were on Tate. He just turned six years old a week ago, and has girlfriends strung out all across the country. Tate doesn't hide the fact that he is a player when it comes to girls. (We really should be worried.) Most, if not all of his girlfriends are at least high school age, usually college. I reminded him this summer that when I was 5 years old, I did nothing exciting. I never went on trips, never crossed the state line, never saw all the things he'd seen, etc. Knowing that Tate is our last child, our baby, makes every moment a little extra special. I treasure each day spent with Him. He is a real treasure in our lives.

My pride, my joy, and my treasure. Kim and I are very blessed to have Colton, Spencer, and Tate in our lives.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

The flight to Orlando yesterday was worth every penny I paid for it! It feels good to be back home for a few days. Kim picked me up at the airport and gave me a big hug and kisses! I miss her so much whenever I'm on the road, and I appreciate her being so understanding with the call of God I have on my life. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife, and the boys are fortunate to have a mom who takes care of all their needs.

This morning I am sitting in my brand new recliner and enjoying the quietness of my house. After waking up very early (again) and seeing Spencer off to school, I spent some time with Tate before letting him ride his brand new bicycle down to the bus stop. Kim left for work shortly afterward and I'm waiting to take Colton to his orthodontist appointment. Just call me Mr. Mom. I have a lunch appointment with a super musician Corey Powell who heads up one of the finest horn sections in the country. He plays with many top artists, and I get to buy him lunch today. Colton has a baseball game today and tells me he is scheduled to start the game pitching. Spencer has a football game on Saturday and I'm excited about seeing him dish out some pain to the other team. (Listen to me! I've turned into a dad with anger management issues.) I'd better charge up the camera now.

Yesterday was Tate's 6th birthday and he was pumped up for it too! As soon as he walked through the doorway from school he wanted to go to town and get his bicycle that we had promised him. I'm surprised he didn't run someone over in the store while he was trying it out for size. We had dinner at Sonny's BBQ and he thought he was big stuff since he ate ribs and cleaned the bone like an expert. (I wonder where he got that talent from?) Then we had some birthday cake while the waitresses sang "Happy Birthday" to Tate. Last night Colton had band practice, Spencer had football practice, and I practiced laying my head on the pillow around 9:00.

It will be great being at home for a week. I have several meetings planned regarding some exciting things coming up later in the fall, along with playing out a couple of times as well. Then it's back on the road again (in the words of Willie Nelson) as I fly back to Memphis next Monday and pick up where I left off. After making it to the Ole Miss homecoming next Saturday, I'll begin to make my way through MS, AL, TN, NC, and GA before heading home for good around the end of October. The good news is Kim will meet me in Nashville for a weekend and Colton will do the same in Greensboro, NC.

If anyone can hook me up, I am looking for the following football tickets: Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Georgia. (I'm not sure if they still play football in North Carolina.) Just kidding!

Heading Home

It felt so good last week crossing the state line from Indiana into Kentucky. Then the trip down to Nashville was even better. But neither compared to driving into Mississippi. Wednesday afternoon I stopped at ASCAP and took care of some business, then I had lunch with a friend in outside of Nashville. We shared our visions for ministry, and our dreams for life. He is getting married in a couple of weeks and that reminded me of so many dreams I had at that age. Many years later, I am happy to report that I feel my best years are ahead! After a great lunch (more like dinner), I drove I-40 west and played at a church in Dickson, TN. I spent the night and got an early start for Mississippi on Thursday. For some reason on travel days, I usually can't sleep in. Thursday was no exception. I stayed awake trying to get my phone to work between Jackson, TN and Holly Springs, MS where I had planned on having lunch with a pastor friend of mine from way back. I hadn't seen him in several years and it seemed as if we met for lunch everyday. I am amazed how God controls our lives and blesses our families when we remain faithful to His calling. I am so happy for everyone in my life who has dreamed dreams in life, had visions for their ministry, and found where they are supposed to be in both. Thursday night I met my sister, my brother and sister-in-law, and my stepdad for dinner. We stayed so long talking... it seemed we shut the place down.

Friday, I drove over to Batesville, MS to visit a long-time friend from college. He has been involved in music ministry for ever it seems, and I thoroughly enjoyed being with his wonderful family. As a bonus, our football team from Apopka had made the trip up to Mississippi to play his high school team. It was a battle to the end, as Apopka fell short. Saturday morning I was able to sleep in until 10:00 AM. That was the first time in about ten days I hadn't awakened early. Playing one-nighters can begin to take a toll on the body (and voice). The drive over to Oxford was only 30 minutes and I set up camp to tailgate on the Ole Miss campus. The game against Vanderbilt started at 6:00 PM and was a great game even though Ole Miss fell short on the scoreboard. The entire weekend brought back some wonderful memories of my time spent at Ole Miss and the Mississippi delta.

This morning I woke up very early and drove about two hours to Corinth, MS and played at a 10:30 service. I always enjoy playing in Corinth. That town also brings back memories of when I was at Northeast and met Kim. On my way out of town I stopped in Booneville and drove around the campus. It has changed some with a few new or remodeled buildings, but overall, it has the same look and feel as it did back in 1981. (Tuition for an 18-hour semester was $220 back then.) I suddenly feel very old! I drove around the campus and saw all the hangout spots where Kim and I spent a lot of time... and I thanked God for keeping his hand of blessing on our lives and blessing us with a wonderful family. None of our friends would have ever thought we could have made it together and lasted this long. Those were the days... It is a good thing to look back every once in a while... just to see how far God has brought us. I really couldn't have made it without Him on my side. Today I remembered the times He spared my life and gave me another chance to do what was right and serve Him. Some of my friends weren't so lucky. Automobile accidents, tragic circumstances, etc. have claimed the lives of many of my friends. Tonight, I am the luckiest man alive. And tomorrow is Tate's 6th birthday, and I'm flying home to Orlando for a week! Even though I'll be working it will be great to spend some time at home with the family. This tour will end around the third weekend of October. Keep me in your prayers.

The South

I had such a wonderful time in Indiana working with all the great people and churches. I left Lafayette on the 12th and drove down to Bedford, IN for the weekend and had a fantastic time! The young people there are terrific and it was a pleasure working with them. Who says a 45-year old can't relate to youth? They are already scheduling a couple of trips later next year to work on some their musical skills. And the church in Bedford has some wonderful "senior saints". We did everything from "All In Him" to "Take It All", from G.T. Haywood to Hillsongs. And everyone enjoyed it in the process. Just imagine. Seriously, it was a wonderful weekend with friends and people who simply love Jesus. I love including everyone in the worship experience too. It is nice whenever people of all ages come to the CD table and say how they were blessed through the music and worship. I would hate to know that someone felt excluded from God's presence just because I was one-dimensional in my worship leading, or lacked the talent to present a well-rounded worship hour. From the pastors and saints I speak with, they value the concept of a blended worship experience, and feel this is a huge struggle in many churches. Maybe it is something that should be taught to churches everywhere? Anyway, I can't wait to go back next year! Go Hoosiers!

I must admit though, it felt oh so good to get back to Nashville! (I am three states closer to home!) When I think of how I could be stuck in Kentucky right now without any gasoline in my tank. I drove the back way to I-65 and saw where gas prices were at $4.15 or more, so thought I'd wait and get gas in New Albany, IN which is across the river from Louisville, KY. No can do. The stations were out and people were driving across the river into Louisville which was also a mess since many stations were out. I was pretty much between 1/16th of a tank and empty. Yes, I am a man of great faith. Or is it simply dangerous living? I drove south of Lousiville about 8 miles and found a Pilot station with gas for $3.99. I pull in, go in and give the lady $220 which I already know from a previous fill-up this summer will at least put 52 gallons into the R.V. But when I walk outside the guy is changing the price on the sign to $4.08 per gallon! $208 later, I headed toward Nashville.

When I got to the Ft. Knox exit I decided not to take it, and continued on without adding to an already exhausting mid-life crisis. (See earlier blogs) I am disappointed they haven't yet added my name to the "Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln" sign at the highway 31 exit to Radcliff. Someone needs to let the KY Dept. of Highway know I was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Friends had already told me gasoline in Nashville was sky high and some stations were completely out. So I stopped in Bowling Green, KY and filled up with another $43 worth. After White Castle defeated Cracker Barrel in my decision making process, I crossed the KY/TN state line and began to sing "wish that I was on 'ole Rocky Top... down in the Tennessee hills". I know once I get south of Nashville (maybe Chattanooga), there will be no more White Castle hamburgers to enjoy. (Except the dozen of frozen ones I bought in Wal-Mart that are still in the RV freezer.) I'm going mandolin shopping today with some friends and hooking up with Michael English tonight at TBN in Nashville. More later...

Back On Track

After taking yesterday to get some clothes washed, pick up some others at the cleaners, and run a few errands, I drove over to Anderson, IN for service last night. It was great seeing old friends and spending some time together at dinner. I had taken back roads on the way over to Anderson and ended up going through Alexandria, IN. It had been many years since I've been in Alexandria but was excited to stop by Bill Gaither's studios and music complex. Even if his music isn't your favorite style, one must admit that he has done so much for gospel music through the years. It was funny to see the welcome sign into Alexandria. It said Alexandria was home to someone I had never heard of! There was no mention of Bill Gaither at all! I guess if he was a former NFL star who played 3 or 4 years before going to prison for doing something stupid, his name would be on the welcome sign. Either way, Alexandria is the loser for not recognizing one of gospel music's greatest treasures.

The message at service was entitled "A House Of Prayer" and reminded me of the true focus of what we call "church" and "having church". Over time we've somehow turned "church" into some type of a show, which is usually a feeble attempt of entertainment, especially when you compare it to what we would consider "worldly events" such as concerts, shows, productions, etc. People don't need another "show" when they come to our churches. They need to witness a life-changing manifestation of power that they've never seen or felt before. And yet, so many times we choose to just go through the motions with our little song list, and our ideas that we compiled during our creative worship meetings with the planning team. Who among us would admit to wanting to play God, in planning out every service in detail? If that is what we're going to do, then we had better have a batting average of 1,000. I don't want a person's blood on my hands just because they came to church needing a touch of God in their lives and all I had to give them was a typed up song list that did nothing but meet my little monthly quota of new songs, and making sure that everyone in the "in crowd" was allowed to sing out front and shine brightly. The sad part is that we shine brighter more often than God does. Who are we kidding? As a worship leader I know the importance of proper advance planning. I also feel that Levitical skill should also play a part in our worship leading. When we follow after Christ each moment of the day, it won't be difficult to come into His house (a house of prayer) and be sensitive to what needs to take place in that service. It isn't about me and what I want to do. It is about Him, and all that He wants to accomplish in the lives of His people.

Okay, can you tell that has been on my mind for quite a while? In fact, it has been burning in my heart for several years now. It is only in recent months however, that I've been able to launch out in complete freedom of worship (and leading), without worrying about a program or a schedule. Clearly, the message and fellowship last night was what I needed to help me continue in the vision that God has given me. It was confirmation of the burden I have in my heart for the kingdom. I'll share more about this later in the tour.

After dinner, I didn't feel like driving slowly through the Indiana cornfields, so I took the interstate back to Lafayette. I returned a call to Colton and somehow the energy of our conversation had me going 83 mph in a 70 mph zone. There was no talking myself out of this situation... especially when my radar detector was still buzzing and going off loudly as the officer asked for my license. The good news is he gave me about 7 weeks to pay the ticket. I wonder if I should ask Colton to pay part of it?

I need to run the R.V. over for an oil change, take care of a couple more errands, and meet pastor and his wife for lunch. Tomorrow I leave for southern Indiana and hope to spend some time with Larry Bird and his family. Ha!