California

This week I am in the land in which I was birthed. California, as usual, is treating us great and the weather is perfect. We are only here for a few days but are managing to zigzag up and down the state getting very little sleep and squeezing in a few rock shows while were at it. We have been presented with many technical challenges as is always the case when we fly but we've been able to overcome them and have some good shows. I love coming back here but it is always so strange now. I grew up here and know the state very well so it is very odd to come back as a visitor. It still feels somewhat like home because it always will but i actually almost feel out of place now sometimes when i come. Next week we start our fall tour which will be a lot of work and I'm fighting trying to get over a cold. I hope we have enough time to recover before the craziness starts. I have a couple more days to spend here in my favorite state and then I get to head home and be with my 2 favorite girls. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more interesting topics and thoughts soon.

Still Here

Hey,
don't worry I haven't given up on this blog yet.I've been in pennsylvania these last couple weeks and without good access to the world wide web. It has been a great time to relax and enjoy watching the beautiful fall colors slowly come to fruition. There are few places that rival the beauty fall like PA. Maine is rumored to have amazing fall colors and I will see it first hand this weekend. I leave tomorrow at 6am to head to the airport and off to Maine for probably less than 20 hours. I will then finaly head home for about 3 days until I am off once again to my home state of California for a few days. It's been a busy summer and the fall is no different. It's been nice to have this time to relax and refresh a bit before things get crazy again. I'm really looking forward to the holidays when things slow down a bit. I'll try to post some more soon about the things I've been reading and learning. Now I must return to my family and enjoy them as much as I can for a few more hours before I leave.

Good bye Washington

Today is somewhat sad because we are leaving the beautiful and idyllic getaway that we have been at for almost 2 weeks. We have had a great time here and the guys have even managed to begin work on somke great new songs. Things are sounding good. So it is with a bit of sadness that we leave but i also feel renewed and ready to take on what lies ahead for the rest of the year. It won't be too hard at first since mer and Jess are heading to Pennsylvania for another week off to rest and enjoy family and hopefully cooler weather. I hear that it has finaly rained in Nashville and cooled off a bit so hopefully by the time we return the weather will be bearable. I think after this week I am really looking forward to the fall and all it has to bring. We will be on a tour with our good friend Jason Gray and it should be a great show. I think we were all feeling a bit road weary before we came up here but are now a bit renewed and ready to pick up the fight where we left off. Now the time has come to bid adieu to this place until next time. We love you winthrop.

To live well

As I reflect on this week I feel renewed and encouraged. The irony is that this week I had an encounter with pain and although it hurt, as pain does, it was good. I found that pain and suffering can bring peace. It's in our pain and suffering that we are perfected and strengthend. We are so afraid to face our fears and problems because of the threat of pain. However, it is only when we allow ourselves to feel the pain and sufering and confront our demons that we can begin our recovery. I think many of us have been handicapped by the notion in the church that as Chritians we aren't supposed to feel pain or suffer. Often we are led to believe that we are to always be happy and filled with joy. The problem is that we live in a fallen world. The reality is that there will always be pain and suffering. We can't avoid it, the question is how do we deal with it. Do we bury it and pretend like we don't have problems and everything is fine? Or are we brave enough to be honest and admit that we hurt and that we struggle?

This issue is something I've thought about for awhile but never really done anything with it. Authenticity is something I've always desired but my fear of confronting and feeling the pain in my life has kept me from it. This week I had an experience with the pain of my life and it was a revelation. Was it hard? yes. Was it worth it? absolutely. Accepting the pain and being willing to walk in it allows me to know and accept who I really am. It's only when I'm willing to be broken and deal with it head on that I can live authenticly and be able to give myself away, my true self. When this happens there can be true intimacy with my wife, my friends, my family and everyone in my life.

I'm sure I will have more to say on all this in the future but I'm just flushing out what I have learned and felt this week. I'm on a journey and can only pray for courage to face my life with honesty and to live more authentically with those in my life.

On the road follow up

This week I find myself basking in God's glory and grace once again. I am very blessed to be able to spend time with my family and friends in one of the most beautiful and amazing places in washington state. We are at our anual artists retreat up in the mountains at one of the most luxurious places I'll ever get to be. This place would be a five star resort if it wasn't privately owned by some of the nicest people you would ever meet. So that is why posting has been off for a few days. I've been trying to relax and reflect and soak in everything we are lerarning up here. I will post more soon on the things that have been going on here but for now I wanted to give a quick update on one of my last posts. I asked the question of why i do what I do and tried to come up with a good reason. I wrote it at a time that was difficult and when I was tired and maybe a bit frustrated at the circumstances. We were on the road to go do a show for free 10 hours away, outside on one of the hottest days of the year. The set up was gruelling and the day was a hard one. It reinforced the question of why. What were we here for, why did we make that sacrifice? A couple days after the show we received an e-mail from the head of the radio station that brought us in to play. His e-mail was more timely and needed than he may ever know. The e-mail is as follows:

Let me tell you a story. One night, in a small city in the midwest, about 1500 people came to an outdoor amphitheatre to see a couple of new artists most, admittedly, had never seen live before. In fact, most admitted they had only heard one song on the radio from these performers at best. They came for the atmosphere, or because previous acts who had performed there were more well-known, or just because it was date night or something to do for free with the kids.

Then a shocking thing happened. The concert began. First two songs- still sitting on their hands, but starting to lean forward. Third song- now fully engaged and starting to sway. 5,6,7 songs in- riveted to the testimony and the music of this sweaty man named Jason Gray.

Fast forward ten minutes. By now everyone is wondering if the next band could possibly be as good as what they just heard. It was Friday night and the stars were out. Time for some mellow music and coffee right? The river was running deep just 20 feet behind the stage, a wedding reception was being held in white tents just down the Riverwalk. The mixture had everyone as relaxed as they could be... and then the music startled. That's right, startled. The first song was a rocking number that pushed adrenaline through the mostly middle-aged crowd and featured a low lead singers voice that was engaging and electric. This was worth staying for. It was written on every face.

Fast forward 5 minutes. The second lead singer opens his voice. Shock. Total, utter shock. People who brought friends turned with an "I told you so" look, but not matter. The newbies just stared, jaws dropped, not believing a band already impressively tight could be fronted by not just the guy with the husky voice, and accomplishment in it's own right, but this ridiculously perfect pitched second voice. For 55 more minutes they cheered the drummer, jumped with the bass player, hopped, swayed, raised their hands, pumped their fists... but they mostly just stared at the Canadian in cropped pants and a drenched white shirt.

By the end of the night the rock stars who need money, and their friend Jason had given much more than they would possibly receive that night. They absolutely, clearly pointed to Jesus, while simultaneously rocking the riverwalk crowd. In the end a tuxedoed wedding party member walked over, listened for a few minutes, bought a green t-shirt, and tossed it to his new bride.

I think a lot of lives started a new chapter that night.

Thanks for making it happen. Please give our deepest thanks to Jason and all 4 guys from the band. They traveled far and worked hard and we do not take it lightly. But man did they make some serious fans on Friday night. I literally had a guy turn to me 2 songs in to say "I'm convinced- this is my new favorite band!" They were absolutely spot on. Just fantastic.

Some great pictures are online at kxoj.com. If you need the originals let me know.

Thanks for partnering with us,
Bob

Thanks Bob for your words of encouragement and thank you to everyone who came out. Also most importantly thank you Jesus for using us even when we weren't willing.