Beach Camp

Mini post!

Here are the top ten things I learned at Beach Camp this summer.

10. Encouraging kids to wear lots and lots of brightly colored glow necklaces, earrings, and bracelets and then trying to organize them by one tiny, four inch glow stick may or may not be the best idea in the world.

9. Watching a guy named Moses wave a freaking huge sword around on a stage is pretty funny. Watching the reaction on the faces of all of the adult leaders in the room as he pulls out the sword is even funnier.

8. If a 10th grade guy “lets one go” in a small room with 7 of his classmates in the middle of a week of eating camp food, there will be at least one other guy who can (and will) return the favor. Just being honest.

7. There are certain words that should never be said in the same sentence. A few of those being “gyrating,” “happiness,” and “themselves.”

6. What Kyle Craddock looks like in a jr. high cheerleading uniform…

5. The importance of constantly reminding yourself that other’s impressions of you will last much, much longer than whatever ego boost you hope to earn from a rec win.

4. Things will probably never go exactly like you plan them to when you’re organizing events with a youth group. Stuff just happens.

3. When, as a counselor, you walk into your dorm room which, before you entered, only held a bunch of 10th grade guys – and no one is talking…they’re either all asleep or the Holy Spirit has been moving big time!

2. When people gather as the body of Christ for a time that has been soaked in prayer and set apart for His glory, God will show up and do big things, despite whatever might come up. That’s just who He is.

1. God is always much bigger than you think He is, much more forgiving than you can ever return, and much more loving than you can ever understand, and He loves to stretch your perspective of Him out more and more and more.

Summer

Okay. So, here’s the deal world. I’m just going to start titling all of my posts whatever new season of the year it is. That way I’m not accountable for never writing in this and you guys know when to check back. Deal? Spring Break was the last. This is Summer. You can expect my next publication to be out around Father’s Day.

Wait, that’s probably too soon.

Anyway. So, life’s good. I joined a gym. Yeah, I’m tough.

Actually, I’m mainly just really sore. And I didn’t even work out today. Confession time.

Also, I’ve had a ton of free time recently. I’ve been practicing a ton! I’ve been working on a lot of different scales, thirds, and fourths exercises; I’ll probably post a video soon walking through some of the stuff I’ve been doing.

Along with a lot more jazz improv work…  let’s just say that the scales are going better.

It’s really been great being back home so far. I’ve got to spend a lot of time catching up with high school friends recently also and that’s been awesome. It’s almost been strange how everything picked up like we hadn’t been living in different states for nine months. I guess it helps that for a while in spring I was seeing them close to every weekend playing either at home or at a retreat somewhere.

I’ve noticed something recently about myself. I think it’s one of those things that I have wanted to admit to myself for a long time, but I wouldn’t allow it. I’m crazy. Whatever.

The thing I’m realizing is that, in some ways, I have made my faith about knowing things. About “getting it right.”

And, if you read my last post, the one that is now deleted, you probably noticed that. For me, it’s really easy to get caught up in the theology of God, instead of being captivated by the love of God.

It’s like I turn God into a concept, instead of a being.

And it wasn’t always this way. And it’s not always this way. But sometimes, I’ll get on kicks where instead of digging into the word and sitting in prayer, I’ll lay in bed and soak in my own thoughts. Or I’ll analyze a secular book or movie and let the concepts seep into my day-to-day thoughts and actions, without giving myself a way to check against them.

(That’s where the first two things come in play. When they don’t happen, the second half of that paragraph does.)

And don’t think that God isn’t a thinking, philosophical God. He is the creator of human thought. But when I go for a while without being in the Word, those thoughts are easily turned against truth and become increasingly legalistic.

So, after beating myself up, on to the next thing: how pumped I am about summer!

After these past two weeks, I can tell this summer’s going to be a blast. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that for now. It’s going to be awesome.

And that’s basically it for now. Yeah, no moral to the story. No big finale. Just thought I’d update this blog and give you guys a little insight into what’s been going on in my brain recently.

Be expecting some more posts soon. I’m going to write a demo of my newest amp, a Dr. Z Maz 18, that I picked up from a guy named Nathan Wright out of Atlanta soon. I’ll also probably put up some scale exercise videos for those of you who care and will try to get another real life blog entry like this one written before Christ returns.

Also, here’s something funny:

Spring Break

Hey world. It’s been a while.

Actually,  a week or two between posts isn’t too bad for me. However, this week was Spring Break, so it feels like I haven’t blogged in a year.

This week was awesome. Started off with a little family time. Hung out with David some and had lunch with Josh and Steve. Played with the THSM band for the first time in forever. (I know, the “T” stands for “the,” but it just seemed weird.)

Then I headed out to Ouachita Baptist University to spend a few days with my best friends from high school. It was a great time and a lot of fun. I’m going to enjoy knowing all the settings and people they talk about in their stories from now on.

I’ve really been struggling recently to see how God is active in everything that I’m doing. I don’t want to do things just to be doing something.

I want to know what God’s purposes are during my daily life.

A lot of this week was God seriously blessing me. It’s hard to live a discontented life when you know there’s a God in heaven, giving you awesome friendships and memories and daily pouring joy over you. And I know there’s going to be a day where that’s not the case. I just hope I can remember these times then.

Much of the rest of this week, I’ve been thinking about my desires.

I have so many.

Haha, I want so much stuff that I honestly need two lifetimes to do everything I’ve dreamed up.

But I’ve only got one. One life. One path to take.

And so this week, I’ve been sorting through my desires. And then I’ve been praying about each one.

Prayed about changing majors. Prayed about changing schools. Prayed about music and worship and marriage and creativity and everything that’s a part of the plans I’ve made.

And I began to find just that. That some of the stuff I really wanted to do was birthed out of my own will. I made them.

After this week, I still have to admit that I have no clue what I’ll be doing in four years.

But I’m seeing more clearly what God has for me tomorrow. And it’s going to be awesome.

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

I read the entire book and this introduction was still my favorite. So, here you go:

“If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want you money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years actually living those stories, and we expect our lives to feel meaningful.” – Donald Miller.

Baller.

The Week Before Spring Break…

I haven’t posted in a while. Figured I might as well update everyone on what’s been going on.

I just got back from Round 2 of the North Dallas FCA retreat out at Sky Ranch. This weekend was awesome, as was the one before it. The speaker, Kyle Embry, was a freakin baller. I feel like he brought exactly what the kids needed to hear.

My favorite thing he said was that, to win in your public life, you have to experience victory in your private life.

So true.

To be fruitful in your relationships with others, you have to be faithful in your relationship with Christ. To win the souls of the people around you for Christ, you have to give complete control of your own life over to Him first.

It makes sense, doesn’t it?

Anyway, when he said that, it made me stop and think of my own life. The periods of time where I’ve felt the closest to others and been able to love the people around me were the same times when I was right with God in my personal life.

In the times when nobody else knew I was struggling.

So that was big time for me this weekend.

Fast forward to this week, I got back to Waco at 8:15 on Monday morning and remembered how retarded the week before Spring Break always is.

Three tests:

Wednesday,

Thursday,

Friday;

WTF.

So I know the tone of my week is going to be studying and more studying.

And stress.

And for me, stress is bad news. Stress is what keeps me from experiencing victory in my private life.

Stress convinces me that there is something more important than time with God. For me, it’s the biggest “reason” for going one day, and then another day, and then a week without remembering who God even is.

So I’m committing this week to God for His purposes and His glory.

I’m not going to let the rigors of schoolwork get to the act of daily remembering who I’m supposed to be.

“‘Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.’” - John 15:4-8

American Idol Season 9 – Josh’s Picks

Okay, so I’ve watched American Idol for the past few seasons and, let me tell you, I love this show. I understand that most people hate reality tv, and for the most part so do I. However, Idol is a reality tv show that has an actual positive impact on its contestants, and it’s about music, so I like it.

This past week we found out who the Top 24 are going to be for Season 9. I thought it would be a fun idea to give my predictions about who’s staying for a while and who’s not going to last long.

And, ultimately, who is going to win.

In no particular order (alphabetical, actually), the first 12 that will be voted off of the show are:

• Aaron Kelly – like David Archuleta, but not cute; he did sing “The Climb” better than Miley however
• Ashley Rodriguez – pretty girl with a good voice, but there are better this season
• Haeley Vaughn – she seems a little too young, wants to be “country” but didn’t really do much past initial auditions, the lisp
• John Park – very talented singer, seems almost classical (he’s a vocal major) but not quite in the style that gets votes on Idol
• Jose Munoz – the first time I remember seeing this guy was last week…
• Lee DeWyze – again, good singer, but there are better
• Lily Scott – weird hair, seems like she’ll crack after a few weeks of seeing how good some of the other contestants are
• Michelle Delamor – don’t really remember her much either, she didn’t even sing melody in her group during group week at all
• Paige Miles – was never really captivated by her either
• Tim Urban – not super memorable
• Todrick Hall – will be outshone by Jermaine Sellers
• Tyler Grady – seems cool, pretty good singer, not sure he’ll get many votes on the Idol stage however

Next are the rankings of my predicted Top 12, beginning with who I think will end in 12th:

12. Siobhan Magnus – okay singer, honestly she’s pretty cooky, I like her alright but…look at that name

11. Katelyn Epperly – I like her, but she’ll be outvoted on by others similar to her

10. Lacey Brown – cute and good voice, basically same situation as Katelyn

9. Crystal Bowersox – hate to say this, but when it gets to the end, Idol is about everything, looks included, very original though

8. Casey James – took off his shirt in auditions, yay that’s cute, not outstanding, but one of my favorite guys of Season 9, just not sure he’ll produce week after week

7. Janell Wheeler – probably the prettiest contestant this year, very Reese Witherspoon, reminds me of Brooke White however, and she’ll probably crack like Brooke White, in her demographic, I like Didi’s odds better

6. Alex Lambert – a cute, Archuleta-esque guy, needs desperately to lose the ukulele and grab onto some stage ownership though, you’re not Jason Mraz, bro

5. Michael Lynche – everyone likes him, great singer, has one of the best Idol stories I’ve seen, needs to nail down his musical person coming into the next few weeks

4. Andrew Garcia – probably should’ve knocked him out earlier, he’s my wild card, he needs to ride out the singer/songwriter vibe he’s got going and not try to do much else

3. Jermaine Sellers – one of my audition favorites, great voice, smooth and soulful

2. Didi Benami – very Colbie Caillat, beautiful, great voice, has a good chance to make it far

Winner: Katie Stevens – pretty girl, can sing like nobody’s business, probably my favorite young girl I’ve seen come through American Idol, her age may cause her to stumble and lose early on, but I think she has the mentality and drive to go all the way

Other predictions: General Larry Platt comes back with a huge remix of “Pants On the Ground”

Anyway, do you agree? Disagree? Comment.

A Relaxing Moment

Let me preface this by telling you that this story is 100% true. I typically like to stretch things out, make myself seem like I’m always doing something a little cooler than what actually happens to me. But not this time.

Okay, so today I was driving home from a weekend leading worship in Van, TX for a retreat. It was awesome. While it’s a side point to this story, it was the absolute main point of my weekend. God moved big time and changed lots and lots of people’s lives. Last night I would say that at least 150 kids made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. That’s huge.

But back to my drive home.

Those of you that ride with me frequently know that I like to listen to my music loud. Like loud enough to pick out the guitar tones and hear each individual part. And today that was what was going on in my car for the majority of the five hours I spent driving.

You same people also know that I am not the greatest driver. I do my best not to get in wrecks or get pulled over, but I have had issues with both of those things in the past.

However, today for a short period of time while I was driving North on 205, I decided to mix it up a bit.

Turn off the music.

Roll down my windows.

Enjoy a serene drive and spend time talking to God.

Then it gets good…

I had been stopped at a red light for about a minute when it turned green and I moved my foot over to the gas pedal. Again, on any other drive I would have probably hit my typical “5-over-the-speed-limit” limit before the car behind me really even got moving.

Yet, again, today was different. I eased onto the pedal as I remembered my commitment, reserving this time to take it slow and enjoy being alone in my car with God.

If today hadn’t been the day I chose to roll down the windows, listen to the sounds outside my car, and relax, I would have been t-boned by the big truck whose brakes locked up as he skidded through the red light that he waited too long to stop for. My music would’ve drowned out the squeals and heaven knows I wouldn’t have thought twice about making sure no one was cutting into what was now my intersection on my green light.

Some of you may think I’m making a lot out of a simple, lucky situation. But I know that this was God.

My God is a strong tower and refuge.

My God is a protector.

And my God isn’t done with me. And today, for me, was a powerful demonstration of that.

The Pedalboard

So I know a lot of people have asked me about certain pieces of gear that I own, so I figured I’d start posting pictures of everything I’m using with brief descriptions or whatever. Hopefully I can keep this up to date and let everyone know what I’ve got going on gear wise.

(And I just like talking about it…)

Just, as a preface, this post is only about my pedalboard. But know that good tone comes from a quality instrument and amplifier first! Do not try to “fix” your sound with a pedal. Please. For the love of all that is good and pure in this world.

Okay, so here we go, just a picture from up above the board:

The chain is Crybaby/Keeley Compressor/Modtone Volume Pedal/Fulltone FullDrive 2 Mosfet/Paul Cochrane Timmy/Line6 DL4/BOSS DD-20 Giga Delay/Line6 Verbzilla. The other two pedals you see are not directly in the signal path. The white one up top is my BOSS TU-2 tuner; I run it out of my volume pedal’s aux out. The gray square stompbox is a tap tempo for the DD-20. The pedal itself has one, but you have to hold down the right side switch for two seconds to swap in between the tap and the presets. Having an external tap tempo makes a Giga Delay about 5x easier to use, and it’s only like $30 on eBay. Also, all of my cables are George L’s .155, which are solderless custom length cables that come in a kit so that you can build cables that fit your board’s exact needs. (With the exception of the top one between my DD-20 and Verbzilla. I lost one of my caps so I’m waiting for another to come in the mail.)

The actual board is a Pedaltrain PT-2, which I bought with an ATA flight case. I’m running all of the pedals off of a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 power supply, which I have mounted underneath the board. (You can see it peeking out from in between my Giga Delay and Timmy.) It’s a pretty handy supply. I have zero buzz even though I run my signal through eight different pedals. It also has extra/less voltage functions for increased headroom or vintage qualities in your overdrives and can run the Line6 green monster without having the enormous, awful power supply that you’re supposed to “have” to use with it (and all the other L6 modelers, the big Eventide Modfactor/Pitchfactor/Timefactor pedals, and a bunch of other power prima donna boxes.)

Here’s a close up of my two overdrives so you can see roughly the settings I run them at right now:

The Timmy’s an awesome pedal, but one of the things that you have to know going into adjusting it is that the tone controls work as “cut” knobs, meaning that when the knobs are fully to the left (roughly 7 o’ clock), the Treble and Bass are going to be coming out at the same level as they come in. I use the Timmy to serve a few different functions, and so the tone settings vary sometimes, but right now I’m using it as basically a clean boost with a touch of added gain. A lot of the saturation I get out of the pedal comes from the fact that I’m boosting mainly the mids, since the knobs are “cut” knobs I’m able to do that. I run my FD2 on the FM setting, or “flat mids,” which helps me cover a lot of tonal ground between the two pedals. I really don’t use that much of the gain on either two of these pedals, just a little on the FD2. That pedal also has a Boost function, which I run set really low just to punch through the mix a little more on certain leads. And I realize that looking at the pictures, it would seem as if the Boost isn’t up at all, but it’s got at least another 15 degrees that it can turn to the left.

The next pedal that I’ll let go of to get a new one is the Crybaby. It sounds really harsh in the upper range, and adds a ton of boost to my signal when it’s on. For what it is, it’s good; it hasn’t broken or really lost any quality since I bought it like 5 years ago. I just need something a little warmer, that doesn’t “click” when I switch it on, and is true bypass.

Also, I’m looking into getting a ZVex Fuzz Factory and finding a place to squeeze it on my board. I’ll probably never use it at any gigs. But it’ll be really fun to play around with. And they look awesome.

So that’s the board. I’ll post some more pictures of all of my gear when my new amp gets here. Dr. Z Maz 18 NR. It’s going to be a big time improvement.

Hope this helps. Bye.