Some interesting new turns in this ongoing story.... First of all, I'm excited to announce that I will be a guest on EWTN's "The Journey Home" program, hosted by Marcus Grodi on October 30th. Second, I've scheduled five concerts for the month of September, which is the closest to being full-time with my music as I've ever been. Third, I've started designing websites again in order to support my family. I feel like I'm supposed to be my own boss, rather than take a full-time job with another company, so that I may have the freedom to pursue more concert opportunities.

Please pray for me and my family as we consider the next step.

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Still no full time job offers, but I do have some temp work with a road construction crew. That should carry us through the next couple of weeks. God is good. I'm hoping that the absence of full-time offers means that the Lord intends to bless my concert ministry.

Two concerts are scheduled so far. Would you like me to come to your church?

Thanks for your prayers!

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More prayers are needed!

After quitting a very good job, moving 1000 miles North, and closing on our new home, I was told (about an hour after the closing) that the job I had been offered is no longer available. That puts me and my family in a bit of a bind, but I believe that God will provide. I am beginning to wonder if the timing may be right to launch the concert ministry that I have wanted to do for a long time. May God's will be done.

I intend to speak with a few nearby priests in the morning to see if those doors start opening. I hope they do; I would love to travel from parish to parish proclaiming Christ in song. But can I support my family doing so? That is the question. And only God knows the answer.

Please pray!

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Thank you to all who have prayed for me through the last several posts regarding my family's desire to move back to Minnesota. In the last few weeks we have seen God provide with some powerful answers to prayer.

We sincerely believed that the Lord was leading us to rejoin our extended families, so we prayed unceasingly for a new job and for the ability to sell our home in Mississippi. I was particularly inspired by the Lord's parables, where he taught us to persevere in prayer. My wife and I were confident that God was leading, so we stepped out in faith and made an offer on a home in Minnesota. It was a little backwards, and eyeballs were rolling I'm sure. Usually you get a job and then buy a home. But within two weeks I had a job offer (in a completely different trade!). And within another two weeks we found a buyer for our home, and we are closing on the sale at the end of this week.

After more than three years, we are finally moving back to grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and cousins. We are completely in awe of God's wonderful mercy and rejoicing in His goodness.

On yet another positive note, my fifth CD is almost completely written. I'm hoping to save up for a good keyboard and start recording. Please keep this project in your prayers, too. I hope that the songs will draw many closer to our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ.

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I still don't have a job in Minnesota, but I am more convinced than ever that God is moving us in that direction. This has been a good lesson for my two young sons on how we need to persevere in prayer. It's been a good lesson for me, too.

Maybe today...

If you're reading this, please offer up a little prayer for me and my family.

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My family and I would very much like to move back to Minnesota. But I have no job prospects up there, which is sort of a problem since my family likes to eat and have beds to sleep in, etc...

Lord, please either change our circumstances or change our hearts.

Jesus, I trust in You.

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Yes, I'm still alive... I simply haven't had any time to write anthing lately. My wife and I bought a fixer-upper, so when I'm not at work...I'm at work fixing the fixer-upper. Painting, tiling, fixing holes in walls, etc, etc, etc.

We've been praying about eliminating some of our debt, and this opportunity presented itself.

St. Thomas More once said, "The things that we pray for, good Lord, give us the grace to work for."

Sometimes when we pray for a new house, God answers by sending us a hammer and some nails.

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I've been trying to begin a career as a songwriter lately. In the process I've been trying to get recordings into the hands of Nashville celebrities (with some success). No big name celebs have actually decided to record any of my songs yet, but I have been able to get a few "hearings". It can't hurt to try, right?

I was a little disappointed that no doors seemed to be opening for me, but my Advent Season reflections have helped me overcome some of that. What I mean is this....

Jesus didn't spend time rubbing shoulders with celebrities. He was born in a stable and identified with the poor throughout His entire life. He never took center stage and spotlight. I guess I should consider it a great honor, then, if the Lord intends to keep me and my music small and unnoticed.

I keep praying that I would be able to do something BIG with my music, but maybe God is best glorified by my littleness and by the fact that it never comes easy. Maybe He is better glorified when I struggle for His sake then when I succeed and it all comes easily.

May the Lord's will be done.

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I released CD#4 for free on my site last week. It's called "My Heart At Worship". I was debating whether I should even put it on the site, having some self-doubt about the quality of my work. Finally, I came to the conclusion that it might as well bear a little fruit with all its imperfections, instead of waiting indefinitely in my recorder for me to get some time to re-work the songs. One never knows how long we have left on this earth to do the work of God. My prayer is that a few people will be drawn deeper into the worship of our great God and King as a result of these simple musical reflections. Maybe some day I will have time to re-visit the songs, too. For now I'll keep the CD on my site as it is (on the bottom of my recordings page, however).

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OK. It's been a LONG time since I've written anything here, and probably no one ever reads this anymore. Oh well....

It's worth a journal entry at least, and if you are reading this, then welcome to my private thoughts.

I have been praying hard about trying to get some of my songs published and into the hands of some serious recording artists. I am coming to the conclusion that I am a better songwriter than I am a singer/performer. And that's just fine with me. I would be very happy to let someone else take the stage and spotlight and remain that anonymous songsmith in the background. No one has to know my name. I just want the songs to reach their full evangelistic fruit bearing potential. It would be nice, too, to be able to make a modest living to support my family with my own craft.

May God's will be done.

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It's better to be cheated than to cheat.
It's better to be despised than to despise another.
It's better to be wronged than to be wrong.

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CD#4, entitled "My Heart At Worship" is just about done. This will be my third project that I've recorded in my closet. I think all the recording is completed, but I would like to have it professionally mastered. In fact, I would really like to have all four CDs professionally mastered and duplicated. From what I understand my CDs would sound so much better if I did. Perhaps some day the Lord will provide a way for me to get that done.

For now I'll keep muddling along with what I have. I pray that God will be glorified by my humble efforts.

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My grandfather just passed away yesterday at 102 years old. He will be sorely missed.

Living a long life is a blessing, but according to Grandpa, it has a downside, too. The worst part for him was that he had to grieve the loss of so many loved ones whom he outlived. Two wives, siblings, and numerous friends... You can imagine how many funerals he attended in 102 years.

This life has its joys, but also its heartaches. These momentary sorrows on earth, however, remind us to look forward to our eternal reward in Heaven where sickness and death are forever abolished. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, who is the Life and the Resurrection.

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OK. It's been way too long since I've written anything new here.

My wife and kids went up to Minnesota for the summer again this year, so I have set up my recording gear in my closet again for CD#4. Please pray that God will bless my humble efforts.

I had an interesting phone call this past week from a nun in Washington. Sister Patricia hosts a radio show, so she asked if she could interview me regarding my little music ministry on the web. The Lord used her phone call to fill me with new hope and encouragement.

I've also been motivated to start praying about possibly saving up for a small inventory of professionally made CDs that I could sell. I still would like to let people download songs for free from my site, but it seems that there are many who would rather just buy a CD. Maybe they have slow internet connections or just don't have the time to burn CDs, etc.

I'm praying that God will make His will abundantly clear as I consider this new direction.

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My family is missing Minnesota. Almost three years ago we moved to the Memphis area for a new job. My career is better than ever, but my family is miserable.

It's the little things that we miss the most. Going to the cabin with Grandma. Walking in the woods with Grandpa. Birthday parties with the cousins. The lakes and trees. Small towns where everybody knows your name....

While I am providing well enough financially for my family, I am torn by the sinking feeling that I am actually doing them a disservice by depriving them of these intangible riches.

Lord, You know the sadness of our hearts. You know all things. Please shape our lives according to Your perfect will. Jesus, we trust in You.

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