I'm North of You, Eh?

Hello, friends. It's a sunny day, here in Vancouver, BC. I got here Wednesday night, around midnight (which was 2am to my contacts). I spent much of yesterday resting and working on learning some of the new songs the team and I will be doing this weekend. It was a peaceful and easy day (cue Eagles). Last night I led worship for a women's leadership training conference an hour or so from Vancouver. It was a warm and open atmosphere to lead in...and those sweet Canadian women sang their hearts out to Jesus. We sang simple stuff that most everyone knows...Blessed Be Your Name, Praise to the Lord the Almighty, Above All, In Christ Alone. I sang a couple of solos, including a new song that I wrote for my next record. I am excited to have some new stuff to sing. Speaking of which...and I didn't mean to row down this stream on this post...but it looks like my next record is going to be a little delayed...like, a lot delayed. But I am total peace about it, because I have people helping me make decisions that I totally trust and love. Not to mention my sweet hottie wife who talks to Jesus more than anyone I know, and is at peace with our working recording schedule.

Blah blah ramble blah blah.

We have a Living Proof Live event this weekend. It's our first of the year...and our first Living Proof since AUGUST. That is TOO LONG between events. Beth and I have had other events together since August, but this is our first LPL since then. And I am so ready to get back at it. My band had some drama getting here yesterday...one of them missed the first flight...we prayed her here, and she finally got here around midnight last night. When she renewed her passport for this trip, somehow her new picture got put on her old passport. And she didn't realize it until she was trying to check in. Fun times.

Anyway, we would appreciate your prayers as we ask the Lord to work some miracles in lives as we worship and study this weekend.

So this is my first trip to Canada. And so far our northern friends are showing out...beautiful weather, beautiful city, friendly people.

Next week, I am heading to Puerto Rico to do a video shoot for a song for the International Mission Board. Yessss. I need me some Caribbean Islands right now. Wait...is Puerto Rico considered a Caribbean Island? Anyway, it's sunny and beautiful and I can't wait. I went there once in 7th grade with my parents. I remember the water being amazing. And I remember playing the steel drums. And I remember leaving the dinner table early to go up to the room and watch Square Pegs. Don't judge me.

I am trying to upload a picture from my hotel window that my friend Rich took yesterday so you can see this amazing view. Photobucket is not cooperating. I will keep trying. Have a great day!

Funny

Does This Mean I'm Old?

I'll get to that title in a minute...

I have taken great joy reading your comments about the 80's music. Fun times. I have some purchases to make at iTunes with the gift card I got for my birthday...thanks for the ideas.

I loved all of the songs you all named. Lots of my favorites, too...Jump (Van Halen), I Can't Fight This Feeling Any Longer (REO Speedwagon)...Glory of Love...all of them, really. There were just too many to mention.

Wait a minute. American Idol is on. And I can't concentrate. I must say that the group number ALWAYS MAKES ME DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT FOR THEM. It's the worst. Must pause, and...uh, just pause.

Oh no. That was bad. BAD.

So bad, I will be glued for another 14 weeks.

Why the bad group song? WHY?

OK...Idol is over. But that's a whole other post.

Back to the 80's...I know you are just dying to know my embarrassing favorite duet (haha). Actually, there are 3 of them. And I'm not telling what they are. But here's what I will do: In my next post, I will plant two of the words from one of the duet song titles in the post somewhere. See if you can spot the words and figure out the song.

Teeheehee.

Now...let's talk about the title of this post. Guess what Angela and the kids and I did today?

We ate dinner.

At Captain D's.

At 4:15.

I'm so ashamed.

We didn't even eat fried fish. We had the cajun grilled "salmon." Boomama insisted that we put the quotes around 'salmon,' because technically I am not sure it was salmon. But it wasn't that bad. Honestly, it was pretty good.

Taking all these things into consideration...we ate dinner at Captain D's at 4:15 and enjoyed it...does this mean I'm old?

I would love to blog more, but I gotta go make sure the VCR is set for Matlock before I go to bed. It's already 8:11.

'Cause Your Friends Don't Dance And If They Don't Dance, Well They're No Friends of Mine

OK...if you can name the artist of the song that the title of this post comes from, you will enjoy this list.

Ever since Big posted 80's love songs last week (and stole my 80's thunder), I have been obsessed with finally posting my 80's iPod playlist. How many times can I say 80's in one sentence? Probably 80, if I tried 80 times.

Anyway, it took me a while to compile my list, because I have pieces of the list on different computers. For some reason, the iPod nano that I got for Christmas will not let me link with our PC...only our Mac. But my older iPods used to let me go back and forth. So, I finally gathered my 80's info into one list...and one iPod.

That was a boring paragraph.

I began a playlist a few years ago that I was calling my "40th Birthday Party 80's Jam." And only somebody close to 40 would think that using the word jam was still cool.

I thought if I planned my own 40th party (which is NOT for a LONG time, by the way), I would not experience any unfortunate or unenjoyable surprises. See. I think ahead like that. Of course, the closer I get, the more I think I had rather be lying in a hammock in Maui than grooving to Crowded House with 100 of my closest middle-aged friends on my 40th. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But I DO love me some 80's music. I am so nostalgic anyway...just start playing "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" and all my senses take me back to the Watauga High School parking lot circa 198somethingorother.

And my poor children. My misguided son thinks Rock With You is cooler than Daughtry.

Wait a minute. It IS.

My tastes in the 80's were very pop. No metal stuff for me. Well, the occasional hair band song that made it to pop radio, I liked. But I won't mention any names, for fear I would, well...I don't know. Just for fear.

I did absorb quite a bit of country music back then too...working in my dad's auto parts store. I still remember being so little and in his store, and hearing "Coward of The County" bellowing through the aisles of oil filters and spark plugs. I couldn't figure out what in the heck Kenny Rogers was talking about. But I liked it anyway.

Remember...these aren't all of my favorites. They are just what I have and listen to when I'm getting my 80's groove on. And I have a few 70's favs in there, too.

Put on your Izod, pop in some Cosby Show, kick back and enjoy my iPod's trip down memory lane...

Against All Odds (my all-time favorite love song)
It Might Be You
Rock With You (my favorite pop song ever)
Separate Lives (my favorite duet...tied with one other I am too embarrassed to mention)
Just Once
Summer of ‘69
You’re the Inspiration (sock hop standard)
I Want a New Drug
Sara Smile
What a Fool Believes
The Reflex
An Innocent Man
Hold Me Now (Thompson Twins. So shocked they didn't last.)
Groovy Kind of Love
Drive
Joanna (You gotta love a trombone solo in a pop song.)
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (Elton's drug years, but I loved this song.)
Heaven
What About Me (Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, James Ingram...how did that ever happen?)
Kiss On My List
Up Where We Belong
Owner Of A Lonely Heart (this video creeped me out. but I had the sheet music to this. why I ask you. why?)
Human (we didn't know what this song meant)
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (reminds me of riding the Scrambler at Myrtle Beach)
Leave a Tender Moment Alone
You Give Good Love (Whitney's first)
Shake You Down
Here Comes The Rain Again
I Can Dream About You
I Need You (this is America - 70's - but I had to include it)
Celebration
Hard Habit to Break
Time After Time (if you're lost, you can look and you will find MEH)
Baby Come to Me
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Never Gonna Let You Go
Break My Stride
That’s All (Genesis. Yesssssssssss.)
Beat It
Rosanna
Sailing
If This Is It
Where Do Broken Hearts Go
Missing You
Shining Star
Caribbean Queen
Every Breath You Take
P.Y.T.
Endless Love
Stuck On You (Lionel...bring it on)
She’s Out of My Life (my favorite male vocal performance ever)
No One Is To Blame
When Doves Cry
Nobody Loves Me Like You Do
Say You, Say Me (ouch. I almost left this one off. Please don't tell anyone.)
Come On Feel The Noise
Take Me Home
Footloose
Billie Jean
Sweet Dreams
What’s Love Got To Do With It
Ghostbusters (Shut up.)
Something So Strong
All Night Long
Uptown Girl

Saturday In The Dark

Hey, everybody. I am sitting in the dark, in the corner of my hotel room in Houston, TX this morning. Angela is asleep, and I am trying not to wake her. We are in Houston for Melissa Moore's wedding...and we are without kids...so this is Angela's big chance to sleep the day away. And I hope she is able to. My sister Kathy drove in from North Carolina to keep the kids while we are here. They were so excited to be with Aunt Kathy. They had the counter lined with one homemade valentine after another...complete with bags of little hearts and a huge Hershey Kiss. They will spend the morning going from one basketball game to another, until mid-afternoon, when I predict they will come home and spend the rest of the day playing Wii.

I have missed blogging these past two weeks...but it has been such a busy time, I have been preoccupied with a ton of other things. And when I finally do get to my computer, I end up either working on praise team stuff, or reading about the blogging Compassion International trip. I think I just woke Angela up, crying over a video where
Shannon met the child that her family sponsors. Very moving. I have been praying for Brian and Shaun and Sophie and everyone on this trip. I am pumped to be a part of bringing hope to as many of these sweet kids as I can.

I knew that my blogging absence was noticed when I got a note from Mel basically saying GET THAT SUPER BOWL ENTRY OFF THE TOP OF YOUR BLOG. And speaking of Bigmama, I was inspired by her list of 80's songs. Being an 80's music junkie AND expert, I am going to list for you my 80's playlist on my iPod. But not now. I'm afraid listing it now would cause me to break into much loud singing and busting of grooves (emphasis on BUSTING) and wake my bride. So I will do that on my next post.

Just know that it is a long, extensive and joy-inducing list.

Last weekend I had the privilege of serving with Max Lucado at a 3:16 event. 3:16 is the name of his latest book. It's an amazing work...go get it and read it. I had the privilege of creating a worship musical as a companion piece to the book. And we did an event together last weekend in San Antonio...along with Michael W, Mandisa, Sandi Patty, Anthony Evans, and others. It was a great time.

Then, I stayed over and led worship at Max's church on Saturday and Sunday, and had an amazing time. Their worship leader, Jeff Nelson, was a blast to work with, as was their whole worship team. One of my very best friends in the whole wide world - a friend from college - married Max's niece. And they (Larry and Allison Blake) came in for the weekend. So we all stayed at Max's house. Yes you heard me right. I spent the night at Max's house. I know it is so uncool and gooberish of me to tell this. But I was so geeked to be there. And we had a GREAT time. And he read "You Are Special" to all of us at bedtime.

OK. That's not true. But He and his wife Denalyn were gracious and warm and generous hosts. The Lucado's used to be missionaries in Brazil. And Denalyn cooked us some kind of Brazilian beans and rice meal that caused me to embarrass myself I ate so much. Yum.



Jenna Lucado, one of max and Denalyn's daughters, sang with me on the praise team at their church. She has a BEAUTIFUL voice, and was a joy to hang with. She is currently teaching on the Revovle tour for young girls. Expect the Lord to continue to use her mightily in her generation.

And as if the weekend could get any better...I got to meet my all-time favorite athlete....David Robinson, formerly of the San Antonio Spurs.




I knew that he went to church there, and even serves on staff. So I had my 10 or so David Robinson trading cards with me for him to sign. I felt slightly stalkerish when I pulled them out...but he was gracious and kind. We had 15 or 20 minutes to visit. I spent the whole time trying to put my brain into record mode...wanting to remember everything we talked about.

I have missed a few events that I wanted to blog about...like my birthday celebration with the family. We took some great pictures, and I will share them with you soon...if you don't mind that it's old news.

OK...for real, she could sleep until 3pm. I'm not lying. And SHE DESERVES IT. She is one amazing, home-schoolin', home-cookin', house-keepin', taxi-drivin', kid-raisin', carrot-juicin', bargain-shoppin', song-writin', bible-teachin', girl-mentorin', cool jean-wearin', choir-singin', ever-prayin' ever-lovin' hottie.

And she's mine.

Happy weekend to you...

TC

Super Bowl XLII

One of my favorite days of the year.

I've been up for hours perfecting the color on my TV.

Go Giants!

All Of A Sudden

Hey, everybody. I hope you are having a good weekend. I have some fun things to blog about, but I am running low on brain cells tonight. And they are dying off exponentially as I am watching the presidential debate.

OK...you gotta go listen to the new Boocast, at Boomama or Bigmama. We had a FUN time. And I am looking forward to doing it again. These are some funny gals, and we did some serious laughing...much of which was left on the editing room floor.

If it sounds like Boo and Big are a little crazy and somewhat unstable, it's only because THEY ARE. Kidding. JUST KIDDING! They are great...and I am already pondering some things to talk about on the next podcast.

Happy weekend to you!