GLENN'S PODCASTS!

What Draws Us to a Christian Leader? What Should?

So... what draws us and what -should- draw us to listen to and
respond to a Christ-follower who writes, speaks or sings? What
about the connection when considering how to "do" church? Who
gets the "right" to lead us, to influence us?

The DEAL on this is: what the Word itself says about the Holy
Spirit's fruit, gifts and callings in her/his life. With due respect
(and I mean respect, truly) we can either walk on solid ground of
scripture or do something else and something less by focusing on
all the other matters. That's "the paint job vs. the engine" sort of
thing, in my view.

You or I may be more "comfortable" with this or that form/lack of form
or way of doing a gathering. Or "way" of speaking. So what?! I'm not
discounting that entirely, I'm just saying that when we lay aside the
-whole- counsel of God's Word and focus only on a verse or so that
proof-text's our personal comfort plan that we're moving away from
what God thinks and clearly says about it- doing church, doing
leadership (in any context) and etc.. When the Word is truly silent,
great, have fun. When it clearly speaks, fun or not, we gotta wrestle
with it and apply it.

Some of the best healing I ever got came with the worst-tasting
medicine you could imagine! Continuing in sickness ain't a
prescription I'm going to write anyone.

I just preached on the following text (will probably put it online as
a 2-part podcast eventually) and it says exactly what I think is core
to the discussion:

John 8 (ESV)
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide
in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free."

Freedom, in context here, is a progressive thing... with specific and
very clear foundations for attaining it.

Note:

who had believed in Him

If

abide

my word

truly

disciples

you -will- know

truth

truth -will-

set you -free-


-Glenn

REGARDING THE SONG "MOST OF ALL"

I neither have time nor inclination to do a write-up on every song I"ve done (I've recorded a LOT... over the years) but here is (was) my reply to and email from someone who was touched by Most of All (from All My Days, Grrr Records) and who asked about the background of the tune:

You are so kind! And God is SO Good!!

The history of Most of All is that the song is a much-abbreviated lyric of part of my own personal testimony. I am a musician who played a lot all over Wisconsin in blues and rock bands in my younger days, and the song is about sort of a time of "funneling" in my life, all things led to a night that was one of three or four times God so loudly knocked on my door that I had to pay attention and respond to Him.

I was not a follower of Jesus at the time.

I was in LaCrosse, WI playing in my cousin's band at a "dive" (trashy, low-class) bar. We had drunk and done dope all night in this lousy club, playing our own songs while drunks and stoners called for songs we neither liked nor knew how to play. About 3 a.m. while playing cards in a hippie flop-house where we were staying, I began feeling really miserable. I just got up and went out the door, walking the streets on the edge of town- this was in like, January or something- stoned to the point I could no longer get high... long story but it's a medical fact after smoking so much grass that this sometimes happens- and there had been a blizzard the day before. So I was walking the street in a T shirt, ice on the trees and felt as cold and dead as that dark night. Depressed. Without God and without hope in the world, just like the Word says...

I may have prayed something but I don't recall for certain. I just know it was one of the more important nights for me, realizing how utterly lost and empty my life was- all due to my own choices and lack of purpose or deeper relationships.

Not long after that, I repented and gave my life to Jesus. What a difference! And yes, the sun and Son "had been shining all along"!

See, I sing about autumn leaves in Most of All, but they give way to thick snow and ice... I really thought I'd die very young... so much dope and booze, so many situations where I should've or could have died in car wrecks, dope deals, overdoses and a suicide attempt. Depression was setting in by that point in my life.

But God called out to me though all the haze and mess... and I- by His grace- was able to respond and trust Jesus for forgiveness and freedom from addiction. A lot of very cool Jesus People (whom I live and serve with to this day) helped in a HUGE way!

Of course one major reason the Spirit uses any of us is when we have the love/courage/sense to write & sing from the heart, the Truth about our own lack and simply relate to the lostness of those still without Christ. They hear the heart, the Holy Spirit has a way of connecting because when I sing in utter honesty about my own emptiness/lostness- which I no longer feel but have never forgotten- that often connects as you said it seems to for you. A lot of people finally make that connection when we're (Christians who sing from the heart and with transparency, intimacy, personal experience and conviction... and I AM convicted of The Truth!!) then, Praise God, people begin to hear God's Own voice in their own hearts.

So, that's the story and reason behind Most of All :)

Thank you for writing and your very kind words here!

God's Grace to you! In Jesus, For Jesus, -Glenn

"BOUND FOR GLORY" RELEASED
-And many other bits of Update info. within-

Hello from sunny Orlando! GKB will play Cstone FL tomorrow night at nine, then on to St. Pete for a couple church services/worship leading on Sunday, then home to Chicago.

It's been a great tour and the warmth and response of people all through Kentucky and North Carolina where we've been has been soooo cool, thanks if you were at any of those shows! We met old and made new friends in Morehead, Louisville, and Murray Kentucky, Paris, Tennesee and Aberdeen, North Carolina. Weather was excellent, saw a load of deer near one guest house and took a close up of a cool box turtle right outside our door in one stop in KY. Think I'll post some pics soon... Back to the tour in a moment...

My new project "Bound For Glory" is available online at http://www.grrrrecords.com if you're interested. It's not a GKB project but Roy and Ed played on about half the tunes, and a few other talented folks including my daughter Ami Moss did the project proud! GKB is doing a couple songs from it live, and I'll be doing a set at Cstone Festival in Illinois -pre-fest- which will feature these songs on the Beach Stage so perhaps we'll see you there. Have a look at the schedule at http://www.cornerstonefestival.com for info..

Thanks for all who responded to the House Concert posts- here and on the Glenn Kaiser and GKB MySpace sites... good stuff happening and I'll announce a bunch of blogs I'll be posting at the Project12 site soon... not quite yet.

The podcasts are also piling high... I'll get 'em up there soon after I'm home in Chi-town, I promise!

Wendi also did a very cool interview for local public radio on JPUSA and REZ, etc., in Morehead. You can find it here (it was about 25 mins. and so will take a bit to download the podcast... but I LOVED this :)

http://www.morehead-st.edu/mspr/index.aspx?id=4811

Also- thanks for the kind requests for music in MySpace- we're about to add a music player and a load of tunes for you to enjoy over there very soon. Stay tuned. We will begin by doing that on the GKB MySpace page so check there first. Thanks for stopping by!

The tour is going excellently and I must say the Lord keeps us safe on the roads. The other night we stopped off for just about 10 mins. and when we got back on the freeway here in Florida there were about 5 vehicles in a pretty serious accident right beyond where we had gotten off. God is gracious to us and your prayers are sure enough appreciated!

We look forward to doing more of the Bound For Glory tunes in GKB sets, and we'll be doing so immediately. Keep an eye on the itinerary here for show adds and updates, a LOT is going on now and throughout June here as well as overseas.

Really, it never ceases to amaze me how warm and kind our friends/fans are. The email is pretty heavy but I try to keep up much as possible. I just got one this a.m. that brought me to tears- someone telling me what REZ meant to him though a lot of personal heartache and rejection growing up. It's intensely humbling to know God uses spit and mud to heal... (see the Bible for details) but such a powerful encouragement to keep on keeping on. And we shall as long as HE sees fit!!

God give you the grace to -in love- follow Jesus.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Love and Hugs,
-Glenn

THIS THING CALLED MUSIC

Funny, I spent last night recording a really cool song a friend of mine wrote, in a cool studio, then went to a luthier's shop (very cool stuff) and over the past couple days played, recorded and held and beheld a large amount of really amazing instruments. Know what? The people were far more cool and important to me than either the music, instruments or even experiences of music-making and listening... which were formidable indeed.

Today GKB is rolling through TN on the way to NC and eventually to Cornerstone Festival FL for shows. Spent the time chatting with my wife and the band about all sorts of stuff. Read the paper, got online tonight and did a load of email, and etc.. Took some time at a huge used bookstore and spent a big $3.25 on 3 used books, and read through another on the life and times of Jimi Hendrix. Tonight I spent a bit of time on a huge band's site (don't ask, I won't tell ya, it's personal) and again, it's the PEOPLE that I love, pray for, that interest me the most.

There was a time, a LONG time ago- that I had a music "jones". You know- gotta hear, play, hang with musicians, my life was just about washed out with sound waves of every sort. Hey, today, I really mean NOW... I LOVE and play music. I listen to some, but not a lot and not daily. I have too many other people and modes of communication in my life. People are what my life is about.

Maybe some of you muso's reading this have considered the fact that a lot of us are going to lose much if not all our hearing before we're outta here? So... what's left when you can't really hear? Is there anyONE or a group of people in your life more dear to you than your own ability to hear and play music? If you went stone deaf tomorrow what would you have left?

I really think that music is a brilliant gift from God, and to be enjoyed, used and of course practiced with great appreciation... but my wife, my family, my closest friends and Jesus Christ Who is First and Last, are all FAR more important to me.

So... some of you may think as far as a musician/artist that a career such as mine with the load of guitars, amps, effects, flying overseas and all the stuff I've been blessed with cuz of music is perhaps... what... "wasted" on a person who thinks as I do about music. I wouldn't think badly of you if you came to such a conclusion. But you know, I think it's precisely because of God and those He's placed in my life to share life with that He trusts me with all this music-related gifting. I further think that idolatry stinks, no matter how many people you sell it to, no matter how deeply you invest in and perhaps finally sell out to your sonic dream. Success at any cost? I don't think so. Music didn't die on the cross for me and it didn't literally save my soul, my life or anything else of value to me. God used and uses music in my life, but it's the water and not the cup that I'm focused on in the end. You can't drink glass!

I think God's love, grace and relationships with Him and others are THE deal. Music? It's one of a whole spectrum of good gifts we can and should enjoy. But as the psalmist wrote, "You [the Lord] are my strength and my song".

GKB SOUTHERN TOUR, HOUSE CONCERT BENEFITS, ETC.

First- sorry I just haven't gotten time to get the new podcasts up... my pod-guy is over his head in work right now so hopefully in the next couple weeks we'll load 'em. I'll be doing a bunch from the road as well, including some by/with my wife Wendi, so when we DO publish them you'll have a lot to listen to and think about.

Going to Kentucky in the morning, doing a number of shows there, then to North Carolina, then Cstone Fest Florida, then a Cal. Chapel in St. Pete, FL area- hope to see you on the road!

I also hope to at least occasionally keep up with my myspace pages and there is another site with more blog-type bits I'm writing that I'll publicize soon... but not just yet!

GLENN KAISER (SOLO)HOUSE CONCERTS
(PROJECT 12 DISCIPLESHIP BENEFITS)

Lastly, I'm looking to do some acoustic blues and/or worship concerts (not GKB, rather solo or perhaps with my daughter Ami Moss) either as house concerts (30 or more folks attending please!) or in a larger venue- specifically to benefit Project 12 Tent at this summer's Cornerstone Festival (Illinois). We frankly need cash-flow to do all we need to do at the Fest! The major stipulations are that must keep such concerts within 2 1/2 hours or so from Chicago, and the only available dates for this series are (FRI, SAT, SUN) May 19, 20, 21 and (FRI) June 2. These dates are coming up soon, but word-of-mouth and those in your local fellowship are great places to start promoting such an event. So... pray and if you're interested, for first-come-first-served info. and discussion (you'll find me pretty flexible) contact me directly at 773.383.3528 or email: gkaiser@jpusa.org a.s.a.p. :)

For info. on what Project 12 Discipleship training is all about:

http://www.project12.us

Thanks!
-Glenn