I've been so many places in my life and time...

My daughter Katie has determined that our family should be on the Family Feud. In fact, she’s been tweeting the producers of Family Feud for months and is now on a first name basis with Gaby, one of the show's Executive Producers. So, a short video and a bunch of paperwork later our family is now in the ‘active’ file for Family Feud. The show is alive and well and is now being produced and filmed at Universal Studios in Florida!  I'll update you as soon as I know 'specifics' regarding this exciting event.  I'm sure it will be 'blog worthy'!

While filling out the paperwork, we were asked this very simple question: “Tell us an interesting or unusual fact about yourself.” So while thinking about what I should write, I began to realize how blessed I’ve been to be able to do some really fun and unusual things during my life. I also discovered how many stinking contests I’ve entered (and I actually managed to win a few of them). But mostly it reminded me how fleeting accomplishments can be; not only for me, but for everyone in their "life and time", no matter HOW famous you are (or were). It only takes a few short years to change a "Who's Who" to a "Who's that?"  Nevertheless, for the record, here are some interesting events in my (not so famous) life that I vividly remember:

I remember first meeting Chad and Jeremy (who?). They were a part of the original British Invasion to America in the 60s and had several Top 40 hits. Some twenty years after their shooting star of fame had burnt out, they wound up playing the two leads in a show called Pump Boys and Dinettes here in Oklahoma City. I knew the director from some of my earlier days of theatre, told her I knew how to play bass, and wound up playing opposite of them (and learning to actually play the bass, electric and upright) for about an 8 week run in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It was really a fun time in my life, it was a great show, and I can say that I starred in a show with Chad and Jeremy (who?).

I remember the rush of standing on stage at Joker's Comedy Club (where?) long before Last Comic Standing, trying my hand at stand-up during a big contest they had one year. I took first place that night, came back for the finals, and lost out to a guy I had beaten that first night, who had entered another weekly round and won HIS way into the finals.  Punchline to the story?  If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try to quit stuttering.

I remember auditioning for the producers of You Can Be A Star (what?) in Nashville. Long before shows like American Idol came into existence, the brand new network TNN (The Nashville Network) had a show called You Can Be A Star. I auditioned for it and made it onto the show. The problem: it really WAS a show for Country and Western singers; and although I can actually tackle that genre now, Elton John’s song ‘Country Comfort’ was not what the judges (or the audience) thought of as ‘country’! But at the time it was about the only 'country' song I knew (not counting Okie from Muskogee). So I lost out to some Loretta Lynne sound-a-like from the Louisiana Hayride (I knew I should’ve sung the ‘gospel song’ I had prepared for 'the finals').  Still, I can say that I sang on National TV on the show You Can Be A Star (what?).  I’m not aware of anyone from that show making it ‘big’ (including me).  It was hosted by Jim Ed Brown (who? who? who?)

I remember the dry mouth of nervousness that I had always heard about, but had never experienced until that very moment. I was in Nashville (once again), back stage at the Grand Ole Opry getting ready to walk on stage to sing ‘Cream of the Crop’ (a song I wrote that won Song of the Year from the OHA) . I had seen an ad in the newspaper (what's a newspaper?) about a Nashville Starbound Competition (once again, this was many years before ‘Idol’ appeared). On a whim, I sent them a tape, wound up going to Nashville, to the Grand Ole Opry, and out of about 120 contestants that performed over the run of the contest, I won the Grand Prize (which was a big trophy and a free recording at Dottie West studios there in Nashville). Truthfully, the rush of singing on the Grand Ole Opry stage was far better than the rush of winning first place (and Dottie West's 'studio' turned out to be less than impressive).

I remember sitting in the Green Room, getting ready to sing in front of hundreds of fellow singers/songwriters at the Loghouse (where?) at the YMCA of the Rockies (get all visions of the 'Village People' OUT of your mind). It was the late 90s, and I had gone to the Christian Artists Seminar (a really top notch Christian event always held there at the YMCA, a really beautiful resort just outside of Estes Park, Colorado).  At the last minute, I decided to enter the Southern Gospel Vocalist contest (even though the deadline for entry had passed). Since it was so last minute, my name was kind of ‘written in’ on the schedule without filling out all the paperwork or even paying the entry fee. As I was getting ready to go on stage to perform for the finals (with the other two Southern Gospel singers/finalists), Cam Floria (the founder of ‘Seminar in the Rockies’) came over to me and whispered, “We probably ought to go ahead and get the entry fee from you, in case you win this thing.” As it turned out, I did win it, and got 40 hours of free recording time at Gaither Studios in Indiana. Plus, I got to return the following year to be a 'featured performer'.  So, there I was, feeling really 'privileged' to be sitting in the Green Room, chatting it up with folks from Avalon, some famous preacher dude, and a couple of recently signed artists. All that being said, the week I spent in Alexandria, Indiana at Gaither Studios recording my 4th CD was the most memorable part of the whole ordeal.

Searching back through my mind, I can remember winning over a dozen speech tournaments, both in debate and acting, both individual and in duets; and even placing first in the state finals of Humorous Interpretation my senior year in high school.  Interestingly, one judge (from OBU) graded me down in a preliminary round, calling my piece ‘sacreligious’. Luckily I got two firsts and a second from the three judges in the final round. The very next year, I won a drama scholarship to OBU…but by then that teacher had left the school, so I couldn’t give her a piece of my mind. I remember doing dozens of Godspell performances over a two year span at OSU (I played John the Baptist/Judas, the same role I had seen Jeremy Irons play a few years before that in London). I remember being the lead singer for a darn good band during those years in college and screaming Top 40 till I was hoarse hundreds of gigs all over Oklahoma (the proms were the most fun!).  I still wince in exhaustion from doing over 150 shows at the State Fair of Oklahoma over a three year span.  I shiver when I recall doing an outdoor show with Bryan White in front of a stadium full of people in December (brrrrrr).

I remember way back where it all began...standing in front of large crowds many times while still a young boy (attending Willard Elementary School) in Ada. I was Annie’s little brother in Annie Get Your Gun; a featured soloist with the East Central State College’s production of Elijah; and I even won a talent contest at a John Haggai tent revival (I won an oil painting of myself and a really cool camera that I carted all over Europe and used until I got into college).  All of this before I ever entered Junior High. I especially remember the very first time, back there in Ada, standing in front of several hundred people waiting for my name to be announced. I slowly walked out to the center, and with the cameras rolling, I answered a couple of questions in the general direction of the mic; then grabbed my nose as the pastor lowered me in the water. THAT moment, deciding right then to let Jesus Christ be in charge of my life, has had more of an impact on my life than all the other crowds I've stood in front of since; and was certainly worth more than any trophy, any contest or any 15 minute chunk of fame. It has had and will have a longer and more lasting effect on me than any of those other ‘memories’ I have recalled here.  It is that spirit, His Spirit, that has guided me and influenced nearly every aspect of my life.

You can take the rest away, but leave me that one life changing decision...that one moment in the Son.  There is no other 'interesting or unusual' event in a life that can top that! 

Galatians 2:20
...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

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The opening line from A Song For You by Leon Russell seemed an appropriate title for this Blog...so I used it.  All good Okies should love Okie native Leon Russell ;)