Prayer Circles

Keep Shane, Justin and Chris in your prayers: they rolled out this morning
from San Antonio in a rented Suburban and headed northeast, drums, bass,
guitars and harmonicas in tow. Long road trip ensues

The previous prayer request and the following information was posted to Chris' eGroup by Paul Soupiset:

Tomorrow they will be loading in and doing their first soundcheck from
Bentonville, Arkansas, in a show with longtime friends Waterdeep, followed
by a KC-MO show at New Earth, which
has become a favorite venue for the
Chris Taylor Orchestra... Then it's on to Lake Forest, Illinois to play a
Chicagoland gig (incidentally, my brother-in-law is hosting them there!)... Then they have a few days
to kill in Chicago until crossing over
to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Brrrrr. Hope they get a warm reception.

Strong Medicine

I found what follows here @ beliefnet.com and it really moved me. Send your encouragement to the guys while they're out on the road through the Prayer Circle.

Our Deepest Fear by Nelson Mandela (from his 1994 inaugural speech)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your
playing small does not serve the World. There is nothing enlightening about
shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born
to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of
us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own
fear, our presence automatically liberates us.

Dear Chris and guys...
My daughter Stephanie got to see you at Jaci Valesquez recently. I want to thank you for your kindness, as she knows how much I love you guys and it blessed her socks off to visit with ya for minute. Yes, Im the crazy with changing pictures of you guys as my wallpaper on here. Recently we bought our 24th copy of DGTD, and shared with yet another un-knowing secular soul who enjoyed the tunes. Groooooovy! We will also share Worthless too as we track them down on and off. I pray for yaour safety as you travel and know... this "older lady" is sharing the Maroon news... (ask me next time!) Blessings and open ((((ears)))) Shelley

Hey guys drive safe and don't eat too many cheesesteaks. I hope you all have a good time out there on the road. We're all pulling, praying and making requests for you on this end. Knock their socks off up their in Yankee Land and be sure to sell at least enough CDs to make gas money for the trip back. ha ha- God bless you all!

Steve wrote this for the eGroup.
I took the liberty of posting it
here... hope that's cool

"We all miss you guys here in Texas. Hope all is well. Big Love from Big 'D'. You're in our prayers. Keep your heads, sing it loud, do the thing you do and do it pretty. Three amigos/musketeers/stooges ride on and be strong. Support is in the air and
beaming out across the land, over the river and through the woods playing
like your favorite tune on the FM radio."

Be great,
Steve in Dallas

Father God,
We love you and we come before you now and thank you for your goodness and your love. Be with the guys while they are out touring. Send your Spirit out in front of them so they can know that you have already prepared the way for them. Fill their concerts and music with your love, your power and your presence. Give them good people to stay with and just so they don't have to eat at McDonalds, KFC or Taco Bell all the time give them places to stay that will have plenty of good food to eat. Give them traveling mercies and please don't let them have car trouble... it's such a pain! Help them to get the rest they need to be at their best. Keep them in good health and don't let them loose their heads or get sick of each other... and if they do help them get over it and find a way to rise above. Help them to keep their sense of humor and try to see things as you do. And when all else fails help them to keep their mouths shut and their ears open to you. I know that you love each of these guys as individuals and together as a band. Thank you that the Lo-fi thing is already getting a good response from most of the folks they have played for. Help them to continue to be sensitive to the needs of the people in their audience. I hope the majority of those people walk away feeling like they've had an insanely good time and want to tell everyone they talk to about Chris Taylor and his band. Thank you for all the good people in and out of the eGroup who support the guys and send them much love. Thank you for using Chris and his music to shine a little more of you and your love into our lives. Help me to be patient with the people who act as if they could care less. Even if we all love you we don't always see things from the same point of view because we're all made by you to be unique. Help us to get along and agree to disagree more often. With your love teach us all to encourage each other a little bit more, and do a whole lot more forgiving when one of us falls down and makes a mess of things. Help us all to see one another through your eyes and to know that no matter what we might be going through that love will find a way for us to make it through and be the people you have called us to be. We pray all of this in Jesus name... Amen

I'll send this out to the guys who might be feeling a little road weary by now, and to anyone who has ever felt this way. If we're honest I think that's most of us.


Deliverance

Feeling so forgotten, passed
over, pushed aside lost in my
own world... my own mind...
like a small child set adrift
out on the water- alone with
nothing but water in every
direction. Like the whole
world looked the other way.
No heros or bravehearts. No
one willing to make you feel
not so invisible.

I am still... and from inside
a quiet voice calls my name
and whispers healing to me.
Love and peace fill me and
surround me. I am not alone
I am never alone. I lift my
eyes, the mist is breaking.
I see I am not so far away.
The water becomes spirit and
brings me home again.

Skj

Father God you are so good to us your children. Lord I come before your throne of grace and I thank you for always being with us. Please go out before Chris, Shane, and Justin and bless the second part of their tour. Be with them as they play. Bless and anoint them and the music. Use so people can have fun and be entertained, but even more than that use it to sew seeds, heal hearts and bless lives for your Kingdom. Help Chris the guys and everyone in the eGroup to know every moment of every day that you never leave us or forsake us. We are your children and you are crazy about us. If you had a refridgerator our picture would be on it and if you had a wallet it would be there too. Lord help us to get that evey moment of every day... you love us so much because we are your precious children. Don't ever let us be afraid to shine your joy and your love. Through your Holy Spirit give us the strength and the willingness to shine your Love and your light in a cold dark world. Transform our lives so that we are like prisms so that the beauty and colors of who you are shine through us. Lord keep us motivated. Teach so that we will not to carry the burdens and blunders of our past, but to lay them daily at your feet so that we can be free to dance in your truth and mercy... be free to celebrate the life you have given us. Every day is another chance to celebrate your Love. Our past does not determine our future. Yesterday is the tomb and tomorrow is the womb. Today you have made us to live and grow and be the people you are making us to be. Teach us with each new day to live in your fullness and to be resurrected from the pain of our past. Teach us to learn how to be free to have fun. To wake up with our hands untied from our past. Show us what it is to really live in your presence. Don't let us bury ourselves in the pain of our past. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ resurrect our lives. You are God through you all things are possible. Revive, renew repair, restore and rebuild us to be the unique individuals you have called us to be through your son Jesus Christ, and it's in His name we pray- Amen

This was posted by Paul in the eGroup:

Chris Taylor Fans,

Here's something you can keep in your prayers. We just sent in registration
packets for SXSW (South-by-Southwest) in Austin, and you can pray that it
will be received well, that Chris would get a space in this highly competitive festival, that all the details would be worked out, and that the event would prove beneficial for his career, long-term.

that's all for tonight.

This was submitted by Paul Hernandez in the eGroup:

Dear God; Please give me the serenity to accept those Chris Taylor show's for which I am geographically restricted from attending,and give me the ability ($) to accept the show's I will someday see. Amen.

Wow I am sooo bummed I cant see my buddy Chris perform. Why I remember it was just yesterday I was watching Chris perform at the white rabbit on St. Mary's street. All of you who live in San Antonio should take pause here... lift face to sky.....and say.....thank you Lord for the Taylor show's in which I am about to receive...Amen. CHRIS come to VEGAS my brother! You can play the Hard Rock Hotel? Any way,God bless you brother I love you, and Im proud of you,look for your Christmas card in the mail.

I honestly can't think of a better Christmas gift, or a better way to show your support than giving the gift of Worthless Pursuit or Lo-Fi to someone this holiday. Unfortunately the gesture would be lost on many of the people
I know. Not everyone has my good taste in music.

I'm in the process of looking for a new church, because our pastor felt he was being called to San Diego. I can't say I blame him, I'd probably do the same if I could. Now our church is without
a pastor and a worship leader. (he went with him)

You know what I'm actually looking for, a place where I know the people would be open to and accept the message in music the way Chris and artists like him present it. I'm pretty sure I'll know it when I find it, I just don't know if I have yet. There's an Assembly of God Church close to our house that I've been visiting, but I'm not 100% sure this is where I need to be either. If it's not asking too much could ya'll pray with me about this. Thanks!

Peace & Big Love,

Sharon



--- In christaylor@egroups.com, eyez2cwith@a... wrote:
> Rock and roll on Justin... Loved the message.
> We continue to pray for yallllllllllllllllllllllllllll's tour,
> and am so looking forward to all these concerts coming up!
>
> I am giving tickets to folks for Christmas
> with a copy of Worthless Pursuit!
> (Thats a hint for all you "groupies" that claim loyalty!)
> How better to introduce others to "HIS" music!? and
> have your friend owe you for life for such
> a great intro and Christmas gift!?
>
> C- YALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Soon---
> The old lady

Be Thankful! Shine the light of God's love.... and remember when you're around all your family members this Thanksgiving- there is strength in flexibility. I need to remember this big time! Sometimes when we choose kindness over being right we actually come out the winner in most cases. Try to remember that if you feel one of those infamous family/holiday arguements coming on. If you haven't got a clue as to what I'm talking about... then be extra thankful, and count yourself blessed! Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

Dear Lord bless this group of men, give them their chance, let them sing beautiful music. Amen

The daughter of an elderly man had asked the local minister to come to visit and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said. "No, who are you?" said the father. The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I see the empty chair; I figured you knew I was going to show up." "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bed ridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head." "I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always." Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the
funnyfarm." The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on with his journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her dad had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked. "Yes, and when I was leaving the house about two o' clock, he called me over to his bedside and told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him... he was already gone. "But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before dad died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"
>
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like
that."
>
>Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but the rewards are infinite.

Wow... I can't believe I actually remembered my password and got back in this thing... now I know why people might not be posting to it as much as I had hoped. If you forget your pass word it won't let you in. Here's a little something from the incredible land of Chris Taylor aka www.christaylormusic.com this is a quote from Chris' journal... I always wanted to peak into that thing and now he has pieces of it on his web-site for all to share... just like all of his incredible music. Anyway here's the quote: "Here are some friends of mine who work their butts off to make great
artistic statements of love , loss and faith: misty jones, lady jane grey,
eddie morales, ruben v, the normals… yeah I could go on but these folksare on my heart right now. So there you have it… a peak into the mind that brought you such classics as down goes the day, seahorse and one of the most
overlookedstatements, accidental charm. Ok ok, I’m being silly at my own expense. Ain’t life sweet?
November 21, 2000

Accidental Charm

Lord I don’t know what I’m to do . . . such a space between me and you . . . and I’m

Not feeling so divine . . . left shipwrecked in my mind . . . in my back yard babe

Somehow when you come around . . . you lift my head up off the ground . . . and I

Can feel the spirit once again . . . the sweet fragrance of your summer wind

And something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm

Something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm . . . subtle and strong

This private party ain’t no fun . . . like throwing apples at the sun . . . still I

Believe it can be done . . . but who would want to come . . . I’m not so sure

Some days the voices don’t belong . . . and all the chaos kills the song . . . then one day

It all fades away . . . into the Clearest Voice I’ve ever heard

And something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm

Something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm . . . subtle and strong

Angels and devils fight in the air

If anything happens, Babe, it happens up there

All these things unseen they compete for a piece of me

Will I have the eyes to see?

Something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm

Something inside of me goes wild . . . your accidental charm

You’ve opened up the eyes of this child . . . your accidental charm

Subtle and strong . . .

Subtle and strong . . . draws me in, draws me in

Subtle and strong . . . draws me in now . . .

The Christmas Blessing-

Dear Friend,

At the heart of Christmas you will find a tiny baby in a manger. It's great to party and get into the spirit of the season, go to concerts and plays, celebrate, be with family and friends, decorate the tree, open presents and just generally get a little crazy and have some fun! With all of that going on we need to be able to take just a minute to relax, revive and breathe in a little bit of the breath of heaven.

One of my favorite things about the 1951 classic film adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is when Scrooge encounters the second spirit (the ghost of Christmas present) I'll try to paraphrase something the spirit says:

‘Men do not keep the babe of the manger in their heart to celebrate but one day a year... nay, but he is there every day all the year long!'

I love that, just knowing when we allow Jesus to live in our heart... he is there living in us, loving us, healing and guiding us every day through-out the year!

"Let every heart prepare him room". If you haven't already please open the door to your heart so that his matchless love can fill it and give you the life you were born to live. This is why he came... I know without a doubt who holds tomorrow, because I know who is holding onto my hand. Jesus is the love of my life and he wants to fill your heart and life with his love. Take him at his word...your search for love is over if you step out in faith and trust him today. Here's a simple verse that says it all.

For God so Loved the World that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

In other words God sent his precious son and if you believe that Jesus is the son of God sent here to save us from our sins, then you will have eternal life with him in heaven. That's the simple beauty of salvation. Please, don't try to logic your way out of something so life giving as living in faith with Jesus Christ. I have good friends, but he is the best friend I have ever had.

Merry Christmas &
Happy New Year!
In His Love,

Sharon

PS. If you already know Him then celebrate... you have found true love!

Something to think on for the New Year-

I have decided to post this in here because I can't think of a better place to put it. I smile to myself thinking this is probably as safe as evidenced by the lack of people posting. I wish more people understood. I pray that God will help me to find a way to make it clear enough to grasp.

The gift

Does anyone out there believe in the gift of prophecy in this day and age? I'm pretty sure that Chris does... so many of his songs seem so profoundly prophetic to my heart and mind... like just recently with the web-sight re-release of the 1996 Love Coma remix of heartwideopen... that really spoke to me in ways I can't even begin to describe. This happens to me a lot with music... I think that's why I'm so drawn to it all the time... especially Chris'

Every now and then I get a special discernment I guess you could call them premonitions or maybe it's simple intuition... I think it's God and the power of the Holy Spirit looking out for me. It isn't fearful or spooky either... it's really peaceful and when I listen to it always seems to get me out of harms way and put my feet on the right path. It gives me direction when I listen to it... which I wish I could say is all the time. I think many people have felt that feeling of calm in the midst of a storm... for me that's a part of it as well, and I really believe this is something that's available for all of God's children... if they want it. For me like I said it's really kind of an every now and then thing. It's like God is slowly opening his hand and revealing this gift to me little by little.

Most of the time I don't usually seem know what's going to happen until it happens and then it's like I get this warm rush of... I guess you would call it Dejavu. It happens so often that I've grown to think it's simply God's hand giving me reassurance... like He's there in the middle of everything showing me mercy and letting me know He's with me. I know God is there all the time, but this isn't a 24/7 kind of energy or feeling for me either, but it happens quite often. I think it all depends upon my willingness to be open to it... because God won't work against my will, but does work with it.

continued-

I haven't ever really told anyone about any of this... at least not in this kind of detail. I didn't even know that I could find the words to describe it until now. I hope it doesn't ever stop. Soup... I'm pretty sure you're reading this. I hope you understand and don't think I've completely lost it. I know you were raised Baptist and so was I. I know there's plenty of people in the Baptist church who would not only frown upon this, they would more than likely condemn me and dismiss it as crazy... and that would be the end of that. The thing is... the Baptist religion was based upon a prophet... and not just any prophet... the cousin of Jesus! John the Baptist was that voice crying in the wilderness... "prepare ye the way! The kingdom of heaven is at hand!" he saw what was going to be because God gave it to him. This kind of thing was totally denied as anything that could happen in this day and age when I was a kid growing up in church. I don't understand why so many Baptists want to deny that this gift exists in our time. I dearly love the Baptist people. I was in great need of a Savior and I met and learned about Jesus there from the time when I was a small child all the way through my teen years and on into my early twenties. I know many kind souls who attend- including my own mother... who would most definitely think I was nuts if I ever tried to talk with her about any of this. I can only guess it's because of all the religious persecution that has happened over the last several centuries... as well as the fear from it that has been passed down from generation to generation. Like I said... I'm pretty sure Chris understands, because I get such a prophetic energy from his music.

I could be going out on a limb admitting all of this, It's just that within this space and time I really have no one else to share it with. If you or anyone you know have any insights or experiences of your own I would really like to hear about them. Even if you think what I have said here is wrong and completely off the wall... please don't share this with anyone unless you are certain that their mind and spirit are open enough to deal with it. Thanks & Christmas Blessings!

In His Love,
Sharon

The New Year- and the road ahead

Without warning sometimes- life can turn corners and take us down paths
we hadn't planned to travel. There is always sacrifice when we find ourselves
on a new unfamiliar road. We leave people and places that have grown near and dear to us. We face the fear and the unfamiliarity of what lies before us, but eventually step by step we begin to see that we can bend, and grow, and learn. We challenge ourselves to begin again. We can't always grow where we are planted. Sometimes we have to learn to grow where we find ourselves... hopefully it will be in a place where we are nurtured, loved, and encouraged. In a place of healing, joy, and growth where we can live, love, and laugh. A place where we can be the people God put us on this earth to be.

I love this so much that I'm putting it up again for all the newbies or anyone else who has yet to read it. God bless you all... may it help to guide you into a prosperous New Millenium full of peace, love and light.


Our Deepest Fear by Nelson Mandela (from his 1994 inaugural speech)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your
playing small does not serve the World. There is nothing enlightening about
shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born
to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of
us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own
fear, our presence automatically liberates us.

This is what we've been praying about since November. CNN says-

It's official: Bush next U.S. president

After a joint session of Congress counted each state's electoral votes, George W. Bush was officially declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election today. Vice President Al Gore announced the results and ordered them inscribed in the Congressional Record. The final vote count: Bush 271, Gore 266

Everyone please pray for and support our new president. Even if you did not vote for him... we all need to pull together and pray for the good of our country. If you won't pray for this man's well being then don't complain when everything falls apart. The vote makes it official and God puts people in office for a reason... believe it or not even Bill Clinton. Please pray for George W. Bush. Pray for protection, annointing, and blessing from God that he will lead this country into this new millenium with courage, strength, honour & dignity and a loving heart towards God~ selah

Results: This is what I wrote to CNN

First I would like to suggest that you make your message boards a little more user friendly. Yes I know you are CNN, but it couldn't hurt. Second I think you are simply creating and/or proliferating media hype. I know that's your job. What you are saying to me when you are basicly trying to blame a bleak financial forecast on who's in office is this: We are a bunch of blatant Democrats (when the media by design is to be neutral) who want to suck our thumbs and point fingers because we did not get the outcome we wanted from this election... and it's the other sides fault! Well, you can suck your thumbs and point fingers all you wish... after all you are CNN. Wouldn't it be more productive to try to create a little unity and try to bridge the gap between the parties? Quit making more problems for everyone... and I do mean everyone. Pointing fingers is a lesson in futility. Do something decent, human and good. You can help bring this nation together, or you can choose to continue to tear it apart. Make something good happen here you have the opportunity... use it!

W.S.