Here are the standings in the Idol contest.

!) Jim  13 points total...10 this week

Mike.... 13...6 this week

3) Sue (my wife) and Amy (sister)...10 points

5) Jordan   9 points...8 this week

6) Shannon   8 points...5 this week

7) Hanna   6 points..5 this week

8) Steve and Sharayah   5 points

10 Elizabeth   1 point...zero this week

A lot of people had Chris in top 3 for the final results, so they won't get any bonus points at the end for him.

Chris is back to blogging on his site at www.frommymindtoyoureyes.blogspot.com/ stop by and give him some encouragement and read his thoughts. He mentioned being on Jay Leno tomorrow night, but I don't know if that means thursday or friday! Will also be on the Today show next week. You can also order his CD, which sounds pretty good by the samples and is getting rave reviews. Check out his band website at www.halfpastforever.com/

Well, it's so long for my buddy Chris, who never really hit his stride after it got down to 12. At least he made the top 10 and will tour with the group, his band's independent CD just came out and he can promote that, and he can go back to his Church and lead worship. (see below) That being said, it's still a joke that Sanjaya didn't even make the bottom 3. It is really starting to concern me that the vote for the worst campaign is working so well.

I'll have all the point totals for the contest in my next blog. We did better than last week, with 4 of us picking Sligh to be eliminated, and most having Haley in there too.

I was going to live blog Idol again, but when I saw Gwen Stefani was the "star", I wasn't too much into it. It's not that a don't like her, it's the fact that I have no idea of her music. I am proud to say I'm not hip with her. From the clips they showed of her band No Doubt, they looked like they had a Superchick type of sound, or I should say Superchick had a No Doubt sound?

Anyway, I don't think the contestants felt too at ease with a star of her magnitude. I know if I was trying to hit a baseball I would rather have an old-time star like Bucky Dent than a superstar like Derek Jeter helping me.

When I heard someone was going to do a Police song, I was so hoping it would be Blake. Thought his vocals and look would be PERFECT for that. Now he did fine with his song, and Phil did the best he could with "Every Breath You Take." But I thought Sligh was a mess with "Every Little Thing." I am really worried he might get the boot, plus he was early in the show which hurts.

What can save him if the public finally gets it with Sanjaya. The guy was a total joke tonight. I couldn't even look at him, let alone listen to that horrible rendition. I watched SNL last week to see Payton Manning and Carrie Underwood, and this guy who came out and mocked Sanjaya sounded better! (See picture below)

I'm really thinking Jordin can win this thing. A guy at work downloaded her song from last week for me, and to hear it with no crowd noise and just her and the band really blew me away. Though I wasn't crazy about the lyrics of that song she did tonight, it was definitely the most "fun to watch" song of the night. I would have her, Melinda, and Blake as my top 3 tonight, and Sanjaya, Sligh and Haley as my bottom 3. They will also be my picks for the bottom 3. I'm going to predict for the contest that Sligh will get voted off, because I am never right, and maybe, PLEASE maybe, that Sanjaya will go if I don't predict him for a change.

For all of you making your bottom 3 picks for the contest, it's easiest for me if you can make them in the comment box below. If you prefer not to, that's OK, I just appreciate wherever you place it! You can give me who you liked the best too, just to see where the buzz is going these days.

Have a great week..and don't miss church for the results show...record the show and watch it in 15 minutes later on!

Got a bunch of CD's in the mail from Sound and Spirit last week. At a glance, I thought I got duplicate CD's..then I realized Tomlin's and John Cox had a slight difference. Has any 2 albums released in the same year ever been so close? I never thought I would here from John Cox again..it took 11 years to follow up from his great debut album. This one doesn't rock quite as hard, but still a must for anyone who likes the vocals of Led Zeppelin.

Well, only the bottom 2 were announced on yesterday's show, so there was less chance for points. I was not surprised that Steph got the boot, though I don't agree with it. I was shocked Chris Richardson was the other one..I thought he was great tuesday. I would think he would get more swooning girl votes than Sanjaya, but how would I know?

Standings;

1) Mike Jenke  7 points

He does the xanga version of this pool but I include him in our's for a benchmark because he beat me out for first last year. He predicted Stephanie would get the boot. He doesn't get a bonus point because he really doesn't predict it on my blog, only his.

2) Shannon and myself..3 points

we both had Steph in bottom 3 for 2 points, and 1 for trying.

4) Hanna, Jordan and Elizabeth.. 1 point

none had Stephanie or Chris in bottom 2.

A few of you said you forgot, but try again next week because you can see you aren't far behind!

Great line I heard...I got my basketball and Idol brackets mixed up and have LaKisha beating Ohoi State friday night!

Finally seen the movie "Facing The Giants" What an awesome movie of faith and battling through adversity. Try to rent it or buy it!

Prayer request...last night my wife was seeing a patient when she had horrible pain in her stomach, with a big knot. She called me at Church to come home, we got the kids to stay next door, and was ready to go to emergency when the pain subsided. She called back the doctor and he said to schedule something in the morning, that it could be a hernia. So Tuesday she is going to see the specialist who took out her gall bladder a few years ago. If it flairs up bad before then, we might have to go to emergency. Then to top it off I was off today recovering from bronchitis. I shouldn't even have been in church but the girls had a dance routine to practice for the nursing home. Thanks for your prayers!

The show starts in a little while and I'm going to try live comments as the performers come up. One of my favorite groups growing up was Herman's Hermit's, and the singer Peter Noone will be on the show. They will be doing British songs from the 60's, which I should love, unless it's the Rolling Stones, who are my least favorite band of all time. If someone sings "Henry the 8th" I will flip out! So on with the show...

First out is Haley..she is dressed a little too provocative for my taste, but I'm sure that will make her more memorable. She is doing the best she has done on the show to date..the judges agree..I give her a B.

Now it's my "cuz" Chris Richardson...nice touch with the acoustic guitar..wow, he's singing this beautifully...his best to date as well...judges agree...I give him an A-.

Now Stephanie..Lulu and Peter seem to be more encouraging than Diana Ross last week, who I thought made them nervous....ooh, I love the song choice, Nadia Turner was great doing it 2 years ago..Steph isn't nailing it though..pretty average to me...the judges think so as well..I give a C+.

Blake time.."It's the Time" is one of my faves!...Wow..is this good..this is right in his vocal range, I thought he might mess up the last high note but he didn't..beatbox works well...this was one of the top 5  performances of the YEAR so far...judges all give major props too...Blake get's an A+! So far the guys are doing better.

LaKisha is having a hard time making up her mind on song choice..it's a tougher week for those who don't know that era's songs..Diamonds look good, but she seems a little tentative with the song, which I understand if you hadn't heard it until this week..judges weren't wowed either..I'll give a B.

Oh, no commercial...here comes Phil...don't know this song, "Tobacco Road"  He's having fun with it..his vocals are good but I think this would be a better fit for someone like Taylor Hicks...Simon kinds of agree's about not having a gritty enough voice for that song..I'll give a B.

Jordin..this girl can sure change her look from week to week....She is doing a great job..she is improving every week..my sister could be right on her winning this thing...I will give an A.

Sanjaya..looks like he's dressed like Michael Jackson..wrong time frame...oh no, The Kinks!?..well, he's killing the song but at least he's singing with some force for a change..little girl in audience is cute..will help him get votes,will it be enough to keep him on the show? He gets a C.

Crud, Gina is gonna do a Stones song after the break...PLEASE don't be Satisfaction..I hated it when Paula forced Bo Bice to sing that one..OK, she's doing "Paint it Black"...well, she sounds better to me than Mick Jagger, but so does my cat when I step on her tail, so that isn't saying much..I actually think she is sounding OK in the final part of the song..the judges weren't big on her..I'd give a B-, not as bad vocally as Simon thought.

My boy Sligh is next.. Wait..he's talking about Henry the 8th, is he going to do it and answer my before the show wishes? Nope, a Zombies classic will have to do. He's walking through the crowd, that could be tricky, but he's sounding good..he brings it home pretty well..I'll give him a B+

Well, they save the best for last, Melinda. Is this the 3rd time she has finished the show already? Good, she says "Sweet Jesus" on the air! This will be interesting to see how she does from an era she isn't comfortable with...well, I think she can sing the telephone book and make it unbelievable, another spot on perfect performance..judges agree..give her another A+.

Well, my 3 best were Blake, Melinda and Jordin, 3 worst were Sanjaya, Stephanie and Gina. But for the contest, who will be the bottom 3? I think Stephanie will be the surprise pick this week, Sunjaya the safe pick, and I say Haley despite my wife thinking her outfit will get her through. I say Sanjaya will get voted off, just like Kevin last year  before he could make the top 10 and make the tour.

We all know about the 10 lepers Jesus healed, and only one came back to thank him.

Did you know one of the others tried to swindle money from the other 9? Turns out he was the first "Leper-con" Groan....sorry that was too late for St. Patty's day!

On a more serious note, what king do you follow? Do you follow the King of Kings, and submit your life to Jesus? Or are you like the world and follow a "Burger King' type of God, because all you ask for "is for him to do things your way?"

Friday night was the big concert for our area this year. My wife got her folks to watch the kids so we had a nice date night, going to Applebee's before the show.

We had artist circle seats, so we got there and got 6th row seats. Glad we got there early as we were talking to some friends at 6:45, and Vicki Beeching came out 15 minutes early for her 15 minutes of Brit-style worship. She then introduced Rebecca, which I was glad because I wasn't sure which performer was going to be the "Headliner" and I'm a huge Delirious fan. Turns out they both played for about 75 minutes each, so it was really a co-headline tour.

Rebecca really got off to a rockin start with "Alive" Thought her and the whole band was pretty tight sounding. Her voice sounded best on "You Are Loved", which showcases her more than the band. The musical lowlight surprisingly was "Wait for Me", which is a beautiful song, but it was really rocked up too much and her voice wasn't in synch with the video behind her.

She had her background singer Charmaine sing a nice song, then she went back to worship portion of the show. That started a little too rock for the style for my taste, but then settled down to a great worship time. Overall, I would give the show a B+. She then had a talk about Compassion kids, which Sue and I had already prayed before the show about adopting a child if Compassion was there. We adopted a beautiful little girl from Mexico who is in between my daughter's ages! Got Rebecca's early years CD as a thank you gift.

Delirious then gave a spectacular show. The only negatives were that for some reason Tim the keyboard player didn't make the trip, and the song list was nearly identical to the new DVD. Those were just small flaws, as Martin on Vocals and Stu's guitar's were dead on all night.They are the definition of a true band in being tight. They can really rock and get the crowd jumping up and down in classics like "Rain Down" and "History Maker", but the slowed down worship songs like "Our God Reigns" and "Majesty" almost make you feel like you're at the throne room of God. The background visual screen always has the lyrics in unique ways for every song, which really helps you appreciate what a gifted songwriter Martin is. My wife went into the show not a big fan of the group, now she she's what I always have seen and loves them too! They get an A for the show!

In my photo's I have posted some photo's of Rebecca and Vicki with the fans. I'm feeling too old to ask to pose anymore, I let the kids enjoy that! Didn't stick around long enough to see if Delirious was mingling, as we had a snowstorm and I had to get up early the next day to work. Here is a concert shot of Delirious though.

My Pastor, Ray Viola, is an awesome teacher that the Lord really uses to teach the flock. I'm going to mention some of the things he has mentioned in the past that have stuck with me in my blogs.

Have you ever sat in church and noticed the guitar, piano, drums, etc behind the pulpit? Are they playing by themselves? Of course not, unless one of the musicians play them, they are useless. Are you an instrument to be used for God's will? We are useless unless we allow Jesus to take control of our lives.

Brandon gets eliminated..not surprised, had him in bottom 3. I had to sweat out Phil being there though!

I really want to get John Waller's CD that came out last week, but our Christian store still hasn't gotten it in yet! I'm expecting a ton in the mail any day though...Jeremy Camp, Krystal Meyers and Big Daddy weave to name a few.

Watching this year's top 12 Idol performers made me long for last year. This year we have only 3 potential "Stars", Melinda, Lakisha, and Jordin. They are all kind of the same style though. Last year had a great variety, the wild man Taylor, the sultry Katherine, the smooth Elliott, the country girl Kellie, and of course, the superstar Chris. Watching Chris Richardson, I was thinking if you put Elliott's voice in his body, and you would have the perfect male contestant. I was wrong to compare Blake to TobyMac, I think he is much more like Kevin Max in looks and style. I thought Sligh sang well, I didn't know the song well enough to notice how he ruined the arrangement. Phil was the best guy I thought. It was kind of tough on all the guys to try Diana Ross songs, but that's just how the show goes. It won't be fair to Melinda and LaKisha if Bon Jovi is the guest. I think the bottom 3 will be Brandon, Haley, and Sanjaya will be voted off. But Brandon might be sweating it out tonight..how can he and Haley miss words?!

Thanks for those who picked your top 3. For those who want to still do it I will give grace until tomorrow's elimination show. I will have the results in my next blog! I have about 10 picks, I was hoping for 12 to 15, so I'd still love to hear them!

OK...RK fans, this is what you've been waiting for, their first full length CD in a while! I got the deluxe version with a bonus DVD, but more on that later.

I'm going to write this without being influenced by the other reviews I've read. I don't want to copy any other thoughts. I've listened to the CD very closely while delivering mail for 3 straight days, so I have formed my takes.

After opening with a quick little a cappella song about Abe Lincoln not really dying, they blaze into "Come Right Out And Say It". This will start the trend of great relationship songs on the album. Matt's lyrics might not be as funny, but they are very truthful throughout on this project. This song is about a girl holding back her feelings, instead of telling the truth even if it's going to hurt. "Devastation and Reform' get's into having God helping you to learn from our past mistakes, cause they can be a blessing in disguise. Another fave is "Bite My Tongue", kind of a summery of when James wrote that our tongue can cause such damage for a small instrument. We can all relate to sticking our foot in our mouth when we should have been quiet. "Forgiven" is a great piano led song of getting past the bitterness and forgiving one another.

There are tons of classic pop love songs. "Must Have Done Something Right" is almost a perfect pop song, and "I'm Taking You With Me" and "The Best Thing" deal with the true love of a girl in his life. The one kind of controversial song is the country style "Faking My Own Suicide".  You will either think it's kind of creepy, or else very clever, about pretending to die so his girlfriend will realize how much she really loves him. In the end they all laugh and live happily ever after. Every tune is so tight musically, with layers of guitars and piano woven so beautifully together.

If the CD ended after 13 songs it would be a classic, but the final song "Deathbed" makes this an all time great. Considering this CD is being pushed in the secular marketplace, this song could be one of the most important Christian songs ever recorded to reach the lost. It's over 11 minutes and not really easy to listen to at first, dealing with a first hand account of everything this guy has done wrong in his life, and now at his deathbed he's about to meet his maker. Fortunately, at an earlier time in his life, he asked Jesus to forgive him and come into his life. So as he dies he gently goes in the arms of his savior. Jon Foreman of Switchfoot sings the voice of Jesus and sings "I am the way. Follow me and take my hand. And I am the truth. Embrace me and you'll understand. I am the life. Through me you'll live again. For I am love. I am love. I am love". Every time I hear this I choke up. If you aren't a fan of Relient K's pop/punk style, then just pay to download this song to share with people who need the Lord.

I rate this CD a perfect 10 out of 10. That makes 4 straight 10's for this band after a 9.5 for their debut CD. They are now in the discussion for my top band along with Kutless, Switchfoot, and U2.

Well, I was 2 for 4 in my predictions, got Jared and the surprise, Sabrina, right. I was shocked to see Haley make it, but she is a class act and I am SO happy she made it over Antonella. All my faves who are Christians made it, Chris Sligh, Phil, and Melinda, so I'm happy. Will have my rankings of the top 12 around Sunday. Don't forget to send me your top 3 picks for the myccm survey and see who comes closest at the end.

OK Phil...keep singing for the Lord bro...don't let those judges scare you. The Christian vote may have got you through.

His song, "I Need You", that I only knew the Kristie Starling version of, is sung by LeAnn Rimes on the "Jesus" soundtrack.

Just a quick blog to call my shot on who will get voted off Idol in a few hours. The women last night played to form, with Antonella being awful and Melinda and LaKisha great. I also though Gina was very good doing Evanescence. That should be enough to get her through. I still think Antonella will get through because of all the idiots who vote for her because of her off color things. So the sure bet will be Haley is gone. My wife and I both agree she reminds us of Kathy Lee Gifford. Not good! So I think it will be either Jordin or Sabrina going, and I will say Sabrina because she is a little mechanical. I going to change on the guys, and say the girls will stop voting for Sanjaya and switch to Chris Richardson, so Sanjaya and Jared goes. When we get the final 12 I'd like everyone to leave me a comment or message on who you think the top 3 will be in order, and at the end of the year we will see who predicted best. Last year I had Mandisa winning, so I wasn't too close!

Tomorrow I will have my thoughts on the show, plus my Relient K review. I will say this now, "Deathbed" could be one of the most important songs of all time to reach the lost. It's EPIC!

Just got Relient K today...listening to it for second time and REALLY dig it. Got to the store too late for a free t-shirt, but did get the deluxe version for 6 bucks more with a live acoustic concert DVD from the Capitol studios which is a MUST for any serious fan. Also get interviews and new music video which is cool. I will give a full review maybe friday or so.

Hey, I got a good friend to join myccm that goes to my church. Stop by and become a peep of Steve's at www.myccm.org/stevemorse/profile He's a big fan of all Christian music and an American Idol fan, which makes him OK in my book! He's a homeschool Dad as well.

Thought the guys were pretty bland on Idol. I WAS stoked to hear a song you hear on K-Love all the time..Kristi Starling's "I Need You". Worship leader Phil Stacy did it, but the judges weren't as impressed as I was. I voted for him a ton of times and pray he get's through. Chris Sligh was solid with a DC Talk song and should breeze through along with Blake and Chris Richardson. One thing about us Richardson's, we are all good looking..cough, cough.

Of course, Sanjaya should be voted off, but he won't, so that leaves Brandon, Jared, Sundance and possibly Phil in danger of getting the boot. I think Jared and Brandon will split their votes and both get eliminated. I can't see how the judges say only 4 guys should be in top 12. That means all 8 girls left should be in, and there is no way Antonella should be ahead of ANY guy.

I was pretty close on picking who would be eliminated on Idol. See how sad everyone is when someone gets voted off, but everyone looked mad when Antonella DIDN'T get the well deserved boot? What was up with Kellie Pickler? We couldn't decide at work if she had implants or not. Plus her hair style looked like it was from the 70's. The look doesn't fit her personality at all. Come on Kellie, stick to what America liked about you.

The latest CCM magazine is awesome. Will have some blogs soon about cover boys Relient K. Did you check out Jay's interview with Chris York on page 24? I thought it was Chris Sligh at first! 'fro patro dude! Love it!

Props to my peeps Elizabeth and Dougie for getting letters published! Another peep Christine Evans got a nice push for her CD "Push" on page 14 as well!

Well, the results show is in a few hours, so have to call my shot about the girls last night. Like last week , loved the Black girls. I thought they had nice song selections. I would rank them...Melinda, Jordin, LaKisha, Stephanie, and Sabrina. As far the others, Gina is probably the best of the rest, though she was no Carrie Underwood doing "Alone". I was very disappointed with Haley's song. She sang it OK, but not big on the lyrics of that Whitney Houston song. Of course I want to see the sleazeball Antonella go. I'm so sick of her! She gives it to the judges for getting rid of Jennifer Hudson, when she should be thanking them for giving her an undeserved spot in the top 24. But I think the teen boys are going to vote to keep her on, sadly. Alaina will go, singing a Dixie Chicks song will get half the country to not vote for her, which she can't afford as it is. Leslie and Haley are in trouble, I say Leslie will go. Kellie Pickler sings tonight, which will be nice.

Right now, if I could have my dream top 12, it would be..Chris Sligh, Chris Richardson, Phil, Blake, Sundance and Brandon for guys. For girls Melinda, Lakisha, Stephanie, Jordin, Gina and Haley. Sabrina deserves it more but for some reason I don't like her as much as the other 6. She seems sweet enough. Just as long as Antonella isn't in top 12 I will be happy.