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Ok everyone. I want to fill you all in on some news. A good friend of mine has a record coming out today. His name is Bart Millard, he sings in a band called MercyMe, and the record is called “Hymned Again”. I usually try to keep this site “advertisement-free”, but I wanted to openly support this album.

Bart and I have a bit of a history with each other. A few years back Bart had started a record label with a guy named Pete Kipley (who is now my producer and very good friend) and they said they wanted to be a part of what I was doing. I asked them to tell me more and they flew out to San Diego and spent a whole weekend with me telling me about their vision and asking about mine. A month later I was signed with them and working on my first record. Soon after that I was on my first tour with MercyMe, which was huge for the beginning of my “career”. So, needless to say, I owe Bart a huge debt of thanks for believing in me and giving me a chance to share my songs with people.

That was four years ago, since then things have shifted and labels have changed, but Bart is still a good friend. Today we were talking and he told me that his record was coming out, so I told him I’d let all you know about it! So there. You know about it. The record itself is a completely different sound than the band that Bart comes from. While MercyMe is one of the best at bringing massive worship anthems to the church, Bart Millard’s, “Hymned Again” is a collection of 12 old school hymns set to a musical background that at times makes me feel like I’m walking through the French Quarter of New Orleans about 60 years ago. I personally loved the track, “Jesus Cares For Me”. The guitars are so beautiful I wanted to cry.

For those used to the brit rock worship we have all become so accustomed to hearing this record is different, refreshingly so, and I would encourage you to get your hands on one.
-phil

In the beautiful state of Washington there is a town called Snohomish. In the town of Snohomish lies a great, grassy field. Upon the field there sits an air-conditioned trailer stocked with necessary amenities such as Gatorade and a veggie platter. Inside the trailer you will find a half-asleep, fuzzy-headed guy wearing an old, white v-neck shirt. Yep, that’s me.

This morning I woke up in Oceanside, California and hopped on a flight bound for Seattle. During the flight, I finished the last half of a book called, “The City of Ember”. A while back I saw a preview of a movie called by the same name. The small bits of the plot I gathered must have stuck with me because months after I had seen the preview I came across the book in a well known book selling establishment, and in my desperation for free in-flight entertainment I snatched the book off the shelf. With only a few hundred pages and rather large font it is an easier read, but I’ve never been one to be intimidated by a book meant for minds a bit younger than my own so I read on. The plot is fairly simple, There is a city called Ember whose only light comes from massive floodlights raised high over the heads of the several hundred inhabitants of the town. There is no sun, nor moon, nor stars. The sky is blackness. All around the city there is blackness. The town holds no trees, or grass, or hills. There is just the city itself with its buildings and storehouses and pale people living their pale lives. And there are problems in the city. It is old. It is breaking. It is dying, and the generator that makes life possible in Ember is on its last leg. Soon there will be no light left to live by. But in the midst of the gloom there is hope. Those who built the city hundreds of years earlier have left instructions explaining how to get out. They had been lost until now…

Without going into too much detail (I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it for you). This book, whether the author meant to or not, was quite the spiritual allegory. Now, I am the last person to try to discover some obscure hidden meaning within a book. I tend to love the story for the story itself. But this books message seemed to out front to ignore. A world shrouded in darkness, the end inevitable, a solution so clear yet so ignored, and all it took were a few people with conviction to believe and to hope. A little cheesy? Maybe. A little familiar? Yes, at least I think so. If you got a few extra hours on your hands read it and let me know what you think about it. In fact, what are you guys reading? Anything interesting? Fun? Exciting? Moving? Let us discuss!!!!

So like I said before, I’m in Washington. I’m playing a summer festival here. I think I go on about 10:00 PM which is about three hours from now. Wish you all could be here!
See ya
-p