MEMBER Question 4: Jan 25, 2010

Time for a new question for you all to think about together.

What does it mean to have compassion for someone else and why is there SO little compassion evident in today's world?  What has happened to the golden rule of "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you".

I will be interested to hear what you all have to say about this question AND of course while answering it, relate it to something about SR.

Have fun!

Swollen Hands, Sore Bodies, Lives Changed!!

Well everyone out there in Blog land...we have finished our marathon 8 shows in Watertown, SD....we played at all 5 elementary schools in town, the junior high, the high school, and then the final community show last night.  We ended up playing drums for about 13 hours over 2 days, we set up tore down 20 times, and we played for approximately 3500 people...with many laughs, many tears, and an huge outpouring of support for our Watertown, SD site!  It should grow by leaps and bounds, which is great.  For all of those out there reading this, if we have not such a marathon like this in your home area, we need to do it...so please talk with us at practice next time about how to set this up.  We had great performances from those playing the shows...from Watertown itself we had...Steph, Brandon, Matthew, Haylee, Taylor, and Shelby...from Sioux Falls, Autumn, Sadie, Dustin, and Kim, and from Minneapolis/St. Paul...Derek, Jovanna, and Tristan...they did 8 shows AND practice in between both days...working on new things...and I could not be prouder of the hardwork they put in.  Even for the final show last night, when everyone was drop-dead tired...they did Whatever It Takes and stepped it up for an awesome wrap show.  Everyone out there...BE proud of them!

Over the course of these shows we reached out to kids who were hurting...had several kids come up and/or email me to talk about having a rough life, being depressed, feeling lost in the world, needing to find a place to fit in, share details about a rough life at home, abusive parents...well, the list goes on and on.  There is simply TOO much pain in the world...and we need to drum harder and faster to fight against this!  So, get those hands and wrists ready SR drummers!!

Somewhere during all of this...well...I managed to whack the top of my left hand (I guess) and it is very swollen...right near the knuckles, and it is hard to bend my fingers...but such is life of a drummer, right??  Kelli, don't feel bad for a change...at least you are not the only one wounded in the line of duty right now :)

Anyhow, after a wonderful 2 days, tonight we have follow up practice for new members in Watertown, so I will post details about that after we see what happens.  The weather is NOT good up here though, so pray we get back up there safely (about 40 min drive from where we are staying).  Also, pray folks can get out tonight to come to practice.

We are NOT sure what happens this weekend...really bad ice storm coming, in the way of Sioux Falls practice and a Sutherland show...so cross your fingers for all of that.  In the meantime, new member question coming VERY soon, so get ready to answer!!

ALSO...I need all of the active readers to start prodding a bit on the less than active readers...we want to see MORE comments from MORE people on here...I will be pushing this all year until everyone is in the habit of being EXCITED to get on here each day and read, and comment, and connect.

Thanks!!

New Show! New Step! New Songs! New Fun!

Yesterday was a great day.  Plain and simple.  What a way to start shows for 2010!!  We played drums literally from 930am until 630pm...for 120 high school UCC kids at an all day youth event.  This included 2 90 min workshops where they learned many SR songs, parts, the eenie-meenie-colleenie beat (for those who know what that awesome beat is!), and had a blast.  Then, after having spent all month rearranging my own personal show in my head, God knocked my upside the head, and finally, we have a new step of success.  Jovanna, you are NOT going to be happy with me on Wed.  Enough said!!  (well, you will be happy with me, in a not-so-happy way!!).  I will NOT tell you what the new step is yet...you can all just be surprised at the next show!!  I am confident now that in my new songs I have been playing we have at least 4 new show songs, which is great, because it is time for that (especially for repeat audiences)...and it was wonderful watching these high school kids come to life through them!

I have rearranged how I want to do "story time" as well...so we can actually tell more of your personal stories in shorter form.  That worked well too.  AND, we officially have "crazy audience time" to work like "crazy teacher time", at least at the shows where we have time, and room, to do this.  When I do this, then tell the Angela story (for those who know it), there is not a dry eye left in the room...what a powerful use of something silly to share how to once again use a gift from God to make a difference in someone's life.

We are confident we get some new members at our STL site...which is great, since they do SO many shows and then sadly never get to see new faces...somethings about most of the shows being across the river in IL and it being scary to drive to STL (or something like that).  We must keep telling everyone in that part of IL to Do Whatever It Takes!

Anyhow, that is all for now...I was going to do a new question for you, but I see MANY people need to take the poll...I need more answers to the last questions...so everyone who is reading this ALL the time, as you are supposed to...pass onto those at your site who are NOT commenting/reading enough...to get on here.  Their voices count...and I want to hear them :)

Thanks...see many of you from Minne in 2 days!!

I will not be back on until Friday...so hang in there until then.

It's official, craziness starts tomorrow!

Tomorrow finds Jordan and myself on our way to St. Louis for practice, and then on Sunday is the first show of 2010!  And, what a "show"...it is all day drumming...930am to 600pm...morning service, all day drumming workshops for a youth conference, and then early evening wrap up show for all...so that is the way to kick off the year!  Monday is practice in Union/Washington, MO...and then on Tuesday we drive all the way from St. Louis, MO to Watertown, SD (that is nearly 700 miles and 10 hours of driving in one day...those are the ones that kill us off on the road...Whatever It Takes!)...to be ready for NINE shows on Wed and Thurs in Watertown...the show marathon for sure!  We are excited to have drummers from not only Watertown and Sioux Falls, but many coming from Minneapolis, MN site (a not so short 5 hour drive too!)...and many thanks to all...those shall be fun shows!

However, from this point forward...you will have not quite as many posts from me...so don't be sad when they are not daily.  There will be at least four posts per week...I have MANY questions created for you all to think about...more games figured out for us to play together on here...and even some creative writing for you all to do pretty soon...but I did need to make sure you all never forget that my ability to get on the internet depends on:

1.  How far I travel each day

2.  How many shows/practices are surrounding that travel

3.  How late we drive each night

4.  THE WEATHER during all of that

5.  The hotel we are staying in...a few do not have free internet still, and so we just stay off the net on those nights

So, on those days when there is not a new post...what oh what should you do?  GO BACK...and do some re-reading, re-commenting, and keep the threads of VERY good communication flowing!  I enjoyed Amanda's command on Blog Question One...saying "oh good...we are making this blog even longer"...that made me laugh!

SO...just clarification that once the nutty travel schedule kicks into full gear tomorrow it will be a little more irregular what I get to do on here.

Here's to a GREAT 2010 of changing lives!!

MEMBER Question 3: Jan 15 2010

What is your favorite current SR performance song and why? 

Please keep this to the current performance songs, as I would like to see you all compare and contrast and talk about the songs as I plan to remove one or two at least in 2010 and build in some of the happening new songs we are working on.  First, I want to know what the songs MEAN to you and HOW they make you feel by seeing what you all talk about with this question.

MEMBER Question 2 : Jan 14, 2010

I am going to start numbering the main blog questions so we can all find them more easily, and add an additional date...just so we don't all get lost on here.  Good job everyone and keep it up.

I am pondering a change in my own personal shows (again, as happens each year) and so here is your question of the day...actually conditional depending on which category you fit in...and sorry parents, this one doesn't really apply to you if you do not actually play drums in SR...but you can go ahead and take a stab at answering for your kids if you want.

If you were NOT a drummer before SR, how has becoming a drummer changed you?

If you WERE a drummer before SR, how has becoming an SR-style drummer changed you?

I don't want you to answer by reflecting on any of the usual things...don't think of the Steps of Success, the stories at shows, the friends you make at practice sites/show...the mission projects...none of the other wonderful things about SR.

This time I simply want to know...how has becoming a drummer in Sheltered Reality changed you...moreover, how has the drum itself changed you (as in the drum is a gift from God).

There ya go...let it roll :)

Back In Iowa, Sick, Question of the Day

Well, Jordan and I have completed our first set of flying site practices for 2010...we visited Phoenix, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, Nashville,  and Shelbyville,TN and Warren and Toledo, OH.  Sadly we had to miss Hopkinsville, KY while in TN for their first 2010 practice since they had a practice-space conflict that weekend they could not work around.  However, that day off did help Jordan out...he had come down with a nasty case of the stomach flu.  We weren't sure at the time if it was the flu or food poisoning...but given that I got it 36 hours later...well...flu it was...and very nasty.  AND...sadly, I had to break one of my travel-promises...to never fly that sick...I had no choice...we left Nashville on Monday to return to Cleveland, and then on Tuesday Cleveland back to the home airport of Moline, IL...that was 4 flight segments while sick...and let me tell you all...if you have never been on a plane while nauseated...you have not fully lived.  NOT.  I have never had a more miserable experience of being trapped on a plane (which I love to fly!) while trying not to throw up the entire time (which I succeeded at, but it took a lot of NEVER GIVE UP)...glad it is over...glad to be home...and glad that today is a no practice day, giving me one more to rest up.

Anyhow, my question of the day is NOT really a question...but more of a go back and READ ALL COMMENTS of the last question of the day...up to 67 comments last I looked and they are great...they make great reading about SR...and I want you ALL to re-read them...and then, look for a new one before the week us up.

Take care out there!