What's that sound?

It's the sound of custom-made ringtones, free of charge, bellowing from the tiny lo-fi speakers of my iPhone. In the words of Don Moen, "God will make a way where there seems to be no way." 

How was it accomplished? I'll tell you. Like I said before, the iTunes ringtone creator only allows you to use songs you buy, and only if those songs are approved by the record labels. Well, a "ringtone" is actually just a short AAC (.m4p) file with a different extension: .m4r. So, what I did was take an mp3 from any album that I've imported, for instance, "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. I dragged that file into Garage Band and made a nifty little 30 second clip of it with a short fade in and fade out so it's not too abrupt when it plays on my phone. I don't like for ringtones to scare me when they start. After that, I used the "export to iTunes" option on Garage band, which imported the mp3 into iTunes. Then, I set the importing options on iTunes to AAC, which creates an .m4p file. Once it was converted, I dragged the file to my desktop and erased it from the iTunes library. Once on the desktop, I just renamed the file from .m4p to .m4r, and double-clicked it. It opened up and automatically was put into the ringtone folder, which syncs with my phone. Dollar saved. 

Lighter Note

I've spent a few posts on heavy theological stuff. That's important, I think. But, today I will be talking about some things that have recently brought me joy. This, of course, is the fleeting, temporary joy that things of this world bring, not the lasting, incomprehensible joy that comes from the Spirit of God.

1. I like lists, so this will be in list form.

2. Number 3 will be the first item.

3. The Michael Gungor Band- This summer, John Sherrill was pretty excited about one of their songs, called "Ancient Skies." I liked it too, so I checked out the full album. It's really great. I love the creativity and production, you can tell it was really thought out and is very well done. The songs are great, too. I love "Ancient Skies," but also this song, called "Spotless:"

**At this point, I had planned on copying and pasting the lyrics, so you could read them. I'm not lying, this is the first time ever I have not been able to find lyrics online for a particular song. The one link that looks like it will help me is not loading. I will continue to search and type, and hopefully something will pop up. Weird. It's a good song, believe me.

4. I have an iPhone now. I really like it. It continues to become more and more invaluable. Just Sunday, I downloaded an application that is a really simple shopping list, and Bethany and I headed off to H.E.B. It was totally frivolous and a pen and paper would've worked just fine, but how cool was it that I could use my phone for that?

5. I took my computer in the the Mac store today because I screwed something up. They adjusted everything so that my iTunes library is all in one place, on my portable hard drive, and there is no music on my actual computer hard drive. I have 24GB free on my computer now (instead of 500MB like before), and all of my music is in one place. It feels like a new computer. Now all I need is a battery, so I can actually use the computer more than 10ft. from the wall.

6. I quit the band, Max Cat. It's been a long time coming, but I finally just went ahead and did it. October 4th will be my last gig with them.

7. I just stopped and thought about how quitting Max Cat is a pretty big financial blow for me. Then I realized the song that's playing on my iTunes right now is called "God Will Take Care of You." Blatant profundity?

8. I didn't know I knew the word "profundity."

9. I have a new drive towards a pursuit of the knowledge of God. I'm trying to be careful that I'm not just learning facts to have something to argue, but really working towards sharpening my beliefs and growing in my faith. I'm sure I'll post a few of my newest revelations here soon.

10. I'm going to be a dad very soon. This is her:


I automatically think she's the most amazing baby ever conceived. I can't wait to meet her and hold her and raise her. Oh gosh, I have to raise her. God, are you SURE I'm ready for this?

11. I took my car in to a service shop last week for my inspection (two months late), and was not treated like a child. I will be going back for other car work as the need arises.

12. My DVR is glad the olympics are over. I actually had to reboot it because the "record" light was stuck on. Sorry, U-verse. Thanks for doing such a great job, though. P.S. The closing ceremony is still saved on there, if you want to come watch it with me.

13. I am researching a way (and I will find one, I promise) to bypass the "ringtone" function on iTunes. Right now, I can only use ringtones that I make on iTunes. And I can only make ringtones on iTunes from songs I have bought from iTunes. And among the songs I've bought on iTunes, only songs that are approved by the record company to be made into ringtones can be made into ringtones. Then, they charge an extra $.99 for the 30 seconds I use of each song I already own. This is limiting, and needlessly expensive. I don't like to be limited, especially when I'm paying for very high levels of technology. And I don't like to all of a sudden be charged for what I used to do for free. And seriously, why would I pay another $.99 to have 30 seconds of a song I already paid $.99 to have in the first place? I will find a way. I already have an idea, it's just going to take a few extra steps, and THANK YOU to Apple marketing, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth my time to just pay the $.99 to save myself 5 extra minutes. Oh, you are clever, Mr. Jobs.

14. This is the last item in the list. I will talk to you soon.

Nothing New Under This Title

I like to be right. I tend not to get into debates about things unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to win (or leave thinking I won). I spend hours researching things to find out the different angles and basically side with people that I agree with. I'm constantly trying to sharpen my thoughts and beliefs and theologies. Or I'm lazy and don't care. Depends on the day.

Here's a few things I've been wrestling with lately. This all stems from a few nights ago when I stumbled upon an article about Joel Osteen. I would keep it anonymous, but most of what I'm about to say either won't make sense if you don't know who I'm talking about, or it will be so obvious who I'm talking about, you'd know anyway. (** Just a note, I'm not saying, in the opening of this blog, that I am right in whatever I am saying here. These are the things I'm dealing with. If I'm not right, let me know what you think, and we'll figure it out together. Otherwise, I think I'm right)

First, here's something I've been thinking. Is it right to come on my blog and "publicly" speak against someone? Yes, I think so. These are things I would say to him, if I was important enough to talk to him. Also, Luke 12:48 says that much is required of whom much is given, so I'd say if you're placed in such a prominent "spiritual" position, everything you say can and should be questioned and balanced against scripture.

I am almost dreading what I'm writing today, because I've read SO MANY blogs and articles in the last few days, and I don't want to just add to the noise. My goal and prayer is that I expose the lies scripturally and maybe spur some of us to thoughts about these things. I don't think God wants us to just sit blindly and soak in everything that we hear or read. When Jesus sent out his disciples in Matthew 12, He charged them to be as wise (or shrewd) as serpents. I think that means we need to out-think the world. Satan has very limited resources to attack us with, and can use very subtle lies to influence us.

I made a comment on a youtube video the other day. The video was bashing Osteen (somewhat sloppily), and I was bashing someone who stupidly tried to defend Osteen. Within 12 hours, I was called a "hater" and banished to hell 3 or 4 times, etc. I'm pretty sensitive, so I thought, "Oh gosh, I AM a hater, where's the love, Smith?" But NO! That's what the pansy feel-good-about-anything-that-looks-like-what-i-want-God-to-look-like theologists think of anyone who disagrees with them. So this is for you blind, ignorant Christians who accept any message of health and prosperity because it's what you think you deserve because you're a Christian.

Word-Faith. Heard of it? I didn't until last week. Joel Osteen's dad was a member of this cult. Joel took over his ministry when he died, and continues this type of teaching. Oh? You didn't know the world's biggest church was a cult? Hmm.

Word-Faith basically says my words have authority over God (through something called "Positive Confession"). Hebrews 11 states "Faith is the substance of things hoped for..." "Substance" in this instance is somewhat poorly translated, and really means "Assurance." But someone decided that faith was an actual substance, and when I speak, this substance has actual power over outside events. Based on this belief, I can speak into my life what I want to happen, and it will happen. According to Osteen, I can speak into my life wealth, good health, whatever it is I desire. Since I'm speaking these things with enough faith, they will happen. So, therefore, God becomes subject to my words, and under my authority. Wow. I am pretty amazing, then. If God's under my authority, that .... that TOTALLY makes me GOD!!!!!!! Yesssssss. no. That's wrong. If God has something in authority over Himself, then technically (and philosophically), He can't be God. I've shut up some pretty loud atheistic mouths with this argument, so trust me, it's solid.

If I speak to my body and say "You will be well," you better believe I'm saying that as I'm driving to the hospital. My words are nothing without the authority of the Holy Spirit behind them.

Let's take Benny Hinn, for example. Beyond the fact that there are NO recorded updates on people he's "healed," he says that if we say "if it be Your will," our faith will be destroyed. Funny, that's the exact words Jesus spoke in Luke 22. If only Jesus would've had more faith. No, He destroyed His faith by asking God to let this cup pass from Him (I wonder if He knew He was about to die for a generation of people that think His death is their monetary and physical gain?)

If I'm never sick, I never need a healer. If I'm never struggling with money, I never need a provider. If I can will myself a perfect marriage, I never need to learn the kind of love that is a choice. If I can just speak myself into big house or nice car, I'll never learn to be content with what I have right now.

I know it's common now, even among people who are not believers, to say "Joel Osteen's not a pastor, he's just a motivational speaker." The more I read and think about it, the more I think that statement is not strong enough. He is dangerous. 47,000 people every Sunday leave a building thinking they've been taught the "ever-living seed of the word of God," when they've been showered with a message of false hope, not based in any scriptural truth. You cannot come to a realization of your need for God (and thusly be saved), without realizing the depravity of your own soul. As unpopular as it might make the messenger, it is a message that must be spoken.

Plug this thought into ANY large church (yes, it's getting personal now). Speak a message of our depravity. Don't use a screen, open a Bible. Don't sing top ten worship songs, sing what the Holy Spirit wants to hear. End with a message of hope, that Christ is the redemption for our depravity, but it requires some sacrifice and repentance on our part. Let people leave broken for their sins and imperfection, but glimpsing the hope set before them. ... Sadly, alot of people will leave if they don't get a warm fuzzy that day. Oops. There goes attendance. Empty seats. Means empty offering plates. Gosh, can't pay for our gigantic building or smaller ministries within the church. What? Pay cut for our pastor? No security detail? Church leadership is confused? Maybe if they were ministers, not businessmen, you wouldn't be relying on your personal marketing so much. ... Maybe it's safer to just preach a message that's inoffensive and have high quality production that makes church entertaining. WHEW! Almost thought we were just like those silly ancient churches of Acts.

I just enjoyed this article. It was a link on another friend's blog. I won't say I definitely agree with her 100%, so don't read thinking this is my new outlook on church. But, I will say that it opens up some lines of discussion and thought that the Church NEEDS to have. My beliefs not really swayed easily based on what I read, but certain things do excite me. It's as though they're ideas I've had but just couldn't really articulate them. I get this feeling while I'm reading of "Oh yeah, I feel that way too," even though I couldn't tell you when or where, or what my conclusions were.

I just erased a large amount of ranting. I lost my inspiration or something. So, read the previously linked blog, think about it, come to your own conclusions, and make the necessary improvements in your life, mind, and church. I might post my thoughts later.

Another Music Rant

I'm not extremely opinionated about alot of things. Music is not one of those things. I'm kind of over the whole "I like what you like so you'll like me" thing. So, if I don't really like a song, I'll tell you. I also am not afraid to admit that I might now like a song that I once didn't like. Here's what I'm talking about.

Without getting too honest about things that aren't really pertinent, I'll just say I'm not automatically a fan of each new worship song that people jump onto. Just because certain people wrote or recorded a song, doesn't mean I should embrace it. It doesn't mean the song is bad, it just means I would rather wait until the hype settles to see if the song has any true weight.

That said, I never liked the song "God of this City." I've had to play it several times at different churches, and it has always just felt contrived, like a marketing scheme by a big worship machine. "Here, Houston, here's a song to sing. Here's a song for you, Boston. Sing it at church and feel good."

No one ever seems to grasp on to the powerful message, because we don't think our cities need God. We safely drive down our roads to our clean churches with nice, smiling people who have normal lives. We sing our joyful songs about how good our lives are now that we're saved, and go home to our mostly great lives where we can do pretty well on our own. We're safe and protected in our little bubbles. We don't know what God is doing in our cities, so how can we say, "Greater things are yet to come in this city"?

You might not have heard of the band called Bluetree, but they wrote that song. After hearing this story (Passion doesn't mention it, that I can find; And Amazon.com told it incorrectly), I can honestly say that I am starting to love this song now. I'm not ready to sing it at my church in my city; I don't think it's necessarily for us here. So, take a look. Here's the story behind the song, from Bluetree's Myspace blog. Read it, then read the lyrics and allow your perspective to change.

God of this City

Nov 2007, Bluetree are heading out to Pattaya Thailand to participate in an event arranged by Belfast missionaries living in Pattaya, Thailand called Pattaya Praise. We’ve no expectation of the event; we were just looking for an opportunity to serve somehow.

We didn’t know much about it before we left, but Pattaya is a dark place. It’s a small seaside town notorious for it’s sex trade. Throughout our time there we heard countless stories of girls who are bought from their parents for a price, sold to the sex industry at ages as young as 5 years old. Arriving in Pattaya the spiritual climate seems to change, it’s hard to define, but there is a very tangible change. On the bus journey in we’d been our usual cheery selves, but entering Pattaya at 10am and turning on to a street lined by girls ready for business, the bus became very quiet. We’re in total shock. It’s a sunny day but it’s incredible how dark it feels.

’Walking street’ we learn is the epicentre of the sex trade in Pattaya, it’s about a mile long and at night springs to life with neon signs. Thai people are generally conservative in their dress sense – it’s generally considered provocative to bare your shoulders. But on their street the girls are wearing very little, and offering anything you can imagine for a price. It’s easy to look around with human eyes, see the depravity and get angry. You see older men walking hand-in-hand with young girls – as a daddy, that’s hard to take in. It’s easy to get angry, it’s easy to judge – but that’s not our job, so we grit our teeth.

We were in Pattaya to be part of a praise event not far from this street, the soul purpose of which was to worship and show God’s light in a dark place. We wanted to play more than the scheduled slots while we were there, so we found out that one of the bar owners would let us play a worship set in her bar on the proviso that we brought as many from the missions team who would buy coke-a-cola all night. We walk in to the bar which is about the middle of walking street, girls are lined up on the stairs waiting for business. We get set up, we’re really nervous and quite uncomfortable but we kick in to a familiar beat of worship and soon it’s ok. God starts to speak and we started to move in to this spontaneous song. The truth is when you worship in a place, you start to see God’s heart for that place. What would God say to a place like this?

Amidst the depravity God say’s, I’m the God of this City, I’m the King of these people and Greater Thing are Yet to Come, Greater Things are Still to be Done HERE. The song wasn’t written before that night, but we came out of the bar having worshipped with the song that is now the title track of our album – God of this City (Greater things). The song isn’t just for Pattaya – it’s for your city, and it’s true. By faith we must expect that greater things are still to be done.

God of this City (Greater Things)

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no-one like our God
There is no-one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city

You’re the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You’re the King above all Kings
You are

You’re the strength in our weakness
You’re the love to the broken
You’re the joy in the sadness
You are

For there is no-one like our God
There is no-one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things have still to be done here

Camp Recap

This one might be long...

You might know, you might not. I'm part of a ministry called Reach Ministries, which supports worship leader John Sherrill, in whose band I play. Lately, I've stopped referring to it as "a band I'm in," because it's much more than that. Part of our ministry includes summers full of leading worship at youth camps all over Texas (and beyond). This was my 5th summer traveling with John, but my 7th year to play for camps. This year found us out for 6 weeks total, which is alot, but not the most ever (we did 10 a few years ago). Here's a pretty brief look into each camp this year and a few things that stood out to me, things I liked and didn't, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone:

Week 1- Alto Frio

Chad Norris, speaker. I like Chad. He's so down-to-earth and preaches truth so plainly that it makes you wonder why you never thought of it that way. He would say things like "I'm preaching better than you're listening," and it was true. God spoke to me pretty clearly that week about something (explanation to come soon), which was unexpected and scary, but obvious and empowering. The camp directors were way too interested in numbers, and even extended the invitations each night to make sure there were more "decisions." It was frustrating to see the work God was doing be squelched somewhat by the warnings that most of us will miss heaven by 13 inches. ... That's the distance between your head and your heart. And it's an awful analogy. Especially after Chad had spoken that once we surrender to God, our spirit is made right with God and He sees us blameless. Then, we start the process of "knowing God," redeeming our minds and experiencing eternity NOW, instead of just waiting until we die to have the fulness of our salvation. He preached better than I listened.

Week 2- Disney, OK

John Randles, speaker. This week was just John, Dave (drums), and me. Disney, OK is forever away, and is a hopeless little town with a really good Mexican restaurant. John Randles is fun to hang out with, and is a great speaker, although I just don't relate as well to sports analogies as some do. Hopefully a few kids got a kick in the butt to get up and start living. Once the kids warmed up to us, they reached new levels in intimacy in their worship. It was neat to see that. We had fun hanging out with camp director Chuck Hill and his wife, Amy. My room was the furthest from the wireless internet, so I could maybe check my email once a day. I rebuked it one night as I searched for hotels for Bethany to stay in because of the giant roach infestation in our apartment. It decided to work for me that night, in the name of Jesus. And, we thought we were going to die during the thunder storm Wednesday night.

Week 3- Palacios, TX

Casey Cease, speaker. This was 220 Student Leadership Week- Preteen style. 220 is part of Reach Ministries. We do four camps a year (two high school camps and a preteen camp in the summer, and a winter retreat). Casey did great, but seemed a bit road weary. Understandable. Palacios is a miserable place. It was the worst camp food all summer. Ok, negative things aside. The band beat the crew in wiffleball. My friend Seth and I had a good time being the "Mail Guys" and handed out letters to the kids each day. I also enjoyed watching the daily rain storms. I'm sorry, I'm really struggling to find positive things to write. Oh, I saw some porpoises.

Week 4- SAGU, Waxahachie, TX

Matt Shepperd, speaker. Great week. It was the first of the two 220 Leadership Weeks. I am thankful for two trips to Waffle House that week. The campus was great for camp. Matt is a great communicator, and tons of fun to hang out with. The theme this year was "Restored," and we saw alot of lives, hearts, and relationships restored. God is welcomed and expected to move at 220 camps (which is not always the case at other camps, sad to say), and He always does. Amazing what happens when His people gather and beg Him to move in more powerful ways than they've seen. Check out Matt's ministry, I Am Change. My eyes were opened to the global issue of clean water. And no matter how trendy it is, Ethos is not doing enough. Please support this ministry. It's a problem that is actually relatively easy to solve, but just takes some selfless support. Clean water can be provided for most of the world for $10 billion a year. In the U.S. (which is only 5% of the world's wealth), we spent almost $480 billion at Christmas time last year.

Week 5- Camp Chaparral, Wichita Falls, TX

Maybe it's better I can't remember the camp pastor's name this week. That way I can speak more honestly. It's frustrating to feel like over the years I've come to learn about a gospel of grace, I've come to find freedom in Christ, instead of a list of rules to follow, and to see a group of teens be taught almost the exact opposite. I don't even know what to say without ranting for pages and pages. I guess it boils down to this: There was a message spoken this week of change - from the outside in. That's not how it works. Remember Week 1? Our spirits are redeemed. There is no secular/sacred, as far as I can tell. If the church continues to separate itself from what's going on in the world by ignoring the music and movies and art of this day, we will never have a voice to bring hope to this world. God can use a "secular" song or movie to speak truth just as much (if not more) than He can through a "Christian" song (and WAY MORE than Christian movies). God's only requirement is that we love Him and love others. If we do that, we will know what is right for us to listen to and watch. Some things affect me differently than they do you. I know I can't see certain movies because of what they make me think. I know some music plants impure thoughts in me. That's because I rely on the Spirit of God in me to show me how I need to live. I can't rely on a list of "can" and "cannot" to know what is right for me, because that's just going to take away my need to trust God, and my ability to think and reason and really explore my world. If that happens, I might miss God somewhere I wouldn't expect Him. And alot of "Christian" music just makes me mad. So, according to some people's theology, I should only listen to that music. Oh, and here's a tip for anyone who is just itching to be a preacher. If you're going to slam the culture, and technology, and music, and movies (and call people "punk kids" and "pre-christians"), don't use movie clips in your sermons. It negates everything you've preached. And I thought good Christians boycotted Disney, anyway. Oh, yeah, and when the worship leader ends worship on Thursday night by allowing the Spirit to speak through Him, basically also negating everything you've spoken in order to emotionally guilt kids into false repentance and "just in case" salvation so you can report more numbers, NEVER EVER use the phrase "How about a hand clap for sensitivity." Never has there been a more oxymoronic statement. I also had the most excruciating neck pain I've ever experienced as a result of weeks of playing, traveling, and loading gear. I got an emergency massage which relieved the knots in my upper body, but spent the next three days nursing the pain and not able to turn my head freely.

Week 6- MSU, Wichita Falls, TX

Matt Shepperd, speaker. This was the second of the 220 leadership weeks. We've experienced spiritual warfare at 220 camps before (it's to be expected when your focus is glorifying God), and this was no exception. It was intense. I'll try to keep it short, email me if you want more details. Basically the place was freaky to begin with. My skin crawled when we walked through the room the week before to check stuff out. The kids were young and most had never been to a 220 camp before, so it was a bit frustrating that they never were quite connected to what was going on. There was never a spirit of reverence, or any night that just really felt like the kids were awed by who God was. There was some, but not what I expected. Thursday night was unforgettable. Matt Shepperd was backstage waiting to preach, and we were leading worship. We started doing a song called "Healer," which says "I believe You're my healer, I believe You are all I need." John was leading and I could tell his mind was on intercession for the kids. As the song progressed, he stopped playing piano and lifted his arms to worship, then just laid his head on the piano and wept (he said later it was like a rushing wind blew over him). I reached over to my stage piano and we finished the song. There was a feeling in our playing that had not been there, and is hard to describe. After we finished, and John was playing again, I bent over my keyboard, head in hands, very short of breath, and wept. I wasn't sad, I wasn't broken over anything, it was unexplainable in human terms. I knew the Holy Spirit was right with us on that stage. Later I found out that Matt had been sitting on the stairs not 15 feet behind me, and felt a presence behind him. Instinctively he reached back and basically threw it in front of him, and put his hands out and started praying and walking towards the door. There were other freaky backstage stories, too, like when one of our staff guys was on the catwalk taking pictures during worship, and he felt like something was trying to push him off. I remember seeing him run down the stairs out of the corner of my eye. The next morning started out like a typical Friday morning at 220 camp. We usually have a 1 1/2 hour service with a short message, communion, prayer over the students, a few joyful songs, and then go home. I don't want to exploit the situation, so I'll just say that there was a girl who is demon-possessed. John was talking to her, and said something that made the demon mad, and she dropped to the ground and tried to hit her head on a brick wall. They constrained her and people joined around to pray. I don't usually feel the need to be in the middle of those situations, but for whatever reason I rushed over to pray. The same feeling from Thursday night came over me as I approached, and I could barely stand. My legs were shaking. I've heard some things about demon possession before, but nothing can prepare you for that. I can honestly say that it was not a human face I was looking at. Sure, it was this poor girl who had been hurt by so much in the past, but her facial features were different. One leader called out the type of demon by name, and she turned to him and sneered. John was begging her to just say the name "Jesus," and it was amazing to watch how she fought and struggled to even speak the name that could bring healing. Part of her bondage was rooted in deep unforgiveness. Once she was faced with that, and could forgive a friend, she snapped out of it and sat up.

I posted this earlier today with a few more details, but then when I checked this evening, the post was cut off in the middle of that story. The enemy has been and will continue to be defeated, and doesn't want these victories to be shared. He hates us. He hates that this girl has begun healing. She's not free completely (there are deep levels of hurt), so keep her in prayer. Keep in mind that these things happen all around us. If we're saved, the only tactic the enemy has is fear. Through the Spirit of God, we have authority over these things. They're so strong, but God is stronger, and He lives in us.

Midsummer Night's Blog

I'm proud to say that I am the official low score holder at, and tied the course record for ... gosh, I can't remember the name of the place. But I played mini golf this evening with my cousins. And I scored a 36. Just to tell you how amazing this is, if nobody else gets a lower score this month, then I will receive a trophy. I only started playing bad once I realized I was about to beat the record. Other than that I was pretty unstoppable.

This week had a pretty crazy few days attached to it. I was in Palacios, TX all week for a pre-teen camp. That was pretty cool, very laid-back, somewhat restful. God really did some work in those kids' hearts, it was fun to see. And, the band beat the crew in wiffleball ... again. Palacios is still one of the grossest places in Texas, and it stormed at least once every day (I liked that part). The camp food was close to awful, so there were alot of Sonic and Dairy Queen meals.

Thursday, camp ended at 12, so I packed up real quick, grabbed some lunch, and headed off to Temple, a short 4 hour drive, where I was going to play with Jared Johnson. We played at Duckhorn Tavern, and I don't think it wins the "Smallest Stage I've Ever Played On" award, but it does win the "Smallest Stage I've Ever Played On With 5 Other Guys." Check it:




Here's a picture of Jared doing his solo set:





And a video of him on "Can You Duet" (on CMT this Spring):





I hadn't seen Bethy since Sunday, so I decided to drive home after we played so I could see her, and not spend an extra night in Temple. That sounded like a great idea back when I thought we were playing 8-12, but once I got there I found out we were playing 10-2! So, that put me on the road pretty late, but our bass player ended up riding back with me, so it worked out. I was tired, but I made it. I got home at 5am, and slept until about 10, cause I had to get up and go to a family reunion.

I can't say I have much to say about the reunion. I didn't know most of the people there, but I did have a good time hanging out with my cousins that came in from Florida, and talking to one of my mom's cousins, who is a guitar player from Louisiana, and plays alot with Percy Sledge. Today we celebrated my Grandma's 86th birthday (I think).

Tomorrow I head off to Waxahachie, TX to join up with the band for camp number 4 this summer. Three more then I'm done.

Other Things, Less Rock n' Roll

This is what I'm thinking today:

1) I just found several blogs of friends I haven't heard from in a long time. Turns out alot of people are pregnant right now. It's strange how growing up happens. You're in college, and some of your friends start to graduate, and you can't believe you're old enough to have friends with college degrees. Then you graduate and some of your friends are getting married, and you can't believe you're old enough to have friends who are married. Then you get married and some of your friends are having babies, and you don't have time to think about that because you got your wife pregnant two months after the wedding.

2) I am glad that Bethany and Bella are both healthy and happy. We had a Dr. visit Monday afternoon, and everybody is growing like they're supposed to. Monday was Bella's 24th week of existence. Right now she is jamming to some light classical faves.

3) I'm at a crossroads in life right now. I have before me two opportunities for work; both jobs would bring more money, but also some sacrifice.

I always remember getting out of college, and how some of my friends would be worried that there were no job offers, no direction they were headed, no idea what was going to happen. They would have to fully trust God to give them what they needed. I would always have two or three offers, but no idea which to choose. Obviously, I was way more blessed than them. That was sarcasm. I fully believe that both scenarios are of equal importance, especially when it comes to how our individual minds work, and how we trust God. See, He knows that I can live with the fact that I don't know what I'll be doing three months from now (and I don't, my schedule is completely empty). He also knows that I hate to make decisions. It's not that I'm lazy and don't want to think about stuff. I over-think it and get worried that I'll make a bad decision and screw up the rest of my life. Where my opportunity to trust comes in, is that I have to trust that God will show me the best option, and allow me to use the wisdom He's given me in the past, along with the current help of the Spirit.

Nevertheless, there will be a new chapter starting in my life within the next few weeks (as if the last few chapters haven't overlapped enough). Please pray with me that I can choose the option that allows me to provide for my family the best, furthers my career and abilities, stretches me beyond what I'm now capable of, and breathes life into my soul, rather than steal my joy.

4) Please buy this:
John Sherrill is one of my best friends and mentors. Playing with him for the last 4 years has changed the way I think, the way I worship, and the way I tolerate Mexican food. I covet the faith that he and his family have.

5) Our neighbors upstairs have been especially loud the last two days. Why won't they just go to work or something.

6) I am going to go read to my daughter now. Maybe I'll post a "belly pic" soon so you can see how Bethany is progressing. It's amazing.

Here's What's Been's Happenin'

Hello my reader friends.

I'm home this week. That is unlike the past two weeks where I have been gone, and unlike the next four, during which I will be mostly out of town. Ah yes, I'm living the dream, bringing music to the people. Ok, not exactly. I'm playing youth camps in places such as Leakey, TX, and Disney, OK. Spiritually it's been a great summer so far, but the camp locales, living situations, and sound men have been lacking. That's to be expected, and we make the most of what we get, I guess. July should bring some higher quality production teams, which frees us all to play better and lead as we like to.

I saw a concert Sunday night. These guys (Styx):




And these guys (Boston):


I will admit openly that I know very little of these bands. I know who they are, and how important they are in the scheme of music history, but there are certainly other bands I am more familiar with. So, technically I was only going for two reasons. First, I wanted to hear Boston sing "More Than A Feeling," and two, I wanted to see one of my childhood heros, Michael Sweet, of Stryper sing "More Than A Feeling."

It was a great show, even though I spent the whole time acting like I was a fan. I was originally going to buy a last minute lawn seat and just sit back for the evening. But, on my way to the gates, I was stopped by a scalper. Normally I don't get involved in that kind of thing, but I decided to at least see what he had. He said he had really great tickets and would sell them for $60. I'm pretty sure I had $60 on me, but I told him I only had $20 and that I would just get a lawn seat or sit outside the pavilion and listen (where it's free). So he asked me again how much I had, and I said $20, so he sold me a 12th row ticket for $20. I was half-way expecting to get to the gate and be turned away for having a counterfeit ticket, but they let me in, and I made it down to the 12th row. There was another guy next to my seat who asked me how much I had paid. I figured he had also bought a ticket from this guy, but turns out he had sold the tickets to the guy in the first place. He was shocked I got the tickets for so cheap. Eventually another guy showed up and joined our "party." We clapped and yelled and they sang songs as loud as they could. I tried to pick up on the choruses of the songs quickly so I could act like I deserved to be that close to the stage.

Styx was amazing. They didn't do the only two songs I know of theirs, but they were a great stage show. After the intermission, Boston came out and rocked. Two or three songs in to their set, both guys that were with me just left, so I was enjoying the concert alone without these crazies bothering me.

I was content to finish the evening alone, until a few songs later, an older, slightly inebriated woman came and stood next to me. I guess one of the guys had passed off his ticket to her on his way out. She would proceed to grab my shoulder and shake me, saying "AREN'T YOU JUST SO EXCITED!?!?!?!?" Cue the fake smile and "Oh yeah, this is awesome!"

Later she started pouring baby powder on the people in the row behind us. Not sure what that was about, but she got some on my shirt, and then started trying to rub it off. Awkward, but a nice gesture, I guess? A few times, I had to pretend to sing into her fist, which she held up to my mouth like a microphone. Refer, now, to the fact that I knew ONE song that was performed that night.

Eventually I was saved as a similarly intoxicated man joined her (taking my seat, of course), and they began dancing like people should only dance when no one is around. I'm pretty sure they had just met. By their second song together, they were making out, and continued a cycle of making out, awkward drunk dancing, and spinning in the isles until the usher sent them back to their seat.

So, I left after the set was over, and listened to the encore as I walked back to my car. It was a great night, very good concert, and all around interesting experience. I would recommend seeing this tour if it's coming to your area. Ok, I've done enough procrastination, it's time to work. Let's talk again soon.

Celebrity Alert ... Take Heed

We saw this guy on the plane coming home from Las Vegas. It's Mickey Jones. I don't know if he lives in Houston officially, but I know he's from here. He is an actor on tons of sitcoms and movies, and used to play drums with alot of people, including Bob Dylan, Trini Lopez, and Johnny Rivers (Maybelline, Secret Agent Man), and The First Edition, who played with Kenny Rogers. If I would've known that I would've slipped him a demo tape. I just thought he was Pete from K & B construction.

Set my soul on fire

I just woke up a few hours ago. I'm pretty sure I basically slept for 14 hours. We had a pretty busy, draining vacation in Las Vegas this weekend. My older brother got married (again) Saturday evening.

If you don't know my family's background, we lived in Las Vegas for 11 years. I consider it "where I grew up," and "home," even though I haven't lived there in exactly 9 years. I love going back, because there's a great balance for me between being a tourist, and going home. I know enough about downtown to know what I want to see and how to get there, but with everything changing so much, each experience feels new, and there's plenty I've never seen. More than the Strip, though, I enjoy heading into the residential parts of town, where tourists don't go. It's a really great town to live in. This weekend the weather was perfect. It felt like southern California to me, high 80s to mid 90s, LOW HUMIDITY. Here's some of the pictures I took. If you need more, I'm sure they'll all be posted on Facebook in the next few days.

Let's start with our amazing view at our first hotel....


My nieces getting manicures and pedicures (their hands were still drying)



Me and Bethany on The Strip in Jody's Mustang convertible




Go team? I hope the photographer's view of this was somewhat convincing.


Flower girls and ring bearer.


Beautiful house where the wedding was held


All the Smith Sisters-in-law


Forget the lights, this is what I miss about Las Vegas (The mountains, not the guardrails).



Our suite at the Venetian. It's how we roll.


Very similar to a picture from our honeymoon


A perfect 12th






The wedding was really great. It had its typical "Cory" moments, if you know him you know what I mean. The rest of the family spent the time chasing his daughters around, keeping them out of the pool. It was a little strange being at my brother's wedding and not knowing anyone there except my immediate family. But, I'm glad Cory has that kind of support in Las Vegas. Some day I'm going to have a chance to get to know his new wife. The only other time I had met her was the day before my wedding, and I'm not sure we said more than two sentences to each other. This time, it was her wedding, and we talked probably the same amount as before. She seems like a great person, very good for Cory.

The rest of the trip was slightly less stressful. On Sunday, Cory, Hannah, Jody, Victoria, Hope, and Grace all left Las Vegas, leaving my parents and Bethy and me. After sharing our bed with a 5-year-old the night before, we decided to splurge a bit and spent a night at the Venetian hotel. We were completely exhausted, but had a nice dinner at Grand Lux then walked along the "Grand Canal." The next day we had lunch with an old friend of mine, and I came down with something ending the day feeling horrible. We saw "Phantom" with my parents, which was amazing. We had bought tickets in the next to last row, which was what we could afford, but as soon as we sat down the usher asked us to follow him. I was thinking we'd be moved up a few rows, but he kept walking us down closer to the stage. He sat us in the 10th row, middle section. Bethany and I were just a few feet away from the chandelier when it fell. It was the perfect way to end our trip, until I stayed up almost all night with a fever. I survived the flight home and had lunch with my parents. Once Bethy and I finally got back home, I crashed on the couch. And, I must say I LOVE our bed. I haven't slept that well in a while.

That's our trip. Now real life is here, phone calls and emails to return, people to deal with. I hate it. But it must be done.

It's a...

...GIRL!!!

We found out Monday morning that our new baby is going to be a girl! We didn't care either way, but I think we secretly wanted a girl. So far she looks healthy and they said she is growing 2 days ahead of schedule. I'm not sure if that changes our due date or just means that she'll be advanced way beyond her age. We're currently importing some classical CDs to iTunes so we can create the "Genius Mixes" she can listen to in the womb.

Here's a little video I made of the ultrasound. I tried to cut it down and take out some of the stuff that only Bethany and I really appreciate. Can't wait to meet her!

"May" I begin...

...by saying it's already May. Ugh, why do i even bother with statements like that.

Three days from now, I will be a future father who is aware of the gender of his unborn child. I'm sure that this whole situation is going to all of a sudden take a new light. It's not that I'm in some kind of denial about having a kid, it's just that I think Monday is going to change my outlook about it a bit. It'll become a little less dream, alot more reality. After Monday, we'll know if we'll be tripping over teacups or hotwheels. We'll know if it's tutu's or baseball gloves; Dora or Thomas. Our "it" will have a name.

If you've asked me recently which I'd prefer, I've probably said it doesn't matter, but I think a little girl would be fun. Well, I went to a Little League game the other day to watch my cousin, Austin, play. And now, I'm thinking about how fun it would be to teach my son how to play baseball, and sit on the stands with the other parents. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!!!!! I am supposed to be wishing I was touring the world as a rock star and staying out late partying with my hot wife. Or not. I want to watch Baby Einstein and go to Little League games and have a big-eyed girl or boy call me "Daddio." And I want to watch my hot wife take care of our little one and blossom into the amazing mother I know she will be. So, boy or girl, doesn't matter to me. As long as it's healthy, and something other than an "it."

Oh yeah, and shame on society for not letting me know how much this was all going to cost. I'm slowly finding out everything, but I wish I could just get a pamphlet that says "This is what it's going to cost - Start saving." I'm sure we'll be ok financially; I just feel a bit overwhelmed going from "completely naive" to "somewhat educated but still very confused."

In music news, I've got alot of recording coming up. Next week Max Cat will be recording a Gloria Estefan song for a "music video" we shot at the zoo a few weeks ago. I'm doing my best to make sure it's done to the highest quality we can. Also, I've got another string session with Producer, Mike Thompson, of Ivory Tower Productions. I just did some work with him a few weeks ago, and he's got another artist he'd like me to work with. The music is really cool, so I'm looking forward to working on it. I'm also getting ready to record keys and some strings for my friend Donna Stuart. She's getting her record started this week, and Jill Paquette is producing it.

Of course, there's also the other standard restaurants, weddings, churches, etc, that I play at often. If I had the patience I would update my myspace calendar so you could see me play. But I don't have that patience often. Maybe someday.

New Myspace Page

I have a new endeavor. I'm now going public with my string arranging and recording, and last night released the new Myspace page of Avenue I Strings. If you're on myspace, please add me as a friend, and tell your friends to do the same (especially musicians and bands). I'm hoping this page will bring in some new experiences and work outside of my little south Texas circle. And I won't lie, I wouldn't mind a little extra money with baby on the way.

www.myspace.com/avenueistrings

1 For You; 19 For Me

Following a very dear, time-honored tradition, I did my taxes on April 14. For the first time ever, I actually am expecting money back from the ol' government. It's an amazing feeling...almost so good that I might be more inclined to do my taxes earlier next year. See, usually I put it off, because who wants to sit there and watch the red dollar amount on Turbo Tax go up and up and up? I almost felt bad watching the green number go up (legally, of course). But, I figured since that's sort of the point, why question it?

I just glanced over at the "Baby Countdown" to the right on this page. I won't lie. Our baby is looking very human. It's so strange. I know that's not technically our baby, but ours looks similar to that. It's inside my wife. And we're going to raise it. And I get to watch it enter this world. So many things I don't know if I'm ready for. I also thought the "Baby Countdown" kid looked like he was holding a coffee cup. Yes, that would be our child.

I've got some pictures to share. This is a recent gig with Yelba & Max Cat, at the Houston Zoo.



This is how we roll. Nature, music, unamplified electric instruments.



I feel like I'm just now getting somewhat caught up from last week. I even starting this blog early last week and am just now finding time to finish it. Here's what the week looked like:

Friday (11th): Had to be at school at 9:40 to teach my class, then found out the class met at 8:30. Awesome. I practiced for an hour then went to a recording session from 11a-5p. Then drove home (in Friday evening traffic) with enough time to change shirts, collect Bethany, and drive to my gig. Played 8p-12a.
Saturday: 4:30am, Bethany woke up in tons of pain, so we went to the ER. Two kidney stones later, got home around 11:30a. Hung out with my parents for a few minutes till they sent me to bed, and we slept until 7, when her parents showed up and took us to dinner. I cancelled my gig that night and we watched movies together.
Sunday: Played two church services, then played at an H.E.B. market for 4 hours. Got home and watched more movies, still exhausted.
Monday: Ob-Gyn visit. Someone screwed up our chart, so they were treating us like we were at 10wks when we were at 14. It was confusing, but I think we got it taken care of. We scheduled our big anatomy scan for May 5!!! We'll find out the gender then, and make sure everything's fine with the babes (mom and little one).
Tuesday: Recording session 9:30-5:30 with a break in there for me to teach my class. Then drove to Montgomery for a rehearsal with the John Sherrill Band. Got done a little before midnight, drove an hour back home.
Wednesday: Taught my class and lessons all afternoon, drove to the Woodlands for Max Cat rehearsal. I left there around midnight.
Thursday: Taught my class and lessons all afternoon, then drove to the Woodlands for a rehearsal/soundcheck for the John Sherrill CD release concert. We finished at 12:30, and I didn't get home until 1:30. I stayed up later than I should've, probably went to bed around 3 or 4, and didn't sleep well.
Friday: Another recording session 10a-5p, then drove to the Woodlands to play at Kirby's steakhouse 7:30-11:30. Got home after midnight.
Saturday: Arrived at the zoo at 8:30a, with Bethany, and set up. We played 11-3, with two 30 minute breaks that were filled with shooting a music video. That was more work than playing, and I was already exhausted. After the zoo, we went home for a few minutes and then drove back to Kirby's to play 7:30-11:30.
Sunday: Showed up to the Woodlands United Methodist church at 7:45 to set up and play two services with the John Sherrill Band. Then ate with them, rehearsed all afternoon, and played the CD release show that night. After dinner with friends, we got home, and I slept for probably 11 hours. Then Monday, I was awake less than 12 hours before falling asleep again. I feel rested now.

Wow. Now you know my life. This week is so much simpler. Except I forgot about a makeup piano lesson this afternoon. Oops. Didn't mean to do that. I'm going to scavenge for some dinner.

Day Trip to Galveston

Today, Bethany and I both had a full day off. That rarely happens, so we took advantage of the day and decided to do something fun. We have been wanting to see both the Pompeii exhibit at the History Museum, and the Titanic exhibit at Moody Gardens. Since the museums are closed on Mondays, we headed down to Galveston to see the Titanic exhibit, and visit the aquarium. We just bought a camcorder yesterday:


We took some video, which I will post once I figure that out. For now, here's a few pictures I took at Sonic when some birds gathered around our car, and a few aquarium pics.

Finally....

It's been weeks, but Bethany and I finally get to spend an entire day together. We started off by sleeping until almost noon. I know that won't be happening once the baby comes, so we're kinda soaking up this freedom while we have it.

* SIDE NOTE *

I absolutely CANNOT STAND the freecreditreport.com commercials. The music is horrible, and the guy singing in the commercial can't lip sync. So, if you've ever wondered what music I "hate," then add those jingles to "Shackles" by Mary Mary, and you have my whole list of songs I wish I had never heard.

So, back to this day together. I wish I could call it a day off, but it's not. I've gotta play a wedding this evening, which Bethany will attend, then we get in the car and drive quickly to Kirby's Steakhouse, where Max Cat will have been playing an hour before I get there, and I will set up and play the last three sets. This will be #19 out of 20 straight days where I have either played a gig or a rehearsal. My hands are tired.

Last night was one of the more useless gigs I've ever done. Max Cat played at a Steakhouse/Lounge last night called J. Durham, in Champion Forest (North Houston). Normally it's not a really busy place, but we'll at least have 15-20 people in the Lounge through the night. It's more like a local bar, so everybody knows everybody and they just hang out. Last night, at its busiest, there were 11 people there. Then, by 10pm, everyone had left. We were playing for the bartender, the waitress, and the owner. So, we took a long break until two ladies came in. Then we played for them until about 11:30 (we're scheduled to play until 11). As we were about to pack up, an older couple came in and asked the bartender how long the band was going to go. He said, "I think that's their last song." And, I guess she has issues with that kind of thing, because she went a little psycho on her husband. "This is s***! Pay the f***ing tab, if they're not f***ing playing I'm not staying here to drink!" Apparently someone down the street had been telling people that the band was playing until midnight. Sorry about that. Always a good story at J. Durham.

I have two regrets in this band. First, I should've never even implied that I could ever sing a note anywhere near in tune. Now, every gig I've got a microphone in front of me, and if I don't use it, the singer will push it into my face and look at me until I sing. I joined this band because it was a chance to play some cool, challenging, instrumental pseudo-jazz music with some experienced musicians. Then, after a personnel change, our bass player married a singer, and now we're a vocal band. Most of our night is pop music, which I can play anywhere. I want to play music, not accompany a singer. I do that in every other band. And I certainly don't want to sing harmonies to "It's Too Late" or "We Are Family." I'm not hugely upset at the number of gigs we've gotten since the change, but what's the point playing more often when it's not the type of outlet I need. Maybe this is the inspiration I need to begin working on my own music. It's a thought. We'll see. ... Oh, my second regret? Admitting that I could play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" .... and sing it.

I'm gonna finish "Just Friends" with my wife.

Easter Festivities

Bethany and I are about to have our first and last Easter. Well, not our last, technically, but from now on the festivities will probably lean more towards what's fun for the child. Although, I doubt it. We colored eggs today, it was fun with no kids involved. We started with off-brand colors, but after we realized there was no "magic crayon" i ran to the store and got some Paas colors. How exciting is this ... it came with tattoos. They're for either the eggs or skin. I'll wait till Easter sunday to put one on my skin. That'll look good on the 2nd Baptist big screen. Here's a few pictures of our work.








Mrs. Easter




The Chicken winds up and walks and lays gum eggs (I found that myself)



One for each of the possible baby genders





"Peeps." The real meaning of Easter

Prayer Hour

This is a video I was hired to underscore. "Pastor Shepherd" is the father of one of my guitar students. Obviously, this is satire, so don't take it too seriously. He's got several different videos on YouTube, but so far I think this is the funniest one.





IN OTHER NEWS:

Life is good. Bethany and I somehow got ourselves on a crazy sleeping schedule this week where we go to bed between 3-4am and sleep till 11-12. It works ok for us during the week, since she works till almost midnight anyway, but Sunday's gonna come tomorrow morning, and my body is going to hate me for waking up in "the middle of the night" when 7am rolls around.

We've started looking at new living options once the baby arrives. We'll probably stay at these apartments until our lease is up in Nov. We'd love to move into a house, but are a little overwhelmed by some of the costs involved. Especially since we really hadn't been saving or preparing for this yet. We're just to the point where I feel like our monthly finances have started to settle enough to figure out a budget. But nooooooo, now we've gotta turn everything around and focus on the future more. I'm very thankful that we got our life insurance taken care of before we found out about the baby. I would never have even known where to start thinking about all that stuff, so thanks to our agent Jarred for calling me and gently explaining everything.

Life is definitely coming at us fast. Seems like just a year ago we were dating. Oh yeah, we were just dating a year ago. We weren't even engaged yet. Now, we're looking at houses, shopping for baby furniture, and deciding which instruments our kids will play! I'm only slightly freaked out. I don't mean that sarcastically, either. I'm happy about all the changes. I'm excited to have a family.

This is Josh, signing off.

Honeymoon Pics

Our honeymoon was in Italy. We spent a few days in Rome, then headed north to Florence for a few days, then over to Venice for a few days, then back to Rome again. We were gone for 9 days, and loved every minute.



Visiting the Colosseum



A Square in Florence



Beautiful bride






Sticking our hands in the mouth of the thing




GELATO!




Looooooong train ride




Friendly birds in Venice