New "Eyes Up" EP

In 2009 I accepted a challenge from Worship Leader magazine to create something tangible that inspires people to connect with God.  I wrote songs for my local church, LIFE Christian Fellowship in Chino California, to sing to God.  I hoped to record those songs so LIFE could use them to worship God during the week.

Marco Sassoon, my mentor, found out about the project and offered to help.  Together we began emailing each other song ideas and refinements.  We introduced the new songs to the churches we serve.  Musicians Pili Bailey and Matthew James also contributed their talent to the songwriting process.

We crafted these six songs to encourage us to lift our eyes up to Heaven.

1.  Strength And Song - inspired by Exodus 15.  After Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea out of Egypt they sang a song of celebration to the Lord.  This new take on Exodus 15 teaches about the power of singing scripture.  The catchy melody aims to get people singing and clapping.

2.  On Your Name.  When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray He started off with “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”  Jesus wanted us to respect God’s name.  The Bible continually mentions the name of the Lord as a significant force.  This song summarizes many powerful aspects of God’s name.  The melody is easy to sing and follow.

3.  Power - inspired by Psalms 96-99.  Based off of the psalms of enthronement that describe God’s sovereign rule.

4.  Lifeline - inspired by Psalm 86.  This song speaks to the place of desperation that we all find ourselves in at some point.  We can find power when we take our eyes off the desperation of the situation and place it on the truth of God’s always present love and goodness.  That change of thought brings us to a place of surrender and hope in the desperate places.

5.  All Of My Life.  This song accentuates the point of redemption when we run to God instead of running from Him.

 Renewed - inspired by Psalm 1.  This song celebrates life transformation and renewal.  It humbly acknowledges God’s way as the best and expresses a desire for His way.

Musicians:
Drums: Ricky Lawson
Bass: Gene Simons (tracks 1,2), Matt Morgan (3-6)
Guitar: Ryan Biermann (1-6), Mark Arvizu (3,5), Mark Bratton (4,6)
Keys: Luke Graham
Lead Vocals: Luke Graham (1-4,6), Laura Gonzales (5), Pili Bailey (4), Josh Boyer (6)
Background Vocals: Vanessa Barsamian (4), Dena Hempel (5,6), Cindy Lund (1,2), Stacey Percival (1,3)

Song information:
1.Strength and Song words & music by: Luke Graham © 2006 More Left Music
2.On Your Name words & music by: Luke Graham/Matthew James © 2008 More Left Music
3.Power words & music by: Luke Graham/Marco Sassoon © 2010 More Left Music
4.Lifeline words & music by: Luke Graham/Pili Bailey © 2010 More Left Music
5.All Of My Life words & music by: Marco Sassoon/Miranda Keller © 2009 CausePraise Publishing
6.Renewed words & music by: Luke Graham/Marco Sassoon © 2009 More Left Music

Craig Ferguson

In the midst of the recent late night fiasco Craig Ferguson retains my vote for best late night host.  He’s funnier and has more heart than the other guys.

In this video from 2007 he explains why he won’t tell jokes about Britney Spears on his show.

Goals For 2010

In his book "Against All Odds" Chuck Norris emphasizes the importance of chasing after goals. Put simply he encourages us to set goals, visualize ourselves achieving them and then go for it.

Goals help us live intentionally. For 2010 I want to release three worship EPs. These music recordings will contain roughly six new original songs each.  I want each song to be usable for church worship gatherings.

Not all songs will be written by me. My mentor Marco Sassoon and other friends are helping me write songs. The project will represent different churches and vocalists.

By the time 2011 comes around I hope to have recorded 18 worship songs for churches to sing to God together. It's a lofty goal. Now it is time to visualize then do.

Between Wyomings by Ken Mansfield

In his book Between Wyomings author Ken Mansfield shares how he learned to value complete trust in God.  The rise, fall and resurgence of his music industry career throughout the 1960s to the 2000s schooled Mansfield.

He went from promoting the Beatles for Capitol Records to near homelessness in Nashville over a period of twenty years.  Then Mansfield fought his way back into the industry.  Mansfield narrates these stories as he and his wife road trip across the United States visiting places he lived.

As someone currently involved in the music industry I appreciate Mansfield’s recollections.  He talks openly of the politics that take place in the higher echelons of the music industry’s corporate ladder.  Mansfield highlights how he dealt with troublesome circumstances and people in the industry and survived.

For those of us who want to learn from the mistakes of others rather than the hard way Mansfield opens up his 40 years of rich experience for the taking.  His disclosure of hurts and hopes remind me that I am not alone in an industry known for alienating people.

Read The Manual ... A lot

Eight years ago a friend told me about an interesting Bible study method. Essentially it involves reading one book of the Bible 30 times repeatedly. After about 30 readings of any given book the meaning resonates more clearly.

That recommendation seemed extreme to me at the time. I had barely achieved the goal of reading the Bible daily.  But the concept never left my mind and now after trying it out I recommend it. Reading a Bible's book 30 times in a row is a great way to implant the Bible into our minds.

Repetition brings remembrance. When you read a book 30 times in a row you are going to remember it.  Period. I chose to read James repeatedly.  In my conversations with friends I can not help but relate what I'm learning about.  The repetition impressed James' thoughts deep into my mind.

Reading a book repeatedly also helps emphasize verses the reader may neglect in one reading .  In James 3 it took a couple reads to understand how destructive selfish ambition and jealousy are. I had focused so much attention on the first part of that chapter, on taming the tongue, and rushed passed those later verses.

Different translations also enhance the study.  Absorbing different interpretations of the same passage sheds light on the author's thoughts.  Reading with a variety of translations allows a broader understanding of the book.

Studying the Bible is a great way to improve our quality of life.  Like reading an instruction manual we are more apt to maximize the use of our bodies after familiarizing ourselves with the Creator's recommendations.  Studying the Bible in depth by reading it's books 30 times in a row brings a greater understanding of life's instruction manual.

Daytrippin'

Many southern Californians, like myself, overlook the treasure surrounding us.  Perhaps we spend so much time in traffic we forget what it is like to spend a day in the wilderness.  Maybe the smog induces lethargy.  Whatever the reason now is a great time to visit the treasure trove of local landmarks in our backyard.

I recently struck gold scouring through a friend’s yard sale when I found a book called “Where Can We Go This Weekend?”.  The book lists travel adventures in Southern California.  Chocked full of destinations the book invigorated my desire to visit landmarks like the La Brea Tar Pits, the Huntington Library and more.

Here’s a list of the trips I want to make:
 - Hike Mt. Whitney
Visit Planes of Fame museum in Chino
Visit London Bridge near Havasu
Explore ghost towns of Bodie & Bridgeport
See Devil’s Post Pile and Mono Lake
Visit the La Brea Tar Pits
Raft Piru Creek
Cruise down Muhullond Drive
Visit the Huntington Library
Visit the Griffith Observatory

The “stay-cation” makes a lot of sense these days so check out some great options near you.  Now is a great time to visit the destinations around us.

International Friendship

    One of the more exciting things that happened to me recently was a new friend I made named Sun Lee.  He posted on Craigslist that he played bass and was looking for a ride to church from Rancho Cucamonga.  He was an exchange student from Korea learning English.
    I started giving him a ride to LIFE about a month ago.  Then I found out that he needed a place to stay.  I offered him a room at my parent’s house during the weekends.  Then we went on a vacation to Las Vegas together.  He wanted to see the town and was going to go by himself.  I went with him so he didn’t have to face that town alone and I'm constantly looking for people to go on vacation with.
    My mom was hesitant about letting him stay continually at our home.  I asked her to consider it while we were away and when we returned she welcomed his stay.  He was going to stay for another month.  Sadly we found out that Sun’s plane ticket was not exchangeable and that he had to return to Korea this past Saturday.
    It was fun to be able to hang with Sun and show him life here in Southern California.  It brought back the feeling of having a brother at home to spend time with.  We played Wii sports late at night and had some conversations about life.  I hope I get to spend more time with him during the years to come.  He wants me to come to Korea and I’m thinking about it.
    He even recommended teaching English in Seoul as a great career idea.  He said English teachers get paid well and the work doesn’t seem difficult.  That would be an interesting career move and one I’d be more interested in if I didn’t enjoy working at LIFE and recording here in LA on the side.