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Trunk Or Treat

Last night was Trunk or Treat at Grace. Last year they had it on a weekend so I had to miss it. It was loads of fun! I helped Lori in the kids service by being a puppeteer, a first for me. LaRona gave me just enough instruction to keep me from making a fool of myself...well, let me take that back. She gave me enough rope to hang myself. It's harder than it looks. Anyway, then I passed out candy to kids from the back of my festive-looking Explorer. I enjoyed giving candy to the first-timers, kids who have never been trunk-or-treating. They had this puzzled expression that said, "Why are people giving me all this candy? Is this Heaven?" I even grilled a couple of hotdogs over at Mindy Ritchey's fire pit. A good time was had by all.

I spent quite a bit of time stuffing straw down my pants. Now, I wasn't wearing the pants at the time. Kassady thought it was pretty funny and took a picture. My stuffed man didn't turn out so good as you can see below. I've done better.

The back of the Waggonermobile, strawman and all. I have about one hundred little cuts on my hands from all that straw. I'll use gloves next time.

Trey was Joseph. Lori made his technicolor dreamcoat. He was sufficiently impressed. He got loads (and I mean LOADS) of candy. It will last him, in all seriousness, until next October.

Kassady was Queen Esther. She posed with one of her angelic friends, Taylor. This was the only time they weren't on a sugar high the rest of the evening.

The kids paraded in front of the adults during the midweek service. Thunderous applause greeted them.

Lots of kids, everywhere!

Katie Keep was Jezebel, but fortunately she had a little angel tugging at her trying to turn her in the right direction.

Allen dressed up as, well, himself. It was very realistic. They have the cutest baby girl! She wasn't that dazzled by my camera action. In fact, if babies can glare, I'm pretty sure one was cast my direction.

Lori gave an object lesson involving a pumpkin. The part where the pumpkin innards splashed all over her wasn't planned. The kids liked it, though.

Trey went over to the dark side of special ops, led there by his little green friend Noah.

Lori and I dressed for the occasion. I wore my Bubba teeth. They were a big hit with the 8-year-olds. We thought about dressing up like Abraham and Sarah, with this whole pregnancy and everything. Sarah decided not to.

Traveling Live

***If you get the Liberty Quartet newsletter, just ignore the text and skip to the pictures. I'm using some of the same material...

Liberty's last trip out was special, no doubt about it. We kicked off the tour at Post Falls Nazarene on Thursday. Lonnie and Melanie Capps (along with the rest of their hard workin' crew) did a fantastic job on the concert promotion. We had a phenomenal evening of worship. And, each of us ended up with a copy of Lonnie's cookbook, chock-full of delicious recipes culled from his years in the Marines. Visit out his website to get your own copy.

After a stay in the beautiful Coeur d' Alene Resort we left for Kimberly, British Columbia Friday morning. It's been a while since we've taken a trip featuring so much gorgeous scenery. Since moving to Idaho I have missed the changing of the leaves that I so often took for granted while living back east. There was plenty of leaf-changing to be seen on this trip. I spent good portions of the trip with my nose pressed up the window looking out over God's incredible handiwork. Awesome! And that was just a precursor to the Nazarene Laymen's Retreat up in Kimberly. This had to be one of the most relaxing weekends I've had since joining Liberty. The location coupled with the wonderful people we were with made for a fun three days. Kudos go out to retreat director Carrie Hoogstad and her wonderful committee. They ensured that the retreat came off without a hitch. It was a privilege to be with Pastor Kent Conrad, pastor of Nampa, ID First Nazarene. His challenges were insightful, direct, and inspiring. He had us memorize Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, O God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and leave me in the way everlasting." This should the prayer of every person who is continually pursuing holiness. Kent and his wife Kay are some of God's finest and we enjoyed our time together. I am just a little jealous of that big ol' Harley-Davidson that he rides. Kent's one wild hog! I'm more like Dudley.

We left the retreat Sunday morning after the closing service with 300 miles to drive. The destination was Clarkston, WA and the Living Heritage Methodist Church. This long trip was an aberration from our normal Sunday afternoon traveling schedule, but we made it with time to spare. We had a phenomenal concert! And, of course, our friends from Kings Heirs showed up. They even sang a couple of songs with us, much to the crowd's delight. After the concert we went over to Ernie Haverman's house for a mouthwatering meal of shepherd's pie, salad, bread, and rum cake. Of course, Ernie, Bob, Bill, and Pinky had to tell their stories from the road. And they have plenty after 30 years of traveling: the same 4 guys all 30 years.

After that, we hopped on the bus for what we assumed was going to be a fairly short trip home. Those of you who have kept up with my blog for a while know that Royce hates our Garmin GPS (the Garminator) with a passion, while Dan believes that it's almost infallible. There's some enjoyable irony to be found in the fact that it was Royce who followed the GPS on a course over some of the worst terrain ever. As we were heading out of town, I was sitting up in the shotgun seat and saw a sign that said next fuel station 77 miles. I looked at the guage, then at Royce and asked if he thought this was a good idea. "Oh yeah, we can get to LaGrande if we have too", he replied with all the confidence he could muster. I don't know what was going on in that little GPS brain, but we went over one of the craziest mountain passes it could have chosen. I'm not sure what kind of fuel mileage we got, but it couldn't have been that great. By the time we got over the mountain our fuel was almost gone. Royce finally saw a gas station that sold diesel, but when we pulled up it was closed. So, we shut 'er down and spent the night waiting for the station to open. When Dan walked in after fueling up the next morning the clerk said, "You came over that?", pointing in the direction of the mountain pass. When Dan nodded in affirmation she said, "I know a lot of people who won't go over that pass in cars!" Oh well, all's well that ends well. Royce has threatened various acts of violence against the Garminator. I'm pretty sure we're going to get on the bus one weekend and stumble over a crime of passion.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Royce tried to remember all of the songs that the current version of Liberty Quartet (6.1, I believe) knows. It's somewhere around a hundred or so. The rest of the weekend we kept adding songs to the list. He wrote out the list with a Sharpie and lays it on the floor in front of the monitor. He pulls out a fresh lineup every night. We have no clue what's coming next. Who does he think he is? Hamill?

Doran was trying to practice during soundcheck. He has this weird idea that if he has headphones on and can't hear us, then we can't hear him. We had to get him to shut up so we could set vocals. He's over there humming away...loudly!

Diane went with us on this trip. Unfortunately, her presence did little to alter Doran's hyperactive state of being. She helped Doran lead the worship at the retreat and then sang a song at each of the other concerts.

Dan calling the front desk at the Coeur d'Alene Resort...just because he could. This was the nicest place that we've stayed. At least, since I've been with Liberty. On Friday morning, I had already showered and was doing a little reading with Dan came bursting into the room with his morning cup of coffee (the man has a terrible addiction). He said that they had an awesome pool/sauna/hot tub area downstairs. Well, it sounded good to me so I changed into a Tshirt and swimming trunks and headed off. Dan told me that he had found a shortcut we could take. Well, following Dan is somewhat like trusting the GPS. He headed out a door and I walked right out behind him...into the freezing cold of the outside. It was below 32 degrees outside and by the time it hit me and I reached for the door it had shut and automatically locked. It was one of those doors that doesn't allow you to go back in. So, Dan puts on a confident face and says, "I think it's just around the corner." We end up walking down by the docks, all around the hotel in the frigid weather. People were bundled up in heavy coats, hats, and gloves and they looked at us like we were insane walking around in shorts and T-shirts. We walked for about 8-10 minutes before we got around to the resort's main entrance. Dan's laughing like a hyena and I'm in the introductory stages of hypothermia by the time we get inside. It was one of those moments. I will say that hot tub never felt so good.

Why do people keep requesting this song? The only standing ovation we got all weekend was for our bluegrass number, "The Gospel Plow".

Carrie Hoogstad was the director of the retreat and did a wonderful job of keeping it moving. She even joined Dan and I in a few dance moves on "Bus Driver".

It was a privilege to hang out with Kent and Kay Conrad. Kay is about as spunky a woman as you're going to find anywhere. She cracked me up. I enjoyed the time we spent bouncing ministry ideas/stories off of each other. She has a heart for outreach. It's pretty cool to see and hear what God is doing at Nampa First and to share what He's doing at Grace. All in all, a great weekend.

Rah, rah, Phillies

Way to go Phillies. My wife and in laws are all ecstatic. Dave, being the Philadelphia native that he is, tipped over the coffee table in the living room and streaked through the house in his BVDs since he couldn't join the hoodlums down on Market Street who are celebrating this momentous event by stealing big-screen TVs and setting police cars on fire. Is it just me, though, or has the World Series just been boring the last few years? Yawn...

I guess if the Reds ever get back I'll get excited too.

Cellphone Candids

Here are some indiscriminate pictures taken on my Blackberry phone. The camera is pathetic, the only Blackberry feature I'm not fond of. I happened to remember today that I have a 1gig camera card in my phone, so I downloaded the following. Enjoy!

I think I took this right after I shaved my head for the first time. Lori was away at AYC and I wanted to prep her so she didn't slap me in the airport terminal. She slapped me anyway...

The beautiful women in my life. When we go to a restaurant, it's the chics on one side of the table...

...and dudes on the other side. My main man, Trey.

I must have been having a Daughtry moment during a soundcheck in Oregon.

In case you can't tell, these two together spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Taylor (Ritchey) and Trey, otherwise known as TnT.

I just bought the ice cream for the kids. Diane was the one that had to clean Taylor's face.

One of the highlights of Trey's young life: going to his first-ever Boise State football game. The Broncos won, of course. Incidentally, we're now #11 in the BCS standings.

Lori's face when she saw my freshly-shorn head for the first time.

Every time Lori or I have the opportunity to eat at Skyline Chili without the other, we take a picture and text it just to rub it in. This was taken at a Skyline in Louisville, KY where Doran and I introduced Brandon Beene of the Beene Family to just the best restaurant in the world! Lori texted back and said that she hoped I got diarrhea.

The Liberty guys got tickets to the New York Giants-St. Louis Rams game in St. Louis, MO. They were $100 seats and we got them for $10. My first NFL game. Eli Manning was on fire.

A blurred man deep in thought as the alien spaceships hover just outside.

We don't allow our children to have beverages on long road-trips. As a result, these parched little guys often collapse from thirst (before you call the authorities, just kidding...I just couldn't think of a caption).

Trey and his beloved GBS yo-yo (thanks to Jessica Smith). He was in the introductory phase of his "walk-the-dog" demonstration at the time.

Kassady taking a break from her soccer game. It was about 40 degrees at this particular game. She wasn't impressed.

My little princess. Trey hates this picture.

Royce and Dan with some of our fans, Megan and Jayden. Actually, their dad (Jeff) sings with Solid Ground, a Southern Gospel trio from the Sacramento area.

Spreading love and peace around Caldwell...

This was taken on my birthday at a Mexican restaurant somewhere in Klamath Falls, OR. The Spanish version of the Happy Birthday song is a beautiful thing to listen to. Those treats were tasty. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me keep the sombrero. I tried.

Dan, our own little manga character. Coming soon to a TV station near you!

I'm so sure...

Just one more reason to not take the British royal family seriously...

To quote my friend Matt Barnett, "I'm so sure!"

Aged

I'm getting old. I just caught myself yelling "Turn your music down!" to Kassady. Good grief! When did this happen?

Random Ramblings

Just a few random thoughts while they're running through my head...

For those of you who have had to be up in front of a crowd for anything, whether it be singing, speaking, whatever...have you ever had something happen that just totally takes you by surprise and then leaves you speechless? My immediate reaction is laughter. I just want to bust a gut. Well, that happened to me tonight. Of course, I look out across the audience and most of the people have their heads down, avoiding eye-contact, and are shaking with their futile efforts at silently suppressing their mirth. To laugh at this specific point in time would have been the WRONG thing to do, but I could hardly take it. I focused on the one person who hadn't picked up on it and stared at them intently until the urge passed. Whew!!

Last night, I caught the second half of the Hoppers concert in Nampa at First Nazarene (had to attend our Financial Peace University class). I'm telling you, they're awesome! There were roughly 1100 people at the concert. I've already heard from several that it was one of the best concerts they've been to at First Naz. When it comes to a power soprano in Southern Gospel there are two all alone at the top: Kim Hopper and her sister-in-law Taranda Greene. They were on the last date of a 12-day tour and she still brought it. Unbelievable power! And, I commented to Lori last night that Claude Hopper is a phenomenal emcee. He has mastered the art of stammering and stumbling just enough to come across as an "aw shucks" good ol' boy, while delivering his punchlines perfectly. This was the first time I've caught on to the calculated genius of his delivery. I loved it. He had the crowd with him the whole time. The Hoppers have been as good to Liberty Quartet as anybody out there. They have opened doors for our ministry that would have never been opened without their assistance. I spent some time shooting the breeze with Dean and Claude after the concert. Sounds like the Fan Fest in Fresno is going to be one of the best ever. Doran made the mistake of telling Claude that he would help him sell his songbooks, so much to his chagrin, Claude gave me another shipment of books for him. It cracks me up! In my humble opinion, the Hoppers have gone back up to elite status since they parted ways with the Spring Hill label and start self-producing their music. Well, I guess they have partnered with Lari Goss on the actual production part, but they're now selecting their own songs and it shows.

Speaking of Southern Gospel concerts, the original Couriers (Dave, Duane, and Neil) are coming to town, my home church no less, and I'm going to be gone. I'm pretty bummed. I've had the privilege of getting to know Neil Enloe through the years via email. What a great man! Neil, as many of you know, penned the hit song "Statue of Liberty" among many other classics. His life has been marked by a passion for ministry. He's not about the money or anything like that. They have sung in 80 different nations, spreading the Gospel through music. He has given Liberty sage advice across the years, continually encouraging us to remember why we're doing what we do. He is a man who invests his time and resources in other people. My introduction to Neil was when I was working at GBS. I oversaw the production of our music recordings. A group had just cut a version of "Statue of Liberty". So, I emailed him to get the mechanical license for the song and pay the royalty. He emailed me back and told me that God wouldn't let him take money from a Bible college with a clear conscience. He explained that he got his start in Gospel music by singing in a college quartet. All he wanted out of the deal was a copy of the CD. That's pretty rare these days. Anyway, we've stayed in touch ever since. He just emailed me today and told me that I was missing out on a cup o' Joe since Liberty's pulling out for Canada tomorrow. I'm going to eventually collect on that coffee (or, in my case, some hot chocolate). If you're in Nampa on Friday go hear the guys. Philip Batton & Joyful Sound will be opening up (just checkin' to see if you're still reading the blog, big guy).

The best Southern Gospel CD I've purchased all year is Timeless Hymns & Classics, Vol. II by Brian Free and Assurance. They've taken a fresh approach to 10 classics and proven that you can breathe new life into old songs. I'm telling you, BFA is one of the most underrated groups going right now. Their sets at NQC were phenomenal. And, please, would you Southern Gospel "experts" and bloggers give Bill Shivers the respect he deserves. That guy is a freak of a lead singer! Anyway, I don't have the time or interest to offer a full review, but you can check out reviews at Musicscribe and Swain's Musings. My only complaint with the album was also picked up by David Bruce Murray at Musicscribe: the strings and brass on "The Blood Will Never Lose It's Power" sound very fake and cheesy. But, hey, that's my only complaint. Go buy the CD. In fact, I hear it playing in Trey's room right now. He goes to sleep with "Glory Road" on repeat.

Right now, the Phillies are leading the Rays 3-2 in the top of the 9th inning of the 2008 World Series game one. I could care less. Baseball has kind of lost me as a fan. Of course, that probably has something to do with the fact that the Cincinnati Reds are just pathetic. I can't ever bear to follow the sport. I guess I'll pull for the Phillies since Philadelphia is Lori's home town. That's also a good reason to root against them. You know, just to mix it up. Oh well, I'll be the supportive husband. I'm pretty sure my brother-in-law, Dave, has his head up to his XM radio receiver somewhere. An aside here, but have you noticed how it's so much better to listen to baseball on the radio instead of watching it on TV? Go figure. Probably Jack Hooker is kicked back in a La-Z-boy, an ice tea close by, listening to the game. Enjoy.

Well, it's off to Canada. Dan has lost his passport, so we might be bringing in a Canadian replacement. A guy by the name of Bryan Adams. Yeah, just another weekend.

Brithday Recap

Trey was pretty pleased with his birthday. For some reason, I didn't have any trouble getting him to wake up Monday morning. He popped right out of bed and was into a seemingly high-caffeinated, excited mood in no time. And this was without caffeine. He had a little party at school with his friends and then he came home, changed for his basketball tryout, nailed the tryout (he wanted me to keep statistics on his shooting; he officially shot 80%: 24-for-30), then picked up his buddy William Keep for his "home" party. I gave Trey the option of a party at home with a slightly bigger present or a party at Boondocks with little or no present from Mom and Dad. That was a no-brainer for stat-boy: he decided he wanted to throw a football birthday party.

So, here you go. Trey's party in a few pictures:

A quick huddle before the play. William Keep had to be quarterback since he wasn't supposed to run due to a dental procedure earlier in the day. He led Trey's team to victory, though, with just the bare minimum of running/skipping ("see, I'm not running!"). The boys cracked me up. They'd always shout "Break!" and clap their hands when they came out of the huddle.

Kassady even got in on the action. Trey tried in vain to convince her to be a cheerleader, but she wouldn't have it. She played all-time line-woman. I just scratched my bare head...

Fortunately, Josh and Amelia Jensen showed up. Josh called in plays from the sidelines. I ended up quarterbacking for the losing team, showing off my dynamic arm and mad scrambling skills. I didn't have an O-line and Trey blitzed me every down.

All the boys, except for Brandon (who had to leave early for the airport), were more than willing to cheese for the camera. Michael, Noah, Zeth, Tyler, William, and Trey kept things loud and moving.

Lori's football cupcake creations. For some reason she couldn't find any icing applicators and so she painstakingly drew the laces and stripes on with toothpicks. As you can tell Michael was blown away.

Apparently, the guys were impressed with Trey's gifts. They all gathered in close.

After the game was played, the cake was eaten, and with everybody gone Trey finished his birthday in style: reading homework with Mom.

This was one of the best parties we've thrown. Special thanks to Josh and Amelia for helping us keep things under control.

Perfect #7

It's hard to believe that 7 years ago today our first child entered this world. After 26 hours of agonizing labor (while I sipped Coke, watched ESPN, and kept the video camera running with a few unappreciated hilarious jokes), Lori gave birth to my namesake: Norman Keith Waggoner III. There are way too many Keith's in our family already, so we decided on the nickname Trey. God has blessed us with a boy whose heart beats for Jesus. The highlight of the last 7 years of parenting was when Trey called me on the phone while I was singing at the 2006 Fan Fest in Fresno, CA to tell me that he had asked Jesus to come into his heart. God heard that 4-year-old boy's prayer and saved him. I'm proud of my boy and thank God for a son with a tender heart.

Now, lest I paint a picture of some patron saint, let me assure you that Trey is all boy. He still argues with Kass over what movie they're going to watch, loves wrestling, thinks that "ripping one" is probably the most hilarious act a person can do, and hates anything to do with art. We still have to tell him not to jump on the furniture, occasionally have to get on him about tracking mud through the living room, and keep his Xbox playing to a minimum. All in all, though: great kid!

He's passionate about his sports. Trey is a fantastic soccer player, but longs to play football. Trey also plays basketball (in fact, we're leaving in just a few minutes for his tryout for this season) and baseball. He is a walking sport encyclopedia, always ready to dispense some obscure statistic.

I conducted a quick survey of Trey's raves and faves on his 7th birthday and here's what we came up with:

Sport: football
Teams: Cincinnati Reds, IU basketball, Boise State football, UC Bearcats, Indy Colts, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers
Subject in school: history ("learning about all the wars and stuff")
Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks
TV Show: Suite Life on Deck (the new Zach and Cody Disney show which he found out he can watch online); ESPN; Spongebob Squarepants; Cory in the House
Book: Jigsaw Jones; Ken Griffey, Jr. biography
Music Groups: Liberty Quartet, dcTalk, Gold City, Toby Mac, Brian Free and Assurance
Song: "See the Glory" (Steven Curtis Chapman); "Glory Road" (Brian Free and Assurance)
Food: steak; hot wings; ribs
Drink: any kind of milkshake
Xbox Game: NBA Live
Board Game: Apples to Apples
Color: blue
Website: disneychannel.com; espn.com

Happy birthday, Trey. We love you!

Here we go again...maybe

I must rejoice! Final score: TCU 32 #9 BYU 7. Now, if only BYU or TCU can knock off #14 Utah, and Boise State can keep a perfect record, then we could go to the BCS dance again. My eyes are brimming at this moment (it has nothing to do with BSU, but rather Trey hitting me in the nose with a football).

Life is good in Idaho!

Heaven in the Real World

This evening while reading John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted, I came across this quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's epic/novel poem Aurora Leigh:

Earth's crammed with Heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes--
The rest sit round it and pick blackberries.

So many times I confine my spiritual lessons to specific events in time such as Bible study, church, and prayer while missing all that He wants to teach me in the world around me, the people I interact with, the challenges I face on a daily basis. God, open my eyes to the infinite opportunities I have to see You. Help me learn from that slice of Heaven you reveal to me. Renew my mind so I can be transformed.

High-falutin'

This picture cracked me up. Kassady (in quite the state of undress) practices right along with Lori.

The Waggoner's Big Blow-Up

After a fantastic weekend trip to Washington and Oregon (where at last night's concert in Portland, I was shocked and surprised to see a Treasure Valley contingent of females who stayed over for our concert after being part of the Women of Faith conference--just ask Sheila Taylor how shocked I was), I arrived at the Waggoner Scientific Institute bright and early to prepare myself for what could be the first step towards being a fellow of the National Science Foundation. To provide context, last year for Trey's birthday one of his buddies, Noah Mori, gave him a volcano experiment as a present. I told him that we would do it together as a team sometime and promptly forgot about it. Well, he found it in his closet this weekend and set a firm date of tonight for the volcano eruption.

Now my previous experience with science is pretty well confined to my intense studies of Physical Science PACE's 1109-1120 and a very brief foray into chemistry (an elective that I dropped after about 17 pages of work). The closest I ever got to a real experiment was a chemistry set that I received for a Christmas present at age 10. My parents deemed that it was too dangerous for me to tinker with on my own (this after a small incident involving sulfur and a burn in the kitchen floor). I was instructed to only conduct experiments under the watchful eyes of my father, eyes that had no intention of getting near a science exhibition involving me and chemicals. I can guarantee you that the chemistry set is still stowed away in an attic somewhere. A disaster waiting to happen.

Anyway, I tell you that to set the stage for our ground-breaking inquiry into the development of our very own volcano. In short, the experiment involved some sort of sand and cement mixture, water, vinegar, baking soda, and air. The results were quite impressive notwithstanding my so-so credentials.

Trey practices a little reading on me by telling a Bible story about Joseph and the coat of many colors. This has nothing to do with volcanos and I'm not quite sure how it ended up in this post.

Trey "ignites" the volcano drenching Lori in the process. Let's just say this was a massive catastrophe causing temporary damage to the carpet, table, and Lori's clothing. The only casualty was me (I think), because Lori was murdering me in her heart for laughing at her stained sweater.

The volcano, shortly before being buried in an undisclosed landfill somewhere in Idaho.

Trey, being scientist #1 and the recipient of this little experiment, had cool goggles. Being scientist #2 doesn't pay that well and I was stuck with a pair of Akebono's sunglasses. I was allowed to be in the Waggoner Science Institute staff directory picture, though.

And then the secretary asked to be in the picture. Her contributions to the momentous occasion included negative observations to scientists #1 & 2 such as, "this isn't going to work" and "I told you it wouldn't work." In the end, though, our hard work and research was validated with a successful explosion. And, she was sufficiently impressed.

Thanks, Noah, for the present. This was quality family time!