Elvis Gospel Concert is tonight!

Join us tonight in the FUMC-Grapevine Sanctuary as we welcome our favorite Elvis impersonator, Mr. Kraig Parker, as he brings us an Elvis themed gospel concert.

7 PM. Come early to get a seat.

Simon and Garfunkel - America . . .

I actually had a few minutes today to wax nostalgic . . . and went to YouTube to see if I could find and "older" Simon and Garfunkel singing " America." Mostly because it is a song I am adding to my personal performance catalog.

OK, I knew what I was looking for . . . because I had seen this show when it came on several years ago. Two gifted singers, a Martin guitar . . . and the absolute silence of the audience.

Can it get any better?

One of my struggles as a singer/guitarist is to discover the different ways to play a guitar so as not to overshadow the vocals. In my mind, I am a singer first, and play at guitar to support my singing. Here, Paul and Art remind us all the same thing that the late Floyd Dakil shared with me once during a guitar lesson I had with him. He told me that as far as guitar goes for every song, that . . . "Less is more."

God's grace, and good music . . . still amazes me . . . ><>

"Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign" - #3

You know, during times when my kids were still at home, I beleive I "resembled" this remark!

I restrung a boy's guitar today . . .

One of the older boys who attends our Monday afterschool program brought me his "First Act" brand electric guitar . . . and asked me if I would put strings on it.

He is proud of his little beginner guitar.

I thought, "why not," and while he was participating in the program, I went over to Grapevine Guitar Works, got some light guage electric guitar strings, and strung the guitar up.

Oh oh! 4 of the tuners were lose . . . a couple of turns with my trusty little phillips head screwdriver I carry in my back pack . . . ah ha! That's all better.

Oh oh! The bride was too low in the back. No saddle on this beginner guitar, so I got the larger screwdriver out of my desk drawer . . . and there . . . all better.

Dad gum little guitar didn't sound half bad.

I showed the boy how to tune using a tuner found on a "learning guitar" website.

If only I could have photographed the look on the boy's face. "His" guitar made music. First time I have ever heard this boy say "Thank you!" without being coached to do so.

Funny . . . how it only takes a couple of minutes to help get a boys dream rolling along. And conversely, it only takes a few minutes to kill a dream forever.

I choose today to enable a dream to move forward a bit. I hope and pray that such will be my normal response to such things in the future.

"Music was his life, it was not his livelihood. And it made him feel so happy, and it made him feel so good." - Harry Chapin from "Mr. Tanner."

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>

Los Lonely Boys . . .

If this just isn't fun to listen to and watch . . . well, then . . . you must be older than I am.

I am going to get this DVD.

God's grace still amazes me . . . as does good music . . . ><>

Sign, Sign, Everywhere at Sign . . . #2

I saw this sign a while back at a shop in Fredericksburg, TX.

I can really appreciate the owners attitude.

Works for me!

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign . . . #1

I had to laugh at this today. I was exiting the restroom at a local restaurant, on the wall was this "ad" for teens.

Just too cute.

Open . . .

I started to read Andre Agassi's book, "Open," last night. A gift from my oldest daughter for Christmas several years ago.

I hadn't read this long in quite a while, and when I looked at the alarm clock on my bed side table . . . 1:58 AM!!!! 3 hours!

Wow!

Not a bad book. A lot of what I am about, in terms of my core values, strengths, passions and faith is based in discovering who I am, especially as a child of God. My introvert friends will no doubt shudder should they read this. At heart, I am a pleaser . . . so for many of my early years, it was not about discovering what I wanted to be or felt called to do. It was all about what someone else wanting me to be or do.

When I counsel people, one of the questions I use during the first session is . . . "what did you want to be when you grew up?"

Our inner child is not a dumb or narrow sighted as we think.

I will finish the book tonight or tomorrow. If you like books about self-discovery, and coming to the point of living in balance with your past, present and future, then you might like "Open."

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>

I really don't like sour cream . . .

Honestly . . . I can't stand the stuff, and can't deal with the knowledge it was used as an ingredient in stuff I am served to eat.

If I ever write a blues song, it will be called, "I Hate Sour Cream!"

I'm just saying.

Sour cream looks like white spackle. Tasted like it the last time I tried it eat it.

How I know what spackle tastes like is another story for another day.

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>

Pondering, Pondering, Pondering . . .

Rats!

My normal two weeks of serious/deep thinking (usually the last week of December and first week of January) has extended into a 3rd week, and looks to be heading into a 4th week.

Good stuff I'm thinking about . . . actually, some of it is pretty "heavy."

Am I at a crossroads, you ask? No . . . don't think so . . . just thinking about some stuff that "used" to be important to me.

Funny thing, the older I get, the less I am willing to stand up for. However, what I am willing to stand up for . . . I am pretty rock solid about those things.

Perhaps such attitudes come because of clarity brought about by life experience and maturity.

I sure wish that years ago I knew what I know now!!!! But alas, that can never be.

I do seem to be seeing, no it's really more about sensing, a path, albeit a cloudy / out-of-focus path . . . that is calling me / inviting me . . . and, it seems, in my spirit, I know that I need to travel down that path, and put my trust in God while doing so.

I have always shared my understanding and belief that life is an adventure . . . a series of discoveries about oneself, others, the world, and God.

In all of this, I get the feeling that I have been getting ready a very long time for something that is going to come my way soon. Can't say exactly what it is . . . honestly, I'm not that sure.

So, I guess I will keep my "deep-thinking-cap" on a little longer than normal. And maybe, I need to open up my heart and soul up some as well.

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>

Taylor GS Mini

For the record . . . January 3, 2011 . . .

I really, really, really love my Taylor GS Mini. I plugged it in today to my Loudbox 100 amp, cranked the gain all the way . . . and rocked out to "Walk Away."

Not the "Eagles" version, but the "James Gang" version from Joe Walsh's early years.

Awesome . . . it's not an LP . . . but really, I was very pleased.

I wouldn't ever do this in public . . . I just wanted to see what would happen. Nothing exploded, thank God! The amp was so loud, I couldn't hear my voice!

Hmmmm, my home study doesn't seem to be as dusty as it was earlier!

Bob Taylor had a neat idea when he created this guitar.

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>