Saturday Report

Feeling like forever since I've blogged, so I really just want to give a little update. We're leading worship at Harpeth Springs Community Church tomorrow morning, and I still have lots to do tonight, so I'm going to do this in bullet points:

- The hymns CD is coming along nicely! I've axed "This is my Father's World" - love it, but it really doesn't fit my theme of 'intimate' hymns. Instead, I'm going to do "Just a Closer Walk with Thee." Gerald and I figured out a cool arrangement when we were in Alabama, so we're doing to do that instead. I start rehearsing with Teri this week. So excited!!!

- I recently interviewed four of Stamps-Baxter's international students for my SGM Radio article. I'll post a link when it's up. One of the girls found out about the school through the Canadian Homecoming DVD, and I was at that taping! God is so in the details!

- I decided to take on a Song U "Challenge" this quarter and do a "blind date" cowrite. Basically, they match you up with another writer, generally in another part of the country, and you write a song together via phone, the internet, etc. My partner just sent me some lyrics, and one of them screamed Southern Gospel, so I'm going to write a melody this week. Very excited by the challenge!

- I booked 5 gigs in the past 10 days. Whoo-hoo!

- So the big thing is this: It's Visa Decision Time. Basically, our work visa expires in January 2010. If we're going to renew, it should be in August, which means we'll need to start assembling the package next month, which means ... it's time to decide if we're going to renew the visa, or go home to Canada. Needless to say, this is huge. It's all I think about, and Gerald and I are actively discussing it every day. In short, there are great reasons on both sides of the argument. Creatively, Nashville is perfect for us, but practically speaking, Toronto is much better. There are people in Nashville who want us to stay here, and people in Toronto who want us to come home, and we love that people want us on both sides of the border, but ultimately, we need to decide what's best for us as a family.

Really, it's all I think about these days. Any other thoughts are simply distractions. Please pray for us as we truly try to seek and follow God's will for our lives.