That Would Make a Great Song

The Boss

2011-01-26T10:58:00.003-05:00

I overheard my 4 year old yesterday yelling at her big brother:

"I'm not bossing you around! I'm just telling you what to do!"

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

2010-06-23T13:47:00.002-04:00

This would be my first muskie. I caught it Monday night at Alum Creek Reservoir, only 20 minutes or so from my house. My buddy, Greg Hastings, who fishes for muskie competitively(ish) in a league was having his best day on the water ever, and called me at 5pm, after releasing a fish that was 14 inches bigger than the one you see me holding. Of course, I immediately cancelled my plans for the evening and drove straight to his boat (barely stopping before my car entered the water!). He'd ended up landing 11 fish that day in total. Generally, muskie fishing is a bit like salmon fishing in northern CA. You can troll 2 or 3 big lures on a big body of water, and wait for a rod to double over. The difference is that muskie have HUGE teeth and it requires a special leader, etc. Similar to salmon, a 2 or 3 fish day is a great day. An 11 fish day is NUTS around here.

My fish was 33 1/2 inches long. They only care about length here. I bet it weighed 12-14 lbs, though (but not "official").

Greg's 47 incher was caught on a lure that he'd made himself--about 8" long or so whittled from cedar, then painted and laquered, etc. Made him feel great, as you might imagine. He has a simple aluminum 14' deep V with a small motor. Nothing fancy, but it catches fish!

Oh, we also caught a suicidal "saugeye"--a hybrid fish here in Ohio that's a lot like a walleye. No idea what that fish was thinking going after what we had on.

Conflict Resolution

2010-01-28T11:10:00.004-05:00

I'm excited about a new message series that we're starting at Journey on the Beatitudes. I've been reading the two passages (one in Matthew and one in Luke) over the last few weeks, and again came across this passage, which immediately follows the Beatitudes:

Luke 6: 27-36

27 "But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don't hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks from you, and from one who takes away your things, don't ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do [what is] good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do [what is] good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."

I've had multiple opportunities lately to put this passage into practice--both with individuals and on corporate levels. It really never ceases to amaze me how far one will go in the choice to serve money (mammon) vs. God. People will absolutely sell out to make a buck, it seems. Even in those cases when I feel the most mistreated, I know that I am called to show mercy. To love. To give. To expect nothing in return. To do "the right thing", knowing that it will be used against me. And mostly--to trust God. He alone is the ultimate Judge in cases such as this, and there WILL BE a day of accountability for all actions. In the mean time, I again choose to follow God's clear counsel and trust Him for the outcome. So...I wait.

How To Get the Best Pizza Deal

2010-01-16T17:45:00.009-05:00

So, Dominos ran their commercials one too many times for us to resist, so we just ordered their new recipe pizzas to try them out while watching my brother's kids for the evening (yes it gets crazy around here when our kids are together--yikes!). The big special Dominos has been advertising: 2 mediums for $5.99 each. Pretty good deal, right? However, while on hold to place the order, the automated message announced another special for our consideration: 2 extra larges and any bread order for $19.99 Also sounded like an OK deal.
Rookies would just try to guess which one would produce the most pizza for the buck. I'm no rookie. I needed to remember high school math equations that I learned from Mr. David Stockman NOW. Was that Pi r squared? What is Pi? Ugggh.
While searching quickly online for the correct equation to use, I found the solution that saved me: some guy named Abe More placed a pizza value calculator online, calculating the exact square inches of delicious pizza when you punch in a few basic numbers. By giving the size of the pizza (12 inch, 14, 16, etc.), and the amount you paid for it, the site will calculate for you the price per square inch of pizza. Click HERE to try it for yourself. It's quite simple, but is just what I needed.
So, the results? 2 extra larges was a significantly better deal, rendering a whopping 20.11 square inches of pizza per dollar (plus the breadsticks), vs the mediums, which came in at 18.85 square inches per dollar.
And was the new Dominos pizza good? Very.

Rose Bowl Parade vs Little Big Planet

2010-01-01T11:33:00.003-05:00

So this morning, I thought it would be great for us to watch the Rose Bowl Parade together. I whipped up some breakfast first: oatmeal with raisins, cranberries, cherries, walnuts, maple syrup, butter, and a few other things (recipe credits to my dad--he sometimes puts things together that turn out really good...this one was!). After breakfast, we turned on the parade in spite of the fact that Noah really wanted to play a new video game that he received for Christmas--it's called "Little Big Planet." After going 'round and 'round about it for a while, he decided to try a different angle that he knew I would bite on. He was right:
Noah: "So dad, can we just turn this off and pray because God is more awesome than the Rose Bowl Parade."
Me: "Yes, He is. If we turned this off and prayed, what would you tell God?"
Noah: "I would pray that we could play Little Big Planet."
He's a smart one, that Noah. He's enjoying the adventures of Little Big Planet now.

Back With My Family

2009-12-10T04:55:00.002-05:00

I've been in Columbus for the last week while my wife and 2 children have been in Richmond, VA. My mother-in-law had a relatively sudden surgery which triggered a number of dominos, including Jen and the kids staying down here after Thanksgiving for an additional week (all is well with my mother-in-law).
Coming back to my family was GREAT. Getting off the plane, I couldn't wait to see my wife and kids. When I finally saw them, I knew that they'd had the same feeling of anticipation. Everyone wanted me to sit by them in the minivan on the ride home (my wife won that one!). Everyone wanted a hug and kiss. Everyone wanted to tell me their stories (Noah won that one--evidently he's been creating a book of mad scientist inventions that you really don't want to be a part of...he's pretty scary for 8!).
Once we got back to Jen's parent's house, we had dinner with her family. Her brothers Andy and Ryan were over, and it was a lot of fun. The best part was little Morgen--she didn't leave my side all night. She constantly was telling me that she missed me. She said 3 times across the dinner table, "I love you, daddy." There was a moment when she stopped eating just to look at me for about a full minute (that's like an hour for a 3 year old). Her poppy got in her way at one point, and she just kept moving her head to be able to see me...she didn't want to lose focus. Later that night, she asked me to read her a story, then later to dance with her--I had her complete attention the whole evening.
As Jennifer and I were praying together later that night, I realized the parallel in my evening with the relationship that we are to desire with our Heavenly Father. As his children, we are to desire His affection and attention beyond anything else. We are to love Him and prioritize Him higher than anything else. More than success in business. More than dollars. More than that Christmas present that you are expecting and thinking about all of the time. More than all of the Christmas presents that you are acquiring to give to others. More than...well, more than anything.
Matthew 22:37 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. "

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-26T17:59:00.005-05:00

Turkey
Ham
Potatoes
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Corn Pudding
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Pickled Beets
Glazed Carrots
Rolls
Little Lemon muffin things

Chocolate Pie

NO macaroni and cheese (but I still survived...)

Thanksgiving in Richmond, VA today was a great time with Jen's family. We all have much for which to be thankful.

Yesterday

2009-11-12T13:21:00.004-05:00

Yesterday would have been the 40th birthday of my good friend, Jim Hvisdos, who left this world nearly 7 years ago after a bout with cancer. Jim went to school with me at Liberty University, for whom we traveled the country together recruiting (with a great team of others, I might add). Really fun times.... I followed Jim to California to work at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, where he was the Jr. High Youth Pastor (and I was the worship leader). We had a blast goofing off together in staff meetings, golfing together, praying together and encouraging one another to press on.
Jim was a devoted follower of Christ, who loved God and loved people as well as anyone I know. He was an amazing example to the hundreds of young teens who looked up to him as a role model and leader...many of whom are serving God today because of his influence in their lives.
Jim passed away on Jan 7 (my birthday) as I was getting on a plane to go see him. He had been taken to the Cleveland Clinic here in OH for treatment. While I didn't get to see him that last time here on Earth, I can't wait to see him again soon in heaven. It will be a really good day.

New House Church in Powell

2009-11-06T09:44:00.008-05:00

My friends John and Debbie Stickel (also members of Journey Church, Columbus) are taking the leap and starting a house church in Powell. Jen and I are just wild enough to hop in on the deal.
The first meeting will be tonight, where we'll just hang out and watch a movie together. For our future meetings, we hope to begin to look at our marriages, seeking God regarding what it means to be a loving, faithful, God-honoring spouse. Sound scary? Sound fun? Either way, you should join us. It will be worth it...

Beauty Will Rise

2009-11-04T14:26:00.004-05:00

At the recommendation of a good friend, Aaron Conrad, I downloaded the new Steven Curtis Chapman CD, Beauty Will Rise. I'm listening to it now as I write. Only to the 6th song at this point, I'm absolutely blown away by this CD. I would recommend NOT listening to this for the first time while you're driving (unless you're able to easily pull over for a while when necessary).

Since the tragic loss of his daughter over a year ago, many have wondered how he and his family would respond, and countless people have prayed for this family. "Beauty Will Rise" is a glimpse of what God has done through this season in their lives.

I remember the time a doctor asked me why God would "let bad things happen to good people." This had been in regards to the premature birth and extremely difficult period that followed with my son, Noah. My response to the doctor was that somehow God is glorified and would be glorified through the situation, no matter how difficult it was for us to see or understand it. I was confident of the truth, although it was not easily visible at the time.

God is glorified through Steven Curtis Chapman, his family, and their response to this last year, by the help of our God.

Matt. 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Noah's Birthday Present

2009-11-04T05:36:00.004-05:00

OK...so I'm a little late posting this, with Noah's birthday being nearly a month ago. That said, I wanted to let you in on one of Noah's birthday gifts. We went to a recording studio!! Noah was (of course) enamoured by all of the bells and whistles that my friend, Felix Weber, has available at his studio. Noah didn't hesitate to push all of the buttons, move the faders, play the instruments, etc. He even recorded his first song! It was really fun teaching Noah some of the basics in recording, song writing, producing, etc. Even better to have a master producer by my side helping me...thank you Felix!

In Memory of Grandma

2009-02-27T15:47:00.007-05:00

Today was the memorial service for my loving grandma, Jenny Belle Ashcraft. Asked to write out some memories, this is what I came up with. It's been a good day.

"Grandma"

Recollections abound. I’m sure you recall too.
These memories of grandma—I’ll share some with you:
Food is a memory not quickly forgotten
Pot Roast, mac-n-cheese, and corn kernels for poppin’.
Pickled pig’s feet, ham salad and limburger cheese
That one’s for grandpa—smells horrible, you see.
Coffee is best when it’s been percolated.
Water cup’s on the sink if you need rehydrated.
Cheese spread with pimentos and liver with onions.
Fiddle Faddle as well, along-side the Funions.
Neapolitan ice cream in mugs, just don’t drop it.
I want the strawberry—give Tyler the chocolate.
Dr. Pepper and root beer were things not to touch.
Most people enjoy them—JennyBelle—not so much.
Now on to the games and a few other things:
Yahtzee and books made from clipped magazines.
Green light signals go—run as fast as you can.
Try to stop when red’s called. Good luck with that, man.
Gin Rummy and puzzles, and time on the swing
Choosing cars on Decoursey was quite the big thing.
Picking up twigs and leaves out in front of the house.
Hearing stories of grandpa, who just trapped a mouse.
Gathering seashells while off on vacation.
She’d send me a postcard, I’d read with elation.
Her necklace with gold flakes through glass I could see
When sermons at church weren’t of interest to me.
Music was always a thing well displayed,
From guitars to pianos, which everyone played.
Time for bed—brush your teeth. When you flush, shake the handle.
Wash your hands, then come watch scary movies with vandals.
Try to sleep after that as you stare at the wall.
That makes eyes go buggy—worst wallpaper of all.
We’d walk to Latonia—with a stroller for miles.
By Bob’s Five and Ten, and we’d get lots of smiles.
She came out to visit California’s Pacific
When we moved way out there—our time was terrific.
There are things we all miss and it seems so unfair,
That we’re now without, while she parties up there.
But it won’t be too long ‘til again we all meet,
And walk, looking for treasures, on an upgraded street.

Obituary from Cincinnati Post:

TAYLOR MILL, KY - Jenny Belle Ashcraft, 81, died Monday, Feb. 23, at Rosedale Manor, Latonia.
She was a homemaker and member of Calvary Baptist Church.
Her husband, Thomas Jewell Ashcraft, died in 1991.Survivors include her daughters, Linda Williams of Kenton County and Roxiena Hanks of Ryland Heights; sisters, Roxiena Cook of South Bend, Ind. and Mary Pat Van Denplas of Rock Rapid, Iowa; six grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be 9-10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, with service following at Swindler & Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Taylor Mill.
Memorials: Calvary Baptist Church Mission Fund, 3711 Tibbatts St., Latonia, KY 41015; or Campers for Christ, P.O. Box 15038, Covington, KY 41015.

Resting

2009-02-14T15:03:00.003-05:00

Noah (my 7 year old) has been sick for a few days, coughing a bunch, etc. We'd planned to have relatives over today, so the rule was that he had to stay seated, resting on a chair/couch. After the second or third time I saw him walking around, I asked him (rather sternly) what he was doing. I could see his wheels turning as he came up with the classic answer:
"I'm resting from chair to chair."
The teenage years are going to be interesting....

Prediction

2009-02-08T18:51:00.005-05:00

OK--I'm NOT going to post a billion entries about Idol this year. That being said, here's the winner. I made my prediction last year as well (wrong last year...I thought it was going to be Michael Johns early on, as I recall). This year, I'm right. You'll all see. Danny Gokey is the guy.
Honorable mention goes to his buddy, Jamar, who will also likely be top 5 or so. They would be my top 2 at this point.
Go Danny, go.

The Sheep and the Goats

2009-01-26T19:23:00.002-05:00

Matthew 25
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I've been thinking a lot lately about the response of the church is to be as our world is in global economic crisis. What does it mean to live in community? Who are we to help? How does God view that? How much is too much to give a person in need? How many people can live in a 2000 sf house? (yes, kind of joking, kind of not...)

I certainly have more questions than answers. I am also absolutely confident that we are to change. A lot. May we respond in a way that shows our love for Jesus (by showing our love for one another).

Your suggestions and comments are appreciated on this one....

Give Us This Day

2008-11-13T07:33:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd freak everyone out and actually do a quick post, since I've been kinda missing in action for...well, a while.
"Give us this day"--it seems pretty simple. It's even almost redundantly emphasized in the most repeated prayer of all time, as it reads "...give us this DAY our DAILY bread...." I'm learning more about what it means to have provision as I actually need it. I've always tried to be the plan way out guy (or sometimes the way-out plan guy, maybe), and do things as safely as humanly possible. As our plans go different directions than intended, it gives God yet another opportunity to step in and show His power.
Interestingly, looking further at scripture, it's often God's plan to step in at the last moment, when things appear to be going quite badly for his children as they do EXACTLY what He instructed. I'm sure some stories come to your mind from both the Old and New Testament.
In fact, Jennifer and I came across another one of those last night in Exodus 5, where in verse 22 and 23, it says, "Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
He had no idea what was about to come and the deliverance God would bring, if Moses remained faithful to the call.
I wonder what would have happened of Moses had actually given up. It might not have turned out so well. It makes me think that as we're given clear direction from God, we probably shouldn't give up either, no matter what the opposition seems to bring.

All We Like Sheep

2008-09-03T07:52:00.005-04:00

Noah and I were reading Psalm 100 this morning, and he got a little tripped up on the sheep bit ("...but dad, we're not sheep...).

Being a good dad, I decided to explain this one to him:

"Noah, what does a shepherd do for sheep?"

"Feed them?"

"Yes."

"Water?"

"Yes."

Simple things like this went on for a bit, when we got to the protection aspect:

"Noah, what would a shepherd do if a sheep got lost?"

"Call 911?"

"right...uh...what else might he do?"

"maybe use a sheep tracking invention?"

Welcome to the 21st century Bible analogies....

Conviction

2008-07-25T17:55:00.008-04:00

WOW. I’ve been at the Xenos Summer Institute for the last 3 days with the likes of Mark Driscol, D.A. Carson, Mark Mittelberg, Dennis McCallum, Gary DeLashmutt, etc. Tonight is the last session, and I am utterly exhausted, but this has been really good for me.
Some big things I’ve taken away at this point:
-I am both very convicted and very affirmed.
-as a whole, the church in our country is (generally) in a very scary state of both rapid decline and a turn away from the truth of the gospel.
-we cannot pretend to live in ignorance of the changes taking place, and must seek God with a whole heart, living in a place of humility and repentance
-people need Jesus. The gospel IS relevant. Jesus IS relevant.
-I need to be led by the Spirit of God, with a heart of compassion for the thousands of people all around me who need the love of Jesus.
-I need to do a better job of making disciples.
-The gospel must remain central (I recently heard it said that “the gospel is both the milk and the meat”.) to all we do—both in us personally, as well as the message that we take to the world around us.
-I'm very thankful for my local faith community, where I have freedom to ask a lot of questions as we continue on our journey. God is leading us. It is exciting.
-I really need a nap.

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

2008-07-21T16:04:00.004-04:00

So, I've been asked a bunch lately when to start a child with singing lessons...below I've copy/pasted the most recent email reply to the question...in case one of you might be wondering my thoughts on the subject. This is from a parent of a 4 year old girl (or so) who constantly is singing around the house. I'd really appreciated dialogue on this one, if any of you have any other thoughts on the subject....

It sounds like she needs to begin learning MUSIC, as she already knows how to sing. I've seen so many bad singing teachers in my life...even on a university level and beyond. Singing teachers CAN be a very good thing, bringing great training, encouragement and a great source of confidence to a student. They can also completely ruin a great gift, or, on the flip-side, completely fabricate/mislead a non-gift, leading to thousands of potentially wasted dollars, and a lot of pain on multiple levels.
For these and other reasons, for the time being, I would recommend beginning to teach her music theory when you feel that she's ready. The easiest starting place, in my opinion, is to begin with a good piano teacher (or a stringed instrument of some kind). With pianos and stringed instruments, one has the ability to clearly see intervals as they're played, unlike instruments like a flute, trumpet, clarinet, etc., which are much less visual. I would go to a teacher or a place that will agree to eventually implement some sort of music theory curriculum--where your daughter would begin to have an understanding of what is really happening when her voice sings higher and lower, or longer/shorter, etc. Read my blog entry called Tribute , and it will give you some things to look for in a teacher. Also, don't hesitate to switch teachers, if you feel like the things you're hoping for are not being accomplished. Well, that's what I've got for now.
Regarding age, I've seen kids start with the "Suzuki" method (one option for training for you--not the only one, though) before they can talk...there are a lot of studies on it, and starting too soon doesn't hurt. Just don't turn into a freakazoid, way out of proportion music Nazi with a little one...do everything in moderation. The best and most fulfilled musicians are (in my opinion) those who have developed a legitmate love for their art, not just highly trained performers.

Elmo's World

2008-06-21T06:38:00.003-04:00

When I was a little boy, I would occasionally go over to my Uncle Elmo's house with my dad. (Great) Uncle Elmo lived a little less than mile away from our house, I would guess, through the woods and over a big hill if you're hiking--about a 5 minute drive, though, around the woods and hill. He lived in a very small (like the size of my kitchen, literally) one bedroom house. In the house was a small stove, bed, table, a chair or two...I can't even remember if he had a real refrigerator, but let's say that he did....

Uncle Elmo worked the land and loved nature probably as much as anyone alive (although he passed away quite a few years back). He actually had a pond where he would call fish to the bank--no, I'm serious--he would call the fish, "Here, fishy fishy fishy...", and they would come swimming up to the bank for some food or something. Crazy.

I didn't go inside the house much, but remember one day very well. I was standing in the corner when I saw a bunch of ants. I did what most 5 year old kids would do...started stomping. I'd polished off about 5 or 10 of the worthless creatures when I heard a sharp, "What are you doin'?" from across the room. "Those ants are my friends...stop that!" I quickly stopped the slaughter and fell in line behind my dad, wondering what on earth would happen next. Nothing else was actually said about it. I was off the hook--a little scared, though, and definitely curious about the whole "let's be friends with ants" concept.

Noah reminded me of the whole experience this morning as he spotted a couple of the creatures over in the corner. He quickly ran over to the ants in his grammy's house (don't tell her--she constantly tells herself that there's no such things as bugs in houses, I think--oh wait...! Noah just actually caught one in a cup and showed her as I was typing this. Her response--"where'd you find that? Not in the house, I hope!" I told ya...) OK--back to the story. Noah started talking to the ants. He told one of them about his operation and then the trip to Jamestown yesterday. He told the ant about his coonskin cap that he got, with a real raccoon tail. He talked for a while before coming over to me...
"Dad!"

"Yes, my boy."

"I'm going to catch one of those ants for a little bug pet."

"OK"

"Well, first, I'm going to wash my hands so there's no germs on them"

"OK"

"Then I'm going to dry my hands really well so that he doesn't drown" (Noah's always thinkin')

"Good idea"

Noah went on to explain to me how ants are friendly and that "little guys need friends too".

His idea for capture was to go get some human food, because ants love people food, and put it in his hand. Maybe just a little cheese on his finger or something, he said, to trick the ant, and then, he could have the little guy as his friend forever.

Noah has his ant.

Uncle Elmo would be proud.

Jamestown

2008-06-20T20:51:00.010-04:00

Jamestown...lots of historical fun, I must say. We saw an Indian (I think I'm supposed to say Native American) village, 3 really cool ship replicas (by "replica", I mean to scale copies, which seemed to have no modern improvements whatsoever in or on the ships, down to the nails used, etc.), the "Jamestown" settlement village, and a LOT of really cool stuff in between. The villages all were completely functional, with a lot of "workers" there to keep things moving along. Things like wood work, canoe building, cooking, garden tending, leather tanning, blacksmith shop, etc. It brought things to life, and was a lot of fun for us and the kids.

A lady explained at one point to Noah how they would make tea out of sassafras roots. It reminded me of being a kid, searching the hillside where I grew up sassafras saplings I could pull up to chop up the root for tea...I wonder if they had microwaves in Jamestown back in the day....

Settle Down

2008-06-19T13:27:00.004-04:00

To those of you who have been praying for Noah, I want to offer our sincere thanks.

The last 2 days have been amazing, as we've watched Noah breeze through something that has, in the past, been a very painful and difficult experience. The only difference that we can really figure out is God's choosing to take away pain and grant peace through the situation.

Noah has been feeling pretty well--we've just been trying to keep him settled down all day today, as he feels that he's ready to go back to normal activity (if you'd like to classify our family as "normal", that is).

If he's still feeling this well tomorrow, I'm told we're going to take a trip to historic Jamestown, where we'll see some old stuff. Something about settling and founding a nation or something...good times.

St. Mary's (Hospital) Update

2008-06-17T10:30:00.003-04:00

I just got off the phone with the surgeon, who said all is well. Noah was back there for a little less than 3 hours, and I'm told everything went well (mostly best case scenario). I expect we'll be called back to recovery momentarily. Thanks so much for praying for us. Keep it up through the healing process. Hopefully things work out this time--we'll see in a few months!!

Father's Day

2008-06-17T08:17:00.002-04:00

OK...I'm not so sure about this, but I got an email this morning (that was supposed to be retrieved a couple of days ago, but I got too busy). It was from my sweet wife, Jennifer, and I'll be in trouble if I don't post it, so here it goes....

Hey,I wanted to surprise you and post a blog about you, but I couldn't remember all your passwords.So, if you would be so kind as to copy and paste this I'd really appreciate it!
Thank You
Ted, since it's your day, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for being such an amazing dad to our 2 kids. I realize this is something I should do EVERY day, but being the nearly (but not quite) perfect person that I am, I sometimes forget. I love that you never leave the house without hugging and kissing the kids and saying "I love you!" I see the way their eyes light up when "daddy's home!" They run for the door and cling to your legs like monkeys, laughing and squealing with happiness! I see the way you play with Noah and make him laugh like no one else can.You understand his personality far better than I do, and you continually nurture his creativity. I enjoy watching you sing and play guitar and piano with him. I've witnessed your incredible patience after many of his surgeries, when I know you were exhausted, but you stayed by his side all night to comfort him as he was hurting. I love nothing more than peeking in his room each night and watching the two of you reading and praying together before his lights go out. I watch the way your tenderly hold Morgen and snuggle with her when she's just waking up from a nap. You're protective of your little girl while allowing her to exert her growing independence. I watch your eyes light up when she comes into the room in her dress-up clothes and runs to your arms yelling "DADDY, I'm a princess!"You are quick to discipline but even quicker to give hugs afterwards. You are always striving to give your family priority, above all else, even when you are juggling a million things on your plate. Your kids know how much they are loved, and that has given them confidence and security. We have two AMAZING children, thanks in large part to you.Thank you for the daddy that you are! Happy Father's Day Ted!
Your kiddos love you, and so do I!Jen

St. Mary's (Hospital)

2008-06-16T16:47:00.005-04:00

Arrrgh. I'm sitting at the airport, waiting to get on a flight (not the one that I'd intended to get on). I'll be leaving (hopefully) about 3 hours later than I thought, going through a different city to arrive in Richmond, VA, where my family has been for a week without me (sad, huh?).

My 6 year old, Noah, will be having surgery tomorrow at 7:30am (the surgery time has been moved 2 times now) at St. Mary's Hospital. The surgery is yet another attempt (we've been down this road many times before) to get rid of scar tissue that was a result of a surgery he had as a 2 year old (or so). I would guess we've had at least 10 surgeries for this...it's something that really needs to be figured out, as the scar tissue is internal, and has the potential to cause major urinary tract infections, etc.
If you could keep the situation in your prayers, I'd sure appreciate it. Also, if you happen to be a world class pediatric urologist with some great ideas on what to do, shoot me an email. I'd love to chat....

#40

2008-06-08T20:32:00.004-04:00

So, does anyone know of a couple who...

-are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today
-have 4 amazing kids (well, 3 are amazing...one is average--yes, I'm either being modest, or picking a fight...you decide)

-have 15 grand-children (almost 16)

-have over 50 combined years of public education experience

-are FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) sponsors for Ockerman Middle School

-have been committed for 25 years to a weekly ministry to campers at East Fork Lake State Park and/or Kincaid Lake State Park with Campers for Christ (and are founder and president)

-have a great love for family (especially first-born sons)

-have a love for the outdoors

-love God with all they have

-love music

-have hearts to serve others

-are quick to give to anyone with a need

-only eat raw vegetables (well, at least one of them)

-have a son who can't find a picture of his parents anywhere on his computer, for some crazy reason

Oh, wait! I know a couple like that! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Thanks for being a great example to me and the many others who are privileged to have you as a part of their lives.

Love One Another

2008-06-05T19:12:00.003-04:00

I got a letter last week. It was from a lady in California, who I knew from when I was in ministry there at Big Valley Grace Church. Her name is Joyce.
I had sent Joyce a letter and pictures of our kids, etc. a few weeks back--something I'd intended to do for quite some time, actually (like a year, actually), but the day that I finally did it, I knew that I needed to do it that day, for some reason. Her letter back explained to me why.
She was lonely. She was afraid. She needed God to let her know that He cared about her the day she got the letter. He came through, yet again (and always does).
See, Joyce had lost her husband, Norman, exactly one year ago to the day that she got the letter from me (I hadn't put that together at all). In fact, the entire month of May was just a scary time for her. I'm SO THANKFUL that I listened that day, and chose to obey the leading of the Spirit of God. I'm convinced that I miss it SO often....
Something really encouraging for me, while reading her 7 page, handwritten letter (wow--at least this retired school teacher has excellent penmanship!) was the fact that she's connected to a home church type setting, filled with people who love her and care about her, checking in with her on a regular basis. It's interesting how as we look back, we often see that God is placing people in our paths who will help us through what He knows we're about to encounter. The journey through the experiences together strengthen our love for one another, and ultimately builds our faith in God and His plan for our lives. Home churches are a great place for those things to happen. I'm thankful for mine. Maybe you should join us....

American Idol Final 2

2008-05-21T14:12:00.007-04:00

OK...no frills or individual song reviews for this final Idol installment.

David and David are both amazing musicians, and I will honestly be very happy with whatever the result is tonight. I like that they're very different from one another musically, and also that they both appear to be genuinely very good guys, which is cool.

My official prediction at this point of the game...The winner is going to be...

Tonight, they will crown the champion:

David.

Happy Birthday to...

2008-05-16T22:56:00.007-04:00

Morgen!!!

Yes, my sweet little girl turned 2 TODAY!! We went to Johnny Buccelli's for lunch (where the nice ice cream lady gave Morgen a lot of extra scoops and toppings!!), and we later gave her a LOT of presents to unwrap! Some of her favorites were "my little pony", a little stroller for her dolls, a pair of sunglasses, etc. We also got her a bunch of balloons (what kid doesn't love balloons?), some with her favorite things on them--princesses!! She seems to love princesses these days...she's convinced that she is one, I think. Me too....

Tribute

2008-05-16T07:59:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday night was pretty special. This was the final concert for Dr. Randy Wolfe as the director of the Cincinnati Boychoir. It's been a lot of years since I've seen him (well over 10, I"m sure). Pictured here is Dr. Wolfe with me, my brother Tyler, and my big sister (yes, she's standing up), Tricia.
During my growing up years, my siblings and I (my younger sister, Toni is not pictured here) spend a ridiculous amount of time with this musical giant. Every Saturday morning, while most kids were deep into cartoons, we got to wake up at about 6:30am to be at his house by 8am (nearly an hour away). We all took piano and voice lessons from him...brings back some horrible memories of having to listen to my siblings practice (ha!).
Some things that make a good teacher:
(Dr. Wolfe was truly all of this and then some)
-excellent at their skill (I don't want to learn from someone who doesn't have a clue)
An amazing pianist, with numerous awards and accomplishments under his belt, nobody on the planet would ever question his abilities. Dr. Wolfe also has quite a good grasp on vocal performance, with an understanding of multiple foreign languages (especially his favorite, German).
-good communicator/charismsa
The ability to keep over 100 boys at a time captive during 2 hour rehearsals for well over 20 years should speak for itself here....
-always learning
The best teachers never "arrive". I still remember the time I told him as a kid that I wished I were as good as he was, so that I would never have to practice. That didn't go down so well....
-cares about more than just the art
Randy Wolfe cares about people--legitimately. If a teacher doesn't love people, keep them away from students. In the end, they will generally bring more harm than good.
-is able to have fun doing it
I can't tell you how many fun memories I have with this guy. He understands this principal well. Too well.
-is honest
There is a balance between being an encourager to your students, and lying to them. This is what makes the auditions for American Idol so incredibly amusing. These people really believe that they're all that, because "my teacher says I'm the best ever...". I still remember the day that Dr. Wolfe got pretty angry with me, basically telling me that I was wasting my talents by not ever practicing, and just coasting because I thought I could get away with it. Honesty. It's a good thing.
-is able to create passion in the heart of a student (most important, in my opinion)
Yes. Most important, in my opinion, is the ability to instill passion in their students. I believe that passion will get a student further than anything else. The student who listens to recordings for hours on end of their favorite musicians, just to figure out exactly how to play or sing it, then goes and practices for twice that amount of time, to make their instrument sound the same way as what they heard...that student is generally going to be good some day. The students who love the art, and is not just playing because their parents are making them do it are generally the ones who will excel the fastest. A good teacher will take a student, whose parents are making them do something, and somehow be able to (sometimes) convert that into a student who loves the art.
I joined the Cincinnati Boychoir in 1986 at age 11, the same year that Dr. Wolfe became the director. Through my years there, Dr. Wolfe took me under his wing, and allowed me to be a leader. Some things he should have never trusted me to do: He trusted me to teach sight reading to boys, etc. (I felt pretty clueless...I just taught the others all of the things that he was teaching me privately--there's another principle here, I'm sure). He allowed me to do "sectionals". He gave me solo after solo. He enrolled me in other things in the community (like the time I auditioned to be Amahl in Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors"). He allowed me to conduct the Boychoir in front of thousands at Cincinnati's Music Hall (among other places), as the "assistant director" at age 14!!!
Yes, there is certainly a big place in my heart for Randy Wolfe. I look up to him as the person who invested in my musical foundation more than any others (outside of my parents, who were the ones who actually committed all the time and dollars to make all of the above happen--thanks mom and dad!). Thank you Dr. Wolfe for all you've done for me, and for countless others. Your love for God and people shines through all you do. May God continue to direct your steps in the days to come.

American Idol Top 3

2008-05-13T21:51:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we're already at the top 3 here....

OK 3 songs each--I feel like it's going to be another rushed show.

David Archuleta

"And So It Goes"--one of my favorite Billy Joel songs, and one of my favorite melodies of all times, really. Thanks for choosing it, Paula (since I know you read my blog). I sit and play this one at the piano often. OK--I wish he would have let the melody stand on its own more. There were too many licks for me (although they were all clean). Well done. Oversung. Great job.

"With You"--I don't know the song (and didn't like it all that much). He did a great job, though, as always. Not amazing.

"Longer"--again--more licks than necessary, especially at the beginning. Well done, though. Abrupt ending, again. I hate feeling rushed in this show....

Syesha Mercado

"If I Ain't Got You"--I'm glad Randy chose this song, to let us hear something a little different on her voice. She's singing it very well.... Yet again, I will say that she has enormous potential to be an amazing vocalist (far beyond being extremely good, which she is). Great job, Syesha.

"Fever"--She'll probably do well with this song. I don't really like the personality that's starting to come out with her all that much in the interaction with Ryan, etc. It's good that she's feeling comfortable, though, I guess. I LOVED the wah pedal on the guitar, and it was a good choice to bring the upright bass guy out, as that is the critical instrument through the song. I feel that she did better than the judges let on, but it wasn't amazing. This is just the kind of song that a musical theater buff would pick.

"Hit Me Up"--don't remember hearing this song before (but evidently, I guess I did, since I remember suffering through the "Happy Feet" movie). Lots of pitch problems through the song. It really didn't feel like a song for her to me. Bad song choice, I think. Too bad for Syesha.

David Cook

"The First Time Ever Saw Your Face"--Good job. It's about what I though he would do. It felt like the end was a little much, but it seemed that the crowd loved it. I do like that he branched out, and did something a little different with it...let me take the opportunity to say that what these contestants pull off every week is borderline miraculous. Not only do they maintain incredibly busy weeks, but they have to learn new songs, and sometimes pull off originality in arrangements, etc. Kind of tough for a professional musician, let alone an actress, bartender and high school student....

"Dare You to Move"-- by Switchfoot (a great band, whose music I've been listening to a bunch lately)--It was pretty good. I could have picked a better song by Switchfoot for him. Paula was right--you can't really present a song like that completely in less than 2 minutes. It's kind of unfair to them, but it's a level playing field.

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"--Neat Beatles vibe to it, with the string ensemble and all at the beginning. He's going to make it go huge at the end. You can tell that he's just keeping it small to give it somewhere to go...I told ya so...there it goes. One of the marks of a good musician is being able to keep something very simple at times in order to go somewhere else with it later. CONTRAST makes things pop. It seems so simple, but MuSiCiAnS often don't get it. Hopefully, you understand what I'm getting at here. I'm making my own eyes go buggy, trying to demonstrate the point. Great job, David.

Tomorrow night--Syesha is going home. See ya!

Noah's Mother's Day Special Edition entry

2008-05-11T08:21:00.009-04:00

Today, I'm featuring a special guest artist, displaying Mother's Day art and a note to Jennifer from the artist(you'll quickly discover what he was watching on the tv as this was done):

Happy Mother's Day, mom.

I think I got a new surprise for you. Some day, would you like to go see The Munster's at the studio, and make them our new friends, and meet some of them?
I want to make you breakfast, instead of you making breakfast. Maybe you could watch The Musters with me. But don't be too late, because it might be over. Oops. It's over, and you can't watch it, and that's bad. The show's over. That's bad. Really bad.
So I have an idea...when we go see The Muster's, we can ask them to do a show again.

Happy Mother's Day!

Love, Noah

Below is the inside of the card above.

This picture is an alien. The green glob is his daddy. They're standing on a space hill.

American Idol Top 4

2008-05-07T17:24:00.002-04:00

Just a quick review of the show, as I just watched it...

1st round was won by David Archuleta. (and Jason C. was not nearly as bad as they said.)
2nd round was lost by Jason Castro (oops!), and probably won by David A (or Syesha, actually).
David Cook somehow kind of disappeared tonight, which will not be to his advantage at all.

Syesha is vocally infinitely better than Jason Castro, although I'd probably rather to to his concert, as he seems to be a really good musician in general, and I just like him. Jen thinks that Jason and Syesha will be bottom two. I think that Jason will be going home tonight for obvious reasons. Joining him in the bottom 2 will be the major upset of David Cook (although he's safe). I think Syesha and David A will be the top 2 tonight. We'll see shortly!

Time For a Change

2008-05-05T20:41:00.002-04:00

What on earth just happened to my blog???

Well, my good friend Beckie Farrant is in town visiting us (with her son, Isaac). They left daddy, Tim, back in Indiana for this trip. I got home from a busy day, and Beckie said (within minutes), "Hey Ted, let's do something new with your blog--it's so boring." (or something like that) Nothing can motivate me like calling something I'm doing boring, so we were off.

A little background: Tim, Beckie, Jennifer and I were all at Liberty University at the same time. I was actually a part of the team that assisted Beckie in making the decision to head for Liberty out of high school in Chicago. Not long after my Liberty years, they came out to join us at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, CA. Beckie landed there as my assistant, and Tim was one of the youth pastors. We've been through much together. (Including the day that we nearly killed eachother--literally--while our competitive natures took over during a board game...our spouses grounded us from "games" for a while after that one--ugggh.).

For quite a while now, Beckie has exercised her creative side non-stop, in as many ways as a stay-at-home mom possibly could, I think. Combine that with learning some html stuff...we've got a monster on our hands, here.

Check her out over at infarrantly creative. Learn a lot.

Minnesota

2008-05-05T16:28:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm off to Minnesota tomorrow--Minneapolis (which means the city of abundant law enforcement in Shawnee--OK. Not really, but it should). That to say...NO Idol review this week from me (probably). I know...you're all heartbroken EXCEPT for those who recently asked me if I would ever write anything except Idol again. Yes--and here it is. I will write about not being able to write about it.

Seriously, though--I'm headed to MN for a one day trip to meet with a company called Search America, with whom I'm partnering in one of the business start-ups that I'm working on right now with my brother, Tyler (and another guy named Tony). I'm praying for wisdom, discernment, and guidance for the trip. Join me. (please)

American Idol Top 5

2008-04-30T08:38:00.003-04:00

Neil Diamond night (or morning, in my case, as I didn't get home 'til past midnight last night).

Let's get to it.

Jason Castro

"Forever in Blue Jeans"--great song choice, and very good performance. Interesting that his guitar was ENTIRELY out of the mix. Well done.

"September Morn"--Didn't like it that much. It felt a little too forced for him to me--especially the staging, key change and all.

David Cook

"I'm Alive"--Interesting that his guitar was also entirely out of the TV mix (but he did a great job making it look like he was playing the actual lead riff--ha!). I didn't like it that much, really. It was OK.

"All I Really Need is You"--Better than the first song, for sure. Not amazing, but much better than the first, and solid. Good job. The drum fill into the chorus, and big chorus feel made the song.

(FYI, the AC stands for Adam Cook--his brother, battling brain cancer)

Brook White

"I'm a Believer"--Didn't like it all that much. It's a little to happy-go-lucky-ish and shallow for her. (and all these songs are feeling way too rushed right now--they should have just stuck with one song, and done it right, instead of flying through stuff)

"I Am I Said"--I'm surprised that she's back on the piano, honestly. Good for her, though. She seems to be back in her groove. Much better than the first song. I liked it (although it still felt rushed, because there's not time to really complete the songs). Good job, Brooke.

David Archuleta

"Sweet Caroline"--I really like the switched up feel on this song a lot this week. It felt very good to me. Well done, David.

"America"--I loved the guitar riff at the beginning. Great song choice for him, for sure. Good performance (exactly what I expected).

Syesha Mercado
"Hello Again"--Really safe choice for her. She did it just fine. Not bad. Not amazing.

"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"--Well, she's back in her musical theater groove, which works for her (although it's not what I would choose to listen to frequently). Great vocal. Good job. Broadway superstar to be, maybe.

I'm with Simon--Syesha may be in trouble, HOWEVER, this is anyone's game at this point. Strange things often happen at this stage of the game. My guess is that Brook and Jason will join Syesha in the bottom 3.

Angels Watchin' Over Me

2008-04-23T11:54:00.004-04:00

It's pretty interesting that one of my favorite paintings is by ?? painted in ??--I'm sure none of you know who actually painted this (feel free to correct me here). It's one of my favorites because it was on the wall of one of my sibling's bedrooms growing up. I can remember staring at that thing for long periods of time, thinking...are there really angels? Do they really protect me like that? Of course, in my case, angels were there to protect me from my younger brother, Tyler, who manageed to shoot me through the thumb, knock me down with the claw of a hammer to the eye-socket, something about a throwing knife that I can't seem to remember completely, etc. (we played with interesting items, it appears).
So what is your favorite painting? Favorite artist? Anyone?

Check out other Watercooler Wednesday posts by clicking the link.

American Idol Top 6

2008-04-22T21:31:00.005-04:00

Andrew Lloyd Webber night--WOW!! The musical theater guru himself. He's written a lot of WEIRD stuff, but a lot of amazing stuff as well, of course. I was actually listening to a bit of his Requiem yesterday (not realizing that this was coming tonight). I'm really interested to see what on Earth most of these contestants are going to do with this....

Syesha Mercado--"One Rock and Roll Too Many"--She certainly was at an advantage, knowing Andrew Lloyd Webber music well. Great song choice, and again I'll say--she's really a good vocalist. She could be a Broadway superstar, for sure. She seemed really comfortable singing tonight, and did a great job.

Jason Castro--"Memories"--The interview thing was awesome...now for the song. Probably a good choice for him. He could have pitched it at least a whole step higher, I think, and it would have been better. Still pretty good, and he managed to (mostly) stay true to himself (except for the orchestral arrangement). And yes--this song was originally written to be sung by a cat. (told you he wrote some weird stuff).

Brooke White--"You Must Love Me"--Ugggh. She dropped lyrics and asked to start the song over...wow. I like that she was sitting down most of the song--makes for less awkward movements from her. Well, it could have been worse, but certainly not her best. I feel bad for her (not the first time).

David Archuleta--"Think of Me"--Well, it seemed a bit changed up, just for the sake of changing it up, to be honest. It didn't seem better--almost worse to me, honestly. I still admire his bravery in changing up such a popular song. It wasn't bad, really, but not that good, I think. He's still a great singer, and is safe as can be (of course).

Carly Smithson--"Jesus Christ, Superstar"--Good for ALW to make her change songs from "All I Ask of You". That could have been less good. First--I dislike the song and the musical, as it seems all a bit sacrilegious. That being said, she did a great job singing, as usual. Well done.

David Cook--"The Music of the Night"--Not what I expected. It sounded like Michael Crawford's original to me. Surprise. It was very well performed, in a very musical theater-ish way. Weird. All he needed was a "Phantom of the Opera" mask. The last note was the only thing that was different, really. Good job, David.

OK--Simon hates musical theater. AND...Brooke's gone. I like her (I actually like everyone who is left at this point), but 2 not good performances in a row--I don't think she'll be able to hold on. Joining her in the bottom will be Syesha (although she gave the best performance of the night, in my opinion) and Jason Castro.

Good Times

2008-04-22T14:14:00.003-04:00

One word: Facebook (or is that 2 words?). I had a couple of friends ask me recently if I was a facebooker (I'm sure that's not a word at all). Well, I took the plunge, and IS IT CRAZY! It instantly came up with over 100 people who I knew, from high school, college, California, Ohio, etc. When you join facebook, you get to view profiles, with photos, etc., just to get reacquainted with people from your past (or learn more about people from present--sometimes quite scary). Another thing I learned quickly, is that it can also be a colossal waste (or expense might be a better word here) of time, if unchecked.

Everything in moderation....

American Idol Top 7

2008-04-16T09:06:00.003-04:00

OK--sorry this is late, y'all. Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday, though!

Today is Mariah Carey day. I'll admit, that I once liked her, in the late 80s/early 90s as a singer. She's not really my style any longer (not sure she was then, but girls liked Mariah, and I like girls...domino effect thing, maybe--uggh....I'm such a sell out....)
David Archuletta--"When You Believe"--I really like that song a lot--loved it the first time I heard it. I think he should have stayed with the melody more on the chorus, instead of doing licks over everything. There will be time for that later for him--not yet though, when he only has one shot at the chorus. Of course, he sounded great, and I think he picked the right song. Good job over all.
Carly Smithson--"I Can't Live"--I would have like a little more reverb on her vocal, actually. Not her fault. It probably wasn't her best, but very very good. She's a great, VERY consistent singer.
Syesha Mercado--"Vanishing"--I'm expecting some great things from her tonight, with Mariah tunes. A little out of tune from the onset, but locked right in after that. Again, I think she could be absolutely stellar after a few more years of vocal maturation. At this point, she's just extremely good. She did a great job tonight. Really. She might be the best vocalist on the show this year, in regards to what she CAN do, but needs some refinement and more time in front of big crowds.
Brooke White--"Hero"--OK--If Brooke's not nervous, I am for her. This will be a big stretch for her, if she in ANY way tries to copy the original. Should have chosen some different chords from the piano. It sounded WEAK at the beginning. And a little throughout, actually. Yikes. She fell apart a bit at the piano in the middle. Probably should have gone with the FULL ORCHESTRA THAT WAS JUST SITTING THERE ON THAT TUNE!! Not very good, however brave it might have been. Paula was right. SO often, when people get a little bit nervous, or something gets wrong, the beat gets faster. She followed suit. Worst so far (although I like her).
Kristy Lee Cook--"Forever"--I'm expecting nothing much. It can only exceed my expectations here. Never having heard that song, It probably fit her as much as any possible Mariah song could have. The steel guitar thing worked for her. She exceeded my expectations. Not bad, really. IF there is any hope of her going anywhere in this competition, she made it a little better tonight. Good for her (but she still doesn't have a hope in the world).
David Cook--"Always Be My Baby"--OK--I'm more eager to hear him than any others tonight...just to see what he's going to do. Good choice for him to have someone else play the guitar tonight, so he can concentrate on vocals, etc. I liked the big toms/strings entrance on the pre-chorus a lot. It got big, and good. I liked the monotone power bgv's--it produces a lot of power in the sound. They should have lived there a little longer, and not gone into parts. Great arrangement. Best of the night, as far as I'm concerned. GREAT JOB DAVID! REALLY well done.
Jason Castro--"I Don't Want to Cray"--IF he doesn't take her advice on the melodic changes, he's an idiot. He needs to keep it simple tonight. Let's see here...great string entrance! I liked the song, over-all. I think he probably SHOULD have kept the guitar, actually (he seems more comfortable with it). Pretty good job, though. Well done, Jason.

Bottom 3--Syesha, Brooke and Kristy Lee Cook. My prediction: there will be an upset as we all watch Brooke leave us tonight. Sad times ahead.

Idol Gives Back

2008-04-09T22:58:00.003-04:00

OK...getting in my Watercooler Wednesday post.
(for those tuning in from the Watercooler, if you want my to check out my detailed take on yesterday's Idol show, check out my post from yesterday by clicking HERE)
Let me just throw out there that the opener to tonight's show was AMAZING--great music, great dancing, great lighting, etc. Wow. Those people can DANCE!!
I'm just going to watch the show now, and take it in. Again, thank you American Idol for caring about people other than yourselves. Well done!

Oh--and I want a mic like Snoop Dogg's.

American Idol Top 8

2008-04-08T20:22:00.004-04:00

OK...just got back from the first round (played 9) of golf for the season, at Buck Ridge Golf Course (not counting the round in Virginia back in January). I hopped in the "Saints and Sinners" golf league as a sub for when people can't make it (I'm not ready to commit for the entire season). Very fun, and a great group of guys.... Now, for the main event. Top 8!!

Genre: Inspirational week...what does that mean, exactly? Maybe we'll find out.

Michael Johns--"Dream On"--what was the scarf thing? That was weird. Great vocal tonight, up 'til the "up the octave", falsetto part (for some reason, people think that's difficult to do...it's not), which I didn't actually like from him, although the actual notes were spot on. Good song choice, as well. Very inspirational (ha!). (bad chord came from the band toward the end--get it together, band!). Good performance.

Syesha Mercado--"I Believe"--I like her voice a lot (I've said that before, I think). Great song choice, I think. I like her more and more, the more I see her. Her vocal licks were really clean tonight, and although it was a really big song, she handled it great. Her best yet, as far as I'm concerned (and Randy's nuts). This girl nailed it tonight.

Jason Castro--"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"--It seemed like he jacked up the words a bunch (maybe not...just seemed like it). I actually didn't really like the song choice, although I like the original recording of that arrangement a lot. He did a good job for sure, but not great, as far as I'm concerned.

Kristy Lee Cook--"Anyway"--I think she paid the audio engineers to bury her vocals in the mix a little more than usual. Smart. Definite pitch problems. She just doesn't quite have the power needed on a song like that. Not bad, but I've seen her mess songs up way worse than that.

David Cook--"Innocent"--Didn't like his voice at the beginning at all, 'til he jumped up the octave. What a drummer!! I don't know that song, but it's really cool sounding. ("we are all innocent"--what does that mean? we're all guilty) I didn't like the performance that much, really. And the "give back" thing on his hand seemed really gimmicky (although we'll all remember that, I'm sure). Just sing a good song, man.

Carly Smithson--"Show Must Go On"--Great song choice. She is so intense...not as clean a performance as she's done in past weeks. Quite a few "pitchy" spots. She's done a lot better, but she's still an amazing singer, for sure. Not great.

David Archuleta--"Angels"--Great licks at the end. That was the part of the song that I liked. I don't know...I didn't really love the rest of it all that much. I'm not sure if he's confident enough on the piano, really, to focus on great vocals. It was clearly not as good a vocal as it normally is, but very good.

Brooke White--"You've Got a Friend"--What a great song, and certainly "inspirational". She definitely sang from the heart, and did a great job. I really wish it had more originality to it in the arrangement, though. It felt pretty old school to me. That said, I really like her more and more, because she seems so real to me.

Ugggh. It gets tough at this point to guess who's leaving us.... The worst performer there is definitely Kristy Lee Cook. She'll be in the bottom with Michael Johns and Syesha Mercado (although I thought she had one of her best nights tonight). Hopefully KLC will leave, and at that point, we'll have 7 potentially really good performers remaining, to make it interesting for the weeks to come.

I'm looking forward to "Idol Gives Back" tomorrow night. Last year was really cool, and I'm glad they're doing something like that. They really don't have to, but they are. Good for them.

Noah's Song

2008-04-04T11:08:00.007-04:00

So, I brought my old home theater speakers (Monitor Audio Silver 5i) upstairs to test out the amp I just bought for Journey--a nice QSC to drive monitors for this weekend's band. I bought it used, so just wanted to be sure it all worked OK. It didn't. It worked AMAZINGLY. I'd forgotten how awesome those speakers are, and with that amp...wow. As you can see, our kids were glued there for a bit, listening as the speakers thumped music into their souls.
I'd come across an old (2002) Watermark (Nathan and Christy Nockels) CD in my iPod called Constant--there's a song called "Seek Me" that I used to love for testing out systems. As the cd continued, though, it got to a song that I'd all but forgotten about. It was a sweet, happy song about their well named son, "Noah". I didn't listen to that song much when the cd first came out. We were struggling a bit at the time with our newborn, called by the same name. I guess it was difficult listening to that kind of song about someone else's journey down a different path than mine.
This time, I listened to the song intently. Suppressing tears, I was reminded of much, and recognized again how much God has given us.
Most specifically, I thought of this past Wednesday, when I took Noah with me to a few stores. The first place, a lawn and garden store, Noah saw some construction guys on the roof. Cool! "Hello friend!", he called to the first guy. Then louder. The man stopped what he was doing, and his countenance quickly changed. With a smile on his face, he called back, "Hey, buddy!" We talked for a bit (and again, as we left the store later). Then off to Home Depot, where the same thing went down with the Home depot guy who works on the contractor purchase side--a big burly man, who was quick to soften when Noah called him "friend". Off to Target next, where Noah talked for a while with one of the employees, who commented on his manners, and seemed to be glowing when she finally pulled away from Noah (who might have kept her there for a few hours). Noah has taught us much. This song by the Nockels' sums it up pretty well. Thanks for the song, Nathan and Christy.

"Noah's Song"
by Nathan and Christy Nockels

Sweet Noah, Your eyes are a window
To all of our childhood dreams
It's almost like we're starting over again
One more trip through this life
With different eyes to see
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the joy we lack
With your tiny hands you touch a different world

Your full of wonder, full of hope
And full of one more chance
For us to see the world again
Like God sees the world

Little lover of God You'd smile at a stranger
You don't think to be careful
How sweet is your love
You'd reach for the most unlovely of creatures
Your love is so unconditional
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the love we lack
With your tiny heart
You'll love a different world
Your full of wonder, full of hope
And full of one more chance
For us to love the world again
Like God loves the world

And a child shall lead them
For such is the kingdom of heaven
Simple faith, simple love
Just because

Little faithful one
You're just like a mirror
Reflecting anything and everything we do
Mirror, mirror oh how you remind us
That we should reflect our Father just the same
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the faith we lack
With your tiny life
You've shown the precious love of God
He's full of mercy, full of grace,
And full of one more chance
For us to daily learn to love Like He first loved us

And a child shall lead them
For such is the kingdom of heaven
Simple faith, simple love
Just because.

There is a Reason

2008-04-04T09:19:00.002-04:00

OK...it's getting difficult, keeping up with the song title thing on the blog, but I'm sticking with it. "There is a Reason" is a really cool Alison Krauss song--check it out on iTunes. That being said...
There is a reason these letters are on our island in the kitchen. Jen's working on a project. Anyone want to guess???

American Idol TOP NINE

2008-04-01T20:17:00.004-04:00

(I figured if I put her picture up, she might get voted off...let's see if it works)

OK...the "April Fools" edition of American Idol. Bring it....
Tonight's mentor: Dolly Parton--obviously iconic, amazing, high-energy, ageless (literally I think) performer.

Brooke White--"Jolene"--the crooked mouth thing started up for her tonight (someone please tell me if I do that--it's annoying to watch). I didn't like it that much, but it wasn't bad, necessarily. It felt a little sloppy musically (not a tight band or vocal)--just didn't gel. Not bad.
David Cook--"Little Sparrow"--His own arrangement, this time, evidently. Pretty good, but not amazing to me. He's definitely solid. I liked that he played an acoustic guitar this week, and lost the other guitar for a performance.
Ramiele Malubay--"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"--I feel like I just turned on a Gaither Homecoming video. And (not to knock Bill Gaither--great guy) I enjoyed it about as much (not). Not good. Hopefully, she'll leave soon, although tonight's singing wasn't horrid.
Jason Castro--"Travelin' Through"--My favorite song of the night so far, I think. Great song choice. I like the little pre-chorus sections of the song. He looked comfortable on the stage and the band seemed to gel together.
Carly Smithson--"Here You Come Again"--Definitely not a song written by Dolly Parton. Not my favorite song in the world, but SHE CAN SING LIKE CRAZY. I'd pick her over Celine Dion any day of the week. She's so good. Great job at making an average song sound good.
David Archuleta--"Smoky Mountain Memories"--He's a really good singer. For real. And again tonight, he's so passionate about singing and is able to connect with the songs better than most professionals. He did a great job tonight--it seemed like his upper range was easier for him tonight than in past weeks. Good for him.
Kristy Lee Cook--"Coat of Many Colors"--She's just not a good performer. The song was OK. The thing at the end was not necessary--just a little showy, but not good. Not bad. Not good. She just lucky to still be here, and seems to know it at this point.
Syesha Mercado--"I Will Always Love You"--I didn't realize Dolly wrote that one--wow! That song should keep Dollywood afloat for about another century or so. The white down lighting did horrible things to her hair (sorry). Not very good breath control early on, but a great tone to her voice. The long note thing was just for that-- a long note--not really musical. I wish she had kept it simple, and not done the Whitney key change in the middle. It hurt her, I think.... She's not as good as Whitney. Yet (maybe some day).
Michael Johns--"It's All Wrong, But It's Alright"--Great song choice, I think. A great blues/gospel feel to it. I like that he kept it really simple musically, letting his voice shine (which it did). GREAT, musical guitar player/piano player, too. Great job, over-all.

Leaving us tomorrow night Ramiele or Kristy Lee Cook. I hope.

Sleep Over (with Shrek)

2008-03-26T17:01:00.005-04:00

Watercooler Wednesday post (a BIT of a stretch with the guidelines, but there's a movie in the post...and I cooked...it counts....):

OK...so it was just Noah (my 6 year old son) and me. He'd asked--no, begged me a week or so ago for me to have a "sleep over" with him. I told him that we'd put it on the calendar. The day finally came: Easter Sunday night. I made some popcorn (NOT microwave, but I actually made popcorn, with the big pot, oil, some really good seasoning that my sister gave me a while back, etc.--much more satisfaction than throwing a bag in a microwave), poured some root beer, and put on a movie of his choice (we watched Shrek). We made a "bed" of sleeping bag and lots of blankets and pillows on the living room floor.
I learned a few things from it:
1. I love Noah.
2. He loves me.
3. We won't have forever to do this kind of thing--live the moments.
4. Shrek's disgusting ogre-ly manners are hilarious to a 6 year old.
5. Sleeping on the floor all night hurts way more than it used to.

American Idol TOP TEN

2008-03-25T21:22:00.005-04:00

OK...we're back with the top 10 now--the group that will get to know one another REALLY well, on tour around the country this summer.

Theme: the year they were born--big range of years, for sure.

Ramiele Malubay--born in 1987 (I feel old)-- "Alone"--great song (she'll probably ruin it). Out of tune out of the gates--pretty sharp. Now flat. Now sharp again. Out of control the whole song, and on the edge of utter disaster in every way musically. While she never completely fell apart, she definitely didn't pull it off. I was right about the "she'll probably ruin it" thing...consider it ruined. Not very good.

Jason Castro--born in 1987--"Fragile"--my favorite song ever sung on American Idol probably...let's see what he does with it. Interesting flamenco sounding twist to it...something I've never heard Sting do with it, but he totally would, I'm sure. I liked it. I would like to have heard the percussion from the band more--maybe some percussionists out on the stage or something, to make it appear more intimate a performance...great performance, though.

Syesha Mercado--born in 1987--"If I Were Your Woman"--I can't believe she did the wacked out baby cry thing again...how annoying. She is much more of a "classic" sounding perfomer. She really does have a great voice, for sure...in 5 years or so, she could be an absolutely amazing diva vocalist. Really good tonight. Her absolute best vocal so far, in my estimation. Well done.

Chikezie--born in 1985--"If Only for One Night"--seems like a great guy... OK--bad song choice, in my opinion.... He didn't do too bad with it though, I guess. Nothing horrible about it, but nothing stand-out amazing either. Average for me.

Brooke White--born in 1983--"Every Breath You Take"--a "Police" song (FYI, Sting/Police are among my favorite from that era)--OOPS! She started in the wrong key vocally, trying to do something cool, by pulling a pitch out of the air. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Probably a bad song choice, for her, actually. I don't know...not my favorite, but better than last week. Not bad. Does she have on a lot of make-up or something...?

Michael Johns--born in 1978 (still younger than me)--"We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions"--Pretty cool opening acapela opening thing, then into a big ending with the next tune. Great song choices. Maybe should have just stuck with one of the two, but still great choices. He did a great job.

Carly Smithson--born in 1983--"Total Eclipse of the Heart"--great song. They could have gotten better bgv's on that tune, for sure (which maybe threw her off a bit). Her usual great job, though. The ending was not at all necessary, and a little showy for no reason at all. Not very musical there. Other than that, solid job.

David Archuleta--born in 1990 (I was 15)--"You're the Voice"--weak start, in my opinion. Kinda weird song choice...But he came into his own for sure. I like the passion that he pours into performances. Maybe the wrong key, as it really stretched him in the middle.... Not bad, but not his best. He's safe as ever, though.

Kristy Lee Cook--born in 1984--"God Bless the USA"--(sorry to say this) I'm so sick of that song (maybe because I've sung it 40,000 times), but it's probably a good song choice for her. The arrangement is EXACTLY the same as the original I think, outside of the key change. She has no originality in her. Some pitch problems, for sure. She's just not good enough, but not as horrific as some of her past performances.

David Cook--born in 1982--"Billy Jean"--I've never even considered that song to be sung anything like that (kind of a waltz). I didn't like it quite as much as the crowd seemed to, but it was certainly really good, and the big note in the chorus was amazing. Great reverb on his vocal from the tech crew. He's a very original performer (probably the most original performer in the lot), and he did a great job tonight. Jennifer hit rewind to hear it again (she really liked it). He's a MAJOR competitor.

Going home tomorrow night will be Ramiele Malubay (and Chikezie may have a tough go tomorrow night).

Leeland Concert (kind of)

2008-03-19T20:54:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday.

So, a few months ago, my wife, Jennifer, asked me if I wanted to go to a concert: Casting Crowns. My response was what she expected: no. THEN she told me that Leeland was opening for them. That changed my answer to a big YES.

I first met Leeland Mooring at the 2007 reCreate Conference, in Franklin, TN. He was there with his brother, sister, and parents. I really didn't know much about him at all, but quickly recognized God's Spirit shining through him and his family. They left quite an impact, and I've been kind of following them since.

With the recent release of their new CD, Opposite Way, I was VERY excited about the concert, which I attended the week before last with my brother, Tyler and his wife, Cassey, and my friends Mark and Ilze Calahan. The concert was a bit of a let down, as Leeland did only 5 or 6 tunes before Casting Crowns took over, but it was still great to be there.

One of the songs from the "Opposite Way" CD that is sticking in my mind a bunch lately is called "Let it Out Now". What makes this song stick are phrases like:

"I'm not ashamed to call myself one of Yours, Lord"
"God's looking for a people with passion in their hearts"

"God says who you are, not...."

"Is there anybody different?"

"We're stuck in a system"

Long story short, go to Leeland's website and click on the "listening booth" icon on the right, if you've not listened to them before. If you hate them, blame me for the wasted 43 seconds of life (assuming you'll turn it off quickly).

"Let it Out Now"

It’s like you got to walk like him

Got to talk like her

Got to be like them

Everybody knows you follow the crowd

Or get singled out

But God says who you are

Not the world or movie stars

Don’t you know

He holds the answers in His hands?

We’re stuck in a system

Is there anybody different?

Is anybody listening?

Everyone has their own sound

Let it out now, let it out now

There’s nothing wrong with living loud

Let it out now, let it out now

I’m drawing the line between

Being them or being me

I’m not ashamed

To call myself one of Yours, Lord

But it’s a narrow path

I’ve got to break from the pack

No turning back

Yes, God’s looking for a people

With a passion in their hearts

We’re God’s children

We need to shine bright

Everyone has their own sound

Don’t you know all God’s children have their sound?

American Idol with FRIENDS

2008-03-18T20:28:00.003-04:00

OK...so what's better than watching American Idol? Watching American Idol with great friends. I'm blogging live again, with my friends here at mi casa--Dennis and Carol George, and Mandy Murray (along with Jen, Noah, Morgen and me).

We're down to top 11, and still with the McCartney/Lennon thing--actually Beatles...I'm still trying to figure out the difference, I guess. (On a side note, I'm buying a VOX amp tomorrow for my new guitar...a few of you will get the connection there).

Amanda Overmyer--"Back in the USSR"--She's very good at what she does, for sure. It looked like she had more fun tonight than normal. What a stage set up....who could miss with that, honestly? Still, she's getting a little old to me. I, like Paula, would like to see her do a "vunerable ballad" at some point.
Kristy Lee Cook--"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"--Incredibly better song choice than last week, for sure. She has some real pitch problems, and again, I say...there is no possible way she could win this. That being said, it was better this week than last. Still not good. Should have been very involved, with a lot of energy, but it really wasn't. Not good. Average voice. Average performer.

David Archuleta--"The Long and Winding Road"--He has in ear monitors this week (actually only one). Weird. Great singer. Great performer. He probably could have picked a better song, actually, but great job still. I didn't like the VERY old sounding arrangement much at all (it sounded like something on an elevator if you took away the vocal). It was great still. And he got exactly 3 claps from Simon. Wow.

I want an iPhone. And a Coke.

Michael Johns--"A Day in the Life"--Perfect song choice for him. A little flat on that note--yikes. OK...he's getting back into it. Well, it ended too soon. Maybe not the right song after all. It just didn't work in that small amount of time. Paula is probably right again--iem's (in ear monitors) make a dramatic difference when on the stage, in regards to connection with the crowd (I HATED my first time with them in front of a group of people). But he wasn't wearing them. Too bad--I thought Paula was maybe on to something. I still like this guy.

Brooke White--"Here Comes the Sun"--Noah's comment, "...that's the song from Bee Movie!" OK--the repetitive phrase throughout of the song, "it's all right"--that's about the best I can give her. She again proved tonight why she needs an instrument in her hands or something, to hide her. She looked so uncomfortable to me on the stage, trying to dance or something. It seemed so forced through the whole thing, to me. She needs a guitar. or a piano. or a harp. or a kazoo. Anything to keep her from trying to do something performance-worthy in any other way.

David Cook--"Daytripper"--Much better guitar tone this week--Oh...it's not him. It's a different guitar player. It think he was faking the first guitar bit. But he came in with a voice box for his guitar! Trippy! It felt like a bit of a gimmick, though, for a not really amazing performance. It was solid, but not the greatest to me.

Carly Smithson--"Blackbird"--Great song. Great performance. She is an amazing performer. Really. She seemed to drop a few words at one point, and I wish she could have another run at it, honestly. Really good, though. Simon missed this one.

Jason Castro--"Michelle"--Didn't like the arrangement that much. Or the performance...it seemed like he was kind of laughing at the French a few times, and it felt a little dorky at a few parts, with the arrangement. He could have pulled off a REALLY cool arrangement, I think, but didn't. Not that great. He still could draw a huge fan base, obviously. Simon's comment, "you're not obnoxious." Ah--what a complement.

Syesha Mercado--"Yesterday"--One of my favorite Beatle's songs. Hopefully she doesn't kill it much.... OK-It was pretty good, but for some reason, I wasn't feeling it, so much. The arrangement didn't fit her voice quite enough, I think. She has a GREAT instrument, for sure, but it didn't seem to lock in tonight. She left room for improvement, but good enough to stay on the show, probably.

Chikezie--"I've Just Seen a Face"--Back to average. At best. This one also sounded really gimmicky to me. It seems like he tried to repeat what last week was, and didn't work nearly as well. He also just insulted all the harmonica players in the universe, by trying to tell people that he can pick it up in a few days, and play it on national TV...I don't know. It wasn't that good.

Ramiele Malubay--"I Should Have Known Better"--Not at all. Felt like "Star Search" to me (not a complement). She does have a pretty good voice, but not a good choice of song. Not a good perfomance, really for me.

A let down of a night, really. They need to be a LOT better than this at this point. 2 weeks of Beatles was probably the wrong choice, honestly.

Kristy Lee Cook is leaving, I think, although there are a lot of singers who left an enormous amount of room for improvement for weeks to come.

Confession

2008-03-16T08:06:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday, my good friend, Clay Burkle, got an opportunity to teach at Journey (come, join us for Easter next week!) Ok, back to the story.... While addressing Journey, Clay said something that left quite an impact on my week:

"If your view of anything is more vivid than your view of Jesus, then you need new eyes."

"Anything"--Easily defined. It means anything. It could be a problem. It could be money (that could the problem--ha!). It could be your own sin. It could be someone else's sin. It could be someone's approval. It could be work. It could be the pursuit of ______(insert appropriate word here). It could be...well...anything.

It was my new guitar. This week, "anything" was my new guitar/rig. I've been going through downsizing recently (truck being the biggest example). In the process, I decided to get an electric guitar, and I'm going to sell one of my acoustics (net profit and much more versitility as a musician). I'm kind of known for being the guy who can find the best deal on nearly anything (see above definition). In order to do that, I research like a mad man--reading reviews, checking prices everywhere, talking to people about it, etc.

I realized that there was a problem when I laid my head down on my pillow the other night, and all I could think about was guitar stuff--all night (until I got up at 4am and went downstairs to be convicted for the next few hours). I had let that guitar rule me that day--my thoughts, my time, my decisions, etc. It was all about the mighty guitar. I even skipped my morning prayer time that day--not necessarily because of the guitar (it's really not even that great of a guitar), but because of the distraction of not being able to focus on that which is to be the center. It all got out of balance. It's so easy to do (especially in our culture, it seems).

Scripture teaches us to confess to one another. I guess the blogosphere counts. Maybe even extra. Maybe I'll get a new guitar to reward myself for stepping into the light so quickly on this one. I wonder what I'll get...maybe a Fender Mustang. I need to go do some research.

And the cycle starts again....

p.s.

The night where my mind was focused on guitar a song came across my mind from the group Leeleand's amazing new CD (click on the Leeland link, then watch the 2nd "Leeland TV" video, called "Cowboy Bob"--You'll laugh like crazy)

The song that came to mind:

"Enter This Temple"

We are saved in a world that’s lost
All our hope rests in Your Cross

God of strength, our weakness shows

We need You. We need You, Lord.

Father, enter this temple

Come touch Your people

We need to be where You are

And children living as their Father

Washed in pure water

We need to be like You are

We are searching for Your presence

We are knocking on Your door

Let Your wings cover us

with promise for communion, for communion....

American Idol TOP TWELVE

2008-03-11T20:54:00.004-04:00

(Welcome to my "Watercooler Wednesday" post for Ethos....)

Here we are--What fun...here we are with American Idol's top 12!!! Blogging live again.

Amazing band, amazing audience, mosh pit--you can just feel the electricity in that place, all the way from Hollywood!!! Yahoo!! This is when it gets good (most of the time).

THEME: Lennon, McCartney songbook. Who are those guys? Oh yeah...I've heard of 'em. My favorite song from the Beatles is probably "Yesterday", or maybe "Eleanor Rigby", or...???

Syesha Mercado--"Got to Get You Into My Life"--Not too good for me, out of the gates. Pretty flat in a lot of spots, honestly. She has a great listenable tone, though. I really like the long middle range notes--they sound great. It got better by the end, for sure, but still some pitch problems. Pretty good for being the 1st one up, but she just left plenty of room for 1st place....

Chikezie--"She's a Woman"--You've got to be kidding me!!!I really liked the beginning (except he was trying to keep time, patting his knee or something, and it looked ridiculous). WOW. He really didn't hold back at all. Great song choice. I loved the lead guitar counter-melody things throughout it. Wow. What an entertainer tonight. BIG step up for him. I didn't think he had anything like that in him. Honestly. And he MIGHT be on speed or something. Or at least 4 cans of Rockstar energy drink. Wow. I'd hate to follow that performance.

Ramiele Malubay--"In My Life"--Major pitch problems out of the gates. Nobody will remember that at all, especially after Chikezie. Bad song choice. It was average at best, which will NOT cut it in this competition, at this point. Lots of pitch problems, and horribly forgettable.

Jason Castro--"If I Fell"--I like this guy. He's a good guitar player, to be that comfortable pulling off that song in that kind of environment with no glitches at all (and I really like his sunburst Breedlove guitar). I liked it. I can totally see him with a big following of Jason Castro groupies. He seems to be the real deal to me. Simple. Good. Solid musician. Likable.

Carly Smithson--"Come Together"--bartender/waitress...she's the average American musician (or WAS until this). You could tell that she OWNS that song. What a song. I still am convinced that some day, her vocal cords are going to explode. Great job. I expected nothing less. She is really, really good. For real. (and Simon winked at her...must be a good sign)

David Cook--"Eleanor Rigby"--another bartender...go figure.... Maybe my favorite Beatles song. Hopefully, he doesn't kill it. Good show. I liked the lighting. He lit the place up as well. Personally, it was taken a bit too fast for me, but a good job, obviously (he got the people up and jumping). The chorus shined. I was waiting for that moment. Really good job. Well done.

Brooke White--"Let it Be"--what a great song... I almost wished she had not looked up at all, as she was seeming really forced to look at the cameras, etc. It was average to me, at best. Certainly not the best she's done. Great lighting, for that intimate feel, though. Good lighting can absolutely transform a performance. She did OK, to me. She loves to sing good songs. That's cool. Sincerity shines through, if you like that kind of thing (and I do, of course).... I like her, even though it was not that great of a performance for me.

David Hernandez--"I Saw Her Standing There"--Good singer, for sure, but the opposite of the sincerity of a Brooke White. It was good, but felt trite or something (maybe just following Brooke). Something was just off for me. I can't really define it exactly, but just not right. The judges may have it right--too much for the song, maybe. He tried too hard.

Amanda Overmyer--"You Can't do That"--She's getting a little old to me, but she's good, for sure. Probably a good song choice, but I've never heard it (could have picked a song that more people would at least know). Harley Davidson is getting a lot of great marketing from her. They should give her a bike. Solid performance.

Michael Johns--"Across the Universe"--Average performance, for him, but above average compared to many performers. Solid job. I didn't like notes sung on the last word. He's a great, well-seasoned performer, but not his best showing. I still like him, and he's safe as can be.

Kristy Lee Cook--"Eight Days a Week"--She's still here because she got the country music vote last week. Tonight, I don't think they'll vote for her, anyway. It was not good. That song did not work at all with that kind of change. It seemed trite, like David H's performance earlier. WAY too fast. Yuck. She may have bought a ticket to the front row of next week's show with that performance. She's not good enough to stay in the top 12.

David Archuleta--"We Can Work it Out"--Seemed forced to me, and HE JUST FORGOT THE WORDS...no way! He just FELL APART. I think he's safe as can be, still. He's probably just experiencing the "I'm 17 years old, and have a lot of people watching me" factor. He tried to come out, and do something different, like they asked for last week. It just didn't "work out" for him tonight. Certainly his weakest performance yet, but again, he's safe as can be, no doubt. Maybe even safer after that showing, because his loyal fan base will feel sorry for him, and vote like gangbusters.

Predictions: Leaving tomorrow night will be Kristy Lee Cook (most likely) or Ramiele Malubay.

Rock Star

2008-03-10T21:56:00.006-04:00

So, the concern that Morgen might grow up to be a rock star was elevated this afternoon when we realized that she is quite afraid of marshmallow Peeps (the little yellow bird shaped Easter marshmallow candies). It just seems to be a very "rock-starry" thing to be afraid of. One of those weird, quirky facts that you read about an artist in tabloids (notice I said YOU read in tabloids...not me).

She is the cutest rock star ever, though....

TITAN (update)

2008-03-07T18:33:00.002-05:00

Well, I've always been up for a good adventure. Like the time that my brother and I went into the Colorado Rockies wilderness for a day--fishing, exploring, finding an amazing elk skeleton with antlers, etc. We returned only about 20 minutes later than what we'd told our mom we would, displaying our catch of native cut-throat trout, hung from the tines on the elk rack (what a day!) We thought we did pretty well. I'm certain that our day turned out better than my mom's, who thought we'd been eaten by a bear or mountain lion or something. It wasn't nearly as fun for her....

So, it seems that I'm off on another adventure. I sold my truck today...on eBay...to a Canadian. Call me crazy. I'll let you all know how this wild ride pans out. I'm feeling pretty good about it, actually.

I DID at least talk to the teller (Marilyn) at a large bank there (Affinity Credit Union--I initiated the call), and will be wired the entire amount directly to my bank account before sticking the truck on a large shipper truck of some sort, on its way to the lucky new owner, eh?

American Idol (girls)

2008-03-05T19:43:00.005-05:00

OK--I'm trying something new, with a friend, Randy Elrod, over at Ethos. It's called Watercooler Wednesday, and will be done every Wednesday (hence, the name). It's an opportunity for creative people to huddle in one place, once a week, to discuss or monologue about...well, whatever they can come up with, I guess (generally relating to current culture, creativity, etc.). I'm going to (for now) use it as a place for my weekly American Idol review and predictions of who gets the boot, etc.

On with the show...

OK...we have the girls singing 80s tonight. Hmmm....

Asia'h Epperson--Pretty good song choice. She seems to be trying a little too hard tonight. I liked the key change. BGVs were spot on. I generally liked it. Pretty good job.

Kady Malloy--She did the annoying "sh" thing to end words (sang the word "plash" instead of "place"). Celine Dion does that, and it drives me nuts. This girl is NO CELINE. Horrible song choice, and she didn't do it well. There's no possible way she could actually win this.

Amanda Overmeyer--She's back. WAY better than last week. Good song choice. Yahoo! Well done. Really.

Carly Smithson--Good song choice. Well done. Not my favorite from her, but really good. She doesn't hold back much. I like that. Her vocal chords are going to explode some day, but until then, I really like her.

Kristy Lee Cook--Amazing song. It really makes me nervous to think she's going to take on a Steve Perry song. I don't like her high range much (it loses the little rasp, and goes more pure--not consistent). The end was not good. She needs to learn her limitations, and sing accordingly. Not as good as the judges thought, honestly, but OK.

Ramiele Malubay--Great song. I love Phil Collins. Not too bad of a performance. Honestly, I think there's a lot more in her than what she's doing. She seems to be holding back a bunch to me, and playing everything really safe. An amazing singer is able to get away with that. She's not amazing. She can't get away with it. (And Paula is MESSED UP...what was that?) Only OK.

Brooke White--WAY better than I thought it was going to be. I was really nervous when they said what she was going to sing...she really pulled it off, though. Good job. I would have loved a cello line through that, or something.

Syesha Mercado--I don't like the song choice, much. She did OK. Her licks aren't always tight enough for me, really. She has a really good instrument, though, and I think she could be really good, with more experience under her belt. Not bad.

Prediction: Leaving the show tomorrow night will be Kady Malloy and Kristy Lee Cook.

A New Law

2008-03-05T19:14:00.004-05:00

This song came to my mind in a recent conversation...I thought I'd post it for you all--to give you something to think about before American Idol starts up. Derek writes most of his tunes to the church, and is known for being a straight shooting, "stir-the-pot" type (obviously). I really like that about him.

A song lyric to make you think by Derek Webb:

A New Law
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty

just label my music
don’t teach me how to live like a free man

just give me a new law

i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy

so just bring it down from the mountain to me

i want a new law

gimme that new law

don’t teach me about moderation and liberty

i prefer a shot of grape juice
don’t teach me about loving my enemies
don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit

just give me a new law

what’s the use in trading a law you can never keep

for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid

American Idol (guys)

2008-03-04T20:27:00.002-05:00

OK...blogging live again (in the comfort of my home, drinking freshly brewed green tea, and eating Jen's home-made banana pudding--yum!)

80's theme--YAHOO!! I'm feeling good about it.

Luke--He could have been in a boy band MAYBE, as a sidekick when he was 16 or something ('cause he's a good looking guy--not because of his vocal ability alone), but his time is over. He's just not good enough for this. And a dumb song pick for all of the songs he could have chosen from the 80s. Not good enough. He's toast.

David A.--I love this song. He sings a little flat often, but it really doesn't matter at all. He's great. The song ended way too soon. I wanted him to keep singing. I like that he switched the song up enough from Phil Collins' version to make it his own.
Danny--What a dork. He totally fits some of the 80s, though, with the horrific cheesy gestures, etc. Not a horrible performance, really, but I hope he leaves soon.

David Hernandez--a pretty good song choice, but I wasn't as impressed with his vocals this week. The song may have been a little too much for him.... Jen told me today that it came out in the news this week that he used to be a stripper/dancer or something. Yuck. He's a good vocalist, though--generally.

Michael--He puts off the image of superstar. Great song choice for him. I'd go to his concert before any of the others, probably, honestly. I agree with Paula about his strong lower range--it's a really cool thing. No worries for him.

David Cook--He's really a good vocalist. That was probably his best yet. I still don't like the tone of his guitar. He lacks a bit of charisma for me--he probably needs his band behind him to give him a confidence boost. Jen loved it. I thought it was really good.

Jason Castro--Great song. Lincoln Brewster does this song in worship at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA--ha! (he put a few different words to it, but it's awesome--look it up on iTunes).

Almost good, but the ending killed him, a bit (if something can kill you "a bit")--you can't show mistakes like that on the stage, in that kind of setting. He could have really taken it somewhere, and didn't. I don't know...I didn't love it, but it was pretty good. I still like him, but not my favorite performance.

Chikezie--Straight up 80s feel. No surprise to me. He's honestly not good enough for me to like him that much. I only like him because he seems like a nice guy--not because of his performance abilities. He looked scared to death at the end of the song.

My predictions: Luke is gone, and Danny (or maybe Chikezie).

Narrow Road

2008-02-28T20:43:00.003-05:00

So I got a call yesterday from Brad Isch--Senior Pastor at Narrow Road Church. It turns out that we have a mutual friend (a guy named Brian Blackburn), who recommended me to help them out this week, leading in worship. I'm looking forward to checking out Narrow Road--another young church plant (I think they're less than 2 years old). I'm told it's in Newark (never been there, but I've heard that there are roads there and stuff).

Being a part of Journey Church has been AMAZING for me...one of my favorite things, that I never would have "voted" for originally, is having services at 4:30 in the afternoon on Sundays. I LOVE IT. It enables me to have a quiet Sunday morning home with my family most mornings (I've become quite the breakfast cooking mad-man). It also enables me to do things like this at Narrow Road on occasion (I've also been other places on Sunday mornings, helping out here and there, as needed). It's become a GREAT practice for me in the area of "kingdom mindedness".

Pray for me and the community of believers at Narrow Road, that the weekend will be one where the Spirit of God is at work, breathing peace and healing on those present.

American Idol Update (girls)

2008-02-28T09:33:00.003-05:00

OK--finally getting the DVR set to play last night's show. Here we go...

Carly--obviously could be a total superstar. She has a pretty seamless range, as a "belter". I don't like her song choice at all, and she should have chosen to not keep pounding the "high note"--it makes it not seem so special, when you do it over and over. Safe as can be this week, though.
Syesha--Baby cry thing was not necessary in the interview. It made me a little scared of her. For real. She's pretty good, but not good enough to get by with a song that boring. Not so hot.

Brooke--Nice guitar, and she plays it not too bad. Not a bad song choice. I like her better behind an instrument. Last week, she had no idea what to do with herself, etc. She belongs behind a guitar or piano. She probably bailed herself out from last week.

Ramiele--I've always thought her voice is better than she looks like it would be...until this time. Not so good, really. Kind of lame song (but the bass player had a blast).

Kristy--Nice sturgeon! Wow! She's starting to annoy me, though. She's playing the "I think I'm a hottie" card too much, and that bugs me. She's not that good of a singer, really...we'll see. Really doesn't seem comfortable on the stage to me.

Amanda--Harley rider. I used to like that song, but she kind of killed it a bit for me. The dancing bits were not good, and her vocals were just not good at all, really. Pitch problems abound. I liked her before. Not nearly as much now.

Alaina--She has serious food issues. Not a good song choice. She goes sharp constantly, and it's really annoying. I think she has hearing problems a little bit. For real. I've found that good singers go sharp a lot when they can't hear the tonal center of where they're supposed to be--it helps them pick their voice out of the mix, and stay really close to the right note (just a little sharp). Generally, I don't like her much.

Alexandrea--I can't possibly hear that song and think anything but Peter Cetera. It was probably a better performance than it felt like, but it didn't feel that good to me. She should have done a different song, for sure, I think. I'm not impressed. She also gives horrible answers (with Ryan). REALLY uncomfortable.

Kady--She seems pretty cocky to me--"I can sing anything" attitude. Maybe she can sing it all, but she totally defines "jack of all trades, master of none" concept. She's a perfect versatile studio vocal, but NOT a superstar.

Asia'h--Cheerleader. Just like Paula used to be. How cute. Her mistake in the beginning was SO obvious, because she smiled at herself. Not good. It definitely turned out better than I thought it would. It wasn't that bad, but I certainly wasn't blown away.

Generally, not at all impressed with the girls tonight. The best was Carly, by far. After that, there are at least 4 or 5 who could go home. My guess of the 2 going home are Alaina and Kady, but more of them deserve to.

We'll see tonight.

It's Not What You Think

2008-02-27T07:27:00.003-05:00

When I was a kid (like 5 or so), I had an evil uncle. Well, not really EVIL, necessarily, but he did a few things that were just plain wrong. Funny, but wrong. He was 10 years older than me, and I was the perfect target. Like the day (he has conveniently forgotten all about this) that he and his buddies got a halloween face kit, and put make-up cuts and scars all over my face. Upon completion of his masterpiece, he sent me down the street to a dear older lady, whose name shall remain anonymous (I don't want a law suit here), to ask her for money, which she willingly doled out rather quickly.

It seems that Morgen has taken a lesson from Uncle Troy, as we found her with Jen's lipstick in hand, looking like THIS! It's not exactly like she's starving for attention or anything, being the cutest little girl in the Milky Way Galaxy. Next will be the heat up the thermometer to 108 with a lamp trick...sheesh!

American Idol Update (guys)

2008-02-26T21:50:00.007-05:00

OK...blogging live, while I watch American Idol (from my DVR, actually)

Michael--chose too big of a song for himself. He's still really good. I actually love the song, but not for him...maybe if he'd taken it a couple steps lower or something....

Jason--I think he really is who he appears to be on the stage. Not too bad. I like him still.

Luke--I just don't think he's good enough for this show. His voice is just a little annoying to me. (Jennifer thinks he looks a little like Orlando Bloom)

Robbie--gross song (although very well known, of course). I don't like him much at all, but he did better this week than last week.

Danny--Absolutely can't stand him. Nowhere near as good as he thinks he might be. Screwy, annoying vibrato, and he sings sharp a lot.

David--I liked his vocals a bunch. His BGV's (back ground vocals) were pretty tight, too (unusual for this show, at this point). Great choice for the last chord. Good job. I liked it. I still don't know about him as a performer, though. We'll see.

Jason--BGVs helped him NONE. He sounded better this week--his voice sounded different, somehow. Still not too good. Not NEARLY as bad as what the judges just said, though. I felt bad for him. He seems like a nice guy.

Chikezie--he looked like Carlton from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". He sounded better tonight than last week, by far. Still not American Idol worthy, in all honesty (comparing him to who has won in the past). I like the origin and meaning of his name. What a nice guy, it seems.

David Cook--He plays his guitar backwards. I didn't like the tone of the Les Paul much, and it was way too out front in the mix. He's not bad. Vocally OK. I'd like to beat him in Scrabble (he'd so go down, in spite of his "word nerd" status).

David Archeluta--Jennifer thinks he's SO cute. He needs a different mic to stop his popping problems (maybe a pop filter). He's VERY good vocally for his age. He really might win. I like the simple arrangement, with a simple song. GREAT choice. GREAT performance. Wether he wins or not, he's going to be HUGE, no matter what. really. Far and away, best of the night.

Going home--Jason (second one) and Luke. Maybe. We'll see.

TITAN

2008-02-20T20:08:00.003-05:00

So, I'm selling my truck. My beautiful 2004 Nissan Titan LE with every option possible. I decided that it really had to go, as I'm trying to pinch dollars a bit. Instead, I think I'm going to be a Honda Accord guy...yes, the one with 34 mpg standard transmition. Less insurance, less gas expense, less for TIRES! It's the best economical decision. I hate every second of it deep down inside. I'm gonna miss my truck.

American Idol

2008-02-20T19:44:00.006-05:00

Well, last week, my favorite was Michael--the dude from Australia. That still holds true after last night's run of the guys' fight for top 12. If I had to call it at this point, I'd say he's gonna win. I think he's the best. I also liked the young kid...David, and the guy with dreads--Jason I think.

As for girls, I like the rocker girl and Asia'h the best. Oh yeah , the Irish girl too. We'll see what they do tonight....

Winter Wonderland

2008-02-20T19:26:00.004-05:00

What a FUN day today, as we broke out the sled for the first time, and dad played "one horse" ...you know, from the song, "Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh...." The song goes on to say something about bobcats with bells or something, then breaks into the part we all know and love, "Jingle all the way!" We definitely had a blast, in spite of the insanely cold wind that blew the VERY powdery snow into our faces every 20 seconds or so. Morgen wasn't so fond of that part...actually she was a little apprehensive about everything, constantly saying, "whoa, whoa, whoa...." (she already knows about horses, I guess).

I love snow. It brings out the kid in me. I even made a snow angel. 2 actually.

Freedom

2008-02-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

I've not blogged for a bit...sorry. I'm back.

OK--to the point. Our house church (or "home church", if you prefer) meets Thursday nights in a home in Galloway, OH. We've been meeting for nearly 6 months, I would guess. It's been a great thing for us, that just got better. More real. More messy. More dependent on God.

I've been going through (listening on CD, actually) C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" over the last couple of months, and recently finished "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." In a climactic part of this book, young Eustace Scrubb discovers the lair of a recently deceased dragon. Overtaken by the immense treasure hoarded in the cave, Eustace undergoes a transformation in his sleep, and becomes a dragon himself. After going through some intense soul searching, Eustace comes to a point of seeking freedom from his enchantment, and attempts to remove his dragon shell. He "sheds" his skin a couple of times, but remains a dragon still. In his frustration, he listens to the voice of the great lion, Aslan, who says that Eustace needs his help to truly remove the dragon part of who Eustace had become. Immense pain was to follow for Eustace, as Aslan tore deep into his flesh, peeling off layer after layer, to reveal the boy that was inside the dragon. For Eustace, the transformation was the most painful thing that he'd ever gone through, but still the greatest day of his life, as Aslan rescued him from what he had become.

I feel that God has been doing this to me, personally, for a number of years. He has been taking off layer after layer, the more I surrender completely to him. It has been an extremely painful process, but so incredibly freeing.

"How does this relate to the home church?", you ask. I'm glad you asked. I feel that layers are being peeled off in that group as well, as a church. Our group comes from many backgrounds, where the "church" concept has taken many forms, wearing many different beastly shells. These shells are slowly, and painfully being removed, as we surrender more and more to our King, who is lovingly and ferociously (somehow simultaneous), peeling off layer after layer. We are beginning to understand more of what God has for us, as His church, returning to basic principles of scripture says the "church" is to be.

Freedom. Freedom is the best word to describe what is happening. I can't wait to see what will happen next on the Journey.

Shoes

2008-01-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

The last couple of times I've been with Morgen in her (amazingly decorated--go Jen) room, she's said, "shoes". I missed it the first time, not knowing what she was talking about. Then, she started pointing, saying "shoes, shoes, shoes." It was then that I saw that Jen had all of Morgen's shoes in a pile, as the shoes are relocating to her closet or something... Shoes. Shoes. Shoes.
It begins.
I already feel sorry for her husband to be (at least 30 or so years from now).

Ex Nihilo

2008-01-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

Noah and I were praying together this morning. A portion of his prayer required me to attempt to keep from laughing more than usual:

"Thank you, God, for making us out of dust...I don’t know how You made us out of dust. That was very cool. I wanted to watch, but I was dust."

Country Roads, Take Me Home

2008-01-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I was minding my own business, as Jennifer was driving through the mountains of West Virginia (on our way back to Ohio from Virginia--thanks for the prayers for Noah). Morgen asked for some "num num's", and I gave her some cereal. I also decided to try some for myself...I guess this is what happens when a tired, bored native Kentuckian eats too many Kellogg's Corn Pops while riding through West Virginia--they must have gotten stuck in my teeth...or as my teeth...or somthing. (Yes, this was a cell phone self-portrait)

All by Myself

2008-01-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

I was awakened from sleep this morning by a hearty scream of "I'm all by myself!!!!," as my son had a bit of a "Home Alone" moment. Evidently, after waking, he looked in the first room he saw here at his grandparent's home in Richmond, VA. Failling to notice that his grandma was right there (there may be another blog there about the way men look for things vs. women), his mind quickly jumped to the only logical conclusion: we all got up early in the morning and decided to leave him there alone.

It's generally not good for your health to jump to conclusions too quickly. It's also better for those who may be sound asleep close by.

Beautiful Day

2008-01-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

January 11? Are you kidding me? I'm in Richmond, VA and was at Providence Golf Club today, 70's and sunny (hence the shadows of my brother-in-law, Andy Johansen, and his trusty sidekick partner-in-crime, Tommy Burkett). We'd planned on staying inside all day, as the forecasters had said it was going to be a day full of nothing but intense thunderstorms. They were sorely mistaken. What a day. And yes, I managed to stay out of the water on the left.
I love the fact that my father-in-law "works" at a nice golf course....

Picture Pages

2008-01-08T05:46:00.001-05:00

I can remember a song from when I was a kid (yesterday, or so)..."picture pages, picture pages, time to get our picture pages, time to get our crayons and our pencils..." It was a part of a Saturday morning Bill Cosby kid's show (complete with Fat Albert, etc.).
Kids relate to pictures. They say that a picture paints a thousand words....

Yesterday, I got up early with Noah, and was going through my prayer list (see my "pray" post from a while back). I asked Noah if he'd like to make a prayer list. Of course, he wanted to. It started well, with him just telling me things, and me typing away (things like, "thank God for my favorite animal in the world, the armadillo..."), but everything quickly changed. He told me to draw a picture of a heart, because God loves him, and he loves God. Then he wanted a picture that let God know he was thankful for his favorite Halloween character, Dracula (I found some nice kid's clip art for that one...I guess it's OK to thank God for Dracula...still figuring that one out for myself).

At first, when Noah asked me to do the "drawing" part, I was a little tripped up, and attempted to explain to him how it was something for writing words. Then I quickly realized that Noah was doing to me what I seem to do to people, as well. He was coloring outside of my box. He was going beyond what I'd thought of, in a pretty creative way. At first, I tried to shut him down, but he was persistent. I'm so glad.... I'm going to put some clip art in my prayer Word document. You should too. Something besides Dracula, preferably.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

2007-12-30T08:10:00.000-05:00

So, it turns out that the "candy cane" icon on a barber shop has nothing to do with Christmas or candy. I kind of always hoped that it did.... Actually, the red and white spiral pole represented something about the barbers of yester-year, who performed "bloodletting" at times, etc. The spirals actually represented the bandages that were used, among other things. Gross.
"Why am I telling you this?", you might ask. Well, last night was the BIG Williams family Christmas celebration, with my grandparents, my dad's 4 brothers, their extended families, etc. I didn't get a count, but it had to be 40 or so (not everyone was even there!) It's always a pretty exciting time, lasting 'til midnight or so, with myriads of cousins devising plans to take over the world. Last night was no different. The game was "play barber".

I first found out the plan when Jennifer told me that Noah had gotten a haircut from his cousin, Ashton (both 6 years old). Concerned, I found Noah, and saw a few hunks of hair gone--nothing too major, I thought. It will grow back. 5 minutes later, things got a bit worse (no, he didn't go the bloodletting route, if that's what you're thinking--thankfully!). I found out that there actually had been a line of cousins getting their hair cut by the prodigy barber. One of them, the beautiful Kiley-Sue--the bright-eyed 3 year old daughter of my cousin, Tami. I think Kiley-Sue had recently gotten her first hair cut or something, and it had been styled as cute as you can get. It's been re-styled. She must have held really still for Ashton, as it looked really straight across the back (except for the single beautiful lock that extended about 6 or 8 inches past the rest of it).

Thankfully, we actually have 2 ex-barbers in the family--my grandpa and my uncle. We found some scissors (other than the kid's craft scissors that Ashon had used), and my uncle Tom turned into Super-Barber, who gave multiple salvage hair cuts for cousins. What a night. That one will go down in the books as a VERY memorable Williams Family Christmas....

Christmas Present (part 2)

2007-12-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

So, Noah has been asking for a pet for a while...this doesn't really count, but he LOVES his new "i-Dog amp'd" that he just opened. I think the "dog is a man's best friend" thing is working out pretty well. This thing is pretty cool. Plug in your iPod (or MY iPod, in Noah's case), and it will dance around and light up, while amplifying the sound through some powered, internal speakers. Available at a toy store near you. Noah named his "Disco"--how appropriate!
Oh--I though I should mention... Don't buy Noah a real dog and leave it on my door step, or you won't be my friend any more.

Open Arms

2007-12-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

So, I've been working a lot with Journey the last couple of days--OK, it's not the band that did "Open Arms" (btw, the best rock ballad singer of all time has GOT to be Steve Perry, who used to be with Journey). I've been working on Journey Church's website, http://www.journeychurchcolumbus.org/ (actually a glorified blog--if you want to call what I'm doing to it "glorified"). Sometimes, I feel like I'm just messing up what blogger-pro Aaron Conrad did to get it up and running, but generally, I think we're making some progress. It's really exciting to be a part of Journey Church right now...

We're also in the works right now on a static site, logo, etc. It's a good thing that I have friends like you who actually know how to do that stuff!

IF you are considering of checking out Journey Church, or know someone who might like to, send them our way. They'll be greeted with "Open Arms". (sorry--that was terrible)

PS--for you worship music buffs out there, who can tell me the worship leader who played lead guitar for Steve Perry right out of high school? He happens to be one of my favorite worship leaders/writers, and is likely one of the best 10 guitar players in the country right now, in my opinion.

Remember When

2007-12-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

I had to dig through a few files to find this picture--it's 2 years old or so in Nashville at my favorite conference, called re:Create (which I'm totally bummed about not being to go to this year because I can't justify spending the dough, having no job).
I had a dream last night that Tim and I (pictured here, of course) wrote this crazy reggae "worship song" (not a song that worships reggae, in case you were wondering, which could also happen in a dream, I suppose). I'm not sure how it went over at the church we were about to sing it at because I woke up before that happened. I was kind of bummed as well, because there are times when I actually remember the songs I write in dreams. Not this time though.
I couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to go downstairs a little earlier than usual and play the guitar that was gifted to me my EXTREMELY generous friends who serve in the Worship Arts at Big Valley Grace Community Church--a Taylor 614ce. Yes, this is the same guitar that on the first day it was ever on a stage with a band, Tim (still pictured here) knocked over his guitar, landing the headstock of his telecaster in the soft spruce top of my brand new guitar. It bounced all the way down the face of it, leaving a (barely visible)mark 8 or so inches long. A look of horror came over his face--I still remember it well... It's one of those things that if I had done it, I would have been ticked, but since Tim did it, I actually love it. Every time I see it now, I get to remember a really special occasion (it was my last time on stage at Big Valley before I moved to Ohio), and I get to remember a really good friend. I'm glad God gave us the ability to remember (although I seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately...).

One of Those Days

2007-12-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

So, this is one of those days that make me wonder again exactly why I left California. Click here to see what the Columbus Dispatch has to say.

Everything Waits to Be Noticed

2007-12-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

So, after months of regular blogging, nobody has noticed, and it's really driving me nuts. I even made it simple for you by naming my blog "That Would Make a Great Song". All this effort to conform to something that I thought would be so cool when you all caught on, but as Art Garfunkel put it so well,

"Everything Waits to Be Noticed".

"Working for the Weekend"--Loverboy
"Pray"--M.C. Hammer

"The Journey"--Boston

"Christmas Present"--Andy Williams

"Hello Old Friend"--Eric Clapton

"Quote"--Evans Blue

"Morgen"--Richard Strauss

"Thankful"--Caedmon's Call

"The Fire Station"--Kidzone

"Squirrels"--Colin McGrath

"Barbie Girl"--Aqua

"White Blood Cells"--Joe Battaglia

"Poem"--Ulrich Doppler

"Half Past Ten"--Half Past Ten

"El Arca de Noe"--Benita Meshulam

"Spiderman"--Danny Elfman

"Breakfast of Champions"--New Skin

"Fix My Eyes"--Jon Bauer

"Out of the Box"--Tim Miller

"The Monster is Loose"--Meatloaf

"Takin' it to the Streets"--The Doobie Brothers

Yes. These are the titles to all of my blog posts from day one--and all songs available by a simple click on iTunes. Sheesh...

Working for the Weekend

2007-12-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm somewhat recovered from a VERY BUSY weekend...
Not only did I lead worship on Sunday at Delaware Grace Bretheren Church in Delaware, OH, but--we did our pre-launch Christmas service for Journey Church, and it was AMAZING!!!!
We had about 140 energy filled people packed into a room with 100 or so chairs and standing room only. How awesome is that?? I partnered with a bunch of great people, two of whom are pictured here. (left to right--me, Dennis (Denny) George, Clay Burkle). Denny has been around the church ministry block a few times, and has now answered the call of God in his life to become a senior pastor, and is currently figuring out the process of becoming a church planter--the lead guy with Journey Church. Clay has also been in church ministry for a while, and is helping out in any way that he can (while maintaining a full time job). I'm along for the ride, leading worship, making friendships, and helping any way I can, while still on the job hunt.
We met at the Dublin Rec Center, a great facility with a bunch of very helpful employees. Beginning January 6th, we will be meeting there regularly at 4:30 on Sunday afternoons. It's pretty exciting to be a part of something like this with the team that God has raised up. I'm very thankful for God's work in bringing us together.

Pray

2007-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Prayer. We are called to be people of prayer. Paul says to "pray without ceasing" in 1st Thessalonians. I've not been doing a great job. Sure, I pray before meals most of the time, and nearly every night with Jen, and sometimes in between in snippets--but I don't think I'm doing so great in that department, still.
I've recently told a number of people that I would pray for them about some specific things--something I am very leery of doing, knowing how likely I am to forget, etc. I normally immediately pray for someone if I make that "promise", and then it's kind of "out of sight, out of mind."
So...I started a working document for myself, entitled "prayer reminders". I just keep it on my computer, and have the simple system where I can move things into the "answered prayers/thank you so much, God" column as they're answered. I just started it a couple of days ago, and it's helping me a bunch--even if I just fly through them quickly.... I'm SO convinced at this point that our attempts to spend an hour of eloquent prayer, talking non stop about a single "important" topic doesn't really impress God. An hour in prayer might be better spent listening to what God might be telling us, meditating on a small passage of scripture, asking God how you can be a solution to someone's need, etc.
It was fun yesterday morning, as I had my computer open, praying; Noah woke up and came downstairs. He asked me what I was doing...he and I ended up praying through the list together (and he added some things for himself--not Christmas presents, if that's what you're thinking). It was really a cool time with Noah, as he joined in.
Pray. a lot. (make me the first line on your new prayer document!!!).

The Journey

2007-12-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I'm searching for employment at the present time (leads are greatly appreciated). It turns out that it's taking a while, so I decided it would be good to help start a church in the mean time. Doesn't everyone do that if they can't find a job?

So...this Saturday is the first event, of sorts. We'll be meeting in the Dublin Rec Center at 6pm, and hope to be "officially" meeting together weekly beginning the first Sunday in January or so. We have no funding and no secured location (although we think the rec center is going to work out), but we do have faith that God will make this work if He wants it to happen. We're being available.

We DO have a great team of people with great passion and a heart for God, which is kind of contagious. Hopefully it's contagious enough to find people who can put together the remaining puzzle pieces on this thing. Currently, we have about 50 or so people meeting in the home of our Pastor, Dennis George. Your's truly is doing the music with no microphone and just an acoustic guitar. It's kinda nuts, but a LOT of fun. really.

join us. take the plunge. you're invited.

Christmas Present

2007-12-03T18:53:00.001-05:00

Well, it looks like my kids found their Christmas present early this year--an empty diaper box. I think they liked this box as much as my mom liked the bracelet that I gave her Saturday (that I found, broken, at the car wash). Yes. I'm finding ways to cut corners with expenses this holiday season. Anyone have any great ideas on what I should get Jennifer this year?

Hello Old Friend

2007-12-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

It's been over 10 years since I've seen Dan Nelles--we went to the same church when we were in high school, and sang next together in some group that he remembered the name (Discipleship Singers, or something like that--yikes!)
Since then, we've been through college (his twin brother, Dave, was actually my roommate in my first year at Liberty University), and are both married with 2 kids each. Somehow, we both landed in the Columbus area. We had a GREAT time at his place the other night for "Bob's Take-and-Bake" pizza and fun just catching up. His wife, Kristen, and his kids were great to get to know.
Dan was possibly the most intelligent kid I've ever known, and it appears that his children are following in his footsteps: Just before dinner, his 5 year old boy asked if he could schedule a time on the calendar for a date with his mom. It appears that he keeps his own calendar, separate from the "family" calendar. I'm pretty sure that the only month I knew about as a 5 year old was January--my birth-month. On top of that, the concept of actually planning something for a future time was not even on my radar screen. Maybe he'll have global warming figured out by 9....

Quote

2007-12-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.”
-Beatrix Potter

Morgen

2007-11-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

We named her Morgen because we really liked the name. We spelled it with an "e" because I like being difficult--well, not just that. It also means "morning" in German, and I liked that much better than the "Morgan" that most people use. The "morning" thing has turned out pretty cool. I LOVE getting her up in the morning. She always wakes up smiley and happy, and so excited to see me. I even wrote her a song a while back that includes the phrase "Morgen in the morning makes me smile." And she does.
She did something that really made me smile yesterday. I went in to get her up, and she did something different than usual-she went for her stuffed bear. And her stuffed hippopotamus (not life-sized). And her pacifier. And her other pacifier. And then came her blanket. The blanket was one thing too many, and she literally just fell face first, holding all her prized possessions, into the mattress of her crib. Splat! I laughed (but probably shouldn't have, as she wasn't so happy about the ordeal).
It did get me to thinking, though. How much are we like that? How many good things are we trying to hold on to that are making us unbalanced? What good things do we really just need to let go of, to pursue the best things that God has for us? Let it go.

Thankful

2007-11-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

They tell us that the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was a celebration of life and survival, as much as anything by the 53 Pilgrims who actually made it through the winter (most didn't make it), along with their Indian friends. There is a slide show and stuff here if you'd like to see some thoughts on the subject (click on "the first thanksgiving" tab--I opted to direct you to the site with more pictures!).

Thankful. I'm really thankful for my family--Jen, Noah and Morgen, as well as our extended families. I'm thankful for God's plan for us--for rescuing us from spiritual death and granting us life. I'm thankful for His provision here on Earth, meeting our needs daily (our needs which, based on the above picture, are far less than what we may think). I'm thankful for amazing friends who love us and have chosen to live in community with us (again, different from the above picture, but we're working on it). I'm thankful.

I Thessalonians 5:18
18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

The Fire Station

2007-11-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a family field trip to the Henrico County Fire Dept., station 12, where Jen's brother, Andy, works. In the bucket to the left was Andy, Noah and your's truly. Those things are a bit wobbly when you get out there a ways! Andy made me wear a helmet when we rode up high--I initially put it on backwards, I guess. He let me know in a gracious manner...

Squirrels

2007-11-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

I've been blogging from Richmond, VA the last couple of days, home of my in-laws, where my mother-in-law, Nancy, really is quite the hostess. The photo to the left was the spread that she's put out now for the neighborhood squirrels--oh, to be a squirrel in her yard...you don't have to bother with storing nuts for the winter--let alone having to actually shell them for yourself. They truly live the good life.

Jen (my wife) and I had very different upbringings, proven by the next photo of my brother, Tyler, and me as kids growing up in Northern Kentucky. We lived on a lot of acres of woods where numerous adventures took place. We had squirrels over for dinner as well. Tasty.

Barbie Girl

2007-11-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

Those who have read my blog may wonder how on earth I've turned out like I have. I think it's from hanging out with friends like Michael Conners, who, in the middle of a perfectly "normal" email correspondance to me, made the following observations. I laughed my head off. Enjoy.

Quoted from Michael Conners:

Factoid: I have 76 full-sized Barbie dolls in my house.
I was picking them up one night and I was straightening them out and figured that as long as I was doing so I might as well count them. 76. That's 25 and some change per daughter. Doesn't count the smaller-sized side-kicks, little sisters and pets. I've shared the number with some guys at work (who also have little girls) and their eyes get real big. I wonder how many missionaries could have used the $$$. God, forgive me.
I may have some of my co-workers daughters over for a play date and have them take a door prize. It might be naked (10% of Barbies counted were without clothing).
Thinking about it, based on the manhood represented in my current Barbie population, my daughters will think that men like to wear pastel colored tights, knee-high boots and are Princes. And based on the Barbie movies we own, they like to sing and dance, too.
That is bad.
Another factoid: Martin Short voices the Lead Evil Guy character in the Barbie movie "The Princess and the Pauper".
How the mighty have fallen. Lead Evil Guy's character name is Preminger. All around thief, Confidence Man and swindler. I've thought about sending Martin some fan mail on the work. I am sure he really needed the scratch at the time he agreed to the part. Fan mail would shame him.

I'm really thankful for crazy friends like Mike Conners.

White Blood Cells

2007-11-14T19:34:00.000-05:00

So it was 4am, and my job was to "camp out" over night in the same room with Noah (my 6 year old son) and administer his pain meds after his surgery a couple days earlier. Once he was awake enough to take a dose, he decided to talk a bit....

"Dad, does water go into your bloodstream?"

"Well...eventually, some of it makes it's way there."
"Can I have a drink of water...? I want to give my white blood cells a party for helping my body be strong and fight those bad germs."

"How is a drink of water going to do that?"

"Well, it's a swimming party, and they're going to have a pool."

"Oh, of course...I should have thought of that...."

"Hey dad, can we turn on some music for them, so we can all dance?"

"Sure." (I had my iPod handy and some small computer speakers)

Our conversation went on for a while...it was without a doubt the best white blood cell swimming and dance party I've ever been to...and an amazing night with my son.

When you choose to celebrate the little stuff, anything can be a party.

Poem

2007-11-12T11:04:00.000-05:00

So, I was dancing around with my kids, saying silly stuff yesterday, and out stumbled this poem. This is a quick revision or 2 later (yes, the original was even worse, I guess...)

"Tongue-Tied"

Once there was a cross-eyed frog
That couldn't catch the flies it spotted.
Every time it's tongue went out,
It got confused and then it knotted.

And some horrible frog jokes to polish it off:

Q: Why are frogs so happy?
A: They eat whatever bugs them!

Q: What happens when two frogs collide?
A: They get tongue tied!

Q: How does a frog feel when he has a broken leg?
A: Unhoppy.

Q: What happens when you mix a frog with a bathtub scrubby-mit?
A: A rubbit!

Q: Why did the frog read Sherlock Holmes?
A: He liked a good croak and dagger.

Q: What happened to the frog's car when his parking meter expired?
A: It got toad!!

Q: What's green green green green green?
A: A frog rolling down a hill

Q: What is a frog's favorite game?
A: Croaket

Q: What did the frog order at McDonald's?
A: A hoppy meal with French flies and a diet croak

Q: Why did the frog say meow?
A: He was learning a foreign language.

Q: Why did the frog go to the hospital?
A: He needed a "hopperation" !

Q: What is the thirstiest frog in the world?
A: The one who drinks Canada Dry!

Q: How deep can a frog go?
A: Knee-deep Knee-deep!

Q: What do stylish frogs wear?
A: Jumpsuits!

Q: What does a bankrupt frog say?
A: "Baroke, baroke, baroke."

OK...focus on the day's projects....

Half Past Ten

2007-11-11T08:15:00.000-05:00

Whenever I get a call late at night from someone, I generally expect the worst. I guess it's my nature. I always tense up a bit, and prepare mentally to head to a hospital or something....
So, last night the phone rings at 10:38pm. Ugggh. Jen answers, listens for 20 seconds or so, then tells the caller that I couldn't possibly be their grandpa, because I'm only 32. (yes, I explained to Jennifer afterwards that technically, a person could easily be a grandpa by 32--she didn't want to hear it, really)
What was that call about??? Jen told me that the the caller said, "Is this the home of Ted Williams? (yes) OK...I know this is going to sound strange to you, but I've been looking for him for a while, because I really think that he could be my grandpa...." Jen said the lady sounded pretty nervous, etc., and she thinks it was a legit call. Crazy!!
It makes me think, though. What are we looking for? Who are we searching for? Everyone wants to be a part of a family. A real family that legitimately shares life together. That is what we are called to be as the body of Christ. It is one of the things that the "church" is really to be about.
Maybe if she calls back, I'll offer to fill in as "grandpa" for a while... (although it would be a bit strange, as Jen said she sounded like an adult African-American woman--maybe she would still appreciate the "quarter out of the ear" trick....)

El Arca de Noe

2007-11-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

(this blog entry title was for the single Spanish speaking blog reader that I may or may not actually have out there somewhere....)--------------

"No Animal Left Behind" was the name of the play (I think).

Vicki Chappelear was the master mind behind it (writer AND director of the play, whose children are pictured here--hippo, hyena, skunk, and one of Noah's sons)

Tom Chappelear is the husband who managed to figure out life while his wife pulled off this massive undertaking (45 minute show)!

My Family, with hundreds of others were among the VERY pleased audience.

We took in the final show last night, and it was AMAZING! Everything went off without a hitch (mostly!), and this one kept my kids eyes glued to the stage. Not only that, but they had to work extra hard to actually hear everything as a result of the roar of laughter that repeatedly swept through the audience of adults and children.

Vicki took one of the most common Bible stories, and gave it a bit of a modern feel, with hilarious characters comprised of the animals shown above, along with penguins, peacocks, raccoons, love birds, lions, etc., all in couples. The show ended with a clear presentation of the gospel message-God loves us and has made a way to redeem us through His only Son.

My only complaint with the show is that it's not running another week....

Great job, Vicki!

Spiderman

2007-11-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

So, I finally sat down and watched it last night (somehow managed to miss it in the theaters). I've watched enough movies to figure out that they pretty much all have a primary theme--even wacked-out movies like Dumb and Dumber (which is "stop being such an idiot"). Honestly, I was impressed by Spiderman 3, as it played itself out. The theme: bitterness will destroy you if you let it.

What truth! How many times have we let bitterness rage within, refusing to go to a person, in love, with an understanding and forgiving spirit? This NEVER ends up well, and only leads us farther from where God wants us to be. Even though it could turn us into an evil super-villain (which would be cool for an hour or so, maybe), as proven by this movie, I would never suggest it.

Forgive.

Ephesians 4:31-32

31"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Breakfast of Champions

2007-11-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

So, this morning, I got up early with Noah, who asked if I'd make him some french toast. Being the son of one of the most creative cooks I know (my dad sometimes comes up with some amazing stuff...emphasis on "sometimes"), I decided to hop out of the french toast box.
The hop was easy when I saw egg nog next to the milk. A couple of eggs later, with some cinnamon, left over rolls from last night's dinner, etc. we had egg nog french toast. Yummy!! Give it a whirl... Let me know how yours turns out.

(Hint: I might add a little extra nutmeg to the equation if I were to do it over again)

Fix My Eyes

2007-11-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

Last week I was lying next to my 6 year old, as he was preparing to go to bed and we were telling stories, as we do every night. He suddenly kicked into prophecy mode again (this sometimes happens, especially during times of struggle for him), and he began to passionately talk to God: "God, why can't I see you? Why don't You have skin like this (pointing to his leg, where he'd pulled his pajama leg up)? I just want to see You! I know You love me...can You just fix my eyes, so I can see You?" Noah went on a bit longer, but my mind got stuck there. Why would Noah ask God to fix his eyes? I never expected his prayer to go that direction.

I was pretty convicted by the fact that the problem is NEVER God. It's always me. The fact that I so often choose to look at a problem more than God has nothing to do with God's ability to be seen, but it's my choice to intensely focus elsewhere, blinding me to His overwhelmingly obvious presence. He is there, waiting to be seen.

Mark 10:13-16

13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Out of the Box

2007-11-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

This morning I got out to see a worship leader buddy of mine, Joel Kovacs, out at Jersey Baptist Church . Joel leads the worship for the Emerge service there. Little did I know that they had a guest "speaker?" there, a guy named Darrin Hoover from Box Church here in Columbus. While he told the story of the Gospel--God's plan to rescue and redeem mankind through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, Darrin created an amazing painting that depicted the love of Jesus for us. The time was filled with amazing music and lighting to help set the mood for the story-teller. Darrin also pulled out 15 or so previous paintings to help convey the message. You can view a previous recording of Darrin's amazing talent by clicking Thousand Words. What a gifted artist...may you continue to proclaim the gospel, Darrin!

The Monster is Loose

2007-11-03T07:14:00.000-04:00

Yes. It appears that Frankenstein has a pet butterfly. Who knew? They were out on the loose reeking havoc on the neighborhood in Richmond, VA for Noah's favorite day of the year, Halloween. Much thanks to those of you who have prayed for him, as surgery not only went well enough for him to participate in that glorious cavity filled event (he amazingly felt dramatically better the day before Halloween), but for us to finally get to travel back to Columbus. We arrived back in town last night after being gone for over 2 weeks. Bills and yardwork abound....

Takin' it to the streets

2007-11-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

Well, here it goes. Blog post number one. I've been considering this WAY too long, and have decided to just jump off the ledge into the scary unknown. Let it officially be known that I have no idea what I'm doing yet at this point. Go team. Go team, go.