| released
9/12/06
In this issue...
Street Reps Wanted
Schedule Updates
CDs and iTunes
Summer 2006 Reflections: A Lake Called Crotch, The Money
Pit, and Where Do I Go From Here
Podcast Help??
Chime In...What's Your Favorite_____?
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Street Reps Wanted
Have you been blessed by Derek's ministry? Would you like
to help it expand to reach even more people with God's love?
We're looking for Street Reps (as in, representatives) to
spread the word. This will be a team of people willing to
talk to a few friends, share a few ideas, stuff a few envelopes,
make a few calls...simple things that can make a big difference
in how quickly the word gets out. If you're interested in
helping, become a Street Rep by emailing Derek at dereksandstrom@epix.net.
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Schedule Updates
Sept. 16 Cherry Hill SDA Church, Cherry Hill, NJ. 11:00am.
Sept. 16 United Presb. Yardville, NJ, 7:00pm. This is near
Trenton, NJ. Bruce can tell you everything you need to know.
Sept. 24 Grace Evan. Congreg., Schulykill Haven, PA 9:30
am. Email me for more info.
Oct. 1 Conewago Church of the Brethren, Hershey, PA, 7:00pm.
Email Scott for directions and details.
Oct. 8 Wesley UMC, Winston Salem, NC, 9:30 & 11 am.
A return visit to my friends. Hopefully there will be even
more friends than last time! Email Pastor Bret for details/directions.
Oct. 8 First Presb., Kannapolis, NC, 6:00pm. This is between
Charlotte and Winston-Salem, for those of you close enough
to think of going. Email Don Simmons for more info.
Oct. 14 Paddletown UMC, Etters, PA. An evening concert at
a country church near where I live. I know there will be
at least one former student there! Email Sheila for more
details.
Oct. 15 Red Land Valley Chuch, Lewisberry, PA, 8:30am. A
new, informal service here is the evolution of Coffee Lovers
Coffeehouse, which closed. But it continues on at this church
in Lewisberry. Email Dave for details.
Oct. 15 Mt. Laurel Church of God, Harrisburg, PA, __pm.
Email Michael Martin for details.
Nov. 5 Red Land Valley Chuch, Lewisberry, PA, 8:30am. A
new, informal service here is the evolution of Coffee Lovers
Coffeehouse, which closed. But it continues on at this church
in Lewisberry. Email Dave for details.
Nov. 5 Vera Cruz EC, Zionsville, PA, 4:00pm. Email me for
more details.
Nov. 19 Berean Bible Church, Pottstown, PA, __pm. Email
Pastor Glen for more info.
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CDs and iTunes
You can get my music three ways:
1. On CD - Get them at my website, www.dereksandstrom.com.
Click CDs and Samples.
2. At iTunes - Go there and search for Derek Sandstrom,
or click one of these links:
The Mirror: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=57856253
Rest: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=66629132
3. At my performances - see my schedule at the website,
www.dereksandstrom.com
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Summer Reflections
1. A Lake Called Crotch. Sometimes names don't really show
what a thing is all about. Correctional Facility. Oh, that's
nice...They're going to help me correct my problems. A little
support sure will be nice to work through this difficult
time. Well, I spend a few weeks each year at a beautiful,
wilderness lake in eastern Ontario. It is great for fishing,
boating, and swimming. It is surrounded by unspoiled acres
of pines trees and wildlife. Because of the serene atmosphere
and time to sit and think, I often get a lot of creative
work done there...songs written, orchestrations created.
And what is this tranquil retreat called? Crotch Lake. It
is named Crotch Lake because of the shape; it's two long,
areas of lake connected by a curved, skinny section. It's
like two legs, and...well, a crotch. But couldn't they have
dug a little deeper when it came time to name it!? For a
time in the polite 1950s there was an attempt to rename
it Cross Lake. Apparently it didn't stick. Once a Crotch,
always a Crotch. After fifteen years of visits, the name
doesn't faze me anymore...until it's time to explain to
someone where I went!
"Where did you go this summer?"
"A wilderness lake in Ontario"
"Really? That sounds wonderful! What's it called?"
"Umm...Crotch Lake."
[uncomfortable pause] "Oh."
Is it a nudist colony? A proctology research station? No,
it's just a lake! A really pretty one with a horrible name.
You can imagine some of the names for the little bays and
tributaries we have come up with. I won't share those now.
But some of you might like to vacation at a beautiful place
with great accommodations and amazing, natural surroundings.
Some of you might like the novelty of staying at a place
with Crotch in the name. There's even a par 3 golf course
and restaurant on the facility! The restaurant is called
Canadian Shield, by the way, not Crotchview or anything
like that. Visit the website of the place where we stay,
Tumblehome Lodge. http://www.virtualnorth.com/tumblehome
. Nary a crotch joke to be found on their site, unfortunately.
I think they should make their slogan "Tumblehome Lodge:
A Crotchful Of Fun." But that's just me.
2. The Money Pit. Is it just our family, or does it seem
that there are certain times when all kinds of huge expenses
come at you at once? That's how our summer has been. First,
after a very eventful set up in a church in the Pittsburgh
area, it became clear that I would be needing a new keyboard
amp. Then, the truck transmission started doing weird things
when we were in Canada. I wasn't sure what it would be like
to work with mechanics across the border, but we found a
guy who did a fantastic job and charged us a fair price...which
is still a lot of money! Then I dove into the lake with
my glasses on, despite the kind advice of my cousin, Daniel.
There is a fish who now sees extremely sharply at longer
distances, and I had to come up with new glasses, also in
Canada. The whole summer has been like this. Not to mention
Carter and Sheri spending a delightful night in the ER when
a virus started affecting Carter's breathing. He's fine,
by the way. What spiritual lesson should I draw from all
this? What is God trying to teach me? Well, one thing would
be that I am in control of a lot less than I may think.
Ultimately, there is much that is outside my control, and
the only way to have peace about it is to trust God to be
looking out for my best. And, equally important, when things
don't seem particularly "best" to my human perspective,
even the bad things are working good in me. "All things
work together for good for those who love God and are called
according to His purposes," the Bible reminds us. That
means even a blown transmission can be good in disguise
if I'm willing to learn. Sometimes that's a pretty big "if."
But I'm working on it.
3. Where Do I Go From Here? This has been a banner year
in many ways. In June and July I played three of the most
personally meaningful concerts to date. I played at Pennsylvania
Campmeeting of the SDA Church; my childhood church, Abington
Presbyterian; and the New Wilmington Missionary Conference.
Wow! Two big crowds, one...well, not big. But all meaningful
because they are special places to me. Makes me wonder what
God has in store next! Tune in to find out!
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Podcast help. I want to start doing an occasional podcast
in conjunction with my website, www.dereksandstrom.com.
Trouble is, I don't really know how. I can admit that many
of you reading this are more techno savvy than I am. I thought
I would throw this out there. If there is anyone who can
get me started on the way to having podcasts as a feature
of my ministry, please let me know. I would greatly value
your expertise and appreciate your help. Thanks!
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Chime in. This is the part of the newsletter, in case you've
read or skimmed this far, where you get to give your opinion.
Topic this time...snack food! I am a salt junkie. I know
many of you are sugar junkies, and possibly chocolate junkies.
Let's just say I'm well acquainted with one of those! Anyway,
I have discovered the Best Chip Ever. I have long been a
fan of chips. We used to have Charles Chips delivered to
the house when I was a kid. Do they still exist? Anyway,
over the years I discovered the wonders of Sour Cream and
Onion chips, Doritos, BBQ chips, and even Combos, which
are technically not really chips, but got me home from many
Direct Effect gigs in my college years. Well, the search
is over. Trader Joe's makes a Hickory BBQ Potato Chip that
is utterly unlike, and superior to, any snack food I have
ever experienced. It's junk food nirvana! It's deep fried
heaven! So I want to know...what's your favorite junk food?
Results will be included in the next newsletter.
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More news later. God bless you, and thanks for your support!
Derek
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