Nifty Noodles/ Radio Eight
Wednesday 1/29/03
Eagle Rock, CA
Spent the day at Sound Foundations with David Rowe. Finished show number eight for Road To Redemption. "improving my conscious contact with God" Best show to date I think. Opened with CeCe Winan's "anybody wanna pray" Did two of my songs "lonely tonight", & "When I turn to you" Also in the show are Anointed's "gotta love it" Nora Jones' "feelin the same way" Kirk Franklin/ "up above my head" Terry Clark/ "Leaning on the Everlasting arms"

Left for home so pumped by the outcome, I didn't notice the time on the freeway.

We're praying that we can find a way to get the shows on the radio but until then you can find it on line at my website under Radio Rehab.

Thanks for lettin me share... bryand

Nifty Noodles/ Crossroads
Friday 1/25/03
Crossroads Community Church/ Corona, CA
Wrote a new song this week... Almost finished... So I tried out what I had on a new audience... Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads. The song is a praise tune... My best attempt to date I believe..

It's sincere, it repeats a lot, focus is completely on Christ that anyone can relate to I think. The biggest worry was... Can people sing it? The song is called, You, Only You. ( I've come to put my trust in) The melody stays the same but the Chords change.

I'm surprised at how quickly this piece of music came to be... It fell out of my head two days ago. This is not what usually happens in my world. The song went over quite well... Even the bridge without any words sounded great. I've been singing it in my head all day today.

Celebrate recovery groups are springing up all over the place by the way... The one in Corona, Ca. Is a year old and I told 'em I'd help 'em Celebrate.

Met a first timer there, fresh out of prison... A biker and a hit man for a motorcycle gang. He was in jail for shooting up a Denny's here in Corona because some guys looked at him funny. I'm trying to imagine how I was looking at him as he talked about my songs. He's 15 days off drugs and has sweetest Harley Davidson I've ever seen. (not that that matters) but I was surprised he let me sit on the bike. "I'm pretty sure God wants you to give the bike up" I told him... smiling of course. "I could watch it for ya till you got on your feet". Not gonna happen in this life time. The bike thing that is. My hope though is that Recovery is something that will happen for this guy.

If you check my schedule you'll notice at least seven CR groups that I'm playing in the next few months... And I've been approached by three others in the last week.

I'm wondering if I have a career beside this. These gigs are small usually but the connection is right where I wanna be. I have something to contribute here more than I have ever had anywhere.

I'm back to song writing and it's been many months since I've had an intimate relationship with my own music and my piano. Of course praise music has not been my forte but it does have it's challenges. Of course I hope to be writing some other stuff too but I'm doing this alone right now to see what really comes out of me without any outside contributions.

O.K. So there's THAT, bryand

Nifty Noodles/ mid week euphoria
Wednesday 1/15/03
Maranatha Chapel/ San Diego and fantastic summer night in San Diego.
I've embarrassed myself more at this one gig than anywhere in the country in my career...and I still get hugs from folks. They still seem to enjoy the warm up comedy show before the bible study... I had a list of songs to play and I felt prepared. Since I've done this gig 3 times a year for the last five years... It's hard to know what I played last and what they might have heard too many times.

I did the list backwards! the song I had set to play was the last on the list not the first...everything in the garden... From there I decided to play a new tune I just finished this week. It's called..."there's no words for this song"...followed by the other new tune Jesus Loves me anyway, and then Love Takes Time It came off pretty well. In fact the whole set went very well... I appeared to be in a better mood than I brought down with me from home.

I was asked to do a 5th song... "clap your hands", a funky little number.. came off superb... What is wrong with this picture... I left euphoric! Maybe somebody slipped something in my latte.

Thanks for lettin me share... I'm bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ due to increased security
Saturday 1/11/03
Minneapolis, Minnesooh..da
It's colder than a well diggers wallet up here! They over heat the buildings too so it forces you outside to freeze and then return to the heat... You can crack a marble doing that.

Fillin in again for Bob Carlisle who sounded pretty good on the phone yesterday when he called to thank me for the help... (I save his phone messages cause they're that funny) He could do a phone message collection and offer it for sale to people who want to dress up there own recordings.

Played a "grand opening" of a new ministry/ entertainment development called Heart Alive. They converted a movie theater complex... adding big screen T.V.s, Computer bar, snacks, a "Karioke" (how's that spelled anyway?) bar. A concert stage and a reception hall.

I sung through Bob's Butterfly Kisses tune at sound check cause his sound man had the track. I considered doing it at the show but...

It felt like Karioke when I do it... I have no point of reference for the emotion in this song about a father and daughter. I thought about a quick rewrite to accommodate my sons... Sometimes so exasperating, I would probably sing "I'll change MY name today and maybe they won't find me...askin for money all the time and wrecking cars I haven't paid for yet..." you get the idea...

The comedian that went on in front of me this night was funny enough that I asked for his card... Don't remember his name was not a typical name... Lost his card going thru security at the airport next morning.

If you haven't done "security" at the airport in the last month... You don't know the joy you're missing... Just tie yourself to the bumper of a slow moving truck and you'll get the experience.

Now you have to stand with your checked bags until they are personally escorted through screening... That's before you do your carry on screening (which involves a whole new line to stand in) and the personal screening which involves removing your coat and shoes, jewelry and pocket change...(and business cards)

We are just this side of rubber gloves and KY jelly... You wait. I was up at 5: A.M. For this fiasco. And upon reaching the gate found that the flight was cancelled! they put me on another carrier so I got to do the whole "security" process twice this morning...I was ready to confess by the end of all this... That yes, I did have plans to kill everyone!

Amazingly, I was put on a direct flight that got me home before the original flight did... Go figure... Still spent three hours being grilled... I hope they don't find some health hazard that comes with going through the metal detectors... I've probably got 15 minutes left to live. (After this morning I'd be grateful too!)

I always think about the gig I just did when I get on a flight home... "if that was my last gig before I died was it a worthy effort?" In this case the effort, I was pleased with... But I hung out in the lobby for six hours before the gig... Cause the hotel was 30 minutes away... Thank God for the big screens... You can see why it's hard to get some of us off the stage once we're there... You don't know the hassle we go thru to accommodate our little skill for an hour of Showtime.

O.K. Thanks for lettin me share...I'm Bryan d.... I'm in recovery from everything!

Nifty Noodles/ "third street gospel mission"
Wed. 1/8/03
Set Free Ministries... Has a small church and shelter operation in downtown Riverside, Ca. I offered to sing for their weekly church service. The place reminds me of some of the early churches in my childhood. This building could use a little loving care. It's been here longer than the street in front of it. Heck it's almost in the street!

It is open 24/7 and offers street people a chance to crash at night in a safe place. Marty is a pastor I met from Set Free who does services at more than one location. I liked him immediately... Long hair and yes, he has a Harley. But that hardly describes him. He's a patient man with a real heart for God and a desire to help people.

Set Free has a reputation as a "biker" ministry but at the service were mostly poor folks and homeless Trying to get on their feet. I met several men who were celebrating months and years of recovery from drugs and alcohol. Lots of little kids and single moms.

I come here because I like to remember what that look of gratitude to God really looks like! We kind of lose that look as we accumulate more distractions in our life.

I share with these folks from a more broken place in my own heart because I know they will understand. And I am given strength in return as I offer to encourage them. I am never "out-given".

I'm learning that a great way to beat depression is to get out and offer yourself to others! What a great evening this was! I'll be back.

Thanks for letting me share bryan d

Nifty Noodles/What About Bob
1/5/03 Monday Monday
Sunday night Buffalo N.Y.

Friday morning, I was on the 14th par five at Paradise Knolls, my local dog track for golf. I got a call from my manager. He said "one of my artists is passing a kidney stone! "It isn't me is it?" I responded.

Turns out Bob Carlisle was in a world of hurt and needed me to fill a date in Buffalo, N.Y.. I had to fly out "tomorrow". Fortunately I am ready in an instant. So I went from playing golf in shirt sleeves in California to standing on a curb in Buffalo, N.Y. in the snow at ten P.M. Waiting for a bus.

I played the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church. Outside Buffalo. It still looks like Christmas here... At least 8 inches of snow on the ground in the last day. I felt right at home even though folks were expecting Bob (butterfly Kisses) Carlisle.

Enjoyed the church services. Sung two songs at each. Between services I took a shovel outside and dug a path to nowhere across the lawn of the church... It was fun... Like cutting cheesecake!

That night it was a "Christmas Banquet" after the fact seemed to fit the bill for these people... A chance to recover from the holiday activity.

I opened with a poem I wrote called the day after Christmas... It was perfect. My voice was super clean and all the songs I picked sounded great to me. Everyone was all dressed up and of course that usually means they're better behaved than usual.

I got good remarks from folks but I couldn't help feeling like I missed the mark with them somehow. They were observers mostly but maybe not completely Comfortable with my music.

I have no proof really but It went very well for a gig where I was a surprise from the start.

So thanks for the opportunity Bob... Get well soon... The folks here were warm and would loved to have had you but I covered well I think... Long live the king.

So there's that! bryan d

Nifty Noodles/Nifty New years

1/2/03 Thursday.
New Years day was just another day and boring at that!

Starting over seems a depressing task.

I need, God, the courage to change the things I can!

I need to be willing to trust that You will make all things right if I surrender to your will.

I will let go of more things this year than I will reach for, I believe. I have been an emotional wanderer forever. Boundaries have brought boredom I must confess. In hindsight, I have been a malcontent.

But I have not been willing to cross the desert to find the real living water. It's easier to cling to the safety of a trickle of sewer water at the edge of a city than to step away into the unknown.

I've chosen to believe in a reality that I can't see. (maybe because I don't like what I CAN see!). But I know even in this new year that I cannot see the road ahead.

Trust is a rare jewel with powers of redemption. Living here is lost without forgiveness.

I want to know him who stands at the top more than I want to pursue what trickles down from him.

I want to believe that life is more than mice in pursuit of "cheese", searching a maze for crumbs! If that was my only purpose then I wouldn't care to see the end of another year.

My new years resolutions:

I will make no effort alone!

I will pursue community with Christ every morning.

I will look for a new definition of "success"

I will remember that the frontier has no paved roads!

Thanks for lettin me share... Bryan d

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