released
12/1/06
In this issue...
Schedule Updates
My House Smells Like Beef Jerky (and more about what we've
been up to...)
"I Want To Be Near You"...story behind the song
Chime In - Results
CDs and iTunes
Indieheaven
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Schedule Updates. Catch me at the following upcoming shows:
Dec 3 - 11:00am - Felton, PA @ Bethany United Methodist.
Leading songs for worship.
Jan 13 - 7:00pm - Chambersburg, PA @ St. Paul's United Methodist.
Evening concert.
Jan. 14 - 8:00am, 10:30am, and TBApm - Dover, PA @ Dover
Bethany United Methodist. In the morn, complimenting Vickie
Crone's amazing testimony as she gives it in church. In
the pm, full Derek concert.
Jan 20 - TBA in the San Antonio, TX area. More details coming,
check website for more.
Visit http://www.dereksandstrom.com for all the details
on the schedule and more!
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My House Smells Like Beef Jerky. We have been away for the
weekend, playing in the Williamsport area. There is a woodstove
in the basement of our home, and I obviously left the stove
vents open. When the stove is cold, smoke-scented air pushes
down the flue and into the basement, and then into the house.
And then, voila!, Mesquite Manor. Spicy BBQ chips are great,
Spicy BBQ house...not so much.
The weekend was great, though. Williamsport is the site
of my coming of age, where I was first on my own, making
a go of the whole "adult thing." Of course, it
was a terrible catastrophe, as you may have heard in my
testimony at any of my concerts. Lots of really heart-wrenching
stuff happened there. However, there is still a fond place
in my heart for Williamsport. I enjoyed going back to visit,
and playing and sharing what God has done since being there
was a great blessing for me. I got to meet some great folks,
and spend time with a good friend. Before that I was able
to see some new places and meet some new friends in Cherry
Hill, Yardville, Long Valley, Pottstown, Emmaus, Harrisburg,
and had another chance to go back to Winston-Salem. It's
been a nice fall.
As we get ready for winter and 2007, now is a great time
to book something. As the new year begins, things get a
little slow, which is a great time to book a concert to
keep things interesting and provide a chance for church
members to bring visitors. If you are interested in scheduling
a concert or worship service for Winter or Spring '07 (or
anytime), please get in touch. To start the ball rolling
for scheduling a concert, just email derek, or visit http://www.dereksandstrom.com
for more details.
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"I Want To Be Near You"...story behind the song.
If you've ever seen me play live, you may have heard me
tell this story. There was a time last spring where the
ministry was pretty busy, all at once. Lots of travel. North
Carolina...home...Bedford, PA...home...Bedford, PA, again...New
Jersey...and then home. That's a lot of wear and tear on
an adult (it was), but on kids who need consistency in their
schedules it was really tough. And as you might expect after
having kids sleep in a different bed every night for six
nights, there was some sleep-related fallout. Morgan made
an appearance at the foot of our bed at about 11:00pm. Anyone
who knows us well will recall that there have always been
sleep issues with Morgan, so let's just say I have some
"sleep baggage." Any threat to my sleep does not
generate positive feelings in me! He wanted to sleep on
the couch, which is odd because he would still have been
alone, and on a less cozy piece of furinture. So, grumpy
as I was after just getting to sleep, I calmly said "no"
to the couch idea and carried Morgan back to his bed and
scratched his little back once again. When he was safe and
sound back in his bed, I left him and went back to mine.
At 11:30 Morgan appeared another time. I was beginning to
see where this was headed. He still wanted to sleep on the
couch, and this time I was pretty irritable. I carried him
firmly back to his bed, saying something warm and fatherly
like, "Why can't you just lie awake in your own bed!"
I'm sure it filled his heart with comfort to hear a soothing
remark like that. And that's when he came back with a reply
that caught me off-guard and stopped me in my tracks. This
is what he said.
"I just want to be near you."
Wow! It was one of those moments where you realize something
important was just said. Something profound. So I was no
longer able to carry him back to his bed. I said, "Just
being here on the couch is good enough?" He told me
that even being on the couch, half way between our rooms,
was good enough. I asked him if it was okay that I went
back to my bed, and he said it was. So that's what we did.
And it showed me two things. First, I need to be careful
with my boys. Being near me is really that helpful? Yup.
You know, it's so easy to say or do something that can crush
them, and I might not even notice. This night served as
a reminder for me of how precious and delicate are these
kids God has given to me. I need to take much more care
before I complain about the messes, the inconveniences,
the sleep loss - whatever it might be - and consider what
I want them to know. I want to them to know that they are
loved, accepted, and valued. I don't want them to get the
idea that they are a bother to me, because although kids
bring with them a good helping of difficulty, having little
people around who love me so much is of infinite value.
The other thing it showed me is that I need to have this
very same attitude when I approach God. How often do I consider
my devotional time as an exercise or an item on my To-Do
list? I should be approaching God, my heavenly Father, in
the same way, just wanting to be near Him and be in His
presence. I need to remember that being near Him is enough...enough
for whatever may come. That's where my strength, my guidance,
my comfort all come.
I know Ernie will give me a hard time for bragging on my
kids, as he says. Sorry, Ernie. I'm learning more than they
are, it seems.
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Chime In - Results. Seems that snack food didn't motivate
many of you to write in. Either that or you clearly realized
the superiority of the Trader Joe's BBQ Chips. I can't blame
you. I got one vote for Russell Stover’s sugar free
chocolates, one for Cool Ranch Doritos, and one generically
for chocolate, presumably in any form. So that's where it
stands for now with this mailing list. Maybe the rest of
you are health enthusiasts, and I should be ashamed for
promoting junk food. Hmmm, how should I soothe my guilt?
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
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CDs and iTunes. Christmas is coming...give the gift of Derek!
My music, that is! CDs are available at http://www.dereksandstrom.com.
Also, you can find my music at iTunes. Buy songs one at
a time or the whole album. Heh heh. Album. You're old, Derek!
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Indieheaven. I am registered with Indieheaven.com. People
can find my ministry, hear my music, and get in touch. Also,
my song "Today" from The Mirror, is on the Indieheaven
Radio charts. You can rate it and help it climb up the chart!
Just go to http://www.indieheaven.com and click the radio
tower. Then tell a friend or 50!!!
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God bless, everyone! Have a great holiday season!
-Derek
New schedule updates! Click
here.
Check out free sample tracks from
Derek's recordings, and order online!
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