HOT IN THE KITCHEN!

Today is Tuesday, November 6, 2007. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon in Culver City, CA. Now this is one bizarre story.

A few months ago, I got an email via myspace.com/waynewatsonmusic from a guy named Keith. It was very nice and he said he had been following my music for a while. Said he actually ran sound for me back in 1991. Honestly, I don't remember. The way he told it, he was running the monitor board right off the stage, I asked him to make a change, he made it and I said "beautiful" or something like that. He remembered feeling good about being able to make it sound like I wanted it to sound. What a memory!

Anyway, Keith said in his email that he was the head audio engineer for a television show on the Fox Television Network called "Hell's Kitchen". He said something to this effect "I don't know if you watch stuff like this or not…" Well, it's like this – Yes, I have seen the show and actually find it pretty entertaining. I told him the "beeping" of words that are still, thank the Lord, are inappropriate for primetime television is pretty annoying but I realize they are trying to protect our delicate sensibilities. I appreciate the effort though it's pretty hard to not know what they're beeping. I mean, come on. Right?

So Keith and I email a few times and he says if I'm ever in southern California, give him a heads up and let him know. He invited me to come by and watch a taping of the show.

So seeing that I was in Dana Point, CA for the Luis Palau conference, I planned to stay over an extra day and check this thing out.

They were starting to shoot the 5th season on Monday. I found my way to the address Keith had given me – hoping this was real. We talked on the phone as I walked up to the building and there was Keith. He greeted me and we went into the soundstage. Once inside, I signed in and put my signature on a short document that basically stated that I would not divulge anything about the show and so on. So, I won't be doing that!

I was given a visitors pass and went into the audio room (one of several). There, Keith and I had lunch and talked. I was immediately comfortable with him and his friendly staff.

You can't imagine how many people it takes to pull off a show of this magnitude. Mind-boggling. Keith has a staff of 18 under him doing everything you could imagine (and more than a few things most of us would never think of) to record everything for the show. I won't go "techy" on you, but I'll just say there were lots of things going on. Mics and cameras everywhere.

And by the way, Keith loves Jesus. God overwhelms me with his imaginative use of His children. Here is this guy in a very unusual (or really maybe not that unusual at all from a real world sense) environment. People from all kinds of backgrounds working together to produce a modern day reality show for a major television network. And here is a real missionary right in the middle of it in a very important respected position. I could tell, just being there for a few hours, that he had the admiration of all around him. And besides that, he knows what the heck he's doing! He's not pretending or posing – he's a real pro! Keith has worked on feature films and numerous other television series. Still, his first devotion is to the Lord.


Someone wrote, "We work the field of souls together you and I." This story is exactly what I had in mind in writing that song. All of us, doing exactly what God put us here to do – some behind the scenes, some in front, some in conventional ministry, others "in the world" but not "of it".

I'm thankful for how God uses you and me. Do what you're here to do. Go!

P.S. CHECK OUT PICS FROM MY VISIT TO THE KITCHEN WITH KEITH

Monday November 5, 2007

Well, I'm still in California. I see why people like it out here and I see why folks are so fit – you never want to be inside just sitting around! Even when it's cloudy, like it's been every morning, it's still beautiful and comfortable outside.

We wrapped up the Luis Palau conference yesterday about noon and I am staying over until tomorrow.
The conference was a huge success and lots of new people were introduced to the inner workings of the ministry. Most of them plunged in with both feet to be partners with Luis and his team.

Their vision for reaching the world with the Gospel is extremely energetic and passionate. Luis is one fired-up guy! If you were ever near one of his "festivals" I would encourage you to bring your kids of all ages and spend some time there.



The picture you see here, if you look very closely, shows surfers in the chilly Pacific. They are there at 6 AM every single morning. Yes, it's Monday. Do these people work?? They might be asking the same thing of me! Anyway, the surfers are fascinating to me. I really don't get it so I don't want to be too critical because maybe some of you do get it.
But really, they float for hours waiting for a wave, ride it for a few seconds, bale out and wait for another, ride that one, etc, etc. I'm sure I'm missing something and they would probably not get some stuff I like.

They might watch me hit a golf ball, track it down, hit it, track it down – well you get the idea.

Or they might watch me ride a motorcycle and say "Man, that's really dangerous. Why do you do that?"

So live and let live.

It was odd to see them out there every morning. Yesterday, Sunday, I chuckled and thought "Boy, when I was a kid, you went to church on Sunday and if you didn't go, you sure didn't go out (although surfing wasn't an option in northeast Louisiana) and let people know you weren't in church!

I used to drive by a country club on the way to church in Houston. Every Sunday, there would be carts full of people out playing golf. I couldn't help but think, "They should be in church". Some thought patterns are just hard to break. Then, churches started having Saturday night services…man, Saturday night services have taken all the fun out of being judgmental! Maybe the surfers went to church on Saturday night – maybe the golfers went with them!!

Anyway, it sure takes the pressure off to expect and assume the best whatever the odds or whatever the real truth is. God loves people!

May He help me love them like He does.

Wayne

P.S. I think I'm going to have a very good story to tell you tomorrow. Going somewhere pretty fun today in Hollywood!

I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying one of the nicest seasons of the year.

I just wanted to let you know that, after months of work, waynewatson.com is on the air with a ton of stuff to read and listen to. You can order the new record "Even This" as well as the new Christmas CD "King of Kings" that we finished a few weeks ago.

Stop by waynewatson.com and have a look around.

Blessings.


Wayne

I just wrapped up a weekend full of good stuff.

Friday, I was at the headquarters of Compassion International for a special time with their leaders from around the world. I'm thankful for he tremendous work carried on by the men and women of Compassion.

Saturday I flew into San Jose, California and drove to a new church called Venture Christian. This was their first weekend to meet as one body. Venture is the new product of a merger of two strong fellowships in the San Jose area. I was a part of the Saturday night service as well as the two morning worship services on Sunday. After church, the whole bunch was treated to a barbeque picnic lunch and all the trimmings.

At three in the afternoon, I played for an hour with a band of guys I met at Spirit West Coast. They drove down from Chico, CA and played with me for the afternoon concert. We pulled out lots of the new material. Man, it feels great to be playing some new stuff. Of course, I have to field a load of comments about people wanting to hear the old songs...and I'll keep playing some of them for a long time to come. But remember ...even the old songs were new one time!!

So, it's been a busy weekend and I'm looking forward to heading home today.

But I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and to let you know that I feel your encouragement to press on every time I step out.

And I know this might be getting old, but the new project "Even This" is in the final stages of manufacturing these next two weeks. I approved all the final art and all that goes with that. So the plant is making them right now. You'll be the first to know when they're ready.

I'm thankful for all the kind words you folks write to me. It always blesses me to read your messages.

Wayne

I wrote the music to this song during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The music, as a work in progress, was called "Dance of Angels" because it came to me while observing the "angels" in my hometown of Houston. Thousands of helpful men, women and children turned out to serve those displaced by the terrible storm.

In the beginning, I planned to put this song on the record as an instrumental, then after spending time with co-writers Clint Lagerberg and Tony Wood, I was thankful for the lyric that spoke so clearly to the subject of the origional music and to other things going on in my life at the time.

I'm in Colorado Springs today to sing for the folks at Compassion International. I've been representing them for a couple of years now and this will be my first trip to their headquarters. People from around the world are here and I'm honored to be sharing with them today.

If you have never considered sponsoring a child through Compassion, I would ask that you pray about it and think what some small effort could do to change the life of a child. You would be amazed what a small gift would do for them and their families.

The new album "Even This" is being manufactured right now and I should have stock in a few weeks. I hope to be able to make them available to you via the waynewatson.com site as soon as it's updated.

The song on the myspace homepage is the title song from this project.

Also, the new Christmas project will be done in time for the holidays this year! It's been a busy summer. Kinda tough getting in the Christmas spirit in Houston in July!

Blessings.

Wayne

Just wanted to let you know that I put up a few pics from the festival last weekend.

News from Spirit West Coast….

I just got back from California where I spent a few days at the Spirit West Coast festival. The promoter, a long time friend named Jon Robberson, invited me to come to this event and lead worship to begin the day on Saturday morning and to play at a couple of other events during the festival.

Saturdays at a festival like this are special days. They usually end with the bigger named acts on the bill. This year it was Switchfoot. I wasn't able to stay around and hear their set that night but I'm sure it was tremendous. Their last two or three record have been great and have made a huge impact on the music world. I don't know them so I hesitate to say anything about them personally, but I think they are believers and I'm happy that they've been given a platform to make a statement in the Christian music world and outside and beyond it to the mainstream.

Anyway, I started the day off around 10 AM with a band of guys from California that had been put together to back me up. We had a brief rehearsal on Friday evening and then touched up a few things Saturday morning before we started.

I have to say how much I enjoyed playing with some other guys around. It's been a long time. Ryan, Jim, Daniel, Brandon and Gabe were a lot of fun to play with. Thanks to those guys!

The staff had asked me to play songs that people would be familiar with and that's just what we did. It was so nice to just open up and let it rip and watch people join in and start their final day at the festival in worship.

Early in the afternoon on Saturday, I played a thirty-minute set of the songs from the new project "Even This". When I got through, Josh McDowell came up to speak. I've known Josh for years. When I was in college in the 70's, I remember going to class during my freshman year and in every single classroom, in the upper corner of every chalkboard, the words "Josh is Coming" were written. None of us had a clue what that meant. We didn't know if "Josh" was a name or an acronym. But it was a tremendous, grass roots campaign to promoted this wonderful author and speaker. One of his first books to grab a wide audience was "Evidence That Demands a Verdict". I'll never forget it. When he got to the campus at Louisiana Tech University, lots of people showed up to find out what the whole thing was about. This very intellectual writing spoke to a generation of college students that were on a quest to find truth. Josh told them about Truth in terms they would understand and appreciate for it's depth and it's relevancy.

Josh was so very kind after my set on Saturday. He put his hands on both sides of my head and, like a loving, caring father, looked me right in the eyes and showed as much grace, compassion and tenderness as I've seen in a long time. He knows some of what's gone down in the past few years, and demonstrated unconditional love with his words of kindness and with his heart - heart that is in tune with the Father. Thank you, Josh.

Sunday morning, Jon (the promoter) gave me the platform to lead worship with the band again and then speak/teach during the final worship service before everyone broke camp to go home. Again, what an honor. I was and am thankful for his faith in me.
I'll share the message I shared that morning in the coming days.

But I just wanted to thank you for your prayers. It is so good to have the opportunity to do what I feel made to do. God has used me beyond my failures and beyond my weaknesses and…even beyond my strengths. I pray for more of these times but don't ever want to forget His faithfulness in the times just past.

The new project "Even This" is almost ready. I know that's been said, but it's been sort of like building a house. There are countless questions and little decisions to be made at every corner. The photos go to the cover designer tomorrow so we're getting closer.

Again, thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Blessings to you all.

Wayne

I've gotten a few questions lately and thought I would just answer them here for all to see.

1. Someone wanted to know which album the song "Somewhere in the World" was on.
It was on "Giants in the Land". Recorded in 1985. I don't know if it's still in print or not
but I did re-record it on "Signitures" that was released by Springhill Music a few years
ago.

2. Another asked when I was going to play a date in my hometown of Houston. I don't
have a Houson concert scheduled yet but hope to play some dates this fall that will
highlight the new music from the new cd..."Even This". After working most of this year
on this new project, it looks like it might not be on the street (i.e. real stores) until
after the new year BUT thanks to the technology that we all enjoy these days, you
will be able to buy it from the website, waynewatson.com, as well as other online
stores. I'll let you know!

Finally, I'll be playing at three different times at a festival in Monterey California called Spirit West Coast this coming weekend. There will be lots of bands and some of the most popular artists you're all hearing everywhere these days. I'm thankful to be included and grateful to Jon and the entire staff at SWC. I'll be leading worship and teaching at the final gathering on Sunday morning. Sure would appreciate your prayers.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement.

Blessings.

Wayne

Old Men Praying


I attended the memorial service of a friend's father a couple of days ago. I had met the father only once in passing so I really had no insight to his life and I had no firsthand personal knowledge of the kind of man he was. Before the service ended, I knew a great deal more.

You might think it strange that I would go to this service. I wondered about it myself and silently questioned why I was drawn to this gathering early on a hot, steamy summer afternoon in Houston. I like the fact that I didn't fret over it though. These questions don't linger as long as they used to and for that, I'm thankful. It is, for me, part of this second journey and a piece of the dynamic that keeps life interesting. I don't have to know the "whys" and "wherefores" of every single thing anymore. To say, "life's too short" here seems…obvious.

I put on a dark suit and tie and drove alone to the church. Getting there early, I was able to people watch and take in the quiet, dignified drama that was unfolding.

Why was I there? I have been a casual friend with Paul, the son, for a few years now. He helps me with some of the business elements of my life that are completely foreign to me. Frankly, he handles stuff that makes my head hurt. So, one reason I was there was out of respect for my friend, Paul…to support him with prayer and presence as he gave, what had to be, one of the more difficult public orations of his life. Saying goodbye to one's father isn't easy. You only have to do it once…you only get to do it once. I said goodbye to mine a decade ago and still miss him.

But I was there for other reasons, too. I was there because there are just too few opportunities to participate in true respect and reverence. I miss "awe". Too many times, worship services are so scripted that there is no place for "awe" or anything resembling spontaneity or surprise. Either that or there is so little order it's hard to know why we're there or what in the world is going on. But that's not the point. The worship service is not there for me…I am there, or should be there, for worship. The environmental forces should not have such a strong hand in whether I worship or not.

I want to live a more reverent life. To do that, I need to see what it looks like and hear what it sounds like. I want to be surrounded by it more often. I don't think reverence is necessarily synonymous with silence and stillness. There was laughter along with tears in the reverent service I was in.

I witnessed respect. Respect for life and for death. Respect for a gentleman that lived a good long life and lived it well. The hundreds that gathered did so to show their respect for a friend and for a family. Respect is fading in this culture and I couldn't help but wonder how many more generations will allow this noble indulgence. I watched elderly couples quietly take their seats. I watched some old gents walk softly alone to their places and quietly and with dignity wait for the formal start to the proceedings. The service started for them as the entered the church. That is where they began to pay their respects. That is where some of them began to contemplate life, mortality and eternity. That is when some of them began to bow their heads and pray.



In some ways, I felt like a young man sitting there among those more weathered than I, with more stories than me and with much more wisdom than I possess. That is another reason I wanted to be present in this service. To be surrounded by men who have lived lives beyond the life that I know. Experiences like this always remind me of how humbling life can and should be. It reminds me of how fragile we are and how quickly things can change.

I watched old men praying.

There were men approaching the end of their days with reverence and awe. I'm sure some are approaching with questions and uncertainty and perhaps, some degree of fear. To assume that everyone around me was secure in his or her eternal futures would be naïve.

So I joined them silently and prayed – for them and then for myself. I prayed that my life would be one that would reflect the grace and mercy of the Savior. I prayed that I would live beyond my failures, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on to what lies ahead.
I pray for a life of dignity, reverence, and respect for all the days to come.

Through all our progress and in all our accomplishments, I pray that we won't lose the qualities found in the man we remembered that day, the man spoken of so lovingly by his sons in beautiful words of tribute. We would all be honored to be so highly thought of and so deeply loved…and we are.