An unusual post

Hello readers.  I haven't forgotten you.  Things are just busy right now.

Two things I just want to throw out there.

Check out The Hawk in Paris.  No, not the jazz album by Coleman Hawkins.  (I had to edit this because I mistakenly was thinking this album was a free jazz album by Ornette Coleman.  My apologies for the confusion.  Moving on.)

The Hawk in Paris is a new band that just put out an EP.  They consist of Dan Haseltine, Matt Bronleewe and Jeremy Bose.

Dan Haseltine is the longtime vocalist and accordion player for a little group of artistic geniuses called Jars of Clay.

Matt Bronleewe was the first guitarist for Jars of Clay.  He left to complete his studies at college, then went on to write and produce after the band released their first album (you remember Flood, right?).  He has since co-written and produced with Plumb, Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Leeland, and Natalie Imbruglia, among others.

Jeremy Bose lived down the hall and knew the Jars guys in college.  He went on to produce and write as well.  He has worked with acts like Plumb, Joy Williams (before her interesting work with The Civil Wars), David Archuleta, St. Lola in the Fields and Uncle Kracker, among others.

You can preview the whole EP, called His + Hers, on Relevant Magazine's website via The Drop.  Or you can visit noisetrade.com/thehawkinparis and dowload a free sample.

The music is lush synth/piano driven pop with amazing lyrics.  You shouldn't be surprised.  If Dan Haseltine is involved, you're going to hear a high quality, artistic product.

The second music recommendation I want to make is Over the Ocean.  Their debut album, Paper House, took a few months and several listens to really grow on me.   But once it grew on me, it really grew.

I don't know much about the band (yet) but it's obvious they are influenced by John Mark McMillan and Bob Dylan, which is fine by me.  But they also show influence from Sigur Ros, Radiohead and... well, I can't place my finger on it.

Lyrically, I either prefer an artist that takes some thinking and listening to figure out what they're saying (Jars of Clay, Josh Garrels, Future of Forestry), or a band that isn't so poetic but says what they say with some originality (John Mark McMillan, Aaron Krause, David Crowder Band).  Over the Ocean falls into that second camp.

Some of their best lines:

"Come with me and meet the one who makes the night like day, Bow before Him and adore this King who bears our shame." Everything Will Change

"I know you are looking for things that are pure.  I know I'm filthy, You're making me clean."  The Rich, The Poor

"Build Your Kingdom as mine crumbles, Mercy will cover up my shame." Build Your Kingdom

"You raise me, while you're raising the dead.  Yeah, You raise me, while you're healing my pride.  Can you heal my pride?" While You're Raising the Dead.


They aren't afraid to let a song strectch out and be what it needs to be.  Some songs are 3 to 4 minutes, the title track is almost 7, Raising the Dead is 6... but none of them get boring.


Well, anyway... I don't normally recommend music, but this is too good to pass up.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sheesh...

So I reread my post from a few days ago.  Sheesh, what a baby.

Those of you who go to my church and happened to be there last night, the Pastor’s message really hit home with me.

Those of you who missed it, or don’t go to my church, he preached from Exodus 3.  God is telling Moses to tell the Israelites His message and Moses replies “Who am I…”  You should go read it for yourself.

Pastor Shawn talked about how we place our identity in our popularity, position (whether at work, family or whatever) and our performance when really, we should look for our identity in God.  God will never fail, and those things will.  Popularity fades, we could get fired from our job, we fail to peform.  God’s response to Moses in the passage above says it best: “I will be with you.”

So, yes I get it God.  I shouldn’t whine when I’m feeling down about myself.  I am very blessed to have my family, my job and everything else you have seen fit to give me.  Instead, I will look to you.

Isn’t it great how God uses something you don’t see coming to teach you something?

How quickly time passes...

Wow.  I had intentions to blog again right after the last one and it took me ten days!  Yikes!

Anyway, I blogged about getting some lab work done in the last blog.  I got them done and surprise!  There is something wrong with me: me.  My kidney, liver and thyroid levels were normal.  My HDL (good) cholesterol was low and my triglycerides (bad cholesterol) was high.

At least I don't need medication.

But this is still disappointing.  I mean, really?  Can't I do anything right?  Grr...

It's been a tough ten days.  I feel like I'm just a total failure.  I'm no good as a husband, I'm no good as a dad, my health is in shambles because I don't know how to take care of myself, I suck at my job... ugh.

Sorry to be a Donnie Downer, but really?  Blah.  What a crappy post, right?  Sorry.

I'm back!!!

So I haven't blogged in a long time and I have so much to say.  But I'll try to control myself.

Since I blogged last, I got gout, we went to Michigan for a week (which I may blog about in a few days) and the accreditation survey showed up at work, which means I worked almost 40 hours in 3 days.  I took today off to meet with my new doc for a gout follow up and to get some advice about not being able to lose weight.

Which brings us back to this blog.  She recommends Weight Watchers... but before I begin she wants to do some blood work next Tuesday to make sure "everything is putting out or taking in what it should be."  So we'll see what happens and maybe I can get back on track blogging several times a week.

As far as the gout, she was surprised that Urgent Care only gave me 3 days worth of meds.  It should be 10 days worth, which is what she prescribed.  My new doc is pretty cool too.  It was casual Friday in the office and she wore a MIZZOU shirt.  Gotta love a doctor who's a real person.

But anyway, another thing happened recently.  Brandy and I were watching Soul Surfer, which is really good, in case you're interested.

But in one of the parts, they quote Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

They really focused on the first part - "I can do all things..."  But it struck me, as never before, that the focus of that verse is the second part - "through Him who strengthens me."

God is the focus of that verse, not Paul, or me, or even you (sorry!).  God is.  I have resolved that my focus will not be on what I can do anymore, but on what He wants to do through me.  It may be a struggle because I am very self centered and prideful, but I am also a work in progress.

Written while listening to:
There is a Fountain by Enfield
Our Great God by Enfield
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Set Your Sails by Future of Forestry
The Valley Song by Jars of Clay

Inspiration in mowing the lawn

So I was mowing the lawn Monday and God showed me some things.

There's an area that got really thick and I knew there were some creepy-crawly's in there.  The only thing is I couldn't see any of them.  I was worried there was a snake in there, and I know there were spiders and bugs and all sorts of... other things.

That's when God said "I'm that way too."

I was floored.  I had to stop the mower for a few minutes and gather my senses back.

Some of you know, Brandy and I have taken a big step of faith recently.  And I've worried, because sometimes it feels like God isn't there, or isn't doing anything.  Then I read these verses.

 Jeremiah 29:13-14You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

So even though it feels like we are in exile right now, we will find God!  He will bring us back!  He will restore our fortunes!

Praise be to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!  Praise Him forever!

Written while listening to:
Set Your Sails by Future of Forestry
Waves by Resurrection Band

Work

John Piper posted a blog today and I'm going to quote part of it and then add my own comments.

"Then the real power of the encouragement came. Bridges quoted Isaiah 49:4, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity, yet surely my right is with the Lord and my recompense with my God.”


What powerful words!  Not what  Piper or Bridges said.  No, no, the words of Isaiah.

As long as we labor, it doesn't matter if we fail, as long as we keep laboring!  I don't know about you, but this is not something my boss agrees with.  If I fail at work, I have to fix it.  Trust me, it happens a lot.

And therein lies an interesting correlation.  I have been struggling with my job because I feel like I'm not very good at it.  I've felt like it's time to move on because I'm not bringing God glory in a job that I stink in.

But it would seem that if I keep toiling, He will still reward my work and my recompense will be with Him.  I had to look up recompense.  Dictonary.com defines it thus:

1.to repay; remunerate; reward, as for service, aid, etc.

2.to pay or give compensation for; make restitution or requital for (damage, injury, or the like).

 

So I'm going to keep on keepin' on and when it is time to move on, God will move me. Because the way I see it, God's not going to reward me for success, He's going to reward me for work.

How awesome is...?

So I read through my posts of the last week or so after reflecting on my attitude this week.  I have been in a sour mood.  My last post addressed some of it (not losing weight, feeling lost in my "career", etc.).  So this post is called "How Awesome is...?" and it's going to list 10 things that I think are awesome.

How awesome is...

1.  The sun rising every morning, even when we can't see it, only to realize we are the ones in motion?
2.  The Back to the Future trilogy?
3.  God's grace?
4.  The fact that God not only doesn't give us what we deserve, but does give to us what we will never deserve?
5.  Future of Forestry's song Bold and Underlined?
6.  A child, being born knowing every sound possible to speak every language God created, only to refine it in the first few years of his or her life to speak not only one, but possibly several languages?
7.  Cheese?  I mean come on, it starts in a cow as milk and ends up one of the most delicious things you can put in your gullet...
8.  The fact that God revealed Himself to us to fallible men who were merely obedient to what He told them to do?9.  Snuggling with your kiddo when they're little and not old enough to think it's not cool?
10.  Waking up every day to serve and give and sacrifice, knowing that with a word, God will restore everything you did to serve, everything you gave and everything you sacrificed so you can do it again tomorrow?

Written while listening to:
Bold and Underlined by Future of Forestry
Did You Lose Yourself? by Future of Forestry