New Leaves

love, Colour.

Tim — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:17:34 +0000

i woke up and it’s september. after a very eventful summer, i’m excited to announce that starting this week i will be the worship leader for the xrds community at our church. also, colour now has some dates booked for the fall. you will find them at our site, here. after a couple years of writing, we’ve been working on an album that we hope to have done by early 2008. we have a couple previews posted on the site.

veirs at the norde

Tim — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:20:45 +0000

last night i went to see laura veirs at the cafe de norde in san francisco. for anyone who is unfamiliar with ms. veirs music, i must say it is outstanding. start with either saltbreakers or year of meteors, both albums are great. the live show did not disappoint. she is playing with a band called the saltbreakers, all stellar musicians. it was one of the most genuine experiences i have had lately. there was nothing bombastic or rock starrish about it. it was a pristine example of people who loved to make and play music, and were very good at it. and it was a lot of fun. good times.

fashion

Tim — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:42:48 +0000

it’s so weird to me how even within christianity, people have so many different takes on God. i think that it’s a common problem that people try to fashion God to validate their identity rather that wanting to get to know God for who he really is. there’s this atheist argument that i heard the other day- when you take out the mass genocides, corrupt popes, loose interpretations of thou shall not kill, (and on and on)…religion is actually a force for good. i think these are extreme examples of what happens when we try to fashion God to our agendas. the other, probably more common thing that happens is that at some point we lose faith in the straw houses we’ve put up. and one day we decide that the God we know doesn’t really fit in the real world, so the whole thing begins to seem suspiciously made up. another way to look at it is that we can become the center of our own theology. in other words, everything in my faith needs to pertain to me, must benefit me in some way. it’s a very easy trap to fall into, really. yet another reason why i believe it’s so crucial for our churches to be completely God-centered.

ah-mazing

Tim — Mon, 21 May 2007 23:19:13 +0000

The Band? The Corries. The Song? Kate Dalrymple.

If I am ever on American Idol, this is the first song I’ll sing.

The harmonica breakdown is amazing…wait for it.

no strings attached

Tim — Mon, 21 May 2007 07:17:17 +0000

to understand the breadth of this entry, one must have some knowledge of in-ear monitoring. at the church i work at we use what are called aviom monitors…

there are two kinds of avioms. i usually use wireless ears, but this morning i happened to use a wired system. which means i am attached via a 6 foot cable to an aviom unit that is attached to a music stand. don’t worry this will become very important later. anyway, this weekend our services happened to be racked with technical difficulties, so as i sat and watched another technical mishap unfold, i sensed that some assistance may be needed in resolving the issue. keep in mind, i am dead center on a stage in a sanctuary that seats 1400. we’re in the middle of our 8:45 service, which is code-word for “the traditional, formal service”. the song amazing grace starts to play. “aha, my opportunity to quietly slip out and bring salvation to the technical disaster that is unfolding upstairs,” i think to myself. “i’ll just quickly and quietly slip out while i’m not playing on this slow song.” i put down my guitar, turn, and briskly but stealthily head for the hallways on the side of the stage…home free. suddenly, i feel a jerk on my pants pocket, and a look of panic from the other guitarist, phil. all in a moment i start to put together what is about to happen, but it is too late relinquish the momentum of the series of events that had already been put in motion. so as the congregation was singing in reverent worship…CRASH!!! the aviom cable still attached to my pants yanked over my music stand, music papers flying everywhere, then the stand falling knocked over the stool i was sitting sending it reeling off the platform it was situated on. it was one of the most glorious moments of my life. awkward does not even begin to describe it.

so what’s the moral of this little fable?

#1 don’t deviate from what you know, especially when you are in front of a thousand or so people. i was so used to using the wireless system with the freedom of movement it allowed. why did i have to deviate? why? spontaneity kills when it throws your instincts off, because that’s all you have to react with. #2 don’t get so fixed on other people’s issues that you create a host of your own trying to save them. it was a very humbling thing to go from the guy who was going to swoop in and save the worship experience to the guy who ended up being the biggest distraction of all. #3 if you are going to do something stupid, pick an uptempo song, where you may be far less noticed. and if you’re going to be smooth, it’s better to do it with no strings attached.

albums

Tim — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:57:10 +0000

if you haven’t yet, check out “the reminder” by fiest and “begin to hope” by regina spektor. anything by these artists is great, but these two albums in particular will blow your mind.

checkout

Tim — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:51:18 +0000

i wrote this song based on an experience i had with a friend the other day in the checkout line of the grocery store. it caused me to think about the disappointments i can feel with christianity as a religion from time to time, and how i contribute to the very things i hate. its intriguing to me how God can speak to us in all sorts of ways if we can listen. even maybe through good hearted people who preach the word without love.

i guy i saw in the store today said jesus died to save me/then walked away and left us standing there/he left me feeling kinda burned without a trace of true concern/he left me with a question for myself

in and out of apathy, a blistering inside of me/what does it really matter what i say/ i jump on all the latest trends and act as if my faith depends on bumper stickers, churches and our songs/to think that all this time i’ve had it wrong

what gives? what gives?/you promised there’d be more than this/is there nothing left to live?

in and out of feeling down enough to spin my head around/and leave me wondering why i tried so hard/another time, another place i could have walked right off this stage/and lived without the pressure to perform/and lived without the impulse to conform

so what gives? what gives?/you promised there’d be more than this/is there nothing left to live?

do i really buy what i am selling?/or is this all a story just for telling?

Water Wealth Contentment Health

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2007 23:39:15 +0000

A recent poll ranked 373 metropolitan areas in the US based on climate, cost of living, quality of life, crime rate, etc. Out of 373, Modesto was ranked dead last. Worst place to live in the US, backed by scientific evidence, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Here’s to what we all knew was true but never wanted to admit. Here’s to the valley. Oh well.