You can thank me now, you can thank me later, just take 4 minutes to watch this video - it will make you smile -- you are welcome!!
You can thank me now, you can thank me later, just take 4 minutes to watch this video - it will make you smile -- you are welcome!!
Posted at 01:58 PM in Creativity, Dance, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: antwerp, belgium, central station, creative, dance, music, sound of music
There's this favorite conference that I attend every February called Recreate. It's a creative thinktank for creative people, including musicians, artists, writers, etc. It's an intentionally intimate vibe - strict attendance caps - so you can really get to know people at the conference. A few years ago I met Rich Kirkpatrick, a worship leader at Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, California which is 30 minutes from where I grew up. He's got a great CD giveaway going on at his blog for the next 24 hrs - winner will be chosen tomorrow evening - the prize = "Glorious" by Paul Baloche. Click HERE to go to Rich's blog and enter the giveaway...
Posted at 04:25 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: giveaway, glorious, paul baloche, randy elrod, Recreate, rich kirkpatrick, sunridge community church
SHOUT! will be a group of insanely passionate worshippers of God!
SHOUT! will be for anyone who loves to sing, especially in a big, safe group!
SHOUT! will be a group to connect with and belong to!
SHOUT! will move you from the edge of your seat to your feet!
SHOUT! will be boisterous and fun!
SHOUT! will be an authentic community of insanely passionate worshippers of God!
SHOUT! will be loud!
SHOUT! will be in the house!
SHOUT! will energize and infuse our church with praise!
SHOUT! will make a joyful noise!
SHOUT! will make an enthusiastic difference in our worship service!
SHOUT! will not be silent!
SHOUT! will revolutionize the way we worship as a church!
SHOUT! is at Fellowship North Church – we can’t wait to SHOUT! with you!!
Posted at 05:23 PM in fellowship north church, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: choir, fellowship north church, shout, worship
Just ate an amazing meal at Sol in downtown Franklin with friends from Re:create. Now enjoying jazz unlike I've ever heard before featuring Adam Nitti and his incredible band! The hems of my pants are rustling and rattling in rhythm with the unbridled subwoofers in the room! Maybe I should double up on the blood pressure meds...let's just say that my heart is resonating deeply with this music!!
Posted at 07:50 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Go to Paul Joseph's great blog Cries Of The Heart for a free, original Christmas song that is absolutely beautiful.
And then, go to Free CCM and sign up for free music downloads.
Seriously, it's free. All you have to do is sign up for CCM's free music downloads HERE.
I got three great Christmas songs (mercyme, sara groves, sandi patty) AND an entire album (phil wickham) today.
Just Do It...
Oh, and for other Works For Me Wednesday posts, check out Shannon's fantastic Rocks In My Dryer blog!!
Posted at 10:24 PM in Music, Works For Me Wednesday | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Christmas, Cries of the Heart, Free CCM, free music, Phil Wickham, rocks in my dryer, Sandi Patty, Sara Groves, works for me wednesday
Today is Watercooler Wednesday, a blog carnival hosted by Randy Elrod at his Ethos blog. Check out Randy's post today - "PC or Mac" and weigh in on your personal preference in his comment section.
Have you ever written a song for or about someone? Has anyone ever written a song for or about you? Share, share, share in the comment section below!
On Saturday, we attended wedding reception #2 of 3 in celebration of the marriage of our good friends Scott and Sharon. They were married in Santa Barbara on April 26 and were only able to accommodate about 90 guests. Their solution: 2 additional receptions; 1 in Scottsdale with about 65 friends and 1 in Woodland Hills with 200 friends! During the champagne toast, Scott surprised Sharon with an original song for and about her which he'd been working on since shortly after they met. Let me just tell you that Scott is an incredibly talented musician - his voice sounded nearly identical to James Taylor's voice and he accompanied himself very well on the piano. While the husbands in the crowd rolled their eyes (just kidding) and the wives wiped away tears, we all had to agree that it was a GREAT song!! The working title is "There's A Woman In Arizona."
My husband, Dan, has also "written" a song about me. He "wrote" it when our kids were really young. He started with the theme song for the Olympics and inserted the following unique and original lyrics: I...love...my wife Marina...I love my wife Marina L. Berryman (repeat). Oh and there's a very catchy bridge too...Love her, love her, I I I I love her (repeat). When my kids were old enough to sit and watch the Olympic games, they were totally surprised and ecstatic to hear the "I love my wife Marina" song being played over and over again! Every time they heard it, they sang right along!!
Posted at 10:25 AM in Friends, Music, Original Songs, Watercooler Wednesday, Wedding | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: ethos blog, original song, pc or mac, randy elrod, watercooler wednesday, wedding reception
Posted at 08:56 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: berean, mesa amphitheatre, recreate, revelation album, third day
It's Watercooler Wednesday!! Join me and many others at Randy Elrod's Ethos blog for creative inspiration today!
I was in NYC for the first time last week. On our flight home, the in-flight entertainment included the movie "August Rush."
I'm embarrassed to admit that the last movie I saw in a theater was The Bourne Ultimatum. That was awhile back. Oh, yeah, I guess I saw several forgettable movies while traveling back and forth to Africa. So, I had no preconceived idea of what August Rush was about. I splurged ($1) on the headphones (the worst ever) and proceeded to be engaged and entertained and uplifted and inspired for the next 2 hrs. I absolutely loved it! If I hadn't been on an absolutely jam-packed flight with zero privacy, I would have laughed and cried out loud. As it was, I kept finding myself on the edge of my seat, literally. It's like the movie drew me in, was calling me into the center of it. I was extremely happy that the majority of the movie took place in NYC...I felt like I knew the places and the people and the vibe even more deeply because I was just there, soaking up the city and falling hopelessly in love with it! The music was beautiful. The story wasn't terribly complicated or sophisticated. But the pain was real. The sounds and melodies swirling around and connecting the characters were stirring and chaotic and soothing all at the same time.
I went to Sam's Club today and purchased the movie. I plan to watch it again. And again.
Click HERE to see a 2 min. montage of clips from the movie.
One of many favorite quotes: "Do you know what music is? Harmonic connection between all living beings."
The thoughts and dialogue expressed in this movie run parallel to thoughts and feelings and ideas I've had for as long as I can remember. Music has called and still calls to me. My first thought is always to run from it. To shut it out. To be practical and pragmatic and ignore the muse. But lately the music has been tugging and coaxing and calling to me like mighty waves call to distant shores. Maybe because I'm less afraid of being connected to it and to others. Maybe it's just time. Finally.
Posted at 12:27 AM in Music, Watercooler Wednesday | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: august rush, music, randy elrod, watercooler wednesday
Lots of rain today. We had a photo shoot outside of Carnegie Hall with our Voices group. Had lunch at the Europa Cafe across from Carnegie. NYC is so cool. I can't wait to come back for more of Broadway. Most of our group headed out to see Spamalot tonight. I don't want to ruin the perfect memory I still have of Legally Blonde so I'm planning on blogging, reading, journaling, wandering around the Grand Central Market and figuring out a public transportation route to the Brooklyn Tabernacle - we've got a little group interested in experiencing the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir live tomorrow - then we have dress rehearsal at 5:30pm, dinner, then the big performance begins at 8:30pm. We've got tickets for a harbor cruise aboard The Spirit of New Jersey directly after the show. Monday we head back to AZ. Not sure when I'll blog again - I'm paying $10 per day for internet service - I'm really surprised it's not included in the highly inflated price of our room!
#1 Group photo inside Carnegie while waiting for part of our group to arrive.
#2 Group photo inside Carnegie - still waiting for the rest of the group to arrive - decided to be silly.
#3 Historic Landmark sign on wall outside Carnegie Hall
#4 Poster outside Carnegie announcing our concert
#5 Lunch at the cafe - Clay & Claudia
#6 Lunch at the cafe - Daphne, Satyam, Brooke
#7 The Russian Tea Room - I've read about this place for years. I'm still not sure what it is - we were walking pretty quickly (late for rehearsal), it was raining and slippery and we were pretty much running, trying to hail a cab, and we couldn't stop to peek inside.
Posted at 05:02 PM in carnegie hall, Music, New York, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: carnegie hall, russian tea room, voices studio
First off, we met Dr. David Thye. He's one of the conductors at Carnegie Hall. We had an intense 3-1/2 hour rehearsal with him. We actually sounded pretty decent by the time he was done with us. Here's a few friends from Voices - that's the studio that I'm here with.
I had great Chinese food for lunch at a restaurant on e. 45th street. Then we all headed to the Empire State Building. We walked. And walked. This is definitely a walking town. Tons of people are on the street all the time. We went to the observatory on the 80th floor. Since it was overcast, the visibility was only 5 miles and it was a pretty grey 5 miles. The wind was icy cold - brutal, really. I'm surprised I didn't drop the camera - my hands were frozen and numb. I tried to take pictures from the north, south, east and west. In the third picture you can kind of see the Statue of Liberty in the distance on a tiny little island Tonight I decided to splurge on a ticket to "Legally Blonde" at The Palace Theater on Broadway. It was an amazing, wonderful, invigorating, feel-good show based on the movie and book by the same name. I had a center seat, 14 rows back from the orchestra pit. I got a last minute deal - $67. When we left the theater it was raining. Icy cold rain drenched us all the way back to the hotel. It actually felt good. Fresh and wet and sloshy and drippy and rainy. Tomorrow I'm going to head to Central Park, possibly the Twin Towers, the Soup Nazi for lunch, a four hour rehearsal, and a photo shoot in front of Carnegie Hall.
Posted at 09:46 PM in carnegie hall, Music, New York, Travel | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: carnegie hall, empire state building, legally blonde, new york city, palace theater
It's really hard to take good pictures while travelling in a bus. Tried to capture our journey from Newark (I'm not sure why we landed in New Jersey instead of New York). Our bus ride was uneventful except for our ride through a tunnel, possibly the Holland Tunnel - I took a picture that I thought would be really cool. Dark tunnel, red lights on the ceiling, tail lights of vehicles all around. The picture turned out sort of OK, but our bus driver got really mad at me. He said it's illegal to take pictures inside tunnels in New York because of terrorism. Evidently there are security cameras throughout the tunnels and if someone caught me taking a picture of the tunnel they would pull over the bus and confiscate my camera. I debated for 2 seconds then deleted the picture. It wasn't my best picture anyway. Here's my other 2 best shots.
We're staying at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan. It's a beautiful, 4 star hotel. We're going with 4 to a room. I'm in a room with Claudia, Daphne and Maryanne. Here's one of the beds we will share - did I mention 2 full-grown adult women will be sharing these beds?
One final picture - our hotel is literally right above Grand Central Station. We wandered downstairs and checked out the market and bought some fruit for breakfast tomorrow. I loved the hustle and bustle of rush hour. Tons of people rushing past us to catch the train or subway.
Posted at 07:12 PM in carnegie hall, Music, New York, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: carnegie hall, music, travel
I leave tomorrow (oops) Thursday morning for New York City! I'll be with a group of 19 singers from Voices Music & Arts Studio in Scottsdale, AZ. We've been practicing for months and I think we're as ready as we can be. We'll join nearly 200 other singers on stage at Carnegie Hall to perform John Rutter's Requiem. It's mostly in Latin. Deeply somber, but hauntingly beautiful. Click HERE to listen to "Agnus Dei" (minimal amount of Latin).
We only have a couple of morning rehearsals. The rest of the time is "explore New York time!" Most of the people in our group have Broadway plays and musicals all lined up during our free time - I'm not sure what I'll do with my free time. I thought about trying to attend a service at Origins Church. The lead pastor, Jon Tyson, taught at the Re:Create conference I attended in February. He left us with this great quote: "we aren't called to change the world, we're called to create culture." I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Trying to digest and dissect what it exactly means and how to make it a reality. I'm hoping that I'll understand this more deeply by experiencing the church firsthand. Their tag phrase is: "the way of Jesus. to serve the city. for the renewal of the world." I love that.
Posted at 08:23 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: carnegie hall, create, john rutter requiem, origins nyc church
OK, last, but definitely not least, was our amazing night of worship sponsored by Word Music and held at Cumberland Church which is a Northpoint venue! Even if we didn't have pink cake for dessert, the night would have been wonderful! Jeremy Riddle, Mark Roach, Sheri Carr & Meredith Wilson shared songs. The songs were interspersed with video clips. Max Lucado, Erwin McManus, um, I think that's everyone! I'm telling you - I was so blown away by Sheri & Meredith. They led worship with such authority and passion and conviction. I spoke with Sheri afterwards. Told her how I was just blown away by the songs she sang. Click HERE to listen to a great interview with Sheri. Click HERE to go to Meredith's MySpace page.
Got back to the hotel and started packing. The swag at Recreate is unbelievably generous. CDs, books, DVDs, tote bags, mouse pad and other cool stuff. Here's a picture of the swag - I found it on Kim's blog - I didn't meet her - saw her several times throughout the course of the conference - her church must have not been in the "tiny church" category so she was in a different focus group.
Posted at 08:32 PM in cre:ate, Creativity, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: create, creativity, music, worship
On Thursday afternoon we visited Kalein. Please visit the website for information and inspiration about this place that is about to be...124 pristine acres that will someday house artists from around the world who want to change things. Artists who are not content with the status quo. Gifted artists who feel a calling to something deeper than themselves. The mission, the goal, the vision, the purpose (whatever you may call it) is to provide a place to encourage and equip extremely gifted artists to discover, develop and discipline their calling.
We were transported to Kalein via 4-wheel drives towing trailers filled with hay! We were greeted by Alpaca and horses. A bonfire warmed us up along with steaming hot chocolate!! I took a few pics while I wandered around the property. When we were all done exploring, Randy Elrod called us all back together to share his personal vision for Kalein. It was a beautiful time of intimacy and solidarity as musicians and dreamers. After Randy finished talking, he introduced us to Charles Robinson. The last pics I've posted are of Charles, his wife, Siouxsan, and his sister-in-law, Dana. They shared Native American dances with and blessed the Kalein property with a dance of blessing. I absolutely loved this part of our day. Charles has a non-profit called The Red Road. Go to his website and read it - every inch of it is interesting and informative and enlightening!
Posted at 08:11 PM in Art, cre:ate, Creativity, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: artists, choctaw, create, creativity, kalein
We spent a few hours this afternoon at an auto museum. Surprisingly, I wasn't surprised that we were at this museum. Randy gave a huge hint on his blog recently about how cool this place is. When we pulled up in the buses, I had a strange sense of anticipation/completion. I mean, when I read about things/experiences on blogs, it's more of a vicarious thing. Great blog writers leave me feeling like I was really there and saw and felt the same thing. So, today was a great experience for me. This huge warehouse, formerly a bread factory/bakery, houses tons of vintage autos. Some were beautiful, some whimsical, some fanciful, some practical, at least one amphibious vehicle, one powered by coal, one powered by pedaling, tiny cars, three-wheeled cars, a tiny car towing a tiny boat, etc. So many details that would normally be overlooked, yet when you truly study the cars from a design perspective, there's a lot to discover. I loved the car that had a perfect little spot on the trunk to strap on a square, wicker picnic basket. Randy arranged for a professor from O'More College of Design to be our narrator/guide. His name was John. He was very soft-spoken, but shared many nuggets of truth and inspiration. He read a condensed article from the Washington Post called "Pearls Before Breakfast." I challenge you all to click HERE and read the entire article (it's pretty long), along with the video clips. It is telling and inspiring and thought-provoking. Then I challenge you (and me) to take action. I'm not talking about starting a fiery revolution. I'm talking about listening, feeling, tasting, touching, seeing, living life differently - living with more feeling, more empathy, more patience, more kindness, more passion, more eloquence, more thoughtfulness, more adventure, more anticipation, more curiosity, more creativity, more beauty, more of all that is missing from our lives that we alone have the power to introduce and integrate into our lives.
Posted at 11:08 PM in Blogging, cre:ate, Creativity, Music | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: ate, blogging, creativity, music
We have stumbled onto this fantastic secret - Rock Band. Everyone has heard of Guitar Hero by now, but we decided to go one step further this Christmas and branch out to RB. It is very similar to Guitar Hero, but instead of just playing songs on lead guitar for points, they've added drums, bass guitar, and vocals. My sons have it hooked up to the XBox 360. Here's the best part - and don't tell them I told you this - Michael and Steven actually play this TOGETHER. Dan and I realized a couple of days ago that our house has been so PEACEFUL for the past few weeks. I'll be cooking dinner, Dan will be working on the laundry, and the boys will be holed up in Michael's room working on songs together. Once in a while, I'll hear classic rock songs being SUNG by my sons, whereas they previously wouldn't be caught dead even humming a tune along with the car radio.
Posted at 04:23 PM in Christmas, Family, Music, Rock Band | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I attended this conference in 2007 for the first time. Of course, I already love Franklin, TN. So, the fact that I was at an incredible gathering of worship leaders from around the world - IN FRANKLIN - just made it absolutely perfect. It was at cre:ate that I was finally truly inspired to blog.
For more information go HERE.
Posted at 12:04 PM in Blogging, cre:ate, Creativity, Innovation, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I've written another article on worship on the Fellowship North website. It's called Look Up. Talks about celebration in worship!
I've also started a daily Christmas devotional series called Christmas Reflections. It's also on the Fellowship North website. Look in the right sidebar. They'll be listed by date. I might even have some surprise authors contribute to this effort!
Posted at 09:41 PM in fellowship north church, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My sister, Donni, sent me the link to these amazing videos. Watch them sequentially. Must have kleenex nearby. Even if you don't like opera, stick with it!
VIDEO #1
Can you handle another one?
VIDEO #2
Are you hanging in there? I love his story. And his humility. Here's the final episode of the show (Britain's Got Talent).
Posted at 08:26 AM in Music, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My mom has been searching the photo archives in her vast scrapbooking room - I've got some great photos to post in the near future. First one is of our very own backyard marching band. Back in the day we were so easily amused...I'm sure we all were entertained for hours.
I'm the drum major - Crissy is the youngest - she's got the mandolin. Sandi is next - the laundry hamper makes a great bass drum - Donni is next - looks like that's Cheryl's flute in her hand - Cheryl (my best friend from church) brings up the rear - she's probably carrying my clarinet.
This was our backyard at our Vista Verde Way house. My parents lived there for nearly 30 years before moving to coastal Vista.
Posted at 10:47 PM in Family, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I love this watercolor by Randy Elrod. Simple. Yet says a lot. Repentance, forgiveness, freedom, darkness to light, surrender, hope, receiving, brokenness. Great picture of worship
Yesterday Team 1 led worship. Patty did an awesome job being the lead worshipper. She has a gift for drawing others into God's presence. That's because she lives and moves and breathes in His presence all the time. She really gets worship.
Songs:
All The Earth Will Sing His Praises - Paul Baloche
We Lift You Up - Mike Hohnholz
My Glorious/Sing To The King - Martin Smith/Billy Foote
To Know Your Name - Hillsong (new album Saviour King)
Mighty To Save - Hillsong
Great day...
Check out the new Fellowship North website. I've been working on it for a couple of weeks now. Ean (IT Guy) has been trying to keep up with all the design changes. We took a pre-existing Wordpress template and have been trying to customize it a little bit. It's not perfect yet, but we're getting there. At least it's FREE! fellowshipnorth.com
Posted at 04:31 PM in fellowship north church, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I've been involved in music for a really long time. When I was six, I started piano lessons. When I was 8 I started violin and mandolin lessons. When I was 11 I started playing clarinet. In High School I experimented on various woodwind instruments, finally landing on Alto Clarinet. I loved teaching myself how to play instruments. I learned how to accompany groups on the piano. Became sort of good at it. I accompanied a small singing and dancing group called Opus One which was able to sing at various gigs in the community every year. I also accompanied the yearly High School musical - Carousel, South Pacific, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Since I have a competitive streak, I loved being in marching band. We marched in award-winning (ok, maybe not actual awards, but really fun) half-time shows and really loved competing in parades every Saturday during the season. Our band had a long-standing history of excellence in marching band. Tons of parent sponsors and financial support from alumni. We were well-known as tough competitors and champions. We even competed for and won a spot marching in the Rose Parade. My mom probably has pictures of me in my OGHS marching uniform...maybe she'll send one my way for future posting. In the meantime, here's where my love for marching began - back in Junior High at Grant Middle School. Here I am, flanked on either side by fellow band members. I'm pretty sure it's Cheryl Thomas on the right. Not sure about the left. Nice hats. I mean shakos.
Posted at 08:07 AM in Friends, Music | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
This week's set list:
Message series is called "Without A Doubt" and today's message was on Biblical Authenticity. After church, we had a food and family activities on the patio. David Mitchell made 4 deep-fried turkeys - let me just say - it's all about the skin!!! We also munched on corn on the cob and homemade chili - it was fantastic!
The kids had a giant inflatable water slide - looked like a lot of fun...the weather was perfect in the shade and in the sun - nice breeze. We sat around eating and hanging out with friends and family for an hour or so. We hated to leave because the patio is just a wonderful place to be on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Posted at 06:38 PM in Faith, fellowship north church, Friends, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I've got this cool friend. His name is Satyam. He owns a music and arts studio called Voices. About 9 months ago he invited me to perform at Carnegie Hall with himself and a group of singers from his studio. I said yes!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was the first rehearsal for our performance. We are performing "Requiem" by John Rutter. We will be part of a huge group of singers - about 300 total. We'll perform at Carnegie Hall on March 9. "Requiem" is a pretty solemn piece of music. Beautiful and melodic and haunting. But definitely not upbeat. Oh, and it's not all in English. It has some Latin sprinkled throughout. Should be interesting.
In our spare time, in between rehearsals, we plan to hit Broadway, off-Broadway and probably off-off-Broadway to try to see as many shows as possible in 3 days. I have a friend who sang with a group there once before and she said they managed to cram in 5 shows. That has to be a record! I hope we can get cheap tickets. I've heard the shows can be outrageously expensive.
I might have to take a slight detour over to Brooklyn to check out The Brooklyn Tabernacle. It is housed in a newly restored theatre - formerly The Loews Metropolitan Theatre. My friend, Brenda, visited there on her visit to NYC. She was there for Thursday night prayer meeting. She said it was totally packed out with people praying. That would be amazing!
Posted at 10:09 PM in Creativity, Music, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tomorrow I will begin giving piano lessons again. Summer is over. Fall routines are being put into place. School is in session. Sports are in full swing. And it's time to start coaching kids on making music and enjoying the process. I will have 4 students, possibly 5. That's probably about my limit right now. The "season" at church is right around the corner. Life is full and busy and kind of almost balanced. For now.
Tomorrow is my youngest sister's birthday. Happy birthday Cris. You are an amazingly strong woman. Thanks for inspiring me and others to persevere through the hard times and live life to the fullest no matter who's watching or what the circumstances are. Love you lots.
This pic is of Donni, Cris (middle - full of attitude and spunk) and me. Early 80's I think.
Posted at 11:46 PM in Family, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Mrs. Perry-Clark did a fantastic job of pulling together 85 cast members, costumes, props, sets, etc. into a great rendition of The Music Man!! We (of course) forgot our camera. I've posted a few pics sent to us by friends. All are a little blurry due to the darkness of the room. Steven was a great actor. Just sarcastic enough to be totally believable. We had a great time watching Steven dance and sing. He was less than enthusiastic at waving his arms in the air at the end of a couple of the songs. He had a great time and wants to participate again next year. It really helps when you've got some cool guys in the musical with you. Matt, Ben & Lydon made the experience particularly enjoyable. After the final performance, Steven went to a cast party, then at midnight brought a couple of the guys home for a sleepover. They were up 'til 2pm watching a movie and playing XBox. Dan, being a magnificent host, took all the boys to The Good Egg for giant pancakes for breakfast. I wonder if Steven's friends were as grumpy as he was all day on Sunday?!?!?!?
Posted at 10:29 PM in christ lutheran school, Music, Students | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
"Everything" is one of many great songs by Tim Hughes (others include "Here I Am To Worship," "Happy Day," "Be Glorified"). We are singing "Everything" this weekend at Fellowship North Church - learned it tonight. Randy is in the middle of a "Drive" series and this week the theme is trust/faith in your "Chief Spotter."
Download everything.mp3 - this is a 40 sec. clip
http://www.worshiptogether.com/features/article.aspx?iid=518476&tid=227 - this link takes you to Worship Together - they have a new jukebox feature and one of the featured songs just happens to be "Everything."
Here's a question for you to ponder with me: In general, have we (the church at large) turned our praise and worship time into a feel-good experience for us and those around us without regard for how God might feel? Oh, it's a subtle shift. We tend to move from spectator to participant to consumer to connoisseur to cynic pretty rapidly...during the whole "seeker" movement, we may have unintentionally helped to create worshippers who have forgotten that worship isn't about them at all - it's all about Him. And if we lose sight of Him during our daily life, a few songs on Sunday aren't going to restore our relationship with Him. Oh, we might feel like we're back on track because we have an emotional/physical response to worship. But, if we aren't truly striving to live our lives in response to God's unconditional love and forgiveness, then we shouldn't be singing at all, but instead, mourning, repenting, surrendering, giving and receiving unconditional love, and being the body of Christ to a world that desperately needs compassion, justice, mercy, grace, goodness, righteousness, gentleness, peace, joy, everything that we have been given through Christ displayed and lived out in a daily, practical way!
And so my heart's cry (and maybe yours too) should and will be "Be my Everything, You Are Everything, Jesus Everything."
Posted at 10:44 PM in fellowship north church, Ministry, Music, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My friend, Jeff, wrote this song. It's his best song to date. Worshipful, beautiful, singable, memorable. Listen to the song, listen to God speak to you thru this song. It's called "My Salvation, Your Redeemed." I am trying to find a different kind of player for next time I post a song, but for now, this one works. Click the tiny little Play button on the top left. The button to the right of that one is Stop. The Button on the far right is the Volume.
Have a great Sunday!!
Posted at 01:11 PM in Friends, Music, Original Songs, Worship | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)