January Music Notes

Happy New Year you guys!!
Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Years holidays. Our prayer is that everyone is healthy, have a roof over their heads, warmth, food to eat and people around to call family and friends.  Some of you had to work hard during the holidays, others could take it easy, go on vacation, spend time with family or friends.
We missed our family and being with friends during the holidays, but I got to do some visiting beforehand on my music trip, which was nice. So thankful for my hubby, his love, care and friendship, we hang out good together, haha. 
It's so weird, every year we plan on being somewhere for Christmas and we always end up staying home...  sigh.  Since he does snow plowing and the threat of snowfall was looming, we needed to stay put pretty much.  Well, maybe......next year....haha.

PERSONALLY:
While we were home and hubby was on break from bus driving we did a few repairs around the house, including our basement toilet.... yeah, that was interesting to say the least.  Instead of just being able to buy a kit to fix the leak in the tank, we had to buy a whole new one, because none of the repair kits fit the old toilet....we tried several...  So off we went in -17 degrees to Menards.... burr!!
So, y'all, that pretty much was the excitement for us around the holidays :D
So now we are looking forward to see what the year brings us in personal, music and business adventures. 
Warren's dream this year is to get his Bus Cafe going.  This would not only make it much easier for setup, but also gives him more opportunity and versatility - and we could use it for ministry as well.
Here are his plans he drew up.  Back of the bus would be the kitchen, front of the bus would be seating.  He also felt led to start a GoFundMe account to raise funds for his Bus Cafe.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Date: 3/24/18
Event:  Empty Bowls / Fundraiser for Place of Hope
Time:  11-6   (We will play at 1 pm)
Place:  Calvary Community Church
Town:  St. Cloud, MN

January/February are months that I'll be looking into booking events, but also for me events come my way on a short notice, so either sign up with the "Track" Button up top to receive updates when I'm in your area, or keep checking back on my FaceBook page....

MUSIC/EVENTS RECAP:
December was another busy month for me, being in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. 
It started off with a great ministry time in Wisconsin....although it was a NotesNBling Jewelry Christmas Show/Ladies Nite Out, which includes music, it ended up being a very cool ministry time LIVE via Facebook filmed at the Overflowing Cup in Beloit, WI where my friend and host Diana held the event. So here are a few photos I took off the live-feed from the concert/ladies nite.  By the way the live-feed is on my FaceBook Music Page (Sam Scales Music) under the November 30, 2017 date.

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Next, I headed down to Illinois to have some fellowship time with a friend and participate with music in her Christmas Ladies Event.   We had an awesome lesson on 'Living With Joy' and WHO our joy is.  We also talked about taking a different look at snow... especially for us who live in the colder regions of the States where we sometimes wish the snow would go away, it was really a great way to have more appreciation for the intricacy God created within each individual flake that falls.  One of my favorite verses in the bible is Psalms 51:7 - Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.    There is another scripture we talked about, but I'll have that at the end....
After the event I opened up my NotesNBling Jewelry Christmas Shoppe where the ladies were able to pick some cool Christmas gifts for loved ones.

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Then came the "big" concert in Indianapolis, IN - sharing the stage with my songwriter friend from Green Bay, WI Steven Billings and Petra's Co-Founding Member, guitarist, singer and songwriter Greg Hough for the 2nd annual CCRPS (Classic Christian Rock Preservation Society) Christmas Party.
It was a blast!  Not only did we have great food prepared by my friends June Pugh and Rob Pugh who hosted the event, we also had an amazing time meeting old and new friends, having fellowship and the most wonderful concert time.  The music ranged from my style of Organic Folk & Christmas Songs to Contemporary/Christmas by Steven and highlighted by Greg Hough singing a mix of songs between genres of Rock, Jazz and Christmas! It was way cool!
My highlight of the event was getting to sing with Greg and Steven, using Greg's guitar amp and afterwards getting to spend time with my friends Rob, June and Sam at their house as I spent the night before heading back to Illinois.

IN ENDING:
So as you can see December was actually pretty full of exciting times. In Indy I had the chance to have a good talk with a friend who's going through a rough time, those moments are always precious when we can encourage someone.  

On my way back it was cool to be able to visit with my daughter who lives in the Chicago area. This time I was so excited to be in the area when my grand-daughter Hannah had a concert with her choir from school!  Yey!  The kids were awesome and there were even some cool funny parts during their performances.  Hannah has a really good voice!  So cool to get to hear and discover that.  She got a piano for Christmas and I'm excited to see and hear what develops as she discovers music and her voice!
I also got to meet my new grand-dog Jessie who's a new addition to the family.  They are pretty excited to have a new puppy-girl after losing their two fur babies within this past year.  My attention had to be equally divided between grand-cat Hobbes and now Jessie...  however Hobbes knows how to get a better vantage point since he can get up on the desk.

After hanging with my daughter for almost a week I decided to go up north to visit my friend Sue since she couldn't make it to Indianapolis because she had a dog show with her dog Raji that same weekend.  So us girls had a couple days to hang together with her mom and with our friend Elo from Mexico before I headed back to MN.   Hubby sure was glad to see me!!

I want to leave you with one more thought. Earlier I had mentioned another one of my favorite bible verses.  At my friend's event as we talked about God's design, even for snow,  this scripture was a part of the message as well. Snow is mentioned in the bible for cleansing as well as here for bringing about sustenance.  As the snow melts it waters and water brings life. but so does also the Word of God.  Psalms 55:10-11.  For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;  So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 
You know, we may not always understand what is happening, or understand and know why God does things a certain way, but we do know this for certain, He knows what He is doing.  His Word is truth, it is deliverance, it is freedom, it is hope, encouragement, discipline, healing, strengthening, giving wisdom, giving guidance, pointing to Christ who is our Salvation and redemption, forgiveness and eternal life.  As it says in John 1:1-5 & 14 - In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. 
vs. 14 - and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth.
Today I'm so grateful to reflect upon this truth and after our message in church this morning about the River of Life in Revelation 22:1-2: Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of it's street.  On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.....
It just all ties together.....  Jesus, our life-giver and healer of all....
Oh may we not reject Him, may we cling to Him and seek Him and walk with Him!  He is life and life eternal.  Therein is our hope and our destination.   Thank You Jesus for Your offering so we might live....

Have a Happy New Year everyone and may you be blessed, nourished and filled with joy by the grace of God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sam