Deep Thought Friday?

Hey everybody! I'm back in town and piled up with work so this will be short. I spent most of yesterday in the airport and couldn't (make that wouldn't) get on the internet. Here's a double dose to make up for the delayed day.

1. Why does the "complementary wi-fi" service in the Nashville airport cost $9.99?

2. Do guilty people feel as guilty as innocent people do when going thru the airport security x-ray and body search?

(Does anybody notice an airport theme here?)

The Two Hundred Twenty Third Psalm

What a great day today. Kevin Stokes and I spent the morning going over the tunes for our new CD. In the afternoon we wrote a GREAT SONG!!! It was probably the best co-writing session I've ever had - total collaboration with each of us pulling the best out of each other. It is going to be exciting to see how God uses this song to minister.

Tonight I had dinner with another co-writer, Helga Kaefer. It was funny, I live in KC and she lives in New Jersey. (We have written two songs together.) We were both in Nashville to co-write but not with each other. I wish my world was always this small, so I could be around my writing buddies anytime.

Maybe there'll be song writing in heaven! If there is, I bet everyone will want to co-write with David. Wouldn't that be cool? A psalm of David and Phil.

Write Right Rite

This is my second day in Nashville, writing songs for our next CD. So far I've had two sessions with Marty Funderburk. Yesterday we worked with some ideas but didn't have anything really click. This morning I had a new idea and jotted down a verse and chorus which I emailed to Marty. When we got together in the afternoon, he had done some work on it and in a couple of hours we had a great song!! Marty is a true pro and a pleasure to work with.

Tomorrow I'll spend the day with Kevin Stokes, our producer. We'll work through some pre-production stuff and probably write a bit as well. Should be a great day!!

If That Don't Taint The Cake

Yesterday was my family birthday party, complete with my favorite - ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. This year I decided to try something different to blow out the candles. It went sort of like this...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

For some reason, no one else wanted a piece. Oh well, more for me!!

Define "Urgent"

For the last several weeks I've been fighting a slight cough left over from a minor cold last month. It doesn't really bother me except when I sing. When I draw those big breaths to belt out a high note, I feel like I'm going to cough up a lung. We are gearing up for recording so I thought I better run to the doctor's office to get some meds to clear this out for good.

My doctor's clinic has walk in Urgent Care from 7am to 4pm for people like me with busy schedules and minor problems. I bopped in at about 3:30 and the receptionist informed me that since the weather was bad today the Urgent Care closed at 3:00. She said I could come back tomorrow.

I looked up "urgent" in the dictionary and found "requiring immediate action or attention"

Maybe the new definition should add "or can wait until tomorrow."

3, 2, 1 . . .

Yesterday the countdown timer on my laptop hit Zero. Yes, it is official. I am now 40. What do exciting people do on this momentous day? I don't know, but here's what I did.

First I slept in!!! I could get used to this.

Next my mom took Pam and I out to lunch. (Actually there was showering, dressing, goofing around, etc. in there, but do you really need that much detail?) We ran a few errands and went back to her house to help her decide between two curtain patterns.

After this we hit the town for a bit of birthday shopping. My choice, the Dollar Store!!! (I call it frugal, Pam calls it cheap, but it's me.) I love to read and I LOVE reading hard cover books, but there is no way I'm paying $20 for one. The dollar store had received a new shipment and I went nuts. Nineteen books for nineteen bucks!!! I'm stocked for the rest of the year.

After the kids came home from school, I opened my presents!! Pam and the girls bought me six new DVDs (my other weakness - actually I purchased these several weeks ago from the bargain bin), a comfy new shirt and a non-stick skillet. (Now is that glamourous or what?) Everything was just what I wanted and I love it!!

At 7:15 we headed out for dinner. Pam had reservations and wouldn't tell me where. We arrived at a very nice Italian restaurant and were ushered to a back room where some of our best couple friends were waiting. I was totally surprised, and that is hard to do! (Kudos Pam, ya did good!) We had a wonderful dinner and even better time visiting and catching up.

I've been joking about this birthday for quite a while, but honestly, getting older doesn't bother me. Sure I'll miss my dark hair and sleeping all night without bathroom breaks, but I'm loving my life. I know that I'm loved and I'm blessed. Who could ask for any more than that?

Deep Thought Thursday

The debate whether the glass is half full or half empty has been going on so long, they should dump out whatever is in there and get some fresh. It couldn't possibly taste good after all this time.

The Final Meal

Tonight I had my final meal as a thirty-something person. It didn't hit me until we were finished eating, but then I took time to savor the moment.

The family and I were feasting at the KFC Buffet. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits with gravy, beans (both baked and green) with gravy, (OK, they didn't start out with gravy, but I put so much on my potatoes it spread to the other food groups.) For dessert, peach cobbler and some kind of light orange colored mousse. Yummy!!

I was having a great time, despite the chaos going on around me. My youngest was upset there weren't more pudding flavors, my oldest almost got stuck in the bathroom because of a heavy door/greasy floor combination, and my wife was worried about germs and passing around the hand sanitizer. Then there was an irate woman yelling at the counter guy because they ran out of sforks, the cleverly combined spoon/fork utensil.

There I was, oblivious to it all, munching on chicken and grooving along with the Caribbean tunes floating down from overhead speakers. The last song I heard before we left was a steel drum rendition of the 80s hit "Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side." That proves you are never too old for new experiences.

I guess that's as good a place as any to wrap up my first forty years. Tomorrow I'll work on the next forty.

Deep Thought Thursday

You've probably heard it said, "Go ahead and ask, the worst that can happen is they'll say 'no'".

That is not true. They could punch you in the face, knock you down, spit on you, tie you to a tree, beat you senseless, steal your wallet, and then say "no".

Now, a simple "no" doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Satan's Sidebar

Last night I was working on the devotion for our monthly newsletter. I needed to look up the lyrics to Sandi Patti's song "In The Name of the Lord." I typed it into Google and clicked on the first hit on the list.

Sure enough, in seconds I was reading through the lyrics. Then I glanced over to the sidebar of the webpage. There were little pictures of women in bikinis with links that I can only assume pointed to less than wholesome websites. I couldn't believe it. The contrast was so extreme, it seemed almost surreal. Kind of like having an usher at church ask, "Smoking or non?"

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Everywhere we find God, Satan's not far off, doing his best to draw us away. We've got to keep to the narrow path, for wide is the browser and many are the links that lead to destruction. Amen brother, preach it!!!

The Not So Soft and Gentle Side

I have a confession to make. We don't watch much TV around our house, but Pam and I have gotten hooked on one series, Alias with Jennifer Garner. I borrow the DVDs from our local library and we like to watch an episode each day for lunch. If you've never seen the show, it's an adventure with lots of spies, mysteries and government cover-ups. To summarize, somewhere in each episode, Jennifer Garner cries, runs, and kicks someone in the head. Throw in a bunch of shooting, and you have an action-packed 41 minutes.

The other day our heroine was face to face with a big bad guy, duking it out. Then my kind, gentle, loving and caring wife belts out, "Kick him in the head!" It was so out of character, we both burst out laughing.

Now I can picture it. Someday we'll be on stage sharing a tender moment about God's love and Pam will blurt out, "and when Satan tries to discourage you, just kick him in the head!"

You go girl!

Deep Thought Thursday plus...

If a bird breaks wind in the forest and the are no other animals around, does it still smell like worms?

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On a completely different note, this morning was too cool. I scheduled a co-write with a friend in New Jersey. We both sat at our pianos with our macbooks and iChat running. There she was, live in a window on my screen. We texted lyrics to each other and in a couple of hours we had finished a new song!! This has got to be about the best invention since indoor plumbing! I'm hooked.

Refried Romance

Pam and I took my mom out to lunch for her 74th birthday yesterday (Yeah, mumsie!). We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant. While there I noticed a sign advertising a wonderful Italian dinner for Valentine's Day. Italian food at a Mexican place? Is Mexican less romantic than Italian? I think some of our amigos south of the border would disagree.

I gave this question a lot of thought and finally came up with a possible answer. Many Mexican dishes included refried beans and beans do have their own peculiar digestive traits. It is true that the expulsion of noxious gases can taint a romantic atmosphere, not to mention the fire hazard if there are lit candles present.

I suppose on the other hand, pasta is high in carbs and should give you a lot of energy. If that is the case, how come every time I eat Italian, I feel fat, bloated and want to take a nap? And is there any toothpaste that will kill the smell of garlic on your breath?

My best suggestion for a romantic meal would be some variety of fish (unless you are allergic, of course, in which case the response can range from dangerous to down-right funny depending on how you react). I prefer baked for quiet digestion with a light bowl of soup on the side and a wafer-thin mint as a finishing touch.

Even with this meal, there is no guarantee that you won't do or say something totally stupid, thus negating any positive effect from your culinary discernment. Maybe it's better to just grab a couple of bean burritos and a coke and hope for the best!

Somebody's Praying

I was just working on a new song based on a passage in Dueteronomy. What great moment! I was all alone at the piano, but I was having church big time. When the song is finished, I'm pretty sure it will make the cut for our new CD.

I came to good stopping point and was thanking God for the inspiration when it hit me. In our last newsletter and ministry partners letter I asked for prayer for the new songs I am writing. Somebody is praying! I can feel it!

I like what I'm hearing so keep those prayers coming!!