Since my last post my life has been filled with, sadly to say, not nearly enough of the aforementioned activity. Which is writing, creating and recording music. I’m desperately hoping that this will change soon in the event that my weekly to-do lists and meetings begin to magically work themselves out 
Here’s what else has been happening in my life.
Tri has been playing shows like crazy. Last week I sang for approximately 24 hours and I’m feeling it this week. Along those same lines I’ve started saving for a new guitar (PRS Hollowbody I). I’m about 1/7 of the way there… it’s really expensive, we’ll see if I make it before getting interrupted.
I (we) have a live recording coming up which we have yet to set a date for it but I think it will more than likely fall into May sometime. I’m excited.
That’s about it!
Here’s to hoping I can write another blog sooner than the last!
It’s been a while since I’ve written a “meaty” blog. So here goes.
I read a quote today from a dear friend of mine (….) that struck an old familiar chord in me.
“… to evolve you have to dismantle, and that means accepting the idea that nothing you’ve created in the past matters anymore, except that it brought you here.
To pick up your new marching orders.”
That applies to me as a leader, musician and as a songwriter. That applies to everything that I’m a part of and all the success that I might think I can use to identify myself or fancy myself a big deal. It means that I don’t have to get nervous about the option of failing in front of the new people who are watching me who weren’t watching me 3 years ago. I can simply stop, breathe, and live like I’m in a room of 5 people but lead like I’m in a room of 5,000… just like I’ve been instructed to do.
Today is as good of a day as any to redeclare my dependence on God. That it isn’t me who lives, but Christ who lives in me. I don’t know if any of you ever feel the same way, but sometimes I carry unnecessary weight on my shoulders. Sometimes I need to remember that this life that I live has nothing to do with me or building my kingdom… but rather, to build His.
Here’s a couple goals that I want to accomplish in 2009 (in no specific order):
- Develop a systematic approach towards singing through Brett Manning’s “Singing Success” program
- Release my first good-quality full length album through Rock Church
- Get my first tattoo
- Begin my pastoral “ordainment”
- Develop strategic vision and purpose for Tri
- Network myself with as many professional musicians as possible
- Practice/get better at guitar on a regular basis
- Go on an overseas missions trip
- Go on a refreshing trip/vacation somewhere with Tif
- Raise up more solid musicians and worship leaders
- Raise 3-6 months worth of living expenses into our (Tif and I) emergency fund
- Begin investing into a solid mutual fund
- Exercise/work out on somewhat of a regular basis
How bout you?
You may or may not read the Deadly Viper Blog. I do… it can be extremely insightful. A lot of their posts seem like they could be proverbs or something. Anyway, here’s a great post that really spoke to me entitled “Before You Critique…”
Often times, our point of view says more about US than it does the circumstance upon which we are commenting…
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean”, she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.”
The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
There are so many things in life that get us stuck. We don’t realize it half the time. We get what we would like to call “comfortable,” when actually we are sitting in a pothole ceasing to move forward.
Filed under: Life
Yeah, well… we started the Financial Peace University stuff at small group tonight. So for now, in the name of debt clearing, money saving and overall financial freedom, I’ll be saying goodbye to this
I booger cried yesterday. I woke up with a phone call from my mom saying that she had to put my last living childhood dog to sleep. We called her “Girl.” I know I’m biased but she was the best dog ever. BIG, sweet, playful and loving. She did what she was told and never begged for food (a feature I hate about untrained dogs).
It appears that the worst is over with Hurricane Gustav as far as New Orleans is concerned… and by the grace of God, it wasn’t half as bad as some had predicted. Sources say that although there was some damage done to New Orleans, it’s occupants should only be days away from returning home as opposed to the weeks and months it took after Katrina’s visit.
As I was driving home from my Tri gig tonight, I pulled up next to a pizza delivery guy and heard his radio playing what seemed to be an interesting talk show. So I tried to find whatever radio station he was on before the light turned green so that I could tune in to and give it a listen.
