American Idol Finalist Predictions, Pt. 1: The Girls

OK so here are our predictions for the 6 girls that will be finalists this year...

Crystal Bowersox - very cool indie chick. Needs to belt out some Dylan or Springsteen next time...

Didi Benami - Simon had his "crack" moment last night. She was by far the best.

Michelle Delamour - I'm so sure that's her real name. Puh-LEEZE. Still has the most commercial and professional potential of the girls.

Katie Stevens - A little too High School Musical for me personally but I think she will go far.

Lily Scott - Our personal favorite. Wasn't crazy about her Beatles cover but it was an inspired choice and I think she will be the Daughtry of this year's show.

Siobhan Magnus - As quirky and weird as her name but she has killer pipes and seems pretty savvy.

Stay tuned for the guys...

It's official! We have a house!!!

Well, it's been a pretty amazing 8 months since we moved from our home in Las Vegas, NV back to our old stomping grounds of Atlanta. In those months we have packed up our house in a POD, lived with my mom for a month, and then moved to a temporary house in Woodstock and only partially unpacked. Our poor dog is going to be traumatized forever!

For those who aren't familiar with the area, Woodstock is an hour away from Hiram where the church we serve is located (it can be 2 hours in afternoon traffic). I think we added it up once that we spend as much as 18 hours a week in a car driving back and forth and spend around $400-500 per month in gas for the vehicles. Add to that the extra early wake up times required to get out there on time for work and church and it can be a pretty exhausting lifestyle. So believe me when I say this will radically change our lives!

The house is a great old single story ranch ult in the early seventies but recently renovated by a professional renovation company. It's only 1600 sq. ft. but has a huge garage that we will close in and use for living space. Best of all it is on 1.5 acres of grass and beautiful hardwood trees. It's not in a subdivision so there is home owners' association. That means we can grow our own vegetables and have a few chickens like we have wanted to do for a while. After 7 years of claustrophobic Las Vegas suburban life, this will be a wonderful breath of fresh air. I know, I know, we will have to know all 1.5 acres but, hey, that's what kids are for, right?

It's kind of a cool story of God's goodness how we ended up here. It was really important to Cheryl and me that we have a place with at least an acre where we do the garden and the chickens, where the kids could be outside, and where people could come and hang out and feel welcomed and loved. We knew it couldn't be a subdivision. An older house was okay, in fact we preferred it as long as it was in good shape. And we wanted it for around $100,000 or less. How's that for parameters!

When our realtor, Michelle Bullock, first told me about the place I (Jerry) went and looked at it. The lot was great but no work had yet been done so it still looked a little rough. And too small. I came back and said, "Yeah, the land is great but it's just not what we are looking for", and we forgot about it. A few weeks later, we were out looking at houses and not really finding exactly what we were looking for. We were beginning to get discouraged, thinking we were going to have to compromise on what we wanted, even though Cheryl especially felt strongly that God had lead us to look for that kind of property. There were houses and land like what we wanted but not in our price range. And there just weren't any houses with land like we wanted that were not in a subdivision that would restrict what we did. So at the very end of the day, after we had looked at the last house, Michelle said, "There is that one house on Clonts Rd. I told you about." I just sort of blew it off. "Yeah, I looked at it and I can tell you right now it's not what we are looking for." But Cheryl said she wanted to see it anyway. "Okay," I shrugged, "but you are not going t like it."

As soon as we drove onto the property it was clear this was the place. It had been beautifully renovated in the time since I first saw it. Cheryl looked at me and raised her eyebrows with that "So I'm not going to like this?" I was shocked. "I swear to you, this is not the way it looked when I saw it!" It has new paint inside and out, new flooring (even new floors in some places), new roof, new AC, the garage had been redone. It had a big screened in porch in the back. The backyard backed up to beautiful pasture land. And the best part was it was only $109,000!

We began to get really excited about it. We decided we wanted to put an offer on it. So we gathered in the front yard, held hands in a circle and prayed that if this was the place God had for us He would make it happen, but if not, we knew He had something better. When we called, the selling agent said there was already an offer on the house, but it was lower than their asking price, and that it had not been put under contract yet. So we said, we will give you what you you are asking for it. She was very happy to hear that. Unfortunately, a few minutes later we found out that another agent who was also working with the seller had just signed papers with a prospective buyer. They were very sad to hear that because they wanted to sell us the house. They said, "We would love to sell you the house but we can't back out of it now. There's no way to get out of it unless they're financing falls through."

It was disappointing but we had given it over to God and knew He had something for us. So in the weeks that followed we continued to look, but couldn't find anything quite like that. I found myself driving by on my lunch hour and looking wistfully at it. I would drive slowly by and just say to God, "Lord, if it pleases you for us to have this place, would you make it happen?" Michelle, our realtor, said she would do the same thing every time she drove by.

One day the next week, Michele called and said, "Are you guys ready for some good news?" The financing had fallen through and they wanted to know if we were still interested. So the rest, as they say, is history. There are some other smaller but no less awesome God-moments in the story but suffice it to say He has made it clear that this is where He wants us to be.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us through this time. Stay tuned to this blog and to Facebook for details on moving. We will need lots of help on both the Woodstock and Douglasville ends, but we are blessed with many wonderful friends and encouragers on both sides.

Click here to see the new Davison homestead!

The Outsiders, Episode 1

Here is the latest of my video projects for Church at the Ridge. We shot it Thursday, in the freezing cold, on the corner of Hwy. 61 and Mustang Drive, and in White Oak Park, and at the home of John & Lora Bower. My son, Erik, did the camera work. I edited Friday and Saturday, and we showed it to the church this morning. It went over well, I think. We are already planning the next one.

This is part f our current series at The Ridge called "The Outsiders." Come join us and check it out! For more info on Church at the Ridge, you can click here!

Quote of the Day

I was watching an old John Wayne movie called The Cowboys. In the movie, John Wayne is leading a group of young boys across 400 miles of rugged country on a cattle drive. In one scene they come across the skeleton of a man with an Indian spear sticking in him. One boy asks, "What happened here?" John Wayne answers, "Little Big Horn." The boy looks at the skeleton in disgust and says, "They didn't even dig him a decent grave!." John Wayne says:

"Well, it's not how you're buried, it's how they remember you."

Good word, Duke!

You can tell a lot about a person by their iPod...

Just out of curiosity I looked to see what my Top Ten most played songs on my iPod were. Interesting. I never would have guessed it. Here they are...

10. "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole

09. "Reminiscing" by Little River Band

08. "Carlisle Wheeling" by The Monkees (My most played Monkees song!)

07. "Something" by The Beatles (There was no way there was NOT going to be at least one Beatles song in my Top 10!)

06. "I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)" by Nat King Cole (I was not expecting there to be TWO NKC songs, however...)

05. "What's New" by Charlie Watts (This is the drummer of the Rolling Stones. He has a jazz combo on the side that records the smoothest versions of old standards. Great stuff!)

04. "In My Life" by The Beatles (My most played Beatles song... This song is songwriting genius.)

03. "Photograph" by Ringo Starr (Now this surprised me, I must confess. I mean, this is a great song but of all the solo Beatles to show up in my Top Ten, I would have expected McCartney. Ringo would be the last one I expected to see. Strangely fitting, though...)

02. "I've Got a Crush On You" by Charlie Watts

and the number one most played song on Jerry's iPod is... (drum roll, please)

01. "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis

I'm not kidding. It really is. I am totally in love with this song. I grab my wife and we slow dance every time it comes on. Freaks our kids out. They run screaming from the room, "AAAAGH! Old people in love!" This has become one of our "special" songs. You know what I mean. ;-)

So I have to admit that this surprised me somewhat. I mean I love all these songs and they come up in the rotation regularly but I would have guessed I would see more power pop and modern rock stuff. I mean one Monkees song only? And not even one of my top favorites. No McCartney? No Cheap Trick? No U2 for cryin' out loud!!! How is that possible?

Nevertheless, I learned a little something about myself by looking at this list. I'm even more of a hopeless romantic than I thought. Actually, "hopeless" is not the right term; I am a hope-full romantic. Some would call it schmaltzy. But I am so crazy in love with my wife that I find I gravitate toward those songs that celebrate that. If you take a close look at all these songs there are common themes: faithfulness, loyalty, marriage, family, treasuring those relationships that make life worth living. These songs may not reflect my musical loves but they completely reflect my heart.

I also noticed there weren't any "Christian" songs in the list. But the songs that are there celebrate the kind of love that can only come from knowing the Author of Love. So when I sing them, they are coming from my heart, which is a new creation in Christ. So in that since, they are all "Christian" songs.

Looking at the next ten songs it doesn't change much. Cheap Trick and Macca and John Lennon show up finally but singing romantic love songs: "Carrying," "My Love," "Woman," "If You Want My Love"... There is even an Elvis song, "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You." And another Beatles tune, "And I Love Her." And more Charlie Watts.

I may be a rocker on the surface. But I carry the heart of a lover. At least, that's what my iPod tells me.

Had an intersting day...

I woke up feeling nauseous and exhausted. Stomach's been a little queasy for a few days now. Between feeling sick and the dog barking half the night, I hardly slept. I "texted" in sick to the office but worked from home anyways.

Here's the interesting part... The message that I preached this past weekend at church had failed to record due to a technical glitch. I was disappointed because I wanted my mom and my Vegas friends to hear it. Steve suggested I just set up a mic and preach it again. Hmmm...

So today I set up a home "studio" in my bedroom using my laptop and the mic from our Beatles Rock Band game. I moved our bird out of the room, silenced the phone's ringer, and banned everyone from the back of the house. Then I put my notes on a music stand and hit record and preached to the walls. It was weird at first but once I got going it was actually kind of fun. No time constraints so I could use all the material I wanted (though some would say I didn't seem to be bothered by time constraints Sunday!)

You can listen to it here. Just picture me all by myself, preaching into a Wii microphone plugged into my laptop and you'll get the picture.

Best Moments of 2009

I know I'm a little late on this but I wanted to weigh in on what I think are some of the best moments our family experienced in 2009. So here they are, in no particular order...

Our "Fireproof" small group at Hope Baptist in Las Vegas, NV.

Being ordained to the gospel ministry by Hope Baptist.

Staying at the bed & breakfast in historic Hiram, GA while we were visiting Church at the Ridge

Being called to be the new Creative Arts Pastor at Church at the Ridge in Hiram, GA

Getting to stay at a really cool old house in Woodstock for free.

Getting a new MacBook Pro for FREE!!! (And a free iPod touch came with it!)

Going to the U2 360 tour at the Georgia Dome with my son, Erik, and his friends.

Making some great new friends at our new church. Our new small group ROCKS!

Getting to preach on marriage at C@TR.

Getting a surprise visit from the Milligan family from Vegas!

Finally getting Beatles Rock Band this Christmas.

Celebrating 22 years of marriage to the most amazing, godly woman in the known universe. I love you, sweet-pea!


For what it's worth, here is my Top Ten of the best music from 2009 (again in no particular order):

U2 - "No Line on the Horizon"
Switchfoot - "Hello Hurricane"
Cheap Trick - "The Latest" & "Sgt. Pepper Live"
David Crowder Band - "Church Music"
Coldplay - "LeftRightLeftRight"
Fee - "Hope Rising"
Muse - "The Resistance"
needtobreathe - "The Outsiders"

Honorable Mention: Black Eyed Peas - "I Gotta Feeling" (single)
Ok, so I HATE this band but I cannot deny this is a catchy song!