Mat Getsi: News

Hello Everyone!

I have some good news! The new sound card / digital-audio interface should be arriving within the next 5 days, which will allow me to really dive in to the recording. Up to now, I've only been able to record midi tracks...no audio. But that will soon change.

In addition, the new transducers for the ddrums have arrived and just have to be connected and soldered into place for the drums to be up and running again. AND I have purchased the new Mojave Audio MA-200 tube condensor mic for recording vocals and acoustic guitars (basically anything else with strings).

My friend, Lucas and I tested this mic the other night and put it up against two others that I've used many times...no contest. So things are about in place for us to really make some progress.

Since it's been so long since I've added any news, let me remind you of what's in the works. I'm still working toward getting a meditative instrumental CD recorded with my brother, Jean Getsi. I am also working on an Advent CD that will hopefully be ready for release in November. And last, but not least, have yet another CD that will take daily situations and struggles and view them from a faith perspective.

In this day and age, it seems difficult for anyone to get a few spare seconds. Is life 20 times busier that it used to be?...or am I (and all my friends) just getting old? Regardless, if you could be so kind as to add a little prayer in for me every now and again, I would be grateful. This year's trilogy of projects is by far the most ambitious goal I've ever attempted.

God's Peace,
Mat Getsi

Hello All,

I've got to say that no progress whatsoever has been made in the last week. Why? All because of a failed movie rental store. Making no sense so far? Well, let me explain.

Back in February '09 a friend and I went in together and purchased a movie rental store from it's previous owners. It is called, "Movie Warehouse of Mt. Vernon" and is located next to Save-a-Lot in Mt. Vernon, KY. I guess this was SERIOUSLY BAD TIMING as most movie rental places are struggling or closing altogether, which is what we are now doing. There's just not enough business to keep it above water.

With that said, I've been working everynight this week trying to get everything ready to box up and moved out of the building. But if you want some cheep movies (DVD), we have over 4,000 left and they're going for just $4 each. Today and Tomorrow (Sat., Dec. 12) will be our last two days. (Friday: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM) & (Saturday: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM).


Hopefully on Sunday we can get what's left out of there and I can once again start working on music. So thank you for your patience and hey, stop by and pick up some flicks...that'll make for less boxing and sooner recording.

God's Peace,
Mat Getsi

Hello All,
It's been a while since the last post. Sorry about that. We've been laying down tracks for three projects: 1) A Collection of Songs specifially for the Advent Season, 2) The third CD, and 3) A Piano/Instrumental CD.

We're using Sonar 7, which does so many things that it takes a whole team of brain surgeons just to find the "ON" button. What ever happened to the days where "Less is More." Oh well, the point of all this rambling is that the only thing I'm successfully recording at the moment is midi files...these are computer language files that capture what notes, durations and velocities you are playing and then can "play" the midi instrument (my keyboards) for you exactly as you did. So it doesn't actually record audio signal.

We're using live drums this time, as apposed to electronics (as we did on the "Deeper" CD. But we keep getting digital distortion for no obvious reason. So Ron Jackson and I are going through the long list of possible causes (conflicting settings in the computer program to hardware issues) and trying to solve this. Once done, we intend to move rather quickly.

So we are working and making progress, though riddled with minor irritations and set-backs. But if Roland, who makes Sonar 7 would send a tech to my house to teach me how to effectively use this overly complicated program...things would go much faster...but somehow I don't really expect "that" knock on my door. So we'll keep plugging away.
Thanks for checking in. I'll try to do better at keeping you updated.

God's Peace!
Mat Getsi

Hello All. The recording computer has arrived...of course I had to pick up a few add-ons like a Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse and a 22" wide-screen monitor. That gear should be here in a few days.
I had my first rehearsal with James Allen Stanley (drums) the other day. We've started on a song that has an odd time signature...7/8 and 9/8 intermittantly throughout the song.
I'm pretty excited about getting started again with recording. It's been too long and I must say, I feel a passion for recording that I haven't known in many, many years. Perhaps this is a good sign that God is urging me on so that He can do something new through my ministry. I certainly hope so.
That's it for now. Take care and God Bless!
Mat Getsi

Hello Everyone! Ron Jackson (writer/artist/producer) has informed me that the new recording system is ready to go. So I hope to start laying down the first tracks of the third CD in a week or so. I have already talked with Chuck Getsi, who did some bass guitar and back-up vocals on the "Deeper" CD, and he is available to help with this project as well. Yeah!!! He had been working recently in a Police Tribute Band with some other phenominal players. I've also invited his stellar guitarist to join in the sessions. One big hurdle will be a song that I've yet to name...mostly because it doesn't have the traditional music "hook" to use as a name. But what it does have is a very powerful emotion content and an odd time signature that bounces between 7/8 and 9/8. This particular song wants to be HUGE! What I mean is that I need an entire orchestra on this one, in addition to the regular band. This will not be easy to arrange, or cheap, for that matter. Even though this is not a commercial song, so to speak, it's my favorite so far and I'm extremely excited about it. Many people have asked also about whether I still intend to record an instrumental (mainly soft piano) CD. And yes, I do intend to do that. I'm working on those songs as well, but really don't want to rush this. I really want to do something worth doing, and this often requires a great deal of time. But rest assured, there is movement on both of these fronts and I hope to have some real progress reports coming to you in the very near future. Until then, God's Peace! Mat Getsi

Sometimes I'm emberrassed by how slowly things go...and by the fact that I forget to put news on the website until events have come and gone. Take the Freedom Fest, for instance. On Friday, July 3rd, I had the priveledge of jamming with the Northside Baptist Church praise team for the 7th annual Freedom Fest in Brodhead, KY. There were several other bands there as well that I really enjoyed hearing.
But did I tell anyone about this beforehand? Of course not. I admit that one of my serious weeknesses for which I desperately need prayer, is memory...or the lack thereof.
SOOO! before I forget, I'll let you know that Ron Jackson (Producer & Friend) has been working diligently to put together a monster of a recording machine for me. It is all together except for a few software updates. So "Soon & Very Soon" we will start recording for album # 3. What will it be called? I have absolutely no idea. What I do know is that my main focus for this project is to address common situations and feelings that all people share and address them from a faith perspective...hopefully teaching or reminding people how best to respond to the daily happeings in their own lives. The writing has been under way for a while and I'm excited about some of the songs.
So hopefully soon we'll start laying down tracks and get things rolling. Please pray that Satan doesn't find ways to impede progress on this. Thank you and God bless you all.

Hello All!

At present, it looks like recording on the new CD will commence in June...2009. Hopefully we won't have any further set-backs or delays. It currently looks as though things are falling into place, though. Please pray for me and all those involved, as Satan has really been on the war-path lately and always fights us hard when it comes to recording music that will give praise to God.
Rich Blessings!
Mat Getsi

Is that really a word...I know I've heard it somewhere.
Anyway, life has been on the verge of overwhelming lately...way too much going on to try to retain some sense of peace and tranquility. It seems everyone knows this feeling anymore. But try not to let it get you totally down. Remember that JOB was down for quite some time, but God raised him up and blessed him abundantly for his faithfulness through hardship.
No matter how many things you are juggling, take a couple of minutes out, as often as you can during the day, to be quiet and remember how many times God has come through for you already...then it gets a bit easier to trust him to come through yet again!
Peace!
Mat Getsi

The other day in church, someone mentioned that God wanted the whole world (all nations and all beliefs) to be one as Jesus and the Father are one. The basis for the assertion was what many have come to know as “The Jesus Prayer” found in John 17.
But the Scripture does NOT say this at all. In verse 9 Jesus clearly states, “My plea is not for the world, but for those you have given me because they belong to you.” In verse 14 he says, “And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t.” Further clarification comes in verse 20. “I am not praying for these alone but also for the future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of these.” Notice he wants “believers”, Christians to be of one mind and heart…not the whole world.
O:K, you might say. So what? What difference does THAT make? A HUGE difference.
Consider that if a person’s need to feel love and acceptance drives them to see God the way they “need” to see him, things can get pretty screwed up. You can try to imagine the vastness of God according to your experiences, knowledge and needs, but how you “view” or “see” God does not change the reality of who he really is. God is still God, whether you can deal with it or not. He is a God of infinite love, but also a God of Justice. But beware, there is a danger here!
In the above example, this person has placed their personal longing for a world of peace, harmony and good will toward all (which, by the way, is not at all bad of itself) in a position of higher importance than the very will of God. Now that’s bad. In fact, it’s heresy. And this person ended up changing God’s words to fit their personal view. After all, Jesus plainly stated that he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. He said that because of him, Father would be against son; daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, etc. (Matt 10:34-36).
If it ended here, there’s relatively little damage done, but it doesn’t. When we put our personal agenda ahead of God’s (even in this seemingly harmless way), things go haywire. If everyone in every nation and of every creed, living in perfect harmony with each other becomes your main priority, then you start to compromise the faith in order to reach that goal. Somewhere along the line, the Word of God is really going to get in the way. Why? Because it shines a light on sin and convicts the world of it’s guilt. Jesus didn’t tell us to cuddle up with the world in a warm, fuzzy hug. He told us to be salt of the earth and a light in the darkness. If we overlook sin, we are not being salt to the earth, we are in fact, letting it spoil. We’re not being light, but are blending in with the darkness in an effort to keep the peace. This is NOT at all what Jesus asks of us. He asks us to stand firm in the faith and live it out with all our strength. And he promised that if we do, the world will hate us as it did him…really bad news for the person who really just wants to be loved and accepted by others.
But here’s the immediate danger that I see on the horizon. Here in the United States of America, it’s just weeks away from voting day. We will cast our votes at the polls for our nation’s next leader. It frightens me to think that many Christians will go to the polls and overlook sin in order to get something that has become more important to them than pleasing God.
At this point let me state that I know I will lose many visitors to my website because of this article, but feel in good conscience that I cannot remain silent…too much is at stake. But please, finish this article, as I am writing insights I’ve learned in the Bible, and not just my own ramblings.
We have two basic choices: McCain & Palin on the Republican side and Obama & Biden on the Democratic side. And though some would think badly of me for it, I am not committed to either party for party’s sake. I have been Democratic, Republican and Independent since I came of age to vote. This comes from a firm belief that no political party allegiance is more important to one’s allegiance to God.
The first and most blatant difference between these two parties is their stance on life. McCain & Palin support the protection of life and highly value it’s sanctity. Obama & Biden have a track record quite the opposite. Abortion is the killing of a human life, wanted or unwanted. This is clearly against God’s law, which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” I cannot overlook Obama’s strong commitment to supporting and making me (and you) pay for such an ungodly practice.
Some would say with great indignation, “You simpleton! You’re just a one-issue voter. There are many more factors to figure in than just abortion.” And I agree that there are other issues as well. Let’s look at a couple.
War: Obama will end the terrible war and bring peace, some say. First off, let me say that war is never kind to anybody. It is a tragedy, though sometimes unavoidable. I don’t know the presence of U.S. troops is helping Iraq or whether our boys are over there being shot at for nothing. I’ve heard too many stories on both sides of the fence to say for absolute certainty that the “war on terror” is completely wrong. I do know that the death toll from this “war” has been in the thousands, or even 10’s of thousands. The death toll from abortion has been over 50 million lives lost.
Economy, for instance, is a major issue right now. Some avid Obama supporters would declare that it’s “republicans” who ruined our economy. It’s a convenient assertion, though impossible to prove. I submit to you that it is all of us who have ruined the economy. Our nation’s stiff-necked commitment to sin (in all its forms) is what has caused the backbone of our economy to break, not a mere party’s administration. And no mere administration has the power to fix it. As long as we continue to ignore God’s statutes for the sake of convenience, our economy will never heal.
I beg you to read 1 Kings & 2 Kings in one sitting. It vividly illustrates that an entire nation is blessed or cursed by the good or bad deeds of its leaders. When the kings served God, the whole nation prospered. When they abandoned God to serve man-made gods, the entire nation suffered. Do you think God will overlook our sin because we’re Americans? He didn’t overlook Israel’s and they were and are his chosen people.
I can’t make you vote for godly candidates. But please note that you’re decisions not only affect you, they affect everybody. God is a God of Justice…and in this nation’s case…it’s long overdue. Perhaps the reason this nations hasn’t been totally destroyed already is that enough Christians voted their conscience the last few elections.
No, I’m not saying George W. Bush doesn’t have his faults. He does. But he is a man that supports godly morals and family values. So you can blame him all you want for the current crisis in our nation, but don’t forget that things could, and probably should be a lot worse than they currently are. When you finally reach heaven, you can ask to be shown what life would have been like for the last 12 years if pro-life leaders had not been elected. But then, you might be told, “I’m sorry, we don’t have horror films here in heaven.”
Pray hard before you vote…take time to listen to God’s voice. Thank you.

Peace & Blessings!
Mat Getsi

O:K Campers! There's something new in the works. I've spoken with Fr. Nick Pagano about a new project going on at Berea College Campus. We're talking about having a Praise and Worship night one Monday each month once school starts back...and that's just around the corner. I'll post more information about this in the next week or so as the details are lined out. Until then, God's grace and transforming love surround you and make your life absolutely awesome.

Good News Campers!
Mark Getsi (Bass, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Vocal) will be joining us on stage for the Spirit & Truth Worship Fest on May 18th. I'm really looking forward to this one, as it's been a while since we've been able to just "cut it loose" and rock out for the Big Guy.
Peace Out!
Mat Getsi

You know what's totally ironic? When a person or band has a web-site, it's often very misleading to those who log on to it. If a band doesn't really have anything going on, they can update their site daily...with whatever bits and pieces they can dream up...because they have time to do it. At other times, when they get really busy with their music, there is much to post on the site, but no time to post it...because they're too stinkin' busy! I seem to be on a see-saw that goes from one extreme to the other. Anyway...
The "Spirit & Truth" tour is still in the developement stage. The current situation is that music preparation is taking up all our time, and there's scarcely any time left for organizing and promotion.
Currently, James Allen Stanley (drums) and I are working up a duo approach to playing out. I'm putting lots of hours into sequencing the bass, keyboard, synth, vocal harmonies, etc. using my Kawaii Q-80 32-track sequencer. The end result is that there's less musicians to have to pay for each performance, but you still get the "full-band" sound. Cool, huh?
So, currently, we're rehearsing several times a week and I'm sequencing in the in-between times. Add to this 1) Playing weekly for the EKU Newman Center 5:00 PM Mass each Sunday, 2) Playing for the Our Lady of Mt. Vernon 5:00 PM Mass on Saturdays, and trying to squeeze in an occasional jam with our good friends up at Northside Baptist Church....and you get the idea. Extreme time shortage. But I realize that this preparation time is NOT an acceptable excuse to not keep my friends and fans (gosh, that word bothers me) posted on current events. So I offer you my deepest apologies for being remiss in my duty. I'll try to do better from here on out.
God's Peace,
Mat Getsi

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ! Lately, the Holy Spirit has impressed upon me that there are many, many true worshipers out there who are frustrated that there simply isn't room in their home-church services (or at anyone else's) where they can worship with the freedom and intensity that their souls crave. This is true in almost every church I've ever been too. Structure is a good thing. It's needed and extremely important. But it's undeniable that sometimes people need to just worship...freely, without time or format restrictions.
So I now have a concept of putting together a worship tour...a series of dates in various locations where we can come in, lead worship for a couple of hours, possibly have a guest speaker for 10 or 15 minutes and reserve time for intercession, if we feel so lead.
But now, I NEED YOUR HELP. The difficult part of all this is to determine where to take this roving worship service. So I'm asking all who read this, who are "true" worshipers, to email me at: matgetsi@matgetsi.com
and let me know what city you live in, and how many other worshipers you know who would want to attend a worship service, if we do one in that area. This will help us to determine where to schedule events and hopefully meet a deep need that simply isn't getting met elsewhere.
So there's your homework! God's Peace, Joy, Wisdom, and Love surround you always.
Mat Getsi

Hello All!
Discussions are under way about a 3rd album. I've been talking to Ronald Reed Jackson (Producer/engineer), Mark Getsi (bass, trumpet, vocals), and James Allen Stanley (drums) about hitting the studio again.
The present plan is to focus on the singles for release first, with the goal of releasing a new single every three to four months, with the entire CD ready for release within a year.
I'm hoping that this will be more of a "group" feel than a "solo" feel. With a group, you always get a different chemistry (sound). Many people have noted the difference between "New Fontier/Psalms" and "Mat Getsi/Deeper". One major reason is the "chemestry" involved in a group project. So now I'm after something entirely fresh...a new chemistry, not yet discovered.
A schedule has not yet been set, but the ideas are being tossed around, so stay posted. Until then...

God's Peace,
Mat Getsi

Hello everyone! Life is really bizzarre sometimes...especially if serving the Lord is your main thing. Concerts have taken a back seat for a while as God has called me to other areas. As part of the Barnabas Project...a helps ministry that I've been working on, I'm currently working with a group from Lighthouse Assembly of God in Mt. Vernon, KY to help them put a praise team together for leading Praise & Worship there. And about twice a month I'm lending a hand at Northside Baptist Church by playing guitar for their praise team. So it seams that a typical "Mat Getsi" concert is not in the immediate horizon. BUT...starting in November 2007, I (and the band) will be leading Praise & Worship for a community worship service every week for 15 weeks straight. We're still debating on how many of these services each weekend and in which cities they will be held...so stay tuned for more developements. So that's it for now. Take care and God bless you always.

I've been waiting to post this one until we were ready to release it as a single. That happens within the next 48 hours, so...let's dive into the story behind "I'll Be There For You."
This song was written for my ex-step-son, Christopher, who really got messed up and lost in the drug scene for a long time. For a short period he had started coming to church and got baptized (that was awesome), but within a few weeks, his zeal began to fade. Within a few more weeks, the light was all but extinguished.
It wasn't long until all contact was cut off and he escaped to a dark corner where the light from true Christians could not shine on him. When people are living a life that they know is not pleasing to God, it's extremely abrasive to be around fervant, true Christians. This situation gets tough when it drives a wedge between father and son.
"I'll Be There For You" says all the things that I wanted to be able to say...and wasn't given the chance to. I also mixed in some spiritual truths in the song that seemed pertenant, like..."a spirit that don't get fed can't last too long." I hope that these simple (though gramatically incorrect) statements of spiritual insight may help some others that may hear the song.
I will also be sending this song and a request for dedication to the "Delilah" show where people send in requests and dedicate songs to those they love.
This song was dedicated to Christopher, who is actually doing much better now. He's on the road to recovery, has a good job, and is putting things together again. The one thing I haven't seen and I ask you, my friends (some call that "fans") to pray for, is that he will find his way back into right relationship with God. At the present time, he attends church now and then with others, but he's not serious. He desperately needs to realize that he is not the center of the universe, but that God is the center. When he puts God back onto the throne of his heart, all other things will fall into place.
May God bless you all with Wisdom, Knowledge, Peace, Joyful Confidence in HIM, and Clear Guidance in all things...even the mundane, day to day tasks. Praise God!

When Chuck, Joe & I recorded the "Psalms" CD, we got 500 CD's and 500 cassettes...bad move. NOBODY buys cassettes anymore and so we have lots of cassettes sitting around that we'll never sell. So here's the deal...you can get one FREE! All you need to do is pay for postage. So to pick up your free cassette, just mail a check or money order for $2.40 US or $3.00 Canadian to:

Mat Getsi Ministries
P.O. Box 1472
Mt. Vernon, KY 40456
USA

It's that easy! So I hope to hear from you soon. Take Care and God Bless & Keep You ALWAYS!

Yours in Christ,
Mat Getsi

Hello Campers! I just gathered together all my scraps of information regarding radio airplay and am honestly quite surpirsed. Cuts from the Mat Getsi / Deeper CD are being played on 16 radio stations thus far...yes, you heard me right...16. Here's the latest listing, in case you get any of these stations, you may want to contact them and say..."Play it again, Sam!" Anyway, here's the list:
Chic FM Montreal
CHVN Manitoba
CIBW Alberta
CINU Nova Scotia
CJOA Thunder Bay Ontario
CJTK Sudbury Ontario
CVCR Nova Scotia
Galaxie Satellite
Gospel Road Calgary Alberta
VOAR Newfoundland
eJNM - Montreal Nord- Quebec
New Web Radio @ www.newwebradio.com Christian Radio Access @ www.injesus.com GWR @ www.gwrradio.com Craised Praise Radio @ www.live365.com Celebrate Radio @ www.celbrateradio.com
I know that this CD is "Old News" now for many of the faithful...as it came out over a year ago, but for many it's still brand new. It could still be new for many of your friends, as well...spread the word. This music ministry needs all the extra drive it can get.
Take care and God bless!

Hello Everyone! My brother sent me some information that I thought I'd share with you. In WWII an advisor to Churchill organized a group of people who stopped what they were doing at a particular time of the day and prayed for England, it's people and peace for one minute (collectively). The same thing is being organized here in the U.S. If you would please stop whatever you're doing at 9:00 PM EST, (8:00 PM CST) - (6:00 PM Pacific) and pray for one minute for the United States, it's troups, citizens, and for a Godly Nation. There is great power in corporate prayer...and our sinful country desperately needs the prayer. Please join in!
Thanks,
Mat Getsi

Hey Campers! Today we'll take a quick look at song # 10, "Come to Conquer." Many people would assume that this song was written sometime around 2005 when the CD was in progress. Actually the song was written in 1984 or 1985 in a classroom at Roane State Community College, where I was a Piano Performance Major.
This song celebrates the fact that when Jesus comes back, it will not be as a meek savior, gently offering salvation to those who would accept it. When He comes back, it will be as the triumphant king! The time for salvafic grace will be over...and judgement can commence. Power & Glory are what we can expect, and I, for one, am pretty excited about the prospect.
May the grace that surrounds us now encourage you and inspire those you love to accept Jesus now, while there's still time.

Don't forget that Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00 PM is the 11th annual Unity Fest at the Rockcastle County High School Auditorium. Mat Getsi will lead Praise & Worship, local youth teams will provide skits, music, enterpretive movement and a highly motivational guest speaker?...This will be an event to remember! Don't miss it.

Hey, it's time for another installment of ...about the songs. This week we'll look at "Seasons Changing." This song was therepeutic for me, as it resulted from a very stressful time for me.
Every parent has to eventually come face to face with the ominous "Empty Nest Sydrome." Through a series of events far too complicated to elaborate on here, I raised three boys for a number of years. Then I lived alone for a time. Then, when my spiritual son (and ex-stepson, James) decided to try to straighten out his life, he moved in with me for a few years. He did remarkably well for quite some time and even became the drummer for New Frontier after Chuck left.
But the time came when he moved out. The stress involved was further enhanced by the fact that he showed all the signs of a drug relapse. It's one thing to send your kids off to college, but another to know that drugs had become an enormous wedge between you.
So it was not a totally peaceful parting.
Thus verse one was born from a parent's attempt to cope with having the last of the kids leave the house and dealing with the new lifestyle of living alone (except for my two dogs).
Verse two is semi-hypothetical, and is a more concrete example of how people can be abandoned by the people they depend on...something that everyone, even Jesus, has experienced at some point.
So the message of the song is what God taught me through this life-event: Nothing is tragic if you trust in God. For He can take even the worst tragedy and make something beautiful come out of it. Often times we make situations far worse and extremely painful because we refuse to trust God completely. But if you think back on ANY situation that was tough and painful, and consider what it would have been had you trusted God completely, the pain would have been dramatically reduced and the gain would have been dramatically increased. So the overall message, I suppose, is TRUST GOD IN ALL THINGS AT ALL TIMES. If you do, you'll find that there's nothing tragic here.
God's Peace,
Mat Getsi

Today we'll look at "Forty Days & Forty Nights." There was no particular experience where this one came from, because it's not about me. But I did write this one during a period of time when I found myself doing several forty-day fasts for various reasons. Now I must clarify that I'm not talking about "total" fasts. But I would give up certain meals and other things that I normally enjoyed daily for a period of forty days. Forty day fasts are particularly powerful for many reasons that I probably don't have room to expand upon here.
But here are some interesting facts about "forty-day" fasts: 1) Beelzebub means "Lord of the Flies" 2) The reproductive cycle of flies is 40 days. 3) Jesus fasted for 40 days before starting his public ministry, 4) Moses fasted 40 days on two occasions in order to get an answer from the Lord. 5) Forty day fasts are primarily used to break down strongholds and to achieve complete, lasting victory over a situation or weekness.
But please be careful not to try to overdue. Do a 40 day partial fast (giving up comfort, entertainment, certain foods, or certain meals), but don't make the mistake that many saints have made and destroy your health in the process. Be wise and prudent. May God bless you today and always.

Today we'll be taking a look at the song, "I Will Follow You." One day while travelling south on I-75, heading back to Mt. Vernon, KY, I kept hearing the refrain of this song in my head. It was months, however, before I got around to writing verses for it. But I often repeated the chorus in my head, waiting for further inspiration. Then it came to me to write something about the myriad pressures in the world that try endlessly to get you to conform to the World's way of doing and seeing things, instead of being Holy (which means "set apart"). We are to influence the world, not let the world influence us. Thus the song was built on the concept that it is best to let God influence you and you influence the world. This is how we are to be salt and light for the world. So let your light shine brightly!

Yes, I know that I am late getting this next blurb out...but it's a very busy time of year. Anyway, there's not much to say about, "Jesus Loves Me" as I didn't write this one. But sometimes at church I enjoy taking an old standard hymn and seeing just what I can do with it to spunk it up a bit. This was the case with this song. Other people must appreciate the idea, too, because this song is rated # 2 in digital downloads (from the album) on sites like Napster, I-Music, Rhapsody, etc. And I have to admit...the recording of this song was an absolute blast. My brother, Jean and my nephue, Chuck came up to Kentucky to put the vocal harmonies on it. We had a great time...laughing, sarcastic comments, and just trying some totally cooked-out ideas for harmonies.
And as if that wasn't enough, my excellent friends, Shelley Parkerson and Diane Ott came and added some praise at the end of the song. In the end, I think the fun we were having transferred well onto the recording. After all, it should be fun to be Christian...for the Joy of the Lord is Our Strength! BE STRONG IN CHRIST. AMEN.