Ho-Hum Day

Yesterday, I was having a very ho-hum day. I didn't want to do anything. However, I was bored. Do you ever have those times? You don't feel like doing anything, but you don't feel like doing nothing. It's weird.

I felt that way up until we went to our new small group at church. It's a group designed for artists. We had very stimulating conversations.

Then, we met up with our friends at the Cocoa Tree. I perked up to the point that I was hyper. They were having a special on truffles...a dozen for $6. Needless to say, I ate a lot of chocolate! That just might have contributed to my hyperness.

We went over to Kim's and hung out for a little while. At about 11:30pm, I began to come down off of my sugar high, so we came home. I crashed in the bed. Last night ended up being the perfect cure for my ho-hum day.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

As a birthday present to both of us, we went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert last night. Gnarles Barkley opened and I was excited about that because I really like his song "Crazy." However, the sound was so bad during his set that you couldn't even tell what song he was singing. It was extremely loud and distorted. I thought that if the RHCP sounded that bad, we were going to get our money back.

After a 40 minute set change, the Chili Peppers entered the stage. They sounded crystal clear and really good. What excellant musicians they are! Plus, they are in their mid-forties and still rocked like excited teenagers. I cannot even describe the lights they had. It was amazing!

When I go to a concert, I like to be comfortable. I especially hate it when everyone stands for the entire show. Not only must I stand all night, but being 5'2" I cannot see. That's why our seats last night were perfect! We were rather far up in the arena, but we were on the first row of our level. We could sit and see perfectly fine. It was great!!! I just danced around in my seat!

A Sabbatical

We have had a lengthy amount of time off. It's been really good for us. This is Brock's tenth year doing this and we thought about him taking a sabbatical this coming fall. However, I don't think that Brock would do very well with a typical sabbatical. Our first little bit of time off over Thanksgiving, Brock couldn't sleep very well, and he was bored.

This is why racing has been the perfect cure for him. It's distracted him enough to actually not focus on work for the longest time since he's begun this ministry. I think that his mind needed the rest. Plus, we naturally had time off. We didn't force a sabbatical. It just happened. It's as if the Lord planned a Brock-style sabbatical Himself.

Our "sabbatical" is coming to a close though. We have one show this weekend and one the next. Pray that we really take advantage of the rest of this week off yet not have any trouble getting back into the swing of things at our shows.

Singin in the Rain

Yesterday, I had lunch with my good friend, Tiffany. We grew up together in Daytona Beach, FL. Now, she lives in Murfreesburo only 30 minutes away from me! We get together every week that I'm home.

We were going to eat at Bonefish Grill and parked right up front. We then discovered that it didn't open until 4pm. Therefore, we walked across the parking lot to another restaurant.

When we came out later, it was pouring down rain. She didn't have an umbrella and you know I didn't. I told her that we had to make a run for it. I took off and then I heard her say, "Sing with me." She was strolling across the parking lot singin "Singin in the Rain." I slowed down and joined her.

I actually heard on MythBusters that if you run in the rain, you actually get more wet because more drops hit you. Anyway, it's just water! Next time it rains, don't run or huddle under your umbrella. Embrace the rain and sing..."I'm singin in the rain...just singin in the rain...what a glorious feeling..."

A New Journal

Yesterday morning I had a thought to journal about some of the things the Lord is doing in my life. However, I had almost run out of pages in my journal. I began thinking about buying a new journal. Since money is tight this month, I decided to wait until next month, so the journalling would have to be put on pause.

I walked into my friends' church later on that morning and there in the entryway were stacks of brand new journals. My friend, Emily, leaned over and whispered that they were for visitors. "I'm a visitor!" I said a little too loudly since church had already begun. I got my new journal and it was even my favorite color, green!

This tells me a couple of things. First of all, the Lord is so sweet. This is not the first time He's given me a little gift that I asked for on that very day.

Another thing is that He's telling me that He wants me to journal. I used to journal all the time, but since I've been blogging, the journalling became less and less. I think that the Lord still wants me to write letters and prayers to Him...personal stuff between us.

I'm going to commit to journalling everyday! I will write my dreams, thoughts, prayers, praises, and everything.

Finding Your Spiritual Gift

We talked about spiritual gifts last night. If you are a follower of Christ, you have a spiritual gift. However, every gift needs to be developed. Once you find out what it is, it's really incredible. It is just what we call it...a gift. Ask the Lord to reveal what your spiritual gift is and start developing it if you haven't already.

Girl Weekend Vs. Guy Weekend

Brock is with our friend, Robby, this weekend while I'm staying at Shannon and Kim's house. Listen to how different the girls are from the guys: we girls are wearing pajamas all weekend watching movies and vegging out while the guys are wearing jerseys and racing their dirtbikes! That's funny!

Brock and I usually enjoy doing the same things. However, in these areas we differ. Brock is not much of a movie watcher...he's very selective. I would never race a dirtbike even though I do own one. What would you do for girl/guy weekend?

Umbrellas

My mom was always trying to get me to remember my umbrella when it rained. Now, I not only forget to bring my umbrella, I forget to buy one. On Sunday morning it was pouring down. I observed all of the people entering the church buried under their umbrellas. Then, I realized that we don't own one. I asked Brock if he was okay with not having an umbrella. He said yes. I said, "Good because I sorta don't believe in umbrellas. It's just a little water."

Our church is used to seeing us a little wet. We came to the "new members" meeting drenched. We rode over on our motorcycle when it began to rain. We put on our rain prevention gear. However, later we found out that we had accidently purchased windbreakers instead of the rain gear. That explains why it NEVER worked!

When you are riding a motorcycle is a time when you don't want to get wet. It hurts! I guess you would want to use an umbrella on your wedding day or prom night so as not to mess up your hair. Other than that though, I just don't think it's necessary.

Surprise!!!

Our friends were telling us all week that they had a birthday surprise for us last night. They would not even give us a clue as to what it was. All we knew was to keep Wednesday night open. Then, yesterday evening, one of them called and said that the plans fell thru. I didn't know if she was trying to trick us or what. However, she and another friend proceeded to go out to eat with us and then to the Cocoa Tree like we normally do on Wednesdays.

After we finished our chocolate, they said to drive to downtown Nashville. We picked up another friend and drove to a cool coffee shop downtown. Then, they took us to a lounge. We finally found out that they were taking us to a Family Force 5 concert! I was so excited! I've never seen them in concert, but I love their cd.

The venue was perfect! It was very small, so we were close to the stage. Plus, we were sitting on stools around a little table that was on a ledge on the side. I'm only 5'2", so the extra few feet of the ledge allowed me to see.

I knew and loved and danced to every song. It was amazing! Their road manager gets onstage and dances really funny the whole time. I told Shannon to take notes because she was going to get onstage and dance like that at our next show! Our friends are great!!!

Giggling While Being Pulled Over by the Police

Saturday, while we were on the way to see Brock race, I got pulled over. I knew exactly why. Our bumper is still all bent up. We haven't got it fixed yet which was no problem until we went to get our license plate tags renewed. Last year, they distributed new license plates. Our bumper is in such bad shape that we cannot put the plate on. So, I had the new tag sitting on the floorboard of the front seat.

A little tidbit of information about me: I have a nervous laugh whenever I get pulled over. Sometimes, it's all I can do to not laugh in the officer's face. As soon as he came up to the truck full of girls, I said, "Hi!" He got right down to business. "Your tags expired September of 2006," he said. I said in the sweetest most innocent voice I could muster, "I know. My bumper is so bent up that I couldn't get it on." Then, I handed him the new plate.

He walked around the back of the truck and I followed him. I got so tickled at the sight of him just standing there trying to figure out what to do as he held my tag in his hands. I could barely contain myself. He didn't give me a ticket. In fact, the guy who started out very adement about my tags softened to the point that he was showing me how I could fix my bumper good enough to put the plate on.

I've discovered that my laughing is usually very beneficial when I get pulled over. When you girls and ladies get pulled over, act a little dingy and giggly. That way they think of you as the women and girls that they are trying to protect. Guys, you are on your own! In the meantime, I'm planning on getting our bumper fixed this week.

"The National Anthem" for Brock's Birthday

We were eating lunch with a group of friends Sunday and our waiter came up to Brock and said, "Come with me." Brock didn't hesitate or question at all. He just stood up and walked with the waiter who went to the center of the room. We were in a smaller room in the back of the restaurant and it was packed. Our waiter said very boomingly, "Attention everyone! I want you to meet Brock." At this point, Brock began shaking hands with people from the other tables and saying that he was glad to meet them!

Then, the waiter said that in honor of Brock's birthday, our group wanted him to be embarrassed. So, instead of singing "Happy Birthday" to him, we wanted him to do his dance. Brock said that he needed someone to sing. Another table pointed out a girl that they said could sing. Brock told her to sing "The National Anthem." She very sweetly asked everyone to sing with her. Then, she said, "The National Anthem, really?"

It was one of the funniest things as everyone in the whole room began singing "The National Anthem." Some people had their hands over their hearts and were singing loud and proud. Brock did his silly dance with some karate kid/flag flying additions. You will have to see it. We're putting it up on his myspace sometime today.

People from other parts of the restaurant came and stuck their heads in to see what was going on. People who were in the room came up to Brock commenting on how bizzarre that was. One guy was convinced that Brock had bet us that he couldn't get everyone to sing "The National Anthem" and won! As we left the restaurant, Brock was famous in there. You know that everyone in that restaurant will be talking forever about the day that guy succeeded in getting everyone to sing "The National Anthem" as he danced! I don't think that you can ever embarrass Brock.

Brock's Birthday

We had such a good time on Brock's birthday. Me and a carload of people went to Memphis to watch Brock race. We met Brock and our friend who is involved with the Arenacross, Robby, at a restaurant early yesterday evening. Then, we hurried over to the arena.

Two of the girls with me went to help sell arenacross merchandise while me and another girl made posters to hold up for Brock. Our other friend with us sang the National Anthem to start off the night. She did so well and we yelled really loudly for her. In fact, she did so well and looked so cute that she received a few marriage proposals before the night was over. Then, the girls selling merch came over just in time to watch Brock race.

Brock raced against 12 other people. That's a lot racing at one time! A couple of the guys used to be pros. Brock still did very well and took home a 4th place trophy. That's not bad out of 13 especially since he was going up against people that had been racing for years. We yelled so loudly for him and held up our cheesy signs. It was great!

Later that night, I drew Brock into a side room where the girls had set up a decorative area with truffles from the Cocoa Tree topped with burning candles. They threw confetti on him as he entered. There he opened his gifts and ate his truffles. This is definately going to be a memorable birthday for him!

Marcus' Fake Birthday

First of all, Marcus was very convincing. He kept telling me the same exact date. I would ask him when his birthday was and he was say the same date everytime. I didn't get him a present, but I did get him a card. I prided myself on not being gullible like a lot of other girls, so this really made me mad.

What I did for revenge is passive-agressive and very uncharacteristic of me, but I learned it from my roomate, Gin. I went into his house (he was Brock's roomate) and hid one of his shoes that were sitting beside his bed. Then, I hid his glasses (in a safe place so that they wouldn't get broken).

The next day, I was talking to one of Brock's other roomates, Brian. Brian said that Marcus was late for class because he couldn't find his shoe. He said, "You would think that I would take off both pairs of shoes in the same place, but there is just ONE shoe!" That night, he was late to our Bible Study, Time Out, because he couldn't find his glasses. He finally gave up and came anyway. I told him where I hid the shoe and glasses and he never did anything like that to me again! Actually, the whole thing was really funny.

Birthdays

Brock's birthday is tomorrow. He is going to race his bike in Memphis for his birthday. He is feeling a lot better but still has a headache. Keep praying that it will go away completely. This is a story that he wrote today about birthdays:

ya know, birthdays only roll around about once a year for most people. but for some lucky people they come around every few months. i have a birthday coming up this year. it seems to be about the same time as last year. anyway, here is a funny story.
my friend marcus, who was also my roomate in college, is a very clever guy. we would always have fun when we lived together. we would make prank calls and play practical jokes on people all the time. well, one day he convinced a girl that his birthday was coming up. this girl was a very sweet gal and she believed him. i sat back and watched as marcus made up this whole story about his fast approaching birthday. well the nice, pretty girl found out later that it wasnt his birthday. i think that the fine looking girl had actually bought him a present. well that cute girl was named auny and i decided to marry her. read tomorrow about what she did when she found out about the scam. the birthday scam not the marriage.

Pray for Brock

Brock has had a massive headache for 4 days now. We thought that maybe it was his sinuses because the arena this weekend where he raced his dirtbike did not have good circulation. Plus, it was small with lots of dirt and exhaust in the air. Brock rode in it for two days. However, yesterday, we tried everything we could to clear up his sinuses and nothing even touched it. The only thing that came of it was that our house now smells like eucalyptus.

Today, we are going to try the chiropractor. We think that he might have something a little out of place in his neck or something that is causing pain in his head. Pray that he feels better today. His birthday is Saturday and he really wants to race his dirtbike for his birthday.

A Funny Story

The other night, a friend of a friend came up to me and said, "I have a funny story about you." This intrigued me because I don't know the guy very well. He said that over the Christmas holiday, he went into a specialty toy shop in downtown Franklin. He looked around and happen to see me standing there, so he went over to say hi. Just as he approached the girl, she turned around. That's when he realized that it was not me. It was, indeed, Sheryl Crow.

Can you believe that? For once, she got mistaken for me instead of the other way around. Maybe she gets mistaken for me a lot. We now live in the same town, so maybe she is wondering who this Auny girl is that everyone keeps thinking is her. I'm just kidding...I'm sure she's not, but it at least happened once!

New Year's Resolution

When I was about 14 years old, I would make a whole page full of New Year's Resolutions. I was naive enough to think that I would be able to keep them all. I had all of the excercises listed that I was going to do EVERYDAY. Yeah, that did not last.

This year, I decided that for my New Year's Resolution, I would focus on praying for 12 people. That way the pressure is off of me! Ha! It's funny that all of the people that I felt that I should pray for are actually strong believers. I guess after finding out that yet another minister that I know has fallen out of ministry due to adultery, I realized that none of us are above it. Satan seems to leave the mediocre Christians alone. However, the ones that are doing a lot of good for the kingdom, he comes after with full force in one way or another.

Do you have any new Resolutions? Does anyone ever keep their New Year's Resolution?

Happy New Year!

This year was the first year in seven years (except Y2K of course) that we haven't had a show on New Year's Eve. We were supposed to have one, but it cancelled. We had such a good time. We went over to our friend, Kim's house. She had all kinds of treats out and set up. Candles were lit everywhere and dance music was playing in the living room. About ten of us just hung out.

Our friends who were just engaged over the Christmas holiday came over and told their story. She showed us her georgious ring for the first time. It was exciting!

We played that game where you tell two true factoids about yourself and one false one. Everyone had to pick out the false one. It was fun! My three things were: 1. I ran crosscountry track in high school; 2. I was on the drama team in high school; and 3. I won a beauty contest in high school. Brock's were something like: 1. He talked about how rude one of the anchorwomen were in the greenroom of a local Fox news studio and then realized his mic was on; 2. A lady literally died laughing at one of his shows; or 3. He road his dirtbike up the excalator and into the lobby of the Crowne Plaza on Time Square. Which ones do you think are false about each of us? I'll comment later to let you know the answer.

On the Road

We left my parents' house Wednesday night and headed toward Mississippi. We pulled over on the side of the road and slept in our RV truck. Then, we pulled into the arena Thursday morning and hit the ground running. We were there all day setting up and doing multiple shows.

Yesterday, we were performing all day until dinner time. Then, we went across town to the arenacross. We will be on the road until New Year's Eve night. Hopefully, I'll have internet access by then. It's difficult to find it on the road!

Roach

We are performing at a youth conference in Clinton (near Jackson), MS today and tomorrow. As we began to do an illusion that we affectionately call "The Shower Curtain," a guy named "Roach" came running up onstage holding a broken slinky. He wanted Brock to fix his slinky. I have no idea where he came from. All of a sudden, he was just there.

In all of my years doing this, this has never happened. We've had people uninvited come up onstage before, but usually during a volunteer trick. In other words, Brock was calling up some people onstage and somebody just decided to come up even though Brock didn't select them. However, we've never had somebody just bolt up onstage during one of our illusions.

I didn't know what to do. How could we politely get rid of this guy? However, Brock didn't miss a beat. He had Roach help me lock Brock up and then turn the prop around. Then, Roach stood on the stage as we finished the illusion. Brock is such a quick thinker. It ended up being funny and so smooth that our road manager, Shannon, thought that we had planned it!

Gifts

We opened more gifts last night and I got my very own ipod! I've never had one of my own. Now, I can put in my headphones and listen to music while we're driving and as I'm reading. I love listening to instrumental music as I read. It makes stories so much more exciting. I especially enjoy listening to movie soundtracks and such as I read the Bible. It helps create more emotion and passion.

I also got a new backpack a.k.a. a fun bag. Brock picked it out as a gift from my in-laws. However, he forgot to bring it with him. Now, I get to look forward to actually getting another gift when I get home! What were some of your favorite gifts?

Christmas Continues

I'm weird about celebrating on the specified day. I am the one who always wants the Christmas decorations down the day after Christmas and the Christmas music is over until next year. Therefore, I expected to not really feel like it's Christmas today even though my family is celebrating it tonight and tomorrow. However, I'm surprising myself! I just thought that maybe we should save one gift until tomorrow to open on Christmas day!

I don't think that we really know the exact day that Jesus was born. So, Christmas can be whenever we decide to celebrate it! We had two Christmases this year and it's still going on.

Not a Physical Gift

This may seem a little cheesy to you, but I always try to give the Lord a gift at Christmas. I don't give him anything physical, because, obviously, He is not in the physical. I usually give him time. For example, one year, I gave Him the time when I'm putting my make-up on. Therefore, everytime I'm putting make-up on, I'm talking with Him.

I've been giving Him daily time for so many years now that it's all used up. So, I had to get creative this year. I decided to give Him my finances. I take care of our personal finances while Brock looks over the ministry finances. Sometimes, I get stressed out with our finances...not this year! I'm going to finally surrender them over to the Lord. He's been asking me to do that for a while now.

Merry Christmas!!!

We don't have as many Christmas traditions like we used to when we were children. However, we always read the story of Jesus' birth before we open presents. Usually, dad reads it aloud. What are some Christmas traditions that you have?

Visting Friends

We got to visit some friends. It was fun! Yesterday, we had lunch in Birmingham with our friends, David and Jen Nasser. Then, we drove 6 hours and had dinner in Ruston, LA with Brian and Stephanie. We stayed in Ruston last night. This morning, we visited with Michawn and Joel in Ruston before we left. Then, we drove another hour and had lunch in Sheveport, LA with Chad and Rebecca. We just made it to our final destination of DeRidder, LA where we will spend Christmas. Yeh!

The Gift of Giving

Last week, Brock came to me and told me that he wanted to help out a family that I know. At first, I felt a little funny about giving to this family. They are not homeless or anything and he has a job. I didn't want them to feel like anyone was looking down on them. On the contrary, they are to be admired. Their focus in life is not making money. They truly are kingdom minded. They care more about the Lord and their family. However, this year, they've had car troubles and she's had some medical problems. Therefore, they are a little stretched financially to say the least. Brock was so persistant about it that I knew it was the Lord. I didn't write about it on my blog because she reads it every now and then. Those of you that read Brock's blog know about it.

Monday, when I took the gift basket full of gifts and money that we raised with the help of many others, she was overjoyed. I knew that Brock heard God because she said the timing was perfect. She just found out about some more medical bills that were about to accrue. In fact, she and her husband were not going to give any gifts to each other at all this Christmas. The Lord takes care of His own. What a privelege and an honor when He asks you to help.

I learned a lot through this. Brock really is gifted at knowing how and when to give. Therefore, I need to learn from him as well as trust him in this area. Also, something that I'm learning from the girl in which I gave the gift basket...when the Lord tells you to do something, you do it even if it's a little crazy. That's how He works a lot of times!

It Feels Like Christmas!

Today is the day that I turned my thoughts toward Christmas. The previous days I've been focused on other things even on the days that I was hosting Christmas parties. I guess we finally got all of our work done. We had our final meetings yesterday and got all of our gifts. Today, we only have to pack, finish wrapping gifts, and go meet everyone at the Cocoa Tree tonight. That's not a bad day.

Tomorrow, we head to Louisiana to spend the weekend with Brock's family. On Christmas day, we'll go to my family's house which is only a 2 and 1/2 hour drive from Brock's family. We're performing in Mississippi on the 28th-29th. Then, we come home to do another show on New Year's Eve in Nashville. What are your plans for Christmas?

Finishing a Book

I woke up at 4 something this morning and I have been reading most of the morning. I'm almost done with my book. That's an accomplishment because it's around 900 pages! It's the sequel to Gone With the Wind and it's great! I only have one last chapter. However, it's going to be a good one, so I'm waiting until later to read it. I'm so tempted to whip it out right now and finish it, but we have some meetings this morning, so I wouldn't have any time to reflect on the ending. I'm waiting until I get to the comfort of my home this afternoon to finish.

It's a perfect day for reading. It's rainy and cool. The first thing I'm going to do when I get home is snuggle up under a blanket and finish this book. It's such a bittersweet thing when I finish a book. I'm going to miss Scarlett and her qwerky ways. I'm also going to miss the time in which she lived. I know, I know! I get to engrossed in the novels that I read.

No More Cooking!

Last week, I decided to cook a big Christmas meal twice for our office party and friend party. Most of the time, my mom or Brock's mom cooks the meal, so I thought it would be nice to do it myself. I enjoy cooking and don't get to do it too often. It's way more difficult than I expected. I was in the kitchen all day Thursday and Friday. What I realized is that I enjoy baking. My mom said that I should have had everyone bring a side dish or something. That's a lady who has had experience because that's exactly what I should have done.

Oh well! It was fun and I did it! Now, I just don't want to even enter the kitchen for a week! You moms that cook every year...you have my admiration.

Friends and Sugar Overload

We saw so many people yesterday. In the morning, we still had 5 friends here from the slumber party we had Friday night. We all watched VH1's Best Year Ever and ate leftovers. Then, the band Inhabited stopped by on their way out of town. We went to a party at some people's house in downtown Franklin. Our friend, Ken, borrowed our truck to move something, so we saw him. We saw lots of people at the party. Then, we walked down to Starbuck's with our friends, Randy and Chris. We stopped at Mark's house on the way there. At Starbuck's, we saw people we knew as well. It was fun!

However, I need to start eating better! Three days of parties in a row! Then, last night, we already had tons of food at this party. When we got to Starbuck's, the workers that we knew gave us some free dessert! I'm having sugar overload. Anybody experiencing the pre-Christmas sugar overload as well?

Dirty Santa Gift Exchange

Last night, we played dirty santa. We all brought a wrapped $10 gift. Then, we drew numbers and went in order of the number we drew. If you wanted something that was already opened, you could switch with that person before you opened your gift. I bought a U2 album for my gift having one of our people, Gresham, in mind. He ended up with it! Gresham and his wife bought two t-shirts as gifts with two people in mind. They both ended up opening those gifts. One of the guys was Lewis. He's a really funny guy that we tease is a gnome. He got a t-shirt with a gnome on it. Brock got the t-shirt with a picture of a dirtbike and the words "ridin dirty" on it in lue of his recent moto race win.

In fact, I was so excited that Brock won his first dirtbike race that I put Christmas lights all over his trophy. Instead of placing our gifts under the tree, we put them at the base of the trophy!

Party, Party!

I'm getting ready for two parties today. Tonight, we are having an office party at our house. Tomorrow night, we're having a Christmas party with our friends. None of our friends have family in town. We are all just sorta here on our own, so in a way, we've become family to each other while we're here. Therefore, we're celebrating our Christmas together tomorrow night.

We're going to have a traditional, Brock-and-Auny-style, Christmas dinner at both. Brock's making the turkey in a cajun microwave which is a wooden box in which you place the meat with a steel top where you build a fire. It allows it to cook slowly. Brock will probably put the turkey on in a little while in order for it to be ready by 7pm tonight. I'm making Brock's mom's dressing recipe and my mom's corn pudding recipe. We'll also have potatoes and beans, Mrs. Nancy's cookies (Daytona people know what I'm talking about) and my sister's chocolate cake. It's going to be soooo good!

WORD Showcase

Last night, we went to a showcase for WORD Records. A showcase is when labels "showcase" their artists. Group 1 Crew was on the bill last night and they did fabulous! The only problem was that my favorite song they do would not play on the ipod. It was the only song that would not play. That's strange! However, they just did a different song and went on like pros. It was great!

This morning, WORD is having a worship service with the same people and our friend and very anointed worship leader is performing, Michael Farrin with Pocket Full of Rocks (if you don't have their cd, you need it! www.pocketfullofrocks.com). Also, Brock is going to say a little something about Group 1 Crew and the Freedom Experience. It will be fun!

Modern Day Prophets

Music is so influential. Yesterday, I was running errands all day. That's what I felt like I was doing...RUNNING. Then, I started playing some chill music and I began to relax. It's amazing how much it can make a difference in your mood.

That's why it's important for you to join me on this prayer campaign. I want to pray for our Christian musicians. There music and lyrics have such a major impact on the Church. They reach so many people with their words of encouragement. I believe that a lot of times, the Lord uses their words to communicate with His people. It's almost as if they are modern day prophets or messengers.

However, they are human and they need our prayers. Sometimes it's tough to keep the success of your career and the success of God's kingdom in perspective. Pray that they keep in mind that their purpose is to make His name famous. It can get difficult to keep that at the top of your agenda. Pray for those artists that want to proclaim the Lord from the rooftops, but they are struggling to be heard right now. Pray that they will hang in there. Pray for their finances and opportunities. Pray for the people that are working at the labels and radio stations. Pray that they have the wisdom to know what is best to promote and how much responsibility they have in getting out these words and messages. Pray for the whole industry.

Slandering Other Christians

Yesterday, my pastor talked briefly about bloggers who slander other Christians on their blogs. He spoke of how wrong it is to slam a fellow believer even if you disagree with him. Nobody is ever going to agree 100% with everyone. We're individuals with individual experiences and ideas.

Apparently, some bloggers out there are saying some negative things about a famous pastor. Our pastor knows him and knows how badly it's affecting him. It seems that if someone is really famous and bigtime, we don't really see them as human, or maybe we want to put them down in order to feel better about our mediocre life. However, these people are real, living people.

I heard someone the other day talking badly about a Christian band that I know personally and really love. They talked about how difficult they were to work with at one show. Let me tell you something, when you travel on the road in tough situations and on little sleep, you cannot always be happy, easy-going people. If someone were to base my character on one show, it might not be good if they caught me at a bad time.

I need to be reminded of this, too. Nobody's perfect including me. The more I get to know more Christian "superstars," the more I'm reminded of the fact that people are people. I'm going to try to not talk badly about people especially family in Christ.

MASH

Have you ever played the game MASH as an adult? It's fun. I substitute guys that I'm going to marry for people that are going to be my neighbor. The next section is where I'm going to live. The last section is what car I'm going to drive or what goal I'm going to accomplish in my lifetime.

Next time you are in a boring meeting or in a dreamy state of mind, play MASH. Sometimes, you'll be surprised at what you are hoping for the outcome to be. It might teach you something about yourself and your dreams.

Not Bored

I was afraid that we would get so bored without being on the road. However, we've been really busy. Brock's been working everyday even without a computer.

Thursday, we had the office over for a meeting about FX. I cooked taco soup which was good because it was cold and snowing. It was a soup day!

Yesterday, we filmed for a TV show. (I don't know what channel it's on or when it airs...I'll let you know.) We did a cooking segment where Brock made his shrimp and potatoes. Then, we went to 6th Ave skatepark as well as the Cocoa Tree. It was a unique TV show.

Eleventyseven

Our friends from the band Eleventyseven are coming to town this weekend. They were so fun when they were on tour with us at FX. They'll probably stay at our house and go to the Cocoa Tree with us. Check them out myspace.com/eleventyseven or www.eleventysevenrock.com.

An Interview About Spiritual Warfare

Our manager told a writer for a magazine who was going to be interviewing Brock that he had lots of crazy stories about spiritual warfare. After the interview was completed last week, the interviewer discovered that the recording was ruined. Coincidence?

They redid the interview today. Hopefully it will take this time with no problems.

My Computer's Possessed

I don't ever want to call every single event in my life spiritual, but sometimes you just know. I can usually tell that the enemy is at work whenever the same thing goes wrong over and over. He really knows how to push your buttons!

A couple of weeks ago, I was actually tired of blogging. Can you believe that? I was running out of things to say. We were about to be off of the road for a month and road stuff is the most exciting stuff. Then, I got this idea to write about some of my studies in Daniel. This idea got my blood pumping! I was so involved in what to blog about Daniel that I would wake up in the mornings thinking about it.

About that time, our computer died. I happened to be at my parents' house, so I just used their computer and got a few blogs about Daniel ready for my mom to post for me. On Thursday of last week, I finally got to get online. I then saw that there were zero comments. I was so discouraged again thinking that maybe the Daniel study wasn't translating as well as I thought. However, later after a few people commented, I felt much better.

We finally got our computer fixed and then our internet at home was down. We got the internet working and then our computer shut off. In fact, it shut off while I was typing this. I'm using my friend's computer right now. This is so frustrating!!!

hey there, its brock

its me, brock. sorry i am posting for auny right now.. she is on an airplane right now coming back from florida. the computer has been broken but it is now fixed, so they say. we will see about that. anyway, i have the computer nack but the interenet is out at hour house. uuhhgg!!
we will try to have everything up and going tomorrow. sorry things have been so crazy with the blogs. we still love everyone who reads this everyday.

My Grandma's Birthday Party

I'm in Florida with my mom, dad, and sister visiting my grandma and aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. We had an 80th birthday party for my grandma. There were almost 60 people there! It was so much fun. I got to see extended family and eat a lot of food.

A few people told stories about my grandma. She's an amazing women. She raised 4 children on her own on a waitress's salary. A waitress back in the '50's didn't make very much. She walked to the bus stop everyday in her Maas Brother's uniform.

They didn't have much but love. She taught her children how to love each other and others. All of her children have never been divorced and have wonderful children and grandchildren of their own. I looked around the party and saw how many wonderful people were there and had been touched by grandma. What a great 80 years she's had so far!

Daniel 2:20-22

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the descerning. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him."

The Fiery Furnace

In Daniel 3, it tells the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down and worship an image of gold. For some unknown reason, Daniel wasn't present at the time.

Through Beth Moore's study on Daniel, I learned a couple of things in this chapter. One is that when the strong one in your group (like Daniel was in their group) is absent, the Lord may be calling you to step up. This is exactly what these men did. They stepped up to the challenge.

Another thing I learned is that when you face a fiery trial, one of 3 scenarios will happen:
1. We can be DELIVERED FROM the fire through which our faith is BUILT.
2. We can be DELIVERED THROUGH the fire through which our faith is REFINED.
3. We can be DELIVERED BY the fire into His arms through which our faith is PERFECTED.

These men knew that the Lord could save them, but even if He didn't, they still would trust Him (Daniel:17-18). When we face trials, do we have this much faith? The Lord is the One who chooses which scenario is the best for us. However, either way, He is with us.

Daniel: Proof

Daniel was so accurate in his prophecies that many claimed that he either was fictitious or he really lived after the time in which was recorded in the Bible. What I read in Brock's secular history book proves to me that Daniel was indeed living and active during the time of Cyrus the Great (who seems to be called Darius in the Bible).

However, scholars continue to try and poke holes in the Book of Daniel. One argument was that King Belshazzar, Babylon's ruler in Daniel 5, was never mentioned anywhere else in history. In the late nineteenth century, evidence came to light that accounted for not only Belshazzar's existance, but he was both the son and co-regent with Nabonidus. Nabonidus, who was king the the time, was absent 10 out of his 17 year reign. Therefore, Belshazzar excersized kingly authority while Nabonidus was out. Hence the reason Belshazzar offered Daniel the 3rd highest position in Babylon (Daniel 5:7). Belshazzar was the second highest.

There is a lot of years between the time of Daniel and the late 19th century. Why do you think the Lord decided to wait that long to prove the historicity of this portion of the Scriptures? We don't always know His ways, but one thing we can know for sure. He is Truth. He's the author of Truth. Any hole that man can poke in His Word is only because of our ignorance or because the evidence to that piece of the puzzle has not been found yet!

Daniel: Living in a Modern Day Babylon

Daniel was taken from his home and transplanted to Babylon when he was a teenager. You might feel sorry for him until you hear what Babylon was like. It was the land of opportunity and money. Not only was Daniel taken to Babylon, but he was brought into the king's court (Daniel 1).

They gave Daniel and all of the other king's men in training all of this extravegant food. However, Daniel and his friends asked not to eat the food from the king. Back in those times, to share a meal was to commit oneself to friendship. It was like a covenant. Daniel decided not to compromise. He didn't give into the ways of Babylon and their customs if it conflicted with the will of the one true God.

Babylon was a place that was rich. It had many gods and was very self seeking. The motto of Babylon was: "I am, and there is none besides me." (Isaiah 47:8, 10). Does this sound familiar? Self seeking, rich? It sounds a lot like America.

We have everything and more than we want. Studies show that life in America is getting better while we feel worse. Too many choices leads to unhappiness. Americans are miserable with self absorption.

We don't have to live this way...this false "happy" life. We don't have to give in to every indulgence that comes our way. We have a different King. Our King is the only One who knows the key to happiness. It's totally different than what we would think too.

I'm saying "we" because I'm trying to remind myself as well. I allow myself to get carried away by Babylon at times. Lets all try to live a life like Daniel. We need to be in the world but not of it. With the Lord's help, we can do it!

Daniel: A Story Not in the Bible

While Brock was reading a magic history book, he came across a story about Daniel. This story is apparently in history books but not in the Bible.

Cyrus the Great would send a daily offering of 6 vessels of wine, 40 sheep, and 12 measures of wheat to the temple of Bel. Everyday, the altar would be closed and locked up with the food inside and be gone the next day showing that the god ate everything.

However, Daniel suspected that the priests and their families were feasting on the "sacrifices" of the king. One day, Cyrus took Daniel to the sanctuary when the food and drink were placed before the altar. He watched as the temple doors were sealed shut.

The next day, Cyrus and Daniel went back to see that the food was indeed all gone. Cyrus was convinced that this proved the authenticity of Bel. Daniel knew differently because he had sprinkled a light coating of ashes on the floor the previous day. At this point, they could see footprints in the ashes that led to what appeared to be a solid wall. They found a secret passageway where the priests were taking the food out each night. Cyrus was so furious that he had the priests slain and the temple leveled.

Daniel was a cool guy. He also made such a difference in his community and really the world. This account was in a book about magic history! He made an impact on the mainstream world as well as the Jewish world. The thing is, he represented the Lord in the world very well. Are we being a good representation of the Lord? Are we making a difference?

Daniel: My Dream

I had such a vivid dream one night about six months ago. I dreamed that Brock came onstage to do a show drunk. He was a lousy drunk too. He was angry and he couldn't do his illusions correctly. (You must be very sharp mentally in order to pull off illusions.) The promoter of the event ended up pulling him off of the stage.

I woke up in a sweat with the story about Daniel and his friends in the Bible on my mind. I frantically looked up the story. Daniel and his buddies decided not to eat the food from the Babylonian king. Instead, they drank only water (no alcohol)and ate vegetables (Daniel 1). I later found in my studying that when he said vegetables, it also included fruits and grains.

This year, Brock has become a very healthy eater. He only drinks water and eats lots of fruits and veggies. We eat organic as much as possible. Our policy is that if it takes technology to get it on our plate, it's not very good for us. Therefore, we eat mostly meat, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It sounds much like Daniel.

I'm not trying to debate whether alcohol is wrong or right. It's just wrong for us. The Lord showed me in that dream what could destroy Brock's ministry. Has the Lord showed you anything specifically for you? We are all different and He knows our weaknesses as well as our strengths. He handles us differently at times according to our traits. He may not give you a vivid dream, but He has many ways of getting His point across to His children. He knows how to speak to you and just what you need to hear.

Daniel: Reasons Why I Decided to Study Him

I've been studying Daniel in the scriptures since August. Therefore, I really want to share a few things about him to you this week. First of all, the reason that I'm so intent on studying Daniel is because parallels between Brock and Daniel keep coming up in our lives.

For example, when Brock was beginning this ministry, he fasted for 21 days. He intended on fasting for 14 days, but then felt like he should go for 21. He had no idea why the Lord wanted that specific amount of time. He had heard of people fasting for 3, 10, or 40 days, but never 21. Toward the end of his fast, he went to a church service. During the message, the pastor spoke about Daniel and how he fasted 21 days (Daniel 10:2-3).

Several years ago, Brock had a vision. His vision was that he was in the lion's den (Daniel 6). Brock said that it was so real that he tucked his hands close to his body for fear that they would get bitten. He didn't know what the Lord was trying to tell him because at this point, life was going well. He didn't know if the Lord was trying to tell him that he might have to go through the lion's den.

You know that we all must go throught the Lion's Den at some point in life figuratively speaking. It may not be as big as life or death, or it could be. Are we like Daniel? Do we handle it with faith and dignity or do we kick and scream and talk about how much we don't deserve it?

New Tricks

Today, we will go to my parents' church. I went to this church for several years before we got married. When I come back here, I am reminded about how much things change. I'm glad with where my life is now. I'm very happy with Brock and our ministry. I was happy back then, too. I cannot complain...I've had a good life so far!

Tonight, we're going to perform some new illusions for this church. Pray that they go well. Also, pray that the message with the trick goes well.

Thanksgiving Day

We had a beautiful Thanksgiving Day yesterday! We fixed a wonderful meal. My mom, sister, and I made all of the side dishes as well as dessert. Brock, who is the meat specialist, baked a very flavorful turkey.

My sister made a wonderful chocolate cake. We started eating on it Wednesday, and it was so good that there were only 3 pieces left yesterday. So, we played blackjack 21 to see who won the pieces of cake. However, we later found that since Brock was dealing, he cheated without us knowing it. Mom said that she should have known not to trust Brock with cards!

After dessert, we rented those 4 seater bicycles. We borrowed two regular bicycles from the owners of the house we were staying in so that everyone could ride. We had such a blast as we rode along the ocean in the warm weather. It also helped us not feel so sluggish after such a big meal.

It was a great day! How was your Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Traditions

Since we moved from Florida in 1991, we haven't had much of a Thanksgiving tradition. All of my extended family such as grandma, cousins, aunts, and uncles live in Florida. Therefore, it became just my parents, sister, and me. So, we began going out of town for Thanksgiving. One year, we went to San Antonio and ate burgers for Thanksgiving.

That particular year, I had a professor in college who was very animated (Mr. Taylor for fellow ETBUers). He would talk to different people as he gave the roll call. He chose me to ask what I had for my Thanksgiving meal. When I responded with burgers, he nearly fell over. Throughout the entire class, he kept coming back to me and saying..."Really, burgers for Thanksgiving?"

This year, we will be in Galveston. My parents, sister, and brother-in-law come into town tonight. We are planning to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday in the beach house in which we are staying. It will be nice. What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Galveston

We are staying at one of my parents' friend's beach house in Galveston, TX. It's great to have this time to get away and relax. When we're on the road or at home, we work. I feel almost brain dead and emotionally dead after our hard fall schedule. It really takes a lot out of us.

The weather is great and Brock's parents came up last night to stay with us for a couple of days. We went shopping at some of the local surf shops. I found some stuff on sale. It's been great so far!

Houston

The show in Houston went really well. Lots of people gave their lives to Christ. I couldn't even count how many!

The hotel was connected to the convention center by a skywalk over the street. However, the hall in which we performed was at the other end. Plus, our room was at the opposite end of the skywalk. Therefore, I walked the entire length of the convention center as well as the huge hotel at least 4 times within 24 hours. I definately got my walking in. I even had blisters on my feet.

My parents came to the show to hang out with us. Yesterday, we went to the museum which was fun. We saw an exhibit on Benjamin Franklin. Did you know that he helped create the first hospital, fire department, university, and library? He invented tons of stuff.

I was whiped out last night though! I slept 10 hours! I feel great now.

Laundry

I did laundry all day long yesterday. I had to go out to the truck and get all of it. Then, I sorted it and washed the heaps of clothes. It was seven loads of clothes! That means that I invested at least 8 hours into it. Can you imagine literally a whole day of laundry? It had to be done though.

We fly to Houston today in order to perform at a conference there. Pray that it goes well. I just had a dream that we got stuck in traffic and took a long time at a restaurant and missed the whole thing!

Also, The Miracles of Jesus airs today at 1pm Central Time on Discovery Times. If you get this new network, watch it and spread the word to others to watch it.

Happy Fun Day

Yesterday, we had a happy fun day. We went to get our hair cut and highlighted. Our stylist is so great and she is trying out for a reality TV show about hair stylists. She's made it to the final round and all she must do now is send in a video. So, her boyfriend came in and was videoing us as she did our hair. Brock was giving her advice on how to make her video. It was fun!

Then, we met some people to eat at one of our favorite Mediterranean places. Of course, the Cocoa Tree followed. We had so much fun. The owners were there and after tasting one of Brock's creations (which is a hot brownie cookie topped with fondue chocolate and homemade whip cream), they named it Brock's Extreme Brownie Explosion!

After the Cocoa Tree closed, we went to a place to do kareoke. It was hilarious! Brock sang "She Bangs." I sang one of my favorite songs with a bunch of people "Love Shack." Then, the kareoke lady called up two of the guys in our group, the two new girls, Alisha and Shannon, and some guy named Bill that wasn't with our party at all. Once they got up there, the song that Brock had chosen for them was "The Wheels on the Bus!" What a happy fun day!

A Comment From FX

This is just one of the comments we've heard since FX. The Lord is doing big things in Prattville, AL!

I went to the Freedom Experience in Prattville, Alabama for 2 of the
days and I'd just like to say that it was the most fun/entertainment
we've seen around here in a while! Thanks for that! And not only was it
a blast but it came with a very important message too. You've inspired
so many around here, and I'm one of them. You opened my eyes to what is
greater in life, and turned me around, along with many others, I'm
sure. Even my family has noticed a difference in me. So, once
again...Thank you so much!!!

Go to http://sdenise519.blogspot.com/ to see another one.

The Tour is Over

This fall, we not only did Freedom Experience, but we performed in cities all over the country with the Hidden Agenda tour. It was difficult because this tour was just us. We would drive to a city, set up for 4 hours, perform for 2, and tear down for another 2. For half of that tour, we had no road manager, so it was extra tough. However, last night we performed our last show on that tour and it went great! We ended well for both FX and Hidden Agenda.

In celebration of being done with the big loading shows, I'm getting a massage today. Not only does my body take a beating loading in and out, it does during the show as well. I push the big props onstage and off. Then, getting in the illusions is hard on my body too. I'm so sore today that I might have to tell the massage therapist to go easy!

Kentucky Shows

We are in Kentucky doing a couple of shows. Last night, we performed with Chaos on Wheels. It went rather well except that the floor was sticky, so the bmx team had trouble. Many of them got hurt. I was up in the balcony watching and could see that after they got off of the ramps, their bikes just stopped but the guys kept going. Many times, they flipped over their bikes. It was rough for them.

For us it was difficult because the audience seemed fifty miles away because the bike ramps separated us from them. However, the camera guys did a great job, so many people watched the screens.

This morning, we woke up at 5:30am in order to go and perform on a local news show. It actually went really well. Usually, it's difficult to do live TV especially with an anchorman as your volunteer. You never know what they're going to say! The girl at the station today was really cute and fun.

Pray that the show goes well tonight. Pray that we will have supernatural strength. We are rather tired.

Both Rest and Play

Yesterday, I ended up doing both. I woke up rather early yesterday, but I went back to bed and had a leisure morning. Therefore, I got a lot of rest in the morning. I dug around the bottom of drawers and the closet in order to find enough clothes to wear this week, so I didn't have to do laudry.

Then, Brock and I had a late lunch at our favorite thai place. We ran some errands, killed time at a bookstore. Then, we went to a small record store where MuteMath played in the afternoon. They barely had room to move! There were about 50 people crammed around display tables. We were directly behind them, so all we heard were them and their monitors. It still sounded amazing! Even Michael W. Smith came to observe them perform. Then, we ate at one of our favorite mediterranian places and went to the Cocoa Tree.

It was a great day of rest and play. Now, I feel like I can make it through the next couple of days in Kentucky. Pray for the shows tonight and tomorrow night.

Rest or Play?

A lot of times, it takes a couple of days for the tiredness to catch up to me after a FX. I always get physically tired as well as spiritually and emotionally. We pour out so much at FX that it's completely draining.

This is my problem: it's Saturday and time to go play. Everyone wants to do stuff and have fun including me. However, I don't have the energy. Not only that, but we leave again tomorrow to do two shows in KY. I need to rest in order to even be able to make it through.

I'll let you know what I ended up doing...whether I did the mature thing and rested or listened to the little girl inside of me that wants to ignore all of the headaches and responsibilities and just play for one day.

Party!

Last night, we had an after tour party at our house. It was the only time everyone could get together, so it had to be on the day we drove home from Alabama. I thought that I wouldn't enjoy it very much because I was going to be too tired. We drove home, unloaded our stuff, and I jumped in the car and went to the grocery store to buy all of the food we were going to cook. Then, we both began cooking. Brock grilled steak and chicken. I cooked potatoes, baked beans, corn bread with Brock's special butter concoction on top, and tossed some salad. It was yummy!

I enjoyed myself immensely! The Group 1 Crew guys were dancing and being crazy. We ate, laughed, danced, watched Brock do magic, ate from our chocolate fountain, and just hung out. It was so fun!

A Changed Community

What an Freedom Experience! We finished with a bang! We had 547 first time decisions to follow Jesus. Think about the impact that is going to make in a small town like Prattville, AL. Last night, every time Brock said the name of "Jesus," the crowd clapped and screamed for joy. That wasn't the case on the first night. This community has definately changed.

My theme song for this year at FX is one of Group 1 Crew's songs called "Forgive Me." The chorus goes like this:
"Ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I won't be scared cause You're holding my breath. I only fear that I don't have enough time left to tell the world that there's no time left."

A Historical Moment at FX

Last night was such an awesome show and it was so packed that it felt like the last night. We stuffed people in chairs and in the aisles. After the bmx team performed, we sat people on the floor all around the ramps. People were everywhere! It was great because we saw another 243 people make first time decisions for Jesus. The Lord is doing amazing things in Alabama!

The punk band joined with the hip hop crew for a song again last night. It was incredible! The song that the hip hop group sings is already so moving that when you added the instruments toward the end of the song, it peaked your emotions!

Also, last night, Tim Byrne accomplished something on a skateboard that has never been done before. He did a triple kick flip BLINDFOLDED! It was amazing to watch. In fact, a lot of the other artists and athletes came out on the stage to watch him try it. He missed the first time. Then, he tried to gain his balance and it took him a while before he tried it the second time. On the second try, he nailed it! We saw history in the making last night!

A Good Problem to Have

We packed out the venue last night. We usually don't pack out the place until Wednesday night and never the first night. Now, we're trying to decide what to do about tonight and tomorrow night. It's a good problem to have, yet, still it's a problem.

Our prayers are working. We saw 205 people give their lives to Christ last night!

FX in Prattville, AL

We are beginning a Freedom Experience in Prattville, AL. We ask for people to pray for 4 things at FX:
Power of God; we cannot save people, only God can do that.
Protection of the artists and athletes as well as audience members.
Provision; there are always little needs that come up.
People that will attend.

Also, pray for the artists from Eleventyseven and Group 1 Crew, Brock, me, and Shannon, Chaos on Wheels, Tim Byrne, our office staff, and the volunteers. Thanks for your prayers. We need them!

Cold Show

The temperature in Johnson City, TN had dropped considerably over the night, and it was in the 30's yesterday. We performed in this small auditorium. There was no backstage room on the stage, so I had to unpack the illusions down in the loading area right beside the big garage door where we loaded in from. It was freezing. The whole auditorium was chilly, but down in the "garage" where I worked, it was literally freezing!

During the show, I bring out illusions and set up all of the props onstage. I also participate in many of the illusions in this show. While I'm not onstage, I'm tearing down the illusions that we've already performed. Therefore, I spent a lot of my time down in the freezing "garage" area.

Also, all of the illusions that I perform in are alluminum. Since these illusions had been in the freezing area, they were freezing too. I didn't realize how much cold could affect you. My hands wouldn't work correctly. I was slower on my movements and reaction times. Oh well! It was worth it! The show was good and people were saved!

If you would like to see Shannon's take on the road, go to her blog www.sdenise519.blogspot.com.

Crazy Times

We perform in East Tennessee this afternoon. Then, we'll drive home and arrive late tonight. Tomorrow, we drive to Prattville, AL to begin another FX. It's crazy busy! Pray for strength and endurance.

An Agenda

My favorite part of the show last night was when Brock spoke after the invitation to follow Christ. He said that if the audience was offended that he shared his beliefs with them, then don't watch TV, or a movie, or a concert, or get on the internet, or even go to the grocery store. Everywhere you go, people have an agenda. Brock says that he has an agenda, too...it's Jesus Christ. He's just not hiding it. He also says that he cannot help talk about the One who saved his life.

Then, he said that it's time for others who have a relationship with Jesus to have this agenda as well. It's time for people to stand up for what they believe. At this moment, Brock stood up from his stool and walked toward the front of the stage. The audience began to clap and then one by one, stand up. It was very moving. We were all making a stand for Jesus both physically and figuratively right there together!

Planes and Sleep

Yesterday, our plane left two hours late due to fog. This caused us to miss our connecting flight to Myrtle Beach. Therefore, we landed at 4:36 and our show began at 6pm. It was crazy, but we were able to get everything ready and began the show only 10 minutes late. The show was great! The church was an old movie theater. It was cool looking.

I must have been tired because I slept until 9:45 this morning. Those of you that know me know that this is rare for me. The hotel room was dark and the temperature just right. The bed was soft and everything was optimal for sleeping. It's a good thing because I need to rest up for this loaded week!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Last night was a blast. We ended up eating out together. There were ten of us. We had the back room of the restaurant to ourselves which was nice. Then, we went trick or treating/Christmas carolling around downtown Franklin. We got lots of candy and wierd looks. We ended up at one of our friend's house who was having a party. Brock did some magic tricks that were really fun! Of course, we ended the night at the Cocoa Tree where I enjoyed the best caramel apple in the whole world! It also had chocolate on it and was rolled in toffee. Yummy! So, we had tricks and treats! Sometime today, we should have our carolling experience video up on myspace.com/brockgill.

We fly this morning to Myrtle Beach. We do a show there tonight and tomorrow night. Then, we drive to Johnson City, TN Friday. We perform there on Saturday afternoon. After the show, we'll drive home, spend the night, then, leave the next day for Freedom Experience in Alabama. We'll be there Sunday thru Wednesday. It's going to be crazy! Pray that it all goes smoothly and that we'll have supernatural strength to get through it.

Halloween at Home

This is the first Halloween that we've had off in 8 years. We do have some meetings this morning, but tonight, we're going to hang out with our friends. We plan on going trick or treating, eating chocolate, and watching a scary movie.

We are bringing our chocolate fountain. I also made that poppy seed bread. I wonder how that would taste dipped in chocolate?

Guess what our costumes are going to be? We're all going to be Christmas carolers. So, amongst all of the trick or treaters, we'll be singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas..." It's going to be fun!

A "Me" Day

We left our big rig in South Carolina, flew to Montana, flew home late last night, and will fly to South Carolina Wednesday morning. It's nice to have two days at home even though I wish it were a little longer.

When we travel really hard, we are usually around people 24-7. Therefore, today, I'm spending the day alone. I'm going to have a "me" day. Brock is riding his motorcycle with some friends for most of the day.

These are my plans: (brace yourselves, guys, it's very girly) I'm going to bake some poppy seed muffins that my mother-in-law just gave me the recipe for. I'm reading the sequel to "Gone With the Wind," but I read the first book almost 14 years ago, so I'm watching the movie today. I'll probably read a lot, too. I'll get lost in the times of the late 1800's and let Scarlett do all of the exciting stuff today!

Here in Montana

Well, we're in Montana. We flew here from Eastern time zone. Therefore, we gained two hours. Today is daylight's savings time, so we gained another hour. Long story short, I woke up at 5am this morning!

Yesterday, we drove to Red Lodge, MT and some surrounding areas. It was really beautiful. We ate at this great steak place out in the middle of nowhere. We expected it to be cold here, but it was 70 degrees and sunny. However, it's supposed to snow tomorrow, so it's a good thing we're leaving today!

The people here remind me of Alaskans...up here in the middle of nowhere and very outdoorsy. Hunting is a big thing around here. We're in Billings which is the only city I know of in Montana. People were walking around downtown in camoflauge! I've got to tell you that it didn't work there. They were easy to spot!

Last night, we performed our show and it was great! The people are laid back but still get things done. The audience was fun. They even gave away a car at the show! It was a fun day.

The Prestige

Thursday, we only had a five hour drive to accomplish in a day. Since that is nothing to us, we stopped along the way to see the movie The Prestige. It is so good! They have a lot of historical facts about the art of magic. They mention Chung Ling Su who was a famous magician at the time. We perform a lot of the illusions that they talked about...the water escape, the bullet catch.

Brock and I kept looking at each other when they would mention something that we knew about. The movie had tons of twists and turns. It had a pledge, turn, and a prestige. You should see it!

Road Stories

One morning, Brock was still asleep in the back of our big rig, so he was not visible. I was getting diesel fuel and Shannon was filling up our water tanks. Kim was sitting in the front of the truck putting on her make-up. As I was coming back out of the truck stop, a guy stopped me and was asking me questions about our truck. Then he said, "What do they call you, Charlie's Angels?" It was so funny! From then on, Brock would say, "Good morning, Angels" or "Come on, Angels."

We went to Walmart to pick up some extra water hoses to use in order to fill up the water coffin. Shannon and Kim were carrying the hoses behind us as we exited. The not-so-nice lady at the door asked them for their receipt. She looked as if she would not let them get by with those hoses if they did not have one. Brock had the receipt, so Kim yelled his name. He turned around and said, "I don't know them." The look on their faces was priceless. They just knew that they were about to go to Walmart jail!

Decisions for Jesus Christ

There were so many decisions made for Christ at this FX. It was a great success. I thought I'd tell you some stories:

One lady had to leave early. However, her watch broke, so she ended up staying until the end and becoming a follower of Christ in the process!

God moved one of the guys in our band, Pablo, during the invitation one night. Pablo said that he could hear a high school guy screaming in his spirit. However, the guy did not move when it was time to talk to someone about becoming a Christian. Pablo walked up to the guy and asked him if he wanted to become a follower of Christ. The guy said yes, but he was a little nervous about it. His dad was in the gang called Blood and his mom is a crack phene. Pablo shared with him and led him to Christ.

Another girl became a Christian on the drive home from FX one night. She was a straight up atheist before. The Lord grabbed hold of her heart and would not let go until she became His.

FX in North Carolina

Last night was the smoothest night we've had of FX from security to production to artists and athletes. It was amazing! The people here in North Carolina are great to work with. They have their stuff together and they love to serve the Lord.

The artists and athletes that we are working with are simply unbeatable. They have so much talent and love the Lord. They are all servants and work together with everyone. It's incredible to be able to be a part of this team.

Prayer Service

We have a prayer service on Sunday nights of FX. This Sunday night, we met in a meeting room across the parking lot of the venue in which we were going to perform. During the prayer, I had a cool vision. There were angels surrounding us in the meeting room. Over in the venue, I saw demons congregating almost like they were having their own meeting. Whenever Brock prayed for the Lord to begin right now, the angels marched right over to the arena and began fighting the demons and beating them down! It was like something from a Frank Peretti book, but I saw it!

I looked around and observed all of the wonderful people in the room praying. People from all different denominations and ages with one heart. It made me realize that when we pray, there is POWER.

A Text Message from the Lord

The other night, Brock was feeling a little down (and he never feels down). It was around midnight and I was headed to the kitchen to warm up my bed buddy (that's the corn in a sock thing that helps warm up your feet). As it was heating, I prayed that the Lord would encourage Brock and speak to him in some way.

At that moment, I heard Brock's phone, which happened to be in the kitchen, make the noise indicating that he'd received a text message. Who would be sending him a message after midnight? I took the phone to Brock out of curiosity.

Within seconds of my prayer, Brock received a message from a friend whom Brock rarely hears from that simply said "Isaiah 54." The Lord spoke to Brock through His Word at the time Brock needed it. Wow! The Lord really cares for His own.

Just a Normal Day at the Post Office

The other day, I was in the post office waiting in line like everyone else. The last song I heard on the radio was going through my head. Then, I realized that I was humming out loud...very loud. The post office was rather quiet, so my humming was exceptionally audible. I didn't even know how long I'd been humming. I glanced around embarrassed.

Then, I thought that maybe the people in line thought that I was extra happy like on the Disney cartoons where everyone walks around singing and stuff. However, the song I was humming was a Metallica song. It's not exactly "Zippa-Dee-Do-Da!"

And It Continues

Guess what happened last night? We locked our keys in the car. It couldn't just end. Something had to happen every day of the precious few days we have at home.

Last night, it got to us. It seems to be the smaller things that get me...well, the smaller things after a bunch of other larger things. Of course, it had to be the night where I was anxious to get home because I have stuff to do in order to get ready to leave today. Also, it was raining. In fact, it rained all day yesterday. What a gloomy day!

Pray that it gets better. We leave today to go to North Carolina where we do a big show Saturday night. Then, we travel a couple of hours to do a Freedom Experience. After that, we drive to our next show in South Carolina and fly to Montana to do a show. It's going to be a big couple of weeks!

More Car Trouble

On the way home from the Cocoa Tree last night, we got a flat tire. When I heard the flat sound of the tire, I tried to pretend that it was the way the road sounded for the first few seconds. Then, Brock said we had a flat and I knew we did.

We pulled over on the side of the interstate and Brock changed it out for the spare. At least the weather was nice.

I used to get all stressed out and put out when things like this happen. They seem to happen to us a lot and they come in themes. The same type of thing goes wrong in a week. (I notice that lots goes wrong especially when we are busy doing shows. Wonder why that happens???) However, I've learned that there is no point in stressing out or worrying about it. It's just life! Maybe we get more of it than the average person and maybe not. Either way, the Lord always takes care of us, so I'm not worried about it.

Not a Bad Day

Yesterday would seem like a bad day if you just heard the facts. Our pick-up truck wouldn't start and Alisha wasn't home to help us jump it off. We live in the country, so we don't have a lot of neighbors or anything. Shannon was with us, but we were too tired the night before to pick up her car from town. Therefore, the three of us were stranded. Then, after we got the truck fixed, we were involved in a hit and run car accident!

The reason yesterday actually went fine was that just as we were beginning to try to figure out who could jump us off, the water guy came up our driveway. He samples the water in our area and uses our spicket to do it. Brock has befriended him, so he gladly jumped him off. Then, we took the big rig into the shop to get it worked on. While we were there, Brock asked where we could get a battery for a little truck. The guy happened to have one and Brock replaced the battery right then and there. It took him about ten minutes to fix the pick-up!

We were driving around town when all of a sudden, we were hit from behind. At first, we looked at each other nervously. Then, we both smiled and Brock shrugged his shoulders. We already have extensive damage to the back of our truck. We pulled over to the side along with the guy behind us who hit us. Come to find out, he'd been hit by a lady behind him who didn't pull over!

Tired, Sore, Satisfied

I am so tired right now. Since our show last night was in Jackson, TN which is only a couple of hours from home, we drove home after the load out. We didn't get in until 2 something. It's raining outside, perfect weather for sleeping, but somehow I couldn't sleep after 9:30, so here I am.

You know when you wake up and feel like you've been hit by a train? That was me 30 minutes ago. I'm starting to feel a little more alert though. The soreness is setting in. After we do a big show, we are always sore all over. When my head hit the pillow last night, every muscle ached. The job we do is very physical...loading in, setting up, the show itself, tearing down, and loading out.

However, there is a sense of satisfaction. When your muscles are sore, there is some sense of accomplishment. Also, the show went really well. Therefore, I'm tired, sore, and satisfied!

American Food?

This weekend, we've eaten mexican, vietnamese, japanese, and bahamian food. If I had to choose, I would never eat American food again. What is American food? Burgers and steaks? The only way I'll eat burgers or steaks is if Brock cooks them on the grill.

Shannon is fitting in just fine. She's adventurous when it comes to food. We like to try new stuff. If it's horrible, then we have a fun story to tell.

Live a little and try something new! I happen to love Turkish food if you have any turkish reastaurants around. Tell me some of the great food you have tried.

Show in Kansas

The show yesterday went really well. It was in an old theater. It had ornate curtains that lowered and raised instead of parted in the middle. It also had a balcony with seats all along the sides. It was really cool. The only problem was that it was on the second floor with no freight elevator. We didn't think that we were going to be able to get one of our big props up to the stage. However, the nice, tough boys in Kansas said, "We can do it."

It was sorta nice to be loaded out and finished by 6pm. We drove just an hour to get to Joplin, MO to our friends from Chaos on Wheels. Jen cooked dinner for us and it was great! She's a good cook.

A New Girl

We have a new girl traveling with us. Her name is Shannon. Since she is brand new and Kim from our office already had plans to come with us on this trip, we have both of them! That's great, because we need all of the help we can get. It's been fun, too.

Yesterday, we traveled all day. We ate at a haunted restaurant for lunch (read more about that at brockgill.com/blog). For dinner, we had vietnamese. We're already breaking Shannon in. Life on the road can be very adventurous.

We are in Kansas now, and of course, it's cold. It's always cold when we come to Kansas. We have a show here this afternoon. Then, we're going to visit with Jeremiah and Jen who lead Chaos on Wheels. Pray that the show goes well and that Shannon has an easy time finding her place with us.

A Hang-Out

I love having a hang-out. I've always watched "Friends" coveting Central Perk or Seinfeld's coffee shop. I wanted to have a place "where everybody knows you're name." I've been searching since I moved here for that place. A restaurant wouldn't work because you cannot move around and hang out for as long as you want. A coffee shop was a good idea. For a while, I tried the Starbucks in our area. However, it's one of the busiest ones in the nation. Therefore, it's crowded and loud.

Finally, I've found a hang-out...the Cocoa Tree. Since we've been going there every week and claiming the back room for ourselves, it's become our hang-out. The light blue and chocolate walls have a calming and warm effect. The chocolate is a dream! Most of the workers know us by name. People stop by and hang out. We meet new friends. What more could you ask for in a hang-out?

"Please Don't Freak Out on Me"

That's the name of our new show. We have been developing a new show over the last few months. We will not do it in its entirety until the beginning of next year, but I'm excited about it! We took a couple of old favorites and combined them with lots of new stuff.

This show is very practical. That makes it easier for everyone. We can do it almost anywhere. It involves the audience more than any of our shows ever have before. About 80% of the time, people from the audience will be onstage participating. Also, you can touch the escape and try on the handcuffs before the show begins if you want.

Basically, we've taken our best asset, which is Brock's personality, and used it to its full potential in a show. This show is where you will laugh and have FUN with Brock.

Daniel

I've been studying the book of Daniel. I read a book about it written by Paul Cho. I wanted to do the new study by Beth Moore. However, I cannot participate in the group study that they are doing at our church. I'm not here enough. So, I purchased a workbook on it and decided to do that study by myself. The first page said that if you don't watch the sessions on dvd, you will not understand the workbook.

I planned on taking the book back. However, that night, I saw one of my friends at the Cocoa Tree. She is in charge of the women's ministry at her church. They had the dvd's, but were doing a different study at the time. So, she let me borrow it. I've really enjoyed it and am learning a lot!

John Mayer/Sheryl Crow Concert

I went with a few girls to see John Mayer and Sheryl Crow last night. It was at an outdoor venue and we had lawn seats. However, we were prepared. We got there early enough where we avoided the traffic and got to stake our claim on some good seats. We spread out our blanket and hung out until the concert began. The weather was incredible! We also brought a lot of snacks so that we didn't have to eat nasty concessions. We had a great time being together.

Two of the girls were absolutely obsessed with John Mayer. I had a good time watching how excited they were to see him. He did a really good job. That boy can sing and play the guitar! I really like Sheryl Crow. She looked great and did a good job. During the middle of her set, to our surprise, she brought out Keith Urban. He sang a couple of songs with her. That would only happen in Nashville!

Fall is Here!

Yesterday, we drove through the country to get to the trails where we ride our dirtbikes. It was absolutely gorgeous! Leaves were turning colors and falling. Hay bales covered the fields. The sky was a beautiful blue. The air felt clean and crisp. Every now and then, I would stop while we were riding and take in the scene.

Last night, we parked at our friends' house that live in downtown Franklin. Then, we walked across the street to the Starbucks to visit our friend that was working there. After that, we walked to the Cocoa Tree. The air was cool and you could smell fires burning throughout town. It was wonderful!

A Weekend at Home

It's so good to be home! We're going to enjoy this weekend because it's the only one we will have at home until sometime in December. Brock and I are going riding our dirtbikes this afternoon. It's perfect weather to ride...sunny and cool. Tonight we are going to see our friend's baby, grab some dinner, and meet the gang at the Cocoa Tree. What a day!

Boiled Shrimp, Rosemary Shrimp, Shrimp and Potatoes...

We picked up some fresh shrimp while we were down by the coast yesterday. These shrimp had just been caught that day! We peeled off the heads and had a great Louisiana shrimp boil. We threw in some potatoes, corn on the cob, and lots of spice! It was yummy! Then, Brock made his famous shrimp dish with potatoes and rosemary, garlic, etc. for dinner. It was amazing!

Tomorrow, we will be on the road heading home. I plan on...actually, I have no plans. We are just going to enjoy being home.

Hurricane Rita: The Forgotten Storm

Yesterday, we drove around in southwest Louisiana where Hurricane Rita ripped through about a year ago. Even after a year, there was much devastation. Whole towns were wiped out! We went to Holly Beach and Cameron. Neighborhoods were simply gone. There were houses sitting in the middle of the swamp! Metal was twisted, gas stations stripped apart, and cars thrown into the marsh.

This storm got overlooked after Katrina. However, it was horrible and the effects still linger in southwest Louisiana. The water got to a level of 37 feet in Holly Beach. The eye of the storm split in two. This caused stronger winds for a longer period of time. All of coastal Louisiana is in a sad state right now even after a year.

Anxiety and Relief

It was Brock's turn onstage. I thought that he didn't go on for another hour or so! Nothing was set and ready yet. Plus, I looked out and nobody was at the sound board to run the music! I'm usually in charge of getting a set order ready and then making sure all of the tricks are set up and ready to go. Plus, I let our sound cue person know exactly what and when to play specific music. I had done none of this!

Brock strolls out onstage and looks at me like "What should I do?" Brock usually knows how to handle himself onstage really well when something goes wrong, but with no music or props, he was at a loss.

I ran back to the sound board and began to try to find some music...something to drown out the silence. Somehow, all of our music had been rearranged and I had no idea where anything was! Everyone was looking at me at this point including Brock who looked so disappointed. Thousands of eyes were looking to me to do something.

I had to think...I had to figure out what to do! Then, it hit me! Wake up!!! That's what I did! Relief came over me as I realized that I was safe in my bed with Brock sleeping calmly beside me.

Brock's Parents' House

Brock is feeling much better. He flew into Houston just fine yesterday. Thankfully, it was a direct flight. He got plenty of rest Sunday and last night, so he's doing much better. It's crazy what your body will do when you are tired.

We are now at Brock's parents' house for a few days. It's very relaxing here, so we will both get much needed rest. I feel like my parents' house and Brock's parents' house are mine too, because when we lived on the road in our truck, we would go to their houses for weeks at a time. Therefore, now, I just make myself right at home.

Brock's grandparents were in a car accident not too long ago. They suffered minor injuries, but it was traumatic for them. We'll probably go see them sometime today.

Please Pray for Brock

Brock is in California and flying to Texas to meet me this morning. Yesterday, he called me and was feeling really badly. He couldn't do anything, had a fever, and hurt all over. When he told me that he was too tired to eat and that he didn't have enough strength to walk across his hotel room to get some water, I knew what the problem was.

Back in April, I felt the worst I had ever felt in my life. The whole day was rough and I just could not explain it. I felt as if I was going to pass out or throw up all day. We discovered that I had clinical exhaustion. I say "clinical" because we throw the word "exhaustion" around too loosely. I didn't feel exhausted. I felt like I was going to die!

Please pray for Brock. He now has the very thing that I never want to experience again...clinical exhaustion. I feel so helpless because he's on the other side of the country. Please pray that he got enough sleep last night and can make it on the plane. I want him to come to me so that I can take care of him.

Birthday Cake Fiasco

Mom's birthday was this month, so we decided to surprise her and celebrate yesterday while we were together. Mom asked me to go to the grocery store that morning, so it was a perfect time to pick up a cake. However, when I got home, I had no idea how to get it into the house without mom seeing it. The kitchen is right by the garage and the dining room table where we were playing cards is beside the back door. She could be in any of these two places at any time. Plus, my sister and brother-in-law were not there yet to help me.

So, I had the great idea to bring it through a window. I opened my bedroom window, ran outside, took the cake out of the trunk, and ran around the side of the house to my bedroom window. I could not get the screen off of the window. I know from experience that the only window in the house without a screen is mom and dad's bathroom window. So, I placed the cake by the front door. I went in and played one hand of cards so mom would not be suspicious. Meanwhile, the cake may be getting hot.

Then, I ran to their bathroom, locked the door, and crawled out the window. I ran around the house to get the cake. The only problem was that the window was too high for me to hoist myself up there much less a cake as well. So, I just went through the back door willing to spill the beans on the surprise, but to my luck, mom was in the kitchen. So, I snuck the cake into my bedroom.

The problem now was that I still had the door locked and window opened in their bathroom. I went back and played another hand of cards. Then, Brock called, so I took the phone outside, grabbed a lawn chair, and was beginning to go back through the window. My dad came out to tell me something to ask Brock. At the sight of me standing on a chair under their bathroom window, he bursted out laughing. However, he did not mention it to my mom. I told Brock that I needed to go because I was crawling through a window. He just said, "Okay." (I guess he is used to my "Lucille Ball" moments and thought nothing of it.)

We surprised mom with the cake and she was none the wiser. I pulled it off!