A Year In Review

What a year. Wait, didn't I say that last year? I sure did and let me tell you, it's been another one.

When I started to think about writing this, I was going to try to come up with some unifying theme for it all. You know, like there was some grand lesson to be learned, some overarching idea that I had come to know. Well really, there wasn't. So why try to force it?

So here you are. A few thoughts and notes from year.

1. I said this in a cheeky Facebook post but I think I've really come to believe it - life isn't about good times and bad times, it's really just about different seasons, which aren't "good" or "bad" - just different. And necessary. This year has had a few: In a relationship and single; bathroom and no bathroom; no money and even less money! I can honestly say that through all of it, I think I've learned a lot about just trying to roll with the punches. Pray a lot more and let God guide me through it.

2. I've gone from just being a Thursday night leader at First Glance to a more involved role. I help lead the Young Adults program on Monday's and have tried my hand at writing a couple of grants (not money back yet, so yeah, click here). I'm getting to know a few of the students and seem like there is some headway being made, albeit baby steps. I think I've learned more from them than them from me!

I've tried to shoehorn my way into being an employee at First Glance, and thankfully, it hasn't worked out. Even if I never get a job there, I don't care. First Glance combines my two loves in life, God and Kenmore, so I'm in it to win it.

3. I've learned that there is so much more to learn. Wandering from church to church made me think like I'd seen it all. How foolish. Also, I've met some guys that have really challenged my thoughts on life, church, Jesus, and a host of other things. Yeah, just a lot more to learn.

Really, I still feel like I'm in transition. Nothing feels permanent. Everything is temporary and can change at any minute. Part of me stresses about it and another part loves it. I don't want to be comfortable but maybe just comfortable with the idea of not being comfortable. Chew on that for a while.

What will 2011 bring? Tune in a year from now. . .

Rev.

Music Videos - Day 2

Take one of my favorite singers and one of my favorite directors, mix them together, and you've got a can of awesome.

Bjork - Bachelorette. Directed by Michel Gondry (I told you you'd see a lot of him!)

Pure awesome here.

First Glance - Call of Duty: Black Ops Tournament

Last Tuesday at First Glance, 29 brave souls entered our arena in a bid to claim a mighty prize. Only one would emerge from mortal combat, beaten and bloodied, with the Holy Grail of our generation. Of course, I'm talking about our Call of Duty: Black Ops Tournament.

Ages ranged from 12 to 19. Some were complete noobs and others were hardened veterans. All were hungry to get their hands on a copy of the game that had just come out that morning.

Anticipation and anxiety ran equally high. It's one thing to sit at home, beat your little brother, and then brag to your buddies about how good you are at the game. Here, your words would be put to the test and all would be laid bare for the world to see.

In Kenmore at 5:30 PM, a reckoning began in earnest.

No one had  played the game before so all were on equal footing. The only thing a warrior could rely on was his raw skill (yes, "his skill". Do you really think any girls showed up?). New maps, new weapons, and new killstreaks for everyone to learn.

However, as they made their way through the rounds, a line became clear of who were the pwn'ers and who were the pwn'ees. The smack talk that started the event was replaced by humble silence as those who thought beating their little brother brought them skill found out it brought shame. True warriors began to make their way to the top of heap, with hundreds of chumps lying in their wake!

Then we took a break for pizza. Delicious!

Going into Round 5, we had four men who had gone undefeated. At Round 6, that number had been reduced to two. And if we've learned anything from Highlander, there can  be only ONE. 

These two battered and worn soldiers stepped out onto the summit, knowing that only one would be walking down the mountain, while the other would fall to his demise.  Their names? They had to use the nicknames Rheno and MJS, as their real names are only whispered in fear.

The stage was Nuke Town. With their controller sensitivities set to 10, they were ready for the battle of their lives. The lesser warriors fell silent as the action began . . .

The battle was even the whole time. One would gain a slight lead, only to have it eroded right back down. Guns were fired, grenades were tossed, sweat poured down their faces and onto their controllers. Back and forth they went, like a tennis match, except with M16's and frag grenades.

For a moment, it looked as though it might end with a tie, with neither being able to completely pull away from the other. But things are never as they seem. And Lady Luck would have her say. . .

MJS approached Rheno and threw a flash bang grenade. However, the throw was off and he ended up flashing Rheno and himself in the process. Both of them, dazed and unable to see, fired wildly in each others direction hoping for a hit. Lady Luck would choose MJS, as he landed a kill onto Rheno.

At this point there was less than a minute left in the round. Rheno rushed in, hoping to even the score and push it into another tie breaker. However, his haste made for waste, as MJS was able to land another kill.

The clock hit zero, with MJS the Victor!!!! His fellow warriors applauded him for a fight well fought. Rheno was a good warrior, but MJS was great.

MJS stepped forward and claimed what he was after - a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops. A glorious prize for a glorious warrior!

The other warriors left, all having fought hard and given their all. But fret not, defeated warriors! For soon, a new trophy will arrive to tempt you to the battlefield once more! Its name, you ask? Well Modern Warfare 3, of course . . .

Staying Positive

Times can be tough. Real tough. Your woman leaves you, your dog runs away, and the plumbing breaks open and your house floats away. What's a guy to do?

Get a drink? Find a buddy to talk to? Well, used to be, you could take some solace in turning on the radio and letting the soothing sounds sooth your tired soul. But alas, no more. You get more whiny, lame, emo punks telling you how much life sucks. Linkin Park, Bullet for my Valentine, and all those other bands that even their name is depressing. Sheese.

Hey buddy, if I wanted to hear about how crappy life is, I'll listen to myself talk. I'm trying to escape here!

Where are those uplifting, positive, songs of yore? The ones that lifted you up and that you couldn't sing without cracking a smile.

Here, for your listening pleasure, are a few of my favorites. I don't know about you but I could use a little positivity for my mind.

Bill Withers, soothe my soiled soul.



Some songs were like church back in the day. You didn't go to hear what you wanted to hear, you went to be convicted. To be inspired to change and be a better person.

Preach it to em, Brother Sly.



And then, there are songs to just lift you up. Hey ya'll, it's not going to be like this forever. Someday, things will get brighter! I promise! Not to mention, it's got soul!



Peace, Love, and Soooooooooul Train!

Rev.

Music Videos

I love music videos. I mean I really love them.

I've thought about why I like them, and I think it's like a little mini movie and for some good directors, it's a place to experiment. And boy do I like some experimental videos. . .

So here we go. A few days worth of yours truly favorites.

Note: Most of the good videos are copyright protected, so I won't be able to embed them here. Just follow the link like a good boy and be happy I'm getting you hip to some awesome.

First off, Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World. Directed by Michel Gondry (this guy is good and you'll see more from him).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQCirTog0cs&ob=av2e

Funny Pictures - Day 6

This is probably one of absolute favorites. I've looked at it a thousand times and I'm still laughing!

Funny Pictures - Day 5

Aaaah, awesome. How can you not love it?

Funny (moving) Pictures - Day 4

If I'm having a bad day, I watch this.

"The daddy is the bread winner. . . can you dig that?"

Funny Pictures - Day 3

No clue where or how I found this. But it's great.

Funny Pictures - Day 2

I just like the look on both of their faces. Scene is classic!

Denominations

for my Christian friends or anyone else who cares to read. . . 

I was reading this last night and it got me thinking. A few words changed to make it more applicable. 

1 Corinthians 1:10-17, reprised: 


¹⁰I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹²What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Calvin"; another, "I follow Arminius"; another, "I follow Knute Larson"; still another, "I follow Jesus."

 ¹³Is Christ divided? Was Calvin crucified for you? Were you baptized into^[b] the name of Arminius? ¹⁴I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,¹⁵so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. ¹⁶(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Funny Pictures

I love doing Google Image Searches (that's GIS) and finding funny pictures.

I'll be posting a few of them over the next couple of days. Yeah, I'm going for quantity, not quality.

Fireproof

Well, I did it. I watched the movie Fireproof. You know it, right? It's that Christian movie made by that church down in the south somewhere. Oh, and it stars Kirk Cameron, hot off his hit roll as Mike Seaver in Growing Pains.

I'll say it - it wasn't that bad. It was actually a lot better than I thought going into it. As a guy who's been in the church and seen some of the garbage they try to pass off as "good", I think I have some room to speak.

I guess I should define "wasn't that bad". Ever watched a Lifetime movie? Well, imagine a Lifetime movie with some Christian stuff in it and you've got yourself Fireproof.

There were a few scenes that made me go "ugh!". When Kirk sits down on the couch to get some fast food, what kind do you think he gets? Right - Chic-fil-A, the place for Christians on the go to get a chicken sandwich (except on Sundays!). Don't get me wrong, I love me some Chic-fil-A, they just came out with a spicy chicken sandwich and might I say, it's the cat's pajamas.

The other "ugh" part was when (spoiler alert, like you care) Kirk finds out that another man is wooing his lady. In a fit of rage, he gets into his truck and rushes off to the hospital where the guy works. He busts in the door, looking for this home wrecker with a look that can only be described as "bout to open a can of whoop ass!" He finds the guys office, goes in, and tells the guy that "Hey, I just wanna let you know you've got competition!" . . . what? I thought for sure he was going to beat the crap out of that guy from here to Mecca, but no dice. Just a rowdy alert to her gentlemen suitor that he's got some competition. . . what a let down.

The other thing that kind of annoys me is that when the movie is over, there is no conflict that is left unresolved. Marriage is fixed, Oedipus Complex resolved, car fixed, dirty floors cleaned, and the cat and the dog get married. I think partly, I'm jaded by new movies where it's always a tragedy of some sort where the main character gets shot by gang members at the end or two star-crossed lovers die by ingesting poison. I just would have liked a little unresolved conflict.

Aside from those little pet peeves, I think the movie did its job of telling the story it wanted to tell. Again, we ain't talkin' Shakespeare here, just a story about a guy finding God and saving his marriage. What surprised me was that it wasn't a straight forward "life sucks, you're wife is leaving, you find God, marriage instantly gets better and life is good". I'd say the conversion happens at about 1/3 of the movie and the rest of the movie is him dealing with the issues of his broken marriage and cheatin' wife, only with his newly found faith.

Finally, if you're not Christian, skip it. This is definitely a movie made by Christians for a Christian audience. There are Christian themes that you're just not going to get and it's going to make the movie that much more Lifetimey. I wish it was different but I just don't think it is. Actually, if any non-believers would like to contact me with their review, I'd love to hear it.

Rev.

ps - Man, I've missed writing.

Been a while . . .

It's been a while since I've much of anything. I think it's time to start.

I think I'll start now.