What fingerpickers do when no one is watching.

Get some of this at Prospect Avenue Baptist Church Santee on April 29, 4pm.

Prospect Avenue Baptist Church Santee

Hey, check out our new church website!

www.prospectbaptistsantee.com

Psalm 33:3. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

This picture features some of the instruments of Ben Owens and Bryan San Miguel.  It represents layer upon layer of blessings from God through these two men who have devoted their talents to His glory. It also represents a mess of great pickin' and singin'.

Ben and Jameson Owens Play the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention

We hauled the boys and their gear to the airport Tuesday morning for their week-long guitarfest in Nashville.  They have been having a wonderful time performing, enjoying concerts, and jamming at the Music City Sheraton. I am so grateful for this blessing from God in their lives, and for all the dear people who made it possible - especially Mark and Carol Pritcher and the Taylor and and Anderson families, Phil and Cindy, and Chris and Meagan.

Today Ben and Jameson performed with Tommy Emmanuel and Roland White. Tommy is probably the greatest fingerstyle guitarist of all time, a living legend who plays more than 300 dates a year all around the world.  Roland is a Bluegrass original whose first band, The Kentucky Colonels, played "The Darlins" on the Andy Griffith Show back in the early sixties. My boys are on cloud nine.  Hopefully we'll have some pics and video later.

God Blesses Ben Owens

Ok, so Ben and his buddy Nate spend the night near Nashville and end up meeting up with Tommy Emmanuel for dinner. What are the odds?? Well, Tommy plays over 300 shows per year; he is almost never home. Looks like it's gonna be a good trip. Thank you Lord.

Thanks For Coming Everyone!!

Hey, we did it!  We covered the existence of God, the trustworthiness and inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, the problem of man's sin, and finally God's gracious provision of salvation.  The pace was good, attendance was excellent, and the chow was superb.  Among the resources we gave away to each participant - our own 120 page 'Foundations' outline, 'God Wrote a Book,' 'God of Wonders,' 'More Than a Carpenter,' 'The Case for Christ,' and 'The Answers Book 2' from Answers in Genesis.


We are so grateful to everyone who served and attended; looking forward to seeing everyone at our Lasagna finale this Thursday.  We hope you all can make it to our special summer series with Ben Owens Wednesdays @ 7 beginning June 2.  God's richest blessings to all.

Good Clean College Fun

Ben and his pals finally took their jam session outside.  Wish I could have been there to hear them.

No God, No Music. Period.

Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Two Ben Owens originals:
"Waltz For a Friend" in honor of the late Verna Lembcke.
"Goin' Home"

The Church

When I think of the church I usually picture the local church - and, more specifically, our local church. Today I am thankful for the universal church - the body of Christ at large.

Ben is scheduled to perform at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society convention in Nashville July 8-11 and at The Creation Museum near Cincinnati July 13-31. He sorely needed to make the trip to earn money for college, but due to his age he was unable to rent a car or even a room. Imagine planning a 3-week trip with no transportation or housing.

This is where caring Christian friends came to the rescue. Chris and Meagan (Taylor) Anderson, Dr. Mark and Carol Pritcher, Ivan and Connie Gunn, Dr. David and Deb Menton, and Mike and Lesley Riddle all offered to help with both housing and transportation. What an answer to prayer these folks are. May the Lord bless them all for their generosity and hospitality.

Lord of the Strings Concert Series Scholarship

Tim and Tina Johnson are founders of Lord of the Strings Concerts in Dana Point, Ca. Their labor of love provides a venue for fingerstyle guitarists (and a few other select acoustic musicians) from around the world. They host 24 to 26 shows a year in two venues in Orange County. They have helped dozens of artists fill dates in their schedules, and in the process they have become the premiere venue for virtuoso-class fingerstyle guitar in SoCal. Their concerts are totally family friendly, and they and their team are extremely gracious hosts.

This year in an effort to help promote fingerstyle guitar among young people, LOS launched a scholarship program which was personally funded by LOS patrons Steve and Cindy Olson. They generously provided $1000 to their very first scholar/player...Ben Owens. I am grateful beyond words to Steve and Cindy, and to Tim and Tina for this gracious gift to my son's education.

Tim, Tina, and crew gave our whole family first class treatment last night - free admission, reserved seating, the privilege to hang out with some salt of the earth folks, and the pleasure of seeing Ben open the show and play several duets with Pete Huttlinger. In addition to being a world-class solo guitarist (and a really nice guy) Pete also loves to promote and encourage younger players. Both Pete and his wife Erin are always kind and accommodating.

Last night was a total blessing; an act of kindness and generosity made a lifetime of fond memories for me and my family. Thanks to everyone at LOS.

Ben's First College Degree

Ben completed his studies at Grossmont College for his associate's degree in music, classical studies. He ended his four semesters with 72.5 units, and was one of 17 grads to maintain a 4.0gpa in a class of 1300. That makes 10 consecutive semesters of 4.0, and a heap of good guitar pickin' ;)

We are grateful to the faculty at Grossmont for their virtuosity, grace, and kindness. Ben had a great time there and was sad it ended so soon. A special thanks to Fred Benedetti for mentoring my son in a new musical direction.

I sure love my kids

Happy Father's Day weekend, guys! What a pleasure and privilege it is to be a father. I am so thankful to God for my boys. I pray for strength, wisdom, and discipline to do right by them - and their Mom!