The word "HOPE!"

The "Hope" Tour...think about the word "hope" for just a few minutes and I'll come right back to it!

So...since my last blog...we have played shows in Naperville, IL, Richland, MI, Peshtigo, WI, Grand Forks, ND, Belle Fourche, SD, Billings, MT, Moorcroft, WY,...ah that's where we have been since Saturday and where I am now! Actually, we played the show in Moorcroft, WY, on Saturday night and had plans to have a repair made to the bus in Gillette, WY, on Monday as we did not have another show scheduled until tonight, in Salt Lake City, UT...however...they sent the wrong part and it has not arrived as of today...Wednesday! Needless to say, we had to cancel the Salt Lake City show :(( but have been blessed with a number of God's peeps from Moorcroft who have stepped up to help us in getting the band and crew...except me...to Las Vegas for the show Thursday night! The Pastor who brought us to Moorcroft, WY, his wife, and some of his congregation have been more than servant oriented...as they also believe in the power of God's truth coupled with the medium of music! Thank you Aslan!

Before I go on...let me highlight a few points along the way!

So...Naperville, IL...imagine...are you imagining?...a well maintained downtown area, very quaint, similar to downtown NSB but larger(with a bit more character), surrounded by small homes built most likely prior to 1950 in absolutely great shape...and get this...a Starbucks and a Apple Store smack in the middle of it all...imagine that! It's kind of a Yuppie Town...I suppose because it's a suburb of Chicago...but it's also kinda cool if you ever get a chance to check it out!

Minneapolis, MN...Rev Kev's previous mission field! We traveled from Peshtigo, WI to Minneapolis, MN, for a day off before a show in Grand Forks, ND. And, as some of you know...Williams has never seen snow :(( ...at least snow that could be made into a snow ball :)) ...or fresh snow falling so heavy it was falling in piles as it was bending the tree branches! Well guess what? It's almost daylight when we roll in to Minneapolis and boy did I get to see snow! It was crazy...I'm all by myself up front in the bus...of course I am I'm driving...dowee...and everybody else is asleep! So, I just have to tell someone about what I'm experiencing for the first time...so I call My Beautiful Woman (aka Momma-T), who is just getting ready for work and give her a play by play of the wonder I'm experiencing...the kid in me again! :)) Anyway, I finally get the bus parked in the parking lot of the hotel I will be sleeping in...and then the fun begins...I start making snow balls and smashing them everywhere! The funny thing...ha ha funny...is that it's not really making my hands wet...very cool! Everybody else is asleep, so I don't have anyone to have a snow ball fight with :(( ...I suppose that will be another time :)) surely God wants me to have a snow ball fight with someone...but oh did I have a blast for a little while! Late afternoon/early evening we paid a visit to the Mall of America, which is kinda like an amusement park surrounded by hundreds of stores, very cool too...but nothing compared to snow and snow balls! :)) My stay in Minneapolis was topped off by a visit from the young man I'm praying will become our Youth Worship Leader at EAC, Wade Anderson, who lives very close! Laughing is good...and I always laugh when I'm with Wade! I think I love Wade!

So back to now...here I sit in another hotel room...yep...just me and Aslan! For those of you who don't know, the bus driver always gets a hotel room to sleep before driving to the next show! It's for the safety of the band...good rest = alert driver! :)) But this is a little different! We are praying and "hoping" that the bus will be repaired by tomorrow so I can catch up with the band as soon as possible! Please pray God's will be done!

Now getting back to the word "hope!" Justin Cox, our lead guitarist, mentioned early on in this tour that he had been advised by someone he respects, that we should be prepared for difficulty due to naming the tour, "The Hope Tour"...as the kind of hope we are proclaiming is very much "hated" by the enemy of the human heart, Satan! Every night Dawn, our lead singer, reads 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, which has become her life's verses, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." The hope that all the bands are proclaiming on this tour, Abandon, Remedy Drive, and Fireflight is mentioned in Romans 5:1-5, where it is proclaimed by Paul to be a hope that does not disappoint! I'd say that rocks...a hope that does not disappoint...I like it! Glenn Drennen, our rhythm guitarist, recently placed the following quote by Jean Kerr on the marker board in our bus, "Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn’t permanent." I think that rocks also! And remember, Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see!" God's word gives me an energy I can't escape! I like it!!!

One more thing before I close! You should definitely check out the other band's music on this tour...Abandon and Remedy Drive! These guys are real and I have already developed a cool relationship with them all! You can listen to them on myspace or their websites! It is so worth your time! And don't miss the last song on Abandon's record...it's called Hero! Wow!!!

Until next time...I love you all! Thanks to all you prayer warriors, but please continue to lift us up as we continue to deliver God's word, Psalm 107:20 "He sent forth His Word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave!"

Consume His Love...Williams out!

Metallica...not!

OK...so I know you're thinking...what's up with the title of this blog...Metallica...not? My point exactly! I knew it was time for a new blog when this Chicago burbs toll booth operator (35-40 years old), at about 3 this morning asks...do you have a band in there? I responded hesitantly...yes! He then asks if it is Metallica and goes on to explain how Metallica is his favorite band and he was hoping that I chose his isle because it was them! Go figure! Anyway, I went on a rant about how good Fireflight is and how he should come check out the show tonight! He got interested, but only when I told him Fireflight's lead singer is a female! lol

Now I know it's been a long time since my last update...but you have no idea what the last 7 days have been like for a gray bearded rock 'n' roll roadie like me! So here goes my attempt to give you that idea!

We started the HOPE Tour last Friday...which includes 25 cities during October alone! We left Nashville on September 30th and traveled to our first venue of the tour, a Baptist Church in Brookland, Arkansas! On October 1st, Fireflight conducted a Production Rehearsal(Fireflight's Label has provided them with a magnificent light show for this tour, including video panels, etc.), and totally blew it up (that means rocked the house) the next night! It was another surreal moment for me..watching what God has done with 5 gifted and committed young people! I still get goose bumps and shed a tear or two when I stop myself and realize what I am actually a part of!

One of the key words that is to be used from the stage for this tour is obviously HOPE...but another one is RESCUE! Dawn (Fireflight's lead singer), reads from God's Word every show! So...I'm doing my Devo the day before the tour begins and what treasure do I discover in Psalm 107?...I discover..."He sent forth His Word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave." I think this is exactly why Colossians 2:1-4 is most likely my favorite passage! In that passage, Paul explains that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ! And remember in John 1:1 Christ is referred to as "The Word!" :)) So...my final comment about my favorite passage...I can't remember it's original source...but someone made the statement that those treasures of wisdom and knowledge are not hidden FROM US but FOR US! Now that ROCKS!

Anyway...we traveled from Brookland, Arkansas to Washington, IN to Canton, Ohio to Erie, PA to Cadillac, MI to Greenville, IL to Clermont, IN over the past 8 days and are in Naperville, IL tonight! The travel included passing very close to the Browns, Colts, and Titans Stadiums which of course are huge! :)) I have various stories relating to our travels thus far but for he sake of time I'll only share one for now and maybe come back to the others later...

So, I'm driving listening to some old school...Newsboys...off the Step Up To The Microphone record (probably their best record, well worth purchasing if you don't have it), which brings back memories from another road trip with my family! I'm driving I-77 from Washington, IN to Canton, OH and I'm well into Ohio's mountainous hills when I start to observe the beautiful fall colors mixed in with super green pastures spotted with cows and sheep...it was picturesque to say the least!(I know...that was a long sentence!) If you ever get a chance...it is a beautiful piece of God's creation to experience! I was in awe! I suppose it pays to be a kid at heart...at least a large percentage of the time we have!

So, that's it for now...other than to let those of you who read this know...I am beginning to experience times when I really miss you and my family! :(( Please know that I continue to pray for you and love you! I would also ask you to please continue to pray for us as we travel and Rock the Nation for King Aslan!