I might not ordinarily post this on the blog, but since I had previously written about our school situation with Jacob (“The Sweetest Squeaky Wheel”) I thought it was only right to let you know how things turned out.
Beasley's Blog Posts
I’ve gone too long between posts (something that will no doubt occur time and time again – you’ve been warned) but the reason is that I have been stuck in an ongoing conflict with the local school system over my son’s education. Many of you know that my son, Jacob, is autistic. This year, Jacob has been in a separate setting classroom for students with autism and it has been a tremendous blessing. He has made remarkable growth both academically and socially during this time and he seems to enjoy school more and more. His teacher is also the parent of a special-needs child and so that gives Jeana and me an extra level of comfort as she helps Jacob along.
I am so excited to announce that I will be going to Jamaica in early August on a mission trip centered around worship music! Together with a team from my church, Pleasant Garden Baptist, and our Minister of Music David Loftis, I am going to an area near Montego Bay to train local church musicians. We’ll help them in a week of camp, where they will build musical skills and share worship concepts. Later in the week we will lead outreach events in local neighborhoods with them and assist Pastor Loftis with a Worship Leader’s Conference and concert in Montego Bay at a new church plant in the uptown area of the city. You can read more information about previous trips on David’s website: Teach412.Com.
Of all the songs I’ve written, “Tired of Trying” would win the award for most misunderstood song. In fact, after I wrote the original draft of the song and let my wife see it, she told me that the song was too negative and I needed to insert something positive so people wouldn’t feel that it was a song about giving up. This was a good bit of advice and I did rework the chorus a little and add the second bridge as a result, but at the core of this song there IS a feeling of defeat and giving up that I was trying to communicate.