THE SING-OFF, 3rd ROCKIN'

Before I talk about tonight's show, I want to point you to my darling bride's blog. She has been writing a lot of great stuff lately and I'm proud of her. Go check it out!

Somebody turned up the thermostat, yet again, tonight on The Sing-Off! This time, it was all about classic, feel-good, blood-pumping, nostalgic, great music. Three of the groups sang twice, but only one, MAXX FACTOR, sang once. First, they sang medleys from some of the most famous musical acts in the world. Then, those who remained performed songs chosen by the judges. I'll touch on each group quickly and then share my favs.

THE BEELZEBUBS tackled the music of THE WHO and did it very well. I loved the diversity of their soft, somber intro to the powerful, fiery finish. The judges selected Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond for the 'BUBS to sing. What a great choice for them, and the roses they gave to Nicole Scherzinger added a sweet touch to a smooth performance.

MAXX FACTOR gave us a charming BEACH BOYS medley. It was ambitious and quite fitting for their voices and vocal style. I thought it was their best performance on the show. Unfortunately, it was not enough to keep them there. I do like them (even if some of you don't...which is totally cool either way) and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

NOTA broke out with a medley from one of my favorite groups of all time, THE JACKSON 5. Unfortunately, I got home a few minutes late and missed their performance. I only caught the judges critique, which was nothing but praise, so I know they killed it. When they got their song that was selected by the judges, Sledge Hammer by Peter Gabriel, there were some guys in the group who didn't konw the tune. Although their performance communicated their slight discomfort, they were very professional and even more funky!

THE SOCALS rocked us with the music of JOURNEY. I can confidently say that that performance was their best and most entertaining of the competition, although their Kelly Clarkson tune from last night was pretty fantastic, too. Sadly enough, their rendition of THE BANGLES' Hazy Shade Of Winter fell a bit short in performance value, and caused their departure from the show. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

VOICES OF LEE presented a beautiful medley of the music of THE BEATLES. There were times when I felt like their arrangement sounded reminiscent of TAKE 6. Outstanding! Since their signature style is "inspiriational" music, the judges chose Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror for them to sing. Musically, they were spot-on. However, for those of us who know the original, we know that there is an intensity and drive to the song. Their arrangement, although very good and personalized, didn't lend itself to that same intensity and drive. Even so, they did a tremendous job!

So, which group or groups did I like best? I'm glad you asked. I loved the VOICES OF LEE for their soulful, warm, rich sound, but I had to vote for NOTA. The unique Latin vibe they bring to each tune, plus their sheer funkiness did it for me. They know very well how to groove and, well... you know I gotta have groove!

Which groups did you choose and why?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

THE SING-OFF, 2nd TIME AROUND

The competition in NBC's "The Sing-Off" heated up quite a bit tonight. Those of us who watched the show saw and heard dramatic improvement from all of the a cappella groups, undoubtedly making the judges' jobs much more difficult than last night.

Since I only got to review three groups last time, I'll review the other three groups of the six who competed tonight.

NOTA
This Puerto Rican sextet is so much fun to listen to. Their arrangement of Down by Jay Sean was peppered with some very tasty latin flavor, and their treatment of the BeeGee's Stayin' Alive was right on point. I truly didn't miss the band at all. It was rockin'!

NOTEWORTHY
These "nine white girls from Provo, Utah" put a lot of heart and soul into their performances of Coldplay's Viva la Vida and Wilson Phillips' Hold On. This group consists of, I'd say, about 8.5 sopranos, one alto, and two beatboxers who double as lead singers. Very unique configuration. They have a lot of energy and likability, but unfortunately they were eliminated tonight. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

VOICES OF LEE
These ten men and women from Lee University in Cleveland, TN were in great form tonight. The emotion they created in Alicia Keys' No One could be felt through the TV, and they were right at home with the gospel feel of Freedom 90 by George Michael. They were able to stick very closely to what they do best, and it really showed tonight!

Tomorrow night's performances feature songs from legendary musicians like The Jackson 5 and The Beatles. I am certainly looking forward to the next show.

Any of the groups catch your attention tonight?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

THE SING-OFF

Kudos to NBC for bringing to light the not-so-well-known world of a cappella music by producing The Sing-Off. Hosted by Nick Lachey, and with judges Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, and solo artist and bandleader Ben Folds, the show consists of eight a cappella groups from all over the country competing for the prize of $100,000 and a Sony recording contract. This show provides some good exposure for the genre that I have loved my entire life. It proves that it's not as easy as it sometimes sounds. It challenges the listeners' ears to break out of their comfort zones of pop music, or what we might hear on the radio (repetitive, droning songs that are auto-tuned all to pieces), and makes us listen in a whole different way.

Since I didn't get to see the first three groups tonight, I cannot give a complete review. Instead, I'll give my thoughts on a few of the groups I got to hear and leave the rest for you to make comments (If you comment on this post, just make sure to be kind, please. After all, they are people who have feelings just like us. Let's treat them like Jesus would).

THE BEELZEBUBS

For us Christians, they have a very unfortunate name. However, for the entire audience, they had probably the most charisma, energy, and stage presence of the night. This group of fourteen young men from Tufts University in Boston, MA carries on the tradition of their predecessors from the 1960's by performing the most current music in the most ancient form of music - singing. Just singing. Their rendition of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour was very difficult, very courageous, and despite the "pitchy" moments, very fun to watch!

MAXX FACTOR

This group of "soccer moms" were the most unique ensemble of the contest. Regardless of anyone's opinion of "barber shop" music, this group was definitely talented and they earned their spot on the show. Their harmonies were spot-on and, although the lead voice did get covered up occaisionally, their version of Dancing Queen by ABBA was delivered with their own unique flair!

THE SOCALS

This group of USC alumni is the only mixed ensemble I got to see. They had a little minor trouble finding their pitch center, but their choreography and stage presence made up for that. Their arrangement of Queen's Somebody To Love showed their courage to do very difficult music with very difficult movement. Given their circumstances, I thought they did very well.

I hope to write more about this show tomorrow night after it airs. It's really neat to hear other groups from around the country do the same genre of music as I do. It's rare to see, but I love it!

Which groups did you like and what did you like about them? Remember, be nice!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

HE IS THE CHRIST, THE SAVIOR, THE MESSIAH

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

THE GREAT BICENTENNIAL

Okay, so it's not really a bicentennial, but it is a milestone for me. 200 posts only took me about four years to do. Here's a huge "Thank You" to all of you who have visited my blog over the past four years (Actually, the four year anniversary is January 13, 2010. Stick around and I might do something fun for that... Who knows?).

My last couple of posts were "Top Ten" lists leading up to the end of the year and this post. If you got to read them, I hope you enjoyed them. If not, I still hope you enjoyed them! A few posts back I said I would post a list of my top ten posts based on your feedback. Since I got so much feedback (Thank you, Baby and Tim), I had to choose most of the following list myself. There were a lot that I really liked that didn't make it onto this list. However, I think this one is pretty solid. Therefore, I hereby present,

"Rob's Top Ten Blog Posts: The Completely Biased Version (CBV)"

10. Ten Guidelines
9. R.A.K.
8. Brilliant, Bloody Brilliant: A Magic Moment from Colorado
7. Pray On, Sister!
6. Joy, Pain, Fear, and Perseverance
5. Honoring The Fallen
4. 16-13
3. Me: New and Improved
2. I Love My Wife!
1. My King!

Thanks, again, for reading my blog. I hope you are encouraged in some way by it. That's its whole purpose - encouraging, uplifting, entertaining, and hopefully glorifying God.

Blessings to you and yours. Remember, life goes on with or without you or me. Make it the best life you can by the grace of God.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

TOP TEN, part 2 (post #199)

We are down to the wire, folks! This is the last post before "The Big 2-0-0" and I am pumped! This is also your last chance to tell me if you have any favorite posts. So far, besides my lovely bride, Tim H. is the only person to give me any feedback. If you're going to comment, now's the time...after you read the rest of this post!

This one's a "two-fer" - two lists in one post. I started to just do one list, but I couldn't decide which one I wanted to do more, so I decided to do both. You're welcome.

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you know that I love a good quote. There have been many quotes that have given me great inspiration, made me laugh until I wanted to cry, made me question my life. Here is a list of ten of my favorites (of course, there are plenty more, but these are the ones I thought of right now):

10. "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
9. "His unconditional love motivates her respect. Her unconditional respect motivates his love.'"
- Emerson Eggerichs, Love and Respect
8. "Men and women aren't equal, they are complementary."
- Dave Ramsey
7. "Temptation - it's everywhere. Everywhere!"
- Believe It by Tower Of Power
6. "I am so blessed to be counted worthy of this."
- Pastor Matt Chandler, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor
5. "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians; they are nothing like your Christ."
- Ghandi
4. "Enemy-occupied territory - that is what this world is."
- C. S. Lewis
3. "Git somewhere and saddown! Where yo' mama at anyway?!"
- Madea
2. "The most dangerous man in the world is the man with no hope."
- Dr. Brent McCall
1. "Men and women belong to different species and communications between them is still in its infancy."
- Bill Cosby


One of our family's favorite hobbies is watching movies (You should see our DVD collection!), so it's only natural that I list ten movies that have influenced me this year. Again, there were plenty more that I wanted to list, but there's only space for ten...this time. Here goes:

10. The Secret Life Of Bees
9. Austrailia
8. We Are Marshall
7. Seven Pounds
6. Madea Goes To Jail
5. Slumdog Millionaire
4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
3. Why Did I Get Married?
2. Michael Jackson's This Is It
1. Faith Like Potatoes








Seen any good movies or heard any good quotes lately?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

TOP TEN, part 1 (post #198)

In anticipation of my 200th blog post (Only two left; Have you voted on your favorite posts yet?), and the end of 2009, I thought it would be fitting to make some "Top Ten" lists of things that have inspired me or encouraged me or flat out made me happy this year.

Since I'm a musician, I'll start with one of my favorite categories: influential songs. These songs, (I think only one of them came out this year), had a big impact on me in one way or another. Let's do this!

10. Clean Slate - Tower of Power
9. Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
8. Keep Marchin' - Raphael Saddiq
7. Money Don't Matter 2 Night - Prince
6. Yes, I Do - Me (I wrote it for our wedding)
5. My Girl - The Temptations
4. For Once In My Life - Harry Connick, Jr.
3. Worthy Is The Lamb - Darlene Zchesch
2. Blessed Be Your Name - Matt Redman/Tree 63
1. All I Need Is You - Hillsong United

Any influential songs in your life this year?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

HE LOST (and I called it!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, congratulations are in order for the new Biggest Loser, Danny Cahill from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I am truly amazed at Danny's progress. He went to the show in a last-stitched effort to lose weight and regain life.

His starting weight was 430 pounds. That's two of me plus 60 pounds!

His weight at the finale was 191 pounds.

Danny Cahill lost 239 pounds in seven months!

(By the way, Steph and I totally called it that he would win!)

As amazing as that is, hunger in America is running rampant. One in six Americans is struggling with hunger right now. America! The "land o' plenty" is not proving to be very plentiful to those in deep need. And we thought we had to go to third world countries to find that kind of poverty.

So, what are you going to do to help fix it?

My family and I have joined the Biggest Loser Pound For Pound Challenge. For every pound you pledge to lose through June 30, 2010, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America® — enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank. How cool is that?! We have already made our pledges. Click here to make yours.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate (because dark chocolate is healthier!)

KAIROS: OKC

Something new is happening in Oklahoma City. By the grace of God the Aca-fam has set out on a new adventure that is exciting, to say the least. We have planted a new church! When we lived in Nashville several of us went to a worship service on Tuesday nights called Kairos (in Greek: "a unique moment in time"). At Kairos we were led in worship by a great team including Michael Boggs (Tulsa native and member of FFH), Melissa Greene, Anthony Evans, and many more. Our hearts and minds were taught the word of God by Mike Glenn. It was a great time!

When we moved to OKC, we missed Kairos. We tried different churches, and we liked them, but we didn't quite feel at home with any of them. We felt at home at Kairos. Zac and Lacey George, along with Steph and I, had been talking about starting Kairos here once we got settled in, but couldn't find a good time to do it. Then it occurred to us: "Since we don't have a church home, and we often travel on weekends, why don't we just do it Sunday mornings when we're in town?!" We settled on the "scriptural" time of 10:00 AM and Kairos: OKC was born!

Since most of us have a Church of Christ background, and we are affiliated with Oklahoma Christian University, a school associated with Churches of Christ, we do our services with a slight Church of Christ feel. We break bread together every time we meet, we (usually) sing a cappella, we read scripture and hear the word of God, we encourage one another. We don't call ourselves "Kairos Church of Christ" or any other denominational name. We are simply Kairos: OKC, a church that loves God, loves people, loves Oklahoma City, and is eager to serve however we can.

We started with ten people. Maybe we'll grow, maybe we won't. Either way, the name of the Lord of lords and King of kings will be praised here! We would love to outgrow our little Community Center. If you're in OKC on a Sunday morning around 10:00 in the morning and need somewhere to worship, swing by OC. We'd love to worship with you!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

ROCK THE VOTE!

As we approach the end of the year (can you believe it?) I had a brilliant idea (or at least it was brilliant in my mind). I am now only five posts away from 200. In honor of the new year and so many posts, I'd like to make a request. If you have been reading my blog and like it (or even if you don't like it all that much), now is the time for you to give feedback. Take a few minutes and look through my archives (located on the left of your screen) to find your favorite post. When you have made your decision, post your answer in the comment section of this post. I'll tally up the votes and post a "best of" list on the 200th post.

Let the voting commence!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

RECHARGED

Steph, Gab, and I spent a few days with my great friend, Blair Fowler, and his beautiful family. We had such an amazing time relaxing and catching up with each other. Steph and Courtney (Blair's wife) talked "shop" about nursing stuff, Gabby played with Brock and Ollie (the kiddos) quite a bit, and Blair and I got to watch a lot of football! Here are a couple of pics of where they live:




After having been with the Fowlers for a few good days, we headed up to Borger to visit my folks (I'm still looking for some good pics of them, so bear with me). Please, if you think about it, say a little (or humongous) prayer for my dad. He's every bit of 90 years old, and his body seems to be breaking down more and more every day. As he struggled to get up out of his chair and to the bedroom to put his shoes on, he looked at me and said, "Son, I bet you never thought you'd see me moving this fast, huh?" At least his sense of humor isn't breaking down.

I ended up preaching in his place this morning because he didn't have the strength or energy to get ready for worship service. That's very unlike him. I mean, we're talking about a man who preached his own mother's funeral. We're talking about a man whose doctors told him to stop preaching and he refused. It kills me to see him so feeble. Please pray for him and for my family.

Now that we've gotten a little Sabbath and are recharged, it's time to finish the year strong! I hope and pray that your year finishes strong as well. Dig into the Word and keep your mind open to its guidance. All the best!!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

GIVE THANKS

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
(1 Chronicles 16:8)


Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
(Psalm 100:4)


Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
(Psalm 107:21)


But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:57)


Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate... and Thankfulness!

ENOUGH

Are you content? Do you have all you need? What else do you want?


Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

41-13

Although this post is a couple days late, it's not too late to get your guns up!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

SIMPLE PLEASURES

I love watching Gabby get so excited about staying in a hotel room. Ever since she found out we were staying at a hotel this weekend, she has been planning what she wants to do, and it's adorable. When we first got here, she claimed "dibs" on the drawers because she loves unpacking her bags. Since then, she has been on top of everything, including the schedule. She was the first one awake this morning (five minutes before the alarm), so she quickly jumped in the shower...before she realized there was no bath soap in the shower! So she went to the front desk to ask for soap, extra towels, etc. Now, at 8:35 AM, she's watching Saturday morning cartoons on the nice hotel flat-screen, waiting for us to be ready so we can go eat breakfast before we have to leave to go to the venue for today's concerts.

It's the simple pleasures that make life so much fun!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again





On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way and our way

Is on the road again
I just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
And I can't wait to get on the road again



© 1980; Full Nelson Music

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

SEE YOU IN SAGINAW!

For those of you who didn't know, or haven't been paying attention to the calendar, or don't really care either way, I wanted to let you know that the group of knuckleheads (and the 2 old guys) pictured above will be performing for the last time this year on Saturday and Sunday. This Saturday, we'll be at the Saginaw Church of Christ in Saginaw, TX. This will be a unique day for us. We're doing two concerts that day: at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

Then, on Sunday, we'll be heading down to Riesel, TX for a 7:00 PM concert. This concert was recently added as a community concert, so it's not on the Acappella website event calendar, but I'm sure people could find out where the concert will be if you ask around. The town is just the right size to find these types of things out easily!

If you live anywhere near either of those places and would like to see us (and meet Roo & Goo), this is a great opportunity!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

JUST BE YOU

My little girl loves this song. She's been singing it for the past few weeks now, so I thought I'd share it with you. I hope it speaks to you (both male and female) in a way that will touch your soul and open your eyes to what God has in store for you.



Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME

Friend 3: Brandon Scott Thomas
- I don't really know Brandon very well, and I don't have a hilarious story about him. What I will say is that he is a special guy and I'm glad to call him brother and friend. For the few of you who may not know, Brandon is one of the best worship leaders I know. He has been leading worship with the Zoe Group for over a decade and is still doing a marvelous job of leading people to God's throne. It's because of Brandon and people like him that I know so many great worship songs. What a wonderful way to express your passion for Jesus! Last year at the Zoe conference in Nashville was the last time I got to worship with him, but I look forward to it again someday, whether here or in heaven.

It also helps to know that Brandon is a Texan and, even though he went to my rival college (Abilene Christian University), he's still a Longhorn fan, so that takes him off the hook for being a Wildcat!

Sadly, Brandon recently celebrated his 40th birthday. If you get a chance, stop by his blog and give him some love. I'm sure he could use it!
I guess time flies when you're having fun...
Love ya, Brandon!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

FRIENDS: HOW MANY OF US HAVE THEM?

Friend 2: Bryan Hackett
- I had to find the very best pic of Bryan that I could find because, besides my wife and Jesus, he's my very best friend! That wasn't always the case, though.

I'm a year older (and taller) than Bryan. He started school at WT my sophomore year and we got off to a horrible start! I'll give you the ten peso version. See, there was this girl (you know it's either really bad, really funny, or both when the story starts with "there was this girl.")... I had been dating this girl for a while at this point and she and I had gotten pretty serious. Bryan comes in as this freshman scum and immediately falls for her. Thus began the feud. Nobody won!

Over the next couple of years, Bryan and I played in the band together and sang in various ensembles together. Apparently, we couldn't get enough of each other. The problem was that we couldn't stand each other! He hated me, I hated him. We even stood next to each other and sang "praise" to God... and wanted to strangle each other!

It had ended up that the girl I was dating dumped me, he went after her... and failed, and we were both bitter. Bitter at her for not wanting either of us, bitter at each other for having gone after her, just plain bitter. Then, Bryan's junior year, along comes Susan. She swept him off his feet. It was the first time he had ever confided in me about anything, "I really like her, Rob, and I hope she likes me, too."
"Go for it, Dude. What's it gonna hurt?"
(Can we say, "Worst soap opera ever?!")

Twelve years later Bryan and Susan have a fantastic marriage and two beautiful children together, and I have the best friend a guy could ask for. Love ya, Bry-guy!



Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate