I've had many different jobs in my life so far. Most of them have been in the music field, but some have been in related areas. And while the title of this entry suggests otherwise, I have never been a car-jacker. No, something much worse... a producer of radio spots!
Yes, I've been one of those guys who help create those wonderful one minute messages that interrupt the flow of your favorite radio programming (and I've done TV spots, too!). For a number of years I would each day see the lines of a script declaring that 'now is the best time to buy', 'prices will never, EVER be lower', and (a personal favorite) the promise that 'no one will be turned down' (never mind the outrageously fast and often unintelligible disclaimer legally disavowing said promises).
So after basking in the warm afterglow of nostalgia for those days filled with announcers screaming over a generically rocking music track, I was thinking about all the places I now get to work. Every week I get the chance to help churches all around the Southeast with the musical component of their worship services. Alabaster, Argo, Asheville, Hoover, Jackson, Spring Hill, Tupelo... these cities all have 'branch offices' of a place where each week you can encounter the most important message any of us will ever hear.
For those of us in the throes of a personal crisis, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, now really IS the best time to discover true Hope. The price? Never lower! And there are no forms to fill out, no talking it over with the manager in the back room to see if we can get approved, either. The cost of hope for the hopeless is FREE (in fact, someone else paid the bill)!
The best news is that whatever despair we are feeling can truly be 'gone in sixty seconds' or less. All we have to do is to trust in Christ! It seems too good to be true, but I'll just end this entry with 'the disclaimer' found in 1 John.
"If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing."
This freedom can be found anytime and anywhere... it doesn't have to be in church. But it sure is a great place to start.
So... when? SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!!
GV
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Dilithium sharpens dilithium...
Glenn Williams is a great guy. Not only is he a fabulous drummer... he's proven to be a great friend. The past year or two have seen us both dealing with some 'life stuff' and it's been great to have a brother to help carry the load. He's been a sharp iron to my dull blade on more than one occasion.
But not only is Glenn a great musician and friend, he shares with me a deep passion for that incredible iconic and mythological beast known as... Star Trek!!
I know what you're thinking... geek squad! Trekkies (but that's 'Trekkers', thank you)! Lest I misrepresent, neither of us have ever been to a convention, worn a Trek uniform, or even consumed 'qagh' or 'bloodwine'! lol But buried deep in the DNA of every guy is the ability to quote lines from movies and TV shows, and Star Trek is the ultimate in technobabble.
It never fails that when the subject of Trek rolls around, Glenn and I will toss out more than a few quotes. But hey... when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one, there's usually a Trek axiom to fill said need!
If you don't love Star Trek (shame on you!), right about now I just KNOW that your eyes are rolling around the back of your head, contemplating the desire for a root canal or an IRS audit. You are begging me to cut it out and speak like a normal person!!
But how many times as believers do we do much the same thing? Uh-oh...! Why do we feel the need when talking to folks outside the church to use such terms as transubstantiation, the Tribulation, the Rapture, condemnation, salvation, or use phrases that are sure to make Trek-speak seem almost palatable in comparison??
I'll be the first to admit that I am guilty in this... I think this 'communication breakdown' happens when we are constantly around other believers and never engage people outside the church. But I daresay that our actions are speaking loudly, even when our language is seemingly incomprehensible. Wow... I know that in my life and walk, these don't always line up!
So the next time you find yourself talking with someone and the topic turns toward spiritual issues, remember to speak English, or they might just think YOU are speaking Klingon...lol!
Live long and prosper!!
GV
But not only is Glenn a great musician and friend, he shares with me a deep passion for that incredible iconic and mythological beast known as... Star Trek!!
I know what you're thinking... geek squad! Trekkies (but that's 'Trekkers', thank you)! Lest I misrepresent, neither of us have ever been to a convention, worn a Trek uniform, or even consumed 'qagh' or 'bloodwine'! lol But buried deep in the DNA of every guy is the ability to quote lines from movies and TV shows, and Star Trek is the ultimate in technobabble.
It never fails that when the subject of Trek rolls around, Glenn and I will toss out more than a few quotes. But hey... when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one, there's usually a Trek axiom to fill said need!
If you don't love Star Trek (shame on you!), right about now I just KNOW that your eyes are rolling around the back of your head, contemplating the desire for a root canal or an IRS audit. You are begging me to cut it out and speak like a normal person!!
But how many times as believers do we do much the same thing? Uh-oh...! Why do we feel the need when talking to folks outside the church to use such terms as transubstantiation, the Tribulation, the Rapture, condemnation, salvation, or use phrases that are sure to make Trek-speak seem almost palatable in comparison??
I'll be the first to admit that I am guilty in this... I think this 'communication breakdown' happens when we are constantly around other believers and never engage people outside the church. But I daresay that our actions are speaking loudly, even when our language is seemingly incomprehensible. Wow... I know that in my life and walk, these don't always line up!
So the next time you find yourself talking with someone and the topic turns toward spiritual issues, remember to speak English, or they might just think YOU are speaking Klingon...lol!
Live long and prosper!!
GV
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Remembering...
On this 6th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I (like many of you, I'm sure) have watched dozens of TV shows and heard hours of commentary on this tragic event. For some reason I felt prompted to take the numbers of the various hijacked flights and read the corresponding chapters of the Psalms (my favorite book). Psalm 77 in particular resonated with me personally; but instead of forcing you to endure my 'pontificating', here's the majority of Psalm 77 in the Contemporary English Version.
'I pray to you, Lord God, and I beg you to listen.
In days filled with trouble, I search for you.
And at night I tirelessly lift my hands in prayer, refusing comfort.
When I think of you, I feel restless and weak.
Because of you, Lord God, I can't sleep.
I am restless and can't even talk.
I think of times gone by, of those years long ago.
Each night my mind is flooded with questions:
"Have you rejected me forever?
Won't you be kind again?
Is this the end of your love and your promises?
Have you forgotten how to have pity?
Do you refuse to show mercy because of your anger?"
Then I said, "God Most High, what hurts me most is that you no longer help us with your mighty arm."
Our LORD, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago.
I will think about each one of your mighty deeds.
Everything you do is right, and no other god compares with you.
You alone work miracles, and you have let nations see your mighty power.
With your own arm you rescued your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The ocean looked at you, God, and it trembled deep down with fear.
Water flowed from the clouds.
Thunder was heard above as your arrows of lightning flashed about.
Your thunder roared like chariot wheels.
The world was made bright by lightning, and all the earth trembled.
You walked through the water of the mighty sea, but your footprints were never seen.'
Wow... guess I need to do some remembering of my own...
GV
'I pray to you, Lord God, and I beg you to listen.
In days filled with trouble, I search for you.
And at night I tirelessly lift my hands in prayer, refusing comfort.
When I think of you, I feel restless and weak.
Because of you, Lord God, I can't sleep.
I am restless and can't even talk.
I think of times gone by, of those years long ago.
Each night my mind is flooded with questions:
"Have you rejected me forever?
Won't you be kind again?
Is this the end of your love and your promises?
Have you forgotten how to have pity?
Do you refuse to show mercy because of your anger?"
Then I said, "God Most High, what hurts me most is that you no longer help us with your mighty arm."
Our LORD, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago.
I will think about each one of your mighty deeds.
Everything you do is right, and no other god compares with you.
You alone work miracles, and you have let nations see your mighty power.
With your own arm you rescued your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The ocean looked at you, God, and it trembled deep down with fear.
Water flowed from the clouds.
Thunder was heard above as your arrows of lightning flashed about.
Your thunder roared like chariot wheels.
The world was made bright by lightning, and all the earth trembled.
You walked through the water of the mighty sea, but your footprints were never seen.'
Wow... guess I need to do some remembering of my own...
GV
Friday, August 31, 2007
1147 Days...
I was looking back through the calendar on this last day of August... it's only human nature to reminisce, so permit me to do so for a few. I was researching some of the important events from the past few years and that prompted me to do some date calculating. And the answer is... 1147!! 1147 days since my first ever solo CD project, "Spheres of Influence" was released and performed live for the first time. The actual CD itself took over a year to complete, as we were jumping into Bates Brothers Recording in Hueytown whenever there was some studio time available. Some of the songs on SOI were birthed literally years previously. So, as you can tell, I don't tend to rush anything... lol.
Lots and lots of events in these 1000+ days... 2 trips to Ireland, a Japanese tour, a trip to the Middle East, and numerous camps, concerts, and sessions for a multitude of artists. Oh yeah... we moved too! On August 14, 2005 we completed 7 years of ministry at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL and moved the family up to the beautiful hills of Thompson's Station, TN.
The 2 years we've been here have been incredible... and that's true... but let me elaborate. There have been moments of incredible joy and spiritual breakthrough... and an equal amount of moments both fearful and tearful. To be completely candid, if I had the choice to do it all again... I'm not sure I would! I know with all the certainty in my heart that God moved us... and I'm learning that sometimes it's better NOT to know what's coming. If I had any inkling that these would be the toughest 2 years of my life, I would've run screaming! lol
But had I run from this call (like I had been doing without even knowing it), so many things would be different. While I imagine that we'd still be enjoying the comfort of our family and friends back in Birmingham, we would be missing all our new friends here in Tennessee. God has been doing an incredible work in my life and our family through our church home group, and I would not trade this for the world. We've seen people come into relationships with Christ, believers I've gotten to baptize, and God has allowed our music to be used in ways and in vehicles and venues I never dreamed possible.
So... what's next? The Year of Jubilee is drawing to a close, but we are poised on the edge of something wonderful. That sure sounds like 'Sunday school cheerleading', but I believe it with all my heart. The call that God placed is still there... and the influence that call creates is still rippling outward, like the lines of hope represented in the P150 logo.
Ok, enough big words! We're learning that this Project Onefifty thing is much harder than we thought... but when has anything really worthwhile EVER been easy? But through all of it, God has and will be faithful. I've used this verse before, but it really encapsulates what I'm trying to convey:
"But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones." Isaiah 30:18 (the Message)
1147 days... and counting!!
By the way... God IS great (more on that next time)!
GV
Lots and lots of events in these 1000+ days... 2 trips to Ireland, a Japanese tour, a trip to the Middle East, and numerous camps, concerts, and sessions for a multitude of artists. Oh yeah... we moved too! On August 14, 2005 we completed 7 years of ministry at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL and moved the family up to the beautiful hills of Thompson's Station, TN.
The 2 years we've been here have been incredible... and that's true... but let me elaborate. There have been moments of incredible joy and spiritual breakthrough... and an equal amount of moments both fearful and tearful. To be completely candid, if I had the choice to do it all again... I'm not sure I would! I know with all the certainty in my heart that God moved us... and I'm learning that sometimes it's better NOT to know what's coming. If I had any inkling that these would be the toughest 2 years of my life, I would've run screaming! lol
But had I run from this call (like I had been doing without even knowing it), so many things would be different. While I imagine that we'd still be enjoying the comfort of our family and friends back in Birmingham, we would be missing all our new friends here in Tennessee. God has been doing an incredible work in my life and our family through our church home group, and I would not trade this for the world. We've seen people come into relationships with Christ, believers I've gotten to baptize, and God has allowed our music to be used in ways and in vehicles and venues I never dreamed possible.
So... what's next? The Year of Jubilee is drawing to a close, but we are poised on the edge of something wonderful. That sure sounds like 'Sunday school cheerleading', but I believe it with all my heart. The call that God placed is still there... and the influence that call creates is still rippling outward, like the lines of hope represented in the P150 logo.
Ok, enough big words! We're learning that this Project Onefifty thing is much harder than we thought... but when has anything really worthwhile EVER been easy? But through all of it, God has and will be faithful. I've used this verse before, but it really encapsulates what I'm trying to convey:
"But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones." Isaiah 30:18 (the Message)
1147 days... and counting!!
By the way... God IS great (more on that next time)!
GV
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The Girls of Summer (and one boy, too!)
Ahhh... summertime! Lazy days out by the lake... sunning by the pool... and then there's what I've been doing! lol
To be sure, I have had a time or two to enjoy the aforementioned activities, but I get to do them all around the country! So this entry will be an attempt to give you a glimpse into my idyllic life on the road!
Toward the end of June I had the awesome privilege of tracking acoustic guitar for an equally awesome Nashville artist and friend, Debra Soule (aka Deb Solberg). Deb is a great singer in the Janis Joplin tradition but to my ears a FAR better singer! I've been playing some dates with Rob and Deb and they went into Vibe56 studio with legendary producer/writer/artist Phil Madeira. What a great day! Great players, great songs, and the foundation for an incredible project. Check out Deb's site for details (www.debrasoule.com).
Another 'girl of summer' I had the joy to work with is Morgan Bracy (www.morganbracy.com). Nashville is crawling with lots of folks trying to make it in the biz, but Morgan is the rare artist with something to say with her music... and the music is great, too! I had the chance to fill the guitar slot in Morgan's band for a showcase and I hope to get to work with her again. She's taking a bit of a break to have a baby(!), but be sure to check out her site in the meantime.
July started off with a bang... and no, I'm not talking about fireworks on the 4th! In what is probably the most unusual job I've had, I was in front of the cameras taping some segments for a LifeWay kid's project. Yes, I am now a 'thespian'! lol In a tie-in to the project that will be featuring my song "I Will Trust in You", I play a character named Uncle Marcello and I tell kids about all the cool places I've been to and how they can be praying for ministry needs there. In a strange way it's art imitating life... but it's obviously something I'm passionate about; using music and media to reach people all around the the world with the Good News! As they say in the biz, 'film at 11!'
That brings me to another one of the Girls of Summer... Jen Breeze. Jen and Brian Timmerman attend our church (Brian helps with FOH audio and Jen plays in the band and leads worship from time to time). I had the honor to play on a few of the tracks for Jen's new CD "Something Real" (check it out at www.jenniferbreeze.com), which led to not one but TWO CD release events. The first was held in her hometown of Stuart, FL (close to West Palm) where Jen and her band (I was on electric guitar) played to a packed house at the Lyric Theatre. Needless to say, this hometown girl did very, very well. It was a 28 hour round trip by car, but I got to read the last Harry Potter novel from cover to cover on the ride home... lol! We got back to TN and played a cool little venue called Puckett's where Jen really wowed her adopted hometown. In all the press these concerts generated, critics would compare Jen to Melissa Ethridge (probably because of her gutsy vocals and great guitar playing), but to me she reminds me of Sheryl Crow. Jen is another artist with songs that tell stories from the perspective of a musician who is a Christ-follower, and not as a 'Christian musician'. While they may seem like the same thing to you, there's a huge difference where these talented artists simply share truth in a way that folks outside the church can really relate to. Hmmm... what a great idea!! :-)
Finally... a Boy of Summer, my longtime buddy Kevin Williams!! I just got back home last night from a children's camp held at Camp Windemere in Roach, MO (no, I'm not making the town up!). We were leading worship for 2 churches from the Ft. Smith, AR area, and it was a great week! At least a dozen kids accepted Christ as savior and it was an awesome week of renewal for me especially. You'll be excited to hear that our song "I Will Trust in You" was used in a huge way during our worship times. I can honestly say that I'm astonished how this song touches so many people. But I'm quickly reminded that God's word will never return void and that this song is simply one of His many promises!!
Sorry for the length, and I can blow some smoke about doing better next time... but you know me!! lol
I love all of you and hope you are having a great summer!!
GV
To be sure, I have had a time or two to enjoy the aforementioned activities, but I get to do them all around the country! So this entry will be an attempt to give you a glimpse into my idyllic life on the road!
Toward the end of June I had the awesome privilege of tracking acoustic guitar for an equally awesome Nashville artist and friend, Debra Soule (aka Deb Solberg). Deb is a great singer in the Janis Joplin tradition but to my ears a FAR better singer! I've been playing some dates with Rob and Deb and they went into Vibe56 studio with legendary producer/writer/artist Phil Madeira. What a great day! Great players, great songs, and the foundation for an incredible project. Check out Deb's site for details (www.debrasoule.com).
Another 'girl of summer' I had the joy to work with is Morgan Bracy (www.morganbracy.com). Nashville is crawling with lots of folks trying to make it in the biz, but Morgan is the rare artist with something to say with her music... and the music is great, too! I had the chance to fill the guitar slot in Morgan's band for a showcase and I hope to get to work with her again. She's taking a bit of a break to have a baby(!), but be sure to check out her site in the meantime.
July started off with a bang... and no, I'm not talking about fireworks on the 4th! In what is probably the most unusual job I've had, I was in front of the cameras taping some segments for a LifeWay kid's project. Yes, I am now a 'thespian'! lol In a tie-in to the project that will be featuring my song "I Will Trust in You", I play a character named Uncle Marcello and I tell kids about all the cool places I've been to and how they can be praying for ministry needs there. In a strange way it's art imitating life... but it's obviously something I'm passionate about; using music and media to reach people all around the the world with the Good News! As they say in the biz, 'film at 11!'
That brings me to another one of the Girls of Summer... Jen Breeze. Jen and Brian Timmerman attend our church (Brian helps with FOH audio and Jen plays in the band and leads worship from time to time). I had the honor to play on a few of the tracks for Jen's new CD "Something Real" (check it out at www.jenniferbreeze.com), which led to not one but TWO CD release events. The first was held in her hometown of Stuart, FL (close to West Palm) where Jen and her band (I was on electric guitar) played to a packed house at the Lyric Theatre. Needless to say, this hometown girl did very, very well. It was a 28 hour round trip by car, but I got to read the last Harry Potter novel from cover to cover on the ride home... lol! We got back to TN and played a cool little venue called Puckett's where Jen really wowed her adopted hometown. In all the press these concerts generated, critics would compare Jen to Melissa Ethridge (probably because of her gutsy vocals and great guitar playing), but to me she reminds me of Sheryl Crow. Jen is another artist with songs that tell stories from the perspective of a musician who is a Christ-follower, and not as a 'Christian musician'. While they may seem like the same thing to you, there's a huge difference where these talented artists simply share truth in a way that folks outside the church can really relate to. Hmmm... what a great idea!! :-)
Finally... a Boy of Summer, my longtime buddy Kevin Williams!! I just got back home last night from a children's camp held at Camp Windemere in Roach, MO (no, I'm not making the town up!). We were leading worship for 2 churches from the Ft. Smith, AR area, and it was a great week! At least a dozen kids accepted Christ as savior and it was an awesome week of renewal for me especially. You'll be excited to hear that our song "I Will Trust in You" was used in a huge way during our worship times. I can honestly say that I'm astonished how this song touches so many people. But I'm quickly reminded that God's word will never return void and that this song is simply one of His many promises!!
Sorry for the length, and I can blow some smoke about doing better next time... but you know me!! lol
I love all of you and hope you are having a great summer!!
GV
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
