Kickstarter

So, everyone who responded to the Kickstarter survey has now been sent their "stuff."

It's likely we won't be bothering you again with updates and so forth, except to say this one last time:  If you signed up for a reward and have not received it, you need to send us your address, unless it is your plan to somehow meet us and have us hand it to you.

If you DO want to receive the reward you signed up for, at this point it's probably more efficient to send us an e-mail, since we're not going to be coming back here very often to find out if you have responded to that survey.

All of which is to say, if you signed up for something and have not yet received it, please send an e-mail to this address:  orders@speedwood.com, explaining what you ordered along with your address.  We will then check it against our list of stuff we've sent out, and get it to you as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your support, and don't forget to visit our website www.speedwood.com,

friend us on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-And-Found/6049173991

and check out our YouTube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBandLostAndFound

And, of course, thank you for your support and prayers!  You definitely have rocked our world more than you can know . . .

George

. . . important to us!  (Well, it's actually important to the post office, since they'll be the ones delivering your "reward" to your mailbox.  And, as I recall, they ain't exactly psychic.)

So, if your pledge to this Kickstarter project included a "premium," or "reward," we need to know where to send it.  Most folks have filled out the survey, and they'll be getting their stuff in due order.  (Tip: Check your spam folder if you haven't seen yours.)  If you haven't already filled out that survey, then we do not know your address.  Which leaves you with two choices:

1)  Fill out the survey and receive your stuff

2)  Don't fill out the survey and don't receive your stuff.

Totally up to you.

In other news, Michael's second chemo treatment went WAY better!  It might be the switch in the drugs the doctors gave him, but it's probably all the prayers being offered on his behalf . . . and, for which, we thank you!

I'm hoping the photo uploads okay here.  Just to show you a work in progress.  Or, as my wife called it, "An awesome organized mess of LOVE!"  As far as we have heard, we'll receive the first batch of CD's in the morning, which we will begin to sign, and then put in those envelopes.

Meaning, because of your support, this album has actually become reality, and we are once again assured of the reality of your love and support!

Thank you so much, and send us your address, okay?

George

As we enter the final day of what seems like a year-long campaign of love, we just want to take one final opportunity to say how much we appreciate your support of Lost And Found.

Sometime next week, God willing, we will have actual copies of Lost And Found Comes Alive in our hands, and then begin the lengthy process of signing the ones you have so generously purchased in advance.  I'm not a betting man, but I'd be willing to wager that we will be thinking with every stroke of the signing pens how honored we are that you have stepped in to support us at a moment where we are more uncertain than ever what the future will bring.

As a staunchly independent band, and one that has eschewed non-profit status, we have always put ourselves a little bit at risk of some setback like a band member getting sick, or worse.  We've consciously embraced the risks of doing business this way, because we've always felt that our music and songwriting should be what support us, or that we should otherwise find a different line of work.  After all, if people don't naturally find value in your music, you ought not to continue beating your head against the church wall, right?

But, over the years, we have found a critical mass of people who appreciate what we do, and what we say, and what we believe.  And though the members of that group change over time, we have always been able to make a living by traveling, and singing, and writing, and trusting that God will provide.

And--though we face some uncertainty going forward--through your support, God has provided again.

For those of us who follow the Revised Common Lectionary, tomorrow's lessons are kind of a perfect match for that idea.  When you mix the story of David and Goliath with Jesus' calming the storm, you kind of get the whole package:  We boldly face life's challenges knowing God is with us, and even when we don't recognize Jesus in our midst, he brings peace and calm to our troubled lives.

And those two ways are where we can say that we see the face of God in you, our friends and supporters.  In exactly those two ways.

We hope that you can know how much we love and honor your support, and we hope to continue to make music and play concerts that will make you glad that you did.

We really do love you!

George

. . . has 40 hours in it.

By the time most people get up in the morning, we'll be down to the basic work week's number of hours before our Kickstarter project closes up shop.

For those eager for a health update, I feel I should say a little something here . . .

Michael had his first chemo treatment round on June 13th (they last for three days each time).  To be frank, it did not go well, despite all our prayers.  He's not had good success keeping food down (which is a euphemism for "none"), but we hope the next week goes better.  I'm heading out there this Sunday and will be with him for his second treatment, and the few days following.

Going from the surgery to the setback to the chemo in so short a time-frame made it a bit predictable that the first treatment would be tough.  We're all hoping that the next round is at least a little less traumatic.

Which brings me back to the topic at hand . . .

People tend to work 40 hours a week (except for clergy who either work one hour a week, or 60, depending who you ask).  As I said, we've got about 40 hours left to go here, and will happily work overtime to say how much we appreciate your prayers and support these past weeks.

The course of the days ahead is unknown, of course, but we're hoping that the money we'll raise will carry us through the months ahead, and set us up to move strongly into the years ahead.

Please feel free to remind your friends that the deadline is a mere 40 hours away (which we once learned is exactly how long it takes to drive straight through from Los Angeles to Atlanta), and that every pledge made before Sunday night lifts a little burden off the shoulders of a band you support, and who loves you more than we can say.

George

So, apparently, once a project slips under the 3-day countdown, Kickstarter moves you onto the Hours Remaining clock, as opposed to the Days Remaining clock.  It adds to the drama of it all, right?  I suppose we'll eventually move to the minutes clock, then the seconds clock, then someone will have to bring in the Math Majors to parse it down to the wire.

Point being, we are now in the final 70.5 hours of this lengthy process of raising funds.  And you--the ones receiving this note by e-mail--are the ones who make us feel joyful as we approach the final days (or, in Kickstarter parlance, "hours").

The people who pledged early are probably tired of hearing from us by now.  Those who just arrived might be happy to get their first update.  (See Mt 20:1-16, right?) 

Every hour that passes reminds us of how grateful we are for your support, and how honored we are that our music has made a difference in people's lives, and--more than ever--how thankful we are that people pray for us on a daily basis.

Please keep nudging your friends to pre-order the CD, or to even think about hosting a House Concert.  (Or splitting an infinitive.)

And, at the risk of quoting The Master once too often, This Album's For You, Wherever You Are.

More soon . . .

George