Caleb's Original

Caleb has really enjoyed learning to play guitar. We have seen him growing musically, and he has been showing some real talent in his natural rhythm and understanding of chord progressions. He seems to just have an ear for how chords work together. I posted a video below of his recital. He played a worship song called "Our God Saves", but in the video below, you will hear the first song Caleb has ever written. Though it's lyrically simple, keep in mind that he didn't just write the lyrics, but he also developed the melody line, a singable rhythm, and developed the chord progression used throughout the song. There are a lot of different things going on here. He is already asking me to co-write with him. I can't wait to get started on that! We're proud of you, Caleb! Stay focused and keep working hard.



"He Came to Earth"
by Caleb Bumgardner

Jesus, He came to Earth to save us
He washed away our sins
He washed away our sins

Jesus, He came to Earth to save us
He died and rose again
He died and rose again

He came to Earth to set us free
So we could live eternally

Jesus, He came to Earth to save us
He washed away our sins
He washed away our sins

Jesus, He came to Earth to save us
He died and rose again
He died and rose again

Writing

I just wrote a song that I feel the Lord gave me. The subject came from a question that I hear people ask themselves often. The question for some is "how do I know that I am saved?" While for a mature believer it may be hard to understand why someone would have this question. But, if you'll think back to the early days of your walk with the Lord you may remember being full of questions as a new believer. While our questions may not all be the same, the fact that we have questions propels us into a deeper understanding of Who God is as He teaches us through His word and the power of His Holy Spirit.

This song actually asks no questions at all. Instead, its message is to provide the answers. A reassurance, if you will, that God has the power to save. The chorus flows from the heart of a believer that speaks one simple truth; "I know that He saves". The world may ask "how do you know?" Well, I know because He saved me. In fact, this is the title and overall message of the song. Below is a simple chorus from the song that gives you an insight into the heart of this tune:

I know that He saves
I know that He redeems
I know that He can rescue
Because He rescued me

I know that He loves
I know that my Jesus lives
Because He made a way from no way
I know that He saves

Publishing

I had another song published this week. The name of the song is "He Came to Me". I'm excited to hear the demo that is being put together. Singer/songwriter Rebecca Peck will be doing the demo and I'm sure it will be incredible. I've listed the lyrics below. We're planning on doing it at Immanuel in a few months. We're kinda busy with plenty of other things right now. Anyway, here 'ya go!

HE CAME TO ME

VERSE 1
Why would the God of Glory love a helpless soul like mine?
Why would the Great I Am send His only Son to die?
The price He paid for my sin was much too high a cost
But, Jesus came and found me and loved me to the cross

CHORUS
He came to me, now my blinded eyes can see
He forgave and set this prisoner free
He died, and He rose, and that's all I need to know
When my sin was all I could see
He came to me

VERSE 2
Why would He choose to come down, leaving heaven's throne?
The earth and all within it could have made His glory known
Yet, He saw a worthless sinner and redeemed me through His love
I don't have to know the answers, for I'm covered by the blood

BRIDGE
I'm forgiven, it's a new life I'm livin'
As a child of the King
I was lost, now I'm found
Since the Savior came down
And changed my everything

Copyright 2008. Thomas Peck Music (BMI)

Lifeway

A representative with Lifeway Worship has requested I pitch some of my music to them. I am hoping that a door will be opened there for having something in print, but also for future opportunities to take our ministry around the world. Perhaps churches all across America will be worshiping the Lord through our music as a result of our ministry. That is my dream. And it's something that I can't make happen on my own. It is a God-sized dream. He will have to work out the details if it's His will. Meanwhile, I'll try my best to be faithful in every aspect of my life.

I'll keep you updated on the status with Lifeway. Thanks for your prayers.

New Song

Every song has its foundational story....or does it? One of the more recent songs I've written has its foundation in scripture. God's word tells us that there is none righteous. In and of ourselves we have no hope, no identity, and no future. However, God loved us so much that while we were sinners, Christ came and died for us (Rom. 5:8). Through that scripture, and others, God brought me to a realization that I couldn't get to Him. Though I may have needed a Savior, I didn't seek Him...He sought me. He also tells us that we love Him because He first loved us. Therefore, my relationship with Him was made possible by Him, and was initiated by Him alone.

With these truths in mind I wrote a song entitled "He Came to Me". Here's the chorus:

He Came to Me
Now My blinded eyes can see
He forgave, and set this prisoner free
He died, and He rose, and that's all I need to know
When my sin was all I could see
He came to me

Publisher Demos

I just received the latest demos from the publishing company of the 2 most recent songs that I've written. I am investigating ways to post them here on thechiefend.com. When I get that figured out, I'll post them for you to hear. It is weird to hear the demos. They don't sound like what is in my head. However, I've learned that you are not pitching an arrangement of the song. Instead, you are pitching the song itself. What constitutes the song? Well, basically it is the melody, rhythm, and words. The arrangement is left up to whoever picks the song up. So, the demos are basically a keyboard, a little bit of percussion, and the vocals. Again, I'll post them if I can find a free, easy-to-use player to put on the site. Thanks for your prayers and support in this area of ministry.

Just another Day

I hung out with Caleb and Abby yesterday at the pool. We had a good time. I was the shark...they were the minnows. Needless to say, I won. But they tired me out. So, I don't know if that was a victory or not??? Jody was suffering with another one of her infamous migraines, so I hung with the kids most of the day.

Today, I am going into a writing session in about 2 minutes to work on some new song ideas. Song writing sessions are so strange for me. I usually spend that time working out ideas that I already have. Rarely do I get an original idea during these times. I usually get those original song ideas at weird times. Driving down the road, cutting grass, walking. I guess I need to do those things a little more often. Well, off to write.

Music Reading

We had PRISM Music with us at Immanuel today. BJ Green led the event and we had a really good time. He listened to two of my songs, All I Need and I Believe, and said that he was going to pitch them around to some people. I'm not holding my breath for anything, but it would be cool to have someone pick them up. (Still living the dream).

One of the things that has helped me the most in songwriting, is to base some songs on scripture that is not being used as much for inspiration. We all know tons of songs based on God's forgiveness, and Jesus dying on the cross, and the blood covering our sins. While those subjects are definitely part of the foundation of our faith, they are everywhere. I have written on those subjects, as well, and they are some of my favorite tunes. However, why not write on subjects that others are not writing on. I've got one that I'm working on now.....but, sorry, I'm not revealing the scripture source just yet. I'll let you know when I'm done. Hey, I gotta keep some secrets.

Dreams Really Do Come True

For me, part of the fun of chasing a dream is the pursuit. As far back as I can remember I have been writing music. And while it has always been a dream of mine to one day be published, I have never pursued it because I didn't know how. I had no contacts. However, the Lord recently hooked me up with a great arranger who works closely with a publishing company in Nashville. Through him, I have been able to get my foot in the door with Peck Music Group. As a result, they just picked up 3 of my songs for publishing; I Believe , All I Need, and My God Is . Wow! A dream realized.

I definitely will be riding on this high for a while. However, just because one dream is realized doesn't mean that my dreaming comes to an end. It has actually lit a fire under me to pursue dreams even harder and to be more intentional.

Dream God-sized dreams. Chase God-sized dreams. Live God-sized results.

Chasing Dreams

I've blogged recently about our view of God. Our view is shaped by how close we are to Him. Just to clarify, think about how objects appear smaller the farther away we are. We can't truly touch it, examine it, or understand it until we are up close to it. And when we're close to that object we can finally attest to the size of it. It's the same with God. We can't truly know Him for Who He really is unless we're up close to Him. And as a dreamer, that is when our dreams take flight. As Mark Batterson puts it, our dreams will never be bigger than our view of God.

I've got a huge dream that I've been living with since childhood. However, I never believed in it until I grew closer to the Lord. I've always dreamed of being a song writer and having something published. Now, I know, many of you out there have already lived out that dream. But, to me it is one of those intangibles. One of those dreams I believed I'd be chasing for a life time. I might still be. However, I'm taking a big step today towards seeing that dream lived out.

I'm pitching three songs today to a publisher. It's a weird feeling putting yourself out there. But, what do I have to lose. If they reject all of them, I'm no further away from being published than I was. (At least that's what I keep telling myself.) So, we'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully I won't receive that letter that says "don't call us, we'll call you". That wouldn't be good.