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.

The Golden Compass Revisited

I mentioned in an earlier post that I would let you know more about the book The Golden Compass after I had read it. You may recall I said there was a good possibility that I would read it long after the movie was released. I finished the book last night.

As far as the movie is concerned, it may be somewhat of a moot point. It has been out for a month or so now and received only fair reviews. Most critics say that the movie gets lost in the details and special effects. It has been panned as "over-reaching" in an attempt to cover every aspect of the book. The viewers have voted with their pocketbooks as well. As of yet, it has not even reclaimed the money it took to make it. Speculation is that there will be no sequel.

I would not count Hollowood out though. And beyond that, video sales in three months may put it way over the top. Which brings me back to the purpose of this post... the content of the book.

I wanted to read this book and see what the hubbub was all about. As a piece of literature, I found it well written and engrossing. It has a very good pace, similar in style to that of the Harry Potter series. No section is too long and it leaves you wanting more each time. It was an enjoyable read.

As to the accusations of anti-Christian themes, I would say there is some merit. Philip Pullman, the author, has been associated with comments ascribing the purpose of the book (and series) to be the gentle corruption of the church in the mind of young people. If there is truth to this, I would say this book certainly plants a seed for that root.

A strong tool for this, I believe, is the constant use of the singular term "daemon." In the series, every human is endowed with an animal form that encompasses their essence, or spirit. It cannot be separate from them without pain and eventual death. These animals speak to the human and the major part of the storyline revolves around them. It is the near constant use of the word daemon that slowly rankles my skin. I, as most other Christians, have strong negative feelings associated with the term demon. Pullman uses this term as an object of affection, something to be desired. He makes his daemons extremely attractive and lovable. By itself, this is not something to damn the book (pardon the pun), but I believe it is somewhat insidious by its repetitive nature.

The book takes place in an alternate universe, a common theme among science fiction and fantasy writers, which allows Pullman great leeway in his factual reporting. He uses this tool to make corrections to what he sees as an an ineffectual church system. The story takes place in the mid 19th century, after the last Pope, Pope John Calvin (which is a statement unto itself), has been deposed and the Catholic church has been replaced by an intellectual/scientific oriented organization called the Magesterium. They are set up as the villain throughout the book. The church is the bad guy, or at least one of the bad guys (there are several).

Again, this alone is not so bad. In some ways I even agree. The problem comes in that there are so many small jabs at Christianity throughout the book, you feel like you've been sucker punched when you hit the last fifteen pages.

It is here, in the last chapter of the book, that Pullman's true nature seems to rise to the top. I'll not reveal the ending, in case some of you wish to read the book, but the actions taken in the final few moments and the conversation that is recorded between the two major "bad guys" takes away any doubt as to Pullman's intentions. In all honesty, I was prepared to write a review basically saying, "what's the big deal?" until I read the final chapter.

Yes, it takes place in an alternate reality. Yes, the church that is so lambasted in the end was a replacement for the church that we know. But it does not feel that way. He even goes as far as re-writing and quoting scripture to fit his alternate reality and twisting theology to take away any personal responsibility for sin.

Final tally: A good read for a mature, intellectual and grounded believer. A dangerous read for non-believers (who would not catch most of the subtlety anyway). I would not recommend it for children (Pullman's stated target).

I can only imagine what books two and three are like. I have heard they are not as veiled as the first. I will not be reading them. ~Gary

Dan Fogelberg 1951-2007

I was saddened to learn that one of my lifelong musical idols died this past week. I remember my first experience with Fogelberg's music. It was a Jr. High ski trip to Ruidoso, NM and someone brought a homemade compilation tape that included the song Lahaina Luna. I was fascinated by the sound of the song, an instrumental tune from the mostly instrumental album Twin Sons of Different Mothers.

I returned home from the trip determined to find another album by this guy named Fogelburg. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of his albums contained singing as well. Even better, he was an amazing guitarist. And as I investigated even further, I found that he played the majority of the instruments on his albums. I was hooked.

I had already been involved in guitar lessons under Dave Branson for several years. I found that Fogelberg's finger-picking style was a great match for the style that Dave had started me on. I began learning as many Fogelberg songs as I could. I became somewhat of a Fogelberg junkie.

I even remember a night in college on a quartet tour in California. Robert Hinds and I had the Greatest Hits LP (that's a vinyl record for you young-un's) and we were playing it backwards ala Beatles backward masking style. Sure enough, during the song Power of Gold, we could clearly hear Fogelburg say, “Oooh, you can sleep with anyone, sweet Melinda is the one.” Scandalous. He wasn't saying that when the album was going forward. Like I said, Fogelberg junkie.

It's 30 years later and I am still playing his stuff. He made a big impact on me. I would like to think that wherever he is now, he is still playing. Unfortunately, I never saw any evidence that he ever found the true Inspiration for playing. Such a loss...

Get a Job... Pt. 2

OK... I did.

Thanks to God, I have finally been offered a job. After five months of searching and countless false leads and dead ends, God has opened a door and I intend to step through it.

Mission Health is a non-profit adult day care that specializes in Alzheimer's patients (although the client list is much wider). The current Executive Director is stepping down on January 1. I have been offered this position. I have not officially signed the contract yet, but it's the weekend now, followed by Christmas eve. I will probably turn it in after Christmas. I begin working Jan 1.

I'm sure I will have much more to say about the new position. It will be a steep learning curve for me, I'm sure. My job is almost completely administration. The health stuff is handled by the people who know how to do health stuff. I'm sure I will certainly lend a hand, but that will not be my main area. I handle human resource, fund-raising, marketing, board functions, etc. It will be a change from my usual music-centered job, but I am looking forward to it.

I will continue to pursue music. I don't believe I have a choice in that. Some interesting things are beginning to crop up in that area. You probably read earlier that I had a chance to lead worship recently at New Life Church in Odessa. I am joining them again for a Christmas Eve service, along with some other players. I would say we have a definite "Eagles" sound. Should be lots of fun. And if God blesses us, at least a two of us may continue to play together doing the coffee house thing. But I will let you know more about that when it happens.

For now, Merry Christmas to all and God bless us everyone.

Still Going...

Many people have been asking about my job search and how things are going. I have intentionally not commented much about it in this blog. I figure that the ins and outs of a job search are not the best thing to discuss in a public forum. I figure a potential employer probably doesn't need to know about how many people have turned you down, or how many other jobs you are considering. I know if I were considering hiring someone, I would certainly do some searching online to learn more about them.

So, I will say that there are some possibilities coming up that, if the Lord wills, could be a good fit. I'll let you know when something comes up.

I am returning to worship leading this week. I get to lead at New Life Church in Odessa for their Tuesday night Thanksgiving service. And I get to play again. Pull out the old guitar and dust it off. I am really looking forward to playing and worshiping again. Honestly, I have not been excited about a worship service for months. I hope you can understand why. If not, well... that's another blog entry. Probably another book.

More later. God bless.

The Golden Compass

I've seen previews of this movie coming soon, starring Nicole Kidman. I even bought the book for my son, thinking that this was another "Narnia" type movie and book series. He has not read the book yet. Turns out this is a good thing.

I received an email from a friend recently. It reads as such, "This atheistic author's avowed goal is to "kill God in the minds of children". The author hated C.S. Lewis and wanted to UNDO what C.S. Lewis did in the Chronicles of Narnia. His trilogy has sold over fifteen million copies globally. Spread the word and boycott the movie. Read the article below. Its scary."

I'll leave the boycott issue up to you. But the email pointed to the Snopes site, which is a website dedicated to urban myths and legends. you may visit the site which is located here, but I'll quote some of the site.

"The Golden Compass, a fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman that is scheduled to be released into theaters on 7 December 2007, has been drawing fire from concerned Christians. The film is based on Northern Lights (released in the U.S. as The Golden Compass), the first offering in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of children's books, a series that follows the adventures of a streetwise girl who travels through multiple worlds populated by witches, armor-plated bears, and sinister ecclesiastical assassins to defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God.

The series' author, Philip Pullman, is an avowed atheist who has averred that "I don't profess any religion; I don't think it's possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words 'spiritual' or 'spirituality.'" Critics of Pullman's books point to the strong anti-religion and anti-God themes they incorporate, and although literary works are subject to a variety of interpretations, Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that "My books are about killing God." (Conservative British columnist Peter Hitchens labeled Pullman "The Most Dangerous Author in Britain" and described him as the writer "the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.")"

The article quotes several emails that are circulating. The following are quotes from some of those emails:

"The movie has been dumbed down to fool kids and their parents in the hope that they will buy his trilogy where in the end the children kill God and everyone can do as they please. Nicole Kidman stars in the movie so it will probably be advertised a lot. This is just a friendly warning that you sure won't hear on the regular TV."

"What I thought was important to communicate is what part of the agenda is for making this picture. This movie is a watered down version of the first book, which is the least offensive of the three books. The second book of the trilogy is THE SUBTLE KNIFE and the third book is THE AMBER SPYGLASS. Each book gets worse and worse regarding Pullman's hatred of God. In the trilogy, a young girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle against a nefarious Church known as the Magisterium. Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as 'a very powerful and convincing mistake.' As I understand it, in the last book, a boy and girl are depicted representing Adam and Eve and they kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH."

I have the book and plan to read it. I will let you know what I find out, unless the movie comes out before I get it read, which is a distinct possibility.

Laugh #1

Did you hear about the dyslexic devil-worshiper?

He sold his soul to Santa.

Dust

Over the past few days, I've found myself in a cycle of depression, anger and confusion. I am told this is normal in my circumstance (loosing my job, for those of you who have not read down further). I've caught myself blaming God, then feeling guilty for thinking those thoughts, then blaming myself, then feeling stupid.

Then I'm usually hungry. Some things never change.

I ran across two things in the past few hours that helped. The first is a song by an artist/producer named Joe Beck. It may not mean much to you, but it helped set my perspective a little clearer. Here's a verse and a chorus:

You magnify my helplessness
That I might see Your faithfulness
I stand in awe because of who You are
Creator of my heart, O God

The Mystery of You in words
When Heaven's mercy kissed the earth
The price completely paid by You alone
I fall before Your throne and I cry

I am dust
I am frail
I am weak
I fail
You are God
You are King
Over all the universe You reign
And I stand amazed that You could truly love
This dust

Then this morning I picked up a book that I was reading and had set aside for a while, Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. I vaguely remembered that where I left off had seemed something that I wasn't catching. The importance of it had not settled into me. So I opened up the dog-eared page and looked at the title of the section where I had quit reading.

The Dark Night of the Soul.

It seemed a little more appropriate now. I quote Foster:

What does the dark night of the soul involve? We may have a sense of dryness, aloneness, even lostness. Any overdependence on the emotional life is stripped away... The dark night is one of the ways God brings us into a hush, a stillness so that He may work an inner transformation on the soul... When God lovingly draws us into a dark night of the soul, there is often a temptation to seek release from it and to blame everyone and everything for our inner dullness... Be grateful that God is lovingly drawing you away from every distraction so that you can see him clearly. Rather than chafing and fighting, become still and wait."

And so I quietly wait. I am dust.

Burning Rubber

Austin was out on his new bike the other day. We were at Grande Stadium and he was breaking it in. In the process, he left some serious tread marks. Take a look...

Get a Job...

Well, that's what I'm trying to do. I've not posted much here about my job search, or for that matter why I'm even needing a new job. I think I'll continue my self-imposed silence on the situation at GCR.

But as far as jobs are concerned, thus far I have been approaching the search with the thought that I am open to whatever is out there and that God will lead me to the right position. I have even caught myself thinking "just get a job that pays. You can pursue your passion on your off-time." I am beginning to rethink that.

This morning a new acquaintance recommended a book to me. Maybe you've heard of 48 Days to the Work You Love. It is highly recommended by Dave Ramsey (although he is not the new acquaintance I mentioned). The book was released this year (2007) and is written by Dan Miller. I have only read the introduction and first chapter and it's really gotten me to thinking already.

Here is a quote from the first chapter... "Perhaps we can create a definition of work that includes more than just completing duties for a paycheck. What if we were able to create a model for work that included work, play, leisure, and spiritual components? Would it be unreasonable to expect to find fulfilling, enjoyable, spiritually significant, income producing work?" According to Miller, the obvious answer is a resounding "no, it's not unreasonable!"

I truly believe I was in this situation when I worked for Acappella Ministries. I felt the same at Christ Family Fellowship in Corpus Christi. I believe I would have come to feel this at Golf Course Road, given time. And now, I need to pray and believe that it can happen again here in Midland. I certainly do not want to settle for a "job."

Lord, give me the faith and patience to see what you've laid before me. Or at least to make the best out of the situation if I pick the wrong thing. Is that a contradiction in faith? *sigh*

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 10

The new Pipecast is up. Episode 10 features Eric Gwin, solo a cappella artist. You can find it at PitchPipePro.com or, as always, download it direct from this link. Hope you enjoy it.

Nearer My God to Thee

Dave Gerhart pointed me to a fabulous video that I want to share with you. As you know if you've read this blog any at all, I love good a capella music. I do a podcast dedicated to it. Here is one that falls right square into that category.

This is a group from BYU called Vocal Point. The video is of them competing at the ICCA Quarterfinals this past February of 2007. As you will see, it is a fabulous arrangement of Nearer My God to Thee (done by James Stevens) and garnered them 1st place. Enjoy...

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 9

I have just posted the most recent episode of the Pipecast. Chris Lindsey of Watershed Worship makes an appearance. We talk about their trip to South Africa, their recent run-in with Mandisa, and their latest album entitled "I Know You Love Me."

You can catch it at PitchPipePro.com or as always you can download it right here directly from this link.

Another Change

I began this blog in early October of '06 partly as an attempt to chronicle a life change. I was searching for a new job. It seems this blog is still needed for that purpose.

Nine days ago I was called into the Executive Minister's office and let go. I was told that my reason for dismissal was that I am "not a good fit for this church." I've done nothing wrong, other than (in their opinion) not having the skill set to lead the church in worship as effectively as has been done in the past here at GCR.

I do not feel that this public forum is the proper place to air my grievances about this, so I will not elaborate at this time. Sherri and I are understandably shocked and hurt. The only thing I will say about this is that it is a shame that I have never really been able to let them see the real me. I have tried to tailor my style of worship leading to fit a package that they were desiring. I was never able to move the church to a point that I could feel free to cut loose and lead the way I would like (which in my opinion this church needs badly... a new and refreshed approach to worship). Maybe this in itself is a sign that I am not a fit. The elders have been gracious to give me a long period in which to find new employment.

I have committed to my children that we will not be moving. The change from Corpus Christi to Midland was devastating to my kids. It has taken them, Ashley especially, months to recover their smile. It has only been in the past few weeks that I have seen them return to normal. I'll not mess that up again. Also, my wife has just begun teaching in the Midland school system. She is working with special needs children in a local Jr. High. So unless God throws us a really big curve ball, we are staying in Midland for the foreseeable future.

Please pray for our family as we enter this new period in our lives. Pray that I will be directed to the job I am supposed to have and have the wisdom to recognize it. Sherri and I still firmly believe, even through all the troubles of the change, that we were supposed to move to Midland. God made it pretty clear. It turns out that GCR was just the tool to bring us here. So now we wait on God to show us the real reason.

Lord, illuminate us.

Pre vs. Post

My son begged not to have his hair cut for the summer because he wanted to "wear a ponytail." I don't think he realized that naturally curly hair is hard to put in a ponytail.

Anyway, here is Austin before 4:00 PM this afternoon.



And here is Austin after 4:30 PM this afternoon.



Same kid? You tell me. The eyes seem similar. I think I remember them from before the bangs.

Rice Noodles

This is a strange entry.

For the past couple of weeks, our family has been on an exclusion diet. One of those diets where you cut back down to one basic food group that cleans out your system and then you start adding things back in one thing at a time. That way you can see if there is a certain kind of food that gives you troubles.

Anyway, this past week my wife cooked rice noodles. Sort of like angel hair pasta, only made from rice. I recall eating this before when I was in Kungming, China at a restaurant called "Over Bridge Rice Noodles." Great place to eat. But I digress...

So she cooks these noodles and no one in the house likes them but me. I was out of the house at the time and they got shoved to the side before I could get at them. So they left this big pot of rice noodles sitting out for the afternoon. Dry (drained of water).

By the time I got home, they were still edible, just very cold. So they sat there for a while because we just didn't get around to throwing them away. By that evening, we assumed they would be pretty bad and starting to turn green. Not so. These noodles still seemed fresh. They also seemed rather bouncy.

Turns out rice noodles take on an elastic nature when left to the elements. They begin to look somewhat like those small rubber bands you put on your braces. Only these are long.

They are still sitting in that pot by the sink. It's turned into a family experiment now. Every time we go by, we grab a handful and drop it back into the pot to watch it bounce. Three days and still bouncing. Still looks fresh. Not gonna eat it though...

Bouncy trouncy flouncy pouncy fun fun fun fun fun.

Stream Light

As many of the readers of my blog are aware, Stream in the Desert is an annual event that Golf Course Rd Church has hosted for many years now. Due to the massive amount of construction happening on our campus, there will not be a Stream for 2007 (rather obvious, since we are past the usual date).

Fortunately, we have an opportunity to help people scratch that itch for a great worship event. On Saturday evening September 15, Golf Course Rd Church will be offering Stream Light. Ken Young will be leading this free worship event. For those of you who have been to Stream before, this will be a 2-hour mini-Stream... something like a creek. Not as big, but still flowing.

So if you live in West Texas or Eastern New Mexico, plan to join us Saturday, Sept. 15 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. It should be a great evening of praise and worship.

GCR Day at the Ballpark

They're not going to invite us back.

Some of you may recall a post this past Easter about the snow fiasco at the Ballpark. Every year we host "Easter at the Ballpark," a city-wide worship service at the AA Midlands Rockhounds ball park. And this year it snowed on Easter. The event was canceled, as was the game.

So to make up for it, the Rockhounds set up GCR Night this past Sunday night. We sold tickets at half price to our church. About 4:00, we started getting light rain.

We made it to the bottom of the 2nd inning and then the bottom dropped out. Noah showed up. I actually saw an ark in left field.

But I bought a hat!

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 8

I have just posted #8 of the Pipecast. It's a conversation with Josh Wheeler of Legacy. They are a new-yet-not-new group out of Lubbock, TX. I included some songs from their new self-titled release which came out last week.

You can catch that podcast at pitchpipepro.com or download it directly using this link.

Enjoy!

Oxymoron

This past Sunday our minister used a few oxymorons to make a point in his sermon. Here are a few of them with my most favorite at the end.

Jumbo Shrimp.

Civil Litigation.

Fairly Accurate.

Negative Growth.

Nothing Much.

Pure Evil.

Short Sermons.

And my most favorite had to do with a bit of software many people know...

Microsoft Works.

There you go Lana, how 'bout that one?

Holy is the Lord

A friend turned me on to this YouTube video today. Someone (user name is gregmuzac) has taken the song Holy is the Lord from Andrew Peterson and set it footage taken mostly from TNT's movie about the life of Abraham. It is a fabulous video. Well worth seeing. And here it is...

Microshaft Hat Pt.2

You may have seen one of my earlier posts entitled "Microshaft Hat." I'm not supposed to hate anyone, so hat is one letter short. Anyway, I'd sworn to myself that I was not going to buy another Windows machine. I have a Mac Pro at my office and I love it.

And then my son's computer went on the fritz. Yes, it was running XP, but it was also glitchy when dual booted with Kubuntu. It's a 7 year old white box so it was time. I wanted to give him my computer and get me a Mac. But the money was just not there yet. I can't drop a grand or so.

Then I found a good deal ($330) on an Emachine at Best Buy. Running Vista of all things. I had to have something since school starts soon and my son needs a computer for his work. So, he got my 10 month old Dell and I am writing this from a new Vista Emachine.

AAAAARGH!

Now I need to start saving money for a Macbook. Everyone needs a laptop. Right? I need to start working on an angle to justify that one...

Pitch Pipecast Episode 7 (Acafest Special)

Episode 7 of the Pitch Pipecast is now available. Recorded live at Acafest 2007 in Nashville, it features a round table discussion with several artists: Brian Wiersma of Vocal Union, Danice Sweet of Revival, Lanier Stevens of Sounds of Glory, Robin Brannon of Acappella and Melissa Lancaster of Durant.

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

Movie Review: Evan Almighty

The Conservative Mostly Bald Guy strikes again! This time the object of his attention is the new Steve Carrell movie Evan Almighty. If you want to skip to the end, he (me) gives it 4 out of 5 baldies. Now go watch and find out what else he says...

Pitch Pipecast Episode 6

The new Pipecast is up! This week I interviewed Wes McKinzie, former bass for AVB and current director of New Reign at Oklahoma Christian University. You can take a look at this Pipecast and previous Pipes at PitchPipePro.com. Or as always, you can download the episode direct from this link. Enjoy!

Acafest Podcast

Acafest is almost upon us. I am looking forward to seeing many old friends. I had intended to take a little handheld recorder with me and do some interviewing for the Pitch Pipecast. While that will still happen, another opportunity has presented itself.

I mentioned to Byron (the director) how fun it would be to host and record a round table discussion at Acafest. Before I knew what had happened, I find out it's happening. Twice.

On Thursday and Friday night at 10:00 P.M. I will host an open mike roundtable discussion with many of the artists who will be present at Acafest. This will be considered a late-night event (read: post-schedule printing and after the last event of the night) and each evening will be recorded for broadcast on the Pitch Pipecast. It will happen onstage in the Allen Arena where the evening's concert will have just concluded.

So if you are going to Acafest, mark this down on your schedule. If not, look for it in the coming weeks on the Pipecast. Should be a lot of fun.

Real Passion

This past Sunday, our Pulpit Minister delivered one of those sermons that just leaves you saying, "wow." We had initially planned this Sunday's theme around the idea that God has given us our passion and we should return it to him, or at least honor him with our passions. The text came from Col. 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

About Thursday afternoon, I found out that Ronnie had taken a slightly different direction with this idea. What came out of it was a barn-burner of a sermon. If you have 20 minutes, I would suggest giving it a listen. This is one of those sermons every preacher wished he could preach and not have to worry about repercussions. You can hear it by clicking this link. Enjoy...

Pitch Pipecast Episode 5

The newest Pipecast is now available. It is an interview with Gary Miller of the Vocal Union as we preview their new release, Just Like the Old Days. The album will be available in late June, but you get to hear six songs from the album early... and only on the Pipecast!

You can find the Pipecast (and previous post as well) at PitchPipePro.com, or you can download the file directly from this link. I hope you enjoy this sneak peak preview of the new VU album.

Miscellaneous Ramblings & Tony Brown

Today is Friday and I am at work. I am the Friday MOD (Minister on Duty) for this week. That means I had yesterday off. I spent the day setting up our new above-ground Intex swimming pool. I am amazed at the quality of these pools. We had an in-ground pool back in Corpus and the kids took serious advantage of it. But here in Midland we have nada.

Anyway, this is a 12x24 above ground with ladder, pump and all the accoutrement. My kids were so excited about it that they were in the pool when it had about an inch of water in it. They spent the next 5 hours in the pool as it filled (it took 10 hours, but they were worn out). And today my son proudly wears the trophy his marathon swim earned... he is red as a brick and can hardly move. That's two weeks in a row he's had a bad burn. Last week he got lobsterfied in the mountains. I think he's learned a painful lesson.

I just received an advance pre-release copy of Vocal Union's new album Just Like the Old Days. This is good stuff. I will be doing a Pipecast very soon featuring the music from the album with Gary Miller adding color commentary. I'll save my comments for then.

I've heard from Tony Brown of AVB and Watershed fame. He is currently searching for a position as a worship minister. I know the feeling of needing a job and not knowing where to look. If anyone reading this blog can point Tony toward a ministry position, please drop him a line at "tonybrown3 at mac dot com" (I printed out the email instead of writing it in normal form so spambots won't pick it up, hopefully).

Speaking of Worship Ministers, I've read on Keith Lancaster's blog that he and his son Anthony are now co-leaders at Farragut Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN. I think that's fabulous. I only hope that I can someday give my son on-the-job ministry training like that.

Enough for today. Have a good one...

Of Water and Reunions

I am back from vacation. My family spent the week in Glorieta, NM at the Glorieta Conference Center. We had a family reunion scheduled for the last half of the week, so we went in a few days early and had some fun family time.

It was not overly restful. As most family reunions go, this one was packed with stuff and very little sleep. We came home from our vacation needing a vacation to recover. Such is life.

Ashley, my 13-yr old daughter, was baptized on Saturday, June 9, in Glorieta. We knew this was going to happen, but I did not contact the conference center until Friday night to find out about using their baptistery. Here's is the actual conversation as best I remember it...

"Hi, one of the people in our group would like to be baptized tomorrow and I need to see about using your baptistery. Who do I need to see about that?"

"I"m sorry sir, we don't have one."

"Excuse me?"

"We don't have a baptistery on campus."

*pause*

"You mean this is the largest Baptist encampment in the southwestern United States and you don't have a baptistery?"

"No sir..." pause... "I guess I ought to put that on the suggestion list."

"I would think so..."

So I spent Saturday morning driving around Glorieta and Pecos looking for a church that might be open and allow us to use their baptistery. We ended up just down the road at a little church building that seats about 100 if they all hold their breath, the Glorieta Baptist Church. The water was pumped in that afternoon at our request and was straight out of the mountain. It was so cold we walked in and lost our breath. Ashley will never forget her baptism. She came out white as snow and blue as ice.

Speaking of reunions, for those of you still reading, I have another one coming up soon. July 5-7 are the dates for Acafest 2007, the International Acappella Christian Music Festival. I will be teaching a few classes during this week. The event will culminate on Saturday evening with the 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert of the group Acappella.

For those of you unaware, Acappella is a singing group I used to travel with. For eleven years.

Anyway, I am not completely sure of the entire line-up, but I do know who I'll be singing with. Keith Lancaster and Rodney Britt will certainly sing together, and I will get to sing with my brothers, Wayburn Dean, George Pendergrass and Duane Adams. I'm looking forward to it, although at this point I have absolutely no idea what we are singing. That should be interesting...

Connor Brown

This has been a tough week. I have not posted anything mainly because I did not know what to say about it all. Many of you may already be familiar with this story, but for those who are not... Tod Brown is the Executive Minister at Golf Course Rd Church where I am the Worship Minister. This past Monday, Memorial Day, he and his family were heading back from Brownwood where they had spent the holiday. No one is quite sure how it happened, but somehow the suburban hit the culvert and flipped and rolled.

Their oldest daughter, Bailey, was severely injured and has since undergone several surgical procedures. She has a very long way to go in recovery. The saddest part is that their 13-year old middle son, Connor, did not survive the wreck. He was thrown from the car when it started flipping and then was hit by the car itself. I will not go into details here.

The family has not been able to return to Midland until Bailey could travel. This evening (Sunday) they held visitation at the church gym for everyone to express their love. Hundreds of people lined up to love on the Browns. Not only Golf Course folks, but people from all over the country. I met a man from Focus on the Family. Several folks from Nashville have come down. And tomorrow at the funeral we expect many more people from outside of Midland. The Brown family has touched many people.

I will share more later about this amazing family. I even wrote a song for them. I hope to share that with you sometime soon as well. Keep Tod and Lee Ann Brown in your prayers along with their children Bailey, Hutton, and Reagan as they continue to deal with the loss of Connor.

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 4

Episode 4 of the Pipecast is now online. I had a great conversation with Jordan House of Acappella. You can find the Pitch Pipecast at pitchpipepro.com, or you can download the file directly from this link.

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 3

I have posted the 2nd half of the interview with Alan Beard of True Lift Ministries. You can find it at pitchpipepro.com. You'll also hear news about Rescue Ministries, Acafest, and a preview of episode 4 (I feel like George Lucas).

Or, as always, you can download the Pipecast right now directly with this link.

Excelsior!

Pitch Pipecast: Episode 2

I have just posted episode 2 of the Pitch Pipecast. I had a great conversation with Alan Beard of True Lift Ministries in Thousand Oaks, CA. Since 2003, Alan and Jeremy Johnson have joined forces to deliver a truly excellent singing ministry. True Lift has released five albums, three of which are excellent renditions of old and cherished hymns. Our conversation was right at 30 minutes, so I decided to make this Pipecast a 2-parter.

As always, you can find the Pipecast at pitchpipepro.com. Or, you can download the podcast directly from this link. Enjoy!

~Gary

Ashley of Narnia

Here's a picture of my daughter, Ashley. We're not sure, but we think she may have been one of the Ice Queen's dwarves in the Chronicles of Narnia. Either that or maybe she's actually Stumpy or Bumpy from Snow White. Or maybe she's related to the Amish folk from central Missouri where my Mom's side of the family comes from.

Or maybe she went a little haywire with her ponytails on the last day of school.

Nah.... I vote for Stumpy.

Doolittle Rant

In my opinion, the best singer of the past several seasons was voted off American Idol tonight. The two who are left, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks, are good singers, but they can't even touch Melinda Doolittle's heels. She stands so far above them it is laughable.

It's just another example of the lack of talent in the music industry effecting what America thinks real talent should be. The label execs have foisted so much garbage on us that we think it smells good, and anything that doesn't smell like what they throw at us must not be good either. So real talent, like Melinda Doolittle, gets tossed aside in favor of a cute 17-year old and a beat boxer who can't quite stay in tune.

It's a shame, and everyone on that show knew it. You could tell by the look on their faces. So now they can take the winner and mold him/her to look like all the other stuff out there. That's okay. Let Melinda do her own thing. Her talent will shine through whatever she does.

On the same topic, someone should vote Ryan Seacrest off the show. I'm really getting tired of his elementary antics and jabs toward Simon.

My girl's off the show. On to 24 and Heroes.

Pitch Pipecast Launch

I am using this particular entry to announce the launch of my new podcast, or in this case a pipecast. Starting today you can catch the Pitch Pipecast on a somewhat regular basis. There is a large and devoted core fan base out there for Christian a cappella music. My new podcast will deliver news, reviews and interviews of the artists who do this music well.

Eventually my own URL (pitchpipepro.com), will point to the site. But for now you can listen in at http://pitchpipecast.libsyn.com. UPDATE: The URL pitchpipepro.com now works for the new podcast home.

If all goes well, it should be available on iTunes within the next couple of weeks. Or you can listen to it right here:

Pitch Pipecast: Episode #1

There's a lot to come. I hope you enjoy it. ~Gary

GCR Missions: India

Here is an update we are showing this weekend on the work in Northeast India. I had the chance to shoot and edit this video. Our normal AV guy (who is amazing) is snowed under with tons of other things. So it falls to me.

For those of you who are familiar with the work GCR supports, this is about Gary Tate and Joe Crabtree. They reference the continued work of Dimbeswar Burman, Shyam Salam, and Dr. Tarun Mahanta.

The Price of a Ride

A few months ago, when the price of gasoline rose dramatically, there was a great outcry from the masses... so much that Congress jumped into the middle of it. Prices dropped back down.

Up to now I have believed the pundits when they stammer on about supply and demand, etc. But once again, just as vacation time rolls around, prices have jumped. Here's an article from the Santa Monica Mirror that will certainly make your conspiracy radar jump. And another from the Salem News. And yet another from the Arizona Daily Star. I could go on. Google is my friend.

All I know is that it cost my wife $35 to fill her tank in her small economy car. I'm living in the heart of oil country. You can't throw a rock in this town without hitting an oil exec and we are paying $2.95 per gallon. My feelings for the oil industry are approaching my level of ire for Microshaft. UPDATE: As of May 13, gas is now $3.09.

But then I guess I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds me (he shakes his head in slight frustration).

Movie Reviews on YouTube

As you can see from the previous post, I have already reviewed The Last Mimzy on this site. I got to thinking about it and decided to check YouTube for movie reviews from a conservative viewpoint. I found very little.

I plan to do video reviews of movies from this point on. Included below for your viewing pleasure is the first movie review by The Conservative Mostly Bald Guy. And yes, it is pretty much a video rehash of my earlier post on The Last Mimzy, but you gotta start somewhere. Enjoy.

Movie Review: The Last Mimzy

For anyone who's been around the Internet for a while and may have dropped by my site on Geocities way back in the last century, you would know that I kept a pretty exhaustive movie review section going. I thought I would start that up again here on my blog. I don't see near as many movies as I used to, but I can still comment on what I see from time to time.

I believe I will start with a movie I saw this afternoon. My children and I went to see The Last Mimzy. This PG rated film is based on the book "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett and was released by New Line Cinema. At first blush it is a delightful film, full of family values, adventure, drama and sci-fi. The fact that the tagline to the movie says "The future is trying to tell us something" should give you a clue to the nature of the movie.

When I tried to describe the feel of the movie to my wife afterwards, the closest I could come was, "It was like a modern-day Escape From Witch Mountain... but with a different storyline." It was certainly much better than Witch Mountain, but you come away with the same kind of feeling. Mimzy includes all manner of Witch Mountainy things... two kids trying to pull off an incredible feat with the help of "otherworldy" powers, older people who don't understand and try to stop them, glimpses of something out there that's not quite normal, etc.

That's as far as I will go with the comparisons because Mimzy is a much better movie overall and I don't want to drag it down. The plot involves time travel and some great sci-fi. In that regard, it is 90 minutes of engrossing fun. My 11 and 13 yr old were highly involved.

I have two problems with the movie. The first is that it is pretty heavily immersed in New Age thought. You'll find heavy doses of ESP, psychokinesis, Saganism, Indigo Children, Tibetan transcendentalism, reincarnation, and much more. It is woven skillfully into the story and often pays a major part. If you have small kids watching this movie, it will probably require some deprogramming afterwards.

Secondly, on a higher level this movie takes a pretty good swipe at the Bush administration and current policy, as well as giving a boost to Al Gore and his wild hair end-of-the-world theories. Every movie needs an antagonist. Here, they have chosen the Dept. of Homeland Defense. During one scene, Homeland Defense breaks into the house and captures the entire family. When challenged about a warrant, they reply that it is not needed under the Patriot Act. It's a well orchestrated jab at Bush's anti-terror efforts. Thank you Hollywood.

And as far as the Gore stuff is concerned, the basis of the entire movie revolves around the idea that we are polluting ourselves into the end of the world as we know it and something drastic must be done. There's even a scene in a science class that would make Mr. Gore proud.

Overall I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5. The kids will enjoy it. Parents will as well, if you can rise above the baggage.

Easter at the Snowpark

For several years now Golf Course Rd Church has held Easter at the Ballpark. It's a big city-wide Easter Service held at Citibank Ballpark where the Midlands Rockhounds play (AA Oakland A's team). We average about 4000 each year. So tomorrow is Easter. We've been praying for sunny skies and 70 degrees.

Here's a picture of what we got. It was coming down in potato chip size flakes when I took this picture. Needless to say, we will not be at the Ballpark tomorrow. If it keeps this up, we may not have many at all at church.

We've been in Midland five months now and it's snowed 3 or 4 times. Two of them were pretty good with nice ground cover. This is like being back in Tennessee, minus the trees, rolling hills and humidity. I saw this in Corpus only once while I was there, and that was a rare event for the city. This is kinda fun...

Los Mejores de la Final Four

I know mostly nothing about basketball. For me, soccer is life. But the office staff at GCR did the March Madness bracket competition thing, and so I joined in. The winner at the end would get his or her meal paid for at a restaurant of their choosing.

Again, knowing nothing about basketball, I opted for a little help. I went to ESPN.com and did a little research. They had 10 different journalist give their predictions for the brackets. I spent 30 minutes and averaged out their results. What came out were my picks for the entire bracket of 64.

And today I got to pick the meal because I won, thank you very much. We went to Abuelo's where I ordered Los Mejores de la Casa... bacon wrapped fillet mignon and honkin' big shrimp stuffed with cheese and jalapeños and wrapped in bacon. I also had Raspberry tea and chili con queso for everyone at the table. $27 worth of winnings. Thank you Florida State!