May 2006 - Posts
I built a retaining wall a few months ago. I put stucco on it a couple of days ago. I can hardly move. Funny, I did the whole house five years ago...when I was young...and in shape.
I turned 48 last week. I know I don't look it...must be the organic food and raw cow's milk. I don't milk the cow. We buy it from my niece. I used to have trouble drinking milk till we started using the unpasteurized kind. It has all the good stuff in it to help you digest it...so my wife tells me. Now I can hardly drink the store bought stuff, unless it is in a Frappuccino of course. She makes her own butter, yogurt, and kefir. She has been studying books on digestion for a while. She prefers those to romance novels. There is nothing like a latte made with whole fresh milk. Uhh...excuse me while I go make one.
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I've been “out of pocket” for a while with a week of birthdays, our anniversary (27th) and a camping trip. We spent a few days at Table Rock Lake. There is nothing like camping with a six year old. Everything is exciting. The adventure starts with setting up the tent after dark by car headlights. They turn off every few minutes automatically (the designer thought that would be convenient). Jubi's job was to turn them back on again and again while I tried to read the tent directions. Uhh, forgot to pack the hammer for the stakes. I told her a 30 minute fanciful bedtime story about a tiny horse named Stanley who had lost his herd and his friends Edward (the work horse) and Sammy (the mouse) who helped him find them. “Wow that was good,” I thought. “I should have recorded it,” I thought. “It should be published,” I thought. Then next morning she told me she kept falling asleep.
Camping always makes for good stories...like my friend who took his family of eleven, yes eleven to Colorado. He spoke of downpours, lightning strikes and encounters with wild beasts. Nevertheless it turned out to be one of the best times they ever had together. I love the wildlife. Last time we went camping, a raccoon climbed a tree with our organic bologna (yes, there is such a thing) while my wife yelled at him. He seemed very used to that. I admired him for waiting for us to start snoring and for his skill at opening the cooler. He couldn't reach the trash bag we had hung on the poll to keep out such varmints or he might have thrown away the package. So happy we saved the trash. This trip was pretty uneventful (relaxing) except for the snake at the swimming beach but we are used to those living where we do in the woods.
The coolest part was that our older kids joined us for the second night. I kept thinking I don't know how many times we will all be able to be together like this. We all went sailing on a catamaran on my birthday. A glorious experience. The warm windy day was just perfect for it. I thank the Lord for great times like that.
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I wrote with James Tealy at Universal MP yesterday morning. After grabbing some orange juice and saying hello to Michael Puryear the “doorman“ we headed up to room #5. Next door a country song was being written while we worked through a new idea. You never know who will be writing there. After catching up, we finished a nice chorus and verse and recorded a work tape before getting some “queso at SATCO” (San Antonio Taco Company) down the street. Holly Zabka and Rick Shelton were there wheeling and dealing.
When we got back Jodie and Jubilee were there to pick me up for my next appointment. They had been to the art store. James and I went back in to get some lines down we came up with during lunch and ended up flowing so well we finished the whole song in a matter of minutes. We made a work tape to turn in and I took off for Jamie Harvill's house to write.
Jamie has an infectious spirit. Something happens when we sit in a room and start writing. He has a way of pulling out the best in me. I just sang the first couple lines of the verse (the only thing I had besides the hook) and he was already reading my mind musically. We charted out the structure to the coolest little up-tempo vertical artist tune. We had to break before we were done but what we have sounds so nice. It will be fun finishing up the lyric on this one.
Thanks James and Jamie, It's always a pleasure.
I'll be just hanging at BBPM this morning finishing up some things and we will head out for Joplin town this afternoon. Thanks to Simon, Marty, Jaime, James, and Jamie, and especially to Sue for a great week.
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Another great day of writing today. I finished up a Southern Gospel song with Marty we started last time we wrote together. We are excited about the hook (title). It is amazing to us that no one has written it before. He did a search at ASCAP and BMI to make sure. The quote of the day.... “This is so...not you” referring to the obvious contrast of that song with my typical writing genre. It has been fun learning from Marty, he has been writing and producing Southern Gospel for a long time.
Lunch was with Dean who works at Provident in the Praise Hymn production department and helps with worship in a local church. I met him at write about Jesus last year.
After lunch I had another great session with Simon. After working through the post lunch energy dip, we finally chased down the right idea and came up with one of those fun, up-tempo songs that just grooves.
A few minutes ago I just e-mailed a second verse for Jaime to look at for the song we wrote yesterday. After listening to the work tape again I think it may be one of my best co-writes so far. It flows and soars...I can really picture it in a concert moment.
Jodie and Jubi hit the Zoo today. Jubi rode the carousel 3 times. She couldn't wait to tell me about that and the funny stork who sat on his backward knees.
Two more appointments tomorrow. James and another Jamie. What is it with all these Jameseseses?
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I didn't have an appointment this morning but I planned to go in early to write by myself at Brentwood/Benson. Simon Hawkins, my good friend and afternoon appointment was also there by himself so we decided to write early. It was so good to have a chance to catch up. It's also fun to try to analyze what is going on the music world together.
We finished a song we had started by e-mail. It was good to work through the lines in person and hammer out the wrinkles on the melody. That is not as easy to do via e-mail. We tried out a video conference a while back and we were able to get it to work pretty well. I really need to get a mac for video conferencing. He says it works a lot smoother. The song is turning out great, just love the idea.
We went for a late lunch and planned to get started on a new song. We were just about to begin when Jaime showed up a little early for our co-write (a day early) :) Simon had tomorrow afternoon free so he graciously consented to trade appointments.
Jaime Jamgochian is a Centricity artist. She led worship at the Seminar in the Rockies last year. She has a great voice and a good ear for melody. You need to check out her site and buy her new CD “Reason to Live“ http://www.jaimejam.com/ It is a great record. Keep your ears open for her radio single “Love Rains Down“.
I brought a hook we connected on and we spent time crafting a cool up-tempo worship chorus. We finished a verse and landed a bridge idea before we quit. It was really storming outside. It makes for interesting inspiration in writing worship. Sue told me she and Joel wrote one in the basement during a tornado warning a while back. Tony, who was writing down the hall kept an eye on the weather for us. He has big windows for watching tornadoes and sunsets and stuff like that.
Many thanks to Simon and Jaime for a great day of writing. Tomorrow I am with Marty and Simon again.
Jodie and Jubi had a great time at the art museum. Jubi made several art projects there. Grandpa Mehrens would be proud.
More tomorrow...
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We had our Spring musical yesterday (in two performances). Really they were like two big worship services since it was a worship musical. Lynn e-mailed and said we have had so much positive feedback. The message was just what everybody needed, especially for one of our elders who had dealt all day with a family in the hospital. They experienced a tragic accident and death. He cried and sang through the whole program. The Lord's timing is always perfect. He always knows what we need to hear.
I'm back in Nashville for a week of songwriting. I have three days and five appointments lined up. Tomorrow I write with with Simon from the UK. Though we have written some over the web, I have been looking forward to writing in person with him for a long time. I am driven to write stuff that will please the Lord and be useful for the kingdom. I got an e-mail the other day from a foreign student at a university in CA. He had heard the mp3 of “Sovereign Lord“ on a friend's laptop and said it struck him so hard he cried and bowed in worship. I can think of no higher compliment than that God would use something I had written in that way. His word never returns void.
Jay said yesterday that the decision song Sunday couldn't have fit the scripture and his sermon more perfectly. Though we plan a lot of things for our services, I am constantly amazed at what the Lord has planned...stuff that doesn't even enter our minds. Only he really knows what people are struggling with that day. “Man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.”
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