I thank you so much for all the support you have given us. I hope that the Lord has made you grow through this music. My wonderful and beautiful sisters and I have spoken and it is time to end this aspect of our lives. It is not much, so do not make much of it. We are still who we are, for our Father has made us in Love, and that does not change. I don't know what the future holds, and that's ok. This website will remain up, but I will no longer post to it. There will be no more concerts that I can see. If this is important to you, keep in mind that I do not see everything. But, if this is important to you, you need to look at what is behind it. Do not let it become an idol in your heart. Email us sometime (the addresses are still there). We still want to know you. Seek to be like Christ. I love you. May He give you Peace.
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:54 PM
I guess I have a little more to say about Rich.
As much as people talk about him and his music, it's easy to think that some of us have decended to idol-worship. This could be said of his music apart from him, because many people listen to it to get a feeling (which is not bad), and then use that emotional high as a drug to replace the reality of the Lord, who is beyond emotion. We must be careful not to do this, especially in a world where this kind of idolatry is so prevalent. We must realize that it is truly a lie perpetuated by the Father of Lies, and that God Himself is our God, not an emotional high (which can be just as enticing, if not more, than a physical high).
The cool thing about Rich is that, if you hear him talking, he won't lead you to believe that anything is about him. You can tell from his words and from his manner that the Lord is God. I think part of the reason he was taken home might be because we cannot depend on humble souls like Rich and others to give us our spirituality. God not only loves us, but wants us to love Him - and if we'll put our trust in Him, he will give us the means to do so, since "by myself in can do nothing." (John 5:30)
Posted by A. Whipple at 2:09 PM
I'm sitting and listening to Rich Mullins Here in America. Every time I hear the guys voice, it's not necessarily what he's saying that gets to me. It's the way he says it. He doesn't take himself seriously like most folks (chiefly myself) do. He's very down to earth - an ironic expression considering that many people who we apply to (at least in the Christian worldview) probably have a better understanding of their place in this world according to God's will than those of us who consider ourselves very holy.
I was walking along this morning back to the dorm. It's fairly cold outside today. I was ashamed because I had spent a large portion of time not paying attention to God's existence. I asked forgiveness and began to talk to my Lord as we walked along. It was funny, because I had this dumb idea of Jesus wearing these robes like we see Him in the pictures in kids' Bibles. So I said, "Don't you get cold?!" His reply seemed to be, "Well, no." And then it seemed to be a bit warmer around me.
Please be praying for Nothing Done, as we have a couple concerts this month. Be praying for me as well, because I'm going to try to prepare for a job this summer. Unbeknownst to most, I do want to get work. Sorry that we've hardly posted since we got back. Thank you so much for your patience if you actually read this thing on a regular basis. Being back at school is good, except for the money part, but the Lord provides. I hope I see you around. May the Lord bless you!
Posted by A. Whipple at 1:51 PM
Wow! Just read about how Davis and others led a guy to Christ! Praise GOD! Praise God for people who will put their pride aside and not think about what others will think about them if they mention something about praising God or telling what He has done for them! Thank you Father!
Posted by brenda at 6:34 PM
Well, I just made it back to school! Get ready to make the fun times start! Christmas break was great! For those of you who may not know I have found a significant other who I have fallen for! He is a great guy who loves the Lord! Praise Jesus. We were blessed with being able to spend some time together during the holidays...we live 2 hrs away from each other. But he is great and I praise God for him.
I hope that everyone has found this season to be a blessed one. I know that it was great for me. I enjoyed the break but now it is time to get down to business again but have fun while I am at it!
Praise be to the Lord God of hosts! I love you Jesus!
Posted by brenda at 6:31 PM
I'm simply typing on this thing now just to use up words and take up space. Nathan's out at the Cafe tearing up floors behind the counter. Chris and Stuart and I moved everything from behind the counter last night before we left. The floor there is warped and needs to be replaced. I spent the early afternoon at my aunt and uncle's new house. They're moving up to Knoxville from Cleveland (TN), which will probably be a huge thrill for my mom having her sister live so close. My aunt on the other hand, might be a little less inclined to be thrilled with mom's enthusiasm. My aunt and I are very alike in the fact that we're both independent. I can't stand to have people try to make themselves involved in my life. I suppose that's my downfall sometimes. It just irritates me when someone wants to come up and make themselves involved when I haven't asked for anything and I don't look like I need any help. Anyways, frustrations aside, I've got to go take a shower and get out of the house. Can't stay here for too long or I start to go crazy with everyone telling me to do things and wanting me to be a part of stuff. I guess I should take a lesson to learn to deal with my own children when I have them. If they are independent, I'll have to remember how to deal with that sort of person. Otherwise, I've got to learn to overlook people wanting to involve themselves and me.
Posted by A. Whipple at 1:39 PM
Welcome to 2004. I've spent the evening and morning at New City Cafe learning new things that my Father has taught me. I was sent there to encourage my good brother Davis today. Dishwater Blonde was playing for the NYEve party. A full house turned up. And it seems that Davis found out what he was sent there for too.
A guy turned up towards the end of the night named James. It was amazing to watch Davis and Donovan and a couple other guys sit there with James and Davis give his testimony and they led James to Christ right there. I sat with my hand on James' shoulder as the four of them wept and he asked the Lord to come into his heart. (James if you read this, I hope you are not angry with me for using your name) I am glad that there are people like Davis who have the humility to allow God to use them in that way. I am glad that there are people like Davis who are real. I am so incredibly far beneath the understanding that my Lord would have in me! I am continuously shown that it's not about me. And it's a good thing too! If not for the intervention of my Lord, I would end up worshipping myself in all that I do. As it is, I am humbled to see God work through circumstances that involve me.
They had John Lewis's ordination service last Sunday night. I am glad to know someone so humble and broken. He is a man truly in awe of God. He is a true servant. I watched him as he was on his knees and all the other ordained people in the church came and put their hands on him and spoke to him. Things I would long to hear, but things I am not ready to hear. Things that seem so far away from an egotistical freak like me. I can't imagine being so close to my Father.
It was a lot of fun to be back hanging out with Davis again. Dusty Beason was the drummer instead of Gerald this time (Davis said they've had a different drummer the past three times). Dusty was drum captain my freshman year of high school. He was a senior and we were in the band. He was in a band with Zane Ellis and Ben Burnette called Stone's Throw there for a while. Dusty's an awesome guy. His heart is very caring.
Being at New City tonight and watching my Loving Father work through Davis reminded me what church is. It reminded me that we are all just people. Sometimes walking the righteous path in my life seems like sifting through a china shop after a tornado and trying to put a plate together, you know. Sort of like, if the plate was part of a set. There are ten thousand broken pieces from that set, but only the unselfish ones fit my plate. But most of what I find are the selfish pieces of other plates. Well, it's a stupid metaphor and it takes too long to explain, but you get the picture. It was wonderful to hear James' voice weeping out his built-up frustrations and learning that Jesus is our only hope. He is all we will ever have. None of us have it all together, and it's ok for it to be that way. Because God alone has it all together.
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.
Posted by A. Whipple at 4:35 AM
Well it seems as if we have made it through another semester ( strictly by the grace of God). Is it just me, or did it seem like Satan was after us a little harder this go'round? I sure felt that way. But I take comfort in knowing that the God who is fighting for me has already defeated him. He will not bring me down or make me stray. As long as my eyes are fixed on the Father I will survive whatever comes. I pray that this semester will be successful in all our attempts to meet the requirements set for us to graduate. I Know I will have some important stuff coming up. I need to pass piano perficeincy as well as make upper division in my vocal lessons. I pray that with hard work and the help of my maker I will accomplish both. I pray that all of you will find the peace and joy our God freely gives and share it will all you meet. Grace and peace!
Posted by Elissa at 12:07 AM
I'm listening to a cd that Katrina's parents got me. It's three hours of Garrison Keillor's radio show from Prairie Home Companion. It's absolutely hilarious and it's wonderful to listen to. He tells a story about a man named Donny Hart that he knew as a child. Donny Hart is retarded, and he tells about the amazing thing of being Donny's friend. Donny was not competitive as most children are. He would do anything that you told him to do, and he was so gullible, but he was not competitive. He said he saw Donny Hart about twenty years later with a group of other retarded people at the bus stop. He said it was so singular to be there with them, because they were not stiff in the way they moved. They carried themselves with a loose sort of gait, like kids. They were not self-conscious, they just were who they were. He said as children, that Donny would be whoever Garrison suggested that he should be when they were playing. If Garrison wanted Donny to be an Indian so Garrison could play cowboy, Donny would do that. If Donny had to be the bad guy, he would do that, but he wasn't a very good bad guy because he was too sweet.
He said that when Donny was with you, he simply enjoyed your company. He wasn't interested in having any sort of advantage. It strikes me as such a novel thing. If we could all be described as such. If we were all not competitive. We see the behavior of retarded people, who act sort of like kids in their ease of manner, as pitiful. We see them as less fortunate, because we see intelligence as what makes us human, what makes us important. If you really look at it though, they are more fortunate in a way. They are not captivated with this idea of being better. They do not strive to be the loudest in the conversation. They do not strive to invent the funniest idea. They do not attempt to go farther than the next man in their idioms. They simply are, and they don't put any stock in the games that smart people play.
Oh, if we could just not worry about things like we do. If we could just enjoy each other's company like that. If we could sit in silence and be ok. I suppose that's one thing that distinguishes husbands and wives or best friends from other sorts of relationships. Married folks can sit in silence. Best friends can not say a word and be ok. You could be around these sorts of people, and they could have an entire conversation around you as you were talking, and neither of them would have said a word. They might simply smile or laugh at what would seem to you to be absolutely nothing. But to sit together..........it's important to have that with someone. I suppose that to sit with my Lord is like that. To sit with Him is like sitting with a friend. He hangs on your every word even though it really means nothing at all, and you hang on His every word, because it means the world to you that He talks to you. "He walks with me and He talks with me" as the old hymn goes. Enoch "walked with God." Moses spoke with God face to face "as one speaks with a close friend." I am glad to have this with more than one person on this earth. I hope to have it with others as I go. I hope to be like Donny Hart, to have faith like a child, to know that things are as they are and God is in control.
Posted by A. Whipple at 7:27 PM
The new pictures are up on the website. They're the ones from Brenda's camera on the Florida trip. It's not much of a surprise that there are very few pictures in which I'm doing something 'normal', whatever that means. Enjoy!
Posted by A. Whipple at 8:52 PM
By the way, the Emmanuel Baptist date has been changed back to the 18th. Just a little FYI. I'll be getting some more pictures up soon.
Posted by A. Whipple at 12:37 PM
So finally the blog is back up. Funny that now that it is, I have little to say that is relevant. Classes are over and that's great, I got straight A's on my jury. It was interesting and somewhat humorous to watch freshmen and sophomores freaking out over finals and juries. Not humorous in a sadistic way, but humorous in knowing that in a couple years, they won't worry about it so much. It'll just be something else they've got to do. I hope they learn amongst that change.
Andy's sick, and I hope I don't get whatever it is. I am truly thankful for the friends that I have. I have more mature Christian friends than most people my age, and it really helps. God would get me through things without them if they were not there, but it is wonderful to have them. A friend of mine said that my friend Jeff is a bit feminine. Now Jeff is my mentor and he is more of a man than most men on this campus. So I was forced to laugh at this. She thought that he was feminine just because of his gentle manner. She'll come around to knowing what Godly men are. It's amazing that God is getting me through this whole finals predicament. I guess I shouldn't expect any less.
Posted by A. Whipple at 12:35 PM
Better days are on the way! Goodness knows they'd have to be. Ah, the wonderful stresses of the end of a semester. Juries are Thursday, and exams begin Friday. Then next Thursday I get to jump on a plane and fly to sunny FL for two weeks on the beach with me family. I can't wait to get home for a while. I saw my parents and one of my brothers over Thanksgiving break, but my other brother I haven't seen since the beginning of August. Needless to say I miss them all terribley. I will miss my "family" here at school, but it will be good to spend time at my home with that family. I hope this post finds you all well and joyful. May the Grace of our Lord be upon you!
Posted by Elissa at 1:49 PM
Another thing God taught me was truth behind the verse "let the dead bury their dead." Jesus told this to a man who wished to bury his father before he followed Jesus. As if it was more important. Some say that the man may have been speaking in a different context and that the man's father may not have actually been dead yet. But Jesus told the man to let the 'dead' bury their dead. And he was not speaking in metaphors. The 'dead' in the verse are those that are dead to Christ. Those that are dead in their sins. Dead in their lack of hunger. So thirsty that they can no longer feel the parched leather of their own throats. They are the dead. Let them fail to see the priority of following Christ. It is we who are partially alive who must seek more Life. It is we who know where Life is rooted who must chase the Eastern horizon. We cannot worship the body. Rich Mullins said "Ultimately, that is what I amount to. They will have to bury me because if they don't, I will stink up the place." We must let the dead bury their dead. We must seek Life.
Posted by A. Whipple at 8:20 PM
It's amazing looking back and seeing that God has used my own selfish desires for His own purposes. I have, for the past couple weeks or so, been so concerned with what people think of me. This is not a good thing, since it is not other people that I will answer to in the end. But God used it to give me the illusion that some people who are close to me were acting against me. Then He showed me that they weren't, and that I held bitterness against them for doing the things that I wrongly thought they were doing. But I must forgive all, my friends and my enemies, for we are all enemies to our friends at some point, and "if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, have been reconciled, shall we be saved through life!" (Romans 5:10)
I was God's enemy, and yet He saw into His creation and design of me, and through His love, He found me worth dying for. I must be willing to die for those that will be my enemies. Not for my own glory, but for the glory of the Father, that they might know Him when I am not seen. David said, Psalm 35, "ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about in morning as though for my friend or a dear brother. I bowed my head in grief as though mourning for my mother." Jesus said "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Thank You Father for using my selfish overanalysis to teach me my faults.
Posted by A. Whipple at 8:11 PM
If I've ever said anything correct to anyone about anything important, it's not me talking. I've made that mistake of thinking that my mentors are really behind the things they tell me. It's not them, and they know that. By the road we've chosen to walk, we would see straight through each other if it was them behind the whole thing. A friend of mine just told me that I was right. I asked him about what. His response was 'everything.' This is all well and good, but he needs to be closer to our Father, instead of knowing that I was right. I suppose that maybe the good of him learning to trust me more could come out of it all. But God is still with us anyhow, so it makes little difference what I want to get out of things. I am the worst person in the world when it comes to saying things that matter (I'm even worse at getting work done). I am nothing more than a beast and a pauper. This body I am in is not even my own. Though I have abused the use of it and seemingly tried so hard to destroy it, it is not my own. My mind is not my own. So who I am is something beyond these. I am not even completely this that I am yet. I won't be that until I die (and of course I don't know the nature of Heaven, so that may or may not be), and then all that was before won't matter. It makes it seem rather trivial at this point.
Isn't it funny how we often envy the stories of others. God is writing all our stories, and we try to envy the stories of others. But your story is not my story, and mine is not yours. Each of us is a unique and beautiful story, with a noble beginning, a conflict-filled middle, and a joyful and beautiful ending. And that story is just (as CS Lewis says) the title page of the Great Story in which every chapter is better than the next. It's amazing to know that now is an immeasurably small fraction of forever. God be praised! Glory to His awesome Name!
Posted by A. Whipple at 2:07 AM
It is frustrating to try to talk to someone about something for which they have no context. I was on the way to Perkins last night with a friend of mine who is Hindu. She and I got to talking about marriage and sex as it relates to marriage. I feel very strongly about how God feels about sex and it's place in marriage. I know that I don't understand it yet, and that I won't completely (or as close as possible at that point) until I can experience it. But I do know that it's a spiritual thing. If it was just physical, God would have said don't have sex too often because you'll get addicted to the indulgence. He wouldn't have said anything about marriage that related to sex. But God clearly tells us over and over that extra-marital sex is wrong. (He also tells us to obey the laws of our land. So if you're thinking "well, I've found that special someone, so now it's ok, we don't have to wait anymore," know that you would be wrong to have sex before you are lawfully wedded) But anyways, the way that God designed the whole thing around the human heart and our relationship to Him is so beautiful and wonderful, and it was frustrating trying to explain it to someone who has no context about the things I know. I would love to just take my friend by the shoulders and look her in the eyes and tell her how wonderful my Father is, but she wouldn't begin to understand. She sees no need for change in the way she thinks. I must pray for her. She has so much potential if she would only follow the path set down by The One.
Posted by A. Whipple at 6:20 PM
Its sad to say because I should be reminded all the time you know?!
Posted by brenda at 8:09 PM
You know its sad to say but also a good thing, but this season just helps to remind me of my Jesus. I love Him so much but I know its not half as much as He loves me. I finally has realized or come to some realization in my small mind of how big our relationship is. He is Awesome! I love You Jesus!
Posted by brenda at 8:09 PM
I'm sitting in the library, browsing over what I'm really s'posed to be doing. That would be a research paper on DH Lawrence. Personally, I think I'd rather vomit up a pile of sea urchins, but I don't have much choice in this matter. This semester has seemed absolutely insane! I think it's cause we did Messiah right at the very end of it, not to mention all the other stuff like the Christmas tree lighting, band concert, so on and so forth. Pray for us! We're not done yet, and I know that when we are, we'll look back and laugh at the seriousness with which we took the whole thing. I think that's us not seeing it through God's eyes. He knows every minute of every life He has created. Praise the Holy One! It's the coolest thing that our Father is the same Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
I gotta get out of here and get to work. God bless you all!
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:28 PM
Like Brenda said, Dishwater Blonde was AWESOME!!! I had so much fun just listening to and watching those guys on stage. I guess I would discribe their sound as funk. Pure, get-down, yo-mama-didn-raze-no-fool FUNK. (now back to reality after that whatever-it-was with too many hyphens) And (again, to reiterate Brenda) listening to them pray, you could tell that they are guys who love the Lord. They understood that music was not the focus. They understood that it may be the fun, it may be the job, but Jesus is the focus, and that ends up coming through in the music. We can't help but write what we're passionate about and what we struggle with. I certainly hope we're passionate after our Lord, and I know that living for Him is a struggle in this present world. The next one's gonna be so cool! They've got a website at dishwaterblonde.net that's in the process of being moved, but you can check out this one if you want concert dates. And if you ever get to hear Davis's testimony, definitely listen to it. He's been from beggar to a prince in the King's court. He's an awesome guy and he was so good to us (as were they all). Brenda and I were both thinking 'We're opening for THEM?! They're awesome!'
Anyways, I've got to get out of Kat's house, since she's already in bed and I've got work to do back at the dorm. Please pray for us as we finish out the semester. It really will be a miracle to make it through this one it seems like. But hey, everyday's a miracle. I love you guys. God is my Father! And He is!
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:36 PM
I hope every one is having a great day! I am trying to get over being sick! This is no fun seeing as how I have juries in a little over a week! Please pray for me that I can memorize my music on time and just have fun doing it! I think I am okay in saying that we all need prayer! This is very much crunch time and even more so this particular semester, it just seems that I have been playing catch up all semester. So anyway I still am glad that Jesus is in control and I am not! Thank you Father, I love you!
Posted by brenda at 6:14 PM
God is great!
So we went to New City Cafe tonight and opened for a group called Dishwater Blonde. They rocked the house down! I love their style. They have this awesome R&b sound. They brought all this equipment in and I did not have a clue how they were going to fit it all on the stage! But they did. They were gracious enough to let Adam play one of their keyboards...notice I said one because they have THREE! The Lord has truely blessed them. They have such a great testimony and a love for God. When we prayed before hand I could hear and tell that God had His hand upon them! I just praise God for giving them the talents and abilities they have, I was digging them the whole night! I felt honored to be a part of the stage with them. I hope these things I have said don't sound too worldly and don't take the focus off of God, but my "self" had to express how much fun I had being a part of that experience. Praise to God the Father my Father for ALL of this! Lord I love You and You are awesome!
Posted by brenda at 1:13 AM
We are called to be martyrs of our faith; but do our sacrifices compare to the one made for us? How often do we rendure to our God the loyalty and faithfulness he desires from us? We are but mere children trying to follow in our Father's footsteps. We lag behind because our stride is much to small, we struggle to hold his hand but it seems the reach is just too far. All we need to do is say in our childlike manner " Daddy wait up" and he'll reach down to pick us up and carry us through the trials and sufferings until we arrive at home. Home with him. For it is here that our martyircal calling is rewareded for all eternity. So I say to you, suffer unto the Lord as he suffered for us. For there is no greater love than that of the Father.
Posted by Elissa at 12:34 PM
Well, it has been a night! This evening we went to the Jefferson City Life Care Center (it's a nursing home in layman's terms, but we all have to be PC these days). We went and played and sang hymns from about 6:15 to 7. We actually didn't do any of our songs except for Joyful Joyful. We did the songs and talked with the patients and just spent general quality time with folks. There's not much to be said, except that I know that God ministered to them through us being there, and I know that He certainly did a number on us as well. They asked us to come back some time soon to sing again. So hopefully, we'll get a chance to do that soon. Thank you for praying for us. Please continue to do so! God bless you!
Posted by A. Whipple at 2:13 AM
Just put the new pictures up (FINALLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!). They're the ones from the Florida trip and the New City Cafe concert. Later.
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:31 PM
I absolutely despise temptation and sin! Whew! Now that I've got that out let's move on. Please pray for Katrina's friend Jeremy. Pray that we would all have faith and peace in God's will and that he would remind us in all our circumstances to be His servants and to glorify Him Alone. I guess that's all I've got. Not much else can be said, because God's will is sovereign. I love you all, good night.
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:02 PM
I also have a long way to go. I have been shown that I take this whole music thing (and a whole host of other things) way too seriously, when they're not really serious matters at all. And if I do music for myself, then I don't help anyone, but if I do it because I love the Lord and because I love people, then I will not have to worry about that sort of thing (like I would anyways). I'm really jazzed on Perkins coffee right now, so sleep is something which may or may not come, but here's some news. We're not doing Fuge. God has led us away from that, so we're not going to the preview weekend.
Please pray for Brenda's voice to get better, she's got laryngitis (does anyone really know how to spell that word?). I'm going to go back and talk to the security guard (Dave) at the front desk. Hopefully I'll get sleep tonight. I can feel the caffiene starting to wear off.
Posted by A. Whipple at 3:19 AM
I have a friend who is going through a lot right now. I don't even know all of the situation, but they really need prayer. I want them to find out just how big our God is, and that His will is going to be brought about reguardless of circumstance. Thanks. Have a blessed day!
Posted by Elissa at 11:06 AM
Its been a while! I've been on a journey, a spiritual journey that is far from over and far from easy or comfortable. I have had so much going on this semester I lose track of what day it is. I have been sick but am starting to get better, but have a ways to go. I have had a lot to deal with emotionally, but God reveals to me how sufficient his grace is everyday. I hope this post will find you all well. May the grace of our Lord always be on you!
Posted by Elissa at 6:32 PM
Can you imagine actually washing someone's feet? Think for a minute of the dorkiest person you know (maybe it's me ;) but anyways). Think of a guy or girl who's not good-looking at all, who doesn't really have social skills, who tries way to hard to make friends and ends up making a fool of themself. Somebody who you might be nice to, except for the fact that they irritate you. Maybe you know somebody like that. Maybe you feel like that person. If you feel like that person, think of the people who you want to be your friends who shun you and treat you badly. Now that we've all got someone we quite possibly dislike very much in mind (I've got one too), think of that person walking a long way in shoes with no socks on a hot muggy day. Think of them sitting down in your room with you. Now try to imagine how difficult it would be to take off their smelly shoes and use your bare hands and a bowl of water to wash their feet. Can we even comprehend what a humbling experience it would be to wash the feet of those who we disagree with or dislike most? Those who might smell horrible and might not even understand what we're doing! What a drag! What a completely horrible experience! What a disgusting thing! What a show of love!
Not much can be said, except that few of us live up to such a claim of love. We are travelers on a journey, fellow pilgrims on the road.......Brother let me be your servant, let me share Christ's love with you.
A hymn that many can sing, but few can fulfill.
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:19 PM
I really get irritated at computers and making websites, 'cause I'm not any good at it. Maybe somebody else will be gracious enough to do it for me. Doubt that........
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:54 PM
I'm excited about what God's doing in our lives. Elissa's not going to be going to Nashville, and I'm not sure if Brenda and I are going either. But that just means that God has something better planned. I won't mention my own wishes here, or hopefully at all, because God's will is supreme. The important thing to me is that God is moving in our lives, and that's AWESOME!!! I've printed flyers to put around campus for the concert at New City Cafe, so hopefully, there will be some publicity from that. I can't get in touch with the guys from Dishwater Blonde (and frankly, I can't find a website or anything), so I hope they don't get peeved at me for using their name in flyers and such. Yes, I did just use the word 'peeved'. God is good, all the time, God is good.
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:48 PM
So the whole thing is getting closer now. I'm almost getting butterflies in my stomach, but everything will be alright. I guess that the prospects of actually doing this Fuge thing are hitting me, but that needs to be ignored. Anything good that happens is the work of the Lord. My job, our job, is to do nothing. Nothing except love, and even that is something that we haven't the capacity to do completely without Jesus.
I am continually amazed at the righteousness and the wisdom of those around me. I am also amazed at the pain and suffering that others put themselves through just to avoid letting go and loving. Things should not be this way, but they are. As my friend Landon said, it's amazing that God is still a happy God. But I am grateful that there is joy sufficient enough for all.
I've got to work on Counterpoint now (that's medieval choir music to you, punctus contra punctum, unless, of course you're a music major or you're just interested in that sort of thing - I'm not sure why you would be). So I'll see you guys later. Know that our Lord is always with His children. Grace and Peace be unto you!
Posted by A. Whipple at 9:58 AM
He doesn't know...
Posted by brenda at 10:28 PM
He cracks me up! ...He doesn't know I am talking to him now...
Posted by brenda at 10:27 PM
She doesn't know I'm watching her.....
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:26 PM
Please pray for the Nashville trip! I don't know if I am letting my humanness get in the way or what but I am a little scared! Thank you.
Posted by brenda at 10:26 PM
I'm watching Brenda type on the blog two computers down from me. I wonder what she's typing....
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:26 PM
We've been sitting here in the Carson Newman library preparing for our Fuge audition. Things are really starting to pile up against us, and I think that God is really going to make us trust Him through all this. That's good, though. Something that Kat always tells me is consider the source. And I can't help thinking that if all these hardships are from the devil, then he really doesn't want us to go do this thing, which means that it's really going to bless some people's lives. This is truly a tiring and a taxing endeavor, but all of it will be a blessing in the end, so long as we trust God with our lives. "In all things, He works for the good of those who love Him." May the Lord be glorified in His house, in the hearts of men!
Posted by A. Whipple at 10:25 PM
I would just like to say thank you to everyone for listening to me! Praise the Lord for you. I have one prayer request...please pray for a peace about Nashville. Thank you!
Posted by brenda at 10:25 PM
Leaving the front desk this evening, I saw Bill for a little bit. Bill is one of the security guards at Carson Newman. He's between 60 and 70 and he'll talk your ear off. While he was talking my ear off, as he's done many times before, I thought about how I could possibly witness to somebody so much older than me. How could I possibly have any sort of testimony that would speak to someone like Bill (if you've talked to him for more than ten minutes, you probably know his life story, because after ten minutes, you'll be there an hour). There's one other security guard that's an old man. James. James isn't as talkative as Bill, but he's a good guy. I've asked him if there's anything I can pray about for him before, and he nearly took offense that someone such as myself (a young man of twenty) would offer any help to someone with James' years. It was kind of disheartening. I can't remember if I've asked Bill if I could pray for him before or not.
I think God has just told me that in truth, much of what old folks like that want is company. Just someone to sit with or talk with. Talk about nothing at all. Like Ten Bears on Dances with Wolves said, at his age, a warm fire and a good pipe are worth a lot (or something like that). Some old men just want someone to sit and listen while they ramble on about nothing. Maybe it's just cause they want to feel like they're worth something to someone. I wonder if I'll be like that at that age. Probably so, considering how much rambling I do at this stage in my life. There are some people that age though, that I could sit and listen to for hours on end. My great-grandfather is one. He was in the cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe in northern Georgia (where my mother was born). He's got stories upon stories in his head. And he's one of the most patient men I know. He has this beautiful white hair that scantily covers his stooped head. It'll be good to see people like that in heaven if that sort of thing is the way it's going to be there. To see people you've looked up to and see them even better than you knew them on earth. All thanks and praise to God in His Glory and Love for that! Anyways, I've got to stop rambling myself and get to bed. God bless you all!
Posted by A. Whipple at 12:25 AM
I'm sitting here talking to Kat about her evening. We had a good time this afternoon watching Finding Nemo and playing Nintendo. That's original Nintendo. We had fun playing Super Mario 3 and taking each other's controllers away from each other.
You know, sometimes we have those days when we all feel like Wile E. Coyote. You know, those days when nothing seems to go right and we don't succeed at anything. Those days when the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be a train. But then, we have to remember that eventually, we'll hear "That's all folks!" and we'll remember that life is good, because God is good, all the time. Sorry if the Looney Tunes reference escaped you.
Please pray for us all this week, because we're getting ready for the audition this coming Friday at noon. We're going to have the fun of getting up at about 5:30 or 6am, in order to leave at 7 for Nashville. My church has just moved across the street to a new building, so things are really hectic there. I've personally got several things to do there (I think, I'm usually uninformed until the last minute). There's a lot going on in November for Nothing Done (as you can see), so please pray for us as we fly by the seat of our collective pants. Sorry that this post is so random, but I'm talking on the phone and typing at the same time, and, being a guy, I can't multi-task very well. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. May the Love and Peace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Posted by A. Whipple at 9:35 PM
I love God for just simply being God. I never am amzazed enough at His self and glory! Thank you Father, you are the great Father! I love you!
Posted by brenda at 4:28 PM
Brenda, you are AWESOME!!!
Posted by A. Whipple at 2:14 AM
It is amazing that I'm even posting on here, considering my record for the past month. But I hope that you'll lack in vengeance and overflow with joy at my actions. Here I sit over a cup of good dark coffee, wondering what I'm going to do about my project that is due tomorrow. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by what God's done in the past few months. Here's an update. The most prominent thing in retrospect is God's action in Elissa's life. We're all open here, so I'll tell you myself, since she probably will try to beat my record for not posting for the longest time.
Plain and simple, Elissa was doing too much, and trying to have control of her life. We're all control freaks over something though, aren't we... Lyric Theater was doing the musical 'Babes in Arms', which is a play about a play (which is something that usually irritates me very much, but this one was good). Elissa had a major role in the singing and dancing, plus the rest of everything that she was trying to control schedule-wise. God up and stopped all that with what we thought was a hernia. The funny thing was that she never did anything that would cause one to have a hernia. But whatever it was stopped all singing and dancing and even walking cold. She was only able to walk short distances and could not even go to class for about a week. God took that time to show her that He is her Rock and shield. Turns out, she has Cat Scratch Fever. No, literally! When she first told me that, my response was "Isn't that an album?" Well, yes, but it's also the name of what she has, which is something you get from being scratched by a cat. Anyways, she's getting better and she's on a lot of drugs right now, but God's teaching has stayed with her, and that's the point.
As for me, God has been teaching me values. And teaching me not to think. That may sound like a bad thing, but if you know me well, you know that I think way too much and over-analyze (anybody catch the word 'anal' in there) everything. It's amazing how much more real life gets every day. Thank you guys so much for being patient with us. Please pray for us as we go about our lives and as we try to prepare music for things ahead. Come out and see us when we open for Dishwater Blonde at New City Cafe on November 29th. And if you know somebody from that band, give 'em the address for this website and tell them to contact me because I want to ask about doing posters for the concert around school. I looked up dishwater blonde on google and got all sorts of things that no one should look at. So that didn't work.
Thanks so much for praying for us. Please let us know how we can pray for you too. Always seek the Lord. I'm going to try and work on my project for tomorrow (or later today, as the case may be) now. Praise God that He showed me where the assignment was! I guess I've got to get it done now. I love you all. Grace and peace from our Lord and Savior.
Posted by A. Whipple at 2:06 AM
I hope that everyone is having a fun night! Or day....whenever you are reading this. May the Lord truly bless you and keep you this day and evermore.
I just would like to share that as long as you have faith in God everything will turn out right...it may not turn out the way you want it too...but God's mind is bigger than our own (as well it should be...he made us) thus He has it all figured out and it will turn out okay because HE is in charge!
Praise the Lord for this. I love you God!!
And you know this goes along when people are having rough times... we may ask...Where is God? The thing of it is is that He is right there waiting for you to turn to Him and faithfully ask for Him to intervene.
Posted by brenda at 10:41 PM
God is great! I love Him even in the midst of hate, He is always a step ahead of me and that rocks my face off!
So this semester is a little crazy for all of us I belive I can say that and would have hit the nail on the head. I give praise to God that Adam has found the time to commit to making this website what it is. It is great and I love it! It is so much more than this but to me it is a place to come and tell everyone how great God is and what He has done for me....this also helps me to vent! lol But on a more serious note, I do appreciate all everyone does and the love that they all show. May the Lord continually bless you and keep you!!!
Posted by brenda at 7:49 PM
Out of boredom with this website, I'm beginning to make some other changes as well. Not that I really have time, what with school and all, but it's sort of a procrastination thing.......or something. Thanks for being so patient with us. We're in the midst of working on perfecting musical things and setting up gigs and other stuff. This semester is a complete killer, and it makes it difficult to do the music along with all the other stuff. Also, I think we've been in the 'ok, the honeymoon's over' stage for a while, and I think we're starting to see the end of that, so that's a definite plus. Please pray for us as we continue to try and minister through the opportunities this provides, and as we try to be diligent and strive for new things musically without just wading through creative mud. We're also trying to apply to do worship at Centrifuge next summer, so remember us in that aspect as well. Thank you all so much. Hey, if you want a website that gets posted on more often, go to Andy's blog, or go to Joe Mayfield's site, since it's a whole lot cooler than ours. Anyways, all that stuff aside, thanks for praying. We love you guys!
Posted by A. Whipple at 5:32 PM
By the way, new concert info is up, and we're hoping to get a few more set up.
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:37 AM
So it's October. Cold air has set in and we absolutely love it. God has given me another mentor since Landon has left, and he's an awesome guy with a heart to follow Christ. Andy and I are in the midst of writing a song about Caleb. I'm going to start trying to write more often. This school year has been so hectic that at times I can barely hear myself think. Of course, that's probably best. God is continuing to teach me. He is absolutely full of joy and love. He is endless and He is good. Taste and see.
Posted by A. Whipple at 11:30 AM
// John 5:30 // we are the pen; God is the author
Miscellaneous apparitions
no concerts
Correspondence
Brenda -
tcshanx@yahoo.com
Elissa - elissakeck@hotmail.com
Adam - adamwhipple@hotmail.com
Accumulated paraphernalia
Caedmon's Call
Derek Webb
Bethany Nobles
Katrina's Website
New City Cafe
Joe Mayfield's Site
Andy Vandergriff's blog
Andrew Peterson
Many
moons
ago
