Mom God Vs. Navas God

So a friend of mine and I got into a discussion a few days ago concerning how we view and interact with God and I learned something important.

My mom is great (but that isn't what I learned!). She's the best mom I know of and I'm not just saying that. She brought me up to be myself and let me ask many, many questions. I suppose I've been in the habit that if Mom told me to do something, my first reaction was, "why?" Not always because I didn't want to do whatever she asked, but because I wanted to understand the purpose of it if I didn't already.

Recently I've been wrestling with God over some things in my life that I felt like He's told me to do, yet don't understand why or for what purpose.

This is where my friend pointed out our old High School soccer coach, Coach Navas. Coach Navas had a habit of running us into the ground. He would make us do these things called "gassers" which were essentially the mother of all painful sprints. Everyday, Coach Navas would make us run some number of gassers. It could be 8 (trust me, that was enough) or 4, you just never knew. When Coach asked us to do them, we just did it. Had someone asked "why" there was a distinct possibility that the questioner would be running twice as many. Not only that, there was also the chance that one person's question might turn into everyone's punishment. So we didn't question him. Many of us couldn't see the benefit in some of the drills he made us do, but we did them anyway, without question.

I think we can see the correlation here. Sometimes God will give us answers and be like mom, you know, helping us out to understand what's going on. Sometimes God just expects us to remember that He's God and we should just simply do what He said. So Coach Navas, where ever you are, thanks for the gassers.

Dear Underdog:

UPDATE YOUR MOTHER-LOVING BLOG. Thousands, if not millions of dedicated and hopeful fans have endured far too much time passing. You are LOSING them. Their numbers shrink by the hundreds every hour. Try as I might to keep them hopeful; to instill that urge to fight just a little while longer, they keep telling me:

"He's gone, man! He's forsaken us! Look at how long it has been! All is lost!"

I fight on saying:

"No, no! It isn't true! He only sleeps! I promise he'll be back! The longer he waits the greater the revelation will be! The more entertaining the words and phrases!"

But they lose hope, brother. The masses are turning against you. Your blog has somehow been left a desert...turned over to happenstance visitors and random spam-comments on virility products. And for what? A few more hours of fighting a fake battle against a virtual enemy on a game we rented using a console you don't even own?!?

My heart weeps...it weeps I tell you. It weeps like a hundred jackals at the hands of drug-crazed yetis. It weeps like so many spider monkeys who know the real key to life is just to fling poo, yet are unable to communicate such a truth to us mindless humans. My heart pours tears as if it just learned Optimus Prime himself was nothing more than a myth. Please, forsake us no longer...

Bothered

I've recently been thinking about something. Yeah, not an uncommon thing for me to do. I probably think too much as it is. Be that as it may, this topic really bothers me. Sex and society. When I think about what God intended relationships between a man and a women to be and compare that with what the world is telling us and even what I've done in my life, I feel sick. I just don't understand. Then again, maybe I understand more than I want to. I've had pretty messed up ideas about sex and women before. I pursued what I thought men should pursue only to find a lot of degeneration and selfishness. People pursuing "happiness" at all costs to themselves and the people around them. People continually giving themselves away because they somehow think that sex or pornography or being sexually attractive is going to fill some void in their life. I know I thought that way.

But even if someone doesn't believe in God, how can they look at the way sex is depicted in the Bible and claim it is not something good? Even if they think the Bible is full of it, how can they throw out the way it calls for men and women to treat each other as if it would hurt them?

1 in 4 women these days have been sexually molested in some way, shape, or form. 1 in 4. That means nearly 37 MILLION women in the US alone have been sexually molested. You know, at the very least when someone murders somebody the victim doesn't have to live with it. While the murder is demonstrating that they think the victim's life is worthless, at least it is over and they don't have to suffer on this earth anymore for it. Rape, on the other hand, tells a women the same thing in terms of her life being worthless, but she has to live out her life struggling to overcome that.

But more and more, we see things like this. And while I know the many good uses of it, the Internet might as well be a massive porn depository. And there's thousands of other examples: priests preying on young children, women teachers and their young male students, children becoming sexually active at younger and younger ages, and on and on and on.

Somehow many people think of it as freedom. They don't have to listen to the rules, forgetting all about the fact that many of the "rules" where only made for our own good. But more and more I have noticed in my old self and in many people I come into contact with that people aren't looking for freedom from rules or religion. They aren't looking to be anti-social or "fight the power." They are looking for love. Men, women, children; all looking for love and doing whatever they can to find it. Men think that they'll like themselves and be respected if women find them sexually attractive and are "good in the sack." Women seem to think that because a man is sleeping with them that he must love them and they turn to those fleeting moments of intimate connection whenever they want to feel reassured that they are beautiful and something to be desired.

But it is never enough. You can't fill up on porn. You can't sleep with enough people. You can't feed enough sexual desires to make it go away. You can't look enough, kiss enough, hold enough, pursue enough, get close enough, rape enough, pervert enough or feed every single sexual desire you have enough to make it stop. It is a hunger unlike anything else in this human existence.

But it can be stopped. People can find their validation is something good that will actually do something positive in their life. But only when they decide to get serious about change. I wish I could say it was easy. I had a conversation with a couple last Sunday about this very topic and I can say with confidence that it isn't an easy road to follow. But God can validate us unlike anything else can. He created us and we were designed to have a relationship with Him that will validate us completely. He isn't out to make a bunch of rules to ruin our lives. I wish I could make people understand that...

Debate

There's a debate going on in my head right now. Should I sell my 1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport (the very same I recently sunk in a mudhole) and purchase the vehicle you see here (1991 Isuzu Trooper)? While it isn't a raging debate, let's try to work out some details:

I still owe a decent amount of bread on the Jeep. (side note: we should all go back to referring to money as "bread"). While it is not a terrible lot, I've recently gotten into the mindset of dumping all my excess in order to slim down both with my money and in the amount of "stuff" I own. I could probably get away with selling the Jeep for almost $10,000 so I would actually make money off the sell.

The Jeep is not a cheap vehicle to have. Jeeps are domestic and like so many domestic cars, they are notorious for repetitive annoying issues. I've replaced the radiator twice, fixed two leaks in the transmission, replaced the exhaust manifold, and repaired various nic-naks since I bought it. While many of the issues are not big problems, they still cost money. Also, the soft top will need to be replaced soon which is another 500 or 600 bucks

I owned a Trooper before the Jeep and loved it. It was inexpensive, relatively reliable and had enough room in it for my purposes. While not as "cool" as a Jeep, it was definitely a true SUV with decent off-road capability and the ability to carry a lot of people or stuff around. Plus, it's boxy and boxy SUV's are where it's at, people.

I can buy this Trooper for $200. That might be a selling point in and of itself, but I then must put about $3,000 into it for a new transmission and engine. However, once that is done, that will be the extent of the cost of the vehicle. No loans, no payments, etc.

On the other hand...Jeeps are Jeeps. And I love Jeeps. I sold my old 1991 Jeep Wrangler after a year of driving it and kicked myself in the rear for 4 years until I could get the one I own now. The Jeep I own now was frankly a gift from God himself because I all but stole it from the people I bought it from. Plus, there is simply nothing like driving around with no top on (be it me or the Jeep) during warm summer nights.

So much to think about. Save money and lose the Jeep lifestyle and cool points it automatically brings me (I need all I can get) or keep it and make my wallet suck it up?

Jack and Kong

So Ryan and I saw King Kong the other night. I was actually pretty good. A bit too much of a love story (I wanted to see more of Kong destroying things..he he he) but good nonetheless. One scene stuck with me, though. No, it wasn't Kong ripping open the jaws of a T-Rex. It wasn't Kong terrorizing NYC, and it wasn't even the numerous chances one gets to stare into the eyes of Naomi Watts who, in my opinion, looks absolutely stunning in this film. No, it was a simple scene of Jack, his band of men, and a ravine. After being rescued from large insects obviously hungry for human flesh, Jack and two others climb their way out of the ravine. After they get to the top, the camera zooms out to show Jack on one side and everyone else on another. While everyone else had given up on rescuing Ann, Jack had not. Even with everyone standing on one side telling him it was over and to give up, Jack kept trudging on. Here is why this stuck:

Jack wasn't going to give up in the face of adversity be it from giant bug, T-Rex, a large Ape, or even the pressure from everyone else involved. I want to be that sort of man. I want to fight for what I believe in even if everything and everyone around me is telling me to quit.

I think this is a simplified way of how God is toward us. God is never going to give up on us. He isn't going to quit and even when circumstances and everything else in our lives tells Him to quit on us because we aren't going to turn towards Him, He never does. He keeps chasing after us, trying to rescue us from those things that will eventually destroy us. All it takes is for us to turn towards Him!

Anyway, that's what a movie about an attractive blonde woman and a monkey will get out of me...

Luke

Well, it was time. My good friend Luke left us yesterday at the ripe old age of 14 years. He went peacefully and (thankfully) not by a needle at the vet's office. He simply fell asleep and didn't wake up. I know, it's only a cat, but he was a friend too and Luke had been with me since I was in 8th grade. My brother had him before then, but gave him to us to keep when he moved into an apartment that wouldn't allow him to have pets. From what we could remember, Luke was born around the end of 1991. I wish everyone could have met Luke. Even people who didn't like cats at all liked Luke. He was never mean or acted crazy. He was just a great pet. You could occasionally catch even my dad, who proudly displays a sticker saying "I love cats: scattered, smothered, and covered" on his car, sitting in his chair petting Luke. So, in honor of Luke, I'd like recap some of the greater things he was known for.

Many people have assumed that Luke was named after Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame. Nope, that isn't the case. Luke was named after the Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke, a movie my dad, my brother and myself have enjoyed watching together on many occasions. I suppose being named after the Star Wars Luke would've been nice, but the demeanor of this cat was much more in line with Paul Newman's character.

Before mom kicked him out of house (after I moved out), Luke had only been a housecat. He was fat (topped out at 23lbs at one time), not too quick and, get this, really enjoyed sleeping under the covers in a bed. It was hysterical. Depending on how cold it was, Luke would either sleep on top, between the sheet and the comforter or underneath everything. He would always end up either at my feet or, if I laid on my side, tucked neatly behind my bent knees. He would always sleep at night even though cats are generally nocturnal. Every once in a while, I'd wake up with him attempting to nudge his way back under the covers after getting up for whatever reason. Sometimes in the mornings, I would wake up with that lump of fur laying between my feet. I'd start poking him with my toes and moving my legs around and soon I'd hear a low grumble coming from him. If I continued, he would grumble some more and then politely clamp some teeth down on one of my feet as if to say, "I could bite this foot off if I wanted to, buddy. You'd better leave me alone." But he never clamped enough for it to really hurt. He would only "warn" me.

Luke didn't eat just anything. In fact, he would only eat one thing: Science Diet cat food. Don't ask me why, but even if you put tuna fish in front of him, he would turn it down. That cat loved his Science Diet. However, he didn't always like his Science Diet to be hard as it was. So Luke, being the ingenious feline he was, would dip his paw in his nearby water bowl, hold the dripping paw over the food for a second, shake it off, and then take a few bites right where the water had dropped! That was one smart cat.

As with his food, Luke was just as picky about his liquid intake. While he would drink from the water bowl if he had too, Luke would normally run up the stairs (while looking back to make sure you were following) meow a few times and hop into the tub. He would put his face up to the faucet and meow until you turned a trickle of water on so he could drink from it. At one point at the height of his obesity, Luke actually would wait for you to pick him up and place him into the tub instead of jumping in himself! I know, I know, we spoiled him, but Luke was worth it.

For many years, my mother or I gave Luke a weekly bath in an attempt to keep the cat hair down. You could tell Luke never liked it (with all his whining meows), but he never tried to run out or scratch you or anything. He just stood there and put up with it. Maybe because he had been given baths since he was a kitten, I don't really know. The bath was not the worst part, it was the amount of time it took to dry his hair! Cat hair is hollow in the middle so it absorbs a lot of water. Even with the hair dryer it took 15 minutes to get him dry enough to prevent hairballs. Speaking of which, any time Luke did get one, he would never chuck it up on a solid floor...it always had to be carpet or something similar!

Luke knew when we would go on trips. He would go get under the bed or the couch and not come out when we were getting ready to leave. I guess he was mad.

Luke talked to you. Of course, nobody understood him, but for the longest time he either thought he was human or thought everyone else was a cat. If you looked at him and spoke, he would meow in reply. Sometimes we would have "conversations" while he was laid up on my stomach.

Luke would get scared. Before we put him out in the garage, if you picked him up, held him and took him outside, he would reach up and wrap his paws around your neck while resting his head on your shoulder and looking behind you. I guess because he didn't know anything about the outside world and it freaked him out. You could feel if he got more scared because he would tighten his hold! I know it sounds dumb, but he really would do this. I have many witnesses!

Like all cats, Luke liked to sleep a lot. You could always catch him under the skylight in the bonus room sunning himself and if I feel asleep on the couch, I would normally wake up with him right next to me...asleep himself. And occasionally he would kill little insects around the house. I watched him many times bat roaches around until he got tired of playing with it and finally killed it. After moving outside, he actually brought down a bird...and this was from a cat who not only lived inside almost his whole life, but had no front claws!

While it wouldn't work every time, Luke normally came to you if you called him. He might take his sweet time, but eventually he would hop up on your lap, especially if he knew he was going to get petted. If you really took some time to pet Luke, you'd find that he would not only be drooling on you while you petted him, but would "pump" his paws on your bare skin somewhere. But never through a shirt or anything. I guess maybe he thought he was returning the favor. As a joke, I would sometimes take a piece of his own hair and quickly shove it up his nose to make him sneeze. I was never mean about it, just playing with him. He normally just sat and took it though, expecting me to stop being a child soon and go back to rubbing his head.

There's a lot more I could write about that cat. I didn't realize until just now how much I actually remembered. I don't think I'll be getting another cat soon; I don't believe Luke would easily be replaced. So here's to you, Luke. Goodbye and thanks for all the memories. You'll be missed on those cold nights when my feet just can't seem to keep warm. And going home to see my parents just won't be the same without you there. While it might be a stretch, maybe God really does have a place set aside for good pets. If so, I know you're there!

Sunk

I had fun this past weekend. Not too much fun, not so little fun that I'm faking it, but just enough to warrant some posting to "da blog."

Friday night: went with Ryan, Kylie, Crystal, Crystal's friends, Nick and Heidi to the Grove Park Inn for a swanky, fireside time of hanging out and conversation. However, due to my sometimes anti-social behavior and desire to really "experience" the new places I visit, I spent much of the time walking around the grounds and checking out the history involved in the Inn. It is quite a place! You should go stay there...if you can afford it (I know I can't)!

Saturday: Played about 4 hours of NCAA Football 06 on the new PS2 I just got. Go Bama! If they can't win for real, I'll make them win virtually! Then it was off to my company's Christmas party in Augusta, GA. This is where it gets interesting. I left quite early so I could check in and hang out with some guys I know from our Charleston branch. While driving down Hwy 28 south of Abbeville, I passed Parson's Mountain OHV Trail. With plenty of time to burn, I figured I would check it out and see if it was worth coming back for. I drove a couple of miles down a gravel road and turned onto a trail running through the woods. Upon discovering what appeared to be a relatively small mudhole, I put the Jeep in 4wd and got a running start....only to find that the hole was much deeper than it appeared. Needless to say, my poor Jeep sunk up to the door sills and was fully stuck. No amount of rocking was going to get me out. I had my trusty Hi-Lift jack, but no corresponding chains or tow ropes. I called my friend Matt from Iva to see if he could get me out. As I walked the 4 miles back to the highway to meet him, it began raining and I started laughing at my own stupidity. Unfortunately, Matt's truck wouldn't pull it out without him getting stuck also and since he was on a date at the time, I let him drop me off at a gas station and take off. So I had to call in the "big guns" in the form of Garner's Wrecker Service in Abbeville, SC. The owner John was an awesome guy. His very large and very loving dog Jack (a German Shepard) didn't really want to share his seat in the front of the tow truck, however. So here I am, riding in nowhere, SC in a big tow truck with a German Shepard in my lap who can't stop licking me on my way to pull my stuck Jeep out of a mudhole so I can then be on my way to the high class Partridge Inn for a corporate Christmas party. Yes, I made it to the party (albeit late) and yes I had a great time. I was proud of myself for pulling off all that in one day!

I can see how that experience models our lives in God's eyes. We get ourselves stuck in holes all the time and it takes Jesus to winch us out...thank God for Him and big trucks...

All Powerful Zod

This gave me a number of hearty laughes at work today. Thanks Shua.

Chuck

Aside from the occasional curse, this is hysterical. Man I love me some Chuck Norris.

I can't figure it out:

I just can't seem to figure out why I think this is funny...but for some reason it is. I sure do miss Teen Wolf...

For the Inner Geek

So recently I just went to the bookstore and purchased Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality. Essentially, it is a book on new theories of physics (String theory, Inflationary Cosmology, etc.)and how they tie into the current scientific view of space and time. What a geek I must be. To dive even further, I finished a book not too long ago on Chaos Theory entitled Chaos: Making a New Science. It was a very technically in-depth book but managed to educate myself, who is not well versed in high level mathematics, on the subject. What has this got to do with anything? Well, for one I just like learning about that stuff (I was a Philosophy major in college), and two: it actually has opened my eyes to some aspects of God and His creation. Neither book deals much with the idea of God, in fact , they are probably far removed from it. But God appears in them anyway, at least to me. Take Chaos Theory for example: In a nutshell, the theory concerns chaotic systems (like weather, turbulence, etc.) and explains that while the inner workings of the system are certainly chaotic, on a much larger scale they are still operating within certain bounds and are actually a part of a larger distinctive pattern. Sort of like painting a picture by placing random and unpredictable dots on the canvas. To me, this would accurately describe exactly how God works. Even though the things in our lives seem so random and unpredictable (in fact, they are) it is still a part of an unfolding that God sees as making perfect sense! I suppose that is a very simplified way of looking at Chaos Theory, but that's the sort of idea I get out of learning these types of things. So now when I add my creamer to my coffee and watch it swirl around in an unpredictable way (yet somehow still looking similar to the last time I put cream in coffee) I think about God and how He designed the universe to operate in such a beautiful and creative way!

News Flash!

I haven't got a lot of time right now, but something BIG happened last night at church. For the first time in my life, I led someone to Christ! This is a big thing not only for the guy I led (his name was Richie), but also for me. This is a far cry from the person I was even a year ago and is yet another example of how much God can change someone when they decide to get serious about Jesus.

What is funny is that I've been praying that God would use me in some similar capacity for a couple of weeks and God decided to answer that prayer on the very day I felt the least prepared for it! I'm sure He did that so that I would know that it wasn't because of anything I had done...it was all Him! Yeah God!

Also, I just found something useful about Google: If you type in "define:" and a word, phrase, acronym, etc, it will return search results for definitions. You may have known that, but I didn't and that's all that matters! Slowly Google is taking over the world...

IBM slows light, readies it for networking

Interesting article on how IBM and other companies are slowing light in order to transfer data optically here

Safe Playing

This slapped me in the face this morning...Especially the part about our jobs. I know too many people (myself included) that are in their jobs because it is comfortable. But somewhere lurking inside them is that desire to do something more, something dangerous, to really make a difference.

So, the question for me is: What can I do that isn't safe today?

Halloweekend

Pagan festivals, yeah! Saturday night was spent with Gizz, Jessica and Garrison and the India Association of Greater Greenville Diwali Festival. I was convinced that I would walk into the place and see a large bronze cow with people dancing around it, but it turned out to really be nothing but a dinner party with food, music, etc. We had a great time getting to know Garrison's Indian friends that had invited us (sorry, I can't remember their names...all I can remember is how Gizz put their names together to form sashimi!) and building up a connection that, God willing, will lead to lives being changed for Christ. Good times were indeed had by all...

Sunday started a new series at Newspring for singles. I think I'm really going to enjoy it. And I tell you what, that band broke out and nastifyed that old school Georgia Satellites song, "Keep your hands to yourself." Rock on.

Last night was Halloween and to celebrate, I went to Lee's for some candy and costume fun. It only made sense that Lee was Napoleon Dynamite and that I go as simple "White Trash." Yes, I wore a white trash bag with the words "Trash" written on it. Elegant and simple yet surprisingly effective. Pictures to come soon...whenever the people with real cameras get them up!

No Reason

So, a Google search for "Bish" returns this which might be useful for anybody in the need of Unix/Linux BASH scripts. I just thought the term "Bish-Bash" works on so many levels...

And although I know this topic is many years old, I still seem to receive forwards from people regarding a FCC Petition number 2493 every once in a while. Just for anyone who happens to stumble upon this blog and has ever received the same thing, ITS A FAKE!! Come on people, do your homework. A Google search for FCC Petition 2493 returns pages upon pages explaining the tomfoolery that is this forward! Examples here (Dr. Dobson himself) and here (from the FCC).

Don't be totally fooled, though. There is a purpose in these sort of emails. No email forward can be taken that seriously as a petition because it is too easy to fabricate the "signatures" attached to it. Link However, signing and then forwarding such emails to all your contacts spreads your email address (and those of your friends) all over the internet...which is how we all manage to get SPAM in our Inbox! Yea!!!!

On another note, there is no way to accurately track how many people a particular email is forwarded to, so any email that says "If you forward this to ____ friends, we'll send you a healthy new spider monkey (or other such reward)" also falls into the Fake as Ashley Simpson Singing category. Link

Happy emailing!!!

SLOW DOWN!!!

Ok, I might need to slowdown a little here.

Thursday: 1/2 day @ work, helped set-up Newspring concert. Great concert BTW. Made me wish I had kept up my guitar playing. I remember all too well the smile I would get playing on stage with Jon and Lee in high school...

Friday: work, then straight to Mauldin for dinner celebrating Gizz's girlfriend's upcoming mission trip. She prepared some authentic food and we got to sit around and ask her questions about where she was going, etc. By far the best part was when we all laid hands on her and prayed. What a powerful thing. I'll be praying that God protect her, mostly during the mental and spiritual battle she will most likely have to endure. Anytime someone steps out to make a contribution like this to God's Kingdom, they will get attacked and it is usually not physically. That's why it is so important for me to make sure that taking on such an endeavor is what God has called me to do!

Saturday: Hiked the Raven Cliff Falls up near Ceasar's Head. Nick, Heidi, Crystal, Kylie and I did 10 miles! Those girls deserve some props for keeping up even through a 1,500ft elevation change in under 2 miles!

Saturday night: The BEST 20 MINUTES OF MY LIFE was spent at the Anderson County Fair for the Demolition Derby! I just can't understand why I've never seen on of these before. What is it about guys driving around junk cars and slamming them into each other that makes me want to run to the junk yard and buy one of my own???

Alabama won another skin-of-the-teeth win against Tennessee! Bama's kicker (Jamie Christensen) has got some large male appendages for scoring winning field goals in back to back games...both of them being in the final seconds of the 4th quarter!

Sunday: All day at Newspring!

LOST (Oh where could I be?)

So my friend Lanna invited me to a LOST party at another friend Ken's house. I've never been one to really get into television shows on a regular basis (unless its the A-Team or Airwolf!) so this was a brave new world for me. I had only seen one episode prior to last night (season 2 opener) and needless to say, I was left with a lot of questions. Thankfully, however, the group was kind enough to fill me in on much needed info, just as long as it was during a commercial!

I also had a great time in the gym yesterday! I know, I know: it's only the gym. But I've been taking a "Men's Challenge" class every Wednesday. Yesterday I could walk...even run and jump. Today, my legs are like so many wet noodles... But the best thing about it is the time I get to spend with a group of men I hardly know. I can see how true it is already that men bond when they "work" or "suffer" together. We are 4 weeks into it and we've already made some pretty good connections.

Tonight is the all-important Newspring Band concert at the Anderson Civic Center Ampitheater! I'm even taking a 1/2 day at work for it!!!

Fair Fun

I got talked into going to the Anderson County Fair this past Monday. I really didn't feel much like going at first, but decided to anyway. On the way back home, I couldn't help but think how grateful I was for being talked into going by my friend Kylie. Thanks Lanna for taking great pictures and major props to Karla for showing me my new favorite ride, the Gravatron.

New CD's

After my visit to Earshot Music last weekend, I came away with some pretty good CD's:

Longwave's "There's a Fire"

Stellastar*'s "Harmonies for the Haunted"

Sigur Ros's "Takk"

Nada Surf's "The Weight is a Gift"

And finally,
The Decemberists' "The Tain, EP"

Back to the A-T-L

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending the Oasis/Jet show at the Hi-Fi Buys amphitheater in Atlanta with my good English friend Nick. I have to say that Jet was better than I thought they would be. Straight-forward, no frilly light show, loud as all get-out ROCK. It was old-school guitar-driven party rock and Jet actually looked like they were just up there having a blast.

Oasis, on the other hand, was a stark contrast. They didn't play quite as long as I thought they would (only about an hour and 1/2) and seemed to take themselves a bit too seriously. But I suppose that's the Gallagher brothers for you. Noel had this thing going where he would just walk off stage for no apparent reason in between songs, then come back out and stand at the edge and...well...just stand there. I wasn't so much disappointed with Oasis as I was pissed off at the sloppily drunk and obnoxious band of idiots that strategically positioned themselves directly in front of Nick and I. That wasn't going to distract my enjoyment of hearing some of the older Oasis songs off of "...Morning Glory." To their credit, they did end the night with a good cover of the Who's "My Generation" in which they really cut loose and rocked out.

All said, it was a good show; I left w/ my ears ringing and that always means something good happened.

To Cap it Off

And to cap off the weekend, we had a great Sunday at Newspring. Not only was the service simply the most relevant, creative, and well produced salvation messages I've yet to see, but we had 4,433 people show up over 4 services (a new record) and 47 people come to know Christ. I'm so thankful I can play a small part in all of what is going on there. God is really doing some incredible things!

Read Perry's Blog on the service.

Six Flags in the Big A-T-L

*see pictures below*

I had the pleasure of attending the fascinating world of Six Flags over Georgia this past Saturday with Kylie, Amber, Lori, and Heath. I had not previously met Lori and Heath before, but they proved to both be good sports and didn't chicken out of riding the good rides (even ones I wouldn't ride like those freefalls *shiver*). God even hooked Kylie and I up with free tickets from some generous girl as we stood in line to get in!

I must say that culturally speaking, Six Flags is an experience in the...well...it's just an experience. I was quite taken aback by the amount of scantily clad women and even CHILDREN there were. At first it really irritated me, but I reminded myself that these are the people that Jesus loves and with that being said, I should try to love them as well. Kylie and I made it a point to try to be as nice as possible to the ride attendants; I'm sure they have a pretty tough job and sometimes a simple "thank you" will do more good than anything else. With some people, even doing that won't make any difference in their day (I.E. the giant swing girl).

I was a bit disappointed that the park had to close @ 8pm. My favorite time to ride those rides is at night. But we managed to ride all the good rides at least once (and those silly little swings twice). The rides I enjoyed the most: The Giant Swing, Superman, Batman, and the ever popular Scream Machine. I had to teach Kylie and Amber that riding in the back car was by far the best way to go. Don't ask me about the whole physics of it, but for some reason, you go noticeably faster back there.

All said, it was a pretty good trip. No one puked, got robbed (although we did give some $$ to someone in need) or beaten up. You really can't ask for much more when you're in the A-T-L. Props to Lori for lending her car and driving ability to take us back and forth! And to Heath, don't get your hopes up about Miami...all good things must end!

Six flags group

Myself, Lori, Amber, Kylie and Heath

Girls

Lori, Amber and Kylie at Six Flags over GA in the ATL!

(Poor quality, I know. I curse my stupid camera phone)

At Last....

Already my weekend is off to a great start. My life here in Anderson is complete at long last. Earshot Music recently opened up a second store on Coffee Street in Greenville. The setup is quite frankly the best small music store I've seen. It only contains roughly 6,000 titles, but boasts a full service coffee bar, DVD's, and multiple flat screen computer terminals that let you search, listen to, and burn tracks off just about any CD. The staff even seems to know what they're talking about. I spent a good while discussing new and old CD's and bands with both the employees working. If ever I had my own music store, it would not stray far from this.

Glacier Flickr Set

This guy has a good set of pics from Glacier National Park. Makes me want to go even more...

Photo Bugs

I have a few friends that are pretty good photographers. I'm sure they'll appreciate this. Dialogue of an expensive camera in the hands of an amateur.

Alabama 37, Carolina 14

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Alabama/Carolina game in Columbia with my parents. I had an absolute blast. Not only did Alabama crush Carolina (good write-up here, but I also had the best time just hanging out with my parents. That was the most fun I've had with them in a long time. Even better was the fact that so many Carolina fans left early so leaving the stadium took half the time! Go Cocks!

Other than that, I've been thinking recently about what passions and convictions God has placed in me. I seem to have the strange ability to be kinda good and a lot of different things instead of really good at 3 or 4 things. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I've often wished that I could have a great overriding passion and gift like many of the people I see around me do. In fact, I think I've spent some major portion of my life trying to find it. That being said, I know that God designed me for something, but I can't readily look at myself and the things I take interest in and say, "That's it!" My interests and gifts seem so broad and diverse that I can't fathom how that will get tailored into a specific avenue of pursuit.

That's possibly why I've been feeling a bit restless lately. I guess the thought of just picking up and moving to some distant part of the country appeals to me because...well...it looks like an adventure and an adventure is something I want to be a part of. That pursuit after God is an adventure. And so is taking a leap of faith to move somewhere totally new and rely on God to provide everything. But then again, it could be right in front of me here in the great megaopolis that is Anderson, South Carolina.

Restless

Been feeling especially restless the last few days...like I just want to sell all I have and head out somewhere far away. Weird. Can somebody actually benefit from doing so? Would God ever call someone to do something like that? What if?

I've also been thinking a good deal about what in the world God is up to...but I guess that's why we trust.

I just called one of my coworkers in to pop a zit on the back of my neck but she wouldn't do it...oh well. What is life if you can't find someone to force the white puss from your pimples? (Now Andrew, that's just gross).

I need to make it to the lake this weekend...not many more days of warmness left. Plus Michael and I are still trying to master the single-ski slalom, and it must be conquered before the winter sets in...we are not promised functional legs (or a boat) for tomorrow!

Enough of this randomness.

Weekend 9.9 - 9.11

Since I've gotten a "real job" I've noticed that my weekends tend to be uncommonly busy. I guess I try to pack as much into them as I can. This past weekend, I had a chance to go see Coldplay at the Verizon amphitheater in Charlotte, NC. All I can say is they rocked! It was one of the best visual presentations I've seen in a live show not to mention the music. I had tickets to sit on the lawn, but an old friend of mine from Charleston called and said she had a ticket for me to sit about 15 rows back from the stage. Sorry Nick, Heidi, Crystal, and Amber...destiny called and I had to answer! They ended the concert playing "Fix you" and "Swallowed in the Sea", my two favorite songs from their latest. What a great show...

After the show, Crystal (after subjecting herself to driving up there) graciously decided to drive back as well. I had to get up @ 5am to go play Air Force for the weekend and needed the sleep. Thanks Crystal, you rock...hard!

Saturday night I got to finish watching the Carolina/Georgia game (stupid 2-point conversions) and the Bama/S.Mississippi game. For those of you who aren't Bama fans, their wide receiver #4 (Tyrone Prothro, what a great name) is an all around athlete. Just check out the catch he made. (WMV file via al.com).

Sunday I learned something very important: When I become a dad, I pray I have boys. For the first time, I saw my niece Kathryn start crying b/c her dad got on to her about something. Oh boy, if that was my daughter I'd have the spinal cord of a wet noodle...

That was my weekend in a nutshell...next weekend I'll either be at the Bama/SC game or the Clemson/Miami game!

My Soap Box

Finally a politician says something that remotely looks like real forward thinking. Now I don't necessarily advocate abandoning New Orleans, but come on: You build a city that averages 7-12 feet below sea level virtually surrounded on all sides by water and in an area of the world prone to hurricanes then expect Nature to just comply? Anybody smell ignorance?

Before/After Pix of New Orleans

Wicked satellite pictures from Global Security here.

Katrina Pix

Check this out. Good pictures of Katrina damage from news channel 4 in New Orleans. Can you believe it? 30 feet of water in some places...and getting worse.

Wish List

It's a little slow @ work today so I figured I'd put up my PC wish list. Yes, I'm trying to build a new PC since I gave all my old ones (I had 7 at one time) up about a year ago.

Super Flower Aluminum Mid Tower

Intel P4 640, 3.2 Ghz, 800Mhz FSB

Intel D915PBLL Motherboard

Asus Extreme AX700PRO Video Card (PCIx)

Seagate 80GB SATA HDD

Benq DW1625 DVD/RW (black)

Kingston 1GB DDR 4200 Memory

Battlefield 2

No, I don't want a Mac. I like them, but for what I need a computer for (notice last item listed) Mac's just won't do. And yes, I prefer to buy all my components from one place. That place currently being ComputerGate.com. Of course, all these parts will have to be purchased in increments since my paychecks won't support an all out assault on my checking account...

In-Car PC Update

My friend Ken sent this to me via the Make website. I think this might really work for my Jeep application and would be much easier than the uber-complicated system I wanted to install previously. It would solve my theft fears since it is an easily removed (practically portable) computer system.

Helen, GA

This past weekend I was invited to go tubing in Helen, GA. Needless to say, I was surprised to find this pseudo-alpine town in northeast Georgia. I laughed hysterically at the thought...

However, I did have a great day. All eight of us tied up our tubes together so we had a long "snake" of tubers floating down the river. It all seemed like a great idea until I found myself stranded on a large rock and being subsequently flipped over onto the rock, dragged along on my back and nearly getting beheaded by the cable connecting my tube to the one behind me. I looked up and saw my companions floating off without me and wondered why I had asked we do something more "adventurous" before we began our little excursion...

As we chilled out by the river before going home, Nick, Mike and I decided we wanted to catch another float before heading back. We noticed a good many tubes coming down the river with no one on them so we just "borrowed" them for a short ride. We pondered if Jesus would have done that and concluded that he would've wanted to help the tube companies collect extra tubes...sounded plausible at least.

Anyway, the ride back was great. I had driven my Jeep up there with me and the boys, and on the way back we decided that all the single people should ride in it. By a strange twist of fate, that turned out to be me and three girls...God is good. I let one of the girls drive so I could actually enjoy the ride back, which I did. I even snapped a few bad pictures with my camera phone (look below). All in all, I had a great time and I thanked God multiple times on the way home for Jeeps, friends, and the ability to be outside on fantastic days...but next time I'm floating on my own.

Amber

Crystal

Kylie

Thank God

We finally are getting a Moe's!!
Thank you Jesus!!!!

It's going in where the Blimpie's was on Clemson Blvd here in Anderson...SWEET

Is This What a Man Is?

I found the following quote (mistakes and all) from Cindy Sheehan's blog via this website:

"So, after Joan Baez gave us a great concert tonight, I got up and I talked about Casey. About the sweet boy who grew up to be a remarkable young man. Casey was not always a brave, big soldier man. He was my sweet, sweet baby once. I told the people at the Camp named after him, that when he was about 2 years old, he would come up behind me and throw his arms around my legs, kiss me on the butt and say: "I wuv you mama." I also talked about the loving big brother and wonderful, nearly perfect son. Casey was a regular guy who wanted to get married, have a family, be an elementary school teacher, and a Deacon in the Catholic Church. He wanted to be a Chaplain?s assistant in the Army, but was lied to about that also by his recruiter. The last time I talked to him when he called from Kuwait, ! he was on his way to mass."

Is this what our society wants men to be? Forget the "brave, big solider man" who was trying to do something good for the world. Don't think about the man who was a part of something much bigger than himself and gave the final sacrifice for those people he may not have even known. Cindy wants him to be a "regular guy" who kisses his mom's butt! There are way too many things that tell us men we are supposed to be "nice" guys. God didn't create men to be "nice" guys that didn't sacrifice themselves and stand up for what is right. God created men (in His image) to protect, to fight, to be strong and yet compassionate still. To love those around them with passion and conviction. To do what is right before what is easy. To love God and follow His direction and lead those He puts around us in the same way.

Try reading Wild at Heart. Great book on what God intended for men to be...

Easy Fix

BBC NEWS | Business | Oil at record $68 as demand soars
Solution: Walk or ride a bike

U.S. Obesity Rate Nearly 25 Percent
Solution: Walk or ride a bike

Video Game Addiction
Solution: Walk or ride a bike

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

Found this via hrtwrk's blog. I've been reading a lot lately on the plight of men in our society and how we are being systematically stripped of the very things that make us men. I want to change that...

Lord,

You know me better than I know myself. You know my heart's desire even when I can't seem to find it. You know the deepest parts of me and all that will come. Today, I die to myself. Mold me, Father. Break me and rebuild me into exactly what You want me to be. All I am, all I have, all I dream about and everything that will come is Yours and Yours alone. Teach me, stretch me, comfort me, guide me right to you. I want nothing more than Your Will, not mine own. For You know the plans that You have for me. They are plans to prosper me and not to harm me; plans to give me hope and a future...

Take my life and let it be
consecrated to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

Take my will and make it Thine
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

All of this I sincerely and passionately pray in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen...

Gotta Go...

One day, ONE DAY, I've got to make it here.

I've been wanting to go for almost 10 years and have yet to make it. It's too expensive to fly, so I guess that means a road trip. I must admit, sometimes I sit around and plan out my trip there knowing I don't have the time or money to go right now. But mark my words: One day...

Dad

Recently my Dad was laid off from his job after over 15 years of faithful service. Having stayed somewhere that long, I knew it wasn't because he was a bad worker. My Dad is probably the most honest, hardworking man I know and I was really praying that he wouldn't have to face this situation. Is he and my mother in a bad spot? No. He still has a good amount of retirement saved up, but it is a stress I didn't want him put through. However, something great has come out of it already. When I went home recently, I took some time to talk to my Dad about his situation. I did not expect to hear what came out of his mouth:

Dad: Do we believe there is a God?
Me: Yes.
Dad: Do we believe that God has a plan for us?
Me: Yes.
Dad: Do we believe that God is in control of everything?
Me: Yes.
Dad: Then if we don't act like it we are being hypocrites. God has a plan and that plan didn't include me staying at that job.

Now I understand that this isn't some grand epiphany or anything. But earlier in my life, I've seen my Dad handle situations much differently. I myself want to look at the situation and say things like, "Corporate America at it's finest: Dumping good people to save an extra buck or two." What an awesome testimony to his two sons to handle things in this manner. Which just goes to further prove to me how God can without fail change the lives of those who choose to follow Him. Thanks Dad, you rock.

Psalm 91

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

Mcsweeneys

I've had fun reading this today...

We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful

While reading one of my friend's blogs today, I came across a comment regarding people who claim to not like this band or that because they are liked by many other people. Although I have had conversations in the recent past with this person regarding the popularity of bands and my corresponding distaste of their popularity, I don't necessarily think that comment was directed right at me. Rather, it was directed at many people who enjoy a particular musician and then reluctantly let go of them as their popularity rises. Even so, I'd like to respond for what it's worth...

I include myself in their ranks.

Why? Why do I profess attraction to a musician up until the point that everyone else sees the same thing? Why do I truly enjoy pre Joshua Tree U2 and then find their newer things less enjoyable? Why would I find myself excited to see Coldplay in a small no-name club in Charlotte right after Parachutes came out and then be disappointed when they come to the same town, but play in a huge amphitheatre?

Am I just a music snob who thinks that anything everyone else likes can't be good? No.
Do I have some "holier-than-thou" complex that I must support by falsely believing that I'm better than the masses because I refuse to acknowledge what is popular?
No.
Am I someone who has witnessed too many examples of corporate America spoiling something good? Someone who believes that power, fame, and money and the pursuit thereof have an enormous capability to corrupt even the most well-intentioned person; be it an artist, politician, business man, or religious leader?
absolutely.

It isn't that my reasons in liking a particular band have changed. I still like Coldplay because...well...they are Coldplay. But there is an important variable that has come into play in that case: I'm not longer getting just Coldplay themselves, I'm getting them plus millions of dollars of influence, millions of fans, an image thought up not necessarily by the members of Coldplay but by producers sitting in their high-rise offices thinking about how much money they can hope to make off their next album who then sit back and smile as they watch so much of the 13-30 sector of society fumble over themselves to buy the album, tickets to shows, t-shirts, stickers, and little worthless trinkets that have nothing to do with the music itself.

That is the poison in the water.

I might possibly be wrong, but I for one scoff at American Idol. I see it as a reflection of the depravity of this society and it promotes nothing but the selfish pursuit of fame and fortune in its viewers. So how does that affect my opinion of Kelly Clarkson? Sorry girl, you've got a great voice, but you've sold yourself out from the very beginning and everything about your image presented to me seems polished, produced, and unnatural.

No, I want something more genuine. Something pure, or at least as close to pure as I can get. But then again, I'm a New Order fan. Granted, I still like their older music much more than the newer things, but nonetheless I'm a fan...and they sold out after their popularity to such a large degree that they were hardly the same afterwards. So there is some measure of forgiveness to this. I'm not "hard-core" about it. Because music, like so many other art forms, is not something you can honestly be overbearing about. Art is so overtly subjective that for me to sit and say, "John Mayer sucks" and try to convince others of that would be ridiculous. Sure, I might have that opinion, but who am I to hold that opinion as if it were a cold, hard fact? There are as many different reasons people pick one band over another as there are bands out there. I may not like them for the same reason I don't like the color red: I simply don't like it. So what would make my opinion any better or worse than someone who thought Corporate Generated Band #67945 was the greatest set of musicians ever established?

One word to any musicians out there. You may have already had great success, or maybe you hope one day you will, but bear this in mind: when you become successful, you will give up part of yourself. You will make compromises, you will allow things to occur that otherwise you would have restricted. Don't believe me? Watch a couple of episodes of "Behind the Music." So when the opportunity comes your way, you will not only be making a decision about your future, but how much of yourself and what you originally set out to accomplish you are willing to compromise. There are few great artists who compromise themselves and still retain the qualities that made them great (Ray Charles), but the landscape is chock-full of the dead and dying who gave too much of themselves and sacrificed too much.

Best 2 Minutes You'll Hear

Artist: Red House Painters
Album: Red House Painters 1
Song: Brown Eyes


Tell me and take your time
Set free this soul of mine
Freeze frame this sedate moment
Lie me in your quiet ground

I understand your
Tired eyes for these
Tired homes and tired trees
I see the pain in those
Brown eyes
Fires burn in autumn skies

Shameless Promotion

Just added a listing of some the bands that have hung around in my CD players and computers for sometime now. Yes, now I'm opening myself up to all sorts of criticisms, etc. Say what you will Shua and Lee! This is me!

Speaking of which...I got tickets to see Sun Kil Moon (well actually, just Mark Kozelek) at the Grey Eagle in Asheville next week. Can't wait.

Also, I thought I'd mention a word about God's sense of humor. Long story short, I used to work in a music store when I lived in Charleston. Since we were allowed to borrow CD's to take home, I amassed quite a collection of MP3's from all sorts of random, no-name bands that I was so proud of. Of course, I didn't pay for any of this and there I was, a happy thief...until the harddrive that stored all those songs (about 15GBs worth) CRASHED...and I had never backed them up. So, it will now cost me the rough equivalent of actually buying all those CD's to have the information recovered off the drive...and I still won't have anything to show for except the songs themselves. No cool liner notes, no interesting graphics to look at...just the songs. How do you spell irony again?

On Another Note:

I suppose people have lots of different reasons for posting to their own blogs; passing on information, keeping up with friends, advertising products, etc. I think I just post to this so I don't forget things...

Got a blog? Why?

And Another

Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Album: Transatlanticism
Song: A Lack of Color

And when I see you, I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better, it picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around

If you feel discouraged when there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover, it's really bursting at the seams
from absorbing everything the spectrum's A to Z.
(ahh... ahhh...)

This is fact not fiction for the first time in years
All the girls in every girlie magazine can't make me feel any less alone,
I'm reaching for the phone to call at 7:03 and on your machine,
I slur a plea for you to come home.
But I know it's too late, and I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay; given you a reason to stay;
given you a reason to stay

This is fact not fiction for the first time in years

Going Somewhere

This guy is going somewhere...check out his Mp3's here.

Things I've Learned (In No Particular Order):

1. God is in control of everything
2. I am in control of nothing
3. God’s forgiveness can never be understood by man, but it is real.
4. I have loved unselfishly
5. I have been loved unselfishly
6. I don’t drink alcohol.
7. I tell the truth.
8. Going to bars and staying sober is like going to baseball games sober…..why go? It’s incredibly boring!
9. My passions were never lost, only misdirected…
10. Sometimes God calls us to do an incredibly difficult thing….wait
11. I don’t like waiting!
12. I know what it means to “pray in the gap”
13. There is real spiritual warfare going on out there.
14. I have a lot of confidence…when I know I’m in God’s will.
15. People have this nasty thing called “free will” that can really cause problems if not kept in check.
16. You can’t make someone do the right thing.
17. Relationships require two people to participate in the same game. If one of them quits, you can’t make them play even if it is the right thing.
18. When I really love someone, I fight tenaciously for it.
19. God can do some incredible things with people when they allow Him to do so.
20. God can really change people for the better.
21. I can actually have an effect on people around me when I set the right example.
22. Forgiveness doesn’t always come easy, but it makes life easier to both give and receive it.
23. God is a God of the impossible, the difficult, the unseen, and the desperate
24. God can give us real courage, real strength, real peace, and real joy…to a level unattainable on our own.
25. The Bible is actually interesting.
26. God really speaks to us in lots of different ways when we open our ears to it.
27. God changes people, situations, lives, hopes, dreams, fears, desires, tears, passions, etc, etc, etc.
28. I feel best about myself when I’m helping other people.
29. I actually like going to the gym.
30. God is always there, every time I call out for Him…He never leaves.

Love and Hell

Props to my friend Brandy for posting this great quote:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in the casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable…The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all of the dangers of love is…Hell." C.S. Lewis

There are times in our lives when people will really hurt us....badly. They will let us down, they will walk all over us. But when we trust in God and not ourselves, then He can pick us back up, restore our hearts, and allow us to love again with equal or even more passion and commitment. Thank you, God.

Silence as a Weapon

I read a post on my friend Ken's site concerning some of the things he learned/heard about during his recent trip to Chicago. A few of them concerned a topic I've been learning about recently:

"Don't underestimate the power of unresolved tension."

"People don't remember what you tell them. They don't remember what you do. But they do remember how you made them feel"

"The less you say, the more they remember."

"Silence is a powerful weapon in your arsenal"

I'm sure many of them deal with his foray into media and design, but I think these could be easily applied to our normal lives. So often we try to control people and situations when what we should be doing is just sitting back waiting on God to work out the details. I have difficulty doing that because I'm so motivated to work towards whatever goal I'm aimed at, but sometimes the best thing I can do is...well...nothing at all.

I especially like the first phrase, "never underestimate the power of unresolved tension." There's plenty of times in our lives when there is unresolved tension between things. Maybe it's between work and family. Maybe it's between somebody that did you wrong in the past. That unresolved tension is a powerful tool God can use to change things in your life when we are open to the possibility. That coupled with periods of silence can do so much more than anything we might be able to say or do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Tonight is a Night That Calls For:

1 friend, 2 bags of iced animal cookies, 2 6pks of IBC cream soda, and of course a great video game: Medal of Honor: European Assault for the PS2. Need I say more?

Of Life and Tennis

Tonight, I played tennis for the first time in years with a friend of mine. While I was struggling to bat that ridiculous ball back and forth with him, I began my normal routine of evaluating all my motions and playing in order to better myself. I thought of my positioning just before hitting the ball, the angle of the racket, the swinging motion of my arm and, of course, how hard I was hitting it.

A strange thing occurred to me when I began to consider the force I was using: The faster the ball came at me, the harder I wanted to hit it back. I thought for a second how little aspects of our personalities show up in the smallest things. Instead of having the patience to slow the ball down to a reasonable speed for my abilities, I instead wanted to crush it back with 3 times the velocity.

Although this is a loose analogy, I would still say that it exemplifies my apparent impatience with certain things in my life. When things are really pressing me, I grow impatient to allow God and myself the time and space to really accomplish what needs to be done. I hurry, hurry, hurry to get done what I think I need to do and I can't stand waiting for the right time or resources to come about.

So it would appear that I can actually learn something about life from this ridiculous game played the social elite and very attractive Russian women....
Game...Set....Match.

Underdogs

Can't find anything to laugh about? Check my friend Ryan's new blog site here

Playing Cold

Artist: Coldplay
Album: X & Y
Track: 11, "Swallowed in the Sea"

You cut me down a tree
And brought it back to me
And that's what made me see
Where I was going wrong

You put me on a shelf
And kept me for yourself
I can only blame myself
You can only blame me

And I could write a song
A hundred miles long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me

And I could write it down
Or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found
Or swallowed in the sea

You put me on a line
And hung me out to dry
And darling that's when I
Decided to go to see you

You cut me down to size
And opened up my eyes
Made me realize
What I could not see

And I could write a book
The one they'll say that shook
The world, and then it took
It took it back from me

And I could write it down
Or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found
And you'll come back to me
Not swallowed in the sea

And I could write a song
A hundred miles long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me

The streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me

Oh what good is it to live
With nothing left to give
Forget but not forgive
Not loving all you see

All the streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well that's where I belong
And you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea

You belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea
Yeah, you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea

Rock out

Just bought tickets for Coldplay....just got a copy of "X & Y"....saw Coldplay on VH1 storytellers last night....I'm ready to rock out. I look forward to seeing them play "Fix You" live...

Currently Listening:

Artist: Elbow
Album: Asleep in the Back

Notes:
Dark Coldplay with a moody twist.
Check out tracks 6,7,12

Friends/Tapes

Every once in a while, I'll pull out my box of old tapes from way back. I'll dig through and pick out ones I had forgotten all about, pop them in the cassette deck, and suddenly remember why I liked it in the first place. Sometimes, I'll even keep the tape out for a while and listen to it for the next week or so. In a way, I think old friends are like that...

Thankfully, people aren't cassette tapes. Unlike the tape which hasn't changed at all since the last time I listened to it, that old friend has. They have new ideas, new experiences and new ways of looking at things...just like I now have. So while I can sit back and remember why I enjoyed their company so many years ago, there's a whole new arena of possible conversations to take part in.

Arise, Lord Vader

The Sith Sense

1 Timothy; 15-17

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Blessed

Yes, folks, we are. So many times it is so easy...so ridiculously easy...to forget that. I don't want to forget...

Recently, someone told me the best thing I could ever give was, "FOLLOW CHRIST with EVERYTHING that's in you...that is the best thing that you could ever give!"
My, my what an incredible thing to say. I suppose it scares me because it seems like such a big task. But I know I have a big God and somehow, someway, I'll do it.

Whatever I'm here for, I'm ready to go, in YOUR time.

In-Car PC

Linux Automotive - The Drivesoft / TBox alternative.

Hopefully, I can get to work on this soon....

Why I Don't Coach

WFTV.com - News - Dad Allegedly Beats Coach With Bat After Daughter Benched

Who we are...

"It isn't about what you do, it's about who you are."

I've never really heard those words before. So many other times in my life I've heard the opposite: that who you are is what you do. I'm really beginning to see the truth in the statement above. No, I don't take it to mean that my actions don't matter. It means that if I focus on my person then my actions will soon follow. Given that, when I stay true to the person I know I am and who God has called me to be, then I don't necessarily have to be so concerned about my performance.

I've struggled with that aspect lately. I look at the potential remainder of my life and the things I know I will be faced with and it looks daunting. I often wonder how I can possibly always be the person I need to be in all the situations I will probably come across. How will I always do the right thing? How can I make sure to always treat people the way I should? The answer is that I can't. I can't be perfect...no matter how hard I try.

But it isn't about my performance...it's about where my heart is and Him that protects, provides, and loves all of us.

Loss for Words

Never before in my life have I been in so many situations where words fail me...
It's wonderful. Like God is just shoveling blessings on me without rest. But the word "blessings" just doesn't fit. It is so over-used. But I suppose that's because words are failing me.

I just appreciate where I am right now. The people around me, the things I have, everything. Thank you, Father.

James 5:12

Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

Lyrical

Take me in your arms again, wash me in your eyes.
Tie me to the house again, love me till love dies.

Blame me for everything, not just for the bad times.
Whispering sweet nothings in your ear, just like a dead bird sings.

Look into my face again, between us there's a mile
I can see a hole in the sky as wide as your smile,
As wide as your smile

It's not that you've gone away,
It's that I've never met you.
But I wish that you'd come back to me,
Just like the night turns blue
Just like the night turns blue.

Take me in your arms again,
Blame me for everything.
Whispering sweet nothings in your ear,
Just like a dead bird sings.

Love me, love me, love me
Till love dies.

Unintentional

So it would appear, wouldn't it? So innocent yet so raging with purpose and possibility....

I recently thought of how much purpose there is around all of us....even the very wind has a purpose and a meaning for blowing where it will.

And we're off.....