Miracle on East 45th Street

Sarah and I got back from New York City this last week.  Part of Sarah's job at Belmont University is to coordinate an extension program in New York and Los Angeles.  A Belmont student was receiving an award from the ASCAP Foundation in NYC and we were there to support her and Belmont.  It was our first time to be in the city during Christmas.  We loved it!  The lights, the window displays, the decorations, and the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center all gave such a different experience to our trip. We had a day off and we went to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and had a great time.

We usually fly home in the late afternoon so we can spend a good part of the last day shopping and taking in the city.  Sarah and I slept in a bit on the day we were leaving.  We were staying at the Roosevelt Hotel on East 45th Street.  We were in the process of getting ready and packing so we could check out the when I decided to call ASCAP about an upcoming check amount.  I left a voicemail with a lady at ASCAP and within 5 minutes she had called me back.  This bulk of this check was going to represent a song that I had on the radio this last year called My Deliverer by Mandisa.  I typically try not to get my hopes up for a check amount to guard myself from disappointment.  I had a really conservative amount in my head and was setting myself up for it to be even less.  When my friend from ASCAP called me back and told me the amount, it was substantially higher than I anticipated.  I got off the phone and played the game with Sarah, "Guess how much?".  She started with my conservative amount and I kept saying "higher...higher...higher".  When I told her the amount she started jumping on the bed.  She started hugging me and said, "The Lord is using your gift to provide for us."  As if this moment wasn't holy enough, this is where story takes off.  Sarah and I are still hugging when we hear a voice in the hallway(the walls of the Roosevelt are not the most sound proof) say, "The Bible says that the Lord will prosper you."  You've got to remember that this is New York and you don't hear people talking like this. Sarah and I went to the door immediately to see who had said this.  There in the hallway was one of the housekeeping staff on the phone.  She looked a little startled because we were looking surprised at her.  She held the phone away from her ear and Sarah asked her if she had said what we had heard and she smiled and nodded.  Because she was on the phone, we didn't say anything else but I put my fist in the air and she smiled a little bigger.  We went back into the hotel room and a minute later she was knocking on our door.  Her name was Monica.  We invited her into the hotel room and I told her the story of My Deliverer and about my phone call and that the Lord is providing for us to get out of debt.  I played her a bit of the song on my iphone.  She started smiling and praising the Lord and said, "You know...people are so busy these days that they don't take time to read...but they WILL listen to songs...bless you."  I asked her how we could pray for her and you could all of the sudden see the yearning on her face.  She said, "My husband is not a believer and I desperately want him to be."  She told us his name is Eric.  They are both from Ghana in Africa.  We prayed together there in room 385 of the Roosevelt Hotel for Eric's salvation.  Monica seemed SO blessed by our exchange when she said goodbye.  When the door closed, Sarah and I just praised the Lord for making a moment of blessing for us into a moment of blessing for someone else.  The Lord is SO good!

This past fall, there have been moments during football games where I had given up on the team I was pulling for because it looked like there was no way to for them to come back.  There have been moments where I didn't know if my song was going to be cut by an artist or whether it was going to be singled.  Sometimes I give up easily.  Sarah never stopped BELIEVING.  She started saying, "I believe.  That's who I am!"  We walked by Macy's in New York and "Believe" was on the side of the building.  Sarah said, "I believe. That's who I am!" and we snapped the picture.  I am so grateful for her.

I hope you see the Lord's blessing this year at Christmas as we worship Jesus.  Please take a moment to pray for Eric!

Merry Christmas!

Song School

Hello good people. I'm launching my new website. It is www.chadcates.net. Check it out! As a part of the launch, I am also adding a service on this blog called Song School. Hopefully it will be a place that you can check back every now and then to pick up some tips and tricks about songwriting. Here is the intro video. The second video is the first lesson called "Melody Dynamics". Let me know what you think.

Reaching For Me

I just got a cut on Diamond Rio's new record. The song is called "Reaching for me" and I wrote with Michael Boggs. Here is a video of him teaching how to play the song. Check it out.

Unredeemed

Hello all,

I wanted to let you know that Selah released their CD, "You Deliver Me" a week and a half ago. It contains three songs that I wrote with Todd(One of the members of Selah) and Tony Wood. The songs are called "Beautiful Terrible Cross", "Depth of Mercy", and "Unredeemed". Here is them singing Unredeemed. It is going to be their next single. I'm excited for everyone to hear this song. Let me know what you think.

First Beach Vacation(sort of)

Sarah and I just got back from Gulf Shores, AL. Sarah said that it was her first beach vacation. I reminded her that we went to Hawaii for our Honeymoon and she smiled and reminded me that it rained the whole time we were there...as in monsooned. We were offered a free place to stay in Gulf Shores and we were so grateful. We played golf together(she's gonna be an amazing golfer), got massages, and ate great food. I think one of our dinner's together at a place called Louisiana Lagniappe might have been my favorite meal ever. While we were on the beach one day, Sarah said, "I could get into this!". I have a feeling we will find our way back to the beach sometime in the near future. Thanks to Mickey Thomas and Julie Bunt for the condo!

My Deliverer

This past year, I wrote a song with Tony Wood and Jason Walker called "My Deliverer". We got together on a day back in March and decided we were going to write for Mandisa because she was going to record a new CD. We turned the song in and my publishing company followed up with the demo. They pitched it and from what we heard, the people at EMI really liked the song and put it on hold for Mandisa. It is always encouraging to hear that people like your song but you learn very quickly in this industry to not really get your hopes up. She did indeed record the song and they chose it for her first single from the new record. We knew back in December that it was going to be a possibility as the first single and were really excited but again took it with a grain of salt.

This past week, Sarah and I drove out to Mt Juliet to go test drive a car that a guy is selling. She has driven an 89 Honda Accord for the past 4 years. She deserves a newer car!!! On our way back from test driving the car, we had the radio on and as we were talking, we heard "My Deliverer" in the background. I have had around 10 radio singles with several of them being fairly successful. I have historically downplayed the emotion of hearing your song for the first time on the radio. I think deep inside, I have wanted to react like this:



Sarah and I got so excited in the car when the single came on the radio. We just started dancing in the car and singing. It was a great moment that I will always remember. I am so grateful for her. It is her birthday tomorrow and hopefully she will be getting a new car. Happy Birthday to you Sarah. Oh...check out Mandisa's cut of "My Deliverer" here and buy it so we can pay off this car:)

The Sound of His Voice

I have been telling people recently that I am grateful for this season and the songs that have been birthed out of it. I am feeling really creative. One of the guys that I have been excited to be in the room with is a guy named Michael Farren. He is the front man in a band that is signed to Word Records called Pocket Full of Rocks. He has a great passion for communicating the hope of the Gospel of Jesus and it's fun chasing songs with him. He is also a good hang.

We got together recently to write and started talking about the sound of the Lord's voice...the physical sound of it. He shared a video with me that illustrated something about sound that I had never seen. Check this out. You may want to adjust your volume down as it might get a little bit uncomfortable.



Now this is just conjecture but what if it was the actual sound of the Lord's voice was the thing creating the heaven's and the earth. God said let there be light and there was light. God said let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water and it was so. God said...God Said...God said...and all of creation came to be. If there is a pattern to be made by a simple frequency and sand, is it too much of a jump to wonder if the actual sound of the Lord's voice made water and made it flow into the ocean...if it caused flowers to bloom....if it so creatively formed an elephant? I wonder.

To take it a step further, is the voice of the Lord STILL holding things together? Maybe there is a frequency of His voice that we can't hear that is still audibly creating?

All of these musings birthed a song called "The Sound of Your Voice" and I'm very happy with it. Hopefully you will hear it when the next Pocket Full of Rocks CD comes out.

I am so glad I am not a scientist...although it's fun to wonder about, it almost makes my brain explode:)

Listen here Cupcake....

Yesterday, I went to lunch with Carl Cartee and Barry Weeks at Boscos in Cool Springs. It was chilly outside and we noticed on the way in that there was a Bocci court. I'm not even sure if it is called a "court" but there were two areas outlined to play. I looked at Carl and said, " We are totally going to play after lunch." He smiled really big and said, "You're On". We went in and ate and on the way out, Barry asked if we could stop by Starbucks on the way back. Carl and I said sure, all while walking towards the Bocci "court". It turned out that the court was muddy as in the kind of mud that will build up on your shoes until it feels like you are walking around with bricks on your feet. We were a little bit disappointed that we couldn't play. As we were walking towards Barry's car, I looked up and saw Gigi's cupcakes. I said a sentence that has never come out of my mouth. I said, "guys...what about a cupcake". Carl laughed out loud and said, "We are totally getting a cupcake". I have watched this recent cupcake craze from the outside looking in. I like a cupcake...as in...if there are cupcakes at a party, I might eat one. That being said, we walked in and the nice lady behind the counter gave us an audio tour of the cupcakes in the display case. For some reason, none of them looked appetizing because the icing was piled as high as the cake itself almost making them look top-heavy. I was about to bail when Barry offered to pay. I was still not going to get a cupcake but he insisted so I ordered one. To give a brief synopsis of our experience, I don't think I will go back. I would give the cake part of the cupcake a solid grade of a "B" and the icing would get a dismal "D". But don't take my word for it cupcake. For $3, make your own assessment.

Let me know what you think.