Filed under: Christianity, music | Tags: lord i lift your name on high, midtown, shine jesus shine, shout to the lord, worship music
Each Sunday, all the musicians who play at Midtown show up at 3:00. They leave by 11 at the earliest. They all get paid $0. They all have full time jobs, or are full time students. They all find time to practice during the week to be prepared on Sunday afternoon. Each and every person plays skillfully. But most importantly, their hearts are right. Nobody is in it for themselves. Nobody fights over who has a solo, who gets to play more, who has more of the spotlight. We all get along almost 100% of the time.
Seriously, I couldn’t ask for anything better. This is an amazing group of musicians. So I wanted to say thanks to all of them for all that they do.
Here’s a little bit more about each of them:
- Daniel (guitars/keys) is a freshman at USC. He has an immense amount of talent, and is the most humble person. He’s incredibly smart, a hard worker, and a team player.
- Rhys (guitar) is in school at USC to earn his Doctorate. He is a former college professor/lawyer. I met Rhys in college, and quickly realized that I knew nothing about playing guitar compared to his abilities.
- Asian (bass) is in school at CIU. He is a great bass player, he practices hard, and always comes prepared. He has a great spirit and the type of attitude that you are looking for when putting together a team to lead worship. He also helps with some of the work during the week with chord charts and other types of things.
- Beau (keys) is our loopmaster. He lays down some groovy pads, synths, beats, pianos, wurly’s, rhodes, and whatever else you ask of him. He’s recently been seen cheating on the piano with a six string, and lays down some occasional background vocals when he can keep his feet on the floor and his mouth on the microphone.
The next 3 people are our drummers. It’s pretty special to have 3 very capable drummers who all want to play. It’s nice to know that we’ll always have someone who is eager to bang away behind that lousy shield we use. All 3 are incredibly talented and always well prepared.
- Will works in the commercial construction industry. I’m not sure exactly what he does, but I think he tells people what to do all day long. Sounds like a fun job! Try to show up around 3:30 on Sundays when Will plays so that you can see the “exercises” that he does to loosen up his arms. It’s pretty funny.
- Michael C is a full time student at Furman. He’s a great drummer with tons of potential to grow since he’s so young. I bet by the end of college he’ll be blowing away most other drummers.
- Michael M is a student at USC. He has also taken a lot of classes in sound engineering/recording. He’s got a great ear for music and when he’s not playing drums, he’s normally running sound or helping with something else.
- We can’t forget about the fabulous famous Lee who regularly runs the sound board back there. He laughs when we mess up, corrects me if I’m flat/sharp, tells us when we sound bad, tells us when we sound good, and if we don’t sound good, he tries to move buttons to make us sound halfway decent. He’s been known to pick up a 6 string every now and then as well.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, and THANK YOU AGAIN!
Midtown wouldn’t be the same without you, and I know that Dustin feels the same way as I do. Thanks for showing up prepared and willing to serve each week. I’m thankful for the talent that God has given each one of you, and it’s a pleasure to serve with all of you.
So, if you’re reading, make sure to let these people know how much you appreciate them. They don’t hear it enough! They don’t do it to be recognized, but some encouragement goes a long way!
Filed under: Personal Finance, in the news | Tags: bailout, economy, finance, foreclosure, home ownership, housing market
Here’s a stat that I read today.
And even if you pay your mortgage on time, foreclosures will likely hurt you, too. Each time a family is kicked out of a home, there’s collateral damage to the value of nearby homes. The Center for Responsible Lending says that the closest 50 homes lose an average of $3,000 in equity every time there’s a foreclosure. The organization estimates that 40 million families will lose nearly $350 billion in equity due to foreclosure collateral damage during the next five years.
Through some research on this site, I learned that a house about 6 houses down was foreclosed last year. That’s the only one that I know about, but I imagine that there is at least 1 or 2 more in my neighborhood.
I know that most foreclosures could be avoided if people had made wise decisions. However, I do know that some people have been dealt a bad hand, have lost their jobs and can’t get a new job, and therefore, defaulted on their mortgage. For those people, I do feel bad for them. Sometimes we just can’t control the things that happen to us even if we make wise decisions.
So even though the value of my home has declined due to foreclosures and other reasons, I guess I should just be thankful that I have a roof over my head!!
Filed under: The Great Outdoors | Tags: art loeb, camping, cold mountain, hiking, pisgah
Yes, I’m still alive! Just no time for blogging lately.
Last weekend, Chad and I traveled up to the mountains in North Carolina for a much needed retreat from everyday city life. The weather was absolutely perfect. Rarely do we take a trip to the mountains where we get rained on, but for once we had good luck with the sun shining on us. The temperature never seemed to be higher than 70*, and never lower than 50*. However, 50* at 6,000 feet elevation with a stiff wind and a shirt covered in sweat does feel somewhat chilly.
We left Thursday afternoon and arrived in Canton, NC right at 8:00. We spent Thursday night at the Riverhouse Acres Campground. It’s been years since I’ve stayed in a campground, but it was only $10/night for tent campers, and it was the closest to the Cold Mountain trail head. They even provided some nice firewood that we got some good use out of. There was a guy across the way in an RV playing Alison Krauss all night, so that was enjoyable.
Friday morning, we woke up with the sun, packed up, and headed out to find a place to eat. We ended up at the Cold Mountain Diner, or something like that. Chad had a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, and I had a bacon egg and cheese sandwich with grits. Both were amazing with loads of bacon on it. Our waitress may have had the most country accent I’ve ever heard.
We were on our way up to Cold Mountain right around 9:30-9:45. The Daniel Boone Scout Camp was our starting point. You take the Art Loeb trail up about 4 miles, and then you turn left on the Cold Mountain Trail for another 1.5-2 miles straight up to the top. For the most part, the entire trail is through the thick Forest, so you don’t have many views until you reach the top. We saw 3 people all day, so it was nice to feel like we had the trail to ourselves.
Without a doubt, this is one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done. You gain 3,000 feet in elevation in a little less than 6 miles on the way up. You are constantly climbing from the minute you hit the trail. However, this is something that I have wanted to do now for at least 4 years, so it was a great feeling to have accomplished this. Here are some pics from along the way.
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- 1934 geological survey
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- first view from top of mountain
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- the trail ahead
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- deep gap
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- sorell’s creek
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- triple falls
Friday night, we ate at Cielito Lindo on Main St. in Brevard. The steak fajita quesadilla was out of this world. I felt bad for Chad as he ate his 4 enchiladas, but I did share some.
Saturday, we hung out at Triple Falls in Dupont State Forest and read some books while we tried to nurse our sore legs. I’ve never been so sore in my life from the waist down. Go check out this area if you ever get a chance. From Triple Falls, there are 3 waterfalls within a mile that you can hike/walk to. All are very easy, but they are some amazing waterfalls. The only trouble is that many other people thing the same, so it tends to get crowded. (While we were there, a young boy (probably about 5 or 6) decided to throw his dads crocs in to the river, which proceeded to go over the last fall of triple falls. 45 minutes later, dad had his crocs back, but the boy was still crying.)
All in all, it was an amazing trip, and I needed every minute of it! I’ll be back to do Cold Mountain again, but it’ll be awhile!
**one other funny story from the trip…friday night we dropped by the Hampton Inn so that I could confirm a reservation I made for a weekend coming up…this guy was out there with a guitar, and we struck up a conversation…he ended up playing a song for chad and I, and it was one of the strangest things I have ever been a part of in my life…words can’t describe it…the way he and his friend talked, you would have thought I had just met Bono or something…apparently, MOJO was “headlining” at the Brevard Slide Festival held down at the corn maize…his friend promoted MOJO to no end…it was rather awkward but funny…he asked me to play a song for him, but before I could say no, MOJO said, “looks like you don’t want to play one, how bout I play one for you…”
Here’s a YOUTUBE video of some good old MOJO.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, hymns, music | Tags: christ, Christianity, hymns, jesus, music, old hymns, Religion, what a friend we have in jesus, worship music
Joseph Scriven was born in Dublin Ireland in 1819. He was a very interesting, but compassionate person who seemed to take the Sermon on the Mount literally. At age 25, he moved to Canada and worked sawing wood. One day in Canada, a rich man saw him and wanted to hire him to cut wood for him. The rich man told his friend standing beside him, and his friend replied, “That’s Joseph Scriven. He wouldn’t cut wood for you - He only does it for those who can’t pay.” So needless to say, Scriven was a generous man who served the poor. He gave freely of all that he had.
Scriven suffered a lot of tragedy in his life. On the night he was supposed to get married, his fiancee accidentally drowned. He did fall in love again later, but his fiancee died AGAIN! She died after getting pneumonia. Later on in life, his mother became sick. He didn’t have the money to travel back to Ireland to visit, but he wrote her a poem to encourage and comfort her. He called it “Pray Without Ceasing,” but we know it today as What A Friend We Have in Jesus.
The words were written in 1855 and set to music in 1868, but Scriven never recieved full credit for it until the 1880’s.
I can honestly say this is one of my favorite hymns ever. The words have comforted me and encouraged me in hard times. We all feel at times as though nobody is on our side. We all lose ones that we love. We will all go through times of pain, hurting, and suffering. But through it all, Jesus is there to comfort us.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, hymns, music | Tags: Christianity, come thou fount, hymns, music, old hymns, Religion
“Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace”
Come Thou Fount has always been one of my favorite hymns musically with its beautiful melody. It’s one of my favorite songs of any type to play on the piano or guitar. If I remember correctly, my mom says its one of the first melodies I ever sang/hummed at an early age.
The words to the song were written by a young man named Robert Robinson at the age of 23. He lived in London, and when he was 17, he lived a crazy life. One source had this to say: “During his early teen years, Robert Robinson lived in London, where he mixed with a notorious gang of hoodlums and led a life of debauchery.” I guess in words that are relevant for 2008, he lived a life of hard partying, rampant premarital sex, drugs, and who knows what else.
One evening, Robinson went to hear a Methodist preacher in England. He went to make fun of the Methodists, and the message that was being preached. But by the grace of God, by the end of the night he ended up professing his faith in Jesus Christ. He was still 17 at the time, but by the time he was 23, he was a minister and scholar writing theology books and hymns such as Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
Prone to wander Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, hymns, music | Tags: Annie Hawks, Christianity, hymns, I Need Thee Every Hour, music, old hymns, Religion
I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain; Come quickly and abide or life is vain.
This particular hymn was written in 1872 by a woman named Annie Hawks. Here is a direct quote from her that tells of how and why she wrote this song.
One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became filled with the sense of nearness to the Master, and I began to wonder how anyone could ever live without Him, either in joy or pain. Then the words were ushered into my mind and these thoughts took full possession of me.
Unfortunately, 16 years after she wrote these words, her husband passed away. I have only been married for 3 years, but I couldn’t imagine living life without my wife. The pain and grief from that type of loss is unimaginable. Here is how Annie Hawks responded after her husband passed away.
I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.
When times are going well, and I have money saved, job security, a great marriage, good health, etc – it’s hard to feel that I NEED JESUS EVERY HOUR. I often forget that I need Jesus. So often, I don’t depend on Him. This song serves as a great reminder to me that I do need Jesus every hour of the day. I don’t want to be dependent on anything else except for his love.
If you are not familiar with this hymn, go check out Jars of Clay’s version. For the most part it stays true to the original melody except for the Bridge which uses the words from a verse but completely changes the melody. Hopefully we’ll roll it out at Midtown sometime soon.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, hymns, music | Tags: hymn book, hymns, jesus, just as i am
Just As I Am was written in 1834 by Charlotte Elliot. She was struck with a severe illness in 1821, and lived the last 50 years of her life disabled and incredibly sick. She wrote over 200 hymns during this time, but the one that is the most well-known is Just As I Am.
Elliot wrote the words as a confession of faith in the face of her disability and hardship. Being as sick as she was, it seems that she may have felt at times that God could not use her because of her weakness and disability. But she trusted came to trust that Jesus would use her even as she was sick.
I know that I have felt this way many times, and I’m healthy as can be (at least I think so.) These words are so encouraging to me. So many times I think I have to be this special person to be a worship leader, or to serve Him, but the way that I can serve and lead best is by being ME. l don’t have to try to be somebody that I am not.
God creates each of us to be unique. None of us are alike. Even though I have an identical twin brother, we are not alike. We may look alike, but God has created us to be 2 completley different people.
Start learning to be content with who God has created you to be. He wants to use YOU just as YOU are.
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, hymns, music | Tags: Baptist, church, hymns, jesus, music, worship
Until I entered college, I spent most of my life in a traditional baptist church. This consisted of singing a few hymns, the doxology every now and then, offertory prayers, choral anthems, benedictions, preludes and postludes, and of course the fantastic solos by the best (and sometimes not so great) choir members.
I must admit, many times in church, I grew bored singing the same hymns over and over. At the time I just didn’t find the hymns very moving. Most likely because I’d heard and sang the same hymns over and over for 18 years! I worry that the same thing will happen now with the current music that is used in our “contemporary services.” (What is contemporary by the way? – I don’t think I like that word.)
Currently, I get to sing the same song 3 times each Sunday (4 counting practice). Now, I’m not complaining, but it’s so easy to lose sight of the words we sing when we sing them so much. The words “How Great is Our God” or “How Great Thou Art” end up rolling off of our tongue as we sing instead of pouring out of our heart. I am guilty of this. I really have to battle this and I try to keep it on the forefront of my mind each Sunday.
With all of that said, I really do love the old hymns. So in my next few posts, I’m going to go through some of the old hymns that I grew up singing and maybe tell the story of how some of them came to life.
