This was my first Cornerstone since 2003. I went with my buddy, Bryan, and his daughter, Sara in this thoroughly used 1977 Ford Midas motor home. It got us there and home in one piece. Praise God!

Since starting this web site last summer, going to Cornerstone has been my main goal. This was my tenth year there, and I have to say that God chose to bless again... bless in a small, but tangible way. I absolutely love supporting this Christian rock scene, as small as it is, but broad in its' scope and diversity. God put in my heart the desire to get the word out about these independent bands and this "ongoing history", as I prefer to think of it. He gave me the desire and this small, but growing knowledge of building this pneumatic tire site. I don't think God cares so much about our little site as He does about our desire to make connections with others about what we love. In essence, our common love for God and others is what binds us together and makes the connections meaningful and hopefully, long-lasting.

Cornerstone Festival has been, and still remains, a springboard for creating viral community. I referred earlier to how God chose to bless again. I went this year wanting to connect with those who have supported the scene as writers, editors, publishers, and long-time fans. For me, the artists were secondary. No Sharpies this time. People like Doug Van Pelt, John Thompson, Shari Lloyd, and Pastor Bob Beeman were among those I hoped to chat with.

I was happy to hang with Shari Lloyd, Linda, LaFianza, and the rest of the Phantom Tollbooth writers and friends. Shari was the one who gave me the opportunity to write reviews for Phantom Tollbooth. All of the PT folks were gracious ones who love to financially support the artists and record shows to freely trade and give to others. Good stuff!

I talked with Pastor Bob Beeman a little bit. He remembered our old Buffalo group and his Sanctuary crew sharing a meal with us. Very cool! He said, this year alone, Sanctuary has been represented at 17 festivals, two of which were in the U.S. This means he has done some extensive international traveling. It is awesome how God has been continuing to bless them and use them in a global sense!

I got to talk briefly with Doug Van Pelt of HM Magazine. I dropped a business card and told him we wanted to promote them with a banner on our site. He remembered me from a few years back. Very cool again!

Then, finally, I was sitting at a table in the Gallery stage waiting for Charlie Peacock to take stage. John Thompson and his wife sat right down next to me. Needless to say, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I gave him a card, told him about our little site, and about how I had brought this little pamphlet he wrote in 1995 about Christian alternative rock. I had wanted him to sign it, but I left it back at our campsite, thinking I would never bump into him. We laughed a bit before Charlie came on stage.

I believe we have created this site in an act of worship. This could be why God put people in my path.

The most unexpected blessing came when Bryan and I were sitting in our golf cart in the food court area enjoying one of those cross-shaped fry cakes. Some guy comes up to us and asked where we got it from. He was wearing a Daniel Amos shirt with Horrendous Disc on it. I said, "Cool shirt." He said," Do you know who I am and my little part in this history?" It turns out he was Randy Layton, who formed the independent record company, Alternative Records, in 1979. He asked if he could sit down in the golf cart because his back was killing him. He gave us a 25-minute interview about the history of the label, working with some of the artists, the unraveling of Exit Records, the internet, and possible future endeavors. Totally awesome, unexpected, and it dropped right in our laps.... I mean, golf cart!

I got 29+ hours of concert footage, some whole shows, interviews, and general Tom Foolery. This will, over the coming weeks and months, make it on youtube, or some other video service. Keep an eye on pneumatic tire.

Lastly, I hung out with this 22 year old kid from the band, Hands. His name is Josh. I felt like I was looking at a younger version of myself as we talked about the Christian rock from the 80's to the present. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the older music and shared many of the same interests in the whole history. He will be joining our team in the coming months.

Now, it's time to decompress.