Sunday, June 29, 2008

Some Deeper Still Pics

Don't ask.



Don't ask, vol. 2.



Singing with our friend Mandisa.



Singing with my hot wife.



20,000 women hungry for the Word of God.



Deeper Still was an amazing event. We all have a lot to process. I hope to post some more pics and stories later.

The band and I are in Cartersville, GA. We have a concert tonight at First Baptist Cartersville at 6pm. If you are in the area, I hope you can come.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Half-Way Through



That's my beautiful bride singing in the worship band.

We made it through the first night of Deeper Still. Check out the Deeper Still Blog to see some great pics and read some great posts.

Thanks for your prayers for this event...and thanks in advance for your prayers tomorrow. God gave a huge word tonight for those in the wilderness. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a big breakthrough day for lots of people.

Have a great weekend.

TC

We Are Here

Hey, everybody...we are here, in Atlanta. So excited for the event, but have MUCH MUCH MUCH work to do between now and then. We would be really grateful for your prayers today.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Deeper Still Tickets

Hey, Deeper Still peeps...

My sister purchased two tickets for this weekend that she is unable to use. If any of you are looking to purchase two tickets, email me at info@traviscottrell.com.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Wipeout

Wipeout is tonight. Woo hoo!

Deeper Still Atlanta

Hey, friends. I was going to sit down and write a blog this morning. And then I talked myself out of it...telling myself I didn't have much to say, and that I have too many sentences to put together already this week. I should save my brain cells for other things...like watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns. Except I don't think that requires brain cells. Anyway...then I got a message from a friend in California, who simply said, "I am quite annoyed that you won't blog." Well, that was all fine and good. But what I realized is...I am quite annoyed that I won't blog, too. So, in order to not annoy my friends AND myself, I am blogging.

Enjoy these brain cells flying out into the world. I have so few left...I hate to see them go.

It is a busy very busy week. We are spending much of our time getting ready for Deeper Still Atlanta. My praise team and I are ACTUALLY REHEARSING. They are coming over on Wednesday to rehearse. I love it when they come over. They are a fun and funny group of peeps.

Speaking of Deeper Still, you need to go over to the LifeWay women's ministry blog and read a sweet post by my friend Paige. Paige is the director of women's events at LifeWay. She and I have been friends for more than 20 years. We met doing community theater when I was just a freshman in high school, and she was a freshman in college. We have been much like brother and sister ever since. Check out the picture she posted of us doing the musical Peter Pan in 1988. Ouch.

A also wrote a post for the Deeper Still blog that should be up sometime today. Check it out.

OK. That's enough about women's blogs. I feel the need to talk about football and Nascar now. Or at least talk about my mad Wii skillz.

I won't. Instead, I will post some pictures from our weekend. We were in Boone. My niece Jennifer got married. It was a beautiful wedding. And they had the most beautiful flower girl I have ever seen.



Angela and the boys at the rehearsal. Levi...smiling for another picture? Not so much.


This is my brother, David. My kids LOVE their Uncle David.


The fellas...


One last thing for today...my record label has been working on a surprise for you Deeper still peeps this weekend. There will be a "gift" from me in the bookstore. Look for it. Thumpety thump thump (it's not a "full revealing"...but it's a sneak peak).

OK...one other last thing...the band and I will be in concert this sunday night at First Baptist Cartersville. If you are in the Cartersville / Atlanta area, please come join us! We are singing a couple of songs in the a.m. service...and then a full concert at 6 p.m.

Who's coming to Deeper Still? See you there.

TC

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Christmas News

Read this and imagine my excitement.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Welcome to the Gun Show

Angela, Jack, Levi and I were in the car this morning, driving to see Lily Kate at her "awards day" at the Infinity Sports camp she's been attending this week. Out of the blue, Levi said, "I check on my muscles every day."

"How are they today?" Angela asked.

"Fine," he replied. After a pause, he said, "I name them. Do you want to know their names?"

"Of course," Angela said.

"Strong and Buddy."

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Strong and Buddy.



Tomorrow, Angela says she will be showing you her biceps, too: Helga and Broomhilda.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Another Favorite Hymn

Jesus! What a Friend For Sinners

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows over me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night overtakes me,
He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Heading to Indy

I am driving to Indianapolis today to get my Southern Baptist Convention on. I have a CD signing tomorrow...and I sing tomorrow night as a guest of the International Mission Board. This person and I wrote a theme song for their missions giving campaign this year, so I am going to sing that song. I am actually going to sing a 3 minute version of the 5 minute song. But it will be fun. A children's choir is going to join me, I think.

I'm not sure what time the signing is tomorrow (Wednesday)...but if you are there, come see me whenever it is...I'll be in the bookstore.

I want to say hello and send a big thank you to our new friends at First Assembly of God North Little Rock. The team and I had an awesome time there this weekend. The Lord really ministered to us during the worship time, and we are grateful. Grateful to Him...and grateful to the church for having us, and for being a place where the Lord is free to minister and work and refine His people. Thanks, Pastor Rod and Pastor Steve.

Thanks for all of your comments about hymns. I will tell you why I was asking later this week. You all mentioned some great songs.

Have a great day...gotta go get these Cottrell kids up and stirring.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Thumpety Thump Thump

This is a little snippet of some of my friends singing background vocals on my Christmas project. In the control room are producers Brown Bannister and Kent Hooper, along with my son Jack. And singing the thumpety thump thumps are Tim Davis, Mark Ivey, Aimee Joy Weimer and Lisa Cochran. They are amazing singers and friends.

Friday, June 6, 2008

When God Speaks

Woo hoo! My firstborn came home from church camp today.



I missed him so much this week. We are so glad he's back home. He's a little sunburned...very hoarse (but not from talking a lot. I'M SURE OF IT.)...and very much in need of a bath. So we have been nursing him back to normal life, and having a fun night at home...all of us. We even vegged a while in front of the TV...belly-laughing at America's Funniest Home Videos. For some reason, we all felt the need to sit in one small chair. Even Flash.



We LOVE to watch AFV as a family. What is it that makes us laugh to see people fall? I mean, I don't want anyone to incur an injury or anything. But seeing someone take a tumble just sends me over the edge in inappropriate laughter. Speaking of which...have you all seen the previews for the upcoming ABC show "Wipeout?" It's a reality show where the people compete in obstacle courses which are basically designed to make them fall...or, wipeout.

Party at my house on June 24 to watch "Wipeout."

Anyway, we have had fun debriefing Jack on all the goings on at camp. What the games were like...what the food was like...did he sleep well...why did he wear two t-shirts the whole week, and not the other 9 I packed him...who he hung out with...what the worship and teaching were like...we have gotten the scoop on his "best week ever." He loved every minute of it.

And I told him that we had been praying that He would hear the Lord speak to him while he was there. So I asked him, "Did the Lord speak to you?"

"Yes," he replied.

"What did He say?"

"He showed me how to be less of a butthead."

Pause.

And there you have it. The gospel alive and active in an 11 year old.

I'm going to ask Him to show ME that too.

Heading to Little Rock

The band and I are heading to Little Rock this weekend. We will be in concert this Sunday night at 6pm at First Assembly of God North Little Rock. If you are close by, please come join us! The concert is free, and we are going to have a great time.

I mean, who wouldn't want to be led by these obviously sane, godly and coherent people?

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

My Favorite Hymn

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus, ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome
God's free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O, there are ten thousand charms

Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of Him

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry 'til you're better
You will never come at all

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O, there are ten thousand charms

Monday, June 2, 2008

Hymns

What's your favorite hymn?

And...what hymn do you never get to sing in a worship service anymore that you wish people would sing more often? You can give me a list...you don't have to list just one.

And a Little Child Shall Encourage Her

At the risk of putting our parenting in a questionable light, I have to tell you this story. I guess the moral of this story is - not everything you hear on Disney is "safe for the whole family."

Scene: The Cottrell family in their white minivan, driving to church on Sunday morning.

Silence. Silence. Silence. Then...

Levi (5-year-old): Mom, you are so FREAKING HOT!

(Shocked adults in front with muffled laughter, pulling it together...a couple more seconds of silence, then...)

Angela: Um, thank you, Levi.

Levi: No, I'm SERIOUS. You're hot.