Suzanne singing Joni Mitchell's "River"

This is live from the crimson moon cafe in North Georgia.

Sorry the first verse got cut out.

Cowan Christmas Vid.

After you have suffered a lil while,...buy a new car!

1 Peter 5:10

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

~

Suz and I are a strange pair. Perfect for one another, yet we fit in...no where. We took Lily to this little park in Jefferson, GA today. We sat around, played on the spin-around-til-u-puke-or-get-thrown-off-thingie, had races on the slides, swung (huh) and had a grand ole time. Then the other parents started to show up, and their kids.

Wow.

I don't understand these people. Of course, to start the whole event off right, Lily goes down the bumpy slide with two other heavily sheltered kids only to get to the bottom and yell, "Ow that hurt my butt!" "Bottom!" I quickly retorted. Well, apparently, this gave free license to every toddler on the playground to start saying, "Butt." And they did, all of them, with relish. Soon after, I could feel the wry eyes burning holes in the back of my head from the other parents and their feigned outrage. Of course, in order for all these kids to be using that word in proper context, obviously they had heard it before! So quit staring at me.

Anyways, so I digress. Suz and I have just been through yet another tragedy. I mean, sheesh, when are these going to end? I'm starting to shop for a year long vacation. In fact, I think that's a new life goal. I want a year long vacation.

Well, as any good consumer, we dealt with this tragedy the good ole American way. Well I did atleast. Stuff it down till later, and go buy something.

Actually, Suz and I happily entered the SUV world a few years ago as good lil parents do. We were expecting a second baby that never came. So this weekend, Suzanne decided that she was done being an SUV mom and wanted to increase her carbon footprint in another way. A jet black, soon to be red leather interior way.

Here she is...... my solace to Suzanne.

2008 lil black pony.

Now, I'm not nearly as shallow as I've let on in this lil post. I know all about healing and grieving and what really matters in times of distress, anguish, pain. This car is way more practical than it is spiritual. But, as Suzanne's loving husband, if this little morsel brings her tiny moments of peace or joy while she's speeding down some two-laned farm road, wind blowing her chestnut hair, sun bouncing off her steel black sun glasses; then I have loved my wife as He loves His church.

For I too, sit daily, like a dog at His table waiting for just one morsel.

Hey, don't give me that look, it's scripture.

A pattern of Lily's - Oh Captain, my Captain

Lilybean is 4 years old. She runs, jumps, falls, vanishes, reappears, calculates, meditates, rummages, leaps, camouflages, and ambushes - all by 7:45am.

She never stops, never waits, never grows tired, never surrenders, and never calculates consequences. If ever a child exemplified carpe diem, it's Lilybean.

So today I ran across a post on a BBS I frequent talking about the call of God on our lives. Do we wait for the next level or do we take it there.

I read all the responses and all the pandering to one another's spiritual egos before realizing that they were all full of it. They are scared to move, and they call it God. They are afraid to step out of the boat, and they call it faithfulness to God.

They all agree.

I don't.

Is 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Notice that God's voice is behind you, implying that at some point in your walk/ministry, you have to take some sort of lead initiative. God's got your back, He gave you armor for the front.)

I believe that God requires movement. Faith require motion, action.

Now, there are plenty of examples of waiting as well and doing nothing. However, most of the time God told them to wait, so still, even the waiting was action.

Here is the way I look at it, if I'm going to err, it will be on the side of action...not inaction. God promises that if I go left, and He meant right - then He will correct me. If I sit at the crossroads, I'm guessing He will take the talent that I hid and give that to someone who made theirs grow.

Lilybean, once again paints me a picture of what my life oughta be, in the midst of what it is....and I am shamed.

So rock on lil girl......rock on. I'll try to keep up.

Scarlet Snow CD Release Party

Scarlet | Snow CD Release Concert

When: Saturday, Nov 10 doors open 7pm, show starts 8pm
Where: The Melting Point
Cost: $5 cover at the door (But the CDs are on sale for $10)

We are pleased to announce that Anthony McLeod, our former bassist, will be playing that night. Mack Chambers (our current bassist) will be playing rhythm guitar.

We are playing 2 45 minute sets.
Set 1: The Album, Inclined.
Set 2: The New Stuff.

Be sure to mark your calendars and come out for this great concert.

When Aliens Attack

Rudy Giuliani Will Be Prepared For Alien Attack

Sunday, during a town-hall meeting in Exeter, Giuliani assured a young questioner that preparedness will be key for all crises, including those from outer space.

"If (there's) something living on another planet and it's bad and it comes over here, what would you do?" a boy asked.

Giuliani, grinning, said it was his first question about an intergalactic attack.

"Of all the things that can happen in this world, we'll be prepared for that, yes we will. We'll be prepared for anything that happens," said Giuliani, who mayor during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
==============================


So I got my bonus check yesterday. It was the biggest bonus I've had in recent memory. Almost daily I would go home after work and gawk at the upcoming check amount on the previous months' bonus report.

Then I got the check.

The gov't took 1/3 of that check. 1/3. If I tallied up all the deductions, the amount deducted from this check is equal to my regular paycheck! It was a big bonus...now smaller. All those daydreams of what I would save, what I would spend, and what I would cash into $20s and make a big pile to roll around in were shattered.

I find little comfort in knowing what the gov't plans to do with my money. Between ensuring that the animals in ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge) can mate without interruption and being prepared for the 'next' alien attack, I'm satisfied that Uncle Sam has done his part with my hard earned money.

Guess Suzanne will have to wait a little longer for her new dryer and we will have to put off Lily's dental checkup another month or two. It seems that the gov't is bringing in a new team of trainers to get our country prepared.

Nice shoes Sigourney!

He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

I spent this past weekend, leading worship at the local Walk to Emmaus. It was a great weekend as it always is. God always shows, the pilgrims are always touched and people always have a good time. This is my 5th walk. I went on my walk 5 years ago and have led worship at one walk a year every year since.

So I think this year will be my last....atleast to lead worship. I enjoyed it and really had a good time, but I was just ready for it to be over; about as soon as it had started.

Not sure why though. I don't feel particularly unspiritual, in fact, I really got alot out of the teaching and the services. I got alot out of my own prayer time and devotional time. I got alot out of the whole event. In fact, the more I think about it, it was a great weekend. If for nothing else, to be able to shut off the cell phone and get away with God for a few days. But the whole time I still just wanted to be home, with the Bean, chilling in my chair mindlessly flipping through channels or bouncing outside on the trampoline as Capt Jack trying to rescue Pirate Princess (Lily) from the sharks.

So I suppose what I'm really saying is that I'm getting old. 33 to be exact. Roaming around a campground in jeans, flip flops, and with a guitar strapped on my back just doesn't do it for me as much anymore. Now, relaxing means, home. It means family. It means actually sitting down and enjoying all the things that I strive to own everyday at work.

I don't want to zip off to some retreat to find God. I'm sensing Him more and more when I look across the dinner table and see my wife and my daughter. When I sit out on the back swing and watch the orange sky turn gray. When Suz and I enjoy a tasty beverage on the front porch rockers in the middle of the night, listening to the katydids of summer get run out by the crickets. I sense God when I go home. Afterall I've spent these 12 years of my married life praying for Him to be there, at home. Last night, as we sat at the table eating lemon roasted chicken, I had an overwhelming sense of His presence there, at THAT table with me. So this time He was known to me in the breaking of my own bread.

Guess my flip-flop hippie days are over. And sure I'll start tucking my shirt in at work, but I still ain't gonna wear a tie to church. God knows this.




See ya on the flip-side, brotha!

Peace.

The power of a notebook

Today I bought my first Moleskine. Actually I bought 5. The first, a Squared Notebook. Basically a cute lil notebook, with leather bindings and graph paper. The second, a Music Notebook (no telling what musical magic I'll scribe on it's tiny little staffs.) Same bindings, plus staff paper. Very useful. Numbers 3 - 5 were a set of small Lined Journals. It was a 3 pack. I gave all three of them away. Moleskines have been used by the likes of Tom Hanks in the DaVinci Code, Van Gogh, Picasso, Hemingway and even Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Remember the scene where we was in the map room scribbling down coordinates after placing the jewel in the right slot so that the location of the Ark was given to him.

"They're digging in the wrong place!"

These things just make you feel powerful. I mean as I jot down the IP addresses from various clients and whatnot, including a grocery list, I am reminded that Ernest Hemingway could've written things like "About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after." or "All our words from loose using have lost their edge." or "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." in his Moleskine notebook.

In this world of text messaging, word processing, chatting, PDA..ing and the like, it's a tad bit refreshing for me to slow down enough to write. With a pen. On actual paper. Sometimes slow is good. Today, slow seems real good.

With this in mind, my penmanship gets a little clearer, I think of better ways to write, "Pick up milk" and I ponder the chances of some futuristic archaeologist jumping for joy when he uncovers my long forgotten little notebook full of IP addresses and Honey-Dos.

Hey, I think I'll write that line down. Typing is just so much damned easier.

Oh You give and take away.

October 2007. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years since Kellan's birth and death. Somedays she seems like a distant memory, and other days I arrive home from work, expecting to get two hugs when I walk in the door and see 4 places set at the table.

I'm not sure, still, why God does what He does. But I'll tell you this, He doesn't do anything half-assed. (I'm sure some will be offended at that, squeamish relationships with the Lord make we want to eat nails anyway. Besides, no one reads this blog.)

Suzanne came home one afternoon from a meeting with our pastor a few months after Kellan's death. She told me that men and women grieve differently. Women grieve hard and right off the bat. Apparently men compartmentalize it and only grieve with that little drawer gets opened.

Well tonight, I suppose I went and opened that door. I so often wonder how different my life would be, had all four of Suzanne's pregnancies been successful. I wonder if we would have continued trying. I wonder how gray Suzanne's hair would be with all those youngins running around. These are questions that I don't get answers too. Everything doesn't get explained here. In fact, very little gets explained.

Lily has to be quiet at school while the teacher talks. No one explains to her why. I suppose that the last couple of years have been 'carpet time' with me and the Lord. I don't get a chance to talk and He never shuts up.

I'm excited about next year, hopefully that's a playground year.

So I better wish my lil one in heaven a good night, kiss my lil one down here good night and crawl into bed.

Drawers all shut.

Scenes from Spring Cleaning

So today Suz decided to clean out the garage. We have been in this house for well over a year. There were things in boxes that I hadn't seen since hurriedly tossing them into that box well over a year ago as they were packed.

I'm going to ponder this for awhile. As she runs circles around me cleaning, I get bogged down going through each box, reliving each memory that pops out.

It's too bad that we leave these things in these boxes for so long. Or maybe it's for the best.

The CD is out.

After much pain and suffering, our new CD, "Inclined" is ready. This project began in the summer of 2006. We had signed our Artist Development Contract with Main Street Music and began rehearsing and writing the new tunes for this album. We had been through a very tumultuous year or two and were ready to be in the studio. We were still Kudzu and not Scarlet Snow.

Things got crazy quickly in the studio. David Hooper, one of our lead singers quit the band after the first day of recording. He agreed to stay on and finish the CD but we had to re-work all of his songs and dump some of them altogether so that Suzanne or Lisa could sing lead.

Well a few short weeks later, Lisa quit as well. This left Suzanne alone to sing lead on all the new tunes. Ian and I were quickly writing away to help fill in the gaps. Soon after Lisa quit, we began searching for a new identity.

Early one morning, while having breakfast at Noshville, we started toying with the name "Scarlet". In between bites of a killer omelet, I blurted out "what about Scarlet Snow - you know that from that scripture in Isaiah?" It stuck.

Now here we are over a year later with this CD.

You can hear the entire cd on our indieheaven webpage. www.indieheaven.com/artists/scarletsnow

So what's next for Scarlet Snow? We'll see. Be sure to stay tuned.