Did you ever attend a church where “In The Sweet By and By” was part of the praise and worship time? I did. And I think, if I close my eyes and listen real close, I can almost hear my Grandmother singing it in her kitchen. In The Sweet By and By There’s a land that is fairer than day, … The rest of the story…
Category Archives: Words and Music
OK, for this meeting of Overeaters Anonymous, I’d like to pick up where we left off during the last meeting. And that, of course, is the ever-important issue. Dessert: before or after the meal? And while Albert reads the minutes of the last meeting, let’s all sample this excellent crab dip. Mm..Mm. Overeaters Anonymous is my favorite group. My only … The rest of the story…
I was part of a debate…uh…conversation about whether or not The Flood actually happened. And you know The Flood I refer to, right? The guy who started the debate…uh…conversation said there’s no evidence that a worldwide flood ever happened. But he’s a perfect example of how so many deny that facts are real. That’s why they’re called facts. And facts … The rest of the story…
When you think of the ocean, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That it covers most of the planet? Or that it’s salty? Maybe you think of it as a fun place to go vacation. And maybe your first thought is how it’s so blue. That’s what I think. And the same is true with the sky. So … The rest of the story…
There was an expression, that rolled around when I was younger, that expressed a superlative feeling for or toward someone else. If a guy was infatuated with a girl, he might say, “She’s the living end.” I’m sure that’s lost on anybody from the young love generations these days. But I always liked it. And it’s why I used that … The rest of the story…
I’ve been lamenting the pandemic for a long time. And I’ve seen how fast it’s expanded. But I’ve been curious as to why more people don’t realize how closely they’re involved in it. I hope not you. Because the pandemic I’m talking about isn’t the pandemic you might think I’m talking about. Although they’re morbidly connected in the past couple … The rest of the story…
Over the course of my life, I’ve been inspired to write songs by a wide variety of stimuli. From a technicolor sunset, to a mountain vista, and even down to a single word. And sometimes I’m inspired by how someone will twist a phrase and use it as a product or service or even a business name. Like how I … The rest of the story…
Imagine being a 16 year old all-star and state champion athlete in Texas. And now, imagine being that athlete and being told you have basically an incurable cancer. Yeah. And you thought you had a bad day. Right? Osteoblastic osteosarcoma is that incurable cancer I just mentioned. And Jeremiah Thomas was that 16 year old all-star and state champion athlete in … The rest of the story…
OK, you can stop me if you’ve heard this before. But I’m gonna share the story of Feed Me again. And relax. I’m not one of those guys on the street corner asking for a handout. No, this is about my music on the radio. The story goes… ~ Back in 1989, I had moved back to Colorado and had … The rest of the story…
Exvangelical deconstruction. Now, there’s a term you probably don’t hear every day. I hadn’t heard of it before today. But apparently it’s a “thing” in the ranks of people leaving the Christian “church” these days. And I put quotations around “church” for a reason. Because exvangelical deconstruction is a self-indulgent activity. No surprise there, right? Selfishness was the original sin. … The rest of the story…
If you regularly listen to or watch the morning news, it can give you the impression there’s no such thing as lasting hope. And it can give you the impression that the only way to “beat ’em” is to “join ’em.” So skip the morning news. At least skip all the opinion stuff. All that point, counterpoint, and other synthetic, … The rest of the story…
Back in 1974 I paid for (and enjoyed, immensely) an America holiday. Because it was an excursion into the best parts of musical imagination. And…what? You think I misspelled it? Oh, I see. You think it should have been American with the n at the end. Yeah, I get it. But no. I got it right. America Holiday. But maybe … The rest of the story…
I don’t live in a safe place. Six years ago, a guy walked down a street, here in Colorado Springs, and randomly murdered people. Yeah, on this the most holiest of days. Halloween. If you heard about it or read about it, you know the story I’m talking about. If you didn’t, go look it up. I don’t wanna waste … The rest of the story…
What do you call someone who uses banal, hackneyed, and overworked phrases to shove their agenda in your face? Cue that Jeopardy music. And we have a winner. Susie said, “A politician.” Tell ’em what she won, Johnny! Yeah, zing ’em with in-your-face clichés. And tell those lies loud and often. And before you know it, bam. The world is … The rest of the story…
There it is. In black and white. It clearly says, “pray for all men.” And it’s right there in Paul’s letter to Timothy, his protégée. But hold on a second. Are those words actually in Paul’s letter? And do those words mean what you think they mean? No. And…probably not. If you own a New King James Bible, you can … The rest of the story…
It’s an unwavering truth that love is everlasting. And even though I’m typing these words, alone in my office, and you’ll read them in similar circumstances, I can almost see you shaking your head, “No. Love is definitely not everlasting.” But I say yes. And I can prove it’s an unwavering truth. But, here’s a caveat. I absolutely can NOT … The rest of the story…
This might come as a shock. But over the course of my songwriter life I wrote some of my songs for girls. (gasp!) I know. What a sexist, toxically masculine thing to do. Right? But seriously, you gotta play to your strengths, as they say. But what most people don’t know is how I rewrote some of my original love … The rest of the story…
For several years I wrote jingles for ads. And I wrote for all sorts of companies. If you lived in Colorado for any time during the past 20 years, and if you listened to radio, chances are you heard me at least once. Most of those jingles for ads faded away with time. But not all of them. In fact, … The rest of the story…
Well, it’s that holiest month of the year. Yep, October is here. And the “hallowed evening” fast approaches. Some parts of it are funny. But Halloween (Neewollah, as its known in Independence, Kansas) sure brings out the people who love to live in the dark. And when I say “live in the dark,” I mean it mostly literally. Here in … The rest of the story…
You and I have the capacity for understanding by design. Let that sink in. Because that (seemingly) simple 4 syllable word is a key part of how we’re different from the animals and birds and fish. Other creatures don’t have understanding, by design. Because none of the other creatures on our little, blue planet were created in the image and … The rest of the story…