Bob’s Big B-Day, Biking With ApX, Where’s the Single? |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
I had a nice long lunch on Friday with ApX alum drummer Bob Flaherty. We hung out for about two and a half hours. Later that evening, he had dinner with his good friend and fellow ApX alum drummer, Bill “Moose” Rieger.
Although Bob and I talk on the phone and via text from time to time, I hadn’t seen him in person since October 29, 2022 — over three years ago! That’s crazy.
We first met at Shiloh Church in West Elizabeth PA back in the December 1989 — over 36 years ago. That’s even crazier!
Bob was in town to celebrate a significant birthday; he's going to be 50 years old next week. That’s the craziest of all! |
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Yep, he was just barely a teenager the first time I met him. Now he’s a married father of three kids who are all in double-digit ages and the pastor of a congregation of over 300 people — Awakening Alliance Church in Ridgway PA, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Bob’s been there for six years now, which is why we don’t see him as often. Before that, he served at churches in Birmingham AL and Saltsburg PA. He’s been licensed and serving in pastoral positions with the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination since 2010 and was officially ordained in 2016.
Bob served as ApologetiX's drummer from May 1995 through September 1998. He also played all the drums on our Ticked CD, which was released in 1997. Later, he returned to be our sound man/roadie/driver from spring 2003 through fall 2004.
You can hear his name in the ApX Grand Funk spoof “We’re in a Parody Band," in which we sing “We’re in Bob Flaherty’s Band.”
Bob sings and plays guitar in addition to drums. He has been a worship leader at churches in the past as well, and I asked him if he ever plays guitar or drums at church these days. "I only play when there is a vacancy,” he said. "I only GET to play when there is a vacancy.”
Pastoring keeps him plenty busy, though. The church has Sunday services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Bob recently completed a sermon series on the Gospel of Mark that lasted for 18 months! That’s ironic, considering Mark used the word “immediately” 39 times in that book!
Speaking of time, my youngest child and only son, T.J., just turned 15 on Wednesday. That means he’s 13 months older than Bob was when I first met him. Holy mind-blowing perspective, Batman!
Happy birthday, Bob and T.J.! |
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What Ever Happened to Our Next Single and CD? |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Hey, has anybody out there seen our first single of 2026 and our 81st CD? Me neither. Well, technically I have seen them both. I know what they look like and what they sound like. But we haven’t made either of them available yet. Why?
Good question. We had hoped and planned to have the new single out by the end of last weekend or the beginning of this week, as we said in last weekend’s newsletter. Unfortunately, a variety of factors impeded its progress … a perfect storm, if you will. although maybe that’s not the best choice of words right now.
That’s why I try to always add “Lord willing” (James 4:15) when I tell you our plans.
Yesterday afternoon, we finally got a final mix we were all happy with of the first song on the single. We’re close to having the same on the second song. There’s a chance it may be out tonight. Or Sunday night. Lord willing.
It also depends on what happens with the severe winter weather that’s supposed to arrive later this evening. We’re hopeful and prayerful that it does’t cause any power outages. We’ve had single-digit temperatures since yesterday afternoon, but we’re supposed to get major snowfall starting early this evening.
Here in Pittsburgh, we’ve already had single-digit temperatures and significant snowfall a few other times this winter, but that didn’t stop people picking the grocery-store shelves clean … like piranha fish. |
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What about the new CD? Well, that’s a different story ...
We emailed the link for the master recording to the manufacturer on January 10 and the artwork to them on January 13. Unfortunately, when we checked in with the manufacturer on January 20 to see how things were progressing, we discovered that they somehow never got the email with the master recording.
That set us back 10 days. Now the CD is expected to be in stock by the end of the second week of February. We plan to start taking orders in a week or so … Lord willing, of course! :)
We share your disappointment in the delays and your eagerness to see these long-awaited projects come to fruition. Thanks for your patience! |
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Distance-Cycling With ApologetiX |
Here’s a very cool email we received recently from distance-cyclist Robert McMurray, an ApX fan in Tucson AZ … although you’re about to see that he’s not always in Tucson AZ.. |
You might find it amusing that ApologetiX has been my "go to" music for distance cycling for years. I have literally cycled thousands of miles listening to the band's music. That includes a recent, 500-mile cycling trip across Spain following the Camino de Santiago.
See the attached photo, which was taken in front of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral at the end of my 21-day, 500-mile journey across Spain from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela. (My hotel for the night was in a former monastery, and my room was a former monk's cell, which I thought was a rather fitting end to my trek.) |
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As a cycling tip, you need something to focus on during long distance rides. The Camino de Santiago is supposed to be a religious pilgrimage spent in prayer or reflection, which is what I was expecting when I set out. But the honest truth is: The ride was particularly difficult for me as a 58-year-old grandpa who was just getting over the flu when I departed.
So what did I focus on instead of prayer? All joking aside, but I spent the entire journey listening to ApologetiX's music. I know that sounds like I'm feeding you a line because you're you, but it's the truth.
ApologetiX's music was also my source of inspiration when I did the two-day, 200-mile ride from Seattle to Portland several years before my ride through Spain. (In the past. I kept a small Bluetooth speaker attached to my handlebars to listen to music, but I recently upgraded to bone conducting headphones that allow me to listen to music while still being able to hear what's going on around me.)
If you were ever curious, the Camino de Santiago is well worth doing for any Christian. About 85% of pilgrims complete their trek on foot, which takes five or more weeks on average. Another 15% of pilgrims complete their trek by bicycle, which I wouldn't recommend, even if you've trained for it (which I had, but not nearly enough on steep hills).
If I were to do the Camino again, I'd be perfectly willing to walk the entire route. Most people meet a lot of other pilgrims on the trail, and it was always interesting to see them laughing, singing, and sharing stories as I rode by, but I was very much traveling alone for my entire journey. Like I said, I expected more time in prayer while cycling, but that didn't happen; I was always focused on the road ahead of me and desperately trying not to die.
However, there were some absolutely amazing times that I had in several of the churches and cathedrals along the way. The most impactful was in a small chapel high in the mountains in the tiny village of O Cebreiro. The priest and his assistants conducted the service in multiple languages for all the pilgrims in attendance, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the place. I can't find the words to explain why, either. But moments like that reminded me of why people have gone on this pilgrimage for centuries.
There are two readily-accessible videos you can watch about the Camino de Santiago: the first video is the Rick Steves' special that features Pamplona and the Camino at https://youtu.be/4YvtQyYzuBI, and the other video is the movie "The Way" with Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen.
I'll close on something that you might find amusing: nearly a decade ago I wrote a blog post at https://www.geekybob.com/post/Bicycle-Friendly-Rock-Classics, wherein I described how I sometimes rewrite classic rock songs with bicycling themes when I'm riding. My tiny diversions are nowhere near your poetic skills, so take them with a grain of salt.
And with that, I'll sign off and let you get back to business.
Robert |
Thank you, Robert! We were honored, educated, amused, and inspired by your email. And now we’ll be prepared if anybody ever asks us to play a game of Where in the World is Camino de Santiago? |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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Bible-Reading Plan for 2026 |
We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
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Acts 20:20-21 "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
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