Music: Michael W. Smith
Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can’t believe the hopes he’s granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we’ll keep you close as always
It won’t even seem you’ve gone
‘Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord’s the Lord of them
And a friend will not say “Never”
‘Cause the welcome will not end
Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long
To live as friends

With the faith and love God’s given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you’ll live in
Is the strength that now you show
But we’ll keep you close as always
It won’t even seem you’ve gone
‘Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

I’ve been good friends with the Raders for some time, and I know they have been blessed with family, friends, health, and a roof over their heads. But those close to them know that their history hasn’t always included all of those blessings. At one time in their lives, they suffered through a dream home that suddenly threatened them with a mold outbreak, creating a life-threatening health nightmare for their family. They lost the house and all their possessions, but thanks to God, they survived through the worst of it. But I’m not here to post that story, just to give context to their latest news.

So it’s with great excitement that I post this link to their latest success story: their “Hope for the Journey” project at
http://www.knprader.com/. In their own words, “the purpose of the site is to provide you with hope, help and encouragement along your life’s journey.”

Enjoy the fruits of their labor.

And the top 10 best moments from 2008, that the audience never saw:

10. Watching a herd of men deadlift a grand piano off the stage and back up again.

9. The little boys in kids’ choir trying to do a spellout, getting it wrong (“J – E – S – S – aaaah ! “), then the big big boys in Dance Team inviting the little boys to join them in a “SHOWTIME” circle (awesome role modelling!)

8. The audience’ first reaction to the SNOW, then getting hit with snowballs, then their reaction to “my brother’s a flake!”

7. The entire Van Aken family making memories with Federica and her Center High School friends that she’ll take halfway ‘cross the world.

6. John complimenting the kids’ choir for singing louder than the choir! YEAH!

5. The visuals, starting from “with a tail as big as a …KITE!” ooohhhh, AA-OOOO”

4. At the end of “Light Your Christmas,” Erik lifting little Makenna to put up the tree topper.

3. Steve Pearce’s discharge papers: “Did you just TOOT?” (ask him!)

2. Brian Bigelow’s ushering challenge and how God used that to result in a torn card.

And my number one favorite memory from “An Evening in December 2008:” The significance of Laura Voska’s solo, especially:

“Next year at this time,
I’m sure that we will find
some things are just not quite the same.
Each season is diff’rent than before.
May we never take for granted
every Christmas from the Lord.”

So, remember your favorite Christmas moments and remember that God Blesses you 24/7.

John says the 2008 “An Evening in December” will be like none other that came before this one.
Every year he says that, but based on what he’s shared so far, wow, he’s not kidding.
Without spoiling any surprises, just realize that this year you may surprised by the following changes:

• Artistically, throw out everything you have come to expect. Whether you’re a first-time audience member, or a veteran of any of the last 15 productions, just when you think you know what’s coming, be ready for a surprise. Unexpected staging, unexpected plot directions, unexpected shifts in focus will lead to unexpected results for the audience.
• Musically, be prepared for radical surprises in its flow, format, and feel. That means veteran showgoers, who think they can predict the opening number, closing number, and everything between, will be kept guessing to the end.
• Visually, from set design to costumes, nothing that the audience has seen from past productions will be rehashed in this year’s show. Just when you think you know what you’ll see next, the visual will change.

I can tell you this: the previous year’s ten performances spread over two weeks have given way to a new schedule for 2008, just seven performances over one week.

So, if you have someone special in mind to take to the 2008 production of “An Evening in December,” don’t miss out when tickets go on sale in the fall!
And, after the show, let me know if you indeed experienced moments of puzzlement!

Second.Wind

Sunday, I witnessed the tight horn licks, straight up and funky rhythm section and spot-on vocals of “Second Wind” the new surge of energy in its 2008 rebirth of the ’70s Sacramento horn bands Sparrow, Slippery When Wet, and East Wind Band.
The period of mental and physical exhaustion was purely my own, AFTER the concert.

The venue: the Sacramento Buddhist Bazaar, 2008, where thousands came for teriyaki and culture and walked away saturated with funk and soul.
The music: arrangements from James Brown, Tower of Power, Average White Band, Sly, Santana, and others way too greasy and funky to list (and it’s way too bad that I didn’t bring a video camera or audio recording.)

For now, you’ll just have to live with photos.

Related Links

• myspace.com/secondwindjams
• FunkyFlea’s Second.Wind

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high,
and don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm, there’s a golden sky,
and the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain,
though your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
and you’ll never walk alone…….
You’ll never walk alone.

from Carousel, by Rogers and Hammerstein

# # # # # # # # # # #

In a month, I’ll let you in on why I’ve posted this song’s lyrics.
For now, here are the Madison Scouts as they close with it.

“These notes are so high, we’re all going to need a truss.” Words like those from Kevin Corrington would keep me in stitches during choir rehearsals, any time we opened a song for the first time and spotted unbelievably high tenor parts.
Now, the tenor section in “An Evening in December” will always be one great man short as Kevin has passed on from this temporary Earthly life to his eternal life with Jesus.

Today, Kevin’s family, friends, and coworkers gathered at First Covenant Church to celebrate his life and recall just some of the memories that he brought to each of us.

We learned not only of his talent on the gridiron that earned him praise in college, but also of his incredible academics that resulted in his long career with CalTrans’ Legal division. From his coworkers, we learned of his incredible knowledge and memory of the law, of his attention to detail, and of his humor.

We learned of his faithful love for his wife Carol and daughter Elizabeth, and his devotion to his entire family.

We learned of his passions for sharing the good news of Christ’s eternal plan, starting with the early days of BSF and through its incredible growth. We learned that Kevin played a huge role in the eternal salvation of many men, their spouses, and their families.

We learned of his talent for music, humor, acting (and even dance), that were already evident to those of us in the choir and became evident to the thousands who witnessed “An Evening in December.” Two of his best-known roles come to mind.

The first was his role in 2003 as “Pinky,” a former secret operative who went undercover as operator of a mission and also doubled as the basketball coach to a hilarious gang of mission kids. He was a spectacle in his backwards ballcap, turquoise t-shirt, doing the now-famous “are-we-being-tailed? spy move.” His second was his role in 2005 as “Grampa” to Maddie, a little urchin whose December 25th birthday made her unhappy that hers was always being forgotten during Christmas.
His passion for gently sharing lessions with little Maddie in that fictional world mirrored his own real-life passion for gently sharing with those in our real world. Maddie — and our own friends — needed to hear that she would benefit most in life if she put Christ first.

We learned that Kevin really pushed himself to make it through this last year’s “An Evening in December.” His health wouldn’t cooperate with his passion, yet he made it through nine of the ten performances. I and others knew how much effort it took for him just to ascend the stairs to get onstage to sing the key message during “Cry Out to Jesus.”

And now, I salute him as I know that he has just joined that incredible tenor section, able to hit the most unbelievably insane high notes with ease.
To those of us who have faith in eternal salvation through Jesus, we know with confidence that although we miss him now, some day we will join him in that choir.

Kevin Corrington
August 23, 1946 – January 6, 2008

I’ve been a DCI fanatic since I saw a video of the Santa Clara Vanguard in ‘73. I’ve witnessed some great live performances and was one of the lucky ones in the stands at DCI World Championships in Birmingham ‘80 and Pasadena ‘07. Milt, my bro, marched in Freelancers and is one hecka lower brass horn instructor with the World Champion Mandarins. Name a song and he and his best friend Bret can identify the corps that included it in their repertoires. Milt named his first-born, Madison!

So, what are the top ten ways experiencing AEID is like experiencing DCI?

1. drum line
2. hundreds of pieces of percussion equipment and props (rain sticks, gourds, and amazing stick work) in “Sing We Now”
3. John Williams’ “Cadillac of the Skies” in our repertoire, performed by Cadets ‘02 and ‘01, the Academy ‘02, Freelancers ‘89, and others
4. plenty of fluids and chow “backstage” to feed the cast and crew
5. audience applause accompanied by disbelief in what they just saw
6. you can FEEL the sound
7. the buzz on the street from those who witnessed the show to those who didn’t
8. guaranteed family-friendly content in this day of “wardrobe malfunctions and risque dancing”
9. our final curtain call elicits thunderous applause and a standing “O”
10. when the last show ends, there will be tears, hugs, and goodbyes from the members, many who won’t see each other until next year’s performances

(Bret and Milt, thanks for inviting me to enjoy the DCI experience in Southern California this past summer. Using GPS and the Internet to find Cavaliers’ finals run-through practice field, almost rear-ending a car after finals (“Shields UP!”), midnight munchies, BD’s “blow-my-face-off” victory concert, “Eureka!” during SCV’s show, debating the controversy over Cadet’s prelim disappearance, sleeping bags in airports …all great memories. I shot the photo of Madison right after their Friday show, just outside the Rose Bowl.~geewhiz)

The Christmas Carol meme of the week, how well do you know your Christmas carol lyrics? hmmmm….I got 24 out of 25 right.

From the Chicago Tribune, 25 Christmas carol lyrics. How well will you do? And if you can get at least half of them right, I’ve got a choir at VSP that carols the hallways.

John, our director, doesn’t direct the choir during any of the 17 songs in the musical.

When he reveals this information at his workshops at worship ministry music conferences, other choir directors think that John must be insane.

He has many excellent reasons for doing that. Just one reason is that he doesn’t want to get in the way of an audience receiving the message from the music, by distracting their gaze to the director’s arm movements.

But let me say that he can direct us without directing us. I will reveal one technique that he uses.

During “Sing Noel,” the lyrical piece just following Pastor Ted’s invitation, and 16 songs into the performance, John knows that the energy in the choir might start to sag.

.

Whoa, wait, I can’t reveal his technique yet. Stay tuned for part two of this blog entry after Dec. 10!