Highlights from 2010

It's been a great year! Allison and I count it a joy and a privilege to write and share music together. In just six months we've sold around 400 books and CDs! That's with VERY limited touring! Here are some highlights from 2010:

January - after reading a blog post I begin to write "Wide Awake"; consider recording a new collection of songs

February - decide on River City Recording here in Roseville; begin laying down scratch tracks and rhythm tracks for our new project

March, April, May - in the studio tracking guitars, keys, and vocals; mixing and mastering is finished; photo sessions

June - audio master, artwork, and basic design sent off to Discmakers for duplication; Wide Awake is released

July - play a house concert in Birmingham, AL; play at Hilton Head Presbyterian and New Covenant Presbyterian in South Carolina; connected with a marketing agent who really liked our music and encouraged us to share "Wide Awake" with a broader market

August - house concert in Paradise, CA

September - outdoor concert at Jericho Coffee

October - share our music in Cancun, Mexico leading worship for over 300 missionaries in Latin America; connect with a pastor who wants to translate "Right Hand of the Father" into Spanish

November - play at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, CO

December - busy with Advent & Christmas services!

Allison and I love the hymns of William Cowper and have written new melodies for two of his songs on previous projects ("O For a Closer Walk with God" on The Rhythm of Worship; "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" on Ascension). In the Spring we wrote a new melody for Cowper's hymn "Sometimes a Light Surprises." We considered including it on Wide Awake, but for various reasons we decided to save it for our fourth project. Our congregation has embraced it, and it has become a regular part of our repetoire at Valley Springs.

We have also written a new song on the Holy Spirit, and we have several lyric ideas that are in seed form right now. We look forward to another fruitful year of writing and sharing our music. I would also love to write a book on the doctrine and implications of Christ's ascension - an often overlooked and neglected festival in the church year. We'll see! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to seek the Lord's leading in our lives. God is good.

Happy New Year!

Paxson & Allison