2003 SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER
(Covering the months of September and October)


Having grown up in the city of Niagara Falls, I have always had a thing about living near water. A river ran through my world, and I lived not far from one of its tributaries. I never felt a need to spend time near the river; I just needed to know that it was out there, running its own course. These days, a river runs behind our house in Ohio. I don't feel a need to spend time sitting next to it, swimming in it, or fishing its depths; I just feel comforted knowing that it is out there, running its course.


So, if you knew Mike Yaconelli, you probably know by now that his life was taken suddenly in an automobile accident in late October. Those of us who knew him are missing a great man. Those who never knew him missed a great man. I will not try to explain Mike's presence in and influence on our lives, because I don't know of any words that could adequately rise to the challenge. He is missed, and will be missed for the rest of our days. We thank God to have briefly walked through time with him, and we put our hope, as he did, in the resurrection. To see how his life impacted folks around the world, visit www.youthspecialties.com.

Side Girl

Drifting back to September, we were pleased to return to Valparaiso University, coincidentally located in Valparaiso, Indiana. As ever, we had a whole lot of fun, and had a chance to visit briefly with our friend Isaac of the Fitz Family, who's now a student at Valparaiso. (Remind me to tell you about our Christmas Tour with the Fitz Family in a couple of minutes, okay?) After Indiana, we drove southward into southern Ohio to play in Hamilton. As with the last time we played there, lots of folks donned costumes and tried their darndest to get us to pretend we were hosting Let's Make a Deal. Afterward, Michael had the chance to try out a new touring possibility. I'm not sure it's going to work out for us, but it's always nice to think about downsizing.


From there, we continued southward to Bristol, Tennessee for a return to Faith Explosion. (All reports indicate no one's faith was injured from the blast.) We built our own stage out of various pieces of furniture from the church. How's that for a custom-built stage? As expected, on a stage like that, we had lots of fun and enjoyed ourselves finely. From there, we headed east to Fredericksburg, VA, where we were pleased to see our friends Jen and Todd Miller, along with their brand-new baby.


Next up, we began what you'll notice is a recurring theme: We spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. Our first round was abbreviated though, because we had to fly right out right afterwards. In true Elvis-style, we walked off the stage, out the side door, into a waiting cab, and into the O'Hare Airport. For the record, let me say, I do not like leaving a building like Elvis. Our flight took us to Birmingham, AL, where we rented a car and drove four hours to Jackson, MS. (A word of advice to folks living along the interstate between those two towns: you're probably going to be wanting to pick yourself up one of those satellite radios if you ever decide you want to hear any music recorded since Elvis died.) We were able to sleep a little bit before heading over to one of our favorite places, Galloway United Methodist. These folks put the "hospitality" in southern hospitality. And, come to think of it, they put the "southern" in there too.


Our joy at being back with these folks was bumped up more that usual because they had brought in Mike Yaconelli for the weekend's speaker. We had a marvelous time, and enjoyed sharing coffee and stories with Mike at the Jackson Barnes & Noble. (That Barnes & Noble Directory is a must-have accessory for any touring musician.) When our time in Jackson was through, we blazed to the airport, boarded planes back to Chicago, went straight to a waiting cab, and were delivered in Northfield about 20 minutes before we were supposed to play. (Again with the Elvis pace.) However, we had a great time with lots of fun people, and the opening band was really good, so I was well entertained while hooking up our chords in the sacristy. After that concert, Michael flew home, I drove home, and we rested mightily.


In a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Nashville, TN. Had a great time with everybody, and drove over to Norcross, GA. We love playing at this church for two reasons: lots of our long-time friends work and worship there, and also because there's a Starbucks just two blocks away. We had a fine showing, and a fine time, and then drove to Greenville, SC. Some ladies at the concert made some of the more interesting shirts we've seen in some time. (In the image on the back of their shirts, I'm the figure on the right, working at the counter in McDonald's, while Michael is the figure on the left, holding a hunting rifle . . .though I may be wrong about all that.) Before the concert, I made a quick trip out to Barnes & Noble for coffees. Though it turned out I was definitely wrong about the quick part. I got seriously lost, and it was only through creative stalling by the hosts that no one really seemed to notice.


We had a few days off, and in the meantime, I got a new camera. It's really nice, and I got a real deal on e-bay. However, one of the downsides of upgrading is that my unsteady hand really exacerbates the blurriness of photos in the Photo Phrenzy. As you'll notice, when the pictures come out clear, they're awesome. When they get a little blurry, the crowd tends to look twice as big, since everybody has two heads and stuff. Hopefully I'll adjust over time. Then, in a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Richmond, VA. While there, Michael decided to take some money out of the ATM in the hotel lobby. I explained to him as how most folks use a card to get the money out, but I guess to each his own, right? From there, we drove up to a hotel near Dulles Airport and boarded flights in the morning to Phoenix, AZ. In a real treat, we got to play some songs prior to some improv by our friends, CPR. They tried on some of the new hats we're offering for sale. We asked them to take them off, in the hopes that we might actually sell some. The next morning, we drove over to Community of Joy church to play a few songs for their Sunday School class, where we got to hear our friend Tiger McCluen address the group.


From there, we drove downtown for the first of this year's Youth Specialties National Youthworkers Conventions. I don't even have to tell you that we had a total fun and refreshing time. And, as an added bonus, our friend Steve put on a long-sleeve shirt and did his priceless impression of one of the fly guys. (While I fully realize that you have no idea what in the world I'm talking about, it makes me chuckle when I think of it.) After that fiesta, we flew home and rested for a minute until we met up in Grand Rapids, MI. Saw lots of old friends, and got to hear an awesome band we met over the summer called Plywood. As you might tell from the picture, they rock. They have a great song with a chorus that goes "I'm going to sell my heart on e-bay to you, baby." Hopefully their heart will be steadier than my hand with the new camera. Also, I just want to point out that the fourth figure in the picture is actually Jesus above the altar, in case you were wondering. After that, we drove west so we could play in Rochester, MN. In this case, our friend Agape played a few songs before our concert. I guess, since he's a rapper, he laid some down, rather than played songs.

"You got a hall pass?"

In a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Des Moines, IA. From there we drove north for an appearance at Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. Pete came over to the concert, and donned his LOST AND FOUND wear, looking remarkably like an officer of the law. In the morning, Michael ran his 4th marathon, and did quite well. Pete and Stacy and I went down to cheer him on, and Pete even ran with him for a little while. I was unable to join in because . . .um . . .oh yes, I was holding a cup of coffee at the time. After the marathon, Michael drank a lot of water and we drove over to Bethel College, where we once more teamed up with our pals CPR. We played some songs, they improved some improv. (It seems that the past tense of improv looks exactly like the word improved, doesn't it?) In the morning, we played some songs at chapel at Concordia University, and then played some songs and offered some thoughts to a religion class.


From there we both went home, while Troy kindly drove the van to Denver. In a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Denver, CO. Had a great time at a high altitude, and then headed east into smelly-cow-pen territory. Surviving that, we arrived in Topeka, KS, where we played for a kindly group of folks at Topeka Bible Church. From there, we drove on into Nebraska and played in Seward, the Fourth of July City—though no one seems to know the origin of that coveted title. From there we drove to Omaha, where Troy rented a car and drove home, and Michael and I both flew home. In a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Ontario, CA.


After staying at Michael's house, we headed south to San Diego where we had a delightful lunch with our friends Tic and Terrie Long (whose house, by the way, was twice saved by some determined local firefighters later in the month). That evening, we played a concert in town, where lots of friends came over. Had a fine time and received our own personal lawn ornaments. That night we drove back to Michael's house and drove northward the next morning to Milpitas, which is San Jose to you and me. A large group of folks came over to the concert, and fun was had by many of us. That night, we drove back to Michael's house, and a few hours later he dropped me off at the airport. We rested up for a few days until, in a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Portland, OR. The next morning we flew to Charlotte, NC, for the second of this year's Youth Specialties National Youthworkers Conventions. In this case, we got in a little earlier, which allowed for spending more time with various friends.

Termites Unite!

Then we both flew home and in a matter of hours, Michael was heading for Omaha to get our van and drive to Oklahoma City, where we met up and played a concert for a fun group in town. Since that was Thursday, it meant that the next day was Friday and, in a predictable manner, we spent Friday night at "Believe," a junior-high gathering sponsored by Christ in Youth. This week's edition was in Oklahoma City, OK. At the hotel, we passed a meeting in an adjacent room that gave us pause. I was afraid to peek inside because, hey, who wants to look at a room full of termites drinking water from pitchers and looking at overhead charts, right? And it begs the question, how'd they ever book the room in the first place? That night, we drove to Dallas, arriving at 1:30 am, and arising at 4:00 am to get flights to Washington, DC. We flew there to play for a second time at the gathering of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. We had a whole lot of fun, and ran into our friends The Waiting. Before they arrived, we waited for them with our friends from the Fitz Family, who happened to be in town and dropped over to visit. (Remind me to tell you about our Christmas Tour with the Fitz Family in a couple of minutes, okay?) Since we were done at that event kind of early, we headed for downtown Washington where Michael got in a little running and I took in a little architectural secrets.


The next morning, we flew back to Dallas, and arrived in time to play a concert at 6:00 pm. The youth group had pizza, and somebody went to Starbucks for us, so all was well. From there, it was back to an airport hotel so I could fly for the 11th time in 11 days and get back to my house, as Michael drives in our van by himself on the long long journey northward to my house, where I now sit typing. (I know that probably seems unjust, but that's only because it is.) And with that, we end the formal narrative. And now, on to the housekeeping . . .

ITEM: We're pleased to be heading out on the 5th annual LOST AND FOUND Christmas Show Tour with the Fitz Family, Famous Actor Justin Vetrano, Rapper Dave aka AGAPE, and (as a new treat for us all) Rachel Kurtz. The show basically heads south this time, and you can get the complete schedule by visiting our tour page.


ITEM: We're working on a new album—or, I guess, I am. It's going to be just piano playing and will be called "Just George." (Oh, too clever by half, right?) Look for it sometime when it's finished, which should be right around the time that you can buy it when it's available.


ITEM: For pictures that become blurry right about halfway through, you can visit the Photo Phrenzy. Hopefully, once I get done recording that piano album I'll have time to figure out how that camera works.


ITEM: later.

george

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