Alright – first things first. After years of doing the daily updates for my friends of Gospel Music Week, I went to bed last night instead of doing the blog. I know – slacker! So here I’m combining Sunday and Monday into one post and hopefully I can do daily updates for Tuesday and Wednesday. Have you ever seen the “Close Talker” episode of Seinfeld? Elaine’s boyfriend, played by Judge Reinhold, is a close talker, violating people’s personal spaces while... Read more

24 lovers will recognize Harrison Ford’s geeky assistant Chloe in the new movie “Firewall.” I saw it tonight and it is just an action-packed, nail-biting movie, kinda like 24 but with more violence and language (unfortunately). One of the interesting points is a young male character whose cell phone ringer was familiar. I thought “is that ‘What A Friend We Have In Jesus?'” A few moments later, the character is helping lead worship (believe it or not) at an inner-city... Read more

I just got back home from a screening of Narnia in Franklin, TN and I just have say it’s just such a wonderful film. My main familiarity with Narnia was watching the cartoon movie as a kid so I wasn’t aware of all the subtle and not-so-subtle spiritual allegories. I know there are so many comparisons to Lord Of The Rings but for me, that was more entertainment and this one, I just found myself being amazed with the messages,... Read more

Thankully, I felt good enough to go and go and work the red carpet for the very first time last night. I had a media spot reserved for the premiere of the new Veggie Tales video, “Lord Of The Beans.” Along with spotting my pal Mark Lee (Third Day) and his family, I saw other top CCM artists and industry players out with their spouses and children. Red was the color of the night, at least for me. Red carpet.... Read more

A few nights ago, I mowed my lawn in the hot summer sun. Before that, I picked up what seemed like an endless supply of sticks and branches. By the time I got inside, cleaned up and met a friend for supper, I was so thirsty. The poor waitress was so sweet the first few times she filled up my glass but I could see it start to wear on her on the fifth or sixth water fill-up. I’m sure... Read more

Imagine if you will an old drive-in movie theater in the middle of the country with all of the lights turned out and everyone gone home. Dark, deserted and spooky; the signs of a classic horror movie. This was exactly where I found myself at 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. My faithful sidekick Lady sat in the car while I used the only possible lights, my car’s headlights, to look around, keeping an eye on the pitch-black concession stand, an abandoned... Read more

I saw Batman Begins last night after church. I want to say I’ve been waiting for this film for years but really, since the Burton flicks didn’t quite get there, I’ll go ahead and say most of my life (check out the picture for proof – it was my annual birthday cake featuring the dynamic duo)! What a great movie and faithful rendering of my favorite Batman version, the one represented in comics (sorry, Adam!). There are nods to the... Read more

This song has been going through my mind for a little while so I thought I’d share it. It was at my first ever GMA in 1996 when Rich Mullins performed at a late night concert (it was also the first time I saw Third Day). This picture is a souvenir of the night and a prized posession of mine that I’ve shared with members of the band. What drew me to the song is it’s not easy answers but just... Read more

Last night, I had a great opportunity to meet my good buddy Greg Lareveitzear and his two kids, Andrew and SaraJane, for Steven Curtis Chapman’s “All Things New” concert at HiFi Buys Amphitheater in Atlanta. It was a great time! We arrived at the venue and went first of all to a meet and greet with Chris Tomlin and TobyMac, who serenaded SaraJane with “Gone.” Greg asked him if he was going to do “Yo Ho Ho” which is a... Read more

I saw a great concert last night at Tennessee Temple University featuring Sarah Groves, Bebo Norman and Fernando Ortega. All three of them make beautiful music and it was a nice fit to put them all together in concert. None of them are really rock acts but more laid back and acoustic. So the concert was pretty much like that. It was one of the more reserved concerts I’ve been to and that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s kind of... Read more