Merry Christmas 2008

I sent a Christmas Card via email this year. If you did not get one... here is what I wrote. God bless you and thanks for reading my blog.


Gary, Sherri, Ashley and Austin wish you and your family the Christmas season's joys and wonders.

We hope this has been a good year for you. As for us, it continues to be a season of change. This past Thanksgiving marked our 2nd year in Midland, TX. The transition from Corpus Christi has been long and challenging at times, but God has blessed us throughout.

Sherri continues to teach special education at a Junior High here in Midland. She has the "Life Skills" class and I am continually amazed at her level of patience and love for these children, some of which are bigger than her. She had the opportunity to go to a high level training conference in South Carolina this past summer. She was hobnobbing with Special Ed teachers from all over the world.

At 14, Ashley seems to be blossoming. Her first year here in Midland was one of the toughest years she's had yet, but 2008 seemed to settle her some. She is still heavily involved in dance and would like to find more advanced teachers. As an option, she is adding drama to her list of extra-curricular activities in January. Midland Community Theater offers a high school drama group and she's excited about adding more drama to her life.

Austin grew 4 feet in two weeks, or so it seemed. At 12, he is now taller than his sister, who is taller than her mother. Soccer has always been a joy for him, but his gentle nature makes it harder for him to enjoy competitive sports where others depend on his performance. It's especially hard when you are the goalkeeper. As a 7th grader, he had to choose a sport. He is now on the Midland Christian Middle School tennis team, and he brought home 2nd place in his first two multi-school tournaments.

I started a new job with Mission Health Care in early January. After seven months, I left that position due to highly unethical behavior on the part of certain members of the board. That is a story in itself, one that I'll not spend time on here.

In September, I had the opportunity to reconnect with the Moyers side of the family. This was obviously God's plan all along. I am now working with my cousin Wally as part of Moyers Sound Solutions. We are an audio/visual/lighting company that designs and builds systems for organizations all over the country, primarily churches. I am also doing a heavy load of design work with Studio84, an audio/video production company owned by Wally.

I am excited about future prospects with Wings Point Ministries, the non-profit arm of Moyers Sound. For years, they've been installing new systems in churches. The question always arises, "What do we do with the old stuff?" I will be helping Wings Point provide an answer to that question. Lord willing, we will soon begin collecting old systems that are still useable and making them available to inner city and third world churches. Please keep this effort in your prayers.

Once again, Merry Christmas. May God bless you and yours in this wonderful season. Enjoy the holiday.

The Moyers Family

Baptisms... Baptizms... Baptismz.. Gettin' Dunked

I had the chance to witness a really cool baptism service today. Short of my own kids, this was about the neatest I've seen.

We visited Mid Cities Community Church this morning. Sherri was hit with another bad migraine and couldn't go. I hate that. She would have really appreciated this.

Mid Cities is one of those big Baptist churches that built a new building out in the country and changed it's name, much the same as is happening all over the country. They're doing it mostly right. But this is not an entry about the church. This is about the baptisms.

They have baptism classes every couple of months that culminate in "Baptism Sunday." I did not attend 1st service, but they said 7 children were baptized. During 2nd service, which I attended, they had 15 adults (I think, I lost count).

The first 5 went as one would expect. It was no different than other baptisms I've seen, though that did not make them any less moving. Then it really got fun. They introduced a father and son. The son was a young college kid, probably 19 or 20. The father looked my age (which is looking younger all the time). Anyway, the son came down to baptize the father, which I did not expect. He was very nervous, but the bear hug of affection after he came up was a sight to see. Father and son.

Next, a husband and wife were introduced. The husband came down first and was baptized. Then his wife joined him and the husband baptized her! He had to be coached on what to say, but the deed was done. And then they both stood in the water, embracing each other and crying.

Several more married couples were baptized as well. It left me a little breathless when it was all done.

Coming from a background where you were dunked as soon as you make the decision, I seldom ever got a chance to see more than one at a time. To see so many in succession today was truly a blessing.

Star Trek meets Monty Python

I ran across this on You Tube while I was uploading some stuff from work. For me, this is almost the perfect video. The audio is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail while the video is a montage from the original Star Trek series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Project #3 and SkyView

Next big project is mostly complete. SkyView Helicopters is offering Christmas Lights Tours around Lubbock through December. I had about two weeks to get a website up and put together several print and email marketing pieces. I think it has been successful. Wally tells me the phone is ringing off the wall and there's a pretty good buzz going on about it in Lubbock. Here is the site if you want to take a look.

Of course, not all that buzz is due to my efforts alone. They've worked their tails off passing out flyers, posters and such. And they've put together a commercial (which you can see on the front page of the site) as well as a great radio campaign. KLLL alone has done wonders.

So if you're in Lubbock over the holidays, give SkyView a call. See the lights the way Santa sees them!

On to the next project.

Texas Film Deck

I've started a new blog.

As some of you know, I've been filming the football games for Midland Christian this year. I'm always wondering what we're walking into when it comes to stadiums. As I searched around on the Internet, I noticed there were lots of sites about the overall stadiums themselves, but nothing about the film deck.

So, I'm doing it. I realize this topic will only be interesting to a select few. There are only so many people out there filming under Friday night lights. But for those who are into it, I'm trying to catalog all the film decks I"ve seen and give each one a grade.

Check it out. Texas Film Deck.

Project #2 and WFX

One good use of blogs, I suppose, is to let people know when you've finished a project. Or maybe it's just a way to celebrate finishing one even if no one else cares. Either way, project #2 is done.

Or at least as done as a website ever gets. They are continually under construction. But this one's pretty done. Medium well, at least. The new Moyers Sound Solutions site is the subject of my salient soliloquy. You can see it here in all it's glory.

For anyone else traveling next week, I will be at WFX, the Worship Facilities Conference and Expo, in Houston. Moyers Sound has a booth there and I'll be hanging out talking with church tech people. If you're in Houston and would like to attend the Expo free of charge, let me know and I can send you a link that will get you through the gates.

I guess I took a step this past weekend. Burke Brack was leading worship at GCR and they were short on tenors. He asked if I'd sing with the team. I haven't been on that stage in, well let's see... almost 15 months. I did not want to go up there because I knew my heart would not be right. I still had some troubles, but overall it went well.

Afterwards, Marc Kondrup (my former assistant and now he pretty much runs the show) asked me if I was interested in regular rotation on one of the teams. My reply? "One step at a time, dear Savior."

SkyView Helicopters

I am really enjoying working with Moyers Sound Solutions and Studio84. For the first few months, I am concentrating my efforts on marketing, trying to catch these companies up to where they need to be.

I have completed my first website for them. It was done for SkyView Helicopters, one of our side businesses. You can see the new site here. As I write this, I am about two days away from completing a pretty deep site for Moyers Sound Solutions... by far the biggest site I've done yet. I'll post that when it's done.

After that, I have at least two more sites to do. I also have a big convention in November that we're doing and I am in charge of the booth. Then I have to line up several other conventions, write a couple of magazine articles, line up advertising in several magazines, and that's just the beginning.

This is all eerily similar to what I did for the Acappella Company from 2000 to 2004. I think that may be why I enjoy it. That, and I get to work from home. No more dressing up for the clients, at least until I hit the road and start doing system consulting and sales.

New Horizons

It appears God has provided a new job for me, one that draws on my years of experience in the music industry. As you may have read below, I left my position with Mission Health Care about a month ago due to some seriously unethical behavior within the board of directors. About the time all of this came to a head, I was reintroduced to the Moyers family through a reunion.

Long story short: I am stepping into a position with Moyers Sound Solutions and Studio84. Moyers Sound is owned by two of my cousins, Wally Moyers and his son Jeremy. Wally has been running Moyers Sound Solutions in Lubbock for 20 years, installing sound, video and lighting systems in churches, concert halls, businesses and stadiums all over Texas. Jeremy opened up an Atlanta office in 2006 and has been focusing on taking his division nationally. I will be working out of the Atlanta office.

Studio84 is a professional recording studio and video production company. With studios in both Lubbock and Atlanta, they offer top-level audio recording and HD video services such as commercials, promotional video, aerial photography and video, and much more. I will also add website development to their list of offerings.

It seems that this is right up my alley. I will post more information soon. In the meantime, if your church or business is in need of audio/visual support or consultation, give us a call. I'm sure we can help you.

Fantasy Football

I have never ventured into the world of fantasy sports. This year, my brother-in-law, Kendall, talked me into joining a family and friends football league. Sherri and I are co-coaching the team. It gives us something to do together, and she's pretty good. The family that plays fantasy together, stays together... or something like that.

Most of our players did moderately well, as we'd planned. One problem we did not expect, Peyton Manning had an off night. We don't have Manning on our team, but we do have Marvin Harrison and Dallas Clark. Their numbers were down because Peyton was a little off. And then Dallas Clark went out injured.

The other BIG problem was that our starting QB, Tom Brady, got injured in the 1st quarter. Fantasy coaches all over America are holding their breath at this point. Brady is a big point player.

I think I'm getting too deep into this too quickly.

And I just saw a commercial where Peyton Manning dogged soccer. What is this world coming to?

A-Hunting We Will Go

Read the title and think Elmer Fudd. Memories, huh?

We took a big step yesterday. I took my son hunting for the first time. Dove season opened yesterday so Alan Gower and I and our boys went out to his dove lease. Austin has been a big BB-gun and airsoft gun person for a while. I figured he could handle it. I asked if he wanted to come along and he jumped on it.

I never had the chance to hunt with my father. He wasn't really a hunter. But after spending 15 years in Tennessee, I saw how important it was for a father and son to bond over a hunt. So I grabbed a little 410 shotgun and ran him through the basics of gun care and safety. He only fired accidentally once. Not bad for a first time. Thankfully, he had the gun pointed into the dirt pile in front of us, which is what I told him to do. He learned a lesson quickly.

Anyway, neither of us hit anything. We went out in the middle of the afternoon to avoid crowds and make it easier on the kids, but nothing was flying. Still, we had a good time.

My son is hunter. Cool.

Just for fun he says, "Get a job."

With apologies to Bruce Hornsby, I am back in the job market. I have resigned my position as Executive Director of Mission Health Care. Today's board meeting resembled more of a lynching than anything else. I have never experienced the level of vehemence, animosity, underhanded behavior, and orchestrated attack as I did today in our board meeting.

Details aside, when it all shook out there were an even number of directors falling on each side. That is not good enough for me to continue. There is no way that I will put up with such behavior from a board and remain associated with the organization. I walk away with my integrity in place.

Of course, integrity won't pay the bills. But God has a plan for me. I have never lacked what I needed. I know this will be the same. I just hope the clients at Mission are not overly effected by this. I have a feeling that, after my departure, there will be more turbulence. The former E.D. has taken her position back. So say a prayer for me and my family and for Mission Health Care. We all need it.

More info later...

Back to School

Yes Virginia, he does have ears.

School started yesterday and this past Saturday I finally got Austin into a barber's chair. Or at least into a chair at SuperCuts. I don't know if there's a good old barber shop in Midland anywhere. Surely there is. I'd love Austin to experience the old barber shop atmosphere instead of a shop full of tattooed and pierced ladies talking about which bar they're going to as soon as they can lock the doors to keep people out of the shop.

I think hair style salons are a good microcosm of our society. Give me a good old barber shop any day. Wanna fix America? Two things. Jesus and barber shops.

Austin started Jr. High and Ashley started High School this week. Where did my little kids go? I found some pictures the other day of my kids when they were little. I'll post some of those soon. What a change.

Austin also started tennis at school and a new soccer season. Somehow, he got changed over to a new team, one he played against last year. He is now a Rhino instead of an Icebreaker. Personally, I think it's a good change. He fits better. The coach has two teams, a U-13 and a U-15. They practice together, which is good for the U-13. Austin gets to scrimmage against older, better players twice a week. And somehow, I ended up as assistant coach. Here we go again...

Moyers Sound Solutions

This past weekend I had the opportunity to make a few connections. Maybe "re-connections" is a better phrase. My family was able to attend the Moyers family reunion in Shallowater, TX.

It's been many years since I've been able to attend, and I am sad to say that my children don't know most of the Moyers side of my family. It was a great day and everyone in my family had a wonderful time. Austin almost wrecked a golf cart, so he had a good day. Ashley got to swim and found a friend, so she had a good day. Sherri got to meet lots of relatives and put part of the Moyers puzzle together. And I had the chance to spend some time with one of my cousins, Wally Moyers.

The reunion was held at Wings Point, Wally's hanger out in Shallowater. About once a month, he hosts a musical ministry event there at Wings Point. Wally comes from a family of musicians, and he married into another musical family, the Maines family. Wally's son, Jeremy, played with the country group Lonestar for many years. Another son, Swade, runs Studio 84 in Lubbock. And Wally's dad, Wally, was a well known musician in West Texas for many years. Wally and his two sons, Jeremy and Swade, run Moyers Sound Solutions. If your church is in need of a new sound system or an upgrade, Moyers Sound Solutions can help you out.

Anyway, Wally's been involved in music for many years, as have I. It's a shame that we have never had the chance to play together. That was rectified over the weekend. Wally, his wife Latronda and I did four songs together for the reunion folks. He played guitar and I fumbled around on mandolin (I'm glad Wally was patient) and sang. Latronda sang as well... she has a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed it. It's been way too long in coming. I hope to make a return trip up to Shallowater and help them out with Wings Point Ministries.

Hair Boy

Last summer, we allowed Austin to grow out his hair over the summer. You may have seen a picture of him at the end of the season. This summer we allowed him to do the same.

Welcome to Season 2.

This time around, Ashley got hold of him late one afternoon and pulled out her hair straightener. When his hair gets long, it gets really curly. So this was a strange look for us all. This is Austin at 12 with straight hair.

And one eye.

Psalm 5

It's not often, for me at least, that a scripture just jumps off the page and gives me peace. I have been going through some tuff stuff recently with my employment. For the past couple of weeks, since I came across this scripture again, I've been claiming its promise. If you are going through anything stressful or if anyone is coming against you today, maybe it will help you too. Shalom.

Psalm 5
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.

2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

DigitalFish Media

It always amazes how God works out the timing of things. Short version for all you skimmers: Less than a week after I wrote my last post, I started a new media company with Alan Gower called DigitalFish Media. Now, as Inigo Montoya said, "Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

Alan and I have both been offering media services for a couple of years around Midland. Video services, website development, marketing, etc. We've been dabbling in this and that. Through a series of events, Alan found himself looking for a new job. He kept running into the same old corporate HR department run around... and he had just finished reading the book 48 Days to the Work You Love.

That book is gonna get someone in trouble someday.

If you've read any of my previous posts, you know I am not entirely at ease with my new job. I would love to be able to do what I enjoy for a living. Alan was in the same boat, but his boat is sinking faster since he is currently out of a job. We both have the talent for this kind of thing. He has the marketing degree and the personality to go out and shake the bushes. So, we began this new company. I will continue to work my regular job (for now) during the day. Weeknights and weekends I'll help support Alan in the work load of DigitalFish Media.

It's all very new and we are still putting our business plan together. He spent the last week at Camp Opportunity as videographer. We are already contracted as the official media company of Midland Christian Football. We'll be filming all the games this year. Many things are coming together quickly. I'll let you know more soon.

In the mean time, if you or your company needs a web presence or someone to freshen up your old, stale site, let us know. We offer many other services as well. For more information (or at least as much as we know right now), visit our website at DigitalFishMedia.com.

48 Days

I recently read a book called 48 Days to the Work You Love. I loved the premise of the book. One of the things it stressed was the concept of not relying on one job. Why not create several income streams based on the things you enjoy and the things you do well. Then you could work for yourself. If there's a problem, fire yourself and try something else.

Something like that would be another step of faith, but many others have taken this path. Jerome Williams come to mind immediately, and those of you who know him would agree. So I began thinking about what combined income streams I could pull off, do well, and honor God by doing it?

Here's what I've come up with:

1. Booking Agent - I've had a lot of experience dealing with groups and events. I know what's expected and what it takes. Might I be able to contract several groups and do my own booking thing?

2. Event Videographer - I'm already doing some of this. Last year I did all the video for Midland Christian's elementary school programs, and then sold the videos of the event to the families. It was a no-brainer kind of thing. Could I expand to other schools and events as well?

3. Wedding Videographer - I have one wedding under my belt and another coming up. I already have the equipment that I bought for the event stuff. And there's always a market for weddings.

4. Website Design - I've done many sites for many people. All of them free to this point. Maybe I could contact the small businesses out there who have no web presence, or a bad one. I can do it quick and cheap and nice.

5. Arranging and songwriting - Long term income. But I definitely have experience.

6. Worship Leading - Why not make myself available for worship leading at special events for other churches and organizations?

I need some wisdom. You're reading this. What do you think? Please leave a comment or drop me an email. I'd love to get some input. There is wisdom in the council of many, especially if the many happen to be tuned into God's frequency.

Oh, and happy Independence Day.

Tough Day

As days go, this is a tough one. And it's only 3:16.

I've been dealing with some job-threatening persecution at work. That's another story and it's been going for several weeks now. Needless to say, it's caused some stress knowing I may loose my job again, all because I'm a Christian.

This morning, I was downtown taking care of some business. As I was pulling out of the street parking, I was rear-end by a Grand Cherokee. Never heard brakes squeal. I didn't see him and he didn't see me. The collision threw me back through my parking space and up onto the curb. My car is messed up pretty bad in the back, but it is driveable. I am ok, but I think I'll need some serious chiro work. My neck feels pretty messed up.

Three hours later, my wife had a wreck. She rear-ended a new Chevy Tahoe. The Tahoe literally didn't even have a scratch. Sherri's car was totaled. Austin was with her and was able to call her attention to the stopped car just in time for her to slow down a little, but it was a pretty hard smack. They are both ok, but Sherri's chest hurts pretty bad from the air bag. She sits very close to the steering wheel and there wasn't much space for the bag to do its thing.

So we went from two cars to one car with a hole in the back in the space of three hours. Thankfully, Ashley is away at camp. As long as they don't call and say she broke her arm, I think we're safe for the rest of the day. We're not leaving the house. No one is walking upstairs or they might fall. No one is showering for fear of falling and breaking something. We're not going to cook lest we burn down the house.

Ok, maybe not quite that much. But thanks be to God we're all well...

In Country

Ashley has been in Mexico for the past few days on a mission trip. We've been awaiting word of how it went.

Around 2:30 this afternoon, my wife received a text message from Ashley that read as follows:

"I am once again a US citizen. I am currently chowing down on DQ."

I guess she's OK... my little 14 year-old non-communicative missionary.

Legends

It's not very often you get to see a gathering of legends in one place. This is one of those times. The recording was made in the Netherlands a few years ago. The background band is full of some pretty famous faces as well, but up front you have none other than Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. The whole band improvises their way through a couple of songs. Enjoy.

A Daughter in High School

This is one of those times where you feel a little bit old. Do any of you out there remember the song I wrote in 1993 called "Rockin' Song?" Sherri was expecting a child, our first. I was co-producing the new Acappella Lullabies album and I wanted to write a song about my little girl that was on the way. The song turned out to be a favorite of many people and Ashley turned out to be my favorite daughter. :)

Anyway, she was born the week of the big ice storm in Tennessee, the 2nd week of February, 1994. We had to actually schedule the delivery so I could be home... February 14. The morning of the 12th we wake up and hear shotgun blasts outside. At least, we thought it was guns.

Turns out, the ice was so thick it was breaking off big limbs from the trees. I'm talking the big ones... the limbs that could be trees themselves. By 8:00 AM the power was gone. Gone over most of Tennessee. We're laying in bed wondering how much damage there is, how we're going to get around, how to deliver a baby in 48 hours, and how to cook with an electric stove and no power.

Between convenience stores with gas stoves (the Tackle Box), friends with pot-bellied stoves (Larry Sparks) and generators at the hospital, Ashley was born into an ice storm on Feb. 14, 1994.

Fourteen years later, my little Rockin' Song girl is going to High School and wearing formals. I'm very proud of her, but I miss the days when we had our own language and could talk for hours without saying one intelligible word. Life goes on.

Lord please bless my daughter so that she may grow strong in Your word.

West Texas Windvitational 2008

This past Memorial Day weekend, Austin's soccer team participated in the West Texas Invitational Cup 2008 in Lubbock, TX. After all these years of playing, it was Austin's first tournament. If you don't want to read the whole post, here's the short version:

Six games in two days with 95+ degree temperature and constant winds of 30+ mph and gusts over 50 mph.

Austin was the only goalkeeper in his flight of 5 teams to produce a shutout.

Austin made the game winning save in overtime of the finals.

The Icebreakers took 3rd place in their age bracket of 9 teams.

Longer version but still good reading:

Game 1: Saturday 8:00 AM. Icebreakers 4 – Hobbs Santos 4. This was the team that defeated the Icebreakers 8-0 last year. Most of them were small and lightning fast. It was a high paced game (since we now have some pretty quick kids out front) and the game ended in a draw. Everyone was pretty pleased at that.

Game 2: Saturday 11:45 AM. Icebreakers 4 – Lubbock Texas Thunder 0. Austin was in the goal the entire game and this was his shutout. His first clean sheet. That made the weekend pretty sweet.

Game 3: Saturday 3:30 PM. Icebreakers 1 – Lubbock Rowdies 3. The Rowdies went on to eventually win the tournament, although their style of play was very unorthodox. They got a couple of points ahead and then spent the majority of the rest of the game kicking the ball out of bounds. They used the wind for this. They would purposely kick as hard as they could with the wind. Our guys would spend 60 seconds chasing the ball across two other fields just to get it back, throw it in and have them boot it across the park again. Half the game wasn't played because we were tiring ourselves out chasing balls. We spoke to the 2nd place team at the end and they said the exact same thing happened to them. Shame...

Game 4: Sunday 7:45 AM. Icebreakers 2 – Borger HC Heat 1. Both teams had to win to advance to the finals. It was very hard fought and they scored the leveling goal within the last minute. But the linesman's flag went up and the goal was disallowed because one of the players was called offside. Afterward, the Heat refused to line up and shake hands with us. It wasn't very pretty. The referee forced them to line up and shake hands. I'm sure they protested to the tourney commissioner, because they were all over the ref afterwards. But it was a good call and we advanced to the finals.

Game 5: Sunday 11:00AM. Icebreakers 1 – San Antonio Bombers 4. In my opinion, this was the best team in our age bracket. It was hard to tell though, as the wind played a major factor. It was constant and literally 30 mph and harder at times. Any kicks against the wind just died. This was also a hard game for Austin. The coach wasn't paying attention and forgot to put him in the game. She even called him up to the sub spot and then forgot he was there. She subbed in two others while he was standing there. When she realized what she had done, she said “I'm so sorry!” But she never attempted to put him in again. He sat there 20 minutes waiting for her to do something. She never did. I almost lost it at the end. Her actions were inexcusable. She humiliated my son. We went back to our cousin's house for a couple of hours and considered our options. In the end, Austin said he would give it one more try, despite the coach's actions. I'm glad we returned, because...

Game 6: Sunday 3:00 PM. Icebreakers 5 – Midland Chaos 4. This was the consolation final for 3rd place and we were playing our old local rival, Chaos. We'd already played them twice this year and lost by 1 and tied 1. The kids were pumped for this game.

Austin was in the goal for most of the game. We ended the first half down 2-1. We were against the wind in the 2nd half. But the front four came out ready to play and we scored three unanswered points in the first four minutes. Over the next 20 minutes, Chaos scored twice more drawing them even and the coach pulled Austin out of the goal. After the previous game, he was pretty dejected that he had allowed four goals and gotten pulled. It was hard for him to see that he had stopped a lot more than he had allowed. The game ended level at 4-4. Overtime.

Austin sat out the first 10 minute overtime period. We scored pretty quickly into it and were up 5-4. We both assumed his playing time was done for the day. They had 60 seconds to break and prepare for the last 10 minute overtime period and the coach yelled, “Austin, in the goal!” Surprise, surprise. We scramble to get him back into his keeper clothing.

The last period begins and we are against the wind, but up by one point. It goes back and forth several times with shots on goal at both ends. I am timing the game and everyone keeps asking me how much is left. We get down to one minute and it's a corner kick on Austin's end. It goes back out. Another corner. 30 seconds left. Kick. Out of bounds. 15 seconds left. Another corner. Out of bounds. Goal kick this time.

At this point, the time has well-expired, but it's the referees call when the game ends. I know from being a former ref that this can be a tough thing. For one, the ball must be in play for the game to end. Also, refs generally don't call the game when there is a good chance that a score might be made. It usually ends in a riot. So I'm thinking, “Ok, Austin will make the goal kick, clear the box and get it out into the field and the ref will call the game.”

Austin makes the kick head level and it barely clears the box, landing at the feet of a Chaos player with the wind at his back. Inside I'm screaming “NO!” Chaos plants and kicks a beautiful shot over every one's head, but basically straight at Austin. He reaches up and pulls the ball down, but looses the grip and it bounces forward. Two Chaos players are on it immediately. In the three longest seconds of the weekend, Austin fights them in front of the goal and gets the ball back in his hands. He runs to the edge of the box and clears it out. And immediately, tweet tweet tweet. Game over. My boy saved the game with his time-expired grab. Thank you Lord.

We came home with a trophy and sun-aged skin. The trip home through the major duststorm in Lamesa and the lightning show north of Midland is another story.

Generations

For the past several months, I have had the opportunity to be part of a class called Generations. It is offered each year by the Nonprofit Management Center and the Permian Basin Area Foundation. The class is targeted toward 20-30 year old young professionals and the purpose is to train the next generation for board service in local non-profit organizations.

It is a wonderful 8-week class and it thoroughly prepares you to carry your weight well as a member of a board. Although I am slightly older than the stated target for the class, I still got to participate. I was able to look at the information through slightly different eyes, that of an Executive Director of a non-profit. It allowed me to see what my board could be like at Mission Health Care. It also trained me for service elsewhere.

As of yesterday, I was voted onto the board of Community Concerts of Midland, soon to be monikered as Live on Stage. We offer a concert series each year consisting of high quality acts. It helps bring a wide range of arts to the Permian Basin. This past year they offered the Juggernaut Jug Band, the Celtic Tenors, the Harry James Orchestra, Michael Kaeshammer (pianist), On Broadway (a Broadway Revue) and Revolution (a tribute to the Beatles).

I'm not sure what role I may play, but I'm guessing my contribution may have something to do with websites.

And lastly... GO DAVID COOK! Congrats...

Wayburn Dean

I ran across an old friend today. Wayburn Dean and his wife Janae are here in Midland for a concert at Tru-Lite Fellowship. Unfortunately, I cannot make it for the event since tonight is my daughter's eighth grade graduate banquet. So I ran by the church just after sound check and had a great time talking to them.

For those of you blissfully unaware, Wayburn and I sang together for several years in the group Acappella, along with George Pendergrass and Duane Adams. It was very good to see him again. We had the opportunity to laugh (which I've been short on lately) and just be stupid again.

Wayburn's new album is doing well. He currently has a song at #3 on the charts and I expect there to be more to come. He has a song co-written by another friend, Albert Hall, that should be another chart-topper. Of course, being up on the charts is not the ultimate goal and Wayburn would be quick to tell you that. But it's neat to see that God is still blessing Wayburn's work.

Even is he is an old man now. :)

Follow this link to learn more about Wayburn's ministry.

MLS Rant

I'm mad at MLS (Major League Soccer) and the Fox Soccer channel.

I can watch no end of English Premiere League games. They are on all the time and I enjoy them. But when I want to watch MLS, I get very few choices. Today, for instance, there is one game being shown on FSC. Ah, but there are FOUR on the upper tier game net channels. You have to pay extra to see those.

MLS, you say you want to get more folks watching soccer and increase the sport in the USA, but you put the games in a place where no one but die-hard fans with extra money can watch. Who's running programming anyway? Get a clue.

End of rant.

Garden Beds

I have finally finished my third round of garden beds. They have gotten progressively smaller.

My first set was in Paris, TN. We had 2 acres of land and an old horse corral sat up on the hill by the barn. I built six raised beds, two big trellises and a strawberry pyramid. We had quite the garden. I miss that place.

Then we moved to Corpus Christi. We had 1/3 an acre backyard, still pretty big. So I built a garden with five raised beds and had it enclosed in a chicken wire fence. We moved a year later.

Now that we are in Midland, it was time for round three. The trouble is, our backyard would fit inside that corral I had in Tennessee. Plus our dogs just love digging. Nothing pleases them more, other than a good smelly trashcan. So I had to work creatively.

There was a small area on the side of our backyard that would barely allow for three 4x8 beds. Plus, I needed to fence it off because of the dogs. So you see my solution. I think it turned out pretty well. Now it's Sherri's baby.

I hope this doesn't mean were moving again. Although, I'm getting pretty good at it by now. Building, not moving.

Shutout!

Short version: Icebreakers 7 - Chili Peppers 0.

Longer version: Austin has not played soccer since we left Corpus Christi. I didn't want to push him into something he really didn't want to do. This Spring he told me he was ready to play. I jumped on it quickly (since I bleed green and my cell phone ringtone has the recording of that Spanish guy screaming "goooooooooooooooal!").

Austin has played 10 seasons or so. He's never really been on a seriously good team. And he's always been one of the smallest on the team.

No longer.

Now Austin towers over everyone else on the team. He's grown 4 inches in the past three months. He was placed on a recreational team that has club level players. I don't think the league realized who they had put together, but the center striker grew up in Norway. He scored three from the top of the box today, all long shots over the keeper into the top corner. Sweet.

We have a long legged girl on wing that outruns everyone and has a great cross. She served up several great balls into the box today. And then there are the brothers. Have you seen Kicking and Screaming with Will Ferrell? Remember the two Italian brothers who played soccer like it was breathing? They are also on our team. They were juggling, passing and dribbling around people like flowing water. It was truly fun to watch.

Austin sat out the first half and played keeper in the 2nd half. He kept it a shutout. Our team is called the Icebreakers. Today was a good start. I'm glad he's playing again.

GOP - DOA?

This is a reprint of an article posted at ConstitutionParty.com. I am not endorsing or dismissing the Constitution Party, but this article makes sense. You decide.

Primary turnout and recent surveys show conservative "values" voters have abandoned the Republican Party.

Illustrating a dramatic about face from past elections, a recent study shows that if the election were held today, 40% of all evangelical Christian voters would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are undecided, saying they would make their selection without respect to party affiliation.

A Barna Group release titled: Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates cites figures that spell doom for the Republican Party, given that "in the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. (and)... given the close tally in 2004, the born again vote (is) vital."

"The political pendulum hasn't swung this far since the Whig Party became extinct back before the Civil War," noted Constitution Party National Committee Chairman Jim Clymer. "Just as the Republican Party, then a third party, wound up deposing the Whigs, we're seeing the demise of the Republican party because voters have decided it's lost its relevance. That explains the steady and solid growth of the Constitution Party," Clymer added.

The Constitution Party, on course to have ballot access in all 50 states this November, is the largest and fastest-growing third party based on voter registrations (Ballot Access News).

"Conservative voters have made it clear they want no part of the Grand Old Party. Statistics show many are saying they will no longer buy into 'party loyalty' when their party has been anything but loyal to them. With candidates like Senators McCain, Obama and Clinton in the mix, voters will correctly assume they have nothing to lose by voting their conscience in November — even if that means a vote for a smaller party candidate," Clymer predicted.

George Barna, head of the recent voter preference survey said, "The evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate.... This year... however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them."

"To succeed in his bid for the White House, McCain must consolidate his support among conservatives, which will not happen just because he is the Republican nominee. In the wake of... Republican scandals... and... failure to advance... the social conservative agenda,... support for the GOP has diminished," wrote Tony Perkins of the Christian political advocacy group the Family Research Council. Likewise, GOPUSA notes: "The problem the GOP faces is with turnout. Plain and simple, more (than double the number of) Democrats are voting in the primaries than Republicans."

The Constitution Party will choose a presidential candidate at its April 23-26th Nominating Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

garymoyers.com

No, it is not a vanity site. For a while, I've been trying to figure out a way to make what I do as a hobby available to everyone else. That way I can continue my hobby and make a little back from it as well.

So, my name dot com is a site that will hopefully draw a few clients my way. It will show samples of the musical arrangements I have done and highlight website I have created. If you know of anyone who needs some music put to paper, or a small business that needs a new or redesigned web presence, tell them about garymoyers.com.

Ok, so maybe it's a little bit vanity. I gotta sell myself. :)

Misc. Ramblings

I have a few thoughts, none of which deserve their own entry. Maybe they will work together. Sort of a hodgepodgeblog.

Yesterday I was digging post holes in my back yard and it was 78 degrees and sunny. Today I wake up and it's snowing. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 68 degrees. Something is fundamentally wrong about that. Don't tell Al Gore. He might write another book about it and get more facts wrong.

I was listening to the classic rock channel on Pandora.com this past Saturday. For some reason, they were nailing just about every song. I came up with a list of the best rock singers ever in the history of mankind that no one can argue with.

1. Brad Delp (Boston)
2. Steve Walsh (Kansas)
3. Steve Perry (Journey)
4. Freddie Mercury (Queen)
5. Nancy Wilson (Heart)

Yes, there were other bands that were great, but they didn't always have the best lead singer, such as Foreigner, Styx, Pink Floyd, etc.

March is colorectal cancer month. In honor of this prestigious event, I present you a song. The Colorectal Surgeon Song.

New Job

I mentioned that I would update you on my new job. I am the new Executive Director of Mission Center Adult Day Service. We are a non-profit organization that provides adult day care services for clients who are not capable of spending the day by themselves. The majority of our clients suffer from Alzheimer's, although we have other medical diagnosis patients as well.

I have spent the last month under the training and guidance of the former ED, Terry Smith. She has served as director for six years and done an amazing job. The Center was in pretty serious straights when she took over and she has brought it to a stable standing with a great reputation in the community. She has many years of experience and has tirelessly drilled it into my bald head for the past month. Today was her last day. I am on my own now (he says shriveling into the corner).

Working with Alzheimer's has been an enlightening experience. It is a ministry in itself and I have learning much in the past month. These are sweet people who have been ravaged by a disease with no cure... yet.

We have one lady who has owned (and still does) restaurants in the Texas panhandle. She can seldom speak an intelligible sentence and in her mind she is overseeing her own business. We work for her. I love it.

We have another gentleman who was part of the occupation force in Germany after WWII. He was one of the men responsible for rebuilding the country after the war. He is also a member of MENSA. His brilliant mind is mostly scattered now, and what conversation is possible ranges back and forth from English to French to German.

There are many such stories. We have over 40 clients who spend the day with us in our facility and each one is unique. Our mission is not only to serve these clients, but to enhance the lives of their caregivers, most often their adult children. In some cases, it is their spouse who is aging as well but with a sound mind and frail body. Mission Center provides much needed relief.

So, while this may be the first job I've had that is not either music-related or church-affiliated, it is still very much a ministry. Keep me in your prayers.

~ Gary

Pitch Pipecast Episode 11

Season 2 of the Pitch Pipecast has begun with episode 11. Why season 2? Because it's a convenient way to explain why I took 4 months off from podcasting. "Season 2" sounds better than "he was in a funk because he lost his job and sat around all day trying to figure out what to do."

But I digress... Episode 11 features Marcus Barnum of The Soul Influence. They hail from Houston and have been together for nine years. We feature their new album, You've Gotta Believe. As I was interviewing him, I found out that the album has not even been released as of yet. So this was sort of a pre-release Pipecast. Cool...

You can find Episode 11 at pitchpipepro.com, or as always you can download it directly from this link.