(See the following press release...YEAAAAAAAA, JASON!!!!!)

JASON MCARTHUR NAMED VICE PRESIDENT OF A & R, PROVIDENT LABEL GROUP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 31, 2007 ) — Terry A. Hemmings, President and CEO of Provident Music Group, announced today the promotion of Jason McArthur from Senior Director of A&R, to Vice President of A&R for the label group.

“I am pleased to announce Jason’s promotion to Vice President of A&R,” comments Hemmings. “He is an experienced and integral part of our team and has done an exceptional job with the artists he has been charged with, as well as finding and developing new artists. I look forward to working with him as we grow the roster under the label group umbrella.”

In his new role, Jason will continue to cultivate and nurture new and developing artists as well as oversee the production of many of the records of the label group’s existing roster.

Most recently, Jason served as Senior Director of A&R for the label group. During his six–year tenure he has worked with RIAA Platinum acts including Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns and the Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell as a solo artist. In addition he is responsible for the signing of modern rock band Red, recently nominated for a GRAMMY for its debut project End of Silence, and has overseen projects for new, progressive rock band Leeland, whose first album Sound of Melodies was also honored with a GRAMMY nod this year.

Jason attended the University of California at Berkeley where he received a degree in Applied Mathematics (1992) and Abilene Christian University where he received a Masters Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications in 1996.

SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT’s Provident Music Group is one of the world’s leading Christian music companies. Provident Music Group operates under the umbrella of Sony BMG Nashville.

Sony BMG Nashville includes its four country label operations – RCA, Columbia, BNA and Arista Nashville – and Provident Music Group, one of the world’s leading Christian music companies. Sony BMG Nashville is a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.

We're so proud of you, Jason!! Your whole ZOE family is applauding! Woooo-hoooo!!!!

ZOE at College Church on Sunday morning

Sheryl, Amanda, Rich and me

Peter, Lindsey and me. We don't get to see Pete and Lindsey enough. It was fun to be with them! We LOVE you guys!

ZOE leading worship Sunday morning at College Church

Sheryl and Amanda

Rich Smith and me--Rich is the founder of Levi Ministries out of Lubbock, TX. We were involved in Texas All State Choir together a hundred years ago and then got re-connected about 5 years ago. He was a wonderful addition in leading the worship ministers' track.

Karin, Amy, Jason, Sheryl, Amanda and me


Sandra, Lisa, Lex, Lee, Bill, John, Dee, and the entire gang at Fresno made us feel SO at home as they do every single year. "Thank you" does not BEGIN to say enough. We love you guys and we always look forward to being with you. Thank you for sharing your wonderful hearts with us. It was a great weekend!

I am spending today with my family. The girls and I are watching Black Beauty this morning! Have a great Monday, everyone!

I am writing again from the plane. Jason, Philip, Amy, Karin, Sheryl and I ended up catching an earlier flight out of Dallas instead of waiting 3 hours. We did have a chance to eat together and relax a bit. We ended up on the same flight as some of the original Grand Ole’ Opry members… “Little Jimmy Dickens”, Bill Anderson, and someone else I don’t know. Also, the “Riders in the Sky” are on our flight complete with their VERY large cowboy hats (they sang at the end of Disney’s Toy Story 2) along with Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw.

One of the best things about ZOE trips is being with the other ZOE folks. I was thinking this morning how much I love these people. We’ve been together for a really long time now. In many ways we’ve sort of grown up together. We’ve watched each other marry, have kids, struggle through life, change jobs, etc. (One of our members got a huge promotion that will be announced tomorrow in a press release. We’re so excited!!) We’ve rejoiced with each other in the good times and we understand what it means to bear one another’s burdens. These trips are so much fun because we get to spend time together. We hardly ever get to spend concentrated time together in Nashville, even though we’re all at Otter Creek (except for Peter who lives in Los Angeles). It is such a blast to laugh hysterically together in one moment and then be in a serious theological discussion a few minutes later. It really is one of my favorite gifts in life…this group.

Fresno was awesome! The people are so incredibly warm and hospitable. The food was amazing…and THIS year I could eat it! YEA! No more In-and-Out burgers.

It was also such a blessing to be with Stephen. He taught his track on Saturday but we had lots of time to hang on Thursday. I love having him involved in the conference this year. He has so much to add. Thanks, Stevie B!

We got to talk to Maddie and Ella tonight. It sounds like they have had a blast! I’m so grateful to Lauren. Kim and my mom for their generous help. We couldn’t do this without them.

I will post some pics tomorrow...I thank the Lord for a safe flight!

It was an early morning as I clung to my pillow hoping I was imagining my alarm screaming at me at 4:45am. Bear (the epitome of “man’s best friend”) just groaned as I walked by. She seemed annoyed. Trust me…I understand!

Thanks to my early-rising friend, Gary, I was swept off to the airport to begin my trek to California which included a 2 hour layover in Dallas.

Flying alone always affords me the opportunity to think or read. I don’t take enough time to do either of those in a disciplined way. (Sheryl joins me on a later flight because of kids and commitments.) I brought my Bono book with me. I had only made it through about half of it before Christmas before pushing “pause”.

Bono in conversation with Michka Assayas is profoundly thought provoking…especially if you’re a Bono fan. It describes in detail, through interview and conversation, how Bono was influenced as a child, what drives him today, and the heart that ticks underneath his “rock star” persona. It is really wonderful. I have already made the recommendation on this blog, but I want to say again—go get this book!

I am so convicted by his passion for the poor. Campaigns like “ONE” and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa or...”drop the debt”) have made a huge impact canceling over a billion dollars in debt to the poorest countries in the world with strong accountability as to how new monies are being spent for the good of those countries. Take a moment to click the link down there to your right and read more about ONE and join the force! (And go buy that book!)
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The flight to California was perfect. It was absolutely clear outside and beautiful. We flew over the Grand Canyon, snow covered Colorado and then Yosemite. As I watched the beautiful scenery I also found myself lost in thoughts of conversations that have taken place over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes things have to just ruminate. Last week a friend was expressing some struggles to me over email. I really didn’t know what to say but I knew what I DIDN’T want to say. I didn’t want to offer spiritual platitudes or sterile sympathies. It took me a while to write him back. When I finally decided what I wanted to say, I found that God had spoken to ME probably more than this would speak to my friend.

I told him that all I could say was, “I’m so sorry and I hurt with you.” I reminded him of the story where Jesus is describing the bounty of God’s love and faithfulness by comparing him to an earthly father. Jesus pointed out that an earthly father when asked by his child for some bread would certainly return with bread and not a stone. “How much more does our Father in Heaven love and care for us?” The point here being that if I feel compassion and grief for my friend over his sufferings, how much more does God also feel for him? I can just imagine God saying, “I’m so sorry you’re having to hurt.” Sometimes the ONLY thing we can imagine is God saying “Oh, you’re hurting? *POOF* It’s gone!”

The Rob Bell DVD (NOOMA) I’ve mentioned before called “Rain” speaks to this. He was stuck on a hike with his one year old son in a backpack sling. As the rain poured down and his son shrieked, Rob took him out and held him near and kept whispering “I love you, buddy. We’re gonna make it. I know the way home.” I cannot keep from choking up every time I think about that. That’s why songs like “Blessed Be Your Name” mean so much to me. The theology seems so true and real for what we really experience on this journey. Why must we always have to understand? Why must the unanswered questions so rock our foundation? Why are the children of God so notoriously fickle? (including me, Chief Fickle) Why must everything be black and white? It’s not.

As we prepare to begin the ZOE conference tomorrow and the “Closer” theme resonates in me, these thoughts comfort and stretch me. Thanks for just letting me vent today.

Yesterday was Kendall Massey's birthday. Happy birthday, Kendall (or "Kyaan", as he was affectionately known). I have had this picture sitting on a bookshelf in my office for years. It always makes me smile when I see it. These are the hosts and hostesses of ACU Sing Song 1995--the year I directed them. (you think that makes me sound old?? Well, Stephen, Val, and I were hosts in 1991. Yes...we are ancient.) That still goes down as one of the all time most hilarious and enjoyable directing jobs (well, with a few exceptions).

Pictured here are Rob Thomas (Igniter Media), Emily Trice Macht (now inn Denver), Kendall Massey (who has so brilliantly produced and directed ACU Sing Song for the last few years), Amy Shepherd Moreland (now in Houston), Lea Brown (here in Nashville and sings with us), and Jason McArthur (A&R guy at Sony/BMG/Reunion/Provident records and sings with us too). I think I laughed more in those 2 or 3 months than I ever have. They were such a pleasure to work with. We've all stayed in touch and remained close friends. This pic made me laugh on so many different levels and we had a blast yesterday analyzing the dated appearance and Jason's awesome pre-music business clothing.

Sheryl and I are trying to get stuff packed and ready to leave for California. Please keep all of ZOE in your prayers as we head out there this week. I'm excited to see what God will do!

Here's another picture from Saturday night. I like to call this...Brandon wears a wig. Pictured here are the judges with the new Miss Nashville and Miss Athens of the South.

Preparing for Fresno this week. Most things are in place and ready to go. Hope to see some of you out there!

The Miss Nashville/ Miss Athens of the South pageant was a lot of fun last night. I have to admit, I was really impressed with many of the girls. Their character, their leadership skills and public speaking abilities were impressive. One of the girls was a 5th generation theme park person. Her great grandfather invented the bumper cars. Her parents own a theme park in New Hampshire. It was interesting to hear her talk about it.

It was a great night getting to visit with the other judges too. There were 5 of us. We got to ride in a limo together to dinner (thanks to Scott Hilburn, judges manager). It was a crazy, fun night. I never imagined I would judge a pageant like that, but I'm glad I did. It was a pleasure meeting everyone involved.


These pictures are of Holly Lane, the new Miss Nashville. Holly happens to be a student at Lipscomb. I had never met her until last night. She was impressive. She spoke boldly about her love of the Lord and was outstanding in all categories. Great job, Holly! Congratulations! (Is she related to Eva Longoria?? I mean seriously.)

Tonight we had a wonderful night of worship at Otter Creek. ZOE and I led Celebration and Teresa Newsome did her amazing signing along with us. We also used the Rob Bell DVD "Rain". It makes me bawl every single time.

The last thing I heard at the end of Celebration, the Colts were down--big time. So, we went on downstairs to the gym for the chili cook-off. By the time we made it home, the Colts had pulled it off! GO COLTS! I hope Manning can win a Superbowl.

Have a great Monday, blog family.

Tonight we celebrated Kiki's birthday! Happy birthday, Kiks! After our traditional meal at Casa Fiesta, we ended up back our place.

It hit me how fun and crazy our life is right now. Kids running around saying "Chase me! Tickle me! Come play me!" They make me laugh so hard sometimes I can't catch my breath. Ella's laugh absolutely does me in. So, after some pre-dinner playtime with the kids, I got to have more out of control laughter with friends as we celebrated Kiki. It made me think...not everyone has many friends who make them laugh. I feel rich in that way. I have lots of friends who aren't just amusing, they're downright hilarious. (Nika Maples, you are MISSED!!)

Not everyone had a laughing kind of day. I did. I'm thankful for these kinds of days. I'm thankful for things that are treasures to me. Laughter, friends and family---right up there! Thank you, Lord!

The funeral today was so sweet...full of touching and hilarious memories shared by close friends. I also had an experience of a lifetime. I sang a duet with Bernie Arnold (who turns 80 on Monday!!) as per the request of Ruth. Bernie's husband, Bud, was the worship minister at Otter Creek for 36 years prior to me. He was such a mentor and a friend to me. His death was sudden and hard on everyone at OC. Bernie reminds me a lot of one of my other favorite people in Abilene, Jeannette Lipford. She was nervous about singing today, but absolutely nailed it. I told her it was an experience I would remember for the rest of my life. So sweet.

I am using a Nooma DVD Sunday at our Celebration service. Rob Bell--love him. This particular one is called "Rain". Check it out. It's pretty awesome!

It's been a day of crazy emotions. At one point I was bawling watching that Nooma DVD. Later, I was tearful as I listened to sweet stories of friendship at the funeral. Then, the afternoon ended with raucous laughter amongst friends. It all reminds me of the gift of life. Every moment is precious!

This Saturday night I will judge the Miss Nashville/ Miss Athens of the South pageant. I'm not lying. I know...

So, tonight I was reading through the entries. There are some really great entries. I was honestly impressed. However, I about died when I realized that most of these girls were born either when I was almost out of High School or in COLLEGE. Excuse me while I sit over here and fossilize.

OK. Sheryl taped American Idol for me tonight. I just don't even know what to say. Wow. Seattle tonight, Minnesota last night...if this is any indication of what is coming this season I am SCARED!

On a COMPLETELY different note, I would like to ask your prayers for John Rucker tomorrow. He is 94 and will be burying the love of his life. She's been very, very feeble for many months now, but it still isn't easy to say goodbye. They are wonderful, caring people. Pray for him as he goes through such a difficult day.

An important woman in the Otter Creek family passed away today. Ruth Rucker has been a model of Christian witness and boldness for many years. She was one of the women instrumental in beginning the well-known and respected Otter Creek Kindergarten. She was a woman ahead of her time. She helped make that program what it has become today. Her family has been an important part of Otter Creek. Ruth is deeply loved and revered. She will be greatly missed.

This afternoon, I got to spend time with TJ McCloud. He and Holly are in town on a sabbatical from their work in the Dominican. TJ, Eric Wyse and I met to discuss the next kids' project due to release around Memorial Day. We worked on a few songs and listened to some that TJ had already written. (AWESOME Psalm 23 kids' version!) It will be fun tackling this next project.

I miss TJ and Holly. I have added a link to their blog. Please keep them in your prayers. (I have also added a link to purchase the first kids' project.) I feel so blessed to have both of them in my life and especially to now be working with TJ on some music stuff. I'm such a fan!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Praise God for his influence and for the changes he helped implement. May the river of respect for all people continue to flow!

Today is my father's birthday. I haven't gotten to celebrate with him since 1991. It was a great celebration. Little did I know it would be his last birthday.

Tonight the girls and I talked about "Poppy's" birthday. Though it sounds a bit morbid, Maddie cracked me up by saying, "Awww, birthdays aren't really fun when you're dead. Do all the dead people go to his birthday party?" wow.

Ella's response was, "Daddy, what will birthdays be like when we have our new bodies in heaven?" again...wow. I told her I wasn't sure but it sure was a neat thought!

Happy birthday, Dad. Wish you were here!

Two recent funnies from Ella...

Ella came in the bathroom the other day and just pondered for a moment and then said... "I know all boys have a tennis. I can't always see them, but I know they're in there." (Maddie and Ella have called the male organ a "tennis" for as long as I can remember in spite of every kind of correction.) I had to choke back the laughter.

Today I was making up words to "My Darlin' Clementine"... "O, my darlin Ella Grace, your feet they sure are stinky, O my darlin' Ella Grace" etc. They just laughed and laughed as if I were really funny. Maddie then tried her hand at it and Ella wouldn't laugh at her attempts. She got upset about it and Ella finally said, "I laughed at Daddy because he was funny. You weren't funny, that's all." Oh my. Maddie took it well, though.

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Today we spent time up at Otter setting up our tables and booths for the ministry fair tomorrow. Sheryl and Amy Westerman's booth looks so great! Sheryl wanted to start a ministry helping to clothe kids in need. Instead of having a benevolence closet, Sheryl and Amy are organizing needs by sizes and people are supplying clothing from their own closets. They're calling it CloseTshare. I think it's a great idea! They've already been able to help several families.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

One of my favorite things ever...playing chase with my kids. Maddie and Ella have gotten to where they'll say, "Daddy, chase us!!!" All it takes is a little mischievous look and they begin to scream and run like crazy people. I LOVE IT! Sam has gotten into the game now too. He loves chasing them and being my partner. We run the circle from the dining room to the kitchen--around and around and around. Then we'll double back and catch the girls and they scream bloody murder and Sam, in return, screams back. It's honestly one of my favorite things right now in life!

On a different note...the snowmen...still perched, staring at me, I can almost hear them, "hellooooooo! Get a grip and take us down! Or at least quit plugging in the lights up here. It's the middle of January, for cryin' out loud!!"

They're really mouthy, those snowmen.

Well, I'm now convinced that Jay Duty is my official 6 degrees of separation person with EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT ATTENDANT on Earth. My flight attendant today...Holly... from Jay's hometown and sang in HS choir with him. Wow. Guess spending time with Jay made all those girls wanna hit the friendly skies. Just kiddin' there, Jay-boy.

The sunshine state was more like the windy, kinda chilly state. But, it was still a good conference and I got to see some old friends like Mitch, Tim, Ty from Lion King (the tour is in Orlando now), and others. I came back with a cute children's musical--a cool twist on "Survivor". More on that later.

Thanks to everyone who took a minute or two to sign the ONE petition again. I pray it will make a difference. At least it calls some of us to action who normally might not get involved.

I'm preparing for Fresno. Anyone out there (you silent lurkers) coming to Fresno? My best buddy, Stephen, will be doing his track again like he did in Nashville. That will be awesome! Rich Smith will be joining me in my track instead of Dave Durham for the next couple of conferences. Some of you may remember Rich from a few years back when he teamed with me for the Leader's Conference. LOVE HIM! Sally Gary will be there and the rest of the ZOE family. I am looking forward to seeing all of you soon!

But...before Fresno is the Miss Nashville pageant. Did I mention I'm a judge? It's the beginning step in the Miss America pageant. I guarantee you I'll have stories. I may not be able to print them but I know there will be stories. Why is the interview question always so hilarious to me? For example...
Host: "Who is your hero?"
Contestant: "My grandmother. She picked cotton and made dresses and taught me that the English vocabulary is worth fighting for. So, that's my platform. We need more cotton-picking-grammar-users. And she loved peas. Especially whirled peas."

ok...sorry. But, I am really looking forward to that day with the contestants and seeing how it all works!

Home. It's good to be home. Sam's "daddyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!" was gold to me!

Please...take a moment, it only takes a second, and click on the link down on the right hand side of this page for the ONE Campaign. The initiative that so many have been excited about for debt reduction to Africa and AIDS help is facing some difficulties. Please take a moment to click the link and under the picture click the link that reads, "One Billion Dollars at Stake". They have made it very easy to let our representatives know how we feel.
Thanks!

Words I just don't like...
1. MOIST (eww.)
2. "myself" (as in Mary and "myself" went... instead of "I")
3. Evangelical
4. unchurched
5. "guy" (as in when someone addresses me... "hey, guy." It always makes me want to to point back and wink.)
6. contemporary (what even IS that these days?? It's ironic that the term contemporary is somewhat outdated)
7. stupid (especially when it's pointed at someone)
8. "special sauce" (no thanks.)
9. cancer
10. just about any bigoted slur.

Words I really like...
1. awesome (it's been a long-time favorite. My dad used to make fun of me for it!)
2. community
3. snap! (sad, but true. I really love that word.)
4. shrub
5. eclectic (come on...say it with me--embrace those consonants!!)
6. Daddy
7. emergent
8. hug, kiss, tickle, hold, pray, laugh, giggle, story...or any other joy-filled word related to my children.
9. Francisco (As Buddy the Elf would say... "Ooooh! That's fun to say!!")
10. sweet! (probably say that and "snap" way too often, but I guess it could be worse!)

Just some random early January thoughts. Add some of your own to the list. Come on... I know you have some!

For Ella's birthday party she wanted to do a build-a-bear type thing. Sheryl, being the brilliant person she is, decided we could do it at home for a fraction of the cost. It was so much fun! She also made a great teddy bear cake!


Sheryl's bear cake.


Ella got some pink boots from Mommy and Daddy. She wants to wear them with everything! She is pictured here with her school friend, Sloane.


The kids have stuffed their bears and are ready for their "adoption" ceremony!


Ella prepares to blow out her candles.

It was a really fun party followed by a family outing to see "Charlotte's Web", which we all loved! It's been a fun day of celebrating with family.

Have a great weekend, friends!

Happy birthday today to my long time best buddy and brother--Stephen (pictured here with my kids). I think he's like 40 something. Right Stevo? OK--only kidding. I know, you're younger than me...but only by a month and a half. I am thankful for who you are. I am thankful for the years of laughter and brotherhood we have shared. I am thankful that God has allowed you to see your dreams of a wonderful wife and beautiful children come true. And I am thankful that He gave me a friend who could understand my craziest moments. How MANY times have I thought... if Stephen were only here to see or hear this! We've experienced a lot of life together, friend. I wouldn't be the same without your influence over the last 18 years. You are one of my favorite gifts from God. May God bless you in 2007 and give you discernment and wisdom in all things.

We took down our Christmas decorations last night...one of those torturous but necessary post-Christmas activities. But...guess who's still up on the ledge?? Yep...those snowmen. My friend Matt had a good idea. He suggested that instead of having to crawl up the ladder and take it all down we could make a fun game out of it by throwing things at them and catching them when they fall. HA! (no snowmen were harmed in the making of this blog.)

Tomorrow we are celebrating Ella's birthday. It's the first year that we had to give her a set limit on how many to invite, so it's a small party. But, yet again, Sheryl's brilliance shines through in party ideas. I'll wait and share more on that this weekend with some pictures from the actual event.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today, my Ella is 4! It is so hard to believe! It seems like just a few weeks ago we were on our way to the hospital for her birth. She weighed the most of any of our kids--almost 10lbs!






Ella has a great sense of imagination...as well as a great sense of humor. She has me in stitches all the time. In this picture she was performing The Lion King for us.

Ella, you have a long life ahead of you, Lord willing. I pray that you never lose your sense of adventure and that incredible expression of wonder. I pray that God will be near to you and you to Him. I pray that as you grow up you will discover new and exciting things about God's love for you. Happy birthday, my sweet Ella Bella!

Sheryl and I saw Dreamgirls today. WOW! I have loved the music from that show for a very long time but it comes to life in new ways in the movie. I read a review that compared "Dreamgirls" to "Chicago" saying that where Chicago seemed embarrassed to be a movie musical making many of the songs a fantasy or dream-like scenario, Dreamgirls puts it right out there...unapologetically! I couldn't agree more. It is AWESOME!!

The performances are fantastic! Eddie Murphy deserves a nomination for his portrayal of James Early. Beyonce is great as Deena Jones and Jamie Foxx is just ok (riding the coat tails of his performance as Ray, if you ask me). The real star of the movie, surprisingly, is Jennifer Hudson as Effie White. Holy smokes, Batman! She is unreal. (former American Idol contestant, ya know!) The song, "And I'm tellin' you..." closes Act 1 in the stage show. Her stirring rendition brought down the house in the movie.

I was really excited to see the movie and, for the first time in a long time I can say this about a movie, it was better than I expected! There are some adult themes and there's some language so it's not for kids. Just FYI.

We've had a good break. We even worked a puzzle yesterday with Lauren--all day I might add! It was relaxing--especially for me since I came and went and added pieces at my leisure while Sheryl and Lauren labored over it! :)

Happy 2007, everyone! Can I just say how THANKFUL I am to be in a NEW year?? Do I hear an amen??

We had a New Year's Eve party last night--so much fun!! The night started out with some exciting news...Kim (our Kiki) and Kevin are ENGAGED!!!! YEAAA!!! We are SO thrilled for them! The ring is awesome too. Congrats, you guys!



the future Mr. and Mrs. Penna!


Sheryl's idea for our New Year's Eve party was to have a fire for warmth and roasting and a sledding path. The kids had such a blast! Here's Ella flying down the hill in our back yard! All the kids had fun.


Janelle and I roasted marshmallows over the fire outside. Sheryl's idea turned out so well! (Sheryl was taking this pic)


Lauren and Sam. He LOVES Lauren!



Hailey and Jeremy Hiett


Nate and Sheryl


Jen, BST and Trayce...should have made you sing, Trayce!!


David and Tracy Harr


Nathan Slingluff, BST, and Paul Austin


Hailey Hiett, Brian Randolph and me


Kyle Rigsby and Janelle Arnold

Happy New Year, everyone!!!