This is my first post on the Days of Love Blog! I want to follow what Justin shared about our incredible trip to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with some of my own impressions while we were there.
Since our return from Jordan, I have sought to more fully process all that I learned and absorbed through our experience in the Middle East. We learned so much, not only about a wonderful people group, but about the Father. The Jordanian people are extremely kind, hospitable, and community oriented. They value the family unit above all and place having a long conversation with friends over the next thing on their to-do list. The Jordanian people love Americans and are grateful for the aide we have provided them and continue to provide. They have a strong sense of honor and weigh their actions carefully. We were met with nothing less than warmth and openness as visitors to their country. We were able to have many conversations and experiences with deep impact and spiritual significance, but I wanted to share one that stands out.
Our first day in the village we were working in, we broke up into teams of three to prayer walk the area around the center where we stayed. We prayed for Jesus eyes and Spirit ears to be able to discern how to intercede for the people there. Our team of three was made complete by a woman, D, who has served in the Muslim world for 15 years and speaks fluent Arabic. As we walked and prayed aloud, we stopped at the top of one of the many huge hills to take a picture. As we were standing there we heard a man’s voice shouting, “Hey Mister”, to Aaron. He invited Aaron to come to his house and have tea. We asked the Father what we should do, and then accepted the invitation. The man’s name was Mohammad and he is 22 years old. He and Aaron talked and D and I were able to sit and talk with his sisters. Over the course of our nearly 2 hour visit, one of the children in the home brought out 2 Arabic dictionaries and handed them to D. He then handed me a KJV Holy Bible. I took it from him and held it to my heart saying, “Shucran,” (“Thank you” in Arabic). A conversation followed in Arabic in which one of the sisters asked, “What is this book?” D was able to explain that it is our holy scripture. She was able to explain how we read it and how we pray as Christians. The women were very open and treated us warmly. We were so encouraged that the Father had placed a Bible in that home, even though they did not know what it was, and we were able to further plow the ground. We are praying that D will have opportunity for additional contact with this family as she lives and works among the people of this city.
The Father showed us so much about his character and his power during our trip. He answered prayer for safety, health, and fresh insight. We grew in community as a band and were able to bless those who serve in Jordan full time. We thank God for letting us be apart of what He is doing in the lives of the Jordanian people.
As I am back in Austin now at the end of October, our trip to Jordan still seems fresh. I am able to intercede for our friends in Jordan and pray with new perspective on the way the Lord is moving around the world. I am blessed to recognize that the Father is calling us to plow the ground of our schools, homes, and workplaces, so that all may know the power of His Name. It is the Father who draws people to himself- our joy is made complete to share in a part of His redemption story for creation!
Jana has been asking me to do a post on our trip to Jordan a few weeks ago. It wasn’t until just a day or two ago that I felt like I had processed it enough to adequately put into words all that I had experienced. We spent 15 days in Jordan, the first three in Amman, and the rest of the time was spent in a city in the southern region called Wadi Mosa (Valley of Moses). We didn’t know much about what we would be doing, so our expectations were pretty vague. We knew we would do lots of praying, and lots of relationship development (hanging out with people).
Jordan is 96% Muslim, so people are familiar with Jesus as a prophet, but not as a Savior. This was something that I was nervous about going in. I felt inadequate in the fact that many of these people have memorized the Qur’an, and I haven’t quite got the Bible down just yet. I had a conversation with my dad about that before we left, and he reminded me that the Holy Spirit is bigger than that. He was right. I feel like we did more communing with the Holy Spirit and more intercession on behalf of people we had met than I’d ever done on a trip before. In fact, I think that God taught me more about the importance of prayer on this trip than anything else.
The guys and I get to be a part of “the harvest” a lot. We are blessed to get to be a part of kids giving their lives to the Lord, and it’s amazing. However, we don’t get to be a part of the process leading up to that point very often. In our prayer walking and praying silently for the people we had dinner with, conversations with, or even cab rides from, I learned how important it is to plow the ground before it’s sown, and how important it is to sow the seed before the harvest. The harvest gets a lot of attention from our churches. It’s celebrated… and it should be. But what we often forget are the people and their prayers that come before that. It was humbling and character-building to be a part of that process. I think it has helped me view people (and how I pray for people) differently.
This was my third trip overseas and I think every time I go, I realize it more and more: I have so much… Americans have so much. Most of the world does not live like we do, and I often take that for granted until I’m faced with a filthy two year old boy selling rocks to tourists on the trail at Petra. I was told by one of our hosts, that a Bedouin family with a herd of goats, can easily live off of 15 denar a month (about $21). There was most certainly wealth there. The Mercedes Benz was the car of choice, but there was also poverty. It’s hard for me to sit here on my laptop with wireless internet, in my air conditioned house and adequately describe what I was feeling when I encountered it, but poverty was there.
I think that if I choose to love, I inherently choose to live differently. It’s not necessarily a switch that I can turn on, but more of a process of learning what I really need, and what I selfishly want. I’m learning. I’m figuring out that living in communion with God and people requires me to think above and beyond what the world tells me that should be. Being around people who have a different value system than you do certainly helps bring a different perspective.
We ate our fill of falafel & humus, rode camels, and camped in the desert where David hid from Saul. It was an incredible 15 days. I can’t wait to go back someday!
Here’s the tab and videos for “Strangers”, one of my favorite songs to record on The Days Of Love, because it was pretty different for us. I really tried to keep the guitar parts to a minimum, despite it being a loud and fast song. I ended up with only 3 guitars on this song, each doing a lion’s share of the work. The video and tab are for the main Guitar One part, slightly adapted for how I play this song live.
As always, the Gear Video will show you what equipment I am referencing in these videos. I’ve added a lot since we shot the original gear video, so be sure to read the “Update” on that post as well. The biggest things I’ve added are two new amps: a Vox AC-30 and a ‘66 Fender Princeton Reverb.
Hey boys and girls -Sorry it’s been such a while since I’ve posted the continuing video series on how to play the tunes from The Days Of Love. With Thanksgiving/Christmas rolling around and end-of-the-year stuff taking first priority, the videos kind of took a backseat. That, and it took me forever to actually get the tabs done for these couple of songs, for some reason.”Along The Way”/”Countdown” are two of our favorite songs to play live. At the risk of sounding too proud of them, I haven’t really heard much like it before, which is exciting for me. “Along The Way” (which obviously we just split into two – the jam section is called “Countdown”) sounds completely different as a finished song than it did when Aaron brought in the original riff. It initially sounding a lot more like “Restore My Soul”, from Searching For Resolution, with a semi-clean guitar playing the main syncopated riff (what James ends up playing on the bass in the final version). However, our love of Scottish band The Cinematics inspired us to change into an almost 80s new-wave type of feel. These two tunes are so much fun to play, complete with the “Dukes Of Hazzard” instrumental bridge (try it – give your best Boss Hogg over the bridge: “Dagnabit, them Duke boys are up to their old tricks again!”), that we’ve been ending most shows with it recently.
So here’s some instruction on how to play both of these tunes (although “Countdown” is a bit hard to nail down, as we usually play it a little differently each time). As always, check out the gear video to reference what equipment I’m using. These two songs especially, I use a lot of different sounds. Enjoy!
Today two friends and I got up early, drove downtown, and handed out sandwiches and coffee to a small homeless crowd I’ve had some interaction with. We didn’t do it out of guilt, or to get an award, we did it because it’s the right thing to do. We milled around and talked for a while. I met CJ. He’s from New Jersey. I was taken aback by his thankfulness and gratitude for something as insignificant as a cup of hot chocolate. I could see desperation in his eyes. My friends and I later talked about how so many homeless people cling to small things. AM/FM radios and Q-tips. They hope for small things from day to day without thinking much about the big picture. Why can’t I do that?
Later in the day, Jana, Jaxon and I took some presents to a single mother of five who was not able to buy presents for her kids. We talked with her a while, then we prayed together. She had an overwhelming sense of humility. Asking for help is not easy to do, especially when you’re the one who is supposed to be in control. I felt awkward… like the rich family from Round Rock. I’m not sure if it was our Honda Accord, or my North Face fleece, but I just felt spoiled. I think we pride ourselves on not having to ask help from anyone, but maybe it’s healthy to ask for help every now and then.
Later, I found myself thinking about money.I never realize how much I spend on own selfish wants until I try spending on someone who is really in need. I can’t believe how much I have. It’s a little embarrassing. I don’t deserve any of this, and yet for some reason, God decided I would do a good job managing it for Him while I’m here on earth.
Jana and I struggled with what to get Jaxon for Christmas this year. We don’t want to be mean, depriving parents, but we also want him to understand that Christmas is not about hauling in the mother load. I want him to always know how to help people, and to put others above himself. Sometimes I’m not very good at modeling that for him. I’m learning though.
We ended up getting him a few small toys, and a used drum kit I found on Craigslist. We set the kit up in the living room. He was more than content. He banged on it a while, and then looked up at me and said “Daddy, get your guitar, and lets play a song together”. I quickly got my guitar, as Jaxon counted out “1, 2, 3,4”. We began to play. I could only think… not many dads get to play music with their sons. Not many dads get to have so much. It’s amazing to me how giving yourself away produces a contentment far greater than receiving the greatest of gifts.
We’ve heard the word “bailout” a lot lately. I’m not quite sure how I feel about all that. I’ve been thinking about it a lot today. I think it’s really easy for me to get mad, and feel as if the government is giving a hand-out to people who don’t deserve it. I was thinking about how unfair it is that so many wealthy CEOs get to climb aboard their private jets and rest comfortably knowing they’ll be bailed out, when I remembered what happened to me in college. In my freshman year of college, I was not quite the financial guru. I overextended myself a bit, and ended up (unknowingly) writing a couple of hot checks. I thought the money was there… but unfortunately these were the days before overdraft protection. My kind and wise father paid my bounced check fees, and in essence… bailed me out. I was humbled, and I was mad at myself. I learned a lesson from that experience. That lesson was to take care of my finances, and to not spend money I don’t have. I also learned about grace. I guess “bailout” is really what God does with us every day. Wasn’t Christ’s death on the cross the ultimate bailout? I realize that He was sacrificed so that God might be glorified, but in that process, we were all bailed out. It’s hard for me to be upset about seemingly undeserving people being bailed out when I realize how much God has forgiven (and continues to forgive) me for. I guess it’s really just hard to understand grace sometimes. I once heard someone say that people don’t know how to accept grace, therefore they don’t know how to give grace. I think there’s some truth to that. It’s always difficult for me to give someone grace when i don’t feel as if they deserve it. But when I think about how undeserving I am of the grace that’s been given to me, it tends to put things in perspective. As Christ followers should we not emulate the grace that was given to us? If people in the world today could experience a living, breathing version of grace, would it not open the door to them understanding our God’s grace even more? Just thinking out loud. Hope you have a wonderful and graceful Christmas season.JC
One of the purposes of this blog is to give people opportunities to show love to others. We must take part in giving of ourselves to those in need. Since the holidays are approaching, what better time is there to engage in the gospel and mission of Christ?! A very tangible way to be a part of God’s kingdom work is through Samaritan’s Purse’s ‘Operation Christmas Child.’
From their website:Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered across the globe. People of all ages can be involved in this simple, hands-on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas — Jesus Christ.
It is really pretty simple. All you have to do is choose whether you want to gift a boy or a girl, you choose which age bracket, you go buy some rockin’ stuff for them, stuff the goods in the shoebox, put some money in there for shipping costs, and then take it to a drop-off location.All of the information you need is listed on their website, including suggestions for gifts. It even has a drop-off location finder so you can know where to take your shoe box!
There are some very cool testimonies about how God has used OCC in the past listed on their website.Be sure to act quickly! Pick-up times are listed as Nov. 17-24, so act now!
“Cloud By Day” is one of my favorite tunes on The Days Of Love because it such a unique song for us. We really experimented with some sounds and the dual vocal on the verses along with the delayed vocal on the choruses turned out very nicely I feel. I also love the long pauses in the chorus because it really allows the song to breathe. Here is the video and tab for “Cloud By Day”, including the little solo.
Be sure to check out the gear video if you need to reference what equipment I am using.
I seem to have had a lot of people email me, Facebook me, MySpace me, etc. recently about songwriting (me = Kyle). Most of the messages end with a question: “How do you write a song?” That’s quite a loaded question. I’m not sure if the “you” in that question is directed at me (as in, “How do you specifically write a song?”) or is completely generalized (as in, “How would one go about writing a song?”). Both are almost impossible to answer, but I can at least attempt the first one: how I do it. So I’ve been responding with the following list of thoughts to those who’ve contacted me, and hopefully this will help encourage you in songwriting.
First off, let’s talk about inspiration for songwriting. As with just about any activity in life (creative or not), getting motivated to do it is the first big obstacle. It’s so easy to get bored with something and wait for the inspiration to pass. And once it does, it’s tough to get back, and almost impossible to get back on command. Therefore, like anything else, I tend to find that if I’m disciplined to really work at it when inspiration does strike, I’m usually rewarded with at least some ideas, if not a fully completed song. That means that I’m often climbing out of bed at 3am because for some reason a neat little melody or lyrical phrase pops into my brain. (And a word of advice: “I’ll remember it tomorrow” never works!) There’s something about the freshness of that inspiration in your current mood that means it’s going to be better. I don’t know why that is, it just is.
I get inspired by a number of things. I’m constantly inspired by movies. Watching a Wes Anderson film, for example, might inspire a quirky, Sufjan Stevens type melody, whereas an action movie might inspire me to just turn up my amps and bash something out. (I recommend Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind as a great place to get started in the movie-inspiration department!) I’m also very inspired by books. One of my favorite books from the past few years is Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Every time I read this book, even just a passage, it causes me to try and express similar ideas in music. And, needless to say, the Bible is inspirational every time I open it. There is so much hope and joy there; how can we not be inspired? In reading the Bible, I’d encourage you to really attempt to feel the emotions of those involved in that moment, before they knew the outcome of the story, which often clouds my judgement on a particular incident. If you were Daniel, called in to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, knowing a failure might lead to your death, how would you react in that instant? There’s inspiration everywhere in the Word of God! I often get inspired while running; something about the rhythm is conducive to new ideas. Finally, I find inspiration from other music. It’s strange how I’ll be moved by a piece of music to write something myself, but the outcome sounds nothing at all like the original inspiration. I talk a little more about this below, but basically, I’ll often be drawn to a certain “mood” or “color” of someone else’s song, without any particular desire to imitate the style at all.
Those are just a few of the places I often find inspiration, but whatever works for you is great! Just know that it passes quick, so seize the moment while it’s there. Here are a few tips that I personally find useful when inspiration does strike:
1. Figure out what you like about a certain song and imitate it (without “copying” it; there’s a big difference). These won’t really be songs you’d play live or put on a record necessarily, but they are “exercise” songs that teach you what you like about the construction of other songs. For example, if you like how a song approaches the topic of loneliness, try and write something similar (again, not copying the song, but using the same approach the other song does). You’ll learn how to creatively and effectively put together lyrics. De-constructing songs you like will teach you how to construct others.
2. Be economical with words! Don’t use 10 words when 3 words will do. This is the challenge with corporately aimed worship music. It’s easy to assume writing a worship song is simple, because the lyrics are often repeated. But most have to admit, after they’ve tried, that it’s actually rather difficult. Even if it does repeat, what you do repeat becomes all the more important. Practice economy with what you’re saying, both lyrically and musically. “Bookends” by Simon & Garfunkel is a great example: the song is barely a minute long (with only :30 of actual singing), but it says all that it needs to say. If it was longer, simply for the sake of being longer, it wouldn’t be as powerful. Say what you want to say (musically and lyrically) and then get out! (Sidenote: the theory of the “second verse curse” is very real! It’s easy to come up with a good verse one and chorus, and extremely difficult to write a second verse. I can’t begin to tell you how many songs I have that are completed except for an effective verse two. But, no matter how hard it is, do everything you can to keep your second verse from being a simple “re-wording” of the first verse.)
3. Read a lot; that will help establish a succinct and extensive vocabulary. (You’re not trying to impress anybody with how many words you know – because you can tell when a word sounds forced, but knowing them will give you plenty of options.) I have far less trouble finding the word I’m looking for if I’ve been reading a lot. Read stuff from different eras to see how they word a phrase. It might come in handy. Also, a thesaurus is an absolute necessity. RhymeZone.com is also a useful companion if you’re stuck for a good rhyme… but don’t force it!
4. Learn multiple instruments. I’ll write a song completely differently on piano than I would on guitar. If I get stuck on a song, I’ll switch instruments and usually it will open up with completely new ways to look at it. “Re-write” the same song on other instruments as well; you’ll play them differently and then you can decide which “version” of the song is better. If you’re a guitarist, learn alternate tunings. It’s like instant inspiration! On my solo record In Harbors Gray, there is a song entitled “The Devil Will” that is in D-A-D-G-A-D tuning; I don’t think this song would have ever tumbled out if I didn’t pick up a guitar that was already in this tuning.
5. This is a tough one: learn to accept criticism, especially from those you trust. If someone says they don’t like a song, they’re probably helping you out in the long run if you can keep your pride from getting in the way and being offended. It will push you to write better. But, that being said, trust your instinct at the end of the day. There would be no Bob Dylan if he took all his early criticism too seriously and gave up on that direction.
6. Practice makes perfect. Write a lot. For every 1 song I submit to the band or will use on a solo project, I’ve probably written 5 that at least resemble a finished idea. For every song that makes it on a record, we’ve probably “attempted” 3 others at one time or another (ie. maybe 1 of 6 songs ends up making it all the way as a finished recording onto a finished album.) “I’ve written a song, I have to do something with it” is not a good way to approach it. You’ll have a lot of songs, but only five of them “belong” on a CD. Think of it like this: if a baseball player gets a hit 1/3 of the time, he’s said to be a great batter. The same is true with songwriting. An unused song is not a waste: it’s a stepping stone to the next good song you’ll write.
7. Carry a notebook with you! I like the small, unlined Moleskine journals. I’ll often jot a phrase in there as it comes to me during the day, then I don’t have to worry about trying to remember it (again, you just won’t remember it.) Then I can reference it later or even leave it in there until it turns out to be perfect for a song I’ll write this time next year. Keeping a small notebook with you rules out the chance that you’ll loose the napkin you scribbled that “chorus of the year” on.
8. Simply put, record a demo of your song before you forget the “feel” of it (even if the song isn’t complete yet). As a Mac lover, GarageBand works perfectly for this. You’re not looking for a great quality recording, just something you can listen to later to remind you of the tempo, feel, etc. I’ve had to scrap a lot of songs because I forgot how I played it, and I can’t ever get that exact feeling back.
If you need some place to start, some of my favorites songwriters are: John Lennon & Paul McCartney (these guys are the ultimate goal; writing this well is unattainable for most of us, but it’s a great goal!), Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Clem Snide, Damien Rice, Leona Naess, and David Gray.I hope some these tips are useful for your songwriting. These are just some things I’ve picked up along the way. Please leave your ideas/tips in the comments for the rest of us to learn from! Also, if you have any questions about my rambling, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer it.
Here’s a video and tab on how to play “These Broken Hearts”, track number 6 on The Days Of Love. It’s one of my favorite songs, and I was really happy with how it turned out. It sounds, to me, different than a lot of music that is out there right now. (Check out the gear video to see what equipment I am using.)
What a great summer. We had an awesome time getting to lead worship, hang with friends, and make new friends. We led worship for 9 weeks of camp this summer. It was awesome, but I won’t lie… by the last week, I was tired. I was tired from being around people, living in a hotel room, and always being on a schedule. Don’t get me wrong. I love what we do, but you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. As the band and I started our last week of camp, my attitude was probably not what it should have been. However, God quickly reminded me of some things. I was first of all reminded that there are people in the world who have real struggles and hardships in life, and that my weariness from 9 weeks of camp was a pretty trivial thing in comparison. I mean really… how could I complain? I have food, clothing, a healthy family… I even have a car with air conditioning!! God allowed me to meet some people, and have some conversations that humbled me. I needed it.Secondly, God reminded me that I do what I do in His strength… not my own. I’m a detail person, and a bit meticulous, and so I get used to being in control and taking care of what needs to be taken care of. That’s extremely dangerous. It’s easy to say that we’re depending on God when we can do everything ourselves, but do we really live that when we are too tired to do things in our own strength? It really opened my eyes to questions about dependency on God. Do we really depend on Him and trust Him like we should, or do we make that claim just hoping that we never really have to hand everything over?? It’s a bit scary to think about. I’m reading a book about George Muller (a preacher/missionary in England in the 1800s). This guy trusted God for everything! Food, clothes, money, whatever. Why don’t I have faith like that? I believe that we can if we begin taking steps to stretch our faith. My goal is to begin to trust God for things, and slowly stretch my faith in Him. I want to see Him work; Not just believe that He can and never give Him room to. What use is faith if you only talk about it but never give it room to grow and stretch? My challenge to you is to grow your faith in some way. Trust God for some things and let Him begin to show you His provision in life. If we do anything less, I think we end up putting God in a box as a conversation piece and just letting Him out when we need Him.
Hey guys, Kyle here. Sorry it’s been a little while since we’ve posted a guitar video, but we’ve been busy wrapping up the summer tour, which was great! We were all certainly exhausted that last week or two of camps, but our prayer was to finish strong, and we’re thankful that God moved despite our weakness. It is in our weakness that He is most evident! How fitting, then, to discuss “The Emergency” today.
So here is track 5 on The Days Of Love, called “The Emergency”. Below you’ll find not only the video and tab, but also an explanation for how I wrote that song, which we have been asked about a lot this summer. Again, as always, check out the gear video to reference what gear I am using. There have been several updates to the pedalboard since these videos were shot, which I’ll keep updated on the Gear Video post.
Writing “The Emergency”
I’ve been asked a lot since the release of the record about how I wrote “The Emergency”. The song came simply from an idea to use the word “emergency” in a song in relation to our sinful condition. Simply put, we are in a state of emergency caused by our own depravity. A moment’s perusal through today’s newspaper would tell you that. War, murder, poverty, and disease are all only symptoms of the actual problem. We are in need of rescuing because we are otherwise hopeless. And there is a lot of power and weight in the word “hopeless”. But we are truly hopeless without Christ. He will always provide a way of escape: and luckily that way of escape is He Himself. I enjoyed the wordplay of “emerge in emergency” because it has such a “no-time-to-lose” intensity about it, and when I kept that theme in mind – of being rescued in our darkest, bleakest hour – the majority of the song fell into place fairly quickly. The chorus came first with the admission that we are broken, but there are still those who are seeking; and just then, by His grace, He emerges, truly a Savior. Sometimes you have to know the dark to appreciate the light; to see what we have been saved from. The verses revolve around the idea that we are not at home here. We are aliens in a foreign land and are looking to the sky for His return. We are “longing for a brand new start” because we know that this world is broken and is in a dire state. I think I had originally written four or so verses for it, and picked my favorite two. I’m very touched by those who have shared with us their stories of how “The Emergency” was what they needed to hear at that moment; to answer your questions, no, the song was not written with a specific incident from my life in mind, but simply the overall impression that the woes of life have left on me thus far.
I wrote this song (on acoustic guitar) quite a while back, probably in late 2006; but I didn’t play it for anybody for a long time because I was unsure if I liked it or not. Sometimes you’re suspicious with songs that are written so quickly, ones that just seem to fall out onto the page. You think that there is supposed to be a struggle to write songs, and ones that come easy probably aren’t good. So I kept it under wraps for probably 3 or 4 months, playing it to myself every week or so, deciding what I thought about it before I played it to anyone else. Originally I had written it as a pretty slow and soft sort of ballad, similar to “Unmovable”, which was on our self-titled record from 2004. I pictured it being just an acoustic guitar and a piano at first. Justin and I have played it that way several times in acoustic performances. When the band got a hold of it though, it just proved much more powerful as a loud song. Unfortunately, a computer crash meant that I lost my original demos of it, which featured a couple of different verses, a completely different-sounding bridge that I ended up scrapping, and a couple of takes of the song in which the tempo and time signature vary. We ended up doing the song in 6/8, but I demo-ed a couple of versions in 4/4, and a much more “waltzy” version in 3/4.
Hope this sheds a little light on the song for you guys! Take care; see you soon with “These Broken Hearts”, one of my absolute favorite tracks on The Days Of Love!
Just wanted to drop a line to update everyone on our summer. We’ve led worship for 6 different weeks of camp, and have 3 more weeks to go. It’s been cool to see how God has worked differently at each one. We’ve done 2 camps in Oklahoma and 4 in Texas. This next week we’ll be on Lake Travis here in Austin. It will be nice to be close to home.I feel like we’ve really had some great times of corporate worship. But I think I’ve enjoyed getting to hang with people almost as much. We’ve had great opportunities to get to catch up with old friends, and make new ones. It’s been a really cool summer so far. In recent weeks, God has been teaching me about being satisfied in Him. Corporate worship service are great, but, sometimes it seems like we get so caught up in having the perfect worship service with all the right elements, videos, music, and speaking, that we somehow we forget that God can be worshiped in our appreciation of His creation around us. He’s worshiped when we give hope to the hopeless or love to the loveless. God receives our worship and is glorified when we are most satisfied in who He is. I’m learning more and more to be satisfied with who I am in Christ and where God has me in life, and I believe that He is worshiped through that in more ways than I can fully understand.Try to find simple ways that you are satisfied in Him this summer, and teach others to do the same. I was jogging one morning along a highway in Central Texas, and noticed this big open field of green grass. The color was perfect. It was just pleasing to look at that field and know that God created it. He picked out just the right color green and gave it just enough rain to be what it needed to be. It was satisfying to know He created it. That may seems strange, but I believe that God can be glorified in a field of extraordinarily green grass just as much as He can be glorified in a worship service with all the right elements. Enjoy the rest of your summer… go be satisfied.
Sorry it has been such a long while since I have added a new video… turns out that 9 weeks on the road really takes it out of you. We are in week 5 of 9 of our summer tour. Here is the video and tab on how to play one of my favorite tracks on The Days Of Love, “Still Breathing”. As always, watch the Gear video if you need to reference what guitars and pedals I use on each part. Since the video, I replaced the Boss BluesDriver with a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, added a Cosmic Boost from DMB Pedals, and removed the Flanger for good!
Hey guys, here’s how you play track 3 on The Days Of Love, “No Greater Love”. If you need to reference what gear I’m using, watch the Gear video from this post. The only things I have updated since the gear video was shot are the Boss Blues Driver, which I’ve switched to a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, and the addition of the new Boss DD-7 delay.
