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In an earlier blog post I mentioned that I felt God was leading me to be a camp counselor at the AYF youth camp this summer. My finances were a little strained at the time, having just returned from a 2 week vacation to Portland, OR and SoCal. At first I wasn't sure that I would be able to pay my way, but my grandfather offered to cover the costs. Even so, I was feeling a little skeptical about the whole situation. I asked God for further confirmation. Then something amazing happened. One of my guitar students offered me exactly the amount I needed, cash in hand! At that point it was undeniable; I was going to youth camp.

Camp was a challenging yet affirming and validating experience for me. I felt a sense of belonging among the youth, but also a sense of discernment, having already lived through my teen years with my fair share of struggles. Still, I was astounded by the number of teens who attested to being physically or sexually abused, or have/had suicidal tendencies. We truly do live in different times.

Throughout the week, we discussed these hard topics with the youth. Suicide. Alcohol. Drugs. Sex. My cousin Conrad shared about the death of his brother Mitch, someone who was also very close to me. It was the first time Conrad had shared about this event publicly, and I'm glad I was there to hear him talk about it. In fact, I believe that is one of the reasons I needed to be there - to mourn the loss of my cousin. I've been through counseling and grief & loss groups, but sometimes we need a more appropriate time and venue to mourn our losses.

All in all it was a demanding experience, but one that was memorable and worthwhile as well. I will definitely continue to work with youth, should God lead me to.

I spent the last week putting a lot of effort into my podcast. Fortunately, my efforts are starting to pay off. After some tweaking, I managed to get the show listed on iTunes. This required some fine-tuning on my part. Although I already had a logo designed for the podcast, I had to revise the RSS Feed so it would actually include the image. I could go on, but it's a lot of technical stuff I'm sure you're not particularly interested in. Moving right along...

I also decided to set up a Facebook fan page for those who are interested in interacting that way. Facebook, of course, is one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet, and it just so happens that it's a great place to get the word out about a project as well. Make sure to 'like' the podcast!

Finally, I also got roped into creating a Flickr account. I will be uploading some day-to-day photos as well as candid shots from the studio. I will be putting a widget up on my social network page, if you'd like to check it out.

I'm still on the lookout for sponsors, affiliates and advertisers for the show, but I'm sure it will come in due time. Right now I am simply attempting to build listenership through word of mouth. If you haven't already, go have a listen, and make sure to leave a comment. Thanks!

This last week was rather eventful. I was preparing for a fundraiser performance on Saturday and concurrently writing some new material. It's not that I don't like playing my older songs, it's just that they don't always reflect where I am in life right now. Songs like "Six Sides" and "Clay to Mold" have long been staples in my set, and I'm sure they will continue to be, but on Saturday, I did not perform any material from Shipwrecked... Instead, I unleashed 3 brand new songs on fans and onlookers.

But let's get back on track. Amidst writing new material and preparing for the performance, I was also looking for work. I finally visited CrossIron Mills and dropped off a few resumes. On Friday, I recorded a new podcast episode with Keith Skrastins. You may want to check out the podcast blog if you haven't subscribed yet, so you can keep up-to-date with current episodes. In any case, this only added to the chaos that was already a busy week.

On Saturday, I went to a Stampede breakfast. I decided that I wanted to visit some old friends, and, well - let's face it - I needed to eat. From there I proceeded to my favorite music store, Long & McQuade, to rent a Taylor acoustic guitar for the performance. Then I went to a friend's wedding. Then I spent the rest of the day helping my friend organize her event until I hit the stage. The event ran until l2:00 AM and suffice to say I was not in bed until 1:30. But I'm a trooper, and still got up at 6:30 to play on the CLC worship team for the Sunday services.

Anyway, I think you get the idea. Things have been a little slower today, so I've been working on things around the house and organizing the mailing list. You can expect the latest newsletter some time this week!

My backyard was starting to look like a nature preserve, so I decided it was time to take care of the lawn. All I have in my arsenal is a hand push mower and weed-eater. I don't believe a weed-eater was ever designed to cut an entire lawn, but there was no way I could force my way through 3 feet of growth with a hand push mower. Naturally, I ended up using the weed-eater for the entire job.

I like to listen to a bit of music while I do yard work, so I put my iPod on shuffle and went about it. I usually put it on shuffle when I can't decide what to listen to. While I was cutting the grass, a song by Kutless came on. The song really spoke to me, so I decided to listen through the album.

This is going to sound like a bit of a detour, but I promise it will all fit together at the end (maybe). While I was working outside, I got to thinking about my current financial situation. I've seen God work miracles in it, but I've also hit a couple of lower points in the last 10 months. I am currently in the middle of another low point.

It's easy to feel discouraged when things aren't going exactly as you planned. I am thankful that I have a roommate who pays me rent, and I still have students to teach (at least until the end of June), but in the mean time I'm not sure how I'm going to pay my bills.

I got to thinking about how a lot of people are in a tough place financially right now. Certainly, my family is struggling at the moment. Those of you who know me know that I've been shrugging this economic recession off as the "imagined recession", but I know that's not entirely fair to those who have lost their jobs, or are struggling to make ends meet. I am also facing that reality.

While I was listening to the Kutless album, a song called "What Faith Can Do" came on. Here is an excerpt of the lyrics:

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

It's important to keep your faith in God - even when things are tough - because that's what He works with. My problem is very real, but I believe that God can turn it around.

Another detour. Earlier this month, I was talking to God about what to do with my summer, and I believe this is what He told me:

1. Go and work at the AYF Youth Camp
2. Go fishing

At this point, I'm not sure how I can do either of these things without the finances. Now I'm getting to my point.

I'm going to be looking for summer work in the coming weeks, but I would also ask you to prayerfully consider hiring me this summer. I've been told I'm pretty decent at guitar, so if you are having a BBQ, a birthday party, a house party, a corporate function or any kind of event that requires music, please consider bringing me out. I promise my rates are reasonable, and it doesn't even need to be a formal concert format. I could simply mingle among your friends, and add a little atmosphere to the party. Send me an email and we can talk more.

Additionally, I will gladly do some of your grunt work for a fair price. If you need to get your lawn mowed, fences painted, or anything to that extent, you can email me. I'm also pretty good with computers. Is your computer running slow? Do you need a website? Graphics? Just email me, and we can work something out.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a blessed summer. If you're the praying type, please continue to pray for me and keep me in your thoughts. There are a lot of things going on right now, and I could certainly use the support. Thanks!

I've written some new music for the latest Adorable Andrew episodes.

Part 14 features revised versions of "Tower" (Project 365), and "Depths of the Cavern" (Project 365).

Part 15 features a brand new track entitled "Forest".

Part 16 incorporates "Melodic Symmetry" (Project 365) and a brand new track, "Power Propeller".

Part 17 begins where 16 left off with "Power Propeller".

The latest "Adorable Andrew" episodes feature some new music I've written.

Let's Play Sandora no Daibouken part 11 features a song called "Embarking Upon an Adventure" that I finished very recently.

In part 12, you can hear "Whitewater", a song I wrote as part of Project 365.

Part 13 prominently features a brand new song I wrote called "Ecstatic". You can also hear "Ecstatic" playing in the background in my latest podcast episode.

I had a little bit of spare time today, so I decided to record another audio update. Please take a listen!

There's too much to try to cram into one blog post, so I thought I would fill you in aurally.

Click here to hear my audio update!

Just a couple of milestones I reached recently...

6999 profile views on MySpace...

And 333 tweets on Twitter:

It would have been even cooler if I had 33 followers and 33 following. Oh well.

2008 has been one of the most intense years in recent memory. I've had my fair share of challenges, obstacles and trials to overcome. I've made a lot of changes in my life for the better. I feel like 2008 has been the year of change.

The most important change has been my relationship with God. I feel like it has really been strengthened in the last year. I've never spent more time reading, listening to audio programs, sermons, and podcasts in my life. Without a doubt I still have my fair share of challenges. But I truly believe that God has good things in store for me, and I have better expectations for life.

This has had a significant impact on my personal relationships and how I interact with the world. I've seen my friends rise to new levels in their lives, ready to take on new challenges; ready to take ownership of their current situation and willingness to do something about it. Of course, I can't take credit for that. God has been doing a lot of work in their lives as well.

I've been learning a lot. I've decided that education doesn't end with High School or College. I've decided to continue my education, and I believe that this will be a lifelong process. You don't have to be going to school to be learning. There are plenty of great articles, books, podcasts, and audio programs out there.

When my health took a dive in February I had to make the decision to take better care of myself. I have learned better eating habits and have been exercising regularly.

I could keep going, but I think you get the idea. 2008 has been the year of change.

Whenever I bring out Hailey (click on the thumbnail to enlarge the image), people often ask me if she's new, but the truth is that I've had her since 2003. She was my primary electric axe for Lightly Toasted Touche, the recording on Shipwrecked... My Sentiments and I've been using her extensively with Angels Breaking Silence. One of the great things about her is that she keeps tune really well because of the double locking (Floyd Rose) bridge. She also has fantastic tone, but it took awhile to find an amplifier that compliments her (my Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier seems to do the trick).

I had a clear plastic pick-guard put on her, to prevent damage to the body. In actuality, it's inevitable, but it will protect the finish from pick scrapes for the time being. I can't say I'm too concerned, because guitars always get dings and scrapes over time. It just adds to the character.

I suspect that Hailey will continue to be my main axe for work to come. Of course, when it comes to recording, it's good to have as many different options as possible so she won't ever be my only guitar. As I continue to learn more about recording and guitar tone, I've figured out that it's rare for most guitarists to use a single guitar on any particular song. People always notice a difference when I switch from Hailey to my Mexi-Strat (a.k.a. R3), if that's any indication of the difference in tone.

Earlier this year I ordered an audio program called The Science of Self-Confidence. I started listening to the CDs yesterday, and I must say I wish we would have studied this program in grade school. I recall spending an inordinate amount of time on math and science, neither of which I enjoyed, and neither of which I use in my day-to-day to any great extent. The principles and ideas contained within this program would have been of more use to me.

I wish we would have spent more time studying budgeting and managing finances as well, but that's another story for another time.

Can you think of things that would have been more useful to you in your education?

While I was living in Japan, I learned how to draw mazes from my classmates. Pretty soon I figured out that there were a variety of different methods, but there was one process in particular that really fascinated me. It looked so intricate and visually complex that I had to learn how to do it. I must have been in grade 3 at the time, and because I was learning how to draw mazes from a girl, I was getting teased a lot. However, because I was so determined to learn, I didn't mind too much. I was able to pick it up relatively quickly, and it wasn't long before I was producing many mazes of my own.

Back in those days, drawing was a really big thing for me. I drew Japanese comics (manga), superheros, swords and weapons, fishing lures... Typically whatever fascinated me at that given moment.

Over the years I've adapted this particular maze drawing method to my own style. In summer 2004 I started a new project. I decided to draw mazes and get them published. I've drawn nearly 100 mazes to date, though I have not been actively pursuing the publishing end of things. Still, I wanted to share some of these mazes with you, and I figured the best way to draw attention to this project was to showcase some samples. I hope you enjoy these labors of love. I think you will see why I was drawn (no pun intended!) to this particular style of maze composition in the first place.

If I have the opportunity, I would like to share more of these mazes with you in the future.

Click on the thumbnails to view a larger image.

Hi, everyone! I apologize that updates have been rather scarce. It's been a really crazy year but I've been growing closer to God and the band has been doing really well! I know you may not see me doing a lot of stuff out there, but I assure you there's plenty going on behind the scenes.

In the first week of October I had the chance to go to Hawaii for a much needed vacation. I had a great time, and had plenty of time to relax and recoup. It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to go on vacation.

Over the last couple of months I've really been trying to get things in order. I'm going to be making some changes to this website, not to mention the 3 other websites that I'm working on. I just launched DavidAndrewWiebe.com (now defunct) a short while ago, and this website will feature guitar lessons, articles, CD reviews, and a variety of other content relating to guitar. I will be making some changes to Arctic Sunburn as well, which will primarily feature video game and movie reviews; an entertainment site of sorts. The Angels Breaking Silence website (now defunct) is also a work in progress, but once I get used to the new system it will look much prettier. I've also been contributing the occasional article to Mission Bell (now defunct), for those reading types.

Summer seems to be a great time for writing, and since August I've written a couple dozen new songs. "So when is the new album coming out?", you may be asking. Unfortunately I can't even ballpark it. Suffice to say, a lot of new stuff is on the way and it's definitely the best material I've ever written. Still, I know it's been taking a long time and I hope to make the wait worthwhile.

The band's next show is on November 1 in Sylvan Lake (see poster). I hope to see you there!