2011...Bring it!!

So here we are upon the brink of a new year. What will this year hold for me and my family? I believe it is going to be a year of hard work and preparation for shift and change. I think things are going to be done externally and internally. I will be refined, shaped and molded into a better man. I don't do resolutions but I do set goals and here are some of the goals I have for 2011:
1. Be debt free (except the car payment...that will be a little later )
2. Loose 50-60 lbs. (mmmmm...discipline!)
3. Live on our strict budget (mmmm...discipline!)
4. Prepare and work on completing C3E album
5. enjoy nature more this year including camping, hiking, fishing and maybe even hunting
6. Use my time wiser...no t.v., less computer/video games (except for spending time and playing with my son), more studying and physical activity
7. Learn how to play a new instrument
8. Get knee to 100% (lots of exercising it!)
9. Be a better husband and father (I know it is hard to imagine how I could be better at that! ha!!)
10. Become a better person
So come on 2011!! I am ready for ya! I will take ya on! It is going to be a milestone year for me and I am going to love every minute of it good and not so good...because the journey makes me who I am! vaughnarchy!!!

What makes a man a man?

I have been going through a lot lately, internally. Feel like I am being pushed to become a better person. To let my character and integrity be shaped and formed. This sucks!...but it is great in the long run. I am in a constant war of conquering myself. Whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. I really want to become a disciplined person. Many phrases are rolling around in my mind. "Be above reproach!", "Live a fasted life", "Make the hard choice", "Give your first fruits...", and the list goes on. I guess I am on a quest for holiness and fumbling my way through which is o.k. I just need to cut myself some slack some days and figure out that I am not perfect...far from it. But if I can see the good and slow results of this process in my life then that is more than good enough. I want to give a different meaning to the chorus of Pearl Jam's "Betterman". So when people look at me they say "Can't find a better man". Not out of an arrogant desire but one of being the most complete person, disciplined, giving, honorable, integral and godly person I can be. As my friend Nicky was just saying, "being salt and light". Ya baby! My quest is to get in shape all the way around....I just have better days then others. Sometimes it ain't so pretty when you see the "shaping" times and I sound ridiculous and am acting like a tool. But, "His grace is sufficient for me!" Anyway, this is my thinking outloud forum and I wanted to get some of this out there. If you read this, thank you for listening. If not I am not offended as my ramblings are exactly poetry or Nobel prize worthy ;) Until next time!!

I Have a Dream...

Yes it is definitely true!! But what I find is that TIMING is EVERYTHING!!! You may think you ready for it and you are not. You may think it should happen exactly how you want it to, but it won't. But when it is time...when everything falls into place...when you are on the brink of seeing things come to fruition...it is amazing. I am not there yet. It isn't quite time. But it is on the way. I can feel it!! It is close!! And the way time seems to fly by it will be here before I know it!! That is crazy and almost scary! But still I cannot wait. I am all about the adventure and the journey. I am so not into safe and secure which to me seems boring. I need adventure and a little chaos. As long as it is part of the journey. This year is going to be amazing. A lot of preparation and planning. A lot of soul searching and "taking inventory". A lot of exercising and training. A lot of "getting the hands dirty". It will be good. When you have a purpose and destiny, life is good!! It has meaning. You feel like you can take on the world. "Hey world! Here comes Vaughn!!" Having amazing people around makes it way easier too. Nothing beats the relationships and people in the trenches working with you together and sharing lives together. That also makes it all so worth it. I am truly blessed and thankful. That's right...you know who you are!! I love you all! This is going to be an awesome year....

Breakthrough

This month I am believing for breakthrough. For things to being to fall into place, for opportunities to open for me, for dreams to start coming reality, to start running instead of crawling. I believe it is time! So many things are swirling around in my head that I need to focus and be very intentional about where I step and the path I walk. Why is it sometimes fairly hard to believe in yourself when it is easy to believe in others? For me it can be extremely overwhelming having big dreams and then standing infront of them looking up at them going "Holy Crap!! How am I going to do this?" One step at a time!! With all the drama that goes on around me on a daily basis, I have decided to have a drama free life in my center if possible. Life is waaay to short to get bogged down with drama and distracted from the important things that need to be focused on. I want to have fun dude!! Meet people, travel around, "smell the roses" so to speak, eat (a small portion) good food with a glass of good wine over a beautiful view during a sunset and live it up!! I want to be all that I can be and enjoy all that life has to offer me while I am here on this earth. If that means I have to sacrifice some things to see it happen then so be it! I really want my life to be an adventure and not a routine. I want to get the most out if so when I stand before my Maker and he asks me "So?" I can say "Dang! That was fun...let's party!!" So in the words of Jerry Maguire..."WHO'S COMING WITH ME?!!" Until next time :)
vaughnarchy

Dreams Can Come True

Hey y'all! In the words of Motley Crue, "You know I'm a dreamer..."! I have dreams and I truly believe I am on the brink of seeing them come to fruition. I am in the process of learning patience. Not always easy when you are all excited about running head first into your dreams. But timing IS everything. I am also learning about "Speaking it out". Words do have power. Negative and positive but I am really focusing on the positive for sure!! We can speak things into existence. So no way am I gonna speak bad things into existence. Just the awesome stuff!! VB Music Studios!! C3 Church Edmonton growing leaps and bounds!! Opportunities to travel the world and pour into others!! That is what I am talking about!! I feel like I am on the edge of a cliff on a huge mountain and at some point I will jump off and be able to fly but I have to make sure the timing is right so I don't fall thousands of feet screaming. I know when it is time to jump I will be able to fly. And what a ride it will be!! It is like being on a roller coaster that is climbing it's first big incline and about to take off at 100 miles an hour....exciting and scary at the same time. It will be awesome though and I can't wait...but I have too. It is all good. Life is good. As you can tell I am pretty happy and content. Vaughnarchy is in control and where he needs to be. Why am I am talking in third person all of a sudden. Anyway, I BELIEVE!!!
- vaughnarchy

Peace

This has got to be one of the rarest things people have in their lives....Peace. Especially with guys with brains like mine who can get so wrapped up in where you want to go and what you want to do that you forget to enjoy where you are at. If you can't enjoy where you are right now in the present, you will never be satisfied. The old cliche about taking time to stop and smell the roses is actually pretty good. Sure sometimes there may be a bee in one, or a dog took a leak on one, or whatever...but sometimes you need to stop and take in the view, even if it is the prettiest or most spectacular. One day you will be on your mountain top and it is nice to be able to truly appreciate that view because you can remember the view from the valley. Life is a lot about perspective. I put in my Facebook status that I feel a peace that I have felt for a while again....that I can enjoy where I am at and even be excited about where I am at and where I am going without falling into OCD about where I am going and missing the present. That is no way to live. Like in Bruce Almighty..."It's goooood!" So thank God for perspective change and awesome people around me to keep me in check and grounded. I am blessed! Until next time!
vaughnarchy

Sometimes life is hard...

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had crystal balls where we could look in and see what is going to happen in our lives. Sure it would! But we don't. We only have faith and trust which is really hard. Sometimes you just feel like you are in a pickle and you don't know up from down or left from right. Lately I feel like that a lot. Kind of like Jean Claude Van Damme in "Bloodsport" where he gets blinded and is trying to use his other senses to figure out where his opponent is. Except my life ain't no movie! I am dying for some confirmation on what I am supposed to be doing over the next few years. My hearts desires are pretty clear and obvious but I have learned timing is everything. I feel a little in the desert right now and don't want to make the process any longer then I have to to get out. Yes, sometimes I feel like the carrot is dangling in front of my face and I cannot reach it....that is frustrating. I just want to know that I CAN at some point reach it. So many questions, so little answers. Enough to drive a guy crazy. I have an inner dialogue going on in me that is arguing about "Destiny and Placement" vs. "Make a Decision and Act on It". So which is it? Do I just need to figure out what I want to do and where that can happen truly or do I sit back and wait for the doors to be opened for me. This is really hard. For now I pray and wait for an answer on that. I have placed a proverbial fleece before God like Gideon did asking for some confirmation and/or sign of what I need to do. If He did it for Gid he can do it for me. Hope my close friends and people that speak into my life have some words of wisdom too. I need to feel like walking into my future and not waiting around squandering it, doing things I feel like I am not really supposed to be doing. But I could be way off base too...what the heck do I know!! Anyway, that is my venting and ranting session for now....until next time...

Planning and Patience

So those two words basically sum up where I am at. Planning for the future but being patient while we get there. I really feel there is so much in front of us as far as what we will step into in our lives but timing is everything. I am busting my butt here for the next however many months to financially position ourselves to step into what we are wanting to do. This will be good but like everyone else, we want it sooner then later. So we must be patient. It will come soon enough. But we are definitely dreaming in the meantime as well. I have a feeling this year will end up flying by due to business and such. 3 jobs (technically), recording our Ep, finding time for my wife and kids, walking the dog...it will be crazy! But after this year, it will be amazing where we are and what we can do. I am truly believing we will be blown away at the opportunities that come our way. It is exciting! I have an intense desire to travel and share what is going on in our lives with others who are interested. I think our Ep will open doors for us as well. I believe things at C3 Church Edmonton are going to take off this year as well which will also open doors. I better buckle up as the ride is just beginning...yahoo!! Anyway, until next time, as Red Green says, keep your stick on the ice!

New Season

So it seems I am upon a new season in my life. A new job (so I have 2...3 if you count the Music Director at church), a new momentum, a new perspective. It also seems like it is a season of "No B.S." with others. I don't have time for it. I am spread pretty thin for right now which is fine but "it is what it is". I don't have time for attitudes, expectations, egos, entitlement, whatever! This isn't sitting too good with some people but that is o.k. I have to put my wife and kids and our life first. I have found you can't please everyone so don't even bother trying. Be who you are and if people don't like it they don't have to be your friend. Those who want to will be and accept you for who you are. My only reponsibility is to please God. I feel I am. He is my first priority and my wife and kids are next. Then I have to contend with my professional responsibilities and then my friends get what is left. I am o.k. with this. I have no idea how long this season will last and what the next will bring. I just know there is a lot to do in the season and it is an exciting time in our lives. I believe it is the beginning of some really cool things we are going to be able to do over the next few years. I will keep ya posted for those who care. If you don't, that is o.k. too as I am not offended :). We all just keep pressing on! Until next time...

Chillin' in Asheville...

So here I am in the garage studio on my Mac watching Steve lay some tracks. Pretty cool. I am having a great time down here and learning as much as I can. I love writing, recording and creating music. Nothing beats that in my mind. A song well done is so amazing and satisfying. I know this is just the beginning for me. I love hanging out with people that are already doing this. It is so inspirational. Especially with these characters! :) The music they are creating is awesome! I am definitely inspired and at the same time pleasantly suprised that I was heading down the same path sonically and stylistically. That is weird and very cool at the same time! I am hopefully going to send some stuff their way to co-write with me and my team. No egos here just the desire to make some amazing music. I love it!!

Let This Decade Begin!!

So we have started the 2010-2020 decade. Man is it going to be huge! The rate technology is rapidly advancing and things are changing, I cannot imagine what 2020 will look like! There are already 3D televisions, you can do almost anything on phones now (I so want an iPhone!!), you can find pretty much anything on the internet...as long as technology doesn't turn us into robots and we forget what it means to be in relationships. I have vision for this decade and my and my family's lives. Here is what I am believing for and want to see happen this decade:

1. record/produce 3-5 major albums

2. spend some time in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)

3. take the worship band on some cool trips

4. write some worship songs that impact churches

5. see people's lives radically transformed

6. live in another country for a bit

7. help people position themselves for a better life

8. have my own studio that kicks butt

9. see my kids develop into the amazing people they are

10. get an iPhone :)

The Future is Unclear...

So this should be an interesting year to say the least. It seems like so much it up in the air. I can honestly say I have no idea what the future holds for me and my family. Things could stay relatively the same or could drastically change. I have no idea. Not worried about it at all either. Our life is in good hands. There are a few things I do know for this year however. I am going to shape up even more (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc...), I am going to Asheville to learn as much about recording/producing, etc...in one week as I can (which I believe will just be the start of more of that), I am going to record/write/produce as much as I can this year, and am looking at getting another job which has presented itself to me this week or so which would really help with saving up some money and getting us better positioned. I still think this will be an amazing year of transition but I just have no idea what that will look like. I just know it will be good. There are big things on the horizon and I just have to walk them out. I have vision for my life and I am learning how to let it happen. I am stoked! My goal for the next few years is to have an awesome fun life that is an adventure and a journey...I WILL NOT settle for mediocre and just o.k. I want excellent and adventurous! So this is really "New Year's Resolution" stuff...it is life goals and direction stuff...LET'S SEE IT HAPPEN!!