There's a place for baritone, hymn-singing artists. I remember the first time I heard Fernando Ortega... and something in my rib cage let out a deep sigh and I just let my tension go.
Ben Davy gave me a CD of Matthew Perryman Jones and this dude has got it. Trust me. As a hyper-rage-a-holic, I can attest to the soothing effect of a softly sung truth. I can claim it. I can rest on it.
And that's what I'm going to do.
"And may your dreams be sweet tonight
Dance the sky in sweet delight"
"And know I love you - I always will
It's my favorite story I have to tell"
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
I'm so sore
Man alive - we played soccer Saturday night in Lincoln and I am still sore! And Bamma stuck me like 15 times before I wisened up and played the other side of the field... she may have been the only girl out there, but she steps it up just like one of the fellas!
And then there's Tanner - from his football, basketball, and any-other-sport days... who has mocked soccer as long as I've known him - hopped right in and threw some weight around. Shut a couple of cocky's right up a couple times... and then let me score a few goals just to be nice - what a pal.
So - I'm definitely going to miss Nebraska... and it's hitting me again just like it's hit me before.
I really enjoy new things - going new places - performing the same tasks in different ways - surprising myself by hiding gift cards/$$$ in my dresser drawers... and so I can't help but anticipate the move to NJ. But I'm seeing that every decision has a cost - and it's not so much about selecting which paths have the least cost, but more about if the cost is worth it. And until I'm there, it's hard for me to justify the cost of leaving Bamma, my family, and my friends behind - cuz I know one of the biggest costs will be loneliness... And after a year in the lumbus by myself, I really don't want to walk into that again.
So, if you think of me, please be praying for a small, strong community of believers that I can connect with. I know that if I try to fly this one solo, I'll get picked off.
Speaking of which - I've heard a number of people tell me to check this church out in NYC - they say it's led by a "John Piper"-type pastor - and I'm getting excited about it! It's called Redeemer Presbyterian Church - and it's located in downtown Manhattan NYC - about 30 minutes from where I'll live. They've got city-outreach ministries and small groups even in NJ about 10 minutes away from me that could really be a cool connecting point! Check it out: http://www.redeemer.com/
Anyha - that's where I'm at - thanks for listening.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Quickster I
Well, I'm gonna do what I've been putting off for weeks and record this dang song like I promised! And you wanna know something funny... I'm always so critical of my recordings, and so I think that year after year I'll just keep refining my voice/writing, etc... and then today I pull out this CD I recorded in Phoenix 3 years ago - and I said to myself, "MAN, this is some good shtuff!"
I mean, I'm not bragging at all - I just thought it sounded like crap when I first made it. And it made me realize that I spend more time trying to "refine" my sound that just singing, writing, playing, and sharing the gift God so graciously gave me.
So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna record some crap here real quick, store it away for 3 years and then listen to it so I can appreciate it for it's true inspiration.
I mean, I'm not bragging at all - I just thought it sounded like crap when I first made it. And it made me realize that I spend more time trying to "refine" my sound that just singing, writing, playing, and sharing the gift God so graciously gave me.
So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna record some crap here real quick, store it away for 3 years and then listen to it so I can appreciate it for it's true inspiration.
Monday, May 21, 2007
When bored, make flag
Not much goin' on upstairs... Just had a pretty neat time at the Rescue Mission - but I spaced out for most of the message so I could journal... just not about much.
Hmmmm... sounds like it's about time for some inspiration. I tellya what - I'm gonna listen to some Ravi Zacharias, and while I'm doing that, I'll heat up the oven and toast myself a tasty sandwich! MMmmmm.
And while I'm doing that, I've left some food for thought:
Hmmmm... sounds like it's about time for some inspiration. I tellya what - I'm gonna listen to some Ravi Zacharias, and while I'm doing that, I'll heat up the oven and toast myself a tasty sandwich! MMmmmm.
And while I'm doing that, I've left some food for thought:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Work Blogging
Heyyyy - it's me, work blogging again!
Thanks to Scott and Carissa, I found out how to keep from time traveling - so that's sweet... Aaaaaaand I found a spot in my settings page that will allow EVERYBODY (even people without gmail accounts) to post comments, etc.
So - I'm sure many of you were chompin' at the bit to take a few swings at me... here's your chance. Get to it!
Thanks to Scott and Carissa, I found out how to keep from time traveling - so that's sweet... Aaaaaaand I found a spot in my settings page that will allow EVERYBODY (even people without gmail accounts) to post comments, etc.
So - I'm sure many of you were chompin' at the bit to take a few swings at me... here's your chance. Get to it!
The time on this thingy is wrong...
Every time I post something, this blog thingy puts a timestamp on it that is like 2 hours late (real time) - (2 hours) = blog time.
Weird. Well - I guess it's kinda like time travel.
Weird. Well - I guess it's kinda like time travel.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Hour 13
Well - I'm heading into hour 13 at work here and figured I'd give myself a little break and do a work-blog. Highly illegal - and therefore dangerous... so it's right up my alley. I live for danger.
But then again, the last person in the front office left about an hour ago and now the cleaning people just keep walking by probably giving me dirty looks behind my back. But that's just fine with me - cuz I see myself as the keeper of the office. If it weren't for me, these cleaning-folk could just run amock and go stealing all sorts of things from people's desks! ...like candies and papers... and - oh my gosh! - you should see this! They're stealing this guy's trash right now! AHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh...
Dirty cleaners.
But then again, the last person in the front office left about an hour ago and now the cleaning people just keep walking by probably giving me dirty looks behind my back. But that's just fine with me - cuz I see myself as the keeper of the office. If it weren't for me, these cleaning-folk could just run amock and go stealing all sorts of things from people's desks! ...like candies and papers... and - oh my gosh! - you should see this! They're stealing this guy's trash right now! AHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh...
Dirty cleaners.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Minnesota
Well - just got back from visitin' my best buds up in Minneapolis... good good times! Gotta see the downtown, uptown, and toured St. Paul's own Summit brewery - even got to go running around the area and freaked out some noon-day corporate power walkers - a whole gaggle of them. By the looks on their faces, I'm guessing they weren't expecting a sweaty, shirtless runner to be coming around the corner... and after my 3rd lap of the man-made corporate island I figured out that I was going the wrong way, since I never caught up with anyone, I just kept passing them face-to-face. Which of course made it all the more awkward. But I just did what I usually do in those situations... I pretended to know what I was doing, averted eye-contact, and then ran off into the corner and bawled like a little girl. It's worked every time.
Ahhh - but it's good to be back in Nebraska.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Bar Stool Economics
This is pretty cool...
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for
all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,
it would go something like this
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with
the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you
are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of
your daily beer by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes
so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They
realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that
from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end
up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would
be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he
proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began
to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a
dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10
back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't
get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine
sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between
all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who
do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for
all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,
it would go something like this
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with
the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you
are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of
your daily beer by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes
so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They
realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that
from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end
up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would
be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he
proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began
to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a
dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10
back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't
get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine
sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between
all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who
do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Columbus Rescue Mission
There's something special about rescue ministry. I think it's because Christ put so much emphasis on service the weak and poor... there's just something more real about it.
For one thing, you'll never find people who will lie to you more willingly about their plans to follow Christ and promptly run off into drugs and promiscuity. But on the other hand, when you see one of the rare ones - a heart that is changed by God, it's like a bursting firework over a dark sky - you just can't miss it. They radiate through the whole mission building. And with that evidence of their true faith comes a stinging conviction... is my life like that? Can people tell a difference in me?
For sure, God produces fruit in the lives of His children... and recently I've begun to wonder what I'm growing. It's more like moss or mildew... or something like that. Not as appealing, and certainly not as tasty.
For one thing, you'll never find people who will lie to you more willingly about their plans to follow Christ and promptly run off into drugs and promiscuity. But on the other hand, when you see one of the rare ones - a heart that is changed by God, it's like a bursting firework over a dark sky - you just can't miss it. They radiate through the whole mission building. And with that evidence of their true faith comes a stinging conviction... is my life like that? Can people tell a difference in me?
For sure, God produces fruit in the lives of His children... and recently I've begun to wonder what I'm growing. It's more like moss or mildew... or something like that. Not as appealing, and certainly not as tasty.
I've been so fortunate
I was just posting a couple extra pictures today and just became overwhelmed with how fortunate I am to have been blessed with a family that loves me and friends that care about me... I tell ya what - I couldn't go on enough trips or make enough money to get even close to matching the fulfillment that that brings. And to think that I didn't earn an ounce of it! Wow - I thank the Lord right now for His blessings in spite of my unworthiness. Seeing my chronic disobedience He would have been completely justified in wiping me off the face of this earth - and instead He blesses me. I just don't know words to describe that. Somehow "grace" just doesn't sum it up well enough. If I could make up a word, it'd be like extra-mundo-uber-spectacular-fantasmic-forgetting-of-
my-screwups-and-loving-me-anyway. Aaaaand... yah, that still doesn't do Him justice.
Well, praise the Lord anyway!
my-screwups-and-loving-me-anyway. Aaaaand... yah, that still doesn't do Him justice.
Well, praise the Lord anyway!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
New Jersey Hiking!
Well - even though I'll be spending most of the time traveling around n' such, it looks like NJ has a lot to offer in the great outdoors!
Here's the website I've been shopping around on for some SWEET hikes and stuff that Bamma and I are looking to take when she helps me move to NJ in June! Yesssssss for hiking - booo for moving.
http://www.localhikes.com/Default.asp
Check out the "Buttermilk Falls", anything with "Harriman Park", and "Ringwood Park" - it's kind of a toss-up between those 3 areas... which means that I'm not really even close to making a final decision. Ah well - indecision is half the adventure.
But, from where I'll be living, each of these should only be about 45 min - 1hour drive away... so not too shabby for a boy driving 9 hrs to get to the mountains every year!
Cheap pizzas
I know my mom will kill me for this - but I'm crunched for time at lunch today and I put a Totino's $0.98 pizza in the oven and I'm sooooooo excited! There's nothing like the flavor of cheap saturated fat pasted over a saltine-cracker... ohyah - it's like the Twinkie-delight of lunches.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Obeying the rules, n' stuff
So I'm pretty rotten at obeying rules.
Like, my registration expired in March and I got the new license plates in time and all... I just didn't put them on. So, now every time I drive to work or park in a parking lot, I hafta keep my eyes peeled for the law enforcement that could be lurking nearby to snipe me. It's really pretty exciting - and I'm not really much of a rebel otherwise, so don't expect to see any "10 county" Columbus license plates on my car anytime soon.
Or then there's the 3 miles of privately owned fields right behind my apartment. I mean, when I'm hankerin' for a real adventurous run (and don't feel like enduring the really clever slams that Columbus motorists throw my way like "run forest ruuuuuuun") I can't help but trounce off into the grass and frolic in the fields for a while. And the added bonus is that my imagination runs wild of scenarios where the owners of the fields discover my freedom romp and pepper me with shotgun blasts. Ooooh baby - that'll get the adrenaline flowin!
Like, my registration expired in March and I got the new license plates in time and all... I just didn't put them on. So, now every time I drive to work or park in a parking lot, I hafta keep my eyes peeled for the law enforcement that could be lurking nearby to snipe me. It's really pretty exciting - and I'm not really much of a rebel otherwise, so don't expect to see any "10 county" Columbus license plates on my car anytime soon.
Or then there's the 3 miles of privately owned fields right behind my apartment. I mean, when I'm hankerin' for a real adventurous run (and don't feel like enduring the really clever slams that Columbus motorists throw my way like "run forest ruuuuuuun") I can't help but trounce off into the grass and frolic in the fields for a while. And the added bonus is that my imagination runs wild of scenarios where the owners of the fields discover my freedom romp and pepper me with shotgun blasts. Ooooh baby - that'll get the adrenaline flowin!
First day in the blogging world
Hmmm - kinda wondering how this whole thingy-ma-jig works...
I feel old - cuz I think I just learned about 4 months ago what a blog was... and two months after that I realized why I would ever want one.
I guess the name just conjures up images of pete moss, damp trees and swamps... oh wait, that's a bog. Well, it's safe to say that a blog (at least from me) may often be a close relative to a bog - so if I get especially dreary at times, please just click the "back" button and save yourself the irritation.
HM! Well, that feels good to get that off my chest. First day of blogging is over and I'm off to the YMCA to get fit!
I feel old - cuz I think I just learned about 4 months ago what a blog was... and two months after that I realized why I would ever want one.
I guess the name just conjures up images of pete moss, damp trees and swamps... oh wait, that's a bog. Well, it's safe to say that a blog (at least from me) may often be a close relative to a bog - so if I get especially dreary at times, please just click the "back" button and save yourself the irritation.
HM! Well, that feels good to get that off my chest. First day of blogging is over and I'm off to the YMCA to get fit!
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