I missed writing last week. Not posting a blog last week made me worry that I would fall back into my old habits. So, Here I am with nothing to talk about, but I need to write something. I haven’t written about running in quite awhile, because I haven’t been running in forever. I want to get back into it, but I think I need a treadmill. For some reason treadmills relax me as I run on them, I like blasting my tunes and I love being able to push myself to stay at a constant speed. Having said that, if anyone know where I can buy a cheap (and I do mean CHEAP) treadmill in the Eagle River/Anchorage area, let me know. Then maybe I could write about running again…I’m too lazy to get all dressed up to run in the winter here in Alaska.
My sporting clays team is currently in second place with one week to go. Last week we crushed it and got the maximum six points. I shot decently on 5-stand and Super Skeet, but Wobble Trap is where I made my push this week. I killed 25 out of 25 on Wednesday night, for the second time since I started this last year (first time this season).
Wobble trap is not one of the hardest games to play, but 100% is still something to be proud of. Now if I could do it in one of the other games you guys would never hear the end of it.
I still haven’t seen Avatar (yeah!). Erin finally started hearing some negative reviews and stopped trying to convince me to see it. I am going to see The Book of Eli this Friday night and will do a little write up of my thoughts on this page next week.
Sunday’s service was great. I am so pumped to be digging into Joshua for the next six months. The worship set went good from what I could tell, it felt pretty solid. I’m never sure with the country songs, I sweat bullets the whole time and my hands are shaking after we finish. I think it’s the fact that there is just a solid beat going and nowhere to hide if you mess up. Thank God for the Sunday morning practices. In addition to the country song, I was able to try out a couple licks/grooves that I worked on during the week. It’s good to have that last practice to see what works and what doesn’t right before we play. Some licks sound great when I’m at home playing along with the CD’s, but they don’t always translate well to playing with everyone else. If feels good to be experimenting a little more every week, I’ll take a few mistakes and wrong notes here and there as long as I keep growing musically.
By the way, February 10th through April 25th will be the best time to be in Alaska this year. Why is that you ask? I present to you what I believe will be one of the greatest exhibits to ever grace this town we call home: Star Wars, where science meets imagination. That’s all I have to say on the subject. Follow the link to the Anchorage Museum and check it out for yourself.
Later
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
To the (Holy) Ground!
I started reading Joshua again the other day in preparation for the upcoming series at ACF. I haven’t gotten very far, about chapter six, but this morning while driving in I started thinking about one of the passages. I re-read it this morning, Chapter 5, verses 13-15.
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but [as] prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the prince of Jehovah’s host said unto Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”
This passage is fairly well known, based on the fact that the “prince” allowed Joshua to worship, most people agree that this was Jesus that was meeting Joshua. The first thing that caught my memory this morning is that Joshua went up to him. He didn’t send a couple troops over to investigate; he didn’t wait for the man to come to him. Joshua went to the man with confidence. He was told shortly before this by God that “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee or forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:5) With this knowledge, Joshua had the confidence to face anything that came across his path. He knew God was with him and that he had the responsibility to get God’s people to their destination. In the past, I’ve always imagined Joshua in awe of this person, timidly asking if he was for him or against him. This morning, I envisioned a man confident in the promise God made, knowing no matter who or what was in his way God was with him.
This is not the main point of my post today however; the part that I really chewed on all morning was the removing of the shoes on holy ground. In Alaska, as I’m sure it is true in most places, almost everyone takes off their shoes when entering their house or someone else’s house. It is common courtesy; it helps keep the mud and dirt from tracking throughout the house. Some people in fact have an entry way or “mud room” for just this purpose. I started thinking about the church, what most people would consider “holy ground.” I ask you this, is the church really our holy ground? Most current believers would tell you that the church is not a building, but the group of people who gather together for the purpose of worshipping God. As my mind exploded with thought this morning, I was gut punched by God. If I (we) are the church, then that would mean that we are the holy ground. I know a lot of people know that our bodies are a temple, but I want to focus on our minds and souls for today. At least on mine.
I would like to say that I have a “mud room” in my mind. A place where I remove the things that should not be in my holy ground, the problem is, I’m not sure I ever leave that room. Or perhaps worse, my entire house has become over run and there is no way to tell where it ends and the house of the Lord begins. I know this may seem like a simple thing to some, we’re supposed to be good, obviously. I’m just asking everyone that reads this to be honest with themselves, are you respecting the holy ground of God?
I’m pretty sure I’m not.
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but [as] prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the prince of Jehovah’s host said unto Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”
This passage is fairly well known, based on the fact that the “prince” allowed Joshua to worship, most people agree that this was Jesus that was meeting Joshua. The first thing that caught my memory this morning is that Joshua went up to him. He didn’t send a couple troops over to investigate; he didn’t wait for the man to come to him. Joshua went to the man with confidence. He was told shortly before this by God that “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee or forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:5) With this knowledge, Joshua had the confidence to face anything that came across his path. He knew God was with him and that he had the responsibility to get God’s people to their destination. In the past, I’ve always imagined Joshua in awe of this person, timidly asking if he was for him or against him. This morning, I envisioned a man confident in the promise God made, knowing no matter who or what was in his way God was with him.
This is not the main point of my post today however; the part that I really chewed on all morning was the removing of the shoes on holy ground. In Alaska, as I’m sure it is true in most places, almost everyone takes off their shoes when entering their house or someone else’s house. It is common courtesy; it helps keep the mud and dirt from tracking throughout the house. Some people in fact have an entry way or “mud room” for just this purpose. I started thinking about the church, what most people would consider “holy ground.” I ask you this, is the church really our holy ground? Most current believers would tell you that the church is not a building, but the group of people who gather together for the purpose of worshipping God. As my mind exploded with thought this morning, I was gut punched by God. If I (we) are the church, then that would mean that we are the holy ground. I know a lot of people know that our bodies are a temple, but I want to focus on our minds and souls for today. At least on mine.
I would like to say that I have a “mud room” in my mind. A place where I remove the things that should not be in my holy ground, the problem is, I’m not sure I ever leave that room. Or perhaps worse, my entire house has become over run and there is no way to tell where it ends and the house of the Lord begins. I know this may seem like a simple thing to some, we’re supposed to be good, obviously. I’m just asking everyone that reads this to be honest with themselves, are you respecting the holy ground of God?
I’m pretty sure I’m not.
Monday, January 4, 2010
"I'll 30 your Rock"
Erin and I have entered what I am considering calling the fourth level of NBC Comedy shows. Some of you may recognize the pattern, wherever you are in the metamorphosis. It starts very innocently with the Office on Thursday nights for three or four seasons. Then one night Dwight locks his co-workers in the office and starts a fire to “teach them how unprepared they are for a fire.” As you watch Oscar climb into the ventilation duct, you think to yourself. This is about as good as it can get. That’s level one. I know what you are thinking, that’s a lot to just be the first level. Level two is actually very short, it consists of two or three weeks of you trying to convince yourself that you like Parks and Recs. I mean, it has to be good, right? Level two may last longer for some of us, but eventually, we all come to the third level, currently known as bliss.
You have decided that the Office is still hilarious and you’ve given up on Parks and Recs. This inevitably brings us all to the same crossroads, “do I or do I not start watching 30 Rock?” I know what you are thinking, 30 Rock? Really? Trust me, I was there myself. I discovered the greatness that is 30 Rock later than some, I didn’t watch the first season until last year. I was immediately hooked, but could not convince my better half to acquiesce to my decision to move to the third level. After many months of obscure references and maybe just a little begging, I convinced her to start with the first season and see what happens. I even agreed to watch it all again with her. Thanks to Netflix and their wonderful streaming devices, we blew through the first three seasons in a matter of days. I won’t ruin the experience for any of you, by including comedic highlights at this time. You really need to experience this raw and without any warning what so ever. It’s that good. Trust me. Those of you that know me know I don’t usually bother with something if it’s not worth the effort. Trust me, it’s worth it. Some of you may be asking yourselves right now, “Why did he say level 3 was Bliss, when he is in level 4?” I’m glad you asked.
Level 4 occurs immediately after you watch the season 3 finale. You are left with an enormous since of disappointment that you did not expect. During your mad dash run through the greatness that is 30 Rock, you had a seemingly endless supply of ridiculous comedy streaming into your home. Only the very fortunate foresee this problem and quench the unending thirst for comedy. These brave souls take there time with the episodes and don’t cram them all into a few days. So, in an alternate universe, Erin and I could still be watching new episodes, but alas, we are weak. I tip my hat to those that are able to pace themselves. God bless you people, you are better than I.
In conclusion, let me say, if you have not started 30 Rock, do so now.
Just do it sparingly.
You have decided that the Office is still hilarious and you’ve given up on Parks and Recs. This inevitably brings us all to the same crossroads, “do I or do I not start watching 30 Rock?” I know what you are thinking, 30 Rock? Really? Trust me, I was there myself. I discovered the greatness that is 30 Rock later than some, I didn’t watch the first season until last year. I was immediately hooked, but could not convince my better half to acquiesce to my decision to move to the third level. After many months of obscure references and maybe just a little begging, I convinced her to start with the first season and see what happens. I even agreed to watch it all again with her. Thanks to Netflix and their wonderful streaming devices, we blew through the first three seasons in a matter of days. I won’t ruin the experience for any of you, by including comedic highlights at this time. You really need to experience this raw and without any warning what so ever. It’s that good. Trust me. Those of you that know me know I don’t usually bother with something if it’s not worth the effort. Trust me, it’s worth it. Some of you may be asking yourselves right now, “Why did he say level 3 was Bliss, when he is in level 4?” I’m glad you asked.
Level 4 occurs immediately after you watch the season 3 finale. You are left with an enormous since of disappointment that you did not expect. During your mad dash run through the greatness that is 30 Rock, you had a seemingly endless supply of ridiculous comedy streaming into your home. Only the very fortunate foresee this problem and quench the unending thirst for comedy. These brave souls take there time with the episodes and don’t cram them all into a few days. So, in an alternate universe, Erin and I could still be watching new episodes, but alas, we are weak. I tip my hat to those that are able to pace themselves. God bless you people, you are better than I.
In conclusion, let me say, if you have not started 30 Rock, do so now.
Just do it sparingly.
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