Keith Lancaster - Hearing Voices

Pop Quiz: Name That Vocalist

Keith Lancaster — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

What person sang lead on Acappella songs "And They Praised God," "If There Were No God," after his tenure with AVB?

Drive-In Worship?

KeithLancaster — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Say what? Drive-in worship?

To borrow the tone from an old "Where's the beef?" commercial - let's ask, "Where's the community? Where's the fellowship?"
Although this article presents a very unusual approach, it's not hard to conclude how their attitude is not that different from our people who regularly avoid community, participation, fellowship and accountability.

Check out this article, A Georgia church tries drive-in worship.

What are we teaching and providing to help believers transition from being spectators (and detached "God-fearers") into fully-participating members of the Body?

Quote of the Day: Quotable

Keith Lancaster — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

"Stronger than an army is a quotation whose time has come."

The Crescent House

KeithLancaster — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

I captured this shot yesterday in Valdosta of this famous house.

Worship Survey: Technology

KeithLancaster — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

How well is your congregation utilizing technology to enhance worship?
What are your thoughts?

Valdosta: Growing In Worship

KeithLancaster — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:19:22 -0500

A return visit to the Central Avenue Church finds them growing and seeking excellence in worship.

We enjoyed a great turn out from worship leaders this afternoon and an inspiring session of four-part singing this evening.

Favorite Songs Of The Candidates

KeithLancaster — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0500

I don't know how much relevance this information has upon deciding who will become the commander in chief of the United States, but here are their ten favorite songs:

Barack Obama's top 10:

1. Fugees - Ready Or Not
2. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
3. Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire
4. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
5. Nina Simone - Sinnerman
6. Kanye West - Touch The Sky
7. Frank Sinatra - You'd Be So Easy To Love
8. Aretha Franklin - Think
9. U2 - City of Blinding Lights
10. will.i.am - Yes We Can

John McCain's top 10:

1. ABBA - Dancing Queen
2. Roy Orbison - Blue Bayou
3. ABBA - Take A Chance On Me
4. Merle Haggard - If We Make It Through December
5. Dooley Wilson - As Time Goes By
6. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
7. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World
8. Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
9. Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
10. The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Abba made it twice on John McCain's list.
Where's the Acappella representation?

Picking my all-time favorite songs would be really difficult for me. Can you name even your top THREE all-time favorite songs?

Vacation Of A Life Time - Mediterranean Cruise

KeithLancaster — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:25:34 -0500

Announcing our
2009 Mediterranean Cruise

including:
SPAIN
FRANCE
ITALY
GREECE

12 Days
August 26, 2009

For those of you who know me, do you think I'll be taking my camera?

Do you reckon we'll be doing some singing?
How about laughing and telling jokes? (Okay, that is optional, if you've heard my jokes)

Here's the Itinerery:
Barcelona, Spain
Cannes, France
Livorno, Italy (Florence)
Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome)
Naples, Italy (Almalfi Coast)
At sea
Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Corfu, Greece
At sea
At sea
Barcelona, Spain

I quizzed a lot of photography enthusiasts from around the world and asked their favorite city to photograph. It just so happens that Venice topped the list. I'm glad we'll be there during portions of two days.

This will be my very first time to France, Spain, Italy and Greece. We were intending on making a special anniversary trip over six years ago, but 9-11 drastically changed traveling plans at that time. I'm very excited about cruising the Mediterranean for the first time. Do you have a special occasion to celebrate? Are you due for a very nice trip?

Rates start at $2589.04 per person
(not including air fare)

STEVE DIGGS of "No Debt No Sweat" Ministries will be joining us for this cruise and sharing inspirational insights from his Retooled and Refueled series. Join Sharon and me, along with Steve Diggs, Mark Story and other Christians from around the world to enjoy this premium vacation experience.

I really appreciate the financial value of cruise vacations. As prices for everything escalate, cruises are remaining a great value. We have sailed to the Caribbean many times, but we're now ready to experience the rich history and beauty of the Mediterranean. Contact Mark Story and make plans to join us on this amazing trip.

For information:
Queenslander Tours

Photo Of The Week: Beale Street Sunset

KeithLancaster — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

I captured this last week during our walk-around visit to Memphis. I'm going for a more "artsy" look. How do you like the ghost people?

I'm very excited that one of my photos was published (for the first time) in a magazine (Photoworld - based in the U.K.) I plan on using photography in conjunction with our music packaging and marketing.

If you haven't visited my Favorite Photos Gallery lately, click the link and don't forget to leave a comment in my guest book. You can also vote on your favorites by clicking the thumbs up and it will appear in the "most popular." I appreciate hearing from you.

A Good Report From New Zealand

KeithLancaster — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

I received a newsletter from John Staiger, the minister for the Morning Side congregation in Auckland, New Zealand. Here is an excerpt from his message:

"Keith Lancaster’s Singing Workshop/Worship. When receiving an Email from Keith to be with us, I put it to the church (and beyond) and they came back with a resounding ‘YES!’ It was a good day. The man can certainly sing. You can’t help but be impressed at his ability to bring the best out of the congregation. Since I don’t have space to go into the whole story, I will sum up by saying that we were completely satisfied with the workshop and worship service. We are a better church for the experience. Check him out if you haven't already."

We praise God for these positive reports as we make plans to minister to other churches around the world. We are striving to provide practical training that allows churches to sustain the positive things they learn. Thank you for your prayers for this ministry of singing and worship.

Quote Of The Day: Problem Solving

KeithLancaster — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

"It's better to anticipate problems
rather than solve them."

White House, Tennessee

KeithLancaster — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:34:57 -0500

We enjoyed an evening of spirited singing at White House Sunday night, including some time with their song leaders afterwards. Yet again, we were able to introduce shaped notes to some people who had never noticed the different shapes nor understood what they represent.

The Perot Theater

KeithLancaster — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

While in Texarkana, we were treated to a tour of this lovely theater, across the street from the Scott Joplin Museum.

The Perot Theater was originally called the Saenger Theater and has hosted a wide range of celebrities. Cary Grant's final public performance was in this theater. We saw Tim Conway's autograph on items backstage.

The acoustics are wonderful in this venue, leading me to think that this would be a great recording site for a future Praise & Harmony album. The decor is classy and the ambiance is very special. There's a lot of interesting history in this place.

Worship Survey: Change

KeithLancaster — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:00:00 -0500

If there is one thing you'd most like to see changed regarding your Sunday worship assembly, it would be __________ ?

Quote Of The Day: Defeat

KeithLancaster — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

"Defeat is not the worst of failures.
Not to have tried is the true failure."

Lightning In Slow Motion

KeithLancaster — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:40:39 -0500

March Of The Ducks

KeithLancaster — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

We finally saw the march of the ducks at the famous Peabody hotel of Memphis.
At 11:00 A.M. sharp, the elevator door opens and the ducks march out onto the red carpet.

. . . Up the steps and into the pool. It's quite a ceremony!

Memphis Sunset Part Two

KeithLancaster — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

I was snapping shots as quickly as I could set them up. . .

Memphis Sunset Part One

KeithLancaster — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Fried Green What?

KeithLancaster — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

In the South, we'll fry almost anything. I caught this sign in Ashdown, Arkansas on Saturday.

By the way, the temperature topped 108 degrees by the afternoon!

Worship Survey: Men & Church

KeithLancaster — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500

The book, Why Men Hate Going To Church has opened many eyes to the growing spiritual disparity between the sexes. A few days ago, an article appeared in the USA Today, highlighting the statistics which indicate that more women take active roles in churches than do men. Multiple reasons are given, including the songs we sing (a host of men don't even like to sing.)

Do you feel like some of the songs we sing tilt more toward the feminine perspective than a masculine one? A song comes to mind - "Arms Of Love." I'm sure this line would make many men very uncomfortable while singing to Jesus (a male), "Holding me close, holding me near in your arms of love."

On the other hand, it's easy to see how men might prefer "The Battle Belongs To The Lord" or "Onward Christian Soldiers." Have you ever thought about this topic? On second consideration, do you think some of our songs and even our approach is geared more for women than men? If there is truth in this notion, we must reconsider some of our approaches so we don't lose the powerful influence of men on their families. Your thoughts?

Ashdown Did It Again

KeithLancaster — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:23:06 -0500

Another mountain top experience in Ashdown, Arkansas encouraged everyone who attended. Talk about a full day! We started at 9:30 A.M. and finished up around 8:00 P.M. tonight. It seemed that people were still not ready to leave. The singing was fabulous, the studies and discussions were encouraging and the fellowship was precious. . . just a foretaste of glory divine.

State Line Road

KeithLancaster — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Yesterday afternoon, as the temperature topped 102 degrees, I hopped out of the truck and stood in the middle of the road, effectively straddling Texas and Arkansas. Here's my view of the Texarkana Post Office:

The state line goes right down the middle of this Post Office.

Scott Simmons lives in Texas and his dad, Bob, lives in Arkansas.

They will not see eye to eye on everything.

But they do agree that we are going to have a wonderful Praise & Harmony weekend here in Ashdown, Arkansas.

Just A Little Talk With Jesus

KeithLancaster — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0500

We had just finished the first invitation song when Arnelious Crenshaw Jr. broadened the invitation and asked me to lead "Just A Little Talk."

Forrest Doddington captured this fun moment at the Spiritual Growth Workshop last week.

New Zealand Mountains

KeithLancaster — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Back in May, we experienced New Zealand for the very first time. I believe that God focused a little extra attention on New Zealand during His creation. As we drove toward the mountains, it seemed that everywhere was a scenic view.

The glacier lakes were such a gorgeous blue.

The winding roads unveiled unique perspectives with every turn.

Clouds were dancing along the sides of the mountains.

Another photo of my friend, Roger Ferguson.

Spontaneous Singing

KeithLancaster — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:00:00 -0500

People find it unusual how I go about singing spontaneously on a daily basis. Victor Knowles doesn't. Check out this article from a wonderful man.

31 Million Miles Away

KeithLancaster — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Here's an amazing NASA video of the moon passing in front of the earth, as never seen before. God is amazing, isn't He?

Quote Of The Day: Quitting

KeithLancaster — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0500

" Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Worship Survey: Emotions

KeithLancaster — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:00:00 -0500

How would you describe the emotions you feel when worshiping?
Overall?
During the singing?
When convicted by the Word?
Communion?
Fellowshipping with the family?

Spiritual Growth Workshop - Orlando

KeithLancaster — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:00:01 -0500

We are currently enjoying a great workshop here in central Florida. Randy Harris spoke last night. It just so happens that I also led worship before Randy spoke at Lipscomb's Celebration a few weeks ago.

I'm scheduled to sing four times today, once last night and again on Sunday morning. The Praise & Harmony class this morning was very well-received, with many congregations showing interest in hosting a workshop. Also, many were wanting to know more about our Worship Leader Institute.

I missed my haircut appointment this week, so I appear to be working on a mullet.

Photos by Rick Alexander

This event is held every two years and is a tremendous resource for Christians. The only thing that could improve it would be to move it to the winter time.