now that's entertainment!

gigs gigs gigs....playing live...i've done the 'live music thing' in one form or another for over 20 years now....wow, that's a pretty fair amount of time....i've done good gigs and total bombs....paying gigs and gigs where you got nothing...i've met some pretty well known people and folks who may spend their whole lives in obscurity....

what makes someone want to become an 'entertainer?' it's a curious thing...one moment it can be exhilirating and at other moments it can be a total downer......are the 'ups' enough to sustain you through the 'downs?'

all questions i've been asking myself lately.

i don't have any real answers....i do know this, whether it's at a church or a coffee house...a park or a club...the times i've been able to play and sing and get people to 'participate' or sing along have been some of the most enjoyable moments of my life....

the book of psalms

i love the book of psalms in the bible. i have read from it for years. i once read an author who wrote, 'if you want to learn how to pray, read the psalms.' another author called it 'the prayer book of the bible.'

from what i understand, the psalms were set to music. being from the west and growing up with rock and roll and pop music, this doesn't compute too well because the writing isn't 'verse chorus/verse chorus.'

regardless, there are some great lines in the psalms. everything from gut-wrenching lamentations, to exalted thanksgiving, to frustrated cries of, 'God, where are you?.' there are even angry prayers of 'hey, please take care of my enemies!'

and....everything in between.

there is also alot of theological imagery in the psalms....words that describe the nature and character and faithfulness of God.

here are some of my favorite lines....written down from memory:

-he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

-the entrance of your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.

-give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his mercy endures forever.

-hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore.

-my soul waits upon the Lord, and in his word do i hope.

-my soul finds rest in God alone.

-he guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

-your right hand upholds me.

-you are good, and what you do is good.

-good and upright is the Lord, therefore he teaches sinners in his way

-the Lord is slow to anger and rich in mercy

-the Lord is my keeper, the Lord is the shade at my right hand

-as the deer pants after the water, so my soul pants after God

-you are familiar with all of my ways.

-you have hemmed me in before and behind, such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

-you have laid your hand upon me.

-before i was knit together in the womb, you knew me.

i found an old cloth booklet, very thin, that contains the psalms. i wish they made these still, it'd be great to pass them out to people.

i'll steal your ideas

'to speak gratitude is pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and kind, but to live gratitude is to touch heaven.'
-gaertner

'give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his mercy endures forever.'
-book of psalms

'be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which transcends understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.'
-st. paul

i've worked on keeping a gratitude list for some time now. i can say it helps...does it make every day 'all rosey and sunny?' no. does it make one immune from feeling anger, resentment, frustration, fear, and the like? hell no.

it does seem to help with one's perspective in the long run though....an awareness creeps in of the many gifts and graces that are bestowed upon a person...both big and small...

another observation, for me, is that it loosens the grip of negative emotions or obsessive thinking much quicker than if i didn't practice making gratitude lists at all...

well, i've been very mechanical and practical in my gratitude list formations....after all they're just lists. there's nothing wrong with that. my wife took it upon herself to make a couple of 'artsy' gratitude lists in one of my journals. i loved what she did.

SO I STOLE HER IDEA. that's right. i can do it too! thank you sweetheart, your idea has allowed me to interject my quirky sense of humor into my daily practice of gratitude....so the key is to write your gratitude items in the spaces allotted by the picture...clever eh? eh?

Jenny's artsy gratitude list:


todd's cartoony lists:

holiday season is going full speed ahead.

well, thanksgiving is over and now the stretch until Christmas. in some ways it's my favorite time of year, in others....not so much....the crazy traffic and shopping madness i can do without. i'm in a much more frugal place (by necessity) anyways, so it shouldn't affect me too much i hope.

last night, my wife helped my kids do some decorating around the apartment it was awesome....it's looking good, but what was even more awesome was it gave me a break to sit down with the guitar and bust out with some Christmas carols. 'away in a manger, silent night, go tell it on the mountain, joy to the world, etc....' i love those songs and i love to do them with just me and my guitar....nylon string of course....

the words invoked in me a sense of hope and peace again, as they should. they tell of the One who came, who meets our deepest need, and who will never leave us or forsake us.

i'll be going over these songs for the next few weeks....gladly. i think i'm gonna do some Christmas music for my church's Christmas eve service.

i've also been doodling and letting some quirky ideas pass through my brain.....

this is not altogether unusual, but last week i had some concerts to do at the children's museum of phoenix. my gosh, i love doing those concerts. i feel so 'at home.' i don't try to bust out with songs to 'wow' the kids, rather i do good kids' songs that are familiar to them in most cases....to foster an atmosphere of participation and i love it!!! they sing, they move, they dance, they raise their hands and answer my questions, sometimes....they laugh.

anyways, it brings out the playful side of me and i like that. this world needs more of that. so, as a result of that it has caused me to think of some new possible ideas for a blog (or revamping this one), some music videos, and artwork....

oh, and stay tuned, i'll post some photos of the three concerts i did last week....after i harass my honey to send me some more photos ;)