Worthy Music Ministries Thanksgiving Concert @ Tacoma Rescue Mission

It would certainly be my prayer to walk into the Tacoma Rescue Mission and discover no one showed up for dinner because everyone had a place to go for Thanksgiving.  I wouldn't mind at all singing for just the staff but this time they had two large rooms with tables to hold the over 2000 meals they served this Thanksgiving.

This is my 101st post and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week too.  

Over the course of the last week or so I've had people commenting on the fact I would on the Worthy Music Ministries' Showcase Stage at the Tacoma Rescue Mission on Thanksgiving Day.  They were all wonderful comments yet, to me, with a surprising theme.  Many of the comments I've received have mentioned the sacrifice made to minister and sing at the TRM than to be home with my family.

Sacrifice,what sacrifice?  Years ago I sat in that same Dinning Hall and enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner that more than warmed my body and soul.  Many people would look around at those eating a warm meal and see, through their eyes, the lowest of our society and say, "They need to get a job!", but not me.  I had a job and I had a car but that was pretty much it.  I worked nights loading trucks and for a time I just slept in my car, woke up and drove to a truck stop to eat breakfast and clean up.  And that was during the winter.  

Finally, one day I hear that a new Tacoma Rescue Mission building was built and they had more beds.  With the TRM there I was able to eat and not have to spend money at the truck stop.  I used to shower at the truck stop but that cost money too.  At the mission I could shower for free.  It didn't take that long and I was finally able to save enough money to get an apartment and "Get off the streets".

So for me it's no sacrifice when I sing at the Rescue Mission.  For me it's an honor to sing and minister to those who eat and volunteer there.   To me, it's like I'm singing for family.  I seem to share a bond with those at the mission because I've sat where they are sitting.  This Thanksgiving I felt so fortunate to sing there I decided to give away CD's to anyone who wanted one.  We ended up giving away 50!  I know we would have given away more but many people didn't know about the give away.

Dylan & Dulcinea Hatch

I'm not the only one to go to the mission and sing on Thanksgiving too.  Dylan and Dulcinea Hatch give their time and talent as well as do their grandparents' Mike and Norma.  Chuck and Linda Worthy of Worthy Music Ministries aren't there because they have to be either.  They are there because they want to minister to everyone at the mission.  At times it's frustrating and confusing because of miss-communication but it's always worth it for them in the end. 

Dylan & Dulcinea Hatch

As Dylan and Dulcinea sang I roamed the Dinning room to listen to sound levels.  Time after time I was stopped by someone enjoying their meal to tell me how much they enjoyed their music.  I can't tell you how many times I was asked if Dylan and Dulcinea have their own CD.

Dulcinea Hatch

Dylan Hatch

Jerry Corelli

Worthy Music Ministries has their own YouTube channel now, WorthyMusicMinistry, where you can listen to most all the songs we did at the mission.  In addition they have videos of other fine Northwest Artist that have appeared on the Worthy Music Ministries' Showcase Stage.

Jerry Corelli

Jerry Corelli

So, in response to the sacrifice.  How can I be sacrificing anything when I'm with family?  Dylan and Dulcinea, Mike and Norma, Chuck and Linda and my wife Liv, we're family.  The volunteers and those eating their meals, we're family.  So, on Thanksgiving 2010, I was with my family.

Christ the Redeemer (Statue)

 

On 7 July 2007, Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled by the Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation. Leading corporate sponsors, including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo, had lobbied to have the statue voted into the top seven.

 

It is still a wonder to me how so many people in the world still don't know of Jesus Christ.   I have been given the opportunity to talk to many young people in their twenties and thirties, here in Tacoma, who know little to nothing about Christ.  Many of them, knowing I am a Christian singer/songwriter, will go into their religious verbiage to convey that they accept all religious views too but you can tell pretty quick that they know nothing of Christ.

 

Going into the month before Christmas always causes me to step back and think about things.  Even though there is such a heavy commercialism placed on Christmas today, the fact is that Christ is in the word Christmas.

As I drive the streets or take walks through Malls with my wife I find Manger scenes everywhere telling the world that one day, long ago, a child was born who would one day die on the Cross for the sins of the whole world, rise on the third day to conquer death.  Some countries erect statues of Christ and place it on the highest point and others like America sue the state and have manger scenes forbidden to be placed on Court House steps.  Welcome to America in the 21st Century.  As for me and my house,.. we believe!

Fried Bologna by Jerry Corelli

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving was a holiday to express thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family and friends for which all have been blessed of material possessions and relationships. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.  Today we have turned Thanksgiving Day into a day of being thankful for the things we have, family and friends. The media has strayed from the appreciation to God.

I can honestly say I've had some rough Thanksgivings through the years and wondered what in my life I could possibly be thankful for.  There have been Thanksgivings when I had lost most of all my material possessions and others when I seemed to have lost most all my relationships.  Still, as I recall, I looked for those things that I could be thankful to God for in my life.  I've always, for as long as I can remember, been thankful for Christ dieing on the cross for my sins and rising again on the 3rd day to defeat death.

Every Thanksgiving I'm always one week into a new age because a week before Thanksgiving is my birthday.  So with that I'm always thankful I've made it through another year still breathing.  As each year passes I have more to be thankful for collectively too.  I am thankful to God that I am still able to write songs and sing.  I am Thankful there are Ministries like Prisoners for Christ Ministries and Worthy Music Ministries still inviting me to sing and minister at their various Stages.  Each year a Thanksgiving comes and goes I seem to have written a few more songs about living life and about God's Grace.

This year I'm Thankful for my wife "Liv" and for all the true friends God has placed in my life.  But in addition I would like to give a special thanks.  I would like to thank our Armed Forces for giving all they have sacrificed so I can keep my freedom.  It is so appropriate that we have Veterans Day preceding Thanksgiving Day because we should thank God that our military is there to defend and protect us.

 The Air Force

 The Army

 The Marines

The Navy

The Coast Guard

My oldest son did 2 tours in Afghanistan in the Army and I am thankful for his service and that he came back.

My best friend has two sons David and Mike who have just graduated from the Air Force Academy and I want to thank them.

And if I could I would like to say thank you to all those who gave their lives in defending my Freedom.

To all Law Enforcement who risk their lives so we have a civil society, I am thankful.  I drive down the highway and see a Highway Patrolman standing next to a car and I always render a prayer that he will be safe and that some motorist doesn't run him down.  It seems that each year goes by and society tends to give these men and women less and less credit for all they do.

But the four Flag draped coffins below tell of their ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom.  Little did 4 Police Officers know that on Sunday, November 9th 2009 they would enter a coffee shop to do paperwork and be killed by a man gunning for anyone in Blue.

Sergeant Mark Renninger, 39  Officer Ronald Owens, 37

 

Officer Greg Richards, 42  Officer Tina Griswold, 40

Thank you Sergeant Renninger, Officer Owens, Officer Richards and Officer Griswold for your dedication and sacrifice in all you did while you proudly served our community.  Thank you to all Officers and their families around the world who have given their lives in serving our communities and making us safe.  And thank you to those Officers and families now.

So to those in our Military and those Police Officers I thank you.  May God be always at your side and in your hearts.  Let it be known there are greater numbers of those who respect what you do and care for your safety than those who would spit on you or have contempt for your position.

Let it be known I am Thankful this Thanksgiving,.. so deeply thankful!  Jerry Corelli

Kingdom of Grace by Jerry Corelli

Who Will Tell Them?

It seems that lately everyday I hear of a young person being killed by a Drive-By-Shooting and recently a shooting that took place in the Puyallup area hit home.

The young man who was killed, the second robber, was my wife's stepson from a previous marriage.  My stepson, Juan, was raised with the young man and from what I'm told by my wife, they were inseparable when they were younger.

He was 31 years old, 9 days older than my stepson Juan.  Somewhere in his past he took a very wrong turn and decided to live by the sword and now he has died by the sword.  Please keep our family in prayer and especially Juan.

Who will tell our children where they faith can lie?  Who will tell them Jesus died?  Who will spread the news that their lives can change for the better?  That Jesus can put Love into their lives.  Who Will Tell Them?  Who Will Tell Them?

UPDATED: One dead in reported home-invasion robbery in Pierce County

Posted By Stacey Mulick on November 3, 2010 at 7:47 am

Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2010/11/03/one-dead-in-reported-home-invasion-robbery-in-midland/#ixzz14Plmvtkf

UPDATE (5:35 p.m.): Detectives now believe the second robber accidentally shot his partner in the head, killing him. An autopsy showed the dead man's gunshot wound was not caused by a shotgun, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said late this afternoon. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the capture of the second man. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

PREVIOUS POST: One man is dead and another is on the run after an exchange of gunfire during a reported home-invasion robbery this morning in Pierce County.
Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said one of the suspected robbers was killed at the scene in the 6100 block of 72nd Street Court East, just west of the City of Puyallup.
The other suspect left from the scene, possibly in a burgundy or maroon-colored Honda. He's described only as a man standing 6 foot to 6 feet 1 with a heavy build, Troyer said. Deputies searched for the second suspect but so far, have not located him.
Investigators believe the home-invasion robbery was not random, Troyer said.
"Usually houses are targeted," he said.
The incident was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. Two suspects forced their way into the home where a boyfriend and girlfriend were asleep.
The suspects wore masks, were dressed in all black and wielded handguns. They went into the couple's bedroom, woke them up and demanded to know the location of a safe and jewelry, Troyer said.
As the suspects pistol-whipped the boyfriend, the woman reached under the bed, grabbed a shotgun and handed it over to the boyfriend, Troyer said.
"The homeowner and one of the suspects engaged in gun battle," he said.
The robbers ran from the home. One made it about 20 yards, collapsed in the driveway and died, Troyer said. Deputies found a loaded handgun, jewelry and other items taken from the house around the suspect's body.
"We don't know who he is," Troyer said. "He has a mask on."
The boyfriend suffered minor injuries. The woman was not injured. A second man who lives in the home was not there at the time. Troyer described the man as a roommate.
The two were being interviewed by detectives about what happened.
The house is down the 72nd Street East hill, a short distance from Canyon Road East.
Staff writer Mike Archbold contributed to this report.


Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2010/11/03/one-dead-in-reported-home-invasion-robbery-in-midland/#ixzz14PlYAk6m

Neil Diamond's new CD "Dreams"

Neil Diamond's newest album "Dreams" comes out today so I thought I'd do a write up on my Neil Diamond collection.

CD Review: Neil Diamond - Dreams

Written by Dan Savoie on Sunday, 31 October 2010 00:36 

In his entire career, I don't think Neil Diamond ever sat down and recorded an album of someone else’s music. (Actually he did 2 albums "Up on the Roof" and "The Movies album" which were songs by other writers) The legendary songwriter tackles 14 songs of some of his favorite songwriters on his new CD Dreams. The results show Diamond letting loose and having some fun, without the stresses that come with writing your own album.

It’s nice to hear the Diamond touch added to classics like Midnight Train To Georgia, Hallelujah, and Desperado, but one of the coolest songs on the album is his own rendition of I’m A Believer, the Diamond song originally made famous by The Monkees. I’m A Believer adds a new vulnerability to the song through its mellow and soft approach. I never thought the upbeat and catchy song could have been a sweet ballad, but one listen to the Diamond version and the lyrics jump out as an honest and beautiful ballad – “I’m in love and I couldn’t leave her if I tried.”

The album includes music that deeply influenced Diamond as a young man growing up in Brooklyn, starting with “Let It Be Me,” popularized by the Everly Bros. in 1960.  He also beautifully renders The Beatles’ stunning and spare “Blackbird” and the mournful “Yesterday,” Leon Russell’s  underrated classic “A Song for You,” Gilbert O’Sullivan’s heart-stopping “Alone Again (Naturally),”  Bill Withers soulful “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and includes a host of other well-known classics from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Diamond also tackles hidden gems from his musical contemporaries such as “Don’t Forget Me,” from the late Harry Nilsson, and the Randy Newman compositions, “Feels Like Home,” and the poignant “Losing You.”

Another standout is his version of The Eagles Desperado, which showcases Diamond alone and indefensible with only a single accompanying guitar.

Neil Diamond sounds better than ever on Dreams and hearing his take on I’m A Believer sheds a new light on one of rock’s greatest songwriters.

Below is my collection of Neil Diamond albums, all 66 of them.

1966

 1967

 1968

 1968

 1969

 1969

 1970

 1970

 1970

 1971

 1971

 1972

"Hot August Night" is my top favorite album.  This album is a double album and the original jacket has pages.  They released different jackets through the years and then finally a CD with extra songs from the concert.  And of course I have them all.

 1972

 1973

 1973

 1973
Above and below are the same album with different front covers.

 1973

 1974
Serenade was my first Neil Diamond album.

 1976

 1976
Robbie Robertson of "The Band" produced the album above and below.

 1977

 1977
This album was from his first T.V. show.

 1978

 1978

 1978

Actually I don't have this one but it's listed as being put out in 1978.  I'm not sure that's accurate.  The picture of Neil Diamond is from "The Jazz Singer" movie which didn't come out until 1980. 

 1979

 1980
"The Jazz Singer" is one of my top favorites too and I released my first album in 1980.

 1981

 1981

 1982

 1982

 1983

 1984

 1986

 1987

 1988

His last vinyl album 

 1991

Neil Diamond hadn't come out with an album in a few years and I recall hearing that Lovescape was released so I headed down to the store to find that all the vinyl albums had been replaced with CD's.  I was at Silver platers in Tacoma and they had a listening section where you could listen to CD's so I asked for the Lovescape demo CD, plugged it in, put the head phones on and was blown away by the quality of the CD.  I didn't own a CD player yet but I bought the CD anyway.  I think it took another 6 months before I could afford to get a CD player.

 1992

 1992

 1992

 1992

1993

kk

 1994

 1994

 1996
"In My Lifetime" is a wonderful collection containing most of his hits but also demos and songs out of print.

 1996

 1996

 1996

 1998

 1999

 2001

 2001

2002

 2002

 2002

 2003

 2005

 2005

 2005

 2006

 2007

 2008

 2009

 2009

2010