....

i've been busy. considering only 3 of you actually read this it comes to no surprise.

i can't help but feel frustrated by the current political landscape.

i came into this election season with an open mind. i've always been a staunch republican supporter but obama certainly had some appeal to him. however, i have now made up my mind but it's mainly a middle finger to the media and bloggers everywhere.

i am SICK TO DEATH of this onslaught of negative articles about john mccain. two years ago the media sang his praises for his willingness to work with people outside of his party and for being someone who could not be influenced and made up his own mind. fast forward to today and they all crucify him because he's running against a democrat.

i'm sick to death of the media pointing fingers and trying to influence elections with their crap. worse, i'm concerned because so many people buy into it.

so here's my question.....is it the media's fault that they are so hypocriticle or are we at fault for not calling them out on it?

pump up

music is basically my language. my mood determines my music most of the time but when i need that "pump me up" kind of music, certain songs really help push me into a good mood and get me going. so just because i'm at home, bored, and doing laundry i'm going to post some of them.

back in black - ac/dc
true love - phil wickham
bleeding - flickerstick
remedy - david crowder*band
marvelous light - charlie hall
overkill - colin hay
fringes - shane and shane
collide - fono
flood - jars of clay
bulls on parade - rage against the machine
tallahassee song - the twelfth chapter
selkies: the endless obcession - between the buried and me
these are the dead days - calhoun
chances - athlete
eleanor rigby - the beatles
dry the rain - the beta band
hard to handle - the black crowes
more than a feeling - boston
the night before life goes on - carrie underwood
all-american girl - carrie underwood
fight test - the flaming lips
shameless - garth brooks
this fire burns - killswitch engage
enter sandman - metallica
my weakness - moby
love and memories - o.a.r.
chocolate - snow patrol
interstate love song - stp
blinded - third eye blind
tool - forty-six and two
this lying world - unearth
one headlight - the wallflowers

comments? thoughts? snide remarks?

live from camp....

so i'm in gretna, florida leading worship for the love at work camp.

let me start off by saying i thought i was going to kind of coast through this week. site hop and be the cool worship leader guy. i was wrong.

i stayed at one site, a softball field and have worked every day. to see the kids at this site do things they would never have in their normal life is an awesome, humbling experience. i helped this little 100 pound girl get up on a flimsy ten foot roof and hammer in nails because i was too big for it to hold me. to say i was holding my breath she wouldn't die is an understatement.

worship started off lukewarm but by last night i finally felt i had found the groove. the kids as the week progressed got more and more into it. last night i picked out "jesus paid it all" and i could see the room transforming and celebrating the Savior and what He has done for us.

today we could see real progress on our construction project and i could see God at work in the heart of the kids. tonight they let it all hang out. i chilled back and sit on the edge of the stage where they couldn't see me well and just led. they sang and praised so loud that it gave me chills.

after the talk tonight, i came back to celebrate what was said with "the wonderful cross" and "jesus paid it all". the kids went for it. singing, weeping, celebrating, and it continued into group. rather than play on an emotional moment, we sent the kids to their groups and after group time, two kids said they wanted to accept the call of Christ for their lives and give it over to Him. we then went to the pool and baptized them on the spot.

to be a part of that moment reaffirms why i am in the ministry. to answer the call and guide the lost to the One who paid our debt and raised His life up from the dead.

it's been a while

yes it has. no good reason other than i have nothing to write about.

i still have no job....big surprise. all high school guidance counselors are lying when they say a college degree guarantees you a job.

i'm fine with this. not really. i need some money soon. i can survive a couple more months but after that serious questions will have to be answered.

i lead worship for a camp in a couple of weeks. totally excited about this. the chance to lead worship is something i do not take lightly and never have. the fact God gifted me to lead worship is a humbling and sometime scary thing. every chance i lead i always wonder how in the heck i'm going to do it then i remember something one my 3 mentors (JM) told me years ago.

God doesn't call the equipped, He equips those whom He calls.

the further i journey down the road of following Jesus, the more i have come to the conclusion that i believe it.

post-recording

everything went well.

it's on digital form.

the producer is happy with it.

now narrowing 7 tracks down to 4 - 5.

in-studio mixing and overdubs to come.

expect video blogs at a future date on the soon to be re-launched element3.org

thanks everyone for your text messages this weekend. all 4 of them meant a lot.

setlist:
marvelous light (the trace version with a different tag and sound)
forever
you are god
sweetly broken
house of the holy one
center
blessed assurance

oh yeah.....thank you Lord for the opportunity!!!!!

tonight....

i am a few short hours away from my second recording as a musician where my name is carrying the event. the first time i was in a studio with a good friend of mine. that day was awesome but back then i knew so little about being a musician. fast forward four years and i am 100 times better than i was then. this time i have a full band. this time its live.

Lord, thank you....thank you....thank you...thank you....

what makes a good song....

what makes a good song?

different strokes for different fo'kes.

look at some of the best selling and most played songs of all time....

"smells like teen spirit" by nirvana
"enter sandman" by metallica
"hey jude" by the beatles
"ring of fire" by johnny cash
"proud mary" by ccr

what do they all have in common....

they make you want to sing-a-long or in the case of nirvana, mumble along.

my favorite songs fall in this vein as well.....

"remedy" by david crowder*band
"overkill" by colin hay
"tiny dancer" by elton john
"flood" by jars of clay
"blinded" by third eye blind
"afternoons and coffeespoons" by the crash test dummies
"sorry wrong trajectory" by flickerstick

what makes a great song for you?
what are your favorite songs?