THE SUNDAY SPECIAL

What a week, right?… we’ve pretty much had a revolving door of visitors since last Thursday, culminating in 16 people (9 kids, 7 adults) milling about on Christmas Day… it was a good time overall, but it’s always tiring… just so much going on and so many things to think about… i’ve got a few more days before i go back to work, so that’s good… i almost wrote yesterday just because it’s been so long and because i’ve all but frittered away my featured status, but it was Saturday and that’s generally what i observe as a Sabbath and i was tired and (insert 1000 more excuses here)… and now… on with the program..

FAREWELL TO FOOTBALL???

This is the last weekend of the regular season and it’s pretty sad… clearly, i forgot to make my picks for this week, but so far, the games that i’ve been watching (Bills/Eagles and Bears/Saints) have been worthy of the final week… Last week, i lost the superbowl in fantasy league 1… got BLOWN OUT, actually… and this week, i’m competing for the title in league 2, so i’m hoping for some high scores… they’ve been pretty fun seasons this year, but i know that i’ll never enjoy a season of fantasy football as much as my first season… that was just a whole lot of fun…

here’s my playoff picks… actually… nothing is really set yet, so… i’ll do that later this week, but here’s my Superbowl picks:

The Packers, after beating the Cowboys to make it into the Bowl, lose to the Colts, who shook up the world by marching into New England and sticking it to the Patriots in the snow, the game of the year…

SPEAKING OF BOWLS…

anybody watching any of the college Bowl games?… i don’t generally watch much college football, but i’m really looking forward to watching the Sugar Bowl this year and seeing the scoring machine that is Hawaii in action… i may also watch the BCS Championship, but that’s probably all i’ll watch… is that a mistake? anyone want to make a case for any of the other games?

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 3:8-13… instructions and a promise… or a reminder of both…

we’re reminded of the marching orders… lead with the ark of the covenant and walk into the Jordan River… i like how it’s restated as “this is how you’ll know that God is with you”… and by leading with the ark, which is a visible representation of God’s presence, it’s an acknowledgement of following after God, but the ark also represents the covenant that God made, calling Israel to be His people…

that, to me, serves as a reminder that God’s promises are set before us and He’ll fulfill them… i’m reminded of Jeremiah 29, where God says that He’s got plans for us and explains that we need to call upon Him, pray to Him and come to Him… He will hear us and do what He’s promised…

One last thing, before we move on… the priests need to stand in the Jordan and the waters will be cut off from downstream and they’ll “stand up in a heap”… this, a clear reference to the crossing of the Red Sea, is one more reminder for Joshua that God is with him in the same way that He was with Moses…

AND WITH THAT…

… i’ll end this special edition here… the littles are awake and it’s hard enough to pay attention to the Bills game as it is… much less type… enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone…

peace… love… bdg…

THE ONE WITH ALL THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Well, i figure if i don’t talk about Christmas music now, then nobody will care what i have to say… so here is a rather quick take on some of the latest Chrismas projects added to my collection… i’m not sure that any of this year’s releases have the stamina to become staples like A Charlie Brown Christmas or Bing Crosby’s Christmas albums, but we’ll see how it works out… The links are all for iTunes, because i don’t recommend going out to the stores today…

Michael W Smith - It’s a Wonderful Christmas

It almost doesn’t seem like Christmas if there’s not a new Christmas album from either Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman or Michael W Smith… i guess this year it was Smitty’s turn and he knocks it out of the park once again with another solid effort that’s fun for the whole family though the younger ones may tune out due to lack of familiar songs… “Song for the King” is my highlight…

Relient K - Let It Snow Baby, Let it Reideer

This one’s for the Christmas party that’s long since gotten out of control… another raucous mix of reworked Christmas classics (some of which appear on the previous RK Christmas album) with some nice breaks… It takes an open mind, i think, to enjoy this one during traditional festivities as there’s not much room for reflection and the music begs to be center stage, but it’s a good party album… my highlight: “Celebrate the Day“…

Mindy Smith - My Holiday

Mindy has a pretty sweet voice and these arrangements are very elegant and enjoyable… this one may end up being something of a classic with a really nice overall sound that will appeal to more mature tastes… the kids may not enjoy this one so much, but it’s definitely worth picking up… my highlight: “Follow the Shepherd Home“…

Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs

Apparently, this is the album they’ve wanted to make for a long time… now that they have, we can see why… it’s somewhat unconventional in that the new tracks have a bit of an agenda to them, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing… it’s another example of how music and faith can be succesfully intertwined to create a happy marriage of sorts… definitely not the most appealing to the kids, but again, it’s a worthwhile addition… they’ll grow into it… “Peace Is Here” is my highlight…

Mandisa - Christmas Joy

chiming in with a 4-song EP, Mandisa, the diva, mixes tradition with flare and originality… There’s a good chance that everyone will like this one because there are the staples, “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night” and the duet with Matthew West (”Christmas Makes Me Cry“) is nice, but for me, the Motown-esque opener, “What Christmas Means to Me” is the highlight…

Bebo Normon - Christmas… From the Realms of Glory

Another former Essential Records artist branching out and starting anew with a Christmas album… this ones really nice… definitely suits Bebo and some of the tracks work as just worship songs… overall it’s a really good collection of new and traditional tunes… i like Bebo in general and since his personality and style really comes through on the album, i like the album… Highlight is “Born to Die“…

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - A Timeless Christmas

Here’s one for the whole family to enjoy… unless you don’t like jazz, big band, and swing music… it’s a lot of fun and is sure to become the favorite for many… the kids will like it with tracks like “Jingle Bells“, “Sleigh Ride, and the original, “Frosty the Bluesman“… my highlight is easily “Little Drummer Boy”

Diamond Rio - The Star Still Shines

for fans of country music flare and good Christmas music fun, this one will certainly fit the bill… it’s a nice album and the group definitely owns each song, giving it a nice distinctive feel to it… my highlight is “Sleigh Ride,” but there’s quite a few nice tunes here…

Christine Evans - Take Me to Bethlehem

Another EP and this one’s from the young Canadian singer-songwriter… it’s a nice 3-song album and the highlight for me is the rocked up version of “Mary, Did You Know“…

Jump5 - Christmas Like This

this one is for the kids and for the kids only… if you’re over the age of 20 and act like you like this one, you will be mocked mercilessly straight through to the new year… seriously though, it’s a teenie pop album and his has some appeal for parties… i’ll say that “Merry Merry Christmas” is the highlight for me…

Yolanda Adams - What a Wonderful Time

Nice bit of horns, nice touch of gospel, spectacular vocals, and a whole lot to like here, but it won’t appeal to everyone… my highlight is the title track…

A FEW OTHERS I MISSED…

i’m running short on time, but here’s a few more albums worth considering…

Various - Bethlehem Skyline… Christmas with the Rat Pack… Keith L Cooper - A Guitar’s Carol… Josh Groban - Noel… David Phelps - One Wintry Night

BEFORE I GO

i want to wish you all a very spectacular, fabulous, meaningful, and blessed Christmas…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about the next great American band…. i’ll talk about The Clash of the Choirs… i’ll definitely talk about football… i might talk a little about politics… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE

So, it’s the holiday season and the visitors have begun trickling in… the house is full and it’s a little crazy and it’s difficult - even moreso - to keep things organized, including thoughts… and i normally don’t do updates on Saturdays, but i’ve been pretty off and on this week and i’ve got a few moments to myself here… so, just a quick one, alright?

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 3:6-7… part of me wants to just finish up the chapter today, but i know i’m going to be pretty short on time, so i’ll just focus on these two verses and mainly just the latter… Joshua tells the priests to take the ark of the covenant and lead the way and they do… we already knew they would, so that’s kind of just the facts, ma’am, just the facts…

But, i love the comment here in the next two verses… God’s telling Joshua that he’s going to use the events of this day to exalt Joshua in the eyes of Israel, cementing him as their leader and proving before all men (and women) that God is with Joshua just like He was with Moses… this fulfills the promise that He gave Joshua back in the beginning of the book…

IN OTHER WORDS

Brief sidetrack from the usual program today because, well it’s for a number of reasons, but most specifically, i finally finished reading Relentless, by Robin Parrish and i wanted to share a few thoughts about it…

this book took me a while to get into and i blame it primarily on the fact that it’s HUGE… well, 443 pages and my copy is the big old hardcover… that and, to be honest, i was a bit impatient with the set up… about the midpoint of the book, though, it really took off and i was pretty hooked until the end… the scope of the plot expanded and strengthened which really added depth to the characters and the story itself… very impressive overall, i’m glad to have read it and i’m happy to call Robin at least an acquaintance…

now i’m ready for Fearless, which i imagine i’ll finish by 2010…

FOOTBALL…

here’s how distracted i’ve been… i’m just finding out now that the Steelers won on Thursday… i probably knew, but i didn’t really pay attention to it… here’s my picks for the rest of the games which i’ll likely have a harder time watching…

Cowboys over Panthers

Bengals over Browns

Colts over Texans

Bills over Giants

Lions over Cheifs

Jags over Raiders

Saints over Eagles

Packers over Bears

Cards over Falcons

Bucs over 49errs

Titans over Jets

Dolphins over Patriots

Seahawks over Ravens

Redskins over Vikings

Chargers over Broncos

BEFORE I GO

i just finished up some interviews… probably the last of the year and i’ll be turning them in shortly after i finish this up… after that, i don’t think i’ll have much time for anything until after Christmas… i have just noticed that my interview with The Washington Projects found its way onto CCM’s frontpage… and, oh hey, i’m a featured blogger… looks like i’ll have to try a little harder to post before Christmas…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about the next great American band…. i’ll talk about The Clash of the Choirs… i’ll definitely talk about football… i might talk a little about politics… i’ll talk about Christmas music… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS

well, yesterday was a whirlwind of activity that included an “all-staff gathering” for work, which i was able to attend via an online webcast… going into it, the tension was pretty high around the office and moreso at the headquarters, but there were no lay-offs… at least not yet… what i really took away from the meeting was that people will spend a lot of money paying consultants exorbitant fees to tell them what is pretty obvious… it’s kind of annoying actually, but in theory, i’ll finally get my raise next month…

after the meeting and after shoo-ing out the cleaning lady, i raced over to littler boy’s preschool to watch him star as Joseph in the Christmas program… and… man… is … he… CUTE!…

SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK…

or two, or three, or more… so my uncle and my former pastor both had serious heart attacks recently… my uncle apparently had four attacks in total, dating back to Thanksgiving and building up to a severe one that landed him in the hospital, and he’s now stable, but still in the hospital after several surgeries… my former pastor had a heart attack while he was delivering his sermon and is now back in at home on strict bedrest for the next two months… craziness…

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 3:5… only one verse? yep… and it’s a big one… at least i think so… it’s a two-part verse… the first part is a command… “Sanctify yourselves”… (some translations say “consecrate”)… this is a common theme in the New Testament, but it’s also a big deal even back here in Joshua… Israel isn’t even a nation yet, but God’s called them His people and he’s now telling them to live up to the hype, so to speak… Sanctify yourselves… remove sin from your lives… set yourselves apart… be holy…

the second part is a promise… “Tomorrow, God will do wonders among you”… i’m not entirely certain whether or not this is a conditional action… whether the knowledge of God’s plan is intended to inspire sanctification or whether the sanctification permits God’s action… i imagine that God’s gonna do what He’s gonna do whether we’re ready or not… God uses non-holy folks a lot and works wonders through them, so who’s to say that He wouldn’t have done these wonders regardless… however, being consecrated makes us more connected to God’s will and makes His actions take on greater meaning in our lives…

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg…

Continuing on… The object of the game is to live a life that is rich towards God… what does that mean you may ask… it means that you obey the “greatest” commandments… love God and love others… Ortberg goes into some detail about what our love really means or rather, what it translates to… and that is commitment… love is a commandment AND a commitment…

It means spending time with God, getting to know Him better… and when it comes to others and how to do better understand this, we need to get a firm grasp on what is temporary and what is eternal… this is a basis for life… it’s really a good test as to what our lives are for… what we place our value in and what we trust in… just sit down and think about whether our “points” in the game of life are temporary or eternal…

VIRTUAL BIBLE

Godtube.com launched a pretty interesting little initiative the other day… The Virtual Bible… check it out… some of the references seem like quite a stretch, but it’s a neat idea… (there doesn’t seem to be any videos for Joshua yet, though)…

FOOTBALL…

i picked the Steelers tonight, but it’s late, so if you don’t believe me, that’s fine… i won’t count it… full picks tomorrow and something about the Dolphins…

BEFORE I GO

i posted a brand new Left to Write just in time for Christmas…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about heroes…. i’ll talk about The Clash of the Choirs… i’ll definitely talk about football… i might talk a little about politics… i’ll talk about Christmas music… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

PAINT THE TOWN RED

well, with the office getting painted and everything in something of a state of disarray, my life is less organized and i’m somewhat displaced from my senses… maybe it’s thepaint fumes, maybe it’s the heat, maybe i’m just actually finally showing how much i really am clueless… i don’t know…

anyway, this morning was a special morning for little boy and me… Donuts with Dad at his school… the idea is that dad comes to school early and you both get to have a donut and coffee/juice together… then, to pay for it, you donate a book or two to the school library… seemed like it might be a good bonding time and it was, but in an entirely different way than i’m sure was expected… we got there and it was MOBBED… and by the time we poked into the cafeteria, there were no more donuts or juice or coffee… so, we had an adventure, little boy and i… we ran back out to the car, which was parked about a block away, raced out to Target, ran in, picked up a donut each, paid, ran back out to the car and raced back to school… that’s some bonding right there… it all worked out in the end…

okay, now i’m moving on… by the way, the painting thing is supposed to be my excuse for not blogging yesterday…

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 3… okay, well, before i actually get into chapter 3, i want to mention the last verse of chapter 2… the spies have returned and they’re reporting to Joshua about Jericho… and they are filled with confidence because of how Rahab and the soldiers have reacted… the NIV uses the phrase… “they are melting in fear because of us” and the KJV describes the residents as “fainting” because of the Israelites… i suppose that would instill some confidence in me if my enemies were fainting or melting because of me…

Okay, moving on into chapter 3… this is one of my favorite passages… i really enjoy this part of the journey… they get up early in the morning… and they roll out from Shittim and head to the banks of the Jordan River… and they’re camping there for three days… i’d guess that a lot of them are thinking, how on earth are we going to get across this river?… but after three days, they’re told… follow the ark of the covenant… but don’t get too close… see, there’s still this mystery and power surrounding the ark… it was the visible representation of God’s presence with the Israelites and it was sacred and holy… people died if they touched it, no one was allowed to see it directly and clearly it was revered…

tomorrow, we’ll tackle verse 5…

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg…

So, grandma taught him how to play the game… and as Ortberg starts off into the thrust of the book, the next chapter is called “The Object”… by the way, the table of contents is set up like the instruction manual of a board game… at least my copy is… and the actual introduction, which i kind of glossed over is somewhat haunting, talking about how important our “gameplay” is because it is our soul that’s at stake…

now starting out with “The Object,” we have the story of a “successful” businessman who expands his company’s reach and wealth immensely due to his self-sacrifice and efforts… buying into the lies of this materialistic world, he was convinced that he was doing this all for the benefit of the family that he was ignoring and neglecting… then one night, while working late at home alone, he had a massive heart attack and died… God calls him a fool and we are reminded that it’s a retelling of a parable… but it hits home harder, because not too many of us are building barns and harvesting grain…

THREE CHEERS [AGAIN]…

…for The Myriad… they’ve officially won Dew Circuit Breakout 07… i think that means that they are the grandest band in all the land… either way it will be some great exposure for them… and when i say exposure, i mean it in a different sense than that of one of the top 6 finalists who walk around in their underwear…

Also, i’ll congratulate Chris Daughtry of Daughtry as well as the rest of those involved with his debut album… the fourth place finish on American Idol didn’t prevent him from releasing the top-selling album of 2007… selling something like 3.2 million copies, the self-titled album beat out Fergie’s trampy but catchy pop gem and Akon, the on-stage sexual predator… funny that a somewhat wholesome album is the best in the land… sex may still sell, but so does good music…

WINTER IS SETTING IN

Speaking of good music… i’ve been fortunate enough to listen to Jon Foreman’s first two solo EPs, Fall and Winter… and they’re both really good… i’m sure that the more that i listen to them, the more i’ll realize the layers behind their meaning… right now, i’m just enjoying the soft and subtle sounds and the fact that i’ve gotten it early… for a sneak peak at the albums, you can hop on over to Jon’s MySpace

FUMBLE!!!

not that i was bragging before, but man, did i get CRUSHED with my football picks this week… upset after upset and before i knew what happened, i had picked only 8 right while getting 8 wrong… the good news though is that i won in both of my fantasy leagues and this weekend finds me in one superbowl and on the verge of another… three more wins and i’ll have won both leagues… i’m actually pretty shocked about it myself as i’ve just mildly been paying attention to the teams…

BEFORE I GO

CCM posted my interview with Lyrycyst… you may not know who Lyrycyst is, and that may be quite alright, but it was a pretty good conversation…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about heroes…. i might talk a little about politics… i’ll talk about Christmas music… i’ve got a Left to Write that i’ll post… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

HOMEWARD BOUND

It’s hard to believe that it’s Friday already, but i’ll take it… i’ve got all my furniture and stuff shifted around appropriately at the office and it looks like i’ll be working from home for the beginning of next week which means… PAJAMAS!… actually, it means that i won’t be sweating all day, because my a/c and/or windows work at home… it’s BOILING in the office these days…

Anyway, i’ve been fairly productive this week, despite all the manual labor and planning that went into clearing my office, and that probably has a lot to do with stagnant scrabble boards… i think i’ve worn my scrabble buddies out by dominating… that, or it’s just a busy season for everyone… hopefully, i’ll get to play scrabble more in the coming days and weeks… i do so enjoy it…

well, since it’s Friday, my time is short and i’ll dig in… apparently no one wants to buy me the digital reader… but i’ll be patient…

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 2:8-24… well, actually, a quick point that i missed earlier… the king of Jericho was told about the presence of the spies… it was a big deal to talk to a king back then… so that means that the king was either so concerned about the Israelites that he had some high-ranking officials on the look out for them or word travelled extremely fast… either way, it speaks to the next point i was going to make… Rahab was given some special insight into God’s plan…

In fact, word of the Israelites proceeded the spies, but it seems like it was only Rahab who seemed to realize that there was something bigger going on… after she sends the soldiers on a wild goose chase, she heads back up to the roof where she’s hidden the spies and explains that the whole city is terrified of the Israelites… and she’s using this opportunity to make sure that she and her family remain safe…

so they make a pact and a plan and they go about their merry ways… pretty interesting story actually…

IN OTHER WORDS

Moving on to: When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg…

i’ve never read a John Ortberg book before and i don’t know much about him, but i saw this book and it was like, what was it, Jerry McGuire where they said, “you had me at hello?”… well the cover art being a reference to scrabble certainly got me interested, but also, the introduction is absolutely great… i love the story about playing games with grandma… my fondest memories of my grandma and grandpa are of late nights around a card table, talking trash, and playing games… and it’s a very poignant introduction too… i can tell already that i’m going to enjoy this book…

THREE CHEERS…

…for The Myriad… they’ll be performing in Times Square this weekend as part of the MTV2 Dew Circuit Breakout Finale… they’ve made it past many rounds and eliminations and of the 4000 plus bands at the beginning of the competition, they’re one of three finalists… they’ll find out Saturday if they’ve won the whole kit and kaboodle, but even if they don’t, it’s a great accomplishment… now, if i could just get them on the phone for an interview…

B-SHORTY ON THE MIC

So, i’ve been able to listen to this new album from American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis and i have to say that it’s pretty good… it’s actually what i expected from Blake - at least in some ways… i didn’t really expect his lead single to sound like a Justin Timberlake knockoff, or that another of his songs - probably the next single - might sound like a Prince classic, but overall it’s entertaining and just a fun album to listen to…

FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, and MORE FOOTBALL

well, apparently the Broncos could’ve used the Mile High Orchestra last night, because it looks like they got blown out by the Texans… what’s up with that?… so ive started this week off on the wrong foot, both with my picks and my fantasy leagues, because i forgot to check and maintain my teams before the game last night… anyway, here are the rest of my picks for the weekend…

Bengals over 49ers

Chiefs over Titans

Bills over Browns

Seahawks over Panthers

Ravens over Dolphins

Bucs over Falcons

Packers over Rams

Steelers over Jaguars

Saints over Cards

Patriots over Jets

Colts over Raiders

Chargers over Lions

Cowboys over Eagles

Redskins over Giants

Vikings over Bears

by the way, last week, i ran up the score in Patriots/Cobra Kai fashion, picking 13 right and only 3 wrong…

BEFORE I GO

i posted the 2oo7 State of theTRu-nion Address today at theTRu…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about heroes…. i might talk a little about politics… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

SLACKER!!!!

well, yeah, i missed a day… (Tuesdays are TRu’s Days, by the way, so yes, it’s only one day)… in fact, i didn’t even do all that much in terms of productivity in my time off… i was pretty busy doing “actual” things… that sounds kind of silly even as i write it, but it seems more and more that my life is clearly divided into two departments of activity… writing, which most people i know consider frivolous, and work, which is what most people i know think i should “grow up” and focus more seriously on… of course, above both of these is my family and throughout all three runs the vein of my faith…

So, perhaps i’ll address that notion a little later, but right now, i need to move on… yesterday we had our office party which was about 3 hours out of the way and 2 hours in length… it was supposed to be for families, but was scheduled for a very inopportune time such that my family could not attend… i’m told that it was a coincidence, but i’m not buying it… anyway… that was fun… we went to Maggiano’s and pigged out… there are layoffs looming within our company/organization… so, i suppose it was a nice departure from concerns and whatnot… perhaps distraction is better… whatever… either way, by the time that i got home, i really had no energy to put words together…

Also this week, we’ve been cleaning up our office space in preparation of a office-wide paint job… i’ve had to move around some bookshelves and desks and such and basically clean up a ton of my own paper work and such that proves how disorganized i really am… i’ll admit it… i have my areas and i slide in many others… last night i finally sat down and watched the Packers game from Sunday and i enjoyed it thoroughly… i can’t believe that there’s only 3 more weeks left in the NFL season… and now… to the rest of the entry…

WORD OF THE DAY

Back to Joshua… finally… Joshua 2… i think most people who have been through Sunday school are familiar with this passage… it’s one of those Old Testament stories that we all cling to because it shows that God can use the worst of us to accomplish His plan… here we have a pretty nice military strategy put into place by the new leader, Joshua… they’ve got their sights set on Jericho and he sends out some spies to check out the lay of the land… i’m a little confused as to why they end up staying with a hooker, but i’ve heard some explanations that kind of make sense… mainly that they were trying to blend in and Rahab’s home was right at the entrance to the city and she apparently dealt with a lot of out of towners…

Clearly God led them here though, because when they get ratted out, she protects them… and i realize the quandry of this passage… the question always raised is, why is it okay that she lied to protect these guys? well… i’m not going to focus on it too much, but clearly she’s not been given the ten commandments since she didn’t just come from the desert with them and she’s not an Israelite… therefore, she’s not operating under their laws and she’s going with what she knows to do… whether it’s right or not… well, i don’t really see it as applicable… we know that it’s not right to lie… therefore, i fall back to my favorite saying of Jesus… “What is that to you?” (basically, worry about your own actions and your own life, not what others may or may not be “getting away” with)…

that takes us up to verse 8 and i’ll continue with that next time…

IN OTHER WORDS

well, i did my homework this time and i’ve finished reading Why a Shepherd?… somewhat surprisingly it ended with an altar call and instantly transformed into a bloated tract… perhaps that’s what it was all along and i just didn’t realize it… i don’t necessarily dislike the direction it took and now that i know, it’s possibly some sort of sacrilege for me to criticize the book, but… (sigh)… but, i wish that the first 60 pages were written well enough to ensure that readers would make it to the “sales pitch”… i don’t think i would have made it if i hadn’t have been writing about it… that said, there was a nice summation of the lessons learned right before the altar call… and i really enjoyed it… so all in all the book wasn’t exactly a loss…

Starting tomorrow, i’ll be working through When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg, though perhaps not at the same pace as Why a Shepherd? and perhaps with an occasional interjection of comments on Un.Orthodox by Tommy Kyllenon and/or Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus…

SMITTY’S SILVER BELLS

Michael W Smith has made some pretty great Christmas albums in his time and this year is apparently no different… his latest Christmas album is called It’s a Wonderful Christmas and according to USA Today, it as well as Jars of Clay’s Christmas Songs contain potential Christmas CLASSICS… nice…

GO GO GADGET, PLEASE!!!!!

So, over the past week and a half i’ve slowly become more and more interested, nay, preoccupied with wanting this fancy little Sony device here… i love to read and i’d love to be able to carry around my books on this little device that, hey, i think will fit into my pocket… i think… well, i’m pretty sure… i have pretty big pockets… unfortunately, they’re not very deep and they’re mostly empty, so it looks like i won’t be getting one of these bad boys just yet… and that offer for 100 free classics is really calling me… and the free engraving… oh… i had better move on… ps. if there’s anyone out there who wants to be my sugar daddy…. i’d prefer the blue one…

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

okay so tonight is the Broncos and the Texans… it is, in a sense, a playoff game, because both teams probably NEED to win if they expect to show up in the playoffs… after tonight, though, the bell will toll for the Texans and Din-VAH, sans the MHO will be victorious…

BEFORE I GO

i posted an interview with Leeland today at theTRu… it’s probably not the best interview i’ve done and it’s from back in April, but it’s still a pretty fun thing…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about heroes…. i’ll talk about Blake Lewis… i’ll talk about MORE FOOTBALL… i might talk a little about politics… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

MONDAY IS “FUN”-DAY

right…? well… perhaps it’s not always that fun, but it’s kind of a new start and that’s usually a good thing for me… not much is worse than to start out on Monday and find out that your to-do list has followed you through the weekend… today is not like that for me though… today is a new day… a pretty fresh start and even though i picked the Steelers to win, i’m glad that the Patriots were victorious… (okay, that’s all the football for this entry)…

So, i almost fell asleep in church yesterday… i know that’s terrible… but it wasn’t the sermon or the Sunday School lesson… it was during the “praise and worship time”… and the real kicker is that we sang a Crowder song that i really like… amazingly though, the worship team managed to emit anti-energy matter while performing the tune… it continued during a mechanical version of a Chris Tomlin song… i hate it when people sing “yeah” as if it were just another word… actually, i hate it when people sing any lyrics as if they were simply reading words… lyrics are so much more than words… and music is so much more than notes… this is an expression of your love for God… to share what He means in your life… this is… so much more…

anyway… i’ve begun to view the beginning of the church service as the Superbowl pregame show… i love watching the Superbowl and i remember watching the pregame chatter, analysis and such when i was younger… but now it’s like 48 hours of pre-game hype for a 4 hour show… it just seems inane on some level… and to some extent the “praise and worship” part of church has gotten that way too… silly little tear-jerker videos, worship leader wanna be rockstar, little divettes hoping that their offertory will make a good American Idol audition tape, etc… etc… etc…

i’m sure that i’m just jaded for the most part… and perhaps just a little too tired… but i’m just getting so annoyed with it all… remember that time when we used to worship God when we sang in church?… moving on…

WORD OF THE DAY

i know that i said i would head back to Joshua this time, but i’m going to stick with Ephesians again… Eph. 1:11-14 talks about how we have been chosen, predestined before time, to receive this inheritance… to be, here we go, this ties in with the first part of this entry, to be for the praise of His glory… that our lives would marked by praising God… in more than words… this whole talk of being chosen reminds me of how Joshua was chosen… and how the Israelites were chosen… all before any of them existed…

The next two verses talk about being sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit… the same Holy Spirit that is the representation of how God is always with us, how He never leaves us, how He’ll never forsake us… where have i heard that before?… oh yeah, chapter 1 of Joshua… God promises that several times to Joshua… as He was with Moses… as He was with Joshua… so shall it be with us…

IN OTHER WORDS

well, i didn’t finish reading the Shepherd book - instead i read a bunch of Relentless, by Robin Parrish (100 pages to go) - but i have read more and there’s about 25 pages left… so here’s what i’ve read so far… chapter 6 talks about the tools of the trade, a rod and a staff, and the unique ways they can be used to protect sheep and support the shepherd… that the foremost job of a shepherd is to protect his flock… it ends with a reminder that Jesus as our shepherd can totally protect us…

chapter seven discusses some of the famous shepherds in the Bible, including David, Moses and ending with the shepherds present at the first Christmas… there’s another passage from their novel… i’m not sure that i have any interest in reading the whole book… and ends with a reminder that a good shepherd lays down his life for his flock… okay… so about 25 more pages… probably next time i write this book will be the last time…

THE NEXT BIG THING

“thing” being band and we’re down to four bands left, quickly closing in on a finale that is going to be crazy… here’s a quick rundown of what i think of the contestants, both gone and still around…

The Hatch and The Likes of You: i’ve grouped these two together because i can’t for the life of me remember who they are really… and i don’t really care to…

Rocket: sorry, but i thought this chick rock group was just awful…

The Muggs: i actually really liked the classic hard rock sound that this trio put out… i was a little sad when they left, but i’m sure they’ll do fine… they’ve been through worse…

Franklin Bridge: i think these guys have a nice energy and they have the potential to be something pretty big… however, their egos already are something big and i was actually kind of glad to see them go…

Cliff Wagner and the Old #7: of course i like bluegrass… and they’re darn good at it… i do totally understand that they aren’t exactly a hip scenester group though…

Tres Bien: this was one of my favorite groups of the lot… it’s a sweet throwback, ironic rock band that has a great vibe and a great personality as a band…

Dot Dot Dot: ugh… i couldn’t believe that they kept making it through and i was relieved to see them leave… just something about them that really bothered me about them…

Light of Doom: i love that they wear Maylene and the Sons of Disaster tee-shirts, and they do alright… but they’re kids… and they may be a good band someday… but the jig is up… they can go back to homeroom now…

Din-vah and Mile High Er-kahstrah: love DMHO, love the big band, love the horns and i’m happy, but surprised at how far they’ve gotten (see Cliff)

The Clark Brothers: very tight sound and and very talented… i like to see what they put into each song… and they’re an example of how a little bit of bluegrass can make the hip scenesters dance…

Sixwire: this was my early pick to win the whole thing… they get better every week and last week, Fat Bottomed Girls was awesome… i didn’t care for their slow song, but i still think they’ll pull this out…

okay… there you go… i’ve got lots more to say about this show, but i’ll save it for another day…

BEFORE I GO

nothing new posted today, but i did interview Steven Delopoulos the other day and i’ll be working on that soon… (it’s third in my interview queue)…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about heroes…. i’ll talk about Blake Lewis… i’ll talk more about the band showsr… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..

FRIDAY

Well, it’s the end of the week and i feel fine… work week anyway… it’s been a pretty busy week, but alas we’ve reached the end and tonight, we’re headed to our church’s annual live nativity… we’ll withstand the bitter cold to see a real live camel up close… the boys love it… and as an added bonus, little boy gets to bring home “Hoppy” the stuffed frog from school, take pictures, and journal about what they did together… as Papa Bear O’Reilly would say, take THAT secular progressives… anyway… i’m going to try to be brief because i’m looking forward to the weekend…

WORD OF THE DAY

Continuing on, looking at Ephesians today, Chapter 1 verses 9-10…

another thing that stands out to me from these opening verses is the repetitious mention of God’s will… it’s a pretty thing for Christians to wonder about and discover God’s will for their lives… and here it is mentioned several times in 10 short verse, much of which is actually part of one long-winded sentence… Paul is an apostle, by the will of God, but what’s more intriguing - perhaps to my own detriment - are the next few references… God chose us to be holy and blameless… He chose us to be adopted as sons (and daughters)… in accordance to His pleasure and will… what’s God’s will for our lives? That we are holy and blameless and that we live as children of the King… that’s part of it… perhaps in the short term, that’s all of it… the long term goal is revealed in verse 10…

verse nine states that God has revealed to us the mystery of His will… the will that will be put into effect when the time is right… and that will is… (drumroll)… to bring all things in Heaven and on earth together under one rule…this will is accomplished in Christ… there’s your answer… i think i’ll be back in Joshua next time… not sure though…

IN OTHER WORDS

no Shepherd book today… hopefully i’ll finish reading it this weekend and sum it up on Monday…

FOOTBALL

Okay, i take it back… i was able to watch the game last night… well, this afternoon… (i recorded it and watched it later)… and the Skins won it, thankyouverymuch… last week i struck out at 7-9… let’s see if i do better this week…

Cowboys over Lions
Jags over Panthers
Packers over Raiders
Bills over Dolphins
Eagles over Giants
Titans over Chargers
Bucs over Texans
Bengals over Rams
Seahawks over Cards
Vikings over 49ers
Browns over Jets
Broncos over Chiefs
Steelers over Patriots
Colts over Ravens
Saints over Falcons (as if anyone cares - good pick MNF crew)

BEFORE I GO

Today, i posted my 100th Walk TRu

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about some TV…. i’ll talk about Blake Lewis… i’ll talk more about the weather… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

Have a good weekend

peace… love… bdg..

NO DAY LIKE A SNOW DAY

Well, apparently the result of yesterday’s snow was a day off today for little boy… most of the other districts were fine to go in with an hour delay or so, but our district has a constant problem getting plows out to the schools to clear the parking lots… and in all honesty, the roads were perfectly fine as i drove into work… anyway, i used to love snow days, but little boy isn’t quite at that age yet… he still loves going to school every day which is great and he was pretty bummed today - especially since he’s the “star of the week” this week and now he gets rooked out of one day of starhood… poor little guy… both littles had a BLAST shoveling this morning though, so it’s all good…

as for the rest of today, it’s below freezing outside, but because our HVAC unit is on the fritz AGAIN, it’s well over 80 in here and i’m BURNING UP!… i’ll have to head home early i guess… anyway, i managed to fix a big connectivity issue that i was having for work by remembering to connect to the right server… silly me… spent 2 days trying to figure out how to connect to the wrong server…

WORD OF THE DAY

Continuing on, looking at Ephesians today, Chapter 1 verses 1-8…

FROM: Paul, an apostle of Christ according to God’s will… TO: the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ…

now, i believe that these are some pretty young Christians, and they’ve been dealing with some issues and struggling with some things within the church and from outside sources… but Paul calls them “saints” and reminds them of their own faithfulness… and then he offers them grace and peace… seems like a much more tender approach to things than “Be strong and Courageous”…

moving on… verses 3-8 talk about our inheritance in Christ… similar to the inheritance mentioned in Joshua, it was granted to us well before we were around and God has remained steadfast in granting it to us… contrary to the inheritance mentioned in Joshua, it’s talking about the spiritual blessings we have and will later receive… God chose us to be holy and blameless… to be His adopted children, according to His will (much like why Paul is an apostle)… we’re freely given glorious grace because He loves us… that grace is glorious because it grants us redemption and forgiveness from sins… and it comes with “all wisdom and understanding”… that’s pretty amazing, (sorry for the pun)… but wait there’s more… and i’ll get to it tomorrow… there’s actually a whole lot to these opening verses so i’ll probably end up taking it very slowly…

IN OTHER WORDS

okay, continuing with that Shepherd book… i’ll be honest, it’s dragging on for me… and it’s really short as is, but i think that it’s really just a 200 word essay stretched out over 80 pages… anyway… today’s reading started out with an excerpt from the authors’ novel called Sixth Covenant that described a little bit about the protection of sheep and discussed the parallel between mankind and sheep… next chapter, “Why Worry?” talks about the grand effect of little things… little bugs and parasites can cause sheep a lot of problems… just like little things can cause us to stumble and drive us crazy… that was a fine four pages… i like that i have a better understanding of the passage of Scripture that talks about God annointing my head with oil as a way to protect me from little worries…

the next chapter, “Why an Enemy?” makes a shift in focus, turning the attention away from sheep and focusing on our enemies, specifically the devil as a roaring lion… i thought this chapter was unnecessary since the parallel has already been drawn out handily… somethings are better said unsaid, if you know what i mean… anyway, i have indeed located the other book and i expect that i’ll be starting that one next week… maybe two or three more entries about this book and then we’ll move on…

TO GRAMMYS HOUSE WE GO

Well, i was going to dive into some TV shows, specifically Heroes and The Next Great American Band, but then i realized/discovered that the Grammy nominees were announced this morning… thus, i’m bumping that coverage for this, my random comments on the Grammy nods…

The first thing to catch my eye is Carrie Underwood - and it wasn’t even a picture of her… her song “Before He Cheats” is up for a few awards including Song of the Year… none of the other songs or albums in the top categories really have my interest… Paramore is up for new artist of the year, that’s cool… i’m supposed to interview them sometime… also interesting is to see Kirk Whalum up against The Beastie Boys for instrumental pop album of the year… Daughtry has also put up a good showing this year with quite a few nods and i’m excited to see Lupe Fiasco’s “Day Dreamin’” up for urban/alternative performance of the year… that’s a sweet song…

And now for the “Gospel” Categories… i don’t particularly care who wins, but i find it interesting - interesting? yeah, that works - to see “East to West” from Casting Crowns garnering a nod in both best gospel performance as well as best gospel song… Israel and New Breed have a song up for performance as well and TobyMac’s “Made to Love” is up for song… Casting Crowns keeps rolling with a nod for best pop/contemporary album alongside of TobyMac, Mandisa, Israel and New Breed and Michael W Smith… Cross Movement Records got double kudos with “HIStory and “Open Book” (Da’ T.R.U.T.H.) competing against Skillet, Pillar and Ashley Cleveland (one of these things is not like the other ones) for Rock or Rap album … i’m somewhat surprised to see Smokie Norful under the “traditional” gospel category… i’d pick him for “contemporary”… oh well…

A few, final notes of interest… The Fold is up for best recorded packaging (see album cover in this entry)… The White Stripes are up for best special edition packaging for the fancy USB flash drives that i thought were pretty spiffy and Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” is in the running for music video of the year…

The full list of nominees is on Grammy.com…

HUT HUT HIKE!

i’ll post my weekend football picks tomorrow, but today i have a few hours to mention that the Redskins are going to bounce back and trounce the Bears tonight, 42-20… why? because it’s on NFL Network and NOBODY will be watching…

BEFORE I GO

Today, i posted an interview with Casting Crowns and an album review of All That Is Within Me by MercyMe…

COMING SOON

i’ll talk about some TV…. i’ll talk about Blake Lewis… i’ll talk more about the weather… and i’ll post more interviews, reviews and features at everyone’s favorite website called theTRu…

peace… love… bdg..