Who managed Elvis?

What do you see emphasized more often – godly example or public giftedness?

It was a pleasant surprise to come across this connection to one of my songs on Bobby Valentine's blog.

I found this article very interesting.

One of the highlights of our recent vacation was the historic city of Istanbul, Turkey.

California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says it's time to consider legalizing marijuana.

University of California says they may start a marijuana research center.

Really? I thought the University of California was a marijuana research center.

                                                                                         - Jay Leno

We are excited to announce our partnership with Oklahoma Christian, which will move the singing group, Acappella, to based in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Check out the press release: 

Oklahoma Christian University (OC) has reached an agreement with the Acappella Company that will move members of the popular Christian vocal group Acappella to the OC campus this fall. The company’s headquarters will remain in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

Dr. Mike O’Neal, president of OC, said the goal of the partnership is to promote the beauty and spiritual merit of a cappella music. The agreement with Acappella provides significant benefits to both parties. 

“Many of the talented young people who have been a part of Acappella over the years have had to put their college education on hold because of the group’s busy schedule and extensive travel,” he said. “We are providing scholarships to the members of the group. Though Acappella will remain independent of the university, their presence on our campus will result in much goodwill toward Oklahoma Christian as they minister throughout the world.”

Keith Lancaster, founder of Acappella and CEO of the Acappella Company, said, “Never before has the need to celebrate and strengthen the wonderful heritage of a cappella singing been greater. Along with the international concert ministry, Acappella will be mobilizing to lead worship for youth events as well as training and developing a cappella worship leaders. We are energized by Dr. O’Neal’s vision and foresight as he leads Oklahoma Christian to be an ever greater source of strength to equip the local church. Acappella Ministries is honored to be included in this mission.”

Lancaster — songwriter, producer and original lead singer — started Acappella in 1982 with a mission to communicate Gospel truths through music. Believing in the awesome versatility and flexibility of the human voice, Acappella can fill a large concert hall with beautiful, intricate music without instrumental accompaniment.

Acappella’s fan base steadily grew through the 1980s as the group experienced many lineup changes and constantly experimented with fresh new sounds. The landmark album, Sweet Fellowship (1988), ushered in one of the most significant developments in the group’s membership and style. Lancaster stepped out of the group as lead singer to focus on the role of producer and manager. The group continued to change after that, developing a unique sound that has been mimicked by countless groups around the world.

Signed to Word Records in 1990 (and later to Epic Records), Acappella’s popularity soared with releases such as Rescue, We Have Seen His Glory and Set Me Free. Media exposure included many television appearances, while the song “More Precious Than Gold” became the centerpiece of a Sony Camcorder television commercial. Acappella’s new album, Find Your Way, is a mix of strong harmony and sound biblical lyrics. Featuring Acappella’s trademark strong bass and soaring tenor, Find your Way marks a triumphant return for the quintet since their last release of three years ago, Radiance.

Five talented young men — Allen Brantley, Robin Brannon, Zac George, Anthony Lancaster and Zach Wilson — continue Acappella’s work today in concerts all over the world. When Acappella relocates to Oklahoma City in August, Brantley will hand the bass singer baton to Wes McKinzie, who previously toured for seven years with another Acappella Company group, AVB. McKinzie, who is OC’s associate director of marketing services, will join Acappella while retaining his current position at Oklahoma Christian.

This official partnership builds on a long history between Oklahoma Christian and Acappella. Thirteen former or current OC students have served with the Acappella Company through the years: Brantley, Rodney Britt, Luke Coles, Will Coleson, Zac George, Michael Forehand, Steve Maxwell, McKinzie, Robert Orr, Max Plaster, Chet Sweet, Denise Sweet and Bret Testerman.

For additional information concerning Acappella, log on to www.acappella.org. For more information about Oklahoma Christian, log on to www.oc.edu.

Remember what song these lyrics came from?
"Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there. . . "
I think of these words when I see this photo I took last year.

Howard Hughes built a gigantic airplane, the Spruce Goose, so called because to conserve metal in wartime the craft was made chiefly of spruce wood.  True or False?

I was struck by the contrasting diversity of each port and country we visited.  After leaving Italy, the distinct style of this Greek Island was apparent from our first look. 


All the buildings are painted white; many with colorful trim.


As the cruise ship passengers descended upon this island, I’m sure the population multiplied.  Shopping opportunities abounded.


Now I understand all the talk about the beauty of the Greek Isles.

How does what we do every single day affect our ability to lead worship on Sunday?

What an eerie experience to stroll back in time via the streets of Pompeii.  As a result of the deadly volcano's sudden eruption, this city became one of the most well-preserved sites of antiquity.

On our maiden voyage with Princess Cruise Lines, we were introduced to the physical comedy of Uber Rissi.  Just check out a few of his expressions I captured during his comedy presentation.

The Post Office announced that the price of a stamp is going up to 44 cents.

This is getting out of control. If there were just some other way to send written messages

that were free and a million times faster. If you guys think of something, e-mail me.
                                                                                                - Jimmy Fallon

One of the treats of visiting Italy was getting to see some of the works of Michelangelo.

It seems that we are always following current events.  It was difficult to navigate Rome, as there was a very special bicycle race concluding in Rome on the very day we visited.  We even got to catch a glimpse of it as we visited the Vatican.

"Good things come to those who wait. . . "
"The third time's the charm. . ."

We tried to visit the Mediterranean for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Then 9-11 prevented the travel.
We tried a second time, to no avail.
As they say, the third time is the charm.

What an unbelievable trip!  Those of you who know me realize that cruising is my favorite form of vacation.  This trip was amazing.  Check out these ports of call:

Barcelona
Monte Carlo
Florence
Rome
Pompeii
Mykonos
Istanbul
Athens
Venice

I'll eventually post more photos.  By far, the most amazing cruise we have experienced to date.

Before he became a teen singing idol, Frankie Avalon was an acclaimed trumpet player.  True or False?

We enjoyed our visit to the Vatican.

These weekly discussion questions are taken from Bob Kauflin’s book, Worship Matters. What can we learn about leading worship from a man who led an a cappella hymn-sing in prison at midnight after being beaten and thrown in the stocks?

We viewed a piece of history up close as we visited the Roman Coloessum.

Sharon and I are enjoying our first experience with Princess Cruise Lines.  Every cruise line seems to have unique features.  I'm really enjoying the entertainment on the newest ship of the Princess fleet, the Ruby Princess.  Their singers and dancers are doing a fabulous job!

This week marks the 54th anniversary of the invention of the credit card.

Before that, people practiced something called "living within their means"

          - a foolish, foolish, outmoded way of life.

                                                                                        - Jay Leno

Our first introduction to Italy was the port of Livorno, gateway to Florence and Pisa.  As the saying goes, “all roads lead to Rome.”  We took one of the Roman roads toward Pisa.


Signs, signs, everywhere signs.


Bicycles and motorcycles everywhere.


The architecture was pretty much what I expected, having seen Italy in so many movies and magazines.


Crossing the river.


There was a stark contrast seeing so much litter in the streets after having just seen Monte Carlo the day before.


The defensive walls of history.


The leaning tower is amazing to see in person.



Can you believe this is just a baptistry?

The concert in Brasilia is set for August 1st.  Check it out here.

We are enjoying visiting these places for the very first time.  Monaco is the second smallest nation in the world.  It is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods on the planet.  France is just behind this little nation and Italy can be seen in the distance.


I wanted to go check on our yacht, but we couldn’t remember where docked it.


One of the private yachts in this harbor boasts a crew of 61.  With the downturn in the economy, I wonder if they had to cut their crew to 60?


We strolled by the palace, but were disappointed that the Prince was not available to have coffee with us.


This is the hotel (we were told) would cost $20,000 to stay one evening.  I sure hope it includes breakfast at that price!


We stopped by their famous casino, but we didn’t see James Bond.  Can you believe that they charge admission to go inside this casino?  Charging money to take your money.


We missed their famous Grand Prix by a few weeks.  Although only a few hour visit, it was fun to see this place with so much history.  We heard stories about Grace Kelley and saw a museum once directed by Jacque Cousteau.  A thought struck me as we left this affluent location.  It’s a shame how they can afford such lavish mansions and yachts but can’t afford deodorant.

Gary Moyer's Pitch Pipecast number16 features Terry Cheatham, talking about his experiences in AVB.
Check out this podcast at this link.

1. “Well excu-u-use me!”                   A. George Gobel    
2. “Is that your final answer?”          B. Jackie Gleason 
3.”Hey, Vern!”                                       C. Steve Martin
4.”Well, I’ll be a dirty bird!”              D. Ernest P. Worrell 
5.”Well, har, har, hardy-har har!”    E. Regis Philbin

Although under renovation, we enjoyed our visit to this impressive cathedral.


I especially enjoyed the depictions of the life of Jesus.


Can you tell me what event is depicted in the photo above?  See the clues?


The view from the top of the spirals was breathtaking.  No trip to Barcelona is complete with a visit of this landmark.