matmusic ministries

There is a new trend among music loving friends…or should I say a trend that is making a comeback. The Mixtape. (Or should it be Mixdisc - doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.)

Back in the 80’s cassettes were everywhere and recording to them was easy. All you needed was access to two tape decks and a blank Maxell. It was fun to trade music with your friends, make an “I love you” tape for your girlfriend, or play DJ.

The latter was one of my favorite passtimes. I would sit and listen for my favorite songs to come on the radio and then I would hastily press Play+Record on my tape deck. After the song, I would record a DJ like intro and outro in my deepest pre-adolescent voice. To me, this was magic. I wish I could find just one of those tapes today.

Because of iTunes, making mixtapes is now accessible again to the layman. Just create a playlist and click Burn. All you need is a computer and a CD-R.

Recently, I received one from my sister with some of her favorites and one from my lifelong friend, Jeremy Haile. For fun, I sent emails to them with my “reviews.”

Jessica’s CD

1) Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancin’
What can I say…I got up and danced. Fun song

2) Brad Paisley - Get Where I’m Going
I had not heard this one…it has great lyrics and some beautiful harmonies

3) Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River
His stuff, including this one, is SO catchy. This is not my favorite one from his album but good…and, yes, I DO have this album on my iPod.

4) Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life
what a classic vocalist. If you have this whole CD, I want to borrow it. Interesting Note: Ron Miller, who wrote this song, just died on 7/24/2007.

5) Supertramp - Give A Little Bit
a classic…love the old time rock ‘n roll

6) Bob Seger - You’ll Accomp’ny Me
what a great voice…another classic

7) Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
from Born To Run - didn’t you say this was your favorite album of his?
I remember going to the Cotton Bowl with dad and seeing him and the E Street band in concert (I guess that was before Smirnoff Music Center)

Journey - Still They Ride (a.k.a. Jessie Rides)
two words for this one: Tim Lewis

9) Bon Jovi - Always
great lyrics, great voice…Jon’s not bad to look at either (right?)…not that I would notice!

10) Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart
deliciously cheezy lyrics and song

11) Linda Ronstadt - When Will I Be Loved
great two-steppin’ song…and a good question…

12) Rascal Flatts - My Wish
Sweet lyrics…i was touched as I imagined you dedicating that song to me

13) Brooks & Dunn - Neon Moon
AHH the INTENSE two-steppin’ memories that came flooding back with this one…Kara and I at Midnight Rodeo in Abilene!

14) Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice
at least they are true to their beliefs…kind of shooting themselves in the foot monitarily but you can’t call them sell outs
Great voice by a Dallas girl

15) Jo Dee Messina - Because You Love Me
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was a worship song

16) Brad Paisley - Get Where I’m Going
(see number 2)

17) Casting Crowns - Does Anybody Hear Her
Such a touching song…there were actual tears on this one

18) Casting Crowns - Who Am I
One of my favorite verses comes to mind:
Matthew 10:29-31 - Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid (aka worry); you are worth more than many sparrows.

Jeremy’s CD

Peter Bjorn & John - Writer’s Block
This is one of my favorite discs of 2007. I appreciate a singer, much less two, that is not afraid to sing in their own style despite the “norm” (see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.) Of course, I am also a sucker for great rhythms and PB & J has it where it counts.
I had not heard four of the tracks though that were on the disc you shared…I love hearing more from great artists.

T. Rex
I wondered why I had gone so long without hearing about this throw-back psycho blues band until I learned that they were not, in fact, a throw back…they really ARE from the 70’s. When I learned that, I was shocked that they sounded so relevant today. They are so relevant, they almost discredit the coolness of the Black Keys. One exception is that the drumming on T. Rex is FAR superior to the Black Keys. I am ignorant of the band that performed the song “Bang A Gong” no longer!

Once [OST]
I have enjoyed this album almost as much as I loved the movie. (Found out this week that it has sold over 100,000 copies - quite a feat in today’s industry.) On David Crowder’s blog (one of my fav. Xian artists) he has a “Currently Listening” section at the top of each post. For his August 15th post, the album was Once [OST]. On “Mind’s Made Up” Hansard sings with such passion, you would think he is literally in pain. This passion carries this entire album.

Gruff Rhys - Candylion
Parts of the album are reminiscent of the title of the disc…a little to sugary for my taste. As a whole, a creative sound and a fun listen.

Children of Men [OST]
A good mixture of sounds and artists. This disc definitely stays true to the spirit of the movie - dark and gloomy. Even the Beatles cover is one of their most depressing songs. But just as I stayed to the end of the movie to explore the filmmakers take on the darkness of humanity, I enjoyed hearing this disc all the way through for the same reason.

Timariwen - Amassakoul
I am sure there is some deep “Power of the People” political message behind this music but it is lost on me.

Elliot Smith - New Moon
Why is it that such genius comes out of such pain? Why is it that some artists think the ultimate expression of artistry is to take their own life? What a waste of great talent. This disc is no different than his others aside from a bit of repetitiveness. Also, occasionally, his voice is hard to enjoy. In all, excellent acoustic guitar and deep vocal exploration make this great stuff.

Every Fourth of July, my side of the family (The Wyatts) joins together at my uncle’s lake house in Mountain Home, Arkansas. This is a trip that we all look forward to every summer. We get to splash in the water, ride the jet ski and watch fireworks go off over the lake from the boat (a very cool vantage point I must say). But even better is that we get to spend precious time with our extended family.

Since the trip is 10 hours of road time for us, we break it up with a stop at a sandy-bottom swimming hole called Willow Springs. This is our third or fourth time to stop at this blast of a cool-down.

(click any picture for a bigger view)

Since we have been to this same location several times, and since they change very little from year to year, I like to take some of the same shots as in years past. It’s fun to see the kids grow before your eyes.

Ashton and Wyatt - 2004

Ashton and Parker - 2007

Wyatt (4 1/2 yrs.) - 2004

Wyatt - 2006

Wyatt - 2007

Ashton (2 1/2 yrs.) and Kara - 2004

Ashton and Kara - 2007

The location of the lake house is great because we have uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents from San Antonio all the way to South Carolina, which means that North Central Arkansas is almost a perfect median.

Here we are presenting a piece of artwork to my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Les.

My wonderful Grandmother - Mildred Wyatt

You may or may not know that I am an avid Disc Golfer. When we travel, I like to work in a round when I can. I drove to a dude ranch called Horseshoe Bend because I saw online that they had a disc golf course. I had no idea what to expect. As I drove through the fog draped Ozark Mountains, I could not help but notice the beautiful scenery. Turns out the disc golf course is surrounded by cliffs, steep terrain and boulders as obstacles. It was a crazy course. One of the baskets sat atop a 25-foot boulder.

No, I did not have to rock climb to get my disc. Since the boulder was jutting out of a slope, I walked around to the back and just had to step up a few feet.

Back at the lake house, when we weren’t actually in the water, we were dropping lines into it. The boys loved fishing.

While on our trip each year, we not only get to watch professional fireworks over the lake but we get to have our own show as well. This is one of the kid’s favorite traditions.

Later that night, we had a surprising knock at the door. This is odd because the plots of land are large and neighbors rarely visit at night. When we answered, we found a life-jacketed man who was sopping wet. He explained that his jet ski had broken down across the lake and that he had swam over half a mile to our house after seeing the lights shining.

After he used the phone, we drove him to meet up with his party. Soon after, a search helicopter flew overhead…they were looking for him. He had been gone so long that his party had reported him missing. He was so grateful to be reunited with his loved ones.

As it turns out, the lights from our fireworks helped him know that his swim would not be in vain.

We had a wonderful trip all the way around. From the water park stop, to the great family laughs, to the fireworks, all is what makes the lake house fun. Almost like riding off into the sunset.

As sensationalized as it is, I enjoy the VH1 show, Behind the Music. If you haven’t seen it, it is basically a documentary-style story of a band or musician and their trials and tribulations amidst fame and riches.

I recently saw some stories of how some famous songs were created and thought the stories interesting…a “Behind the Song” if you will.

Writing a song is not easy. It takes a lot of focus and some luck. To know that the famous songs listed below were composed partly by luck or circumstance gives a songwriter hope that one day his song may also be embraced by the masses. I read recently that the writer of the well-known gospel song Count Your Many Blessings, Johnson Oatman, Jr., wrote over 5000 hymn texts in his lifetime. The thing that makes this so amazing is that he was not w hymn writer by profession, he was heavily involved with his family’s mercantile business - he was a businessman.

So there is hope for a guy who has a full family life, a full time job, and is taking computer programming classes. If Johnson Oatman, Jr. can write 5000 hymns, surely I could write one!

So enjoy the stories and know that you too (or I) could write a hit.

The Song: “Loser”
The Story: One day, Beck was fooling around at producer Karl Stephenson’s house. Beck started playing slide guitar, and Stephenson began recording. As Stephenson added a Public Enemy-style beat and a sample from Dr. John’s “I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” Beck attempted to freestyle rap - something he had never done before.
Frustrated by his inability to rap, Beck began criticizing his own performance: “Soy un perdedor”) (”I’m a loser” in Spanish). Beck wanted to scrap it, but Stephenson thought it was catchy. Stephenson was right - “Loser” made Beck a star.

The Song: “Walk This Way”
The Story: Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton were exhausted from rehearsing the new riff they had written, so they took a break to see a movie - Young Frankenstein. Says Hamilton, “There’s that part in the movie where Igor says ‘Walk this way,’ and the other guy walks the same way with the hump and everything. We thought it was the funniest thing we’d ever seen.” After the movie, they told singer Steven Tyler that the name of the song had to be “Walk This Way.” Tyler rushed out and scribbled the lyrics to the song on the walls of the studio’s stairway, and the band recorded the song right then.

The Song: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
The Story: One rainy winter morning, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were in Richards’ living room when Jagger suddenly jumped up, frightened by a stomping noise. Richards explained, “Oh, that’s just Jack, the gardener. That’s jumpin’ Jack.” The two laughed and Richards began fooling around on the guitar, singing, “Jumpin’ Jack.” Inspired by the lightning, Jagger added “Flash!”

(Sorry in advance for the long post but there is a lot to tell!)

Over the last several months, we have had some interesting adventures. I’ve been needing, for quite some time now, to document these travels and visits for those who do not know the details.

Toward the end of March of this year, my worship pastor at church, Roland, mentioned to me that he heard about a church that was looking for a worship leader. At first, he said that he did not know if he should mention the opportunity to me because of my focus on the computer programming classes that I was taking. I told him that, despite my current tech leanings, I still had worship in my soul and would love to pursue those opportunities to see what God may have in store. The one catch…this particular opportunity was in Austin.

I was faithful to follow up and contacted Pastor Glenn Hubbert at River in the Hills Church in Lakeway, Texas. I spoke with Pastor Glenn at length on the phone and immediately felt a bond with him and with his vision for the church. We agreed to email and discuss a time when I may be able to come down to Austin and lead worship for a Sunday morning service. Eventually, we decided on Memorial Day weekend. The church was planning a picnic for that weekend which would allow for us to meet people and have discussions in a more relaxed environment.

As Kara and I discussed the possibilities, I was uncharacteristically pessimistic. The job was only going to be a part-time position and the church was on the small side - only about 150 members. We had also become comfortable with our life in the metroplex. I was on a computer training track that would further my career, we love our church family and we have so many close friends in the area. The biggest hesitation was that both Kara and my families were in the Dallas area and having them close is very important to us. So, my words to Kara were as follows: “God would really have to speak to us and everything would really have to be perfect for us to even consider this.”

So the time came and we went to Austin and God really spoke to us that this could be a great situation for us. I was shocked. I did not expect things to go so well. We had rehearsal on Saturday evening and then went to the Pastor’s house for dinner. Dinner was relaxed and we had some wonderful conversations. We even sat around for a while and worshipped while being led by the current worship leader. The Sunday morning service was also wonderful. The people really entered into worship and, despite breaking a string, I pressed on to a good set of praise. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains, the picnic had to be postponed. Regardless, the weekend was good.

Early the next week, an email arrived from Pastor Glenn asking when we could come down and lead worship again and have some formal meetings with some elders of the church. Kara and I were excited to know that they were interested and pleased enough to have us down for another visit. We looked at the calendar and agreed on a weekend. Then, after some phone calls, another email came from Pastor Glenn discussing some possibilities for our employment with the church and even laying out some salary options. At this point the options included me leading worship and some other combination of working with the Youth, Kara working with the Children’s Ministry or something else. One way or the other, it seemed clear that they wanted me to be their worship leader.

Kara and I really prayed a lot and weighed the options. We did not know what to decide. On one hand, leading worship as my job is a dream of mine and a calling that, I believe, God has for my life. On the other hand, there were some reservations (see above.) I decided not to make a decision until after our next visit and meetings with the elders.

The weekend arrived and we traveled down to the Austin area again. The meetings and the service went well. Even though the drummer that was in the band that Sunday was a super nice gentleman who was out of practice, God showed up during worship and the set was good. I did, after worship, have one brief moment where I felt a check in my spirit about the situation…I chalked it up to fear. Kara and I headed home thinking that we might just make the plunge after all.

Those next several days were full of thoughts about moving, about possibilities, about dreams. I finally decided that we would, in fact, move to Lakeway to pursue this opportunity. A couple of days later, after talking with some family and friends about our decision, I called the pastor to discuss moving forward. As he talked, I got the sense that he was trying to talk me out of the worship position and into something else. This surprised me and I stated, “I want to be very clear, I am interested in worship leading.” As we went, it became all too clear that they no longer wanted me as their worship leader. Pastor Glenn apologized if anything he had said had made it seem like anything had been set in stone. As I hung up the phone, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. This came out of nowhere. I mean, we were discussing salaries for goodness’ sake. I was disappointed.

I called Kara with the news and the silence on the other end spoke volumes. She too, was taken by surprise. That evening, we had planned to discuss the move with my mom, Jim and my sister. Instead, we ended up sharing our thoughts on the situation. How could we have missed it? Did something change the second time we were there? Did another, better qualified worship leader come to take the job? We may never know.

One thing is clear; God’s timing is perfect for those who trust in Him. We trust in Him. I know that the right opportunity will come my way when the time is right. I continue to believe in my calling and will work harder to prepare myself for the “open door” that God has in my future.

Thank you to all of you who prayed and called to check on us during the process. Your support is coveted.

Much love to all and I cannot wait to share my next adventure with you.

I saw this music-related quote on my Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Desk Calendar (thank you Santa) and thought it was cute.

“I know but two tunes; one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’ and the other isn’t.”

-Ulysses S. Grant

I am sure he was better for that - not as much junk clogging up his brain - but I cannot imagine only knowing two songs (or one as the case may be.) If a song that I liked but have not heard for several years comes on the radio, I can recite many of the lyrics…that HAS to be taking up valuable brain space. Maybe that’s why I will never be President.

As I blog this post on August 8th, it’s been three months since our family went on a camping outing to Rusk State Park in East Texas. My Summer class did a number on my free time (see below) but I still wanted to share these pictures and notes with you.

Without further ado, here are some images from that fun weekend.

If you have not been to the Piney Woods of East Texas, you are missing a beautiful part of our state. As we drove, we marveled at the tall pines and could not wait to arrive.

(click any picture for a larger view)

As you enter the State Park, one of the first sites is a beautiful, one-room church building. We arrived near dusk and the sunset behind the building along with some haze from a nearby brush fire provided a serene backdrop and interesting lens filter for this photo.

Parker has been camping before (see previous blog post) but each trip from here forward will be remembered more and more vividly by him. I could not pass up the cuteness of my littlest boy in a ball cap.

Roscoe still loves to camp. He’s a wiener in his element out in the “wild.” Good thing nothing chased him, though, or we might have lost our dog to a heart attack. Look at that belly!

One of the favorite camping pastimes for the kids is exploring the forest surrounding the camp site. They spend hours roaming through the trees.

Rusk State Park is known because it is the beginning point for the Texas State Railroad, one of the oldest passenger trains in the country. I could not pass up snapping a picture of this “Stand By Me” moment. (Yes, we were watching for trains.)

One of the activities that we looked forward to was a ride on the train. Here, the kids watch it pass by before we load.

The depot is decorated to look like it would have at the turn of the century. It is really quite nice looking.

Wyatt and I went to marvel at the diesel engine that was going to pull us on our ride. There is actually one steam train that remains in use at the park but today, the diesel made the run.

The train was interesting and fun but slow. On the return trip, as the train lumbered slowly on, it was time to snooze. Parker and Kara took advantage of the breeze flowing through the open windows.

Ashton met a friend in a campsite across the way. Just like when we are at home, we had kids from all over running around and being loud.

Why is it that we have such bad luck with tires while on road trips? Can you tell that I am frustrated by having to take time to do this hand-blackening task?

At the entrance to the park, there is a really cool monument of train tracks and ties that shoots about thirty feet in the air. It’s not hard to miss your destination if you know what you are looking for.

The trip was another great time of bonding for the Guerry family. We cannot wait until fall camping season begins.

I am planning to be a posting machine after this Thursday. What is significant about this Thursday? That would be the day that my final C++ project is due. Here is what I have been slaving over for the last several days:

#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
using namespace std;

void main()
{
//read from file
//open file to read
ifstream custfile(”C:\\Documents and Settings\\Mat\\My Documents\\C++\\CustomerFile.txt”);
ofstream custoutput(”C:\\Documents and Settings\\Mat\\My Documents\\C++\\CustomerBill.txt”);

for (int i = 1; i < = 50; i++)
{
int id;
char pak;
float hours;
char date[10];
double charges;
double base;
double extra;
char idealpak;
double idealcharges;
double savings;
//char message[20];

custfile >> id;
custfile >> pak;
pak = toupper(pak);
custfile >> hours;
custfile >> date;

if ( pak >= ‘A’ && pak < = 'C' || pak >= ‘a’ && pak < = 'c' )

{
if ( hours >= 0 && hours < = 744 ) //validate number of hours in month
{
if ( pak == 'A' || pak == 'a' )
{base = 9.95;
{if ( hours <= 10)
{extra = 0;
charges = base + extra;
}
else if ( hours >= 11 )
{extra = (hours - 10) * 2;
charges = base + extra;
}
}
}

else if ( pak == ‘B’ || pak == ‘b’ )
{base = 14.95;
{if ( hours < = 20)
{extra = 0;
charges = base + extra;
}
else if ( hours >= 21 )
{extra = hours - 20;
charges = base + extra;
}
}
}

else if ( pak == ‘C’ || pak == ‘c’ )
{
charges = 19.95;
}

custoutput < < id << '\t' << pak << '\t' << hours << '\t' << date << " Charges: " << charges << endl;

//start of ideal charges/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
if (hours <= 12)

{idealpak = 'A';
base = 9.95;
{if ( hours <= 10)
{extra = 0;
idealcharges = base + extra;
}
else if ( hours >= 11 )
{extra = (hours - 10) * 2;
idealcharges = base + extra;
}
}
}
else if (hours >= 13 && hours < = 25)

{idealpak = 'B';
base = 14.95;
{if ( hours <= 20)
{extra = 0;
idealcharges = base + extra;
}
else if ( hours >= 21 )
{extra = hours - 20;
idealcharges = base + extra;
}
}
}
else if (hours > 25)

{
idealpak = ‘C’;
idealcharges = 19.95;
}
//custoutput < < "ideal charges: " << idealcharges << " ideal pak: " << idealpak << endl;
//end idealcharges//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

//calculate/display savings/////////////////////////////////////////////////
if (pak != idealpak && charges > idealcharges)
{
savings = charges - idealcharges;
custoutput < < "You could save $" << savings << " by using package " << idealpak << "." << endl << endl;
}
else custoutput << "You are currently subscribed to the appropriate package." << endl << endl;
//end calculate charges

}
else custoutput << "For customer ID number " << id << ", hours are over the limit." << endl;
}
else custoutput << "Package is not valid." << endl;
}//end loop

//close files
custfile.close();
custoutput.close();

//store data in array

//validate data - if not valid output data should be written to file to indicate

//message
cout << "File written successfully." << endl;
}//end main

These are good times!