GFR Fundraiser

Anyone within shouting distance of this blog knows that all of my family is heading to Rwanda on a mission trip this summer. The cost is fairly large yet somehow I believe it will all come through in time. Lots of faith is required! Part of the fundraising for us and several others who are going is a large event on April 15th. Hopefully anyone nearby can come on by and check it out. I can tell you that it is rapidly shaping out to be potentially a great event! Here's the info:

Global Family Rescue Fundraising Gala: Sunday, April 15th, 2007 - 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Global Family Rescue will hold a fundraising gala at the Friendship Center at Highpoint, 175 S. Highpoint Drive in Romeoville, IL, where Sunday services for the Romeoville campus are held. The gala will raise funds for upcoming mission trips to Rwanda, and families are invited to enjoy live music, raffles, a silent auction, a vendor and craft fair and refreshments. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Y'all can find me if you want a ticket. There are other ways to help too - just let me know.

I don't know what to call this post

Hey I saw the last half of American Idol last night. I understand someone local is a finalist. Cool. However, the show is not something I really am in to. Ok, so that is my one mention of it.

I haven't written in a while. I do have some stuff I want to write about. Time has been a problem these past few days. Anyone have that problem?

And I thought it was only me. Back soon with more...

Games

Is it baseball season yet? I am not too huge into the March madness thing. However, two nights ago, while enjoying a rare evening with nothing to do (and I do mean rare!), I caught 3 games that all ended on the buzzer (the SIU game - I was interested in that one, the Ohio State game, and the Bulls game). The Bulls ending was comical if you did see it.

Ok, so that was my NCAA fun. So, let's hear it all about how the Cubs will win it all this year!

Well?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Can somebody quiet down those crickets!

Duchess - 2

Ok, so here is the one picture we could find and it's priceless! She was this dainty, 5 pound cat that would always want to cuddle. She was a great cat that loved people. But, as you can see, you didn't mess with her- as our dog Dixi found out at an early age! Oh well. Time to move on.

Duchess

Today was a sad day at our household. We lost a family member: our cat, Duchess. We had her for over 10 years. It is always amazing to see how we adopt these animals into our family. They literally become part of it. Duchess was one of them. Katrina named her when she was little - she loved the Disney movie "Aristocats". Duchess was a small, very lightweight cat. But also the most destructive! She was our jumper and would always find things to jump on - sometimes to results where things would break! It really wasn't as bad as that sounds though! We all loved her very much. She will be missed. Her sickness was just progressing too much. For me, the hardest part was afterwards. We decided to take her home at bury her in our yard. Well, I had to dig the hole. Man, that was really tough. Mary and the kids have been taking it hard as well. We have some digital pictures somewhere. I'll post one when I get them.

A Holy Night

I'm still not sure anyone reads this stuff so I will at least speak to cyberspace. A few weeks back something happened to me that reaffirmed that what I do at CCC has total meaning that affects people to last into eternity. Heavy stuff, eh? One Saturday afternoon at the CAC as I was entering the room for the beginning of the 5pm service, a lady stopped me to say something. At first I have to admit it was hard to understand her because of a British type accent. However, after a moment I heard how she was referring to a service that I played at. Now, I have to admit that us artists at CCC do hear from other people that attend regarding how great we all play. I have learned a long time ago that shrugging it off is not what one does. When someone goes out of their way to commend you, you must respect them and say "thank you". I thought that this was one such conversation. It wasn't.

There was a Christmas Eve a few years back where we were onstage at Romeoville playing the TSO instrumental version of O Holy Night. What is funny is that I remember that night! The song is almost all guitar solo - and I broke a string in the middle of it! Ouch! I quickly took the guitar off and put on the back up guitar - all while the song was going on. Well, the band kept playing through all that and somehow I came right back in and started playing at the correct spot om the song. Only God could have guided me then because I was in one of those brief panic modes and not conciously following the music through that moment! So, I thought the conversation was going there and we would have a laugh about it and then move on. It wasn't.

Mary (that was her name - easy one to remember) had come to that service seeking God. She was desperate for the Holy Spirit to speak to her somehow. She got it that night. And yes, it was during that song! She specifically mentioned that one. From what I remember of that conversation was that it was through my playing that she experienced God's presence like never before. It changed her life. That caught me for a loop. She was in near tears as she was telling me that. She had been wanting to tell me for all these years but, for whatever reason, never got a chance until this moment. Folks, what a moment. I get chills even now as I write this. Who could have ever thought that during a time of what seemed utter chaos and near disaster turns out to be a life changing moment for someone! THAT is why I do what I do! THAT reaffirms that God will use me no matter what I am doing or thinking! And to think, that all we need to do is just use the gifts that He gave us and just see Him work! Whoa, cool stuff!

That, to say the least, made my day. She is now contributing in First Impressions and connecting and celebrating.

And I am still breaking strings.

I guess that Christmas Eve was truly a Holy Night.

You call this surviving???

Ok, so what the heck is up with Survivor? I got hooked on the show during its second season in Australia and have liked it ever since. Yeah, some were better than others but all in all it was quite entertaining to see the dynamic of how people act in adverse conditions. Sure, the producers do put their spin on it for entertainment value. But, people do find ways to survive. Note that word: survive. Now, this season, you have one tribe with all the comforts of home against another who is, well, just surviving. Naturally the tribe of "haves" (Moto) is kicking the butts of the "have nots" (Ravu). Duh! What did they think would happen? Hmmm, let's see, we give some people everything they need to keep themselves relatively healthy - both physically and emotionally. Then we give some other people nothing. I mean absolutely nothing! And see who wins. I don't like it. The advantage is so huge you kind of know what is going to happen before it happens. I'm guessing Mark Barnett figured it out also because they are going to switch it up next week. I think it might be too late for that. Other than that one stupid idea of bringing back people voted out to compete again at Pearl Island (I thought this is about outwit, outhink and out play?), this might be the worse one yet. There is no level playing field. I'm still hoping for the Ravu people to kick butt. However, I think we already know what is going to happen. Ho, hum. Is it baseball season yet?

Remembering Exam Frustration!

Maybe you have to be an engineering type like I was to appreciate these, but these are just too funny to me and it's my blog! You might have to read them closely. How many times I wanted to write stuff like this back in college!

Wait, I think one of these is mine...

(Thanks John Tuck!)

Books and Fruitcakes

Remember that book I was waiting for? Still waiting. It is time to just go to the book store and buy it. You know what will happen. The other one will then arrive. Maybe I can put it up for sale on E-Bay! Maybe I can sell it to someone and put it on a mule team so that it can take over a month to get there. And then, that person will get so mad that they will so the same. And so on, and so on...

Kind of like the story of the Christmas fruitcake. You heard the story: there is really only one fruitcake ever made. It is just the same one that gets passed around!

This blog thing can be some true therapy! I might actually start liking it and posting some stuff that has some real worth! (sorry fruitcake).

School of Rock

I teach guitar at School for the Arts at CCC. In addition, I am conducting an 8 week "Rock Band Workshop". I really was not sure about it - how does one teach a person how to play in a rock band? For me, I just did it. the workshop will consist of 4 kids at around junior high age and me. It wasn't so bad last Friday (although half the kids didn't make it!). However, last night I happened to catch the last half or so of the movie "School of Rock". It was an inspiration: that is how I am going to do it. Pick some simple rockin songs (like AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top"), and just have fun with it. It should be real cool! A mini end-of-workshop concert should also be in the works. So, no hidden agendas, etc. We just rock!

One lesson that I gave them, which should be true to most any musician - not just guitarists, was this: there are three things that one must do to improve at their craft. First, you learn by one on one contact. That is, having personal instruction and practicing. Second, you need to see and hear as many musicians as you can. Try to pick up styles, riffs, techniques, etc. on how they play - even from people who don't play the same instrument. And third, which is the workshop, start playing with a group. You will be amazed and what you will learn about yourself; not to mention, improving your chops. Plus, that part is just fun to do.

And so, for those about to rock, I salute you...

Waterbugs

Lately I have been feeling like a waterbug. Waterbugs dart around this way and that -always skimming the surface but never diving in - never attaining any depth. They never are able to experience the wonders of what they are darting around. Sometimes we can get that way: always darting around from task to task but never experiencing all those things that are around us. I think this is what happens when we overload ourselves just a little bit. When there is no 'depth', there seems to always be something missing. First and foremost, all the lines need to be open to God. Sometimes those airwaves get cluttered and we lose the connection. That needs to change immediately. Somehow, as it always does in times like these, that opens and frees us up to experience all the good things around us.

So, it is time to stop being a waterbug and dive in the water. Be a fish.

Be like Mr. Limpett...

Did I just say that...?

"you must unlearn what you have learned"

Yoda was a wise old dude when he said that. I'm playing as a new leader song at CCC's Leadership community, Dust In the Wind. It was the first song I learned to fingerpick on the guitar. Only today, I discovered that I was playing it wrong all those years! It is always hard to change something that you have been doing for over 25 years. It is working but weird. Playing guitar can be like life: we need to be able to adapt and be used to change. Embrace it - let it flow through you...

May the force be with you...