My Niece's Wedding

Two weekends ago, my niece Betsy got married. Incidentally, her wedding was the same weekend as the Living Proof simulcast in Green Bay. So after getting home late that Saturday night, Ang and the three kids and I hopped in the car Sunday morning and drove 7 hours to Boone, NC, went to the wedding, and drove home that same night. Insane. But worth it. We always love to be with family, even if it's just for a short time. Sweet Betsy married a great guy named Matt Krause. Well, I guess he's pretty great. Not deserving of my beautiful and wonderful niece, but still. :-)

She had her wedding outside at my brother and sister-in-law's home...the home she grew up in and lived at until this great day. It was a beautiful day. I gave the camera to Jack for most of our time there. It was a gamble, I know. But Ang and I had to sing and I didn't want to spend the day messing with the camera. He did a good job, although there were lots of pictures of things like these...







I was hoping upon hope that of all the beautiful things and people of the day, we would have a great picture of the port-a-john. Whew. I'm so relieved.

No, really. He did a great job. This is my dad and his friend Sadie:



The big moment:



Here are the kids with the beautiful bride:



The happy couple:



My brother and my sister-in-law...they threw a great party:



Andrea and Celine (with a southern twist):



This is Levi and his cousin Trathen. Levi has re-named his biceps. They used to be Strong and Buddy. Now they are Mario and Luigi. Ladies and gentlemen, Mario and Luigi:



Some family pics:




It was a fun day. Congratulations Matt and Betsy!

Going To The Chapel

Remember this? Well, the big wedding is this weekend. Our drummer Kevin and our dear life-long friend Ashley are tying the knot. The Cottrells - a flower girl, a bridesmaid, a groomsman, a couple of wedding singers and a couple of little boys looking for trouble - are heading into the festivities today, and we can't wait. It's gonna be a great celebration. The praise team is leading worship at the wedding (can't wait). Pray for Kevin and Ashley, their big day, and their God-ordained union!

Kirk Franklin is cranked throughout the house right now, and I gotta go. I have to iron shirts for a couple of little boys who will be wrinkled and untucked before you can say "Where's the shaving cream for the car?"

Full Steam Ahead (A Blog by Angela)

I opened my microwave this morning to reheat my Starbucks pumpkin spice latte that my sweetie brought me back after his early morning carpool and…shrieked in horror at the dried cheese, grease, and approximately four varieties of tomato-based leftovers that had been re-heated in there. I didn’t even want to put my coffee mug near it.

I almost had a breakdown because it’s been one of those mornings, no-weeks, no-months trying to keep all the plates spinning. And a mere dirty little microwave was on the verge of taking me down. But then I had a flash of inspiration.

I grabbed a glass mixing bowl, filled it halfway with water, threw it inside and hit start on the microwave. After about 6 minutes, the water was boiling and the inside of the microwave was hot and steamy. I left it there to sit another two minutes to cool down and think about what had happened—how sinful behavior affects those around you, and to have a friend you have to be a friend, and how obedience brings blessing, but disobedience brings consequence.…Oh, wait! That was a totally different cool down period this morning involving a certain 6-year-old.

When I opened the door to the microwave, water was trickling down the walls and cheese was waving a white flag of surrender. I removed the bowl with potholders, and used only 2 dry paper towels to wipe down the whole thing! No power tools. No harsh cleaners. No vicious threats under my breath to those forgetting to cover their nachos with paper towels.

And my pumpkin spiced latte was heated without any cheese stalactites falling in! It’s the small victories that keep the chin up isn’t it? Had to share my joy! Now, if I could come up with a way to wipe my desk clean just as quickly.

Have you had any brilliant moments this week?

Living Proof Live Green Bay - Simulcast

Living Proof Live - Simulcast - Green Bay WI from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree. Poor Little Dude.

Hey, friends. It's 5:30am. 5:30am and I are not very good friends, but we have decided to get along at times when we need to. And apparently today is a day we are going to have to work together. Jack woke up in the middle of the night not feeling so great. So I got up and tended to him. Then I went into the garage to put another coat of paint on a table that Angela had painted (that girl is CRAFTY with her goodwill purchases and spray paint). I had a devotion, wrote a couple of thank you notes, and now I think I see the sun trying to peak over the horizon.

I'm starting to see that working during the early morning hours is like buying land way away from the city. You get so much more for your money. I've already done more this morning than I would have expected to have gotten done the whole rest of the morning. Maybe 5:30am and I are destined to be friends.

Nahhhhhhhh.

Lily Kate and Levi started school last week. So if you heard the great thunder of praise to the Most High God ringing loudly from Franklin, TN last Thursday morning at 8:31am, that would have been me. And Jack starts today. Be listening, for the sound of great thanksgiving shall rise up like the sound of mighty waters crashing, waters foaming, and mountains quaking with their surging.

I might be slightly exaggerating. But truly, my kids were in such desperate need of a change of scenery, school came just in time for all of us.

First day of school:



I wish I could post a picture I took last night of Jack, but I can't bring myself to. He was sitting on the couch yesterday reading, mindlessly sucking a plastic cup to his face the whole time. Do you know what happens when you suck a plastic cup to your face for a solid 30 minutes? Needless to say, he is heading to day 1 of 7th grade with a huge purple bruise ring on his mouth. Ouch.

And HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

It reminds me of the time when I was around his age...I had one of those flimsy, cheap basketball goals that stuck to the wall with a little suction cup thing. I stuck it to my forehead for hours. And I had a huge red circle on my forehead for days. DAYS.

Don't ask my why I felt it necessary to walk around with a basketball goal sucked onto my forehead. I mean really, can't you figure that out? Seriously. What could be more fun than using your face as a backboard? Can't you see how that would totally be logical to a 7th grade boy?

Pause.

This poor child of mine has my genes running around in his head. Thank the Lord it's just a bruise ring.

I am home this week, working some in the studio on a new Easter musical, and getting ready for the weekend. We head out for three concerts this weekend on the Jesus Saves Live Tour:

Friday night, August 21 - O'Fallon, IL
Saturday night, August 22 - Van Buren, AR
Sunday night, August 23 - North Little Rock, AR

We are fired up and these churches this weekend are, too. I hope you can come join us if you are close.

I promise not to have a basketball goal suctioned to my head.

Living Proof Live Fargo

Living Proof Live - Fargo ND from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

I Was Like A Proud Daddy

The team and I were in Orlando Monday and Tuesday leading worship at the National Assemblies of God convention. We had a great time. Lots of fun with the people there at the convention. We led at a couple of the leadership gatherings, and then led at the first of the general sessions.

The LED screens which were part of the production in the general session were awesome. And during sound check we thought Adam Lambert might be jumping out at any minute.



Anyway, one of the pluses of being in Orlando is that is where our girl, Lici lives. Lici has been a part of our worship team for a little over three years now. Lici is an amazing singer - unbelievably versatile, and so good every time she steps out on the platform. Not to mention that she is one of the funniest people on the planet. We LOVE having her with us. Last year, we were so happy that she was offered a job at Disney World, singing with the Voices of Liberty at the America Exhibit in Epcot. She works there during the week, then joins us on the weekend wherever we are ministering. Since we were in Orlando, she made a way for us to come into the park on Tuesday to see her do her thing with Voices. We were so giddy about breezing into Epcot even for a couple of hours...I'm telling you, every single one of us got verklempt as we stepped off the Monorail.



We made our way to the very back of Epcot as fast as we could (after swinging by the Soarin' ride to see if we could snatch a fastpass - which we couldn't), and pointed and laughed and reminisced at every sight and smell.

We finally made it to the America exhibit and waited for their set to start. We knew they would be awesome. They did not disappoint.





Proud family...



Us again, along with Lici's friend Jeremy (who also sings with Avalon...he is a great singer)...



It was some great a cappella singing. Lici tore up their version of "Summertime." We were giddy with pride. Nirva even cried.

We love you Lici! Thanks for the fun day!

Against All Odds, I Remember Who Had the Best Pool on the Strand

OK. I realize that it's August 3rd, and I have already blogged as much in August as I did in July. Yes. I'm aware of this. And I also am aware that there are only 4 of you even coming back to to see my poor, pitiful blog. I guess I am sensing myself coming out of my blog hiatus. I went from recording (January-February) to depression (March-April) to family end-of-school/summer break/family vacation (May-June) to work-like-a-mad-man (July). And it looks like I will be working like a mad man in August, too. But for some reason, with the kids getting ready to head back to school, and with most of my writing and recording responsibilities finished for a few weeks, I am finding space in my head to be able to think clearly and post a few things. I apologize for the here today - gone tomorrow-ness of my blogging. You are a forgiving family. Thank you.

The first week of our Jesus Saves Live tour was a blast. We had three fun nights of worship in West Monroe, LA, Houston and Dallas. Thanks to all the folks who joined us...and to all the great people at all three churches who fed us, drove us around, prayed with us, played basketball with us, and allowed us to journey with you for a day. We are thankful.

Jesus Saves Live is up and running again this weekend. Here is the schedule:

Friday night, August 7 - Garden City Beach, SC - Garden City Chapel (Murrell's Inlet / Myrtle Beach area)
Saturday night, August 8 - Douglasville, GA - Central Baptist Church (Atlanta area)
Sunday night, August 9 - Huntsville, AL - Jackson Way Baptist Church

We are looking forward to all three nights. Come join us if you can. You can find more information on my website.

I am excited to be in the Myrtle Beach area. My family vacationed there every single summer for the first 18 years of my life, and I haven't been back since. I know it's changed so much. But I just want to drive down the strand and take in the sites...see the old motels we used to stay in, and the old ice cream shops where we would get dip cones every year. I remember as a kid I would pour over the motel brochures that my dad would get in the mail. And I would rank every one of them according to pool size, and whether or not they had an indoor pool. I still remember the names of my favorites...Captain's Quarters, Ocean Reef, Tropical Winds, Sea Crest.

I know. My mind is a wonder. A thinking, intellectual wonder. What with all the impressive information constantly flowing out of me. Like Phil Collins chord progressions and names of motels on the Myrtle Beach strand in 1982.

If you are planning on coming to worship with us this weekend, give us a shout in the comments. See you then.

Pick a Commandment Between 1 and 10 (a blog by Angela)

Travis came home from Deeper Still today. We uploaded a week’s worth of pictures onto his computer. There were pics of Levi’s last baseball game, Jack’s football scrimmage, Mamaw’s 88th birthday party, and this:




Can you guess the bible story?

Even though my kids are 12, almost 9, and 6, they pretty much require having something in their hands while we have our devotions. Paper, glue, clay, even popcorn keeps them focused. Otherwise, they are shooting rubber bands, poking their neighbor, or suckng the blood to the surface of their forearm. (I won’t tell you who does what.) Here’s a lesson learned when I taught 2-year-olds in Sunday School during my very early 20’s: Play-Dough with story time is like peanut butter with jelly—a formula not to be tampered with. So in a moment of devotional chaos this week, I called for the tactile learner’s best friend—Legos—and asked the kiddos to build the story. What fun! I’m glad that Levi snapped some pictures of it cause it made Trav and me laugh our heads off. I think God laughed His head off, too.

Nice golden calf. And I never imagined Moses wearing a black cape. But I guess the force was with him. ;-)

Here are some other pictures that Levi took that have nothing to do with Moses.






Maybe I can incorporate these into the Beatitudes teachings…you know, when Jesus says, “You’ve heard it said, ‘an eye for an eye’…”

Is there a bible verse about the nose? Because there was a REALLY nice picture of me one morning smelling the turkey bacon to see if it was still good. I deleted it. I do not share photographs of my nose taken from the vantage point of a 6-year-old. They just aren’t flattering.

Anyway, here’s what I want to know. Do any of you do crazy things to engage your kids in bible study? Or I am I the only weirdo? :o) I’d love to hear your ideas, and the ages of your children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Tomorrow I’m having the children tattoo the 9th commandment between their eyes as frontlets. If you have kids, I’ll bet you can relate!

Love,
Angela

Deeper Still Greensboro

DeeperStill - Greensboro NC from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.