Did you Plug it in?

Woke up this morning around 9am, early considering I finally turned off Brooke Fraser by 3am.  We left Massachusetts/Connecticut last night which was pleasantly a fantastic show, sometimes us Yankees keep our emotions to ourselves whenever we're having a good time, so I always expect a quite crowd up North, but they had a blast, and therefore we did too.  We woke up in Delaware this morning and thanks to Matt Butler's iPhone, we knew we were 4.5 miles from Broadkill Beach.  So we took a 4.5 mile run, Matt, Tony and I, and ended up at the beach, where I got to add to my sand collection.  Yes, I collect sand from every beach I've visited and then I put it in a cool glass jar, label it and display it.  I like the beach, and I just like to be reminded of it. 

Soundcheck was 'fun', I have some strings prerecorded that we play back during the shows because it's cheaper than trying to fit an entire orchestra in my bunk.  Anyhow, they wouldn't work.  I spent maybe 45 minutes with all the guys trying to figure it out.  After trying everything, I called Josh, my go-to drummer who compiled all the strings for live shows, and even though I caught him in the middle of a session, he helped me through it, but it still didn't work.  Something else was wrong... 

Finally I turned the volume up on my computer.  It had been muted.   We spent almost an HOUR trying to figure out the complicated preferences that "must" have been altered.  The solution was basic and almost obvious.  

I'm going to try to apply that to life, and maybe even my spiritual journey.  I'm going to try to not complicate things that God has made simple.  I'm not skilled to understand everything, but I know at God's right hand stands my Savior.   He loves us.  He always will. 

NewSong Week Two: OH & NC

An interesting thing happened before I left for the second week of the Least Of These tour.  I was home watching TV or reading, I can't remember, but I was drinking some hot tea (because Fall pretended to come early) and Daniel, my 2 year old wanted to drink some.  I had it sitting on the coffee (tea) table and he was reaching for the fresh, scalding hot mug.  I stopped him verbally before he could burn his little hands, "Daniel! No, son, that's hot! That's daddy's drink"  Well he didn't like that, stuck his lower lip out and pouted; looked at me and reached out again slowly.  "Nooo, Daniel, daddy said 'no', you need to listen and obey daddy."    He obeyed.  A few minutes later, I said something to him and he had a little bitty temper tantrum when I spoke to him: he was mad a me!  Although we don't allow tantrums and that was addressed, it saddened me that he was angry with me, when I was only looking out for his best interest.  

How many times do I ignore God's instruction, test his patience and then express my lack of contentment at His will or his plan.  Maybe not always to the point of anger toward Him, but perhaps sometimes.  God loves us and doesn't want us to "burn our little hands on the hot mug"  I imagine that would sadden God as well, when we lose our patience with Him.

This past week in Ohio and North Carolina was great.  Little churches are always great to play at because the people are uber kind and hospitable and really know how to cook.  Then we played a Western Carolina Univ yesterday in an arena and a ton of people came and worshipped our Creator and it was just a grand time.  I hope that if we come near you on this little tour, you'll come and see us.   Newsong is a band that has some classic songs in Christian Music as well as incredible new songs...(ha)  And I already bragged on Franny and Tony.   

Glad to be home for a few days though, I pulled in a 4am and slept till 11:30.  Pancakes for Lunch!

NewSong Week One: Missour-EE!

I'm in my bunk.  I love my bunk. 

First I must give shout outs to Bekah, Amelia and Melissa for being the great people that they are.  Seriously, thanks for all your selfless help today.  

For those of you who missed my exciting night Saturday night via my Twitter, I will recap quickly.  I missed the first NewSong date in Moline, IL because I had a show previously scheduled in Grand Rapids, MI.  Well thanks to the devastating effects of Hurricane Ike, our flights IN AND OUT of Chicago were cancelled.  Getting to Michigan was hard enough, but then we couldn't get out.  I ended up renting a car, loading all my junk in it and high tailing it to Chicago at 5:30pm after only getting 4 hours of sleep the night before.  Ike was dumping water in proverbial buckets and I wasn't going to make my flight in time, so i called Budget and told them I'm driving to Missouri.  I headed south, stopped for Burger King and again later for a Large Gas Station Starbucks Coffee + Guarana.  At 2am I arrived in St Louis and met the NewSong bus at 4:30, I was in bed by 5.

Francesca Battistelli is opening the night and evidently she's already had two songs play on The Hills as of tonight.   Check her out: she's Miss Thing.   My deal on this Tour provides with One Bunk on their bus which is incredibly generous.  But unless Josh, Duffy and Scotty wanted to snuggle in my tiny bunk (see above) I wasn't able to bring my band.  So some of NewSong's band, Rico, Mark and Jack are playing for me.   And they're doing a bang up job.  NewSong's set sounds incredible and Tony Nolan (my running partner!) shares his heart in way will make you say "God is Amazing!"  Great people on this tour, I think I'm going to like it.  Come out and see us: check my MySpace for dates.  

Create Again

I have a new song from Whispered and Shouted that got added to Radio last week.  My Dad told me that 4 stations added it, so that's pretty cool: thank you!  

Create Again is the name and I wrote it on a day when I resonated with David in Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord my God, and renew a right spirit within me."  I looked around outside, where I was standing, and marveled, if you will, at the trees and the colors and a sunset and felt the breeze and everything pointed to His creative hand and I thought, "If God can create all this, surely He'll create a new heart in me if I ask."   This song is a plea to the Creator to be the breath that we breathe and our very lifeblood: the essence of our being. 

If you like it, call your local Christian Radio Station and ask if they wouldn't mind giving it a spin.  (but don't tell them I sent you ;) )  

ya'll are the best.  Hope the song is Truth for you, even if it's not on the radio.

a

I'm Going To Disney World!

Actually, I've been here for a day.  Sarah, Daniel and I flew down yesterday from Atlanta (you can't work at Disney and not bring your family!) and our Disney Tour Guide, Mark Carter met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel at Disney.  He offered to take us to the parks and get us on some of the rides without waiting in line...and how do say 'no' to that?!   So after Daniel woke up from his long-overdue nap and we grabbed some dinner in the room, we headed out to Epcot Center and I got to ride on SOARIN' (Daniel was too short), but then took Daniel over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Daniel had a blast hanging out with Crush and seeing a TON of fish.  He loves fish.  Then we got a front row seat of the Epcot fireworks display, I think Daniel equated Mark with a lot of fun, because he took to him like he does Few strangers...held his hand, wanted to be held By him the entire fireworks display and even gave him a hug afterward.  I think Daniel thought Mark Made the fireworks.  Check out the video. 

This morning I had a live radio interview on Z88.3, then did a TV interview and played on Fox Orlando's Morning Show!  They had some technical difficulties however, so they're going to air the song tomorrow morning (Sept 5th) and they're going to post it online: check it out: it might be good.  dunno.

Anyhow, if Hanna let's us, we're going to go to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom tomorrow before the shows on Saturday.  Night of Joy baby!  I love Disney World.

Leaving Peoria. Leaving Summer.

It's September 1st.  Summer is over.  Well, not by calendar/astrological standards, the Autumnal Equinox doesn't occur for another 21 days, but come on.  Summer's over and we all know it. 

We played at Northminster Church in Peoria, IL last night on their baseball field, set up at home plate.  It was very cool.  3,500 Peorians and other varied Illini showed up and stayed out late, on the eve of Labor Day.  We played a 75 minute set (76 actually) and despite some technical difficulties earlier in the day, the show went off with only a couple hitches (Like having no vocal in my ears for the first half of Give It All Away).   The crowd was fantastic, I think they had a good time, and they were ready to sing!

We got to the hotel around 11pm, i took a bath (which i guess you're not 'supposed' to do at hotels, cause that's gross, my wife tells me...but i really wanted a bath) then set the alarm and got a wake up call for 3:30 this morning.  Hotels don't even Provide coffee that early.  

After landing at the airport, I was giving Duffy a ride home in my Jeep, but I couldn't find my parking ticket.  The toll booth lady had to look me up, I told her I was only parked for a day.  She told me (10 minutes later) that I had been there for 3 days.  I said that I hadn't.   She said that I had.  So I backed out and searched my luggage again and finally found it.  The ticket said 8/31, not 8/29.  That was a close one.  

Home again.  Drinking coffee (finally) out of my Cafe Du Monde mug, and my thoughts turn toward New Orleans.  Pray!