Nifty Noodles/ What Alliance?
5/30/03 Phoenix, Az
Picture one of the most conservative of all church organizations...the Christian Missionary Alliance, After four days of intense leadership training on Bringing the message, A serious determination toward Missions work, and then without warning Bryan Duncan takes the stage. Uh Oh... We have a problem.

It was suggested to me on several occasions that "worship" music was the order of the day. I'm not a worship leader for a few good reasons! But out of a servants heart I was willing to learn a few I thought everyone knew. I came on at seven P.M. Without introduction...started with "I love You with My life". People were still dragging in when I began to sing "I love you so much", a sing-a-long that I had practiced to flawless perfection for the last two weeks. But in the distraction of the event I began to forget the words... It was a mess. I taught 'em my own worship song quickly thereafter and departed the stage without attempting "I could sing of your love forever". I was highly irritated at my inability to lead people in worship. To say the least I was intimidated by the conservative look of this crowd of some three thousand.

I came back after the sermon and the "live" chamber music they did for the offering... Surrendering to the fact that this might have been a huge mistake, I decided to just do my thing and take the heat. It wasn't a terrible response though... Even the "blue haired" ladies bought some product.

But almost on cue I was pulled aside by one pastor. Who proceeded to fill me in on how he and his group were feeling about my presentation. "I've never been more offended" he stated tersely. He mentioned my "flippant" sense of humor. And the deep difficulty that he and is friends were under.

"that¹s really sad that God cannot show you my intent" I replied " how does he give you any love for the rest of the world?" I added... My stomach was wrenched by the confrontation... It opened old wounds for me. In one moment all the attacks I've ever suffered at the hands of Christians came screaming back to remind me of how I found that "I don't belong here" frame of mind in the first place. It haunts me still. The emotional pain of that, instantly removes all the kind statements I received from the great majority. How is it that Christians can be so easily offended?

I believe it's their own denial about their own sinfulness. A feeling of "I'm doing God's work all by myself... And boy it's really tough". I did my best here... It is tough doing the right things sometimes... But if you can't laugh at anything, you're holding on a little too tight.

I was happy to get on the plane here...

Thanks for lettin me share.... Bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ Band On The Run

5/16/03 Lake Forrest, CA
I'm grateful for the opportunities I have with Saddleback church to address pastors from around the world. They hold an annual pastors and church leaders conference. I played a full concert at lunch in an outdoor amphitheater with a full band and back up singers. The set list included everything in the garden, blue skies, after this day is gone, whisper heard round the world, Joy is a sing-able thing, maybe I'm amazed, turnin' to you, I also played two unrecorded songs...the band played with me on a little blues shuffle I just finished called "don't help the Devil" (cause the devil's doin pretty good on his own!) typical tongue in cheek sarcasm on my part once again. And I did a little lonely keyboard version of a new song called "I never lied to you" (until I lied to myself). Notice that the songs have this new concept of a tag to the title? Perhaps a new approach to song writing for me. People were asking for "the lying song" back at the table.

I felt confident to just talk to the crowd of ministers as I am now older than most of them now and have found many failures in my own life that they may soon encounter in ministry. I had 'em laughing and waving their sandwiches in the air like they just don't care. I did some "stand up" comedy about growing up in a Pentecostal church environment that loosened up the "workshop" mind set that most of 'em had.

My songs seemed very unconventional in light of what is known as church music. And in fact it sounded very little like CCM as we know it these day..I felt as fresh as a spring pup. Maybe my stuff will come back around again... Like BB King!

Thanks for lettin me share bryan d

P.s. The Road To Redemption is being considered by "Major Tom" Russell, who heads up the Armed Forces Radio Network! Just happens to be headquartered 8 miles from my house! who knew?.. I stumbled across that info when I was checking with the head of "A New Beginning" radio ministry, also within miles of my home, about producing copies of my radio show and the possibility of re producing Joyride as it is being considered for extinction by Diadem records. I'm seeing the good thing about producing my own records now. It seems I could actually do as well or better in a smaller pond so to speak and be more in the loop with people on a regular basis than when I was just being the "rockstar".

Could this be a God Thing or what? I hate to be optimistic (you know me) but I'm gonna take a chance and risk disappointment... Yes I'm gonna feel good about the possibility of good things happening for a change.

Thanks for lettin me share again. U no who...

Nifty Noodles/ Once More With Feeling

5/11/03 Sacramento, CA
Discovery Church

There's very few gigs that have me back every year. Last year I was here on St Patrick's Day... This year it's Mother's Day. I guess I'm good for the holidays.... Something "special" if you know what I mean.

I flew in Saturday night for three sunday morning services... So I went with David (my probation officer) to the movies late night to kill time. Saw "a mighty wind"... A spoof on some "has been" folk artists who reunite one last time to recall their glory days. It was so close to some things I've seen in Christian music that it was funny and depressing at the same time.

It also seemed to spoof the whole "docu-drama" from VH 1 that tells the stories of Music groups and their travails. I left thinking how full of ourselves we' all are in real life... That's what makes this movie so funny.. And sad.

I was up at 6 am to get plugged in and set up. I can't remember a time when I left a gig so exhausted. I only sang 4 songs per service. Two were unrecorded tunes... "No Words" worked for Mother's Day and being thankful to mom. I closed the opening portion with a new worship tune "only You" which, on friday night at CR in Riverside, sounded like a lounge tune. The song is going over pretty well and I'm finding some reasonable happiness in getting the crowd to sing along to something.

The sermon this Sunday was bold in that it was MOM's day and the pastor talked about giving up our resentments against each other. And used the illustration of a woman who made up with her mom after many years of cold war. It was moving to me.

I still left emotionally exhausted. Almost forgot to call my own mom. I gotta be honest...I miss my full concerts at gigs like these. You just never get out of first gear... Maybe we can do a movie about my glory days... When "I" was full of myself!

O.K. ...So there's that... bryand

Nifty Noodles/ Viva Italia

5/5/03 Aviano, Italy
It's an hour north of Venice, up against the foothills of the Alps! The foothills are of course bigger than the California mountains. From the moment I arrived in Italy on Friday morning I felt like I was roaming a model railroad layout... Everything is clean and simple. Litter was absolutely missing... Were the houses painted red or green they would look like the Monopoly pieces we've all played with. The streets are narrow and traffic in Aviano and surrounding countryside, sparse. I stayed at a four star hotel... La Tuzzi... Looks more like a bed and breakfast really and had almost a "monastic" quality about it. Quiet and beautiful.

Don't think I talked to more than ten Italians outside the airport. Most seemed "tolerant" of Americans but offered little else. I was here to encourage the U.S. Air Forces stationed here. Most of whom served as technical support to the 173rd Airborne. Who parachuted in to northern Iraq. There were some military personnel at the Saturday night concert that had just returned from the war in Iraq.

My job was to provide some stress relief. It took alittle time too... I played about an hour and a half to the coalition of Chapel faithful from every denomination brought together by a union of Air Force chaplains.

The audience was mostly military and they're families which included many little kids. They begin to relax by the time I ordered some ice cream to the stage and ate it in the middle of the concert. That's when they knew it wasn't a regular chapel service so to speak.

Sunday I added to a long list of songs by singing at a picnic in a local park. I pretty much covered all the songs I still know the words too. I even did "don't ya wanna rap". And all the new songs I've written in the last six months.

The highlight? Was getting to sit in the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet. The only disappointment was that I had flown in and out of Venice... Without ever really seeing the flooded streets. I was asleep when we landed and sleeping before we took off At 6:30 a.m. On Monday.

There were many Navy men flying back to L.A. On our flight out of Amsterdam. I had the personal opportunity to offer my respect and gratitude to several of those soldiers who were finishing their tour of duty.

I did play "America the Beautiful" on Saturday. I was moved the most I think. But it was a great way to end the week.

God Bless America even in Italy! bryan d

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