Seriously Though, Are You Ready For Some Football?

I know much of the country will spend Sunday evening around the TV watching what is likely the biggest sporting event of the year (sorry, Winter Olympics). It’s Superbowl time and people are excited. Friends will come over, pizza and wings will be consumed, commercials will be savored. Most football fans have their support loyally placed behind their team of choice, either the Colts or the Saints (see? I learned that much), and are ready to cheer them on to victory.

Some people watch for the love of the game. Some watch for the love of the commercials. Others watch for the halftime show. And some watch because everyone else is watching. That’s usually me.

I’m curious, though. Is there anyone out here who doesn’t plan on watching the Superbowl? I know it’s not unusual to miss sporting events you care nothing about, but with an event that seems to draw more casual viewers than any other, I wonder if anyone has already decided they aren’t going to waste time with the game this year.

I think I’m leaning that way. I enjoy a good game as much as the next person, sure. But I’m so detached from football. I know Peyton Manning is a monster of a QB and I know the Saints have had an amazing season but that’s about it. I have no connection. I’m also pretty lame.

So, I may see what else tomorrow evening holds for me aside from the game. Anyone wanna grab some pizza and wings and join me?

Sounds For My Soul (Present Favorites), Pt. IX

This is more an addendum to my last Sounds For My Soul post. I stated that I’m not the biggest fan of modern worship music and, while that’s true, I failed to mention my love of gospel music (or at least the small amount I’ve been exposed to). There have been more than a few times where I’ve been taken aback by the excellent musicianship of a group of gospel musicians. I’m talking about grooves, licks and chords that make me stop and laugh because I have no other way to respond to its awesomeness.

Everyone knows Fred and Israel who are both sickeningly talented. (Do you have Israel’s Power of One album? It’s too good to pass up.) Tye Tribbett is ever-growing in popularity. His music is excellent and creative and he seems to have more energy than can be safely contained in one human being.

There are a lot of others I’ve heard and like and tons more whom I know nothing about and have yet to discover. One step in my musical education is the discovery of my new favorite radio station here in Houston. 92.1 FM is home to a decent mix of gospel music, a station I never knew existed until last December. I’ll try my best not to forget you, Top 40 station.

————————————–

A long time ago, during my undergrad years, I had the opportunity to play a little with a gospel worship group on campus – Souls A’Fire. It was some of the more challenging music I’ve played but it was oh so fun (and at times quite frustrating, but that was just a rehearsal thing). Because I play guitar, I had the luxury of various playing options during songs, my favorite of which was knowing I was sucking and simply deadening my strings and strumming a rhythm with some wah. It sounded cool enough and it kept me from just standing around like an idiot.

Today’s Sounds For My Soul is one of my favorite songs that we played with Souls A’Fire. It’s one of my go-to songs to get myself awake on any given day. Maybe a jammin’, energetic song to get your February off to a rockin’ start, too.

This is an old tune from Deitrick Haddon’s album Chain Breaker. And still one of my favorites.

Source: Download Here (but you didn’t hear that from me)

————————————————————-

Previous entries of SFMS:

Pt. I
Pt. II
Pt. III
Pt. IV
Pt. V
Pt. VI
Pt. VII
Pt. VIII

Joshua And The Amazing Technicolor Strap

This is a picture of my first guitar strap. I got it a long, long time ago. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, I’ve decided to give it the honor of being my strap of choice as often as I can this year.

I know it’s a bloody rainbow. But I’m secure.

I remember when I bought this. I was a beginning student at Rysavy Studio in Houston and I was looking for a strap to go with my new, first guitar. I thought brown would be an obvious complementary strap color but my mom suggested the rainbow because it had ALL the colors in it, not just one. I guess that reasoning checked out with me.

This is the first time I’ve used the strap since I got it long ago. I would have brought out my first guitar and played him in honor of its anniversary but, having been made of something like cardboard, it didn’t really stand the test of time.

If you happen to see me with the strap, please – don’t point and laugh.

Sounds For My Soul (Present Favorites), Pt. VIII

Here’s a confession of mine: I’m not a big fan of worship music. Seriously. Not unusual really, but it’s only slightly odd with me because the majority of music I play and have played has been worship music. I was worse several years ago. I didn’t buy worship albums so I didn’t really know what was new, what was current or anything like that. And I didn’t really care. Since then, I’ve been better about knowing what’s out there and keeping track of the trends. I still can’t say that I’m a huge fan of a lot of it though I do enjoy and keep up with the Hillsong and United releases and I try to be aware of what Tomlin songs are out there, etc. I do accumulate a lot of worship albums but it’s mostly for the sake of reference. I want to be aware of what’s out there so I’m ready to recall and play a song at a moment’s notice.

I think part of the issue with me is that it feels like a lot of artists are releasing worship albums for the sake of releasing worship albums. It’s not that they’ve crafted a number of songs they feel are inspired and will help lead people into worship but it’s more that they’ve been given a deadline by their label and they have to have a certain number of songs ready to go.

Sometimes it feels like an album is written with the mindset that if a tune contains “Jesus” enough times it becomes an acceptable worship song. That’s fine. What bugs me is the lack of respect given to the art. Fresh, creative writing is thrown out for trite, recycled phrases and lyrics that no longer possess any flavor and now only serve to make the rest of the track more bland.

There’s the other extreme of writers who try too hard to be different and fresh and they end up with a worship song that people have a hard time worshipping with. It’s a tricky balance, sure. But we all expect no less than creative masterpieces from artists bringing us other genres of music; why do we let “worship artists” get away with being lazy?

I have strayed far from my point, sorry. So yeah, I’m not always crazy about worship music. However, for today’s “Sounds For My Soul,” I bring you a track from one of my favorite worship albums.

————————————–

I was introduced to Jason Upton’s album Faith sometime in 2002. I’m not sure why it stuck with me the way it did but I’ve only grown more fond of it since then. It isn’t a modern worship wonder. It isn’t filled with innovative songs and sounds. It doesn’t contain masterful musicianship. It doesn’t even make for the best soundtrack to a cool, youth worship video.

Here is what it is: It’s a very flow-y, raw (and not just in the cool sense) prophetic-style worship record. There’s a purity in it and a sincerity that I connect with. I have other albums of Upton’s and, while they have the same traits, they don’t hit me the same as Faith.

I know it’s not for everyone. A lot of people don’t get into this style very easily. And that’s perfectly understandable.

This album is so significant to me that I’ve placed it as part of my Desert Island collection. You know – if you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only bring three CDs with you, what would they be? My other two are constantly different at any given moment but I’m quite certain that Faith would have to be one that comes with me. And it’s also not that I listen to the album a whole lot either. It definitely doesn’t get as much play time as other records. But it’s a great go-to worship album for me. So I gotta have it ready to go when I need it.

Here’s one of my favorite songs, “Come Up Here.”

————————————————————-

Previous entries of SFMS:

Pt. I
Pt. II
Pt. III
Pt. IV
Pt. V
Pt. VI
Pt. VII

Help Haiti

#TeamConan

If you haven’t heard yet, find any internet news site to catch up on the mess NBC has on their hands regarding their late night lineup.

In essence, NBC wants to move The Jay Leno Show, which is currently broadcast before the nightly news (which has led to poor ratings for local news affiliates) to a later slot after the news, which would then push The Tonight Show back another half hour to 11:05 CST. Not ideal, especially when considering you’ll now be following a show that led people to change the channel before the news came on.

Of course, in perspective, it’s TV and this is all grossly insignificant. But I’m a fan of Conan’s and I think he’s a classy guy, not to mention brilliant and hilarious. And I think his latest statement is a testament to that fact.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Source

Because Shelly Paige Is A Strange, Strange Person…

This was a gift from my friend Shelly Paige. She’s super cool and pretty hilarious and really odd.

Really odd.

A Long, Long Time Ago…

Watching the BCS Championship game this past week, I have to admit I cringed a little at the marching bands during halftime but that was only in comparison to the teams playing the game. Marching bands don’t usually get a lot of respect. I should know – I spent my entire high school career as part of one.

Fortunately for my reputation’s sake, I was a part of the drumline. I had a blast playing in band and I’m not ashamed to say that. I am slightly ashamed to say that we weren’t all that great. But that’s what normally happens when you have a mix of passionate and apathetic members.

In any case, I’ve always been a fan of great marching bands and great drumlines. Whenever the Drum Corp International Competitions came to town I’d do my best not to miss it. Watching the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers, Santa Clara Vanguard and the Phantom Regiment pull off stellar performances inspired me… to the point of once considering joining a real-deal drum corp.

I was an okay drummer, but never that good. But I liked to pretend I was. Here’s a video I stole from Roommate Tanner’s blog of a killer drummer. I mean killer. I’m too removed from this world now to be jealous. I think I’m more just flat out impressed.

For Sale

For those who read this here blog via a Feed Reader of some sort, you may not have noticed that I threw in a new section here at the actual site. I’ve started a small list of things for sale that I hope to add to as time goes on. I think I’ve run out of physical room for much of the stuff I’ve accumulated so I’m hoping to find a new home for some of these things with you guys.

If you’re bored, please take a look and see if there’s anything that strikes your fancy. Happy browsing.

Us And Them And A Tribute Band

Last night I attended a Dave Matthews Tribute Band performance at the House of Blues here in Houston thanks to free tickets provided by the HOBHouston on Twitter. I wasn’t really sure what to expect – DMB is a pretty serious band and to cover them surely takes more than adding “Tribute” to the band name. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Those guys were good! There’s this precision to DMB’s playing that was sometimes missing but these Tribute guys held up well.

When I first walked in, I noticed the lead singer had a Dave Matthews look going on which made me laugh. But he was good. He sang well, and his playing was no joke. They even pulled in a good-sized crowd. I think the crowd also really enjoyed the band, as was evidenced by the abundant “dancing,” though I’m not sure if the drinks helped play a small part in that.

The whole night made me think about the phenomena of cover bands and imitation in general. I mean no disrespect to the band who played as they are great musicians offering a performance of some great music. They don’t claim to be anything more than a band offering tribute to another band. That’s cool. And this ain’t really about them.

When someone comes up with something that is great or novel, there are immediately a couple dozen imitators to cash in on the success and popularity of the original. They’ll copy the basic formula and slap a new name or gimmick to it and hope to find the same success as the first idea. But I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t roll their eyes at the sight of the copycats after they’ve experienced the real thing.

Sometimes the copycats offer a more affordable option to the real thing and that makes it a viable choice. I often buy generic brand soda, though it was an afterthought to the original Coke or Pepsi. It’s a cheaper copycat, with arguably little difference in taste (sorta…).

This becomes more lame when businesses, organizations or churches adopt methods that were successful for someone else and then try and apply it to their own plans and wonder what happened when it doesn’t work for them and why people aren’t drawn to it. They often forgo the step of assessing what is right for them at a particular time and they too quickly adopt someone else’s winning method hoping to find the same results.

Here’s an example: I’ve essentially stopped listening to mainstream Christian music. One reason is because the local station has poor reception on my side of town. The other, more dominant reason, is that the quality of music is awful. Yeah. Thoughtful songs have been replaced by clichéd drivel. I do, however, find hope in artists like Sara Groves, Randall Goodgame, Derek Webb, Andrew Peterson, Andrew Osenga and the like who write with a sincerity and honesty that doesn’t get heard much. I cringe when I hear Christian music that is directly copied from popular, non-Christian artists in terms of instrumentation and sound. They’re not even hiding the fact that it’s not original anymore. After Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” was first released I remember soon hearing a Christian song that sounded eerily similar to the piano rhythm of the intro of the song. I actually thought it was “Love Song” until I heard a few more seconds of the song and realized I’d been had.

I understand that sometimes Christians want to create a safer, cleaner alternative to some of the filth that exists in the world. But is it necessary to completely sacrifice artistic vision in the process?

If there’s something popular out there it seems the Church will find a way to create a lame, Christian copycat product. There’s little creativity invested and it shows. Cringe.

—————————

I’ve seen churches find great successes in adding various services, Bible studies, cell groups to their regular routine. I’ve then seen other churches also notice these successes and, wanting such things for themselves, adopt the exact same methods and programs hoping to ensure the exact same results only to be greatly disappointed soon after. Why?

This is not always easy for me. When I see something work for someone else, whether it be musical taste, fashion sense, church leadership, teaching style and I witness their successes with it I often feel the need to adopt such things for myself, not realizing I do a disservice to myself in the process. I don’t allow myself to grow for myself, to think, create or stretch for myself.

Just because something works for one person or group does not mean it will surely work for you. I believe it’s more important to find what works just for you, even if it looks like a huge step back in comparison to what everyone else is doing. You will be where you are supposed to be and you will grow how you need to grow and you will be better for it.

Jack Bauer, You Don’t Play Around

Man, that guy don’t take mess from no one.

HT: Eugene Cho

Score.

RIP, Oral Roberts, 1918-2009

Remember The Time

It’s easy for me, after neglecting prayer time with God, to return to him discouraged about life and now armed with a list of things that need to be improved in my life. I sometimes wonder why certain events in my life have turned out far differently than how I first joyfully expected them to and go. I turn to God disappointed and question whether He still hears me or if I’ve done something to royally screw up my life and God’s work in me.

I have to stop and remember where I am and how I got to this point in the first place. I’m here because of God’s goodness, guidance and grace. I can’t simply forget about the countless amazing things he’s done in my life when the next unfortunate event comes across my path. What does he have to do prove that he’s on my side? He’s already done it. I’m the idiot who forgets it and questions his loyalty and love over and over.

I’m reminded of Moses and the people of Israel wandering around for years before reaching their Promised Land. Moses has to remind the people at different times to remember what God had done for them, how he got them out of slavery in Egypt, how he saved them from the Egyptians who chased them, how they weren’t in need of clothes and shoes after spending 40 years rocking the same threads, how he fed them in a place that couldn’t possibly sustain that many people.

It’s like Passover, where time is set aside to remember what God did in saving the people while in/from Egypt. Sometimes we have to set aside time and make ourselves remember the good things God has done for us before we think about how we’re not currently getting what we want.

Thanksgiving is a handy holiday in forcing Americans to remember the many reasons we have to be thankful for everything in life. Be it once a year, once a month, or every day – try and find time to remember the abundance of good things that make up your life and give thanks for those as well as for the things you can’t remember.

Inspiring

I listened to Saleim Kahleh share tonight how many years ago a simple invitation he received from a friend led to his conversion from Islam to Christianity and how it eventually led to the conversion of his entire family from one faith to the other. Hearing him speak reminded me of a conversation I had with Roommate Tanner several years ago in our apartment in Tulsa. He was talking about the artists who influence other influential artists. The influences of influencers.

I think I remember him talking about how they’re usually on the fringe and often lesser known than the influential people they have an impact on but, all the same, they’re vitally important for the inspiration they spark. I think we were talking about music and video during the discussion but tonight I was reminded of the reverberations one person’s actions can trigger in all areas of life.

It’s at times a heavy thought to imagine yourself inspiring others; it becomes even more humbling imagining the effect you have on those who may influence the hundreds, the thousands, and so on. Maybe it’s not something we’re aware of – maybe we never see the full reach of our actions. But I believe it’s reason enough to treat my actions and my words toward others with caution and respect and love. I may never know the value those moments may hold.

Cats & Cops

Hahahaaha.

Snow Day Houston, 2009

Babies

This looks fascinating. It’s a documentary of four babies around the world, from birth to their first birthday.

(HT: BoingBoing)

The Sounds Of The Season

In case you haven’t heard (which you honestly may not have), it’s snowing here in Houston. Yeah, Texas. It doesn’t snow very often here so we’re all a little excited about our rare winter wonderland.

It’s also a perfect excuse to start up the Christmas music this season. Which brings me to my question: What’s your favorite Christmas album? Favorite Christmas song/carol?

I’m no Christmas music connoisseur but very high on my list sits “A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector.” Classic, fun tunes. Let it snow, folks, let it snow.

Please Don’t Stop The Music

I’ve been meaning to write this out for a little while but I hadn’t gotten the chance.

For the past several years, I wasn’t a huge concert-goer – not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t care to spend the money. I’d only attend shows I won free tickets to and that was about it.

I decided recently that I wanted to change that. I love seeing live shows, seeing artists perform their songs, seeing how they respond in that element. Songs can often take on new life in a live performance setting and it’s a blast hearing artists who take advantage of that and let the song grow and be reinvented.

——————

-I caught Jonny Lang a few months ago with Jason Joy after missing his show earlier in the year and vowing not to let it sell out again before obtaining tickets.

For me, blues is one of those genres that can’t be fully experienced on a recording. I think the recording was an after-thought to a band playing together, feeding off of each other and letting the music tell the story.

Jonny was brilliant. That boy can play. Man. And he knows how to pick a band! Talk about stellar musicians with more soul than a stage should really be able to handle. It was a great night and Jonny’s set flowed well. Highlights for me were the extended, laid-back take on “Red Light,” the very extended cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City,” and the many dynamic ranges of “Lie To Me.”

If you have a chance to catch his show, do it. You don’t have to be a blues fan to really enjoy it, as he’s taken to being more of a songwriter in recent years. But I think anyone can appreciate the beast of a musician he is.

——————

-MUTEMATH was in town a couple of months ago as well and, as always, they didn’t disappoint with their live set. If you’ve had the chance to see them before you know those guys know how to put on a show.

They are always impressive with the sound they manage to create and the energy with which they do it. If nothing else, watching drummer Darren King play can provide a night’s worth of entertainment alone.

This may be considered sacrilege to admit but I’m not the biggest MUTEMATH fan. Or more accurately, I’m not the biggest fan of their songs. They sometimes run together for me. But I do appreciate some creative musicians who know what they’re doing.

——————

-I became a fan of Mindy Smith’s sometime during my folk music obsession (which I’m still in, by the way) and have since gotten ahold of as much of her music as I could. She has this pure, sweet voice singing such sad songs. It’s quite gripping. Her latest release has far more upbeat songs but the content still isn’t what some would call “happy.” But I think she’s okay.

She played a small, side room at the House of Blues which turned out to be a perfect venue for the 70 or so people who came out. It was just Mindy and a second guitarist for the whole show and they carried the load well.

While it wasn’t my favorite show (evidenced by the fact that I looked down at my watch more than a couple of times) I was glad I went. Mindy Smith is a cool girl. Not at all who I expected behind the songs. I expected a quiet, soft-spoken girl with a shy personality that let herself loose in her music. Wrong. She’s funny, smart, out-spoken, sarcastic. Very cool artist. To the point where I wanna be her friend.

——————

-So I could give that show some contrast, I saw Third Eye Blind the next night. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time, since I first heard “Semi-charmed Life” back in high school (at least I think it was high school) and this was the first time I got to see them live.

Years ago someone told me that, while they were a great band on their records, they were awful live and that singer Stephan Jenkins couldn’t hold a tune to save his life. I had no basis to confirm that so I’ve always kept that logged away in my memory.

Yeah, that person was wrong.

Talk about a great show. Stephan Jenkins sounded amazing as did the rest of the band. Every song was excellent which reminded me of how much I love their music. They reinterpreted some older tunes, took some liberties with others, and altogether put on a pretty rocking show. Didn’t look at my watch once.

I especially liked how raw but polished it was, if that makes sense. They’re a tight band but they didn’t play to a click track – the songs breathed with the dynamics, with the crowd. Good rock ‘n roll.

I’ve always thought Third Eye Blind was one of the more underrated bands out there and since it had been six years of silence before their latest release, everyone had mostly written them off. I’m not crazy about the new album. It’s good but most of the tracks are forgettable. But they still got it, I say.

——————

-The last show I saw was The Swell Season’s. I don’t know even know what to say. If you’ve read this blog before or follow me on Twitter you might know that I’m slightly obsessed with them. Once I got hooked to the movie Once and its soundtrack (thanks to Kitt) there was no turning back. I discovered the project that the film’s stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova put out entitled “The Swell Season” and I bought just about everything I could of theirs.

Debut? Check. Live From the Artist’s Den DVD? Check. The Deluxe edition of their latest? Check. Tickets to their show as soon as they went on sale? And check.

I was blown away by these guys. It never hurts when you love all their music, though. They really seemed to love what they were doing, loving playing these songs to people who ate it all up.

And, one reason why these live shows are as much as fun as they are, is that these Swell Season shows aren’t all the same from city to city. I may have kinda been hunting down audio bootlegs and finding live video feeds of other shows on their tour to confirm this. So far, I haven’t heard a show quite like the Houston show.

They fed off each other, seemingly changing the setlist as it seemed appropriate, performing a song for the crowd completely unplugged and acoustic at the edge of the stage and still managing to fill the room with just a vocal and guitar.

One of the more memorable highlights of the show was during the encore, where they introduced a new, unreleased song. Like he does on a few other songs, Glen Hansard had the crowd sing along to certain part that he teaches to everyone before the actual song, where he’d sing a part and have the crowd echo it back to him. During this particular lesson, one soulful voice sailed above the rest and was met with applause and cheers from everyone else. It didn’t go unnoticed, so Glen invited Moji to come up and sing the song with them. So cool. And she was amazing. Raw and stunning, she definitely made the most of it. And here’s a little video of that moment that @_Admiral_Akbar managed to capture.

All in all, one of my favorite shows I’ve ever had a chance to see.

I know I can’t see everyone I want to play live but I’m thankful to have caught these acts while I could.

——————

Who are some of your favorite artists that you’ve seen live? Any heart-breakingly disappointing concerts you’ve attended? Please share!

Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty

You’ve probably already heard the sad news that Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, OK passed away yesterday morning from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

I spent six years living in Tulsa and, being on the campus of ORU, it was impossible not to have some experience with Pastor Billy Joe. When Victory’s services were held at ORU’s Mabee Center, it was very convenient to walk just a few minutes to attend church on Sunday morning. He was also a regular guest at our chapel services and was always present at the ICBM conferences and Victory’s Word Explosion services which many students attended.

I’ve attended Victory quite a few times during my years at ORU. I didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Pastor Billy Joe theologically but I did admire the man greatly. He was one of a few people, particularly ministers, who I felt conducted every area of his ministry (and lived his life) with integrity. I never believed his kind demeanor was an act; his sincerity was felt when he preached from the stage and when you chatted as you ran into him around campus.

There’s plenty to be said of the work he did and I think Victory’s site does a good job sharing some of the highlights.

Pastor Daugherty lived a life in service to Christ. Billy Joe Daugherty was the Pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he also founded Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute, and Victory World Missions Training Center, and the Tulsa Dreamcenter. From inner city families, to single parents, to troubled teens—Tulsa has benefited from his influence beyond the walls of his church. And his reach was not only local, his ministry has birthed hundreds Bible training centers and supported missionaries around the world.

The world will never be the same because of Billy Joe Daugherty. As with any life given in service to Christ, the effects of his life and the legacy of his ministry will continue through his beloved wife Pastor Sharon Daugherty, his children Sarah and Caleb Wehrli, Ruthie and Adam Sanders, John Daugherty, and Paul and Ashley Daugherty, and his mother Iru Daugherty—and through the thousands who were inspired by him.

Thank God for Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty and the life he lived. I am inspired and I strive to live the life with integrity he showed was possible to do. I pray that I make an impact for the Kingdom that’s at least as fractionally effective as he did.

iTunes DJ

I’m unashamedly stealing this idea from Brody Harper because it’ll be fun and I want to get some new music ideas from you (and also just to have a potential chuckle).

For you iTunes users, you click on the iTunes DJ button on the left column. Then, you come back here, list how many songs you have in your library and then the first 10 songs that appear in your DJ list. And the good times ensue.

Here’s mine:
Library: 23,750
1. I Call It Love – Jared Anderson
2. Ian’s Groove – Phil Keaggy
3. Leaving – Crew
4. Striking – Francis and the Lights
5. Bad – Michael Jackson
6. Wicked Web – Waterdeep
7. Jesus, You’re Beautiful – CeCe Winans
8. I Ride An Old Paint – Johnny Cash
9. Knees to the Earth – Watermark
10. You’ve Been So Good [Reprise] – Martha Munizzi

Easy! Just leave your list in the comments. And, just as Mr. Harper warned, no cheating to make your list cooler.

Ragamuffin Soul

If you aren’t already, you should be a regular reader of Ragamuffin Soul.

Carlos Whittaker shares his faith and his journey in a blog that’s really as much about the community that reads and joins in as it is about him.

He’s also one of the newest artists to Integrity’s artist lineup and his new record is due out in the next few months. Excitement.

So, in true Ragamuffin Soul style, Carlos is involving everyone to weigh in on the selection of his first single off the album. Have a listen and cast your vote HERE.

While you’re there, go ahead and subscribe to the blog. It’ll be one of the few you won’t want to just scroll through to clear your Google Reader.

A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits

I particularly enjoyed Stephen Hawking’s appearance.

HT: Know Your Meme

Reasons To Love Twitter, #158

Once again, I have to show love to Twitter for hooking me up with more free stuff.

This time I thank Shane & Shane for providing me with a copy of their new album as a reward for playing a “Guess What’s This Picture Is” game. Can’t beat that.

If you’re following anyone that’s giving away guitars or other music gear, do let me know