 Where has the summer gone?? Oh I so love the time of flip flops, running out of the house quick without having to put on layers and layers of clothing. Sitting outside, doing events, spending time with friends or being on the road without the worry of icy conditions. Sadly they will be upon us faster than we think. The only thing I won't miss.....is.....the.....MOSQUITOS!!! I've never been bitten this much as I have this year. Have they become more vicious? Ugh! Today school has started here in Minnesota and for many of you it has already. Warren has gone back to driving the school bus, with new routes this year and new kids... Keep him in prayer as well as the kids for a safe school year! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and we look forward to next years summer months! MUSIC WISE: Part of September I will be hanging out in the Monticello, IL area doing some music events. I'll be playing for a ladies group (not listed), the coffeehouse, a church group and then participate as a vendor at the Monticellobration Festifall, the yearly arts/crafts event downtown Monticello, IL. Looking forward to spending time with friends, making new ones and being available to the Lord to minister through me in music and service. UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 9/8 & 9/9/18 Time: Sat: 8-6 Sun: 8-5 Event: Old Creamery Arts & Crafts Show (NotesNBling Jewelry) 405 Main Street East Town: Rice, MN First time at the 22nd Annual Crafts Show at the Old Creamery in Rice, MN!! I'll be set up with two friends (Meg & Colleen) at their tent with my NotesNBling jewelry! So come on out to Rice and see us! Note that there are TWO days of this event, Saturday and Sunday! Date: 9/13/18 Time: 11 am Live Music/Original Songs/Organic Folk Place: The Steeple Coffee House 102 E. Lafayette Town: Monticello, IL  Date: 9/25/18 Time: 12:00 noon Event: Young At Heart Luncheon Place: First Christian Church 1699 N. State Street Town: Monticello, IL Date: 9/29/18 Time: 11-4 Event: Monticellobration FestiFall (NotesNBling) Downtown on the Square Town: Monticello, IL I will be set up with my NotesNBling jewelry for the second year at this fun festival which takes place right downtown on the square. PAST EVENTS: Our second event in August was more BBQ related and an event we have attended now for 8 years, the Deerwood Summerfest. We've always loved the atmosphere there and have gained quite a following and have had that same spot for the last 6 years, in the Police Chief's parking spot in front of the Municipal Building/Police Station. Best spot in town! NOTES-N-BLING: Last month I talked about some classes I started taking. So here is the result of me learning how to solder sterling silver. It started out with a wire which we wound around a certain size dowel. Then we had to cut the individual rings which would become the bracelet links. The cutting also has to be done a certain way so that the ends once matched together would solder properly. Then after soldering it had to go into a solution, as all the silver turned black due to the heat from the soldering torch. Then from there into another solution and then we could hammer some design into the links and then polish them. I took it a step further beyond the bracelet and created some cool earrings to go with it! Here's the result of my new art. Once I can buy all the tools, I'll be adding some new design elements to my NotesNBling jewelry, handcrafted all sterling silver! It'll be some of my pricier items, however they will also not tarnish and are great for those of us who cannot wear base metals, or other materials aside from leather. So be patient on this one, as there's more involved tools wise which I need to purchase.... But then it'll be some fun times creating! IN ENDING:
Lots of possibilities have opened up since this spring. In Aspen at InspireSong, the interest in my song "Goodness And Mercy" by Paul Herman from CCLI is exciting yet daunting at the same time because he needs a professional recording of the song as well as a professional video done. All that isn't cheap and at the moment..... I will have to wait. The musicians are available for finally recording my next album, however they are in Colorado and the studio isn't free..... I will have to wait. My jewelry is getting attention and more "fans" and repeat customers, including some custom orders. There's new designs I have learned to create and new materials I've learned to work with which will bring it all up a notch. However, it involves the purchase of these materials including the necessary tools to work those materials..... again I will have to wait. With Warren's eye surgery 3 weeks ago much will be put on hold. So all this ...."will have to wait".... is daunting and I'm going to be honest, also a bit discouraging when you want to move forward - especially with the music opportunity! So I just want to share some thoughts, as my mind needs to stay on God, not the circumstances. One of the scriptures that go with one of my jewelry designs is Isaiah 40:31 - Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. So why is there the "YET"....? Before this scripture it says "He gives strength to the weary and to him who lacks might, He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly,..... YET.... The waiting we are to do is not the type of waiting by throwing up our hands and saying "I give up", I'll just sit there and wait. The waiting involves prayer, time with God, listening to Him intently, preparation, practice, learning, growing, trusting, staying in touch with the people who expressed interest or are willing to help, or can teach us more and of course those who encourage us spiritually. I love the book "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers! GREAT devotional book! Get it if you don't have it yet! On August 26 the title for that day's devotion was: "Are You Ever Troubled?" .....oh boy, that's a big fat yes! Many times we all have been troubled and facing trials, some horribly bad....and then some we just make a bigger mountain of than what they really are. In that section Oswald Chambers writes (and I'm paraphrasing) that true peace, which is inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus when realities of life stare us in the face. What did Jesus say? John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. So the question is....have I ever received, really received what Jesus speaks??? John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. We must look into the face of Jesus and receive His quiet contentment. Right now, this moment, are you troubled? Are you in turmoil? In the book there's this question (quoted): "Are you afraid or confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus." So how do we get it or know that we have it? Well, in order to reflect His peace in your life you first have to turn your mind to Him. It's like when the circumstance hits, your mind goes to God, not the circumstance, in this you also know that you are right with God. For example: you remember scriptures, or you know to go to the Word and to the Lord in prayer. However, when your mind turns to yourself, you might check your relationship with the Lord, because if that's messed up your mind can't turn anywhere else but on the circumstance or yourself. Allowing anything in between our view of Christ which could hide the face of Jesus from us, is what causes us to become troubled or even creates a false sense of security, which is definitely not what we want! So....and I'm talking to myself here as well..... worrying ourselves out of a problem isn't going to solve anything!! It destroys His (Christ's) effectiveness in us, it taints our witness and it isn't changing the situation. Although circumstances may not change right away, our inner peace is needed in order for us to go through the trial without being in a constant state of upset. See, we become troubled because we don't take Jesus into account. When we confer with Christ, truly confer with Him, which includes talking and listening.....the confusion will stop. Remember, there's no confusion in Him!! Best thing to do is: Lay everything out before Him. Then, when you are faced with difficulty, sorrow, confusion, bereavement.....listen to Him say: "Do not let your heart be troubled"..... (Read in 2 Kings 19:14-20 what King Hezekiah did when he was faced with a threat from a dangerous enemy. Hezekiah took the threat, laid it out before the Lord and prayed....) This portion in scripture encouraged me to do the same many times... Maybe that's just what I need to do with the "..has to wait..." stuff and maybe it encourages you to lay it all before the Lord in prayer and hear Him say to you..."Let not your heart be troubled".....
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 Soo....this update is a bit behind for the month of August. This month seemed like it was especially busy with a lot of out of town travel for music and BBQ as we were setting up for events in Wisconsin and here in Minnesota out of town. Yet, here's a recap of some of the things from this month and some from last month I didn't have the chance to share about. PERSONALLY: Warren had to have eye surgery. During umpiring a baseball game 3 weeks or so earlier, he had gotten a ball smack into the mask on that side of his face. He has had "floaters" since then and when we were in Deerwood at our BBQ event, he couldn't see out of the corner of his eye. 3 days later he had retina surgery as it was detaching. He wasn't allowed to lift or do much work these last couple of weeks and is still on restriction until "the bubble" (a gas inflation put in his eye to keep some pressure on his retina to heal) is gone. His follow up appointment two days after the surgery showed successful surgery and today at his appointment all is well and looking good and the retina is attached and healing! The wonders of today's medicine. Years ago he would have been blind! EVENTS: July was the TNT Fireworks Tent sales and following Tent Revival at the end of the Fireworks sales which included The BURN Central MN prayer/praise day on Saturday from 9-9 during the 3 day tent revival. At the beginning of August we were at Rock on the Rock, a Christian Music Festival put on by The Overflowing Cup & Total Life Center in Beloit, WI. We played music, Warren sold BBQ and I had a booth with my jewelry. We met a lot of cool folks, spent time in fellowship, gnawed on the best sweet corn ever, enjoyed each other's music as many bands and singer/songwriters played throughout the two day festival. On Sunday Warren and I got to lead worship for the church service held in the park, as the original scheduled musicians cancelled. We got to chat with Billy Saint John from Southern Exposure.... who might have us come down to one of his events in Indiana some time.  UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 8/25/18 Time: 10-4:30 Event: Art from the Heart Crafts & Car Show Place: Downtown Paynesville Town: Paynesville, MN Date: 9/13/18 Time: 11 am Place: The Steeple Coffee House 102 E. Lafayette Town: Monticello, IL  Date: 9/25/18 Time: 12:00 noon Event: Young At Heart at First Christian Church 1699 N. State Street Town: Monticello, IL Date: 9/29/18 Time: 11-4 Event: Monticellobration FestiFall (NotesNBling) Downtown on the Square Town: Monticello, IL NOTES-N-BLING: Most of you are familiar with my jewelry designs by now, so I'm excited to say that I've attended a couple classes this month to learn more how to make stuff....new cool stuff. So in one class I learned how to rivet and work with leather and how to rivet stuff together for some cool items. So there will be some new earrings and other cool riveted jewelry added soon. Next month (September) update I'll show you what I learned to make with sterling silver wire!!! IN ENDING:
As busy as August was and in a way I'm glad all the events are done, there is a part of me that always misses that time, as we meet so many people and Warren is making new culinary friends with his food which is so cool. Setting up the BBQ events is a lot of hard work, many don't realize how much there is involved with that. If you ever would like to know, contact us and you can tag along and learn all there is to learn about setting up a food stand! But be prepared to lend a hand! It starts with getting electricity to the freezer/fridge in the trailer, on to setting up tents, the tables, getting the fryer out and positioned and the tiny refrigerator/freezer for the fried foods ready. Then the brisket gets put under fire/smoke to smoke for 12 hours minimum.... we may sell the first day, so there's food preps to be done, grilling chicken, hot dogs, brats and Warren will be making his BBQ sauce. If we sell Giros, there's chopping tomatoes, lettuce and onions to be done..... Once the event is over, the cleanup begins.....everything sorted back into the trailer with the tents being last to be taken down and put away..... and if there's a Thunderstorm looming and coming in faster than we can put things away (hopefully at the END of an event)....we are always grateful for every hand that someone can lend us so we can put things away safely and securely in a much faster and timely manner than the two of us could ever do! Yes it's an experience for sure!! So a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all the folks who helped us in Beloit on the last day of Rock on the Rock when the thunderstorm came sooner than expected and came in on us as we were loading up the last items! Thank you to those who wiped tables, folded them up, brought items to Warren so he could sort them into the trailer before it got bad! Thank you to the three men who braved it till the end helping Warren hook up his trailer to his truck as the rain poured down and lightning all around us..... WE ARE SO GRATEFUL to you all who helped! I am back home!! After exactly two months on the road, it was nice to be home in my own bed again and the best part….my hubby!!! Equally nice has been being able to get my clothes out of a closet and dresser instead of a suitcase! So grateful to everyone who has hosted me! Great visits and hang time too. What a great time. The only sad part of being home is….. all you are SO far away and there’s moments where I’m a little sad that I can’t just pop over to spend time with each one of you! Thank you Pastor Bill & Pat Martin, Kim & Mike Eaton (and Renewed), Susan & Billy Casillas, Terri & Shawn Taylor & Phyllis Arnold, Brandon & Cheryl Breaker, Cheryl & Scott Marlow, Melanie Daigle, Michael & Tawana Albert, Jean & Kent Brund, MJ & Cat Jones, Carol B. and last stop: Sue Dempster. You all mean so much to me and I’m so grateful for your hospitality, your love, the fun, laughter, trips, sightseeing, music, stories, FOOD, memories and future plans! It’s been awesome! MUSIC WISE: My June Update came from Clovis, NM at my friend Susan’s house. I love her place. We planted a lot of flowers in her pots and it just looked gorgeous when I left!! While in Clovis, I got to lead worship for Crossroads Cowboy Church in Broadview, NM and a week later was my concert at First Christian Church in Clovis and the following morning they invited me to play with the worship band for Sunday’s service. That was a LOT of fun! A huge thank you to Pastor Jon Forrest for opening the church to me for the concert night and having me be part of the service. Precious moments! After Clovis, my in-between stop for the night was Abilene, where I visited family (Warren’s sister & mom), had a 3 mile walk with my nephew Xavier and the next morning the road called to start heading further south. Actually so far I had such a pleasant road trip, no inclement weather the whole way ever since I had left Minnesota, so that was cool. Sunshine all the way. Once arrived in Woodsboro, things were busy until the day I left. HAHA. Between my daughter working on her photoshoots and following edits and me on my music office stuff, photo sorting and working on finding art events in the area to consider for future reference and visits, we had times where we just took a break and went to town! Although that involved mainly to run errands, it was still fun to go to Corpus Christi to get those things done we both needed to attend to. I also got to tag-team one of her client’s ordering sessions. It took place at Starbucks and another curious customer sat across from us, so I was able to relay to her the information as I overheard Cheryl sharing about her services to the client she had the appointment for. That was pretty cool and a blast. During my stay Cheryl also had photo sessions with clients and it’s been fun helping her with that. She said I really should move there cos she could use an assistant!! Then both of us took a sight seeing trip to Fredricksburg, TX, a little touristy “German” town and picked up my grandson from his dad’s to spend the summer vacation with his mom. The only thing I wish we could have done was to have some German food, however the budget did not allow for the prices of that fare! Although I got some music work done, sold some jewelry while there, it was really nice just to get to visit without having events scheduled…..and of course be a busy photographer’s assistant! HAHA! Here are a few photos from my stay there: The rest of the trip would be fast and furious to get back home by the end of the month. Leaving Woodsboro, I headed to Sugarland, TX next to visit my long time friends Scott & Cheryl who were also my host home before my concert in Pasadena, TX at The Refuge. A couple days later I headed to Pasadena, checked into the hotel and headed over to the venue to prepare for the concert that night. Ah, it refreshed my heart to see my good friend Melanie Daigle who heads up The Refuge, a ministry she’s done for 15 years if not more. We knew her since we lived in Houston all those years ago, often taking part in some event The Refuge had. Concert night went wonderful, with the favorite song of the night being “For A Time As This”, which I played again per request at the end of the night during a time of testimony and prayer. The song really spoke to people that night and was also spot on for the direction the Lord seemed to take that evening in ministry. After a good night’s rest in the hotel, the next morning I headed to Spring, TX where I would be spending some time with singer/songwriter friend Tawana and her family. Tawana and I had some music related topics to discuss, hopefully bringing encouragement to her and we both decided to try out an open mic night at The Blue Giraffe, a secular coffeehouse/music venue. It was an interesting night for sure. My music was well received, however, which was pretty cool, people bobbing their heads, tapping their feet and even singing along on one song! That was pretty cool! Then it was time to leave to head to Duncan, OK where I would be helping my sweet sister-in-law after her severe car accident a month earlier (right when I had left to go on the road!!). When you go through things like that, there’s a lot of pain emotionally and for sure physically which you face in the aftermath. I know….I’ve been there myself! So it was good for her to have some girl-company, have help when she needed it and also someone who could scrub the house to have it looking fresh, which for us girls, that’s so important as it helps us feel more calm and peaceful. I got to play a mini-concert for her which was a huge blessing to her. She so enjoyed it! Even their dog came to listen! Below are some pictures of that…..we hoped to catch him when he had his head cocked from one side to the other, but by the time the camera was out, he didn’t do that anymore. It was so hilarious that we both couldn’t stop laughing and it was hard to sing amidst all the giggles! Such a refreshing time for both her and I! Moments we won’t forget so easily as they were precious! I loved our late night talks and miss them now…. After Duncan, my next stop was Tulsa to spend just one night with my friend Cat and family. We had silly moments (like doing a Facebook Live about exercise outdoors in the heat and it’s benefits), a sweaty walk and a late night Facebook LIVE concert I did, sitting at her kitchen table playing a few songs for folks on her page! Fun! Thankfully NO thunderstorms there! The longest part of my drive was next. Heading straight home to MN would not have been possible for me without staying in a hotel, which I did not want to do. So I drove to Monticello, Illinois for a couple nights with a friend there. On the way I experienced some scary….VERY SCARY weather!!!! The closer I got t St. Louis, the more the clouds coming from the northwest were closing in on me. By the time I got to the outskirts of town in rush hour traffic, the radio bleeped with alert and announcer said “tornado warning” and at the same time my phone went off like crazy with the same message! So I prayed, “Lord I need an exit…..soon” and almost regretted that I didn’t stop earlier. As the traffic inched down the road, a sign said “exit 1 mile”. YEY! Best place I could stop! A QT!!! Food and shelter if need be! Thank You Lord. As the warnings kept being announced, where I was sitting not one drop of rain fell and the clouds all moved more towards town and down south. So I had a 2 hour layover to wait out the weather before I could go on crossing through town to head north east! No tornado touched down and the rest of the drive was uneventful, with just a little lightning here and there in the distance and DRY roads!!! Yey! However I got to my friend’s house quite late and very exhausted, physically and emotionally. Don’t like thunderstorms like that, however they sure were a storm chasers dream!!! From Monticello, my last stop would be Sheboygan, WI to make it a shorter drive each day and it was good to see another friend. Yet…..after all that driving….and exactly to the day two months later…. I was glad to be back home! PERSONALLY: Once home, there was some house cleaning to do amidst helping with the last days of sales in the TNT Fireworks tents my hubby runs every summer and the Tent Revival. With me being gone, he had to hire extra help and we are grateful for all the awesome folks who worked very hard to make sales as successful as they could be for a Wednesday July 4th. Good job guys! UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 7/19/18 Time: 10-4 Event: Art in the Park (NotesNBling Jewelry) Place:: Munsinger Gardens Town: St. Cloud, MN Date: 8/4/18 Time: 11 am Event: Rock On The Rock Place: Harry Moore Pavilion, Riverside Park Town: Beloit, WI IN ENDING: There have been times thoughout the trip where I’ve had some concern about “how am I ever gonna make it?”. But it’s been equally amazing how God, not only through provision but also a lot through His Word brought encouragement and peace to my travels! At each stop there was always some kind of message for me from the Lord that spoke directly into the situation of trip finances and road safety. I am thrilled to testify that the Lord provided above and beyond for this trip, with the last provision coming in once home through the Munsinger Gardens Art Fair and other sales. At the Art Fair, the opportunities to show God’s love through great conversations and times of sharing the scriptures attributed to my RockNStone and LeatherNLink lines were amazing! It’s like God was sending people. So many walked away with a smile because in some way God ministered to them in our conversations. I also got to deliver a special order bracelet to a cancer survivor who got to share with me at the booth during the art fair. I think I’ll be hearing more from her as she said “God brought us together for some reason”. Yes, there is always a “divine appointment”!! This time I'm writing from Clovis, NM, a town where I had lived for 23 years before moving away. Feels kind of good to come "home", see my friends and those folks who have been influential in my personal and music life. Having a great trip so far, trusting God and getting some awesome messages about that subject through church services and bible studies in each place as I travel on my way. TRUST and FAITH. MUSIC WISE: My first special time took place in Hot Springs, SD, with friends Pastor Bill & Pat Martin! Love those two and their girls. As always when I'm there it's a privilege to be included in the church service at Joy Community Fellowship. It's been great to also attend some of their other activities, such as bible studies and gatherings. One cool thing: Joy Community Fellowship will be adding two of my songs to their worship service as God leads - "Goodness And Mercy" and "Victory!" (a song I co-wrote with 7 other songwriters in Aspen last year)!! That's exciting! Then my next stop was Arvada, CO, hooking up with fellow musician friends Mike & Kim Eaton (Renewed), hanging at their house. Picking up Indie musician Erisa Rei, she and I took off from Arvada to Aspen for InspireSong 2018. Once there, we roomed with my friend Dora and her friend Aggie! She's one cool lady too! We had such fun together! It is really amazing how people, once strangers, now have become friends! One of the highlights at InspireSong is always the small group co-write sessions. This year I was able to write a song with Tony Chung another Indie musician/songwriter friend from Canada whom I've met two years ago at InspireSong. Tony and I had a blast writing together. Neither one of us had laughed that hard in a long time! So as you can imagine we wrote a fun song, which by the way is totally out of both of our genres. If you are coming to any of my concerts, you will be hearing that song! After InspireSong and back in Arvada, I had the privilege to be at Renewed's band practice and videoing one of their songs with my phone! Musicians are characters.... which makes it so fun when you take videos! (Their website is: www.renewed-music.com) From Arvada my present stop is Clovis, NM, where I am until after my concert on June 2 and church service on June 3 at First Christian Church. Last Sunday (May 27) was amazing! Leading worship at Crossroads Cowboy Church in Broadview, NM and catching up with another person influential in my music adventure was such a privilege! Thank you Pastor Kymburly & Travis Odell for having me! I will never forget those bible studies at the Odell home and the teens I had the privilege to help years ago! They wanted to do music as a band and it was great to see them grow and go forward in their music giftings for the glory of God! Grateful for my friend Susan who has been hosting me all this week. She is a runner, so I've been riding the bike while she gets in her 3-4 miles and so far we've also been walking 3 miles every night! I really have missed an exercise partner. Talk about motivation!!! Since I got here it's been a busy stay with the airshow at Cannon Air Force Base and seeing the Thunderbirds fly, running errands, doing some fun shopping and even planting flowers. It was so nice to see Susan's daughter Jill (who is now SO grown up!!!) and visiting with Susan's mom! It was a blessing for me to fix one of her mom's favorite bracelets which she hadn't gotten to wear for a long time because it was broken! It's been really nice to be with my longtime friend, who has always been the sister to me I never had! During this week, a wonderful lunch time was spent with another friend, Rose Kelly at my favorite place to eat Leal's Mexican Restaurant. We caught up sharing stuff from our lives, kids and ministry - just good fellowship! Equally fun has been eating all my favorite foods I don't get at home. Like Allsups Burritos, Taco Box guacamole/bacon burrito, Taco Villa's cheese fries and yet to do Twin Cronnie's jalapeno cheese balls! So many other places I'd love to eat, however there's not enough time to get all that in - and I do need to eat at least halfway healthy in between the fun foods!! :) Wednesday night I went to a bible study of another pastor friend, David & Geri Dawson, who also have been influential people in my music life and who I'm honored to count as family in Christ.  UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 6/2/18 Time: 6:30 pm Event: Concert Nite Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM Concert time at First Christian Church, our home church Warren and I attended after we got married! I'm SO looking forward to catching up with Pastor Jon and the folks there and anyone who would like to attend! It's free.... so come on out. For those of you who don't have my new music yet.... and NO I'm NOT playing Christian Rock anymore.... my 2 latest CD's (contemporary and organic folk) will be available for purchase, as will be my book, songbook and t-shirt which accompany my latest CD "When Wallflowers Dance" and also some of my own jewelry line 'NotesNBling'. Excited to see everyone!! Date: 6/3/18 Time: 10:30 am Worship Service Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM I'll be "special music" during Sunday's worship service.  Date: 6/16/18 Time: 7 pm Place: The Refuge 4317 Red Bluff Road Town: Pasadena, TX Another "homecoming" playing at this coffeehouse/ministry in Pasadena TX. Melanie Daigle has been another influential person in my music life and so thankful for her and how God has used her not only in my life but countless others she has ministered to through The Refuge over the years! IN ENDING:
Next my route will take me to the Corpus Christi area, then Pasadena and on to Oklahoma and back home. You know, amidst all the times I had "lay-overs" so far on my trip, there have been neat times of ministry, blessing people and loving on them in a variety of forms. If it was spending time in fellowship, eating together, fixing broken jewelry, playing music or writing songs, watching their dogs or planting flowers.....none of those days was ever wasted and the Lord was always in the midst. Sometimes ministry looks so different than we imagine. Sometimes it's just being....not always doing or preaching. Those friendships formed, re-kindled or strengthened are vital to ourselves and others. It's about people, about those we love and those we get to love because we haven't met them yet. It's an amazing journey! Keep watch on my Facebook page for "pop-up" concerts on my way. Otherwise, after Pasadena my next "gig" will be in Beloit, WI for Rock On The Rock fest, where Warren will also be serving his famous BBQ! ....lastly, I've been reminded a lot on this trip: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 and: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9. Thank you for your prayers for me on this tour! One sad news I need to mention. Warren messaged me that his aunt Virginia passed away and that her funeral will be today (Saturday, June 2) in Texico at First Baptist. So I will be there with family members who came in from out of town before my concert tonight. Please keep family in prayers as they miss their loved one. Until next month, keep checking back on this website and mostly on my Facebook page (Sam Scales Music) for frequent updates on happenings and events. Don't forget to click the "Track" button for my concert announcements in your area. Sam  Hello to all from Hot Springs, SD!! I've started my tour and am enjoying fellowship at my first destination, Joy Community Fellowship Church. It's been great to have this time together with Pastor Bill and Pat, whom Warren and I have known 15 years or so. Every time I come here I just feel "life"! So, if ya in the Hot Springs, SD area, do visit! Their Sunday services are at 11 am. I'll be doing a lot more traveling. In a week I'll be hooking up with songwriters at the InspireSong songwriter conference, learning, playing music and possibly doing some songwriting. Then as I go on, I'll be doing a few concerts, visiting friends and family on this trip, going from SD to CO to NM to TX and then through OK and IA on my way home. Keep this trip in prayer please, for safety, provision and more open doors for music opportunities. MUSIC WISE: So....I got some bad news today from the studio.... which I'm praying will turn into good news the Lord willing. As many of you know I was supposed to go into the studio in Albuquerque, NM recording at a friend's studio to release my next album... Due to short notice on finding a cajon player (as my producer friend assumed Warren would be with) and him not feeling peace from God about all this, he decided to cancel this session and maybe plan for a better time frame. I'm always for having peace and if that is absent then there's no need nor reason to do something which may not be God's perfect plan. Although I'm very sad and had SO hoped for a new album, this means it'll be a while longer before it'll be recorded. How long that depends upon the Lord's timeline and provisions. It'll either be at the studio with my friend at a later time, or.... this could be a God sized adventure, believing Him for that which is impossible for me to do - namely financing a project in Nashville. I have a producer there willing to work with me.... :) So I'm excited to see what God will do in these next coming days, weeks, months..... Since I'll be attending InspireSong 2018 in Aspen next week, I need to also be open to what connections might be made there, thus it's best to leave it all in the capable hands of the very One who gave the music in the first place. Having patience is the difficult part when you want something so bad.... yet, we must wait and trust.  UPCOMING EVENTS on the road: Date: 5/4/2018 Event: Live Music in the dining room Place: The Brookside Apartments 201 South River Street Town: Hot Springs, SD Come enjoy some live music in the dining room. Open to all in Hot Springs who would like to come. I'll be sharing a lot of my original songs, sharing some stories and playing worship songs. Date: 5/6/2018 Time: 11 am Place: Joy Community Fellowship Church 309 Canton Ave. Town: Hot Springs, SD I'm SO thrilled to be able to be back at my favorite lil' church in South Dakota and visiting with our pastor friends, family and church family there! I feel part of this place, this people and am always honored when I can serve in the service with the gifts and talents God bestowed to me. Date: 5/10-13/2018 Event: InspireSong 2018 Songwriter Conference Place: Crossroads Church 726 W. Francis Street Town: Aspen, CO This is the third year that I'll be attending this wonderful conference. Looking forward to seeing old friends from the past conferences and meeting new ones who are coming this year for the first time. Hoping to play some songs at the open mic times during the conference. OPEN DATES available: Albuquerque, NM Sunday, May 19 - Tuesday May 22 for music/worship or NotesNBling gatherings (music and jewelry "party") Clovis, NM Wednesday, May 23 - Friday Jun 1 for music/worship or NotesNBling gatherings (music and jewelry "party")  Date: 6/2/18 Time: 6:30 pm Event: Concert Nite Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM Excited to be back at the church hubby Warren attended before we got married and I got to join him to be part of the congregation there before we moved away. Truly miss the pastor and his wife and the folks there. So excited to be able to be back and bring the blessing of music into the house of worship! Date: 6/3/18 Time: 10:30 am Worship Service Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM I'll be "special music" during Sunday's worship serving there with my gifts. More dates later on in June....which will be updated in the next newsletter.  MUSIC RECAP: In April Warren and I played for Empty Bowls, a fundraiser event for Place of Hope, to raise awareness that there's someone in our country and in the world who's bowl is always empty. Warren and I have participated in this event ever since we moved into the area pretty much. Warren has helped out with the soups, distributing, warming up, organizing and delegating and I've participated as a vendor and playing music, donating a percentage of my sales to Place of Hope. Place of Hope helps the homeless, provides meals and a warm place to stay and also has a program for recovery for men and women who want to change their lives and come out of darkness to walk in the light of hope.... and with the Lord.  One of the events we totally enjoy is the BURN (Central MN 12-hour BURN). It's a 12 hour prayer and worship event which takes place in the St. Cloud area either bi-monthly or every 3 months at different churches. It begins at 9 am and goes until 9 pm. Worship slots are two hours and is lead by different musicians or worship leaders throughout that time. We love taking part and just playing worship, sharing scriptures and soaking in the presence of the Lord. We come early before our set and staying after, soaking in the peace that is present in the room. If you've never come to a BURN, do! You don't have to stay the 12 hours! Come when you can, stay as long as you feel led to be there. It's really awesome! IN ENDING:
Although I heard disappointing news, I need to share with you all before I sign off, that the bible studies I attended through Joy Community Fellowship today were total preparation for the news from the studio which would come later in the day! God is so good. Now even though the recording is not happening, that doesn't mean it never will or be put off indefinitely, because it's going to happen, but in His timeline. The first study this morning was titled: The Crisis of Belief. Basically what we talked about today was that if God gave you a directive of something He wants you do, what you do in response to that, reveals what you truly believe about God. For example, if God gives you something God-sized to do and you believe that it's something that you can't do it because you don't have the resources, that's the crisis of belief. You still go towards that direction, no matter what it may look like, because you will trust and believe that God will bring about what He told you to do. So....to translate that into my situation, instead of me getting down and discouraged and giving up on the recording of my next project, if I believe God and trust that He will provide, I can actually believe Him for what I TRULY want - which is recording with producer Dan Needham in Nashville - which is certainly a HUGE GOD-SIZED project only God can bring to pass. What might be YOUR God-sized project you are trusting Him for? Share that with me! Thank you all for your prayers and also keep Warren in prayer as he is working hard at home. Until June..... Love y'all. Sam |
Christian Organic Folk Singer/Songwriter & Author
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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
August 2018
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