I play and/or speak 100 times a year - that’s 10 times a month with two months off. I’m not very good with time but according to my blog (who needs long term memory when you’ve got a blog?) I’ve been keeping that pace for exactly two years now.
In that time, somewhere around 4,000 kids have been sponsored (91 of those this weekend!), thousands of miles have been driven and flown, many many Chick-fil-A sandwiches and burritos from Moe’s have been digested, and exactly two suitcases and one guitar and case have been destroyed.
First, my suitcase. Actually purchased four years ago, it’s held up as a Samsonite is advertised to. The handle came off, sure, but, hey, that’s nothing a little Gorilla Glue and duct tape (OK, lots of duct tape) couldn’t remedy. My suitcase’s twin didn’t fare so well. It went on tour with Brody and Mercy Me or David Crowder - I can’t remember - and came back with a handle so bent and broken it was beyond repair. A ceremony was held curbside just before the trash man carted him off to the baggage claim in the sky.
And here’s my guitar case - as it was Thursday night.
Doesn’t look too bad, until you realize that it opens where it’s not supposed to open.
Nope. That’s not good.
Not good at all.
But, again, it’s nothing a little duct tape (or, in this case, gaffer’s tape) couldn’t fix.
I’ve got some time off before kicking off a Christmas tour in December (dates coming soon on the tour page). I don’t think my suitcase or my guitar will make it to see the new year. There’s no way.
So, fine folks at Yamaha and Samsonite, Christmas is coming up and I was just thinking, well, maybe you could…
Or I’ll just buy some more duct tape.
I’m releasing a new song, Kingdom Coming, in phases. Because I’m a nerd. I’m experimenting to see how many downloads each phase gets. I want to know what works to get the word out and exactly how well. Again, I’m a nerd. I’m making bar graphs. I’m OK with this.
For phase one, I let you guys who read my blog know about the free download. I posted about it and I put a little widget over there to the right for you to grab and spread around. A couple thousand downloads resulted from phase one’s first week thanks to BooMama, BigMama, Bush and several other B word bloggers who spread the word from my blog to theirs. Muchas gracias.
For phase two my friend (and genius) Ben Stewart built a web page where Kingdom Coming can be downloaded: shaungroves.com/freemusic It has a simple(ish) address so, for example, folks on the radio could mention it if they felt so inclined. For example. Hypothetically. Also, in phase two a lot of people I (barely) know will get an e-mail from me about that page.
Phase three, monkeys with tiny crowns and tiny scepters released into public places handing out tiny business cards with shaungroves.com/freemusic on them.
Phase four, celebrity endorsements.
Phase five, infomercial and a bonus bottle of car wax if you DOWNLOAD NOW!!!
Phase six, a viral music video starring those monkeys and celebrities.
Like I said, it’s all very experimental and scientific like.
If you haven’t downloaded the free tune, click that widget over on the right or head over to shaungroves.com/freemusic
And please, pass it on. Thank you in advance.
Last night a sang a few songs and then spoke at a church service full of twenty-somethings. You know the type: veins full of kool-aid and Ramen noodles, part-time jobs, splitting rent with a couple or four room mates. Not exactly folks who consider themselves to have more than enough.
There were 130 of them. 33 of them sponsored children.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: This generation just after mine is very interested in doing something about what they believe. Whether it’s a belief in a political process or candidate, belief in science, belief in God - these people don’t separate belief and action the way my generation and I do so easily.
All we have to do is give them proof that this action or that works, actually brings about the change they’re after, and they take it.
I’ve never seen any room of Baby Boomers or Gen-Xers do what a room of twenty-somethings did last night...and does almost every time I speak to one.
To put this in perspective, at an average Christian concert full of mostly youth groups and middle aged women, 5% or fewer of the crowd will sponsor a child when given the opportunity. And that’s an incredible response really, with all the opportunities these folks have to give every day, that they would choose Compassion is beyond kind. But twenty-somethings somehow, for some reason, go beyond beyond kind. And they do it routinely, in my experience.
Somebody smarter than me, explain the cause of this phenomenon without belittling other generations in the process.
Thanks to everyone at Rhythm for releasing so many kids from poverty last night.
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The podcast of last night is now available at Rhythm’s site.
"Penelope busted Gresham’s ball,” said the oldest.
“What? She did what?”
“She busted his ball,” she repeated with that why-did-anyone-leave-you-in-charge tone she sometimes speaks in when mom takes off and leaves me in charge.
“Say that again.”
“She. Busted. His. Ball.” And the hand went to her hip.
And my hand went to my mouth to stifle the laughter.
And then I took a picture.
And my children still have no idea why their father was so amused by Gresham’s misfortune. But they will. Or Gresham will. When he’s about twelve.
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Speaking of busted. I had a guy come out to the house to make sure our heater was working. Seems like it runs non-stop and our gas bills last year were enormous.
An hour after he arrived I was told, “You’re not gonna like what I have to tell ya.”
Nossir, I didn’t. I didn’t like it at all. What he had to tell me was that our heater, because it had rusted through in places, was pumping carbon monoxide into our house. Well, that explains the dead plants, head aches and possibly the princess’ rampage against Gresham’s ball.
After a second opinion, I got to spend a lot of money on a new heating and cooling thingy. And it’s possible I paid too much on account of my not being all that knowledgeable about home repairs. You may have guessed that by my calling this deal I just spent thousands on a heating and cooling thingy.
A crew is coming out to the house tomorrow morning to install it. I’ll be on my way to Virginia to speak at a church service for young adults. Now that’s something I know a little bit about. I know, for instance, that the ball story is not a good one to lead with but one to keep at the ready in case the crowd turns out to be all twelve year-old boys and I’m in desperate need of “relevance.”
I’ve been putting my Compassion Bloggers job ahead of my soft rock star job lately. So, my site hasn’t exactly been up to date for a couple or five weeks. My apologies. I am catching up this morning before heading out of town tomorrow.
I know there are tens of you dying to know where I’ll be this weekend so, heads up, the Tour Page has been updated...sort of. I have this weekend’s shows up anyway.
Check it out and come say howdy if I’m going to be in your neck of the woods.
Thanks for your patience. (That means you, Nancy.)
