James Taylor "Carolina In My Mind" Live on SIRIUS XM

Love James Taylor! and I can totally relate to feeling homesick for North Carolina many days :-)

Fun ABBA Song

Okay I haven't blogged and truly can't pull my thoughts together to make anything sound coherent...so I thought I would share a memory from my pre-teen year.
You have to imagine the scene: the stairs in our house, no one else home, hair brush microphone...and this song blaring from the ABBA 8-track (yes 8 track, it WAS the 70's) I was having a blast "performing" to the walls. :-)

Glee - Don't Stop Believing

Am so excited that Glee previews on September 9th. The vocalists are awesome. Is fun to remember all the highschool angst from being a choir or band geek Am just excited about the music that they will be performing.
If you haven't seen the official preview of Glee go to Fox.com and check it out. You can watch the entire show online.

My Musical Influences and Remembrances

Okay I am child of the 70's and 80's but my musical tastes are from all over the place and different genres. I have told my mom that I think she had the FM radio up against her tummy when she was carrying me. Ha! I have always loved music and singing. Love Blues, Jazz, Classical, some Opera (depends on who is singing) etc. At home when I was growing up the music on the turntable and radio for the most part was country. Although they listened to lite rock, classical and some jazz. My dad was big into the country music his favorites were Roy Clark, Marty Robbins (my favorite album of his was the Gunfighter Ballads but I just loved his voice) Glen Campbell, etc. My mom loved those too but she added Tammy Wynette, Linda Ronstadt, the Mamas and the Papas, Carly Simon, and some other lite Rock stuff into the mix . They also loved Lawrence Welk music. We watched the Lawrence Welk show and Hee Haw in the same weekend. Can we say opposite sides of the spectrum :-)

Another musical influence was my Aunt who babysat us many times. She was only 7 years older so she was more like a big sister than my aunt. So she introduced us to Fleetwood Mac, Three Dog Night, Jim Croce, and Seals and Croft, James Taylor as well as some others from the early 70's. And of course we listened to the FM radio all the time in the car and at home.

During this time my older brother and I were starting to like our own groups and were sharing albums and records. We listened to the Beach Boys, Elton John, Bread, the Four Seasons (I know, not exactly a pop or rock group) and many others. I wish I could remember the first 45 (record) that I bought. But sadly I can't. I just remember having my little green record player in my bedroom, using the knobs from my canopy(they held the frame of the canopy onto the bedposts; dumb move on my part: the whole canopy could have fallen :-( but hey I was little and didn't know) as my microphone and singing into the mirror thinking absolutely no one in the house could hear me, ha ha ha ! My mom says she loved to hear what I thought they were singing as I sang along. Am sure that was a riot.

As I got into my teen years I began drifting away from my brothers rock stuff even though I loved, Boston, Journey, Pablo Cruse, TOTO, ELO and others that he did I became fascinated with ballads, etc and started listening to the Carpenters (I mean who didn't want to be Karen Carpenter and play drums and sing?) Olivia Newton John, Anne Murray, ABBA, Barry Manilow, John Denver, etc. Yeah all the stuff that made my brother want to hurl. Last but not least in my teens we were introduced to Christian Radio and from that we discovered Amy Grant, Petra (but only on Saturday nights, ha ha) Michael W Smith, Chris Christian and many others. This began a lifelong love for Contemporary Christian Music. Although now my loves tend to run more toward praise and worship.

So all of this created the love for music not to mention singing. My mom has a great soprano voice and actually taught me and my brother how to harmonize usually with her as she was playing the piano to tunes such as How Great Thou Art and It is No Secret, and hymns, as well as some older 50's music that she played as a little girl: Pat Boone and Connie Francis stuff. I loved learning to do that with her. My dad has a great voice as well so he would teach me to harmonize along with his bass baritone notes in church as we sang the hymns. Of course during this time I was taking piano lessons so I was learning notes and chord structures so I could pick out the notes in the hymnal and sing those, but for the most part I just loved picking out my own harmony. To this day I will drive my family nuts because I will sing along with something but not the melody, I am picking out a harmony to go along. At concerts I would do the same thing. A friend in college would get SO irritated: he hated sitting next to me, (but he was the one who CHOSE to sit next to me, so his fault) because I would sing along, not always but lots of times I would (i don't like it when people do that at concerts now, so I am getting paid back for annoying him I guess.) He would ask me the same thing everytime: "Sherry,do you like what they are singing?" and I would say, "yes". Then he would reply "Then be quiet and let THEM sing." Nice, huh? So of course, I would just have to continue to sing along just to annoy him. ;-)

When I entered High school I had a great Choir Teacher: Mrs. Mona Knowles. She was fabulous and loved encouraging her students to use their talents and discover new ways to use and grow that talent. She knew that my best friend and I loved to harmonize so when we had some 4 part girl songs she would encourage Patty and I to find a different harmony and sing out. Now that doesn't mean that it all sounded good, but she would work with us to hear it as well as sing it out. I learned a lot about encouraging people to find their giftedness as well as hearing harmony from her. And she was also a big reason I began praying about being a music major in college and discerning what it was that God wanted me to use this gift for.

I did enter college as a music major(and actually Mrs. Knowles Alma mater: as a vocal performance: contralto; music education. What the fancy voice part means is that I was an alto who had a rather low vocal range but could also sing the lowest of the high range of a mezzo soprano. If you know anything about the keyboard on a piano I was 2 notes shy of having a 3 octave range in college...do i have that now, no way. Haven't exercised those vocal cords in that way in a long time. In college my favorite professor was Dr. Piper. He encouraged me tremendously. When you get into the performance arena in college it can be extremely competitive and intimidating. But he and my voice teacher encouraged me to try new things, new styles, and to quit being shy and SING! They tricked me into singing for master classes etc, just to get me to sing in public more. Yeah really nice to come for a "meeting" or extra voice lesson only to find out you are singing in 10 minutes in front of a group of people you didn't know. I disappointed them however by changing my major to religion just one course year shy of being able to have my music degree. Why? I knew at that point that I was called to ministry and had a religion professor tell me I had to do that. Truly a dumb move and a waste of money and time. I did learn a lot in those religion courses but also ended up repeating many things when I went to seminary. If I could go back and do it over I would finish my music degree and then go to seminary for my religion classes.

So what does all this rambling reminiscing mean? I guess I am asking what have the influences been on your life? Can you trace the lines of where certain loves for things began? Not that that is truly life altering but I think its a good thing to think about where you came from, how you got to this place in your life doing what you do, and what and whom God used in your life to get you where you are now. Its like the memorial markers that the patriarchs of the Old Testament used, those stones of remembrance.Something to look back to. Today you would equate it with the Vietnam vets wall, the WWII memorial, etc. Things that help us to remember what has happened and how we got here where we are. Take some time and think through it, its fun, and I think it helps us to discover all the places in our life where God was sculpting, trimming, directing, guiding and growing us. And all this in turn I think helps us to move forward in our lives doing what God has been leading us toward.

Not too much to say

I just realized I hadn't shared anything lately on my blog. It isn't because there hasn't been anything going on. Its been pretty busy since April 12. Lets see if I can hit the highlights:

• GREAT Easter with my little guys' at church! I love hearing them say how much they love Jesus.


• Taught a class about what kind of person do you want your child to grow up to be at our first annual Moms Expo.


• Enjoyed spending time with our Power of a Praying Parent class of ladies. Love hearing their love for their children and their desires for them to grow in their love of Jesus and to be His life long followers.


• Had a blast running around like crazy people with our Ministry Assistants at the Highland Village Shoppes on secretary's day. We also had wonderful Italian food: chicken,mushroom lasagna is absolutely the bestest most wonderful italian dish on the planet. Well next to several other Italian dishes I can think of. Then we got to shop with them for an hour. Shopping and food followed by Ben and Jerry's. Now how great is that?


• Went to hear the University of North Texas' 2 o'clock steel drum band perform. I absolutely LOVED it. We not only heard GREAT calypso and carribean music but learned about the way the drums are manufactured and made. The musicians were terrific they were so animated and kept you mesmerized with their choreography. Truly couldn't take it all in.


• Sang with our wonderful sanctuary choir for our Gospel Gathering. I think my favorite song that we did was Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone. I love Chris Tomlin's arrangement of this still very powerful hymn.

The saddest thing for me at this moment is that I am not at church tonight having a piratey good time with a bunch of pre-k and kindergarten little boys and their mommies. As you may know we are going through a watch and see situation with the Swine Flu epidemic. Due to several cases popping up around the metroplex we were encouraged to postpone or cancel any extra activities that encouraged large groups to gather. So... we had to postpone our Camp Momanmee until June 19th. Am just glad that we get to make this up. It is SO much fun to watch our kiddoes learn something new about God and His love for them while they are laughing their heads off and celebrating some new thing they did.
Hopefully I will be able to take pics this Sunday to share our children's day experiences with you. It gets kinda crazy busy on Sundays for me. I can't wait to hear our kids sing. I also am SO excited that our Promiseland (children's worship) kiddoes will get to assist in leading worship this Sunday. I can't wait for our parents and adults to hear their powerful, honest prayers and sweet voices singing.
So until the next post, I pray you have a wonderful day filled with joy and will see God at work around you and will look for ways to join Him in telling others the Good News.

"Arise My Love" By: Newsong

I LOVE this song! And the video background images that they added from the movie the Passion of the Christ are powerful. whew! (by the way, there are intentional periodic black screens)
I think the true meaning of Easter gets lost in the busyness, easter bunnies and egg hunts.This video is a great reminder of the true meaning of Easter. It is also very humbling to watch the depictions of what Christ must have gone through to carry the weight of our sin. Remember it was love that drove Him to the cross....

2 year old singing the Lord's Prayer

Oh my goodness!! Wow! If you have a chance go and check out the rest of her songs on You Tube. She is amazing.
thanks Becky for sending me this :-)

Jason Mraz's youngest fan sings I'm Yours

Here is one of my fellow ministers oldest kiddoes singing along to jason mraz. too fun!!! :-)

Beautiful day... and Cringes at American Idol contestants

It was a truly beeeeaaaauutiful day and it was VERY hard to stay inside. Thankfully I kept my shades on my office window drawn or I wouldn't have gotten anything done. I have been in the process of changing my office around. I have had a Noah's ark theme for my offices sense I started in full time ministry. I think it goes with the Preschool-Children's ministry territory for some reason. And after 13 years of full time ministry it begins to add up. So...it was time for a change and for some things to be boxed up and put away. Now my office will reflect a little bit of my love for the beach. I miss it so much and am many hours away from one, so since I spend 40+ hours a week in my office I thought it would be fun to give me a bit of visual beach inspiration if I can.





Now as far as the American Idol reference... I wonder how many people actually have a physical cringe reaction to these contestants? And I mean more the ones that argue with the outcomes, or literally chew out the judges. But its also the reaction to the voices...some just send me over the edge. I can't watch this part of the contest for long. Its too "painful". I actually get embarassed for them. I just hope this season is a bit different than they have been in the last few years, everyone is starting to have the same sound and look. There are very few unique ones that make it. I heard ONE tonight out of 143? That is sad. Also what happened to looking for the next great band?? hmmmmmmmm







Oh well, enough ranting about that.