tag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:/blogs/recent-news?p=6Chris Driesbach's Blog2022-08-11T11:16:54-04:00Chris Driesbachfalsetag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/70356552022-08-11T11:16:54-04:002023-10-16T10:54:12-04:00A Wonderful Summer<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/bd5d5fe65788252d8e3bce3d0152cf204493b39f/original/email1-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Hello, dear Christian friends! Lots of news for you who are interested: </p>
<p>The former Donna Lindsay and I were married on June 18th at our WELS church in Spokane with family and friends. We honeymooned for 10 days in beautiful Alaska and had lovely adventures in Homer, my very first church in Anchorage, and Valdez. The weather was amazing, warm and sunny the entire time, during the longest days of the year. My lovely bride woke me in a panic at 11 o'clock, telling me that we slept in and missed breakfast and needed to pack and hit the road immediately. She'd been up showering and dressing in a rush. But it was 11pm the night before! How could she tell, when it was still broad daylight? This is a classic Alaska story, and it usually happens to everybody sooner or later. </p>
<p>We just returned from a 2-week trip to Montana, Wisconsin and South Dakota churches. Donna loves helping me with my music ministry. She loves to talk to people, and she helps me set up and tear down my gear. She has a lovely voice, but has no interest in getting up in front of people, so there are no duets at least so far.</p>
<p>On Sunday July 17th, Pastor Jay Bickelhaupt, Donna and I did 2 morning services at Apostles in Billings, Montana. We then drove 3 1/2 hours to our little church in Circle, Montana and did a service at 4:30 PM, then drove an hour south to Terry for a 7:00 PM service there. They had a meal afterwards, and we got back to Billings at 11:30 PM. I slept in the backseat, and Donna, who is much younger than me, kept Pastor awake for the whole drive. </p>
<p>Another highlight was an evening at Trinity in Aberdeen,South Dakota. Pastor Tom Rawerts is an excellent singer and musician and sang several songs with me for a crowd of about 100, after a meal in the fellowship hall. They celebrated us as newlyweds with balloons, flowers and a dance. Pastor Tom sang to us, and we danced to "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You." Donna cried for the entire song (tears of joy, I think...!). </p>
<p>Now we're back in Spokane. Donna is the director and teacher of the preschool here at St. Matthew. We live in the former parsonage on church property, and the school is in the daylight lower level. She will have about 50 kids to teach about Jesus; ages 3 and 4 in four different group. She is really great at teaching the kids and their families also. Many are local Mormon families, and there are quite a few immigrant nationalities represented as well. </p>
<p>I'm loving my new life here. I'll keep playing music in our churches once or twice a month, mostly on Sundays. There are many ways that I'm able to be helpful to Donna's ministry, which is great. I like to describe my new life as "Donna World." I'm keeping the bus, and we hope to go for a month-long trip to the Midwest next summer, God willing!</p>
<p>More pictures of all these adventures are on my <a contents="Photos" data-link-label="Photos/Videos" data-link-type="page" href="/photos-videos" style=""><span style="color:#2980b9;">Photos</span></a> page.</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/69570242022-04-26T07:30:19-04:002022-04-26T07:30:19-04:00An Extra Special Church<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/7aadd4e64b908f8a28bfaf5c0d0999e5d8534e51/original/praise-band.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/2dd243321cf991dcf72f1115717e3388421489b7/original/chrisanddonna.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I haven’t been performing much in the last couple of months, so I’ve had enough time to rehearse and play with a local WELS Christian band, <em>Urgent!</em>, and also the praise band at The Vine.</p>
<p>The Vine is the mission daughter church of St. Matthew Lutheran, Spokane, and is located in Hayden, Idaho. This church is extra special for me personally, because I grew up and went to grade school, junior high, and high school in nearby Coeur d’Alene. They moved from a storefront location to their very own church building a few months ago.</p>
<p>These photos are from the grand opening on Sunday, April 24th. What a day! The church was packed, and Pastor Kevin Schultz gave a terrific sermon geared toward our many visitors. My fiancé Donna and I sang and played in the praise band. In the afternoon the fun continued in perfect sunny weather. There were 3 bouncy houses for the kids, lots of food and games, and I played with one of the two bands.</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/68793962022-01-25T17:47:29-05:002022-02-27T20:19:43-05:00Happy news!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/7b503f67f8692e73e0ad2828e8d2d7537319350c/original/ring.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_medium" alt="Engagement photo" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 10px;" />Well, I've got news. I've parked the bus at an RV park in Spokane, Washington, and I'm transferring my church membership to St. Matthew Lutheran here. This is the first actual winter I've experienced for 20-some years. Why, you might ask, am I making these big-time and significant changes in my life? The answer is: I met a woman! </p>
<p>She is Donna Lindsay, the Preschool Director at St. Matthew. I was singing for worship there on Sunday, May 16th when she came dancing down the aisle and said, "Hi Chris!" After I sneakily found out her first name, I sang a few bars of "Oh, Donna" in the middle of my music. Our story is long and happy, and it's going to get a lot longer, God willing. We got engaged on New Year's Eve, and we're planning a June 18th wedding after she gets done teaching the little ones for the year. </p>
<p>Donna is about 10 years younger than me, and I'm sure glad she likes old piano-players for Jesus. She'll keep teaching for at least a few more years, and then we hope to travel together around the country visiting churches and sharing music and our stories. I hope you get a chance to meet her, because she is truly unique and wonderful. She loves people so genuinely and so much that she really makes me look like an introvert in comparison. Donna loves to share in my music ministry, and if God is gracious, we'll have many years together.</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/68302612021-12-04T15:30:01-05:002021-12-04T15:30:43-05:00Christmas Benefit Concert Dec. 8th<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/3e43dd8a955cd4ca71cd8a005bda7b67d3ea2c0e/original/concert-poster.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I'll be playing keyboards for the WELS band "Urgent," one of several bands performing for this benefit.</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/67659922021-10-04T17:47:34-04:002021-10-05T15:21:53-04:00I moved!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/e16e5c146abadeada5cef397943c781346b98ba3/original/image000000-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Hello, friends!</p>
<p>The lady-who-runs-my-website (she REALLY doesn't swing with webmaster/webmistress designations) tells me it's high time to blog something. And I realized that I do indeed have news: I've moved to the Northwest! This is kind of a return to my roots. I spent the majority of my youth in North Idaho, about 45 minutes from Spokane, Washington, and my bus is now semi-permanently parked in a spot in a nice RV park about 12 minutes from St. Matthew, our WELS church in Spokane.</p>
<p>I've been attending church there and also in Hayden, Idaho at the daughter mission church called "The Vine." The Vine has a rockin' praise band, and St. Matt is more traditional. I like 'em both. The plan is to stay regional for fall/winter/spring and then hit the road to the Midwest during the lovely summer months. So right now, I'm lining up churches within a day's drive for weekends (see my <a contents="Events" data-link-label="Events" data-link-type="page" href="/events">Events</a> page).</p>
<p>I just got back from playing for worship on Sunday, October 3rd at Grace Lutheran in Yakima, Washington and then later the same day for a vacancy at Good Hope in Ellensburg, Washington (picture above). The nice folks were very friendly, and it was sure nice to sing again, because the time before was seven weeks ago!</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm happy here in Spokane (Indian word meaning "Children of the Sun"), and it feels like I'm semi-retired. Life is good, but I recall that it snows here.</p>
<p>Uh-oh...</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/66210072021-05-04T09:35:46-04:002021-05-04T09:38:19-04:00Interview with Timothy Reynolds<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HnxQg6WOsYA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HnxQg6WOsYA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HnxQg6WOsYA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>"WELS Creative" Timothy Reynolds does a wonderful interview with Chris. (The Springs Lutheran Church, Sparks, Nevada)</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/65693222021-03-09T17:36:06-05:002021-03-09T17:42:38-05:00Warm and Dry<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/04a105b6cb9f07e6d944cb94ebc19a717ae49a90/original/chris1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_medium" alt="" style="margin-right: 20px;" /></p>
<p>Hello from warm and dry Arizona! I have been parked at Holy Cross Lutheran in Tucson for the last 6 weeks, and I am grateful to these nice folks for their hospitality. I also really appreciate the opportunity to continue to sing in some of our churches here. Many are not able to bring in outside musicians because of the virus, but some have been able to say yes! I have not been singing as often as usual, but God is taking excellent care of me financially. </p>
<p>It feels as though I am semi-retired, and I have had extra time to do some "tourist-type" activities. Some friends who are church members here have taken me under their wing, and we have had some wonderful outings. One day we visited the historic Slaughter Ranch down near Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border. This is an old ranch from the 1850's which has been restored and turned into a museum. </p>
<p>We also visited the Whitewater Draw Refuge near McNeal, Arizona. There are thousands upon thousands of migrating sandhill cranes hanging out there for a few weeks on their way northward. What an amazing sight. We also have done some climbing into the mountains at Chiricahua National monument. Although it's one of those cases where pictures don't do justice, I have included some photos for you. </p>
<p>What's next? A few churches in Phoenix for the rest of March and then Las Vegas. I will end up playing for Holy Week and Easter at Beautiful Savior, and then spend the rest of April in Reno playing for all 3 of our churches there.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/3f6c0cbf647500678c1f6e52b94868317266eed3/original/chris3.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/084dd37c6d0da137315bfeddd8bd1f1e2fc2718f/original/chris4.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/bc051d8f3a32fdeabe90a7c02e8052a0ee47c3f6/original/chris2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/65061212020-12-23T07:12:45-05:002020-12-23T07:13:52-05:00Christmas Newsletter<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/4297a15898fb5d122170f8dd32d0a211188ade2d/original/nativity-shepherds.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Houston, we have a problem! Actually not really - this is a great place to get through December if you are a wandering piano player for Jesus.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Here in Texas I am playing Sundays only for worship and sometimes a concert in place of Bible study, but I am very grateful for the opportunities. This great city has some amazing bike trails, and I’ve been able to get out there on my trike at least three or four days a week, often wearing cargo shorts!</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Pastor David Salinas at Christ the Lord Lutheran has been kind enough to allow me to park the bus in the church parking lot the entire month. I really enjoyed doing services in English and Spanish here. He translated - I don’t speak the lovely language, unfortunately. But we had a good time. I am pretty sure that Christ was praised. The ladies fed me tamales afterwards which were delicious! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Divine Savior Lutheran in the suburb of Missouri City worships in a gymnasium which they set up for church every Sunday. Many people volunteer to make that situation work very well, and I was honored to participate there last Sunday.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">May God richly bless your celebration of the birth of our Savior. Jesus is coming soon!</span></p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/64820222020-11-20T07:46:00-05:002020-11-20T07:46:00-05:00Inspiration<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/8e45c085d810bcba9767348f5533fe72cfff1e52/original/20201108-082930.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />This small viewer of one of my live-streamed concerts was inspired to get out his guitar. I guess that's a positive to the pandemic. You can bring your guitar to church- and play along!</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/64820172020-11-20T07:42:51-05:002020-11-20T07:42:51-05:00Precious thank-yous!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/fa3d782b291a94e8d4990b034c9855ac7a4cbef4/original/img-1890.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/1988b6b24da180039ff1843346297d08f8d4f706/original/img-1889.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/f2faf323c6e43444af36cf87a9dec46534fb2a40/original/img-1888.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Doesn't really get more precious than this! Thank-yous from kids at the Mount Olive Overland Park school.</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/64740862020-11-10T07:48:01-05:002020-11-10T07:48:36-05:00New keyboard and more<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/1b2ed21a35fda02dbfc0b3ad80aee85f5cd4ca59/original/new-keyboard.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Hello from Mt Olive, Overland Park, Kansas! I've been allowed to keep singing in our churches in spite of Covid-19, social distancing, and reduced attendance! I just sang this morning for the elementary school here. (They are the Cougars. Boy, were the kids indignant when I got mixed up and called them the Kitty-Cats. Oops!) Pastor Seelow is in quarantine this week, so I'll be working with a retired pastor on Sunday and Monday evening for worship. </p>
<p>I turned 68 on November 7th. I'm trying to be a good steward of the health God has given me by riding my recumbent trike as often as possible. I discovered the Indian Creek Bike Trail here just 10 minutes away and spent a couple of hours out there today. </p>
<p>I've been performing with the same wonderful keyboard for 15 years, and last week I took steps to upgrade. The latest musical technology is truly amazing, and it will take me a few months to learn how to make the most use of my new instrument. I love the rich sounds and versatile programmability. Another nice feature is the weight: just 17 pounds! My older one is 90 lbs when in its traveling case. My new case is also light, just 15 lbs.</p>
<p>I'm starting to write some new songs for my next CD. Jayne Nitz, my song-writing partner, has been writing also. I'm going to record one of her latest, "They Lie," and probably another one or two of hers. It's a really wonderful, powerful song- check out a demo here:</p>
<p><a contents='"They Lie" demo' data-link-label="they-lie-cd.mp3" data-link-type="file" href="/files/1090222/they-lie-cd.mp3">"They Lie" demo</a></p>
<p>(For more of Jayne's Christian contemporary songs, visit <a contents="her YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZmYPUOd2QCv_RRolvKYww" target="_blank">her YouTube channel</a>.)</p>
<p>I've spent a full 7 months in the Midwest this year and, as always, I've been so blessed by my Christian brothers and sisters. My bus is running great; I got an oil change in Minneapolis last month. (The commercial Detroit diesel engine holds 9.5 gallons of single-weight oil!) I love to travel and sing for my dear friends, my Christian family. God bless you all!</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/64656572020-10-29T09:07:47-04:002020-10-29T09:07:47-04:00COVID concerts!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/e4dd16734e8128ed783cef681c4241b54620aa38/original/20201009-081028.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It can be done! Still singing for Jesus.</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/64314302020-09-11T14:47:03-04:002020-09-11T14:50:24-04:00Traveling Musician Returns to Lake City<p>This nice article appeared in the Lake City Graphic newspaper in Lake City, Minnesota on September 2. It was written by Andrew Eggenberger.</p>
<p><a contents="Traveling Musician Returns to Lake City" data-link-label="lake-city-mn-article.pdf" data-link-type="file" href="/files/1077109/lake-city-mn-article.pdf" target="_blank">Traveling Musician Returns to Lake City</a></p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/63761462020-07-04T18:44:12-04:002020-07-04T18:44:12-04:00Surfacing from lock-down<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/756a2060b0eb311dc97763e638064b0ebf0719b8/original/livestream-set-up.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Wow, is it great to be singing for actual people in the pews again in our churches! I've been playing for empty seats and a video camera for what seems like forever, as I was blessed to be able to help our congregations present worship and concerts online. But it's not the same at all. My visit to Michigan has been this transition to face-to-face worship during the last 3 weeks, and I was kind of surprised at how emotional I got as we got back together. Our church members have told me they feel the same. Many folks will continue to stay home and worship virtually for very good reasons, of course. </p>
<p>Special thanks to Hope Lutheran in St Charles, Michigan for their outstanding kindness and hospitality as I parked the bus on their parking lot and enjoyed 30-amp power for 6 weeks. (That's a big deal to us RV folks!)</p>
<p>I'm singing for worship at Mount Sinai in Montrose Sunday morning July 5th, and then I'll go over the top of Lake Michigan to journey to Wisconsin, where I'll be singing for Jesus in July and August. My first gig will be at Divine Savior, Shawano. They have me playing for a family event on Saturday afternoon in the parking lot July 11th and then for worship Sunday, July 12th.</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/63647012020-06-24T07:45:31-04:002020-06-24T07:45:31-04:00I'm rolling now<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/fa76b98b80a3051c7376715e9ce18f3589fc2855/original/img-1614.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I am the new owner of a three-wheeled contraption called a recumbent trike. It is an “off-road” model with bigger wheels, wider tires and extra low gears for climbing. I have been mildly depressed as a result of three months of too much isolation and decided to find a happy place on Michigan‘s bike trails. In the last three weeks I have ridden anywhere from 22 to 45 miles per day, and not only is my depression gone, but I am developing a nice tan on my legs!</p>
<p>Here are maps of the bike rides I took today in the Bay City area. (The skinny black line is the trail, and the red arrows are me.) The trail on the left (paved, about 28 miles) I did in about three hours. The trail on the right (dirt, about 5 miles) took an hour to do. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/8115b87c395913c4fd525da17ee56f87efd86af5/original/img-1637.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/5ef7101ec3f51756d9472a147e42d21df5f5b917/original/img-1638.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/62661372020-03-30T07:14:26-04:002020-03-30T07:18:16-04:00Dealing with the Coronavirus<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/254c1e3144ac70a0d3a819aa9dd44a689b03a901/original/cross.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Dear Brothers and Sisters,</p>
<p>I'm writing from my bus which is parked at an RV park in Alabama for the next 5 nights. I had a wonderful 3 months in Florida in December, January and February singing for our WELS and ELS churches down there and enjoyed some great weather too. </p>
<p>Wow, have things changed! The next 3 Sundays I'll be assisting churches with either live-streaming worship or recording devotions in Kentucky and Indiana. I'm new to this, but must thank my very helpful friend Greg Boggs from Mount Olive in Lincoln, Nebraska for his assistance in teaching me the ins and outs of Facebook Live and camera and microphone work on the internet. I expect to be somewhat proficient in this kind of worship after a few weeks of on-the-job training.</p>
<p>Who knows how long our churches will have to offer worship, devotions and Bible Study remotely? I'm hoping to be allowed to serve in this way at many of our churches in Ohio and Michigan through June of this year as needed. We are all praying that God will help us and our country and the world deal successfully with this deadly virus and that we can get back to worshiping together in person. </p>
<p>I'm praying for you all to come through this crisis without health problems. What a gift it is to know that we have the sure Christian hope of heaven at the end of our earthly journey. I have some unbelieving friends who are truly terrified and unfortunately don't have the great comfort of Jesus. I remember well what life was like without saving faith and my heart breaks for them. God be with you till we meet again!</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/62142682020-02-13T15:09:26-05:002020-02-13T15:09:26-05:00Winter in the Tropics<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/b0bfff720492294409e38044db8786b975ec61ed/original/fort-myers.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Wow, am I enjoying my two and a half months in Florida! It has been unseasonably warm this winter. I'm wearing shorts and sandals almost every day! My pleasure is only increased by listening to weather reports from my friends in the Midwest. I think it was zero in Omaha last night and we had 77 degrees at 8pm in Merritt Island. </p>
<p>As always, singing my songs for my brothers and sisters here is a great joy. I've especially loved singing for Lutheran Schools in Deltona, Fort Myers and at an ELS church and school, Christ at Port St Lucie. I'm always cheered by the privilege of interacting with the little lambs. I'm a blessed guy!</p>
<p>(Photo above taken at Crown of Life Lutheran, Fort Myers, Florida. Credit: George and Carol Davis- Thank you!)</p>
<p> </p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59972772019-12-09T05:50:08-05:002019-12-11T07:05:15-05:00News from way south<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/06078d98f30d108861947495b638f5c22904d78f/original/rs-2019.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Greetings from the road! I am now firmly committed to the southern portion of the United States; strictly in the southeast district for the next three months.</p>
<p>Something I am really looking forward to is spending 10 days with my daughter and her family for Christmas In Durham North Carolina. And then the Savannah area and then in Florida through March 8th. </p>
<p>Highlights so far include participation in the Navarre Florida Christmas parade on December 7th. My job was to walk alongside the “float,“ which was a gaily decorated member’s pickup. I handed out candy and informational cards about our church here, Risen Savior. I stopped too often to chat with folks along the way and ended up doing a bit of running after the rest of the gang so as not to get run over by the Cub Scout troop behind us. They would urge me to move along by throwing beads at me when I got too close, and I responded by nailing the little buggers with a few blow pops. All in good fun of course! </p>
<p>I love my bus. It is a beautifully constructed 1976 model eight MCI. I could never afford something like this normally, but I got a great deal on it. However, it does have some age and needs occasional repair. In early December I stopped at my favorite repair place in Chattanooga, Tennessee to get a new front right airbag installed. It was extremely cold that day, and the young man doing the work was lying on his back under the bus outside in about 35° temperature, with a diesel-powered jet-blast-type heater blowing hot air at him! I’ve included a photo and you can see him peeking from underneath. </p>
<p>Here are a few photos of the lovingly converted interior of my home on wheels.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/0c538644fa45d607e5ad0bf8b93db9f7dcdfd5b2/original/20161002-194530.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/cce7124979f54c9365493d1e3d63fdbcc38bfc15/original/20161002-194434.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/03dc39dfbc502e8568eb56a0810636addcaf213f/original/20161004-090736.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/062fda500bc5a6525bb28d5bfd3ba0170806bc79/original/busfix.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59434182019-10-29T21:04:03-04:002019-10-30T09:12:26-04:00October ends, new website begins!<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/9bdf75eee998dbe9719739324c160615dcbbad94/original/ba30955b-4222-46ca-9402-98ccc9ecade3.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>Summertime in Wisconsin- the best! I really enjoyed playing for the annual St Paul outdoor worship and summer picnic August 4th. We'd planned an outdoor service in Union Grove, but the weather didn't cooperate. No problem- it was sunny inside the sanctuary at Trinity on September 8th. My friends at St John, Oak Creek (on Howell; there are 2 St John churches in Oak Creek Wisconsin!) let me leave my bus on their property while I took the van 4 hours west to Eau Claire and played at St Mark there. I enjoyed a concert for the school there on Monday morning September 30th. (Photo above is with Pastor Jesse Knox of St. Paul in Stevensville, MI.)</p>
<p>So I spent October in Michigan and played at 17 churches in 25 days including a new church (number 792 for me) in Pigeon called St John's. Pastor Steven Neuman put together a lovely video on Facebook about my visit.</p>
<div>I just landed in Ohio today, October 29th. I'll spend another 12 days here, playing in 8 different churches. My next gig will be at my actual home church in Huntsville Alabama, Lamb of God. They are putting on a concert featuring me on Tuesday night November 19th. And I'm signed up to bring snacks on Sunday the 17th. That tells me that I'm at my home church, when they put me right to work!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In other news, I'm very excited about this new website, which is much more friendly to mobile devices. Not only do we have a new improved appearance, but users can download all of my music directly from the website! Very cool. Many thanks to my website lady Jayne Nitz, who has been putting lots of work into this for me. Jayne is also a songwriter. Many songs that I sing were written or co-written by Jayne, who is totally awesome! She's also my editor so I'll be amazed if she doesn't edit the preceding material out because she doesn't like lots of attention called to her wonderful work. We'll see... (webmaster's note: I only edited it a little bit. Thanks for the nice words, Chris!)</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59335062019-10-21T08:07:10-04:002019-10-21T08:07:10-04:00Better way to tow a van<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/50d4d014353b75624364120dd73876cdc3d1c680/original/tow-dolly.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In early September I purchased a 20-foot 10,000 pound gross weight flatbed car hauler trailer. I cinch the van to the trailer with some things called chain binders, and they attach it quite securely. This is a big improvement over the tow dolly because the van is much safer, and I can back it up easily!</p>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052322019-07-18T14:51:40-04:002019-09-30T12:33:29-04:00"Excitement" on the road<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/80460a2d4c9f98fa47b00a7e7b4c4d1d4e43eedd/original/ugh.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_" />Some of the excitement of living on the road includes vehicle repairs! I tow a minivan with my bus, using a tow-dolly. There are interesting mechanical limitations to this system including the fact that backing up isn't an option because the wheels on the dolly immediately turn sideways, or "crab," if you like technical terms. In addition, sudden steering changes on the dolly have an adverse effect on the minivan's steering system.<div>Without belaboring the story, in April I took the dolly over a steep curb while departing Zion Lutheran in Springfield MO and managed to break the steering column on the van. Imagine my surprise when I backed the van off the dolly at Faith Lutheran in Carthage MO and found the steering wheel loose in my hands! I quickly found that while all repair shops were booked for weeks, a church member had friends at a truck repair place and convinced them to fix it for me. I rented a temporary replacement van to complete my schedule for a week and continued on to Kansas City 10 days later. But, wait, there's more! Last week, while driving the bus and towing the dolly with the van aboard (I call it the "wagon train") toward St Paul Lutheran church in North Mankato MN, I noticed that when I touched the bus brakes, the back of the bus would veer to the left, which if you can visualize this, moves the whole shebang partly into the passing lane which isn't good when you don't intend to do so. After I parked, I eventually discovered something that didn't look right between the drive axle and the tag axle. A device known as a radius rod had come loose and was just hanging there, probably touching the road at times while underway.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/56ff565697cdae828b96a5fc27ca56a717703bc8/original/dolly-part.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></div>One of my mechanic friends in Tennessee suggested that I use heavy-duty zip ties to keep that from happening while I drove 90 minutes up to north Minneapolis to Blaine Brothers Truckaline. This journey was a bit hair-raising (see photo above!) in the traffic there but being as careful as possible, I got the bus to generally behave. Working until midnight, the guys at Blaine were able to put my rear suspension back in order, and then I took the bus to their mechanical repair facility 5 minutes away for an oil change and lube. This only needs to be done every 10,000 miles which is good because the big Detroit diesel takes 9 gallons of oil! Now I'm happily parked at Good Shepherd Lutheran church in Burnsville MN, just south of the twin cities
<div>playing here for worship Thursday night and Sunday morning. This church has a unique sanctuary floor plan. (On my "Photos" page!) I've never seen anything like it in our church body. That's because it was originally built by another Lutheran synod. As I understand it, 20-some years ago, our local WELS church was flourishing and needed more space, while the other church was not doing well, so they swapped buildings!</div>
<div>My friends here at Good Shepherd are treating me very well and I have a lovely place to park the bus, tucked back behind the school. I have a couple of evening events next week in nearby Golden Valley and New Prague and then on to the mighty Crown of Life Lutheran in West St Paul for Saturday, Sunday and Monday worship in 2 locations. After that, I go to Wisconsin for August and September. I'll tell you more about that later!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052332019-05-31T14:45:58-04:002019-10-08T07:38:51-04:00Singing in Shenandoah, Iowa<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/f79439825ff525319efe49f4c58956b49631e407/original/shenandoah-iowa-2019.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />With some little buddies who sang along!</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052342019-03-14T14:35:43-04:002019-10-08T07:38:24-04:00Florida notes<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/026666a1468554a7c1951c9e79ad970fd099e8fd/original/palm.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Greetings from the road! I know my freezing friends in the Midwest don't want to hear about this, but I've just spent 6 weeks in cargo shorts and sandals hanging out in our churches in Florida. I got to play in a couple of Lutheran schools in Seminole and Crown of Life in Fort Myers. It's always a treat to sing to the little lambs and I never fail to be amazed at the work of our wonderful called workers - the caring, hardworking teachers that serve them. I parked the bus on the property of Redeemer at Merritt Island for almost 3 weeks while I commuted to nearby churches. What a treat to spend quality time with my friend Pastor David Rosenbaum who got me involved in things like Tied Together, a program to help young men in high school learn how to tie a tie, shake hands and talk to a potential boss. He also had me sing at a couple of assisted living centers where he teaches and preaches. We watched the Superbowl together and had many laughs. Another high point was when I got to present a benefit concert for Amazing Grace in Panama City and sing for a large group of individuals and Builders For Christ restoring the church so badly damaged by hurricane Michael. It was just great to reconnect with my friends in 24 Florida churches!</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052352019-02-04T16:18:30-05:002019-10-08T07:37:49-04:00Adorable duet<div><div>Adorable duet- Chris & Esme.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/91ef77060d98938f3efb9ad360b1857fbc41453b/original/chris-esme.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052362019-01-08T08:26:35-05:002019-09-25T17:03:58-04:00Goodbye to Michigan, hello to Florida<div><div>Michigan welcomed me (minus most of their usual snow) in November and December. I visited churches as far south as Detroit and St. Joe, and as far north as remote Beaverton. As an Alabama native, I decided it was too cold to stay in my RV for this trip so enjoyed staying at the homes of many wonderful church member friends including Zion Lutheran’s Pastor Slaughter at his parsonage in Monroe, which he calls "The Slaughterhouse!" My portfolio increased to a total of 782 different churches when I sang at our churches in Maineville Ohio, Saline Michigan and Good Shepherd in Benton Harbor. Also, did you know there’s such a thing as the "Great Golden Moose" Michigan hood ornament? (See my "Photos" page for proof.) I'm so grateful to God for allowing me to continue to sing for our churches in the beautiful US of A. Heading to Florida in January!</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052382018-10-29T12:06:26-04:002019-10-29T16:49:00-04:00Great podcasts for you<div>
<div>I appear on two recent editions of the "Gird Up! Podcast," narrated by one of our teachers (Charlie Ungemach) at Siloah Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Here's the link-</div>
<div><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://shows.pippa.io/gird-up-podcast" style="" target="_blank">"Gird Up! Podcast"</a></div>
<div>Check out episode 65, "Fizzy Water with Chris Driesbach" and episode 66, "One Cross, Three Nails: Chris Driesbach's Redemption Story."</div>
<div>"Gird Up!", which describes itself as "Exploring what it means to be a man of God," has many other interesting things to listen to as well.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052402018-09-25T07:12:36-04:002019-10-08T07:45:52-04:00My new CD - "Hymns With Friends"<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/ef035acc9f041ac9fa64cc1d7d6284441fbe8aab/original/hwf.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I'm pretty excited about my new recording project; a brand-new collection of my favorite hymns! I had so many friends help me with it that I decided to call it Hymns With Friends. This was put together at a new (for me) studio - Modern Sound Recording Studio in Milwaukee. The studio owner, Alex Bennett, also produced and engineered the CD. Wonderful to work with and super talented, Alex did most of the guitar work, all of the drums, and was a great help with arrangements. (He also plays in the praise band at "The Bridge" on the St. Paul campus in Muskego, Wisconsin.) My longtime friend and backup singer Wendysue Fluegge added her great vocals to the music, as did Stephen Bautista and Jayne Nitz. Super country picker Gary Shaw came down from Appleton and played on a couple of songs. Wendysue and Jayne also served as singing coaches for me. I think I've put a new spin on just about every hymn, from subtly altered to very unique. This was truly a joyful collaborative effort, and I think you’ll really enjoy listening to it. I'm excited to share Hymns With Friends wherever I go! I should have copies ready to distribute in early October.</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052412018-06-28T11:35:33-04:002019-10-08T07:53:11-04:00Sing Me Home<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/a36943e42922e819cb70ac4de7fd6f67303bdddc/original/a-and-r.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Please visit <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/8738259-sing-me-home">Christine Backus' Blurb site</a> which features her new book "Sing Me Home," written about her son Robert who recently went to heaven by way of brain cancer at the age of 41. She named the book after my song of the same title and it was sung at Robert's graveside, which is a lovely honor for me. Also see Christine's blog, <a href="https://christine3104.com/">"Blogger for Jesus,"</a>where you can read a cute poem by her husband Pastor Emeritus Andy Backus to the meter of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" telling the story of their new life together. (These links are also on my "Links" page.)</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052422018-06-27T08:49:20-04:002019-10-08T07:52:04-04:00Thank you, Jesus!<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/ffbc3d1141bee01865631be026e0f384016deb77/original/radhelmet.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I've been a busy little piano-player for Jesus lately. In May I made it to Seattle to play in several of our churches there and enjoyed staying with my son Chad and his family. The big star of this outfit is my grandson Van who is six and has a radical skate/bike helmet. As you can see... This trip was notable for many joyful experiences, especially playing for our Vietnamese church in Boise Idaho, and once again at our new mission church, The Vine, meeting at a hotel near my old hometown Coeur d'Alene in north Idaho. I played at a couple of new churches for me: Peace in Shenandoah Iowa, Living Hope in Omaha, and St Paul's at Plymouth Nebraska. I've been keeping a running tally and this brings the total notches on my guitar case to 776. God has amazingly blessed my dream of singing in our churches instead of bars and casinos. Last weekend I sang for Pastor Mark Porinsky's "40 years in the ministry Anniversary" at Faith in Dexter Michigan (June 24th this year). I played for a special worship service for him attended by many of his friends and family including his daughter Becca who came from Germany to join the fun. Pastor Mark is a special guy, beloved by his flock. He's never served anywhere else! During the concert that followed the celebratory meal, he sang a couple of his own compositions with me and stole the show! No problem, what a treat for me. June 16th marks 12 years of this wonderful musical journey for me My first concert ever was at Christ the Lord in Houston, June 16th 2006. I was equally excited and terrified as I recall. I'm still excited, but not that scared anymore and extremely grateful to be given the gift of something to do in life which is a dream come true: I get to use my best gift (music) to serve what I love the most! (Jesus) Here's some facts and figures: I've played in 776 different WELS and ELS churches in 41 states over the last 12 years. I've driven about 630,000 miles, worn out 3 cars and am making good progress on car number 4. I've played about 2800 different worship services, evening concerts, ladies retreats, old folks homes, school concerts, Builders For Christ events, VBS and 28 different prison concerts. I am having the time of my life! I love to travel and get back together with friends and meet new brothers and sisters in Jesus. I am a most blessed piano-player. I've recorded 8 different CDs and written many songs.<div>I've been mightily helped in this by my dear friend, Jayne Nitz of Sanford Michigan, my song-writing partner and a grandmother of three. Jayne usually works in the studio with me when I record and has written many songs loved by folks around the country such as "What Were You Thinking?," "Forgive Me," and others. Jayne and I will work together again this August to record my 2nd hymn CD at Alex Bennet's studio in Milwaukee.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052432018-05-10T18:05:31-04:002019-10-08T07:51:26-04:00Return to the Nutcracker Suite<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/389863/0ae6992f1bee3c6d66a317fb8e1389cbd3bd1def/original/nutcracer-suite.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Greetings from the road! I've been enjoying the center of the country in Nebraska for the last week or so and am now roaming rural South Dakota. Highlights include playing for two different Lutheran schools in the same day: St Paul in Norfolk Nebraska on Monday morning at 830am and then Good Shepherd in Sioux Falls SD at 245pm. I love playing for kids. Totally cheers me up every time! Vicar Matthew Proeber who is serving at Apostles in Billings Montana has invited me to bring my guitar and sing for a little church 90 miles north in Melstone called Faith. He said he thought that all 10 members might show up for worship at 5pm on Sunday May 13th. God willing, I'll be in Seattle by May 20th to visit with my grandson Van and his family. I'll also play in churches over the 10 days I'm in the area. I stayed a couple of nights in Norfolk with Pastor, Carol and Andrew Schliewe and enjoyed the "Nutcracker Suite." Andrew has a "small" collection of nutcrackers.</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052452018-03-28T11:30:11-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Two Rivers Fun<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_69d188f2aa48420b8de82413eb042bd6~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Having some singing fun with the elementary students at St. John's in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052462018-03-14T14:12:00-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Nice article<div><div>Here's a nice article about me written in the Temple Daily Telegram of Temple, Texas. Article by Melany Cox. <a href="http://www.tdtnews.com/life/faith/article_c3ce3732-0da8-11e8-b3eb-c371c7545f62.html">Click here</a>.</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052472018-03-01T15:04:49-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Sing Me Home sheet music<div><div>New in sheet music is "Sing Me Home," including vocals, guitar chords, and piano accompaniment. See the "Sheet Music" page for details on how to order.</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052482018-02-14T09:05:06-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Complete concert video!<div>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JpWZMcb8xhk"></iframe><div>This concert at Grace Lutheran in Tucson, Arizona, was streamed live on February 9, 2018. In case you can't catch a concert this winter, here's one in its entirety. Also available on the "Videos" page. </div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052492018-02-05T10:43:19-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00"My Passover Lamb" song for kids<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_0239889ec9364334a2b5bee6a5fb293d~mv2.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Now and then, Chris lets his song-writing partner, Jayne Nitz, hijack his website to promote her own music. If you're a Sunday School teacher, LES teacher or youth choir director, Northwestern Publishing House just published her new kids' song, "My Passover Lamb." Great for Lent! You can find it at the <a href="http://online.nph.net/choral-my-passover-lamb-nitz-dwnld.html">NPH website</a>.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052512017-12-24T14:20:11-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Christmas Greetings<div><div>It's good to be home in Alabama for Christmas! I had many interesting and rewarding experiences singing my new songs from Jesus Wins! (newest CD completed December, 2016) for many of my fellow believers in Minnesota. But just before I drove to Minnesota I had the pleasure of playing for a mission church at the home town of my childhood, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The church is called "The Vine" and is being daughtered by St Matthews of Spokane which is about 45 minutes away. This was the 5th time they met and they are currently renting space in a local hotel. There were about 60 people there and the group included many old friends who came to see me in response to a local newspaper article placed by Pastor Kevin Schultz. I told him that we might have some visitors if the article were printed, but they would all be older folks! Some of the highlights from Minnesota included a wonderful trip to one of our largest churches, St Paul in New Ulm. They have 5 services per week and I was allowed to sing for all of them. I renewed my acquaintance with several close friends and it was very joyful! I had a lot of fun playing for the St Johns Lutheran Elementary kids of Redwood Falls. That school is a special place, greatly supported by other churches in the area, and they are quickly becoming one of the larger schools in our synod. They've outgrown their latest expansion and are currently at an enrollment of 170 children. A neat surprise in such a rural area. God is blessing them greatly with an energized staff and support of the community. I played at my 775th different church at Peace (ELS) in Mankato and had an enjoyable evening singing for friends new and old. I also sang my 26th prison concert in Moose Lake. These are men that mostly will not ever be released. It was a real joy to meet them and fellowship with them afterwards. Jesus died to forgive their sins and God wants every one of them to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven forever. These were special moments of grace for us together. For a short time, I forgot where we were. We were just a bunch of guys talking and singing about our Savior.</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052522017-12-18T13:31:06-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Wrapping up Minnesota<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_97596732ee964b649f21bb31fec0b947~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> Next-to-last December concert at Christ Lutheran in Cambridge, Minnesota.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052532017-12-02T17:24:04-05:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Advent concert...<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_b5da60908a2f477aa43345314268647f~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> ...in this lovely location, Pilgrim Lutheran in Minneapolis. Thank you Jodi Nelson for the photo-</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052542017-11-04T08:51:23-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Safely home<div>
<div>Safely back home in Huntsville with my wife and home church after a lovely trip to Michigan in September and October. Highlights include bumping my total of churches played to 773, as I sang at The Corner Church in Wayland, Salem in Owosso, St Peter in Dorr, Grace in Flint, St Stephen in Adrian, Ascension in Macombe, and St Jacob in Grass Lake. </div>
<div>It was wonderful to meet new friends in Christ and reconnect with folks I've known for quite a while including my wonderful songwriting partner Jayne Nitz, good buddy and great WELS singer Steve Bautista and his family, and Pastor and Mrs Gieschen of St James in Portage. </div>
<div>That gentleman was responsible for putting together "The Lutheran Music Festival" at the Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo Saturday evening November 14th. Wow, what an experience! I was the opening act, then Steve and daughter Marissa Bautista sang, then the MLS choir and finally Pastor Schiebe of Wayland played the grand piano accompanying a hymn sing for the crowd. Steve and I both had fancy dressing rooms with our names on them (see "Photos" page!). Got a little taste of the "big time" and had much fun meeting members of the choir and hanging with Steve and his family (they call me "Uncle Chris.") I enjoyed the experience greatly and it made me appreciate the fact that singing in churches as I do is much simpler and rewarding. If God puts me in concert halls instead someday, so be it, but I'm glad life is less complex with so much wonderful interaction with Christian brothers and sisters at this time in my life. Thanks to all my Michigan friends for a happy time singing about Jesus and what he's done for us!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052552017-09-07T09:55:12-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Now at NPH!<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_13f66a972c6a4736b383428067ed8b24.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>More great news! My latest CD, Jesus Wins!, is available at <a href="http://online.nph.net/catalog/product/view/id/19669/">Northwestern Publishing House</a>.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052562017-08-22T08:23:48-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Just...<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_52806296c3174b32a187b26983d236ab~mv2_d_5312_2988_s_4_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> ...the coolest picture! Parked at St. John's in Woodland, Wisconsin.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052572017-08-04T15:28:45-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00The Land of Cornfields<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_6cc8e1cfb5b84d919be6bb1d6b1bfe04~mv2_d_5312_2988_s_4_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> Hello friends! Greetings from the land of cornfields, two lane roads, little towns, big churches and wonderful people here in Wisconsin. I've been having a great summer here in the Midwest or Lutherland which is how I think of it. I played a concert sponsored by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on a stage under the huge Bridge across the Mississippi on the Wabasha, Minnesota side.</div>
<div> I got an oil change and new alternator belts on my motor home in St Paul, Minnesota. The engine takes over 9 gallons of oil! I enjoyed watching my friend Wendysue Fluegge sing the national anthem before a game at Miller Park in Milwaukee.</div>
<div> As always, I am amazingly blessed to live the life of a traveling Christian musician and to enjoy the dear friends God gives to me. So many undeserved blessings!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052582017-07-18T08:32:39-04:002021-10-13T13:26:17-04:00Great news!<div><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_83c25730c0f24857b8b8948e7da70040~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Jayne Nitz, my song-writing partner, has branched out into hymn arrangements. Northwestern Publishing House just published her Little Offertories for Little Churches. If you’re a church pianist, you might want to take a look!</div>
<div>“Little Offertories for Little Churches has ten short Christian Worship hymn-based offertories designed for use in small churches where offerings are gathered quickly! All have specific directions for making “slightly longer” or “slightly shorter,” are easy to pick up, and have a contemporary feel. Two duets and one trio are included. Hymn tunes are general enough for use on a wide range of Sundays.”</div>
<div>You can get your copy at NPH: <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://online.nph.net/search?keywords=jayne%20nitz%20little%20offertories%20little%20chu" style="" target="_blank">Click here!</a>
</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052592017-06-25T20:37:21-04:002019-09-25T17:03:59-04:00Touring and conferencing<div>
<div>I just returned home to Huntsville Alabama from a 9-week visit to Wisconsin and Minnesota. I enjoyed almost winter-like weather for the first 3 weeks or so, and by the time I left the midwest was solidly into summer. My (new to me) motor home performed like a champ. It is a 1976 over-the-road passenger bus made into an RV and it tows my van around on a tow dolly. I generally park in church parking lots, but also occasionally at a friend's home. It's a real treat to live in my own "home" but I do miss the social aspects of staying with church members as I have for many years.</div>
<div>There were many high points on this trip and it was great to cap it off with the WELS Worship Conference at Carthage University in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I'm so glad I volunteered to sing in one of the worship choirs. One thing I found out is that even though I'm a pretty good singer doing my own music, choral singing is quite a different skill. I was certainly one of the weaker singers. But it was so fun to learn the music and our director Lisa Uttech was an amazingly talented communicator, singer, musician and leader. I also really enjoyed the workshops I attended, especially the new hymnal presentations and Professor Paustian's talk on how to communicate Christ in this secular society. Wow, what a mind and voice he has. I just wanted to spend the rest of the time at the conference listening to him. My thinking about worship changed in some ways and I was also encouraged to continue telling my story and singing my songs. I enjoyed some great quality time with many friends at the conference also.</div>
<div>I'm so grateful to our churches, pastors, teachers, brother and sister believers who welcome and support me in my travels. I am so amazingly blessed by God to be given the grace to do what I get to do!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052602017-05-22T12:11:23-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Wisconsin/Minnesota tour<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_f10e52772e3b49eda1eeaa773593d7c3~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>This is at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin. Good times! More pictures of this concert and others are on the "Photos" page.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052612017-05-08T13:32:47-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Brrr....<div><div>Greetings from chilly Wisconsin! It's been getting down in the low 30s at night here even in early May, but I've been staying warm in my RV. I'm currently parked at my friends' Mark and Betty Pamperin's farm near Allenton. A lovely quiet spot and my 73-year-old friend Mark did some heavy-duty repairs on my tow dolly for me yesterday while I was off running around Milwaukee. (It's not good for it to drive off the ramps without hitting the release handle so they can touch the ground. They get a little bent.) Mark removed them and smacked them with a big hammer till they were back in shape for me. Mark and Betty are with the Builders for Christ and are both much more capable and handy than I'll ever be! My gifts lie elsewhere... Speaking of which, I've sure been enjoying playing for my brothers and sisters at various churches here in Wisconsin in the last 12 days. This weekend I've been at Morning Star in Jackson. What a beautiful church. They are growing wonderfully. The school will get 3 new classrooms and a pre-school later this year in their upcoming building addition. I had the pleasure of playing for the school on a Monday afternoon, what fun. (See the "Photos" page.)</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052622017-03-06T16:00:40-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Roasting<div>
<div>This is me singing at my pastor's surprise roast this afternoon. Fifty people from church were there. I made up a song for the occasion! Pastor Roebke is taking a call to Africa sometime in June. Our new pastor is Duane Schmeichel from the Minneapolis area.</div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_54cf44c7975b4577b86a072dc4d2ee6d~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" />
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052632017-03-01T07:40:08-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Last day in Florida<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_2c369d01f1774258b4165b0ebebb5efe~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Hello from the happy road! I just got back to my home in Huntsville Alabama after a 6-week visit to Florida where I played 29 times at 23 different churches. It's always a high point to play at our Lutheran Elementary schools and I played for 4 of them. The kids love to sing with me. I asked a group at Christ the King Palm Coast School how they thought it made me feel when they sang with me and one little guy said, "It makes you super-happy!" That's right, it really is a joyful thing to experience a bunch of kids singing about Jesus with me. This trip to Florida was extra special because my wife Cindi flew down and joined me for the last week of the trip. I parked our motor home in various church parking lots and we had a grand time. There are a few photos from our trip on the "Photos" page.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052642017-02-08T10:23:09-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00All about newest CD, "Jesus Wins!"<div>
<div>My newest CD, "Jesus Wins!" is available. For now, you can pick it up at any concert (I’m in Florida!) . Hopefully, Northwestern Publishing House will carry copies soon, as they do the rest of my CDs. Keep watching here for news. You can listen to a couple of song samples on the "My CDs" page and can watch videos of two of the songs on my "Videos" page. If you've already gotten your copy at a concert, lyrics are available on the "Lyrics" page. Happy listening!</div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_13f66a972c6a4736b383428067ed8b24.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" />
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052652016-12-14T19:38:02-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00The making of "Jesus Wins!"<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_b678d5258aab49dc9f1d16243edfadea~mv2_d_3696_5688_s_4_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>A blessed Christmas time to you all as we celebrate the beautiful story of God coming to be the best gift of all! I'm winding up a 4-week trip to Wisconsin and none too soon! The cold weather is hitting hard. It's 4 above at 8pm right now! Seriously, I grew up in Montana and lived quite a while in Alaska but I have to say the South has kind of ruined my tolerance for cold weather. Now I really like wearing sandals and cargo shorts. But I also really like playing music for my brothers and sisters. I've had wonderful experiences singing my songs and telling the story of God's undeserved love for sinners. But I came up here for another purpose and have some great news: I've just completed my new CD. It's called Jesus Wins! with 12 brand-new songs. I've made use of the talents of a good crowd of people on this one. I wrote or co-wrote 8 songs and the others were written by Jayne Nitz, Pastor Chad Walta and Steve Bautista. I also recorded an old folk number called "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" - a song I really love because it kind of describes my life. There is a sort of theme going on in this CD. For one thing, lots of stuff about heaven and End Times. And many songs are quite personal, reflecting my own life of unbelief and then saving faith. My first pastor, Jim Oldfield, told me that a Christian goes to bed each night weeping with remorse for how he has grieved God by breaking his law and also weeping with joy and gratitude because of God's perfect love and grace. I'm going to have copies of Jesus Wins! available on my next trip, which will be to Florida in January and February, and I'll be singing many of the new songs too!</div>
<div>(Photo by Emily R. Ebeling, Ebeling Art Studio)</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052662016-12-13T16:58:17-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00New sheet music for you<div><div>Sheet music for "Free at Last," from my CD, Let Christ Be Known, is now available for purchase. See my Sheet Music page for this and LOTS more.</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052672016-11-10T14:43:34-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00A new CD on its way<div><div>In other news, I'm going to be recording my 8th CD, working title "Jesus Wins," in mid-November. It will feature more originals by myself and Jayne Nitz, my Michigan co-writer and musical genius! (She'll have some of her offertories published by NPH next year.) I'm also going to record a song by Pastor Chad Walta on the topic of baptism called "My Son." I love the process of recording, working with the talented people who will help me create some (I hope!) wonderful music. </div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052682016-10-17T17:03:08-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Greetings from the parking lot....<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_255649138e1a4cf38623023cc3ebbe6e~mv2_d_3264_1836_s_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Greetings from the parking lot at Mount Olive WELS in Shakopee, Minnesota! I'm in the parking lot because I purchased another RV. It's a 1976 MCI converted from a tour bus to a motor home, and so far I'm very happy with it (more pictures on my Photos page). I've been happily playing churches in Minnesota and recently played WELS or ELS church #752 on October 14th at Holy Trinity in New Hope, very near Minneapolis. </div>
<div>Thanks to all the nice Christian brothers and sisters who come to listen to my concerts and worship services and keep me going down the road. I'm also grateful to my loving wife, Cindi, who supports my travels and says she misses me when I'm gone! (I think that's important)</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052692016-08-11T14:15:51-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00National Night Out<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_f5e13e6bcdb64c5a8adae52fe545956a~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> This was fun! National Night out concert at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052702016-08-11T14:00:41-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00In Appleton, WI<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_2f3e4f1fd3524c3d9d4528e3b9330fa9~mv2_d_3587_2647_s_4_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>With Alicia Michelle, who sometimes joins me with her voice and violin! There's a link to her music on my "Links" page.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052712016-07-07T13:02:22-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Michigan wrap-up<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_9797c8607ef844559583c6ff3a3de2b0~mv2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Hello, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! I've just returned from a delightful visit to Michigan. I have many happy memories, including a rare visit with Steve Bautista and his family when we were both in Bay City playing for worship at St John (me) and Trinity (Steve). </div>
<div>I love the Builders For Christ and was allowed to sing for them and congregation members at Zion near Mount Pleasant. I was amazed at how much they got built in just the 9 days the project had been underway! </div>
<div>I'd never seen Traverse City and truly enjoyed the scenery and nice folks there at Prince of Peace. While playing for worship at Grace in St Joseph, I stayed with Jon and Sharon Ott who introduced me to the wonders of sunsets on Lake Michigan which is just a few minutes from their lovely home. </div>
<div>There is not enough space or time to mention all of the kindnesses and happy moments of this trip as I got to meet so many of the people in our church body. Thanks to all for your generosity, kindness and love for me. I praise God because of you!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052722016-06-06T08:27:50-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00I'm in Michigan!<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_b64519be7f014071a7a6eba8fc0f3e49~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>I'm in Michigan in June! Check my Calendar page to see if I'm singing at a church near you.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052732016-05-05T12:31:27-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00The low-down on my April tour<div>
<div>I had a real Minnesota adventure in April! It began with snow and wind and when it was over 4 weeks later I drove home to Alabama in my cargo shorts and sandals. Some high points were getting to spend time with former synod president, Pastor Emeritus Karl Gurgel, and wife and playing for St. Matthew's in Winona where he is serving a vacancy. I stayed with Pastor and Ruth Jansen in their lovely home on the side of a mountain overlooking the Mississippi, as deer dropped by in the backyard there in Fountain City, Wisconsin. It was wonderful to spend time with so many "old" friends. Even when I haven't seen folks for years, when we get together it feels as though we just saw each other last week. One way to tell that I've been doing this for ten years now is that it's getting pretty rare for me to play at a church where I haven't already played. This recent trip to Minnesota was all churches where I'd been at least once before! I thank God that I'm being allowed to sing my songs in our WELS and ELS churches because I love my "work!"</div>
<div>There are some pictures of this trip on my "Photos" page.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052742016-05-04T11:01:27-04:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Thanks, St. Matthew!<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_f785e5950e024e32b08108259e3b3254.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div> Cool sign from my most recent tour.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052752016-02-10T15:41:13-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00Greetings from Las Vegas!<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_cd42f0f190a14b078890b0d905698614.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Greetings from the 6th floor of a hotel in Las Vegas where it's 75 and sunny! The palm trees look happy in the foreground. I actually lead worship with my song service titled "How Can Creation Be True?" (no sermon) at Green Valley Lutheran here for the first time ever. Pastor Pieper said it was OK and I'd be fine, even though I was filled with fear and trembling. It went well and no souls were lost. I'm sure enjoying my trip to California and other southern locations. I'll be playing for Ash Wednesday at Cross of Christ in Kingman, Arizona tonight. This is Pastor Paul Mueller's new church, and he's a friend from a few years back when I played at Livermore, California. I'm enjoying trying to tell His Story to my brothers and sisters on this trip. I miss my little family in Alabama and my wife says she misses me, so that's good. They had some snow a couple of nights ago there. God bless you all!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052762016-01-12T17:45:41-05:002019-09-25T17:04:00-04:00New Sheet Music<div><div>Sheet music for "Forgive Me," from the CD, One Cross, Three Nails, is now available! Click on "Sheet music" under the "Music" tab.</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052772015-12-15T15:12:54-05:002019-09-25T17:04:01-04:00Wrapping up Wisconsin<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_9439c870090d47db93b90633b238dcd4.jpeg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>I am just now wrapping up my 18-day trip to Wisconsin. I've mostly played at churches in the Appleton, Green Bay and Manitowoc areas. We have been breaking weather records for high temperatures all last week. I brought every stitch of winter clothing I own on this trip and haven't needed it at all!</div>
<div> I have been asked to present my Advent song service just about everywhere I've played on this trip and it has been very well received. I've come to love it also. The many, many Bible verses about Advent and a wonderful hymn added to it make it a very joyful event. The song service is called "While We Wait, We Hope. It was written by Pastor James Krueger who serves Immanuel Lutheran Church up in Medford, Wisconsin. He is currently writing me a Lenten song service which will be called "Evidence of His Love." I'm excited to be presenting that in Nevada and Arizona in February.</div>
<div> One enjoyable high point of this trip was watching the Packers beat the Cowboys last Sunday with Pastor Brett Nauman and his family.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052782015-11-24T12:00:04-05:002019-09-25T17:04:01-04:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div><div>Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks be to God for his peace and grace to us in Jesus. This is the perfect medicine for all the hurts of humanity. My daughter and husband and my 2 small grandsons are journeying from Durham, NC to be with us in Huntsville, Alabama for the holiday and we are excited! And then I leave Friday morning for Wisconsin for 18 concerts and worship services at 11 churches in 18 days. I am so blessed to be allowed to do what is my greatest desire: to sing my little songs for my brothers and sisters in Christ! I often say that living in the south has ruined me - a Montana boy who is now nervous about cold weather and snow! I won't let that stop me, but I'm bringing an arsenal of warm clothing and will allow extra time for winter driving. I've got snow boots that are good for 20 below, big mittens and various versions of long underwear. May your time with your family and your church be especially blessed and joyous!</div></div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052792015-10-21T13:15:29-04:002019-09-25T17:04:01-04:00Mountain Country<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_e0cf0177528d45d6bde6f3259608f527.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>Hello, from the very green Seattle area! It's kind of a cool rain forest over here, very green and lots of everything growing everywhere. </div>
<div>I played for worship and for the school at Christ the King in Bremerton, which is a ferry ride from Seattle. While I was there I stayed with Montana friends Beth and Mike Correll, at the "bunkhouse" overlooking the bay, an amazing view! </div>
<div>Now I'm staying with my son Chad, his wife Cady, and my almost-4-year-old grandson, Vancouver. I'm playing at local churches at night and playing with my grandson during the day. A happy existence. On Wednesday, October 28th, I'll start back towards Alabama, playing in churches in Ellensburg, Spokane, Billings, Rapid City, Kearney and Cape Girardeau along the way until I get home on November 6th.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052802015-09-26T12:40:36-04:002019-09-25T17:04:01-04:00Late summer in Michigan<div>
<div>Late summer in Michigan was a great joy for me. During this trip I played at 8 churches that were new for me! I played the "Creation Song Service" for a lovely potluck and outdoor service at the Bay City State Park. Members of 4 different churches were there, an organization known as the Bay Area Lutheran Ministeries (BALM!). </div>
<div>I sang about Jesus for two different prisons in Muskegon, thanks to a member who works in corrections there. A house where I was staying got hit by a pickup truck one afternoon! I met many new friends who will be in heaven together, thanks to the grace of God in Christ. I am so blessed to be allowed to travel around and sing about this very good news!</div>
</div>Chris Driesbachtag:chrisdriesbach.com,2005:Post/59052812015-09-23T09:23:57-04:002019-09-25T17:04:01-04:00Caledonia, Michigan<div>
<img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05bb1_9e7b4f5eb02d470a91b18c5e536f8591.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><div>From my recent trip to Michigan, this is a concert at Spirit of Life Lutheran.</div>
</div>Chris Driesbach