Choir Rehearsal

Wow. I am still soaring as a result of last night's choir rehearsal. We absolutely had an amazing time of worship. I think the difference in what we do and what many others do is that we don't enter into a time of "it's just rehearsal" in our minds. Instead, when we meet together we meet expecting God to do something in and through us. Yes, we spend a lot of time working hard. Yes, we punch notes and polish cutoffs and work on vowel pronunciations, etc. But, we do so knowing that we are not just preparing a song. This choir knows that we are preparing an offering that we going to be presenting to the Lord. It makes all the difference in the world.

Last night, we stood and closed out with a song of worship. It was incredible to stand before the choir and see their hearts on their faces. Soon after we closed in prayer, something totally unexpected happened. Different groups began to gather around the room, holding hands in prayer. It was mind blowing to look around and see God moving in people's hearts. Thank you Lord for the blessing of serving among a people who Love you and search to know you more!

American Idol

So, I'm a big American Idol fan. I can't deny it. I love following the story of each person, and watching their growth throughout the process. And I really like hearing the songs and different people's take on them. This year seems to be very different for me. What was billed as the most talent-packed season ever, has disappointed in many ways. I will go as far as to say that this IS the first season I can remember having a top 12 in which I feel that all 12 can sing. Seasons past had red-haired crooner dude that I felt like shouldn't have made the top 50, Chicken Little, and must we mention the Mohawk?!

I feel that this year's title is David Archuletta's to lose. While I believe there are more talented people left, he has a solid voice, musical skills, and seems to be leading in the popularity side of the competition, as well. David Cook and Brooke disappointed last night, but Archu seemed to have another good night.

So, my favorites are:
1) Brooke
2) David A.
3) Michael Johns
4) David Cook
5) Syesha

Who are yours?

Our House

It is about to get busy at the Bumgardner house. UPWARD Soccer is starting up and both Caleb and Abby are playing again this year. I am going to be an assistant coach this year instead of the head coach so that I can attend both of their games. In addition to soccer, Caleb starts next Monday in mixed martial arts. That will be on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Abby will be taking dance. So, check out our new weekly schedule:

Monday - Caleb in MMA, Tuesday - Caleb in MMA, Dad in Outreach, Wednesday - Abby at Soccer, Church Activities for all of us, Thursday - Abby in Dance, Friday - trying to keep it open, Saturday - Soccer Games, Sunday - Worship.

I'm tired already. I'm just thankful that Ella is not ready yet to get involved in all of this. Stay young sweet child. I don't have enough time to figure out your schedule yet. And, with all of this, we just have one car. So, we haven't quite figured out yet how we're going to make it all work. But, there is a way, and we're determined to figure it out.

I know many of you probably have crazier schedules than ours, but this is a huge plate for us. In addition to all of this, we will have occasional auditions with agents for Abby...if all goes according to plan. Pray for us! (But, I have to admit...I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I know I'm going to miss these days when they're gone.)

Abby

Abby has decided that she wants to pursue modeling. So, we decided to send a few pictures to some talent scouts around the LA area. She has actually been picked up by a company in Las Vegas that wants to represent her. They work with agents from places like Ford Modeling, Disney, and Hannah Montana's Agent...whoever he/she is. This doesn't mean she will soon be hitting magazine covers around the country. Instead, it just means that they feel like she has the potential to be picked up by one of these types of agencies. So, we'll see what happens. But, it's always nice to hear that you didn't give birth to a sasquatch-like offspring.

E For E

I was privileged to lead worship this morning for Equipped for Evangelism. It is a conference that was held at California Baptist University in Riverside, CA today. I love hearing God's people sing. So, it was a thrill for me to sing with them today as we worshiped. Tom Rainer was on hand to bring a message from the Lord. I am honored anytime I have the opportunity to worship and to lead in worship. What an incredible gift the Lord has given us to glorify Himself.

March Madness

I really enjoy college basketball, but there is nothing like this time of year. March Madness is in its final stages, and it is crazy. Check out this dunk by Patrick Ewing, Jr in the slam dunk competition. It is reminiscent of a dunk I had in college, only he actually reaches the rim.

No WIFI

Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. I was caught in areas with no WIFI and was unable to access the online world. That was an adjustment in and of itself. The trip to DC was great. We ended up being able to see everything that I had hoped for, except for one...Ford's Theater. For those who do not know, Ford's Theater is the place that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After he was shot, he was taken to a home across the street, where he died the next morning (7:22am, April 15th). We were able to go through the home, but the Theater was closed for renovations. One day...one day, I am going to be able to see it. Maybe when the kids are older.

For those of you planning a DC trip in the future, let me warn you to take your walking shoes! We must have walked 21,074 miles by the end of the week. I have the legs of a body builder now....well, sort of....a 12 year old body builder. But, all of the walking tired us out. However, it was well worth it.

The kids were great. The experience was great. And I look forward to seeing God continue to do a work through our experiences in the lives of all who went. We're already looking forward to next year and making plans for a location.

3rd World?

We arrived at the Long Beach Airport with the High School Choir tonight, and I was shocked...in a humorous way. It is an airport that is very reminiscent of one belonging to a 3rd world country. I am having flashbacks of Honduras. The only thing missing is the chickens running around outside the terminal. When we finally reached our gate, I laughed as I realized it was in what seemed to be a double-wide trailer. It is in a shotgun room with one magazine stand and a sandwich refrigerator at one end. My head almost touches the ceiling and you can hear the toilets flushing throughout the room. Very funny. I hope the planes are in better condition. Yikes!

Leaping the Country in a Single Bound...

We leave for DC today on a cross-country High School Choir Tour. I'm excited about it, and can't wait to see what God does in our lives, and in the lives of those we will be ministering to. Please pray that everything we do will glorify the Father. We are supposed to have wireless internet access at the church we will staying at, so hopefully I'll be able to give you some updates throughout the week. Thanks for your prayers.

The Buzz Lightyear Challenge

Travis Cottrell and I hung out at DisneyLand yesterday and had a blast. It was spring break, so the crowd was unbelievable, but we had a great time despite the long lines. Space Mountain was amazing...thanks Denver, for the advice. The California Screamer was great, the Tower of Terror was my favorite, and then.....(cue fanfare)...there was Buzz Lightyear. For those of you who have not had the privilege, let me just say that the ride causes you to become very competitive. Each rider has a laser gun, and there are various targets throughout the ride. Your score is based on your ability to hit moving targets. So basically, it is a ride designed for "skilled" marksmen. I will only tell you that I beat Travis. He asked me not to tell the score. So, I'll leave it at that.....that I beat him really good. I won't say anymore about slaughtering him at the game. In fact it was rather competitive at first...when the score was tied....at 0 to 0.

(Travis...I held up my end of the bargain! I didn't tell anyone that I beat you
109,500 to your 5800. So, no one knows. We'll just keep that between you and me.)

3:16

Monday night was absolutely amazing. Max Lucado was at his best, and Travis Cottrell led us in a sweet time of worship with our Lord. If you are looking for a worship collection that will absolutely transform your people, 3:16 is a must have.

I was so proud of our choir Monday night. I watched as God did a work in several of them, then doing a work through them to glorify Himself. This choir worked so hard, memorized this entire thing in 6 weeks, and then sang it from their hearts. I could tell they had been living with this music, because it became more then words and notes on a page. It was, instead, worship that overflowed out of a relationship that they have been walking in with the Lord all week long. I am honored to serve with each of you. Thank you for the privilege.

Easter Weekend

I know most of you had great Easter weekends. There is always a new found excitement surrounding all of the activities and services that are going on. At Immanuel, it was nothing short of incredible. Our Easter in Highland event on Saturday saw 18,000 eggs searched out and found within 15 minutes due to the mass amount of people that showed up. And Sunday morning...wow. Everything flowed well, the choir, orchestra, drama, and media teams were at their best. Our Pastor was on fire. And to top it all off, many people made decisions to give their lives to Christ! It couldn't have been any better.

Now, tonight the Immanuel Choir will be in Pasadena, CA in concert with Travis Cottrell and Max Lucado. It all begins at 7pm, so make sure you show up early, get your tickets, and find a good seat. It will be worth it!

Easter at Immanuel

Tomorrow, Immanuel is hosting our 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Baseline. There will be 18,000 eggs full of prizes all over the campus for kids to find. Age groups will be sectioned off to keep things fair and balanced. There will be drinks, food, and a lot of fun. Make sure you are there at 10AM tomorrow morning.

Strange Happenings

I love real-life stories. Especially funny ones. A friend of mine recently told me about one that is so hilarious that I had to share it with you. Granted, I'm sure it was not funny for the people involved. But, for me, it is a winner. Check it out HERE and let me know what you think.

Immanuel Choir

We had rehearsal tonight for Easter and MusiCalifornia . I love hearing our choir sing. It was cool to be able to put everything together with the orchestra. The music we're working on is Travis Cottrell and Max Lucado's 3:16. It has been an incredible experience worshiping through this music over the past several weeks. Scott Revo of Pinelake Music was with us tonight in rehearsal. He is heading up MusiCalifornia and really bringing new life to the event. I can't wait to see everything they have in store for those in attendance. I'm also pumped about leading worship with Travis and Max. That's going to be an amazing night.