This Kid Is Driving!

in a motorized vehicle legally and alone without a parent in the front seat!

I know it's happened twice before, but something about the youngest born driving out of the driveway with new-found freedom......yikes!

Today part of me is wishing the kid in the photo above was still running around the house.......but only a really, really small part of me......

Buzz Lightyear has to be smiling!

Ken Medema

One of the many wonderful people God has brought into my path over the years is a talented musician named Ken Medema. If you know him, know who he is, or have never heard of him, you will enjoy the following - and BTW, this man's laugh and love of life bring great joy to my life!_________________________________________________
25 Little Known Things About Ken

1) He wears 2 different size shoes
2) Fell off a stage and landed on his feet in the orchestra pit - had the presence of mind to yell out - "It was all part of the act."
3) He has been happily married to his wife, Jane, for 44 years
4) He has 2 grandchildren, Charlotte, 5 and Henry, 1 (named after Ken's dad)
5) He and his sister Mary were both born blind
6) He has a daughter, Rachel, who is getting married in the next year or so
7) He has produced over 38 albums in his career
8) He uses a text reading program called "JAWS" so he can read e-mails and surf the web.
9) He reads "audio" books and reads at least 40-50 books per year
10) He wishes an iPod would be more friendly to blind people
11) Performed after speeches by Desmond Tutu, Charles Kuralt, Bill Moyers, Jimmy Carter, Marian Wright Edelman and Lynn Redgrave among many others
12) His favorite ice cream flavor is French Vanilla
13) His loves French Roast coffee
14) He is on the road over 200 days per year
15) Over his career he has composed nearly 65 choral anthems
16) For years, he rode a two-wheeled bike in his neighborhood
17) His favorite literary genre is science fiction
18) He loves driving golf carts
19) His podcast called Inside the Songs (LINK) comes out on the 15th of every month.
20) He played second chair trumpet in the junior high band because he couldn't sight read.
21) He can "see" little light and dark images outdoors in bright sun light
22) He has his degree in Music Therapy
23) His web site is "Accessible", which means that if you hover over an item it will audibly tell you what it is with his reading program
24) He has written the theme music for 30 Good Minutes a TV show broadcast from Chicago on PBS
25) In college, he could swim the entire length of an Olympic pool underwater with one breath

For more information on Ken, click HERE

Young Church Singers

OK - I am REALLY "dating" myself now.....

As a student at Baylor University, I had the joy and privilege of being in a contracted studio session recording group - hired by WORD Music (located at that time in Waco, Texas) to record about once a month on a Saturday in Dallas, Texas.

The leader and person who formed/hired (and named) this group was Charles F. Brown. At that time, he was Senior Editor in charge of all choral works published by WORD Music, and he needed an quick and inexpensive way to record his choral demonstration recordings.

So, he hired a bunch of college students, and called us the "Young Church Singers."

Not highly original, but heck 30+ years ago, we thought it was pretty cool!

This group was really good - (I still am not sure how I got in, but it sure was fun -and hard work!)

I am guessing this photo was taken sometime around 1975 or 1976.

Oh to be a college student again and earn $75 on a Saturday, hanging out with good friends and making good music!

(The first person to identify me in the photo gets a free recording of the Young Church Singers - HA HA!!)

South Africa Music Team

Landing in Cape Town, South Africa later today will be this wonderful group of close friends of mine.

For the past 3 years, I have led a team of musicians/worship leaders to Cape Town to lead workshops and partner with a local church and Christian radio station to help develop local South African Christian musicians, and even help them get their songs developed to be played on the radio there.

This is my first time to not be leading a team, and I hate that, but I am so pleased for this group to be going under the way more than capable leadership of Jeremy and Maribeth.

If you would, please take a minute to pray for them (by name) right now as you read this - that God would use them to encourage and equip these incredible folks living on the other side of the world!

in the photo - L-R are: Chris, Todd, Joyce, Maribeth, Jeremy, and Shelly!

Their workshops will be this Friday and Saturday, and Cape Town is (7) hours LATER than Nashville! So a really good time to pray for them is as you go to bed each night! Thank you

Ben - String Bass

Ben Worley - String Bass from Dennis Worley on Vimeo.

This video is excerpts from a Wind Ensemble Concert that Ben got to be a part of about a month ago. These are high school band kids from all over the middle Tennessee area playing under the direction of guest conductor, Dario Sotelo - Artistic Director and Conductor of the Brazilian Wind Orchestra, and the Principal Conductor of the Paulista Symphonic Orchestra.

This was an incredible experience for Ben, and I hope you enjoy watching him play this most amazing music!