Random // Slant

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2008-08-06T13:02:00.002-07:00

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Transcendent Thinking from a Biblical Perspective

2007-11-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

One of the major flaws of transcendentalism was the rejection of organized religion in favor of the spiritual aspects that are inherent in mankind. Actually there were many flaws with transcendentalism. There is not a flaw with transcendent thinking, however.

I have this idea that I have been wanting to dive into for the past few weeks. I want to explore it and see if I can come up with a suitable cohesive theory. The idea is simple: that life is meant to be viewed in terms of the eternal rather than the temporal. The eternal life is where all of humanity is headed...so why get caught up in the never ending malaise of everydayness?

I am going to spend some time with this...and I have already received a bit of feedback on the external concept already. I do not intend on becoming one of those people who are so eternally minded that they cannot even enjoy life. We are meant to enjoy life in God, yet at the same time we cannot think about God without thinking of His eternal qualities and the gift of eternal life which he offers. Thus, even our enjoyment of what good is left after the fall of man is based upon presuppositions of eternality.

More to come on this subject when I get the time to research it. I fully plan on diving into this topic headfirst next semester, after I get away from institution for a while. This will involve much research, but it is something that I want to do just because I can do it.

Any comments?

Teeth Cleaning and Good Service

2007-11-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I went to the dentist today to get my semi-annual teeth cleaning that I have somehow put off for 2 years. Well, a kind looking lady proceeded to wreak havoc upon my mouth with the above tool, and then she told me that I have a cavity. So, basically I have to go back in and let her wreak more havoc upon my mouth, which I'm sure she will enjoy.

I looked into a hosting solution for my future website, that being TCM Hosting Solutions, which came at recommendation. I went through with most of the registration process and then decided that I needed to wait a while to develop a bit of content before I go ahead with a purchase. One of the service techs from the company actually called me to see if there had been a problem with the method of payment I had chosen. The dude left his cell phone number w/ me to reach him back on. It's good to know that the company that I will be hosting with has that kind of relationship with their customers. Oh, and they're local. Seems ideal for a small-time blog oriented site such as mine. Regardless, I am still working on finishing up this semester of grad school before I make any move toward content design. 3 papers and 2 presentations stand in my way.

On another note, I submitted a conference paper proposal to the Tennessee Philological Association meeting, which will be held at Austin Peay State University. Hopefully I will get in. That'd be different.

Renovation

2007-09-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

A new blog design and happiness are both soon to follow.

But ask yourself this vital question: which comes first?

1,000 fps slow-mo racing

2006-07-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

I never knew that tires can "wad up" like that and not 'SPLODE! all over the place.

this never happens to me

2006-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

I won tickets off of Lightning 100 today to see guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel play at the Belcourt theatre on tuesday. I'm excited, supposedly he's really good and now I'm on the guest list for the show!

Pick-ups

2006-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

Picked up the new Frank Black cd "Fast Man Raider Man" today at Tower on the way back from the public library. So far, so good. I really enjoy Frank's ability to migrate from rock to country rock so seemlessly. Not too many musicians could do that and still get everyone to take them seriously. As with every Frank Black album, however, it takes time to grow on you before you start to notice the amazing songwriting skills put forth on each song. He's probably one of the best songwriters in America right now, so seeing him on his upcoming solo tour might not be such a bad idea if you are into that sort of thing.

At the library, I borrowed Michael Savage - The Political Zoo and let me tell you, it's a riot! Check out this passage:

"Still, what most people remember of Alec [Baldwin], the political blowhard, is his claim that he would leave the country should George W. win the 2000 election.

Bon voyage moron.

Now Baldwin denies he ever made the claim.

Sorry, Alec. Such stale acting may have cut it in Pearl Harbor but not while Savage holds the keys to the cages. Alec Bald-faced-lie had his original statement caught on tape and verified by people within earshot. People like his own wife." - p.12-13

Gotta love the frankness of Mr. Savage. You owe it to yourself to at least get this book from the library.

Messed up knees and the blues, Thom Yorke in a tank.

2006-06-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the longest work days in the world. Things are running very very slow right now because of the summer, so that means lots of time trying to find things to do to stay busy. I hate trying to find things to do to stay busy. To top it all off, and I'm not complaining just stating the facts, my knee feels like an 80 year old man's knee. I decided to play basketball after church last night for about an hour and a half, and now I have pain to deal with. I'm not THAT old to start deteriorating. Nevertheless, the day at work was mostly spent listening to Frank Black's assorted music (more on this to come in the future) and then me limping around trying to get things done that really didn't need to be done.

I rented a movie called Mirrormask tonight on the way home and will probably end up watching it tonight. It's the brainchild of Neil Gaiman of Sandman fame and Dave McKean, whom I am not familiar with at all. The movie is released under Jim Henson studios, so I expect something along the lines of Labyrinth, minus the disgusting codpiece of David Bowie (please, please not again!). The tagline is "Enter A World Where Dreams Are Real," and dreams are something that Gaiman is no stranger to. I'll be sure to write about what I thought about the movie, as if anyone actually cares about my opinion, or even worse, as if I am pretentious enough to imagine that anyone actually reads this blog AND also cares about my opinion.

While I'm feeling bloggy, I think that living life from song lyric to song lyric is a problem. Sure, songs are meant to be interpretive, but are they meant to be guidelines and applications for living life? Songs are expressions of a songwriter's experiences, how they see things, how they view life. That's great, and that's beautiful. It's a form of creation on small scale, another aspect of man that is God-given. Taking these writings and living life by them is not only shallow, it's wrong. Trying to find out who you are as a human being in today's world is hard enough as it is, but when you let music drive your life your identity gets caught up in a myriad of other people's experiences.

Finally, here's a music video with lyrics you should like, but not live by.

Dancing flowerpot puppets

2006-06-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

A bit of web browsing turned up this gem, discovered on Frying Bear.

World cup streaming and parkour!

2006-06-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

View the World Cup on Random // Slant!

Ok, whatever.

Today I have a story. I made a delivery with my co-worker to a certain hospital in Nashville. It was a routiene bed delivery except for the fact that it was almost 4 when we left my place of work and we quit at 5 every day. So, we were a little pushed for time and were trying to make it as quick as possible. We found the room and delivered the bed, but could not put it in the room due to an airborne disease which was present in the room. No big deal, right? WRONG! We have to get paperwork signed saying that, hey, we dropped off this equipment and these are the correct item numbers on the equpiment. Anyone can sign, as long as we have a signature. Well, apparently noone likes to take responsibility for these types of things in hospitals, so we eventually got directed to this evil, evil man who was sitting behind a desk. My coworker said "We just need you to sign."

The man replied, "Oh, so we need YOU to sign?"

"No, we just need you or someone to sign it" said my coworker.

"So who do I sign as? Anyone?"

"Just sign your name."

"Oh so I just sign "Your Name" as my name?" smiled the secretary.

"No....."

"Ok, let's see here.......YOUR.....NAME," said the man as he wrote his signature at the bottom of the picture.

As we were leaving, I overheard him saying "Heh. That gets em every time!"

WHAT!!!!!! What the heck? He is just an evil man. I contemplated going back and grabbing a handful of his candy which was next to a box marked "candy fund" but I figured that would be out of line.

Well....anyway, I learned a bit today about "parkour" today too. It's a very interesting sport, almost a martial art, which is gaining popularity in countries such as France, Russia and Germany. The art is also called "free-running" by some. In short, people train themselves to excellent physical fitness and then take off running across cityscapes. The results are nothing short of amazing and are akin to the movements of the superhero Spiderman at times. Wall kicks, rolls, building jumps, diving through small holes...and all of this is only the beginning. The creators of the sport are Sébastien Foucan and David Belle, who have been participating in the self-called "philosophy" of parkour for almost 10 years. Making the news recently, the French-made movie District B-13 features amazing stunts by various parkour participants, including David Belle himself. Check out the following video and be amazed, be VERY amazed.

Transhumanism?

2006-06-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

A man named FM Esfandiary, a self-proclaimed "transhumanist", legally changed his name to FM-2030 in his earlier life. He is quoted [unknown source] as saying, "The name 2030 reflects my conviction that the years around 2030 will be a magical time…In 2030 we will be ageless and everyone will have an excellent chance to live forever. 2030 is a dream and a goal."

A reporter for the NY Times, when analyzing the character of FM-2030 said, "Esfandiary is an optimist. He has hope, because he has a deep faith in man. He is convinced that technological progress, the contact of cultures, etc…. will free man from his present miseries. Given time, man will even deliver himself from his supreme tragedy --- death. Man can be made perfect."

FM-2030 is now deceased from pancreatic cancer and remains cyrogenically frozen.

FM-2030 made predictions about how traditionalists would deminish in the future, which is, oddly enough, also what Aldous Huxley predicted in Brave New World. FM-2030 was more of an optimist however, and he viewed the utopian global society as more of an achieveable goal.

When asked to comment on the current state of human affairs and the progress of the betterment of society through technology, FM-2030 said nothing because he's still dead.

Opryland

2006-06-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

I found a website which is a memoire of Opryland Theme Park which used to be in Nashville. I have great memories of this place....

Thrill Hunter

M(indless) T(ele) V(ision) Generation

2006-06-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

Today, while I was reading the Nashville City Paper at lunch I noticed that there was an article on the MTV Movie Awards (which aired tonight on MTV). One paragraph I found to be quite interesting.

"Sure, every now and then an award is actually notable, such as Brokeback Mountain tonight getting some love from the MTV generation after being snubbed by the Oscars with its win for Best Kiss (the show was taped Saturday)."

The award of the "Best Kiss" to a homosexual couple in a movie prompted me to do a bit of research. On MTV's website, a survey showed that 41% of 18-29 year olds said that they "strongly favored/favored" legal gay marriage. This percentage decreased with the increase of age. [see page 9 of the article here: Click Here - PDF Format]

Even if we can pass laws banning legally recognized gay marriage for the time being, the new generation of youth is being taught to be more tolerant of the issue by such influences as MTV. America needs to keep in mind that while their younger kids are watching TV, they are being subjected to many psychological forces that aid in shaping their worldview. Parents should be doing a much better job of monitoring what their children are watching, or better yet even watching the shows with their children, which will lead to a healthy discussion of the issues. If the kids are being taught one thing from the parents and another thing from the television, it's no wonder why there is so much confusion!

This is not my only complaint against MTV, I have far more. While I was attending Tennessee Tech University, I noticed that they were playing the "MTVU" channel constantly in the dining areas. It was mostly a distraction for me, but I happened to be distracted enough one day to realize that the commercial that was cycling was promoting group sex. The commercial showed different age groups of boys and girls, represented by blue and pink dots respectively. At age 8 or so, the dots were in totally seperate groups. By age 12 or 13, they were getting closer. By age 16 (possibly 18...) the blue and pink dot were moving back and forth on each other. It not only showed the blue and pink dots on each other, but also blue and blue, and also pink on pink. The worst was by far the single blue dot with two pink dots.

Out of all the students on the TTU campus, I was the only student that had seemed to pick up on it. That means that either the commercial is so subliminal that it doesn't fully grab the attention of the viewer or that the culture just doesn't care anymore. I think it was a combonation of the both, but mostly the latter.

My generation is lazy. Period. We are a generation that does not know what sacrifice is, what the value of knowledge is, or what truth is. Many people my age have to be confused...and rightly so! They are trying to grow up in a culture that feeds them immaturity as a social norm. Television and the overemphasized entertainment industry have stripped America's youth of its intellectualism and are instead conditioning them to be a psychologically manipulated group of apathetics.

Those in my age group who know better had better start standing up for what is right and true before it's too late. It may already be too late. Youth is fleeting, just like life is. Only about 1/3 to 1/4 of a life is spent in youth. The time to act and to take a stand among peers is now! I hate to imagine what it will be like for my children in the next generation.

Lately

2006-06-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

I was in my basement the other day in the process of turning off my computer when KA-BLAMO! - I was subjected to electric lightning shock through my mouse. It fried my computer, so the insurance is going to cover a new one (that is already on the way).

There's a lot going on in life right now...and not much time to spend on a computer unfortunately. The good thing is, no more myspace for me for the rest of the summer! It's probably one of the best things I've ever done. You should do it too.....before it's too late.

ugh

2006-02-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

just....ugh

I had to put the word "ugh" somewhere, because that pretty much sums up today so far.

things

2006-02-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

-I've re-discovered the pure joy that is the game Uno.

-I really like apple cider nowadays

-Money really doesn't grow on trees

-You can get a 100 dollar ticket for going the wrong way down a one way street in Centennial Park at night, even though you have nothing else on your driving record at all.

-It's hard to keep up with all of your old friends

-There is nothing in the world like a great conversation with a great friend

-I need to pray more

-Chocolate covered espresso beans and mountain dew make me stay up until the wee hours of the morning the night before midterms

-God is still the same as He was and will never change

-I'm typing a list when I should be learning how to sew with a new kit I found in the library

The End.

wrap up

2006-02-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

So, today I woke up at 9:00 am after a rather restless night of sleep, messed around on the computer for a while, went into town and messed around and all that good stuff. One of my main goals for the day was to rearrange my room, which entitled me going through LOADS AND LOADS of crap that I had forgotten about. Some of it was fantastic. I found one of my old textbooks that I had drawn funny captions about the pictures in. It reminded me of the good ole' days. Even if the so called "good ole' days" involved me being picked on by a kid that was half my size with an egg-shaped head. It made me into the person I am today...a person that is still dateless for Valentines day. I used to not really care about this holiday too much, but the fact that I haven't found a date yet kind of bothers me to some extent. But only to some extent. I'm still holding out for SOMEbody.

Whoa, so that was a little off track.........my main point was supposed to be about how I feel like crapola because I inhaled enough dust in one night to last me forever and 10 more days to boot.

I'm on season two of the OC. There's no possible way that that much drama could happen to ONE family. No way. For some strange reason, I still like the show. I'll never be able to explain it.

I'm working on my summer plans. If things work out, I'll probably be around Nashville this summer instead of North Carolina again.

Francisco de Goya

2005-12-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today I had the chance to visit one of the finest exhibits of Renaissance art in Madrid's Museo del Prado. The most striking collection to me was that of Goya's "Black Paintings". The images are horrid, yet true to the time in his life.

The following is an excerpt from a website describing the "Black Paintings" and then following that is a link to the site which has more information and also a virtual tour of the paintings.

"Executed in oil directly on the plaster walls, these so-called "black paintings" represent the culmination of Goya's artistic efforts. They combine the freedom, or "Capricho", and eerie imagery of his etchings with the scale and decorative purpose of the tapestry cartoons he executed early in his career. After almost two hundred years, they retain their capacity to reduce the viewer to shocked silence."

-http://www.artchive.com/galleries/goya/notes.html

2005-12-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Thoughts I've had so far while in Spain...

Spain is not quite as technologically developed as the USA, but the quality of life here is so much better...I feel like the US is just part of a big technological test now, if that makes any sense at all. It's like we're taking every bit of new electronic knowledge and pushing it to its limit, all the while creating more work, more multitasking, more isolation and more things that humans weren't supposed to go through. It might be a mistake to have developed things so much.

Here in Spain, most of the people live within close range of the city. There are plenty of cars, but walking is much more emphasized. Since people walk more...naturally people are much more healthy. Smaller businesses thrive here, and if you see a friend on the street you don't just say hello and keep walking, you stop and have a meaningful conversation with them. That is something much less likely to happen in the cramped up suburbs we have where it takes 20 mins to drive in to the huge supermarket, drive in circles waiting for the closest spot possible, buy your groceries and get out of there as fast as you can, and then drive the 20 mins back home.

I am not going to like America as much when I get back. Don't get me wrong, I love the democracy and voting priveledges, the freedom to worship and all that America was built upon. It's still a great country, and I would still fight for it...but it won't be the same. Not when I know what life could really be like....and perhaps what life is supposed to be like.

Adventures in Spain

2005-12-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say this before I go any further: Jet Lag is very awful. We arrived in Madrid at about 9:00 am, Tuesday (Madrid time. For the US time, subtract 7 hours from that.). My family kept me awake the whole day to help with the lag, so that meant fighting to stay up after a sleepless 7 and 1/2 hour trip on a packed out 7 passenger plane. I'm not sure why I can't sleep on planes too well, just can't.

After sleeping for 14 hours last night, we woke up and went back into the city. Most people walk around here, it's great! You see very few overweight/obese people and that is more than likely the case. Not only do people walk, the food is a great deal more healthy as a general rule. It's delicious too :)

Life is simple, and it's a joy to just get out and see how people spend time here. Most of them hang out with their friends talking, shopping in the hundreds of little shops, drinking coffee in cafes, etc.

We are taking the train into Madrid tomorrow, and I am going to take lots of pictures with my sister's digital camera (a Canon Rebel...mmmm). The best ones will end up on my photoblog. We hope to visit the Prado while in town as well, and art is always a pleasure.

Bad thing that happened today: my electric razor burnt its motor up. Great.

Good thing I've found out so far: Coke with lemon is a great combonation.

more to come later this week...

I forgot

2005-12-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you forget just how great and how true to life some of the things from your youth are. One of those things for me is The Sound of Music. Channel 2 has it on right now and it's wonderful. Now that I've experienced some of life for what it really is, I enjoy this a million times more.

These days, I find many great things through StumbleUpon, an ingenius program for your web browser of choice (mine being FireFox...and it should be yours if it isn't already). It's an informative way to waste your time.

Joseph Addison and Richard Steele were both genius writers, and their work on the Tatler and the Spectator during the 18th century helped to bring about a revitalization of manners and combat the lewdness of the "Restoration romp" play writers. I stumbled upon a page of famous last words, and much to my suprise the last words of Joseph Addison came up:

"See in what peace a Christian can die."

It is said that he summoned his wayward stepson, Lord Warwick, while on his deathbed and challenged him with his dying words. I found it interesting, and it fits Addison's lifestyle and his goals. And to think...I'll have the privilege of meeting him one day :)

[http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6537/realidx.htm]

Escape from heroin

2005-12-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yet another great article from Slate.com:

The End of My World as I Knew It

my favorite line:

"I'd cry during Toyota commercials because the notion that a father wanted to buy a car that would keep his daughter safe on trips to soccer practice seemed overwhelmingly poignant."

T-minus 3 days

2005-12-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just an article

2005-12-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy this, and the reason I read it is because there is a hard copy that is lying on my desk right now...

Check it out: Is is possible to live in America without a car? Uh, sort of.

I saw Unwed Sailor last night, and I liked it a lot. They're one of my favorites now.

somebody SCREAM!!!!!

2005-12-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

It was approximately 4:31 am this morning when I woke up to the sound of screaming.

Needless to say, I was alarmed. The sound, as it turns out, was my roommate having a night terror...I think. Some people have them chronically, but Lance commented that it almost never happens with him, so it may have not been. The thoughts that go through your half-awakened mind when hearing a scream are scary...I thought it might be a monster or maybe that someone was going to just kill me. Lance is a perfectly normal guy too (he's one of my favorite people and...he's single ladies!), so I don't know where this came from (if it indeed was him, still not sure). Possibilities of what Lance was dreaming about: someone broke up with him, he dropped a delicious ice cream treat, or he had more English papers to do.

I told him never to scream like that again just to be safe.

A new take on being single...

2005-12-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take good advantage of my time as "just a friend" of many girls and spend some time living my life so that I have some good stories to tell the girl that I get into a relationship with next. Stories are nice to have for situations like...car rides and dinner time.

random acts of kindness

2005-11-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Kindness goes a long way in a world that is unloving. If society constantly fed us images of people giving just to make other people feel special...instead of images of people buying things to make themselves feel special...then things might start making sense in people's minds.

I've found perhaps a new favorite quote, but it's just one of many. It's at the end of the post. Tuesdays with Morrie is great, but I don't agree with his religious views (obviously enough if you know me at all.) I do believe that there are good things in every religion...like he did...but I have found that Christianity is the only true religion.

Here's the quote though:

"...if you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere."

On the google quote of the day

2005-11-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Erma Bombeck - "There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."

That's true, but not necesarily true of me I don't think. I have great memories of my dad reading the Christmas story to us before we would do anything regarding presents. Sure...I wasn't paying too much attention at the time because I really wanted my presents, but now I'm thankful. Being a Christian, I can wake up on Christmas morning and remember why I am celebrating to begin with. I can also remember that I have a wonderful family that loves me. Lucky me :)

Now Playing: The Format - Let's Make This Moment A Crime
Now Typing: World Lit Rought Draft

Let's give it another shot

2005-11-12T01:18:00.000-07:00

I get tired of blogs quickly...and quite frankly I find them to be a big waste of time. But has that ever stopped me before? I propose that it hasn't.

I'm really really fed up with relationships right now. So much that I'm calling it quits altogether for the time being. There's no sense at all in me getting worked up over stupid stuff, losing countless hours over thinking about this tripe. Noone should do that. I haven't lost any sleep over it yet though. Well, at least not from women. I've been losing sleep from the ignorant yahoo that keeps changing the hall temperature to 90 plus degrees and then waking up in almost the fires of hell because every other person in the hall closed the vents and opened their windows. Some people don't understand just how bad it is to run a heater full blast with all of the vents shut except two of them, those two being in MY ROOM.

See....this is why I don't like blogs too much. I just wasted lots of time that I could be devoting to other things.

4 research papers and a book report are here, time to get to work.

Here are the topics for 3 of the 4 papers:

1) A Comparison of the lives of Wordsworth and Coleridge and how their relationship affected their writings

2) The origin of modern English swear words

3) The influence of Tolkien's criticism on Beowulf critics and the effect produced on later criticisms

I have a lot of work to do. Goodbye what little social life I have left.

I was going to ask someone on a date to go see a battle of the bands with me this friday night. I'm not sure, I still may but I don't know if I feel like messing with it. Regardless, I'll be there. The Hair of the Dog, Michael Logen plays at 9:30 and he's an excellent performer. You, the reader, should go too.

Let me get over these bloody sinus headaches and I'll get back to the problem of dating. I want to post something about dating at FWBBC anyway, get a few things offa my chest.

Now to read more of Tuesdays With Morrie and then to bed. Excellent excellent book so far.

Music fading even further away...

2005-05-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

"It all comes back to God. Being in the praise team that I am in right now, it seems so clear. Everything about this life that we live is temporary, but the only escape from being let down by putting effort into these temporary things is putting the effort into things that have eternal value. There's lots more satisfaction to be found there, and it doesn't get tiring. Ask the missionaries who have been on the field for 60 years. I did, and they wished that they had started sooner."

--X posted from my friend's blog. a comment I left.

//

Tonight was practice for the praise team. We started off playing That's Why We Praise Him, which went off like we practiced it a week or so ago, which is quite well. Then, we played Heart of Worship. I couldn't really focus on the song. No matter what I did, I ended up just staring at the chords and really doing nothing else. It was registering in my head, and I could have played it, but I felt like God was leading me to not play the guitar for the next couple of songs....if that makes much sense. To me it felt like I needed to get more into the song and what it was trying to say, and I was having difficulty keeping up with everyone else because I was so distracted by the meaning of the song. So......I unplugged and just started singing. That song, and then Here I Am to Worship, and then This Is the Air I Breathe. To me, all three of those songs are so heavy on my heart right now that there is no real way that I could focus enough while playing guitar.

Not only is it that, I sort of feel like there are a lot of things that are in my life that should not be there. They are holding my relationship with God back, and I have decided that the best way to take care of those is to set aside some time with just me and God and the Bible, and maybe even a guitar. Just some personal time so that He can show me what is in the way. What is it that is preventing me from worshipping Him with no other distraction?

It's alot of food for thought, and if tomorrow is anything like today was I will be thinking about it nonstop.

These are the lyrics that resound in my head:

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you, hope of a life spent with You.

King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted, Glorius in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created,
All for love's sake became poor.

And here i am to worship,
here i am to bow down,
here i am to say that you're my God,
you're altogether Lovely,
altogether Worthy,
altogether Wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost to see mt sin upon that cross.
And i'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
No i'll never know how much it cost to se my sin upon that cross.

So here i am to worship.....

Back to the Heart

2005-05-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

While I am here in North Carolina for the summer, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be on a praise music team for a local church. Just being able to spend time with these people has opened my eyes to a lot more than I thought it would.

I have been in 2 church services so far in this church. The atmosphere is very non-traditional. Loud music with electric guitars, drums, no hymnals, different modern translations of the Bible...etc... Being on the praise team we have really decided as of tonight that we need to take a step back and rethink the approach. We need to get back to the heart of worship. The services that I have been in did have good music, yes, but it didn't seem like anyone really got into it. It didn't seem like people were truly in their hearts praising God. That's what worship is all about anyway, taking time to meditate on the mercies of God through song. It's not about a well placed guitar riff, or a fast beat, or harmonized vocals. All of those things are nice, but it is so much more than that. It involves a lot of preparation and prayer and it involves a heartfelt desire to seek God's majesty. This coming Saturday we are going to make a few changes to the normal worship...so this coming week I expect to spend more time alone with God, seeking Him and letting Him use me for his music.

This makes me so happy! :) I am 100% glad that I can use my talents to lead people to praise God, there is nothing more fulfilling than that. My life is one huge shortcoming. I come short of the GLORY of God, just like everyone else. To myself though, it is painfully obvious every day. I lose more battles than I win. This is something that I can give back to God. It's small, but I want to bring something to Him. I want to give Him something in return for the purpose that He gave me.