On a 6 week Delay

I wrote this after a camp at the end of June. It somehow got lost in the "Documents" folder on my computer. Although it is now dated, the thoughts are still valid. So take a moment and bring yourself back to your life at the end of June...Go ahead...breathe deep...relax...now read on...




We just got back from a week long camp in Cleveland, TN with First Baptist Church Smyrna. Although summer camps sound much more fun when they're at the beach, we were pleasantly surprised with a terrific time in the good ol' outdoors.

As we left the camp to head back to Nashville, I started thinking about the previous week and all of the amazing things that had happened. Although there were over 300 youth at the camp, we were able to connect with so many of them (Brittany Smith, Forrester, Dalton, Matt, Jacob, Jake, Abbie, Caitlin, NIT, Ally, Morgan, Autumn, Liz, D&D crew, and so many more). One of the most remarkably experiences for us was our ability to watch the development of worship throughout the week. It was both exciting and inspiring to see the connection that so many made with worship.

Driving over Mont Eagle Mountain I started to wonder why our worship is turned up to 10 when we are at a camp, but dwindles as we come home. One of the main reasons I believe this happens is because most Christians equivocate worship with singing. We rarely get the opportunity to sing (to our God), so when we show up to camp, we have to get into the rhythm of things before we can turn it up to 10. The truth is that singing is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to worship; it is far more about our actions and our love.

Our worship would be so much more alive if we lived in worship, instead of always generating worship. Sure, we will sometimes have more amazing worship experiences when we are at camps or when we are going through emotional times, but we must learn to worship with our actions, our spirit, our words, our love.

I want my life to be the greatest worship song that I sing, not the newest Tomlin or Passion song.

Sing it out,

Jacob

7:52 AM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Blog and a Photo

Hello Everybody,

I know you've heard of "Dinner and a Movie"…well…The Turning is going to treat you to "Blog and a Photo". This is like one of those great novels that has been condensed and livened up with some great sketches to assist your imagination. We'll get to the photo later, for now, what on earth is going on with The Turning.

The summer camp season is winding down for us and we have experienced some amazing worship, friendship, and sportsmanship (I have some deeper thoughts on the worship that I'll divulge later in another blog). We met some great friends this summer and so many amazing students. We also had our fair share of kickball, volleyball, and other summer games.

As for the photo, well, two months ago we were driving through the night trying to get back home to Nashville after a show. Around sunrise we stopped at a gas station in Arkansas to fill up. Matt emerged from the van looking like a space cadet. We assumed that he had just awoken from a hard sleep and we all continued to use the restroom and grab some breakfast at the adjoining BK lounge. Upon exiting with our breakfast we realized that Matt hadn't made it over to breakfast world and was just trying to make it back to the van. He was bent over in the parking lot and we asked him, "Matt are you okay?" He let us know that he was feeling bad and needed to go back to the bathroom. We told him that we would eat our breakfast in the van and to just take his time.

Upon finishing our breakfast I noticed the sun rising in the east. It was such a beautiful sunrise that I grabbed Ed and Jeremy and told them to get out of the van to pose for a picture. For those of you paying attention…there's your photo. After we got back in the van Matt appeared from the gas station looking a little better, and so we thought all was well. When he got back to the van he surprised us all with a thorough tongue-lashing. "I could have been dead in there, why didn't you check on me?"

As it turns out, Matt had a sinus infection so bad that he had started to pass out on the way to the bathroom. He tripped over a box in the floor, hit his head on something, and somehow stumbled into the men's restroom where he sat down against the wall and passed out for almost ten minutes. After he came back around he realized that he had hit his head on something. When he saw that his arm was covered with diet pepsi, he put two and two together. As he had tripped on the boxes, he put out his arm to catch himself as he was falling. His hand had stopped on the diet pepsi fountain machine as his head smacked the top.

Matt curled up the rest of the way home and thankfully got some antibiotics from the doctor. The knot on his head is gone and all that remains is a photo to remind us of the day we almost lost our guitar player. This story took up a lot of space, so I'll continue the rest of the update soon in another blog.

Love, Love, Love,

Jacob and the gang

9:36 AM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

NEW YORK CITY

It has been two weeks since our return from NYC and we are still talking about our adventures. The night we drove into town, Harvest Christian Fellowship had a bevy of helpers ready to unload our excessive gear. After 18 or so elevator trips, our sound equipment was stowed away in the middle of Manhattan, and we were ready see the big town. Pastor Mike took us on an unbelievable whirlwind tour of the entire city. He took us by Central Park, Times Square, and then over to the original Ray's Pizza where we had some of the best pie on earth. Our travels then continued with a view of Ellis Island, the Brooklyne Bridge, and Ground Zero. We actually drove past the SNL theatre while they were airing. We drove through China Town and then capped the night off with a Cannoli from Farrara's in Little Italy. Pastor Mike dropped us off at our hotel, which was around the corner from "The Late Show", right in the heart of the city.

The next morning we played worship and a mini concert for Harvest CF. We had a great time sharing our hearts with their family, and we were encouraged by Pastor Mike's message. We had increadible Indian food for lunch, and then Pastor Jose and Julie took us to some of the best shopping in town. Our shopping would later take us down to China town where we would buy some watches and purses (it was quite an adventure, just ask us about it).

As luck would have it, our buddies Audio A were going to be playing a concert Sunday night at the Nokia Theatre in the middle of times square. So, Mo (our manager) made a phone call to Will (Audio's Bass player) and we got to go and see a great concert.

Pastor Mike and Harvest CF continued to bless us and they actually payed for us to stay an extra night in the middle of Manhattan. We took full advantage of our extra day and saw even more of the city. We had lunch in China town, walked through part of Central Park, saw the Apple store, and Mo even walked into Trump Tower. Matt and Ed were lucky enough to win tickets to Letterman; they said Robin Williams was pretty entertaining.

Not only was New York the most fun we've had in a city, Harvest CF were some of the nicest people that we have played for. Pastor Mike, Pastor Jose, Julie, and the rest of the church realize how important relationships are, and how important it is to follow God's commandment to Love Others. Southern Hospitality has lost it's luster, it has been trumped by Northern Brotherly Love.

Check out the new pictures on Flickr.com. Either search under flickr members for turningphotos, or just click on the flickr banner on our myspace page. I promise to post a short little video from New York soon. We weren't able to get a ton of video, but I'll find something to put together.

Much love

Jacob, Jeremy, Jeff, and Matt

10:44 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Turning Update

Our travels have taken us through the Midwest and the North. While we are excited to detail our trip to NYC, I will begin with an update on all things Turning. Check back for the scoop on the big apple.

Several weeks ago we were vandalized during the night when someone slashed the two rear tires on our van. This wouldn't have been such an ordeal, but we found out about the tires the morning we were set to leave for a show. Our van has larger tires suitable for heavier weights, so we struck out trying to find a tire store with the correct tires in stock, that could mount them within an hour (or we would be late to the gig). We ended up putting guitars and pedal boards in two of our personal vehicles and we hit the road just in time to make the show. We seriously pulled up to the festival's stage and unloaded our gear just in time to play.

Our new single "Never Again" went out to radio a couple of weeks ago. Be sure to call the stations listed on our page and request the single. You guys rock.

The "Back to You Tour" starts this weekend. We will be in Waukesha, WI visiting one of our favorite states. Although we won't be in a ton of cities with this tour, check out the dates on our page and be sure to come to a show if it's close. The Turning and The Swift promise a great show, and Josh Wilson has our back.

We are trying to keep video content fresh on our page. Make sure you check our videos section for new footage of 4 guys who don't have anything better to do with their time.

Also, we take a lot of pictures when we're on the road, and not all of them are "band photos". So, we wanted to direct you guys to our new Flickr page so that you can share in our travels and adventures. At flickr.com search under "people" for "turningphotos" and you'll find us.

We'll talk more soon

Jacob, Jeremy, Jeff, and Matt

1:08 PM - 6 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Can you even make a dent?
Category: Life

Do you want to make an impact? Do you long for your life to count... to count for something great? Did you expect to be making more of a difference at this point in your life? Sometimes I feel like my hands are tied. I feel like I'm not spiritual enough or not smart enough to make a genuine difference in people's lives. I've been a Christian for so long and sometimes I feel like I still dont have the right answers for a friend in need. I long for a quick, spiritual anecdote that will heal the wounds. But when it comes down to it I can never be prepared enough, smart enough, or even spiritual enough to give the kind of help that lasts. It's these times that I have to realize that it's not what's in my head that makes the difference, it's what's in my heart.

In the church we tend to feel like its our moral obligation to fix people. We arent satisfied until our projects are well on their way to Sunday school superstars.

What is so great is that Jesus doesnt operate like that. I love the story of the prodigal son. When the son decides to return home, the father doesnt greet his kid with a lecture and a new set of guidelines that will help get his life back on track. Im sure this father had all the wisdom in the world; he could have met him with some brilliant, spiritual correction, but thankfully that wasnt his heart. Instead it says, while his son was still a long way off, the father ran to greet him. Did you catch that? The son was STILL a LONG way off and the father ran to meet him. Man, Ive spent most of my life still a long way off and God has always been willing to run and meet me there. This son was an idiot, he blew everything he had, and the father knew that and still met him with open arms and most importantly an open heart.

If you want to make a genuine difference in peoples lives meet them where they are. Meet them with love, meet them with your open heart, even if theyre still a long way off.
You could make no greater difference.

In the words of the great philospher Kid Rock, "get in the pit and try and love someone"

9:16 PM - 5 Comments - 13 Kudos - Add Comment

"Saved" "Me" Friends

It is sometimes difficult to traverse the country as a new artist, playing every sort of venue imaginable. After riding in the van for 4-12 hours, we are often irritated with each other when we arrive at a show. After we get out of the van, and get some air, we have to meet the promoter and check out the venue. Inevitably there are communication errors and maybe on this particular night, the stage wont fit Jeffs drum kit, or the promoter expects one of us to speak after our set (we dont mind sharing our heart, but it is important for us to know these things ahead of time so that we can prepare). Frustrations continue to pile on when the sound system isnt performing well during sound check. Finally we get through the sound check and we head off to the hotel to get cleaned up before the show. When we get to the hotel, we find out that they only have double size beds, no queen. So this means with 5 guys and 2 rooms with 2 beds each, that someone is sleeping on the floor, or two grown men are going to have to squeeze into a double bed (a good nights sleep is important after an 18 hour day). We finally get back to the venue (which is a church this night), and they tell us that they arent expecting many people because their entire youth group is gone that week at a youth camp.

The scenario I just went through is fictitious; luckily all of these things rarely happen together at one show. I know it sounds like we are complaining and that we arent grateful to be playing music for a living, but that isnt the case. The only reason I am going over these scenarios is to thank our fans and friends. You see, when we take the stage, we always perform a good show, but some nights we feel defeated because of all the pre-show situations. Undoubtedly, there is a friend or fan in the audience who lifts our spirits and reminds us why we play music.

Last week we had 2 fans go above and beyond for us, and they made our week. They had seen our video on the Gospel Music Channel (and our MySpace page), and they wrote "Saved" "Me" on their hands (its in the video if you havent seen it). During the second song of our set, they both walked up to the stage with their "Saved" "Me" hands lifted high, and our spirits rose with their hands.

Whether its the person singing the lyrics to our songs, the one who jumps up and down during Out of My Hands, or the fan with the "Saved" "Me" hands; our fans continue to lift our spirits and energies our shows. Thank you all so much, and thanks especially to our "Saved" "Me" friends.



P.S. I would love to see more "Saved" "Me" hands at our shows...watch our video, its easy.

9:00 AM - 12 Comments - 13 Kudos - Add Comment

LIVE From Studio B
Current mood: accomplished

Tonight, August 3rd, will be the broadcast of our performance at Live From Studio B on stations nationwide.

Live from Studio B is in its 7th year of production and is produced by LeSEA Broadcasting from their historic Studio B in South Bend, Indiana. The 1/2 hour music show is a a great showcase for Contemporary Christian music and features an intimate venue for the artists to deliver their music to a real life studio audience.

The show is seen around the world on various outlets including METV (Middle East Television), FETV(Far East Television) and DirecTV ch. 321, The Inspiration Network of Europe and now in Argentina on "Canal Luz". In North America it can also be seen on the LeSEA Broadcasting Network, DirecTV and various syndicated affiliates. You can find LeSEA owned stations in these markets: Indianapolis, Denver, New Orleans, Tulsa, Honolulu, South Bend, Colorado Springs and METV in Cyprus. Check local listings!

Let us know if you see it. We will be posting a link for you to view it online here soon as well.

Thanks!
~The Turning

5:19 AM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Traveling...The Good...Part duex
Current mood: thirsty

Now that weve covered our troubles from being on the road last month, we can now focus in on all the good things.



We played a terrific CD release show in Bowling Green, KY. Whitney and the rest of the staff at Christian Family Radio took great care of us and helped us kick off our debut album.



We also played a CD release show at our hometown church in Chattanooga. God used the people at Eastwood Church and they blessed our socks off. We had a blast playing for our friends and family.



We were privileged to play with Aaron Shust for the Gospel Music Channel night at Riverbend (which is also in Chattanooga). We had a great show in Wilmington, NC, that was nearly topped the next day with an afternoon out on a boatthanks Jonathan.



The show in Greenville, SC was cool, and Bill at The Sound of Light took care of us and he also bought us a killer breakfast (thanks to Bills wife). We met a great band in Whiteville, NCcheck out Room 222keep up the hard work guys.



Our week at Cragmont was great. Casey and JoJo (Brittani) once again came through for us and put us up in a nice little chateau. I know that they wanted a Cragmont blog all for themselves, but they can rest assured knowing that our time at Cragmont was one of the biggest highlights for us during our trip. We had great times playing basketball, so much so that we almost distracted ourselves to the point of losing our undefeated dodgeball record. Kudos to the guys at Cragmont, their second attempt to dethrone us was almost a success. Our feelings were slightly hurt when no one would cheer for us, but O.G. kept our spirits high.



One of the best experiences we have ever encountered occurred in Louisa, VA at New Life Community Church. Michael set the ball rolling and grilled some of the best food weve ever had on the road, and then the folks at New Life took hospitality to a whole new level. Josh and Gab blessed us so much, that we had to fall humbled before our God in thanksgiving.



Just this past weekend we played with Point of Grace and George Huff. The girls in Point of Grace were fun to hang out with, and we got to learn a little about their early days and how they paid their dues. Its just hard to think about industry veterans paying their dues. They talked about the four of them going out on the road in a 15-passenger van, and how they carried subs into churches in high heels. We also met George Huff, and I think I am correct in saying that he is the nicest person on earth; I had to remind myself that I didnt grow up with him, he was just that nice.



We promise to keep these blogs coming more regularly so that we can keep the blogs a little shorter. Sorry for the long entry.

1:38 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Traveling Part 1 (the bad)

Well, weve been out on the road for the better part of the past month, and its about time for you guys to be updated. Some traumatic things have happened, as seen in some of our newer pictures. Check them out.

We stayed at the creepiest motel in America, The Jordan Motel. We were fortunately in side-by-side rooms that were conjoined by an interior doorway...that we left open all night. We all knew that if anyone tried to scare one of us, there would be a serious price to pay. Luckily we made it out alive and unharmed.

Several weeks later we were traveling down the interstate at 3:30 in the morning and a "POW!!...SCREaach...phwooom" waked those of us sleeping. Turns out one of our trailer tires had blown and had thrown off part of its tread (POP). When the tread flew off it ripped off the fender (SCREaach), and the fender went flying in the wind (phwooom). We pulled over and Ed and Jeremy took off up the interstate to try and find our fender, but their efforts were unsuccessful. An hour after changing the flat tire, the 2nd tire on the left side of the trailer went flat. You see, when the fender flew off it made a slice in the other tire, and it went flat over the coarse of the next hour. We were stuck in Cleveland, TN for several hours until a tire store opened at 8 a.m. that could replace our two (2 of them!!) flat tires.

There were plenty of other moments that were rough, but the motel and the tire kicker were the big two. Weve had a ton of blessings in the past month, and well fill you in on them in Part 2 of our Traveling blog.

4:26 PM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Album Reviews

"Learning To Lose", releasing June 6th, is beginning to see online reviews come in. Here are a couple to whet your appetite:

CMCentral.com - 86% (4.5 out of 5)

CCMbuzz.com- 4 Stars

Rawkzilla.com- 4.5 Stars

Alpha Omega News

MusicFaith.com- 4.5 Stars

Christianity Today- 3.5 Stars

Melodic.net - 4 Stars

GrowthTrac.com

ChristRock- 5 Stars

ChristianMusicReview.org- 5 Stars

5:50 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment