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Hello--September 2009

This is a big day for me--I visited my facebook page and answered all the mail I could find--I think it was my 3rd visit but now that Rose has explained to me--numerous times--how to navigate I'll make the effort to visit more. I had a pc that was not particularly effective to begin with but then developed a truly heinous virus and had to be put down. So I took advantage of the tax-free day and my son's student i.d. and bought an iMac. I am actually sitting through tutorials to learn how to use it which has Kenny positively giddy since I have been completely dependent on him for my every cyber move. I went back and read through my mail and realized that there's no particular point in answering most of it--too much time has passed but I will say again--if you have a time sensitive request send it to rose@ashleycleveland.com and she'll see that I get it. My favorite letter was from a guy named Ron Reffett who either wrote to facebook or myspace and said that he saw us play at a showcase a few years back and Kenny put his cigarette out in his wife's drink. Must have been 10 years ago at least because Ken's been smoke free for quite awhile now. Thanks to all for the response on the new disc--we loved making it and are having a lot of fun playing it. I'm back to the business of songwriting and thinking of writing another devotional or two as companions to God Don't Never Change--the response to the one on Keep Your Lamp Trimmed was quite unexpected and encouraging. Other than that I have 2 kids in high school and one in Southern California--all doing well. My beautiful boy, Henry who, not surprisingly, now cares--is starting to look at colleges--a task I find overwhelming but exciting as well. Kenny and I are amazed and grateful looking at our years together. Hope to see some of you on the road this fall--big shout out of thanks to Bill Jacobsen for putting together the Chicago trip and to Ken Paulson and Gene Policinski for letting us kick off the 1st concert at the Newseum which is just a breathtaking display of history and has a wonderful theatre as well. Thanks to Mike Lyman for the beautiful bible and to John Handysides for keeping his cards and letters coming all these years. Jim Crowden asked for a tab for Precious Lord--which Kenny plays in either E or Eflat on the record and is 3 chords--E, A and B7--hope that helps. I have now been sitting in front of a computer screen for 3 hours. I think I'll go write a letter by hand... posted: 09.09.2009 | 14:18:10 | post number: 20

p.s. more mail

I found some mail from last summer (aargh) and Rose sent some recent mail so I wanted to answer before tax returns consume my life and my joy... Mary-Kate Lee and Seasons--hope your new record turned out just great--I'm partial to celtic music--probably due to my Scotch/Irish heritage. All the best. Gary and Lynda Ackert--I'd love to play in Denver again--it's a favorite city of mine but I don't have anything going there at the moment. Maybe this year! Thanks for writing. Bonnie-- there are tabs at this site on both Land Of The Living and Power Of Love. I don't have any song books available but I try to make basic guitar tabs for songs when people request them. So glad you like Broken Places--that's one of my favorites. Lynn--you have a kindred spirit in me girl--one day at a time by the spirit of the living God. Sarah Pamula--you have begun an amazing journey that will bring new life and freedom from terror--I hope this note finds you in a solid home group and with a great sponsor. Ginger Hohm--thanks for finding your way here and sticking around! Ray Burg--If you like the more bluesy stuff you are really going to like the new record--it drops in May but I'll get some samples of it up at the site soon. Mike and Lisa Schmitz--Lesson Of Love is one of my favorites too. Thanks for taking the time to write. Fabiano--I don't have a dvd but there is quite a bit of stuff scattered about on youtube. All the best to you in Brazil! Juan Carlos Bejarano--hello to you in Bogota! I understand about your father. My father did not give his life to Jesus until right before he died after many years of prayer on the part of me and my sister. How great that your life is turned around--I know from my own experience how God loves and restores families--I know He will work His perfect will with you and yours. I'll do my best to "stay rapturable"(love that) and you do the same. Joe Graham--I don't have anything in Georgia at the moment but I usually get down there fairly regularly--soon I hope. Thanks for writing. John Handysides--great to hear from you again. Tell Rose you'd like a Better You Get Ready ringtone--she's the boss in that department. I am doing well and hope you are too! John Reeder--you are not scaring me--the poem is indeed called "Skunk Cabbage" the line is: "What blazes the trail is not necessarily pretty" and the poet is Mary Oliver. See you in the rooms as they say. Gary Standefer--I'll get something out this month. John Saunders--Thanks for that wonderful prayer and for listening. Ricky Ray--you're as great as ever--so good to have you join us the other night(s). See you soon. posted: 01.14.2009 | 10:00:12 | post number: 19

Happy New Year 2009

Hello All-- Hard to believe another year is underway but as they say--time flies and even more so as we get older. I think about my childhood and how the summer used to last forever to me; now everything seems to blink and move on. We are excited about the new record which is due to release in May and is called "God Don't Ever Change". I initially wanted to call it "Live The Life" but was informed by one of the wiser people at Koch that it was too CCM--meaning too lofty or preachy--I was horrified... This music is anything but that--mysterious, earthy and real and in some instances slightly dangerous as all good music should be. I hope to have clips of it up soon at the site. Kenny and I just finished playing a New Year's retreat at Laity Lodge--our favorite place in the Texas Hill Country. It was a fantastic event--as each one has been for us since we first began going there 5 years ago or so. There was a particular lady I noticed on the first evening during the introductory session. She was sitting near the front of the room and I thought to myself that she would absolutely hate our style because she was well along in years. How wrong I was--in fact she chided me early on for not giving Kenny room to stretch out--as if--because she was ready for some extended soloing! I'll send a photo of us together to Rose to put up at the site--Miss Della is a beautiful reminder to me that we must never, never judge a book by the cover. I will say though that the Lord has used my surface tendencies to work in my favor--beginning with my husband. As I've said so many times, my shelf life with relationships averaged around two weeks before Kenny--mostly due to the fact that I was always looking for the baddest dude in the room to target with predictable results. Kenny definitely had the look of a gunslinger but inside he had all the qualities that a true love thrives on--faithfulness, dependability, humor, devotion and longsuffering (...). Had I know this I would have had nothing to do with him. Now I think--nearly 18 years later--how God in his mercy graciously tricked me into choosing the right person. These are crazy times and I know that some of you are in a really difficult place. We have certainly been impacted by the recession but as unnerving as it is I do think that all of the prosperity and blessing that has blanketed this country for the last 30 years hasn't really done much for our character as a people. In the end it is suffering and hardship that brings out the substance, the creativity, the unity--all of the things that made our country great in the first place. We've lost half of our kid's college fund in the market down-turn so I've told them--"the onus is on you; you can go as far as you want to go but in a very real sense--you'll need to make it happen" There is a large part of me that feels this is a badly wrapped gift--to them, to Kenny and I, to us all. May you all shine brightly in these hard times! Before I get to the mail I want to close by passing on a quote from the desert fathers that opens a Mary Oliver book of poetry called "Thirst": "Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, "Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?" Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him "If you will, you can become all flame." P.S.--you must see "Slumdog Millionaire" Brilliant! Lucas in Bern, Switzerland--I bet the view from your office is sublime! Thanks for writing me--I don't have any current plans to tour Europe but it's always in the back of my mind and I recently spoke with my agent about beginning to explore the possibilities. Lewis Chatman--lovely to receive your email and shalom to you too Mike Stankovic--email the liners to Rose--I'll do my best to get them back to you in a timely manner. Hope you are well. Jim Crowden--Kenny plays Precious Lord in the key of E--there's not much of a tab to it just E, A B7 and an occasional C#minor--the way he plays it on the record is pretty much just how he plays but if you tell me what you are specificly trying to figure out I'll ask him and get it to you. Tom and Karen Franczyk--I have most of Slow Train on my ipod--one of my favorites. I do know the Blind Boys but have never heard the Holmes Brothers so I'll have to check them out. Rev. John Hayden Girdler--thanks so much for taking time to write--and to listen! Laura Fenners--I do remember meeting you @ Gordon--I am always touched when people make the effort to come a long way to a concert. I write songs for myself but I perform them to connect with others so it is a wonderful thing when I hear that someone relates to my lyrics--thank you Laura and I hope we meet again before Glory! David Eaton--I figured that I would be a complete unknown to the PRS attendees so it was a great thing for me when you introduced yourself--thanks for being there and for playing the songs at your church. Brian Furrow--thanks for staying to hear us play--we loved being there and making some new friends. Karen in Adelaide, Australia--I've never been to Australia but I've always wanted to go--I'm glad to know I have a fan there--thank you. Brandy Hunt--I loved being @ Ft. Johnson and also being present for your baptism--how precious that you and your daughter have that to share. Walk in the light Brandy! Scott Carroll--thanks for the note and telling me about your friend--I'm sure the Lord will continue to meet him and draw him--how great that you are part of it. Ishqa Hillman--I have thought of you and your mom and sister over the years. I owe a great debt to your mom--she played a big role in encouraging me when I was pregnant with my first child and in fairly bad shape. Please give her my best--I'd love to hear more about your life. Jerry Garland--oh my word how great to hear from you--I can picture you easily in Hawaii! How fantastic that you made a life with your wife--I bet your boys are something else. Isn't it amazing that somehow we survive our own insanity? I hardly recognize the girl I was back when I knew you but I know that she informs who I am today. Take care Jerry--all the best. Kevin and Nicole Youngblood--We loved being part of "Generous Giving". The book I have found to be most accurate concerning the stories of the hymn writers is a devotional called "Great Songs Of Faith". It is a daily devotional with a hymn, the story and a scripture--I love it. The publisher is Tyndale. Gary and Linda--we missed you at 3rd and Lindsley--hopefully next time. Happy New Year Ginger--I love "Praise To The Lord Almighty" too--I think I've played it here and there but never came up with an arrangement I liked--I'll look at it again. Ron Barry--always great to hear from you--I think you'll find a lot to like on the new disc! Jan Kemble--send your covers to the p.o. box: 50181, Nashville, Tn 37205 and I'll get them back to you. Lana Anderson--I love the Northwest--I hope you didn't get caught in all the weather up there this past month--I really felt for all the people stranded at the Seattle airport. posted: 01.03.2009 | 10:46:55 | post number: 18