Maybe

Maybe I'm back...we will see.

I might soon have better things than just "Well, I'm still looking for a job."

I found one. I am the Volunteer Coordinator for a homeless shelter called Our House.

Basically I get to participate in all kinds of things working with homeless men, women and families.

Thank you Father, you provide abundantly. Help me serve and love as you have loved.

A day of rest...

Cornerstone ended for us yesterday at 11:30 p.m. and the next show started for us this morning at 9:00, which includes a 7 hour drive...This meant we were exhausted today. We all took a nap from 2 to 7:30, which was glorious.

Cornerstone was pretty dang awesome. I got to see a lot of bands that I have been waiting to see for a while. I made a top 5 list of favorite shows.
1. Paper Route-they are one of my favorite bands and embodied everything I want to be in a band.
2. Over the Rhine- jazz is so close to my heart and these people did it well. Also the drummer played this amazing solo that included blowing a breaker and him continuing the solo until it came back on.
3. Questions In Dialect- They played a great set that included a theramin, ridiculous rhythms, and perfect grooves.
4. Foxhole- instrumental and creative with a trumpet as the front man.
5. Rosie Thomas- cute and funny
5. The Myriad- They were great although they change the same story everytime they play to include a body of water close to where they are playing.
Leeland might have made the list but they were way too "pro" with their in ear monitors and ridiculous (40 minute long sound check) requests.

It was just a great time to meet some great people, share fun stories, make new ones, sleep under the stars, not shower for a week, hear some great music, be encouraged, be challenged, be frustrated, and grow closer to some friends.

Father make us intruments of your peace, love, and justice. May we embody a glimpse of who you are to the unbelieving world. Help us to wash the feet of those we encounter and learn to be one as You are one. Forgive us, wash us clean, because we are in desparate need of being washed.

Day 4

Well, we have gone from Nashvegas, where we played in the smallest place I have ever been (we played on a stage about the size of my bed) to Owensboro, where we got to hang out with some very nice people and eat some very good pizza, to Alton where we played to a church of about 7, but got to see one of the cutest little kids in the history of children to the Super 8 motel where I now sit to write this. We are on our way to Cornerstone which will be the pinnacle of our trip out. I am pretty excited about it. I think it will prove to be very beneficial for me as a person and a believer. I will get to spend some quality time with fellow followers and hopefully get to be encouraged by many other people doing the same things that we are out to do.

Pray that we get to be encouraged and also get to encourage those of like faith, pray that we also will encounter those who do not know of the One we serve.

There is a fountain, may our sins be washed away.

Day one

Well, tomorrow is the day...We leave for Nashville in the morning. Tonight was very encouraging because we all got together (by all I mean a bunch of Epochites and Seanites) and prayed for one anothers ministries and had some food and hung out. It was just good to see the body of Christ in all of its different gifting come together and support each other. Some were called to travel, some were called to stay and pastor a church, some were called to work in a regular job, and we even remembered those who were called overseas. Its crazy how the body takes on so many forms to bring in the Kingdom. May it come in its fullness!

Oh, we also played Bocci Ball!! It was a good time. Bocci ball is a game that I played once with some Bristonites/The Voiceites [depending on what phase of it that happened] And have never forgotten it.

I really want a new tattoo...all in favor say, "yay" and all opposed, "nay."

Pray for the show...our first of this leg. Pray that it goes smoothly, that people show up, and that we can be a light in what might be a dark place. Pray that we may show people a Savior and a Kingdom that they cant help but want to be a part of. Pray that we seek honest relationships without just wanting to shove a 3 step program down their face. Pray that we may be humbled and our great Savior will be made much of.

Thank you great Heavenly Father for your faithfulness and provision. Give us this day our daily bread , and forgive us of our trespasses.

It is currently 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday although weekends are the same as weekdays for me now since I no longer have a job to wake up for. I have been up since 6:00 this morning though. I also couldn't fall asleep until 2:00 last night because I had one of those "your mind wont stop for a dang minute to let you sleep" nights. I have to go help a friend move into a new house in about an hour and 45 minutes though so things are on the up and up, maybe Daniel and Grant will wake up soon and come play with me...doubtful though. I kinda hate those sorts of nights that all you want to do is sleep to get your mind off the things that plauge your thoughts by day, but they just wont stop. I have been undergoing a large amount of change lately which has kinda rocked my world. It has led to basically a complete nubbing out of most all feeling. Its pretty annoying actually. I just dont feel things lately, and then when I try to feel things I get pissed that I have to try to feel and then think I'm just faking it so it isnt worth it anyways. In short, its caused alot of confusion and alot of hurt, I would like it to go away [or is it come back?] That why I'm posting right now, but also we got a more finalized tour schedule...

Good news and bad news....tour is shorter than I thought, but we get to go out a few seperate times.

First leg:
6-22 Nashville, TN
6-23 Owensboro, KY
6-24 Alton, IN
6-25-30 Cornerstone in Illinois
7-1 Omaha, NE (at a church)
7-2 Omaha, NE (http://www.omahafoundry.com/The_Foundry.html)
7-3 Kansas City or Fayetteville
7-4 Russellville, AR

Second leg:
7-16-19 Sarasota, FL
7-21- Jackson, MS

There might be a third leg in there too in August.

You are everything that is bright and clean,
And youre covering me with your majesty.
The truest sign of grace was this:
From wounded hands, redemption filled them, liberating man.

We are wounded still from the fall, we are in desperate need of redemption, free us...we shall be free...[Harps, not Garth]

Our benefit show

Ok, the day started with me having my last day of work. As excited as I was to start this new phase of my life it was much more bittersweet to leave that place than I thought it would be. I made some friends and actually had a good experience there. My bittersweet feelings werent enough to make me stay though, so were going on the road. We leave the 22nd to go to Nashville. But, anyway, after work I went to get set up for the show. It was a pretty good night. We had alot of people show up, had Larry's Pizza sponsor us, which meant all you can eat pizza for me, got to listen to the amazingly talented Plu, hilarious Futuro Boots, and the incredibly entertaining Jukeboxx Baggett. Here are a few pictures:






Thanks so very much to all of you who came. I would kiss you all if I could but I'm sure someone has some weird disease.

Collective needs:
Pray that as we go we can make relationships with those we come in contact with, can help meet their needs even above our own, be put in situations that all we have available to rely on is his Spirit, and that all of our shows would line up.

Personal needs:
Drastic changes are happening for me and pray that I rely fully on the hope of the cross and the power that comes from becoming a slave to Christ, pray that I am able to love and able to serve in a drought. That his gospel of peace and hope is enough for me and that I dont hang on to the fleeting things of the world.

In the spirit of the end of every set we play and of my brothers across the pond...there truly is a fountain where we can lose all our guilty stains.

Peace be with you all.

Nothing goes...

"As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." Matt 10:7-10

May your message of hope, healing, freedom, and peace be sufficient for me. May I be sustained with the hope of the resurrection and and the promise of a restored kingdom, a restored garden.

Soundtrack

A friend of mine, Michael, put this on his blog and I saw it, was horribly bored at work, and decided to do it...I liked my soundtrack for the most part...Although there a bit of irony in some of the spots. I liked it so much I decided to put it on here.

Here's how it worked...I was told to put my itunes on shuffle and just go through the list of categories writing whatever song came next in my shuffle. Fun eh! Try it.

Here what I got for mine:

Opening Credits: Beautiful Day- U2

Waking Up: Vicious World- Rufus Wainwright

First Day At School: Too High- Jump, Little Children

Falling In Love: Build Me Up Buttercup- The Foundations

Fight Song: Altar Boy- Tom Waits

Breaking Up: Naked- Sean Michel

Prom: October- Rosie Thomas

Life's OK: Hello My Treacherous Friends- OK Go

Mental Breakdown: Faster- Third Eye Blind

Driving: In The Flesh- Pink Floyd

Flashback: The Foster- Cool Hand Luke

Getting Back Together: The Crane Wife 3- The Decemberists

Wedding: Gold In Them Hills- Coldplay

Final Battle:Put It Behind You- Keane

Death Scene: Idle and Waiting- Umbrellas

Funeral Song: Bigger Than Us- Andy Davis

End Credits: Purple Haze- Damien Rice (live)

Man, its been a while

Well, it sure has been a while since I have posted anything. That's possibly one of the reasons I stayed away from blogs for so long. Anyways we've been pretty busy. We got to go play in NYC and got to spend some time with a good friend Bart Patton at Three Village Church We heard alot of Bart's stories, had alot of fun, got to experience true Christian hospitality as these people took care of us and loved us like we were family (strange huh?). The next weekend we took a little trip around to Shreveport(home of the lovely Sammy Williams), Lufkin(home of the even more lovely Katie Longino), and then to Waco(home to the abandoned porn theatre and our friend Jessica) Lufkin was awesome, we played at a place called Brother's Keeper, which is a church of bikers and other amazing people. This place was truly a church...They loved each other just like a family and took us in in the same way. One quick story...the pastor came in to the room we were hanging out in, which was full of Diet Mt. Dew (a favorite of mine) and said in such a way that if we didnt obey he would run us over in his bike or smother us in leather, "Hey one of our members wants to wash your van, so gimme your keys." We did and the next thing we knew we had a spotless van and never even got a chance to meet the guy who washed it. We record again soon for another pre-production, I'm starting to like recording, I'm getting to do alot and explore alot. I will put in my 2 week notice here at work on Friday.

Pray that recording and two week notifying goes well.

Today was the day...

that I had not been looking forward to for quite a while now. Some of my closest brothers, ones that I have very intensely shared life with, shared the most memorable times in my life with, and loved with, have gone. They have gone to a place that I cannot go to very easily right now (although I do plan to in my journeys.) These guys have helped me learn what community is by living it with me daily, helped me understand how it is possible to love people, encouraged me and led the way to a picture of holier living, given me strength simply by their presence in my life, and helped mold me to love the nations and the people of the nations. We have dreams together that might someday (hopefully) be lived out. I have not known any better friends than you guys and will remember you often.

So...today is a strange day in that I am excited and not, happy and sad, encouraged and discouraged, hopeful and hopeless, burdened but light, prayerful and silenced.

To my friends across the pond...I love you guys.

In the Show Me State

Today we drove up to Missouri to play a show at a place called the Foundry...Let me just say this place is really cool. I am actually sitting "watching" one of the bands play. The lead singer has a really high voice...I dont understand it. Well anways, to what really important...this place. It has a massive skatepark...like bigger than any skate park Ive ever seen. It also has tons of 12 year olds skating at said skatepark. Many of them proved to have much bigger you know whats than yours truly. It has a huge rock climbing wall, a huge arcade, and a huge venue, which is why we came. (sorry I used huge so many times in that sentence...it just was true.) Jay challenged me to an air hockey match, which I of course accepted. Well, it was a very close game but Jay sweated. Story complete. Oh! On our way up we realized Michael had left his entire pedal board in Conway (where we naturally had last played) and after we spent about 30 minutes trying to figure ot whose fault that was (my vote was Michael) we had to stop by a music store so he could buy a couple of pedals for tonight...So if anyone has one of those rubber leash things that you put on children as your walking through the mall laying around, feel free to send it to me so I can put it on Michael.

Well pray that we can worship tonight with these people.

I'm nearly 99% sure this band just played the same song twice...uh oh...party foul.

Peace be with you.

Sean has a mic from Satan...it was a gift

I know a said I would wait until tour starts but I guess I'll go ahead and begin now since Chris, using an angry voice, told me to post something if I was going to have a blog. Alright...well traveling back in time a bit (to easter weekend.) We played a lovely show in Dallas, or I should say had a lovely time in Dallas. The show was not a good time. First it was freezing cold outside...seriously though, it snowed in Dallas in April, which was very convenient considering it had never before done that and we had an outdoor show. Second, Seans microphone from Hell shut down half of Downtown Dallas. We dont know what is wrong with it but more on that later. Anyway, the show was kinda terrible but we got to share a beautiful time with friends and my family, which made the trip completely worth it and alot of fun. Then we played in Sheridan, AR that wednesday and Marion, AR over the weekend for a thing there. We were never any less than 20 minutes late for everything we did that weekend...story of our lovely time aware band. We did get to nail kids in the face with whipped cream pies, getting it all over us and falling on the ground at the same time. Last night we played in Conway again, which should make you think that people in Conway really love us...I dont believe that they do. There werent many folks there and Seans mic started acting up again. The way he tells it, the mic treated him as though he was in the hospital and was dying and needed those pads that throw you around and get you to come back to life (my rendition of his experience.) If you didnt understand that...he got shocked alot. This is a bad problem to have when he is the lead and only singer for us. We then became a crappy instrumental band. Well we are still slowly working on the album and trying to write and rewrite songs, record and rerecord them, and talk over and over again about what no name engineer we can have record us for free...if you know any or are one, let me know and I can solve the bands problem. Pray for that...the record I mean. Also pray for Maumelle Family Fest this weekend. Its another outdoor show, which is always strange. Pray that people are healed and lives are changed.

Peace be with you.

Oh, I got a new tattoo...sorry you had to find out this way mom.

Well, looks like I caved in here too. I went from never wanting anything like this to having facebook (mostly for one reason) and now getting one of these. There is purpose for it though...as some of you (what is funny about me writing that is that there is currently no one to be included in the "some of you" statement) anyway...as some of you may or may not know. I am going out on the road with the guys I play music with for a 50 day long tour. We will be going out from June 23 to August 11. This is for anyone who wants to to keep up with what we are doing...where we are, how little we have been able to eat that day, how large of a puddle of sweat I slept in the night before because I slept in a van with leather seats with a large man named Jay next to me, how the Lord is using our tiny little lives to help impact a much larger kingdom, and all the beautiful happenings in between.