To recap...

It's been a while since I've posted, so in no particular order are a few observations and comments:

• The IU and Purdue college basketbally rivalry is back. Last night's game had that same intensity that the late-80's and early-90's contests featured. And, yes, we won. Thank you D.J. White.
• Why is Mike Huckabee still running? I don't get it. Are people still sending money his way? Note to Mike: it's over. I still wonder what would have happened with a Huckabee nomination.
• Has anyone else noticed that Hillary's slide began around the same time Bill started taking over the campaign with his magnetic personality? Side-note: magnets do erase hard drives. I'd like to hear the conversations that are going on in the Clinton living quarters. "Bill, I'm going to ask you to campaign for me in North Dakota."
• After dissing on the Dove Awards and their egregious Southern Gospel awarding, they go and get it right. This is the first time in a long time that I have agreed with most of their nominations. Go figure. For a full list of nominations, visit the Dove Awards website.
• The Hoppers CD, The Ride, is becoming one of my favorite CDs released in 2007. After their exiled time in the Spring Hill caverns, they have once again taken ownership of their productions. The overall lyrical strength of the album is above and beyond anything produced in their Spring Hill days. They also have produced a companion live DVD entitled The Ride: Live in Wilmington (I think; I left it on the bus). This video is the first Southern Gospel production that rivals the Gaither Homecoming series in the camera quality, lighting, etc. They're baaaaack!
• I'm really enjoying a Christmas present from Lori: An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck. It's a very easy read, but in the midst of the humor and ADD moments expected from Beck you're going to be educated on the global warming fallacy, the danger of radical Islam fundamentalism, and the emptiness offered by today's gargantuan pornographic industry. That's just an overview of the chapters I've read so far. Go buy it!
• What change is Obama talking about? He's been really abstract so far.
• Just saw The Jumper. It's OK, nothing more. Plot is pretty weak. I was a little disappointed. After the Bourne series, I expected more of the same. Not so.
• Liberty had a fantastic weekend. I love Arizona. I now know where I'm going to go in the winter when I'm 55.
• Our new CD, Say It Again, is now out. It's definitely our version of a "table project", but it's a fun listen. We cover "I Can See the Hand", "Ride That Glory Train", and "Temporary Home" among others. One of the most popular (in concert) songs on the recording is "Light at the End of the Darkness". This is an old Imperials song that has a powerful message. It also features a cover of the Mills Brothers "Cab Driver". Actually, Royce re-wrote the lyrics and it's titled "Bus Driver". It's going over big in concert. We've added some "moves". That's a very generous interpretation, especially as it pertains to Doran. The CD also has a song from Doran called "Baritone Whine". The title says it all as Doran try to work up sympathy for his status in the group. Pathetic, really. You can order the CD on our website.
• Guess where I took Lori for Valentine's Day? To the Grace Bible Church OAKS (Older Adult Kids) banquet. Nothing but the best for my wife! Actually, I was asked to emcee the banquet and to sing with our church quartet (consisting of myself, Pastor Dave, Matt Ritchey, Allen Ezell, and pianist Julia Keep). There was a lot of laughter that night. And, Dave and Julia, your attire was just fine! Thanks, Jolene, for inviting us to be part of the banquet. I'm blessed to have such an incredible wife! Lori, I love you!
• Nice try, Jody and Carrie, on hijacking my blog. Ain't gonna happen!
• I'm working on a video page for the Liberty Quartet website with web-guru Jon Plank (erstwhile keyboardist for the now-defunct trio Allegiance). I want to share the crazy stuff that happens behind-the-scenes as we travel around the country. You deserve to know the real Royce Mitchell.
  

That's about it. I hope you've had as much fun as I have the last week and a half.

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards as they relate to Christian music are a joke. They are almost to Christian music what Dove Awards are to the Southern Gospel genre. While the phrase "Grammy Award winner" looks good in your publicity packet, it really doesn't mean much. When looking at the Grammy Awards voting process one can quickly understand how some of the winners are selected. I'm pretty sure there aren't many Southern Gospel experts on the Recording Academy roster. So, that's how you end up with some of these winners and nominations which serve only to make one scratch their head. Of course, the resulting amalgamation of Southern, Country, and Bluegrass Gospel will be a little odd. Check out this year's nominations and winner (in orange):

Category 55

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

• Amazing Grace
  Bill & Gloria Gaither And The Homecoming Friends
  [Gaither Music Group]
  
• Journey Of Joy
  Karen Peck And New River
  [Daywind Records]
  
• Everybody's Brother
  Billy Joe Shaver
  [Compadre Records/Music World Entertainment]
  
• Salt Of The Earth
  Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
  [Skaggs Family Records]
  
• Tell Someone
  Kenny & Amanda Smith Band
  [Rebel Records]
  
• I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns & Songs Of Faith
  Various Artists
  Ed Cash, producer
  [Sparrow Records]
  

Even the CCM categories can look a little odd. Look at the nominations and winner for album of the year:

Category 54

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

• The Altar And The Door
  Casting Crowns
  [Beach Street Records/Reunion Records]
  
• A Deeper Level
  Israel And New Breed
  [Integrity Music]
  
• True Beauty
  Mandisa
  [Sparrow Records]
  
• Stand
  Michael W. Smith
  [Reunion Records]
  
• Portable Sounds
  TobyMac
  [ForeFront Records]

Now, I have 4 of the 5 albums listed here. And, as much as I enjoy Mandisa and Israel & New Breed, their albums aren't anywhere close to Top 5 material. TobyMac and Casting Crowns would be legit nominations, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Smitty has become the Bill Gaither of CCM, garnering nominations based on reputation rather than the worth of his productions. I wonder what would happen if SG and CCM albums were truly judged by a recording's merit rather than being a forgotten award floating around in the Black Hole of Fields 11-whatever? Just a thought.

If you're an artist or an industry exec and want to make a difference, here are the membership requirements.

Bassman

OK, when is the last time McCain helped out a church praise team? Governor Huckabee does a little plunking on a Southern Gospel classic. Thanks to Daniel at Southern Gospel Blog for the find.

The Little Chair Episode

OK, I can't resist. Let's watch Bobby Knight throw that chair one last time...

Sports

Before the day is done, I have to comment on two sports stories:

1. Congrats to the Giants for knocking off the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Maybe this will shut up all of the New England bandwagon fans. I hate the Patriots. I really do. Now, I'll give them props. They had an incredible season and Tom Brady was the year's best quarterback (and that's hard for a Peyton Manning fan to spit out), but I was so tired of hearing the "greatest ever" term thrown around. Thank you, New York. And, now, would you idiot commentators quit dogging Eli? It made my night. It really did.

2. I just heard this evening that Bobby Knight retired from coaching. Say what you will about the General, there were few better coaches when it came to the fundamentals of the game. He taught his men how to play team ball, a concept that is sadly lacking in today's NCAA game. While Knight's legacy at Indiana is tainted by his inability to control his emotions and his tongue, he will always be the IU coach in my book. And while I didn't always agree with how he expressed his opinions, it was refreshing to have someone who told you what they thought, not some carefully calculated soundbite that might look good in a newspaper column. I'm going to miss seeing him stalk the sidelines at Tech. Bobby Knight is truly one of the all-time greats.

Royce wants to help, too

The other day while we were in Menlo Park, CA Dan decided to wash the bus. We had come through a lot of snow and slush so the bus was filthy. I had gone into the hotel to check us in and I came out on this scene. Dan had asked Doran to help him, so they were working hard at scrubbing and rinsing. Royce's feelings were hurt that he wasn't asked to contribute. Well, after the last bus-washing incident involving Royce and clorox, Dan won't let him near the bus. So...after contemplation, Dan came up with a job for Royce...

He held up his end of the work real well.

Striking It Rich

Yesterday, we flew out of Boise to Ontario, CA. I say "we" in the loosest sense, because our wonderful piano player, Doran, failed to notate on his calendar the fact that we had a Thursday concert. So, he woke up around 7:00, puttered around the house for a while, checked the weather, and climbed back in the bed. Meanwhile, we're waiting at the airport, calling Doran's cellphone, hoping he'll pick up. He never does. We load the plane and take off. Doran gets back up and around sometime around 9:00, picks up his phone and notices that he's missed several calls from all of us. He couldn't catch any of us on the phone so he called Donna, Dan's wife, to ask if he's missing something. She said, "Yeah, you're missing something. You missed the plane!" After a very long day, he showed up at about 6:20 PM in time for our 7:00 concert. I'll let him fill in the rest of the day's details on his blog. It was hilarious!

Anyway, the 3 of us had a layover in Las Vegas. Of course, there's a slot machine on every corner of the airport. We had just walked around a corner when we heard bells and whistles blowing and a bunch of people cheering. A guy had just won $1,061,000. He was in shock. His hands were shaking and he could hardly talk. It was a pretty wild sight. He's the bald guy to the extreme right of the picture. If you click on the picture, you can see the total on the middle machine.

I might have mentioned that I was part of a non-profit organization to him. I can't remember...

Beefing up my iTunes playlist

If you're like me you have a bunch of cassette tapes collecting dust in a storage container out in the garage. I have about 300-400 cassettes that I collected up to, oh, about 1993. I never got rid of them, but I never listened to them either. I always told myself that I would transfer them to CD sometime (yeah right). Never happened. So, through 3 moves, from Indiana to Ohio to Idaho those tapes have always accompanied me. Kind of like baseball cards, you know, which is a whole different post.

Anyway, I investigated different options to transfer my cassettes to a digital format: freeware, new sound cards, everything I could think of. I never did find freeware that I was happy with, the new sound cards were too expensive, so over time I just forgot about it. Well, one of my Christmas presents was the Xitel INport Deluxe for PC. This handy little product has taken all of those complicated steps out of the cassette to digital format process. Simply plug one end of an RCA cord into the cassette deck and the other end into the Inport adaptor and plug the adaptor's USB cable into your computer. It's that easy! Now, you do have to transfer in real time, no short cuts there, but the end result is so rewarding. The accompanying software includes a click corrector that allows the user to clean up the files. The LP Ripper allows you to trim tracks, isolate tracks, whatever you need to do to get them ready to import into iTunes or whatever jukebox program you use. The tracks are recorded in wav format, but there's a little free add-on available for download that allows you to convert them to mp3s. I highly recommend it. I'm rediscovering some great music. For instance, in the last few days I've imported:

Dean Hopper: Solo But Never Alone
Mid South Boys: Shoulder to Shoulder (an awesome album)
Take 6: So Much 2 Say
The Talleys: Typical Day
Christ Church Choir: All Praise
Gold City: Portrait
Russ Taff: (self-titled)
Perfect Heart: I Hold a Clear Title
Michael English: Freedom
Wayne Watson: How Time Flies
Heavenbound: We Are Those Children

If you want to get rid of all those extra cassettes and don't want to mess with importing them in, box them up and mail them to:

Keith Waggoner
16702 Ardyce Ave.
Caldwell, ID 83607

I'll give them a good home. I promise.

Church

This morning I had breakfast with a guy who had this to say about his church:

"I was raised in a strict fundamentalist church who was obsessed with being right. We might have been small, not growing, but that didn't matter 'because we're RIGHT'! As I got older I went through a dark time in my life and got away from church. About two years after my divorce I showed up at church a broken man, nervous. But those people loved me. You know looking at it now it kinda reminds me of the Oakland Raiders: they take people who are on the downside of their career, believe in them, and give them another chance. That's what my church did for me. They loved me and helped me come back to Jesus."

Is that an awesome testimony or what? That's what a church should be about.

By the way, his church is Boise Calvary Chapel. I don't know anything about the church, but I'm impressed. It's not the first time I've heard that from their attendees. I've never met Bob Caldwell, but the fact that his people are willing to lay down their lives for him (in a good way, not a cultist way) speaks volumes about his ministry.

Reminds me of the line from the JD Sumner & the Stamps song: "What kind of church would my church be if every member was just like me?"

Soapbox Rant

OK, I admit it: I'm a music freak. No, not because I sing in a group, not because I graduated with a degree in music, nothing like that. I just enjoy music. It's one of the pleasures God has blessed us with and I revel in it. You know, I'm thankful ol' Jubal got things rolling back in the day. Music has evolved from that time to now, taking on new forms, sounds, and meaning. In one of my recent posts I shared how I was discovering great music that I never knew existed. I now have 15,090 songs loaded on iTunes. I like to hit shuffle and wait to see what comes up on the playlist. To give you an idea, here's what I've heard in the last 45 minutes or so:

The Lefevres: Without Him (Southern Gospel)
Boston Pops Orchestra: Long Live the King (a Tribute to Elvis)
Phillips, Craig, and Dean: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas)
The Hoppers: Old Time Religion (Southern Gospel)
Squire Parsons: You're Not Alone (Southern Gospel)
Michael W. Smith: Agnus Dei (Praise and Worship)
Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra: Live and Let Die (Movie Score)
BackTraxx: Passage (background music)
Avalon: The Christmas Song (Christmas)
Vineyard Music: I Believe in Jesus (Praise and Worship)
Ray Stevens: In the Mood (chickens crowing this jazz standard)
Out of Eden: Paradise (Christian R&B)
Jonathan Heath & Paul Stetler: Ring the Bells of Heaven (sacred instrumental)
Kathy Troccoli: Sounds of Heaven (CCM)
Geoff Moore and the Distance: Home Run (CCM)
Alan Jackson: Silent Night (Christmas)
Peter Duchin: Day by Day (easy listening instrumental)
Michelle Swift & the Maranatha Singers: You're Worthy of My Praise (Praise and Worship)
The Rambos: He Looked Beyond My Fault (Southern Gospel)
Fletch Wiley: For the Beauty of the Earth (Jazz instrumental)
Steve Taylor: I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good (satirical take on extremists who blow up abortion clinics; Christian Rock)
Ernie Haase: Redemption Draweth Nigh (Southern Gospel; from a Gaither taping)

Looking over the list, I enjoyed them all. Well, I don't know, that whole chicken clucking thing on In the Mood did get a little old. Obviously, there were some songs I enjoyed more than others for some reason or another, but I did like them all. I feel the same way about church music.

I've been in about every type and stripe of church that you can imagine in the last 2 years. Everything from Presbyterian to Charismatic, Nazarene to Southern Baptist. One thing that all churches seem to share is an intolerance for each other's music styles. I'm talking about within the church, not Nazarene vs. Baptist. Some of the most awkward moments I've been part of have involved this stupid debate. Yep, that's right: stupid. While talking to the music pastor or senior pastor, I've often been interrupted by some agenda-driven individual who will blurt, "I'm glad we're finally getting some real music in this church" or some inane comment like that. On the other hand, we've been to churches where it was all the praise team could do to talk to us, with us singing that inferior, irrelevant music and all. They tried their best to tout their musical grandiosity and make us feel inferior. Whatever. Both sides are wrong.

Some try to make it an issue of old vs. young. So, they divide up the church and go to 3 styles of services: traditional, contemporary, and modern. I have no problem when a church hosts several services because they have to, but when you do it because we can't agree on the songs we're singing, something is wrong. I have a good friend who hates new "7-11" music (that's the sneering reference used by traditionalists for praise and worship music). I led the music at his church and it just so happened led a couple of Gospel songs that he liked (one of them was Blessed Assurance). After the service, he grabbed my hand and told me how much he appreciated me leading the "good" songs. He had made a comment to me before, so I asked, "What are the good songs?" His response was "something that's old, says something, and has stood the test of time." My response was "thank God someone had the good sense to start singing Blessed Assurance before it stood the test of time or it wouldn't have."

I've been on both sides of the coin. I know what it's like to get criticized because I'm singing "new" songs. And, I know what it's like to feel pressure to not include hymns in my worship leading. I've also learned that at the end of the day neither groups know what they're talking about. And, the intolerance of both sides is splitting the church. It's done it in more than one instance.

I'm convinced that God directs the sensitive worship leader to the right songs for a service, just like he leads the pastor to the proper passage and theme. As a worship leader, if God calls you to lead 7 new choruses or 4 old hymns, than so be it. Lead what He directs. Don't throw in a token song, you know, one to appease a certain segment of the congregation. And, don't run away from any one style of music. The reality is, good and bad songs have always been written. Their worth isn't determined by when it was written. Judge a song on the merits of it's message, not it's age. Discover the church classics; you'll be enriched. Listen to contemporary compositions; you'll be stirred. If you're not a worship leader, take the same recommendations. Open up your minds. There is no spiritual significance in traditionalism or modernism. Relevance is mostly determined by intentional application.

This morning I was reading in Ephesians 4 about living a life worthy of the calling we have received. Unity isn't some unattainable, pie-in-the-sky concept. It is Christ's goal for His bride. I just touched on music, because it seems to be the hot-button issue that I run into the most. We need to make the effort to be unified in our love, respect, appreciation for each other. We're the church! So, the next time you go to church, intentionally worship. Get past your initial misgivings about whatever. Dwell on the words, learn the melody, and sing a new (or old) song unto the Lord.

And, to think, I didn't put 2 and 2 together until I turned on iTunes while working here at my desk.



Closing Thoughts
By the way, I've found that most of those praise team members and musicians who initially look down their noses at us, are some of the first to come up to us at the end of the concert, sharing how much our ministry touched them. And, they sheepishly admit that they liked the music. They don't say that because we're the best musicians. We're not (well, at least I'm not). They say it because we sing the songs God leads us to sing for that time, that place. And, no, we don't sing the same set every concert (sound of gunshot; another myth falls).

In contemporary churches, guess what our best-selling CDs are? You got it, the Timeless Treasured Hymns series.

Oh yeah, one more: If a person under 40 comes to the product table, guess what CD they invariably buy? Uh-huh, a CD from our Timeless Treasured Hymns series. Hmmmm...

Try this: tell your worship leader how much you appreciate their song service on Sunday. It's not going to kill you, I promise.

Breaking News!!!

OK, for all of you Libertyheads out there, here's the latest news from the homefront. We have just signed with Associated Management Group out of Meridian, ID to handle all the behind-the-scenes details of the ministry. They have assumed the responsibilities of office management, product distribution, booking, and mechanical licensing. Obviously, there is so much more that they will be doing for us, but those are the initial endeavors. This will free us to focus more on what we're best at: singing. It's a privilege to partner with Rick, Dee, Judy, Kay, and everyone else at AMG. You will actually touch base with a real person when you call the Liberty Office. Now, that's a novel idea! Be sure to welcome them to the Liberty team. You can contact them at:

liberty@libertyquartet.com or bookings@libertyquartet.com. Our office number has remained the same.

Of course, you can still contact the Liberty guys from the website.

God is good!

Snow Day on Ardyce Ave.

Last week, we had quite a bit of snow around our place. School was canceled for Trey, which brought him much joy and hyperactivity. We had a fun time in the white stuff.

Kassady and Lori immediately started on building a snowman.

I made sure that I jumped in at the end to make it appear as though I contributed to the project.

Trey is obsessed with football these days. He knows all the statistics for pro, college, you name it. He loves going outside to "run plays". He's figured out a good crossing route, 5 and out, and his favorite, the Hail Mary.

Of course, the snow is good for making those diving catches.

Kassady was just happy to be there.

Add

OK, I didn't realize so many of you guys went to an ACE school. Feel free to share your own additions to the ACE list...

I love ACE

For those of you who don't know anything about Accelated Christian Education...well, congratulate yourself (and go ahead and skip to the next post). For the rest of us...this is way too close to home.

You know you have been to an ACE school when...

• You know Ace and Christi will one day end up being together.
• You cried when Ronnie crashed his bike.
• You have had a class mate tell you to be quiet because he or she is trying to get an Accelerated Christian Education.
• You all look exactly alike for gym.
• You know what "cool-lots" are.
• You think that an 84 is failing.
• You have been or dreamed of being on the Pastor's Honor Roll.
• You had only one option for a language class (the language that teacher spoke).
• Riding in a bus is exciting and new for you.
• Snow days just mean doing your work at home.
• A demerit ruins your day..
• You go to school in a basement.
• Three Seniors graduating is a huge class.
• Memorizing 30 verses of the Bible in 3 hours is a piece of cake.
• You get angry when your friends in public schools complain about dress code rules.
• Flirting is a sin.
• Your English teacher is your Math teacher, Science teacher, Food prep teacher, Gym teacher, ect...
• All the ten year olds have comb overs.
• Convention is the light at the end of a tunnel.
• You get excited when you get to put a gold star on your star chart.
• The hot guy/ girl in your school is your cousin.
• You think that a student body of 50 K-12 is too big.
• You abide by the six inch rule.
• The cool guy in class is a nerd from another school.
• You never have back problems cause your PACE's are lighter than text books.
• If you wear a hoodie you are considered a "druggie".
• You will get detention if you cough in class.
• You want to marry Ronny or Christi.
• When you have to beat the little kids to THE microwave.
• When you know that there is this one kid who is just going to prison in ten years (once he gets his MySpace).
• You get excited when you get a new bathroom pass.
• You know everything about everybody... including the teachers.
• You wish you had a Pastor like Pastor Alltruth.
• There is no point to homework slips.
• You counted down from 500 PACE's until you graduate.
• You hate red pens but you love green ones.
• Having the GREEN pen is the highlight of the week.
• Openings are the worst time of the day.
• You get very fast at putting your Ipod or gum away when teachers are comming.
• You get rules named after you for the terrible things you have done (chewing gum, burping ,throwing PACE's across the room ect.)
• You are surprised to know there are other ACE schools out there....somewhere
• You get detentions randomly for having the nerve to stand up to stuff thats wrong, that in a way they tell you to stand up for.
• You know that once you throw 30 papperballs down the wall of peoples desk its only a matter of time till the teachers look away again and they all get pelted back to you.
• You keep away from those "other" childeren... who are your brothers and sisters who go to public school.
• You knock down the Christmas garland from on top of the offices and get in trouble because it pulled all the other garlands down.
• You actually feel lucky because you have no finals.
• You can recite all of pastors stories along with him.
• You actually begin to wonder what will happen to each of the ACE characters by the time that last English PACE rolls around.
• You feel a huge wave of relief the first time you go to convention and find that most of the kids from the other ACE schools are pretty much normal

*This group is for anyone who understood all of these statements or know somebody who does!

• You know what ACE stands for.
• Ace is not a playing card, its a boy.
• you spend your days in the learning center
• If you have ever gotten your finger slammed in the divider.
• If you have ever been 4 PACE's behind in a subject because the order hasn't come in yet.

You look at all the spelling errors in this message, and realize that an ACE student typed it!

OK, this is hilarious. Thanks, Sheila, for sharing with an ACE grad.

Presidential Prelection

I've enjoyed keeping up with the presidential primaries of both parties. The calculated speeches, the acerbic barbs couched in innocent repartee, and the constant calls for "change" (though the change advocated is never clearly defined) all point to the interesting race that's shaping up. I declared early on that I was really impressed with Huckabee. That was before his somewhat questionable record came up, which it always does in these primaries. There were several issues that caused concern. I appreciate his Christian worldview, but it takes more than just being a Christian to get my support. From the sounds of the blogs of some of my friends, we should vote for him just because he's evangelical and a really good guy. Well, I'm a Christian and a really nice guy but I'm not qualified to be President. I want to see a plan for the future that makes sense. Don't just wow me with impassioned delivery (can you say Obama?). Clearly define what your plan is for this country. Financially, this country's in a mess and somebody better have a plan to reduce our national debt, repair our Social Security system (or come up with a good privatization program), and cut the pork that seems to inevitably find it's way into every spending bill. I want to see a realistic plan for what's going to happen in Iraq, what we're going to do about our dependency on foreign oil, and what we're going to do about free trade. I would like for a candidate to clearly define their position on illegal immigration, one that is realistic and can be enforced. What are we going to do about our plodding tax system, the rising cost of healthcare/insurance, and our broken educational system? Of course, there are several social issues that bother me, as well. I haven't seen anyone who has clearly defined who they are.

I'm not sure who I support to be honest with you. I do like Huckabee's Fair Tax proposal, though I'm not sure how it would impact 501(c)3 organizations.

There's an program I heard about on Fox News that I found interesting. Try out the Candidate Calculator for yourself.

For the record, my #1 choice ended up being Tom Tancredo, followed by Huckabee and Romney.

Trey and Emme

The other night we had Marc and Talisha over to watch the BCS championship game,which was a total bore, and chow down on hot wings and popcorn. We have high-class tastes (I'm not talking friends here, though Marc and Talisha both have very blue blood) which also include paper plates. Anyway, we're downstairs switching back and forth between the game and the Fox News New Hampshire coverage, when we hear Kassady yelling something about Trey having marker on his face. Now, my kids do a lot of crazy things and when you throw Emme (one of Trey's very best friends) and her creativity in the mix you have a perfect storm. So, immediately Talisha calls up to see what's going on and Emme replies that Trey asked her to put eyeblack on under his eyes, like the football players, you know (he's obsessed with playing football). We immediately assumed the worst. I could just see Trey with permanent black marker on his face. Marc and I burst out laughing and I yelled for Trey to come downstairs. He and Emme sheepishly walked into the living room to show us their handiwork.

There was relief written all over Lori's face (Talisha's, too) when they saw the dry-erase marker in Emme's hand. We laughed and laughed over this one. Actually, I was impressed with Emme's artistic endeavor.

Gamer

Kassady has turned into quite the little gamer. She has this video game system called V-Smile that she loves to play. It has a bunch of educational games that help them learn to spell, count, and read. I say that to ease my conscience. Anyway, I thought this was a great picture that captured one of those many Kassady moments.

PJ Trey

A new take on "you've got some big shoes to fill". Trey is into stealing my pajamas each night and running around the house like a madman. And people wonder why I laugh so much.

Me, too

I'm hoping the fact that I posted my own ridiculous New Year's picture will save from the wrath to come (see post below). Let's just say that Margaret spiked the eggnog (with caffeine, of course). After the guys blew away the girls in "Buzzword", a really fun party game, we brought in the new year in style. Well, at least I did.

I gave up on being "cool" a long time ago and settled for "fun".

The Year Got Off To a Good Start...

Stephanie was definitely full of joy (or something) when 2008 rolled around.

***If I don't show up at a concert, church, or any other previously scheduled appointment, please call the police. After posting this picture, I am going to be living the life of Salman Rushdie.

New Year

Trey and Kassady could barely keep their eyes open as we brought the new year in. Is there anything more annoying than those little noisemakes with the paper thing on the end that goes in and out as your blow air into it? I blew my noisemaker incessantly, of course.

Trey spent first moments of 2008 trying to pull his poppers out of the plastic bag.

Christmas with Mom and Dad

It was so much fun to have Mom and Dad out for Christmas. I love Idaho, but I do miss being with my family during the holidays. So,they flew out on Christmas Day Apparently, you can get a good deal on tickets if you're willing to fly on the 25th. They stayed out here for a few days and we had a fabulous time.

I just wanted to post this picture to irritate Sharilyn (I mean, Lynn). I'm expecting a call soon.

Mom didn't let vacation slow down her spending...I mean, we have great deals here in Idaho! It's amazing how fast women can write a check. It makes my head spin. It takes me, oh I don't know, 5 minutes or so to painstakingly fill out that little piece of paper. I do that whole thing where after you write in the amount you take the line all the way to the end of the box. Nobody's going to rip me off and add something in there!

2008

OK, here's a post to move the crying kid off the top of the page. Happy, Dave and Char?

It's been a busy 4 weeks! Liberty has recorded 1 and a half new CDs, done a few Christmas concerts, and retooled for 2008. The Waggoner family hosted Dad and Mom Waggoner (and of course, my wonderful sister Lynn) over Christmas, brought in the New Year with a bang at the Taylors with several friends, finally took down the Christmas decorations, and hauled the (best ever) Christmas tree to the Tannenbaum graveyard. In the meantime, I played racquetball for the first time and found out how out of shape I really am. My reflexes are about 17 milliseconds to slow for the game. That's a lot of fun. I've been following the presidential primaries, watched several college football games (including last evening's yawner of a national championship), made a few new year resolutions, and worked on an incredible new partnership about which Liberty Quartet will soon be releasing information.

So, anyway, I say all that hoping that there will be a spot of sympathy for my pathetic lack of updates. My hopes aren't set that high. I know my audience.

Santa RIP

Speaking of Santa...sorry kids. Thanks, Ellen. That's hilarious!

Trey's first grade class presented a puppet show/musical version of the Christmas story on Wednesday morning in chapel. I got a kick out of watching the kids strain to lift their puppets above the puppet window. Trey's character was Joseph and halfway through one of the songs, Joseph apparently got tired. The puppet slowly started to descend until you could only see its head, then its eyes, then nothing. You could hear the stage whispers of one of the helpers trying to get him to make Joseph visible again (talk about reminding me of FCA dramas). Finally, Joseph slowly made his way back up. Classic material. I wish I would have brought my video camera.

After that, a guest speaker got up to speak about Christmas (I guess). I'm not real sure what the point of his sermon was. He started out by saying that truth is only found in God's Word. Truth is not found in traditions, blah, blah, blah. He then viciously vilified the Magi, calling them magicians and witches and reciting a litany of things they supposedly were involved in (and I'm thinking, "Now that's not in the Bible; how do we know that's true?"). He poked fun at their studying of the stars, once again indicating that the only truth was found in the Bible, which don't get me wrong I believe to be inerrant, the written word of God. He obviously hasn't figured out that there's a difference between astrology and astronomy. And he overlooked the fact that there was a star that directed the wise men to Jesus (that is in the Bible). It seemed that his main intent was to paint the wise men as evil, bad guys. The more I listened, the more frustrated I became at this guy's mischaracterization. These kids are sitting there listening to a person in authority tell them all this, and probably some of them believed what he was saying. You know, when you're speaking to kids, keep it as positive as possible. It just ticked me off. And, then the last thing that sent me over the edge was his leaning down and talking to the little kids about the fact that "we don't believe in all of these Christmas fairy tales, now, do we?" You know, let the parents of the 5 and 6-year-olds determine what they let them believe in. Is it really so bad that a 5-year-old believes in Santa Claus or Rudolph? Is that going to harm them in any way? I don't think so. In fact, just recently on Focus on the Family's radio broadcast (I think it was on 12/10 or 11) they were talking about how fantasy and imagination is a big part of a child's life and specifically mentioned that believing in Santa Claus wasn't a bad thing.

You know, I want my kids to know the real reason we celebrate Christmas (and they do). But, I also want them to enjoy many of the Christmas traditions. We don't tell our kids that Santa is real, but neither do we discourage them from believing in the old fella. Some of us just need to lighten up. Enjoy all parts of this wonderful season!

OK, I'm now getting off the soapbox.

12 Days of Christmas

OK, this is awesome! This Indiana University chorus brings it on this Christmas classic. You're going to love this one.

Software

By the way, for those of you who just don't want to pay the money for Microsoft Office, I have the solution: Open Office. It actually does a good job and best of all it's free. It has an alternative to Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Access,and a couple of other programs. Probably everyone but me knew this existed. Hat tip to my good buddy, Aaron Smith.

Dylan hams it up

For those of you who know my brother Bobby, this video features his son Dylan in his school Christmas program. Bobby told me that when they pulled up to the auditorium, Dylan jumped out of the car, stretched his arms into the air, and said "Showtime!" before sauntering inside.

He gets it honest.

Songs I Love to Hate

Speaking of music, are there any songs that you dislike with a passion?

Here's my list:

I'm Pressing (Dad led this song way too much back in the day)
Achy Break Heart (try to get that song out of your head the rest of the day)
Don't Worry, Be Happy
B-I-N-G-O (thanks to my kids' insatiable desire to sing it again)
Louie, Louie (by the Kingsmen, not the Kingsmen that you are thinking of)
I Wonder as I Wander (the most dreary song of the season)
...and anything by Michael Jackson

What's your list?

Faith in the Bearded One

Last night, Lori and I took Trey and Kassady over to Karcher Mall to see Santa Claus. It was a family tradition when I was a young kid to get my picture taken with the big man. So, I thought the kids might like it.

Now, you have to understand my children's personalities. Trey is a literalist. Everything exists in black and white. It's either true or it isn't. There is no in-between. He examines everything from a logical viewpoint. Kassady, on the other hand, has a raging imagination that never stops. Today, she was arguing with an imaginary friend. Lori told her that if she was going to have an imaginary friend they had to play nice together. That seemed kind of funny to me, like telling the (real) kids to settle down. Anyway, Kassady firmly believes in the existence of Santa Claus while Trey is an avowed skeptic. In fact, Trey has been making it a point to disprove intellectually the belief that his friends hold in the jolly saint. The other night we were over at Dustin and Angie Mori's house and we were talking about all the Christmas traditions that we experienced growing up. I asked if Noah (their son and one of Trey's best buddies) believed in Santa. Angie said, "He did until we had Trey ride home with us tonight!" That's my son.

Anyway, the being of Santa has been a huge argument in our house for the last few weeks. When we walked around the corner and saw Santa, Kassady punched Trey in the arm and said defiantly, "See...I told you he was real!"

Taste Evolution of a Non-Heathen Music Connoisseur

I'm fast becoming a pawn shop junkie, thanks in no small part to my singing buddy Dan Gilbert. There is so much treasure just waiting to be discovered. Especially in the music department.

Growing up I was pretty sheltered musically, which is not all a bad thing, and not something I'm complaining about. However, if it wasn't Sinatra or the Kingsmen (or some variant of those musical styles), it wasn't played in the Waggoner household. As a result, today, I have a great love and appreciation for Southern Gospel and crooners such as ol' blue eyes. I do have to say, though, that I missed out on some fantastic music being produced within other genres. I did get into the whole CCM thing back in the early 90s, but eventually got bored with the sameness of the bubble-gum pop music being mass produced by the mainline labels such as Sparrow, Word, and Benson. Then, I was introduced to Christian groups like Jars of Clay, PFR, and Third Day, groups I still enjoy today, and my taste switched to a more progressive sound. Sitting through Rodney Sones' Music Hit. and Lit. classes at GBS I developed a fascination for classical music of most periods. I never did get into the whole Renaissance movement, but the rest of it intrigued me. I identified more with the music of the Romantic period as well as more contemporary works by Copland, Ives, and their peers. The angry sounds of Wagner's compositions intrigued me as did the weird expressionist music written by Arnold Schoenberg and John Cage. I then started listening to the scores of Hans Zimmer and John Williams appreciating their creativity and ability to enhance the senses with their arrangements. My tastes broadened as I discovered jazz music. Thanks to the Marsalis brothers, Sanborn, Harry Connick, Jr., and Spiro Gyra I found myself listening to music looking for its possibilities. Lately, I've been discovering the great wealth of music in the classic rock, blues, and country genres. Obviously, I don't condone or listen to ungodly lyrics. And, sometimes the image presented by the performer irritates me. However, I have found that there are often positive, thought-provoking lyrics that accompany musical virtuosity in the afore-mentioned styles. I have been enjoying the works of Johnny Lang, U2, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, and Rodney Atkins in the past few weeks.

Much of this music has been found for $1.49 at my local pawn shop. I don't mind taking a gamble on an unfamiliar artist when I'm only paying $1.49. More often than not, I've been delighted with my purchase. And, if not, there's always eBay to help get rid of it.

No, I'm not a heathen, I promise. But neither am I so close-minded to think that the only "good" music is produced by "Christian" artists. In fact, I wish that Christian groups in many instances would step up their level of artistry lyrically and musically. We have been rightly shunned as insignificant and inferior because of a lack of commitment to quality. There are groups that "get it". Those groups include:

Casting Crowns, David Crowder Band, Brent Vernon (great songwriter; he can write with anyone), Steven Curtis Chapman, Crossway, the Perrys (they rarely record a song that doesn't have significant lyrics), and the Booth Brothers.

We (Liberty) are getting there. We have a new recording that is coming out next year that takes a step forward in the lyrical strength department. It's tough and time-consuming to write songs that matter to individuals who while possessing the hope of heaven face the realities of day-to-day life. It's even harder for a group who doesn't sell 25,000 units of a title to find those songs from songwriters outside the group. We're blessed that Doran is continuing to evolve as a songwriter. He's not settling for the "easy" lyric and simple melody. His songs are evolving into A-list quality. You guys will like his new material.

Anyway, that's where I am these days. While I will always primarily listen to and have a preference for good ol' Southern Gospel music I'm continuing to broaden my horizons, experiencing the wealth of artistic talent that God has blessed our world with.

So, thanks Dan. I like to experience that wealth as cheaply as possible (grin).

Studio work

Liberty just finished recording vocals for a new album. Well, it's kind of new. New in the sense that we're creating fresh arrangements for familiar songs. This recording has 10 cover songs, 1 re-written song (by Royce), and 1 new song (by Doran). The track list includes (in no certain order):

Temporary Home
Still Feelin' Fine
Light at the End of the Darkness
Ride That Glory Train
I'd Like to Say It Again
Bus Driver
The Eastern Gate
I Can See the Hand
I'll Tell It Wherever I Go
The Lighthouse
I'll Tell It Wherever I Go
Baritone Whine

The name of the project is "Say It Again" and should be ready sometime in January. I think it's going to be a fun recording.

Trey's highlight reel

Trey shows off his soccer moves.

Hamill

One of my all-time heroes in Southern Gospel has passed away. Jim Hamill captured my imagination and instilled a love for the genre with his exciting emcee work for the Kingsmen. I recently posted a comment on a thread about Hamill not too long ago:

Big Jim is the golden standard by which all emcees should be measured. My first Southern Gospel concert (as a 4-year-old) featured the Kingsmen in Kokomo, IN. I can still vividly remember how Hamill interacted with the crowd and made fun of Little Ernie. It captivated me, even as a hyper kid. I was privileged to see Jim and the mighty Kingsmen many times after that and he never failed to bring the house down with his superb emceeing. There was an element of anticipation, of wondering, “where’s he going next?” at every Kingsmen concert.

My favorite group has and will always be the Cathedrals, but I have yet to see a SG group who could come close to entertaining a crowd like the Hamill-era Kingsmen.

He had some of the best one-liners in the business. One of my favorite quotes from Hamill came from the "Live in Mississippi" album. He said: "Everybody is talking about holes in the ozone layer these days. I'll tell you what, when God calls me home, I'll knock a hole in the ozone layer big enough you can drive a bus through!"

Jim, I'll be right behind you.

CNN/YouTube Republican debate

I really enjoyed the Republican debate this evening. For those of you who missed it, I have the entire transcipt below.

Part 1
Part 2

It's worth reading. One of the most entertaining and insightful segments came in response to the following question:

Joseph: I am Joseph. I am from Dallas, Texas, and how you answer this question will tell us everything we need to know about you. Do you believe every word of this book (holding up the Bible)? Specifically, this book that I am holding in my hand, do you believe this book?

Cooper: I think we've got a question.
Mayor Giuliani?

Huckabee: Do I need to help you out, Mayor, on this one?
(Laughter)
(Applause)

Giuliani: Wait a second, you're the minister. You're going to help me out on this one.

Huckabee: I'm trying to help you out.

Giuliani: OK. The reality is, I believe it, but I don't believe it's necessarily literally true in every single respect. I think there are parts of the Bible that are interpretive. I think there are parts of the Bible that are allegorical. I think there are parts of the Bible that are meant to be interpreted in a modern context.
So, yes, I believe it. I think it's the great book ever written. I read it frequently. I read it very frequently when I've gone through the bigger crises in my life, and I find great wisdom in it, and it does define to a very large extent my faith. But I don't believe every single thing in the literal sense of Jonah being in the belly of the whale, or, you know, there are some things in it that I think were put there as allegorical.

Cooper: Governor Romney?

Romney: I believe the Bible is the word of God, absolutely. And I try...
(Applause)
... I try to live by it as well as I can, but I miss in a lot of ways. But it's a guide for my life and for hundreds of millions, billions of people around the world. I believe in the Bible.

Cooper: Does that mean you believe every word?

Romney: You know -- yes, I believe it's the word of God, the Bible is the word of God.
The Bible is the word of God. I mean, I might interpret the word differently than you interpret the word, but I read the Bible and I believe the Bible is the word of God. I don't disagree with the Bible. I try to live by it.

Cooper: Governor Huckabee?

Huckabee: Sure. I believe the Bible is exactly what it is. It's the word of revelation to us from God himself.
(Applause)
And the fact is that when people ask do we believe all of it, you either believe it or you don't believe it. But in the greater sense, I think what the question tried to make us feel like was that, well, if you believe the part that says "Go and pluck out your eye," well, none of us believe that we ought to go pluck out our eye. That obviously is allegorical.
But the Bible has some messages that nobody really can confuse and really not left up to interpretation. "Love your neighbor as yourself."
And as much as you've done it to the least of these brethren, you've done it unto me. Until we get those simple, real easy things right, I'm not sure we ought to spend a whole lot of time fighting over the other parts that are a little bit complicated.
And as the only person here on the stage with a theology degree, there are parts of it I don't fully comprehend and understand, because the Bible is a revelation of an infinite god, and no finite person is ever going to fully understand it. If they do, their god is too small.

I've never heard so much stammering as when Romney was pressed on whether he believed all of the Bible was true. I laughed out loud.

Glenn

OK, admittedly I've done a lousy job of posting recently, except for the two videos featuring Jon Plank and Allegiance. So let me keep up my lazy efforts by offering this from my favorite radio talk-show host, Glenn Beck:

If there's one thing I've learned from politicians it's that when you're out of good things to say about yourself, just start bashing your opponents. So now that my book has been released (and I'm out of things to say about it), it's time to take down my competitors. As I write this, An Inconvenient Book sits at #6 on the Amazon bestseller list. Here's a look at the drivel ahead of us:

#1 - You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual For Extending Your Warranty (You) by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz There are a few big problems with this book. First, this book has two colons and three versions of the word "you" in the title alone. It sounds like it was written by a fourth grader. Second, isn't Mehmet Oz the doctor on Oprah who inexplicably shows up to her TV studio wearing hospital scrubs, like he's about to perform an emergency appendectomy? You want advice from that guy? Here's my pledge to you: no more than one colon, and no surgical scrubs. Ever.

#2 - The Pillars of the Earth (Deluxe Edition) (Oprah's Book Club) by Ken Follett It's 973 pages. 973. Did you hear me? NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE!

#3 - Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld Here's a "simple secret" to get your kids to eat vegetables: make them. I just saved you $14.97.

#4 - The Birds in My Life by The Supreme Master Ching Hai I can actually relate to this one because I have a bird in my life too; it's called a turkey. And it's delicious. But beyond that, I cannot fathom how an out of stock book about birds is beating me. I'm solving global warming, poverty and illegal immigration, yet people still care more about Polly wanting a freakin' cracker?? Is it because the author is a "Supreme Master" and I'm not? Because if that's all it takes then I'm enrolling in Supreme Mastering class Monday morning and I'll stamp "Supremer Master Glenn Beck" right on the cover of the paperback.

#5 - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet Where have I heard about this book before? Oh yea, it's already on the list! Hey Follet—do you really need to hog two spots? And Oprah--if you want your fans to still have enough time to watch your show, send them my way instead. I've got 100% more solutions than Follet in just 1/3 of the pages. In summary, if you buy all of the books in front of mine then you'd learn how to make you a better you, how to communicate with birds, and how to secretly feed your kids vegetables—but what good is any of that if Islamic extremists kill us all because my book is stuck at #6??

Please, I don't want to sound overdramatic, but (and you need your best "Hereos" voiceover impression here): Buy my book; save the world. Sincerely, (And not at all bitter or jealous) Glenn Beck

Great Day

The American premiere of my most-recorded song.

Allegiance takes the stage

This was an awkward moment back in the day. We were huge as you can detect from the wild crowd reaction.

Growing

A great quote that was pointed out by a good friend:

"Legalism smothers spiritual vitality. It stultifies spiritual growth. It robs life of spontaneity. It produces neurotic personality. It engenders spiritual pride. It leads to despair and defeatism.

Libertarianism chokes off the stream of spiritual power. It corrodes spiritual development. It walks a thin path bordering on spiritual collapse. It points to a freedom that may end in bondage.

Classic biblical principles of relaxed self-discipline and humble dependence on God provides an atmosphere where vital spiritual growth occurs."

Metz, Donald S. (1994). Some Crucial Issues in the Church of the Nazarene. Wesleyan Heritage Press.

Happy Birthday, Lori

Happy Birthday, Lori

Blast from the Past

Check out some of these old pictures from back in the day. This is for those of you who aren't members of facebook.

Where's Waldo?

By the way, where is Doran? He has exactly 6 posts since he entered the blogosphere, 5 of which allude to me in some way. He's obsessed. I really was hoping his creativity would find an outlet, but apparently that will be stifled. Such is life.

Boise, Broncos, and Birthdays

I had a great afternoon hanging out with Trey. I picked him up from school and we took off for the celestial city (also known in Idaho as Boise). Our first stop was at Taco Bell Arena on the Boise State campus. I had to pick up tickets for tomorrow night's Mannheim Steamroller concert. Oh yeah! I will be there. Anyway, we were close to the BSU football stadium and since Trey had never seen the field we decided to see if we could peek through a gate or something. Well, it was locked up pretty tight and we were getting ready to walk back over to our car, when I noticed that a light was on in the BSU Hall of Fame building. I went to the door and the man working in the office motioned me in. I asked if there was anyway we could get close to the field. He looked out the window and said that if the team wasn't out there practicing we could go out on the field. So, out on the field we went. Trey took off running in the end zone. He was in awe! He said, "man, this is so cool. I almost feel like Ian Johnson". I took a few pics and walked around on the blue turf myself. It was pretty incredible. After we had been out there for a few minutes the team started trickling out on the field. Trey kept looking for Ian, but we didn't see him. On our way out the door, the guy who was kind enough to let us on the field, stopped Trey and gave him a set of 2008 BSU Bronco football cards. He's been on cloud nine ever since. Enjoy the pictures:




Our real reason for traveling to Boise was shopping for my beautiful wife who celebrates her birthday. I'd tell you her age, but I'd probably die. So...

We bought her gifts and chowed down at Arbys. It was a great night. There's nothing I'd rather do than spend time with my family. To be honest, out of everything I do on a daily basis (my ministry, my work, whatever) it's my time spent with Lori, Trey, and Kassady that is most valuable to me. I'm blessed.

The Booth's booth

We're such good friends with the Booth Brothers that they wanted Dan and I to pose with them at NQC. Check it out. You'll have to scroll to picture #5.

Hat tip to Jonathan Walden (former famous lead singer with Singing Friends).

Shamefaced

I'm sorry. I forgot to add the link for Facebook. You'll have to sign up and then do a search for my name.

Facebook

Hey, I'm now on Facebook. I'm having a great time. Look me up.

Baptists

OK, this is funny. I'm not Baptist, so I probably shouldn't share this. But, I do have so many good friends that are that I just have to. I stole this from Perry Noble:

Top 12 Things to Never Say to a Baptist

#12 - Lottie who?
#11 - What is a covered dish and why must everyone who gets sick in our church have to have some sort of casserole?
#10 - I love it when my wife has her own opinion!
#9 - For God so loved the world that He did not send a COMMITTEE!
#8 - “We're either going to Disney or Vegas for vacation this year…”
#7 - SHE did an incredible job with the message today.
#6 - Why do you keep calling me “brother?”
#5 - “Got a light?” Unless, of course, you are a deacon…then this is a perfectly valid question.
#4 - Can we please sing the third verse!!!
#3 - Hold my beer.
#2 - May I have this dance?
#1 - Ante up!

Brioooooan

While probably everyone has already been introduced to the wonderful comedy of Brian Regan, this is one clip that I can watch over and over. This past April at the Fresno Fan Fest I asked Jeff Allen (comedian who often appears on Gaither videos) who his favorite comedian was. He immediately replied, "Brian Regan. In fact, the majority of the comedians I work with will tell you the same thing. He's THE best comedian going right now, and has been for years." Pretty high praise. Once you watch this clip, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Dining with Dan

Watching Dan eat can only be compared to witnessing a contest between Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut (watch video below).

Royce can't help but watch Dan eat.

At work

If our A/C goes out, you can be assured that it's happening in 90 degree (or above) temperatures. Sure enough, on our Arizona tour it went out. Fortunately, we have the secret weapon that can conquer (is it just me or is that a hard word to spell?) all mechanical woes: (drumroll) Dan Gilbert. Yep, Dan came to the rescue again.

Welcome to Do-Dos World

This is a common sight on the bus: Doran sleeping. Dan told me that they didn't ever see Doran the first 3 months he was with Liberty. He would head for the bunk, climb in, and not come out for the rest of the trip. It's not quite that bad, now. He occasionally will emerge to get a movie, pretzels, or the Perry's new CD to take back to his cubbyhole. Every once in a great while, he'll nap in the front lounge. Poor little guy needs his rest!

Our hosts in Benson, AZ had a seat prepared for Doran when we walked in for our meal.

Shoe

This has been a long 3 weeks. I've been home about 4 days during that period. I'm exhausted and ready for somewhat of a break. The bus pulled in about 4:45 this morning. I was fumbling around in the dark, trying to find my shoes. I slipped them on without tying the laces and stumbled out to the truck. I walked in the front door, kicked off the shoes, and headed up to bed. I got up to take Trey to school, walked down to the living room where light was beginning to filter between the blinds and realized that I had actually put on one of my shoes and one of Dan's.

So, you could say this week has got off on the wrong foot.

Subliminal Images

Below you will find a few miscellaneous pictures from an August trip to a submarine somewhere in Michigan. As you can see, it was just another day in the life of Liberty Quartet.

Royce a.k.a "Big Gun" Mitchell goes to work.

I felt very...subtle. Notice how that workout program is reshaping my love handles.

The closest Royce will ever get to water-skiing. Shortly after this picture, Royce was escorted off of the sub.

Oh, and I should mention that the above sign was just under the pylons Royce clambered upon.

Our very own bird of prey

Divine Bovine

The sky is falling, the sky is falling...wait a minute...it's a cow.

Youth Challenge continued

So, anyway, about my Youth Challenge trip...

I have to give some kudos to Jonathan Heath for the most impressive backdrop yet. The theme was "What if" and the graphic design guru (Jon something-or-other) used the ebay ad as inspiration (using the multi-colored it). Jonathan then took the concept and came up with the prop idea. Very nice. By the way, I shamelessly stole the picture from Tara's blog (good to see you, Derek).

I was only able to make it to two sessions: Randy Brown on Friday night, and Matt and Dorcas Hallam on Saturday morning. Randy rang the bell. The dude preached an hour, but could have gone on another hour and still had the crowd paying attention. Fantastic! I went to school with Randy way back in the day and it's incredible to see how God is using him. Matt and Dorcas rang the bell with their presentation of the ministry that they're involved in. Dorcas felt led of God to start a school in the inner-city of Cincinnati, geared specifically to the street kids that they work with in a mission. It's awesome to see how God is blessing their efforts. They brought up several kids who gave testimonies of what God is doing in their lives. Very moving.

Randy Brown gave an invitation on Friday night and scores of kids came forward. I was behind the curtain separating the musicians from the crowd and when I saw that the altar was full I decided to help out by moving a few folding chairs that would free up some space. I reached down for a chair, just your typical average motion that you don't think anything about, and BAM, out of nowhere I felt the worst pain that I have ever experienced. Seriously. I've had my ankle run over by a car, I've had my appendix taken out, I've broken bones, but I've never had pain like this. I staggered about two feet over to the edge of the curtain and fell on top of a large speaker (uh, a sound speaker, not Randy Brown or any of the other convention speakers; the clarification is probably not needed, but just in case, now you know). Jonathan Bender and Steve Shipman happened to be close enough to see that something was wrong, so they quickly ran over and helped me shuffle to some chairs. It was actually more like they dragged me over to the chairs. I couldn't sit down, I couldn't stand up, it was terrible. Finally, they put several chairs together and helped me lay down. This didn't do a lot to stop the back spasms. I was having trouble even speaking the pain was so intense. Finally, Gumby (for those of you who know Nathan), the convention drummer, remembered that there was a clinical massage therapist in attendance and ran off to find her. In the meantime, several people were stopping by to offer their condolences, such as, "yeah, I know what you're going through. I did that and never walked again" or "well, good luck with that; but that pain doesn't compare to the ulcer I had last spring". Very uplifting. I felt much better. The massage therapist finally showed up. I'm here to tell you that Kathy Sheppard was a Godsend. She is actually the cook at UBC, but is a licensed therapist as well. She worked on my back and legs for an hour. My legs were in bad shape. In fact, when she was attempt to work on my leg, just above my knee, I thought I was going to lose it. It hurt so bad. Well, she never did get the nerve to release, but she did a lot of good. About 20 minutes after she left, I was finally able to roll off the chairs, and with the help of a couple of guys get on my feet. I staggered to my room, where Jon Plank and Jonathan Bender amused themselves at my expense. Actually, they did tie my shoes for me. Fortunately, on Saturday I was privileged to fly all the way to Oregon (a total of 6 hours in an uncomfortable seat). There were times I wanted drugs.

By the way, there was a picture taken of my massage. My supportive family, namely Tony and Abby McCrary stopped by to sympathize with me. No, it was more like laugh at me. Abby snapped a picture of Kathy working me over. I would post it, but she hasn't sent it to me yet. Which probably means that it will soon show up on Doran's blog.

I am still in serious pain. I went to see the chiropractor and he informed me that it's going to take a while to get over this. He also mentioned something about bending my knees when I lift. It has made what I do challenging. I don't move near as much on-stage as I normally do.

Same story

We're on the road again. "This is my story, this is my song..." and it will continue to be for the next week or so. There has been a lot that has happened since I last posted.

First of all, for those who pressure me to post pictures immediately or right after some special event I'm part of, forget it. I'm one of those bloggers who doesn't feel obligated to post something everyday. I post whenever I feel like it and that's just the way it is. So, Mom, give me some space! OK, OK, it's not Mom. I was just talking to a fellow blogger this past weekend who said that he feels that he owes it to his reading public to get something up everyday. You know, you don't want to lose the massive audience who oohs and aahhs over all your pictures. That just ain't me.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to hang out with my buddies at Youth Challenge last weekend. I was able to fly in on Friday afternoon, direct the choir and the worship that night, and then fly out to meet the quartet on Saturday. I stepped down from the Youth Challenge board this past January, which by the way was a gut-wrenching decision, but the right one nevertheless. So, the rest of the board honored my years with the organization Friday night (along with Troy Keaton, who also stepped down). It made my night! They presented me with a beautiful plaque and John Manley said some kind words. I'm going to miss being a part of YC.

We're pulling up to the church in Benson, AZ so the rest of this will have to wait. There is some good stuff coming up.