Merry Christmas!

Section 8 Prayer & Bible Conference Design

Andy McKee

I have always appreciated people who have a "knack" or talent for playing instruments. Thought I would share this. Andy McKee - "Drifting"

Home Missions Design

Celebrate the Season 09'

Missions Conference 09'

Everyone is Invited!

Malta!!

I am sitting in the country of Malta, waiting for the Missionary to get here to pick us up. While I had some time I thought I would blog a quick post. I don't have any pictures quite yet but will try to post some later.

We got in last night about 2:00 am (3:00 pm Cali time) and went straight over to the Parkers home. The Parkers are the UPC missionaries here and awesome people. We ate a sandwich and they took us over to our room. Needless to say, over 30 hours of wondering airports and London, left me with a "not so clean" feeling. A shower was welcomed. Just driving around last night, left me in awe. BEUAITUFL.

Today we are expecting to see a lot more. Where the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked, places he walked, and the Island itself. If you remember right, this is the place where he spent 3 months of his life when he was shipwrecked, while being held prisoner, on his way to meet Augustus. Had his hand bitten by a viper, and threw it back into the fire. Very incredible things.

Church tonight and I will post more later.

TS

Harvest Party Design

Yikes...

I think I am going to pass on the smart car

CONNECT Youth Rally

Sometimes a break is needed

I am sitting here in a local coffee shop in Greshem, OR trying to remember how to blog. It has been awhile since I have entered this world and I am trying to think of something worthwhile to write. I truly am not a committed blogger. But in this day you actually have to like doing it and want to do it. Facebook makes life a lot easier.... :)

My mind thinks back to Campmeeting in Santa Maria last week. What an incredible time. Probably one of the best campmeetings I have been in and a success. Bro. James Hughes talked in such a way that it hit right down home. His sermon talking about what the true job of the Holy Ghost is was truly mind shaking. Bro Kinsey delivered the word like no other in the evening. You've got to get the "wag". Awesome, awesome time.

Over these last two months I have traveled extensively. Truly it has been an experience and I am loving it. I would do it full time if I could. Starting out preaching in Arizona for 2 weeks was an incredible experience. I love the youth of the Arizona district. Great district and great people. Going to Oklahoma for a few days was equally rewarding. Indiana was great as always and I was able to see all my family again. My Grandma is 93 and still pretty sharp. I will post a story about her next post. Going back to Oklahoma for a few days once again proved to be incredible. God moved. Then back to Arizona for about 4 days. Awesome, awesome time. Here is a shout out to Jason Akers, David Staten, Kris Keyes, Jeremiah Lopez, Delmon Sansom and anybody else I forgot. Campmeeting was next and that passed and now I am in Greshem (Portland) with Bro and Sis Graves. Great people. Holly Sue and Jeremy Mullings are a blast and we have been having a great time. It seems like when you get together with good friends you can talk forever.

Whats next? I don't know :) We'll just have to wait and see!

But anyway, that's whats on my mind right now and I might post something else tomorrow. If the coffee kicks in..... :) TS

WAY Choir 09' in Citrus Heights Info

Remembering....

This is a video I made that we showed over Memorial Day for the Church in honor of our veterans. I love the footage on this and it is priceless. I can't give much more than a true "thank you" to our veterans and I can never repay the price you paid for our country. We will forever be indebted to you and will always be grateful. You will never be forgotten.

Thank You

This picture caught my attention and kind of tugged at me. What an awesome country we live in!

New CD Design

Here is a cd design I did for my friend Luis Lenzi. Yes it is finally here for all of you die-hard fans. You can visit his website at http://www.luislenzi.com/. It's an awesome cd and it is totally worth buying so when he gets it up on his website.

The Truth Behind Hip Hop Part 9

The Truth Behind Hip Hop Part 8

taking a break....

This hilarious video was taken after "David" got out of the dentist office.....CLASSIC!

Gossip, Backstabbing and....Leading Worship?

*This was a conversation that Alvin Slaughter sent out in his newsletter recently that I thought was great. I think we all deal with this at one time or another.

My inbox gets flooded with questions concerning dealing with life challenges. Sometimes it's concerning music. Sometimes it's just dealing with other people's attitudes and everything in between. Hey, I'm no Dr.Phil, but here's a question that came to me recently... as well as my answer. See if you've been in a similar situation.

The name of the person who asked the question has been omitted for their privacy.

Question...

I just wanted to know, from your experience as leader of worship, what advice you'd give to a young woman, who's been blessed to lead worship for a large congregation.

She's been singing all of her life, and is fully aware of the "gossip", the "backstabbing" nonsense that always comes along with receiving favor. She pays no mind because she puts her focus on the Lord, but I can see it's hurting her.

Sometimes I see her ready to quit - she's been singing professionally since she was a little girl, and knows the ropes, but there are some in the body of Christ, who may not realize, or maybe they do, that they hurt.

Coming from your point of view...how do you handle the stress, and the hurt....yeah, I know "let it roll of your back", "rise above the occasion", but you know it hurts....so what to say? Any advice sir?

Here's my answer...

Hi Friend,

Great question!

I've come to realize that if I'm going to be successful and move to higher levels in whatever I do, I will ALWAYS have critics. It comes with the territory. Does it hurt? Absolutely!

So I've learned 3 ways to deal with negativity.

First, I have relationships with people that love me and that I love and respect also. So for every bad comment from people that I don't feel are respectful, there is enough strength in my quality relationships to pull me through. They will also let me know when I need a reality check.

Secondly, Even from the days when I held a mainstream job, I've always been more focused on my assignment than everybody's opinion. Backstabbing and gossip is sure not exclusive to the church. It's in the workplace and families too.

You see, I did well when I was in school so I was considered a nerd.

I was a Christian as a kid when most of my classmates were not so I was called a goody, goody and church boy.

I was an overweight kid and now lets' just say a "big boned...haha" adult so I was the subject of fat jokes.

There were many who thought I would never make it in music. Well, for 19 years I've been traveling the world singing Gospel music.

Lastly, I used to be a people pleaser. Sure I want everybody to like me. But if they don't, I'm strong enough to focus on what's important. If she thinks she's going do anything in life of any great measure, she had better have a tender heart and tough skin. When I walk in the door, I know some will like me and some won't.

She needs to work on her self esteem and stop worrying about other peoples opinions. She needs to read biographies of great women who have succeeded against all odds. Her biggest problem is herself, not other people. You can't change other people. But you can surely change yourself.

Strong, firm and steadfast!

You matter,

Alvin

The Odd Couple

I thought this was great.

Monday Musings.....

I'm sick! It started on Saturday and now I am sitting here in misery trying to work on some graphic stuff for an upcoming project. I just keep on coughing up all this nasty junk and it keeps on coming and coming.....it's kind of like God he just never stops giving and giving......anyway...ummm.....

It's been a really busy last few weeks and I am glad to be home today. I am so thankful for all my friends and how God continues to bless and bless even when we don't deserve it. What an incredible price he paid so I could be sitting here right now writing this. IT JUST BLOWS MY MIND!!

A thought has been coming to my mind lately about who God really is. I think a lot of times we praise him because of what we want or because we need something and we forget who he really is. He is worthy! God is just worthy. No how much money you have or how little money you have, he is still worthy. No matter what your going through or may have just come through....he's still worthy.

Down here on earth whenever somebody does something great or accomplishes something of status, we say they have obtained worth-ship. Or they are now worthy to be noticed of what they have accomplished. But God.....he's just worthy. He doesnt have to do anything great for you or me to obtain "worth-ship". If he never did another thing for us the fact would still remain that he is worthy.

So I think we make the mistake sometimes of praising God for what we want or need when in fact we should be praising him simply because he's WORTHY. Because of who he is. THEN when we start praising him for who he really is (worthy), that's when he looks down and says "ok, now that they are praising me because of who I really am and I am Jehovah Jireh their provider I will start providing for them." NOW that they realize I am the supplier of all their needs and they start praising me for WHO I am, I'm gonna let who I am be shown to them in real life!"

It's just amazing to me.

I was at the Allard's house in Modesto last Saturday and snapped a quick pic. We barbecued and laughed our heads off and it was just a great time.

Anyway that's whats on my mind for today...

Random Post in THE SAME DAY!

It's rare I make two posts in one day, but I was driving along the street the other day and these turkeys just started walking in front of me. It looked like a showdown. Pretty funny I thought. The others pics are of a discussion I went to on Saturday in which we talked about "The Church Adapting in the 21'st Century". It was hosted by Pastor Ron Krantz of Oroville and we had a great time.

Pastor Ron Krantz (Host)

Pastor Tim Bledsoe

Roy Fisher

The Intelligence of our New Administration

I was reading on Drudge today, that Nancy Pelosi's plan to solve the economic crisis is simply "Birth Control". I have recently stayed out of all politics lately, just until things simmer down, but I couldn't let this one pass me by without saying something about it.

Reading and perusing this article, the thought cant help but come to my mind, "how much more shallow can you get"? Pelosi's plan seems to lack the one thing that this country needs so much in this time of crisis we are facing. Accountability. Well I take it back, there are two things. You also have to have brains. Reading this, you can see there is no real plan in the Democratic party right now that deals with nor addresses the economic crisis we are facing right now except to spend more to help out the American people.

On the flip side of this, the Republicans don't seem to want to come to reality either. We are in debt. The country is in debt. The people are in debt. And we are spending more money. There does not need to be a plan right now to spend more, but to spend LESS. The real issue here seems to be, we have lost the concept of accountability. Just keep spending, just keep giving bailouts, just keep living above your means. GM is already announcing that the bailout/loan they obtained will be dissolved by March.

We need to get back to the root problem and stop avoiding the real issue here. The economic crisis occurred because people lost the concept of accountability. Go ahead, live above your income, And I'm sorry, but President Obama does not differ from President Bush when it comes down to grasping this situation. Granted we need to give him a little bit more time to see what he can do, but even during his almost first week of office, he has shown that he still doesn't understand the concept that we as Americans ALL need to obtain.

I heard someone say recently, "I am glad this economic crisis happened. We were way to comfortable". I have to agree with this. Am I saying that I am glad thousands are losing their jobs? No. Am I saying that I am glad business are closing? No. But what I am saying is that we needed a huge wake up call to tell us that we need to get back down to where we are supposed to be. We as Americans are so blessed to live in this great country, but have we forgotten how we got to this point? What is it going to take? What has to happen, for us to realize that we have to live within our means?

Birth control? Is that the best you can come up with to solve our economic crisis? Comeone Pelosi. Why don't you wake up and smell the coffee and stop borrowing money from China so you can keep America going. We are the wealthiest country on earth and we can't pay our bills?

Like Rush Limbaugh said today, if her plan were to pass, or if they enacted her ludicrous way of thinking, all you would have to do is put this picture of Pelosi (above) in every cheap hotel room in the country the population would stay down.

Kurtis the stockboy and Brenda the checkout girl

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again,outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday. That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well,let's take the kids with us."

She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.

Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children.Since then they have added two more kids.

So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl? Well,Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NLF's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player. He is a devout Christian and stands by that fact.

Interesting story!

Ready to Go?

• The whale-shaped airship, developed with French national aerospace research body ONERA, will be able to accommodate 40 guests and have a range of 5,000 km. Manned Cloud will have a cruising speed of 130 km/h and a top speed of 170 km/h. Two two-deck cabin will contain amenities including a restaurant, a library, a fitness suite and a spa. There will also be a sun deck on top of the double helium-filled envelopes.

• MANNED CLOUD Cruise Airship, Paris, France

• Living in the sky, watching the Earth from above. Rediscovering the marvel of traveling, experiencing contemplation. Exploring the world without trace Manned Cloud is an alternative project around leisure and travelling in all its form, economic and experimental, still with the idea of lightness, human experience and life scenarios as the guiding principles. The spiral of Archimedes is the driving force of this airship in the form of a whale that glides through the air. Manned Cloud is a hotel with a capacity of 40 passengers and staffed with 15 persons, that on a 3-day cruise in 170 km/h permits man to explore the world without a trace: to re-experience travelling, timelessness and enhance the consciousness of the beauty of the world - and to experience spectacular and exotic places without being intrusive or exploitative.

• Pretty cool I thought. All they need is an In n Out up there and they woudl be set!

Major Changes...Favorite Group

• 1/13/09 (Alexandria, Indiana) - With mixed emotions and tremendous optimism about the future, Gaither Music Group announces major personnel changes for the Gaither Vocal Band, including the return of some of the group's best-loved alumni.
• After more than 14 years as the Gaither Vocal Band's lead singer, Guy Penrod will now begin a new journey. Bill Gaither is delighted to announce today that Guy is pursuing a new direction as a solo artist. It is a bittersweet transition as Penrod will miss sharing the stage with his comrades and he will be greatly missed.
• Bill Gaither states, "I am losing a lead singer, but I am not losing a friend. I am extremely grateful for the incredible contribution he has made to the Gaither Vocal Band's legacy." Guy Penrod has said in response, "My years with the Gaither Vocal Band have been among the most glorious of my life. Now, though, with the Band continuing in strength and me tackling the new challenge of a solo career, we can all serve our God even more powerfully in the days to come."
• As Gaither has stated at various times of transition, "You never replace a group member... you simply find a fresh, new direction." And with that philosophy at heart, Bill Gaither has gone far beyond simply replacing his long-time lead singer. He has completely recreated the Gaither Vocal Band, now expanding the size of the group from four members to five and bringing back an all-star cast of voices from the Vocal Band's rich legacy of talent.
• Effective immediately, the new roster for the five-member Gaither Vocal Band will be: Bill Gaither, David Phelps, Wes Hampton, Michael English and Mark Lowry. Mark Lowry will complete all his previously scheduled solo engagements through April 2009 and will appear with the Gaither Vocal Band at every available opportunity during this transition, beginning with the Gaither Caribbean Cruise on February 22.
• Marshall Hall, who has sung with the group since 2004, will no longer serve as the group's baritone and will be missed dearly by his friends both on and off the stage. He is a talented singer and producer, as well as an experienced worship leader, who will undoubtedly enjoy a solid future building on the experience gained during his five remarkable years with the Gaither Vocal Band.
• The public's overwhelming early response to the January 20th release of The Gaither Vocal Band Reunion DVD, as well as the group's 2009 Grammy nomination, has already begun what could be the group's most unforgettable season yet.
• The first live concert of 2009 will take place January 29 in Huntsville, Alabama, and tickets are still available. For more 2009 concert dates visit http://www.gaither.com/ and click on the 'Tickets' banner.

TV or Cell Phone....Not Your Choice

I was reading on Drudge a few minutes ago, about this latest idea cell phone/TV/Internet companys are coming out with. Basically what they are saying is that if you own a cell phone you will be carrying a TV on your hip pocket very soon. This makes the argument almost irrelevant on which is worse: Internet or TV? What is the difference? As time wains on, the answer is there isnt one. The technology is becoming one. They are both becoming the same thing.

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about the latest "buzz thing" that is being presented right now at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The biggest tech guru's are saying "within 3 years, no longer will people have a television in their front room they can just turn on, buy they will actually have to log onto the Internet in order to watch a "live" program". Now they are saying that you will be able to access it (you already can to a limited extent) and watch what you want on your cell phone very soon. So how can we say we don't own a TV when we will be carrying one in our jacket, pocket, holster or briefcase? The argument goes on.........

I don't own a TV, but I thought this was an interesting article nonetheless.

Coming soon to cellphones: Free, over-the-air TV buzz.yahoo.com/article/usatoday/ By David Lieberman, USA TODAY

Millions of consumers by year's end should be able to watch free, over-the-air television on cellphones, PDAs and other portable digital devices as the result of initiatives that will be unveiled today by some of the nation's largest TV station owners and electronics manufacturers.

The changes promoting on-the-go viewing are "quite significant," says John Eck, president of the NBC TV Network and Media Works. "If we play it right, it can be a compelling service," for example, by offering local news, which normally isn't available from cellphone video services

At least 63 stations in 22 cities — including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Washington — will transmit news, entertainment and sports to portable devices this year, according to the broadcast industry's Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

The initial group will include affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW, ION and PBS. Each city will have a different mix. Most will simulcast regularly scheduled shows.

In conjunction with the announcement, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, manufacturers including LG, Samsung, Zenith and Kenwood will display mobile receivers due in stores later this year.

Portable digital broadcasting became practical over the last few months. The OMVC zeroed in on an inexpensive transmission process that addresses a serious problem in the national switch from analog to digital television in February.

"The digital TV standard that was adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1996 was optimized for high-definition pictures on fixed sets," says LG Electronics USA's John Taylor. "But when you move around, the signal breaks up."

That affects the few current battery-powered portable digital TVs popular in disaster-prone areas.

Executives say that consumers with the specially equipped new receivers can watch shows in moving cars and trains.

Stations had to be able to receive a signal from the receivers, so they can tell advertisers how many people tune in, says ION Media Networks CEO Brandon Burgess, who's also president of the OMVC. That could later be used for interactive and subscription services.

Executives say that the new portable TVs can receive signals as far as 60 miles from the transmitter and can run up to about four hours before batteries need to be recharged.

New Years Ball Drop in Sacramento

A new tradition started last night in Sacramento. At 12:00 PST a new years ball dropped in downtown similar to the Times Square event. Thousands gathered downtown and excitement was in the air, waiting for the magic number to come. Mayor Kevin Johnson was master of ceremonies for the night and got the crowd pumped up. I thought what a cool tradition to start on the west coast! Don't let all those New Yorkers have the fun! What better place to start it too! 5 minutes away from my house...