Nashville Vacation: PART 1

Monday morning we left for Nashville to visit our family. On our way out of town… we stopped by the McDonald’s on West High in New Philly for breakfast. Now… this is one of my “pet peeves”… but this particular McDonald’s only allows ONE REFILL on your drink. Is that crazy… or what?!?

So... when no one was looking... I... (just kidding)

I’m telling you… only in NewPhilly.

We are staying with my mom and dad… so I am having to blog from the Panera Bread that is right up the street (since my folks don’t have a computer… much less an internet connection). It has been a pretty great trip already. We don’t have a lot of plans… so it has been very relaxing so far.


We have already eaten way too much food... and played a ridiculous number of games of pool.

Here is a great shot of my dad, the "pool shark". He actually beat me 12 games in a row last night! (I can't believe I just admitted that) With my dad... there are actually games that you don't get to shoot. Auuughh!

On Tuesday… I went shopping for a new acoustic guitar. I mean… where else would you go to look for a good deal on a guitar but... Nashville? I must have played about 50 different guitars. I have "test driven" everything from vintage Gibsons to $5000.00 Taylors (OK… so it doesn’t hurt to look… right?). There is a big Sam Ash Music Store just up the street from my folks…. so I spent some time playing a few of their guitars... and they were very nice. But later that night I found a HUGE Guitar Center in Melrose. It was like walking into "Musician's Heaven". I definitely heard the "choir" music as I walked through the doors.

After test driving several guitars that night... I landed on THE GUITAR that I came to Nashville to buy. A GIBSON. I have always wanted a real Gibson acoustic guitar. Nothing sounds like a Gibson.

So... it all came down to a Gibson J-45 Acoustic Electric. It is a sweeeeet guitar! I went back to the store yesterday afternoon to trade my old Alvarez and seal the deal on the J-45. I am telling you… this is one amazing sounding acoustic. I played it all night. (in between the pool games that is). My dad got out his Takamine and we played just about every song that we could think of last night. I can’t wait to get back to NewPointe and lead worship with it. Man, am I excited!

Well… tonight we are hooking up with some old friends for dinner and tomorrow we are driving to West Tennessee to visit my grandmother and eat some of the best catfish in the country. It sounds like all that we are doing on this vacation is eating... playing pool... playing guitars... and then eating again. Well... yep... that's pretty much how it's going. I just love vacations! I will post again this weekend sometime.

Until then...

HAVE Church... or BE The Church

This is the last week for our Go '08 food drive. By the end of second service this morning we had collected just over 1000 boxes of food. Our goal is 1500... so we still have a little work to do. Later in the week we will make the big announcement about how many boxes of food we have collected for our area food pantries. Last year our goal was 1000 boxes and we collected over 1300 boxes of food. This year... our goal is 1500 boxes. WOW! It will be awesome to see what will happen before the end of the week.

Our family went out into our neighborhood to collect food earlier this week... and I must say... it was a little more difficult to find folks home this time around. We still collected 12 boxes of food. It is a lot of fun to do this as a family. It is great for the kids to have the experience of doing something like this to help others.



Here are a couple of shots of our awesome volunteer team sorting and boxing up the food during the services this morning. They were a busy crew! Great job, guys! Thanks for all of your help!
































Then... at the end of the service... we passed out the bright yellow Go' 08 T-shirts to all of the folks who have signed up to go out into the community to serve next Sunday morning. Is that a cool picture... or what?!? That is just one side of the auditorium... and just one of the services!!! WOW! This is going to be EPIC!


That's right... next week we are not going to HAVE church... we are going out into our community to BE the church! Our folks will be spread out all over Tuscarawas, Holmes and Coshocton counties... washing cars... painting houses... mowing lawns... picking up trash from the side of highways... delivering food... giving free hair cuts to underprivileged kids... and changing oil for single moms. There will even be a free health fair at the church. Very cool.. huh!

I love my church!

Josh Wilson Update

Hey... I just found out that Josh is going to be interviewed "LIVE" this coming Monday morning on WJER (Dover). The 10 minute interview will take place some time shortly after 9:30 AM. Bill Morgan (Who Attends NewPointe) will asking Josh a few questions and featuring a couple of his songs. The station is at 1450 on AM and can also be heard on-line at www.wjer.com. So don't miss it! Check out Josh this coming Monday at 9:30 AM on WPER!

Almost Free

Aly has had a pet rabbit for about 4 months now. April and Aly "rescued" the rabbit from a storm drain when it was just a baby. It is a very cute little guy that they named Hunnter. Yes... there are two N's in his name on purpose (as in "Bunny"... or "Bunnelle").

Well... Hunnter has now outgrown 2 cages. So we decided that today was the day to set Hunnter free. To release him back into the wild. To reunite him with his rabbit family.

So I took a few photos:

The "Aly & Hunnter Before the Release" photo

















The "Aly Releasing Hunnter" photo














The "Hunnter Reunited with One of His Many Family Members" photo















The "Hunnter in the Wild" photo














and then (Last... but not least) after a lot of tears and a very difficult goodbye to an old friend... there was one last photo to take...

The "Hunnter Going Back Home with the Bunnelles" photo














OK... OK... so I am such a sucker!

This Week @ NewPointe: Set List

For the last weekend of the "UnTypical" series at NewPointe... these are the songs that you can expect to hear:

"The Chase" (instrumental) - Brandon Bunnelle

"Sing Sing Sing" - Chris Tomlin

"Salvation Is Here" - Hillsong United

"Starting To Live" - Danny Bunnelle (with help from Aaron Mencer, Jeff Conn, Brandon Bunnelle & Dan Liebman - the NPCC summer interns)

You will also experience some pretty incredible baptisms and a powerful testimony video... along with another UnTypical message from our very own Dave D'Angelo. It is going to be an amazing weekend. See you there!

My Favorite Shred

If you are not familiar with "shreds"... they are actual concert videos of some of the greatest guitarists of our time... that have been edited by some yahoo (with a lot of creativity and amazing chops of their own) to replace the original audio track... with their own intentionally bad performance. It is actually hysterical to watch. The guys that create these "shreds" do an amazing job of matching up the guitarist's hands with what you are actually hearing... only what you are hearing is pretty bad. It only goes to show that there is a fine line line between genious and insanity. You really need to check out the "shred" videos on YouTube of greats like Jimi Hendix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and even LINCOLN BREWSTER... that have just been totally butchered by these guys.

So... this is my all-time favorite "shred". It is a performance by a famous Flamenco guitarist by the name of Paco De Lucia. Be sure to watch the guys in the background... especially the "bongo dude". Too funny! Check it out:

One AMAZING Weekend at NewPointe

It all started on on Saturday evening... when Aly and I drove to the Akron-Canton Airport to pick up our guest artist, Josh Wilson. We stopped at a couple of places that Aly wanted to visit on the way up (Target and Toys "R" Us). OK... OK... so Toys "R" Us was for me!

Well... we picked up Josh and stopped by Panera Bread to grab a bite to eat before making our trip back to the B&B where Josh would be staying that night. We must have spent an hour and a half at Panera Bread just "talking shop". What a great guy. We had a blast swapping Nashville stories. Josh has lived in Nashville for the past 6 years... where he attended Belmont University. Now... I went to Trevecca Nazarene University... and Belmont was our big rival college. So... once again... something to talk about.

On the trip back to Walnut Creek... Josh had a lot of questions about the Amish folks. He had never experienced anything quite like it before. I took him on a short drive through an Amish community that was just up the road from the B&B. He was fascinated (to say the least).

Sunday morning... Josh was our guest musician at NewPointe. He opened the services with his amazing guitar/loop arrangement of "Amazing Grace". If you haven't seen it... check it out:



Later in the service he did two of my favorite JW songs... "Three Minute Song" and "The Saints". It was amazing! He really connected with our crowd.

After church... we all headed out to Lee Ann Miller's place for another one of her famous "Sunday afternoon chill wit' the artist / humongo feast" events. While we were there... of course... Dan Liebman had to challenge Josh to a game of Guitar Hero. What was he thinking??? I mean... Josh is like an amazing guitarist!!!

Well... they each won a game... and called it a draw.

So you would think that Josh had already experienced a pretty full day with us... right?

But wait... there's more! He was just getting started.

Josh had like (Maybe) a one hour nap before he headed back to the church for our HUGE tailgate party before his evening concert! I'm talkin' brats, burgers, ribs, wings, and all the fixin's! I have never seen so many games of corn hole in one place. Everyone there had a great time! Including Josh. He was right there in the middle of the crowd... playing games... eating ribs... shaking hands... and taking pictures with our folks. Here are a few shots from the tailgate party: ENJOY!

















































































































After the tailgate party... was Josh's concert. All I can say is...

what a night!

I will have some photos of the actual concert in a separate post... including the panoramic photo of the audience that I took before introducing Josh! So check back.

You know... I have worked with Christian artists for years... but I can honestly say that I have never met a more down to earth... authentic... humble... artist than Josh Wilson. He's the real deal. Thanks, Josh... for sharing your music with us... and thanks for an unforgettable weekend at NewPointe!

This Weekend @ NewPointe: JOSH WILSON

Don't forget... this weekend at NewPointe...

JOSH WILSON in concert!

Josh will be singing 3 songs in our Sunday morning worship services... and then on Sunday night it's a whole concert of his music!

Don't miss it! Josh is an amazing young artist.

Hey... come early to the concert! We are going to have a giant tailgate party in the south parking lot... NewPointe style! Bring your family, your small group, your neighbors (and of course grills, food, cornhole, footballs, frisbees, etc...) it's going to be a blast!

See you there!

It's Still A Great Game

When the MLB All-Star Game pre-game festivities began on Tuesday night... I said to April, "I wonder who will sing The National Anthem this year?". Just to be funny... I added, "It's probably going to be Josh Groban."






Now... anyone who knows me very well at all... knows that I cannot stand Josh Groban. Actually... I cannot even watch Josh Groban sing (Sorry Dan). So you can imagine how relieved I was to see...

Sheryl Crow walk out on to the field to sing The National Anthem. Yes!


Over all... it was a pretty awesome night... with all of the Yankee Stadium hype... and the largest gathering of hall of fame All-Star legends in the history of the game (now THAT was awesome!). Just to see Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Willie Mays and Ryne Sandberg (I know... but he was one of my favorites growing up) together on one field was a highlight of the night for me.

It was all good until...

the 7th inning stretch.


So I'm thinking... they'll stand and sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"... right?

Just when I thought that all was right with the world... who should walk out to sing "God Bless America" but...

JOSH GROBAN!

Noooo way!!!! Are you kidding me? My worst nightmare! Of all of the people that they could have asked to sing "God Bless America"... JOSH GROBAN??? Please!!!

Oh well... enough of Josh... back to the game.

It ended up being an extremely long night (4 hours, 50 minutes - longest game in All-Star history). And yes... I stayed up to watch the whole thing. As you probably know by now... it ended up going 15 innings (tied the 1967 All Star Game for the most innings played)... and both teams practically ran out of players (mainly pitchers). Next in line to pitch would have been like (AL) J.D Drew and (NL) David Wright! Now THAT would have been interesting. If someone didn't score in the bottom of the 15th inning... Terry Francona was threatening to call it a tie (Like Bud Selig would let that happen)! So... I just had to stay up to see how it would all unfold!

Well... even though I am a big National League fan... it was pretty cool to see Michael Young hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th to win it for the AL... once again.

That would look pretty nice on your resume... huh?

Drove in the game winning run for the American League in an All-Star Game... TWICE!!!

Pretty amazing!

I know that the game of baseball has it's flaws (like anything else) but it is still a great game!



It's a lot like the church. The church has it's flaws... it's not perfect. It's never going to be perfect. That's because it involves "people"... and last time I checked... there were no perfect people in the world.

When you think about it... much of the criticism of the church is based on personal preferences anyways... right? These days... people actually "shop" for a church that appeals to them... that does everything exactly the way they like it. You have even heard people say "The church is not meeting my needs"... well maybe it's not supposed to.

I recently read the following statement in RELEVANT MAGAZINE. Check it out:

If Christianity is not solely about a private, individual relationship with Christ, and the church’s mission in the world is not solely to help nurture that private, individual relationship, what does it matter if a certain church isn’t “meeting your needs” or if you’re not feeling “spiritually fed” there? It’s not about you. It’s about the body, the greater community.

It went on to say:

"Will we ever find the perfect church? No, it doesn’t exist. We need to stop looking for it. Instead, we need to choose a church and commit to it. Just like you commit to love your partner, with all their flaws, annoying habits and bad taste in music–you commit to the church, the church body, the body of Christ. When we begin to look past those flaws... we will see God. Only then, will we have the opportunity to experience true community."

UNO

This is what happens when you are the recipient of 5 (count 'em) FIVE Wild Draw Fours in one game! I just had to post this pic that Abby took with her camera phone. Yeah... I pretty much didn't stand a chance.

(I did manage to get back down to eight cards before the game ended... woohoo!)

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set List

For the second week of our UnTypical series... you can expect some pretty powerful music. Here are the songs for this weekend:

"Never Going Back To OK" - The Afters

"Happy Day" - Matt Redman

"Glorious One" - Steve Fee

"Jesus Paid It All" - Kristian Stanfill

"Big Enough" - Ayiesha Woods

Dave D'Angelo will be bringing an UnTypical talk on faith...
You will see a powerful testimony video about UnTypical faith ...
and...
we will be sending a pretty UnTypical ministry team off to Egypt at the end of the service!

WOW! It's going to be amazing! Don't miss it!

NewPointe Softball: Game Six

It was an absolutely incredible night! The sky was clear... the temp was around 75 degrees... there was a slight breeze and...

WE WON!

Final Score: NewPointe (17) - Dennison Foursquare (7)

We are back to a .500 season. Whew! We needed that!

We play one of our 3 make-up games tomorrow evening at 5:00. Come on out to Dover Park and support your NewPointe softball team!

Crazy Day

Yesterday started out to be a very strange day. It all started when I met John at Wall House for our regular Thursday morning creative meeting... and the internet was down. Auughh!!! There weren't a whole lot of things that we could get done without that connection... so we ended up going back to the church to work.

Well... when I got back to my office... this is what I saw as I walked through the door.

Very strange... huh?



As I was taking pictures of this unusual blue creature sitting at my desk... I noticed something very interesting about him...












He obviously knows his way around a midi keyboard.











Well... as the day went on, it became apparent that some sort of "who done it" mystery game was being played around the office... and I was the first victim. I guess the way it works is that everyone in the office gets one guess at who is placing the chubby bunny around the office. Once you make a guess... your OUT (unless you guess correctly... then you win and the game is over). It has caused quite a buzz around the office though. It was not unusual to see small groups of staffers standing in hallways and cubicles discussing the new mystery game. Everyone has a suspect... but no one is willing to risk... the guess. Oh well...

There is actually one NewPointe staffer who has made it pretty clear that he does not want to be visited by the chubby bunny at any point in the near future. Check out the sign on his door. Now... I am not going to mention any names... but you can click here to find out who it is.

I am kinda bummed that I am already "out" on this game (somebody had to be first)... but I'll let you know who guesses the right person.

And you thought that it was "all work and no play" at NewPointe?

Abby's Tonsillectomy Adventure

We spent the better part of the day at the Tuscarawas Ambulatory Surgical Center... where Abby had her tonsils and adenoids removed. She was extremely nervous about having the procedure done. I think she had already heard enough stories about "How painful it is to have your tonsils removed when you are older" to completely freak her out.

Oh well... as you can see here... even though she was scared... she still had her sense of humor in tact. That's my Abby.















When you are waiting for someone to get out of surgery... you do a lot of sitting... and waiting. It is always a good thing to bring along your iPOD... or a magazine... or a good book to read. I just happened to find a fascinating book there in the waiting room. In case you cannot make out the title from this camera phone photo... it is "The Hair Book" by Dr. Seuss (a real "page turner").










One thing is for sure... when you're on the mend... there is absolutely no one better at caring for you than... your mom. And April is the very best in the world at nursing wounded Bunnelles back to health.






We are all home now. Abby is in a lot of pain... but resting peacefully next to her bottle of Vicodin and a big cup of ice. We (on the other hand) are looking forward to enjoying a few short days of peace and quiet around the Bunnelle house. Thanks for your prayers.

This Weekend @ NewPointe: Set List

We kick off a brand new series this weekend at NewPointe called UnTypical. I am so excited about this new series. It is going to be POWERFUL! God is calling us all to live lives that are far from ordinary. The life that He has for us is a life of adventure... a life that is full of risk... a life that is extraordinary. So what are we waiting for... let's start living that way... today! This series is sure to challenge us all to embrace that life. Here are the songs that we are using to kick the series off:

"Typical" - MuteMath (One of my all time favorite bands... and favorite songs. Trust me... you've gotta be here early for this one!)

"Let God Arise" - Chris Tomlin

"Here Is Our King" - David Crowder* Band

"Sweetly Broken" - Jeremy Riddle

"Live For You" - Connersvine


Whatever you do... don't miss the opener. It will be an amazing creative element that sets up the whole series. You will have to get there early though!

Random Stuf

It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks... and it's been a while since I've blogged... so I am going to catch everybody up with a Random Stuf post. Here it goes:

Random Stuf #1: We have gone two weeks now without a softball game! Auuugh! This weather is so crazy. Last week... we arrived at the field... warmed up... were just about to take the field for our 7:30 game... when this unbelievable thunderstorm came crashing through Dover. I'm talking... people screaming and running to their cars... lightning flashes and thunder... strong wind... and a downpour like you wouldn't believe! Then there were no games scheduled this week because of the 4th of July holiday. I am so ready to play ball! Until next week...

Random Stuf #2: Our good friends, Tony and Beka are in town for a visit. Beka will be singing with the team this weekend. Well... we have this standing husbands vs. wives competition thing going on with the Mullets. Every time we get together... we come up with a game that we can play.We can always expect fierce competition... and a whole lot of "smack talk". Well... Tony and I have already just destroyed the girls at miniature golf and bowling. This time... we decided to keep it indoors and play a card game called "hand & foot". If you have never played "hand & foot"... it is a game played with 5 decks of cards. It is a great game... and a lot of fun to play. Well... the ladies won... for the first time! So Tony and I are no longer undefeated. We have already agreed that the next time we're together... it's gonna be "corn hole". Ladies... all I can say is... you're goin' down.

Random Stuf #2: Last Saturday morning I served with the Angel Food Ministries team once again. I try to get in there every month to help out. Angel Food is an amazing service to the community. What most folks don't know is that these volunteers arrive at the church sometime before 4:30 AM to unload all of the food from the trucks. Not only the food for NewPointe'smonthly distribution... but also for 13+ other churches from our area. We are the largest distribution point in the state for Angel Food. Pretty cool... huh? So they unload the trucks using long conveyor belts to distribute the food to the different churches. After the other churches leave with their food... our team begins to set up for NewPointe's morning of distribution. Many of the Angel Food team members are there from 4:30 AM until the last boxes of food go out the door at 12:00 noon. WOW! Next time you see Wilma Mast... or any of the Angel Food team... be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their dedication this ministry.

Random Stuf #4: We went to see Disney/Pixar's WALL-E last Saturday night. I loved it! Of course Pixar could create an animated movie about Al Gore and I would probably like it (OK... so maybe not so much). I have to admit... I was blown away by the CG effects. It is amazing what they are doing with simulated camera effects now. There are times that you completely forget that you are watching an animated film. Anyways... the movie was very well done. I was a little skeptical about how they would make a robot... as lovable as their other characters have been. But they did it! The robots actually carried the movie. There was very little dialogue throughout the film. At times... it was like watching an animated version of "Castaway". The story line was great. They really made you think about what our future could look like... if we keep heading down the path that we are on right now. With kids addicted to video gaming, text messaging and the whole "virtual reality" experience... we could become a society of fat, lazy, ignorant human beings? I mean... when I was a kid... we played outside... with other kids... right? Oh well... back to the movie review: WALL-E gets two thumbs up. You'll just have to go check it out for yourself.

Random Stuf #5: I received my very first Blogging Award from my good friend Tina Lawver. You'll have to check out her post to see what that's all about. Thanks, Tina!








Random Stuf #6: Most of the time... our Weekend Design Team meets at NewPointe in our large conference room for our weekly creative meetings... but every once in a while we just need a change of scenery. Sometimes it is Wall House Coffee in Sugarcreek... but this week... it was the Berlin Inn. WOW! Was it ever nice! Now I have to admit.. I was expecting something a little more like "small town hotel conference room"... but man, was I ever surprised! It was one of the nicest board rooms that I have ever seen. We had a great meeting out there. Some pretty cool ideas come out of these meetings.

I strongly believe that your surroundings can either stimulate or stifle your creativity. Your workspace, studio, office or shop... should be arranged and decorated in a way that inspires you. Plain white walls are never a creative environment to work in. So if you aren't feeling very creative... try moving to a place with color and textures. Sometimes... you just need to go outdoors for inspiration. After all... you will find yourself surrounded by God's unbelievable creativity. You can't top that for stimulation and inspiration.

Random Stuf #7: When you think of the 4th of July... you think of hot dogs, barbecue, red white & blue decorations and fireworks... right? Well... last night we went out to the Conn's place for a cookout and a backyard fireworks show. We had heard a lot about this big annual event, but this was our first year to actually get to experience it. And we had a great time! The kids got to swim and we played tennis and basketball. There was even a competition to see who could hit a baseball (self-pitch) from the Conn's front yard... to the road (300 feet or so) on the fly (Mike Conn came the closest. Of course it had to be a home court advantage thing.) We ate... and ate... and ate. Then at dark... it was time for the fireworks show. Now... when you think of backyard fireworks... you think of sparklers, firecrackers and (if you are living dangerously) maybe a few bottle rockets ... right? Well this was no "mickey mouse" backyard fireworks show. This was the real deal. It was pretty amazing. Check out the photos. A huge thanks to the Conn's for an unforgettable 4th of July!




























Well... that's it for now... more Random Stuf to come!