The Musician's Mind

New Host (change your RSS)

2008-11-07T23:53:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,

This post is really for those who get this blog through RSS (all 2 or so of you :-P). Tomorrow morning, I'll be switching hosts for this blog and moving it to Weebly (where I currently host my web-site), so your RSS feeds will need to be updated. The web address will be the same... so head over there sometime in the next couple of days and update your records. Just wanted to keep everybody posted. Thanks!

Eric

The Day After Election Day

2008-11-05T10:37:00.002-05:00

Good morning, America. I thought I was done posting about politics (in fact I think I even said I was), but I'm inclined to write a bit this morning, nevertheless. I awoke to a very interesting internet today, including: 1.) TONS of news coverage (both unbiased and otherwise), 2.) Quite a few blog posts (some insightful and fair and some... well... not), and 3.) A flurry of facebook statuses and Twitter posts (which were mostly pretty offensive from both sides. As much as I know that nobody needs to read another writing this morning, I feel the need to address this just a bit anyways.

The truth is, I think most people are just looking for something to fight about. We like to have conflict in our lives somewhere, and elections tend to set themselves up as prime opportunities. Give it a couple days or weeks, and we'll all be back to fighting about something else My candidate didn't win, and I'd be lying it I said I wasn't disappointed by that (ooh, did you all just read into that!? I actually told you who I voted for!). I also think that a lot of the people who voted for the victor didn't fully understand all of his policies and ideas, but the process worked, and worked better than it has the last two elections. I'll take it. For good or for bad, the next four years will be what the majority of Americans voted for... which is the whole point. I will be praying for President-Elect Obama, and for a smooth transition from the Bush administration to his own. I will pray that he will seek God's guidance as he governs, and that he would follow that guidance when he receives it. I will pray (or rather continue to pray) for success and prosperity and (most of all) peace for our nation. I hope that others will join me in this prayer, regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of who your candidate was, and regardless of how happy or angry you might be this morning. If your candidate won, please accept victory graciously. If your candidate lost, please concede defeat graciously. Above all else, please remember that the people who voted for the other candidate are just that... PEOPLE. They voted according to their own moral and political compass, and just because it is slightly different than yours doesn't mean that you are right and they are wrong. It just means you look at the world slightly differently. It's the way we were created. It's what makes our system work in the first place. Be respectful.

Having said that, this election isn't over. "President" was not the only race or isssue on the ballot yesterday. Both cnn.com and dispatch.com remain open on my screen this morning. I'm largely pleased with the results on Ohio's statewide issues. I'm pleased with the majority of the outcomes in local races, both here in Columbus and in St. Clairsville and Tiffin. I'm watching the final numbers come in on California's Proposition 8 with great interest, and I'm keeping an eye on the 4 Senate seats that are still undecided. The process isn't over yet. I'm also watching what's happening on Capitol Hill today, as the FCC has just voted to reallocate some frequency bands in a way that could cause major headaches for a lot of wireless microphone users in this country, including Centerpoint and me personally.

It's an interesting day. People feel many different ways about it, but no matter what, we move forward, not back. We have no choice.

Thanks for reading.

A New Community

2008-10-24T01:00:00.003-04:00

Those who have read this blog for any period of time know that I'm all about community. Not the cheesy, church manufactured kind, either. I'm talking about REAL community - the chance to really start to get to know some other people, to share life with each other. I've always felt that Centerpoint was this kind of community to an extent, but the truth is, my demographic has never been very well represented there (not that that's unlike the other churches I've been in). So when we started talking last Spring about starting a new small group for 20-somethings, I got very excited, to say the least. It took us quite a while to get it going, but we finally did. We met for the fourth time tonight, and I hosted it here for the first time. Definitely what I needed this week (it's been a long one). The thing is, I don't even think that this group compares to many other "small groups" in the traditional sense. It's just different. It's a very laid back group of people, and not "religious" in any sense. The only things assured at our gatherings are that there will be good food, good beer, and good conversation. I couldn't think of any better setting to sit and discuss God's word. After all, most of Jesus' ministry happened in homes, usually around a meal. I'm definitely appreciative for these people and the time we have together... looking forward to getting into things deeper over the next weeks and months.

And now... bedtime!

More Than Enough

2008-10-22T13:02:00.002-04:00

A good portion of this afternoon and evening will be devoted to preparing for the annual 4th-6th grade retreat that I co-direct at Kirkmont. This year our theme is "More Than Enough", so that's what I'll be pondering on and working with today. I think there are TONS of things in the world that we already have "more than enough" of, yet we still long for more. We've gotten really materialistic (at least in this country). I'm just as guilty. I find myself wanting things that I definitely don't need, and wanting even more of the things I already have. And in the midst of all of this, we miss the simple call: to forget all of it, and turn our needs over entirely to God. That's tough. We're not conditioned for that. We don't like to rely on others for our needs, and definitely not for our wants (because then we might not get them), but that's the goal that God has placed before us. And yes, the world would probably have a pretty major problem with us if we ever truly achieved that goal. But isn't that kind of the point?

Today I'll be working on relating this idea... this big, huge, almost incomprehensible idea... to a bunch of middle-school aged kids. Somehow I don't think they'll have as much trouble understanding it as I do.

So what do you think? What are some things that we have "more than enough" of?

My New Toy (AKA The Steal Of The Century)

2008-10-21T21:39:00.003-04:00

Ok, so this is admittedly a really nerdy gear-related thing. I'm going to talk about it anyways. I'm that excited. Introducing the Stompbox:

What is it, you ask? Essentially, it's an electronic bass drum effect. You tap your foot on it (as you might do on the floor anyways), and it sends a low frequency "thump" through the amp or sound system it's connected to. There are other products out there that do this, and I've known about several for some time. The most notable is the Porchboard Bass (which I've seen Christopher Williams use), but with prices starting around $250, it's way out of my price range. Ellis Guitars also makes one, but it's also $150 in it's lowest configuration. Again, out of my league, but I've really been wanting this effect for my solo shows and coffeehouse percussion set-ups...

...so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the Stompbox for less than $50! Now, I'll be the first to admit that it falls short of the others in some areas. It's metal, so it's sound doesn't quite have that "woody" sound that the others boast, and it takes some pretty hefty EQ adjustments, but it's totally worth it to get the sound at this price. No more lugging my big bass drum across town to play a stage it barely fits on anyways. This will also be a great addition to my solo guitar and ukulele stuff. All in all, a GREAT deal! The documentation that came with it implied that there are only 100 of these things out there, and they're handmade by the creator, so I feel very lucky to have tracked it down when I did. I couldn't help but share :-)

Politics & Religion

2008-10-03T15:13:00.005-04:00

Note: This single entry will probably be the extent of my political blogging this election season, so enjoy it. Just saying.

So there was a Vice-Presidential debate on TV last night. Most of you probably watched it. I watched it too, but really only because it knocked The Office off of the air for the week. And the group I was with wanted to watch it. See, you have to understand, I really can't stand politics. Now voting, I'm all about voting, I vote every chance I get. But that has to do with people and government. Politics, and especially election politics, is just talk. In fact, the single greatest benefit for me of having a DVR has been being able to skip the commercials this time of year. But I digress...

We recently got a new small group going at Centerpoint of 18-20somethings. Very cool. There aren't a lot of us that age in this particular church, and it's been nice to be able to get together, enjoy a little food and wine, and talk about things from a different perspective. We meet on Thursdays, so last night's discussion naturally drifted to the impending debate more than once... we ran a little late, so we all ended up watching it together, too. Here's the thing, though - a large part of our discussion last night centered on honesty. We talked about some "little white lies" we've all told to keep people happy, and then posed the question: "Would Jesus have told those lies?" The answer was a resounding "no"... which brought us back to politics. Somebody mentioned that a straight answer from the politicians would be nice once in a while, which I think is the point. It's all about telling you what you want to hear. Jesus wouldn't have done that. He would have given us the straight truth, even if it was hard to swallow. That's why I trust in Jesus, but not politicians.

The truth is, every one of these folks has a group (or rather lots of groups) that they're trying to appeal to: the conservative right, the liberal left, moderates, Christians, Jews, whites, blacks, small business owners, rich folks, poor folks, or even the American public as a whole. The vast majority of politicians will say whatever those groups want to hear... and that goes for both sides. I've already seen news stories today exposing lies that both of the Veep candidates told last night. Aren't we better than that?!? Aren't we, the American people, smart enough to rise above our petty partisanship and demand straight answers from everyone, whether they be Republican, Democrat, or anything else?

I've seen great blogs written by Christian leaders that I deeply respect in support of both candidates (and additional stuff about their VP picks). All of it has been pretty balanced. Everyone admits that they have disagreements with their own candidate; that there are some things they like better about the other. And that's the way it should be. I won't be revealing my own pick here on this blog (although I have decided), because that's not what it's all about. Don't trust what celebrities, other politicians, or other pastors say. Don't trust what I say. Above all else, don't trust what the candidates say. Instead, get online, and do your homework! Find out what these guys are really all about. See what they say and do and vote for when the entire world isn't watching. See what lines up more with your own views and beliefs and what lines up with the teachings of Jesus, and then make your own decision. Because that's the point. And because politics suck.

Life Update

2008-09-29T23:45:00.000-04:00

Well friends, it's been a while. My absence is not intentional, I promise. I've actually got a lot to write about these days, but just no time to get it out onto the keyboard! Tonight, though, I need to write. Therapeutic and all that. There has been a lot going on as of late... brief recap of the month I've been gone:

-Band camp #2: Otterbein's this time. Great camp, great band, LONG days! Plus lots of continued work with both Otterbein and Big Walnut. Marching season is pretty consuming this time of year. Competitions with BW start this weekend.

-A week on the road with the Van-Dells: This was a BLAST. The Van-Dells are a traveling 50's and 60's rock and roll revue that has been on the road for almost 35 years. I got to fill in on the drums with them for three shows a couple of weeks ago, complete with bowling shirts and letter sweaters. Good times. Good guys and great music, too!

-Lots of other stuff, including: Another performance with the Westerville Symphony, rehearsal accompanying for Otterbein's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe, the beginnings of plans for my third year of directing the 4th-5th grade retreat at Kirkmont, and of course lots of Centerpoint stuff... phew!

Things aren't necessarily slowing down, but they do seem to be settling into more of a routine for the next couple of weeks... hopefully that will allow more time to write. In the meantime, check out a couple other blogs that I've really been enjoying lately:

1. The Shlog - This is the blog of singer and speaker Shaun Groves... I've honestly never listened to a lot of Shauns music, but this blog is sheer genius. Check it out.

2. Vintage Faith - This is Dan Kimball's page (he wrote that little book I liked so much: "They Like Jesus, But Not The Church"). Very insightful.

3. donmilleris - As you might guess, this is Don Miller's new blog. 'Nuff said.

Now go read! Enjoy, and I'll hopefully talk to you sooner than later!

A Recommendation

2008-08-27T22:47:00.004-04:00

I'm at my parents house for a couple of days - which is nice. Sometimes you just need a break. Here's something I've been meaning to share for some time. If you haven't check out Garfield Minus Garfield yet, you really have to. Here's the description posted on the site:

"Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It's a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb."

Ok, so first, let me just say that this thing isn't really nearly as serious as it sounds from this. It's actually really funny. In fact, Jim David (the creator of the original Garfield strip), has some really good things to say about it. Here's an example of one of my favorite strips:

Get the idea? Good! Now go read the rest!

I Want More Than My Lonely Nation...

2008-08-25T13:10:00.002-04:00

...that's a quote from a Switchfoot song that we played in church last weekend. We're doing a series right now about community; about moving out of the isolation that our society and lifestyle creates and experiencing real, life-giving community in Christ. This is something I've been thinking quite a bit about, and I had another reminder this morning. On my way home from practice at the high school, I saw a couple riding their bikes, side by side. So far so good, right? When I pulled up beside them, though, I realized that they both had headphones in! They were physically together, but that was as far as it went. How often do we live like this? I know I do it. I spend my whole day around people, with people, but I'm not necessarily experiencing community. I mistake being surrounded by people for actually spending time with them, and then I come home at the end of the day and just want to be alone, because I "spent the whole day with people."

Only that's not the case.

I've been reminded of this several times recently, not only through Pastor Dave's messages the past two Sundays, but also through my own personal interactions with people. We need community. I need community. I've been in prayer about this as of late, on both individual and church levels. I know that others have been, as well. May God reveal direction, may God bring us out of our isolation and help us to find a way to live life in community with others. May we have more than our lonely nations.

It's All Relative

2008-08-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

Today I saw gas for $3.46 a gallon. There were cars lined up around the block to get into the station, and even I got excited for a bit (though I didn't need gas) because of this low price! But then I started thinking about it... 6 months ago, or if not, certainly a year ago, people would have been (or rather were) absolutely outraged to see gas selling that high. It's all relative. Looking at the long term, gas prices are very high, but they're lower than they were last week, so we're excited. Most things in our lives are this way. Everything changes so quickly, we can barely keep up. We expect things to be new and different all the time. New clothes, new music, new cars, new houses. Nothing ever stays the same. I think this is one of the reasons that the church sometimes has trouble relating God's love and the love of Christ to the world: it's constant, it never changes. And yet, that's the very reason that we need it! In a world where nothing is guaranteed, and everything changes constantly, we know that God's love and Christ's sacrifice never change. They will be the same tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and next year, and for all eternity. That's why we can take rest in that love, that's what makes it a refuge from the rest of the world. Why don't we realize that? Why don't we take comfort in it?

Jr. Music Camp Video

2008-08-21T16:34:00.002-04:00

I've been waiting for this video to hit the web ever since camp ended in June. Kirkmont Jr. Music Camp 2008:

You Should Read This

2008-08-20T12:55:00.000-04:00

I had intended to write something original this morning (and who knows, I may still do that yet today), but once I saw this on another blog, I just had to share it. So go read it.

How metrosexual is your worship leader?

Centerpointers take heart, I only scored an 8 :-P

Bootlegging

2008-08-11T19:20:00.004-04:00

This is a busy time of year for me. Why, you ask? Because marching band season is officially in full swing! I was never a tremendous fan of marching band (or rather, marching in marching band!), but I did seven years between high school and college. Now that I've graduated, though, my focus has shifted to something that I enjoy a lot more: instructing marching drumlines. This year I'm doing two lines, an area high school (Big Walnut) and Otterbein. Otterbein starts so late that I'm not even really thinking about that one yet, but we're into our second week of camp at Big Walnut now, so I'm definitely tired.

On a completely different note: we played the song "You Said" at church on Sunday, and it reminded me that I had this video to share. This is from my last night leading worship at Otterbein Christian Fellowship this past spring. Someone randomly took video that night (which I ended up really appreciating... last night and all), and it actually came out pretty well, so I figured I'd post it up here as my first "bootleg." It's kind of choppy and the camera work is a little dizzying at times, but the audio's really pretty good, and I'm happy to have the documentation:-P Playing with me are my good friend Jeff Huenemann on bass and Jarrin Bradshaw (who you may recognize from the Brandon Abbott Trio) on drums. Enjoy!

Changes

2008-08-09T13:38:00.006-04:00

I don't do this very often on this blog, but I'm going to go ahead and "talk shop" a little bit today. This past Sunday was a busy week at Centerpoint from a technical standpoint. Having worshiped outside for the last 4 weeks, it was a little bit of an adjustment to moving back into our regular facility. Beyond that, though, we're implementing a couple of changes right now (seemed smart to time them with moving back in, for consistency's sake). The biggest is that we've switched presentation softwares. Up to this point, we've used Sunday Plus, but we've felt for some time now that it just wasn't getting the job done. It's got some Vista issues, and we've had trouble getting video content to play back smoothly (which is major for us, because we use a lot of video in our services). The problem of course is that we're a little church with a very tight budget (primarily because of the facility we're currently occupying). So what did we do?

Enter openlp. With the recent explosion of high-quality, open source software (like Audacity and OpenOffice), I suppose it should have occured to me that there might be an open source worship presentation software sooner, but it didn't. In any case, I found it, and we used it for the first time this past Sunday. openlp is completely free and open source and includes the vast majority of the features found in Sunday Plus, MediaShout and others. The only major thing it's missing right now is text over video support, but the developers have suggested that it's coming in the next version. Exciting. I think this is a great example of folks in the church using their gifts and talents to help out others. I pulled a screenshot of the main operating window off of the openlp website:

The other change we made this week was significantly smaller, but still exciting. One of the first things that I got really excited about when we were designing our current worship space (really just a big warehouse we've converted) was the idea to have a completely modular stage made up of 4x4 foot panels. That way, we're able to change the shape, height, etc. of the stage quickly and easily. Since we moved into this room in October we've been using a stage for the band that was 32 feet across by 8 feet deep. In front of that was an additional 16x8 foot section for the pastor/interpreter/special musical stuff/etc. The drums were up on a short riser, but that was it. The band ended up basically in a straight line across the stage, and everything felt very spread out (especially after we went to in-ears and got rid of our stage wedges). Beyond that, we had trouble getting good coverage of the entire area with our (rather limited - four Source Fours with wide lenses) lighting system. So last week, Pastor Dave and I went to work on it. What we ended up was a new "base stage" that looks like this:

That took care of the lighting issues. Then we took the "extra" panels that we had just removed and started making platforms at different levels for the band members. It ended up looking pretty cool:

I'm really happy with what we came up with, and I definitely noticed the difference on Sunday. Everything just felt a little tighter with the band. It was good.

Addendum...

2008-07-25T00:28:00.001-04:00

Ok, so this is really just an addition to last night's post - I mentioned three artists I've been listening to, and I wanted to pop in and note that both the Jon Foreman EPs and the Ivoryline CD are available to download for free on SpiralFrog (which is a pretty sweet site anyways) - wish I had known that before I bought them... hm... since the Sixpence None The Richer stuff was already free... there's really no excuse not to check out this music now, is there?

Enjoying Music

2008-07-24T00:17:00.002-04:00

The title of this post might seem silly... especially on this blog, but here me out. Because of my job and degree and, well, life, I'm listening to music almost constantly. I think there's a real difference, though, between hearing music and listening to it, and an even bigger difference between just listening and really enjoying it. Tonight I got to really truly enjoy some music for a while... and of course, there's a bit of a story:

Last night I decided to rearrange my room. Good idea - it looks really good. Here's the problem: in the process of moving things around, I managed to pretty much destroy my subwoofer. I'm not really sure what happened, all I know is that once I got it where I wanted it and plugged it in, it just kind of popped. That's not the worst thing, because the speakers I had paired with it need to get back to the system they belong to at my parents house anyways.

So I went shopping today.

I wasn't planning on this expense, so I definitely didn't have much to spend, but I certainly couldn't settle for something that didn't sound really good. I ended up with the Bose Companion IIs. That's Bose's least expensive set-up, and I'll admit that I was really jonesing for the more expensive ones, but these still sounded better than everything else in the store (regardless of price).

I've spent quite a bit of time tonight listening, and they sound really great. There's just a clarity to the sound that I haven't heard out of my computer before. An incredible bass response, too - especially since this is the first computer speaker system I've had without a subwoofer - these beat out the Altec sub that blew up any day. They come highly recommended, as does the music I've been listening to:

1. Jon Foreman's 4 "season" EPs have been playing in my house/car continuously since they came out. Seriously some of the best music I've ever heard. I've gotten a little disenchanted with Switchfoot in recent years, but this stuff is just insanely good. Really acoustic, simple arrangements, but they showcase some truly profound music. You need to check this stuff out.

2. Ivoryline is a new rock/metal band from Texas. I got their CD a little while back, but haven't really gotten into listening to it until last week or so, and I must say that it's VERY good. Melodic and heavy, but still a pop element that I really like. Great vocals.

3. After "retiring" a couple years back, Sixpence None The Richer just released a new 4 track EP this week. I was never much of a Sixpence fan "back in the day," but the EP was available for free on Derek Webb's Noisetrade site (which is definitely worth checking out, by the way), so I decided to give it a shot. Wow. I'm really impressed with these tunes. Sixpence may have a new fan!

Now I've got the Pandora radio going, but I really need to get to bed... tomorrow's not a busy day, but it doesn't start earlier than today!

Resting in the Stillness

2008-07-16T01:30:00.005-04:00

I ought to be in bed. Really. I got about two hours of sleep last night and I've been up since 6 AM. I'm very tired. And yet, here I am, still sitting at the computer at 1:29, typing away. The truth is that I don't really want to go to bed yet, because I really love this time of night. Everything is quiet and cool and dark... very peaceful. I love that stillness. I think about the passage that we've all heard so many times - "be still and know that I am God." How often do we do that in our modern, mixed up, multimedia world? I would guess that most people (at least if they're anything like me), don't take time to pause like that very often anymore.

Sometimes when we slow down and rest in that stillness, God comes to us through other people. Today has been full of good food and conversation, opportunities to connect and reconnect. I needed that. The last month or so has been a total whirlwind. Since graduation day (June 15) I've spent just 11 nights here at home. I've been all over Ohio, plus into Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It's been a great time, but also very tiring. Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually tiring. Today, I took some time to refresh. Some me time. Some friend time. Some God time. What a wonderful feeling! Why is it that we can't remember how good we feel in these moments days or weeks later when life is busy and consuming again?

I need to work on slowing down a bit, at least from time to time. I need to rest in the stillness and reconnect with my Creator. I need a "fill-up." I need a day like today.

Insomniatic Update

2008-07-11T01:05:00.002-04:00

I had planned to be asleep in bed far earlier than this, but since I am still wide awake, I figured I should pop in here for a bit. Things have been quite busy, but should finally start to slow down a little bit now. The update:

Covenant Gathering was fantastic. Very tiring for me - lots of very good discussion on a ton of different topics, but I was often the only one with specific knowledge on something. Being one of only two or three people between 15-30, and also one of two or three people coming from a "contemporary" church (I HATE that word), much less working in one, people had a lot of questions for me. I was happy to answer them, but it left me feeling pretty worn out when I got home, therefore...

VACATION!!! I've been lucky enough to spend the last couple of days taking a break from it all with my family in the mountains of Pennsylvania (also got to see the Pirates play again on Tuesday night... good times!) I'm still at my parents house until sometime tomorrow afternoon, when I'll head back up to Columbus for the Centerpoint middle school camp out this weekend. Definitely looking forward to that - should be a very good time.

I've decided to try Twitter again... I'll admit, I still don't completely get it, but I've heard a lot of ringing endorsements lately, so I decided to reactivate my account and give it "the old college try" (which is a funnier way of saying things now that I've graduated). I figure that I update my Facebook status all the time, and Twitter can use my updates on Facebook, as well as a number of other places (including this page - check out the left hand column), so I really had nothing to lose. We'll see what happens. If you use Twitter - get me hooked on your feed!

I've got tons of little half-baked entries bouncing around in my head right now - so stay tuned for a whole bunch of stuff over the next few days (that's what happens when I finally have some time!) For tonight - goodnight!

Breaks

2008-07-01T00:39:00.002-04:00

I still have a lot of prep work to do on my Covenant Gathering materials before I leave tomorrow. More than I'd like to have. It means very little sleep tonight and a VERY busy day up until I leave tomorrow afternoon. Nonetheless, I need a bit of a break, so I'm here to write. This is actually my second break of the evening, and I'm pausing to write about the other.

I took a walk tonight. It's been quite a while since my last one. I did that for a couple of reasons. First, because I needed a major break from the computer screen, it was 64 degrees outside, and I needed some physical activity bad. I guess that's actually three reasons. In any case, the other is that I've decided I need to stay more connected to the outdoors and nature when I'm away from camp (see two posts down for why). So I went out and walked for an hour. It was nice. I'm going to do it more often this summer.

...And now, alas, back to work.

Shifting Gears

2008-06-30T10:41:00.003-04:00

I'm shifting gears. I've spent the last two weeks at Kirkmont Center, one of my absolute favorite places in the world. I've been working with kids ranging from 3rd to 12th grade, mostly on musical things. Here are a couple of pictures and video clips that somewhat document the time:

Now I'm preparing for another camp, one I haven't been to before. On Tuesday evening I'll be traveling to the Michindoh camp and conference center in southern Michigan to teach a class on music and worship at Covenant Gathering. Bit of a difference between a couple hundred kids and 11 adults... so that's the mental shift I'm working on this morning as I polish off my CG materials.

Camp

2008-06-24T17:22:00.002-04:00

Well, week 2 of camp has arrived. Last week I was out in a tent with six 6th grade boys, and while I technically had my phone and had planned on posting that way, the time simply wasn't there. This week, however, I'm "camping" in a house on the property with the chaplain (I'm the music director this week). We've got our own bedrooms, a full bathroom, a kitchen, awesome living room, and WiFi. All in all... "roughing it" this week isn't so bad:-P

Graduation day was awesome. My speech was very well received. Week one of camp was awesome as well... despite some sewer and power issues here at the camp. A really great group of kids... incredible experience as always. So far week two is shaping up to be the same (we still have 3 1/2 more days). Not having a tent this week is giving me more down time, which I'm using to work on my presentations and such for the class I'm teaching next week (talk about a full summer!).

The theme for all of the camps here at Kirkmont this summer is "Handle With Care." We're talking about the importance of living in peace and harmony with the rest of creation, from nature to animals to each other. It's been really fascinating and moving to see the reactions and ideas that some of the kids have in relation to some of these ideas. Last week we talked about "Walking Lightly" on the earth... in other words, creating a smaller footprint with our use (and often abuse) of the resources and gifts god has given us. Very eye-opening. I've always tried to live fairly simply (although I admit that I often falter in the "gear" category), but the things we've been talking about these past couple weeks have reinforced something that I had already been thinking about for some time. I think that we as people (and me in particular) are really wasting creation right now. I'm going to try to think of some ways that I personally can improve my relationship with the rest of God's great world. I might post them here.

Well, back to work... good thing work at camp is nearly always fun!

Graduation

2008-06-15T01:00:00.002-04:00

Graduating in the morning... pretty crazy. But then off to Kirkmont for two weeks! I'm going to see if I can do the mobile blogging thing while I'm down there, so we'll see how that works!

My New Addiction

2008-06-12T01:52:00.003-04:00

I still have a tremendous amount of work to do tonight. You would think that the late nights would have ended after I finished all of my school related stuff (which I have done now), but alas, I have to prepare for three weeks of camps. So here I sit at 1:53, with much to do before sleep. I need a break, though, so allow me to share with you my newest addiction: Dr. Mario Online Rx.

Now let me be clear before someone with more years than I "corrects" me: I realize that Dr. Mario is a very old game (in fact, I have the old NES version on my emulator). Nintendo has repackaged and rereleased that game in an incredibly shiny and fun new version that you can download on the Wii, and I must say, I'm hooked. I've been playing online with people all over the world (and losing most of the time), and it's just a blast. If you have a Wii, you should check it out. If you don't have a Wii, you should buy one (because they're pretty awesome anyways) and then check it out.

Alright... back to work!

House Concerts

2008-06-09T01:36:00.002-04:00

I'm currently in the process of trying to book some house concerts for this summer. I have yet to see how successful that endeavor will be, but I'm hoping I can get a few on the books for July and August. I got into the idea of house concerts a couple of months ago and have been reading about and researching them quite a bit recently. Something really appeals to me about the intimacy of the venue and the gig. No mics, no barriers between artist and the audience... just open, honest songwriting. I feel like that's a good way for me to express my songs to people... many of them are quiet songs that were laid gently on my heart. It doesn't make sense to rock those tunes out in a larger room, at least not at this stage of the thing, so this is the route I'm going to take for the time being. Hopefully people will respond in the way I'm anticipating and book me!

Transitions

2008-06-08T14:55:00.003-04:00

I wish I had more time to write on this blog... I'm hoping that once school ends (which it more or less has) I'll be able to keep up with more on here. As it is, my "web time" lately has been devoted to creating two new sites... one is a new design for my own webiste:

http://www.ericfrisch.com

I've also been working on a site for Centerpoint's coffeehouse concert series:

http://www.fridaysinthecafe.com

I found a new web-design service called Weebly, which has been incredibly easy to use (if a little limited)... definitely an improvement over the software I had been using, and it's completely web-based.

As I mentioned above, school is coming to an end. I have two juries and two short finals and then I'm done. A week from now, I'll be completely finished with college... pretty wild thought. Overall, I'm pretty excited about being done. I've enjoyed my time at Otterbein, but I'm fully ready to move on to whatever's next. Even so, I'm certainly going to miss certain people and activities. The next few days will be filled with food, friends, and farewells... bittersweet, but I'm ready.

This is not the love of Christ...

2008-05-13T00:25:00.002-04:00

Springtime has come to Otterbein College, and that can only mean one thing: street preachers. This is a sad thing. Now I don't want to be understood - I actually admire these folks to an extent. They are willing to stand up and talk about their faith and their beliefs to a degree that not many Christians are. They really put themselves out there, and it's a big risk. As a Christian, I should be excited about this, right? Wrong. The "good news" that these men and women spread is one of hatred and vengeance. They condemn the entire student body to hell without blinking an eye, and make impossible suggestions about God, Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. A crowd gathers around, but not out of appreciation. Instead, these preachers are scorned and ridiculed, oftentimes by other Christians with contrasting viewpoints. Where then in this situation is the love of Christ? Nowhere. Jesus came preaching love, establishing a new commandment that says that even though we are all sinners, we can be made new just by believing in him. Nowhere in these exchanges on campus is that idea communicated by either side. Heartbreaking.

The Things That Occupy My Time

2008-05-07T16:28:00.002-04:00

I haven't been here in a while. There are a number of reasons for that...

1. I'm working on a speech. An important speech. I was lucky enough to be selected as the student speaker for Otterbein's undergraduate commencement on June 15. That's a huge honor, and one that I certainly don't take lightly. Which is good. Because its a lot of work. Right now I'm working with two professors from the communications department on content and such, and then I'll be working with a theatre professor on the delivery. Pretty cool. Lots of time/work.

2. I'm playing another show. After initially being told that I wasn't needed, I'm now back in the pit for Otterbein Theatre's production of Peter Pan. That's a good thing. I enjoy playing these shows. But again... time commitment. Not too bad so far, only a couple of rehearsals. Next week, however, we start dress rehearsals. Then we perform the show 11 times in 10 days. Crazy.

3. I'm working ahead. My summer is just a little crazy... The day I graduate I leave for a week of camp counseling, then pass back through Columbus for church/work before I go back to Kirkmont to direct music for the Jr. & Sr. High Camp. The following week I'm in Michigan teaching a class at yet another camp. Plus band camp stuff for later in the summer. Lots to do. It hasn't been easy to find time to work on those things in the midst of my last quarter of school, but I'm managing.

Speaking of time management... that's all the time I have for now. More sooner rather than later (I hope!)

Tired...

2008-04-22T00:57:00.002-04:00

I'm very tired. I really shouldn't be... I haven't done that much today, and I got to sleep in nice and late. And yet... very tired. It doesn't help that I'll have to get up at 6 and I just remembered a test that I have tomorrow (and have not studied for).

In Transition

2008-04-20T16:44:00.003-04:00

I'm currently transitioning from my old Compaq laptop (the one on the right) to a new Dell (the one on the left). It's been quite a process to get everything transferred/installed/working. When I got the Compaq a little over 2 years ago, it was because my last machine had pretty much melted down... which is not a good thing, but at the same time, I didn't have any of these issues, because everything was just gone. This time... there's just a lot more work! I've got all my applications onto the new machine now, so it's just a matter of transferring some files now (including my colossal 20GB+ music folder). Getting closer...

Craigslist

2008-04-19T00:44:00.002-04:00

I love Craigslist. If buying and selling on eBay is like going to an auction house, then Craigslist is more like bartering with a street vendor. It's not as secure, and it's a cash only, face to face business. And yet, it seems to be far more effective than eBay and Amazon and the like. In the past week I've been able to sell a lot of microphones that we didn't need anymore at the church and my old keyboard. Excellent. Post an item, get an email, call them back, meet the next day, and get your money. Quick and easy. Once in a while you hear about a bad experience that somebody has, but so far, mine have been great. Plus, it's FREE! I like free a lot. No more listing fees! Great stuff.

The Last Lecture

2008-04-12T11:35:00.002-04:00

I was pointed towards this video yesterday by the Willow Creek Arts Blog. This is the last lecture of a Carnegie-Mellon professor who has pancreatic cancer and has been given only a few months to live. I'll admit, I'm not sure exactly what it is that makes this lecture/video so astounding, but it is incredibly moving and you simply must watch it. I opened it up yesterday just to see what it was all about, and ended up sitting and watching the entire 75 minute video then and there... it's just that good. Watch it. Seriously. It will bless you.

OCF

2008-04-11T13:54:00.002-04:00

Had the opportunity to lead worship last night at Otterbein Christian Fellowship. I used to do that all the time my freshman and sophomore years, but as life has shifted and changed over the years, I've found myself in that position less and less. I'm almost certainly going to be playing there a few more times before I graduate, but as I prepared this week, I was faced with the reality that this might be the last time I actually lead worship there. I ended up keeping it really simple, really acoustic. I like doing it that way with that group, because you can really hear them singing. I always love leading worship, but it's just tremendously fun with the crowd is drowning out the folks on stage, and this group happens to be one of the most passionately worshiping groups I've ever had the privilege to worship with. A really great experience. Just the way it ought to be, it seems.

New York Pictures (Finally!)

2008-04-09T23:52:00.005-04:00

Well... the final quarter of my undergraduate career is now in full swing, as evidenced by my absence from this page. I still have a lot of work to do tonight, but I need a break, therefore I present to you... New York pictures! I didn't take any of these, but rather "borrowed" them from my good friend Rachel. Don't worry, I was standing right next to her when she took them all, so these are the same views I had. She just happens to have a very nice camera and a better eye for all of this than me. Credit where credit's due and all of that ;-P But without further ado... here is our trip in (more or less) chronological order. Enjoy!

Our first stop - Battery Park. A very calming place to start our whirlwind tour of the city. This is the statue that stood between to the two World Trade Center towers prior to September 11. You can see the damage it took that day.

Ground Zero - There was an incredible amount of activity here... even as darkness fell. Construction has begun on the memorial that will eventually stand here. It's hard to believe it's been almost 7 years. Very humbling.

A random and unexpected, yet fantastic find - The Manhattan courthouse (as seen on Law & Order so many times in our house).

Our final stop the first night - We crossed the Brooklyn Bridge by foot... this is a view of the skyline from the middle(ish). I love the way the sky lights up in this picture. Absolutely incredible views up there that night. Very surreal.

Our second and final day began with a trip to Rockefeller Plaza. NBC Studios is in the background.

Central Park - Two things that are nearly invisible in this picture: 1. The wizard standing in the foreground. 2. The incredible group of street performers sitting at the edge of the fountain. This was a fun stop.

Yes, we did the Empire State Building. Great views? Absolutely. Total tourist trap? You'd better believe it!

Times Square at dusk. This area is every bit as crowded and chaotic as you'd imagine... this was the only part of the trip/city where I felt truly uncomfortable.

The perfect way to close our trip - RENT Saturday night. The show was great! I love the music, but had never seen it live. Well worth the ticket, especially since it's closing in June. Afterwards we had dinner at an awesome little Irish Pub near the theatre.

All in all a simply wonderful trip! I will miss these band tours when I'm not a student anymore! After seeing Toronto, Italy/Switzerland, Chicago, and New York... great experiences.

A quick note...

2008-03-30T00:58:00.001-04:00

Rent was absolutely wonderful. Couldn't get into the piano bar we
wanted to afterwards, but it ended up being okay. More on that and
many other things when I get home tomorrow.

In The Big Apple

2008-03-29T01:03:00.002-04:00

Well I'll give this mobile blogging thing a shot. We're in New York City now with our band tour, and I must admit I'm having a really good time. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy NY, but it's great. Went down and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge tonight, which was really cool. We also went to Ground Zero, which was really powerful. I have pictures that I'll be sharing with you all when I get home, but for now I'm getting some sleep. Big day tomorrow.

Catching Up

2008-03-25T00:24:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness for Monday... how often do you hear that? Not very often, at least not out of my mouth. Tonight, however, happens to be a different story. Allow me to explain:

Whoever decided that Finals Week at Otterbein should be the same as Holy Week obviously wanted me dead. Taking finals Monday-Wednesday, then having extra rehearsals and services Thursday-Sunday is probably not a good idea, but I got through it, and everything went well. Now I'm at "home" (my parents house) enjoying a couple of days off before heading to New York later this week for our Wind Ensemble tour. A few highlights:

I actually got to get out front and lead at our Good Friday service. Normally I'm tied to the keyboard the whole time, but I was fortunate enough to have Bryce Bell sitting in with the band for that service. Bryce has played with some really top-notch folks, including Petra and Rebecca St. James, so not only did he give me a break from keys, he also played them much better than I would have. All in all a winning deal for me.

Sunday we inaugurated our new in-ear monitor system. I was a little nervous to do that on Easter, of all the weeks of the year, but the timing just worked out for it, and everything worked well. No major technical glitches, which was nice. Beyond that (and far more importantly), both of the aforementioned services went very well. Everything worked, the band played well, dramas went off without a hitch, and the folks in the congregation really seemed to make a connection... which is why we worry about all the other things in the first place.

I was thinking about that idea on the way home yesterday (2 hour drive allows some time for thought). My official title at Centerpoint is "Worship Arts Director" - I know that jobs like that have been around for a long time, but it almost seems a little pretentious... to think that I could (much less should) "direct" the worship of others, as if it was a play or a movie. In the end, though, I don't think that's what it really comes down to. The way I see it, I really have two major responsibilities in my job. The first (and more important) is to be a leader by example. If the people up front are worshiping honestly and passionately, I believe that it relaxes the folks in the crowd a little bit. The other is to help create an environment which facilitates the worship of others. The more I think about it, that's really what I do. More than actually leading the group, I think about things like what kind of lighting and music and atmosphere will help people let their guard down and open up to God. Granted, I'm utterly unqualified to do that (aren't we all!) but I'm really amazed by what God is doing at Centerpoint. People are experiencing God's presence and they're responding with genuine worship. I can't take any credit for that, but I'm still humbled and blessed to be a part of it.

Well, that's enough for tonight... time for a good night's sleep and no responsibilities again tomorrow... sometimes a break is just what the doctor ordered.

The Saga of a Keyboard

2008-03-18T01:20:00.003-04:00

Ok, so this story probably won't be interesting to most of you, but I think that the whole thing is rather funny (though it has also been frustrating!).

3 weeks ago I ordered a new keyboard/MIDI controller. I had had my eye on it for a while, and thanks to a generous refund from the IRS, I decided that I could finally make it work. So I ordered it. Musician's Friend is usually really quick with shipping, so when it didn't come in a week and a half, I placed customer service call #1:

Me: I ordered a keyboard last week and it hadn't arrived. Just wanted to make sure it shipped out alright.
Them: It says it shipped, but if you don't get it by Tuesday, call us and we'll ship another one.

Well needless to say it didn't come by last Tuesday (otherwise this would be a pretty crappy story, huh?) So I went ahead and place customer service call #2:

Me: You said to call if it didn't come and you would reship.
Them: Well, we're not sure what happened to the first one, but ok, we'll send another.

Problem solved, right? Wrong. This morning the doorbell rang, and I could see the UPS truck driving away as I got to the door... excitement abounded. Open the door, bring the box inside, cut off the tape and find... 2 shiny new Korg keyboards. In one box. Oops. Hence, customer service call #3:

Me: The box finally came but there are two keyboards in it.
Them: Wow, I've never had anything like that happen before. It looks like that's actually the first shipment we sent... so we'll try to intercept the other one so you don't get a third one.
Me: So what do I do with the second one that I didn't pay for?
Them: I'll send you a UPS label and you can send it back.

The thing that kept going through my mind through all of this is that they're lucky I'm an honest person. I bought an expensive keyboard. They shipped it. I called and told them that it hadn't arrived, and they shipped another one. Immediately. No questions asked. For all they knew, I could have had the first one in my living room. Not only that, it turns out they sent not two, but three (maybe even FOUR if they made the same mistake on the second one)! I certainly could have kept them all, and resold two of them (for great profit!) and nobody would have known any better. Oops.

In any case, the saga has (finally) come to a close. I'll be dropping #2 off at UPS tomorrow morning, and I have #1 set up in my bedroom and ready to play. Things work out in the end.

A Sigh Of Relief & Simple Pleasures

2008-03-15T00:39:00.003-04:00

It has been a very long, busy week (hence my absence from this page). Thankfully, the weekend has arrived. Granted, I've got a lot to do this weekend, as well, but it's still a relief. The last week of the quarter is always stressful, but some are worse than others, and this particular one was pretty bad. I've been writing papers, preparing presentations, rehearsing, performing, planning, and more of the like. Last night I didn't get to bed until 5 AM, got three hours of sleep, and then got up for a day that's ending, well... now. Despite all this, there are some simple (even silly, perhaps) pleasures that have gotten me through this week. they include...

1. Writing with me favorite Cross pen, even just a few words. I love the way it feels in my hand and the way it glides across the paper. That one's a keeper.

2. A full tank of gas. The kind that lets you take a quick drive to your favorite place in the evening before you start a 10 page paper. Which also leads to said favorite place. The chance to drive along the water and then across the bridge doesn't come often since I stopped working at New Albany, so it's quite a pleasure now. Put me in a much better mindset for the work I had to do last night.

3. A newly opened jar of peanut butter. Go ahead and laugh, but I love the way it looks... I love sinking the knife into it that very first time. Admittedly it's a short-lived pleasure, but definitely wonderful :-)

4. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... which I can see now. There's still a lot to do this weekend and next week, but it's manageable. It's staggered. It's going to be ok. That's a relieving feeling.

...and on that note... a well deserved and long awaited full night's sleep. More tomorrow.

Stopping Time

2008-03-10T01:43:00.002-04:00

Today was a very strange day. Between the cancellation of church this morning and the switch to Daylight Savings Time last night, time seems to have almost stopped. It's as if we just suspended everything happening in Columbus, Ohio for two days. It's a very strange feeling. Mentally, I'm fairly exhausted, but my body just wants to do something after being nearly stagnant for 48 hours. I did venture out twice today: once for something to eat, and then over to the school this evening. We're getting ready for a big band concert on Wednesday night, so we had to get our percussion equipment ready to go to the hall. After my parking experience over there tonight, I think there's a very good chance I'll be putting on my boots and trudging over on foot tomorrow morning. Parking will not be pleasant. I honestly half-expected the school to take another day in order to get everything cleared out, but it looks like that will not be the case (wishful thinking, perhaps). Understandable, considering the blow that missing a full day in our last week would be. Oh well, I'm sure it will all work out fine.

Watched "The Green Mile" tonight with Dave. I hadn't seen it before (go ahead and be shocked if you'd like, I just don't see many movies). Needless to say, I was pretty blown away. Wow. I think it says a lot about the way we carry ourselves in our lives, the messages we send to people. Every week I send our congregation at church with the words "carry Christ with you wherever you go this week"... I wonder how often we fail at that critical task?

Alright... I should at least make an attempt at sleep. Tomorrow, things get back to normal.

A Day Of Rest

2008-03-08T23:49:00.003-05:00

This might be a new personal record for "most blog entries in one day", but considering that I've been literally stuck in the house all day, there just hasn't been that much to do. Which is actually what I'm writing about tonight. About an hour ago the difficult decision was made to cancel our service tomorrow morning. That's something that nobody ever wants to do, and yet it was clearly the right decision to make. Many if not most of the other churches around our area have done the same, so all of those folks will be staying home and sleeping in...

...and I can't help but think that it's probably what God wanted.

If I could use one word to describe the people that I know (and I'm including myself here) recently, it would be tired. We're worn down, we're sick, we barely have enough energy to keep going, and yet we forge on. We push ourselves as hard as ever (harder than we should), because we don't think we can afford to slow down. But in the process, I think we often forget that we owe God our best worship. Not what we have left over at the end of the week, not what we manage to scrounge up on Sunday morning, but our first fruits, the best offering, the prime sacrifice. Is it possible that we've come to the point where we're not able to give that because we've simply stretched ourselves too thin?

And then, practically out of nowhere, it snows 20 1/2 inches in 24 hours and brings the busyness of our lives to a grinding halt. People will curse nature and even God for causing it, but it certainly reminds us of something important: we are not in control here. Is it possible that this was God's way of putting the proverbial foot down? Of telling us that we need to rest? I know that I'm feeling pretty good after a full day at home with very little to do. I imagine I'll be quite refreshed by Monday morning. What are the odds that I'll have more energy, more passion, more excitement in my worship time this week? I think they're pretty good. Amazing what a day of rest can do.

Maybe next time it won't take 20 inches of snow to remind us.

More Snow Pictures

2008-03-08T17:34:00.006-05:00

The snow continues to fall here, despite predictions that it would end by 4:00 PM (it's now 5:35). It's quite a mess outside, and a lot of churches in our area have already canceled their Sunday morning services. We're still stewing on that one in the Centerpoint camp... probably waiting until the morning to make a final decision. For now, it's looking like another night of movies and computer stuff around here. The good news is that this has given me some time to work on a script that I'm in the middle of for church, and our internet seems to be back in full force now after intermittent service this morning.

Here are a couple more pictures of the "white death" (as we affectionately call it here at our house):

Our front sidewalk, shortly after shoveling.

My poor car - begging to be excavated.

The view across our front yard.

Buried

2008-03-08T11:53:00.007-05:00

Well, for the first time in a long time, the Columbus weatherman was right on the money. It's been snowing since yesterday morning, but typically we don't get anywhere near the nastiness that they predict: not so this time. There is definitely a foot of snow on the ground on this morning. That's no exaggeration. On top of that, it's still coming down! This gives a whole new meaning to the idea of being "snowed in". It's one thing to see snow on the ground and decide to stay in because of it, but it's quite another to look outside and think that you probably couldn't leave even if you wanted to. Looking out the window this morning, it's hard to believe that earlier this week I was sitting out on the patio with no jacket reading. Here's a picture of that same patio this morning (now, granted this was taken through a screen door with my phone, but I think you'll still get the idea):

Needless to say, it's going to be an "around the house" type of day, since the entire city is basically shut down. As a result, I suspect this won't be the last you'll hear out of me today!

New Beginnings

2008-03-08T02:12:00.006-05:00

It's time for a new start. Allow me to explain. I've been blogging for a long time, and up until this point, I've been entirely faithful to the same blog: http://ericfrisch04.mindsay.com. Now don't get me wrong, I like Mindsay, but after over 4 years of maintaining that page, it was simply time for a switch. My content has changed over the years, and some of the older posts on the Mindsay blog don't really reflect what I want my blog to be about anymore. Beyond that, there are some really useful features here that simply haven't been integrated there: comments from folks who aren't registered users and mobile blogging being the biggest ones for me. So here I am. I make no promises about what you will find here, but I hope that you'll stop back and read. Blogging is something that I do for myself - a chance to work out feelings and thoughts and ideas in words, but it's always more fun when others join the process. Feel free to check out the old blog as well to find out more about the journey that has brought me to this point. Until next time, God bless!