Pictures will have to do 'cause I have no words!

(you may recognize this as my house studio. you may also recognize the Mr. Ben Shive. it was a fun night)

Looking for some feed back...

Need some feedback from the proverbial peanut gallery. Thoughts if you will.

The one on the left or the one on the right? The masterful design work is done by my boy Bryan Rumfola. Look him up. Please leave your comments at the beep...

"Beep"

The run away song

If you have read any books about writing like Ann Lamont's Bird By Bird or Annie Dillard'sThe Writing Life (seriously who does that?!) you will notice a theme. The same theme can be found on some of my favorite songwriter's blogs. The idea is to let the work go where it wants. If you have an idea and start writing and the story, theme or direction begins to change, go with it. Very rarely, in my experience, does the song or story come out exactly as I planned or outlined. This is especially the case in the studio. I never consider a song "finished" until the album is printed up and in the consumers hands, but even then I reserve the right as the songwriter to mess with it in performance. 

Nothing about today was any different. I worked on the song I started yesterday all day long. It is taking a shape I really enjoy and sounding good, but it's not totally my original idea I scratched out yesterday morning on a paper towel (sometimes you gotta rock what you got before it goes away). AND today the first of NashVin's friends stopped in to record some fun parts on the new tune. You should be able to hear some rough demos soon.

And so it begins (our little secret)

I woke up this morning humming a tune. I proceeded to get ready for church, jumped in the car, and no gas (in my car OR any gas station for miles), so I came back in still humming the same tune. I milled around the house and started singing the words that went along with my little morning song. Before to long I realized the song I was singing wasn't really a song at all...yet . It has been so long since an idea just fell out like that, I almost forgot what it was like. Since I was all out of gas, confined to the house and my roommates are out of town I decided to run with it. So I took the really gross old strings off Ope, my primary acoustic. I put on some nice new strings and began to write this new song. It was really exciting. After a while I set up the whole rig and recorded my ideas as they came. 

All that to say... I have been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off, but today I think I started my solo record. 

So here's the deal. I will keep you posted on here, put up fun pics, lyric ideas, questions, and progress reports if you will be super patient, encouraging, and participate in this project with me. Keep your ears open.

HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

Lots of different experiences come together at the front of one's mind every now and then to create the proverbial "Ah ha", "Duh", or "Oh crap!" moments. You with me? Know what I'm talkin' about? Here are some of the experiences followed my the moment.

CRASH: BHS has this FCA type event on Friday mornings (at freaking 6:30. shoot me in the face), and this morning I spoke and lead worship for 'em. It was fun. We sang Mighty To Save and Julie Wafford and Kelsie Overton were worshiping like nobody's business in that little, off white class room surrounded my classmates and friends. It warmed my heart.Savior. He can move the mountains. My God is Mighty to Save. FOREVER. Author of salvation; He rose and conquered the grave.

All the while Travis was speaking at Ravenwood's FCA. I figured we got done about the same time, so as I was leaving I texted him. Our exchange went something like this (starting with me): "It went well I think. 7 souls were saved, 3 re-dedications, 6 re re re-dedications, and one girl even decided to start loving her mother. Have a great day." "Wow. I only saved 3 souls, but there were 8 levitations and two ppl dancing in the isles and speaking in tongues." "Cool. I've never had any levitations but a kid did call down fire once last year." "Yeah. That kinda reminds me of the girl who turned in to salt after I warned her to stop texting during my talk."

Now you know Trav and I, so you know we were just joking.

POLITICS: Best friend Ben is an educated dude. A lawyer, an aspiring politician, and he is well read. He always has some sort of political commentary, world news satire, or the like on our tv. I imagine it's like ESPN or Sports Center in a freshman guys dorm room. Even if he is working on something or in another room it is on and loud enough to hear. Last night as he was working and I was reading the Colber Report was on back to back...to back. Every once in a while Ben would chuckle or talk to the tv while I was trying my hardest to focus on the pages before me. Anyway, at this point in our upcoming election everyone is focused on all the changes that are being promised. How will the next Pres save the world? What are the issues that he or she (well not anymore) will stand for or against?

BAG-O AND BURGERS: I was at a birthday party a few weeks ago (we played bag-o and ate burgers...don't worry about it) at the LaRue house. Party conversation swarmed the house and the back yard (where the bag-o was happening), and like it often does one pocket of discussion, which I was in, turned to "christian" stuff. Phillip's dad told us about a book he was reading that is a collection of miracles experienced in other countries by missionaries. He told of healing, watching whole limbs grow back in front of your very eyes like in the movies, and even the occasional raising of the dead...like a couple of days dead. Of course we we're all like Mmmm Hmm. Okay. But then he said something that has stayed with me. He said "You know, here [in America] we have options and doctors and stuff. In some of these other places there are no other options. It is God or not at all."

THE MOMENT: How "far" have we come that we doubt miracles, joke about people experiencing the living Christ, and look to our government to fix things? The president may be invested in our country, but He has never invested in me. Politicians may be pro this and anti that, but loving believers took me in and taught me. Church and State may be separated, but the Church that Jesus preached is about healing the state by healing those in it. This love and healing in not in legislation. It is in the heart of the Living God, who is not a joke. I expect a normal dude downtown to cure my runny nose, why do I question that my God is healing people around the world.

We sing God is "Mighty to Save" so why don't we expect him to? We sing Jesus is "More than Enough" so why don't we let him be? So I ask you how big is your God? Or maybe it is how big do you let God be?

I answered my own question (see previous post)

Actually in my mind it wasn’t really a question. I simply asked it to offer pause and thought to all who read my thought here… all four of you. I figured maybe it could generate some good conversation for youth, friends, roommates or even strangers. For me the answer lies in a bit of scripture that I have kept close to my heart for many years now.

“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

2 Corinthians 3: 2-3

Thinking about all this also reminded me of some words from the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (‘cause he is way cooler than I).

“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk to long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize; that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards; that is not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody.”

We all do lots of different things for lots of different reasons, but I hope we each come to a place where we end up simply living our lives out of a genuine response to the Living Christ in our midst. 

Hopefully Jesus is paying attention...

Last night I asked a friend a question and it has been plaguing me ever since. So... I figured I would post it here and let everyone weigh in on it.

Why live the life,  walk the road, set the example and invest so much in other people if all they do is say "well thats just insert name here. They're like super human or something."?

If noone else takes convictions and callings seriously I hope it adds up some time or another. It's not an eternal game of bingo. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is now. Why is everyone else waiting? 

I've started my new job(s)...

...and here is kinda what it looks like for now...

Guitars in picture are owned by Andrew Peterson, Andy Osenga, Mark Wagner,  Andy Gullahorn and myself. 

And a day out at Soundcheck with Robert Pierre gearing up for the iShine fall tour.

In The Presence of the Lord

Eric Clapton, pretty much my favorite as many of you know, wrote a song called “Presence of the Lord” that he recorded and played in the Blind Faith days. I recently found out He admits that the song isn’t really all that “spiritual” as he put it. Instead the song is about the feeling he got when he first visited Hurtwood Edge, a house that became his first real home in Surrey.

The chorus says

“I have finally found a place to live.

Just like I never could before.

And I know I don’t have much to give

But soon I’ll open any door.

Everybody knows the secret,

Everybody knows the score.

I have finally found a place to live

In the presence of the Lord.”

No matter what Clapton meant by it, today it spoke to me about finding the comfort of home in the presence of God and God alone. Rob Bell reminds us that all ground is Holy Ground, but sometimes we just need to be reminded like Moses was. And Andrew Peterson sings, “Love is just another word for home”.  Amen and amen, however there is a comfort and homeliness of really living in to what God has “called” or “made” you to do.

Since leaving my home of 18 years to go to college back in the day I have lived a lot of places; dorm rooms, apartments, friends couches, in my car (not really but you can imagine, right?!), and it recently ended with the purchase of a rockin’ house. Each place has seen me doing many different things…all ministry related but varied and different. I have loved every minute of it and wonderful things have come my way at each stop.

But now…Now is a time I have longed and prayed for since the awkwardness of spending that first night in the dorm room away from everything I had ever known. I finally feel like I am coming Home. Around every corner the past few weeks I have found affirmation that I am not crazy and the things I feel God calling me to do are not bogus or stupid. These confirmations have come in lots of shapes and sizes. My house is finally starting to feel like a home, and I am enjoying seeing visions I had when I bought the place come to life. God is teaching me lots about gratitude and appreciation daily. Plus to top it all off… I feel more comfortable in my skin now than I think I ever have.

God is so faithful and as I open doors and uncover secrets, I am abiding in the presence of the Lord and I am home!

Deep thoughts from the Recording Studio

Old school dudes follow old school rules and make old school tunes...and you will like it because it's awesome! That's it. The end.

Picture of the Day

This is how my extremely, ridiculously talented friend Mark Trussell makes me feel when he plays guitar...

The journey continues...

Today is a day of celebration. All the graduation parties have been attended, all the food eaten (Andrew Hinson wins the party food award), and everyone has finally graduated. It's bitter sweet really. 

Last night my small group (all seniors) celebrated together with a joint party at the church. Tons of people came by to share, celebrate, and tell them how much they are loved. There were pictures of the journey to this point scattered all over the place and a slide show on all the tvs. Favorite songs were pumping out of the sound system, and great friends, coaches and teachers were coming and going all night. It was really cool. 

However, my favorite part was a small, quiet time of sharing together in the prayer chapel after everyone else had gone. We talked about taking the things we have learned from one another with us as we all begin new journeys. We looked at Matthew Chapter 13 where Jesus shares a turning point with His friends in the upper room. After an intimate time Jesus tells his disciples that he has shown them things so they will know how to act in service to each other. Then he basically says "So do it!" 

I hope over the last three years I have shown my small group friends a good way to serve, walk, and experience life together that they can take with them in to this next journey. I also hope they continue to serve the new people they meet like I have seen them serve each other and like Jesus teaches us to serve.

...just do it...

Nope. This is not a plug for Nike. It's not a plug for anything really.

You see I have been waiting for my buddy Darren to send me some pictures before I posted again. For some reason I wanted my next blog to be all about how amazing it was to work for Casting Crowns at the Dove Awards last week. Man, I could see it in my mind...all the pictures and witty comments. It was going to be awesome. So I just quit posting as I waited. Sure there were things I thought would make an interesting blog, but I didn't want to deviate from "the plan". How dumb is that?!

Well that got me thinking (that and my New Testament exam today). When was the last time you did something half way or half heartedly? What was going through your head? How did you feel afterwards? I called my dad today after the exam and he of course asked how it went. My initial response was "It was hard!" but then I was honest with myself and in that moment decided to share my realization.

I told him that I know I didn't do so well (which might have been the understatement of the century). His first words were "Well that's not good Case." I of course agreed. The fact is I was not invested in this exam. I should have been, but I wasn't. Do you ever do this? Why do we do this?

Again I ask... When was the last time you did knowingly less than your best? Why?

Now I know we all do things for different reasons. Some of us even slip in to just do it or just get it done and forget about it mode. This approach can  be taken for lots of different reasons

• Just finish it so you can move on.
• At least do the work so no one can talk bad about you.
• Once it's over. It's over.

How terrible do these statements sound? But you know at some point you've thought it. Am I right?

So. How do we overcome the just do its? And what do we do with ourselves when there are the time we don't do it at all? Thoughts?

Tax day...blah.

Hey. Happy Tax Day! Did you get yours in on time? Me? Nope. I had to file for an extension. Felt like an idiot. I lost my W2 from my real job which is not at all like me, so I confessed to my accountant and she hooked it up. Of course the next week in a meeting the stupid thing fell out of my planner... The W2 not my accountant. Anyway, I have had a little extra time to get the self-employed part of things together with meticulous care as to be super honest and forthright. This year is the first year in a while that I am filing as having a salary position all calendar year. Add in lots of home improvements and minimal business expenses and I hope it is going to be a fairly painless experience. You never know though. Either way after I do finally file I am going to go around saying "I've got people".

The Chains were Rocked!

Last night we hosted an event in the youth space called Rock The Chains. The whole night was about awareness, action, and education. The problem is modern day slavery and human trafficking. The whole shebang started out on our youth calendar as a simple battle of the bands to get "those" kids in the doors. However, Kelsie Overton, a junior in our ministry, had become aware of people in our world who were being forced to work in bondage and fear. Obviously this is unacceptable, and thank God Kelsie could not just feel bad for a little bit and get back to her normal Brentwood routine. She began to share her conviction and make some of her friends aware of what was happening to these modern day slaves. 

On a youth retreat called Breakthru, Kelsie stood up and challenged the whole youth group to not just feel bad and talk about the situation but to take Jesus at His word and do something about it. Her words were empowering and quieted lots of the voices inside the students that they were to young to really make a difference. So last night after four months and little help from the youth staff, some fired up kids from our youth group turned a battle of the bands in to a benefit concert for slavery and all proceeds, totaling almost $6000, are going to the International Justice Mission (IJM). 

The youth area was rocked. Brentwood was rocked. My life was rocked and the chains were definitely rocked!

Payin' your dues...

So Nashville...Music City! All kinds of starving artists come to Nashville looking for all kinds of different things, and there is this whole idea that you have to "pay your dues". My question is this: 

Is payin' your dues like "being cool", "postmodern", or happily single? If you state that that is what you are doing you're probably not really. Just a thought.

And for the record I have never said that I am "paying my dues".

what are YOU doing?!?

Didn't post yesterday 'cause...well I just didn't, so I thought I would start today out with a list and a question. In my mind a blog is a place where a community, be it a creative community, a group of students, or anyone who drops by, can keep in touch and enter in to dialogue. So I will throw out what has been popping up in my world lately and you can do the same in a comment. If there is something on here you don't know about feel free to check it out and give some feedback, and as soon as I figure out how to link things that will be easier. So here you go...

Currently listening to... The Patrick Mayberry EP

Currently reading... Anne Lamott's Plan B

On the feet... Chaco Flip Flops

And you?

My Birthday Buddy

This is Jonathan M Guano De La Cruz. He lives in Guatemala with his parents and brothers and sisters. We have the same birthday. It's pretty cool. We are kinda pen pals. Well, he is to young to read my letters or write back, but at Christmas I did get a little hand print from him. So for now his father and I trade correspondence. Jonathan likes to color and play with a soccer ball which makes me really happy. He will probably be a better soccer player than I ever was by the time he's five, but that's not all! Jonathan will get a good education and people who love Jesus will invest in his life and hopefully encourage him to do the same.
 

The first thing that boggles my mind is that the notion of loving and caring for one another, especially children, would be foreign to anyone. The second thing is that my simple thirty dollars a month to World Vision improves the life of a family so far away so much. 

Here goes...

Greetings friends... The past few weeks I have been checking out a few blogs regularly, and today I found myself inspired to start my own. So I did. I called it "Thoughts from Casey's Right Brain" because I am left handed. You know what they say...left handed...right brain and all. I figure this will be a good end of the day wind down and a great chance to tell people about things I find interesting or cool throughout my week. I hope this blog is as much fun as the others I have enjoyed.
Here goes...