Tomorrow I hit the road bright and early (owch!) to Chattanooga TN, to play at J-Fest. Should be a great event… Big Daddy Weave are headlining, then there are a bunch of us playing before them including my mate Steve Fee and co-writing friend Matthew West… So I’m excited!
Last weekend in Canada, I borrowed Gordie the drummer from Starfield, to play for me as he already lives in Canada so it was closer to fly him in! He wrote some nice words about last weekend in the Starfield Blog today… check it outhere
Ok gotta go sleep so I’ll be up in time tomorrow…
Question for you this weekend -
“If you could take two books to a desert island (apart from the Bible!) what would they be and why?”
How is your week going? I can’t believe it’s Thursday already… the weekend is almost here. Seems like I just stepped off the plane from Canada, and its almost time to hit the road again this weekend. Saturday I’m playing in Chattanooga, TN. It’s called “J-Fest” so come out if you live nearby!
Since getting home from Canada I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my pedal board and getting some new stuff from my mate Adam at Guitar Center to improve it… Its been an “I love music gear!” kind of week!
I love finding out what equipment other people are using and loving… Here are a few (bad!) photos of the things I’ve been loving using recently….
Yesterday you got to meet my friend Biscuet from China through his videos… Today you get to meet another friend who’s blog you should consider reading – Mr Daley Hake, who is a killer guitar player….so talking about gear here, it’s only right to give him a shout out as I’ve heard recordings of him playing and his tones are brilliant – I want to sound as good as him when I grow up!! Yesterday he posted about his guitar rig on his blog, so go check it out here to see his set up….
And this is him…(just so you can see his rock ‘n roll hair…just kidding!) so you can find out about his long hours in the studio working on his new band “Telegram” and also his passion for Uganda and missions…
I’ve asked you guys this question before, but it’s a fun one to ask regularly…
“Does anyone have any new recommendations on music gear?”
Anyone out there found any new cool pedals, or amp settings, or keyboard sounds lately? I am going to try out some Nord keyboards tomorrow so see what the sounds are like… and also trying out a few alternatives to the Fullton Fulldrive 2 to see if any other pedals give a warmer clean sound… My friend Leeland Mooring from the band “Leeland” said I should buy the “Klon Centaur” so I’ll try it out.. its a boutique boost pedal…. I used his the other day and it sounded great!
Hows your week going? Thanks for all the good feedback about the videos I posted.. my iMovie skills will continue to develop and grow, and I’m excited to document more ‘life on the road’ footage!
Today was an exciting day – it might not mean much to anyone except fellow tech-geeks out there (!!) but today my Blog was re-installed to http://vickybeeching.com rather than http://vickybeeching.com/blog/wordpress. Hooray!
If you wouldn’t mind, if you link to me on your Blogroll or website, please erase any old links like http://vickybeeching.com/blog/wordpress or http://vickybeeching.typepad.com and make the link exactly this…
http://vickybeeching.com
Thanks so much! it makes a real difference in enabling people to find my site, and for stats and ratings etc… Muchas Gracias!!
Ok, so I know I’ve thanked him before but you need to know that the guy who designed my new site also worked hard today from across the globe in China, to re-install it to the new address. His name is BIscuet (just a nickname – his real name is Jonathan…he said he mispelled “biscuit” in a spelling bee when he was a kid…mispelling it as “biscuet” so the nickname has stuck ever since!)
You can get to know him a bit in the 2 videos above… Check out his site too: http://www.biscuet.comThankyou SO much Biscuet for all your help with this site! Thank you also to A J Rhodes, who works in the IT department at my record label EMI. AJ, we couldn’t have done this site without you!
Well, I’ve had a great week..was just downloading photos from my camera and thought I’d share a few with you from my recent adventures:
Buffalo, NY
My re-built pedal board…
YC Alberta, Canada…
YC Canada…
This weekend, I’m headed to a festival called “J-Fest” in Chattanooga… should be a great time. I was on iChat with my friend Steve Fee earlier, and he said his band Fee will be playing there too… So is Matthew West and a bunch of others. Looking forward to using my newly set up pedal board there and having a good time!
Ok… gotta go write some more songs!
Question for you – Earlier I was chatting with new friend Daley (check out his blog @http://www.daleyhake.com/blog) We both agreed we are total geeks! So“Are you a self-confessed Geek?”I totally am… guitar pedals, amps, Mac laptop, iPhone, Twitter, Blogging… loving learning iMovie and learning all about Web Hosting and Wordpress… “Are you?” If so, tell me about it!
I’m writing this from the Denver airport, on my way home from leading worship at “YC Canada” in Alberta. It was amazing! Thanks especially to Mike Love, Travis, Tiffany and all the YC team for having me there : )
Here are some videos from my little camera, from the past 2 trips I’ve taken. One is from last weekend in Buffalo New York and the other is this weekend in Alberta Canada. Matt, my bass player (with the crazy hair and Australian accent!) has taken the role of camera man on the road! So you will be seeing more of him on here! His wife is one of my dear friends and his kids are among the coolest I’ve ever met, so we need to get some of his fam on the next video so you can meet them too.
The highlights of Canada were hearing the huge arena singing out their hearts to God in worship…. hanging out with some of my favorite people in the world – the band Leeland (those guys hearts are incredible…such worshipers!)… Going to the West Edmonton Mall (which was HUGE! Thanks to my hostess Jen for driving me there)… Practicing my Canadian accent “eh?!”… Speaking twice and seeing people’s hearts encouraged and changed… the double choc-chip cookies in the Green Room!… and waking up to see the sunrise over the Edmonton sky line as we made our way to the airport today at 4am, riding in 15 seater vans with Leeland, Pillar and Disciple. Fun times!
As we continue to process the happenings of this week, and the Maria Chapman tragedy, I found one song kept coming to my mind and heart. It was written by my good friend and mentor, brenton brown. He was my worship pastor back in Oxford England. Here’s a video interview of him and I discussing the song and how he wrote it out of a season of real pain and struggle. Its a great reminder that “strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord” as He is “the defender of the weak” and “strengthens those in need” and “lifts us up on wings like eagles”.
He also teaches how to play it, so if you’re a guitarist and have always wanted to learn the cool riff and chords of this tune, here ya go!
I fly to Canada tomorrow (Friday) for an event called “YC” in Edmonton. My drummer for the event will be Gordie from the band Starfield, as he already lives in Canada. So that will be cool. Pray for me, for energy and anointing, as I lead worship and speak on Saturday, then the same again Sunday.
“What songs give you strength and comfort on dark times?”
An official blog page has been set up by Jim Houser, Steven’s manager, for all who wish to write messages of support and grief at the loss of 3 year old Maria… Here is the link:
It’s been a sad, sad day here in Nashville as all have received and begun to process the news of her death. The whole city feels like it has been shocked and shaken by such a devastating event. As I’ve prayed and processed it a bit today, my only conclusion is that we must make every day count with the ones we love. Don’t leave an important conversation unsaid, don’t miss a chance to show how much you care for your friends and family. Don’t work so hard that it keeps you away from those who God has places around you as your close community. Life is fragile and we never know what tomorrow will bring. We never know whether we will get another sunrise and sunset with the people our hearts cherish. So, in the words of my favorite saying, “carpe diem” – step out, be brave, make today count… then there will be no need for any regrets.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is ours for the taking : )
The video below is heart breaking to watch but is such a reminder that Steven was an amazing Dad who really did take the time to BE with the ones he loved… He certainly lived a ‘carpe diem’ way with his precious children… I want to be more like him.
Please be praying for the Chapman family, after the tragedy that took place this evening (Wednesday). Here is the write up from the Tennessean. Prayer is a powerful thing, so let’s really lift them up to God and ask for His presence, grace and power to surround them right now.
Love,
Vicky
Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter killed by car in driveway
By KATE HOWARD and LINDA ZETTLER
Staff Writers – The Tennessean
Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.
Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.
The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.
“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said.
No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.
Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names.
He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria was the youngest.
The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt.
With his latest music tour, which came through Nashville in November, Chapman started a campaign called “Change for Orphans”. He asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted and given to a local family to aid in their adoption process.
“I don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension,” said John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association.
“He talks about his kids all the time. That’s his life. His kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure.”
The tragedy was announced during Wednesday-night services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. Maria had just graduated from the church preschool.
And word spread throughout the tight-knit Christian music community on Wednesday evening.
Styll got the news not long after Maria’s death.
“I’m confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this,” he said.
Most of the Chapman family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be contacted. The long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of Franklin was blocked off by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies.
I’m excited that the newly re-designed VickyBeeching.com is here! Instead of running on the program Typepad, it now runs on Wordpress, which has the capacity to do way cooler things with technology including Video Commenting… more on that to come soon!
If you are linked to my Blog, please could you change the address? If you have me in your Blogroll as http://vickybeeching.typepad.com could you change it to http://www.vickybeeching.com Thanks, that makes a huge different to my ‘incoming links’ stats!! : )
Thanks to my friend Biscuet who did all the design work for me! He lives in China as an American teaching English. Check out his site at www.biscuet.com. He has cool video blogs of what its like to live in China, so pop over to his site and check them out!
It was fun to have him work on the Blog as he is on a totally different time zone over there in China. So I’d wake up each day to see more of what he’d been working on during his day, while I’d been fast asleep!
Speaking of different time zones, I saw this sign on the wall of a church I played in recently:
Sometimes church life can feel like a different time zone for me… I’m someone who naturally leans toward staying up late talking and playing guitar…so a 5.45AM bible study seems like it might be invented by Aliens from another planet!! Don’t get me wrong – I often do get up that early for a lot of worship events – but naturally that’s not my preference!
Are you wired to be an early riser, or a late night owl? And with your churches, what’s the earliest you have to be there for any kind of ministry or worship involvement… lets see who wins the “earliest at church” competition!!
I just got home from 3 great concerts with Rebecca St James, out in GA, MS and TX. I tried using one of my brand new songs Breath Of God and it got good feedback from the crowd, so thats encouraging! The events were part of the "SHE Tour" this Spring (www.sheevent.com) and were a blast to be part of!
In the signing line a little girl came up to me with a London teeshirt on – how cool is this?!
I told her I had a to snap a photo for my Blog, as it reminded me of my Homeland!
I know that many of you on here have visited England before, and some of you even live there now. So lets be touristy and share our England stories!!
- If you visited England, when did you go and what did you most enjoy seeing/doing?
- If you live there, where abouts and where are your favorite places in the UK?
- If you’ve never been, what would you like to see if you took a visit?
As we say in England "have a brilliant day, mate!"
Just got on the tour bus after the Gulfport MS "SHE Show" tonight. It was a great evening with a brilliant crowd! They sang at the top of their voices! Now we’re on the bus watching a movie to relax, then we’ll all wake up in the morning in Texas. The show tomorrow night is in Carollton TX so come along if you live near there!
On one of the walls of the church tonight I saw this piece of art – its really famous so I’m sure you’ve seen it before – but tonight it really struck me in a new way to see it and the words "in the beginning, God.." It reminded me of the latin phrase they taught us at Oxford in our Genesis class: "Ex Nihilo".
"Ex Nihilo" is latin for "Out Of Nothing". When God created the universe Genesis says that "in the beginning, God".. In the beginning there was just Him. He created all things out of nothing. He spoke and everything came into being.
For us thats really awesome and encouraging, because God is Someone who creates something out of nothing. He takes emptiness and creates wholeness, He takes darkness and speaks light. Because of this, we can come to God empty and weak knowing that He takes us and with His power makes something out of nothing. We dont have to bring strength, gifts or goodness to the table. He was able to take dust and breathe it into a human being. We are just dust without His living breath. So we are totally able to come to Him in weakness, knowing we are just dust, and ask Him to empower us and enable us to live the Kingdom Life.
That means none of us can ever say we are disqualified from serving God, or that we need to become better or holier before He can use us. He is the Creator and is the inventor of creating life, beauty and color "ex nihilo" – out of nothing!
Do you ever feel like you need to be better, holier, more ’sorted out’ before God can really use you? Is that really just legalism? Are we trying to engage in ’self improvement’, rather than asking for God’s divine empowering to take the dust of who we are are and make us into something with His power?
If you often feel disqualified, pressuring yourself to be better and up your spiritual performance, its time to hear God’s mercy speaking over you that He creates "ex nihilo" – He doesnt want our tick sheets and score cards. He just wants our surrender. Its HIS power and not ours that accomplishes the work of transformation in us! What a relief!
God is also the One who was there "in the beginning" (Genesis 1). He is the author of beginnings. If you are feeling in need of a new beginning in your life…a new day to dawn… a new season, He is the One who can bring that to be. After all, He began the original ‘beginning’ when time’s first second ticked. Don’t try and create that new day, that new season, that new beginning in your own power. Ask the God who began the Beginning, and did it "ex nihilo" to break in to your life and bring the breakthrough in your life and heart that you need!
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