Sandwiches

I love tuna sandwiches. Tuna mixed with green relish on white bread.  Yum! They’ve been my favourite since Mom made them for me when I went to Northmount Junior High, Toronto.

Sometimes I’ll eat chicken sandwiches or ham, but tuna is king.  If I don’t have a sandwich for lunch, I probably have one for a snack at night. I probably have 5 sandwiches a week.

Janice makes my sandwiches. Usually a few at a time, stacked neatly in the fridge. I figure that Janice has made a sandwich for me five days every week, every year since 1981, (plus the two years that we lived together which began in 1979 - don’t tell my pastor), that would be 8,580 sandwiches, the majority being tuna.

That's alot of tuna. That's alot of love.

Love you, Janzel!

Orillia Summer Cruise with LIFE Listeners

Friday night was the LIFE 100.3 Sunset Dinner Cruise on the Island Queen, departing from Orillia and cruising on Lake Couchchiching. Another great night spent with listeners and friends.

Dan Bremnes and the boys performed. Dan has become a good friend of LIFE, and of mine. Dan introduced some new music he's recording in Nashville producer Ed Cash. LIFE's Karaoke Superstar Winner Shaelynn August made her debut!

My Pastor Jim Woolcott (Living For Jesus Outreach Ministries) was along for the ride.

Janice and me hanging out!

The chicken and steaks were yummy as always. The view was - spectacular. The weather was awesome! Yeah - let's do it again!

TOMMY JAMES - THE BIOGRAPHY

I just finished reading a biography of Tommy James and the Shondells.  If you're a fan of 60's and 70's music, you might remember, "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Crimson and Clover" and "Mony Mony".

After I got into Christian music a friend told me that Tommy James had become a Christian and many of his songs reflected his faith. Like, "Sweet Cherry Wine" being about the Last Supper.


"To save us He gave us
Sweet cherry wine so very fine
We'll drink it right down pass it all around"

Or "Crystal Blue Persuasion" - God loves us.

"Maybe tomorrow when He looks down
Every green field and every town
All of his children every nation
There'll be peace and good brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion"


I didn't see Tommy James in his hey day, only later as a revival act. I was shocked to hear, at the end of his concert, his final words - "Keep looking up; Jesus is coming". Pretty cool!

Ok, back to the book - "Me, The Mob and the Music". It's Tommy's story of growing up in Ohio, being in a band when he was 14, recoding "Hanky Panky" in 1964 and then it exploding nationwide in 1966, his Roulette records and some really bad mob guys.  The president of Roulette Records was Morris Levy, said to be a gangster, who kept all Tommy's royalties, and yet Tommy regarded him almost like a father-figure until the day he died.

There's minor references to Tommy's faith, crazy road stories as you might expect. These glory days of the music business in the late 60's is a definite flashback and I caught myself saying "ah, I remember that", even though I was a pre-teen.  Admittedly, by the end of the book, I was hoping for something more, but still a good read.

EVERYONE NEEDS THERAPY

Therapy - it's a term often considered “help for crazy people.” At least that’s what I thought.

In the movie “Fireproof” one of the characters is talking about his failed marriage and how he went into therapy and commented something like “everyone needs therapy.” How I agree!

I see a psychiatrist and a psychologist.  A psychiatrist dispenses prescription drugs and talks to you in formal conversation; the psychologist cannot dispense drugs. He listens to you, summarizes your thoughts and offers advice.

Because I suffer from major depression, I use both services. The combination of drugs for balance and psych for talking seems to offer a good balance.

Everyone needs someone to talk to but unfortunately very few people are good listeners.

I started seeing the psychologist because my male friends were - to be honest - lousy listeners. When I shared my issues with my friends, I noticed they couldn't recall any details because they were daydreaming instead of paying attention. That's disheartening.  Another guy always interrupted me to talk about himself. One of my best friends call-screened me - which I later realized was really a hint about how he felt about our relationship. Another friend told me I was a whiner.

“You need better friends,” my psychologist told me. After thinking about it, I realized my closest friends were only friends when they weren’t too busy.  I needed someone to listen to me, even if I blabbered on and on.

Not to dismiss my wife - she is an excellent listener. But I wanted someone else, outside of the house, with a male perspective.

Neither of my psychs are Christians. My psychologist allows me to talk about my faith and understands that it is my faith that gives me roots. He respects my Christian views and our relationship is good. I don't talk much about depression, actually, but anything. Whatever is bugging me. After each monthly meeting (that lasts an hour), I always leave with a take-away that I can apply the next time I'm faced with a situation. The takeaway is usually pretty simple but I’m happy with that.

I wish I had male friends who were good listeners.  Hopefully one day.

If you need someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to get professional help. It will organize your thoughts and you’ll see the troubled areas of life with clarity and answers. "Everyone needs therapy."

Jesus Won't Give Up On You

What if Jesus gave up on us?  No really.  Imagine this - he was flogged and lashed. He dragged a wooden cross thru the city, bleeding, and knowing what was about to happen an hour later.  So what if, at that moment, Jesus said, “forget this - this is too much even for me - I’m outta here” - and he just left. Where would that leave us? Without a saviour. Without eternal hope. 

But Jesus didn’t give up. Not then, not now.  He hasn’t given up on you and he never will.  

Thank you Jesus for not giving up on us. 

WESTBOUND AND DOWN

A call from Eagle-Com Marketing in Delta, BC brought me and Janice to the West where I spoke about Christian radio to our agents and a group of ministry reps. Great meeting Elmer Hildebrand from Goldenwest Radio whichs owns CHVN in Winnipeg, and others.

After the day in Delta, Brett picked us up and took us to White Rock where we went searching for "a good time, not a long time" - but no luck. However, the wharf and scenery were beautiful.

Later we drove to Seattle for two days of sightseeing. And here are some of the sites.

EMP, Seattle - the music museum - Kurt Cobain's much used sweater and guitar.

The Compound - owned by Tooth and Nail - where Brett works.

 EMP, one of the displays is a photo gallery dedicated to the 1972 Stones tour.

 Mars Hill Church, where Brett handles audio on a team of 14, not including musicians.

 EMP, the setlist from the last show performed by Nirvana.

 Found a gym - Rain Fitness. It was awesome!

 Leaving the gym, this view of the Space Needle, with a Coke truck on the way! Mmmmm!

 The Space Needle. It's big. Very big. I spent an extra $10 for a VIP pass, which walked me around the 40 minute line-up, directly to the elevator. Bah ha ha!

 The Gum Wall, downtown Seattle. Patrons jam their gum on the wall before entering the theatre.

 Janice enjoying the Gum Wall.

 Me, with Elmer Hildebrand of Goldenwest Broadcasting.

 Janice, me and Catherine Robertson of Eagle-Com Marketing, who initiated the Western visit.

  Me and Brett, on the Wharf of White Rock.

 The Compound where Brett works.

The Compound, the studio that produced "The Coldest Heart" by The Classic Crime, "The Title Track" by The Fold, and "Godspeed" by Anberlin.

 Just outside of Oak Harbor, Washington - Deception Pass - the gateway bridge to the island.

 EMP, Eddie Van Halen's Kramer Guitar.

 Janice and me, at Golden Gardens, in north Seattle.

 View from the ficticious Frasier Crane's condo.

In Oak Harbor, where Gretyl Baird (Brett's wife) is from, and me in the Flintstone Mobile.

MUD VOLLEYBALL 2012

A great day at Mud Volleyball. JP Smits did an awesome job of organizing the event. It's the first year for a concert performance, outside, in the afternoon, complete with pro-staging! Dan Bremnes performed a great set, ending with U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name".  

Jason Dunn, formerly with Hawk Nelson, did a solo set, but I missed that, unfortunately.  I was a little concerned I might get dunked in the mud and wisely brought a change of clothes - but they weren't needed. Bah ha ha!

The action was held in a field in Kimberly, near Flesherton, basically a couple concession lines past nowhere. 

Always great to partner with Mud Volleyball and the great team at Gentle Shepherd!

Above, Cory, James, Juan, Dan and Tyler.

Cory from Langley and Juan from Columbia.

Dan, debuting "Hear Your Voice" - his new radio release!

Juan, James and Dan.

Juan and me, prior to the show.

Once we got him of skype, Juan's solos were blistering!

Tyler from New Brunswick on bass - keeping it solid.

Organizer and mascot - JP Smits, after a swim in the creek - and me. He's already brainstorming next year's event which will be bigger and muddier than ever!