Here Comes Trouble

Ed performing his "menu" song

Last month during of one of my concerts, I had just set up my next number, nodded to the sound guy to start the DVD, smiled as the music and video began to play, and happily began to sing along when suddenly, about 60 seconds into the song, the computer froze.

Everything stopped.

Oh no!  The spotlight never seems quite so bright and the stage is never so uncomfortable as when something like this happens.  I watched the sound tech frantically scrambling to get things working which meant I suddenly had several awkward minutes to fill.

So, I blamed George Bush.

As always, I was thinking back over my program on my flight back home and couldn’t help but laugh at that awkward moment.  I’ve had plenty over the years.  There was the time in Iowa when the pastor suddenly jumped up from his chair, rushed to the stage and grabbed the microphone away from me.  I was stunned to say the least and only slightly relieved when he quickly apologized and asked everyone to immediately rush to the restrooms to take cover from a tornado that had just touched down outside.

I’ve had stage lights explode, fire alarms blast, electricity go out, and even one experience where the church sound man had gone completely deaf (he had bought the equipment for the church and by-cracky, he was going to run it…no matter what).  Now that was an interesting concert.

Life is sure funny sometimes.  What would you say is more correct, (1) Things usually go as planned and expected, or (2) Things usually don’t go as planned or expected.  I suspect most of us would answer things usually don’t go quite the way we had planned.  Of course, that always causes another big question…“Why me?”

I suspect that is why James 1:2 reads, “…WHEN troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

The following verses in James (after 1:2) explain why we should consider trouble an opportunity for great joy.  The words are deep and powerful and you would be very wise to stop reading this article and pull out your Bible and turn to James right now.

(Are you still here?)  If you are, perhaps seven words by Rev. Steve Brown may be helpful when it comes to the “Why me?” question.  Those seven words?  “So the world can see the difference.”

In other words, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Mat. 5:16) … then the world WILL see the difference.

2009 Thompson Family Christmas Letter

Matt, Jenn, David, Ed & Abby

Warm Christmas greetings from the Thompson Family. Or, as the Spanish Santa’s say here in the malls of Miami, “Jo, Jo, Jo.”

Jenn and I took a moment to reflect on this past year to see if we had anything exciting to report. After a few minutes we realized 2009 was far more eventful than we had initially thought…so we took a nap.

Feeling refreshed, here’s a quick look at our year in review:

Matt (22) graduated from college! That is a wonderful, amazing sentence that wears us out all by itself. Now that a diploma from Florida International University hangs on Matt’s wall, he can always proudly say, “I was the first child to graduate from college in my family…” We are, or course, very proud of Matt. And now, the real world begins for this college graduate…

With that said, the ink was barely dry on his diploma when he was off to Macon, Georgia to begin his “Development Intern” job at First Presbyterian Day School. My brother, Gregg, just so happens to be the Head Master. Gregg was looking for someone with creative abilities to produce promotional videos, webcast school games and special events, speak at chapels, and generate even more excitement, energy, and school spirit for a great high school.

Laura & Matt

That job description had “Matt” written all over it. He is also a football coach once again and has even added “swim coach” to his vast repertoire of things he can do.

But far more exciting than any of these things is… he is getting quite serious with a young lady named Laura, who is as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. Jenn and I are way too young for any of this…we need another nap.

Abby, (19) is a sophomore at Samford University in Birmingham where she is studying the cognitive and corporal effects of college on two hours of sleep per night. She has always been a blur of activity… now she must be seeing everything blurry, too.

She somehow manages to keep up with her studies in between her Facebooking and nimble fingered texting. And while this sounds a bit strange, it does make my day to get a text from Abby that says, “Luv u Daddy.” Abby continues to study Exercise Science. She is still very interested in helping people who need prosthetics, but is developing an interest in working with children who have autism as well.

Abby

She’s in a tough major requiring lots of long hours of study… and I have no doubt, a little extra sleep would help. She loves her Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and has made some great friends. She now has a “big” and a “little” which I’m told means something important. And because she is always awake, she is also the sorority’s intramural chairman planning all their sports teams and events.

Needless to say, this beautiful and energetic girl with a gorgeous smile has a long list of would-be suitors. I have calmly responded by developing a deep and intimidating scowl I’m hoping young men sense and fear from hundreds of miles away.

Abby seems to have developed some sort of immunity to my scowl, however. She knows she can soothe the savage beast with a simple gaze and smile in my direction. It’s not fair. I need a nap.

Most would agree that David (16) had a pretty good year. He started 2009 helping lead his team to their first State Baseball Championship since 1998. David was the only freshman on the team, but led Westminster Christian in home runs, batting average, and other such nice things.

The great season helped David become a First Team All-State Team selection, a First Team All-Miami Dade selection, and to top things off, a MaxPreps All-American (the top 30 baseball freshman in the country). So, yes, I suppose he had a pretty good year.

When the 2009 football season rolled around, David, now a sophomore, had the opportunity to put on the pads and help lead his team back to the playoffs for the first time in six years (Matt’s junior year). As a second year starter, the preseason report by the Miami Herald listed David as one of the top QB’s in Miami. The season concluded with David making the top 10 in several offensive categories for the entire state resulting in him being described as, “the top rated quarterback in Florida for the class of 2012.” Hmmmmm. Matt is quick to remind David, however, that his (Matt’s) 80 yard touchdown pass is still the family record. Even so, you can see some highlights here: David Football Highlights. After attending all his games, Jenn and I need and deserve a long nap.

Dave & Tim Tebow

Meeting Tim Tebow was pretty cool, too. And in case you were wondering, yes, the college letters have begun. Of course, Jenn thinks David being inducted into the National Honor Society was even more impressive than his athletic skills. I know…Jenn is so funny.

Speaking of Jenn, she had a pretty good year, too. She started the new school year at Westminster Christian as the new and very cute Elementary School Principal. Yes, several major changes took place at the Alma Mater of Ed, Matt, and Abby… but none more exciting than Jenn’s new role.

She was promoted from her Assistant Principal job in the Middle School to being in charge of grades PreK – 5th with roughly 60 teachers and over 340 kids to oversee. While most think she is working really hard, the truth is, she’s just reliving her childhood. We especially love to hear the stories of cute little boys and girls who are sent to the Principal’s office for one reason or the other. I tell everyone, “If I worked half as hard as Jenn, I’d actually get somewhere.” Jenn would take a nap if she had the time…

As for Mr. Ed, well, I am working on a very exciting project at LOGOI called our “Virtual Pastor’s Office.” It’s a brand new way to do missions and we have high hopes for how it can help indigenous pastors and leaders, missionaries, churches, as well as partners in ministry right here in the States. You can get a preview at www.logoibeta.org.

It’s also been great to see three of the singles from my “Beautiful Feet” CD make it to the top 20 of Christian Radio & Retail’s Global Charts. Over 500 stations are playing my songs and soon you’ll even be able to include some of my songs on places like “Pandora Radio” on the internet. My single, “Love Me Anyway” climbed all the way to #2 on the inspirational chart and held a top 20 spot for over 25 weeks. A fourth single is scheduled to be released in January. You can check my website for more details: www.edthompsonlive.com. And come on, invite me to perform at your church already.

Finally, I thought you’d enjoy a little picture of our home decorations this year. We’ve thought about doing this for quite some time as our neighbors get into the Christmas spirit with great gusto. They found a few “empty” spots in their yard this year which they’ve been able to fill with blowup Santa’s, snowmen, ferris wheels, and even a manger scene if you can see through all the penguins. So, we put up our Christmas tree, hung a wreath, and wrote, “Ditto” in lights on our roof with an arrow pointing at the neighbors. A steady stream of cars driving by at night seem to be enjoying our Christmas sentiments. We hope you do, too.

Merry Christmas, from our house to yours. May the love and grace of Jesus fill our hearts and lives. “Ditto!”

The Thompsons

BAIRN PWOER

There’s an entire new language these days that is causing some of us “older folks” a great deal of confusion.  For example, I recently received this text message from my daughter; “Hi Daddy, how r u 2 day?  Got your msg. LOL. g2g. ttyl  Luv u”

I’ll happily decipher the hieroglyphics to get a “Luv u” from my daughter anytime, but is it really that much more difficult to use actual words?  I mean, how much longer could it take to type in a few more letters…10 seconds, “Hi Daddy, how are you today?  Got your message. Laughing out loud.  Got to go.  Talk to you later.  Love you.”

But apparently, these “poor spelling” children of ours are simply exercising a part of their brains that most of us didn’t even know existed. Visual Literacy expert, Donis A. Dondis, explains, “There are three levels of visual information that we perceive: physical, perceptual, and conceptual. We learn that physical realities are objectively factual – a maple tree has green leaves, a cat’s fur has a smooth, soft texture, a pen is smaller than a computer. Not everything that we see has a physical reality that is tangible and thus our brain ‘fills in’ the missing information.”

Here’s a fun example:

“i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!”

The Psalm of David says what you may be thinking right now, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (Psalm 139:14 NIV).  Yes, the power of the human brain is astounding.  It’s amazing what God has enabled us to do with the 100 billion or so neurons in our brains…most of which are laying idly by in my brain.

One of the very fun and amazing pieces of “brain power” we’re working on at my LOGOI Ministry office is the ability to let people communicate with each other whether or not they speak the same language.  Using some of the latest programs in language technology, people will be able to log onto our LOGOI website, type a message in English and send it to someone in a foreign language country where it will “arrive” and thus be read in their native language (and visa versa).   While  our amazing brains will need to fill in a few gaps here and there with some rough translations, if it works like it’s supposed to work, neither party will even have to click a “translate” button to make this happen.

But for all this amazing technology, with even more astonishing things on their way, nothing  quite compares with getting a “luv u” from a real live person you desperately love.  No matter how it’s spelled.

Beautiful Feet

Isn’t it amazing to see the length some people will go to try and become more beautiful?  I recently learned about a 54 year-old-lady named Cindy Jackson.  She holds the world record for having had the most plastic surgery procedures—50 and counting.  Ms. Jackson is quite outspoken about the reason she has had all these plastic surgeries: she wants to look like a Barbie doll.  (With all that “plastic,” she’s getting close).  She has even written a book titled, “Living Doll—The amazing secrets of how cosmetic surgeons turned me into the girl of my dreams.”

And while most of us would never go anywhere near that far to try and become more beautiful, I read a report that claimed most people will spend more money on diet plans, gym memberships, and make up, then they will for their retirement savings.  Not wanting to be left out of this amazing “diet plan” industry, I wrote a fun country song about my diet plan which explains my diet plan philosophy, “what I really need are just fatter friends” (“Fatter Friends” is available on iTunes of course).

We’re all familiar with the story of God directing Samuel to anoint David as Israel’s next king over Jesse’s more “kingly” appearing older brothers. 1 Samuel 16:7 reads, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (New Living Translation).

I love the imagery of Romans 10:15 “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News.”  Way back before telephones, Fed Ex, and emails, runners would be sent to deliver the news from the battlefield back to the King.  Imagine that runner appearing over the hills in the distant as he races with the good news, “victory!”  People would rejoice and dance in the streets as the good news spread throughout the city.  I suspect not one person in the entire city cared if the messenger bringing the good news was thin, chubby, had acne, or those elusive abs craved by so many people these days.

So, in our search for true beauty, let’s take a good look at our big ol’ toes and calloused heels.  After all, God gives each one of us the opportunity to have beautiful feet and deliver the ultimate in good news, “the Good News of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Zion reigns” (Isaiah 52:7).

P.S.  Download Ed’s latest single, “Beautiful Feet” on iTunes.  Released two weeks ago, it’s already a top 30 hit on Christian Radio & Retail Weekly’s Inspo charts.

My Mom Still Packs My Lunch

I have a t-shirt that says, “My mom still packs my lunch.”

It was given to me for my last birthday by a staff member here at work because, well, it’s true.  My mom does still pack my lunch.

Yes, I am in my mid 40’s and quite capable of fixing my own lunch (so I’m told), but my mom packs my lunch just about every weekday. Now it helps that she works here in my office, but that’s not really the point.  You see, something magical happens every time mom fixes my lunch – it tastes way better than anything I could ever fix.  So I moan with delight with eat every bite, proudly wear the t-shirt, and ignore all the envious looks from all the other office personnel.

Mom’s are rather amazing creations don’t you think?  Only a loving God would think up something as wonderful as a mom.  From day one, their children consume their thoughts and occupy their time.  They seem to know the right things to say, the right things to do, and always know the exact ingredients to put on a sandwich and how to cut it so it doesn’t lose any flavor.  I’m living proof that even after four decades, when it comes to her children, there is no tiring from giving an overabundance of tender loving care.

Abraham Lincoln wrote, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”  An old Spanish proverb says, “An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.”  Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “When God thought of mother, He must have laughed with satisfaction, and framed it quickly—so rich, so deep, so divine, so full of soul, power, and beauty, was the conception.”

My dad, Dr. Les Thompson, who also happens to be a happy recipient of my mom’s lunch menu, is busy writing a book to help us non-thoelogians better understand the Trinity. The “three-in-one” concept is difficult to grasp but I get the benefit of reading excerpts and discussing them with our resident theologian – often over Mom’s lunch.

I’ve been intrigued about a particular section where he speculates on a conversation Mary and Joseph could have had on their way to Jerusalem.  Mary is “great with child” and they are trying to figure out the strange concept of God the Angel had described;

“…there’s something here about God we’ve never understood before,” Joseph said as he steadied Mary in the saddle. “Gabriel talked about God, then he talked about the Holy Spirit…and then the baby.  Can all three be God?”
“…Mary looked down and felt the baby kick in her stomach.  She just smiled.”

If Joseph was a typical guy, he was probably trying to work through all the angles, details, and improbabilities in an attempt to form some logical conclusion about something miraculous.  Mary just had to feel that baby kick… and she knew.

Mom’s are like that aren’t they? And while Mary obviously had a singular and miraculous experience, mom’s don’t need much discussion on most things.  “They just know.”

My mom never asked if she could pack my lunch.  She just started doing it.  She knew she’d have absolutely no objection from me so why even bother to ask, right?  After all, she already knew exactly what I liked.

I don’t know if your mom still packs your lunch, but I highly recommend it.  Whether you’re six or forty-six.

Thanks mom!  Happy Mother’s Day.

I love you.

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#1 in Northern Ireland

Here’s some fun news:

“Love Me Anyway” is on top of the Christian music charts in Northern Ireland.  Of course, everyone knows the Irish have excellent taste in music

I received a nice note from a station manger which simply said, “We love this song!”

Meanwhile, here in the states, “Love Me Anyway” has officially been on the charts for 9 weeks.  It peaked at #2, holding that spot for 2 weeks, fell to #3 for another two weeks and is presently at #6 on the CRW’s Global Inspo national chart.

What a joy it has been to receive emails from folks who, like me, are blown away with the fact that God knows us inside and out — all our faults, broken promises, and sin — and loves us anyway (see 1 John 4:10).

“Friday” a hit in Northern Ireland

Hey, wow, I just found out that as of March 28th, “Friday” is #31 in Northern Ireland…just two behind Michael W. Smith’s “Deep in Love with You.”

What’s interesting about this chart is that it’s a Top 40 CCM & CHR chart (Contemporary Christian Music & Christian Hit Radio) vs. the Inspo charts where I seem to do the best.  So it means “Friday” is competing with all the “big” names on this chart.  Here’s what it says on their website:

102.4 Shine FM Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) &  Christian Hit Radio (CHR) Charts – Top 40 is designed to provide an overall picture of the Contemporary Christian music scene.  Rankings are based on a comprehensive calculation using information obtained from major Northern Irish, UK, Irish, European  & Worldwide charts and retailers, as well as Christian airplay, album, download, web streaming charts, Christian Music magazines and new releases. For this reason some entries may not have been released in certain countries. The 102.4 Shine FM Chart is fast becoming one of the leading  Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) &  Christian Hit Radio (CHR) UK Charts and is the only CCM/CHR chart broadcast live in Northern Ireland.Last updated Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:04:24 GMT

Radio Charts

“Love Me Anyway” has now officially been on the Christian Radio & Retail Weekly (CRW) charts for 5 weeks and is being played on 180 radio stations across the country.  Last week, it was heard by over 174,000 people (estimated audience impressions).  The single held the #2 spot for two weeks and fell to #3 this past week.  Listen to a sample here: Love Me Anyway

The “Friday” single was released on March 17th and with just a few days worth of charting, ended the week at #49 on the Inspo chart and #58 on the AC chart.  “Friday” has already been picked up by some three dozen stations across the country  including stations in: Guam, Marianas Islands, Northern Ireland, Ontario, Bonaire, and Peru.  Listen to a sample here: Friday

New Single Tops Radio Charts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI, FL – With the help of some of Christian music’s biggest names, ED THOMPSON, Miami based Christian artist and entertainer, has just released his newest CD, “Beautiful Feet.”

The album is receiving accolades from industry insiders who are thrilled with the very real, refreshing, and meaningful lyrics and beautiful melodies.

“These songs are definitely touching people’s hearts,” says Karyn Ragsdale, Music Director for WKCL radio in Charleston, SC.  “When we play Ed’s songs people call the station wanting to know who the artist is and how they can get the music.”

The CD’s first single, “Love Me Anyway,” has already reached number two on the Christian Radio & Retail Weekly’s Inspirational chart.  The second single, “Friday,” is set for release within the next two weeks.

Don Koch, multi-Dove-Award winning songwriter and producer, Phillip Keveren, popular composer and orchestrator, Tom Hemby, renowned guitarist, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra lent their talents to the new album.  The result is a mix of modern pop sounds and moving ballads.

Thompson worked closely with Don Koch while writing the songs for the album.  Koch, who produced the album for Bang Bang Radio Music Productions, has  37 number one CCM  (Contemporary Christian Music) hits to his credit.

“It was quite a thrill to write with Don,” says Thompson.  “He wrote some of my all time favorite inspirational songs and it was an amazing experience to watch him work, and even more amazing to realize he was working on my songs.”

About Ed Thompson: Ed Thompson is a Christian singer, songwriter, and entertainer who performs across the United States, spreading a message of faith and hope through innovative mediums.  He lives in Miami, FL with his family where he is an active contributor to both the local community and Latin America through LOGOI Ministries.  Ed Thompson’s music can be purchased on iTunes and other music download services.

The Small Things

This year, the coach of my son’s high school basketball team asked each of his players to “give up” something during their season.  The “somethings” they were to give up were things like ice cream, video games, junk food, or sodas.  The idea was that whenever you wanted the thing you “gave up,” you would remember your commitment and goals for your team and teammates.

David for three

My son, David, said he offered to give up homework, but the coach rejected that one.  Instead, he gave up sodas.

David is not a huge soda drinker, so perhaps he thought it would be a relatively easy thing to give up.  And so it was…for the first week or two.  But the “pause that refreshes” took on an entirely new desire as the days and weeks passed by.  In fact toward the end of the season David said, “I’m not sure what I want more, to get to the playoffs or have a Coke.”

Without thinking (I blame latent A.D.D.), I was constantly offering David a Coke over the course of the season—especially at restaurants.  Each time he would look at me like a sad puppy and mumble something like, “Thanks a lot, Dad, I’ll just have water.”  Of course, I, as his loving father and in full support of his commitment, would order a soda and boisterously enjoy each gulp.

I’ve thought a lot about this past high school basketball season.  Not so much about basketball, but a lot about the “give-up-soda” thing.  You see, if I’m honest with myself, I suspect I would have cheated and had a Coke—or two.  After all, I bet some of the other kids broke their commitment…

But David didn’t.  To my knowledge, not even one sip.  And while I could go on to list a few items that would be much less flattering regarding my youngest son, I’ll stop here in order to leave the impression he’s a perfect child.

It’s probably no surprise that the Bible has a whole lot to say about the “little things.”  Jesus addressed the concept in his parable about the shrewd manager, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Matt. 16:10 New Living Bible).

My Grandparents were missionary pioneers in Cuba and my dad was born and raised there.  Over 40 years ago, my dad started a ministry called LOGOI.  Part of LOGOI’s ministry, in essence, is continuing the work my grandfather began over 80 years ago.
Last year, LOGOI started a project to help Cuban pastors get a pig – a simple yet practical way to help them survive financially.  I have the joy of being part of this project.

We just received a touching note from a Cuban pastor who had just received his pig.  His words were few but profound, “Thank you for your help,” he wrote, “This pig will sustain my family and will give me an opportunity to buy a little bed for my daughter.”  (He renamed his pig, “Camita” which means, “little bed.”)

Here’s what happened: some gracious folks here in the United States—despite our economic woes—decided they would “be faithful in the little things” with some of their funds.  On the other end is a young pastor in Cuba who truly is living day-to-day by faith (having given up all of his government provided provisions in order to become a pastor).  There is also a beautiful four-year-old girl who really needs a bed of her own.

In God’s amazing grace, and in very unlikely ways, they all come together.

Aren’t you glad God just asks us to be faithful in the little things?  Sort of like that Coke… such a small thing really, but “unless we are faithful in small matters, we won’t be faithful in the big ones.”

I have a vivid memory of waiting for David to come out of the locker room after the final basketball game this season.  The team had fought hard, but lost in a tough playoff game.  I loved watching as the boys slowly trickled out of the locker room into the consoling and loving arms of parents and friends.

I was waiting, too.  With an ice cold Coke in my hand.

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To learn more about LOGOI’s “Pigs for Cuba” ministry, visit www.logoi.org