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National Anthem at the Astro's game

Here's a video of our combined choirs singing the National Anthem at a recent Astro's game. We had a great time!

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Go 'Stros

Our Celebration Choir and Orchestra was recently invited to sing the National Anthem at the Astro's game. July 25th, 2006 the Astro's would take on the Cincinnati Reds (and let them go). We combined three of our choirs and had over 225 people on the field to sing.

We turned the opportunity into an all-church fellowship. Because were such a large group we were able to get discount tickets. In addition to selling tickets to the choir we made tickets available to our entire congregation and before we knew it we had sold over 1,100 and nearly took over the entire north mezzanine section of Minute Maid park. It was so much fun. The actual singing only lasted about a minute and a half but the preparation and excitement made it so worth it. The entire night was lots of fun. Once we were finished singing we went back to our seats to join everyone else and were all greeted with cheers and applause. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and we were able to plant many seeds of hope in the lives of the people that we encountered that night. Below are some pics from the game.

Until then,
Buck

Christmas is coming!!

I know it's hard to think about celebrating Christmas when it's still sweltering outside and the coldest thing we've experienced all summer is the "Arctic Edge". However, it takes a great deal of time and effort to produce a Christmas Pageant and we can never start too early.

I have chosen "Journey to the Manger" by David T Clydesdale and Kim Beyer- Johnson for the pageant portion of the program. Then I've chosen several pieces from Phil Barfoot and Lari Goss's newest Christmas collection entitled "The Glory of Christmas". I have seen and done a lot of their work and this is without a doubt some of the best. I've also chosen several other pieces to complete the concert portion.

My goal in Pageant is always the same. To take water to the desert, not to the ocean. Jesus came to heal the sick, not the well. I pray that the Lord would compel us to invite lost people to the presentations, and to invite people in need of hope. My desire is for the Pageant to minister not to entertain.

Pageant dates are December 1, 2 & 3 at 7:00 P.M. nightly. Feliz Navidad!
Buck <><

Galveston

Fun From Washington

This video shows some of the stuff we did for fun while we were in Washington.

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Lifesong

Here's another video showing some more scenes of Washington.

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Memories of Washington

This picture montage is a collective effort from many photographers we had on the trip. You can see each person's personality shine through the pictures that they took.

The montage give greater insight to the type things we did and saw.
Until then,
Buck <><

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Diet Coke & Mentos

I saw this video on the web this morning at thought it was hilarious. I love the creative spirit of these guys, but also think they have way too much time on their hands!

Hear Us From Heaven

This is a video montage of our Mission/Tour to Washington. This video reminds me of God's great grace and favor. He truly blessed our lives by allowing us to minister and befriend some really great people.

He has also blessed my life personally by allowing me to have some really incredible friends who share the same passion for music & ministry that I do. The adults that hold leadership positions in our student choir are without a doubt the best. They give of themselves whole-heartedly and unselfishly and I am blessed to count them as my friends.

Soli deo gloria

(To Him Alone Be The Glory)

Until then,

Buck <><

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Monday, June 19, 2006

We woke to another beautiful day. After a breakfast of eggs, bacon & hashbrowns we were on our way to the Salvation Army by 8:00 A.M.

Living in Houston, traffic is a way of life. Distances are not measured by miles, but minutes. I never thought I'd see the day that I longed for Houston traffic. Traffic in Washington DC makes Houston look like "Ned in the first reader". Gridlock can bring things to a grinding halt for extensive periods of time. We had allowed 1 hour for a 15 mile commute and we needed every minute of it.

By this time pastor Mark had arrived and we arranged for him to fall in behind us at a designated place. He readily admits that he is "directionally challenged" so this made it a bit easier for him. Upon our arrival the children were already waiting at the door for us. They were very eager to see us and begin the days activities.

Ms. Michelia and Ms. Robin along with Pastor Mark went to the Laundromat to wash our red shirts while the rest of the group began to set up for VBS.

Upon completion of VBS we had planned to tour one of the Smithsonian Museums. I had asked the students to vote between the Air and Space Museum or the Museum of American History. American History won out. We saw a wonderful exhibit on America's fight for freedom. World War II, Vietnam and Iraq were all documented and displayed for a greater understanding of America's freedom and the quest to maintain it. We also saw Julia Child's kitchen. It was disassembled from her home and re-assembled in the Smithsonian. We saw a great exhibit about the history of country music. And yes, my girlfriend, Dolly Parton, was part of the exhibit. But the most fascinating exhibit I saw was the preservation lab for the original Star Spangled Banner. The flag Francis Scott Key saw flying over Ft. McHenry that inspired him to pen the words the our National Anthem. You can see more for yourselves here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/

When it was time to leave the heavens opened and it poured for about 20 minutes. There was finally a break in the rain and we made a run for it. We stopped for dinner and then went back to camp for some basketball & volleyball. Here are some pics from the Smithsonian.

Be Ye Doer Tour!

On Friday, June 16, 45 students, 15 adults and 4 children departed Spring, TX for Washington DC where we would spend a week doing mission work in and around the city. The Lord blessed our trip and we were able to plant many seeds of ministry.

We arrived at the church at 4:00 A.M. If you know me at all you know that I don't do mornings very well, but we had to get an early start due to the significant distance we had to travel. We traveled hard for 2 full days and arrived in Baltimore around 7:30 P.M. Eastern Time.

Sunday, June 18 - Father's Day
We awoke to a beautiful morning and left camp at 8:00 A.M. for the Salvation Army where we would spent the biggest part of the day. We were greeted with open arms, literally, by Captains Evelyn and Cedric Middleton. We quickly began to set up our equipment, then helped teach Sunday School for all ages. We then attended worship where we presented a mini-concert.

We were all drawn to a lady that was dressed to the nines and had the outward signs of Parkinson's disease. She was exuberant in her worship and reminded me a lot of my aunt Loveda. Her name was Bernice and she worshipped with her entire being. She quickly became very special to all of us and our hearts we immediately bound together.

After lunch we changed clothes and began setting up for a block party sponsored by the Salvation Army for the entire neighborhood. There were hamburgers & hotdogs, popcorn & cotton candy, games and live music. We sang several selections throughout the afternoon and everyone enjoyed the festive atmosphere. Another group was also there and sang as part of the block party. It was a men's gospel trio and they were fabulous. The kids really enjoyed them. Captain Evelyn got all the kids up and taught them a line dance. Yes, we danced at church! It was great fun.

That evening we had a talent show at camp. First Baptist Church Opelika, Alabama was also staying at the camp and we enjoyed getting to know them.

Here are some pictures from the week. I'll post more later.

Until then,
Buck <><

A Day To Remember

This Monday we will take a day off from work in order to remember and reflect upon those who have given their lives in order that we as Americans can live in a country of freedom.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May, passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Michelia & I recently had the opportunity to visit Washington DC in preparation for our trip this summer. As we visited Arlington National cemetery we were reminded of the great number of people who have died in battle while preserving America's freedom.


We also visited the Vietnam Memorial where we saw names by the ten of thousands. Names of those lost in a single war. I took a picture of my cousin Larry Riley's name on the wall. The wall is a stark reminder of just how far men will go to serve their country and fight for freedom. I hope you'll take moment this weekend and remember those who have served in the armed services and paid the ultimate price for freedom, as well as those men and women who are currently serving in the armed forces.

A sweet lady in my Senior Adult choir gave me a rose bush last year for my birthday. It was one of the first to bloom this season. It is coincidently named "Peace".

Until then,
Buck <><

We all passed

This past week we got our TAKS results and everyone passed! Whew. We were sweatin' it there for a while. Math was a bit of a challenge, but we were able to overcome. So now we can have our summer free from the worries of summer school. Last year we had to change our plans in order to accommodate it. In the end it all work out great but it can cause an undue amount of stress, when it's supposed to be stress free.

My little sister also got word that she passed her teachers entrance exam. She is looking to change directions in her counseling career and the first step is doing that is to pass this exam. There are some other steps necessary to making the change complete and those will come with time and a little $$$. I'm sure she'll excel at all of those as well.

It's been a good week for knowledge at the Moore house.

Until then,
Buck <><

Libb-eracheh!

I never thought I'd be a person that ever put pictures of their dog on a website. But look at me! Libby has a friend named Elvis that is a dachshund and he has his own blogsite! I'll never tell her that. She has really grown. She loves to play ball and will chase it as many times as I will throw it. She gets so excited that sometimes she bites me instead of the ball. The girls get overwhelmed when she starts jumping on them. They are screaming at her and me all at the same time. It can be pretty funny. I'm sure that it's funniest to Libby!

We got our TAKS results today and everyone passed! We were holding our breath with one of the math tests, but the Lord was gracious and everyone passed. Now we can go on Mission/Tour and vacation without the worry of summer school. Shel will have to take some dance at some point to get enough summer hours of training prior to Starlettes camp but we can work around that. The school is very strict on summer school policies and pre-arranged trips and vacations have no bearing on when students are required to attend. I'm sure they've heard every excuse in the proverbial book. I'm glad that they will all have a complete break from school during the summer. It will be a well deserved summer vacation for all of us!

The Senior Adult choir went to The Forum, a senior adult living center, to present their musical "Homeward Bound" this morning. We had a great time. They really enjoy singing and being together. This musical has given them reason to have fun and really enjoy singing for the Lord. It's about a church that goes to the ball game together and one of the men gets saved. It was supposed to be about a fictitious team but naturally we changed it up so we could root for the 'Stros. The residents had a lot of fun too. I really enjoy "my" senior adults!

Until then,
Buck <><

Spring Musical

This past Sunday our Children & Preschool choir's presented their spring musical. The Children's Choir went back and did their favorites from past musicals and Vacation Bible School musicals. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time singing their favorites. Bailey is not one to be in the spotlight so she's content to be a great choir member. Riley on the other hand has higher aspirations in the music world and loves being in the spotlight. I remember when we were at Durant during a Christmas pageant one of our friends little boy shouted "hey, put some more light on me!" That's what I imagine hearing from her one day.

In the midst of all that goes in our lives, Shelby auditioned and was accepted to be a Starlette next year. Starlette's are Spring High School's drill team. They dance/perform at football & basketball games and go to competitions. In the past they have won several awards and are an accomplished organization of mature young ladies. Their coach runs a tight ship and has very high expectations for her team. Shel' is very existed about being on the team and looking forward to high school even more. My baby is growing up right before my eyes. Enjoy the pics, I have some new ones of Libby to post soon.

Until then,

Buck <><

Retreat Center

The Tabernacle

The Dining Hall

Guys Dorm

Ladies Common Room

Ladies Dorm

Playground

The new Moore girl

We want welcome "Libby" or "Victoria" to the Moore family. We seem to be divided on which name best fits our new Labrador puppy. She is a feisty addition to the family. On Saturday I was on my way to some friends and passed a truck with a sign that said "free puppies". I told myself that on my way back if they were still there I would stop and inquire. Sure enough they were still there. As soon as I slowed down and the girls saw the sign, they went nuts. They only had two left, both females, so since we had already talked about getting a dog, the free part just pushed me over the edge. She is a sweet puppy and the girls love having her. Give us your thoughts, does she look like a "Libby" or a "Victoria".
<><

Be Ye Doer Tour

Michelia and I are in the Baltimore, MD-Washington, DC area on a pre-project visit for this summer's Youth Choir Mission Tour. Today we met with Captains' Evelyn & Cedric Middleton of the Salvation Army. We will be partnering with them this summer to offer a Daycamp to the housing projects that surround their facility. Above is a picture of Michelia and Evelyn in the lunch room. Evelyn is a delightful person with a wonderful spirit and vigor. We enjoyed visiting with she and her husband. We also met the cook Ahmed. Ahmed is a native of India and made his way to America following the Tsunami that took the lives of 20 of his family members.



This is the worship area where they hold a variety of services for the community.



The main entrance to the Salvation Army.



This is a shot from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The group in black down by the reflecting pool is preparing to do a concert. We are hoping to do a concert in the same location this summer.



A picture from the concert site looking toward the Lincoln Memorial.



This is the Upper Senate Park. The Senate wing of the Capitol can be seen in the background. We have already been granted permission to do a concert at this site.



A shot of the Capitol.



"Row houses" are very common here. These particular houses are in East Baltimore, across the street from the church where we'll be doing a block party one night.




This is the East Baltimore Church of God in Baltimore, MD. We will be doing a concert here on Wednesday night as part of a block party to reach out to the surrounding community. Which by the way is heavily populated by Greeks.

More pics to come tomorrow. <><