We are going to be in the hall of fame!

Time is just flying by. Cassi and I have been so busy since her trip to Belgium and my stint with Casting Crowns. This weekend is the first time we are really going to have to debrief and spend some time together. We plan on taking in a tourist attraction this weekend. We are going to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

So we will be in the Hall of Fame; as visitors, not inductees.

Meet the people who are making it happen

Hey guys,

I am still out on the road with Casting Crowns. Yesterday we were at a Provident Records dinner and performed with Brandon Heath, Matt Maher, Chynna and Vaughan, Phil Stacey, and Leeland. It was really neat spending time with all these artists back stage. Admittedly, I was one of those guys who had a bit of a Junior High crush on Chynna Phillips when she was with Wilson Phillips. I ended up not talking with her, fearing that I might come across as a gurm.

The tour rehearsals earlier this week were in Nashville at the Sommet Center with Casting Crowns and Matt Redman. His band sounded so good in rehearsal. Especially the opener. The keyboard player is a guy named Nathan Nockels. He was one of the guys who almost produced the DDB record for us. He does quite a bit of producing in Nashville, especially for his wife Christy Nockels. He and his wife were a group called Watermark for years.

It has been cool to meet and hang out with a lot of the artists that have been writing the lion's share of worship songs of the modern church. This is all just over the past 8 days I have been with Casting Crowns.

We are staying at a nice resort style hotel called Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel. Free tickets to the Universal theme parks. I am staying in the room today though. I have to realize that this is work for me. I need to make sure the music I play tomorrow is right on the money. If I get done later I might venture out to the park.

Chris and Amanda had their baby last night. This morning Hannah seems to be doing well. I should know soon how much longer I am on the road with Crowns. Their tour for the new album starts this coming Thursday in Albuquerque and Friday in Phoenix. By the way this new album, for me, is the Casting Crowns I fell in love with in the beginning. There is quite a bit of worship on this particular album. I have had moments of "church" sitting there learning the tunes. I find myself going between work and worship. This album drops in November and I suggest you OWN IT!

Well, gotta run. I think Cassi said she was going to try to do an update on her trip to Belgium. Not sure about when, but keep looking here for it.

Peace

A Trip With Casting Crowns

I just got back in town from a weekend with Provident recording artist, Casting Crowns. For most people who read our blog they need no introduction, but for those who are just starting to check out this Jesus thing, Casting Crowns has 4 platinum records and 2 gold records. They also have a new record being released in November I believe. They are partners with World Vision and over a year ago they had directly helped to get over 19,000+ children sponsored on a monthly basis. I am sure that number is so much higher now. Like I said this was over a year ago when I was at a World Vision night in Nashville and CC was recognized for their help.

I ended up filling in for them because their bass player and his wife are expecting a child any day. They just needed me to fill in on some dates and help them get ready for the upcoming tour. We start tour rehearsals in Nashville tomorrow, Sunday the 6th. I need to be learning 8 additional Casting Crowns songs from the new album. I like what I have heard from it so far.

So, I will post a few picture from my trip.

Waiting on bus

Bus waiting on me

Back stage area

Crew setting up

Empty seats

Getting some of the details worked out

On stage

Peace!

Belgium Mission Trip Update#1

I am so sorry I am just now getting the chance to post a blog. We have had limited access to the internet because the wireless isn’t free unless we are at a café that has it. We have been incredibly busy and it has been amazing journey thus far. It definitely involves a huge amount of walking which is nice but tiring. We have literally fallen asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow which is another reason I am just now blogging.

Although it is so beautiful here you can definitely tell something is missing. While on public transportation (Tram, Train, or Bus) no one makes eye contact. Everyone is quiet and very guarded. Lots of people have IPODs with Earphones or are staring at their phones as a barrier. We have had a chance to speak with a couple of people none of which are true Belgian, but do live here. We Were lucky enough to have a great conversation with one lady and she told us that she believes Belgians are so guarded due to being used as a battle ground in past years. She said that most conversations are very general on the surface conversations. They typically do not invite you into their homes unless you are family or a very close friend. She said it may be a couple of years before it would be appropriate to have a conversation with a Belgian about politics or religion. We have been trying to communicate and observe as many people as we possibly can.

We landed in Brussels around 8:00am (Belgium time) after flying for nearly 9 hours. We were all exhausted, but really wanted to have a productive day. We needed to keep ourselves busy to stay awake and get acclimated to the time difference. They are seven hours ahead of us(Central Standard time). We checked into our hotel, grabbed breakfast, and started our day. We mainly just got our bearings and attended a church service. We have been using a method that consists of prayer walking, observing and connecting. We are trying to use every minute of daylight to get as much done as possible. No doubt the scenery is beautiful in some areas and you can’t help but snap a picture we have a much bigger mission in and on our minds constantly. Although we would love to spend many hours doing only mission work while we are on this trip, the fact is we also have to make time to see different areas and scout out potential areas we may need to live. We want to be in the area we feel we could really have good opportunities to connect with and meet many people and share God’s word. We want to be in his will 100 percent!

On Monday we were able to visit an area called Stockel. It was very much a suburban feel and family friendly. It was a nicer area of Brussels. We walked around most of the city and were able to view an apartment. Tuesday we went to an area called Gribaumont which personally I loved. There were a couple of great parks where meeting people would be easy. They have walking trails, exercise equipment; skate park areas with concrete hills, and lots of shady sitting areas for reading. People have dogs everywhere in Brussels. It is not uncommon to see dogs walking through the mall or any building. Lots of people are at the parks walking dogs or playing with their children. There are lots of bike riders as well. Any of these would be a great way to make friends. They have lots of mom and pop owned shops which a nice change. Wednesday we will be traveling to Namur to do more research and mission work.

I cannot tell you how thankful and blessed I am to be on this trip. I will admit when I first started feeling like God was leading us towards Brussels I thought of the glamour and beauty of this place and most importantly a huge population of people that do not have a personal relationship with our Father. They are walking through life not even realizing they have a savior who is ready to step up to bat for them and do amazing work in their lives if they will just let him in. Through speaking with the British lady that I mentioned earlier we learned that a lot of people claim Catholicism through status not practice. Meaning they baptize their children because it is the popular thing to do for your friends and family not out of love and obedience.
Many people cannot fathom why we would do such a thing as to move to a foreign country with all of the beautiful historic art, rich chocolate, diamonds, and lace. The truth is they have many things, but God is not one of them. The British lady also said something that really touched me and made my desire to be here even stronger. She said that although has lived in Belgium for a while and although she was married to a Belgian, life here can be lonely. Everyone is so guarded that they are not only missing out on a relationship with God they are missing out on relationships with eachother. Our job as Christians is to love, to encourage, and to be missionaries (in your area or an area you may be called to). Most Belgians do not even acknowledge others presence. It is sad to think in such a beautiful area full of people there are many people who are walking around sad and lonely. There is so much I want to share from this trip already. I will try to post again in the next day or so depending on how busy we are and what access to internet we have. If you have questions please feel free to email me or post them on here. We are trying to learn ourselves. Please pray for Team Belgium as we continue this trip that God will use us as his hands and feet and show us his ultimate plans. We are praying for everyone at home as well. We miss you and we love you all.

Cassi

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all of the earth.
Isaiah 12:5

Tuesday in Brussels and Home Base

Cassi and the team are going on a prayer-walk today through Brussels. They also plan on surveying more of the city to find out more of where we can move and make an impact. They also plan to engage people today by starting conversations. They hope to find out about society, the community, their spirituality (as we call it in America). I hope that today will be a fruitful day there. They are 7 hours ahead of us here in the central time zone so there day is mostly over by now.

At home: This past Friday was our first meeting with LifePoint members to talk about being financial partners. That went well. Sean and Shonna Harrison, and another LifePoint couple (name withheld-I did not ask them if they cared if people new they were sponsoring us) have come on board. I have also had 2 conversations in the last two days and had interest from both of those. So, in the last five days it looks like we have gotten our first 4 monthly sponsors. God can work fast.

Please continue to pray for the team in Belgium for safety and clarity. Also, pray for me. I am putting the finishing touches on the Casting Crowns music I am learning. I leave tomorrow afternoon for a stint with them.

Peace