Picture site

This is the link to Mr. Jones and Mr. Wingos pictures

http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk161/christchoir/

Chaperone Parody Lyrics

Your myspace is so dear to you
Your facebook tells us what you do
You're the cryberspace generation.

Your gum is smacking all day long,
Your Red Bull keeps you going strong
You're a sugar generation

It's to our dismay
That you've gone astray
Please do what we say
Our hearts cannot stay silent.

And we'll be the parent generation
Trying to live in your strange world OH LORD!!!
Your strange world OH LORD~
We're full of rules and regulations
Shouting about your revelations LORD
Your revelations LORD!

Cell phones take up all your time
Please teach me how to use mine
Your a texting generation

The way you sing to God above
Makes our hearts all swell with love
Your a Christian generation

It's so fun to play
On tour with you each day
That we just have to say
Our hearts cannot stay silent

And we'll be the parent generation
Trying to live in your strange world OH LORD!!!
Your strange world OH LORD~
We're full of rules and regulations
Shouting about your revelations LORD
Your revelations LORD!!!!

Chelsea and Elizabeth 6-6-08

For us, choir tour was a week filled with Red Bull drinking late at night and running late in the morning. We were definately always the last ones on the bus. I guess you could say this was the first time we really got to hang out like this. It was definately worth it. While Alex and Joy were trying to catch some Z's were bouncing off the walls and hyper ventalating from laughter. Even though we had our bad moods we never let our differences get between us. God was evident on this trip. There was nothing that got in the way. Both of us were eager to get home but deep down inside would love to go back to where it's easy to be with God. Posey gave a homeless guy a cheeseburger, definately the good deed for the week. :) Even though he probably would have rather had some money. Through the heat and the sleepiness, we managed to get by, with Christ on our side! Even though Posey thought I was insane! I became convinced that I jsut had to be a whale trainer at Sea World! Where no dream is impossible! Shamu! Shamu! We're both seniors now and can't believer we only have one more tour to go! But we will definately make the best of what we've got! We met new people and made new friends. I had my choir tour romance and she just say there and laughed. We got some great farmers tans and ate some amazing cajun food! Posey had her first real cajun food and I had it for the millionth time! We don't regret this trip one bit. Not singing at the top of our lungs on the bus or anything. God blessed us and that ain't ever gonna stop!
Let the good times roll :)
-Chelsea Brock

Amanda's Great Adventure

So we're coming to an end on choir tour, and I'm finally blogging. :) I'm not really sure what I should say, so here is a bunch of random stuff for you!

Many times it seems that whenever we go on a trip for Christ we have way too many lows as opposed to highs. For example: people getting sick; lost luggage; stinky bus lavatories; buses breaking down; singing in a 100 degrees gym with no air conditioning; concert time confusion; sore muscles from being cooped up on a bus for hours on end; leaving things at hotels; etc... At this point I think it's safe to say that we are pretty much all sick of traveling. However, we have not let the lows distract us from the highs. At St. Timothy on the Northshore UMC East Campus, we had our service day and we got so much work done that the lady in charge was in tears of amazement and appreciation. I was with the sanding crew, so I was in a dust mask around mold, dust, and mildew all morning and afternoon, but it was worth it. Another definite high was singing in concerts and just watching the audience smile and sing along with us at every single place we went. When we went to the Alamo and the Riverwalk Monday night, there were about four or five sightseeing groups walking together, and as we passed this one couple the man said we looked like a bunch of angels dressed in white (we were wearing our white choir polos). Tuesday we went to Sea World all day in 101 degree weather. We rode rides, saw shows, and interacted with the dolphins. :) Kelsey Bartlow and I have decided that we are the broken people on tour... Kelsey's iPod broke I think the first or second day we were traveling, and my camera broke at Sea World and deleted all of my pictures. =( We also bother get randomly hit in the head or where ever by ourselves or other people. Today we went to sing at Poydras Home (a retirement home). Then we got on a ferry to go to our "Mystery Destination." We ended up going to Mardi Gras World, which is where they design and make all of the props and floats for Mardi Gras. They gave us a tour, let us try on Mardi Gras costumes, and gave us King Cake. :) After that we got back on the ferry, got in our sightseeing groups, and walked around Jackson Square; then we sang on the steps in Jackson Square. Now we're about to go Rock'n'Bowl then come back for the talent show!! :)

P.S. Title by Morgan Taylor

God is Good All the Time!

Hello friends, family, and all in between. We are currently departing St. Andrews UMC of Baton Rouge, LA and all I can say at the moment is that OUR GOD IS INCREDIBLE! Tonight has truly given us an amazing opportunity to fellowship and worship with an awesome group of Brothers and Sisters of all ages in Christ. After spending all day on the bus, we arrived at St. Andrews. I was amongst the first off the bus, for I am on the prayer team and we were circling up. Immediately, we were greated by an enthusiastic, extremely welcoming youth group. We were fed with Louisiana's finest cuisine...Jambalaya, green beans, rolls, salad, and an array of deliciously scrumptious desserts. Afterwards with rotund bellies and tight pants we performed for their congregation. It was undeniably our best performance EVER! Not only were we musically on target with our dynamic crecendos, flawless drama, and graceful dancing, but it is safe to say that the Holy Spirit's presence was felt by everyone. We battled sore throats and exhaustion but we sang our hearts out for HIM. I was so touched when I looked out into the audience and saw how many people had been moved to tears. There were quite a number of women dabbing their eyes, as well as a few older men, one teenage boy, and a stunned youth group. Upon reflection, I am reminded of a skit early in our musical. In it Breanna Thackerson and Morgan Taylor talk about worship tools. They name a Bible, a songbook, a prayer journal, a soup ladle, a paintbrush, a passport, and a cell phone and explain how they can all be acts of worship. Then Breanna explains how we can use our bodies as living sacrifices to God. And that's exactly what we did tonight. It was so indescribable. To be used by the Holy Spirit to fellowship, praise, and worship with believers in His presence is what we are put on earth to do. And doing the right thing is the best feeling ever!
God is Good All the Time!
Megan Hurley

It's the Overflow of our Forgiving Soul

WOW GOD IS COMPLETELY AMAZING!

It is so crazy the power of a simple smile. From a random girl sitting in the front row to my best friend Emily, their smiles nearly brought me to tears, except I was about to go on stage for drama. This one girl kept smiling through our whole performance it was such a blessing. It reminded me how important this tour is. Lucky for me I get to go backstage during drama so I see everyone singing specifically, Emily Edwards caught my eye she had the biggest smile on her face, truly meaning every word that came out of her mouth. That about took me over the edge. It brought me back to the 8th grade when I first truly got to know Emily at the Back to School Retreat. She was a fear bounded girl who had just been set free by the Lord. Seeing her today revealed to me how much the two of us have grown in our Christian faith and with each other. If it wasn't for her I would not have some of the courage I do have today. I can't wait to see what God will do with us. Everyone really stepped it up tonight from Rachel Bond and Noah singing their hearts out during their solos to AJ letting God speak through him during his dramas. I can't explain how much this has moved me, but I'm just so thankful for everyone in this choir being filled with God's glory. Thank goodness for God's joy!

With Love,

Rachel Botts

The Prayer Team is my Favorite Part

Four Days down and four to go! We have spent the last 2 ½ days in Texas and now here I am sitting in the lobby waiting for the busses and preparing to leave this state and head back to Louisiana so we can party it up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It’s been an interesting adventure for the C.H.R.I.S.T. Choir in Texas. It started as we made our way to the small (and flat) city of Beaumont, TX. Here we came to a very nice looking church. We sang to a couple of local youth groups and they fed us dinner. The people at the church said that they had never filled up their choir loft until we came. From that church we made our way from Beaumont to the city of Houston. (Another flat city) I must admit, this trip has us spending A LOT of our time in the bus. I truly feel like we have spent more time on the bus than anything else. We are quickly starting to run out of things to talk about and games to save us from boredom. But, I guess as long as we remember we are traveling for the sake of Christ than it is o.k. with me. Anyway, we spent the night in Houston and in the morning we went to a children’s home/ranch called Boys and Girls Country. We came to smuggle out polygamist kids and take them back to their families. Just Kidding. Although, as we entered the ranch we were closely followed by news and cameras because many of the kids from the polygamist raid were staying there and we arrived the same day that many were being taken back to their families. Anyway, our rail job was to do what we do best and sing. This was a very interesting performance for us. We started out like we always do with the prayer team. The twelve of us got off the bus and prayed together. To be honest, this is always my favorite part. All of us pray together for a single cause and we know that God is listening and answering us. It’s always neat to see afterward how God works through our performance after we pray because he ALWAYS does. Most of the time we don’t know if and how our musical is impacting people but with all of us gathered together for the sake of Christ we know that he is there and moving. This performance was especially special because as the kids knew every song we sang it didn’t feel like we were witnessing to them but rather that we were worshiping with them. It was suffocating hot and we were in a non air-conditioned gym that trapped in the heat which made it worse. But was we worshiped together all complaints about the heat went away and we were able to just sing, dance, and connect with the kids. After we sang we had the chance to talk and mingle with the kids there. After we finished we loaded up the bus and took another LONG bus ride to San Antonio (yes, it is flat too). This was a fun city as we saw the Alamo, walked the river walk, and even visited Sea World. It was especially neat since our bus driver lives in San Antonio and he was excited as he told us all about the city and the places around it. Now, as we leave San Antonio I am excited about what is in store for us in Louisiana.

>David<

Alamo and More

Hey this is Brooke Burcham. I am typing to you from the Alamo Café. Yesterday, we as a choir got to go to the Alamo and the River Walk. There really isn’t much to the Alamo. Basically, it is a building that has been there for a really long time that modern day people decide not to destroy because it holds sentimental values to the people of Texas; in reality it was really interesting. We got to walk around and see the history of Texas. I am really happy we went even if it took like 5 minutes to walk though the whole thing; the Alamo is a sacred place for the Texans because it was the place were the Republic of Texas took a stand for their state. Another thing, I don’t think we were ever that quiet since this trip started that is saying something because we really can cause a scene with like 100 people all in white shirts coming off of two charter buses. All in all, I am happy to be able to see some of the history that makes not only Texas but also the United States, and at least I can say I have been there. The next thing we did was walk down the River Walk. That was pretty cool but mostly the River Walk was restaurants that we have been to before like the Hard Rock Café or the Rainforest Café. There were a few authentic Texan restaurant called The Republic of Texas and it was a good burger place. There are some shops but if you ever need to find a restaurant in San Antonio go to the River Walk and you have restaurant galore. The highlight of the evening had to be the boat ride around the River Walk. Think about this, three boats full of people all wearing white polo’s, waving and yelling at every person they see while you are trying to enjoy your dinner with the view. FUN RIGHT? Totally, the people eating were waving back, yelling and even asking us where we are from (so beware the Texans might storm Alabama. I can’t wait to see that. In one corner Texas Cowboys and in the other Alabama Hunters. I am joking) The people at the River Walk were really nice and rarely did I see a person stare at us like we were crazy. The atmosphere around there is totally laid back and people love to yell and wave at 100 people in white polo’s. (BOAT THREE IS THE BEST!!!)
Today, we went to Sea World and guess what? There are a total of 2 roller coasters, 1 rapids ride, and 2 log flumes. Amazing isn’t it. My group went to see two shows, the dolphin show, Viva, and the killer whale show, Shamu. Both were pretty cheesy, but they were amazing to teach these animals to do the jumping and flipping is pretty cool. Well, I have to go get on the bus. So this is Brooke Signing off, (I always wanted to do that). I will end with this. Peace Bye Holla Holla.
I’m Brooke Burcham

Day 4- He Never Lets Go

This morning was pretty much amazing. We sang at Boys and Girls Country and I could not have been more excited. As the children poured into the gym where we were performing, I immediately felt that God gave us the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. Each person went through something that changed them forever and being in Boys and Girls Country is probably not where many of them pictured themselves growing up. I felt the presence of our Father and I wanted to let those kids know that He never lets go and whatever they were going through would eventually come to pass. I have my own personal experiences where I felt I was all alone and no one would understand what I was going through, but I was wrong because I found out that our God is always there and He will never leave our side.
I’ve had the best time on choir tour and I can’t wait for what else lies ahead. I’m going to continue praising God and spreading his word. I’ll blog some more later. :]
-Ashley Burrell

It is all worth it even if there is just one

So. Were sitting here on the bus on our way to spend the night in Houston. Fun. We just sang to like 13 people but I guess its all worth it even if it’s just one. The other day was our service day. Tj martin and I pressure washed a ton yesterday. Like two sides of a building that had tons of mold on them, much of their playground equipment, some railings, part of a deck, their patio furniture, and a few other things. It was worth it when we stood back and looked at our clean stuff that was once mildewed and moldy. It was even better when our supervisors looked at it and just smiled and said ‘thank you.’ We’ve already ministered to so many people it’s unbelievable. This evening at Wesley umc a girl walked by the sanctuary out in the foyer, did a double-take, and sat down to listen. Its just stuff like that that makes us realize why we’re here. Well mrs. mary-lynn’s battery has like 30 seconds left on it so I’ll have to sign off of here. I’ll write later. Tyler nay

On the Road Again.....

So right now I am on a bus in the middle of nowhere…just kidding! Actually we are just leaving Belmont, Texas and we are on our way to Houston. It is day 3 of our 8 day CHRIST Choir tour, and there has already been a lot of traveling and singing involved! It’s safe to say that we have already spent over 16 hours on a bus and have sung three concerts in 24 hours. For the rest of the trip, we’re not spending more than a day at a certain location. From Houston to San Antonio to Baton Rouge to finally reaching New Orleans, it is going to be quite a ride, and I’m excited to see what God has in store of us! He has already brought us safely this far and I know that He will guide us the rest of the way. Of course, God also has a sense of humor, and he usually reveals that side throughout the tour. The “busyness” of this tour has been incomparable to any other tour, but that just provides more opportunity to spread God’s word. On Saturday, we had our Service Day project, which was to help rebuild this church that had been falling apart the past couple of years. In six hours, we landscaped, painted, ripped carpet, scraped up old paint, swept walls (I know it sounds weird, but it was hard work!), washed windows, and moved furniture. We were all sore and (very) sweaty, but the look on the church owners’ faces when they saw all the hard work we accomplished was definitely worth the hard work. Right now it’s dark outside, and I can barely see the road, but I know that God has us in his hand and I can’t wait to see what is coming this week. J I’m now going to hand off the computer to Mrs. Mary Lynn, where she has a countless list of eager choir kids ready to blog! Keep us in your prayers, and see you all in a week! J