A Morning With The Roses

They work countless hours, often for little to no public recognition. They are all around you, yet you rarely see them. They are anything but household names, yet they greatly enrich our lives providing just the appropriate backdrop to that quiet moment on your morning commute. Or maybe it comes in the form of a burst of energy as your favorite team calls time out while the network transitions to commercial. Perhaps it's a comforting melodic line in a scene from a popular movie, or the opening theme to your favorite prime time drama. One thing is certain, we simply cannot do without them. They are the instrumentalists, background vocalists, sound engineers, composers, arrangers & producers that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make Amy Grant, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, & Chicago Bulls Pregame music sound so good.

As I have begun work on my next instrumental album, "Room to Move" (available this fall on amazon & itunes & thanks for asking (shameless plug) ), I've been revisiting some of my favorite instrumental compositions through the years.

Several nights ago I came across a tune on an old Windham Hill Sampler entitled "A Morning With The Roses" that was a personal favorite during my college years. Believe me, it goes perfect with your morning coffee. On a whim, I googled the composer's name (an inconceivable notion when purchasing this album in the early 90's I might add). Long story short, so good to finally put a face with a tune. To say Richard Dworsky is a giant in the world of composition, movie scores, & instrumental piano music is a gross understatement.

So today's entry is an open "thank you" to the many years Richard has labored perfecting his extraordinary craft. I know my life is the better for it. Hope you enjoy.

To learn more about Richard Dworsky visit his website at http://www.richarddworsky.com/ You may also purchase his music online at itunes & amazon.

p.s. Would you believe I typed all of this while holding a fussy 9 month old? Talk about hunt & peck! ;0)

Progress

They Grow up fast.

The Triumph of Ted Haggard

Many remember the tragic story of Ted Haggard, the pastor who grew a small church out of his home basement, into one of the largest mega churches in the World. Most know how he fell from grace several years ago, after his involvement with a male prostitute & illegal drugs- Juicy Tabloid material/Late Show fodder to be certain.

Most however, did not know the story of his long road to recovery, until yesterday evening, when The Learning Channel documented the recent successes in Pastor Ted's life.

At this point, you might be thinking, "Oh the hypocrisy", Or "Surrrrrre he's straight" (wink, wiNK), or "Scripture forbids a church leader from ever... yadi-yadi-yaduh" or even... "Elders of the church should be of one wife, blameless, tobacco & debt free, having never laid eyes on a Playboy magazine."

Yet we enthusiastically embrace stories in Scripture surrounding Rahab the Prostitute, King David the Womanizer, Noah the Boozer, & St. Paul, Author of much of the New Testament & oh yes...serial killer of Christians! Then we proudly exclaim "Such heroes of the faith!" As well as "God can restore & use anyone!"...so long as it's not someone in present day 21st Century America.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Pastor Ted. We have also spoken on the phone on more than one occasion (He couldn't believe my parents named me "Chess" ha!). And while admittedly, he has fallen well short of the Glory of God, so has George W. Bush, Billy Graham, The Dixie Chicks, The Statler Brothers, Pope Benedict XVI, Nancy Pelosi (ESPECIALLY Nancy Pelosi), Kobe Bryant, Lady Gaga, Michael Vick, Joe "Bob Uecker" Biden, & last & certainly least, yours truly! ;0)

I believe Haggard to be a sincere man. I believe his heart & intentions to be pure. I also happen to know first hand of the work his new church is accomplishing that has already positively impacted countless lives in his surrounding community. http://www.saintjameschurch.com/

So why won't NBC report about that? Not nearly as entertaining I'm guessing.

Finally, I dare say I appreciate Pastor Ted more now, as a broken vessel, than ever before. Why? Because brokenness yields the finest fruit. And Ted is no exception.

Brokenness matures our faith. It increases our compassion. It greatly expands our depth of understanding. And brokenness is God's specialty. I.E. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted & saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 NIV

But will he fall again? Of course. He's human. So will you. The difference is, CNN won't be at your doorstep after your indiscretion (Although they might should you ever decide to run for public office).

As Ted himself stated in the documentary- "It's time to move the story forward, or we die."

Turn the page America. Lest ye without sin cast the first stone.

Letting Go

Though I'm clearly the cold weather/burly mountain man type (lest ye forget my impressive unkempt Old Man Winter beard last spring), I miss the ocean. I miss those rare opportunities our family took mid week, in July, if memory serves (& it does), just before rush hour. We'd set up camp for a few hours on Apfel Beach, & let our children frolic about like a heard of gazelle in spring. Then we'd launder our gritty, salty, bodies, change into some clean clothes (while we hoped no one was looking), & go enjoy some overpriced seafood at one of the restaurants on Seawall Blvd.


Good times.


The above caption expresses those memories quite well. Truth be known, it's one of my favorites, & commemorates our final day in Galveston.


As you can see, my daughter is performing one of her famous cartwheels on the sand, as the waves (paying no attention to her acrobatics mind you), calmly roll in... & then gently roll back out to sea.


If you look close enough, you will identify the puffy, white, sailboat (to the left) off in the distance. And if you look near the front, right hand corner, you will see the gull that happened to swoop down at just the right moment.



Beautiful.



This tranquil impression has been my PC's desktop wallpaper for the past six-plus months. I guess it creates a sense of comfort & familiarity every time I boot up the ol' tower & monitor. What can I say? I'm a sappy, middle aged dad. Guilty as charged, Your Honor.


But I am deeply saddened by the infrequency of these experiences. I suppose I could justify it by saying it's just a season of life, but this season has prolonged for over a decade now. And as we all know, they don't stay little for long.



Tonight, I finally changed my wallpaper. I guess it symbolizes my reluctant attempt to let go of what can no longer be, & to hopefully embrace what is to come.




Not making any promises. :0/

Enduring Strength

Comforting. Wise. Masterfully articulated. Presidential. A timely, eloquent message for a grieving nation.

The Journey Home

Stumbled across this the other day on my PC. Forgot I had it. It's an impressionistic painting (my favorite style & period of art, not that anyone cares). I created it from a picture I took this past October of a West Texas Sunset.

Our family was headed home on Interstate 40, returning from my wife's grandmother's 80th birthday celebration. The sky was glistening as usual. This time, however, an impressive supporting cast made it even more picture worthy. Spacious fields of cotton, & threatening rain clouds intermingling as far as the eye could see, certainly made the journey home all the more memorable.

Good memories. Good memories indeed.


Wooden Shoe Agree? ;0)

Just For A Moment

Anymore, these kind of moments seem to come around less & less in our household. So these days, I appreciate them all the more when they magically & unexpectedly unfold...even if it's just for a moment. To me, this scene depicts what a quiet winter weekend in early January should be about. Sadly, most of our weekends are anything but restful, as the majority are spent working, or recovering from a punishing week surrounded by jerks, galore.

Perhaps the secret is to recognize the moment & appreciate/absorb it for as long as humanly possible, because you can never be certain when the next one's coming around. I have also found if you try to plan something of this nature, it rarely turns out the way you want it. Not sure why. Perhaps it's too contrived or something.



I dunno.

Tired, discouraged, & at a loss for any further answers or meaning. :0/

Turning in now.

C.

Taylor Made

In a most unusual turn of events yesterday, I had the rare (& I do mean rare) privilege to visit in person with old friends. Usually my home is quite dull during the day, almost libraryesque if you will (i.e. envision a bunch of chincy old timers sitting around reading free newspapers on a broom stick, trying to save a quarter, telling your kids to shush every 3 seconds).

But yesterday proved to be quite a different story.

There were giant teenagers defying gravity on our backyard trampoline. A sea of hot wheels cars were spread as far as the eye could see, just waiting to puncture Daddy's bare feet at three a.m. (Come to think, who needs ADT Home Security Services when you have sharp metal hot wheels cars randomly spread all over your entryway floor? Eh?) There were mini wii tournaments commencing. And last but not least, a chain gang of adults to...to...we'll call him "Glenn," for the sake of anonymity, stretched from my overheated kitchen, down the hall, to my computer office, barking out the proper measurements on the website recipe for Dutch Oven Cornbread ( trust me, you haven't lived 'til you've experienced my Dutch Oven Cornbread, dawg) while your favorite blogger & mine finished smoking the finest bbq brisket this side of the Mississippi for lunch.

That's right folks, like the chivalrous Allies on the beaches of Normandy in '44, the Taylor's had invaded the West Texas panhandle!

;0)

Bitter sweet was our brief reunion, as their trip was not one of pleasure (very sick relative). Still, I'll take what I can get. It had been eight long years since the good Randall & I shared a laugh & a meal in person. I also finally met his wife for the first time & two youngest.

Man, I seriously, seriously, need to get out more.

But it's not in the cards I'm afraid. For the three L's prevent it from happening: Little time, Little resources, & Little one's.

Sigh...

Such is this season of life.

Here's hoping it won't be eight more years 'till our paths cross again.

:0/

010111

Twenty Ten wasn't a bad year. That being said, I'm glad it's in the books. Our family experienced monumental changes this year, mostly good. So for that I'm exceedingly grateful.

Now as we look toward the new year, our prayer is for balance & much needed rest. Perhaps small doable goals in the form of quiet, barely noticeable benchmarks if you will.

Whatever you have your eyes set on in 2011, I hope you achieve it. Grace & peace to you this first day of January. The best is yet to be.

c.