Happy Halloween

...from our band (Jude & I) and our roadie (Bill).

please listen to my demo

I try not to be cynical when it comes to the "Worship Music Industry". I really do. But when I read things like this...well, I lose that battle.

Below is a description of an actual break-out session from an actual conference that a friend of mine recently attended. I saw the conference schedule/booklet-thingy on his table yesterday, so I picked it up and started thumbing through it. It looked pretty much like every other Christian conference I have ever attended, nothing too out of the ordinary. And then I came across this break-out session (taught by two guys...a marketing guy and an artist development guy...from a major Christian record label):

"Please Listen to My Demo"
11:30am - Room 2
Description:
How to engage and maximize a record label relationship. Walk through the process of developing your music ministry from a local to an international ministry. What you should be doing today. How to get attention. What a fan base means. The process of finding the right relationships and developing them to maximize the impact God has for your ministry.

Cynical or not, I am almost at a total loss for words. What I want to say is that anyone who walked into Room 2 at 11:30am that day should no longer be in Worship Ministry; that anyone who is concerned with those things needs to take a long look in the mirror...or maybe they need to step back from the mirror for awhile; that a record label talking about worship music is about as appropriate as Liberace talking about moderation.

That is what I want to say, however I know that I am over-reacting.

But I will say that every single sentence of their description is wrong. It is just dead wrong. And the fact that its not a joke makes me sick to my stomach.

peyton's language

I love Kenny Mayne. And I love Peyton Manning. I saw the video below on Sportscenter this morning. It is Kenny Mayne and Peyton Manning at their best.

Enjoy...

Imagination Movers

This past Tuesday afternoon was like a dream come true...for Betsy. For Jude, on the other hand, it was really more like just a regular dream, being that he slept through most of it.

Disney's Imagination Movers (Jude's favorite show and literally the only show on TV he pays attention to...thus, it has often been his parent's favorite show, too) came to Knoxville and the Tennessee Theater on their national tour.

It was Jude's first concert.

Now, we realized it was as much for us as it was for Jude and that he probably wouldn't remember the concert. What we did not expect, however, was for him to sleep through it. But he did.

The show was about 90 minutes long. For us, it broke down like this...

First 5 minutes: Jude cried (and seeminly, not tears of joy).
Next 25 minutes: He watched...though it was obvious he would've rather not.
Next 30 minutes: He sprawled across both Betsy and I, and took the most expensive nap of his short life.
Final 30 minutes: He woke up and actually seemed to enjoy the remainder of the show.

All in all, it was a fun family outing. And to their credit, the Movers did put on a good show (all the other kids seemed to enjoy it, at least).

My personal favorite moment was during the last number. With no attention brought to it and no mention made of it...a miniature Stonehenge megalith (about 18 inches high) was slowly lowered from the ceiling. Seriously, they did nothing with it. But for Spinal Tap fans that were there (a.k.a the dads) they didn't have to.

So, there was a little something for all three of us: for me - a Spinal Tap reference; for Betsy - songs that she had long ago memorized; and for Jude - a nap.

a good week at 4 Market Square

In reverse order...

Sunday - Service was great. It was our second week in the 'What a God' section of Romans (we've broken down our 15 week study of the Book of Romans into 4 parts: 'What a Mess'...'What a God'...'What a Story'...'What a Difference'). Also, for the first time at Crossings, I threw a song at the band that we had not prepared, literally, as we walked onto stage. They nailed it.

Saturday - Leadership Community. Mark was gone; attendance was down; we watched a Rick Warren video...we had everything working against us. But it was actually a good day. We shared wins, discussed how Crossings does 'discipleship' & awarded a new 'Golden BVD Award' winner.

Here's a picture of two grown men with a pair of little boy's underpants...



Friday - Played on WDVX's Blue Plate Special with Jill Andrews. I was a bit nervous; it was only the third time we had played together and it was broadcast live to the world. But it went well. My favorite part, though, was when Jude yelled, "Dada! Dadadada!" as soon as we finished. I guess he didn't realize I was there until he saw me stand up from the piano. Or...he wanted to be on the radio, too.



Wednesday - Despite being alternates AND the MC's not knowing Taylor's name (they announced, "Up next...John Brown and Company!"), we won Round One of the Square Room's 'Sound-Off'. What exactly does that mean? It means we will be one of five bands in the Finals. What exactly does that mean? It means we have a 20% chance of playing Sundown in the City this spring! Seriously, that is the grand-prize. Pretty ridiculous, huh?



So...busy week. But a good week. The end.

blue plate special

This Friday at noon, I again have the opportunity to play the 'Blue Plate Special' on WDVX. This is the fourth or fifth time that I have been on Blue Plate, but Friday will be my first time not playing with Taylor Brown.

This time around, I am going to be backing up Jill Andrews.

Jill is formerly of The Everybodyfields, and currently is touring the Southeast as a solo artist. She will be releasing an EP of brand new material later this month. You can go to her website and read much more well-written reviews of her music and her talent than anything I could write, but I will say...she truly, truly is gifted. As a songwriter and as a singer, she is just absolutely remarkable.

Her usual piano/harmony guy is unable to make a handful of her tour dates, so I was asked to fill in. (Why was I asked? Shhh....I don't want anyone pulling at that thread.) My first show joining Jill and her band is the Blue Plate Special this Friday.

So, if you can, Friday at noon...click this link and listen in.

Dr. Roman, Theologian #2

Another installment of the archival, educational film we are using on Sunday mornings to help us define some of the big, theological words in the book of Romans.

This week's word: Circumcision.



(sidenote: Anyone want to guess what song Dr. Roman is whistling at the beginning and end of the video?)

All Wrath and No Grace...

If you know Mark Nelson, then you know he loves to talk about grace. Well, unfortunately for him, we have spent the last three weeks in Romans 1:18-3:20. In that particular section of Romans, Paul writes very little about grace. He mostly talks about our sin and God's judgment...and God's wrath.

Talking too much about God's wrath and not enough about His grace I think has made Mark go a little crazy. It has been quite scary around the office the past week...

(by the way, turn up your computer's volume...the audio is a little low)



If you've seen 'The Shining', when it starts this way...it doesn't end well. In fact, here is the actual scene from 'The Shining'.

Crossings Baptisms

Below is a video that we put together highlighting some of the people who have been baptized at Crossings over the past 2 1/2 years. It is set to Andrew Peterson's "The Good Confession", which is just an incredible song. I teared up on a number of occasions just editing the video. Anyhoo, enjoy...

10 years in prison for checking Facebook?

Let this be a warning to you all: There is a very real danger in being addicted to Facebook. And THIS guy knows exactly what I'm talking about (granted, being a robber doesn't help).

random sports thoughts...

1. I hate how lucky the Patriots are. And don't quote Billy Zane from 'Titanic' and tell me that "real men make their own luck". No they don't, Billy. The Patriots got lucky. They got outplayed and they got lucky. Again.

2. Adrian Peterson is the best running back I have seen since Barry Sanders. I have always said that you can't simply judge a running back by his statistics. I think much more important, when deciding how good a running back is, is his highlight reel. That is why Emmitt Smith wasn't half the running back that Barry Sanders was. Ever see Emmitt Smith's highlight reel? It is shot after shot of him running through huge, gaping holes and not getting touched. I don't care how good your offense line is; I want to know how explosive you are, how elusive you are, how athletic you are. I want to know how talented of a runner you are. And the best way of judging that...watching the highlight reel.

Anyway, with all of that said...Adrian Peterson, barring injuries, is going to be an all-time great when its all said and done. That play on Sunday was insane.

3. I was honestly okay with the Bears loss on Sunday night...at the time. I really think Green Bay is going to be one of the best teams in the NFC; their defense is ridiculous. And I wasn't disappointed with Cutler. Okay, scratch that. I was...but I can give him the benefit of the doubt. The Bears couldn't get anywhere on the ground, so he had to air it out; his receivers gave him no help, and again...the Packers' defense is just very good.

But, when I found out yesterday that we also lost Urlacher for the season...well, now I am discouraged about that loss. That really sucks.

4. I watched Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech yesterday on youtube. I have heard a lot of negative comments about it, but honestly, I don't understand why. I mean, it was extremely arrogant and self-centered. But...that is who he is. I thought it was funny and a kinda cool look into his career. I don't know what people expected.

5. I really, really feel sorry for Serena Williams right now because of how she's being treated (mostly by Mark Nelson).

Okay, that's it. I know its not the most interesting or insightful of blog posts. Sorry. But my guess is that only you, Jason Edelen, have made it this far anyway. So with that in mind...Hey Jason. You should really start blogging again.

Dr. Roman, Theologian

How do you define the word "Righteousness"? It is one of those big, church-y words that seems to have a million different definitions. At Crossings, this past Sunday, we did our best to define what we think it means.

While helping Mark do some research for his teaching, Taylor and I found this old archival film that was apparently used for educational purposes, and it gives one definition. I'm not sure it's definition is correct, though. Judge for yourself.

Interesting Story and Doubt

As I (Betsy) was checking out at Wal-Mart today the thought occurred to me that my wallet was in Jude's bag. At home. Mortified, I told the very friendly cashier what had happened and that it would be about 15 minutes and then I would be back to pay. He told me he'd hold all of it for me. I went out to the car and realized on the way that Bill had left his wallet in the car and I was too lazy to bring it back into the house as I was leaving. So I got the wallet, paid for my groceries and was outta there in about 5 minutes.

I got home, walked in and told Bill what happened. His response was, "That is so weird. I fell asleep on the couch and had a dream that I lost my wallet."

I don't know what the moral of this story is, but I thought I would share it because it is a cool story.

I have experienced a few things like this recently. Sometimes I wonder if God is showing off; as though he's saying, "If you think this is cool, you just wait until you see what else is in store." It makes me wonder why I would ever doubt.


Along these lines-are you guys familiar with the song "Doubting Thomas" by Nickel Creek? It's old but one of our favorites. We find it very easy to relate to, maybe everybody does. But still, I am in love with a God who does not forsake me in my greatest times of doubt. In case you are interested, here are those lyrics:


What will be left when I've drawn my last breath,
Besides the folks I've met and the folks who know me,
Will I discover a soul saving love,
Or just the dirt above and below me,

I'm a doubting thomas,
I took a promise,
But I do not feel safe,
Oh me of little faith,

Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face,
Then I beg to be spared 'cause I'm a coward,
If there's a master of death I'll bet he's holding his breath,
As I show the blind and tell the deaf about his power,

I'm a doubting thomas,
I can't keep my promises,
'Cause i don't know what's safe,
oh me of little faith

Can I be used to help others find truth,
When I'm scared I'll find proof that its a lie,
Can I be lead down a trail dropping bread crumbs,
That prove I'm not ready to die,

Please give me time to decipher the signs,
Please forgive me for time that I've wasted,
I'm a doubting thomas,
I'll take your promise,
Though I know nothin's safe,
Oh me of little faith

I especially relate to, "Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face, Then I beg to be spared 'cause I'm a coward." How many times have I begged God to change me, knowing if I let Him that he would, but instead I chose to remain as I was?

My prayer today: More of You, less of me.

Caravaggio's painting, "Doubting Thomas" or
"Saint Thomas Putting his Finger in Christ's Wound"

um...Elijah?

Betsy and I saw the clip below when Elijah Wood appeared on Conan O'Brien earlier this week. We both found it extremely funny and have watched it numerous times since.



Conan's response: "When I saw that I thought, 'Wow. Elijah Wood must really love kids. Or...gambling debt.'"

crossings new logo...

Mark and I designed this logo yesterday. What do you think? It certainly limits who we will attract, but you know...I think it might be truer to who we really are.

No. Actually, we just had our 2nd Annual Crossings Fantasy Football Draft last night. With our picks displayed on a 72 inch plasma screen, we went to almost 11:00pm trying to decide which 3rd string running back is going to produce best sitting on our bench for three weeks before being dropped for whatever defense is playing the Detroit Lions.

I'm almost positive I did not draft well. But we'll see. You never can tell.

Though this is its second year of existence, this is my first year playing in the league and I'm really excited. I'm always up for losing to new people.

Betsy: Poem?

Just ran across this poem. Maybe it's something you've all heard before. Anyone know where it's from? That's not a trick question. I really don't know. Here goes:


two hearts beat within my breast
one is evil one is blessed
one I love and one I hate
the one I feed will dominate