Who Am I?

I saw this image online, but noticed the little logo at the bottom. I decided to contact the artist to make sure it was ok to use ('cause, you know, I'm no scofflaw). Anyway, he said it was fine as long as I kept the logo, because his business is actually a Christian design company. I checked it out, he's got some pretty nice stuff you could use for, say, Sunday mornings to go up on the big screen. Check it out: www.ChristianPhotoshops.com

Ah, yes, the eternal question, who am I? For centuries man has struggled to understand his purpose, his destiny, and his place in this world (Even the great Michael W. Smith has struggled with this). Maybe you're wrestling with that. Maybe you've reached the great philosophical 'Who Am I' impasse. Maybe you lie awake at night pondering your very existence.

So, my friend, if you are weary; if your long, arduous, painful journey has led you, desperate and on your knees, to this blog, hoping once and for all to find the answers to all your questions, to satisfy your heart's longing for an answer to the question 'Who Am I?'; well then, my friend, I can tell you utter and absolute certainty, that uh, you've come to the wrong place.

Andy Fun Fact: I have 4 songs in my iTunes entitled 'Who Am I'. 

This post is actually more of Who is Andy? and what sort of qualifications does he have to compile the 100 Best Modern Worship Songs list. My 'Who Am I?' page is probably just an exercise in narcissism, but I would like to at least try to explain why I feel I'm more than just the average Joe when it comes to modern worship music. Also, it gives me an excuse to show pictures of my cats.

My cat Hurley poses for our Cat Colander

WHO I AM AND WHAT I DO

I just recently turned 50 years old. That should be some sort of a milestone, but it sort of feels the same as 40 or 30. I currently work by managing apartments built by my grandfather and owned by my father and uncle. On a particularly tough week, I work about 20 hours, and those hours are mostly when I feel like it. I don't make a ton of money, but I've got more than enough.

My relationship status on Facebook is "HA. You're joking right". I'm eternally single and I pretty much like it that way. I've never been married and I've never really even been close (Unless you count those six times women left me at the altar. The last one actually said, "I D-" and ran out of the church before she could say the "oo").

MY WORSHIP STREET CRED

In 1999, I moved to take a youth ministry job in Juniata County, Pa. Worship music was central to what I did at that time. I'm not a musical guy, so my preferred method of worship at that time was the old tried-and-true CDs and overheads routine. For the better part of a decade, I was setting up and leading worship for kids (and sometimes adults) at least a few times a week.

Since worship music was such a big part of what I did, I was constantly searching for the coolest, latest, best-est worship music for me and my kids. And fortunately for me, it was also a very big part of what my church at the time was doing as well.

Not only was I trying to find the best worship music, but we also had a bunch of other like-minded people searching as well. People like Fred and Shonda Krapner, Alvin and Heinie Porter, Red Feltheim, etc; we were all on a search for good, usable worship music (I apologize if I got any of those names wrong, it's been awhile since I've seen you all).

Yep, all those cats are mine (why again am I not married?)

Nowadays, music is still a huge part of my life. Almost everything I do I do to music or with music in the background. In taking care of our apartment complex, I have to mow the lawn in the summer, rake leaves in the fall, and shovel snow and take care of the sidewalks in the winter. In all those things, I'm never without my iPod.

So, even though I'm not actively looking for music for the ministry, I'm still very interested in any kind of good new music I can get my hands on. I also run pretty frequently to stay in shape, and going around the track gets pretty tedious without good music.

So, anyway, I think I know a little bit about what constitutes good worship music. Do I know enough to be THE definitive top 100 list? Heck no. But then again, that's why we all love lists - so we can go online and complain about how stupid the guy is who made up the dumb list (you know, in Christian love and all that).

BEGIN WITH THE END IN SIGHT

In may surprise you to know that my top 100 songs list is already done. I spent a ton of time compiling the list and going over it again and again. So, even if Ashlie Anderson (Ashlan Henderson??) is the only person who ever sees this blog, it WILL get completed. As a matter of fact, not only do I already have the top 100 songs done, but I also have about a dozen posts lined up in my head that will sort of break up the list to discuss other aspects of certain songs that didn't make the list.

To sum up: I've got a good base of knowledge that qualifies me to compile this list. I have a gift for gab that will make my of my posts pretty fulfilling. I've got a disposition that absolutely will not allow me NOT to finish this list (or update on a regular, consistent basis if there are a  bunch of loyal followers).

So, that's who I am and why I'm doing this. Everything else that may or may not go on here is up to you. 

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