It’s Friday already?… well, here’s the headline of the week for me… “Bernanke: Financial crisis taking toll on economy”… you think? that guy is just BRILLIANT… i wonder how he came to that comclusion…

anyway… it’s been a busy week and i’ve frittered away way too much of my time, but alas, i’m here and i have a few minutes to talk about a few things… today, i’m going to talk about the recent presidential showdown at the Saddleback Corral, the emergency hunger crisis, and two books that i’ve finished, but not yet reviewed… i’m told that summer is almost over and thus, the Mark Lee hosted summer reading club is on its last legs… i’ll also tell you about some new stuff from the front page… let’s get it on…

HIGH NOON

to the tune of Rodeo - Manafest

Rick Warren invited both presidential candidates into his church for a faith forum… two discussions of policies and faith followed, each about an hour in length with the candidates taking turns on the “hotseat”… i didn’t get to see it live, but it’s currently available to watch on CNN.com… i can’t obviously comment on each point that was brought up, but i will talk about a little bit that stood out…

First off, i thought both Obama and McCain started off shaky, Obama fumbling for his words (which actually lasted the entire interview) and misinterpreting the first question (”I wouldn’t limit myself to three” - no one asked you to) and McCain falling into stump mode, but they both also relaxed a bit, McCain, in my opinion proving to be more comfortable on the stage, in the church and within his own identity…. in fact, identity came up as an issue for me as well, and i think that will be obvious as we go along…

The second question, “What is your greatest moral failure?” really hit the mark and, for me, exposed something important about the character of these two men… i’ll take them out of order and praise McCain for his response… “I’m not a perfect man, but the failure of my first marriage was my greatest moral failure”… this response was met with silence and really struck my own heart’s chord, stirring within me empathy for McCain… Obama’s response on the other hand, seemed to be fine, but the more i let it sink in, the more i found myself a little bit disgusted by it…

“I had a difficult youth.”… “My father wasn’t in the house.”… “I experimented with drugs and I drank”… “[there's] a certain selfishness on my part”… fine… here’s the thing that bothers me… selfishness is fine as an answer at face value… selfishness is common to us all and certainly qualifies as a moral condition… however, i had two problems with this response… first, he prefaces it with excuses… three excuses that pass the blame on to people (or substances) other than himself… it’s as if he’s saying, because i was preconditioned to fail morally, i became selfish and made selfish choices…

the second thing that bothered me was that it’s a very genaric answer… it’s like saying “i have ten fingers… and because of that i had to learn how to use them all”… well, we all have ten fingers (well, ideally) and we all had to learn to use them… it doesn’t tell me anything specifically about you… it seems rather disingenuous and more of a tactic to avoid revealing anything personal than an actual answer… it’s the equivalent of “my greatest weakness is that I try too hard” answer at a job interview…

Next up is a biggie… and even though it’s a question about a specific issue - in this case abortion - but the responses again reveal far more about character and identity… again, i’ll do this in out of order… Question: “At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?”… McCain, without hesistation responses, “From the moment of conception.”… simple as that… he then states that he’s always been pro-life and he’ll always be pro-life… very clear cut and straight forward…

Obama’s answer, on the other hand, was full of stammering and revealed yet again, a lack of character and substance within this presidential hopeful… “To answer this question theologically or scientifically with any specificity is something that’s above my pay grade”… excuse me? above your pay grade? are you not running for the position of the most powerful person in the country and at times, the world?… nothing is above your pay grade…

but more generally speaking… “One thing that I’m conviced of is that there is a moral and an ethical question to this issue”… um, thanks, Captain Obvious… “I am pro-choice… not because I’m pro-abortion, but because I don’t think that women make these decisions casually”… i’m sorry, but… SO WHAT?… if i choose to rob a bank, it’s a decision that i’m sure to wrestle with and struggle with and not something that i would do “casually” but it’s STILL WRONG OF ME TO DO…

He then goes on to explain that the real concern is how to reduce the number of abortions, which makes sense and i agree with him on that, there do need to be programs in place to help expectant mothers and parents who don’t know how they’ll raise their children once they arrive… support systems and all that… but education? i think everybody knows that having sex may result in pregnancy even if you’re not married or not out of high school… we don’t need more education, we need less escape clauses…

More brief things that stood out to me throughout the interview, besides the constant struggling to put words together, was what seems like an inconsistancy between preventative actions for abortions and later for orphans (”We need to reduce the number of orphans in the world”)… but a hesitation for preventative actions in defense of the nation militarily…

Also, it seems inconsistent to me that Obama keeps driving home “Whatever you do to the least of these”… as an important concept for America to embrace… providing for the least of these… but ignoring the unborn children… and another minor thing that i caught that raised my eyebrow is that Obama mentioned that his faith in God meant that “hopefully” his sins will be washed away…

McCain dabbled a little in the stump speeches, but he also told a lot of stories which resonate very well and, i think he further defined himself as a man and a candidate which is something that Obama continually shifts away from… in trying to be all things for everyone, i think he’s making himself a tin man with no heart or substance…

MY TIME IS UP

so that took longer than i expected and now i must go… you can check out the Brandon Heath Interview and this week’s album reviews in 25 Words or Less on the main page and i’ll be back with more later…

peace… love… bdg….

i’m getting so bad at this… it’s like i never know what’s happening because i’m too busy doing stuff all the time… sometimes i don’t even know what i’m doing… that’s when it gets nice and crazy… anyway… had a nice little breather at work, but things have kind of swollen back up and i’m far more than knee deep again… it’s going to be a trying time the next few months at least and i’m sure it’ll be a while before everything is aright… and i’m sure that i’m gonna be extremely tired when it’s all said and done… i’m already at least halfway there…

Anyway, how about some TV talk, music chatter, and a little bit of other stuff…

CLEAR EYES… FULL HEARTS… CAN’T LOSE….

to the tune of Game On -Disciple

we’ve been going back through and watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS on DVD… we had watched Season One while it was happening, but by the time Season Two came on, i’m not sure what happened… i guess our DVR was overbooked or on the fritz or something and we ended up missing a bunch of the episodes and that coupled with the far-reaching murder subplot really turned me off to the show… Now that season two is out on DVD, i thought it was a good time to give it a second chance… and, thanks to good old netflix… it’s pretty much risk free…

Anyway, i’m very glad we did because the writing (other than the whole murder thing) is just phenomenal… and it’s reminded me of the most fascinating character on television… Tim Riggins… yeah that’s right… and by fascinating, i mean that whenever he’s on the screen, it’s worth watching… he’s easily the most complex character… and his reactions to life’s problems, which tend to be numerous in his case, are always memorable… as easy as it would’ve been to make him a stock character with stereotypical reactions, i’m so glad they put more thought into him than that…

FASCINATION

to the tune of Fascination - Lester Lanin

Yeah, that’s right…. Big Band… that’s good stuff…

Anyway, since i’ve gone and declared Riggs as the most fascinating character on television, i thought i’d go ahead and list a few others that always grab my attention when they’re on screen… Despite being numbered, this is my official, unordered list of last year’s most fascinating characters on television…

• Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
• Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
• Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
• Brenda Johnson (The Closer)
• Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
• Robert Hawkins (Jericho)
• Peter Petrelli (Heroes)
• Sylar (Heroes)
• Robert Goren (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
• Adrian Monk (Monk)
• Benjamin Linus (Lost)
• Daniel Faraday (Lost)
• Michael Scofield (Prison Break)

I’m sure that i’ve missed plenty… i don’t watch every show obviously and, in some instances, i don’t even watch the cool ones… You may also notice that there’s no one from The Office on the list… trust me, that’s still my favorite comedy by far, but i think as far as characters go, each character draws far too much strengh from how the entire ensemble acts and reacts… though, if forced into a corner, i’d probably be deciding between Toby and Creed since they have two of the smaller roles, but can, with a single line completely define the scene that they’re in…

WIDE-EYED AND DIGITIZED

to the tune of The Invitation - downhere

Downhere has partnered with MusiChristian.com (who i used to use as my primary affiliate partnership) and they’re giving away Wide Eyed and Mystified for the price of an email address… the album has amazingly been out for two years and the group has apparently mined it completely of all it’s monetary value (what with a B-Sides and an acostic remix version among other things) and they really want you to remember their name when the release their next album, reportedly titled Ending is Beginning and may be released in late September… (currently, they’re planning for the 23rd)…

So, you go to the page, enter your email address, and download a nice zip file with the full album in mp3 format complete with a 10-page that contains the liner notes and a cutout to make your CD insert and pretend that you bought a real copy of the album… and i jest, but it’s really a good album and i think the vocal work on the album is some of the best that the past few years has to offer…

ANOTHER DEATH IN THE FAMILY

to the tune of Part the Waters Lord / I Need the Every Hour - Selah

And, now on a more serious note… actually, an extremely serious note… Nicol Sponberg (Selah) and her husband, Greg, recently had their life tragically interrupted with the death of their son, Luke who was, i beleve about three months old… It’s my understanding that they also lost a nephew recently in the third hour of his life… clearly this is a difficult time for the family and prayers will be greatly appreciated… I’m told that they’ll be establishing a Luke Sponberg Foundation and I’m sure that more details about that will be available in the near future…

AND WITH THAT…

Well, i had some other things to talk about, but it hardly seems like the best time to do that, so i’ll close this out right now with a few links and a fond farewell for now…

- Third Day Walk TRu

- Phil Stacey Album Review

peace… love… bdg…

i promised myself that i’d write again before it was time to do the whole American Idol thing and yet, here it is again… Tuesday staring me square in the face laughing at my lack of discipline… mocking me with my own voice… well… anyway… it is Tuesday but it’s not time for Idol… not just yet anyway… and i’ve not been idle in the meanwhile… in fact, i’ve been so busy that i’m ready to burst…

in the past week (though it feels like one long day), i worked on building out a new site for my brother and sister in law, i transcribed a lengthy interview, i wrote two feature articles, i wrote a couple reviews, i did a walk TRu, and i sketched out some work on a few other projects i have whirling around in my head… all this on top of my day job, the duties of which have exploded over the last five days or so… this is going to be one hectic week, i’ll tell you that much… so much so that i missed out on having a sabbath this past weekend and i’m a little discombobulated… anyway… my time is probably short, so let’s go ahead and dig in…

MOVIE MONDAY

to the tune of Assets and Targets - John Powell (from The Bourne Ultimatum)

Well, i finally got around to watching the third installation of the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and all i have to say is woah… not like a Keanu Reaves, Matrix, “woah”… a serious, have i taken a single breath this entire movie, woah… i normally try to do some work or whatever on my laptop while the movies are playing, but not while Jason Bourne was on… i had a tough time taking my eyes off the screen the entire time and that’s how an action movie should be… if i’m watching an action flick, i want to be completely taken in by it… i want the little boy in me to be acting out the fight scenes for the next few days after watching it… bottom line, The Bourne Ultimatum gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me…

RETURN OF THE TALK

to the tune of Jesus is Just Alright -dc Talk

So i’ve realized that i don’t talk music enough here on the old blog, which is genuinely odd since this is primarily a music website… if i made any bread and butter, you could say that music is where i’ve made it… and since i enjoy the older stuff too, when i saw this headline… dc Talk Reunites. . . i naturally had to check it out and share it with you all… i knew we’d all be excited together… (note: yes, i realize that it is what it is)…

WHERE IS THE LOVE

to the tune of Love Is Here - Tenth Avenue North

And now for perhaps some more serious musical news… hot new band Tenth Avenue North who’s debut record is set to release next week has released a video for their lead single… the video for Love Is Here seems to pay a bit of tribute to The Beatles and U2… or maybe i’m reading into it too much… anyway, the song’s really good….

IN OTHER WORDS

to the tune of Violet Hill - Coldplay

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg… Well, i’ve moved onto the final section of this book, which means it’s time for me to talk about Hazards (the second to last section)… the first chapter in this section jumped off the pages to me… “BEWARE, THE SHADOW MISSION” discusses what i’m far too familiar with… distractions… distractions keep you from accomplishing your mission… shadow missions seem like worthy causes sometimes… like, hey, can i really beat my previous high score in that game?… but they occupy your time and prevent you from making progress on what actually matters in the long term… it’s somthing that i can honestly admit to struggling with just about every day…

the rest of the section is good, too, reminding us that competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing… more stuff will never make us more of an actual success… and what’s really important in terms of our physical existence is how we react to, cohabitate with and most importanty love those around us… all in all, a number of good lessons in this book so far… and as i’ve rounded the last bend as they say (i have about 20 pages to go), it’s earning my recommendation more and more with each page turned… stay tuned for the finale sometime (most likely) next week…

PEEP INSTEAD OF SLEEP

okay and there are a few things to check out over on the main page… first, a Walk TRu of WOW Hits [1]… part two of my GMA Reflections and Responses… and an album review of Meredith Andrew’s debut album, The Invitation… right around the corner, you can expect some more reviews, 2 interviews (Salvador and Stephanie Smith), an iTRunes playlist and a handful of other things…

peace… love… bdg…

So, it’s another Idol night already and that means i’ve not updated in a week… what a jerk… anyway… i’ve been trying to readjust to life and a bunch of other excuses that you don’t care about, i’m sure… and man, have my allergies been driving me nuts lately… my eye has been twitching for about a month and my nose has been twitching on and off as well… the littles are starting to struggle with the pollen counts, too, which really makes like fun… anyway… lots to get to, so let’s get getting…

MOVIE MONDAY

i meant to go post this yesterday, but i didn’t post anything so, here it is now… i finally, (read: FINALLY), saw Oceans Thirteen… and for me, it was goooood… i really like the series and i thought this one fit very nicely into the mix… you gotta love crooks who steal to make other people happy… and they’re all just the epitome of cool… a couple odds and ends notes… as expected there were a number of twists and turns in the plot line… i say expected because it seems like every movie now has to have these crazy twists at the end nowadays… i think that eventually, we’ll get to the point where a straightforward movie - one where what you expect to happen actually happens - is going to be the new suspense thriller… just a thought… Also, and i’m not one to force spiritual meanings into things, but at the end of the movie, all i could think about was that verse in the Bible about man making all the plans that he wants, but it’s only God’s plans that actually matter in the long run… yeah… i should figure out where that’s from exactly… i’m guessing Proverbs…

FOUR MORE (A.K.A. THE AI COMMENTARY)

to the tune of Roll over Beethoven -Chuck Berry

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night… i… wanna rock and roll all night…. and party every day… okay… so i’m not going to guess the songs this week, but anyone wanna bet that Brooke tries to crash the stage and sing Piano Man or something… anyone? anyone?… okay… the show’s underway after Ryan specifies when the judges are allowed to speak…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran… i remember the video for this song more than anything else about it… i think some dude was wandering around the woods trying to catch a girl dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood and he’s wearing a wolf skin… i remember that video more then i expect to remember this performance actually… Randy says it was just okay… Paula says she’s hungry for some David Cook and then she rambles on about something odd… Simon says it’s probably good enough, but nothing special…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): Syesha’s dress has been designed by Kristy Lee Cook… or something… oh, i like the hat… Tina… i thought she might sing some Tina or Aretha, but i don’t know who’s in the HOF… wow… she’s trying to look like Tina… she’s definitely working it… she has the clear advantage of being the only official girl left in the competition… and this song is alright… her vocal isn’t that great, but the performance is very strong indeed… she knows how to use the stage… Randy says she was in the zone… (no, i didn’t just copy that from last week)… Paula says she looks like a star… Simon says he has to put a slight damper on it… shrieky, bad impersonation of Tina Turner… the song was Proud Mary, by the way…

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: i think Carley’s drunk… so, go figure, Jason Castro is singing a Bob Marley tune… I Shot the Sheriff… props right off the bat to the band… they’re fantastic… he’s alright… well… i mean, this really… well… um… he looks the part at least… he needs to take into account the dynamics and meaning of the song… Randy plays the karaoke card… Paula says he played to the crowd… Simon says it was utterly atrocious and he has no idea what Jason was thinking…

{Little) David Archuleta: singing Stand By Me… and he actually looks like the kids walking on the train tracks during this movie… i remember singing this song in like fifth grade or something… i think i sounded about the same… well, i didn’t sing it solo or anything… but come on… if anyone deserves the karoake card, it’s him right here… that’s just… bah… Randy says he broght the hot man vocals… or hot mad vocals… or something like that… Paula says she admires that he kept his eyes open… Simon says whistling would’ve been better than Jason’s song, that he struggled a little bit, but it was the best performance so far…

REALLY? YOU WANT MORE?

to the tune of A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

So far i’m not really impressed with any of them (surprise), but as of halfway through, Archy and Jason seem to be battling for the boot…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: singing something from The Who… Baba O’Riley?… i never listened much to The Who… it seemed really short, which isn’t a baad thing… i’ve decided that he sounds like Todd Agnew… slow build and now he’s screaming up the end of the tune… whatever… it’s alright… Randy says it was really good, the David Cook they like… Paula says she wants a happy meal with a David Cook toy to hug and squeeze and hang from her rear view mirror… Simon says welcome back…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): oh no she isn’t… she’s singing my boy Sam Cooke… Change is Gonna Come… look, if you can’t mess with a Bob Marley song, i’m not sure you can mess with Sam… well, this is an entirely new arrangement… and she’s belting out the words here and there… that’s a strong finish, but i’m not sure that the whole thing was that great… not as much soul to it as the original… Randy says he didn’t like the arrangement and you shouldn’t mess with Sam… Paula says she did a great thing with her vocals… Cry-esha is still reeling from Randy’s harsh comments… Simon takes pity and sides with Paula, noting that Randy got it entirely wrong…

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: oh gosh… Jason didn’t shoot the sheriff, he shot himself in the foot, head and heart… BOB DYLAN???? and we don’t know the lyrics… somebody call Wayne Brady up on stage… i don’t even know what to say… sort of like Jason… wah wah waaaah wah wah waaaaah…. well, needless to say, it was terrible and he’s going to get trashed… he might not get voted off though… Randy just kind of giggles… Paula is smelling her feet… Simon tells him to pack his suitcase…

{Little) David Archuleta: oh… good grief… he really IS trying to beat Jason for the lamest performance… Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley… and he’s, well, he’s saving himself quite nicely actually… the vocal is pretty solid… why does the dude who can sing really well have to be so annoying?… Randy says he was carressing the lyrics… Paula says he’s so sweet… Simon says he CRUSHED all those who oppose…

Well, i’ll say that the Davids are safe and Jason will go home despite the possibility of pretending to forget the lyrics for the sake of getting sympathy… Syesha will probably be left on stage with Jason, but should be safe…

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

So, lots of new stuff to peep over on the main page… first up, a Walk TRu of the Jars of Clay Greatest Hits project… part one of my GMA Reflections and Responses… an interview with Poems (formerly Sharlok Poems, Sharlok P, etc from LA Symphony)… and an album review of Salvador’s latest, Aware… and there’s plenty more to come…

peace… love… bdg…

and it’s Tuesday… and that means that i should talk about television… so here’s a quick rundown of my comments… Barney? NO, he’s the best character… at 31 she DID live there?… “It’s not happening if you don’t look at it” “Kind of like Poverty?”… okay, i’m out of thoughts… everything is kind of jumbled together right now… anyway… it’s time for American Idol…

FIVE ALIVE

to the tune of Cracklin’ Rosie - Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond night… TODAY… we comin’ to America… i’m sure someone will sing that tonight… Kristy Lee would’ve definitely done it, but i’d bet on Archy… anyway, here we go…

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: don’t forget the lyrics, dude… off we go… singing Forever in Blue Jeans… with the guitar… and he’s doing alright… Simon is entirely disinterested… why is that violinist wearing shades?… why does this sound like a really sleepy tune… that’s right, it’s the slacker singing it… you think that eye color is fake or what?… i didn’t mind it too much… Iron Man looks pretty good… Bret Michaels, not so much…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: goofing off with Ryan, goosing Neil… man, this guy is just too comfortable… i’ve never heard a Neal Diamond song sung in monotone before… what’s up with that jacket?… is he the DC that completes the AC that’s on his jacket and guitar?… is that his mom’s gear? is he peddling her line of wares illegally on the show?… he sang I’m Alive and it was alright, i suppose… i thought it was kind of boring myself, but i’m probably alone in that…

Brooke White (The Piano Whisperer): singing I’m a Believer by the Monkees… or, by Neal Diamond… well, she’s playing the guitar, but the real band is playing loud enough to drown her out… now, if only they could do something about her vocal… it’s not that good… i’ve totally flipped on her since the beginning of this competition… she’s… oh, greay leather pants… no thanks…

{Little) David Archuleta: HA!… he IS gonna sing it… anyway… he’s such a dork in Neil’s presence… own a piece of Archuleta… no thanks… first son is Sweet Caroline… it seems like he forgot the words there… maybe it was just a dramatic pause… well, this just isn’t working for me… he’s just too drama queen for this song… and it’s too Brady Bunch for me… the crowd goes wild and i go to get something to munch on…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): singing Hello Again… she’s doing the Kat McPhee sit on the steps routine… and well… i like her voice, i’ve always thought it was good when she stays in her range… this song is pretty slow and some people may think it’s boring… but she’s doing a nice job… she just wanted to show off her vocal control probably… i hope the next one is more memorable…

Randy says, Jason: OK, Cook: Solid, Brooke: Karaoke, Archy: DaBOMB, Syesha: in the zone

Paula says: Jason: lower register, David: something about his second song… what? he only sang once? what? oh he’s fabulous

Simon (amen) says: forgettable, just above average, nightmare, amateurish, old fashioned

ENCORE, ENCORE?

to the tune of Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: singing September Mourn… i think this is the Frank Sinatra version… you know how Frank pretty much just says, “screw your arrangement, I’m singing it Myyyyyy waaaaaay…” this is a really slow version and i’m falling asleep… sorry castro… it’s just not cutting it… Randy says, dude, it was just okay, whatever… Paula says it was the same liberty, too safe… Jason says, guh-huh, guh-huh, i was choking…. SImon says no one will remember him or something to that effect…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: “the rocker’s second outing”… with something… the bag of chips was crinkling too loudly for me to hear… i’ll tell you one thing though… it’s not a rock song… All I Really Need Is You… and now he’s trying to rock out like he’s Jeremy Camp or something… he’s really shouting… and really, he’s reminding me that i will not buy any of the season seven albums… seriously… for reals… Randy says… you know what, i’m a huge fan, you rocked the house… Paula is proud of him because he pulled off the lesser known songs… Simon says, to be honest, one was okay, that was brilliant… BAH!

Brooke White (The Piano Whisperer): like totally, that wasn’t a nightmare, giggle giggle… singing I Am, I Said with the lyrics on her hand facing the piano keys… silly… i actually like this song… this one fits her pretty well… much better than the apparently debatable nightmare that was her first performance… she’s much more comfy behind the piano… Randy says… nice job… Paula says she is vulnerable and everyone loves her… it worked… Simon says he really hated the first one, but this was the one we like…

{Little) David Archuleta: back again with the money, “how can you vote against AMERICA” song… David Archy with his voice cracking and everything… they better hope that he doesn’t hit puberty during this competition… i think even the background singers are boring on this one… let freeedom riiiiiiiiiiiiing…. bah, that was a very campy version of the song… blah… Randy says he was in the zone, Paula says he was on point and she loves him… Simon points out the contrived choice of song…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): ooh, i could go for some arby’s… singing Thank the Lord for the Night time and… aw, Syesha, why’d you take it this direction?… maybe she’s going for the Motown, Shirelles type of vibe, but it’s coming across as very High School Musical… i think she lost her shoes too… i didn’t mind it, but it could’ve been much better… and that’s the one they’ll remember… Randy says it could’ve been on Broadway… Paula fumbles through some random words about magic and theatrics… Simon asks Paula if she liked it or not… then he says she’s more of an actress than a singer and she might be in trouble…

Bottom Three: Brooke, Jason, Syesha (going home)

AND THEN…

So, i did some stuff on the old site today… tidied up a few things… redesigned the reviews page, added two reviews… (After Edmund and Leeland), added in a bit under the AbouTRu section and added a way to sign up for a newsletter that i’ll explain more about later… more coming soon…

peace… love… bdg…

… ouch!… yeah, that was the joke of the weekend because i actually did walk into a bar or, more accurately a pole… hard…. which is what happens when you go to bed too late on Friday, get up too early on Saturday and care more about keeping your little boy out of the road than where you are walking… and, of course if you don’t look where you’re going… so i plowed face first into a signpost that was very well cemented into the ground and very solid… my head’s still pretty sore and i have bruises on my elbow and knee both of which also managed to hit the post directly, but i’m recovering pretty well… laughter is the best medicine and trust me, i’ve laughed at myself a lot over the past few days…

DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN?

so things look kind of dark for my boy Mike and his chances after the Wisconsin primary the other night… but that’s nothing… all you need is a candle, right?… that candle, that spark may be Texas… i just finished watching a video of Mike addressing a crowd in Plano Texas and he was very serious about continuing in the race, knowing that Texas is a big big deal and reminding everyone that they shouldn’t let the media or the other states tell them how it’s going to be, for example, who’s going to be their Republican candidate for president…

It does seem pretty silly the way these nominations are set up… and it’s clear to me that i’ve never paid much attention to the process in the past because it’s just complete nonsense… primaries, caucuses (caucii?), different ways of dividing them up based on state, county, party, etc… i mean, who thought of this anyway?… and it’s true, some states who haven’t held a vote yet really end up disenfranchised because their choices are pretty much taken away from them before they get to cast their ballots… there’s gotta be a better way…

Anyway, i think i’m talking too much politics these days… this is probably why i have kept a tradition of not getting into it in the past… time for a break…

E AMPERSAND P

apparently, belated congratulations are in order for Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken… the husband/wife duo delivered a healthy baby boy into this world back on July 4th - not sure how i missed that… but that is not all… oh, no… that is not all… Derek and Sandra have also put together a nice little six-song EP called the Ampersand EP… i think later on, i’ll put together a nice little write up about it, but right now, you can and should go buy your own copy…

THE NEW 24

season seven of American Idol is well underway and they’re down to the top 24 singers… you’ll notice i didn’t do any blogging from this week’s episodes like i’ve done in the past… maybe in time i’ll do that again, but man, i’m just so not into the show this year… i’m not sure why, but i don’t think it matters who wins this year’s contest… it seems to me that we’re all losers for keeping the show going… maybe it’s because everyone keeps saying that it’s the most talented group ever, but i think that that’s just another example of the media forcing its opinion on the general public… i’m tired of that and maybe that’s why i’m tired of the show already… that new Paula Abdul song is HOT though, right?

PRISON BREAK

season three just ended this week and i’m pretty sure it was cut short by about 9 episodes unless they plan on bringing those out in some random off-season run… (get it, run?)… anyway, the finale was pretty good… the show was starting to get pretty tiring actually, i mean how many times can a dude break out of prison, right? but at least it turned into a slightly different plot angle which was nice… and some of the characters (hello Bellick) got pretty irritating even until the very end… the way they’ve lined things up for next season hopefully opens the door for an interesting year… one big difference and potential problem is that Michael is no longer a sympathetic character since he’s now out to chase revenge rather than justice… not sure how that will play out, but it may make things a little crazy with no one to really root for…

WHEN DOVES CRY

since i’m clearly already behind schedule… i mean, it’s already almost Friday… so here’s the haps… got a few Dove features up, my predictions and commentary and a special iTRu-nes playlist… also, i’ve got some reviews, yes reviews up as well… Mainstay and Ronnie Freeman… more coming tomorrow…

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..

it’s been a while since i spotlighted what’s going on over on the main section of theTRu, so here’s the latest few updates for your peeping pleasure…

- inTRuview with Flatfoot 56, everyone’s favorite Chicago punk group over 6 feet tall…

- a Walk TRu with David Crowder Band’s latest gem… a ten-track worship album called Remedy

- Ever wonder what happened to Knowdaverbs? Well, he’s back and we’ve got the lowdown on his new album and what he’s been up to the last few years…

- The latest edition of the iTRu-nes playlist… 20 tracks that are happening right now and a brief commentary on each one…

and last but not least… i posted a new album review… yeah a full-blown album review for the Neon Horse album…

okay, get to clicking, these things won’t peep themselves…

peace… love… bdg…

Got a few updates over on the mainpage… last week, i got some album reviews knocked out (still have a few more coming)… you can check out my thoughts on Building 429 and The Sound of New Breed… in the coming days, i’ll be putting down thoughts on Neon Horse, Rush of Fools, Article One, Newsboys, Theory Hazit, and Flatfoot 56… so stay TRu-ned for that…

There’s also a brand new iTRu-nes playlist loaded up on the front page and as an iMix over at iTunes… definitely check that out as this month’s list include TobyMac, K-Os, Derek Webb, Lovedrug and more…. and don’t forget to head over to iTunes and rate the playlist so i can keep up with your tastes and keep the coverage in line with that…

And finally (for this update)… i dug back a little bit to December when i interviewed Urban D… just last week saw the release of Urban D’s book, CD and DVD all titled Un.Orthodox and i had spoken with him about the projects and balancing cultural relevance with spiritual accountability… Since the interview was initially intended used in a piece i wrote for the pages of HM Magazine, there’s also a bit of history behind Urban D and Crossover Community Church, where he is currently the Sr. Pastor… pretty good conversation all in all…

Plenty more coming down the pike… so, as always, keep it locked…

peace… love… bdg…

So, i took a little bit of time to tweak some things on the front page… added in a nice new row of album covers so that it’s easy to access the latest album reviews… a few more changes are planned to make things easier to navigate and enjoy, all in due time…

now, before you say it, i know - some of those covers are pretty old, but i did also post a new album review and i have more coming in the next few days… for the time being, check out my review of Derek Webb’s latest, The Ringing Bell… It’s been almost 2 1/2 years since i posted an album review here because i’ve been out writing for everyone else… but i don’t htink i lost my touch just yet…

coming soon on the main page… an inTRuview with KJ-52, more album reviews, a Walk TRu, and some features including a Dove wrap-up, a GMA Week overview, some talk about books, a concert review from Glory Revealed, and more… and stay tuned here at Raw Ma-TRu-ial for thoughts on the next chapter of Glory Revealed @ the Bookshelf as well as news bits and more…

keep it locked…

peace… love… bdg…