My Grandson!!!?

So, last night was father/son night for me and Morgan. We went to a local place called Li'l Biggs, which has a game room for kids and all you can eat greasy pizza. It's pretty inexpensive and there are a lot of games for kids to play. Morgan loved the giant sandbox, skeeball...and the giant jumper room. So, Morgan bounds out of the jumper room and picks up a toy guitar and pretends to start playing it. (He loves playing his toy guitar at home.) Only, I wasn't sure if the toy was part of the game room or if some kid brought it. So I turned to a lady, whom I would guess to be in her late 40's/early 50's and ask: "Is this part of the gameroom? Is he allowed to play with that?" "Yes, the kids can just pick up any of these toys and play with them," she answered with a smile. A cordial, quick conversation, right? Then she hits me with this: "So...how many grandchildren do you have?" What!!?? Did you just call me a grandfather? Heck, I know my age is catching up on me, but geez...grandpa!??? "This is my son," I answered, "and I have another one on the way...due next month." Then I abruptly turned my back to her and walked away. What the...? RUDE!

The Race Is On!

WAY-FM's "My Church Band Rocks" Contest is now underway. They had some problems early on with the online poll, but it's working now

Will you please click on the pic below...it will take you to a page where you can scroll down and see the headphone graphic. Please vote for my song, So Human!

VOTE FOR MY SONG!

I need your help. WAY-FM is hosting a contest for local artists. It's called the "My Church Band Rocks" contest. They're highlighting different local artists and asking people to vote. The title song from my new album, So Human, is in the contest. Simply go to this page on Facebook and vote! (You'll have to scroll down to "polls" to see the list of contestants.) Thanks for your support! tim

Read My Sermon, on the ONE Campaign Website

The ONE Campaign is hosting a Sermon Challenge..asking pastors and others to contribute sermons that focus on ministering to the poor. I submitted a sermon I wrote a while back, titled You-The Miracle Worker. You can read it here. Please check it out. Leave a comment.

25 Random Things About Me

I'm a little hesitant to write this post. Mostly because it seems so self-involved. "Here are some things that I think will make me interesting to you." Ya know? But I've been asked to play along by a couple of friends, so I'll indulge. Here are 25 random things about me. And you just might not find any of them interesting.

1. I have artificially inseminated a cow. Yep...got all up in Bessie's bidness. Used to work on a ranch and it's one of the many disgusting things I had to do.
2. I stole a car once. It's a really long story. I was young. Took my best friend's car and drove 1200 miles away. He didn't press charges and I eventually just bought the car from him.
3. I love to eat raw potatoes. (With a little salt. Mmmm.)
4. I'm extremely claustrophobic. As in, I absolutely "lose it" if I'm confined in a small space.
5. I hate bugs. I squeal like an 8-year old girl if I find one on me.
6. I have traveled to 9 different countries. Bolivia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Thailand
7. I have ridden a bull in a rodeo. His name was Black Sabbath. I only lasted one second!
8. I'm an introvert. In fact, if I could spend most of my day not interacting with anyone, I'd be ecstatic.
9. I don't believe in aliens. I do believe there could be some amoeba-like living substance on some planet somewhere, but I don't believe there are any creatures on other planets.
10. I fantasize about dying...everyday. For as long as I can remember, I've imagined dying at least once every day of my life.
11. I have horrendous nightmares. Usually about larger than life animals (alligator the size of a school bus or a bear the size of a U-haul truck) chasing me.
12. I have jumped out of an airplane. Twice. One tandem, one solo.
13. I hate to read. Love to write...but hate to read. Seriously, who has the time to read an entire book anymore these days?
14. I have started writing two different novels. And lost interest in both. Maybe if I enjoyed reading more?
15. Someday, I want to own a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. Mostly because it's the year I was born and I just think they are cool!
16. I used to be on television. Morning news anchor for 7 years. Actually won some awards! (Spent 7 years as a television producer before becoming an anchor.)
17. I love superheroes. Don't know why, but I've always been fascinated with Superman, Batman, etc.
18. I'm horribly depressed at how ugly I've gotten. I'm not aging well. I know it shouldn't matter. But it does.
19. I'm terrified of being a bad father. I'm just that much in love with my son. I don't want to screw it up.
20. I enjoy cooking. Especially when I get to experiment and try new things. I make a mean chicken fried steak, by the way.
21. I have never tried illegal drugs. Although, technically alcohol is a drug and I did engage in some underage drinking in high school. (Not proud of it.) But I've never smoked pot or done any other illicit drug.
22. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. Thank God it's not an illicit drug!
23. I don't drink coffee. Love the way it smells. Hate the way it tastes. But for some reason, I've been given at least $15 in Starbucks gift cards per year for the past four years.
24. At one point, I thought I was going to be a pastor. But I have too much respect for the profession to taint it.
25. I'm an aggressive driver. If you're in the fast lane going slow, I should have the right to run you over.

Jobs I've Had

So I was talking with some friends the other night when our discussion turned to the jobs we've held at various times in our lives. I started thinking about it and...wow...I've had a lot of different jobs! The one thing that's been consistent for the past 20 years is that I've been doing music. But the list below is how I actually paid the bills (and supported my music "habit."):

1. Ranch Hand--digging postholes, feeding cattle on a south Texas ranch
2. Grocery Store Bagboy/Stockboy--Churchill's Food Store, Three Rivers, TX
3. Grocery Store Assistant Produce Manager--Churchill's Food Store, Three Rivers, TX
4. Cook/Clerk at McDonald's, Beeville, TX
5. Land Surveyor's Assistant, Beeville, TX
6. Construction Crew--roofing/interior/insulation, Pettus, TX
7. Newspaper reporter--Bee Picayune, Beeville, TX
8. DJ--KISS-FM, Brownwood, TX
9. Car Salesman--Hyundai Dealership in Riverside, CA
10. Telemarketer--San Antonio, TX
11. Satellite Operations Specialist--KENS-TV, San Antonio, TX
12. Retail Sales--Gadzook's Clothing Store, Waco, TX
13. Television Master Control Operator--KWTX, Waco, TX
14. Youth Pastor--1st Methodist Church in Hewitt, TX
15. Television News Producer--KWTX-Waco, TX
16. Television News Producer--WTVC-Chattanooga, TN
17. Assistant Manager, Eddie Bauer Store, Colorado Springs, CO/Aurora, CO
18. Television News Producer/Reporter/Anchor--KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO
19. Television News Anchor--KRDO-TV, Colorado Springs, CO
20. Media Director--Rocky Mtn. Calvary, Colorado Springs, CO
21. Worship Leader--fill-in for a number of churches in Colorado Springs, CO
22. US AdvocacyRadio Manager--Compassion International, Colorado Springs,CO
23. Product Marketing Director-US Advocacy--Compassion International, Colorado Springs, CO

And yes, there's at least one "story" behind every one of those jobs. But I won't bore you.

So...now it's your turn. List the jobs that you've had in your life.

I'm going to be in the Smithsonian!

--Now, before you start your jokes about "that's where all old relics go..." hear me out. Bible Across America is a neat project that is making its way across the country. And it just so happens that they are at the National Pastors Convention that I'm attending in San Diego right now. Here's how it works: The group is asking 31,173 people to each hand-write one verse of the Bible. That's right...write it out on a page. One person per verse. These pages will then be submitted into the Smithsonian Institute as a "modern day copy" of the Today's New International Version of the Bible. My contribution was to write out John 11:42:

"I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit

of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

How cool is that?

But get this: as I grabbed the pen and started to ink out my portion of Scripture, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I imagined the scribes of old who would roll out scrolls of the ancient text and copy it word for word. What a powerful thing. What a responsibility. What an honor. And then, it hit me--"what business do I have, writing out Scripture? I'm no scribe. I'm not worthy of writing this down."

God's word is so precious. Far too valuable to be taken lightly--especially by someone who is such a wretched sinner as myself. As I placed the tip of the pen on the paper, my hand began to shake. I worried that I was going to screw something up. What if I misspelled something? What if I left a word out? What if lightning struck me for daring to transcribe the Holy Word of God? It was painstaking. It was horrifying!

I managed to get through it without any lightning strikes or mistakes. I guess once it's made public, you can critique my work yourself! Ha!

Anyway, it's a neat project that has Americans writing out the Bible. I love it. Just wanted to tell you about it.

Music City

I love Nashville. I really do. The atmosphere is just contagious. I love that you can walk for several blocks downtown and hear live music pouring out of the various clubs and bars. The music scene in Colorado Springs is virtually non-existent compared to Nashville. I'm sitting in the Colorado Springs airport at 7:00am, waiting for my 8:00 flight. I'll be in Nashville til Tuesday...then I'm off to San Diego for two days. Gonna be tough to be away from home for that long. My son is in his "cling to daddy" stage right now and it's just so hard to say goodbye to him. (Truth is, daddy is in his "cling to Morgan" stage" too. Ha!) I wish I could say I was going to be doing some music on this trip, but I'm not. Sad to go to Music City and not do any music! Both trips are work-related...doing stuff for Compassion International. Speaking of music, my single, Open Up the Darkness, is now #10 on the Christian Radio Weekly Indie Rock Charts. Sweet! Thanks to all of you who are supporting my new album, So Human. If anything exciting happens during the trip, I'll write about it. Blessings!