Let Me Entertain You...

If you're in Waco and you're looking for some entertainment over the next few days, I've got you covered at the Hippodrome!

First up is Stephen Iandoli's original one-man show, "Jesus Joyce, That Was My First Choice!" That will be Saturday April 22 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15.

Next is Barefoot in concert on Sunday April 23 at 8:15pm. It's going to be an awesome show! Tickets are $15. Check out my conversation with lead singer Chris Pearson here.

Third is Shaun Groves in concert. He'll be in chapel at Baylor Monday morning and then in concert at the Hippo on Monday night at 7:00pm. Tickets are $10. Check out my conversation with Shaun here and here.

So you could come see all three shows for under $50! That's awesome! All shows will be at the Waco Hippodrome. If you want tickets call 254-752-9797. See you at the shows!

Interview with Barefoot!

Greetings! It is so thrilling to have so much to offer to you guys these days! We have some excellent shows and concerts coming up over the next week and a half! Many of you have been following a series of interviews with Shaun Groves, who will be playing the Hippodrome on Monday April 24th at 7:00pm. Well, this weekend will really be a very exciting one at the Hippodrome. We'll have an original show by Stephen Iandoli on Saturday the 22nd. Then we get Barefoot, one of the hottest rising bands in the country coming for a concert on Sunday the 23rd. Below is the transcript of the first part of a two-part interview with Barefoot's lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist, Chris Pearson. This guy went to Baylor for a while and is very excited about coming back. Man, we're getting some great homecomings these days! Enjoy!

SCOTT B (11:43:58 PM): Hey Chris, you there?

CHRIS P (11:44:05 PM): yeah, man

SCOTT B (11:44:18 PM): Great! Ready to chat a bit?

CHRIS P (11:44:27 PM): yeah man

CHRIS P (11:44:30 PM): let’s do it

SCOTT B (11:45:02 PM): Okay. Now Barefoot is one of the hottest rising bands in the country these days. That's a statement, not a question. Tell me a little bit about the success you guys have been having lately.

CHRIS P (11:46:23 PM): Well, it's definitely been slow and steady. ha, to a degree I guess. We toured Texas and surrounding states for a year and a half, before we had a crazy run of events while booking shows in Los Angeles

CHRIS P (11:46:46 PM): and thanks for the compliment! cheers.

SCOTT B (11:47:27 PM): Well, you know you're heading home, so to speak, to a very friendly crowd here in Waco, right? Tell me a little about your roots here.

CHRIS P (11:48:57 PM): Love that place, Love that place, love that place. I technically only have two years of hours under my belt, but I was never one for classroom learning. ;-D Lot's of nights jamming in the Penland stairwells!! Lot's of nights sneaking into Waco Hall and pushing the grand out on stage to play for an arena of NO ONE!

CHRIS P (11:49:48 PM): Living in Penland was huge, you meet so many people that play acoustic. It's great to learn each others covers, and originals. Learn a lot of chops from people so to speak!

CHRIS P (11:50:09 PM): We had some serious Penland jam sessions ;-S

SCOTT B (11:50:17 PM): I wish I could agree, but alas, I was in Martin. That was back in the day of the communal showers.

CHRIS P (11:50:23 PM): haha, fair enough!

CHRIS P (11:50:40 PM): ha, it's like high school football all over again! (the communal showers that is)

SCOTT B (11:51:34 PM): Yes, but without all the good stuff. I remember one day when only two out of six shower heads were working and they were right next to each other. It was just me and the 350 lb. guy. I still have nightmares.

CHRIS P (11:51:48 PM): that's a gross memory

CHRIS P (11:51:56 PM): sorry about that mate
SCOTT B (11:52:02 PM): Tell me about it. Now did the other guys also go to Baylor?

CHRIS P (11:53:12 PM): One of them. He went for year, his parents were kinda pissed at me cuz I kept pushing him to drop out! They probably blocked that from their memory. ;-D He and I went to High School together, so we've kinda a been best friends going on 8 years now. he's a good chap. they are all good chaps

SCOTT B (11:53:28 PM): Which guy was the Baylor guy?

CHRIS P (11:53:33 PM): other Chris. Chris Munselle.

SCOTT B (11:53:47 PM): And he's another guitarist and vocalist, right?

CHRIS P (11:53:55 PM): yeah, we got 4 guys that sing, then acoustic, 2 electrics, bass, and drums. then i play keys on some stuff

SCOTT B (11:54:31 PM): See, this is one of the coolest things about Barefoot to me. You guys are capable of more complex vocals and harmonics than most bands out there today, am I wrong?

CHRIS P (11:55:35 PM): No no, you are absolutely right! It's kinda the thing that set us apart in away. We never planned on it either, really... we use to set up and jam in my parents living room and one day, we all just kinda started singing together... and then just kept doing it...

CHRIS P (11:55:43 PM): couldn't have planned it if we had to!

SCOTT B (11:56:52 PM): Not only are those bigger vocals, but with up to 4 guitars going, (including the bass), at a time, that gives you more flexibility and the ability to create a bigger, broader, more sweeping sound. How much fun is it to write knowing you have all that at your disposal?

CHRIS P (11:57:52 PM): Man, these are excellent questions! You couldn't have put it better. When I sit down to write now, I can hear what everyone’s part will be, I think we all kind of do that in a way now.

CHRIS P (11:58:48 PM): The dynamics are wonderful, there is one part on the album which we now do live, where our entire band is actually singing. Matt our bass player grabs a mic and does a low octave of another harmony

CHRIS P (11:59:37 PM): essentially 11 things to create noise from (4 vocals, 7 instruments really does make a huge difference)

CHRIS P (12:00:48 AM): we've started following U2's footsteps... we've begun building orchestra and synth parts into pro-tools sessions for our live show now as well!

CHRIS P (12:01:26 AM): creates even more of a swell an atmosphere, all the over seas guys do it, Coldplay, Radiohead, U2 etc etc etc allows your live show to fall inline with your album the way it should sound! so in a sense the layers just keep getting thicker ;-D

SCOTT B (12:02:13 AM): You don't usually hear that kind of variety in music today. I haven't heard much like it since Boston or the Eagles. But there's even an addition level with good use of technology today. From where else do you guys draw inspiration? You've said U2, Coldplay, Radiohead... who else?

CHRIS P (12:03:42 AM): Keane, um and The Eagles... I mean, i just named the biggest bands in the world, which isn't really fair, and in no form or fashion would I ever put us in the same category as those guys!!!! Ha. if we are still doing this in 15 years, then we can bark up that tree ;-D but definitely people that we draw musical inspiration from!

SCOTT B (12:04:04 AM): Hey, it's fair. I said inspiration. May as well get inspired by the best, right?

CHRIS P (12:04:38 AM): truth. good call. i d like to compliment you on your question asking again! great questions, seriously! no smoke up the ass or anything!

SCOTT B (12:04:57 AM): Thanks! So, okay. I've grilled you enough about the music I think. It definitely speaks for itself. Let's get a bit personal for a minute, shall we? Tell me about basketball...

CHRIS P (12:06:24 AM): Ahhh the basketball. Well here's the deal. I played sports for 15 years before I even started playing a guitar!!! In fact my roommate almost talked me into walking on to play football at Baylor! Three days of workouts, and I decided that playing guitar in Penland was probably a better investment of my time. ;-D But me and a bunch of guys here in Dallas have been playing 4, 5 times a week now! A bunch of Baylor cats that all live in Dallas and miss SLC ball as much as I do! ;-D

SCOTT B (12:07:00 AM): Really? Walk on for the mighty Baylor Bears? Could you possibly have succeeded?

CHRIS P (12:07:01 AM): I played through high school, but quit jr. year to play football, and do theatre

CHRIS P (12:07:21 AM): Ha, i mean i ran a 4.49, but i was a 6 foot white guy.

SCOTT B (12:07:46 AM): Still, a 4.49 is very impressive. (Better than a certain fat USC running back these days...)

CHRIS P (12:07:47 AM): scrambling only gets you so far, and that's high school ball.

CHRIS P (12:07:59 AM): I mean, Lindale's a beast!! Don't be fooled

CHRIS P (12:08:09 AM): ;-D

SCOTT B (12:08:24 AM): I don't know... 15 reps? For a guy his size? That's a bit weak. He should have 22 easy.

CHRIS P (12:08:31 AM): and rumor has it, the Cowboys are in negotiations!! did you hear that!?

SCOTT B (12:08:45 AM): I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that.

CHRIS P (12:09:00 AM): he pulled a hamstring doing NFL drills or something, so his stock is going way down... but we'll see ;-D

CHRIS P (12:09:06 AM): what position did you play!?

SCOTT B (12:10:21 AM): Technically? Center, DE, CB, and WR. I lived overseas during middle school, never learned how to play the game well, so I was a bit confused about where I fit in. I should have been playing RB and S. But hockey was always my first love.

CHRIS P (12:10:31 AM): niiice

CHRIS P (12:10:52 AM): where overseas?

SCOTT B (12:11:47 AM): Israel. My dad was raised there and wanted us to get a chance to live there too. He was 30 years Middle East Intelligence with the Air Force. Now he teaches Arabic and ME Studies. He's an absolute rock star.

CHRIS P (12:12:06 AM): good heavens that's incredible!

CHRIS P (12:12:17 AM): wow that really is the definition of Rock Star

CHRIS P (12:12:26 AM): WOW that's sick!

SCOTT B (12:12:53 AM): Fairly atypical, I'll admit. He's never taught a class that wasn't over full. He tells stories all day and then gets to a certain point and says, "... well, I can't tell you any more, it's classified."

CHRIS P (12:12:54 AM): hey, i gotta semi wrap it up here in a sec, but we can continue this week!?

SCOTT B (12:14:06 AM): Let's absolutely continue this week.

CHRIS P (12:14:38 AM): great speaking with you!

SCOTT B (12:14:48 AM): We'll talk tomorrow! Have a good night.

CHRIS P (12:14:52 AM): you as well.

CHRIS P (12:14:56 AM): night boss

CHRIS P (12:15:00 AM): thanks again

SCOTT B (12:15:04 AM): My pleasure.

Interview With Shaun Groves - Part 2

Here's part two of the conversation between me, Scott Baker, and Shaun Groves. Read part one here. Shaun will be in Waco at the Hippodrome theatre downtown on April 24th at 7PM. Tickets are $10. Call 254.752.7745 for more info. He'll also be in Baylor University's chapel service at 10AM that same day and he might be in a religion or music class that day as well. Spread the word.

Once again...(Official disclaimer: This interview is conducted on a very personal level, and as such reflects the personalities of the two people involved. The content reflects the content intended for the show. The interview does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Waco Hippodrome.)


And now... INTERVIEW!

SHAUN G [9:35:45 AM]: Good morning. I'm early this time. Just dropped my kids off at their preschool classes here at church, wandered down to my "office" (a table in the lobby) and hopped on the free wireless. - Hey, btw, I have a thing at 10:30 I need to be at. So ask simple questions that don't set me up to rant or ramble. Small sentences. Small sentences. I can do this.

SCOTT B [9:37:37 AM]: Got it. We'll keep the level 6th grade in TX. Hang on a sec...

SHAUN G [9:39:01 AM]: Are you copying and pasting questions or making this up as you go along...copying and pasting aren't you? You're one of those bizarro creative types who's also organized aren't you? You people frighten me.

SCOTT B [9:39:45 AM]: Sorry about that. One puppy got out. Didn't go anywhere, just got out. They have the aggregate IQ of a house plant.

SCOTT B [9:39:59 AM]: And I don't know what you're talking about...

SCOTT B [9:42:41 AM]: Okay, so, we left off with you nice and ticked. Yet you hinted at a realization that these feelings were misplaced, and God obviously did something to work a change. Since we're all pretty in tune with the anger side, why not just say what was it that was finally able to reach you? What changed to bring you around from anger and dissappointment?

SHAUN G [9:46:01 AM]: I'm not sure I'm completely "around" yet. Honestly, I go through phases where the imperfection of other Christians/churches upsets me to an unhealthy degree. But what began to turn me around back in college and what turns me around today is the same thing: a mirror. I'm not trying to be cute here. The only way I can describe it is that something always happens to wake me up to my own shortcomings and to how I can be part of the solution. Then I inevitably spend less time and brain space being part of the critical choir and more time being constructive...

SCOTT B [9:47:13 AM]: Did you notice a Pied Piper effect? When you got your eyes on what you were supposed to be doing, did others come along?

SCOTT B [9:47:27 AM]: Does that matter?

SHAUN G [9:48:53 AM]: We found other people to involve in our work at the MCH. We hooked up with non-college students in the community who helped out tremendouosly. I started giving more of my time, off the clock, to fill in some holes as well. And suddenly I was too busy to be angry and I guess that satisfaction level showed somehow so when I left for Nashville almost two years later there were interested friends who took over my work there. Who knows? Maybe there are still Baylor students working there who were friends of those friends' friends...

SHAUN G [9:49:13 AM]: Does it matter?

SCOTT B [9:50:08 AM]: I mean, does it matter if anyone follows or joins in? Or is doing what you are called to sufficient?

SHAUN G [9:51:50 AM]: It matters to me that I don't turn people away from service or from anything else noble with my bad attitude. That matters. I'm not sure a good attitude on my part can really ATTRACT busy college students to a childrens' home. All I can do to attract folks to service is remind them that they were made for it. I think something inside many of us then wonders if that's true, and some of us check it out and discover it us. We are made to know God and then make God known - partly by loving people in tangible ways. Does that answer the question?

SCOTT B [9:55:39 AM]: Absolutely. Now this moves towards a question I've wanted to ask. I think we both agree that God clearly wants us to minister to and serve others. This is not a 'works vs. grace' discussion, (though I'd love to have it some time), it is simply to say that when we are called by God to identify with him, we can't be content to let suffering, injustice, oppression, and the like go on around us without taking part to change it. What do you think?

SHAUN G [10:00:13 AM]: Let me zoom in on one word you just used: content. I've been teaching on and singing about the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) for the last...geez, almost two years I guess. I don't know. I have no concept of time. But a long time. And I've done that because learning about these eight blessings turned my own lightbulb on - I realized that the Christianity I grew up on only took me to blessing number three: surrender (meekness). I realized I was a sinner (poor in spirit) and I didn't gloss over that or medicate it away. I realized it was a grievous thing to be busted inside (those who mourn). And so I walked down an aisle, filled out a 3X5 card and "surrendered" my life to Jesus right? (Meekness)...

SCOTT B [10:01:09 AM]: Trucks and hell. Got it.

SHAUN G [10:04:39 AM]: But if the beatitudes are a broad stroke picture of the Christian life, the essentials, and I think they are, there are FIVE MORE to ponder and somehow apply. After surrender (meekness) we "hunger and thirst for righteousness."(beatitude 4) Ezekiel said God gives us a new heart that is actually moved towards obedience: right living and right thinking. And so the kicker is that a Christian now has a craving that only right living and thinking can satisfy. If she goes back to a consumption driven lifestyle, a romance driven lifestyle or an anything else driven lifestyle she'll be discontent. She'll feel like something's missing even though she knows she's "surrendered" her life to Jesus. Faith without works is dead - and it feels that way too. I've never been more miserable than I was between high school and the Childrens' Home - I had no idea what I was missing. I had no idea how to take away the dry mouth in my soul. Man, that sounds cheesy.

SHAUN G [10:04:46 AM]: Do you get what I'm saying though?

SHAUN G [10:06:04 AM]: I think mercy showing (beatitude 5), meeting the needs of people, is an essential part of what right living looks like - righteousness.

SCOTT B [10:08:15 AM]: Believe me, I absolutely follow you. I was just having a conversation with a friend last night in which we were discussing how God takes you just as you are, but thank God (uhhh...literally), he doesn't leave you that way. But this change process requires us to be introspective and look in our own mirrors. This is a surprisingly difficult task for a generation raised with Oprah and TLC supposedly helping us examine our lives to be better people.

SCOTT B [10:08:41 AM]: We have a few ‘interesting’ things here in Waco that take up an inordinate amount of our time. (I’m not equating any of these things, just saying they all may take up more time than they should.) Things such as Sing, Cotton Palace Pageant, Baylor football (kidding), Greek life, etc. How do we enact the kind of introspection needed to shift our focus more outward?

SHAUN G [10:13:29 AM]: Becoming attached to, serving in and being served by, learning from and teaching into that community called Church. That's part of it I think. Then there's the mirror, not of my own intellect but of God's: scripture. James, isn't it James?, wrote that if we're wise we'll look into the mirror and then not forget what we saw there but instead go off and do something about it. We become active responsive learners. That's another part of it. These aren't new fancy four step plans. I'm no genius with a new way to mobilize millions, including myself, to live like we believe this Jesus guy was really who He said He was. The answers I have aren't sexy. They are ancient and simple yet difficult to apply, costly to apply, and unsettlingly mysterious. I'm not sure I can pop the hood on Church or scripture and show you exactly how they work. I can guess. But really all I know is they work for me, in me.

SCOTT B [10:15:39 AM]: Ah, but don't the four-step logical answers always feel the driest and least effective?

SHAUN G [10:20:19 AM]: Not always. For years they felt comforting. And, honestly, they contain truth often times. The error, I think, isn't in the formation of steps and plans but limiting the possibilities and power of our middle eastern God to the container of our Western made consructs. I can use the steps and plans to great effectiveness but God may choose to renovate and affect me in broader mysterious never imagined unexplainable ways too. The way to a good marriage, for example, probably isn't completely contained in four steps beginning with "P" but those four steps may be PART of the more ambiguous and harder to define "way".

SHAUN G [10:21:50 AM]: In that sense those steps are part of the over all "effectiveness" of God.

SCOTT B [10:21:20 AM]: Great stuff. You're coming back to Waco next week. What do you want to tell Baylor?

SHAUN G [10:24:30 AM]: I'm coming. That's really all at this point. I'm coming to make music for you and hang with you afterwards. I'm coming to listen if you need me to and talk if you want me to. I'm coming to be with you for a few hours and hopefully we'll both walk away from my visit somehow different. I've been where you are to some degree so I'm looking forward to going back there and being able to speak and sing for people I already feel like I understand somewhat. There's no new culture to learn. I'm coming home.

SCOTT B [10:25:56 AM]: Awesome. Let's wrap here for now. When we come back to this conversation later in the week, let's talk about some of the specific organizations and people who have made a difference to you. Things like the MCH, Compassion, ONE, etc. Sound good?

SHAUN G [10:26:36 AM]: Alrighty then. Sounds good.

Iandoli's Addition

Stephen Iandoli, whose one-man show, "Jesus Joyce, That Was My First Choice," will be playing at the Hippodrome this Saturday, April 22nd, has added a personal touch to our posting about the show. Here are his words:

"This is not a concert. It's not a play. And it's not a stand-up comedy act. This is a story about several stories I think you'll find entertaining. There are no degress of uniqueness. But, if there were, my dad would be the most unique person I know. Refreshing to some...the truth you don't want to hear to others. These are his stories. I truly hope you come and listen."

--Stephen Iandoli

We're plenty excited here at the Hippo! See you at the show.

Interview With Shaun Groves

Shaun Groves, Christian music's second hariest rebel, will be coming to Waco on April 24th for a concert at the Hippodrome. Until that time, he and I, (Scott Baker, Executive Director), shall be corresponding "interview style" about Waco, CCM, ministry, his time as a Baylor student, Hootie and the Blowfish, and anything else that strkies my fancy. (And what a fancy fancy it is!)

(Official disclaimer: This interview is conducted on a very personal level, and as such reflects the personalities of the two people involved. The interview does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Waco Hippodrome.)

For those of you less familiar with Shaun and his music, I offer a brief bit of history, (in his words):

"I studied music composition/theory and minored in religion - though, to be honest, I was one class short of finishing that minor. I had to choose between getting married and another semester of school just to get that one class in. No contest. I worked at Sam's Wholesale handing out food samples. 'Like to try a crab cake?' And eventually moved up to hotdog concessions. 'Would you like to try a chili dog?' It was a lateral career move. And I volunteered as a sound guy for Louie Giglio who at the time, before the Passion craze, was teaching a weekly bible study in the Hippodrome called Choice. And, speaking of Passion and Louie and all that, I was part of UBC early on. I played a lot in the UBC band - percussion, keys, sax, whatever. Back then Crowder hated Christian music. Now he IS Christian music. We played Hootie and the Blowfish and the Friends theme song. Really embarrassing stuff now that I'm thinking back on it all. I left UBC and the hotdog stand to work for the Methodist Childrens Home on Herring in Waco. 250 kids ages five to eighteen needed a worship leader. So I went and played and sang for them - scared to death honestly. Little did I know the chaplain would soon decide he was agnostic and I and another guy would end up sharing his speaking duties. I was 21 I think, teaching a room full of kids every Wednesday night and Sunday morning."

And now... I present... The interview:

SCOTT B [offline 9:36:56 AM]: Good morning, Shaun!

SHAUN G [9:57:25 AM]: Sorry I'm late.

SCOTT B [9:58:11 AM]: Don't worry about it! I imagine my mornings are a bit easier to predict than yours. I only have puppies to worry about.

SHAUN G [9:58:12 AM]: I was mowing the yard and caught up in the existential pleasure that can be...yea right

SHAUN G [9:58:33 AM]: Puppies are just kids with fur...and worse smelling poop

SHAUN G [9:58:41 AM]: Fire away

SCOTT B [9:59:54 AM]: Yessssss.... well, I have a lot of the background information covered, so let's jut gloss over a bit of it before digging in, shall we?

SHAUN G [10:00:17 AM]: Alrighty then

SCOTT B [10:02:39 AM]: Now, this may sound like a strange statement, but your roots in Waco may be the kind of thing that people look back to as the start of something much bigger than it seems. Giglio, Crowder, UBC, Hootie..., well maybe not that last one..., I mean, each individual thing has grown beyond its roots into a different and viable ministry of its own rights. Am I off?

SHAUN G [10:10:24 AM]: No, you're not off at all. Giglio taught me what "worship" was - a response to God and not only a song. I've built on that and tried to weave my growing understanding of this in-fashion word "worship" into my music and teaching at ikon. Crowder's music early on (and today to a lesser degree) was unlike any other congregational music out there - that I'd heard anyway. Now Christian music is bit more progressive. When I was in school Crowder was the most progressive church music I’d ever heard. And this inspired me, along with early Jars of Clay stuff, to write well with less regard for making music like everyone is making. He's an excellent musician that Crowder, who I'm sure has inspired lots of other people in the same way. I hope I've followed through with making music that leans away from the crowd fearlessly at times. UBC taught me that passion is not enough - we need multiple generations working together. No one model has all the answers. We need the entire Church, all generations, to inform what we do and how we see and communicate God. We learned that the hard way together and I'd like to think I've carried this awareness that we need each other into what I do today. Hootie? Well, playing Hootie songs definitely taught me that fame is fleeting - it's a vapor - and cool is a meaningless shape-shifting word that isn't worth chasing. What one generation of college students calls cool and makes famous will be called crap and made fun of by the next....

SHAUN G [10:12:42 AM]: But the Childrens Home changed me most. And I still take those kids' faces with me on stage every night. The hope is that somehow someone in the crowd every night will be dragged kicking and screaming past religion and into a life of mercy showing. And the hope is...

SHAUN G [10:15:22 AM]: that they'll like it there, want to stay, want to bring others with them, and that the kicking and screaming will turn into the kind of satisfaction I've expereinced there. I don't have selfless living down yet - probably never will - but what I've tasted of it, starting back at the Childrens Home in Waco, I'd really like to bring with me wherever I sing or teach.

SHAUN G [10:15:34 AM]: I'm done rambling now

SCOTT B [10:18:49 AM]: Yes, the Children's Home. This is an interesting highlight for you to mention. Not because it seems unlike you or anything, but simply because as a professional musician, one might expect that Giglio, Crowder, or heck, even Hootie, might have had a stronger influence on you. And yet, what you seem to be saying is that at its heart, "Christian" music needs to come from a deeper place than the right chords and the right beats. What I mean is that to be the kind of spiritual and worshipful leader that you need to be to fight through 'real' ministry, you have to be connected to something so beyond yourself that you can truly be the conduit through which God works. These are the kinds of things I hear when I hear you talk about the Methodist Children's Home.

SCOTT B [10:20:59 AM]: Am I putting words in your mouth? Or is it accurate to say that the kind of change that you experienced while serving those who could never offer anything in return, who aren't likely album-buyers, and who desperately, desperately need your offering and your presence more than anything else in the world is the kind of experience that leaves you with few other options than a life that is never again content to skim the surface?

SHAUN G [10:21:21 AM]: I wouldn't be able to put it so poetically - "conduit" and all - but, yes, I guess that's what I'm realizing the older I get, the more ground covered. I can look back now on my life and see that so much of what has left me better than I was came from unlikely places...

SHAUN G [10:21:33 AM]: The Childrens Home is a great example of that...

SHAUN G [10:24:38 AM]: I went there because I saw a flyer in the Baptist Student Center at Baylor saying they needed a worship leader - a music guy. I thought it paid so I applied, eager to escape hotdog hell at Sam's Wholesale. It didn't pay but I was too spineless to quit. So I stayed. And I went from being a keyboard player supporting the music director to being the music director and finally to teaching. By then I was getting paid but I was staying for entirely different reasons. Finding those kids was very much like finding my wife - they made me better. I liked who i was and what God did through me when I was with them.

SCOTT B [10:25:45 AM]: So the MCH was overrun with volunteers from Baylor right? All eager to be serve and be forever changed by living out the Gospel?

SHAUN G [10:30:49 AM]: Well, that's where cynicism blind sided me. I spent a good part of middle school and high school angry at God and God's people for not taking care of me and my family when we wondered how we were going to eat and keep the lights on. I just got over all that and "grew up" enough to believe God and trust church folks and - BAM!! - the Childrens Home came into my life. Two things hit me suddenly: In all my years griping about not being helped by God or God's people I had done NOTHING myself for people who needed my help - and the Childrens home was the first time I had personally invested hours and talent in someone who could give me nothing in return. Secondly, I realized that Baylor - at the time - was as apathetic and self-centered as I had previously been. but instead of cutting fellow students some slack and saying to myself, "Hey, you were that way once and hey, buddy, you're still not through growing up yourself, you know" -

SHAUN G [10:31:17 AM]: well, instead of being understanding and merciful and seeing myself in their apathy I got ticked...really , really ticked...

SHAUN G [10:33:28 AM]: See, I was starting a non-Greek Sing thing - sort of like the Sing Alliance a guy started a few years after me. I want students who were talented but not rich enough to be Greeks to come together and put on a killer sing act. So I had flyers all over campus asking people to join me in a Sing act AND, at the same time, I had flyers up asking people to read to kids at the MCH, play ball with them, sit in a pew by them at our services, volunteer just a few hours every week...

SHAUN G [10:34:46 AM]: I got ZERO calls about helping at the MCH and almost a hundred about Sing. I didn't know how to handle that so I got angry. I didn't do a Sing act and I stopped asking Baylor students for help at the MCH. That's one of my biggest regrets in life. I gave up on them when God didn't give up on me - when I was apathetic.

SHAUN G [10:36:00 AM]: In a way, coming back to Baylor soon is a second chance for me. It's another flyer for another generation.

SCOTT B [10:39:05 AM]: Well this seems like a great place to wrap the first part of this interview. I dare say that you won't be alone among Baylor grads and students who have experienced similar frustration. But what should our response be? While our responses may be far less than perfect, it doesn't diminish a real and honest problem. So how do we react? And what are the biggest challenges facing Baylor and young Christians there today? Let's talk about these things in a few days!

SHAUN G [10:39:47 AM]: See you then.

So there's part one of our conversation. More to come. Shaun will be in Waco, Texas on April 24th. He'll be in Baylor University's chapel service at 10AM and at the Hippdrome Theatre downtown at 7PM. He may hit some music or religion classes during the day too. Tickets to the Hippodrome Show are $10. Call 254.752.7745 for more info.

You may also view this interview and its comments and responses at: http://www.readshlog.blogspot.com or http://www.thecachinnator.blogspot.com. Feel free to leave any comments or questions about the interview. Have a question you'd like me to ask? Ask it!

Jesus Joyce, That Was My First Choice!

Stephen Iandoli, the KCEN Sports Director, will be performing his one-man show, "Jesus Joyce, That Was My First Choice," on Saturday April 22, at 7:30pm here at the Hippodrome. The show follows his father and some of the characters with whom he grew up while a boy in Massachusettes. As it turns out, Stephen was raised at the races! (Horse races, that is.) "Jesus Joyce" is part Everybody Loves Raymond, part Mitch Albom, and part the zany nuts that helped shape Stephen's life. This original show is sponsored by HEB. Tickets are at the Box Office at 254-752-7745. Come out and support our favorite Sports Guy!

New Season!

Thoroughly Modern Millie was great! At the show that night we announced our next season! Here it is without further ado:

Camelot - October 24th, 2006
Little Shop of Horrors - January TBA, 2007
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - February 3, 2007
Urban Cowboy - March 1, 2007
Spirit of the Dance on Broadway - April 19th, 2007


We will also have some wonderful Special Events:

Rent - October 5th, 2006
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - November TBA, 2006
TBA Christmas Show - Dec TBA, 2006
Maria del Rey - May 2, 2007
Master Class - May 5, 2007


And of course, we will have a full season of educational theatre, concerts, and other events that will come along all season long. Season tickets will be for the five Broadway shows. Season ticket holders will receive a discount to all Special Events. Single tickets will go on sale August 1st, 2006. Season tickets are on sale now! Call the Box Office at 254-752-9797. We look forward to seeing you at the shows!