River of Freedom

I had a great day singing in the studio yesterday. Gary Sadler and I are recording a new project that has been in the making for several years. We wrote Ancient of Days together back in 1991 and really didn't co-write much after that. The song continues to be the most recognized and profitable of any other song we have written together or apart.

When Brenda and I moved to the Nashville area in 2001, Gary and I started meeting on Wednesdays to write. We wrote several songs and even started a project but it was postponed. I took a position as a worship leader in 2004 at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro where I am to this day. My responsibilities there as well many other factors caused our writing sessions to stop for quite a while. Deep within my soul, and as a necessity for my creative temperament, I needed those writing sessions back in my life more than ever. The warmth and friendship that exists between us is certainly a primary reason for getting together. Last year in '09 we started our weekly get-together again, this time on Thursdays.

We pulled out some of those old songs that had been sitting for years, wrote some new ones, and decided on the nine songs we are recording now. The one we were working on yesterday is called River of Freedom. In it we talk about the state of America and its need to turn back to God. It has a black gospel feel but has kind of a "Walking in Memphis" vibe. We brought in my dear friends Todd Suttles and Danielle Cruz along with a new friend, Shirley Settles, to sing. The song sprang to life. We still need to record some horns then get it mixed so we can give everyone an early taste of the new record. We are praying that the other songs in the batch turn out as well. I am confident that they will.

Gary and I hope to have the record out by summer, 2010. Please be on the look out for Sadler/Harvill!

When Going Down Is Looking Up

I went to the doctor yesterday morning for some more blood work. This time it was for cholesterol. When those folks take (and I really mean yank) blood from your arm, they are ruthless. The first thing the nurse said while hunting (no...digging) for a vein was that men are the first to faint when a needle appears. At just that moment I felt a bead of sweat appear on my newly un-mustached upper lip. I don't mind seeing another persons blood being sucked up a tube and into a vile. Just don't let me witness my own blood letting. I must have looked like my late dog, Pepper, when we gave him his bath. He always had this nervous, ready-to-leap look on his face as if to say, "Are you done with this foolishness yet?"

I am ready to deal with the results of the blood test as I was when my high blood pressure problem became evident. I was excited to jump on the scales yesterday to see how my new svelte-ness was progressing. I have been kicking up my exercise program to an Olympic trainer level (at least that's what I imagine when I'm on the treadmill). I have completely restructured my diet and have become an avid food box looker (closely akin to a mailbox watcher...see yesterday's blog). I am absolutely blown away at the amount of crap we blindly shove into our mouths a hundred times a day. My biggest surprise was the amount of sodium that most of us disregard in our diet. I have become a calorie, fat, carb and sodium policeman. I have all but contained my diet to a glass of water each day (just kidding...I still eat, just stretched out over more meals and with less portions). I have arrested and thrown into jail many of the foods I once consumed. Maybe one day those troubled foods can be put on parole only to see an occasional visit from me. But until I get a handle on this beast, I will stick to my current regime and will remain on probation.

By the way, I lost 12 pounds in the past three weeks and my blood pressure has returned from death/death to NORMAL! Thanks to the Bystolic and the life style changes mentioned above...I will keep you posted.

Geetars, Magazines and Mailbox Money

Funny thing about songwriters: once you get your first song published you learn the art of mailbox watching. Right around the time each quarter that the royalty checks are cut from the different publishing and record companies, we are all keeping a rigid eye on our mailboxes. We writers gather to street's edge like goldfish in a pond at the sight of the feeding bucket. We don't waste time chatting with the postman as he is just a mere delivery object. We nervously rip open the envelope, throwing the cover letter in the air on our way to the money (why do they put cover letters in royalty statements?...the only ones who read them are the assistants who type them!). Many times I am surprised when the amount is greater than expected. Most of the time it is lower and lower until I can get another cut to again fill the coffers.

I also watch the mailbox for my two monthly magazines: Vintage Guitar and Premier Guitar. These mags are outstanding. They offer really cool features with artists that I enjoy. Not the "flavor of the month" guys who are here today and delivering my pizza tomorrow. I love the vintage stuff but am happy to get shiny, new stuff even more. The funny thing is, the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, etc., probably used fairly new stuff when they recorded their hits. Even so, we geetar pickers are so into our "vintage" stuff. I still believe that the tone is in the fingers and the heart.

So, If you see me waiting nervously at my mailbox for more than a few minutes, know that I am waiting for my mailbox money or a magazine. Just pray that I don't rip the hand off that poor postman!

Easter Surprise

Yesterday was Easter. I had the usual responsibilities to fulfill as I am on a church staff which hosts a large Easter celebration each year. We saw approximately 25,000 people over two services. Brenda made preparations to have the Sunday meal mostly ready on Saturday. Thanks to my brother, Jon, and his wife, Beth, who chose to attend the Saturday evening Easter service at our church. They had the meal ready when we returned home Sunday afternoon. But this was not going to be a normal Easter meal this year.

My daughter, Betsy, and her husband, Adam, were there all the way from Memphis. Josh's girlfriend, Amber and family, were there too. When I asked Josh to say the blessing, he got down on one knee and proposed. She said yes! Josh had it all planned this way. Amber was the only one who didn't have a clue this was going to happen.

So, this summer, we will see our son receive Amber as his wife. It was only last July that Betsy and Adam were married. We are so blessed to have both Adam and Amber as a part of our family. We love them very much. Brenda and I are seeing life go by at a blinding speed. It seems like yesterday that we, two skinny kids, were married in Mobile, Alabama. We will celebrate 25 years of marriage in December.

Life is full of surprises...but we signed up for this back in 1985! We wanted kids right away. We wanted them to grow up and stand on their two feet. We are happy to see them invest their lives in their own homes and relationships. The greatest compliment would be that they enjoy the same blessings we know.

This Easter was the greatest! Congratulations Josh and Amber!

Got it, Flaunt it!

As you can gather by now, I am in the midst of change. Yesterday, as I was showering, I said to myself, "Self, you need to shave off your mustache and goatee today." I revved up my Norelco and uncovered a stranger hiding underneath. The first thing I saw was my brother, Jon, who, although being younger and taller, there in my bathroom mirror. I haven't seen my face in probably twenty years. I went to Easter rehearsal last night and treasured the reactions of my worship team mates. Hiding in plain sight is something most of us do. Many are unaware.

Jack Nicholson and rock stars hide behind sunglasses. Some of us hide behind black-colored clothes, thinking that black will disguise the fact that they are wearing a 4X sized t-shirt. Come on, man, we all know the truth! Some hide behind big homes and cars. Some are hiding insecurity behind gruff, business-like behavior. I like the guy who, even though imperfect, lets everyone in on his painted, full-figured physique at the football game.

Today, as I go out into the world clean-shaven, I will be showing all of the rosy colored truth: I am my age and I'm cool with it. I have a long way to go... Any way, "If you've got it, flaunt it," my Dad would say!

Superman in a Straight Jacket

Brenda and I have known for some time that a new wind is blowing through our lives. The children have left home. They are finding their way in life with the spouse and soon-to-be spouse that God has given them. We have been (and it seems so sudden) given the opportunity to focus on being a couple again. God has also given us some exciting new trails to blaze. But on any new trail there is a highway man waiting at every turn to rob us: fear.

It seems that during much of our almost 25 years of marriage we have pushed out in faith as God directed. I remember one time in 1990 I received a clear directive from the Lord to quit my job and move into a music ministry (I can feel you cringe about now!). I knew that it involved writing songs and sharing them in concert. Believe me, that directive didn't go over well considering that I had just finished college at 30 and had two, small children at home with Brenda giving them full-time care. I didn't know how God was going to "pull it off." We were trusting that somehow God would supply for us each day.

In 1985, five years previous, Integrity Music opened its doors in Mobile, Alabama, just a few miles from where we lived. In the summer of 1991 I was invited to share some of my songs with Integrity as a member of their creative staff went to the church that we were attending. Gary Sadler and I wrote a little ditty called Ancient of Days. They asked to put it on a new project they were producing. Integrity Music at that time was flying under the radar as far as Nashville was concerned. This little company was putting out worship music, not artist oriented songs that populated the airwaves at the time. Integrity Music and Mobile were insignificant. Brenda and I were invisible and certainly felt like every step forward might send us tumbling over a cliff! Regardless, we kept walking toward God's voice.

Twenty years later, we have seen God do everything He promised and much more. Now I sit here at my MacBook and feel the same trepidation as I hear God calling in a big way again. I have much more security now with everything that I have ever dreamed a professional music man might attain. It is time to tweak my God walk again. No excused. Yes, fear is screaming at me like a rogue basketball coach on the sidelines. I have an opportunity to do some exciting things in the Kingdom with my bride. Jesus calmly says, "come follow Me." I have the opportunity to allow God to intimately show me the steps to take in faith. For the past several years I have allowed Superman to be bound up in a straight jacket. I now pronounce God free to create new adventures in our lives. I have butterflies in my stomach but I am excited to see the results...I will keep you posted!

Dissatisfied

Dissatisfaction is a tough egg to scramble. On one hand it can lead you out of the doldrums and into a promising path. On the other hand it can lead you into dubious and destructive adventures. Advertisers use dissatisfaction to coax us into buying their products. In the case of my recent run-in with my health, it lead me to make an important life choice.

I had a bad neck ache that wouldn't leave me alone several weeks ago. I tried to Advil it to death but it kept getting worse. I finally went to the clinic. My neck ache problem soon jumped into the back seat when the nurse took my blood pressure. The contorted expression on her face wasn't a bit veiled as my numbers were in the skull and cross bones range. At 49 I have become a member of the high blood pressure fraternity. When did this little health burglar break into my body and start ripping off one of the most valuable assets of life? The alarm went off and I was roused from my slumber.

I have been sleeping in regard to many things in my life for several years. Mama birds pull the fur lining of the comfortable nest away so the prickly sticks are exposed. This way the discomfort forces the baby eagles to move away from their comfy home. I am feeling the same kind of nudge and I think it is God telling me to wake up and fly. My health, my career, my relationship with God, family and friends all deserve my full, robust attention. I pray that my wake up call and all the dissatisfaction will lead me away from the deadly ways of yesterday. 50 is breathing down my neck telling me to fly. Look out, here I come!