 One thing I like about the fall is seeing all the pretty colors on the trees as the leaves are turning. October is a colorful month up here! ....however, I also know what follows and that's something I'm not looking forward to. How about you? Right now I'm thankful that the temperatures are still nice and we can still do yardwork and sit outside in the afternoons. What are some of your favorite fall activities? E-mail me! PERSONALLY: We've been doing a lot of work in our yard. It's become so overgrown that we can hardly keep up with it, so we decided to make some changes which some will happen this fall as long as we can work outside, other stuff will have to wait till the spring and throughout next year. The people before us were really into plants and flower gardens and I'm just more of a brown thumb than a green thumb, actually I could be considered a weed-thumb. Boy those sure grow bountifully and quickly! So we are reducing the flower garden, expand a patio area with granite stones we were given (free is always great right?) and have other areas we will turn into stone areas with nice planters which I will be able to manage much better! I love flowers, don't get me wrong and I need some color outside, but they need to be manageable. So this will be pretty much my only "flower garden" other than the lawn. I can handle that. Then once the stone is in I'll add nice planters to the yard. As I am transplanting some plants and throwing out the weeds, I thought about how God sometimes weeds out things or desires for us to weed out some things in our lives. Some good solid things that are built in Him in faith, trust and His Word are kept and nurtured and other things, like sin, gets thrown out. There are also things like prayer, time with God, that needs to be nurtured. We find growth, strength and sufficiency in that. While other things that seem to occupy our time, the "cares of this world" all too often choke out the good things God has planted in us, just like the weeds in my garden who begin to choke out the pretty flowers. If I don't spend time in the garden, the weeds take over, as in our lives, if we don't spend time with God....sin begins to take over. Sins like worry, disbelief, unfaithfulness, anxiety, outbursts of anger, being short with others and so on.... So interesting how a little yard work makes you think! These were the reflections I came away with this weekend and I want to make sure that I nurture my time with God and keep it sacred. Just like I will need to nurture the plants I transplanted so that they could breathe and live!  UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 10/14/17 Time: 1-3 pm (whole event is 9-9) Event: BURN 24/7 Central Minnesota Place: Higher Ground Church Of God 523 2nd Street N. Town: Waite Park, MN Come join us for 12 hours of worship & prayer for our town, community, county, country and the world, including missionaries all over this planet. We are honored to lead worship during our time slot (1-3) and join our fellow musicians, prayer partners and volunteers for a time of prayer and reflection.  Date: Friday 10/20 and Saturday 10/21/17 Time: Fri, 4-7 pm and Sat, 10am-4pm Event: NotesNBling Jewelry Open House Place: Private home (e-mail for directions/address: sam@samscales.com) Town: Sauk Rapids, MN As many of you know, I design and create my own lines of jewelry. Like my Isaiah4031 line which is mainly made with materials of leather, chain, stone and glass beads. My newest addition is the Isaiah2816 line which includes my Essential Oil Diffuser Bracelets (and necklaces including a men's line) and unique bracelets made with semi-precious and precious stones which will also feature some necklaces soon! Check out the scriptures too.....they are pretty cool! So if you'd like to come, be sure to e-mail me for the address. Out of privacy reasons and the Open House not being in a public place please contact me so I can get you there! ....and YES you are welcome to bring a friend, or two....or three.... :) I will have my guitar out - so if you'd like to hear a bit of music, I'll be glad to play for you. I have a couple new songs that some of you may not have heard yet! Date: 10/29/17 - PERSONAL EVENT Time: 3 pm Event: Savvy Minerals Makeup Fun Day / Ladies Afternoon Get-together Place: Private Home (email for address/directions) RSVP Sam: sam@samscales.com Town: Sauk Rapids, MN Come join me for a fun afternoon, trying on makeup that's chemically free by Young Living Savvy Minerals and talking about beauty inside and out and getting encouragement to be all we can be, women of purpose and strength as God created us to be. My friend Amanda Meyer from Cornerstone Living Essentials will be teaching us (as I'm still learning about our new line of products with Young Living) We are going to do Foundation Color Matching, we will try Application Techniques and get some Ingredient Education that's an eye opener! We will have a great time being together and one person will get a Savvy Makeover! If you would like to be to join in, please RSVP me at: sam@samscales.com (where you'll also get the address/directions) NOVEMBER: We will be in Eau Claire, WI on November 4 & 11 at Gospel Christian Coffeehouse in Rice Lake, WI on November 18th at Lighthouse Christian Coffeehouse. Those dates are posted in "Bands In Town", so if you are not "tracking" me, there's a button on the top right side in light blue that says "TRACK". Click that for notifications in your e-mail when I'm playing in your area! ...or follow me on my music page on FaceBook: Sam Scales Music (link right under the "track" button). MUSIC: Last month I had a blast in Monticello IL! First with a concert at The Steeple Coffeehouse right downtown Monticello. The Steeple is an old church that was converted into a coffeehouse with the coolest ever acoustics! No sound system needed there! Thank you to owner Marty for having me and my Monticello friends for coming out! The other event was the Monticellobration FestiFall, an annual fall festival downtown Monticello, IL where there's vendors set up all throughout the town square and 30 light poles are decorated with scare crows. The scare crows are created by local businesses, individuals, groups or organizations and are entered into a contest of who has the best scarecrow which is voted for by the attendees of the festival. Each light pole is "purchased" by those who create the scarecrows to display on and the money goes towards a local charity, ministry, or organization. There were some pretty neat creations that I wish I had the time to take pictures of. I was set up as a vendor with my NotesNBling jewelry booth right in front of the town's courthouse! It was a fun time, made new fans of my jewelry and even came home with a special order! At the end of September we were also part of "Ride For Hope" an annual Fundraiser Event for Place of Hope in St. Cloud. We have served that event quite often in the last 10 years or so when we were available. It's a fun time for those participating with a motorbike ride out in the countryside, a bike ride and a walk around Lake George followed by free food for the participants and things to do for the kids. We played with Nicole who began the afternoon of music and ended with more after our set. Nicole is one of the worship leaders at Place of Hope. She's an amazing singer and a fun person! Hope to see her more often!  IN ENDING:
I am excited and looking forward to leading worship at the BURN 24/7 Central Minnesota event and my NotesNBling Jewelry Open house, welcoming guests, having time to chat and see people I haven't seen in a long time.... some who I only get to see when I have the open house... We gotta change that! :) Quick update on my daughter who had hurricane Harvey damage....they are getting their house put together slowly but surely. They finally got a contractor in to remove and replace all sheetrock in the house. Daughter is super ready to have life be back to normal soon in her home as it's affecting my 2 year old grandson with all the damage and chaos of stacked up furniture everywhere and an upstairs area that they haven't been able to use at all! Also I'm extremely proud of her! Cheryl Breaker is a photographer in the Corpus Christi area, Bumble-B Photography. She offered a free session to parents who had a baby born during landfall of hurricane Harvey and had 3 responses. She heard some amazing stories, made new friends - and the babies and her photography are now being featured in the Refugio, TX paper and one baby is featured in the Victoria, TX paper (see picture on left). That's pretty cool! Here is the link if you'd like see the story: http://www.kiiitv.com/news/local/photographer-captures-harvey-babies-first-moments/480040148 Here is the link to her photography website: http://bumblebphotography.net/ Enjoy the fall season and the Lord willing I will see some of you this month at the above events and next month in Wisconsin! Cherish your time with the Lord and take care of those weeds in the garden of your heart! I know I need to pluck out a few! I'm thankful He is patient but after the message in church this morning a time is coming when His patience will end. We all need to get much more serious with our time with Him and share the gospel as much as we can! So grateful for the reflections in my garden yesterday and the reminders through the sermon this morning! Go forth in His grace and strength, Sam
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 WOW.....so much is happening weatherwise in our country. Down in Texas with the aftermath of hurricane Harvey and in Montana with all the fires.... I'm grateful for all the prayers, as my daughter Cheryl and her family live in Woodsboro, TX and had some damage at their property. Woodsboro is close to Refugio and Rockport, two towns which had a LOT of damage and other small communities who are also trying to climb up out of the damages. Then Houston of course where I also have friends who thankfully only had to deal with minor issues. Daughter and family are ok, property lost most of the trees and their house has windows blown out and some roof problems and now they are dealing with mold forming (due to rain blowing in through the busted windows) and NO electricity to run the air conditioning to keep the house free of humidity and air moving until maybe this coming Friday ... They really need to dry things out.... Thank you for keeping them in your prayers as well as my friends in Houston who still have some repairs to do and of course all affected there and in Montana. Photo: Courtesy of Bumble-B-Photography/Cheryl Breaker PERSONALLY: Compared to the issues mentioned above, we are doing ok. We are healthy and are grateful for God's provisions for us. After our summer events which were tough physically and mentally (for some reason this year) and not productive as we had hoped, we are praying for provisions to climb out of the aftermath of a bad decision with the fireworks sales and weather related issues for the BBQs. However....I'm just so thrilled for all the veggies I just picked up this morning (Labor Day) from a farmer friend where we also get our eggs. I got Eggplant, a Zucchini, yellow tomatoes, broccoli and brussel sprouts!!! Yummeeee.... I also have some mint steeping for fresh mint tea!!! Just when we had need - God provided! One thing I'm learning in all this....TRUST GOD and quit worrying!!!  UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: Saturday, September 9th, 2017 Time: 7-9 p Place: Lighthouse Christian Coffeehouse 315 S. Main Street Town: Rice Lake, WI We are first time musical guests at the Lighthouse this coming weekend and are SO looking forward to meeting everyone and spending time together in God's presence and sharing our music and from our hearts! Hope to see you there!  Date: Friday, September 15th, 2017 Time: 1-3 pm LIVE MUSIC Place: The Steeple Coffee House 102 E. Lafayette Town: Monticello, IL Also a first time for me to be at this coffeehouse to play music. Enjoyed a frappe there twice when I went down to visit a friend and just love the atmosphere and the owner and - now I got a date there and I'm super excited to share my music with the folks stopping in! That same day there will also be a Citywide Garage Sale, so come down to Monticello to find some treasures and then stop in at The Steeple Coffeehouse to refuel your energy with one or two of their awesome coffees, frappes or espressos and listen to live music from 1-3. Come join me!! Date: Saturday, September 16, 2017 Time: 10-6 Monticellobration FestiFall STREET VENDING - Jewelry, CDs, Book Place: The Square - Downtown Monticello Town: Monticello, IL For this event I will actually just be a vendor, displaying my jewelry and I'm so thrilled I was able to still get into the festival. The Town Square has 30 light poles which will each be decorated with a different scarecrow, sponsored by a business or individuals who "buy" a light pole and then decorate their version of a scarecrow. Of course there will be food by local food businesses and vendors - and lots of arts/crafts vendors as well. So if you are in the area or live not too far away, or just want to make a daytrip, come on down!  Date: Saturday, September 30, 2017 Time: 4:30-6 pm Place: Ride For Hope at Place Of Hope, 511 9th Ave. S Town: St. Cloud, MN Annual Motorbike Ride For Hope Fundraiser for Place Of Hope Ministries. 17th Annual Ride For Hope which was renamed Walk, Ride, Bike for Hope. I've been invited to provide music for the event. It is open to the public. Participants: Registration begins at 12:30 pm. You can just come for the concert/music/food part beginning at 4:30 pm or you can participate in the fundraiser by entering the walk or you can ride your bicycle. You can also participate with your Motorcycle and join the biker group to go out on a ride. Hope to see you there! For more info: www.placeofhopeministries.org. Email: hope@placeofhopeministries.org MUSIC: Last month I had a very light music/event schedule, due to every weekend pretty much being a BBQ event. So after all those were done, we both had a weekend with absolutely nothing scheduled and decided to take a breather by visiting my friend Sue in Sheboygan Falls, WI and enjoying some lake/beach time in Sheboygan, WI at Lake Michigan with her and her dog Raji. We took wonderful walks and it was nice to have some re-coup time! Part of our time away also included playing music at the Upper Room Christian Community in Sheboygan with our longtime friends there who have been part of my music ministry for over 17 years now! It's always like coming home and the Lord is always there, so we enjoyed just singing together and visiting with everyone. We also were able to see a few folks we haven't seen in a LONG time who just happened to come in that day! WOW! That was so God! Love those divine appointments! IN ENDING: With all the events going on and especially with my daughter affected with Hurricane Harvey and seeing all those pictures and videos of people's struggles with this weather (including Montana), my heart has been heavy....plus adding the things we are also dealing with now.... So it's been interesting.... as I've been praying and reading the Word, I've been getting encouragement and reminders from the Lord. First - it started with Psalm 34:7-10 Second - talking to a friend on the phone who said: "TRUST GOD, He will provide" Third - I get a FaceBook Message from a church friend with a picture and inside the picture were the words: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". Psalm 37:4 Fourth - So this Sunday..... the message was so appropriate, especially towards the end. At our church we are going through the book of Revelation. We are in chapter 13 and this Sunday's topic was "The False Prophet" from verses 11-18. At the end of the message Pastor Larry asked "What should we do?" 1. Avoid Greed. 1 Timothy 6:9 2. Trust God: Matthew 6:25-26. Jesus said: "DO NOT WORRY" .... about ANYTHING! So, if you are prone to worry (like me), it actually is SIN and so we must ask God the help us with this! If Jesus said don't do something, well, then we must obey! Otherwise we have the sin of UNBELIEF! Gulp!! We have to believe that He is who He says He is and that He will take care of us! So in light of what is happening in my daughter's life (and I shared that with her), my life and your life - or what may happen in the future, use your smarts. Hebrews 5:11-14. There are so many deceptions out there, so many things we hear even from pulpits or from other religions.... and FaceBook is a rumor mill... We must check everything in the light of God's Word. Fall in love with the real Jesus and His Word and follow only Him. Stay encouraged! Sam  We have entered the busy August BBQ season, where hubby is pleasing the taste buds of everyone and so enjoys when people let him know how much they like what he's prepared! I'm of course major engaged in helping him.... at times trying to catch my breath when it gets super busy! :) THE BBQ: Last weekend (August 10-12) we were back for the 7th year at the Deerwood Summer Fest. This is an event we've always enjoyed. We love the people who host the event and they look forward to us coming.... so do the patrons of the event! Everyone has always been so patient with us when we get a bit behind on getting food out, especially when we get swamped and this year - boy did we ever!!! Wow!! I had my guitar along as I thought it might be a neat idea to play while people were waiting for food (like cheese curds, mushroom fries which Warren fried up fresh for everyone)....however, I pretty much got only one complete song in and then it got crazy! Maybe the song "Victory!" (which is the song we co-wrote at InspireSong this year) drew them in. I dunno, but it sure was b-u-s-y!!! Grateful to the Lord for the business He brought our way! It's really funny how people came up and said that they been smelling the brisket all over town and especially the neighbors around our spot said it made them hungry for two days! We had a lot of repeat customers from last year, people who specifically look for us, which is really neat!  UPCOMING EVENTS: For the month of August it will be pretty much quiet music wise, as I will have to concentrate on helping hubby with his events. But there's a date in September already booked! The Upper Room Christian Community Date: Friday, August 25 Time: 7-9 pm Town: Sheboygan, WI Address: 1125 N. 8th Street Lighthouse Christian Coffeehouse Date: Saturday, September 9 Time: 7-9 pm Town: Rice Lake, WI Address: 315 Main Street So excited to be first time musical guests at the Lighthouse Coffeehouse! We will have a great time together with those folks - and I heard with a van load of people from Eau Claire!! Yey! Gonna be kind of a Family Reunion :)!!!!! So far this is all what I have lined up musically.... Let me know if you'd like me to come to your bible study, women's group, coffeehouse or other event. I have car, I travel, haha! MUSIC In the beginning of this month (and the end of last one) I had the privilege to go to Monticello, IL on a trip with a friend and visiting another friend Erisa Rei who lives down that way. It was super exciting to finally get to hang with her again. The last time we met up was several years ago when I was down in Nashville!! So it was about time for a meet-up! What's really cool is that I got to play with Erisa, an award winning songwriter, who has songs on the radio. Her genre is more Roots/Americana which is a style I've come to truly enjoy listening to (thanks to her). We spent some time together chatting and having coffee at The Steeple Gallery Coffeehouse, downtown Monticello and then headed to the park where we played some music for each other, which was so fun! After my visit with Erisa, my other friend and I were invited to a wonderful couple's home for dessert and a time of fellowship - and of course music! Thank you Barb & Merv for having us! So for two weekends in a row I got to spend time making new friends and being a blessing musically for them and their family. I'd post pictures of the house concert, however there are children in the photos who were looking over my shoulder at my lyric sheets, singing along. I do not want to post their images without the parents permission. The girls where just a blast and I think they had so much fun singing along! What a gift and privilege! Middle of July Warren and I were back again at the Barnabas Christian Coffeehouse in Eau Claire, WI! Oh, it feels so much like seeing family when we go there! It was really fun to watch Randy Walker, who ministers at the coffeehouse, play along with Warren during his set! Thank you Randy & all the folks from Barnabas for being such an encouragement and support! IN ENDING Remember that we will be in Brainerd at the Brainerd International Raceway, August 17-20 for the Lucas Oil Nationals Drag Race selling Warren's BBQ! So come out to see us and have a bite! Keep up to date with what's happening via my Facebook Page: SamScalesMusic (use the "f" icon on the right on top to get there). Hopefully we will see some of you at a concert or other event! Until next month.... Yours truly, Sam P.S. Those of you who get updates via "Bands In Town" for my music/concerts, the Harvest Fellowship Block Party is not happening, as the church has decided to do other events instead. Sorry for the confusion, but I totally forgot to delete the event off Bands In Town earlier.  Happy Summer to all! This is the first time I've had a chance to sit down and get caught up on all the music office things I've been needing to do - including this news update (which should have gone out July 1st in order to remind everyone (especially you locals) of some events happening AFTER the fireworks sales.... However, as you can tell, that didn't happen...my apologies guys! With the fireworks selling season it's been extremely busy, we were trying to save on labor costs and so I was at the tent 15 hours a day, then going home still try to clean up a bit, do laundry, etc. There just wasn't enough time to sit at the computer to intelligently formulate a news update :) So, you might want to be connected to my FaceBook page (click link on the side) because I update there a lot on the fly as it's much easier to do on the phone versus writing an update on my website.... This time I will begin with the upcoming events first. UPCOMING EVENTS Barnabas Christian Coffeehouse Date: Saturday, July 15 Time: 7-9:30 pm Town: Chippewa Falls, WI Address: 19 W. Spring Street. We are so looking forward to coming back "home" to our new friends at the Barnabas Coffeehouse!  Arts In The Garden Date: Thursday, July 20 Time: 10a-7p Location: Munsinger Gardens, Riverside Drive SE Town: St. Cloud, MN I am very excited to have been accepted as an exhibitor at the Arts in the Garden event. Although I will not be doing music (as all that has been booked already) I will be there with my jewelry to sell. This is the first time being an exhibitor at an event like this. Where I will be located I won't know until I get there, however a nice stroll through the park will be nice, so I hope you come out and visit me! MUSIC Last weekend we had our 3rd annual TENT REVIVAL, this time at our TNT Fireworks Tent location in Sauk Rapids in the Coborns Parking lot. Friday night was a special night of Word and worship, so amazing, deep, infilling, restoring......thank You Lord, as You know exactly what we need to hear! Thank you Warren for reading Psalm 119 and your testimony! Although we did not have many people come, and a few had to leave earlier due to curfew being in a program (thank you Christine for bringing the ladies!), the Word had an impact and our music at the end just soared. It was so cool to play with Grant Erickson again, who is the worship leader at Place of Hope, so gifted.... The Holy Spirit took over.... it amazed us as musicians, it was so cool. Grant also brought his sound system and set it up for us! We are so grateful for his help! Thank you Grant for your service!!! Friday night seemed like a practice for Sunday night's revival, but we know that the music and Word went out as I've noticed a few people sitting in cars and listening for a while. Sunday night's service we had a few more people come into the tent, either for the whole service or just for the music, or for a portion of the message. Warren was able to talk after the service to one couple that came. A big thank you goes out to our friends Sue, Sandy & Barb for coming out.  Saturday was extra special, because we had 12 hours of prayer and music at the Revival Tent!! Burn 24/7 Central Minnesota team came out to hold their worship time and we were so thrilled and thankful to be able to host them! We prayed for the city, the county, the state and our country and other countries as well, as folks had special ministries, oversees missions and people on their heart whom they prayed for. There was a table set up for painting, a poster of the globe where people could put stickers of the places they prayed for, we had the Word being read and lots and lots of music with exceptional worship leaders and musicians from the area! We will do this again next year's Revival!! Thank you Burn 24/7 team for your service! June 10th I was out in Royalton, MN for Arts In The Park. Joining me was musician/songwriter Sheldon Carlson who played a few tunes with me and his wife Lynda joined us later. It was such a fun time! Thank you to the Royalton Women's Study Club for having me at their event! PERSONAL Our Fireworks selling season is now over! Although it was a lot of fun, we are glad it is done! After 10 days of non-stop being in the fireworks tent (as Warren has to sleep there for security reasons with all the fireworks staying displayed inside the tent) and for me 15 hours per day during that same time, you can imagine we were exhausted. We had two tents again this year. One was located in Sauk Rapids at Coborns in the parking lot which was managed by Matthew and his family. Warren found them through an ad he put on Craigs List. They did SO good and "rocked" the sales! The Sauk Rapids tent did better than ours! Warren and I were at our usual location for the last 5 years out in Waite Park at Westside Liquor in the parking lot. We had a great time, loved helping people and it was good to see former customers again as well. We will do it again - next year! IN ENDING Just want to again say 'thank you' to a few people: Grant Erickson for his service with sound and music for the Revival Tent, Christine Erickson for bringing the ladies, Burn 24/7 team, Jim & Kim VanGilder for allowing us to host the Burn 24/7 event. Thank you also to Melissa, Sherri, Sue, Sandy and Barb for coming out to the Tent Revival. A big thank you also to our Fireworks staff: Matthew and family, Melissa, Sherri, Christine, Dan & Ian. We could not have done it without you all! Remember to check my Facebook Music Fan Page regularly as I update there pretty much every day and use the "Track" button to stay in the know about my next concerts/music events. I will not be doing much music in August as most of that time will be occupied with helping hubby with upcoming BBQ Events. August 5th he will be roasting a pig for a wedding. Weekend of August 10-12 we will be back in Deerwood for Deerwood Summer Fest and the following week/weekend August 16-20 we will be back in Brainderd at BIR (Brainerd International Raceway). So if you want some BBQ, come to Deerwood or find us at BIR! Until next time! Sam  It's already the middle of the year! June....how time flies. It's a birthday month for many of my family and friends, including myself. Nothing seems more fun than a June birthday! :) Do you have a June birthday? Share what your dreams are or what your birthday plans are! There are no special plans for my birthday celebration - I HAD my birthday already and that was being able to go to Aspen to the InspireSong Songwriter Conference! That was awesome. PERSONALLY June marks the beginning of hubby's BBQ vending season and also umpiring for softball and baseball, something he also enjoys very much, working with the kids and coaches. We will be back with Warren's Famous BBQ at Brainerd International Raceway, however only twice this year. First one will be June 16-18 for MOPS and then August 17-20 for NHRA, the big televised race and we also have a couple weddings to cater. Of course from June 26-July 5 we will be selling fireworks. Our first tent will in Waite Park at the same old location in the parkinglot at West Side Liquor across from Scheels at the mall. Our second tent will be in Sauk Rapids in the parkinglot at Coborns. We will have someone running it for us. So you can shop at both locations :) In between all that..... I hope to schedule some music events as well. We are hoping to get clearance to do a Tent Revival at the Sauk Rapids Fireworks Tent location after the fireworks sales are over and we have permission to use the tent. So stay tuned for updates! This past weekend Warren participated in the Teen Challenge Fishing Tournament in Brainerd. They raised 1/4 Million Dollars that event for this ministry! Awesome isn't it? They also did not have any food vendors, so Warren happened to ask if they'd mind if he could provide food. They gladly accepted and Warren donated 1/3 of the BBQ proceeds from the event back to Teen Challenge. Warren also participated in the fishing tournament. He was the only "team" on a kayak. He caught 3 bass each about 5 lbs. He was first on the board for quite a while until more teams came in and beat his 5.02 lb bass out by 10 or so extra more pounds. However he had a blast and that's the main thing. I brought the guitar with to work on some music but ended up playing a few songs for the guys from Teen Challenge who asked me to play. I might have some exciting news about a song and the Teen Challenge Leadership Institute.... so stay tuned on that as well. MUSIC May was a busy and super exciting month! It was actually supposed to be the start of a summer tour with the band Renewed (and songwriter Brendan Brooks) which was to conclude towards the end of June, culminating with a concert for us in Greeley, CO right after Toby Mac's set. However our summer tour had a few dates cancelled to where we will have to postpone to the fall to find other places to play. Although I was approved by Toby Mac to play at the Greeley Stampede Concert event, I couldn't hang out in Colorado financially for a month and so headed back home. :( However Brendan Brooks and Renewed will still be playing this event! Yet, my 3 weeks of music touring was filled with ministry, learning, growing, writing music with other artists and mentors from Nashville, serving twice in the worship service at Joy Community Fellowship Church in Hot Springs, playing live music in an Antique Store and making new friendships and deepening ones started last year! My first music and rest stop was Joy Community Fellowship Church in Hot Springs, SD playing for their worship service on my way to and from the InspireSong Conference as our pastor friends there graciously hosted me. Thank you Pastor Bill and Pat for a wonderful time! Then I stayed in Arvada, CO with Mike & Kim Eaton from the band Renewed for a few days, waiting on the rest of the gang to gather there who also was going to be at InspireSong. I had some awesome "girl time" with Kim Eaton going to her beautician to get my hair done, do some shopping and eating at her son's awesome deli! Wow that guy can cook! What a fun needful time to spend with another girl singer/songwriter! On Wednesday Night (May 17th) we all (Tony Chung from Canada, Brendan Brooks from Wisconsin, Renewed from Colorado and I) had a concert in Lakewood, CO at Lakewood Church of Christ for a benefit for New Horizons House (https://newhorizonshouse.org/) a ministry that helps girls and women caught in sex trafficking. We raised $5000 that night for this ministry! Here are some pictures from the concert at Lakewood Church of Christ in Lakewood, CO  Next came a scary road trip to Aspen the following day. We had planned to leave in the morning, however I-70 leading to Aspen was closed due to an accident as a snow storm had blown in, which began to manifest itself in Lakewood after our concert with a lot of rain/snow mix.... Around 3 pm we got the "go ahead" from those "in the know" already in Aspen, that the Interstate was cleared and we could sneak in between snow storms. We had fairly decent road conditions to the Eisenhower tunnel, but thereafter until Veil, CO it got pretty nasty and a semi in front of us slid sideways down the mountain interstate.... keeping a safe distance, with flashers on for those following, we made it through the worst part and after Veil there were dry roads and sunshine all the way to Aspen! InspireSong Songwriter Conference greeted us with an Open Mic nite already in progress (as we missed Registration and Greetings due to our late arrival), however everyone was glad to see us safe and sound. Then we checked into our hotel. Early the next morning our sessions began with teachings from our many mentors who came up from Nashville to teach a variety of sessions. Topics ranged from: Preparing your song from the inside out. Discovery Process. Songwriting Inspiration. Writer's Block. Complex vs Simple Song. Listening to the Holy Spirit. Song Critiques. Authentic Songwriting. the "Now What?" Panel discussing what to do with your song and how to get it "out there". Publishing. Copyrights. The following day's session included a Co-Writing workshop with mentors writing a song in front of us and then us attendees being divided into groups, each with a mentor to write a song. We had about 15 minutes with our mentor starting us out and two hours time. My group was paired with Seth Mosley, producer from Nashville. Eight of us attendees put our heads together and finished our song "Victory!" to present it after supper, as did each of the other groups with their song. We heard some great music that night!! Here are some photos from InspireSong Songwriter Conference at Crossroads Church: There were some great quotes I want to share with you from the InspireSong Conference: "God will use you, get rid of the sin of comparison". Sue Mohr, Inner Vizion. "Best songwriting is always when there's no fear." Seth Mosley. "If you see some success, there was always some point of risk". Tony Woods "Songs are everywhere, you got to pull them out of the air". Ben Glover (via Matt Armstrong) "Speak truth to yourself. Be around confident people who pour confidence into you. Get alone with God." Matt Armstrong. "Art is a concept - but make it where you don't forget it". Benji Cowart "Write in such a way that someone can say 'that's my anthem'". Matthew West "Write a song you have lived and that's what people will listen to". Benji Cowart "If men can sing your song, everyone in the church sings." Jenna Cowart After the Conference was over it was hard to say good bye to old friends and the new one made at this event, however we all hope, the Lord willing, to see each other next year at InspireSong 2018! Before heading home, I hung around in Arvada, CO with Renewed for a few days to be there for their rehearsal for an upcoming concert in Kansas before I headed to Hot Springs to serve Joy Community Fellowship once more for their Sunday Worship Service and on Memorial Day Monday to play "Live" at Pistol Patti's Antiques & More, a new store that recently opened in Hot Springs. I know the owner couple was super blessed by the music and are eagerly awaiting my next CD release with the song "Grateful Heart" recorded, it is their favorite song! Here are a few photos from the Rehearsal, Sunday Service and Live Music:  UPCOMING EVENTS
Arts In The Park - Live Music Date: Saturday, June 10 Time: 10 am - 3 pm Location: Memorial Park, Royalton, MN There will be arts/crafts vendors, activities for kids and Live Music. As far as I know I'll be the only musician, so I'll be playing throughout the event - if there are other musicians, awesome! Love to share the afternoon! My CDs, books and jewelry will also be available! You'll find my table where the music is as I'll be playing from my stand most likely, since I will not have someone to watch my table. The event does not have a sound system nor a stage.... It'll be fun for everyone, so come and check it out! BIR BBQ (Warren's BBQ) Dates: Friday - Sunday, June 16-18th Times: Friday 8 am - ?? , Saturday 8 am - ??, Sunday 8 am - 3 pm Location: Brainerd International Raceway. Hubby will be set up to do some food vending. I'll be the trusty helper. He's going to have Beef Brisket BBQ, BBQ Pulled Chicken, Gyros, Turkey Loin Sliders, Brats, Hot Dogs, Fries, Cheese Curds and maybe Mushroom Poppers and for sure lots of cold pop! TNT Fireworks Tents Dates: June 26 through July 5 Locations: Waite Park: Parkinglot of Westside Liquor & Sauk Rapids: Parkinglot of Coborns (I may have my guitar with to play a few songs during slower times or when there's enough help) Barnabas Christian Coffeehouse Date: Saturday, June 24 Time: 7-9:30 pm Town: Chippewa Falls, WI Address: 19 W. Spring Street. IN ENDING There are some new videos up on my website that you definitely will want to check out. They are on my Photos/Videos page. http://www.samscales.com/photosvideos.html The videos are from the InspireSong Conference with our songwriting group presenting our song "Victory!" to everyone. (Titled: Inspiresong 2017 Co-writing Session Final Song: Victory). Three songs from my set at Lakewood Church of Christ in Lakewood, CO and a recording taken by Pat Martin during my live music set at Pistol Patti's Antiques in Hot Springs SD. Also tons of pictures from my latest music travels. I also want to express my deepest gratitude for your prayers for travel mercies and safety. Your prayers were heard as we had some scary roads going to Aspen. All my other road travels were smooth and I stayed alert and awake for which I'm super grateful! God provided for my needs on this trip and gave me sweet fellowship with His artistic people! Special "Thank You" goes out to all of you who graciously hosted me and gave me a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, food to eat and lots of great awesome fellowship! Shawn & Shanda Hinnant Bill & Pat Martin Mike & Kim Eaton A deep 'Thank You' also goes out to: The Annabelle Inn (it's like coming home! Thank you for the great service) and Crossroads Church of Aspen for hosting Inspiresong 2017! You guys are awesome! Remember to check my Facebook Music Fan Page regularly as I update there pretty much every day and use the "Track" button to stay in the know about my next concerts/music events. Until next month - or other "cool news" I need to share right away.... speak truth to yourself and spend time alone with God. :) Sam |
Christian Organic Folk Singer/Songwriter & Author
based in Minnesota Visit my IndieHeaven Page!
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 Psalm 100 Scripture
1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Archives
September 2017
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