Oi!! The Album cometh...

Unbelieveable. We're actually at the "get the pictures for the artwork and start writing the copy to go with it for the little book" stage of the CD process. I've still got recording to do for about 3 songs, but we're so close to finishing. The goal is to have the CD done, off for duplication, and back in our hands by October 28th. I'm playing at a photography exhibit of pictures from Ireland, and although it's a freebie gig, they asked if I would have CDs to sell. So, the deadline is in place and we're sprinting toward the finish.

We have begun working on the album cover, and I've started writing the copy for the booklet. The legal part of the songs is pretty well set - there was only one song for the CD that wasn't either public domain or one of mine, and I've received permission to use that song, so we're all green on that front. :-D

Vicki and I didn't realize until just a week or so ago that the album actually has a theme - I didn't plan it that way, but Someone did. :-D The album is about healing, and hope in the midst of darkness. Considering the events that caused me to have the time to complete the CD, it's not surprizing that the process of healing in my own heart and life would be reflected in the content of the CD. (and, the CD is much MUCH closer to completion than the process in my heart is... but we're getting there) Songs like I Will Arise, Lead Kindly Light, O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus and my friend John's wonderful song, The Healing Starts Here all point toward God's love, mercy, grace, and how He cares for us in all things and in all ways.

Anyway, the final sprint is on, and we're working hard to finish this thing. The odd thing? I've actually got some material left over and am contemplating CD #2 - now THAT'S a scary thought... :-D

Happy birthday, my beloved!!

She is kind, loving, has an amazing laugh, has incredible skills, makes beautiful things out of fabric (and insures that my beautiful things out of beads and wire look as good as they possibly could), drives us to different places and never gets lost (usually...), is a gifted musician, is one of the most patient persons you will ever know (especially when it cones to dealing with her hubby...), will go out of her way to help anyone, anywhere, at any time, is a loyal friend, and is the delight of my life and my beloved.

And now, she's all those things AND a year older. Happy birthday, beloved - I love you!

Um... here's the news... quickly...

Apologies to all three of you that still read this... (actually, we're down to 2.35 readers...) I know it's been a while. So, here's a fast lean update sans babble...

- Played at Meijer Gardens on Sunday night for an event for grandparents and grandkids. I was outside in the children's garden, and it was VERY fun! I always love it when kids dance to the music, and it's expecially nice when grandparents were dancing too!

- Playing tonight at Calvary Church for a Promise Keepers event. (the pre-event event...) They needed a worship band, so Jeremy (our worship leader at Church) and I are joining a few others (including his sister, who has one of the most incredible voices I've EVER heard!!!), and it should be an amazing night. :-D

- Leaving for Ohio tomorrow, to play for a cousin's wedding. Vicki and I are so thrilled to be a part of it. Kati asked her to serve as the mistress (or matron?) of ceremonies, and I think that's a lot nicer than watching Vicki squirm in her seat as she tries not to jump up every 5 seconds to go help with something. Making it official is so much easier on her... and on my nerves... :-D

(my, wasn't that fun? At least until next month when Vicki finally catches up on her blog reading...)

- Toonz has gotten a bit of a shot in the arm, which is adding to the creativity of it. I'm sure there are some underlying dubious motives behind it, but I'll leave those buried for now. The show is sounding really good, so I'm content with that.

- I have some commission pieces of jewelry on the books (including one for the mother of the bride in this weekend's afforementioned wedding), so I'll be getting those done in the next week or so.

- I'm WAY behind on phone calls to retirement communities, so although I have a couple of gigs on the books for October, September has only one. I must admit that the one thing about this life I'm pursuing that I'm pretty bad at is making phone calls. I find it difficult to know what to say, or who to call to try and find playing opportunities. I'm trying to get better at it, but for now that's the weak link in the plan. Second worst is working on stratagies for selling jewelry. In other words, the stuff I'm bad at is the stuff that generates income. And Vicki wonders why I get a little down at night...

(Enough of that line of thought. I'm already going to be bleeding for the previous comment... And all God's people said, "yeah, right. Like Vicki EVER would make you bleed..." Obviously, you don't know her that well... :-D )

(oops... that would be considered number three, wouldn't it?... )

Enough. There's where we is at. Now I'll return all 2.32 (we lost a bit more from the start of this thing...) of you back to your regularly scheduled whatever. Happy trails, friends...

Good friends

Had a chance to catch up with a dear friend tonight - Dr. John Mulder, who's been a part of our lives for many years. I've played on a couple of John's albums, been with him in numerous concerts (at the beginning, my upright bass and I were "The John Mulder Band" :-D), and have been encouraged by, instructed through, ministered to and blessed by his friendship.

Don't you love it when you reconnect with someone, and it's one of those relationships that continue to grow, even though time and distance often seperate them? There are a few friendships I have that are like that - we grow older, and the things we talk about are different now than the things we talked about 20 years ago, but the connection has remained and matured through the years.

I've had a few, though, that were pretty much stuck in high school - "remember when we did..." And things never move beyond that. Granted, those were ok things, certainly worthy of a hit song like "Glory Days," but high school was almost 30 years ago. Hasn't anything changed since then? So, we tend to distance ourselves from those relationships - the ones that kind of stay frozen in time, and don't seem to have any relationship to where we are at now, in life and in faith.

Aren't you glad that our relationship with God doesn't stay stuck in high school? That He sees us today, now, here - and that His plan, His presence, and His love for us continues? That's the point, isn't it? His love is what makes our relationship grow and mature.

Think I'll go find my old yearbooks... and bury them. :-D (just kidding...)

The Garden

A plant in a garden, happily growing, doing what it thinks the Gardener would have it do...

A cold winter morning, and the plant is uprooted. Laid outside the garden gate...

But there's a new part of the garden, a part that the plant had known of, had lent its voice to, something wonderful - a dream for the future the plant, like others, was looking forward to. And even though the plant lay outside the garden wall, it managed to find a place to put down temporary roots. To find a place to live.

And in limited plant knowledge, it had believed that it was just awaiting transplanting. That when the new part of the garden opened - the dream come to fruition at last - that it would be transplanted. To feel the joy of being part of something new.

The plant did not see the reality all around it. It missed the point totally.

And so, the day came. The new part of the garden opened. And finally, the dense, stupid plant saw what it had ignored or simply hadn't realized for so long...

This was no transplanting place, holding plants waiting for their new place. This was the rubbish heap. For the new place to be, the weeds had to be removed. The plant was a weed, and had to go. Reality settles in like a crushing blow, as the plant realizes its fate. There is no future here - only past.

Now, we know that the God of All Comfort has a way of redeeming weeds. He uproots them, prunes them down to the ground, and places them in a new plot of ground. So it is with this weed. But all the weed can see right now is the view of the new garden - the dream that will not be, and the place it will not have in it. The plant cannot see that it's no longer on the rubbish heap... that it's in a new place, waiting to be reborn. All it can see at the moment is what was, and will never be again. There is hope, but it is clouded by memories and incrimination... Could I have grown bigger, better? Could I have done something different, so that I could have stayed, instead of being uprooted and tossed out with the trash? Where did I fail? How did I fail? I'm a worthless plant, only fit for the garbage. The voice of the accuser can be loud and persuasive indeed...

And the Gardener knows that the time isn't right yet. The plant has some growing to do before it sees the new place, and can know its part in it. There's no way to tell the plant to wait - it'll be all right. All the plant knows is loss, and seeing the new garden without being a part of it.

Lord of plants and weeds, have mercy on me, a weed... waiting to grow... hoping to change... wanting to believe that You have a plan, but only able to see the new garden, and that I have no place in it. Only feeling the sting of failure - a weed, cast out so the garden could grow. Mercy, oh Father of All, and help me to see You. You care. You are there. You are not silent.

Kyrie eleison... Christe eleison... Kyrie eleison...