Las Vegas Reunion

I haven't had a chance to post anything from my trip to Vegas with my friends. Things here have been so crazy. It was actually this weekend...while I was in Vegas...when the rain started and in a matter of two days dumped about 20 inches on Nashville.

I had such a blast with these guys. We re-lived our ACU roommate days and reminisced about our place on Westheimer. But, that lasted about 30 minutes. The rest of the time, we spent laughing about life and sharing about our families and jobs and faith. And...being stupid. It's so fun to be stupid with these guys. I'm pretty sure that we had a contest one night walking down the sidewalk to see who could get the most "legitimate" high fives. Stupid.

Chris Doggett, me, Stephen Bailey and Craig Fisher

You never know who you might run into on the street in Vegas. This was just priceless. This guy was taking a break...in full KISS gear.

We ate at Bobby Flay's restaurant one night and it was seriously one of the best meals I have ever had. Incredible! Yeah...I took a picture of my food. I sure did.

Vegas--NYC hotel

This pawn shop is the setting for a popular reality show called "Pawn Star" which is, as I understand it, kind of like a ghetto version of Antique Road Show. :)

Craig loves that show. We came here to humor him.

I have several friends out in Vegas who are in shows. We got to see Tim Johnson perform. Tim has worked for Gary Musick many times and I've hired him for a couple of shows. He's a great guy and did a fantastic job!

I wanted to see my buddy Travis Cloer in "Jersey Boys". He plays Frankie and is AWESOME. If you go out there, go see it. We ran out of time this trip to see it, but next time!

It's funny that after 20 years, you can still pick right back up. It's like not skipping a beat. We've all been together over the years and shared family time, but this was our first time to be away with just the four of us. I'm so glad we did this! It was totally worth it!

In true Chris Doggett fashion, Dog explains our trek to the famous "Pawn Star" pawn shop. What a name. These video clips are but a wee taste of the fun we have when we're together.

There were so many moments I wish I had captured on video from our few days together. I was laughing so hard most of the weekend that I forgot to film anything! we had such a blast. Here's to being 40, boys. And here's to 20+ years of friendship!

Nashville Flood--City of Dreams

I love this video...it was written by Victoria Banks who had this to say about it, "I wrote this song on the road home to Nashville during the historic flooding that happened a few days ago. Lives were lost, many have lost everything and are living in shelters. Please donate what you can to the Nashville Red Cross at (615) 250-4300 or ww.nashvilleredcross.org."

The people of Nashville continue to pick up the pieces. With so much going on in the world, many friends we talk to are surprised to find out the depth of need we are experiencing here. Many, MANY people have lost everything. Stories are emerging of friends and co-workers of ours who had to swim to safety...or one family who had to walk arm in arm through chest high water leaving their home and all their belongings behind just to survive. The linked arms saved them from being swept away...other friends who lost all their earthly belongings, or loved ones...impossible to adequately describe. As flood waters go down, bodies are being discovered. Families are finding closure with sons, fathers, friends who were missing. One friend described his experience of gutting a home this week by telling me that as they tore the drywall out, snakes and huge spiders spilled out in the water remaining in the walls. I'm telling you, it's like something from a movie.

Please continue to pray for our city. The domino effect is even hard to describe. Millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue through tourism and the closing of Opryland Hotel, the Schermerhorn, The Wildhorse, Opry Mills...etc. It's impacting all of us.

But we are the fortunate ones. Some have lost everything. One woman interviewed this week was a Katrina refugee. She moved here after Katrina to start all over. She, again, lost everything. As she described, "It's hard to believe someone could experience two catastrophic disasters like this in their lifetime." It's true.

The beauty right now is in the people...the churches...the artists who live here who are all banding together. One people. One need. God is being glorified through this in ways that are immeasurable. People are taking a break from naval gazing to look to someone else's needs. It's recreating this city in a way. I pray that peace will flow and love overwhelm all those who are hurting and feeling such loss. Keep them all in your prayers!

Nashville Recording Chapter--Grammy Block Party

Here are some pics from the Grammy Block Party last night. The block party is an annual celebration for the members of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) NARAS members make up the Grammy Association and vote on the Grammys, etc. It's the Recording Academy's way of thanking their members each year. Always a fun night...and a little respite in all the chaos that has resulted from the flood. There are still hundreds and hundreds of people with no where to live. Frustration is beginning to mount...as you can imagine if you were having to live out of a shelter.

I was excited to see my buddy Jamie playing when I got there. Jamie is the front man for a group called Dailey & Vincent. They are unbelievable. Check them out http://daileyvincent.musiccitynetworks.com/

Jamie Dailey with "Dailey & Vincent"

Jason and Alisha were there too. Most of you guys know that Jason is VP at Provident and handles artists like Michael W. Smith, Mercy Me, Plumb, etc. Alisha is the publicist for Provident and so she was working hard last night. Jason and I just enjoyed catching up and EATING!

Steel Magnolias performed. I missed Darius Rucker but went home and watched American Idol where I saw Lee Dewyse. Same difference. :)

Grammy Block Party

Grammy Block Party today! I am looking forward to going. Anyone want to go as my guest?

"We Are Nashville"

Nashville Flood--1000 Year Flood

The Army Corps of Engineers declared that the Nashville Flood of 2010 is not the horrible "100 year flood" that we hear about. They deemed this a "1000 year flood". The national media is finally picking up the story of Nashville. Some are calling it "breaking news". The people of Nashville are too busy picking up the pieces, looking for missing loved ones, sifting through debris, and working hard to help each other to mention that this news "broke" about 5 days ago. Though you may be very late to the punch, national media, thank you for coming here and allowing us to tell our stories.

I got these images from The Boston Globe. These pictures describe in real ways what we've all been experiencing here. Obama declared it a national disaster area (so FEMA funding is now possible). The Governor declared damages yesterday of well over 1 BILLION dollars. I'd say that's a conservative estimate.

The Cumberland River floods outside of its banks Tuesday on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. More than 13 inches of rain fell over two days, more than doubling the previous record of 6.68 inches and leaving as many as 30 dead in Tennessee. (Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)

The General Jackson showboat floats near Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills...all suffered major damage from the flood. The Grand Ole' Opry lost everything...equipment and set...and the Opry suffered major water damage inside. Many country stars lost their homes and equipment. Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Ben Folds and others had their musical gear all stored in the same warehouse. All of it...gone. Kenny Chesney's house is completely under water. What I appreciate about these stars is that all of them have come together to help raise awareness and money for flood victims saying, "We realize we can afford to replace these things...most can't replace what has been lost."

The loading docks at the Opryland Hotel are flooded and damaged from heavy rains on Monday, May 3, 2010. All of the estimated 1,500 guests were evacuated overnight. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo)

Michael Bunch wades on a flooded downtown sidewalk in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday May 3, 2010. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)

Shipping containers float in floodwater Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

State vehicles sit stranded in a parking lot on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)

Floodwater from the Cumberland River creeps into downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Residents remove flood debris from their homes Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Gabe Gardiner, left, sits with a neighbor on his living room sofa outside his flood damaged home in the River Walk subdivision of in Nashville, Tennessee, Tuesday, May 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)

Lighthouse Christian School teacher Heather Harrell reacts after finding her grandmother's Bible in her classroom that was destroyed by the flood in Antioch, Tennessee on Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Shelley Mays)

Clare Baker, right, hugs her friend, Melinda Murphy, as Murphy leaves after helping Baker salvage items from Baker's flood-damaged home on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Metro Fire Department Special Operation rescues a Belle Meade police officer off Harding Road in Belle Meade, Tennessee on Sunday May 2, 2010. Police officer Norm Shelton was clinging to a tree for an hour before being rescued. The location of his patrol car is unknown. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Shelley Mays)

A sign in River Front Park becomes visible once again as the waters of the Cumberland River slowly started to ebb across from LP Field, Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/(M. Spencer Green)

A vehicle rests upside down in a sink hole which opened on West Forest Avenue during heavy storms just west of Madison County General Hospital on Saturday, May 1, 2010 in Jackson, Tennessee. The vehicle's driver was rescued and taken to the hospital. (AP Photo/The Jackson Sun, Morris Abernathy)

The roof of an SUV is just visible, submerged in flood waters covering downtown streets and sidewalks May 3, 2010 in the Lower Broad district of Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)

A flooded neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, is seen Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Jennifer Coleman walks down a ditch where a car identified by family members as belonging to Bill and Frankie Rutledge, Coleman's aunt and uncle, was found Monday, May 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Ed Rode)

Robert Turner describes the rapid rise of water in his home May 4, 2010 in the Bordeaux district of Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)

Cars and trucks sit covered with debris as they wait to be cleared from I-24 east. The wooden structure to the left is the porch of a building that floated down I-24 earlier according to TDOT workers on the scene. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Tom Stanford)

The inside of a water damaged car is seen in a severely flooded West Nashville neighborhood on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)

A woman wades through flood waters on a downtown sidewalk May 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)

Dover Anthony sings on as he overlooks the parking lot of submerged cars at the Knights Motel in East Nashville, Sunday, May 2, 2010. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo)


This video shows both the devastation AND spirit of Nashville. God is here in the midst of all of this!

The following post has inspired our city. The messages stated here ring true and describe the deep character and spirit of the people of Nashville.

link to the blog post that created a movement here: http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366

That blog post also inspired a t-shirt that is being sold that profits flood victims. Here's a link to the t-shirt: http://store.coolpeoplecare.org/products/we-are-nashville-t-shirt

Nashville Flood 2010

My 4 days in Vegas were incredible. It was time with my brothers that just meant the world to me. More on that and some pictures later.

More importantly, Nashville is in trouble. We need prayers for everyone here. We are ok and our house is ok. My mom went back to her house this morning and she is ok. But there are thousands who are in shelters and devastated by this flood.


Right now downtown Nashville is under water. It’s unreal. The Cumberland River which stands normally at 19ft is currently at 52 ft. People are being rescued from hotels, etc. The Nashville Symphony Center has over 8-10ft of water and has now reported that the beautiful $2.5 million organ has been destroyed. Opryland Hotel is completely flooded with 8-10 feet of water in the lobbies…over 1500 people evacuated from there. The Grand Ole Opry is now taking on water. SO SAD! The Wyndham Resort had to move people to upper floors who are now being rescued. Everything is shut down...schools universities...everything. The death count stands at 15 according to news sources. So sad. The water just rose so fast that people found themselves stuck on interstates with no way out. many were jumping from car to car trying to escape. We have friends who literally had to swim to safety.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what's happening here.

sadly ironic sign at a school in south Nashville

Interstate 24...people just got stuck.

Evacuation of Field Stone Farms neighborhood

downtown Nashville...notice the cars under water

Downtown Nashville

Cars just stacked up

Shot of the front of the Grand Ole Opry. Gary Musick Productions created these banners for their 85th anniversary. The banners seem to have weathered the storm. The Opry building, however, was completely devastated...a total loss of equipment, set...everything.

Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry

View of the Opry stage. This one makes me want to cry.

Inside the Bridgestone Arean...home of our NHL Hockey team--The Predators.

Opryland Hotel Delta Lobby....notice the exit sign...that's how high the water is.

Cascade Lobby at Opryland Hotel. Devastating.

some video of flood devastation...

This big red sculpture that sits downtown is now down. It was called "Ghost Ballet". It couldn't withstand the power of the Cumberland River. SO SAD


This is video footage taken yesterday. I just cried watching it...it's really just a preface to what we've seen today as the Cumberland River has expanded into most of downtown. The river is set to crest tonight.

This was earlier today before the water spread to the Titan's stadium. It's worse now than what you see here.


Horrific video footage of what happened on interstate 24 in Nashville...High School portable building floats down the interstate.

Please pray. So many people experiencing loss.