Well, we are down here in Sunny Nashville, where it is warm, but NOT Sunny...it is raining out pretty hard today, but at least it is warm. Had a good practice last night at 61st Ave Methodist Church (for those familiar with it)...and had some new kids there...YAY. Today we are off to Hopkinsville, KY, where they also have some new kids for us to meet, and tomorrow is a busy one...Jordan is hopefully going to finish all the filming of the old songs, parts, and choreography, so we can get that all edited (with Scott Frech's help) and then get those videos all posted to Drum Stick...for new members to practice from AND to help all of the lead-teachers at in-between practice have easy access to parts they sometimes forget, or don't know how to teach...it will be a great tool for you all for sure!!
Flying back to Iowa on Saturday...meaning...we get back with only 7 days until MEGA practice ONE for this year! It is awesome to think there are TWO mega practices/mega events to look forward to. For me, personally, my favorite part of mega practice is watching the faces on those coming for the first time. When they walk into the room and it is filled with drums, filled with members, and filled with energy, it is awe inspiring...to see what we have built in SR with God's blessing and continued guidance...if not for His hand we would not have made it to where we are today...with so many folks united through a drum lesson to change His world. I know that new members hear about the size of SR...but it is not until you experience it that it truly becomes a Reality!! Until you have been there, part of it, the sheer force of it, the sheer power of it (not to mention the volume of it)...well until you have done it once, you are living relatively Sheltered aren't you?? (Yes, a bad attempt at a Blog Joke)...oops!
We are starting to make progress on the Where to have the Mega Summer Event...specifically it looks like the practice and show will be hosted by Troy, IL...one of the many Southern Illinois churches that the St. Louis group has been to this year...they have the perfect place it sounds like for both practice and the show. Additionally, Annette and the STL kids are working on mission ideas (and Kim R...we will soon be working on this formally with all the IL towns getting involved...we will talk about this at Mega Practice for Easter)...some truly great ideas are being generating in that area and I am excited to see it start to unfold once we get passed Easter weekend (which sadly will be over before we know it...but don't think about that...simply look forward to the time we will all have together...very soon!!)
Once again, I want to remind you all that summer shows are coming...and there are many of them...so start studying the calendar so we can get them all covered as efficiently as possible. IF you are in an area where we don't yet have loads of summer shows...then guess what...Take A Chance and start talking to your local folks...at church...at school...at Chamber of Commerce...wherever and Whatever It Takes...because one great way to get your message further out in your area is to meet and greet summer audiences...and make new connections to local churches, schools, groups, conferences, etc...that we may not yet have gotten to. If you are going to Take a Chance to do this and get someone interested in booking a show, make sure to then let Jordan know so he can get you dates on the calendar, contracts in the mail, and he can work out all the show fee details with whomever the group might be.
Speaking of meet and greet...less than 2 months until I get to meet and greet Cobra Starship! I am very excited about this...as it will be the first time I have actually been able to talk with folks from another band that I really like...so looking forward to that!!
That is all for today...we are hoping Tom from Toledo has a chance to get his Member of the Week answers to me before MTR...(Tom, if you have not worked on those yet, I understand!)...so hopefully I can get those up soon. We also MUST get a new chain story started, so will try to do that before Easter as well...so we can polish up some more writing skills. We will talk more about the blog, the SR book, connection building, and the like at Mega Practice, so everyone look forward to that!
Steve- that is awesome to hear about the 61st Ave Baptist Church is getting new members. I still remember that show. that weekend had such a huge effect on me :)
ReplyDeletewe leave in 7 DAYS!!!! i am so excited...the 25 hour drive will definitely be interesting cause my mom is going and well she has never traveled in a car for two straight days before...i guess i just have to hope and pray that everything goes okay:)
Colleen- i hope everything goes ok for you too! we only have six hours but sometimes it feels like a lot more. But i am really excited for MTR!
ReplyDeleteSteve- FYI i'll have my mom keep practicing the cobra sign!
I can't wait for MTR!!
ReplyDeleteColleen, are you doing another shirt-signing this year?
Steve-Yay Cobra Starship!
ReplyDeleteJovanna-Of course she will have a shirt signing!
To All-Have good travels to MTR! I know my vehical will be...ummmm.interesting...Amanda, Tonia, and I all together. Make sure to be looking for random people dancing outside reststops along I-90!
Colleen- I cant wait!! The 25 hour ride is going to be amazing!!!!!! :D We are going to have a blasty blast in the van!:D Im soo excited! I can't believe that we are leaving next week!
ReplyDeleteCobra Starship...LoVe!!! I got 2 shirts for my birthday and they were Cobra Starship! I was soo excited. Anyways, Steve I hope you have a blast!!! Must tell stories!! :D
Autumn- thanks! i hopw that everything goes well for you too :)
ReplyDeleteJovanna- yes the whole ohio site and Toledo site have matching shirts that people can sign if they want. :)
Kelli- i will be looking haha
Dee- i know i have a countdown on my wall :)
On Dec. 31, 2005, my life nearly came to an end following an auto accident in which my van was hit head on and then pushed across the centerline and hit head on again. I was given less that 50 percent chance of living as I had 16 broken bones, including both legs with severely crushed femurs. Following six weeks of laying flat on my back in the hospital, I took my first step on Feb. 14. It has been a long recovery process to get to where I am today.
ReplyDeleteHowever in the summer of 2006, I met Steve and Jordan at the iowa State Fair. At that time ( even though walking with a walker) I knew I wanted to be a part of the SR family. The music and the SR message struck a chord with me immediately.
In July of 2009, I felt well enough to honor that commitment and made the plunge into the Des Moines Metro Group. At age 60, I am one of SR's oldest members, yet I feel like a "Big Kid" as i fulfill my dream.
I owe a lot to my Lord and Savior for giving me a second chance in life, and I want to make music with the SR family as a token of my love to HIM. . I thank Tom and Renae Lynch and all of the Des Moines Metro group for welcoming me into their "family."
I am looking forward to meeting and talking with many of you at MT Rushmore in just over a week, and at many of the shows during the summer.
Feel free to write me as I love to connect with people of all ages.
I can hardly wait for mtr unforionatly i dont have a 25 hour drive only a 2 and a half one cant wait to meet you all.
ReplyDeleteChuck-That is amazing! I can't wait to meet you either!
ReplyDeleteDrew-Haha it is sad you ONLY have 2 and a half hours to drive, but it's still a roadtrip, and roadtrips are amazing!
Steve, Sorry I am late getting my answers compiled. Let's hope I can figure out how to do it. Let me Take a Chance and if I have trouble, I will Do Whatever it Takes to Phone-a-Friend (oh, wait, that is not SR. I get SR and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" confused. haha). If I need help, I know someone will Be a Friend (that's it!) and show me how.
ReplyDeleteChuck- that is truley amazing. I would not have hd te will to get better and carry on with m life if i were in that situation and did not have SR.
ReplyDeleteDrew- trust e sometimes the drive is the best part. you get closer to your sr family. and yea i cant wait to meet you too :)
Tom- you can always phone us over here in warren we are always happy to be a friend(s) :)
Chuck-wow,that is amazing, can't wait to meet you! :)
ReplyDeleteDrew and colleen- I can't wait til MTR either
To our SR family...have an awesome time at MTR. Make sure you mark your calendars for Aug6 thru Aug8 for Mega Weekend in Illinois/Missouri. We want you all to come. Keep thinking for MTR and the upcoming Summer... MEGA MISSION / MEGA MUSIC / MEGA MEANING. How's that for the Mega Weekends? Since we saw Steve last Sunday, so many things have fallen into place and there's lots more to plan. God is truly working with us to plan our Mega Family Weekend. More to come in the very near future!!
ReplyDeleteChuck- Way to keep "Believing in Yourself!!!" :)
ReplyDeleteChuck---that is an amazing story. I can't hardly wait to meet you in person. You give meaning to "Never Give Up" and "Do What It Takes"!
ReplyDeleteAnd I know that I am going to enjoy my 2 hour drive to MTR! I pray for safety for all of you traveling this next week.
God Bless you all!
Steve is right about the power of the Mt. Rushmore practice. There is something about being in the Mt. Rushmore area with many other people who share a common bond. It is a time to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.
ReplyDeleteThe show is an experience like no other. Some of my most favorite videos are those recorder while sitting in the theatre panning up to the monument and down to the drummers as dawn breaks with SR music and drums playing.
The whole experience is moving, the long drive on a short weekend, the late nights, the long practice, the connecting with friends, the sea of people entering the theatre on Sunday morning in the dark, and then, the show. I've have seen our drummers cry, they are so moved by the experience. Anyone who goes, is permantly changed.
Each year, as I stand in the theatre, I cannot help but to see and feel the awesome power of God. He watches over us, guides us and I cannot help but to feel several thousand feet closer to him..
One last thing, Chuck, you remind me of something that you may see next weekend. If you sit in the theatre, look up to the top of the monument, then follow it to the left to the edge, then down about 1/3 of the way, and there, out on a rocky ledge, at least 1000 feet above us where there is no dirt, is a little tree. It's out there, hanging on, its roots dug into solid rock, because though life is difficult, we dig in, we move forward, we grow, we overcome, and though the odds may be against us, we stand for what we believe, we struggle forward and we know, that the more difficult the struggle, the greater the reward.
Tom
Wow, Tom- I love what you said about feeling several thousand feet closer to God. What an awesome way to describe the MTR sunrise service.
ReplyDeleteChuck- what an inspiring story! I'm so glad that you pursued SR after everything, and I can't wait to meet you at MTR!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteReading your post brought tears to my eyes.
Living in SD, I have been to Mount Rushmore several times, and I actually took a class up there where we studied each of the Presidents that were on the Mountain. In fact, I even had the rare opportunity to climb to the top of the faces (a rare honor indeed) which I chose not to partake because of my intense fear of heights. But everytime that I go there, I am reminded of what we can truly accomplish if our heart so desires it. What a testiment to adversity creating character. Each man on the mountain, as well as the mountain carver himself, had some sort of adversity that they had to overcome to become part of what we know now as the "Shrine of Democracy".
The way that you describe it only makes me that much more anxious to be a part of it. There is something magical about SR, just as there is something magical about Mount Rushmore. I can't imagine putting the two together without somehow being touched.
Tom- thats amazing...the whole experience is really amazing, this is my third year going to MTR and every year it is a little more touching. i am always grateful to Steve for starting SR because i dont think that i would be as close to god as i am now.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE MTR and can not wait! it is always so much fun to spend several hours in the car then get to see old friends and make new while haveing the best time of you life. In fact I am still friends with the girl I drummed next to last year, but she can not come this year because of knee problems. I am so excited to meet new people and have so much fun at the practice and the show.
ReplyDeleteSydney
Thank you Tom, you put into words what I tried to on another blog section about MTR. Having been there in 2007 and having Rapid City SR parents come to the park to clear off paths of snow and ice was in itself amazing to hear. My view was from the theater seats and watching the sun light up the President's faces and then down to the floor of the stage. This happened right around the time the service started. It was so awe inspiring. We thought no one would come. The local newspaper said there were over 3,500 people in attendance and it was 7 degrees outside. I wish for everyone to have that feeling of "One" family, praising God in a wonderful way and being thankful for His beauty and the magnificent monument of Mount Rushmore and what it stands for. Safe travels to you all and God Bless.
ReplyDeleteChuck- Amazing. So many people would not have done something like SR after going through that much injury. It's amazing that you joined instead of just making excuses. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteTom- I loved your anecdote about the tree. I can't wait to experience what you describe for myself.
can't wait to go to Rushmore to empower others to succeed also can't wait to see the summer songs.
ReplyDeletewell really Jordan Skarin's mom & dad say: Thanks to all the cool people in SR. Jordan's dad is looking forward to traveling to Mt Rushmore with him for a father-son weekend. (All you SR moms - keep an eye on them for me please! LOL)
ReplyDeleteWe are all looking forward to doing a little SR traveling this summer. Just want to encourage you to think about traveling to another site or even another state to participate with a different SR group. It is life changing - you meet the best people and get to see a little of God's Country. We are planning to attend several Relay for Life events with SR shows this summer!
We Love Life! That is our Relay for life team and is fast becoming our life motto!
Blessings and Love to all the SR family. Happy Easter! Christ is Risen!