New Rwanda

Giddy Like a Schoolgirl... dreams do come true!

If you're a singer or player, maybe you can relate to my dreams as a kid. Imagine it. You have your tickets to see your favorite group. You know there's a chance he might walk into the crowd, stick a mic in your face prompting you to sing a verse. Or maybe. Just maybe the keyboard player will become violently ill and they'll need you to step in and save the concert. [Yeah, I had the horn parts down for ["Trumpet of Jesus"!]

For me (in high school and college) it was Russ Taff and the Imperials. They forever changed CCM. For those of you who don't know, Russ Taff is the Steve Perry of Christian music ~ the quintessential male rock voice.

Tim Miller called Monday telling me his father, Jay Miller, had passed away early that morning. I told him how sorry I was and asked if there was anything I could do to help. He called me the next day. Russ Taff was a close friend of family and would be singing. Could I learn the songs and come play for him? Of course, I said.

It wasn't until later when this rush of embarrassed emotion came flooding over me. Instantly I felt 17 again. Not only was I going to meet Russ Taff, I was going to play for him!

Now, I've been playing and singing in front of people for 30 years. (37, if you count that whole "VonAdcock-Family-Singers" thing Mom put us through when I was 7. Probably still have the matching shirts she sewed us!) While there's always that adrenaline when you're on stage, I don't get that "fingers shaking, panicky sweaty" feeling anymore... until yesterday. It totally caught me off guard!

What an amazing service. What an amazing voice and person. Russ (we're on a first name basis now) was so warm and gracious. And still has an amazing voice. He even asked me for my autograph... well, it was more of a "name and phone number" thing. But, it's my story...

I have friends who never want to meet their "hero" because he'll never measure up. I'm proud to say, I'm glad I got to know this one.

SONGLIST: "Unto The Lamb" and "Kathryn's Song"

Russ Taff, winner of 7 Grammy Awards, member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, can be seen frequently on the Gaither Homecoming Tours and television.

UPDATE: Part of Randy Elrod's Watercooler Wednesday.

Why Does God Want Us to Sing?

Arnel Pineda Journey CBS News Sunday Morning Interview

Go to Walmart now! (It's the exclusive distributor of Journey's new project: a new album, rereleases of their old stuff, and a live DVD for $11.88)

Whisper Trailer

Here's a 48-Hour Film project I did music for. We came in 1st as audience favorite! Way to go Team iiWii (it is what it is)!

I'll post when the Director's Cut is ready.

David Williams Talent Show

This was David when he was 17. Now he places in our worship band.

Rip it!

CRCC 15th Ann Band

CRCC 15th Ann Band
Originally uploaded by D1musicjr

My awesome bunch of homies in Vegas

www.canyonridge.org

Nothin' but love,

D

FBC's 1st Day in New Building

People Of The Book: Ortberg

This section of John Ortberg's article from Leadership Magazine spoke to me. To all of the Creatives in my world, may we be People of the Book.

D

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We get so used to the Bible, we miss its edginess. The prophets were the original performance artists. What they did was much more like radical street theater than it was like a church service. Ezekiel spent over a year laying on his left side just to makea point. He ate food that he publicly baked over cow manure. (And it took some bargaining between him and God to avoid even worse fuel.) Jeremiah buried an undergarment till it was putrid and then wore it around to show people what judgment looked like. Hosea married a prostitute to show people how much forgiveness costs a breaking heart. Jesus cursed fig trees and threw tables over in the Temple and took a whip to religious leaders.

I use a flip chart sometimes.

I think, if I'm honest about it, what holds me back is not lack of creativity. It's lack of urgency. I don't think the main force that drove the prophets was creativity for creativity's sake. I think it was spiritual reality. There was such a desperate awareness of the need for God to come fix things up that it drove them to do anything to make space in peoples' awareness for God.

I'm not a performance artist. I know that I work within a "jar of clay," as we all do. I don't want to be creative in a way that draws more attention to the creativity than to the message.

But I also don't just want to drone on while everybody goes to sleep. And I find the teachers I most learn from often find non-verbal ways to drive home what they are teaching: having a potter throwing pots while they are teaching about Jeremiah and the potter's wheel; Nancy Beach bringing an autumn leaf to teach on the beauty of the Creator; Bill Hybels having a bent reed and a snuffed candle and a jar that was used in the ancient world to capture tears while teaching on these images of the comfort of God. I think of Rob Bell with a goat to teach on the freedom of forgiveness.

QUOTES

"The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings." -Henri-Frederic Amiel

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions. - Augusten Burroughs

Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away. - Thomas Fuller

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power.
We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little;
many services, but few conversions;
much machinery, but few results. —R.A. Torrey, How to Obtain Fullness of Power


"There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish." Warren G. Bennis

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph Chilton Pierce

Oh... How I Miss "The West Wing"

Cletus Take the Reel

Canyon Ridge 15th Anniversary

The Adcock clan had the incredible honor of being back in Vegas for Canyon Ridge's 15th Anniversary celebration. What an incredible time!

Very few events in life (let alone family trips) do you get all done and say, "Man, that couldn't have been any better!"

A phenomenal dinner at Dad & Nancy's, In-N-Out with Mitch & Craig, The Original Pancake House with Kevin & Ginger Odor, Dinner with our dear friends John & Cathy (and they're incredible kids), the always amazing Buffet @ Wynn with Nick Ruggiero, afternoons & evenings with the Carders (can't wait til Dave gets back from Iraq), lunch & dinner with the Andrade's (thanks for sharing your chincera, Ashlea!). Rock climbing Red Rock Canyon, The Da Vinci Experience.

But nothing surpasses the incredible expansion of the Kingdom there as 5,100 people gather for worship and 3,500 have been baptized in the first 15 years. Can't wait for the day that happens in one year and then one day! Go God!

D

SERIES iMIX: Isaiah ~ Song of Salvation

As we start a new series, the worship leaders have created an iMix to prompt your heart & mind.

FBC 30th Anniversary Opening

Christmas at Belmont

Monday, December 24, 9:00pm

CHANNEL 2 (AETN/ARKANSAS ETV NETWORK) PBS

• View more broadcast times

We hope you will be able to join us and the entire Belmont University community in viewing this program and celebrating the Christmas Season.

1900 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37212-3757

School of Music Phone: 615-460-6408

Time Management for Creative People - Free E-book

Mark McGuinness, a poet and business coach, has written an excellent guide for the rest of us! Forward a copy to your staff or team.

~D1

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My series on Time Management for Creative People is now available to download as a free e-book. It’s subtitled ‘Manage the Mundane - Create the Extraordinary’ as it’s designed to help you maintain your creative focus while dealing with your other commitments.

It’s published under a Creative Commons licence which means you are welcome to share it on a noncommercial basis with anyone you think would like it, as long as you keep it intact with my name on it. (N.B. the images are licensed from istockphoto, so you should obtain a licence from them if you want to use them in other contexts - photographer credits are on p.2)

NYWC 2007 - Michelle Tolentino (Compassion International)

John Paul Sawatski

John Paul Sawatski
October 26, 2007

John Paul Sawatski, born October 2, 1951 in Little Rock. He entered the presence of the Lord on October, 26, 2007. He was 56. John was happiest when surrounded by his family, playing his guitar, working on a project, or coaching youth in baseball, softball or basketball.

John played professional baseball in the Cardinal’s organization. He was a real estate appraiser. He gave countless hours of service at Pulaski Academy, at Fellowship Bible Church and in the community.

John was preceded in death by his father, Carl and his grandparents.

He is survived by his wife, Treva; children, Jay, Carla, and Johanna; mother, Dorothy; a brother, Charles; aunts, uncles, nephews and many friends.

Visitation will be at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 from 6 to 8 P.M.

The celebration of John’s life will be Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 12 noon at Fellowship Bible Church with Dr. Robert Lewis and David Bruns officiating. Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park, Alexander, Arkansas.

Memorials may be made to Fellowship Bible Church, 1901 Napa Valley Dr., Little Rock, Arkansas 72212, or John Sawatski Baseball Memorial, Pulaski Academy, 12701 Hinson Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72212.
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I will always remember John as a servant, willing to do anything; as insightful, he usually had an opinion and was usually right, and as faithful. He will be truly missed as one of the spiritual pillars of this Christ-following community.

I'm sure he's probably already found a worship band in heaven to play in.

Come Back Appeal

This phrase really caught my attention. Is this really the end of our worship services?

Have you or your church used a worship consultant?

• Come back appeal

  The bottom line at the end of every service is did we give the congregation something to make them want to come back.

  We hear many churches say they do a good job of getting people to come to their events. It’s not that good of a job if they don’t come back to your services. PCC will work with the structure of your service to increase the appeal to make people want to come again.