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finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

txaggirl91 wrote:

finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

this the first year you don't pass for 17 dear?

RinglingRingling wrote:

txaggirl91 wrote:

finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

this the first year you don't pass for 17 dear?

first year i'm not going as an adult sponsor

txaggirl91 wrote:

RinglingRingling wrote:

txaggirl91 wrote:

finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

this the first year you don't pass for 17 dear?

first year i'm not going as an adult sponsor

hey r2...

i can be a good girl when i need to be....

txaggirl91 wrote:hey r2...

i can be a good girl when i need to be....

that wasn't why I was blushing...

springparrot wrote:The rest of this article is only available to members of our online community.

Can anyone get to the rest of the article?

Here is the full text of the article.

More than a one-band man
Rock star Peter Mayer plays songs of faith

Relaxing at home in Nashville, Tenn.,
Relaxing at home in Nashville, Tenn., Peter Mayer enjoys writing songs that reflect his faith journey. He’s performed some at Lutheran Men in Mission events, now available on a CD, Stirrin’ Up the Water: Songs of Faith.
To legions of fans, Peter Mayer may be best known as the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Tall, tan and fit, with a mane of shoulder-length hair, Mayer looks every bit the charismatic rock star he is. Yet as he enters his 18th year of touring with Buffett, playing to sold-out crowds of famously party-crazed concertgoers known as Parrot Heads, he is broadening his musical outreach and witness for Christ in ways that seemed unfathomable to him a few years ago.

“The Spirit has always moved and called me, going through the ups and downs in my life,” Mayer said during a recent interview in Nashville, Tenn., where he lives with his wife, Patricia O’Reilly, and their two teenagers. “I’ve always had a praying, meditating life. Sometimes I’m not a churchgoing person, but I’ve always prayed—every day.”

Mayer was born in Tamil Nadu, southern India, where his parents, James and Selma “Sammy” Mayer, served as Lutheran missionaries for 17 years. The family returned to their Missouri home when Mayer was still a boy. His earliest musical influences were British-invasion bands such as The Beatles, mixed with his father’s albums of Bach, Brahms and
 Rachmaninoff.

His most vivid childhood memory of his mother, now 82 and a longtime member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, St. Louis, is how she instilled faith in her children. “Every moment we are being renewed and remade in the arms of a gracious God,” Mayer explained. “That’s really what I got from my mother. If she passed on anything to me, it was this vision of a loving Father—gracious, kind and gentle—who’s holding us in his arms.”

After high school, Mayer studied classical guitar, theory and arranging at Webster University, St. Louis, where he later served on the jazz faculty. After performing in bands around town, in 1984 he formed the group PM, moved to Los Angeles and eventually landed a record deal with Warner Brothers, whose artist roster at the time included R.E.M., Madonna, Talking Heads and George Harrison. PM’s first single made the top 10, but without a follow-up hit, they were dropped from the label.

“At first it made us really mad,” Mayer recalled. “We resolved to go get another label.”

Backup for Buffett

Enter Jimmy Buffett, who asked Mayer and his musicians to go on his Off to See the Lizard tour as his backup band in summer 1989.

Although familiar with Buffett’s tropical-tinged hits, such as Margaritaville, Mayer reluctantly accepted, viewing the job as a temporary detour. He and the band flew to Key West and soon relished the wild rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.

“We were pretty green and not ready for the visual scene awaiting us,” Mayer said. “It looked like a circus. It was a lot of fun—too much fun in those earlier years. There was more of everything—more than we could ever eat, more than we could ever drink … adoring fans. I didn’t always make the right choices, and I kind of got lost in that for a few years.”

Today, 17 years after that initial tour, Mayer has developed a devoted following of fans. He continues to write and record for his independent label, Little Flock Music (see "Peter Mayer primer"). The songs are spiritual, with lyrics that reflect his faith journey as well as universal themes of love, life and death.

Much to Mayer’s surprise, one of his best-known CDs was an outgrowth of his involvement in Lutheran Men in Mission. At the invitation of his friend, LMM director Doug Haugen, Mayer performed at a few regional men’s gatherings before going on to participate in the past two national events. Haugen convinced Mayer he should release the songs of faith he wrote and performed for the men. The result was Stirrin’ Up the Water: Songs of Faith.

Mayer candidly admits he wrestled with the idea of becoming involved in LMM. “I was really scared of being pulled into a position that was unhip or might look weird to the fans,” he said. “I think people have grown suspicious of the church for many reasons. Often the church is defined by its existence rather than the grace of God for which it stands.”

But he found the work spiritually fulfilling and meaningful. “These men were moved to tears at these conferences,” he said. “If they were having family problems, they could talk about them and talk about Scripture.”

Going to Youth Gathering

LMM doesn’t have a monopoly on Mayer’s time and talents, however. He was tapped to lead the praise and worship band at the ELCA Youth Gathering in San Antonio this month. Joining him will be his guitarist son, Brendan, who turns 17 in September, and daughter, India, 14, a vocalist who’s also studying the harp.

Back home the Mayers are members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Nashville, where they perform in the worship band.

Mayer admits that he sometimes becomes impatient with the Lutheran church as a whole. For instance, he agrees with those who would like to see more congregations embrace a more lively and diverse atmosphere, both within worship and beyond the church walls.

“I’ve had struggles in this church with what I perceive as stodginess, but I do know it’s worth the fight,” he said. “Walking away isn’t the solution. It’s worth continuing to question what faith life is about—or what it’s supposed to be about.

“First of all, I love the Blue Book (With One Voice). I think it’s fantastic. I really love Renewing Worship. The thing is, I can respect and love the stuff in the Green Book (Lutheran Book of Worship) as well. I’m old-fashioned. I love to hear Bach chorales in church. I love the liturgy.

What I object to is the notion that one of these is more correct than the other. We should be challenged by culture. Without doing that, the church as an institution will falter.”

Here is the side article--Peter Mayer Primer.

Peter Mayer primer

When Peter Mayer’s not on spring and summer tours with his boss, Jimmy Buffett, he writes and performs with the Peter Mayer Group.

Mayer’s group includes fellow Coral Reefers drummer Roger Guth; his brother, Jim Mayer, electric and upright acoustic bass; guitarist Vince Varvel; and percussionist Scott Bryan.

From coffeehouses and outdoor amphitheaters to bars and Lutheran churches, Mayer’s band tours in the winter months, promoting their music and sharing their faith. During the holidays, they tour with a popular, multicultural concert program that culls carols and contemporary songs from their Stars and Promises Christmas CD.

Mayer’s latest non-Christmas CD is the critically acclaimed Musicbox, which pairs poignant lyrics with infectious melodic hooks and jazzy instrumentals.

Stylistically, Mayer’s mellow tenor voice has been compared to Michael Franks, while his virtuoso guitar work brings to mind the ethereal phrasings of Pat Metheny. Global beats enhance the band’s vibrant, sunny pop-rock sound, which is reminiscent of Paul Simon and Sting.

Mayer records for Little Flock Music, the independent record company he founded in 1999, which he named after his Lutheran missionary father’s favorite hymn Fear Not, O Little Flock.

For more information, go to www.littleflockmusic.com. For details on Mayer’s touring schedule and links to fan club contacts, see www.petermayer.com. For tour dates and news on Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, visit www.margarita
ville.com.

txaggirl91 wrote:

finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

I've never been to the youth gathering, but I have been to churchwide assemblies a number of times--most recently in Orlando. Next year it'll be a bit closer as it will be in Chicago.

finz42 wrote:

txaggirl91 wrote:

finz42 wrote:I will post the entire article later today--I can get it at home but am at work now. I didn't realize that would happen when I first posted the link.

And, yes, it is exciting that some of the young people in our congregations will be exposed to Peter this week at the ELCA youth gathering in Texas. I look forward to asking them about him.

that's right... its in san antonio....

first time in a while im not going

I've never been to the youth gathering, but I have been to churchwide assemblies a number of times--most recently in Orlando. Next year it'll be a bit closer as it will be in Chicago.

the youth gatherings are awesome... hard to put into words the changes i have seen in our kids when they go... it also helps me reconnect too...