Call Me Spoon

  I thank the Lord God, the Everlasting Father, Jehovah for my sixty one years of life.  An exciting and full life, a fun life with love, wonder and mysteries unfolded.  I thank God for the love of family and friends that span His earth.  I thank God for His mercy, and grace as I learned, failed, and tried things over and over.  I thank God for the experiences, the joys, the loves, the things I have seen and the people that have been with me.  I thank You Lord for allowing me to pastor, spy, teach, write, publish, speak, edit, ride, swim, love, read, learn, play, survive, escape, receive, give, live, serve, feel, help, bless, preach, rescue, encourage, motivate, inspire, father, husband, befriend, remember, forget and forgive. 

Learning guitar for me has been in stages. The stage I am in now is where I feel comfortable holding the instrument and trying to fine tune better ways to play it.   I am trying to be conscious of my hand positions so that I can make transitions better and not get tired. I am trying to fret my notes more accurately so that the dynamics of what I hear are intentional. I am conscious of my likes and dislikes.   The first guitar I fell in love with was an American Stratocaster I traded for a handgun.  At the time it was the most expensive guitar I had.  I fantasized about sounding like Buddy Guy or Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Then I bought a hollow body Epiphone and tried to get my B.B. King on.  I learned quickly that I will never be those guys.  The journey continued and I bought and sold a bunch of guitars until I found Dean Zelinksky.  He has some good marketing. I've had three of his guitars and can vouch for their quality and beauty.  You have to...

In the year 2019, I leaned forward with my guitar goals. I’m not alone. People all over are buying guitars according to Fender, Gibson and luthier extroidinaire, Dean Zelinsky. Younger people are learning, shredding and making music with a guitar like never before. The pandemic increased it.   Learning the guitar, is a forward-looking process, kindling hope and optimism. I am a big fan of hope.  God is hope. I believe one of the greatest gifts God has given you is hope. After all, that is what his promises are designed to do – inspire hope. It gives us the ability to look at any situation and know that regardless of how it may appear God is going to come through. This is the essence of what hope is.   However, if you are honest, the challenges of life can sometimes seem overwhelming. I know because I have faced those challenges just like you have. When these challenges attack, the thing they often come after is your hope. They try to move you from hope to despair, but tha...

No matter what knocks you down in life, get back up and keep going.  Never give up. Blessings are a result of perseverance.   There’s a lot of bad going on in the world but it has always been there.  Don’t let your circumstance now steal your joy or define you. I’m just here to remind you that you still matter. You’re not alone. I may not understand exactly how you feel, but you’re not alone. I care. Spoon P.S. Hotlines in the U.S. All hotlines listed below are free and confidential. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline   800-273-TALK (8255)    The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day, every day. Services are also available for veterans, and for Spanish speakers. Samaritans Helpline 877-870-4673 (HOPE) Call or text Samaritans Helpline is available 24/7.

Welcome.  I know this maybe the most depressing and saddest song ever sung but I am happy doing it because I think I did it justice.  I feel it. At the time of this post I am dealing with a lot.  I know I will make it though.  If you are going  through something, and want to talk with someone about it, I'm here. This is my favorite month of the year.  I am accomplishing some of my goals despite some of the setbacks I’ve experienced.  I’ve been wanting to be a great guitarist since I was 5 years old.  Just never got around to it like I have these past three years.  Better late than never. I have found a bunch (25 I think) videos I have posted over the past couple of years experimenting with video production, sound and of course learning the guitar. What’s funny is that I sometimes play better before I put the iPhone on the tripod to record.  Trying to get the lighting and sound right is a little extra stress in addition to trying to ...