Robert's Journal

Back to School... One more year!

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:48:00 GMT

Senior Year has arrived, and it is BIG. My class is finally at the top of the food chain! I am so excited to see how we will impact our high school. There has been so much hype around my particular class; how we are the "best" class or the "most godly" class my school has had in many years. I hope that, as a group, we will take the challenge of proving them right. I hope that we leave ourselves behind and that we would make a difference for God. That God would choose to use us to change the lives of hundreds of kids right in our school hallways. Or that He would choose to use me. I know that I don’t have to be who the world tells me to be, because I’ve been forgiven and set free. My prayer for this year is that I'll be a soldier, prepared for a year of battle. Although I go to a Christian school, not everyone there has a relationship with Christ. So I pray that this year, and my Senior class, will change my high school radically.

Starting back up again brought to light that there are so many things that need to be done this year! But before any of us Seniors got too overwhelmed by it all, my whole class headed down to Hutchinson Island, Florida, to have a two-day class retreat. It's a tradition at my school to do this. During the group sessions, I was asked to lead my class in worship. It was an honor for me, as I don't have too many opportunities like this at my school. To all who received my tweet and prayed, thank you so much for your prayers. The Lord was exalted through our worship! It was a BLAST.

When we arrived, all of us grabbed our swimsuits and crammed into the small, hotel pool. We passed away the afternoon by sporting chicken fights and playing “Ninja” in the pool (I’d definitely consider myself a sensei now. lol). We also played this crazy animal game, which I’m not sure I could explain clearly. That first night, we had our first group session. I had a couple classmates help lead worship with me. One played the bass guitar, one played the Djembe (basically a large bongo), and my principal and I played acoustic guitar. It was a really cool to be able to serve the Lord with my classmates, in front of my peers. By the time our sessions were over, I was beat. I pretty much went straight to bed.

The next morning, we started with worship and a quick session. We had a reflection on missions overseas and in America. Afterwards, it was off to the beach to take our classic and traditional senior group photo. It was so hot! And… we were all in jeans! When I say hot, and I’m from Florida, I’m talking like… 102. Afterwards, while my friends were cooling off in the ocean, I was out golfing with the Headmaster and some friends. I have apparently caught the golf "bug” this summer. Unfortunately, I’m sure Toby Mac could still embarrass me on the course. (He’s like a scratch golfer!) Anyway... that wouldn't be as embarrassing as what happened that afternoon. All of my guy friends that were golfing that afternoon, and the Headmaster, were destroyed by the two girls that were golfing with us. Now, before you fall out of your chair, laughing, you must know that these two girls are GREAT golfers! One of them, Nicole, is already signed to play at Auburn and shot a one under. The other, Emily, hits the ball a mile and a half. Either way, it stunk and I don’t see me playing against them ever again. Whew!

The last night of our retreat, things got emotional. During our worship, kids were singing more passionately than ever before. It was so encouraging for me to see all of my fellow students worshipping my Savior! Then, in the middle of the meeting, we were all given a letter our parents had pre-written for each of us, unbeknownst to us. All of us found a quiet place to open it up and read it.... and there was barely a dry eye in the room. We were all crying. I guess what really got me was all the reminiscing of my schooling years from the words of my mother. I did a poor job of holding back tears. I am so grateful for my parents, not only have they done so much for me, they have shown and been a godly example of how I’m supposed to live. In the letter they wrote me, they continued to encourage me to stand firm for God and in my Identity in Christ. (Thank you. Mom and Dad, I love you so much.)

Well, I’m off to bed. I have to make sure I have enough rest for my American Government class tomorrow. Oh, and how’s school going for you guys? A lot of you are just starting this week, right?

Peace,

Robert

Hanging With Friends

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:01:00 GMT

This week has been a blast. I invited 5 friends up to spend some time with my family and I in Michigan. Whether it was golf early in the morning, basketball before lunch, then swimming or tubing or fishing or soccer after lunch, or a great game of wiffle ball, everything this week was a competition! Especially late night boardgames of RISK. One night, we had a short power outage, so we lit the table with all sorts of candles. It looked so cool! It almost felt like we were all real generals, back in the middle ages, planning a top-secret attack in the middle of the night. It was thrilling and such a fun week to spend with my closest friends... a bunch of great guys who love Christ and are unashamed of the gospel. I'm so grateful to God for giving me such amazing friends!

But sports wasn’t our only objective while the guys were visiting, we also had work to do. For those of you who don’t know, every year after the Homecoming event at my school, my parents and I host an after-party dance at my house. (Don’t worry, this isn’t as completely random as it sounds.) Anyway, last year a couple friends and I made a short video invitation, spoofing one of our favorite commercials, to give to our dates as an invite to the party. It was a lot of fun and our dates got a big laugh out of it. So, this year we decided to continue the tradition, but we took it to a whole new level. We actually made a mini-movie, spoofing the film "Twilight." You know, with werewolves and vampires and the girl in the middle... It was a ton of work, but turned out so funny. Some of my friends were werewolves and were running around in the woods shirtless in cargo shorts... you know, like Jacob does. The rest of us, including me, were the vampires. My mom, our make-shift make-up artist and hair stylist, styled our hair standing up like Edward and gave us real pale, white faces with dark eyes. We all actually looked pretty close to our parts! All of us vampires wore dress shirts, dress pants, and I even wore dress shoes to really add the effect. We have a lot of woods up in that part of the country, and we were out there for almost three hours doing scenes. It was a blast!

The real hero of this story, though, is my incredibly talented, computer savvy, skilled, acting sister, Jacqueline. She wrote the whole script, filmed the entire movie, and edited all of it. She is rather phenomenal when it comes to iMovie and she really put her heart and soul into this project. (She also acted in the role of "Bella" in the production...) She is incredible! Maybe... just maybe... if I can talk my parents and my manager into it, I will post the movie on my site for you guys to see someday... (of course, that might spoil the whole thing for the Homecoming dates of all my friends and me... whoever that may be... lol)

I head back to Florida tomorrow to lead worship at my church, Harvest Bible Chapel of Orlando. We are really growing, and surprisingly even in the summer too! We are all so excited to be a small part of what God is choosing to do in our church. It has been such an honor to be able to be a part of something like this. I'm loving it!

Peace,

Robert

7/5/2010 Summer

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:16:00 GMT

Oh, man, do I love summer! Last week, the whole family was celebrating as my cousin, Katherine, got married. I’m so happy for her and her new husband, Austin. It was a beautiful wedding and a great party. Congratulations, guys!! (Remember that I told you I was really getting into soccer ever since my trip to Germany, right? Well, unfortunately though, the U.S. lost to Ghana earlier that morning...but we quickly got over that and enjoyed the day.) It was an especially eventful weekend for my aunt and uncle. On Saturday night, they had their daughter's wedding, then the next morning my Uncle David (Katherine’s father) was on Fox News, defending our faith. See, he is starting a church plant in the area and recently bought a large cross from an old church that, sadly, was turning into a humanist church and didn't want it anymore, saying it was too "Christian" and offensive. Uncle David was happy to use it at the location they are putting their new church. Well, the fact that the old church was taking down their cross became such uproar in their community that it made the national news. Although he only had about a minute to talk about it on Fox News, he totally nailed it! He talked about how Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life and that He is the only way to the Father... and because of that, the image of the cross is very important to Christians. We were so proud of him. It was really early in the morning and we were all watching in our pajamas, cheering him on bedside! If you're interested in seeing the clip, you can view it at:

www.harvestspringlake.org and click on David Wisen on Fox News

The last weekend was not only the fourth of July, but also my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. What an accomplishment! They had a huge party to celebrate with their whole family and a ton of lifetime friends. It was so cool, both my grandma and my grandpa's college roommates were there! I thought that was impressive. My grandma displayed her wedding dress and had a replica made of her wedding cake. Everyone in the family participated in a little program we did and, for my part, I worked up a little something with my guitar that I could sing from their era... an old Elvis song called, "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and sang it using my best imitation Elvis voice and faces. It was really fun and everyone seemed to love it! I also had an opportunity to sing “You Hold Me Now” at my grandparents’ church the next morning. Their pastor was very generous to let me sing before his congregation. All in all, it was a great weekend.

Let me know what you're up to!

Peace,

Robert

Germany 6/21/2010

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:19:00 GMT

Greetings from America. I am finally home from two weeks of visiting Germany! Germany was so beautiful. One thing I found out is that over 50 million people in the U.S. are of German descent. Did you know that? Well, once I found that out, I was seeing familiar faces everywhere! It seemed like, wherever I went, I saw people who looked exactly like someone I already knew in America. It got to be funny, actually. We all kept saying, "Oh, so-in-so must be German... look! He's right over there!" It was like this little light finally turned on in my brain and I got it! I now know what a German face looks like. My sister even found a poster of a man who was a dead ringer for my Uncle. It sort of freaked all of us out and, of course, we took a picture of it and texted it to him. (It was this creepy magician with a huge hat that had a rat on the top of it) When my uncle got it, he thought that my sister had photoshopped his face into the picture. It wasn't until we got home and swore it was the real deal that he finally believed us! Creepy, right?

Now over in Europe, football is HUGE! (and by football, of course, I mean soccer) I mean, it's way bigger than in America and for all those football fans, the World Cup is like the greatest thing in the whole world. It was so much fun to be in Europe right in the middle of the World Cup. The people over there were crazy! You couldn't help but get caught up in the whole thing. The night of Germany’s first game, we were staying in a very remote little German village and the place had no televisions. So, my dad and I walked about two miles into this little village where all the townspeople were watching the game in a small community center. It was a riot! They were all so totally into it! Some people were beating drums, blowing vuvezelas, and the entire room was chanting and clapping their hands. My Dad and I are pretty enthusiastic sports watchers, don't get me wrong, but we've never seen anything like this before! (So now, if you ask me, I can do some German football chants...) The game was a blowout too! Germany defeated Australia 4-1. So much Fun! I'll never forget that crazy experience.

We learned so much while we were there. The German history is actually a bit confusing, but after a while we pieced it all together pretty well. On our second to the last day there, we had the opportunity to visit the former concentration camp right outside of Munich, named Dachau. What an evil place. It was very difficult to see and try to understand how something like that happened, right in the middle of a sleepy neighborhood full of houses and lawns. Also, the propaganda there was so bad. It really just made me sick. We walked through the crematorium and the gas chambers as well. It was very hard and very sobering. When I left, I really had no clue what to say. I almost had to stay quiet and just think for a while. What a sad part of history. As Christians, we need to be prepared for the end times, because the Scripture teaches that this kind of persecution will happen again, to both Jews and Christians. And the next time it will be world wide. But we must stay strong when that time comes.

We left Germany on my mom’s birthday. She turned 29… again. People are always so amazed to learn that she gave birth to me at age 12 (this year). It’s really kind of the joke amongst the family. She claims she has a rare disease that prevents her from aging past 29. Poor thing. We've worried about her for years. LOL. She is one outstanding woman! Happy Birthday, Mom!

I hope you all are enjoying your summer! Tweet me (@Robert_Pierre) and let me know what you’ve been up to.

Peace,

Robert

West Coast Radio Tour

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:30:00 GMT

Hey everybody, what’s up? Sorry it’s been so long; the end of the school year was super busy. It was good to get back after touring and see all of my friends again. They seemed happy to have me, but I have to admit that it was kinda weird though. Those first couple weeks back I was almost like the new student. But Winter Jam was so totally worth it (Man, I miss those guys!) and I got over it after a while... as the school year came to an end, final exams started again. They were far from being fun, but school is finally over now and Summer is in session. Technically I am a senior. (That in itself is so strange to say. )

The day after school got out, my band from Nashville and I performed at Z88.3’s Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival. It was so much fun. So many people all gathered around in this field to worship God ... and eat all the sweet corn they could. What made it even better was that Sidewalk Prophets were there too! It was so great to hang with Dave again. I hadn’t seen him since he won New Artist of the Year! We were all so excited for him. There was a bit of a glitch in the day though. We had about an hour and a half rain delay. It was a massive thunderstorm. In Orlando, being the lightning capital of the world, you can’t be too careful. Finally, everything was back up again and it was a great night. It was so cool to perform “You Hold Me Now” with a live band! And it was amazing to have a lot of the audience singing along with me. What a blast.

A couple of days after that, my Dad and I boarded a plane headed out West for a radio tour. Now for those who don’t know what that is, basically it is a chance to see a lot of Christian radio stations and meet their directors and staff. Over the course of the last several years, I've met a lot of the Christian radio station people in the South, the East, and even in the Mid West, but I've never been out West. So, since school was out, it seemed like the right time to head out there and get the job done. We hit Las Vegas, Boise, Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento... all in three days! It was crazy. A special thanks to Horizon Air and American Airlines for being so nice to some very weary travelers. We took nine plane trips to make it all happen. It was a blast. Chris Hauser, my radio promoter, is such a funny guy! He came along to make the introductions and I loved hanging with him. (But he has one problem... he drinks way to much Starbucks, LOL. Just kidding, Chris!) He had recently gone skydiving before the trip, and that story was funnier every time he told it. It was really cool to see the West and to meet so many cool Christians in the radio industry. I had an opportunity to tour the K-LOVE Headquarters in Sacramento, California. (The place is HUGE! No lie!) What an amazing ministry they are able to have there. Also, while I was in Sacramento, I had my first ever In-N-Out Burger! (Do you know what that is?) It just hit the spot! It was such a great trip.

I got home late on Friday night and was up early the next morning to take my SAT again... great timing, huh? Well, it needed to be done, and it's done! Since then, I’ve kinda felt like my Summer has begun. I've been having fun playing water basketball with my friends and watching the NBA Finals. What have you guys been up to? Any family vacations? My family is about to head out on vacation to Germany. I’ll be out of contact for a while, so just bear with me and have some patience. More tweets are on the way. Just curious, are any of you following me on Twitter? Well... I’ll talk to you later. God Bless.

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Louisville

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:14:00 GMT

This was it. There was just a feeling in the air of "final day." I don’t really know how to describe it, other than it seemed like everything was saying, “today is the final day.” Also, the almost consistent rain contributed to the gloomy, final day feel. I know some of the artist are ready for a break, but me... I would love to continue! I'm so sad about it all ending...

Today we celebrated a little for JP’s birthday... we hung birthday banners all over the bus, gave her a little present and brought along our favorite cookies (Cookies By Design) for the big day... but since we knew that we would still be touring today, we planned a big party for her in a few weeks. Today she is a whopping fourteen years old! Amazing! I am so excited for her. Fourteen was a great age for me and, Lord willing, it will be for her too. After that, we did a bit of merch set up (okay... here's the only thing I will be happy is over!) and then off to Jam Church. Our Tour Pastor, Bobby, gave the final message. It was so cool to see him standing in front of everyone on the last day... wearing one of my t-shirts. I was floored and totally honored. We really grew close over these twelve weeks. Bobby gave me extra time every day, praying over me before each time I stepped on stage, giving me council and encouraging me. He's such a godly man. I feel privileged to have met and gotten to know him. After the message, there was a mandatory tour meeting where we all were given a “yearbook” of Winter Jam. Everyone stood up and said a little bit about how much they appreciated the tour. The nice thing was how everyone applauded when Eddie said, “we have all grown to love the Pierre family.” That just made my whole family and me feel so special. Then Michael Tait called us out specifically, telling everyone how much he appreciated us. We really became like a family to all these different bands!

The show went by fast. I tried to watch as many of the sets as I could, knowing it was my last chance. By the end of the night, we were all getting final photos, saying our goodbyes and praying with each other. It was very sad to see everyone go. Like I’ve said previously, I'm grateful that I get to see them again soon, but as I walked out to my bus, in the cold rain, I was so happy to had been given this amazing opportunity! I will never forget Winter Jam 2010!

I would like to thank NewReleaseTuesday.com for allowing me to be their official blogger of Winter Jam 2010. It has been so much fun and I am so excited that every day of this tour has been accounted for! Thanks to all of you, who are reading and writing back, for following me along this amazing journey! If you would like to continue checking out what I am up to, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or simply my website where I have new blogs, photos, and video first! (I will leave those addresses at the bottom of my blog.) Well, God bless everyone, and thanks for your support... especially NewReleaseTuesday.com!

And finally, before I go, my last random fact: did you know that mailing an entire building has been illegal in the U.S. since 1916 when a man mailed a 40,000-ton brick house across Utah to avoid high freight rates?

God bless,

Robert

Twitter: @Robert_Pierre

Facebook: Facebook.com/RobertPierreMusic

Winter Jam 2010: Normal

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:11:00 GMT

Today I am in Normal, Illinois. I hear that the majority of people who live here are normal, but we will see. (JK) I guess that Illinois cities can have weird names... like Normal, or how about Oblong. I mean, no offense, but I wouldn’t want to be known as Oblong! So the big joke here in Normal is this: many years ago, the headline for the newspaper read like this, “Normal Women Marries Oblong Man.” I’m serious! Supposedly that actually happened. LOL. Okay, all you normal people... kidding is over. Tonight is going to be so fun because my grandparents, on my dad’s side, finally got to come out and see the show. Here they've been seeing the photos and hearing the stories for three months now, but they've never been out to see one until tonight. They were blown away! They are not really "in the know" when it comes to Christian music, so tonight was really an eye opener. LOL. It was a great opportunity for them to learn all about the Christian Music scene. I believe that they left the show thrilled. Either way, I’m sure they were very proud of me.

Our last day of basketball wasn’t what we had hoped. I had really pictured everyone out, playing full court, five on five, with everyone having a blast. Turns out, only eight of us showed up. But we played many fun and very competitive last games. I even got roughed up a bit, and went down hard. But looking back over the past twelve weeks, what an amazing opportunity I had to meet and get to know the whole tour better by just simply playing basketball. It was really a bridge for me to get to know not only the artists, but so many of the cool crew guys that I may not have had a relationship with otherwise. It is so cool to think about. The basketball has really been a highlight of so many of the tour days... a great break from the work, an amazing opportunity to play on these fantastic college courts, good, friendly competition, and just a whole lot of fun. I'm gonna miss it.

My sister, Madame President, will be fourteen tomorrow. Scary! She has grown up so fast. She is such a sweet and talented girl! I will be excited to watch her live out one more year. Also, my manager and dear friend, Allan Hardin, will be with us tomorrow! What a fun guy. He has been with me since the beginning. The first time I ever took a bus trip, he and his wife went with us. The last night of the trip we stayed up till four in the mourning playing Wii bowling and laughing our heads off. It’s a time I’ll never forget. LOL. Anyway, tomorrow should be a big day, but I’ll let you know how that goes. And oh, before I go, did you know that Tug of War was an Olympic event from 1900 to 1920?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Ypsilanti

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:59:00 GMT

What a great time we have had here at Ypsilanti! Eastern Michigan University has been so good to us. They allowed us to use their amazing basketball court, which was awesome! There are about 11 of us that have been playing basketball together all tour, so as a parting gift, I gave each of them an Orlando Magic jersey, personalized with their name on the back. (They are so cool!) So today, when we played a mini tournament with teams of three each, everyone was wearing their blue Magic jersey! We looked so good... and very official. Thanks, Eastern Michigan University, for your hospitality!

You can tell everyone is starting to wind down. Not that they are getting tired or aren’t performing as hard, they are just starting to get a bit sad it seems. On this tour, we have all become great friends... almost like family. You can just tell that everyone is now realizing that and that it's almost over. I know I definitely am. It is going to be so sad to go back to school and leave behind all these great guys and gals. But fortunately, I know I will see them all soon. In September, almost everyone will be in Orlando for summer festivals and I'm already planning a big reunion party at my house. I'm so lucky they'll all be there. It will be a blast!

Today has been great. Everything went so well! Unfortunately, tomorrow will be our last day for basketball. We are all kinda depressed about that. Well, until tomorrow... and oh, by the way, did you know that a toaster uses almost half the amount of energy that a full size oven does?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Grand Rapids

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:57:00 GMT

It is so much fun to be back in Grand Rapids! Until I was 8 years old, I lived in Michigan, very near the Grand Rapids area. So tonight was great because I had lots of family and friends come to the show! Like I’ve said in past blogs, it is always so nice to have some one that you know in the crowd supporting you... which is why tonight was extra special! In this case, I had my Grandma, my Aunt and Uncle, cousins, friends from my old school, friends from my old church... it was a great crowd and (maybe because I'm from here) I really felt like I was well received tonight by the audience!

Since this is our last weekend out, I was finally able to talk my Grandma into riding the bus with me... at least for one night! She was coming to the Grand Rapids show anyway, to see my Aunt and Uncle, and she just gave in to my asking and asking. It was a riot! She was totally game to try everything and curious to learn how everything works. We had to teach her a lot of bus-living techniques, including how to roll into her bunk. LOL. (We gave her the easiest bunk to learn in... the bottom driver's side...) She seemed like she really enjoyed being with us and getting to experience bus living, even if it was only for one night! We were all concerned for a while that she wouldn’t sleep well, but she slept way longer that I did. It was so much fun to have her aboard with us!

After the show tonight, we stayed up late watching the end of the Xavier and Kansas State game. We were all going crazy when Crawford pulled up from deep to send it into double overtime. My dad and I were jumping up and down, hugging each other. It was crazy! Unfortunately, Xavier lost. It would have been so crazy to have another upset. This March Madness has been full of them!

Well I’m off to bed. I'm so sad that this is the last weekend on tour. I’m not looking forward to going back to school... that's going to be so sad. Let's not talk about that now. Oh, and by the way, did you know that Walt Disney was afraid of mice?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Wichita

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:56:00 GMT

Last night was a long night. Hats off to our amazing bus drivers for pushing through a terrible storm and getting us all here safely. Man, I can’t imagine what driving in some of the storms we’ve had on the road must have been like. I'm sleeping away in my coffin, typically unaware of the intense conditions the drivers are facing. It must be because I live in Florida so I don’t have to deal with things like… snow. Last night, the driving conditions were so bad, that once our bus was free sliding on ice. One of our semi's jackknifed! Praise the Lord no one was hurt! There were cars and trucks in the ditch or turned upside down along the road. It was really bad. Mike's Chair guys looked at the radar and decided not to even make the trip!

But most of us did and began to arrive in Wichita at different times in the late morning. Because of this, we were a little behind schedule and Jam Church , instead of being held at 11:00 am, was postponed till 1:00pm. Jam Church this week was extra special. This week, my dad was asked to preach! My dad is an elder at our church in Orlando and preaches at our church a few times a year when our pastor is away... he's excellent. Today, he preached on what it means to be a "Tupos." Tupos is a Greek word meaning “that which is left after a striking blow.” (like a black eye would be a "tupos" of being punched in the face...) He talked what it meant to leave a godly Tupos, or an imprint, on someone else’s life, and those who had left them on his. He based his message off of 1Timothy 4:12. He talked about how the word “example” is translated from Tupos. He also talked about how, by leaving a Tupos, we are also leaving a legacy. He ended his message by encouraging all of the artists to strive to live a godly life not only on the stage, but more importantly, off of it. It was such a great message to hear.

After Jam Church, Michael Tait finally gave in and told me that today was my day to finally get to jump off the hydraulic lift he uses during his set to do his big stunt. Now he was trying to freak me out, telling me how hard it was and how he was so scared the first time he tried it. The deal was, if I went up, I had to jump... I wasn’t allowed to come back down. So up I went! Man, I didn’t really know how high it was. I give Tait props, he goes up so high, he's almost equal to the beginning of the upper bowl. Then he looks down and jumps into a mass of smoky darkness! When I got up there I was like, “Whoa!” But after I hopped off, it was super easy. Actually, it was a lot of fun. (Michael seemed to be so impressed that I actually jumped without lingering up there for a while.) Thanks Michael, I've been wanting to try that for sooooo long and it was a lot of fun. You're the best!

We had a bit of a problem tonight. Almost four hours before the show started, Mac Powell was still stuck in Houston! (Remember I told you how bad the weather was...) Now a flight from Houston to Wichita is only an Hour and a half long, but the problem was that his flight had been so delayed that there was no way he could make it before his set began. His whole band was here... just no Mac! Everyone was freaking out! I told them I can do a killer Mac impersonation, and was ready and willing to step in, but no one went for that solution. LOL. Somehow, they figured out a way to get him here just a few minutes late. It worked out because we started late to try to give him as much time as possible. Fortunately, he made it in safe and the show went on! Thank the Lord that he allowed Mac safe travel.

Well that ends an eventful day. People in Kansas seemed upset. Must be because Kansas recently lost to Northern Iowa in the March Madness tournament. Trust me, I'm just as upset as they are! My bracket is so messed up. I just wish that somehow I would win our Winter Jam pool. Doubt I will though. Well, I'm headed home and will write again next weekend... the last one! Are you gonna miss me? Oh, and by the way, did you know that Dolphins sleep with one eye open?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Bossier City

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:53:00 GMT

Today started like every normal day. We woke up in Bossier City, ate breakfast, quickly got changed, and went in to set up merch. We had a really good spot today! Right in front of the main entrance, which is every artist's dream position. We were very pleased, but little did we know of the excitement lunch would hold!

Lunch quickly turned from eating into a dance competition between Mike and Eric Kilby, our tour Manager or a.k.a. “The Duke of Jam.” Mike started off with some simple 80’s disco moves but was completely demolished when Eric started throwing down moves like the “Pinball Machine” and the “Lawn Mower.” In the mean time all of us were laughing and clapping our hands, trying to make any beat possible. It was absolutely hysterical! In the end I think Eric would have to be crowned the “Winter Jam Dance King.”

After that, because we are such addicts, we created our own b-ball court inside the arena. Basically, our not-really-but-kinda half court was taped off right inside the loading dock area. Hopefully, some of you saw the picture I tweeted of it. (I think we're absolutely crazy at this point, I can only imagine what you think!) After a couple games, a small crowd started to form and would cheer, or sometimes boo, depending on how the game went. It was mostly cheering though. Throughout the show, our hoop and homemade court was still there. Periodically, through the night, guys were still playing horse or just shooting around while the show was going on. It was funny to see guys shooting around while Third Day was on stage! When I finished my set, there was still a group of guys playing a game. I only wonder what the security and staff must have thought of us.

Today was just an overall great day! Our hosts for the evening allowed us to buy some goods from their local hockey team. Thanks, Bossier City, for not just a great night but a new Bossier City Mudbugs Jersey! Well, I’m off to my bunk. Keep the tour in your prayers tonight as we face a difficult night of travel. Word is the weather is going to be snow and ice between here and Wichita, Kansas. See ya soon and oh, by the way, did you know that Canada is an Indian word meaning “Big Village?”

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Little Rock

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:51:00 GMT

It's another beautiful Winter Jam afternoon here in Arkansas. Today was absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, there wasn’t a basketball court for us to use today, so we just had to make our own. We found a portable hoop inside the arena, dragged it outside, and organized two on two games. It was so much fun. If you had walked into the bus area, you would have thought you had walked into some sort of summer camp! We were playing b-ball, others were throwing footballs and (for the Newsboys and Revive) rugby ball, kids were all over the place on scooters, and many others were just sitting outside watching the activities and enjoying the sunshine. It was fantastic.

I realized how similar I was to Third Day yesterday. See, the Third Day guys almost always travel with their pastor, Nigel. Well, the past two days, my pastor was out on the road with my Dad & I. He met all the WJ gang, experienced bus living & tour food, and saw the Tupelo show. We dropped him off at an airport to fly home early this morning and I realized that, at least for one day, Third Day and I were more similar than ever. My pastor enjoyed everything from set up, tear down, and even the Newsboy gift of freshly prepared lamb chops, hot off the grille. It was so much fun having him on board with us for the day.

I found out something else really cool today. Mike, from Mike’s Chair, is also from the Orlando, Florida, area! It was cool to meet yet another Floridian on tour. He seems like he is a fun loving guy. I am starting to like these Mike’s Chair boys... but it is clear that we all still miss Sidewalk Prophets a lot.

Tonight's show went fantastic! The place was packed and I made it through my set without giving myself a fat lip with the mic stand! It is so cool to know that the Word of God is proclaimed every night to so many people. Well I’m off to bed. Oh, and by the way, did you know that to burn off one plain M&M candy, you have to walk the entire length of a football field?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Tupelo

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:48:00 GMT

Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! No, I’m not Irish, I'm Dutch and Belgian... but green is my favorite color! It was a beautiful day in Tupelo. So beautiful, that we actually played b-ball outside, in a park! Oh, it was fantastic. Unfortunately, I wasn’t talking about the b-ball… I'm referring to the weather. Today we were a bit sloppy. It all started going downhill when my dad stopped playing. (That must be the reason, he's a good luck charm even though he's not Irish either.) Anyway, it is still always so fun to play and mess around with my fellow tour mates; we have all become close. And, it's super nice to get outside. You know, when you're a vocalist and you're touring, you have to be really careful to stay healthy. So, we are all constantly thinking about what we can't do... and typically playing outside isn't an option because of the cold, wet, sleet, snow, ice, etc. that we have to live in traveling around the mid-west and the east in January, February and March. But today there were no worries. Oh, it was nice to be outside today!

Now, I have to admit that it’s not quite the same without Sidewalk. They were just fun guys to be around. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I met the Mike’s Chair guys and they’re nice, but it’s just different. I just don't know them yet and so they don't seem quite like family. I watched their set tonight. They do a pretty good job. They’ll work just fine. I'll probably be missing them too in two weeks!

My first set tonight was pretty interesting. At the end of verse one of my second song, I was whipping the mic stand around and it accidentally hit the confetti blower (for Newsboys) and it hit me right in the mouth! I was kind of stunned and it hurt for a bit but... as you know, my motto is now "the show must go on!" and healed fast, thankfully! Then, this was really cool, on the drum part I broke a drumstick completely in half! I have to admit that felt like a muscle man then! No, actually I felt more like Duncan Phillips of the Newsboys! He breaks three or four sticks every night! Its hilarious!

Thank you, Tupelo, for such a great night and all of your support. Everyone kept saying to me backstage, “I’m telling ya, you should move to Tupelo. They love you!” Anyway, tonight was so much fun. Have a great night, Oh, and by the way, did you know that there are ten parts of the human body that can be spelled with only three letters?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Birmingham

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:48:00 GMT

We're hear in, what MUST be, beautiful, rolling Birmingham. It's been a cold, rainy, grey day, but despite that, I can see the beauty of this Appalachian city. I love the hills and all the big trees. Today, I experienced my first ever college visit. After Jam church and set up, my whole family and I went out to visit Samford University, to meet with a rep and tour the campus. It was really beautiful! All the brick and limestone buildings have the same older look to them, even though many of them are new. It was hard to tell the old and the new apart. We looked at all the buildings and heard about all of their programs and divisions... and then got into the important stuff... you know, the intramural program and the cafeteria offerings! LOL. Not only do they have a Chick-Fil-A in the cafeteria, they have a Dip-n-Dots as well! I immediately was like, “That’s great news!” But seriously, and probably most importantly, everyone I talk to about Samford loves it! Everyone consistently says how great the school is! Also, the quality of the kids who go there from my school are top notch. So we shall see... as for now, it stays on the list of options.

The show tonight was great. The crowd was just loving every bit of it. I made sure I watched all of Sidewalk Prophets set because it was their last show. We are all so sad. Okay, I don't know about how everybody else feels, but I am so sad. After signing, my whole family kept giving Dave hugs. Then as a group we prayed over him. What an awesome guy. His heart is on fire for the Lord, and it shows. The one time they led worship (for Jam church) spoke louder than any song they could’ve sang. I will really miss all of them. But I’m glad that I get to see them soon. When All the artists come down to Orlando for Night of Joy and Rock the Universe in September, we are throwing a Winter Jam reunion party at my house. Can’t wait to introduce the guys the water basketball!

Well, I'm wrapping up the weekend with my friend, Stephen, and will be driving back to Orlando tonight for a few days at home ... and with my tutor! I'm going to try to talk him out of administering the three tests he wants to give me... wish me luck on that!

Next week it’s just my dad and me on the road. It will be good to have some quality time together on our last weekend out on the road alone... without the girls... without having to share the bus food with them at the end of the night... Hopefully we wont trash the bus by the end of our trip. My mom hates that! Oh, and by the way, did you know that all swans in England are property of the Queen?

Peace,

Robert

Winter Jam 2010: Lexington

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:45:00 GMT

We overslept big time this morning… like, WAY overslept; later than we ever have before! Maybe it’s because we keep driving in and out of the Eastern time zone. I don’t know. So, today has been decently rushed. We woke up, grabbed a quick bite to eat (like, lunch!) and got straight to work. It’s great having the extra set of hands with my friend along!

Today, we are in Lexington, Kentucky, and as fate would have it, today Kentucky plays Tennessee in college basketball. Now, ironically, the whole winter jam crew was cheering for the Tennessee Volunteers. So all of these Nashville guys were sitting in the catering room of the Kentucky arena, watching the TV and screaming for Tennessee. I’m sure they drove all of the employees crazy! Hopefully, they will let Winter Jam return here next year. LOL. It is pretty cool to be in this stadium that holds so much basketball history. Also, it currently has one of the best teams in NCAA!

And it's good the arena is massive because the place was crazy full for Winter Jam tonight! I mean, the line to get in was super long all afternoon! I heard they may have been full, which would be about 17,000 people. It was exciting to sing for such a large crowd. This may be the largest crowd we have had all year! I could barely even see the people up at the top of the room tonight! It is overwhelming to think that, in the twelve weeks of Winter Jam, I will have performed for nearly a half a million people! Its CRAZY!

Tomorrow, we will be in Birmingham, Alabama. That's going to be another massive show and, in addition, I have my first ever college visit in the afternoon. I’ll let you know how that goes and oh, by the way, did you know that Diet Coke was invented in 1982?

Peace,

Robert