Tupelo Honey

Yes, that is the title of a great Van Morrison song, but it has nothing to do with this post. Well...except for us playing in Tupelo, MS today!

You've read an earlier entry about the Church at Trace Crossing, which features the tag team of Kevin & Kevin (Wood & Williams, the pastor and worship leader, respectively). Kevin Williams was out today doing a Disciple Now weekend in Brookhaven, MS, so I was asked to fill in.

And since I have such a lovely singing voice, I brought 'a ringer' with me. Michael Hill is one of my new buds from up here in Spring Hill, TN. Not only is he a great singer and guitarist, but he's helping to develop a cool video game with a Christian worldview. This 38 year old guy also looks to be about 25, making me look like the venerable & wisened veteran that I am. So today, Trace Crossing got 'Age and Beauty' (guess who is who... lol).

Michael and I got on the road about 5:15 A.M. (ugggh) and made the trip down. Michael and his family moved to TN from the San Francisco Bay area and it was his first time in Mississippi and Alabama. At one point he asked if that was a cotton field on the side of the road (which it was, of course). A day of firsts!!

But what a great day. We had a great worship time, which once again found us playing "I Will Trust in You". Kevin Wood had asked me to relay the story behind the song, which I am always glad to do. It really tied into his message, and it once again humbled me to see how God is using that tough time in our lives that inspired the song that God gave for comfort.

As we headed back, we just couldn't resist driving by Elvis's birthplace... we even sang "Heartbreak Hotel" (with the Raga harmony parts).



Tomorrow I'll be in Birmingham through Friday morning (doing some sessions at Bates Brothers Recording, and another radio interview on WXJC AM850 on Thursday). Friday through Sunday morning I'll be with Kevin Williams and his band in the Jackson, MS area, and I end this busy week with a Sunday night Huntsville concert with my pal Glenn Garrett.

Thanks for your continued prayers. It makes the time on the road and away from home almost as sweet as Tupelo Honey!

Later!!

GV

GV OTR n NC

Sometimes the hardest part of doing this journal is coming up with a title for the entry. Just how many times can you say 'on the road'? So, GV OTR n NC is my ridiculous way of saying I'm on the road in North Carolina! Cute, huh?

Last Spring, I was out with the Reveal student choir from the Biltmore Baptist Church in Asheville, NC. The choir director is my best buddy David Gaines, and we are once again going to the Gulf Coast region this coming April to do more ministry down there.

One of the goals of my ministry, Project Onefifty, is to find areas where we can do recurring work. It's great to go different places every time you tour, but it's near and dear to my heart to find areas where you can come back to and follow up where you left off. This is Reveal's strategy for this Gulf Coast tour, and I'm excited to again be part of it.

THIS weekend I'm up here helping my buddies Kevin Williams and Gary Permenter lead the choir in a workshop/retreat. It's always a fun reunion, but this time is even more special as we have our long-time drummer Jamie Rogan here. Last year Jamie started playing with the wellknown country artist Billy Currington, so it's been a long time since we've played together.

The students have been working hard on learning music and choreography, etc., but Kevin has been leading us in some great worship times, and Gary has been challenging us all to look for ways to be better ministers. What a great time!

We have 2 morning services with these folks before we head back to our regular gigs. I'll be keeping you up on what's going to happen with the tour, especially while we are out in April.

You can go ahead and start praying for this trip. It's difficult to imagine what the people on the Gulf are still going through. While things have improved down there somewhat, and there is some hope, Gary pointed out that for the people who STILL don't have a home, their hope is still 0%.

Keep praying!!

GV