New song! New blog?

I just went on a fantastic retreat with my high school students... and the students from 13 other churches!  It was amazing!  I had a great time connecting with people from other churches and building the relationships with my students!

Two things came from this retreat:

1. A NEW SONG.  Rob, my writing partner, had sent me lyrics a few weeks ago that he wanted me to put some music to.  I took some time alone and started playing.  After about half an hour, I had something I really liked.  I recorded it, shared it with a few people around me, and to my amazement, I overheard them singing it throughout the rest of the weekend!  I sent over my recording to Rob, and he loved it!  Can't wait to finish the song (it needs a bridge) and play it with the band!
2. A NEW BLOG... MAYBE.  I co-taught a seminar on sex/purity to the high school students.  We opened up the floor for questions, and we got a TON - so many we couldn't answer them all!  I've thought about starting a blog that would tackle one of those questions each week - what do you think?

Music - a new chapter!

Hi. As some of you may know, I used to write music. A lot. But then some wonderful blessings came along...

Gabriel (1 1/2) and Micah (3 1/2)

See?

Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't written in four years. Though I had tried every now and then to sit down and write, nothing really developed. Nothing. This was frustrating to a guy who has written over 50 songs.

So I kinda gave up. I let it sit, thinking my writing days were over.

I don't remember where my idea came from, but there I was, on the phone with Rob, asking him if he wanted to write a worship album with me. Bizarre. But I had been feeling passionate about worship music recently. I knew Rob was a great lyricist (so he told me), and I knew I could write music well, so I called. And he said yes.

We sat down to write our first song together. I showed him a musical idea I had written in 2003 (or somewhere around there). He liked it, and we started working on some lyrics. After about an hour, we had what we felt was a good start. We agreed to sit on what we had and revisit it a week later. But we both agreed this writing team was a God-ordained match. We really gelled.

After a week, we got back together, both agreeing that the song needed work. We went back and forth on a couple of ideas, and finally landed on a fit for the song that we really liked. After playing it with a full band behind us, we knew we had our first song ready to go. It's called "My Soul Cries Out."

I will continue to keep you updated regarding the future of our worship album, including lyrics, audio files, and news on our progress! Thanks for reading - I'm glad you're on the journey with us!