Show was good last night. Don and Lori came out, brought their little ones. We all played “I’m Still Here” in honor. Whether it was good as a performance, I don’t know, but it was fun.

All the shows have been sold out so far. Makes for a crowd that’s involved. Always nice.

I played “Hold the Light” last night with Cason and Garett. One from the old band. One from the new. It seems profound but it just felt good.

We’re in Houston now. I love a lot of people here, but I don’t like this city. I like just about every city but Houston and Dallas. Too many people, too much food and too much money. But I still love my friends here.

Tried to not eat so poorly on the bus last night. Peanut butter and jelly and two and a half hours of Tom Petty. Went to sleep intimidated but inspired.

Had a long drive last night so we awoke still on the road. Dylan, our driver, is from New Orleans. The city that was. It’s Dylan like Die-lan, not like Bob. He listens in on our conversations and yells through the curtain when he thinks of something funny. We’re all glad to have him along. He fits in well and I hope he’s having a good time.

And the time has come for soundcheck. Hope to see some of the Caedmon’s gang tonight but everyone is very busy. We’ll see.

Songs Last Night:
New Beginning
Hold the Light

Every Christmas tour it happens. A game becomes THE game. Everybody plays it most of the time. This time it’s threatening to be euchre; a midwestern card game generally dominated by grandmothers. Andy Gullahorn and I have been beating Marcus Myers and Bebo, but tonight we were overthrown in a highly contested 10 to 9 win.

Tomorrow shall be their reckoning.

Last night’s songs:
High School Band
There is a Reason

Well, the first show was awesome. A wonderful crowd, completely sold out. I thought we played really well and I just had a great time. Singing some of those lyrics just got me last night. I ended more than a few songs with tears in my eyes.

The people who put the show on gave us so much amazing food. I probably ate eight days worth yesterday. Here’s just a tiny portion of the leftovers brought back to the bus that night…

After the show we stayed up way too late in the front lounge watching an amazing new documentary about Tom Petty. It’s a four-hour movie and I had to go to sleep at some point in the middle, but I was sad. It was so good. You sort of forget how many amazing songs he wrote that you know every single word to. So fun to watch the simplicity of great rock and roll. You can find the trailer HERE.

All right, I never actually got to take that shower yesterday, so today it’s a major goal. Thanks again to everybody who came out last night. So much fun. Can’t wait for tonight’s show. And thanks for all the suggestions!

Last night’s songs:

The Ball Game
Early in the Morning

Well, the Sabbatical (part 1) is over. Â I’m in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Â Tonight we’ll play the first of 19 Andrew Peterson Christmas shows. Â We spent the last two days in rehearsal in Nashville, trying to sneak out every time it looked like a lull was looming so we could spend a few more minutes with our families before we left.

It’s the leaving that’s the hardest part. Â Once you’re gone you just deal, but trying to make those last few minutes count is tough. Â The pressure can often overwhelm the time, so you have to fight that and just be.

Lunch was in a gym today and a bunch of us played a basketball game called “Knockout” afterwards.  It is incredibly humbling to be the worst athlete in a group of musicians.  In honor I might have to play “the Ball Game” tonight. Â

Each of the artists gets to play two songs during the first half of the concert. Â I like to change it up, so I’ve made a list of songs I can play. Â Any suggestions to add to the list are welcomed, though I can’t promise anything. Â (You’ve got to play the tunes that sell the records!) Â I’ll post every night and let you know the tunes I played. Â

Well, I’m going to go grab a shower before soundcheck. Â Thanks for all the kind words and wishes during my little time off. Â It was nice to not think about blogging for a while. Â And fairly providential since I couldn’t get internet at my parents’ place in Illinois. Â (The neighbor put a password on their wireless!)

Oh, and a word of warning. Â If you play Knockout with us this year, Bebo plays dirty.Â

I’ve been blogging pretty much at least once every other day for almost two and a half years straight. It’s been a good time, and I’ve been able to build up some loyal readers (you) who’ve really helped me with getting my music out there. And made. And written… But you may have noticed that my posts have been a little less frequent as of late, and maybe lacking a little spark.

Friends, I’m tired.

Between a roller coaster of a Fall season work-wise, two little girls, our community and my marriage, I just don’t have any gas left for the blog right now.

So I’m going to take a Sabbatical. Albeit a short one. On November 27 I’ll be playing the first of 19 Andrew Peterson Christmas shows (in 20 days). I’ll have plenty to talk about and share with you, and some free time to write it in, when that tour hits. But from now until then, I’m going to go dark.

Or at least, I’m not going to feel any pressure to write anything. If something comes up, I’ll post it, but I’m not making any promises. I’m going to go ahead and plan on doing this from the end of the Christmas tour until the New Year as well. That’ll be Part 2.

I’m looking forward to having some thoughts pile up in the queue and I think not writing for a little while will make me more excited to write again when the time comes. And it might make some of you more excited to read it again.

So here are a couple things I want to mention to tide us all over:

- Tomorrow, Nov 15, Randall Goodgame and I will be playing a show at Montreat College, in Montreat, NC. We would love to see you there. Randall’s one of my best friends, and my most frequent collaborator, but we’ve never done a show together. I really honestly can’t wait.

We’re also having a “conversation” with students, and whoever else wants to come, at 4:30. We’ll be talking about writing, art, friendship, whatever. Be fun to have some of you guys there!

- The Christmas tour starts Nov 27. Special guests this year will be yours truly, Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn, Sara Groves and Bebo Norman. You won’t want to miss it. You can see all the dates of the tour RIGHT HERE.

- The Caedmon’s single, “There is a Reason”, which Randall and I wrote, is still climbing radio charts. It’s currently at #7 on the main chart, I believe. If you have a station in your area that plays christian music, please call them and ask for the song. You don’t have to actually even listen to the station, but some people do and we’d love for them to hear our song.

- Also, dates are being filled currently for the Caedmons’ “Overdressed” Tour. It’s looking like we’ll have about 24 shows. Derek will be opening and I’ll have my own set within the show. I’m really excited for the opportunities to both play the new Caedmon’s stuff live and to get to share more of my music with folks who might not have heard it before. As time comes I’ll be putting some hare-brained schemes up here to help get the word out while I’m on the tour. And I’d love to hear your suggestions.

- The Andy O Rumor Forum is really starting to come into its own. I’ll probably show up over there a little bit more in the coming weeks, and I hope you do too. CLICK HERE to visit.

- And lastly, many thanks to those of you who commented on my previous post. I really love that the comments have been both well-written and respectful. I learn so much from these discussions, and I’m still wrapping my head around all that’s been said. You make me a better person. Or at least a more informed one. Thanks for giving me the grace to start the conversation with my half-formed opinions.

As Walter said to the Dude: “I myself dabbled in pacifism. Not in ‘Nam, of course.”

Wise words. Thanks for yours.

All right, that’s it for me tonight, and for the next two weeks. Thanks for your following for so long and for your graciousness with this time of rest. Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you on the road here soon. Daily I see more and more how I can’t do what I do without you guys. Thanks, thanks and more thanks.

See you soon.

Top Five Things Andy Could Do With His Free Time Now

Yesterday at church our pastor talked about Nehemiah, how in the 5th chapter of his book he stands up against unethical taxation and interest. Taxes and interest. How stunningly timeless those issues are, eh?

I’ve been thinking, as you know, a ton about our government (in America) and where a follower of Jesus fits in with it. Reading this about Nehemiah, how he stood up and got the government to change its policies to treat people better, has really solidified some things for me.

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Last week I ran across an article in the New York Times called “The Evangelical Crackup” which absolutely fascinated me (CLICK HERE to read it). It talks about how the Church in America has really changed over the last twenty years, and specifically how this affects the relationship between the Church and the Republican party.

I was almost breathless to read the following two paragraphs, as I felt it could have come out of my own autobiography…

For the conservative Christian leadership, what is most worrisome about the evangelical disappointment with President Bush is that it coincides with a widening philosophical rift. Ever since they broke with the mainline Protestant churches nearly 100 years ago, the hallmark of evangelicals’ theology has been a vision of modern society as a sinking ship, sliding toward depravity and sin. For evangelicals, the altar call was the only life raft — a chance to accept Jesus Christ, rebirth and salvation. Falwell, Dobson and their generation saw their political activism as essentially defensive, fighting to keep traditional moral codes in place so their children could have a chance at the raft.

But many younger evangelicals — and some old-timers — take a less fatalistic view. For them, the born-again experience of accepting Jesus is just the beginning. What follows is a long-term process of “spiritual formation” that involves applying his teachings in the here and now. They do not see society as a moribund vessel. They talk more about a biblical imperative to fix up the ship by contributing to the betterment of their communities and the world. They support traditional charities but also public policies that address health care, race, poverty and the environment.

Besides being slightly offended that my own discoveries and decisions weren’t quite as unique as I thought, I was able to really see where I fit in a bigger way.

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After church Sunday we came home, put the girls to bed and then I headed out to a Starbucks to sign some petitions to get Ron Paul on the ballot in the Tennessee State Primary. If I really think that obedience to God means calling my government to be responsible and just then I have to be involved, and for my money, nobody better represents what I think is responsible and just than Dr. Paul.

But I’m not writing to evangelize for a Presidential candidate. (Though you can CLICK HERE if you want to read about him.) What really came to mind as I was listening to our pastor and reading about Nehemiah was just how far from that example we’ve come.

Our President and his associates talk often about our enemies. We were attacked by some citizens of a country six years ago. So now we’re in a second country and about to invade a third, Iran, because they might have a Nuclear bomb in five years and they might want to use it on us. Nevermind that we never found evidence of the weapons that caused our invasion of Iran, we’re now talking about invading our third country in six years. Because they’re our enemies.

Matthew 5:44 : But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Now I’ve heard people say that the government isn’t expected to play by those rules, and in some sense I agree. But, our President is a Christian. This command is expected of him. I don’t want to cast stones, I don’t want to beat up on him or anything, but I say this : I have not seen any amount of love for our enemies from our current administration. And this makes me very sad.

—–

The reason that NY Times article spoke to me is the same reason I believe our President is wrong. Just like Pat Robertson is wrong. For so long, the Church has tried to take over, or else. But that’s the opposite of love.

It’s not our call as Christians to make the world just like us, and to hate and try to destroy the things that aren’t. It’s to show the world what Christ has done for us. And we do that by turning the other cheek and by seeking forgiveness for the wrongs we’ve done. In the grand sense, this is how we change the world. It’s the ONLY way we change the world.

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I’m not the President. I don’t want to be. I can’t imagine the pressure and the criticisms you’d have to face. But it’s my duty as a Christian, I believe, to fight injustice, to make a stand for peace. And so I’m signing petitions for a Presidential candidate who disapproves of this war, among other things. And I’m risking you not coming back here and I’m talking about it on my blog, hoping somebody reads this and decides to do something as well.

I am so tired of complainy Americans and complainy Christians. As DC Talk put it, and this is incredibly true: love is a verb. It is action. It is not passive. To love doesn’t mean hoping things get better. It means trying to make things better. That may mean you find out who’s running and you find somebody you can vote FOR, or you move to Africa or you join the Mocha Club or you get involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It may mean you and your wife go to counseling, or you call your Dad and apologize. It means you do something.

Nehemiah is an example for us. We are not to accept this world around us. It is broken. We won’t succeed in fixing it, at large, but God allows millions of victories within it, and we should seek to be swimming in them.

I don’t really know all that I’m saying, just sort of putting my thoughts out there, but I’m telling you now that I want to be different. Different than I am and different from the world around me. I don’t want to hate my enemies and I don’t want to be a part of a country that does. I want people to see me and see joy and truth, not shame or indignation.

I believe that God calls us to good things. To think on them and to do them. And that we’re to try our hardest to right the wrongs around us, as God rights the wrongs within us.

I’m a writer. I love to write. I love the random and beautiful stories all around us. I love having this website and having a place to let people join me on whatever journey I’m on at the time.

This has been a weird season for me, though, in that I haven’t really known what to write. Writing about my journey is natural, and encouraging. But for the past little while now the journey has been to find what journey I should be taking, if that makes any sense.

Being the jack-of-all-trades musician has been so fun and allowed me such unique opportunities. But it feels like each individual road has become wide enough for me to travel, or would be if I walked down it a little bit. Picking which road has been wearying. And no, I haven’t figured out which one(s) yet.

And that’s made it hard to write. It’s hard to know what to say when you don’t really even know what you think yourself.

So thank you all for your patience and your prayers. I know I’m being led, and I trust I’ll end up where I’ve needed to be, but as of yet, it doesn’t look like I’m going to get the pillar of fire to follow.

For the time being, though, here’s a video I just found of Caedmon’s (or 6/8 of us) playing “There is a Reason” in a live/studio setting. Bryan shot this, but I never realized it. I think it’s pretty cool.

Also, if you have a few minutes and need to laugh your eyeballs out (and you have a healthy appreciation for classic rock guitar playing) you need to CHECK THESE OUT. They’re all amazing, but I recommend small doses daily. Too much could hurt you.

Had a great show this past Saturday down in Georgia. Christopher and I (and our friend Austin, who has a real job) had a fun hang on the drives down and back up. The leaves are changing, the sun was out but the air was crisp. A perfect day to hang with some buddies and then go play songs about our feelings.

The venue was this little, old (late 1800’s) Methodist chapel in the middle of some woods in the middle of some nowhere. The church looked like Pottery Barn had refinished it. It was gorgeous. The folks there were incredibly kind and made us feel far more welcome than we deserved.

Adam Riggins sent me some photos that he took and he also, and this is a first, put together a little video montage of the evening. Have a look…

Christopher is the only person I’ve ever seen convincingly pull off a song playing just a drum. You’ve got to see it to believe it. We’ve been neighbors and friends for a few years now, but this was the first time we’d done a show together and it was fun to hop in on tunes, and have him free me up by laying down some nice grooves under my songs. “Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates” may have been a highlight, as far as my songs went.

We ended the show by stepping out in front of the microphones and playing Tom Waits’ “Jesus Gonna Be Here Soon”. It’s a killer, bluesy tune. Christopher howled on the harmonica and I just tried to keep up. So much fun. Hope we get to do it again sooner than later.

In other news, our daughter Sadie, 11 months old yesterday, wriggled the tips of a couple fingers into a bowl of soup on Friday night and got a few second-degree burns. So very sad to watch a little baby in pain and know that she doesn’t understand why. The doctor said it’s healing great, though, and she doesn’t seem like it’s bothering her too much. If I’d done that I’d be whining about it for weeks. This just proves my children are better people than their father. As it should be.

Okay, for today’s Top Five, I need some books to read. Specifically, I need some novels to read. Even more specifically, I like the kind of novels that create their own world, whether it’s Narnia or Hogwarts or spaceships (and I love spaceships) or Russia in the 1700’s. So if you’ve got any suggestions, say, FIVE, of them, or just want to tell us which books in this vein you like, let us know.

Top Five Suggestions of Novels Andy Should Read

REMINDER : What we’re trying to do with the Top Five’s is to get conversation going on the Andy O Forum, so that the folks that come here can get to know each other a little bit. Please leave the Top Five’s HERE.

So, thanks again to Matt and the folks who brought us down to Georgia this weekend. Thanks to Adam for sending the photos. Thanks to all the folks who came out, making me realize that there are some great people who support me very well down there and it’s been too long since I’d seen most of them.

Have a great week.

In a few hours I’ll hop in the ol’ Ford, pick up a few neighbors (one of whom happens to be Mr. Christopher Williams, who is also performing tonight) and we’ll be heading down to Canton, GA for an acoustic show. If you’re anywhere near, we’d love to see you out.

I’ve been pretty under the weather all week, but I think it peaked yesterday and I’m on the way to recovery. I’ll probably do all my tunes a key or so lower tonight, but that should be the worst of it.

I’m going to be diving into some more songwriting in the next couple of weeks and I’m excited about it. I’m going to focus on a new record for moi, and I think it’ll be refreshing to really get into the depths of what I might have to say, and also to explore how, musically, I want to say it.

Well, not much else on my end today, but we’ve got a new Top Five…

Top Five Things You’d Do If You Had To Blow A Million Bucks

I got a lot of emails from folks interested in that Telecaster, so I’m going to sell it. We’re going to try and do the whole auction right here on the website. Should be an adventure. Or maybe an iVenture. Or eVenture. Not sure what’s cool these days. As long as it’s not a McVenture I think we’ll be ok.

CLICK HERE, Guitar Nerds!!

(and we just moved the auction to andrewosenga.net, so the link goes there now. Better commenting system. Thanks!)