From KSAT:

The local Chronicle also filed a report from the San Antonio paper. Not sure what to make of this poor reporter's assignment:

Even in the men's room, AT&T custodian Donald Fuqua, 47, sensed something special.

"I can tell the Holy Spirit is here," Fuqua said. "When you see people come together, it's the way they look. You can see it in their face. He's alive today."

There's also some "playing to stereotype" reporting in the article (emphasis mine):

He said his aim isn't to compete with churches, but "to plant a seed of hope" for those facing economic woes, ill health and other troubles.

His smile never faltered when asked by reporters about critics who decry his feel-good sermons as "Christianity lite" that depart from strict biblical teachings.

Osteen said he tries to inspire people to do what's right, to give them hope and help them cope with problems. He also said his message is aimed, in large part, to people who otherwise have limited exposure to religion.

The upbeat theme clearly resonated with spectators like Mary L. Dickinson, 72, who drove from Laredo despite four herniated vertebrae and an ailing leg

I'm not sure I should have expected better from a reporter who works out of the men's room. I'm curious that if the reporter's characterization that a message of hope was primarily aimed at those in need of "health and wealth", you'd think there might be some aspect of an actual quote that should be included. And while it's by no means off limits to highlight an interview with someone who drove a ways to worship or that might even have a health issue, it should be pointed out there do exist a fair number of people who are perfectly ambulatory in attendance. Shocking though that may be to some.

I contemplated the trip to San An, but it looked like most of the organized trips out there were overnight stays and I was looking forward to some rest & relaxation on Sunday anyway. One of the groups that reported from their journey noted that they couldn't even get in since they failed to get tickets in advance.

Two random thoughts that finally clicked for me last night while waiting for the service to get started.

Thought #1: Lakewood's 3-yr anniversary arrives in the middle of next month.

Thought #2: The speaking schedule at Lakewood's website still lists "TBD" for July 12-13

Ya think there might be something special in store for that? No idea why I never thought about putting those two thoughts together. Guess I was just thinking they were maybe lining up another John Maxwell-caliber guest speaker for us and had to wait for things to get finalized.

Who knows ... maybe they are and nobody's saying much about it. Not that anyone should be disappointed if Joel just kicks off another three-part sermon on what food we can and can't eat again ;-)

Actually, the reason it probably clicked for me is that I realized I've got three rather significant anniversaries coming up during the summer. My "Lakewood-iversary" which coincides with the anniversary for moving into the current digs. My blog-iversary for my first blog in August. And the blog-iversary for this lil blog in September. All pretty much a month apart from each other. I'm not sure that I'm into big celebratory moments or anything, so the range of celebration will probably run anywhere from me posting a picture of a party hat to sleeping late each day. Don't say you weren't warned!

Seeing Michael W. Smith is as close to going to Branson as I'll likely ever experience without crossing the Missouri state border. It seemed like everyone who was looking for an alternative to an R-rated movie on Friday night was at Lakewood. Like ... from the ages of 7 to 70. And it looked like they were all getting into it except for the one row of kids in front of me, all of whom fell asleep two songs in.

The mob scene was certainly not as bad as was feared. I arrived by 6pm and folks were lining up at all the 2nd floor entrances, but it wasn't terribly bad. By 6:30, the concourse was by no means as claustrophobic as it was for the last Hillsong show. Come to think of it, I also didn't see busloads of church groups depositing kids at Lakewood's doorstep. Guess that's the difference between Sunday night and Friday night.

Had I wanted to force my way in, I could have gotten a onesie seat up at the front section. But since I didn't view myself as a big enough MWS fan to warrant that sort of behavior, I meandered back toward the sound booth. I arrive, I sit down, I patiently allow various groups to obtain seats further toward the middle of our row. I'm at something like the fifth seat from the end. As the others settle past me, they arrive in groups of 2 or 5. Minutes later - after they've all arrived - they depart one-by-one to the restroom. This is the most brutal form of brutality imaginable to a guy looking to kill 45 minutes of dead time sitting near the end of a row. I don't think I ever made it past two sentences before hearing the faint echo of one more bladder-strained individual offering their "Excuse me's" to get past the dwindling number of us still seated. Naturally, they all returned one-by-one as well. I swear, I think I've finally got abs of steel from my Friday night workout. Feel free to check back in about 50 years and I'm sure my most lasting memory from this concert will be that everyone had to go to the bathroom 45 seconds apart from someone else. That and maybe that nobody else in my section knew how to clap in time to any song performed.

So there was, in fact, a concert, also. A little personal history here. I own all of one Michael W. Smith CD - "Go West Young Man." I remember when I bought it, the guy at the record store took one look and said that the guy on the cover looked like George Michael. Realizing he was spot-on in his analysis, I did some quick rationalization of how much it meant to have the full CD just to get one song - "Place in This World." I really could have used itunes back then. So I'm not the biggest, baddest MWS fan who can recite endless trivia tidbits of his musicianship, ministry, or favorite fast food menu item. Don't bother going head-to-head with me on such matters when it comes to Stryper or Whitecross, though. You'll be trapped in a month long lecture series.

Still, I know the guy's got some chops and he's no slouch, and I'm willing to guess he's a very genuine guy whose efforts should be rewarded with as large a crowd as possible singing along to whatever songs he's singing these days. To my regret, neither "Place in This World" nor "Go West Young Man" were among them. Drats. For better or worse, though, his setlist is a bit more populated by Hillsong material that I've become accustomed to.

The highlight of the night is one simple, brief moment. "Mighty to Save" ... not the most unusual song in the world for someone like Smith to belt out, but I think this earns high marks for the camera work. There's a point where the chorus seems to go on like forever

Shine Your light and
Let the whole world see
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King

And the cameras are just trolling around, picking up so many of the choir folks that I know and love. Singing. For the whole world to (ultimately) see. For the glory of the risen King. I obviously have no idea how the finished product will end up, but I've got to think someone would be making a huge mistake to not use that type of footage for the DVD.

Sure, there were several other great moments to report. Guest spots with Israel Houghton (in English) and the Spanish worship leader who's name always seems to escape me (in Spanish ... natch); Aimee Beard, Stephan Jackson and Dos Mellett's on the background vox. Christa Black on guitar, vocals, and violin (note: every female on stage had red hair. That automatically pushes this event up the ranks on my all-time list right there. Oh, and we should seriously look into what it'd take to get Christa back for another guest appearance. Dibs on picking her up at the airport!). MWS offering a 36-hour old song that at least has the distinction of being written in Houston. I'm not sure why - mixing, my seating choice - but it seemed like I picked up a lot of Stephan Jackson from the background vocalists. No complaints there - he's good.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up Friday night.

A glimpse of what we've got in store this Friday ...

It was certainly entertaining by my count to have the stage setup the way it was Wednesday night. Much of the band is right up front and seemingly more a part of worship. Only drawbacks were that everyone's favorite horn section was stashed back in the far corner and the percussionist area was pretty well hidden behind the new location for the drum kit.

Be that as it may, there was some great song selection for the night and Israel always seems to be the surest to break from the routine that we sometimes find ourselves in. I think I was commanded to address/pray with those seated around me more than any Marcos Witt sermon ever. Seeing a service with Israel & Stephen leading the way was also a treat that I don't recall offhand whether we've gotten to see before.

Be sure to make an excuse to catch the concert on Friday. You might find yourself on a DVD later this year.

Expect another madhouse on June 20. Michael W. Smith is recording a live album at Lakewood.

LIVE ALBUM RECORDING - JUNE 20th IN HOUSTON, TX!

05/27/08

Don't miss your opportunity to attend a LIVE MICHAEL W. SMITH ALBUM recording on June 20th @ Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. The show will be completely free to all comers. The First 16,000 people who come to the church will be allowed in for this SPECIAL recording!

Here are the details:

* Doors open @ 6:00 p.m. CST
* Concert begins @ 7:30 p.m. CST
* There are NO tickets for this event, the entire Church will be general admission.
* For Directions to the Church CLICK HERE!

Make sure you plan on joining us for this special recording. YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS NEW ALBUM JUST BY ATTENDING!

I know I've been a bit negligent in my blogging duties, but better late than never. Hillsong's Brian Houston will be preaching this weekend at Lakewood. So come and get yer dose of Australian accent ;-)

I can't help but notice that there's a big "TBD" on the speaking schedule for the weekend of July 12-13. And on a similar note, I've not seen or heard of any concert performances coming up this summer yet. So who knows ... maybe there's some exciting news to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Two routes for previewing CeCe Winans before this Wednesday's appearance at Lakewood:

» The new album is available track-by-track.

» Since Cindy did a pretty masterful job of a certain popular CeCe song, maybe we'll get to see both of them perform it. If not, enjoy the video rewind while Cindy does it solo.

Or, just show up Wednesday and prepare to be surprised.

Next weekend: Phil Munsey preaching at Lakewood.

Those of you who were at his Wednesday with Lakewood should have an idea of what to expect.

For whatever reason, I didn't fully realize that Joel's Cincy visit was on a Sunday ... a Sunday after he's preaching here at home. Talk about yer tight schedules. I guess he won't be sticking around for Marcos' sermon in the afternoon.

Obviously a reminder here, but Wednesday is a TBN interview taped during the normal service time. It'd be kinda neat to fill the place up some for the middle of the week, so consider making it out if you weren't otherwise planning on it. The week after that we finally get to hear Marcos preaching in English for the first time in what seems like a decade. Man, am I looking forward to that.

I guess I'd been meaning to look more into Phil Munsey before tonight, but I've been busier than anticipated. Regardless, he's teaching tonight. About all I know so far is that he had a series of sermons on Joel's "Become a Better You." He's also got a new book out of his own, "Legacy Now." Just a hunch that there might be a good deal on that book to get it into folks' hands after a message on it? Come prepared. He sounds like a chip off of the Osteen block, so it promises to be great.

SIDENOTE: I'm running the video of Part Three of the series on B.A.B.Y. and I'm immediately impressed to see them doing "Say So" with a guitarist playing a flying V. How cool is that? I think I need to dig deeper into their video archives.

I've got a weekend that's kicking my tail, but one thing to look forward to is Marcos Witt's pre-Christmas service this weekend. Here's a few links to recall last year's festivities with Marcos. It'll be interesting to see how - not if, but how - he outdoes himself this time.

Also worth noting on the upcoming calendar, Phil Munsey is scheduled to be a guest speaker on January 2nd. Munsey just finished an 8-part series on Joel's book over at his church. Wonder if that has anything to do with his appearance in a few weeks. In any event, the series is a great overview of the book, diving into it in a way that adds some richness to the book.

And in the spirit of crass commercialization during the Christmas season, why not at least plug something that looks like a lot of fun:

The lineup hits Reliant Arena on January 26th. I'm planning on it, myself. All the supporting bands are new to me, but I don't need much of an excuse to check out Stellar Kart.

Saturday's service could perhaps be seen on the surface as nothing more than holiday filler. No real sermon to speak of, lots of regular attendees out on vacation or making time for some Christmas shopping. Lots of the folks in leadership also taking the time to recharge during the slow weekend at church. And yet, it was also a great service that transcends a bit of the Thanksgiving holiday intent.

Part of the reason, I'll sum up with in two video segments. The folks you see in these segments, I'm proud, honored, and humbled to claim as friends. To at least me, myself, and I, that multiplies the impact of hearing their Thanksgiving testimonies.

Darryl is one of the Lakewood ensemble singers - you'll also get a shot of him in action at the 2:00 mark on Clayton Ring's performance. It's been nothing short of a blessing on my part to meet a few of the choir & band types and see some positive feedback on what this little blog might contribute to them from time to time. Obviously, I'm a fan of their work ... so the gratitude is more than reciprocated. I typically have just a rare and sporadic moment to talk with these guys, but I have yet to leave any conversation more impressed with the people that lead us in worship than I was before. Darryl, for his part, probably has a great testimony about every aspect of his life. Here's a sample of that ...

Marie is ... well, Marie is Marie. Professionally known as an administrative assistant for some of the best pastoral staff we've got at Lakewood. But also one of the nicer and more encouraging folks you'll ever get to know at Lakewood, which says a tremendous amount. In my own little ministry of button-pushing for Koinonia, I've gone from finding my small group at a table waiting to fill up with people I may or may not have ever met ... to a little group that meets infrequently, sporadically, casually but joyfully in the AV booth. Both are great in their own way. I have to confess though, that early on in that work, I felt that I might be shortchanging myself by not leaving my station to join in at a table. But over time, I'd look around me while in the AV booth and see the folks I'm working with right there around me. That is, typically, my small group at Koinonia. And according to my way of thinking, it's just about the most fun to be had on a Saturday night. Here's one reason why ...

Oddly enough, when I left Saturday night, I thought I'd make sure to get all the services recorded and pick the best versions to post. In the end, though, I went with the first take on each. Pretty predictable on my part. Darryl's segment here is about twice as long as intended and he's pacing off some of his nervous energy; Marie's a bit more nervous here than the Sunday version and you don't get the cute picture of her with her dad that we saw on Sunday. But there's at least an extra ounce more of authenticity that comes from the initial message. And hopefully that shows a bit in the videos above.

In continuation with the Thankgiving testimonies from this weekend, here's one more. The other two were posted for the fact that they represented two people that I claim as friends. Joel & Jonathan, I believe I've only bumped into very briefly once or twice. But their music, obviously, drives a great deal of the praise & worship I get to take part in at Lakewood. But to simply tag them as talented musicians is an understatement of the degree of their musical talent and their heart for worship. Here's their Thanksgiving testimony ...

Something extra to be thankful for today. Although we might not have a special event like the last two versions of The Gift with the Houston Symphony, we will be having a Night of Worship on the day after Christmas (which conveniently falls on a Wednesday).

Sweet!

For now, Paul Osteen for a Saturday night service and open mic night at Koinonia. Equally sweet!

Well, sorta in review ... she still does the third day of Joyce Meyer's Houston conference Saturday morning. So if you're reading this and the sun hasn't risen yet, get going.

First things first ... Darlene Zschech. What to say there? I've always found her Australian accent a little distracting. Compare Cindy's enunciation of "Salvation is here" with Darlene's and you should understand why. Minor quibble, though. But along the lines of what I first admired about her leading worship was that she's awfully bouncy. That's a good thing. A real good thing, in fact. I'm not sure which iteration of the Hillsong band lineup it was that we had on hand, but where they had a chance to shine a little bit, I'd say they were all very impressive.

Among the particulars from the praise & worship, I liked that the opening was a little bit different than we've normally been treated to at Lakewood. It seems like a Hillsong trademark that the start of something - a song, worship service - is slower than it is at the peak. But with a very gentle opening, we were given a full three or four songs to build to a nice crescendo that had everyone hopping. Also, the audio mix was done nicely. Even if you thought - like I might be excused for thinking - that you were there to see Darlene Zschech, we're really there just to worship and give praise. And the mix didn't really let much stand out, save for one noteworthy bass riff. Mind you, I'll argue the converse of this as being just as enjoyable. My point here is that the style was significantly different than our own native brand. A little variety is a good thing.

For the rest of the night, I'll be the cad and note that the length of the night struck me as a bit much. Survivable, certainly ... and by no means should it deter you. But at an extra hour or so, I'll confess to mentally listing out a few things that might have been trimmed.

Of some note to those following current events, it should be noted that Joyce and crew made reference to the financial accountability page on their website. I've got no point of comparison to note how prominent the mentions (or the page on the website) were before the calls for financial records. But it certainly stood out this time in light of the news.

My last meta-observation, I hope to offer without sounding judgmental. But given the popularity of complaining about large churches and their parishioners for being consumerist in their approach to church, I'd offer the confession that it's hard not to take the point as being directed at Lakewood ... what with it being the absolute largest thing going here in the U.S.A. But after seeing Joyce's roadshow, I think I can safely say there's next-to-nothing consumerist about Lakewood. Friday night, we had shirts being flung everywhere. Various plugs for the traveling resource center. And a sizable portion hitting folks up to partner with Joyce's ministry.

Now, I said I offer that without casting judgment. For one, I think that many critics of consumerism and churches ignore a fair amount of Christ's own ministry. Maybe He didn't fling t-shirts into the audience, but it stands to reason that He had His critics of the way His ministry was promoted. Yes, I said promoted. Therein lie the similarities. Secondly, I certainly don't begrudge the ask for partners or offerings. By any means necessary, we should certainly invest where we're called to build God's storehouse. But after 2.5 hours - and my unwillingness to cut a second from worship being set in stone - I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't wondering where everything was heading 20 minutes before Joyce even got around to preaching. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the clockwork fashion of our own Lakewood schedule. So be it ... I can take that. Ironically, it's an odd reaction on my part when you factor in that many of my Saturdays have me at church from roughly 5pm till 11pm. And on a good day, earlier. OK ... end rant.

Joyce's sermon was a healthy reminder, all at once, of why I'm going to maintain my position of "Not my cup of tea" while at the same time thoroughly enjoyable. She presents wonderfully, she holds your interest constantly, she's never boring, you'll have to break down and laugh sooner or later with her. All for the good. And still, I'm there enduring a handful of garden variety "Estrogen Set" humor points, I'm also finding parts of her message a bit too anti-intellectual: "Reasoning blocks discernment" in this case. Without devolving into some faux-theology debate which would really just pass for a test of one's ability to nitpick, I'll add that the part quoted there didn't quite provoke so much as fell flat with me. I won't argue that we should lean unto our own understanding ... I'm just not quite as gung-ho on dismissing the need to figure some things out. Especially when there's a need to discern something. I'm more than willing to give Joyce the benefit of a doubt that her meaning was innocuous - she did make it a minor point that were were not called to simply shrug off any need to do little more than tell people to "Trust God" in times of need.

Her larger message was far better received. Saturday night was a message on the decisions we make in the dark times of our life (based primarily on Daniel 3). Among the lines that did rest very well with me was that: "It isn't when things are going easy that we make progress." It's in the times that challenge us. I'll refer you to my favorite scene from Evan Almighty for another take on that.

And that's where I'll leave things for now. Might have more to follow up on this during the weekend. For now, discuss among yourselves. If it's not too late, by all means get to Saturday's gig. Otherwise, better luck next year.

Apologies for the BlogDearth this week. But there's one thing I'd be just downright negligent to NOT promote this week: Joyce Meyer hits Lakewood Thursday through Saturday.

Thursday ... 7:30pm
Friday ... 7:30pm
Saturday ... 10am

I've said it enough times to be thoroughly redundant, but while Joyce Meyer may not be my cup of tea, I'll be there. If nothing else, Darlene Zschech leading worship is something to clear the calendar for. Still debating which day to check it out, though.

Want a sample of what I've been digging from Joyce lately? Here's two of her recent podcasts:

What Should a Real Christian Be Like? (Part 1)

What Should a Real Christian Be Like? (Part 2)

I'm still not sure what to make of going to church, holding the door open for a firefighter, an angel, and ... the grim reaper. But I had ample time to ponder that as I headed home seated behind a devil.

Kidslife Musical doesn't appear to have been webcast, so take my word for it: them kids got some talent.

Sure, it was a bit cheesy and uneven. But on the whole, good stuff. Everyone had fun and nobody got hurt ... that's always a good sign. Lots of good tunage in the musical, plus we all now have an idea of what Dr. Paul Osteen looks like in makeup (perhaps this had something to do with why there was no webcast?). Aimee Beard and a slew of others (whose names elude my memory) got a bit of a credit for their work on the project. I might have liked to have had a program-type thing handy to keep track of folks, but that's just me. Any of the KidsLife honchos want to check in with that in the comments?

Odd mix for me on a Wednesday. I got to loaf around in the back end of the floor seats, but still had to "enjoy" the presence of a lot of kids in my midst. I swear - I've never felt the urge to grab my shotgun, rock in my rocking chair, and demand that kids get off my lawn like I did last night. Well, that is IF I owned a shotgun or rocking chair ... or had a lawn. But you get the idea. Whatever, it was their night and they seemed to get a kick out of it. The girl that played the younger sister had a couple of good numbers and showed some pretty amazing chops. Not sure if the tunes were lip synched or what, but either way a "Job Well Done" is in order for all involved.

This Wednesday is the Kidslife Musical, which will usurp our usual Wednesday teaching. Joel's already warned us that the kids will get the good seats, so grown-ups like me (assuming the label is appropriate), will probably need to inquire about the comfort level of some upper-level seating. They also promised candy. Good luck to them keeping me away from THAT!!!

Oddly enough, one of the few things I have zero footage of is the video advert for the evening that runs before services. What are the odds of that? Be there anyway. It ought to be great.

So here we are nearly twenty-four hours after concluding the latest Creative Arts Summit at Lakewood. What to write? At my briefest, I'd like to highlight the fact that no matter which moments are a given to savor - if not to list high atop the highlights - what makes the event so valuable is that you inevitably get some sort of surprise. A surprise that usually sticks with you for a while. Last year, for me, it was Brenda Arnold-Scott taking a poem into flight as a song by the time she was done with a reading. This year, it was one of the final singers. Name escapes me .... Deeton? .... Deaton? All I remember is that MC Y'Dhanna cracked wise after the lady gave her her name. And then the lady belted a beautiful performance that at least I didn't entirely see coming. Suffice it to say, there's a lot of talent hiding out at Lakewood.

One of the more interesting ideas to come up (in Cindy's workshop) was the possibility of a songwriters association of Lakewood folks. It'd be great to see that idea take root. And even better if there might be some sort of recording project based on the talent therein. Cindy referenced the notion of a lot of music that just comes from the seed planted in the words expressed in Lakewood: both musically and in sermons. Think of how the pros turned a Lisa Comes sermon into a tune (and then as a title of the Worship CD). Think of any number of songs that Heath Rosborough cut on his CD. Impossible to imagine the list ending there. Yet, with all the different styles of music that influence each of us, it strikes me as an interesting concept to put together something showing the variety of musical styles that, in their own way - and to borrow a phrase, sing from the same hymnal. Somewhere in the back of my own mind, I'm imaging my own heavy metal take on a Lakewood standard right next to the guy that jammed a Randy Newman-style number based on the title of Joel's first book ... right next to Ms. Deaton's number. Might just be me, but I'd buy that. Of course, I'd also insist on inclusion of an Aimee Beard number. Some things never change.

What struck me the most about Cindy's session, was that it sounded a great deal like the previous one I was in with Brian Tankersley. Repetitious in a great way, that is. There's a very different angle that both bring to their message and the way they affirm that similar view was a great combination. As part of my day job, we sometimes do advertising that allows us the opportunity to deliver the same, identical message in two very different ways. Those are the opportunities I love the most, since it gives you the opportunity to throw a great deal into the overall message. As I'm listening to Cindy open her remarks, I'm instantly drawing parallels to Brian's talk. Both of them stuck to a relatively general, philosophical view of their own creative process: songwriting, in Cindy's case; production, in Brian's. What I most enjoyed about Brian's was the sentiment that the role of a producer is to "serve, enable, and to help others." Again, I'm sketching out parallels on my own day job in communications. It's not my own story that I end up telling as part of the job. In a very real sense, I'm performing a similar role as "producer" of someone else's message - serving, enabling, and helping others make their message as clear, effective and amplified as it needs to be.

Naturally, a highlight of Brian's session was taking all 55+ of us on a brief tour of the 5th floor production facilities. It's difficult to get beyond a summary description of just saying "It's really, really, really awesome." Ya know, just dragging out and emphasizing the word "awesome" as if it would become clearer the longer I do that? I think I might have given some descriptor of it as being like throwing a drug addict into a crack store. Not really sure that's the best way to describe it, though. What with it being church and all. Let's just say if I'm ever informed of the presence of a cot and showers, I might have to make some inquiries as to what type of rent it would require to just move into the place. I'd known that the band basically all plugs into the sound board during service - something that strikes the amateur sporadically-practicing musician in me as odd. But I'm not the professional, am I? We - I - got a very real sense of what that allows the production team to do as Brian rolled video of the footage, isolating the drums, keys, choir, vocals, horns ... and yes, guitar! Suddenly, I'm real tempted to see what it would take to make three or four very different versions of the same song from the same recordings. Perhaps just as well that we were all shuttled out of the studio after this. Like I said ... it was really, really, really awwwwesome. I also have to credit Brian for speaking to a particular interest of mine in his discussion, too. Dann Huff (see here for a good interview with him on producing.) If you want to hear why that's a particular interest of mine, here's a CD that should be in every fan of the 80s' collection. If you're not sold after the guitar solo on track four, there's definitely something wrong with you.

Michael & Carrie Hodge's session (started as separate, ended up as combined) was it's own particular brand of awesome. Although the aim wasn't directly at someone like me - I'm not likely to be in a worship band anytime soon and I clearly should not be allowed to sing in public. But it's enlightening to see what all goes into making a worship band great. My own experience has been limited to trying to put together a band that could survive being in the same garage together. And under no set of circumstances, was I ever successful. But I always chalked that up to me being a guitar player with no previously standing musical training. My biggest challenge was always talking to drummers. I never knew what to tell any of them I needed to make any idea I had work. And the few times we had a genuinely great drummer who could do anything under the sun, they'd be up and out for a better opportunity with a band that had it a little more together. Suffice it to say, I saved up for a 4-track recorder only to give it up when I concluded that buying a drum machine was just not a route this purist was willing to take (*hums "I Was Made for Loving You" by KISS*). What was interesting to see in Michael's experience was that the challenges from a professional really aren't immensely different. At the end of the day, you're still dealing with people. And that's a challenge no matter where you are.

The part of the session with both Hodges was something that I'm not sure I've got words for yet. And they didn't even sing one song. That's how amazing they are. And if you ever get the opportunity to observe them working one-on-one to grow the kingdom in a way that they specialize in, it's even more amazing.

Moral of the whole story is that there's any number of moments that could qualify as worth the price of admission. But since I was blessed by a freebie from GuiGrl, I think I have to calculate the event as infinitesimally worth the price of admission (unless barred to do so since I'm dividing by zero). "Great job" to Wendell "Baby" Burton and team for putting the whole thing together. I thought it kinda funny that I ended up getting asked to run video for Saturday morning. Last year, I was a tad trepiditious about going and asked Wendell if he needed any volunteers - thinking that if he did, that might be a worthwhile tradeoff for me. No luck then. No complaints now. I think it's safe to say that the Creative Arts Summit (or, as I refer to it: thingy) is one of the funner events to spend a day (plus) taking in.

Final call ... things kick off tonight.

I'll have a few blogworthy comments posted late Saturday night to recap the event.

Why is it that each time I have one of these long days planned at Lakewood (Creative Arts Summit next week), the only movies I'm interested in seeing in the time between the event and church open the following week?

I might just have to tough this one out and endure a random movie.

Back to the Summit, though ... it looks like the roster of classes is fully posted now. Last time I went, it was more to try and stretch out a few writing ideas of mine. Time seems to have sapped any hope of that from taking off, but nothing really lost. Joan Tankersley's workshop is highly recommended for just about anyone in attendance. From there, branch out to your specialty of choice.

Since I'm still dusting off my guitar for whatever midlife crisis I'm anticipating, it's a given that I'll take part on Michael Hodge's workshop. I may yet ask around to see what to expect from Brian Tankersley's workshop, but it may not really matter. I'm already curious as all get-out over what all the knobs and buttons do on the audio board next to me at Koinonia. Learning any bit more probably wouldn't hurt. As it stands, I'm proficient enough to run the board assuming everything's already pre-set ... like mics already tested, board already turned on, etc. Next step up is learning how to operate the board for a band setup. Check back soon ... I'll be dangerous on the mixing board before you know it.

Beyond that, I'm sorta keeping an open mind. Playing it by ear, so to speak. Lots of fun stuff to choose from. Why take all the spontaneity out of it now?

Seen and believed this weekend, we have official confirmation of the encore performance of the KidsLife Musical on Wednesday, October 31st. Any bets out there as to whether I still end up trying to haggle my way in past a preteen gatekeeper? I kid, of course. Get it? Kid? Meh, whatever. There's a lot of talent roaming the hallways of Lakewood on any given day. This is a great opportunity to see some of the next generation of that. Rumor has it, Michael Woelfel rocks the house. Good guess that he's not the only one.

Hmmm, KidsLife Musical thingy going on this weekend. There's supposed to be some sort of premier going on tonight. If anyone knows the details of whether it's open for one and all, please drop a comment. I'm contemplating going. But if not, there's always Celebrate Recovery to take in. I've got a couple of emails in to some contacts at church, so I might get a response there, also.

In any event, there looks to be a lot of tie-in to the services this weekend. Not sure what. Not sure how. But I'm sure it'll be good.

UPDATE: If you're reading this, but have the option of hitting church sometime tomorrow ... (errr, Sunday), K.D. Carter of KidsLife dropped a comment to note that the 8:30am & 1:30pm KidsLife shows are open to all.

I've been on the 4th Floor around the time of the 11:00am service and can attest that it is a veritable madhouse of munchkins at that time. Naturally, that show's limited to the kids who run that operation. Grownups, get to the KidsLife sesion either before or after. I'm likely to hit one of 'em ... probably the 1:30.

UPDATE 2.0: My run of luck on the 4th floor during Sundays continues. No luck getting into the 1:30pm show for yours truly. Previously, I missed out on an L7 Volunteer Meeting that - rumor has it - was going on on the 4th Floor during a similar time. I'm finding it impossible to envy the chaos those guys have to contend with. In more ways than not, it's a good problem to have. Hope everyone else loved the show. Maybe the rest of us'll luck out and get an encore performance somewhere down the road.