Final ‘08 Small-ish Group

I’m thankful I’m in a Community Group, or a small-ish group (16 people) as we call it, for many reasons. (We’ve also been dubbed the Band Of Misfits.)  Two nights ago, we had our final meeting of the year, and group member Casey Darnell led us in an awesome worship time.  The night was kind of a small group meeting/party/worship time/communion service.  There were way too many pics by Billy Nolan to post them all, but here are a few.  Thanks, Billy.

 

 

 

Glorious Interruption (free song download)

(If you don’t want to read this whole post, at least skip to the end for instructions on downloading an amazing song and watching video of the song performed live.)

 

The posts have been somewhat infrequent this holiday season. I’ve been doing planning and preparation for Christmas programs/services at 3 different churches.

 

Today I borrow a page, literally, from my friend Casey’s blog, because it contains an amazing song that he wrote for Married Life Live at Northpoint and Buckhead Church. I played it for the pastor of Connection Church, where I’m playing on Christmas Eve with Rudy Vaughn and others. Not only did he decide we should put it in Connection’s Christmas Eve service, but he’s now building his sermon around the song.

 

In Casey’s words:  Imagine your wedding plans and all the wonderful dreaming that takes place when you’re planning for marriage…your hopes for what life will be like, etc.  Joseph and Mary were no different then anyone else who was planning for marriage and dreaming of their lives together.  So the song takes place in the middle of what that story might have been like for them…as things took a different turn one night.

…speaking more to what their marriage and their plans would have been like as it was interrupted…gloriously…by Jesus, the son of God! The reality of how He wants to interrupt us…invade our plans and our dreams and show us more than we could ever hope for…by His glorious interruption in our lives.  

 We’ve all been through things that have made life difficult at best.  Our plans were altered, tragedy happens…or your life isn’t turning out as you had hoped.  

My hope for this song is that it will speak to that, and highlight the reality of Jesus IN our lives, our circumstances, pains and heartbrakes…good and bad, and that when Jesus is IN the middle of it…we begin to see it all differently and purposeful.  I keep asking this of Him, how might He want to interrupt my plans this season…this year…and give me more than i was expecting.

 

It’s a beautiful song, with piano by Davis Harwell and strings by John Carrozza.  You can download the song here at Casey’s page.  Please do.

 

Also, and this is way cool, you can watch Casey’s performance of the song live, along with a few words from Married Life director Ted Lowe at the Married Life web page.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

 

Oh, what a night.

Not sure where to even start.  Thursday’s night’s final Buckhead Music Project at Velvet Underground rocked.  Rudy Vaughn, James David Carter, and Jamie JAMM Portee all killed.

 

Rudy had a new bass player onstage with him, a good dude/good player named Wes Flowers, who plays for Butch Walker as well.  

 

(Sidenote: Butch Walker has a new record coming out and is playing at The Loft in Atlanta on November 10.  Read all about it here.  Many of you remember the Atlanta band he fronted, The Marvelous Three.  The other two-thirds of the Three (Jayce and Slug) are buddies of ours.  And my son is in the band Second Wave with bassist Holden Fincher; his dad is Jayce, Marvelous Three’s bassist.)

 

Rudy’s set ranged from Michael Jackson’s Beat It to original songs; also, for the first time, I saw Rudy play sax and he destroyed it - in a good way.  James David Carter was excellent, as usual.  Dude has insane falsetto.  JAMM and his band, complete with horns, capped the night off with some great funk/jazz/r&b fusion, or whatever they call it.  Chantae Cann joined him; she’s a background singer for India Arie and is an amazing, new voice on the Atlanta scene.  JAMM also brought both his wife Joni (also known as INOJ) and James David up on stage to do some guest vocals.  

 

Other friends of ONE Atlanta that were there: Michael Johnston of Smalltown Poets, a surprise attendance by original Smalltown Poets drummer Byron Goggin who lives in North Carolina, Moxie Davis with wife Clarissa, Big Snow (on turntables in between bands, doing his thang), Ryan Fitzgerald of theAMP, Casey Darnell, too many amazing musician friends to name, and a bunch of Buckhead Church staff - not the least of which is ‘Los Whittaker (thanks for the pics dude!)

 

 

Majesty

Have been somewhat removed from blogworld over these last few days.  Just returned from the Charlotte NC area, where I was doing some consulting work with the three campuses of Christ Church.  Great people up there.  Cindy and our youngest, Jett, went with me, and we had a great time.  I was trying to remain inconspicuous as I observed their environments so I really didn’t take any pictures.

 

Folks, I’m in Christmas mode already and I’m loving it.  I’ll be the band leader for Buckhead Church’s Married Life Live on Dec. 13th, and we’re already picking through songs, singers, charts, and the like.  

 

Apparently, I’m not the only one thinking Christmas.  Check out today’s post over at our buddy Casey Darnell’s blog. His Christmas song Majesty is really powerful.  Casey will be a part of Married Life Live as well, but at Northpoint’s Alpharetta campus.  Here’s hoping the song he blogs about makes it onto the program at both campuses.  Please check it out and drop him a line.

 

Who’s ready for Christmas?

Powerful stuff.

 

Wow. Just wow.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more powerful worship service.  And I’m not saying that lightly.  ONE Atlanta led worship at Safehouse Outreach downtown tonight, a ministry to the homeless of Atlanta.

 

 I thought the roof was going to come off the place.  A couple of us had a hard time composing ourselves onstage.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen and heard worshipers that passionate, genuine and loud!  I don’t know what else to say.  I hope we can take a bunch of you with us next time, December 2nd, to sing along with us and perhaps help serve food.  

 

The band was Casey Darnell, Jamie JAMM Portee, Ashley Appling, Phil Rogers, Nick Pirtle, and me.  Thanks to Philip Bray, Drew Benton, and the whole Safehouse crew for having us.  Powerful stuff, indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone up for joining us next time?

Action!

So, I’m sitting here waiting to soundcheck at The Vinyl for tonight’s show with Moxie Davis Worship.  Our buddy Chrystina Lloree Fincher is also playing; she rocks.

 

The pic to the left is from a video shoot today for theAMP and ONE Atlanta Music.  The video segments are basically songwriting tutorials and Q&As that we’re teaming up with theAMP guys on.

 

We got some cool interviews with producer Dan Hannon, Casey Darnell (pictured with me; I’m on the right), and Michael Johnston.  Not sure when they’ll be edited and posted, but please stay tuned; I think there’s some cool stuff there for aspiring songwriters.

Just the FAQs.

 

Our friends at theAMP have their first AMPSaturday event coming up in less than a month. It happens Sep. 20th at Midtown Church in Atlanta GA. Below is an installment of Frequently AMPed Questions with theAMP’s Ryan Fitzgerald and our pal Casey Darnell. (The previous installments are easy to find on YouTube.) What is theAMP and what is an AMPSaturday? Well, it’s all about the next generation of worship leaders. Click here to find out more and stay tuned to their site for more installments of FAQ.

 

 

Just for fun…In the above clip, Casey Darnell makes a vague reference to a very old commercial. Anyone catch that? Well, here it is.

 

 

 

 

Casey’s blog

 

Casey Darnell is a good friend. And he’s a good songwriter. This blog he’s started should be good, because he usually has really good thoughts on whatever it is he’s talking about. The conversation is always interesting with him.

 

Some random items from our friendship: He’s in my Community Group. We carpooled together to a rehearsal today. He beat me at Tip-In HORSE on the b-ball court twice yesterday. We went to Sydney Australia together last summer for the Hillsong Conference. And, he’s almost 30, folks; he only looks like a teenager.  I like to call him Darnell Harris.  About 4 of you will get that. 

 

Please check out his blog and his record. 

Tonight’s the night.

Tonight at 7:30pm.  Buckhead Church.  Night of Worship.  Led by Casey Darnell, Seth Condrey, Eddie Kirkland, and Carlos Whittaker.  I’m on keys.  We’re expecting a ton of folks.  Please come.  

Time to get AMPed up.

Our friends at theAMP opened registration this past Friday for their first AMPsaturday, which is coming up Sep. 20th.  Read on for how you can get a 50% discount on this event.  

 

So, what’s theAMP?  They’re a new, non-profit organization based in Atlanta whose heart centers around equipping and connecting the next generation of worship leaders.  The way the vision plays out is primarily through two environments: their website and regular one-day conferences called AMPsaturdays. This fall they are hosting two AMPsaturdays in Atlanta - one on Sep. 20th and one on Nov. 8th.  Again, registration is now open.

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