We found this photo opportunity on the way to Monument Valley:





They say that 90% of great picture taking involves composition - so I'm always looking for interesting shots.

As I was studying the full program of Lipscomb's Summer Celebration, combined with ACAFEST, I found that Pat Boone will be interviewed at the same time as my Praise & Harmony class tomorrow.  Now I wonder if anyone will attend my class?

Every church has announcements and "family matters."
Here are some important ones:

ACAFEST:  This week
Where?    The campus of David Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee
When?  Wednesday through Friday
We hope you can join us for classes, worship, concerts and fellowship for ACAFEST 2008.
Enjoy the fireworks, Acappella concert, congregational singing, Durant appearances and more.

FALL FOLIAGE CRUISE
Join us this Fall for our Praise & Harmony Cruise, Sep 28 - Oct 4.
Great fellowship, food, fun and lots of singing!
New York, Cape Cod, Halifax Canada
Call Mark Story at 720-254-5753 for details.

ADVANCED WORSHIP LEADERS CLINIC
Next week, a limited number of worship leaders will be coming to Tennessee to develop their skills, with an emphasis on stage presence and worship planning.  The clinic will include a workshop presentation by a voice specialist from the Vanderbilt Voice Clinic.  This is not for beginning or intermediate skill levels.  Must be strong on the basics.

As you can see, our calendar is busy with great activities.  I can think of nothing more important than training worship leaders.  Sadly, we seem to have placed all our eggs into (the basket of) training pulpit ministers and almost NONE into the vital area of worship ministry.  Please pray for the ministry of training worship leaders!

We enjoyed Sunday lunch with one of our shepherds, Bob Threlkeld and his wife Aileen.  She mentioned how she takes care of her mother who lives with them, and how her Mom never complains about anything.  Her Mom is 104 years old!  I thought of this song:


Amazing.  Especially that she doesn't complain.

How have you encountered the "weaker brother" argument when it involved worship - specifically, avoiding anything that might offend anyone?

After staying busy for several days at Red River Family Encampment, we set out across northern New Mexico and happened upon Ship Rock.  We took a dusty road in an attempt to get a closer look, but were still a significant distance away.  It looked like a castle to me. . .

The mountains were echoing with praises this week in Northern New Mexico as Christians gathered for the 22nd Red River Family Encampment.  Outstanding messages were presented, a wide variety of classes offered and inspirational worship times were enjoyed by all who attended.  I'll be posting some photos here this week.

What a wonderful experience with the Otumotai congregation in Tauranga!  (Steve Raine better check my spelling.)

During our impromptu stopover in Sante Fe, we happened upon a classic car show at the historic Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.

How many of you remember a turning point in your worship experience when you transitioned from "having" to go to church, to "wanting" to go?  What made the difference?

I took these photos last evening in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

#1



#2



#3



See the complete gallery here.

Does anyone recognize this place?  This is the closest to "live blogging" that I have come.  I stopped and asked the locals where the best restaurant is, and they did not lead us the wrong direction.  Great food.  I grabbed this photo just a few moments ago.


We are on our way (for our first time) to the Red River Family Encampment.  I've heard that their numbers have approached 3,000 in the past.  They assigned me a lot of jobs, including congregational worship, Praise & Harmony workshops and leading the youth tracks.  More later. . .

I was not quite prepared for what was about to happen.  At the conclusion of our Praise & Harmony workshop in Tauranga, New Zealand, Steve Raine called me to the front and informed me I was about to be honored.  The next thing that I heard was a startlingly loud series of warrior screams emanating from a young man who was moving toward me.

Do you ever experience odd connections when you fly?  Yesterday, we were heading to California from Tennessee and the first leg of our flight took us to Washington D.C.  We flew to the Atlantic before turning around to the Pacific.

It's great being a father as I'm blessed with four wonderful children.


       
                  Allison Lancaster

Today has been a very special day.  Kimberly and Allison drove to Knoxville this morning to join us at Farragut.  Fathers and their children were involved in leading the services with a Father's Day theme.   I was very moved by Kimberly's rendition of "How Deep The Father's Love For Us."

Since this is my blog, I suppose it's okay to tell you how proud I am of our children.  Allison is about to travel to Australia with Lipscomb students on a mission trip to Perth.  She'll be going to the city of my very first Australian mission trip - incidentally, with the son of evangelist, Marvin Phillips, whom I accompanied years ago.  Marvin's son, Mark will be on this trip and Marvin's other son, Alan, was instrumental in helping us with our recent visit to Australia and New Zealand.  After her Australian trip, she'll be preparing for a semester of study in Vienna this Fall.

Melissa called me today from her vacation in Florida.  Melissa is excelling in her work with recording and developing singing groups, including vocalists at Friendship Christian.  She also has an amazing and creative contemporary sound with her group, Lancaster Transit.

Kimberly continues to stay busy with her photography business, taking pictures of everyone from bluegrass legend, Earl Scruggs to Gospel great, Bill Gaither.  You may already know that she sings with Durant and stays busy consulting her Dad in photographic techniques.

It was great to hear from our son, Anthony after his very first appearance last night, singing with Acappella.  By the way, here's one of those "What's up with that?" stories:  When Anthony was a boy scout, we entered the fathers and sons clay pigeon shooting contest.  I currently display in my office the first place trophy from that contest.  Apparently, a couple of the scout leaders had been trading the first place trophy back and forth from year to year.  At the awards ceremony, one of the leaders who was announcing the winners (who had not been able to attend the shooting contest and had not heard the results), read my name for the first place prize.  He was obviously stunned (and shocked that a singing-worship leader had won) and immediately said, "What's up with that???"  I continue to laugh about that moment.  (I guess all those target-shooting outings with my Dad paid off.)

So. . . Anthony has only been preparing for nine days to sing with Acappella, and what was his very first gig?  He and Acappella were flown to Dallas, Texas to perform for the Christian Music Hall Of Fame, appearing with a host of well-known, famous artists.  His first concert is the "Hall Of Fame!"  What's up with that?     That made me smile.

Of course I can't think of Father's Day without a flood of memories of my Dad.  The greatest memories I have of my Dad are of his heart for serving and helping others.  He epitomized the golden rule.  He always looked for ways to help people however he could and truly left a legacy that we cherish.

It's also a tremendous blessing to have a father-in-law who lives life to the fullest.  After Charles found out this week that he has pancreatic cancer, he chose to celebrate life by going for one of Trowbridges' famous banana splits.



                              Charles Moody at Trowbridges - Florence, Alabama

Thank God for all the Fathers who give us a glimpse of and point us to the ultimate, heavenly Father.

What's one of your favorite memories with your father?

Do you believe worship should be a unifying experience?
How can a worship leader/planner be involved in unifying?

Which one of these shots do you like the best?

#1            #2 


#3            #4 

Cast your votes.

Our time in Brazil began and ended in this huge city.



View over 600 photos in Acappella's off stage Sao Paulo Brazil gallery.

A good crowd shared an evening of singing and praise in Gosford on our trip to Australia.



You'll have to guess the age of our youngest Praise & Harmony singer who manages to sing every note in perfect pitch.



Here's the Gosford Gallery.