Basement Flood

As you may know, we are applying for new station in Toronto. Applications are a monster of a project - quiet time to think and focus is critical so I took the day off yesterday to bring it all together.

And then -

I was down in the basement and noticed water creeping around my drums. Then more water. Oh crap we have a mild flood!

The sump-pump stopped working! There was an inch of water in the front half of the basement, and since we are still unpacking from the move, there are boxes and boxes everywhere, sitting in water -including my record collection! (The last time this happened was 20 years ago and it was an oil spill - I lost my whole album collection!)

I figured out that the hose from the dehumidifier had jammed the float switch, causing the water to rise.

Frantically I'm trying to lift up soagy boxes before the cardboard bottoms fell out. And figure out which boxes had my 45 record collection, while I'm walking around in a low ceiling basement, wading thru water, in the near dark.

Here's what's funny - I'm feeling blessed. I caught it in time before the whole basement filled up and we lost everything. By chance, when I touched the hose the floater started working. When the plumber came he recognized that it was working fine and it was a simple case of misfortunate that the hose got in the way. He could have sold me a whole new unit and I wouldn't have known the difference.

So, I'm praising God that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I wonder why I happened to go in the basement in the first place? Hmmm! Thank you, God!

Meantime, I lost a day of working on the Toronto application. Well, I wasn't in the mood anyway!

Better Than Freddie!

Marc Martel of the Canadian Christian band DOWNHERE, has the most awesome voice! Downhere have two lead vocalists, (with Jason Germain) and Marc is the higher pitched of the two.

You might recognize "Little Is Much", "Hope Is Rising", "Let Me Rediscover You" or "My Last Amen" as a few of their many radio hits.

Last time I saw Downhere I thought - this guy's voice is like Freddie Mercury's. High, powerful, gutsy - a rock killer! I wonder what he'd sound like singing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Well, now we know.

Watch this! Especially after the the instrumental break where he comes back with "...so you think you can stone me and spit in my eye." It's the climax of the song and Marc sings it effortlessly.

And I think - better than Freddie.

Living For Jesus!

This morning Tom Roe invited me to join the band for the worship set at Living For Jesus Outreach in Orillia.

This place is A-MAZING! Pastor Jim Woolcott not only oversess Sunday church but LFJ also prepares meals for 70 people every day! Wow - 70! Donations of food, clothing and cash run the charity. This is Jesus Christ in action - sharing the gospel, feeding and clothing the needy!

LFJ is also kind of rare because it's not part of a denomination - you could feel it. (They may be part of a greater organization that I'm not aware of). The vibe wasn't pentecostal or baptist or luthern or vineyard - just a room full of people who follow Jesus, read the Word, sing his praises and often hurting. No announcements, no churchy programs - just Jesus. Nothing fancy.

I'm going back on October 23. Come check it out at 11am.

Setlist:
Awesome God
Glorious One
Amazing Love
Let There Be Joy
Majesty (improv)
I will Give Him Glory
How Marvellous

Riding The Ferris Wheel

Ben Davy on the ferris wheel for 49 hours - I took a 5 minute spin!

Hazel - Mayor of Mississauga. Inspiring!

The Mayor of Mississauga - Hazel McCallion. Watch this video - you'll be inspired! Especially, "Hot Child In The City". Woo hoo!

Go Hazel!

Oro World's Fair

Today was exciting here in the Oro Station Super City Centre. It was the annual ORO WORLD'S FAIR!

Can you say - WOW! Words cannot describe the excitement so I thought I would post photos with captions. Consider this your invitation to come next year!


Me and a heffer. I'm not getting any closer. Robert, the owner, sold her for $45,000. I'm in the wrong business.



Janice and the pony rides.



Apparently there are prizes if you add "art" to your hay stacks. Yes, they hand out red ribbons for the finest. Ok.



What are these things? And why are we compelled to shove our faces in and snap a goofy photo. Why? IDK.



Ok, now this just gets weird. There are rows and rows and rows of chickens and roosters and geese - with first place ribbons. Yes, I'm a city boy. I don't get this. How do you decide which is "the best chicken"? And aren't you going to eat it anyway? Ribbons and awards for poultry? Maybe if I continue to live in Oro I'll learn to accept it. Maybe I'll enter my chicken, if I get one. Where do you get one?



The Demolition Derby. This was huge. The audience seating area was packed out. Ok, so maybe there's no rock stars playing at Casino Rama and this is the only entertainment around. But cars smashing into cars? Cars that are already a right-off? Smashing? I'm from the city - this is an average day on the DVP. Move on.



What's a World's Fair without music, right? Here are The Rugby Boys - a little country, bluegrass and gospel. I sat on a haystack with the other five people in the audience and enjoyed the show. It's a bit small-time but, like I said, another year living in Oro and I'll probably be managing these big boys!


The Oro World's Fair - everything I expected - AND MORE!

Newsboys STILL rock!

Ok, I've been apprehensive about the Newsboys. I saw their show a couple of years ago in Toronto, just after Tait joined. It was good. HE was good, but the band was different. I figured Tait would finish the tour and that would be it.

I was wrong. Again.

Tonight was "Maple Noise 2011" in Toronto, part of the 10 city cross-Canada tour. Several Canadian bands were on the bill - my friends in To Tell, Jodi King, Greg Sczebel, Jon Bauer, Manic Drive, Manafest, TFK - and Newsboys.

When Newsboys hit the stage, they SCHOOLED everyone else! Michael, Jody, Jeff and Duncan were wearing skinny, cool suits and even on these 40 year olds, they were stylin'. While a great deal of the music was tracked, it only enhanced the sound. (It's hard to jump around stage, play an instrument and not be pitchy.)

(Michael Tait on left, Jeff Frankenstein bent over behind the keyboard.)

A long catwalk poked out into the crowd, quite a distance and Tait made great use of it. As he strutted the catwalk, singing the songs we know well when sung by Peter Furler, Tait gave it a richness that is - different. Tait is probably a better vocalist whereas Furler is a personality waiting to go off the deep end. Both great performers.

But Tait and the boys are "a new Newsboys". They should probably change the name of the band - it just isn't the same. Not better, not worse, just different. And very, very pro.

"Way Beyond Myself" sounded awesome. All songs sounded awesome, but better than the music was Tait's preaching. He is sincere, truthful, relatable and makes you feel like "you can do this Jesus thing if you just give it more effort." That was the message I got.

What a night! Newsboys rocked it! (Now, how do we get them to play Barrie...?)