Monday, December 22, 2008
Brennen Leigh did a really good job yesterday of bringing something unique to our services. With a Patsy Cline sound and a great band (which included stand-up bass, fiddle, & banjo) to back her up it proved to a very enjoyable day of music. I have to mention that her banjo player, though he might look like he's 12, is actually 20 years old. Just thought you'd like to know.
I want to say how thankful I am to be at a place where I've been given the freedom to bring...
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Friday, December 19, 2008
If you are in the Austin area this Sunday come by and check out Brennen Leigh . She will be playing in the 8:30 "Country Gospel Service" as well as "the Modern" @ 11:00 . Brennen has made a name for herself this year with the release of "Devil's On My Trail" which is her third full length release. If you can't make it on Sunday you for sure don't want to miss the Christmas Eve service Wednesday @ 6:00 . This should be an amazing time of worship as we celebrate the birth of Christ. ...
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
We have all seen and heard the annoying jingles that permeate from Christmas ties. When pressed in the right spot you will hear popular carols old and new sung by the fabric image of Santa, Rudolph, a tree, or some other holiday graphic. This past Sunday in our "Country Gospel service" one such tie somehow became hyper-activated and began playing without having to be pressed. Any motion made by the person wearing the tie instantly launched the tie into a Christmas song. This gentleman tried...
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
I enjoy listening to Christmas music during the Christmas season. I do not enjoy listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, on Thanksgiving, or immediately after Thanksgiving. That is why we waited until the first Sunday in December to begin our Christmas music season. I think each major holiday deserves to stand alone without having to share the spotlight with an upcoming holiday. Case in point: I walked into Lowes back in October and stumbled into Santa's Winter Wonderland...
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Monday, December 01, 2008
We had a great time visiting family in Missouri last week. Lots of good food, good conversation, and good football....well, not so much good football. It seemed like every game we watched was a lopsided blowout. Anyways, it is good to be back in Austin.
David Tripple did a great Josh Turner impersonation yesterday on "Long Black Train". I've wanted to do that song for years, but I just don't have the low range to pull it off. It is such a distinct song that you can't really take it...
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I am 4 hours away from boarding a plane so this will be a very brief Thanksgiving post. I read these words from Abraham Lincoln and thought they were worth passing along to you. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation:
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they...
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I would never consider myself to be someone with much experience or expertise in the area of technology. However, I do try to keep up with what is new and innovative. Below are some website and devices that are new to me (which probably means they've been around for a while).
www.pandora.com - I typed in Creedance Clearwater Revival as one of my favorite bands and have been listening to great 70's rock the rest of the afternoon.
www.woot.com - Each day there is 1 item...
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Yesterday as I was driving around in Erin's car (which does not have satellite radio) I heard Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" on the radio. When the song ended I was surprised to hear a station ad about The River (Austin's Christian music station). I figured I was listening to a pop station or some AC station. The thing that really surprised me was that the word "damn" is used twice in the song. Would The River really play a song containing the word "damn"? The following is an email...
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday
We were privileged to have Jacky & Ruby Dewbre from Crosbyton, TX sit in and play with us yesterday in the Country Gospel Service. They are the parents of Rhonda Gross and it is not hard at all to trace where Rhonda gets her musical talent from. They all did a great job and I look forward to having them back again sometime soon. One of the other cool things about having them here was that I got to lay my guitar down for a bit and take a seat behind the drums. Drums were my...
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Monday, November 03, 2008
Before I get to the Sunday services, I have to say that I really had a great time at the Missouri vs. Baylor football game on Saturday. Being a Missouri fan I enjoyed finally getting to see them win in person. When I saw Mizzou play at Texas A&M two years ago they lost. When I went to San Antonio to watch them play in the Big 12 Championship game last year they lost. I was fearful in the 4th quarter on Saturday when the score was tied that another loss was on the way, but thankfully...
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I am one who enjoys routine. I feel I function better and am more productive when my daily schedule tends to repeat itself during the week. However, too much routine can create monotony and complacency which is one of the reasons why I took the day off yesterday. Normally my week is planned out in such a way that each day has different tasks which must be completed because everything must be finished by Thursday in order to be ready for Sunday. Does that make sense? If I were to skip a day...
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Monday, October 27, 2008
It's almost time to call it a day, but I wanted to remind all readers that Danny Brooks will be here on Sunday performing in both services. Don't miss it!
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Monday, October 20, 2008
As mentioned in the previous blog I have issued a challenge to all Worship Ministry volunteers to invite at least 1 person to church every week. Al Magness , AMBC's Pastor of Assimilation & Development , will be challenging his ministry volunteers to do the same and passed an article my way that I think will help us succeed. Check out the article written by Diana Davis called "The 52 Challenge". Let me hear your success stories as God uses you to impact our community for Christ. All...
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
Beginning at tonight's rehearsal, I'm going to start challenging each Worship Ministry volunteer to invite at least 1 person to church every week. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising, especially when money is not available for large ad campaigns. AMBC has many exciting fall events lined up, not to mention unique Sunday worship services that many people would probably check out if they were only invited. I'm partnering in this effort with the Adult ABF in hopes that many new...
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Monday, October 13, 2008
A few weeks ago I drafted a document entitled "Great Expectations" to serve as a basic guide for all Worship Ministry volunteers to know what the expectations are in their particular ministry. One item that found itself on every document says, "Be flexible. The best laid plans do not always work, so be ready to change directions at a moment’s notice." Such was the case yesterday as our guest artists were unable to to make it. Our amazing AMBC musicians rose to the challenge and filled in...
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
Tom & Sherry Green will be our featured guests this Sunday, Oct. 12 in The Country Gospel Service . They've heard about what we're doing and want to come check it out. They are hooked up with the folks that brought us Milton, Will, Joe, & Philip for our kickoff service last month. Later on Sunday they are playing the Sunday Brunch @ Threadgills after they kick things off for us. So get up early and come worship as the Green's lead us, stick around for some Bible Study, then...
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
First things first...it feels good to feel good again! For the past 6 days someone in our family, including me, has been sick. I think we are all now fully recovered and hopefully looking fitter and trimmer. Whatever bug it was should be marketed for an instant weight loss drug. If you can withstand the side effects you're guaranteed to lose at least 5 pounds.
So on to these new things I mentioned in the title. New Drums! This is the new set of drums (ours are pewter instead of...
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Always trying to find new and better ways to keep communication flowing, I thought a new AMBC Worship Ministry blog might be a worthwhile venture. The goal of this blog will be to provide readers with current and upcoming Worship Ministry information, schedule updates, my personal take on items related to music and worship, and maybe a surprise or two just to keep you intrigued.
One of the great things about blogging is that it can be a positive open forum to share ideas (which is where...
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11:46:59 AM