I’ve finally uploaded Dakota’s Song (the bunny song) to the Myspace site. We’ve made it a limited time download exclusively in the snocap store on the page. That’s the only place on the planet you’ll find a copy. Those of you who have bought bunny shirts along the road in the last few weeks, post a cool picture of you wearing your bunny shirt as a comment on the myspace site and we’ll send you an mp3 of the song for FREE. See ya along the road.
I’ve posted a new PaperWalls Video Blog from the road. Find it HERE. Enjoy!
It’s only January and I’m already exhausted. How does that happen? I really love being on the road. Mainly because of all the cool people I get to meet along the way. I get to experience some rare gifts as well. Last weekend I was sitting on a pier at 1 AM in Key Largo, FL listening to some aquatic mammals swimming around just out of site. Schools of fish were going crazy, jumping all around out of the water to my right and then my left. I could hear 3 or more of the giant creatures breeching the surface and breathing through their blow holes just out of sight. They could have been dolphin or porpoise or manatee I suppose. Maybe someone smarter than me can venture a guess. They had come by earlier in the evening. Their splashing about was loud enough that I heard them from the living room of the home where I was staying and I had to go out and investigate. They were moving south from the everglades very slowly. They were swimming straight toward the setting moon. It’s thin crescent, like a cartoon smile stained the color of weak tea, dipped into the water to my left out in front of them at about 10:30. An hour later they were back and moving north now. I suppose they were moving up and down the shore line in an all you can eat seafood buffet.
What amazing sounds: their slow, labored movements, the echo of their breathing in the quiet of the night, the occasional splash of quick movement, a flashing tail on the surface of the bay. They were always just out of sight, just beyond the reach of my flashlight. I stayed out on the pier much longer than I should have. I was transfixed by the hope that they would come in a little closer, by the sound of a creature so large, so mysterious to me.
I suppose these days are like that for me. There is a stirring in me that something large is just out of my reach, just beyond the spread of my flashlight. How long should I wait in the hope of catching a glimpse of it? I never know. But there is so much joy in the waiting, so much mystery, such a rich hope that I can not help but turn my ear to the silence a little while longer.
“I know there is a sacred space between the singer and the song
I come alive inside that place. Catch a glimpse of it and just as quick it’s gone.”
Listening.
My wife and I went to see the Rockettes Christmas show last night. Shera dreamed of being a dancer when she was a little girl. It was fun to watch her eyes twinkle as she dreamt about being on that stage, toes pointed, arms akimbo, sparkly dress swirling behind her. The performance ended with a live nativity scene and snippets from Handel’s Messiah. The dancers were dressed as the entourage of the wisemen bearing gifts. As they marched up the aisles toward the manger scene I could picture them gathering together across the front of the stage to do a kick-line for the baby Jesus. Once the image surfaced in my mind I couldn’t stop laughing. Fortunately, the “Rockettes for Jesus” moment never materialized and the show ended in grand style with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
As the music to the Hallelujah chorus began, the crowd slowly stood. I remembered this happening being explained to me before. Apparently at the first performance of the “Messiah” in 1742, King George II was so moved by the time the first strains of the Hallelujah chorus rang out that He spontaneously stood to his feet. At the standing of the king, the entire room stood and remained standing through the performance of the song that ends the 2nd act of the “Messiah.” So to this day, as a remembrance of that event, whenever the Hallelujah chorus begins, the audience stands. Most of the crowd in the room last night had no idea what they were doing. Most simply noticed the few standing and so stood with them as if to say “oh, so we’re doing this now.”
Was it the power of the song that moved the king to stand? Was it the movement from the song that precedes “Hallelujah,” one of man’s rejection of the Messiah, into this triumphant passage from Revelation 19 that drew him to his feet? Was he simply tired of sitting and ready for the second intermission?
Whatever the king’s reason for that first silent standing ovation, I was pleased to carry on his tradition last night. The opening notes of that chorus are triumphant and powerful and the moment in future human history that they depict are equally exultant. The gift of song drew me to my feet last night so I thought a gift of song would be an appropriate response from me today. I’ve posted a little Christmas gift on THE MYSPACE PAGE. It’s a Christmas song I wrote a few years ago called “Heaven’s Perfect Gift.” No one has ever recorded this one but I’m convinced it will land somewhere someday. In the meantime, I hope it lands on your iPod. Enjoy the download and Merry Christmas.
“The angels raise their hallelujahs. They lift their praise to heaven’s King. This little baby, God among us. Let us, with the angels, sing - Immanuel, now our God is with us. Immanuel, Christ the King is with us.“
CMCentral has also posted a devotion I’ve written called “This Tangled Story.” Check it out HERE. I had a great time in Sao Paulo by the way. You can read all about it and see pics from the trip HERE. Hope your December is hot-chocolate filled!
Thanx for all the encouraging notes while I was in Brazil. We had a great trip. You can read all about it HERE. Another review of the new record has posted at CMCENTRAL.COM. Go check it what Kevan Breitinger had to say about the project.
I have a few weeks to rest now before Christmas and will love the chance to catch up on some songwriting, sleeping, and errand running. I promise that’s the ONLY kind of running I plan on doing for the next four weeks.
Peace,
James
We’ve just started putting together the Spring Tour and if you’d like to bring us to your town talk to the powers that be and send us a booking request. Or you can call Brian Williams at the booking number to find out more about what it takes to bring the band to your church or community. James Tealy Trio with special guest Sara Beth Geoghegan in a night of story, song, and worship that will help lift your eyes to the ways you can connect with what God is doing around the world. The tour is sponsored by the StageOne Initiative.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks on the road and I’ve met so many cool people along the way. I’ve started doing some VIDEO BLOGS from the road. You should head over and check some out. My wife got to looking on youtube at bunny videos and quickly asked in a little girl voice, “why doesn’t OUR bunny have his own video?” So for the good of my marriage I’ve posted a quick little BUNNY VIDEO of our pet rabbit, Dakota on youtube. Come check it out.
This weekend, my new friends at West Hartselle in Alabama treated me like a king. I should have been exhausted from the late night before (got to the hotel around 2 AM) but I was so energized by their encouragement that the day was a breeze. A really sweet church. Before that I made a bunch of new friends at the WRITE ABOUT JESUS conference in St. Louis. It’s always such a rewarding weekend and this year was no exception. I got to sit on the stage beside the piano while DANIEL KIRKLEY sang a favorite song. Meal times are always my favorite at WAJ; crashing at tables with 7 other people that start as strangers and are old friends by desert.
I did chapel at Mississippi College before that and missed seeing Katy, Aaron, and Allyson while I was there. Sorry! Still it was great worship and fun to catch up with my friend Eric.
Even in October, the powdery beaches of the Gulf Coast are gorgeous. I had fun wandering in the sand with the crew from FBC Covington. Big love to Danni and Victoria for keeping me out of trouble at the Mall and to Josh for coming to the rescue with a video projector for Saturday’s worship gatherings. From pizza to donuts to chicken it was almost an entirely vegetable free weekend! Thank you, Lord for EDAMAME.
Last thought, sales of the new CD are going great on iTunes. Better than I ever expected. Just so you know, on the MYSPACE SITE I’ve posted a bonus copy of the record. The EP actually only has 6 songs on it. In the Snocap store I have added 4 bonus tracks that are available exclusively there. You’ll find “Just a Question” which is this month’s Random OTHER Song of the Month, “Someone,” “Can Not Close My Heart” which is about my experience in Southern Africa last year and “Before This Moment Dies.” Enjoy!
See ya along the road.
We’re a reactive people aren’t we? We are pendulum swingers. In the past, I have railed against traditionalists who appear more committed to do the same thing than they are to doing the right thing. I’ve become more conscious recently of the way those of us who carry traditionalist baggage do the same thing. Instead of doing something because it’s the right thing, we simply do the opposite of what a traditionalist might do.
The first church I served as a staff member had grown out of split from an old traditional downtown church. I remember the pastor telling me I could do anything I wanted as long as it didn’t look or sound like something a traditional church would do. I remember a worship leader from a very progressive church suggesting that his church didn’t use video projection of song lyrics during worship because they didn’t want to be “that kind of church.” Recently I’ve been in conversation with some progressive Christ-followers who have become convinced we shouldn’t participate in international mission work because of the self-centered excesses in mission work in the Church’s recent history.
I suppose it’s not realistic to think that we might divorce ourselves from the past enough to choose the right thing instead of simply reacting to past thing. If small groups are a great way to build community, maybe we should try them even if they look or sound like the Sunday school of our childhood. If a video projector helps people lift up their heads and free up their hands in worship maybe it’s okay even though there are also showy, performance oriented churches that all use projectors in their worship gatherings. If God has made the call for us to “go and make disciples of all nations” abundantly clear in scripture maybe we should go wisely even though in the past some Christ-followers have gone on mission trips that refuse to live missionally while at home in their own community.
I’m another wounded Christ-follower trying hard to put down the baggage of past church experiences and figure out how to do the right things whether they’ve been done that way before or not.
Thanx to everybody who brought coats to the OldCoatNew show last Sunday night. It was a blast and great to catch up with some folks I haven’t seen in a while. I heard from a couple of you who couldn’t find the place. Sorry for the address confusion. Turns out in downtown Nashville South is North and 8th is Rosa Parks. Who Knew? Big love to Chase and JP for staying around an extra day for the show and to Scott and Greer for helping with Merch. Thomas gave up his whole Sunday to make us sound good. Gary worked up a good sweat moving chairs all over the place and the room looked great.
