Hooray! It's official: my brother Stephen and I have completed our freshman year of college! And guess what: they're gonna let us back in next fall! I couldn't hardly believe it either. Anyway, It's been a really exciting year, and part is kinda sorry its over with. But, there's a bigger part of me that says
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!" I love school and all, but there's just something about that free air that isn't polluted by the smell of midterms and finals. Ask any college student and they'll tell you that you wind up writing so many papers, tests, quizzes, and what-not that you get finger cramps. Oh well, that's life....or is it pork reins??? Oh well, next fall I'll be heading back to the world of macadamia, and I'll get to do it all over again. Gotta go now: finger cramp.
Check out our website, http://www.foresterministries.com/ , to see all about us.
-Joshua
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
New ministry update
This has proven to be the most exciting year ever for both our lives and our ministry. We are wrapping up our second semester of college at Midwestern Baptist College this week.....and boy, are we ready for a break! I have really been busy from all the things that have been going on lately. Looking back on our past two semesters, it seems that Josh and I are almost always doing something besides just going to classes. Not only that, but everything that we get involved in seems to have a lot that needs doing, and in some cases leads to some other assignment or activity.
Take the gospel music concert that we hosted in March. Every Thursday between 12:00pm when day classes ended to somewhere before 6:00 pm when night classes started, I was in the basement with friends recording soundtracks for the concert. We had the concert, and my quartet sang and did very well. We were good enough that Mrs. Sally Welch, head of the music department, started using us for music events that she was in charge of at the college. This lead to us singing for chapel services at the school's annual competition week for the 'Cross America conference (an annual event where Christian school kids from everywhere come to compete in sports, music, and preaching competitions). We did well enough there that we were asked to sing for a "Youth 4 Truth" teen event being held at the college later on. That day two pastors approached me about having the quartet come to their church for special events, and we are waiting to see if they will book us, and our success at that meeting finally led to the quartet being featured in our last two choir performances.
While going through this semester, we were also filming a special comedy video on the side titled "Super Dorks". It was about three idiots who overhear a young preacher practicing his sermon about "the power of God", but they mistakenly think that it is God telling them that they have super powers! I got to play the fourth guy, an schemer who knows the truth about their powers but plays along to use those nuts for my own evil agenda!
But of course, we spent several weeks filming it and it took up a lot of time and energy.
We have also received a number of new bookings that should be posted any day now. We have been thrilled with the number of bookings that have flown in lately, and Lord willing, there will be many more to come!
I am considering buying some expensive recording equipment soon, with the hopes of starting my own studio like my older brother Mark. Once I learned how to use it and got some experience, I could use it to do some of the work on my own CDs and eventually other people's recordings as well.
A lot has been happening lately, and we have gotten a little tired from balancing all of this work with stuff going on in school, ministry, Dairy Queen, and other things, but it has been an awesome ride, and now that school is ending things will be easier but still very busy.
Be sure to check foresterministries.com for more bookings being posted soon and for new Cds for sale sometime this summer.
Whew! I need a nap!
-Stephen
Take the gospel music concert that we hosted in March. Every Thursday between 12:00pm when day classes ended to somewhere before 6:00 pm when night classes started, I was in the basement with friends recording soundtracks for the concert. We had the concert, and my quartet sang and did very well. We were good enough that Mrs. Sally Welch, head of the music department, started using us for music events that she was in charge of at the college. This lead to us singing for chapel services at the school's annual competition week for the 'Cross America conference (an annual event where Christian school kids from everywhere come to compete in sports, music, and preaching competitions). We did well enough there that we were asked to sing for a "Youth 4 Truth" teen event being held at the college later on. That day two pastors approached me about having the quartet come to their church for special events, and we are waiting to see if they will book us, and our success at that meeting finally led to the quartet being featured in our last two choir performances.
While going through this semester, we were also filming a special comedy video on the side titled "Super Dorks". It was about three idiots who overhear a young preacher practicing his sermon about "the power of God", but they mistakenly think that it is God telling them that they have super powers! I got to play the fourth guy, an schemer who knows the truth about their powers but plays along to use those nuts for my own evil agenda!
But of course, we spent several weeks filming it and it took up a lot of time and energy.
We have also received a number of new bookings that should be posted any day now. We have been thrilled with the number of bookings that have flown in lately, and Lord willing, there will be many more to come!
I am considering buying some expensive recording equipment soon, with the hopes of starting my own studio like my older brother Mark. Once I learned how to use it and got some experience, I could use it to do some of the work on my own CDs and eventually other people's recordings as well.
A lot has been happening lately, and we have gotten a little tired from balancing all of this work with stuff going on in school, ministry, Dairy Queen, and other things, but it has been an awesome ride, and now that school is ending things will be easier but still very busy.
Be sure to check foresterministries.com for more bookings being posted soon and for new Cds for sale sometime this summer.
Whew! I need a nap!
-Stephen
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tiny Town
This past Sunday my brother and I went with our college choir to sing at a church. The town we went to was so small it made Mayberry look like the Big Apple on Saturday night, if ya know what I mean. If you tripped, you fell right over the county line. The place was so small and sleepy, cops would arrest you for aggravated assault if you sneezed on somebody. You don't even WANT to know how many years you could get for jaywalking! Anyway, I saw a sign as we passed through town for a new "sub division" (my guess would be a vacant lot with cardboard boxes). The sign said "New Homes Starting at $40,000!". I'm thinking the only home you're gonna get in this economy for forty grand is your choice of a bedroom OR a bathroom! Either that, or every night would seem like you and your spouse had a fight because every night you would literally be sleeping in the doghouse.
Anyway, don't forget to look on our website at www.foresterministries.com to see our booking updates, CD info, and more!
-Joshua
Anyway, don't forget to look on our website at www.foresterministries.com to see our booking updates, CD info, and more!
-Joshua
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sorry, Bill
I was thinking the other day that so many of the singers from the Gaither videos, the "Homecoming Friends", have gone on to be with the Lord, that heaven must be getting to look like a Gaither video! I'll bet when the rapture happens, Bill Gaither with get it on video. You're not supposed to be able to take it with you, but God may have to fight Gaither over that camera. I can see it now: "Pearly Gates Homecoming"; "Singin' With The Saints (Heaven Style)"; "A Crystal Sea Homecoming". The commercials will all say, "Eternity may last forever, but this deal won't! See all your homecoming favorites for just one golden street brick!" Unfortunately for Gaither, we'll just be able to see the singers in person whenever we want. Sorry, Bill.
Be sure to check out our website at http://www.foresterministries.com/ and take a look at our CDs and our schedule!
-Joshua
Be sure to check out our website at http://www.foresterministries.com/ and take a look at our CDs and our schedule!
-Joshua
Monday, April 6, 2009
Hey everybody, I managed to find some time through all the craziness of my world that I call life to update you all on the latest ministry happenings. I have to back up a bit, but here we go,
On Mar.15, we were at a church in Mt. Morris that was absolutely a blast to perform for. They really seemed to enjoy everything, and they were one of the best laughing churches that we have been to in a while. We had a wonderful time and we agreed that that place would be great for a live recording someday.
Also, we just wrapped up that concert at Midwestern Baptist College. We had to make some adjustments here and there to make things work, but everything turned out great and we had a wonderful night. Josh was in rare form with his comedy, and we had a couple of other fellows doing some two-man comedy that night who were also hilarious. I sang with a men's ensemble and a quartet called "The Abiding Grace Quartet", and I think it went very well. We were able to raise some money for the college student body fund, and I'd love to do it there again sometime.
We are gearing up to make new CDs, and hope to have them available by mid-summer. See us on the web at www.foresterministries.com.
-Stephen
On Mar.15, we were at a church in Mt. Morris that was absolutely a blast to perform for. They really seemed to enjoy everything, and they were one of the best laughing churches that we have been to in a while. We had a wonderful time and we agreed that that place would be great for a live recording someday.
Also, we just wrapped up that concert at Midwestern Baptist College. We had to make some adjustments here and there to make things work, but everything turned out great and we had a wonderful night. Josh was in rare form with his comedy, and we had a couple of other fellows doing some two-man comedy that night who were also hilarious. I sang with a men's ensemble and a quartet called "The Abiding Grace Quartet", and I think it went very well. We were able to raise some money for the college student body fund, and I'd love to do it there again sometime.
We are gearing up to make new CDs, and hope to have them available by mid-summer. See us on the web at www.foresterministries.com.
-Stephen
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I Hate Hallmark
I have decided that Mother's Day cards are the worst cards in the world because of one thing: mothers cannot know if their kid is being sincere. All Mother's Day cards say something like:
To The Most Wonderful Mother In The World!!!!
A mother doesn't know if her kid is serious because ALL of the cards say something like that! I think someone needs to invent a new kind of card; no one has to buy it, it just needs to be there so sincerity in the other cards can be detected. Somebody needs to make a card that says, "I hated my childhood; thinking of becoming a serial killer. Signed, (your name here)."
Father's day cards are completely different, though. Those are easy to buy because dads give you a different side to your childhood. You don't have to worry about being sincere with a Father's Day card. Just buy something that says, "Happy Father's Day, Dad: Childhood With You Was A GAS!"
Our ministry, on a more spiritual note, is going quite well. We did a concert for a dinner in Mulliken Michigan this past Saturday, and boy, can those ladies COOK!:) I don't care if they're married or not, I'll wait in line.
Also, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago! I am now the big one-double-O! (The two Os stacked on top of each other make an eight) I can't believe I'm finally eighteen! Darn it, I just missed the election. Oh well, be sure to see our website at http://www.foresterministries.com/ to see all about us.
-Joshua
P.S.- Look over the past colors I've used to sign my blogs and see if you can guess what my favorite color is. The winner will receive: ......bragging rights. (Whoopie!)
To The Most Wonderful Mother In The World!!!!
A mother doesn't know if her kid is serious because ALL of the cards say something like that! I think someone needs to invent a new kind of card; no one has to buy it, it just needs to be there so sincerity in the other cards can be detected. Somebody needs to make a card that says, "I hated my childhood; thinking of becoming a serial killer. Signed, (your name here)."
Father's day cards are completely different, though. Those are easy to buy because dads give you a different side to your childhood. You don't have to worry about being sincere with a Father's Day card. Just buy something that says, "Happy Father's Day, Dad: Childhood With You Was A GAS!"
Our ministry, on a more spiritual note, is going quite well. We did a concert for a dinner in Mulliken Michigan this past Saturday, and boy, can those ladies COOK!:) I don't care if they're married or not, I'll wait in line.
Also, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago! I am now the big one-double-O! (The two Os stacked on top of each other make an eight) I can't believe I'm finally eighteen! Darn it, I just missed the election. Oh well, be sure to see our website at http://www.foresterministries.com/ to see all about us.
-Joshua
P.S.- Look over the past colors I've used to sign my blogs and see if you can guess what my favorite color is. The winner will receive: ......bragging rights. (Whoopie!)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Birth Of A Recording Studio
I've been working on an area of ministry that is a somewhat new to me this week. I have been recording my own soundtracks for a special concert that we are doing in March. On March 28th, we are hosting a special gospel music concert at our college, Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, MI. It will be a special night featuring quite a few students with great musical talent. We will be doing some songs with soundtracks and some with live instruments, and I'm recording the tracks at home, playing most (or on some songs all) of the instruments. Josh will be lending a big helping hand to the evening by co-hosting the event with me, playing most of the live piano (which is much better than DEAD piano!), and doing his signature stand-up comedy. I organized a men's quartet, which we dubbed the "Abiding Grace" quartet, and will be singing tenor. This a bit unusual for me, since in the college choir I usually sing bass! We've done this once before, so I'm confident that it will be great.
There will be a number of other students performing as well, with some absolutely great voices being featured as well as some instrumental solos. This is to be a student body event to raise money for our student body fund, which is used to make improvements at the college for the student's benefit and in some cases, perhaps even help with tuition. There will be no admission charge, but we will be taking a freewill offering and selling refreshments to raise support. If you are in the area we would love for you to come out to see us. In the meantime, I will be working frantically to get the recording done and practicing with the performing students at the college.
To all those who read Josh's last blog and may have been confused....No, Josh did not rob that bank. He did consider it, and he even tried to get me in on it. But I managed to change his mind by dragging him into a dark room and beating him until he lost consciousness! Once the bleeding stopped and both of his hips had popped back out of his collar bone, he saw that I was right.
Nothing like brotherly love! It's hard to believe that we were born in Philadelphia!
Have a nice day, and remember to "Love thy neighbor"!
Stephen Forester
There will be a number of other students performing as well, with some absolutely great voices being featured as well as some instrumental solos. This is to be a student body event to raise money for our student body fund, which is used to make improvements at the college for the student's benefit and in some cases, perhaps even help with tuition. There will be no admission charge, but we will be taking a freewill offering and selling refreshments to raise support. If you are in the area we would love for you to come out to see us. In the meantime, I will be working frantically to get the recording done and practicing with the performing students at the college.
To all those who read Josh's last blog and may have been confused....No, Josh did not rob that bank. He did consider it, and he even tried to get me in on it. But I managed to change his mind by dragging him into a dark room and beating him until he lost consciousness! Once the bleeding stopped and both of his hips had popped back out of his collar bone, he saw that I was right.
Nothing like brotherly love! It's hard to believe that we were born in Philadelphia!
Have a nice day, and remember to "Love thy neighbor"!
Stephen Forester
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