Recently I was asked if some of the songs from our CD, A Midwinter’s Eve, could be used on a promotional CD entitled Jesus Our Comfort and Joy. Just a few weeks ago 15,000 copies of the CD went out to Christian bookstores nationwide! Nine of the tracks from “Midwinter” were used, and then I added one new track, an instrumental version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Plus, I have just released both the instrumental and a new vocal version of the track. They are both available now for – FREE! Just head to the download page.

Along with the nine tracks featured on Jesus Our Comfort and Joy, A Midwinter’s Eve contains 5 additional songs, and  we continue to hear that this CD has become a favorite for many. You can order a bunch of copies for gifts at a great discount at our new store right here!

Benjamin and I stopped by the here this morning on our drive, and since there was a fee and we only had 30 minutes we told the nice lady at the fee station that we would just move on. But to our surprise, she said that you can enter the state park for free for up to 20 minutes! The IN government is quite generous. There was also one of those little propaganda audio boxes that talked about how this little river has been carving out this little canyon over the last several million years. Plus somebody in their educated wisdom covered the speaker with lots of wood to keep the rain out, but in the process muffled all the high end and so it was like listening to Charlie Brown’s school teacher. What I could catch was equally intelligent. But the view and the natural environment was beautiful. Here are pics we snapped.

Nathan and I met and married at a small seminary in 1997.  Our first home was, ironically, a motor home belonging to Nathan’s uncle. Nathan was delighted with the arrangement, since he had hopes of one day owning a motor home and traveling full-time. He had come to seminary to enhance his song writing, make it meatier, in order to extend an already blossoming musical future.  He had just released his first solo CD, Coming Home, and played music for a children’s camp across the road from the seminary, as well as playing out for small churches and other venues.  While Coming Home was his first solo project, he had a band CD to his credit, as his three-piece band had won the local Battle of the Bands earlier, and were given studio time as their prize. His main mode of transportation was an old BMW motorcycle, onto which he was known to strap his guitar and ride to gigs several hours away. His father brought out his other vehicle that summer – an old Nissan pickup truck that he had acquired for $50.00.  We met in June and became engaged in September, originally setting our wedding date for April.  We pushed it back about a week later, however, when the wedding plans were already becoming complicated.  I wanted a simple, outdoor wedding, and it was obvious that my definition of simple was just, well, too simple for people to get their minds around.

“I just want to go somewhere pretty and get married,” I told Nathan while we were enjoying a picnic on a crisp fall day in the rocky mountains, about a week after becoming engaged.   I looked around at the gorgeous, bright yellow Aspen leaves, and said, “This is pretty.  Let’s get married here!”
“Fall doesn’t last long here, ” Nathan said doubtfully. ” We’ll have to do it soon if you want it outside”
“Fine!” I said, cheerfully. “Let’s do it next week!” Nathan didn’t want a long engagement, and since we’d only known each other for barely 4 months, waiting til April seemed like an eternity. However, he was cautious, not wanting me to regret a hastily planned wedding. Following his Uncle Dwight’s very sage advice, he wanted to play the role of supportive fiance, allowing me to have exactly the wedding I wanted. I assured him “going somewhere pretty to get married” was exactly the wedding I wanted, but we decided to go ahead and ask the advice of six people – the seminary directors (who happened to be Nathan’s uncle and cousin) and both sets of parents.  If any one of those people had a problem with it, we’d reconsider. Not one did, except my Mom asked if we could do it a few days later than originally suggested to accommodate a meeting she had scheduled at work. That was fine with us. We would marry on Thursday, October 16.

We printed out invitations 4 to sheet, cut them, and I’m pretty sure we glued them to construction paper. We explored the woods on Uncle Dwight’s property, about a mile from the campus, and identified the perfect spot for the ceremony – a small clearing in the middle of an Aspen grove. Several had warned us that mid-October was a pretty risky time, weather wise. We could easily have snow, and the Aspens were often bare by then. There were several cool days, and on Saturday we had some flurries. The homey chapel on campus was available, of course, but I really wanted an outside wedding, so we continued to pray for the weather, and Nathan went ahead and mowed the path from the footbridge over Horn Creek out to “our” little clearing. My sister, Paula, took an afternoon to help me find a dress, and we bought long gloves in case it ended up being cold.

The day came, and the weather was perfect. The Aspens still had their leaves, the sky was a brilliant blue, the temperature could not have been improved by even one degree, and Horn Peak, which would serve as the backdrop to our reception, was sparkling with snow. I was so excited! But first on the agenda was our Greek quiz, which Nathan and I both aced, earning us extra credit for doing so on our wedding day. At 2:00 pm, all of the men and boys headed to our chosen spot. We didn’t have chairs set up, they just stood in the clearing and waited. The women and girls went in a group ahead of my father and me, singing Blest Be the Tie That Binds as they walked. As soon as they heard the strains, the men joined the singing, finishing as my Dad and I arrived at the edge of the group. Nathan’s Dad, who was officiating, led the group in singing O Worship the KIng as Dad walked me through the middle of our friends and family to Nathan.

I don’t remember the order of everything, but we had memorized the traditional vows and recited them to one another. Our mothers held the rings for us, and we used the ancient “With this ring, I thee wed, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost”, again with no prompting, as we placed them on one another’s finger. Uncle Dwight delivered the exhortation to “Provide and Guide”, and the group recited the Lord’s Prayer in unison. I remember the cheers from the community that had watched us fall in love as we were introduced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Nathan George. My father-in-law led the group in singing To God Be the Glory as we all traveled back up the path and over the clear water of Horn Creek to the reception site. Several tables were set up, donned with lace coverings or pretty cloths, and set with an eclectic mix of china tea cups and teapots filled with hot tea, trays of delicate cookies homemade by the ladies of the seminary, and several fruit and veggie trays. One of the seminary wives, Ann Rachel, loved weddings, and had asked if she could coordinate the reception for us, and all of the ladies contributed their pretty things and homemade goods. Ann Rachel made the bride’s cake, and Nathan’s cousin’s wife, Beth Ann, made the groom’s. With the cake-smearing and picture taking over, we drove away in a Mercedes loaned to us by Uncle Dwight, who couldn’t allow me to be driven to my honeymoon in a fifty dollar truck! It was absolutely my dream wedding. *sigh* Monday morning, we were back in class.

Jonathan and I hiked Horn Peak this past August just before Jonathan turned 11.

A short video walk around where we are staying – off the grid.

This summer I have truly enjoyed house concerts. They are intimate, laid back, don’t have a strict time schedule, you actually get to know a few folks, and I get to play tunes! Here’s a review of my most recent back-yard-bring-your-own-picnic-bash in Colorado Springs.

By the by, I’m always open to invading your living room or back yard. Just give us a shout and invite a bunch of friends!

Colorado Springs to Atlanta:
All the business folks were calmly reading the morning paper as Jonathan woo-hooed! on take-off. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the simple pleasures in life. Not that flying a multi ton machine full of thousands of systems to keep us from careening in the earth below is simple, but it’s just too easy to forget to enjoy old experiences in new ways. Children help that deficiency.

Our first plane was a small jet-prop, and they are quite cool – they rumble, shake, whir, bang, and whoosh. When flying small air craft back in college (I thought I would be a bush pilot…) the best part was the distinct sense that you are flying a contraption full of nuts, bolts and sheet metal that somehow defies gravity in a very awkward and clumsy way. It was like putting a back yard idea in the air. I was never sure that it was a good idea, but the thrill of taking off and landing was just too good to discontinue, until I burst an eardrum practicing stalls. It was then that I knew that music was more important to me than rumbling, shaking, whirring, banging and whooshing through air.

And yet, for some unjustifiable reason I still want to own a small air craft – a cloth covered tail dragger, or an experimental rear wing with a rotary diesel, or how about one of those new flying cars! Without even trying to pass on my youthful desires, my son wants one too, especially the flying car. Together we could scare my wife to death….

Atlanta to Colorado Springs:
Whew. It was a whirlwind. Jonathan and I are incredibly tired, but as we sit here on the flight home we can see that it the trip was quite successful on several fronts. We met several very dynamic leaders, (including Steve Camp, Kevin Swanson, Voddie Baucham, Ted Baehr(who runs Movie Guide), etc…) had great fun with friends, I had a birthday, Jonathan sold a bunch of CDs, we went swimming, and generally stayed up way, way too late. So, on take off there was a distinct lack of woo-hooing from Jonathan. He is now fairly subdued, as am I.

However, I am very excited about American Vision, and several of the leaders both in the church and the political realm. There may be a small group now, but it is a fast growing group of very effective leaders that are recapturing a biblical view, instead of the pervasive humanistic view, of the constitution, education, and public life such as both the Democrats and Republicans have been espousing for years. Believe it or not, there is a small group of Christians that are not sucked into the world view of the main stream, either right or left. Instead they are attempting to apply the Scriptures in every area of life. What a concept. I love my country, but fear this government. However, I fear God more and will act and vote, in so much as possible, according to His ways.

In the end, once again, I came away from the week being reminded that true change starts within the family nucleus and the church. Just as Rousseau (who is a study in contradictions) sought to tear down natural familial bonds through the social state (which, by the way, led to our system of education based on evolutionary learning phases), there are some, perhaps up to two million strong!, who are taking a proactive path to restoring the family. They are sheltering (yes, I said sheltering) and preparing children for relationships that are not defined by the state, but instead by the Scriptures.  Woo-hoo!

Firstly:

After a great, and very busy, weekend here in Colorado my son, Jonathan, and I are headed to Atlanta for a week. We will be there for two events: 1. The American Vision World View Super Conference, and 2. An evening worship service at Smyrna Presbyterian church.

The Super conference will be a great event with lots of hard hitting speakers on topics that range from eschatology to the economy, theology to life in the home, and so much more. If you are in the Atlanta area you need to come to this conference! Plus, I’ll be sharing the music leadership with veteran Steve Camp. Steve has influenced many in the music world, and I think for good. It will be an honor to work with him.

At Smyrna Presbyterian Church I’ll be joining the evening worship service, leading some of the music, and presenting a whole set of music centered on the Psalms. I truly look forward to this! If you can come out while we are in Atlanta we’d love to meet you!   Although I think Jonathan is most excited about the flight there and back….

Secondly:
Covenant Eyes recently hosted a “song search,” looking for fresh music from Christian songwriters speaking to the issue of purity. We’ve heard from the official judges, now let’s hear from you. The winning song and artist(s) will be used in a professional video production featuring the song. You can listen to the songs, read the stories behind them, and vote here.

Peace to you,
nathan

Some of you may be familiar with Covenant Eyes, whose focus is providing online accountability and internet filters.  Several months ago, I was asked to participate in their Covenant Musicians program. They developed this program as a way of partnering with musicians to raise awareness of both their work, and that of the musicians they work with.  Recently, they selected one of my songs, Set Me Straight, as a finalist in their Song Search.  

From their website:
Covenant Eyes recently hosted a “song search,” looking for fresh music from Christian songwriters speaking to the issue of purity. We’ve heard from the official judges, now let’s hear from you. The winning song and artist(s) will be used in a professional video production featuring the song. You can listen to the songs, read the stories behind them, and vote here.

By the by, some other musicians that have gotten behind this are folks like Mark Hall of Casting Crowns, Clay Cross, Phil Joel (formerly with the Newsboys), and more.

Why in the world????
When Covenant Eyes first contacted me about a partenership I thought “why me?” After all, I had not been using their software, I explained that though I’m like any man that must ward off various temptations I’m not an addict, I don’t have a compelling recovery story, and though I’m not naive I really don’t know much about the statistics and affects of all the filfth the web has to offer. However, as I talked with them I was convinced that I wanted to play a role in helping to protect and prepare my own family, and perhaps others.

By the way, before I continue, it is my opinion that if our children are old enough to be reading this post and surfing the web, then we should be thinking about how to protect and help prepare them to live in a world full of distractions.

Here’s why I’m talking about this. I felt the consequences of an over-sensualized culture first hand as a child at the hand of a family friend. Though statistics don’t prove that porn leads to abuse, I believe it is vital that we prepare our children to ward off both temptation and seduction in any way we can. We should not leave them in the dark and unprepared.

One step that is easy to take is transparency.  My oldest child now knows that his father wants his mother to know everywhere he goes on the net.  Sure, a simple piece of accountability software does not keep us from all types of temptation, but it is one piece of the puzzle.  And, the log helps save one from undue accusation.

I earnestly urge you to consider what steps you can take to not just shelter, but to also prepare.  Sheltering must be a part of child rearing, but so must be preparing.  I personally like the accountability aspect of Covenant Eyes more than the filter.  However, either way transparency is a positive way to prepare and protect, and win this battle in the home for the hearts of your children. 

Go start the FREE Trial see if your spouse appreciates it….

Elsa and Mama are doing quite well. I can’t believe it’s already over three weeks since Elsa was born!

Things do speed up as life progresses…. However, rather than talk about it, here are a few new pics from week three.