Fear and Growing in October

The merry month of October has come. It's proving to be one of the fullest months I've had so far. But most of the schedule-items are musical in nature, so it's not altogether bad. In fact, I'm rather enjoying it. It started out with getting to record for a promotional cd my church is doing to give to new members. I suppose that's something I would have used to hear and think of Concord or some other gi-normous church like that. But here I sit and I'm a member of a megachurch of sorts. And you know what, I wouldn't change it. It's not a bad thing by necessity - cause I can't number to you the succession of times where God has proven his presence to me when I've been spending time with that group of people. Anyways, I digress - we got to record the song that Andy and I got to write for the Disciple Now in Irmo, SC last year. Sometimes songs come over a period of time, sometimes it's work. This was the other kind however - the ones that seem to write themselves. We sat down knowing what we had to do and in about fifteen or twenty minutes, the whole thing was done. It was very obvious that God wanted that song written, because He did it.

You know, I used to think (and still do - I have become any less human) that I shouldn't give God credit for writing these songs that I call mine. I thought that would diminish me, little knowing that to diminish me is the complete intention of a Supreme Being that has my best interest at heart and is crazy about me. David says "my tongue is a pen in the hand of a skillful writer." (Psalm 45:1) So I hope I'm a little more okay with the idea now than not.

I also got to go to Andrew Peterson's recorded concert at New City Cafe (everybody I know seemed to be talking about it). It was the first time (and the only one so far) that I'd heard Andy Gullahorn, but I was really glad to get to share his music. Ben Shive did his usual magic on the music, and Jonathan and Amanda Noel opened (which I found out that they wrote the song "The Stone" or whatever it's called, I can't remember, that Jars of Clay did on the first City on a Hill record. It was a blast to hear them play it and sing with them).

Here's the big cheese of the whole thing. Andy and I got to go Bebo's concert to help out (we volunteered, but it was still really cool). We got to the church at 10am, and helped out with mostly sound/stage/lighting equipment before and after the concert. It was absolutely a blast, but my body is tired and beaten.

I guess I got a little more honest at songwriting last night. I don't so much think it's a thing of being 'good at it' as much as it is being honest. I still think it's some skill level, but not as much as I used to. You can be a skillful doctor with a poor bedside manner and nobody wants you to treat them. Anyways, I got to thinking about how fearful I am when Bebo was talking about the kids when he went to Africa that had AIDS and other things. I got to thinking about how many things I'm truly afraid of. It's not something I readily admit. I've got to go. Good to finally sit down and write to you again. The title has nothing to do with the Las Vegas movie. Stand up straight. Don't use crayons on walls without authorization.