Sad Tigers

Sitting here watching Georgia Tech man handle Clemson. Watching our freshman QB and freshman coach. I am a bit worried. Seeing them play it looks like they are completely out of their league.

Blog Format Change...Well Kinda

I have decided to change the format just a little in my blog. Along with worship stories and personal stories I will start including worship deals, freebie's and suggested material.

Today, I want to turn you to a website. There is a worship leader based in Georgia that has a couple albums available to purchase on iTunes. His name is Aaron Keyes. He has a resources page on his website that gives some lessons that he has taught at various venues. Also, on this page he has pdf chord charts of his albums. One great arrangement that he has on his first album is It Is Well with Made Me Glad. Most of his songs can either be done with a full band and worship team or acoustic guitar and a couple singers. Check out his resources here.

Blessings.

I had some time to think yesterday on my way home from work. Most of the time I have the iPod on playing New Life, Desperation Band, Brooke Fraser, Hillsong or something of that nature. I decided to blog about something that has been on my mind for a while...

I read a Tweet by John Mayer the other day that had me thinking. John Mayer is a phenomenal artist. He can sing through a guitar like no one I have ever seen or heard. I got to watch a video of him in the studios with a couple of great musicians and they pulled together a hit song in a day. After everyone left John is in the studio harmonizing his guitar with the guitar line that he had just played a few hours earlier. The tweet that got me to thinking John was stating that he had a guy over that was teaching him some new chords and techniques. John Mayer is John Mayer for goodness sakes who could teach him anything?

My point is we are never to old or experienced in any field to say we know what we need to know or that we have all that we need to have to do what we have been called to do (pretty long sentence right?). I am 28 years young and I pray that I never get to a place where I think that I have a patent on how things should go or that the routine is too perfect to change. For me I have decided that I never want to do something just because it is popular or because The Jones's are doing it but do it because my convictions line up with what I see, hear or feel. We have been instructed by Jesus in "The Parable of the Net" this: "...every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." There is another scripture that I am reminded of that speaks about not putting new wine in old wineskin. Whenever I learn something new I need to renew my wineskin(current way of doing THAT thing), for we will all be judged according to our own teachings.

In my last blog I mentioned that we had not been able to sell our house. I said that I knew that this was a faith walk for Rachael and I that I know God was going help us through. I am happy to say that we have sold our house in SVL and now live in Tryon, North Carolina. We were praying that through this transition that our boys would feel at home at our new house. Will has really adapted well and I feel that he has taken the move really well.

This Thanksgiving we have a lot to be thankful. We closed on our house this past Friday. We are now in a cute little place in a cozy little town, with a view of the mountains out the front door. There is a new level of worship I feel our church is rising to. I believe it is revelation that is changing the atmosphere at HPHC. Thus, another reason to be thankful…

The past few years have been tough for Rachael and I transitionally. Our relationship has been tested but has proven to be strong. We feel that this coming year 2009, is going to be our best ever. We have a plan that we pray will push us to another level as a family.

There is a song that has been resonating with me lately. We just recently learned it at HPHC and it really touched the congregation. You can check out the music video here. Also, to get an understanding to what the song is about check out the song story.

I have been torn on what I wanted to post. I have decided to post something that has been on my mind since the downfall of our economy (in the past couple weeks).

Yesterday, I was in prayer about our service that we had last night and I ask God, "What can I say to build up the church even though we are facing the tough times that we are". The thought came to me quicker than any other thought he has ever given me. I felt him say, "Remind them about how faithful I am"! I thought that is just what I needed to hear. Not just for the church but for myself.

We have yet to sell our house. It has been on the market for 4 months. So for him to give me the word to reflect on how faithful he is was reassuring that he IS going to take care of us.

For the church, I know that the word was reassuring to hear knowing the gas prices high, stock prices WAY down and the housing market struggling.

The worship set that we sang last night was:
Forever (God is faithful)
How Great is Our God
Great is Thy Faithfulness

I referenced the scripture Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. (NLT)

I know that it has been 5 months since my last posting. Here is an updated picture of the boys.

What a past 5 months it has been. I was let go from a job back in April. I searched for a couple months to try to find something locally and prayed for God to direct me where he wanted me to be.

Taking you back to my last blog I stated that I had been contemplating about how I was no where closer in my life with my career on where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.

Well God opened a door at a church in Hendersonville that I now minister at. We are having great services...I see that lives are being changed weekly and that I what it is all about. As the Hillsong song says, "Touching Heaven, Changing Earth"!!

It was a tough week last week. I had a lot going on at work and then I had to go to my 42 year old uncles funeral. I knew that it would hurt to see him gone but I didn't think that it would affect me that bad.

One of the ministers referred to the fact that he has sang his last song. And that we must continue to sing our songs whatever they might be. It just hit home with me on how important it is for me to be sure that I am singing a new song everytime that I minister.

I was reading a devotional a few nights ago that keeps reverberating in me. I shared in a meeting Thursday night and I thought I would include it in this blog.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. (MSG)

I have been contemplative lately with where I am in my life today compared to where I was 5 years ago. I just celebrated my 5 year anniversary with my wife and realized that the goals that I had set when we got married I am no closer than I was that day.
A few months ago a motivational speaker was invited to come to a meeting that I was attending and brought some things to my attention that has had me thinking.
How many days of our lives do we live for the sake of getting through our day without considering our goals? Sometimes I feel as though I have no control over over my life because I have not set any short term goals. So I challenge whoever is reading this to answer these two questions.
1. What can I do today to get me closer to the goals that I have set for my life?
2. What are short-term goals that I can set to get me closer to the big goals in my life?
This is homework for myself. I have been procrastinating but will now work on this.

So after some serious thought and consideration I will be starting a new job today. I will be a barista at Starbucks Coffee. It is only a part time job for now.

Rachael and I decided to bring her home back in December after she finished her nannying job that she had. We found that we would save money if we brought her home instead of putting Will and Seth in child care.

I still have my job for CGA selling print but will be picking up some evening hours to bring home some more $$.

This will most likely not help my addiction! Good thing is now I will be getting a discount.

I posted blogs here a couple years ago and decided that I needed to get back to it! Since I last posted my family has grown by one. Back when I started posting my son Will was a handful of weeks old. We now have another son Seth that is 7 weeks old and Will is now two and a half.

My wife Rachael and I feel that our family finally feels like a unit. Does that mean that we are done with kids? We're not sure but we are leaving the option out there for now. We are still in our mid-twenties and have many "productive" years to go.

My main reason for blogging again was for family and friends to hear what is going on in my life and in my head. I created the name for my blog Daily Tune because if you know me you understand how important music is to me. And whether good or bad there is always a daily tune that goes with my day.