We survived another weekend on the road, which we are always grateful to do. We traveled up to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas for this weekend that has been scheduled for well over a year. However, we got a call on Thursday night at 10:30pm asking us if we were available in McDonough, Georgia for a Benefit Concert on Friday night at 7pm. We were planning on leaving at 10pm that night as it was, so we readily accepted, especially because of the one it was for.
Stephen Garrison is a good friend of the quartet. He grew up in our home church, Pinecrest Baptist Church, now located in McDonough, Georgia. At the age of 9 he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and has been bound in a wheelchair for over half of his life. He just turned 21 this past year and he is always a blessing and an encouragement whenever we get to see him. We're sorry that Stephen couldn't be there for the event, and we missed him, but we had a great time singing about our Lord and for one of his most faithful followers...Stephen. We love you Stephen and we hope you are feeling better very soon!
We left for Pennsylvania around 11:30pm and arrived in Allison Park at 1pm...for a 2pm afternoon singing. Thankfully, we did not have to set up any equipment, which always makes for light work. We are definitely most comfortable with our equipment but Calvary Baptist Church facilitated us very well, and we will be glad to not set up our equipment next time we go there.
The teenagers in the church put together 2 Gift Baskets loaded with some fruit, some Snapple tea, and way too much chocolate and chips. We will remember them for months to come as we continue to eat what they gave us...yes, it was that much. Dennis and Jeremiah (our fill-in tenor, currently) had a great time schooling the teenagers in the art of foosball (during Sunday School, of course). I think the final score was 11-1, then the Youth Director showed up and spoiled the fun...j/k.
We got to be with Calvary Baptist and Pastor Barry Murray Sunday morning as well, then we headed up to Slippery Rock Baptist Church in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania for the evening service. This was our 3rd or 4th time we've been with them, and we had a great experience once again. Part of the service consisted of a phone call between the pastor and one of their missionaries in Africa who is 69 and helping in every way that she can. It was 3 o'clock in Africa and they had to call her 5 or 6 times because the connections wasn't working correctly...I hope she got back to sleep.
We arrived back home this afternoon and got to spend the rest of the day with our families, which is always what we look forward to when we're on the road. It's hard being away from our families on Saturdays and Sundays when most families are together enjoying their free-time and going to church. God has blessed this quartet with an amazing ministry, and I'm very thankful for that, but I want to thank my family especially for the sacrifice that they make every weekend when I'm not with them. I hope that I can make it up to them someday.
Don't forget...no white pants or shoes allowed the rest of the year...might not be a bad idea to just ban them entirely!
God bless,
Nathan
Monday, September 07, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Dodge City Weekend
I should have posted about this much sooner, but everything has been getting busy lately. I want to give you a recap of our final weekend in July. It was a great weekend, but it definitely had some downs in addition to the many ups.
We began our trip heading out to Corinth, Mississippi to be at Brigman Hill Baptist Church for the finale to their week of Vacation Bible School. As some of you may know, our tenor of over four years left to sing with another group, so we've been using some past singers as fill-ins while we're looking for the right person to fill the position. This weekend, Jeff Schreiber (member for over 6 years) was able to fill-in for us, but he had to fly into Birmingham from Louisville. Well, he missed his flight due to traffic, so I started to panic for a few minutes until we found out that he would still make it in at the same time due to connecting through Atlanta. He was still able to get on the same flight from Atlanta to Birmingham. (Now that I think about it...why didn't we pick him up in Atlanta? I'll have to get back to y'all on that one.)
We made it into Corinth and had a great concert with Pastor Chris Estep and his wife, Beth, who grilled us some of the biggest steaks we've ever seen. They know how to guarantee that we'll come back when they call us. When the concert ended that Friday night, we drove through the night to Kansas City where we spent the day with Dave Thompson and his family. We hadn't seen them in well over a year, so we enjoyed sitting around the breakfast table and getting reacquainted. Their kids are extremely talented and have a great heart for the Lord. That day was uneventful (I think) and we had a great concert that evening with the Sudanese Refugee Choir. I can't imagine what these people have been through, and all because they are not ashamed of their faith in Jesus Christ. Would we still proclaim our belief in our Saviour if there was a chance that we would be killed? How many of us proclaim our belief now...when there is no risk?
After the concert ended, we drove through the night and arrived at 3:30am in Liberal, Kansas. We got a couple hours of sleep and then arrived at Fellowship Baptist Church around 8am. Again, I think everything went fine that morning. We met up with Greg Howlett (www.greghowlett.com) and as always, enjoyed being able to have him play for some of our songs and hearing him play his solo songs. If you still have not heard his music, go to his website and find out more about him.
Sunday night, we were in Wichita, Kansas. Greg had a solo obligation at one church and we were at Heritage Baptist Church. Pastor Larry Olson was a joy to meet and we had a great time with his people and with his family after the service. That evening, we actually got to sleep in a bed. Lance Cummins, one of our former lead singers, is the Worship Leader at New Spring Church, and he opened up his home to us. It's always great to see Lance and his family and we enjoyed eating at Cracker Barrel the next morning with his family and some other friends from the Wichita area.
Finally, now to the part where the problems began. If you've read some of my previous posts, you will know that we have been to Dodge City, Kansas many times before and that we've had some sort of mechanical issue or flat tires or inverted trailers every time we head that way. The only exception to this fact was last summer. We traveled to Dodge City and back without any incident whatsoever. That of course was made up for when our trailer flipped on our way to Dodge City this Spring. Well, we drove over to Dodge City for the annual Dodge City Days and as we pulled into town we noticed a problem. Our van would not accelerate properly as we would stop and go at the lights through town. It would hesitate and then finally get around to moving each and every time. We had allowed for some extra time when we got into town, thankfully, and Dennis and I headed down to the auto parts store to see if we could find out the problem. Well, we though it was the fuel filter, so we purchased one and I sent Dennis under the van to replace it. (I'm not even close to being mechanically minded, so he was the better choice) After 30 minutes of laying under the van on the hot concrete, we finally figured out that the fuel filter was unaccessible. In fact, when we Googled it later, we found out that it is in fact unserviceable. Convenient, to say the least. Well, we had another repair shop come out to look at the van and drive it and they couldn't make the van repeat the problem. We thanked them, paid them and prayed a lot. We finally got around to the concert...almost!
30 minutes before we were supposed to start, it began storming. It seems to always rain when we come into Dodge City, and this was no different, except that it was harder and windier than usual. Well, there has been an issue with the roof in this $40 million building leaking, and the only place that it leaks is right above the stage...and right above the laptop we use to play our soundtracks. Dennis, who owns the laptop we were using that day, got some towels and mopped up the water on the keyboard and screen and checked it out to make sure that it would work. It seemed like everything was fine, until our second song, when it just turned itself off. There were 800-900 people at the concert, so Jason began to do what he does best....talk! I went out to our van, got my laptop and brought it in. By the time I had come back in, Dennis had gotten his laptop working again, and began to sing another song...until the inevitable happened and the laptop died again. I know you're thinking that we were probably laughing about this and praising the Lord, but we weren't! We were frustrated (can I get a witness?). We finally hooked up my laptop and got something working for us to be able to finish the concert, but I think we did more acapella in that evening than we did the rest of the weekend.
After all was said and done, it was a great evening and many people expressed their appreciation, testimonies and condolences for the laptop. God even provided for the laptop to be replaced through some friends of our ministry who we will never forget. (Dennis surely won't, since he almost cut off two of his fingers at their house earlier this year). When we left Dodge City, we prayed that our van would make it home and we headed to Wichita, where we dropped off Greg to fly home. We then headed to Kansas City, where we dropped off Jeff to fly home. Jason, Dennis and I then drove the rest of that day to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we ended up singing the next night for Impact, a youth conference that had over 2000 teenagers in attendance. There was definitely some energy in that room.
We finally made it home in the middle of the night on Wednesday night, 6 days after we started out on the road. Our van made it, and it is still running...just fine. It is a little dirty though, so we should probably wash it.
You know what, when I began writing this post, I thought that the weekend had a lot more things go wrong than actually did. I guess Satan likes to make such a big thing out of a little thing that our focus gets lost. I'm in the Chicago area as I'm writing this, and I just heard Pastor Bruce Humbert speak on "Making Something Out Of Nothing". God made the world out of Nothing; without Christ, we can do Nothing...we are Nothing. I would rather allow God to take the Nothing that I have and use it than to let Satan have anything to make into an obstacle in my life. So, in looking back, we had a great trip that weekend.
I hope that your life can be used by God for Good and that it won't just be Good for Nothing.
Nathan
We began our trip heading out to Corinth, Mississippi to be at Brigman Hill Baptist Church for the finale to their week of Vacation Bible School. As some of you may know, our tenor of over four years left to sing with another group, so we've been using some past singers as fill-ins while we're looking for the right person to fill the position. This weekend, Jeff Schreiber (member for over 6 years) was able to fill-in for us, but he had to fly into Birmingham from Louisville. Well, he missed his flight due to traffic, so I started to panic for a few minutes until we found out that he would still make it in at the same time due to connecting through Atlanta. He was still able to get on the same flight from Atlanta to Birmingham. (Now that I think about it...why didn't we pick him up in Atlanta? I'll have to get back to y'all on that one.)
We made it into Corinth and had a great concert with Pastor Chris Estep and his wife, Beth, who grilled us some of the biggest steaks we've ever seen. They know how to guarantee that we'll come back when they call us. When the concert ended that Friday night, we drove through the night to Kansas City where we spent the day with Dave Thompson and his family. We hadn't seen them in well over a year, so we enjoyed sitting around the breakfast table and getting reacquainted. Their kids are extremely talented and have a great heart for the Lord. That day was uneventful (I think) and we had a great concert that evening with the Sudanese Refugee Choir. I can't imagine what these people have been through, and all because they are not ashamed of their faith in Jesus Christ. Would we still proclaim our belief in our Saviour if there was a chance that we would be killed? How many of us proclaim our belief now...when there is no risk?
After the concert ended, we drove through the night and arrived at 3:30am in Liberal, Kansas. We got a couple hours of sleep and then arrived at Fellowship Baptist Church around 8am. Again, I think everything went fine that morning. We met up with Greg Howlett (www.greghowlett.com) and as always, enjoyed being able to have him play for some of our songs and hearing him play his solo songs. If you still have not heard his music, go to his website and find out more about him.
Sunday night, we were in Wichita, Kansas. Greg had a solo obligation at one church and we were at Heritage Baptist Church. Pastor Larry Olson was a joy to meet and we had a great time with his people and with his family after the service. That evening, we actually got to sleep in a bed. Lance Cummins, one of our former lead singers, is the Worship Leader at New Spring Church, and he opened up his home to us. It's always great to see Lance and his family and we enjoyed eating at Cracker Barrel the next morning with his family and some other friends from the Wichita area.
Finally, now to the part where the problems began. If you've read some of my previous posts, you will know that we have been to Dodge City, Kansas many times before and that we've had some sort of mechanical issue or flat tires or inverted trailers every time we head that way. The only exception to this fact was last summer. We traveled to Dodge City and back without any incident whatsoever. That of course was made up for when our trailer flipped on our way to Dodge City this Spring. Well, we drove over to Dodge City for the annual Dodge City Days and as we pulled into town we noticed a problem. Our van would not accelerate properly as we would stop and go at the lights through town. It would hesitate and then finally get around to moving each and every time. We had allowed for some extra time when we got into town, thankfully, and Dennis and I headed down to the auto parts store to see if we could find out the problem. Well, we though it was the fuel filter, so we purchased one and I sent Dennis under the van to replace it. (I'm not even close to being mechanically minded, so he was the better choice) After 30 minutes of laying under the van on the hot concrete, we finally figured out that the fuel filter was unaccessible. In fact, when we Googled it later, we found out that it is in fact unserviceable. Convenient, to say the least. Well, we had another repair shop come out to look at the van and drive it and they couldn't make the van repeat the problem. We thanked them, paid them and prayed a lot. We finally got around to the concert...almost!
30 minutes before we were supposed to start, it began storming. It seems to always rain when we come into Dodge City, and this was no different, except that it was harder and windier than usual. Well, there has been an issue with the roof in this $40 million building leaking, and the only place that it leaks is right above the stage...and right above the laptop we use to play our soundtracks. Dennis, who owns the laptop we were using that day, got some towels and mopped up the water on the keyboard and screen and checked it out to make sure that it would work. It seemed like everything was fine, until our second song, when it just turned itself off. There were 800-900 people at the concert, so Jason began to do what he does best....talk! I went out to our van, got my laptop and brought it in. By the time I had come back in, Dennis had gotten his laptop working again, and began to sing another song...until the inevitable happened and the laptop died again. I know you're thinking that we were probably laughing about this and praising the Lord, but we weren't! We were frustrated (can I get a witness?). We finally hooked up my laptop and got something working for us to be able to finish the concert, but I think we did more acapella in that evening than we did the rest of the weekend.
After all was said and done, it was a great evening and many people expressed their appreciation, testimonies and condolences for the laptop. God even provided for the laptop to be replaced through some friends of our ministry who we will never forget. (Dennis surely won't, since he almost cut off two of his fingers at their house earlier this year). When we left Dodge City, we prayed that our van would make it home and we headed to Wichita, where we dropped off Greg to fly home. We then headed to Kansas City, where we dropped off Jeff to fly home. Jason, Dennis and I then drove the rest of that day to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we ended up singing the next night for Impact, a youth conference that had over 2000 teenagers in attendance. There was definitely some energy in that room.
We finally made it home in the middle of the night on Wednesday night, 6 days after we started out on the road. Our van made it, and it is still running...just fine. It is a little dirty though, so we should probably wash it.
You know what, when I began writing this post, I thought that the weekend had a lot more things go wrong than actually did. I guess Satan likes to make such a big thing out of a little thing that our focus gets lost. I'm in the Chicago area as I'm writing this, and I just heard Pastor Bruce Humbert speak on "Making Something Out Of Nothing". God made the world out of Nothing; without Christ, we can do Nothing...we are Nothing. I would rather allow God to take the Nothing that I have and use it than to let Satan have anything to make into an obstacle in my life. So, in looking back, we had a great trip that weekend.
I hope that your life can be used by God for Good and that it won't just be Good for Nothing.
Nathan
Friday, July 10, 2009
HYMNS -- Download it FREE!!!
Just click on this link -- FREE DOWNLOAD! You will be directed to a page that will provide you with details about how to receive your free download of the entire CD and pass the offer on to others.
This offer will end on July 24th, so make sure to let your friends and family know about it as soon as possible.
God bless!
Nathan and the guys
Thursday, July 02, 2009
"HYMNS" IS AVAILABLE!
Yes...it's true. We finally have Hymns in our hot little hands. I got to spend all of Tuesday evening stuffing envelopes and then I spent over an hour at the local Post Office watching one guy weigh, stamp, scan and attach postage to the orders we were sending out. Thank you again to all who pre-ordered Hymns.
I am excited about this CD. It is a tribute to Dr. Gary Prisk. Jason and I could not have asked for a better father and I have never come across a spiritual example whom I would want to emulate more. He started and pastored a church in Oak Harbor, Washington for 32 years before his Homegoing in 2006. He loved the Hymns for their message and timeless themes. It was a rare occasion when he would sing in public (our musical talent, if we have any, came from our mom), but I'm sure he's now singing all the time.
I hope that you will enjoy this latest CD from the Daybreak Quartet. There are some clips available on our Fan Page on Facebook. Just click on the Boxes tab and the Player is on the right-hand side.
Until next time...God bless!
Nathan
I am excited about this CD. It is a tribute to Dr. Gary Prisk. Jason and I could not have asked for a better father and I have never come across a spiritual example whom I would want to emulate more. He started and pastored a church in Oak Harbor, Washington for 32 years before his Homegoing in 2006. He loved the Hymns for their message and timeless themes. It was a rare occasion when he would sing in public (our musical talent, if we have any, came from our mom), but I'm sure he's now singing all the time.
I hope that you will enjoy this latest CD from the Daybreak Quartet. There are some clips available on our Fan Page on Facebook. Just click on the Boxes tab and the Player is on the right-hand side.
Until next time...God bless!
Nathan
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Scotland and British Customs
Hello from bonnie Scotland,
We arrived safely into Aberdeen, Scotland yesterday at 1:30pm after flying out of Atlanta at 9pm Tuesday evening. Our flights were uneventful, but Customs in London was not. Here's the story:
As we walked up to the Customs agent at Heathrow Airport in London to give her our passports, she asked about the purpose of our visit to the UK. We told her that we were attending a convention in Scotland and she asked for what purpose? Well, to sing of course. This started off a series of questions that ended with her confiscating our passports and heading into the backoffice to make more inquiries about us and the convention we are attending. 20 minutes later, she returned, gave us our passports and let us know that if her supervisor had not allowed us to enter the country, our European trip would have been cut short on day 1. Praise the Lord that it did not.
After we landed in Aberdeen we found out that we very easily could have been required to return home because the rules changed for visitors entering the country to sing. Secular artists who have been coming into the UK for years to perform were recently sent back to the States because they didn't have the required Visa. The committee for the Gospel Music Convention was not made aware of the changes in Immigration Law but are now well aware and will be prepared for those entering the country for the 2010 Convention.
All of the American groups have arrived safely...the Ball Brothers and the Dills. Allison Durham Speer who was scheduled to be here was unable to come due to bronchitis. Please pray for her to recover from this quickly. The European groups are arriving today, and we'll kick off the convention tomorrow evening. It's going to be a great weekend. You can find more information at www.gmcscotland.com.
We are headed to Loch Ness today, and hopefully we'll have some pictures to post on the blog in a day or so. If we see Nessie, we'll do our best to get a close-up and have Dennis pose in the water with her. I'm sure he'd do it, too.
That's all for now, but we'll keep you posted as we continue our trip in Europe.
God bless!
We arrived safely into Aberdeen, Scotland yesterday at 1:30pm after flying out of Atlanta at 9pm Tuesday evening. Our flights were uneventful, but Customs in London was not. Here's the story:
As we walked up to the Customs agent at Heathrow Airport in London to give her our passports, she asked about the purpose of our visit to the UK. We told her that we were attending a convention in Scotland and she asked for what purpose? Well, to sing of course. This started off a series of questions that ended with her confiscating our passports and heading into the backoffice to make more inquiries about us and the convention we are attending. 20 minutes later, she returned, gave us our passports and let us know that if her supervisor had not allowed us to enter the country, our European trip would have been cut short on day 1. Praise the Lord that it did not.
After we landed in Aberdeen we found out that we very easily could have been required to return home because the rules changed for visitors entering the country to sing. Secular artists who have been coming into the UK for years to perform were recently sent back to the States because they didn't have the required Visa. The committee for the Gospel Music Convention was not made aware of the changes in Immigration Law but are now well aware and will be prepared for those entering the country for the 2010 Convention.
All of the American groups have arrived safely...the Ball Brothers and the Dills. Allison Durham Speer who was scheduled to be here was unable to come due to bronchitis. Please pray for her to recover from this quickly. The European groups are arriving today, and we'll kick off the convention tomorrow evening. It's going to be a great weekend. You can find more information at www.gmcscotland.com.
We are headed to Loch Ness today, and hopefully we'll have some pictures to post on the blog in a day or so. If we see Nessie, we'll do our best to get a close-up and have Dennis pose in the water with her. I'm sure he'd do it, too.
That's all for now, but we'll keep you posted as we continue our trip in Europe.
God bless!
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