A working cover. I put some color to it recently also. Man, lots of good and creative things to look forward to. The TV mini-series will hopefully prove to be a worth-while undertaking. I think with a multitude of talent and dedication it could really prove to be something. Neil, this pic is for you, no matter where you go. Love you! You've been the truest of knights to me.

had to change a few things

Bm G D A
Here comes a dreamer with wild claims
Bm G D A
He’s alive but his passion will die
Bm F#m D G
and from the pit, a cry of his shame
Bm F#m G D
that it’s too much to believe again

Who was once a son, now a slave
far from the place of childhood dreams
Under the far sun, he grew in wisdom
and on his finger, a ring of kings


Pre-Chorus:
Bm G D A
In the prison his dreams go on
Bm G D A
Not by might but the Spirit of God

Chorus:
G A F#m Bm
For My ways are not the ways of man
G A F#m Bm
And My kingdom is hidden from the wise
G A F#M Bm
Soon your faith will carry you high
G Asus A
into the promises of your time

Songs for Worship

Ran out of printer ink...going to dad's. First one I kept simple cause I want it to be a sort of punkish worship song.

Am F C G
You’re the one I run to
Am F C Em
the light after the rain
You’re the one I hold onto
the goodness of my day

Pre-Chorus:
Am F Dm G
You’re embrace will never end

Chorus:
C F Am G
Hey yeah, yeah all praise
Hey yeah, yeah to the King
Hey yeah, yeah to His name
It is Jesus, It is Jesus


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dreamer

Bm G D
Here he comes, a dreamer with wild claims
Bm G D
He’s alive but his passion will die
Bm F#m D G
and from the pit, a cry of his shame
Bm F#m G D
that it’s too much to believe again

Who was once a son, now a slave
far from the place of childhood dreams
Under the far sun, he grew in wisdom
and on his finger, a ring of kings


Pre-Chorus:
Bm G D A
In the prison his dreams go on
Bm G D A
Not by might but the Spirit of God

Chorus:
G A F#m Bm
For My ways are not the ways of man
G A F#m Bm
And My kingdom is hidden from the wise
G A F#M Bm
Soon your faith will carry you high
G Asus A
into the promises of your time

Song Revisited

Hosea

Verse1:
This one You said she is beautiful Gm Cm Bb F
and You knew her so deeply,
before her days began. As a child
everything she would be wonderful,
trusting a holy love.

Verse2:
It was You who taught her how to walk,
she walked away into another’s arms.
Sold her heart for a dying comfort
when all along it was Your healing,
it was Your pleasure she needed.

Chorus:
Then You said, one day Eb F Gm Bb
you’re gonna change your mind Eb F Gm F
One day you’ll lose/find Me Bb Gm Bb F
in the sands of Achor
But I won’t leave Eb F Gm
No I’ll never leave End: Gm Cm Bb F
For there you’ll find the door
that leads to freedom

Some Beach Pics

The fam before dinner. You can see gram's arms in the background. The sands of Tatooine. I thought bout calling Adam to say we saw a few Jawas. But we had to run from some Tuskan Raiders.

Aaron and fellow dinner mate. A blue crab...he ate 8 lbs. of alaskan that night as well.

Nagshead

Currently I'm in North Carolina, at the beach. Aaron and I rented surfboards for the week and I'm trying to learn the sport. Not easy, my friends. I thought snowboarding was frustrating. Throw in waiting for the right wave, paddling with exhausted arms, and balancing well there ya have it. But, once up it is fun and rewarding. My knees are bruised though...can't wait to check out Hattaras in a few days. The weather's been great. In between relaxing and swimming, I've been thinking on a graphic novel idea. I want to do something story wise w/ my art but I'm not really interested in children stuff at the time. So, I thought of a neat concept for a short GN. Anyway, that's it for now.

Good Morning America

Let's see, I saw "Lady in the Water" recently. Spoilers, so be warned. The characters were great. Paul Giamatti had a stutter...I love that actor more and more. His broken, downcast spirit made him the unlikely hero. When the Howard girl started talking about why she was chosen to lead, and goes into this list about the things that are wrong with her, it was funny to me cause I just wanted to rise up and say, "Oh but that's what makes the best leaders...the ones who feel the least likely but who have the most courage when the time comes." And although it's a classic model of storytelling, I can identify most with a tale about a run-down, outcast lot that's the mold for our heroes.

The August 19th show I believe is still for the go. I'm excited b/c it will be a good attempt at meshing several styles and giftings. So be praying for us...

FNT has been going good...we're learning a lot and enjoying the journey, even the rocky parts. I'll be glad to spend some time with Robert Mearns in the near future, as he said he'd meet with our team and just speak some wisdom into us.

Em C G D
It is time to forget your past
Em C Am D
It is time for sacrifice
Em C G D
It is time the saints lay down their lives
Em C Am D
There’s a cry for freedom


Em C G D
It is time to leave behind your dead
Em C Am D
It is time to redeem the land
Em C G D
It is time to go to His mountain
Em C Am D
There’s a cry for freedom

G D Em
So run on to freedom
G D Em
Run on, run on (repeat)

C G D G
The old is gone, the new has come
C G D
The old things have passed away

It Is Finished

Well it only took about a year. I'd estimate about fifty hours of work, not including drying time. But as I look at it, it's sort of bittersweet cause so much has happened in the past year and it's been poured out onto that canvas. I miss it and as much of a pain in the arse that it was sometimes, wow, I can say I am so pleased that it's done. Noah, I hope ya like it.

War and Justice

The past week has been crazy hard and rewarding. The FNT turned out awesome after a day of warring through anxiety, stress, and frustration. I felt like we pushed through something major cause ever since that night, although it hasn't been butterflies and gumdrops, I have had this new level of confidence and vision. Anyway, I've been thinking more and more about wanting to play out. I wrote this this morning as a sort of recap to my thoughts from friday and a way to get it out there.

Verse1:
A word can kill your soul
like a hammer to a nail
Too tired to let it go
Hope is a broken anchor

Verse2:
When’s it gonna be your time
There’s been a fight so great
and now it’s hate you carry
You find, somewhere, truth is buried

Verse3:
The face of your beauty
is it scratched by weeping
Cries of the innocent ring
for the sick to rise off their beds

Chorus:
Just trust and let your heart rest
He is a saving defense
There’s a war with enemy lines
But He rides on the back of justice

I Miss You Guys!

Belgrade at its finest. We walked all over the city and I'm pretty sure we know it like we would know something we know very well.
A beautiful day at the Adriatic Sea. What the heck...it's weird to think I was all the way across the world only a short time ago. And where is my Danielle? Where have you gone to???
Autumn and Tim after the treacherous boat ride. We barely escaped with our lives. Here they recall how many times they puked.

I'm very slow at getting film developed. I have about 500 pics that need it. Currently I'm working on a little travel essay about our trip. Maybe I can post it when it's done.

T-Shirt Design

It'll say life after slavery, life after religion. Something to that affect. Proceeds will go toward friday night thing.

Black Makes me Laugh

Do you ever find yourself leaving a movie, still feeling like you're one of the characters and somehow a part of their world? Well, last night I saw Nacho Libre. And I definately did not feel like that after leaving this quirky comedy. My favorite part is Satan's Cavemen. Those little ankle biting gremlins had me laughing till my stomach couldn't take it anymore. The movie was out there, odd in a Napoleon Dynamite way...w/ some Wes Anderson nods ;) ;) that one was for you Kimbo. Jack Black brings another one home. So, for my pals that will remember this movie experience, a xxooXoXXO!

Tom Petty's Free Fallin'

So me and Keith had this idea to do this song soon for friday night. Only we'd have to change a few of the lines. But otherwise it would work well. So, give me opinions of ways we could alter some lyrics. Just whatever you think. Here's his song:

She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy about Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too
It's a long day living in Reseda
There's a freeway runnin through the yard
And I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin her heart
And I'm free, free fallin
Yeah I'm free, free fallin
All the vampires walkin through the valley
Move west down ventura boulevard
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
All the good girls are home with broken hearts
And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'
Free fallin', now I'm free fallin,' now I'm...
I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
Gonna free fall out into nothin
Gonna leave this world for a while
And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

Psalm 29

Can we say russ? Is anyone else's blog acting stately? ;) Well, I was spending some time with the Lord one morning in Serbia and was reading through Psalm 29. So I worked some of the passages into lyrical form. Then, today I re-worked them to a melody I liked. It's a simple song, but lately I've been trying to get back to the simplicity of loving Jesus.

Psalm 29

Verse1:
F#m A D A
Your voice comes like the wind
F#m A D A
to a heart troubled again
F#m D A C#m
Nothing can keep You away
F#m D C#m D
No nothing can keep You away

Verse2:
F#m A D A
Your words burn with desire
F#m A D A
the dry and dross from my heart
F#m D A C#m
So I can love You again
F#m D C#m D
And I will love You again

Chorus:
E F#m D A
In Your house everything cries glory
In Your eyes we are, we are holy
In Your house everything cries glory
E F#m D E
In Your eyes we are, we are holy

Orson Scott Card

If ya've never read anything by him...do it. I've come to realize he is not only a Christian whose career has been primarily in the secular world, but his insight into the character of God and humankind is point blank. Here are some quotes that hit a chord in me. But read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow and find them for yourself (and then on to Speaker for the Dead if so inclined). Warning: SPOILERS!

Bean's musings on Ender from Ender's Shadow: The important difference was in the way he led the others. He had their fierce devotion instead of the ever-so-slightly-resentful obedience Bean got from them, which helped from the start. But he also earned that devotion by noticing, not just what was going on in the battle, but what was going on in his commanders' minds. He was stern, sometimes even snappish, making it clear that he expected better than their best. And yet he had a way of giving an intonation to innocuous words, showing appreciation, admiration, closeness. They felt known by the one whose honor they needed.

Bean's thoughts in the last battle: There was no way, at the beginning of this battle, to predict that the Buggers would make such a mistake. Yet throughout history, great victories had come as much because of the losing army's errors as because of the winner's brilliance in battle. The Buggers have finally, finally learned that we humans value each and every individual human life. We don't throw our forces away because every soldier is the queen of a one-memeber hive. But they've learned this lesson just in time for it to be hopelessly wrong---for we humans do, when the cause is sufficient, spend our own lives. We throw ourselves onto the grenade to save our buddies in the foxhole. We rise out of the trenches and charge the entrenched enemy and die like maggots under a blowtorch. We strap bombs on our bodies and blow ourselves up in the midst of our enemies. We are, when the cause is sufficient, insane.

Description of grown Ender by his sister in Speaker for the Dead: Ender was quiet and unobtrusive, but he could not possibly conceal his brilliant understanding of human nature. The average students would overlook him, but the best of them, the ones she hoped would come up with original thought, would inevitably follow the subtle but powerful clues he would inevitably drop.

Ender's thoughts on the Mayor in Speaker for the Dead: He was used to the way religious people assumed their sacred stories must sound absurd to unbelievers. But Ender did not consider himself an unbeliever, and he had a keen sense of the sacredness of many tales. But he could not explain this to Bosquinha. She would have to change her assumptions about him over time. She was suspicious of him, but he believed she could be won; to be a good Mayor, she had to be skilled at seeing people for what they are, not for what they seem.

Orson Scott Card has also recently written "Sarah", "Rebekah", and "Rachel and Leah," fictional books about the lives of those women in Genesis. I've only read Rebekah but it was well written. This was really my first clue that he is not just a pronounced Christian but a man of Godly character and understanding. Ever since I've looked for the clues throughout his "secular" novels.

Trip Blips

Surgery went good yesterday. I've never had stitches before. To the right is Venice. The boat ride back was a story in of itself.


Christians at the coliseum, ready for martyrdom. Who says weren't giving our all? Just because we dress nice and bring our cameras doesn't mean we aren't ready to lay our lives down. Besides, dying's so much easier than living. ;)





This sea-side town was breathtaking. Once I sell a few thousands books, go platinum on a cd, I just might retire here.

Words from Belgrade

Well my trip is nearing its end and I can say that it's been trying, exciting, chill, powerful, and beautiful all wrapped into one package. I won't even attempt to write about our Croatia experience until I get back. Tonight I will be, by God's grace, playing some of my songs with a guy Phil has hooked me up with for our party tonight. So keep me in prayer, that I'll hear the Lord's voice and be able to sing His heart over the people there tonight. The time of ministry was powerful last night after Rick's teaching on judgment and sin. I prayed with a woman and I could sense alot of various points of bondage but didn't seem to know how to approach them. The Lord was faithful to give me words of wisdom that revealed various roots to those issues, such as a specific name. He's been so faithful admist my complaining and selfishness. Anyway, gotta run. BTW: How was Friday night???

INSIDER

I finished finding a melody for Noah's song. I think I'm gonna really like it. There's something really great when an idea that starts with one person is transformed into a larger body. I can only imagine what some of the great composers must have felt when their music was played by the entire orchestra for the first time. It takes on a life of its own. And you as the author are free to move within the boundaries that you've created, adding and improvising, decorating it with more intricate care.

What I've learned in the past few days is this: leadership is not really leadership until you no longer see any benefit for yourself but only for the people you're leading. I watched "The Core" the other night and although the movie pretty much flopped, there was this line that sort of hit home. Someone told Hillary Swank that she wasn't a leader until she lost. I think this is true for several reasons. One, no one will trust your infallible ways. You're not human to them. Two, you won't learn anything of value. You play it too safe and therefore will lead in such a manner. Three, you won't know what you're made of deep in your heart. Are you one who gives into to failure or do you press on?

Quote for the night: The Apostle says that a certain thing was imputed to Abraham as righteousness: or, as the revised version has it, "reckoned unto him." What was it that was thus imputed to Abraham? The righteousness of another? God forbid! It was his own faith. The faith of Abraham is reckoned to him for righteousness. -George MacDonald

Taking Some Time to Reflect

I feel it's been some time since I thoughtfully posted. These past few weeks have kept me busy with writing, work, preparing for Friday night, painting, and finding time to be with people. Shouldn't that come first? Maybe not all the time, but it is the thing which tends to get pushed to the side when we're consumed with our daily activities, at least with me. I love being with people, seeing what's going on in their lives, sharing common interests, or just a laugh. But, give me a song to work on, some goal that might not involve a whole lot of others and I'll usually let that take first priority. Some of it might be performance. Some of it is I just like perfecting the talents God's given me. And more and more, in this season, it's finding God in the midst of that. Well, last night was the Friday night thing. Yet again it was different than the time before but just as rewarding. I know what we're doing touches the heart of God in a new way. Like anyone, I think He probably gets bored with our usual ways of saying I love you or the ways we worship Him. Because He knows we can do so much more. He's created us and comprehends the depth of creativity and love we're capable of giving. The ones that go beyond what is required, go beyond what they think they're capable of, are the ones who steal His heart. That's what I want more than anything. To hear him say to me face to face, "You've got my heart. I trust you with it. There's no one else I'd rather give it to." I know when I'm only giving 60% or 10% or even 98%. Pushing through the wall, like the marathon runners, is when He really shows up. And it's not about performance or sacrifice it's about obedience. It's about asking the Holy Spirit to help us love Him more. We need Jesus to love Jesus. "For the ministry of service is not only fully supplying the needs to the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God." (2 Corinthians 9:13) Song of Solomon 8:7 says, "If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised." The bride is saying that she understands the cost and humiliation of giving everything to the Lord. But her life is a life of the fullest abundance and blessings that come with walking totaly surrended to His will.

Noah

This Friday is the Friday night thing. I'm looking forward to flowing with His Spirit. Next Saturday there is a baby dedication and Jen asked if we'd write a song for Noah. Here are some lyrics I've been working on. Don't know if we'll use them. Can't wait to sing over those children!

Verse1:

Listen with a holy ear
Sometimes you’ll feel alone
Cause the world is full of anger
To those who fear the Lord
But you can hear His whisper
As you’re walking with your Father

Pre-Chorus:

His hand is stronger than mine
And His thoughts are so high
He is the same, He will never change

Chorus:

Who can count Heaven’s host?
Who can measure the sands?
So are His thoughts and promises
To you, a child of favor

Verse2:

Listen with a holy ear
Sometimes you’ll want to hide away
Cause the world is full of pain
And without any mercy
But His love will always endure
As you’re walking with your Father