07.08.05 My King On Terror

On my way to the radio station this morning the conservative talk show host I was listening to was interrupted by the news of terrorist attacks in London.  After my time in the studio I turned the radio back on in time to hear another talk show host interviewing a British journalist who witnessed one of the horrific explosions.

The radio pundit was encouraging the people of London to get angry and kill their enemies.  He admitted that his response was immature and that his anger had overwhelmed him but continued to call for the deaths of the terrorists who were “waging a war on American values and religion.” He went as far as asking those in London to splash suspected terrorists with pig blood, knowing that a Muslim who comes in contact with the unclean fluids of the animal is damned to hell according to the teachings of their faith.

I feel today the way I felt years ago sitting on a tour bus on the way to Wichita Falls.  The TV screen doused our brains in replays of hostilities against the citizens of New York continuously, foaming my sorrow and shock into rage and bloodlust.  And as I swung from mourner to mercenary that September day I now realize the momentum swept me farther from the kingdom of God and closer to the ghetto of man.  I realize now, regrettably, how little of my passion was expressed in or founded upon God’s words or His Son’s example.

So, once again I watch the enemies of life snuff out a handful of strangers I’m oddly bound to and missing.  And once again my heart slouches, my face falls and my fist forms.  But this time instead of patriotic rhetoric or holy war rally cries I’m taking care to listen most intently to the eternal, sustaining and true declarations of my King in hopes of being better anchored in this latest sea of emotion and press pounding.  The words of the bible, especially those of Jesus, He and His people having lived so long ago under the thumb of terror with no physical freedom in sight, are my greatest comfort in the shadow of terror today.  I hope they ease your anger and sorrow as well and help us to think like Christians more than Americans:

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
Matthew 10:21-24

Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:39

When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to he who judges justly.
1Peter 2:23

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28

If you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even “sinners” do that.
Luke 6:27-28

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:44

Love your enemies, do good to them.  Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:27-28

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Proverbs 25:21

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.
Romans 12:19

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Romans 12:17

All who draw the sword will die by the sword.
Matthew 26:52

Forgive them, they know not what they do.
Matthew 26:52

07.07.05 The Other Side Of The Radio In Houston

I’m a DJ today, co-hosting the morning show at KSBJ in Houston - the station with the largest listening audience in the country.  Yikes.

Tune in if you live in Houston or listen on-line if you don’t.  I’ll be on the air from 6-9AM Central.  More to come...after I take a nap.

Thanks to Matt and Turbo at WAY FM in Nashville for letting me use their studio this morning to broadcast from.

How’d I do?  Discuss my DJ abilities or lack thereof and anything else on SHLOG.COM over on my message-board.

07.05.05 Street Week Snafu In Texas

LOGOS bookstore in Dallas, Tx has begun selling WHITE FLAG, one week early and all you-know-what will now break lose. 

Maybe.

Let me explain why.

First of all, I’m not angry with LOGOS unless they sold the CD early on purpose to get a jump on competition.  That’s not fair.  But I doubt that’s what happened.  Sometimes stores, even huge chains, make mistakes, read a release date incorrectly, get confused, and put a disc on shelves before it’s time.  Mistakes happen to us all.  Easily forgiven.

But this is a bad thing, regardless of why it happened, for a few reasons - none of which are all that life and death for sure.

Street Week (the week a CD released officially) is a major opportunity for momentum to be built with retailer, media, touring and radio.  In Dallas, for instance, where my single Bless the Lord is not being played, it would be helpful perhaps to be able to report to the local station that WHITE FLAG was in the top 5 best selling CDs in the city on street week.  They might consider the single just based on the size of my audience in their station’s range.  They should anyway.  Or if a retailer down the street isn’t carrying my CD they might stock up if our sales on street week were greater than they expected.  And total nationwide sales often make great press releases that excite potential promoters and media and create buzz that generates shows, sales, coverage and, hopefully, more chances to infect brains with the messages in the music.  That’s the hope anyway.

But selling a week early means those sales at LOGOs will not count as street week sales.  And they’ll be missed since they supposedly sold tons by setting up shop at a massive Christian festival in Dallas hosted by the largest station in town.  That’s a lot of sales that will never be tallied.

But that’s not all.  What about the person who pre-ordered WHITE FLAG weeks ago? 600+ pre-orders have been taken just at my shows in the last month or so.  These pre-ordered because it was only $5 to do so at a show and $9 on-line and because they thought they’d be some of the first people to get the CD - on July 12.

And what about LOGOS’ competition?  If I owned a store in Dallas that was playing by the rules and released when asked to on July 12th I’d be a little upset with LOGOS right now.  id’ be really upset if the record they jumped the gun on turned out to be a charting record - in the top ten even.  I’d wonder how many more sales I would have had if people had to choose between my store and LOGOS on July 12th.  I’d also wonder about LOGO’s motivations for thwarting the street date restrictions - are clueless or greedy?  I’d wonder.

The businessman side of me would wonder - fairly or not.  And the business side of me today isn’t real pleased that this happened but the preacher side of me, the nice guy side of me, doesn’t really mind.  Most of me really doesn’t care how somebody gets my music or when, as long as it’s legal, as long as the words and meaning on that round chunk of silicon go beyond the ears to the heart and mind of the listener.  That’s what really matters.  So really all that’s happened is some people in one city got to smile, cry, be challenged or encouraged (or disappointed and confused) seven days before everyone else.  Not the end of the world.

So if you work for my label please give LOGOS a break.  If you own a store in their area don’t beat them up too badly.

07.04.05 From The Road: Portland To Nashville

I’m sitting in the only airport in the country (that I know of) with FREE WiFi.  I love Portland.  We’ll be taking off soon, boarding our first of two flights today, heading home.  We’ll get there in time for fireworks at the cult de sac we hope.

Until tomorrow,
-Shaun

07.03.05 From The Road: Kelso/Lingview, WA

Two gigs today.  The first was playing a handful of songs at a church in Kelso decked out in the usual Fourth of July trimmings.  I’ve grown up around this kind of thing but I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable seeing this much nation stuff in God’s house.  Something about it just feel wrong to me.  But that’s another post for another day I guess.

Chuck Lopez, the music minister at the church, let us use his office as a green room.  He’s got good toys in there.  Thanks for letting me use your force, Chuck.

Then it was off in the “tour bus” (this week’s was a Ford Focus) to lunch with Danny from Way-FM and a few other new friends.  Then, once stuffed with Oregon’s version of Mexican food (man, these people need some real Tex-Mex in a big way) we drove a few blocks to the “Go Fourth” festival, thrown by numerous denominations in the cities of Longview and Kelso to celebrate and create unity among all Christians here.

And did I mention already that folks in the Northwest are a little different from us down south.  Yea, they are.  We eat funnel cakes, cotton candy and other heart stopping indulgences at shindigs like this.  Apparently people in these parts want to live though.  What’s that about?

Thanks to the cities of Kelso and Longview, Danny and everyone at WAY-FM.  I had a great time.  Next time though, I’m bringing you some real Mexican food.

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