Studio Update: A Little Detour

This week’s update is a little bit of a detour around the usual subject (the new album) because I took a bit of a detour myself in the studio. In other words, I haven’t really been working on the new album this week. I have been working in the studio, though.

If you’re a songwriter, one of the coolest things that can happen to you is for someone else (preferably someone more famous than you are) to cover one of your songs on their CD. Just under a year ago, this happened to me.

One of the biggest influences on my musical career has been The Acappella Company, the parent company of such artists as Acappella, AVB, The Vocal Union, and Acappella’s founder, Keith Lancaster. The latest group to emerge from The Acappella Company is a group called Durant, which features 3 of Keith’s children: Melissa, Kim, and Anthony Lancaster. Last year, when they released their debut album, Ride, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they had recorded a version of “How Great”, one of my older songs!

As a result, God has blessed me with a lot of exposure over the past year, as Durant have been touring as an opening act for Acappella and singing my song all over the world! I have been receiving lots of email about the song from people who weren’t familiar with my music before, which is really exciting!

One subject that keeps coming up over and over again in the emails that I have been getting is sheet music. It seems that people want to be able to sing the song themselves, but they aren’t able to figure out the right way to sing it. Therefore, this week I have been busy putting together sheet music for “How Great”, along with a few other tunes, which will be available as downloadable .PDF files from my website real soon.

There’s something really fascinating to me about sheet music. It’s amazing to me how powerful a bunch of little black dots on a piece of paper can be. There is something almost sacred about putting a song in this form because when I’m orchestrating a song, I feel like I’m walking along the same path as the great composers and hymn writers of ages past. It’s really cool to think that people like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Isaac Watts used these same little dots to express themselves musically. How cool is that?

Anyway, hopefully I can get back to the recording next week. I’ll be sure to let you know.

God Bless!

--Eric G.

Church Football Terminology

A preacher friend of mine sent this to me earlier this week. You know, it’s amazing how much church is like football, isn’t it?

Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.

Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.

Half-time - The period between Sunday School and worship when many choose to leave.

Bench Warmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.

Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.

Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord's work.

Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.

Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week's illustrations.

Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime".

Trap - You're called on to pray and are asleep.

End Run - Getting out of church quickly without speaking to any guest or fellow member.

Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.

Halfback Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation not to return for the evening service or Bible study.

Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the benediction.


Have a great day!

--Eric G.

Jesus on the Beach

You may have seen these pictures before, but I thought they were worth sharing anyway. The sand sculptures in these pictures are the work of a man named Chuck Ritchey, Sr. from Ocean City, Maryland. Incredible, aren’t they?


Besides the obvious talent that is shown in his work, what impresses me the most about Mr. Ritchey is the fact that he creates these sculptures every day. As the tide rolls in at night, it washes away all the work that he did that day, so he HAS to begin anew EVERY SINGLE DAY!


Why is he so persistent in his task?

I believe it’s because every day when he creates these treasures, a crowd gathers to watch him work. Imagine how many people get to experience this man’s message about his Savior each and every day! It’s got to be hundreds, maybe even thousands! What an amazing way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Chuck Ritchey, Sr. is using his talent to share the gospel of Jesus Christ every day with people of all ages and from all walks of life as they pass by and watch him work.

Looking at these pictures got me thinking: How can I use the gifts that God has given me to share him with others every day? We are all faced with opportunities each day to bring Jesus into the lives of people who don’t know him. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be looking for those opportunities today!

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6

May God Bless You Today!

--Eric G.