FIKA

Thoughts from the other side of the hill

2008-04-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

I did it, I survived my 20's. I want to take this time to say thank you to my 20's. We had some good times together didn't we. We laughed, we cried and then we got old. Not really. From what I hear 30 is the new 20. I know I already wrote about this a bit but since it finaly happened I am revisiting it. I can still confidently say that I am not too terribly fazed by the passing of my 20's, yet.

Some people look back and wonder what they have done with their lives and mourn the passing of the time. I look back and think, how the heck did I do all that in the last 30 years or even the last 10. The only sad thing to me is how fast it truly does go. It feels like time is standing behind me pushing me harder and harder towards the precipice. The reality is that it's just the way it is. I can't do anything about it so I better accept it. The consolation is that in the scheme of eternity I am still quite infantile. I am really not getting closer to death but rather closer to new life. It is hard to accept this concept sometimes in our fallen state. The frailty of life and shortness of life make me realize that it truly is not about me. If it were, it would be a pretty pathetic existence and very depressing. I don't want to mourn my own life especially while I am still living it. This life is not my own. It is a gift and it should be used to glorify the one who gave it to me. I think that when I start to get depressed about the loss of youth or days gone by I may be losing the proper perspective. I constantly struggle to let go of myself and be humbled. It is my nature to want to be in control but it is in my best interest to give up control. I believe true joy and peace in this life come when we give it up. When we give up ourselves to the one who is in control we get something far greater in return, we get hope. Hope for a better life to come. Hope that this world can be redeemed. Hope we will not only survive but be victorious. It is Christ's love that brings us this hope. The purpose of this life is to bring Christ's love and hope to bear on this world. That's what his kingdom is about.

So, as I enter a theoretical new phase of my life I will continue to pray that God will use my life to bring hope to the world through His love.

Out and About

2008-04-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

It looks like it has been awhile since I wrote some words on this here little blog. Don't worry though, I have a great excuse. I've been working like a little monkey in a circus. We are on tour right now and sometimes that's just how it feels. We are doing 27 shows in 5 and a half weeks which means a lot of time away from home and not much sleep. We are barely a quarter of the way done and I'm tired. For this tour I am, as I have been before, the only tech person. This means that I get to wear a lot of different hats and try to make the show sound and look good at the same time. Fortunately the band guys have really stepped up and are pulling their weight. They are my crew and they are finaly getting things nailed down so that setting up and tearing down are much smoother. We are out with Shawn McDonald and our good friend Jason Gray. Shawn and his band are very kind and have been a lot of fun to get to know. The tour is gelling really well and the shows have been good. On this tour, like most we are on, we are focusing on World Vision child sponsorships. This has been going good too and many kids' lives are being changed every night. So, that's where I've been lately. I don't usually find myself with much time for writing or energy. We are working 18 hour days sometimes and the last thing I want to do is type. I will try though to offer some updates and tour tidbits. The hardest part of this tour, obviusly, is being away from my beautiful wife and daughter. Cali is growing so fast and I hate missing it. I do know that it is all part of God's plan though. I am really looking forward to tomorrow which is a day off at home. Praise the Lord.

One for the little guys

2008-03-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen this story too much in the press anywhere, and I probably never would have heard about it if I hadn't seen it live while randomly fliping through the channels. It's a good story of the big guy sticking up for the little guy. I have to take my hat off to the Boston Red Sox, not just becaue they are the world champions and a good baseball team but because they stood up for the right thing. Last week just before their last preseason game in Florida the team refused to take the field. They had been scheduled to play the game and then head to Japan, where they would play their first game of the season. The issue was that the players had an understanding that their coaches and staff would be paid extra for the trip just like the players were. However, the morning of the game in Florida they found out none of the staff and coaches were gettig paid, only the players were. The team could have easily not cared and not done anything about it and no one would ever have known. Instead , the team rallied to their extended family in support. The players recognized that it was unfair for their extended staff to not get paid when they have just as much to do with playing the games as the players do. So, the team refused to play or go to Japan until a deal was made. In the end the league paid half and the team paid half of the support staff's extra salary.

I think the fact that these players acknowledged how pivotal the role of these support people is was remarkable. I know from experience what goes on "behind the scenes", it definitely is a thankless job and one with little credit. There is so much work that goes into sports or entertainment, and the person on stage or the field is one part in making it happen. It is so easy to forget the others who work just as hard or harder to get it done. I work in a support role and I even forget the support people when I see a show or go to a game. It was nice to see the Red Sox give credit where it was due and take care of their extended "family". So maybe ball players aren't so selfish after all and maybe I'll have to become a Red Sox fan for real instead of just from afar. Here is a more detailed article.

It's gettin hot in here

2008-03-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Global Warming, seriously? Last weekend, Nashville, which is in the South, got more snowfall than it has had in a decade. It has been one of the coldest winters here in a looong time. I wonder if my neighbor just a few miles north (Al the weatherman Gore) was able to use his solar panels when they were covered under 4 inches of snow in march? I have always been a big skeptic on the global warming issue mostly because it always seemed like it was just a great way to make a lot of money and gain political power. If you scare people and make them think the world is going to end unless they make these changes, then you can convince them to buy whatever "green" product you are selling. One of the most lucrative products in business right now is anything with "green" attached to it. Now, I'm all for taking care of the environment and more fuel efficient cars, but I think people are being manipulated into believing something that is just not entirely true, often for financial or poltical gain. I think in some ways the "green" bandwagon is good because new technologies are emerging. As a result, the environment, and more importantly mankind, will benefit from it. This, however, does not justify the actions of many who distort the truth and use fear tactics to get what they want. So just this past week I have come across several very intersesting articles. It appears I'm not the only one who feels this way anymore. Many reputable scientists are finally coming out against the theory of global warming. Here are some links to some interesting reading:

Global warming: Is it really a crisis?
Evidence of Global Cooling
The sun also sets

My neighbor Mr. Gore would have us believe that there is a consensus of scientists who support the theory of global warming, but in truth, there is no such consensus. In fact, it seems the consensus may be leaning the other way. This last article I will post I find somewhat amusing and a brilliant idea. It looks as though the founder of The Weather Channel, John Coleman, has had enough of Al the weatherman Gore and wants to openly debate him. Unfortunately, Al is not interested in debating. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he would lose. If Al is shown to be a fraud his credibility would be completely shot and he might actually have to get a real job. So, Coleman's plan to get Al to debate? Sue him for fraud. If he sues Gore for fraud they will have to show all the evidence in a court of law and the facts on global warming will come to light. This could be very interesting. So stay tuned to see what happens. Hopefully we won't all melt or freeze before we find out. Here is the article:

Weather Channel founder sue Al Gore for Fraud

Happy Birthday!

2008-03-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Jess and I were able to enjoy an awsesome celebration. There was great music, flashing lights and confetti cannons. It was a birthday party that was a lot of fun and very emotional. It wasn't a party for a kid or one of our friends, it was for our beloved church. Fellowship Bible in Nashville, where we have been attending for about 4 and a half years now, just celebrated it's 10th birthday. The service was a celebration of where God had brought the church in the last 10 years and committing ourselves to where he was leading in the future. Fellowship started 10 years ago, like many new churches do, as a bible study with six couples in someones home. Those six founding couples are still members of the church and were able to get up and share their stories of what they have seen God do in His church. As I listened to these couples share I couldn't help but be filled with emotion and awe for what God has done. It's always great to hear prospective form the bigger picture. Sometimes we get so bogged down with the events of today and can't see or understand what the big picture looks like. When you have ten years to look back on it becomes a little more clear sometimes. For instance, after the six couples shared for a while another young couple came up to speak. They were from New York City and had moved to Nashville a couple years ago because of a jobh transfer. They had both grown up in fragmented homes with no Christian influence and lived life for themselves. When they moved to Nashville they somehow happened to come to Fellowship one sunday. They were surprised by the friendliness of the people as opposed to New York and ended up coming back again. Eventually they gave their lives to Christ and have become radically changed. After they shared their story they turned to those original six couples and thanked them for being faithful and obedient to God's call to start this church. There is a direct correlation between their faithfullness and lives being changed eternally. This of course was extremely inspiring and moving and as the congegation stood to it's feet to applaud the six couples were moved to tears. You could tell they were moved not because of what they had done but because of what God had done through them in spite of them.

I am very thankful to be a part of my church and praise God for ten years and look forward to many more. I also know that my church is not unique. God's church is alive and well all over the world. A great moment on Sunday was in a video they showed where many local pastors and pastors from churches around the world that fellowship partners with gave their congratulations. It was great to see harmony in the body instead of discord which we see far too much of. I think sometimes churches see each other as individual teams competing each other to be the best and biggest. That's just ridiculous because we are all on the same team. We don't always agree on everything but as long as we have the same focus and same hope in Christ, we are one. I hope to see more unity in the future but more importantly a deeper focus on what is most important and that is Jesus.

Freak of Nature Marathoner

2008-03-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, If anyone needs any inspiration to get off your butt and excercise a little or to even attempt a marathon check this out. After reading this article on Bustere Martin I really have no excuses. Not only does he work at a labor intensive job like plumbing but he is also training for the London marathon in his "spare time". Oh, did I mention he is a spry 101 years old! When Buster completes the marathon in April he wants to celebrate the way everyone who is exhausted and out of breath after a marathon does, by drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. Is this guy for real? Well, my hats off to you Buster and I hope you do get to enjoy that beer and cigarette but somedoy should really tell him smoking could kill him.

Act Now

2008-03-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

Here's an unusual story for ya. It looks like their has been a huge increase in theatrical productions and people claiming to be actors in Minnesota this week. Why, you ask? Well that's simple, it's smoking. Uh, what? Yeah, smoking. The deal is that Minnesota just passed a law to ban smoking in all restaurants and nightspots. However, for some brilliant reason, they left in a loophole that made an exception for performers in theatrical productions. So, what would you do if you were addicted to nicotine and Minnesota nightlife? Well you become a thespian that's what. Bars all over Minnesota have christened themselves new playhouses and everyone inside is the star of the show. What's on the playbill? It's life in the bar, pre smoking ban. The smokers are "actors" playing themselves as they were before the ban. As funny as this light hearted rebellion is, these "actors" will have to look elsewhere to continue their "roles" soon because the government is not impressed with their performance. They are quickly trying to tighten up this ridiculous loophole and crackdown on these pseudo productions. I'm sure these smokers want the "show" to go on as long as possible but it won't be long until it's curtains.

Here is the full article on foxnews.com

Larry Norman goes Home

2008-02-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

Larry Norman(1947-2008)

Larry Norman is one of the fathers of the Christian music industry. In particular he was one of the first rock artists in Christian music. He was playing rock music when churches still though it was of the devil. It's because of people like Larry and many others that I have a job today. His pioneering work opened the doors for countless bands that populate the industry today. I met Larry once about 10 years ago. He was a nice guy although quite eccentric. I didn't really know who he was at the time but have since learned about what he did for the Christian music industry. Larry went home to be with his heavenly father on Sunday after a long battle with heart disease. Larry will be missed but his impact will forever remain.

Larry knew he din't have much time left so he left a farewell message on his website:

Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.

Once upon the Oscars

2008-02-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Oscars were on last night and I read today that they were the least watched in the 80 year history. I guess I was one of the few that did see it which is funny because I really had no reason to watch. I have not seen any of the films that were nominated so I really didn't care who won. I also have a bit of an issue with awards shows in general. How is it that something which is subjective, as art is, be objectively judged and awarded? It seems silly to me. I understand honoring and apreciating art that is well liked but when it comes down to it aren't these awards shows just more publicity? I think the force behind these awards shows is simple, it's money. The people who are nominated get hired more and sell more. The films or cd's make more money which is why it is so sought after. I understand that there is a history there and it's like being inducted into a club of sorts if you win but do we really need twenty different awards shows for the film and music industry? I also understand that these shows can be entertaining. I used to love watching the Oscars and would get all into it. I think maybe when it started it was more about honoring excellence in your craft but now it is a popularity contest driven by money. All that being said, there was one bright moment from this year. The little guy showed up out of nowhere and won a big prize.

A film called Once, which I have not seen yet but have heard about from Glenn and Jeremy, won the award for best originial song. This film was made 2 years ago on a super small budget of $100,000 and took 3 weeks to make. The film is about a guy and a girl who are both struggling musicians. They meet and try to help each other write songs for a demo so they can get a record deal and in the process fall in love. The songs in the film performed by them are very beautiful. The story is a bit about how these people stay true to their art and their dreams. It was nice to see a small budget "art" film be honored at the Oscars. Here is a clip of their performance at the show. I'm assuming from the ratings that not to many have seen it.

The best are back

2008-02-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm excited! We have been off the road for awhile now and have another month at home with not much to do. So, there hasn't been a lot lately to get excited about but today i found something. Ok, I'm pinning all my hopes and dreams on this but it is something fun to look forward to. I just found out that two of my favorite bands will both be releasing new albums this year. U2, who is my favorite band, just released a 3D movie at the IMAX which I had the pleasure of experiencing not too long ago. That made me remember why I loved their stuff so much and why I loved their live show which I have seen twice. The problem is U2 only tours when they have a new album and there is usually quite a bit of time in between. However, I am pleasantly surprised that they will be releasing their newest masterpiece sometime in October of this year. I am of course excited to hear the new stuff but even more excited about the possibility of seeing them live again.

As if U2's new album wasn't enough, Coldplay is also set to release their latest in June. In many ways I see Coldplay as a younger version of U2.
They also have a great live show that I was able to experience and great records that I love. Coldplays new album will be called Prospekt. An interesting side note is that the uber talented and longtime U2 producer/ collaborator will be producing on both of these albums. Daniel Lanois will also be working on the U2 album, teaming up with Eno again to form an unstoppable force in music producing. I look forward to catching Coldplay live after this new album as well.

Ok, I guess it would only be fair and appropriate to give a shameless plug for the forthcoming Downhere album as well. I guess it will be competing with U2 but Downhere's has a month head start with a September release, hopefully. I haven't heard all the songs yet but the ones I have are great as usual and this new project will be another must have. Downhere is pretty good live too. I've heard they are on of the best sounding bands live, huh.

CH Spurgeon

2008-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

One guy who I’ve always heard a lot about in theological discussion s but never really knew much about was Charles Spurgeon. I’ve never read any of Spurgeon’s writings but I thought I should at least do a little research and learn a bit about him, so as to be informed. Since information is so readily available these days on the old interweb I really have no excuse to not know at least a little bit about Spurgeon.

Spurgeon was 15 when he came to be a believer. He had a bit of a Damascus experience like the apostle Paul did. He was on his way to meet someone when a bad snowstorm hit. He went in to a Methodist church to get out of the cold, presumably, and that is where his heart was converted. Only 4 short years later, at the age of 19, Spurgeon was given his first pastorate in London at the famed New Park Street Chapel. It didn’t take long to see that preaching was Spurgeon’s gifting. His sermons were printed and published each week and his readership as well as his congregation quickly grew. Spurgeon wasn’t preaching anything new he just did it with passion and with an authority that he took from the Scriptures. It wasn’t long before the congregation outgrew their building and had to relocate. The congregation had grown so big in fact that the only place that would hold them was surrey music hall. Spurgeon was regularly preaching to 10,000 people every Sunday. The astounding thing about that to me is the fact that this was before sound amplification was invented. That means that Spurgeon was preaching to 10,000 people without a microphone and sound system. I’m assuming he had a pretty big voice and learned how to project it well. There were even a couple times in which he preached to over 20,000 people with no amplification. As a sound engineer and a person with ears that is amazing to me.

Spurgeon had an amazing preaching and teaching career. In his lifetime he preached over thirty six hundred sermons and published 49 volumes worth of commentaries and other writings. Spurgeon is highly regarded in the reformed theological world and many denominations as well. His churched is considered one of the first “mega churches”. However, his church in no way resembled many of the “mega churches” of today. People were not drawn to Spurgeon’s church because of a seeker sensitive watered down gospel. They came because Spurgeon preached the truth with authority and passion because he preached from the ultimate authority, which is God as revealed in his Word. Spurgeon didn’t succumb to the humanism of his day but rather held fast to the truth.

I think Spurgeon is a great example for today. We can still have a huge impact on culture without sacrificing the truth or diluting it to please people. Our culture, and sadly much of our church, has become so completely man centered. Everyone is so concerned about what people will think that they completely ignore what God thinks or says. We need more Spurgeon’s and others like him. We need people with integrity who will stand up for truth and fight for it. Ultimately we know God is sovereign and in control. He is raising up servants every day to glorify Himself. God used a simple snowstorm to bring Spurgeon to Him and through Spurgeon His kingdom was greatly multiplied. The fight for truth is long and hard but God assures us a victory. Spurgeon understood that and I hope I can fully hold to that too.

Jake Shimabukuro rocks the ukelele

2008-02-20T19:43:00.001-08:00

I saw this guy on Conan last night. I have always liked the song but for some reason I was really moved by his perfomance of it on the ukelele. It was simple but profound somehow. Conan was also impressed. He came over afterwards and told him that it was probably the best thing he ever had on the show as far as music and he was very sincere. So maybe it will move you too or at least you will enjoy i hope.

Colbert teaches Sunday School

2008-02-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through the channels last week when I was fortunate enough to land on the Colbert report. I don't think I've ever actually watched more than a couple minutes of this show before but i just happened to watch it at what may have been one of his best moments. After watching this segment I had to do some research on Mr. Colbert because I was so intrigued by what he said. It turns out that Stephen Colbert actually is a Sunday School teacher and has been for a while. He is a devout catholic and also quite a learned scholar of sorts. He is the youngest of 11 children in an Irish Catholic family. His father and 2 of his brothers were killed in a plane crash when he was younger. Colbert got his start by working as Steve Carels under study in the Groundlings improv group in Chicago where he also met Amy Sedaris. He had his big break when John Stewart took over the daily show and gave him a regular spot on the show. That in turn led to the spinoff which is now The Colbert Report.

It's very interesting to me how people like Colbert negotiate their faith in a faithless industry. His character that he plays on The Colbert Report usually would just make jokes and act stupid in response to someone like Zimbardo. I think Zimbardo just pushed his button too far and he couldn't let him slide on his absurd statements. I thought He responded briliantly and the end of the interview was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time on TV. So, I think I'm gonna keep a closer I on Mr. Colbert now and enjoy his show a little more often maybe.

Over that Hill

2008-02-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Time is ticking. The big 30 is just around the corner. Am I ready? Am I where I thought I would be in life? The answer is probably no on both counts but does that really matter? Honestly, I haven't even given it much thought until now. I don't understand why people get so depressed or anxious about 30. I think we put these cultural mile markers in life that have certain connotations and for some reason turning 30 has a bad one for most people. I guess it is suposed to mean the end of our youth or the end of dreams for some. In reality though 30 is just the same thing as 29 or 25 or 15 except we are supposed to be a little bit wiser with more life experience under our belt. I'd rather look at this "milestone" a bit more positively. This is the begining of maturity right ha. I still feel young but I also feel like I know way more than I did 10 years ago. What I know now is this, there is so much I don't know. The more I learn in life and understand things or experience things, the more I realize how much I don't understand and how much there is in life to know and experience. I'm looking forward to my thities and what God has for me. I get to watch my daughter grow and I get to love her and my wife evry day. I can't ask for much more than that and yet I still get so much more. So i say, 30, bring it on. I look forward to it and I'll thank God he's brought me this far.

New Year, new stuff

2008-01-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

The year is new hooray, but i am the same boo. The changing of the year this time around was one of the most unenjoyable moments of my life sadly. The day started as any great day should by spending 16 hours driving in the smelly dirty van. We were trying to get to virginia before midnight so we could at least be in the hotel and watching the ball drop on tv or something. Instead we were about 30 minutes away at 11:30, we had just pulled off the interstate to finish the last 30 miles on a windy 2 lane highway when i tries to double check the directions. As i looked at the mapquest directions while going a slow safe 35 miles an hour I passed the sign that changed the speed limit to 25 miles an hour. It was also at that same time that I passed a police car that aparently had nothing better to do on new years eve at 11:40 than to pull me over for going 35 in a 25 and give me a nice ticket. So if that wasn't enough to ruin my night and the fact that i wasn't with my wife and baby but instead in a smelly van all day, when I tried to call jess at midnight my phone cut out right at midnight. So now i can only hope that things get better from here for the new year.

So far things have been better, we've been home a bit and I am enjoying that a lot. I put tile in our bathroom which was quite a big job and is still not totally complete but I am happy with the results. Cali is growing and scooting all over so we are having to keep a watchful eye on her. Jess is keeping herself busy with live beautiful and doing a great job. So that is where we are.

One thing I've realized about doing this blog is that it is difficult. I am a bit of a perfectionist so it bothers me when things are not quite right or not to how i want it to be. It is hard for me to write just for the sake of writing. When i write I want it to be good and have something interesting and originial to say. It is also hard to be inspired enough to sit down and write something out. I know i need to write more because it is a good thing to do and it is also good to not be so uptight about what I write and worry so much about how perfect it is. I do know that what I write will never be perfect or great but i will still try to make it at least a little interesting.

Happy 16th of january!

Friends and Family

2007-12-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

This Christmas season I have been given a gift that is worth far more than money could buy. I have been given the gift of time. Time well spent with my family and dear friends. We have been able to spend a good amount of time here in california this year visiting with some old friends and spending time with family i have not seen for a while. I really try not to take for granted these times. I was able to spend some time with my grandparents on this trip which was extra special because it very possibly could be the last time I see them. They are getting older and are not in good health and they live in northern california which we don't get to go to very much. I hadn't seen them in alomost 7 years and they had changed so much. It was hard to seem them like that but I'm glad we were able to spend the time with them and they were able to meet Jess and Cali. The thing that got me and made me a little sad was the thought that the good old days of sitting at their house at christmas and hearing them and all my aunts and uncles laughing while me and all my cousins ran around is over. It was as if my childhood had finally dissapeared and I was faced with the fact that I really am an adult and responsible for so much more. It's not a bad thing and I welcome this new season of my life and am enjoying it. It's just hard to say goodbye even when it's a nostalgic notion we are saying goodbye too. I hope I do get a chance to see my grandparents again before they are gone but if I don't see them here I know I will see them again in heaven.I will have an eternity to spend with them and make up for lost time.

I have also had the pleasure of spending time with some great friends that I haven't seen in awhile as well as some cousins who I haven't seen in several years. One of the hard things about working in a touring band is being away from family and friends so much. I just have to trust that God still redeems that time away from them and that I can have peace in knowing that I will have eternity to spend with them in the best place there is. As for now on this side of eternity i will cherish the few times I do have with these people and thank God for them. I hope that whoever is reading this will do the same. Enjoy the time God has given you with your loved ones and never take it for granted.

Live Beautiful

2007-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Howdy,

it's been a little while since I've been here and I have lots of good excuses but will not bore you with them. Most of my time away was spent in pennsylvania with jess' family. We had a great time and got to enjoy some snow while we were there. Another thing that has happened recently, and the reason for my return from blogging hibernation is a new business. It feels weird calling it a business because business sounds too profesional or something or too self important maybe, hey i own a business ha. Anyways, it's really Jess' business but I offer as much support as I can and I've also been appointed, by her, as the mr. marketing guy. The fact that I have next to no marketing experience makes this interesting but hey how hard can it be. Ok I guess now would be a good time to actually tell you what the business is. Drumroll.... Tote Bags. Ok that was probably anticlimatic so lets puty it this way. My beautiful wife who is much more talented than I has begun hand crafting unique and fashionable tote bags. But wait theres more, the tote bags are just part of it. We, she, wanted to make it something that was encouraging to women as well and that has a positive message to share. We, she wanted a way to express the beauty she has inside her and in turn wanted to encourage women to do the same. So, Live Beautiful was born. The idea is to tell women, You are beautiful so Live Beautiful. I'm very proud of my wife for taking on something like this and doing such a good job at it. This "business" is not something we are doing to get rich cuz that aint gonna happen. It's a way to fullfill three things. We can hopefully make a little extra money, Jess gets to express her creative side, and we are actively engaging the world with a great message and encouragement. This is the spot in the blog where I put the link to the site so you can all go look and say wow those totes really are great I should buy one or 2 or 10. So here it is tolivebeautiful.com So there is my marketing, I just marketed to you. Hopefully you don't feel used but rather thankful that I was able to share such wonderful information about how to obtain a unique handmade tote bag. Oh, make sure you tell all your friends too that would be real swell.

Enough marketing, I promise i will try to write some new stuff more often and I promise my wife is on me about writing more new stuff all the time.

What's Happenin

2007-11-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Four score and seven years ago I wrote a blog. It was an ordinary blog not unlike many others. It wasn't anything special but it was indeed a blog, which was the last of it's kind until this present time. I have many excuses for neglecting such a faithful blog but I will spare you. My blog has always been here for me but I, sadly, have not always returned the favor in kind. I always think about it with fond memories and want to share something but alas I become distracted by all the things in life that I probably could have been blogging about. All this to say that I will try to write when I can or when I feel so inspired. However, there may be times of drought and abscense so bear with me.

Things of note since my last posting:

My daughter is growing up way too fast. She is rolling over and starting to sit up on her own. She has already been to more states and experienced more things in her 5 and a half months than many do in a lifetime.

The band has been busy finishing up our fall tour. This weekend is the last 3 shows and then we have quite the hiatus through December. I am struggling to find something to occupy my time during our time off, preferably something that generates some income so if there are any ideas on that please do tell. This time of year gets busy in the personal life away from the band as me and jess try to juggle time between pennsylvania and california to spend time with our families for the holidays. We are excited for all of our extended family to spend time with cali.

I've had an idea in my head for a bit of a direction I might take this blog, at least for some of the time. I love to study many various topics and issues from philosophy and theology to history and science. I think there is a real lack of understanding about so many basic principles in all these areas, which makes it difficult to come to a comprehensive and complete worldview. I believe that part of the problem is that many times these issues or ideas are not properly explained or are spoken of in a way in which the average person can't even begin to understand. So, my idea was to maybe start presenting some of these topics in a very basic way so that anyone could understand them. Now I'm no scholar or teacher but I think it would be fun to try and maybe I will even learn more about these topics myself. In fact, if anyone has any suggestions about topics they would like to know about please let me know. Alright, that's all I've got for now. Until next time.

Happy Reformation Day!

2007-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

This may be a little late in the day but it's still Oct. 31 as I write this. So today is the day that millions of little kids roam their neighborhoods in pursuit of tasty little treats. It's also a day that gives adults an excuse to dress up in a way that would never be allowed on a normal day. Are these things bad? No, I don't think so. What I do think is sad though is the fact that very few people know or remember or even care really about the world changing event that took place on this day in history almost 500 years ago. On October 31, 1517 in a little town in Germany called Wittenberg, Martin Luther started something that would change the course of history. Martin Luther was a man who stood for what was right and true. He saw how the church of his day had strayed far from the teaching of the word of God and how dangerous and wrong that was. To stand against a force as strong as the church was, at that time, impressive and courageous to say the least. The church had distorted the gospel and was abusing the trust of it's members. The church had become something that existed to glorify itself and it's leaders rather than glorifying God. As a result, the church gained an immense amount of power and influence and was seen as the only bearer of truth and the only way to get to God. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of that church in Wittenberg, he was not calling for a new idea or a new religion. Luther was calling the church to account for what they were teaching because it was not based anywhere in Scipture. Luther was trying to bring the church back to the truth of the gospel as it is revealed in the Scriptrures, as it had been since the beginning. Luther's boldness proclaimed the gospel of grace loud and clear and shined the light of truth to people who were under a cloud of darkness. Luther paved the way for other brave men to stand up for truth and to reclaim the gospel for what it really is. Many men followed his footsteps and transformed Europe and eventually North America and much of the world. Luther was just an ordinary guy just like me whom God used to proclaim His truth. I can only pray that I can be as bold and as willing as Luther and many others to proclaim it as well.

Has Jesus Emerged?

2007-10-17T09:33:00.001-07:00

This week I’ve been home and have had the ability to spend a lot of good time reading and reflecting. It has been a joy to get back into some good study of the Bible and the deep truth that it contains. I love the Bible because it is God revealing himself to us, it is the creator of the universe telling us about himself and explaining to us the way things are. I believe the Bible is the very foundation for everything and is really the only way for us to truly know anything. We could not make sense of this world without knowing God and we can’t know God without Him revealing Himself in His word. I believe that the Bible and only the Bible gives the preconditions of intelligibility, which means that it is the only thing that gives a consistent, coherent foundation for what we know and how we know it. For example, without the Bible you could not give a rational explanation for why we have morality or laws of ethics. People try to give an explanation but upon deeper review it is inadequate and illogical. All this to say I believe that the Bible is very valuable and I take it very seriously which is why I am deeply saddened when people who claim to want to follow it think that it is ok to try and change it or use it to try and make it say something it doesn’t. This is something that has happened since time began and probably always will as long as sinful men live. I think whenever an issue arises we need to go to scripture first and see what God says about it and to faithfully with an open heart let scripture speak for itself. We cannot impart our ideas into the text we can only take from it what it really says. There is sooo much more to say on this as it is something that men have spent their whole lives discussing and studying but I wanted to give a brief synopsis on my view of the Bible and it’s authority in our lives for everything.

I think it is important whenever we hear a sermon or someone speak or read a book to check what the person is saying with scripture. Is what this person is saying lining up with what God says in his word? If what they say goes against sound Biblical teaching we need to call them on it. We need to do it in a loving way with the goal of unity and restoration but it needs to be dealt with and not left to get worse. I think many of the problems in the church today are a result of men failing to teach what the Bible really says and good men doing nothing about it.

I can’t go into all the different erroneous theological views at this time nor would it be very fruitful here. However, there is one in particular that I would like to highlight at this time. I think is a dangerous one because it is so attractive and it really appeals to the modern culture. I’m talking about the Emergent movement. Don’t worry, I’m not going to bash these people or engage in attacking them personally. In fact I think I share common ground with them in their criticism of the modern “seeker sensitive” modeled churches. However, that is as far as it goes. It’s when they move from the criticisms and what wrong to their prescription on how to fix it that I feel is not always Biblically sound. I think many of them have an honest desire to follow Christ and to be a light in a dark world but I think they have changed the truth to be more appealing or more relevant to today’s culture and in so doing have lost all relevance. I think many people who have jumped on board the emergent movement don’t really know what it is that they believe and why but are more there because it’s the new exciting thing. I know I haven’t given any specifics yet as to why I feel this way and in what way that they are in error, which brings me to this. Here is an article that is brilliantly written by a pastor named Reid Monaghan. I think in it he does a great job of laying out the issues and showing why we need to be aware of what is going on. Reid gives a strong Biblical analysis and is very fair and loving in his approach to the emergents.

I can’t stress enough how worth your time it is to read it and to start asking your own questions and then seeing what God really has to say about it all. Has God changed? Is what he said then still applicable now? The Bible is clear and answers with authority and you can be confident in it, as it is the very word of God. Please check out Reid's article here for a more in depth look.

Fall Touring

2007-10-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

We've just finished the first and longest leg of our fall tour. It has been a lot of fun hanging out with Jason and Taya Gray again and this time we have Lanae Hale joining us as well. We are extremely blessed to have been on a bus for this trip which makes it feel like a school trip with all your friends or something. We even got to take a sightseeing trip to Mt. Rushmore. This tour although fun with friends has been challenging as well. We have a full production which is fantastic but it takes a lot of work to put it all up and tear it down every day. I think everyone has worked together really well though and things have run fairly smoothly. We have definitely had a few hiccups and problems but hopefully nothing that the audience would notice or ever really know about. I think the show this fall is the best it's ever been which is why it is a bit sad and frustrating that more people aren't there to see it. The crowds have been fairly small but the ones who are there have been very gracious and had a good time with us.

One great thing about this tour so far for me is the fact that I get to have my family with me. I can't even begin to tell you what a huge blessing that is. I remember dreaming and praying about what it would be like to travel and do this job with my family and now it is a reality. I was sitting on the bus, which is another thing we have prayed a long time for, and I looked over at my wife on one side and my beautiful sleeping daughter on the other and I was filled with so much gratefullness tha t I was in that moment with them. Another cool thing this week was that it was Jess' birthday. We had a fun little celebration on the bus after the show with a cake and all.

This job is very difficult sometimes and we are taken away from family and friends and the normalcy of life so often. Often times I feel so worn out but after a week like this I feel so grateful for where God has me. I love the people I get to work with and feel so blessed to share life with them and to share this crazy life in particular.

To see some great pics from this week check out jess' facebook here.

Cali giraffe

2007-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is our little giraffe taken yesterday by my lovely wife at home. I miss them a ton but am on my way home to them tonight. Cali's getting bigger and may be getting her first teeth but we aren't sure yet. I think she's pretty darn cute.

California

2007-09-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

This week I am in the land in which I was birthed. California, as usual, is treating us great and the weather is perfect. We are only here for a few days but are managing to zigzag up and down the state getting very little sleep and squeezing in a few rock shows while were at it. We have been presented with many technical challenges as is always the case when we fly but we've been able to overcome them and have some good shows. I love coming back here but it is always so strange now. I grew up here and know the state very well so it is very odd to come back as a visitor. It still feels somewhat like home because it always will but i actually almost feel out of place now sometimes when i come. Next week we start our fall tour which will be a lot of work and I'm fighting trying to get over a cold. I hope we have enough time to recover before the craziness starts. I have a couple more days to spend here in my favorite state and then I get to head home and be with my 2 favorite girls. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more interesting topics and thoughts soon.

Still Here

2007-09-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hey,
don't worry I haven't given up on this blog yet.I've been in pennsylvania these last couple weeks and without good access to the world wide web. It has been a great time to relax and enjoy watching the beautiful fall colors slowly come to fruition. There are few places that rival the beauty fall like PA. Maine is rumored to have amazing fall colors and I will see it first hand this weekend. I leave tomorrow at 6am to head to the airport and off to Maine for probably less than 20 hours. I will then finaly head home for about 3 days until I am off once again to my home state of California for a few days. It's been a busy summer and the fall is no different. It's been nice to have this time to relax and refresh a bit before things get crazy again. I'm really looking forward to the holidays when things slow down a bit. I'll try to post some more soon about the things I've been reading and learning. Now I must return to my family and enjoy them as much as I can for a few more hours before I leave.

Good bye Washington

2007-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is somewhat sad because we are leaving the beautiful and idyllic getaway that we have been at for almost 2 weeks. We have had a great time here and the guys have even managed to begin work on somke great new songs. Things are sounding good. So it is with a bit of sadness that we leave but i also feel renewed and ready to take on what lies ahead for the rest of the year. It won't be too hard at first since mer and Jess are heading to Pennsylvania for another week off to rest and enjoy family and hopefully cooler weather. I hear that it has finaly rained in Nashville and cooled off a bit so hopefully by the time we return the weather will be bearable. I think after this week I am really looking forward to the fall and all it has to bring. We will be on a tour with our good friend Jason Gray and it should be a great show. I think we were all feeling a bit road weary before we came up here but are now a bit renewed and ready to pick up the fight where we left off. Now the time has come to bid adieu to this place until next time. We love you winthrop.

To live well

2007-09-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

As I reflect on this week I feel renewed and encouraged. The irony is that this week I had an encounter with pain and although it hurt, as pain does, it was good. I found that pain and suffering can bring peace. It's in our pain and suffering that we are perfected and strengthend. We are so afraid to face our fears and problems because of the threat of pain. However, it is only when we allow ourselves to feel the pain and sufering and confront our demons that we can begin our recovery. I think many of us have been handicapped by the notion in the church that as Chritians we aren't supposed to feel pain or suffer. Often we are led to believe that we are to always be happy and filled with joy. The problem is that we live in a fallen world. The reality is that there will always be pain and suffering. We can't avoid it, the question is how do we deal with it. Do we bury it and pretend like we don't have problems and everything is fine? Or are we brave enough to be honest and admit that we hurt and that we struggle?

This issue is something I've thought about for awhile but never really done anything with it. Authenticity is something I've always desired but my fear of confronting and feeling the pain in my life has kept me from it. This week I had an experience with the pain of my life and it was a revelation. Was it hard? yes. Was it worth it? absolutely. Accepting the pain and being willing to walk in it allows me to know and accept who I really am. It's only when I'm willing to be broken and deal with it head on that I can live authenticly and be able to give myself away, my true self. When this happens there can be true intimacy with my wife, my friends, my family and everyone in my life.

I'm sure I will have more to say on all this in the future but I'm just flushing out what I have learned and felt this week. I'm on a journey and can only pray for courage to face my life with honesty and to live more authentically with those in my life.

On the road follow up

2007-09-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

This week I find myself basking in God's glory and grace once again. I am very blessed to be able to spend time with my family and friends in one of the most beautiful and amazing places in washington state. We are at our anual artists retreat up in the mountains at one of the most luxurious places I'll ever get to be. This place would be a five star resort if it wasn't privately owned by some of the nicest people you would ever meet. So that is why posting has been off for a few days. I've been trying to relax and reflect and soak in everything we are lerarning up here. I will post more soon on the things that have been going on here but for now I wanted to give a quick update on one of my last posts. I asked the question of why i do what I do and tried to come up with a good reason. I wrote it at a time that was difficult and when I was tired and maybe a bit frustrated at the circumstances. We were on the road to go do a show for free 10 hours away, outside on one of the hottest days of the year. The set up was gruelling and the day was a hard one. It reinforced the question of why. What were we here for, why did we make that sacrifice? A couple days after the show we received an e-mail from the head of the radio station that brought us in to play. His e-mail was more timely and needed than he may ever know. The e-mail is as follows:

Let me tell you a story. One night, in a small city in the midwest, about 1500 people came to an outdoor amphitheatre to see a couple of new artists most, admittedly, had never seen live before. In fact, most admitted they had only heard one song on the radio from these performers at best. They came for the atmosphere, or because previous acts who had performed there were more well-known, or just because it was date night or something to do for free with the kids.

Then a shocking thing happened. The concert began. First two songs- still sitting on their hands, but starting to lean forward. Third song- now fully engaged and starting to sway. 5,6,7 songs in- riveted to the testimony and the music of this sweaty man named Jason Gray.

Fast forward ten minutes. By now everyone is wondering if the next band could possibly be as good as what they just heard. It was Friday night and the stars were out. Time for some mellow music and coffee right? The river was running deep just 20 feet behind the stage, a wedding reception was being held in white tents just down the Riverwalk. The mixture had everyone as relaxed as they could be... and then the music startled. That's right, startled. The first song was a rocking number that pushed adrenaline through the mostly middle-aged crowd and featured a low lead singers voice that was engaging and electric. This was worth staying for. It was written on every face.

Fast forward 5 minutes. The second lead singer opens his voice. Shock. Total, utter shock. People who brought friends turned with an "I told you so" look, but not matter. The newbies just stared, jaws dropped, not believing a band already impressively tight could be fronted by not just the guy with the husky voice, and accomplishment in it's own right, but this ridiculously perfect pitched second voice. For 55 more minutes they cheered the drummer, jumped with the bass player, hopped, swayed, raised their hands, pumped their fists... but they mostly just stared at the Canadian in cropped pants and a drenched white shirt.

By the end of the night the rock stars who need money, and their friend Jason had given much more than they would possibly receive that night. They absolutely, clearly pointed to Jesus, while simultaneously rocking the riverwalk crowd. In the end a tuxedoed wedding party member walked over, listened for a few minutes, bought a green t-shirt, and tossed it to his new bride.

I think a lot of lives started a new chapter that night.

Thanks for making it happen. Please give our deepest thanks to Jason and all 4 guys from the band. They traveled far and worked hard and we do not take it lightly. But man did they make some serious fans on Friday night. I literally had a guy turn to me 2 songs in to say "I'm convinced- this is my new favorite band!" They were absolutely spot on. Just fantastic.

Some great pictures are online at kxoj.com. If you need the originals let me know.

Thanks for partnering with us,
Bob

Thanks Bob for your words of encouragement and thank you to everyone who came out. Also most importantly thank you Jesus for using us even when we weren't willing.

The heat is on

2007-08-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, seriously, I'm done with summer. Bring on the cool fall air. This summer has been insufferably hot here in Nashvegas. I haven't even been home for most of it but it seems nearly impossible to escape the heat when here. It's not just nashville either, it's been scorching all over the U.S. this summer. The difference here though is how unusually dry it has been. In some areas here we are 2 feet below the average yearly rainfall. Unfortunately me and Jess picked the wrong summer to try and plant our first garden in the backyard. No rain and little time at home to water it spelled certain doom.

Summer time for us in the band usually means a lot of outdoor shows including festivals. We go into it expecting the heat and less than ideal playing conditions. This year though was one for the books. It has been so miserably hot. Yesterday was one of the worst so far. We had a show in Tulsa, OK and the heat was unrelenting and fierce. The show itself was good and we surprisingly had a great crowd but we were all drenched in sweat and exhausted from the sun and humidity. It always seems much harder to keep a good positive attitude when you are miserable from the heat too.

The good news is that fall is just around the corner. Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the changing colors and the cooler air. I start to feel more alive in the fall. The start of football season and hockey doesn't hurt either. It's also the most festive time of year and with all the holidays it's a very family centered time. I like the cooler weather because you can always put more clothes on when it's cold but there is only so much you can take off when it's hot.

This week we are off to Washington state where it promises to be much more bearable weather and where we will get to relax with our record label family. After that me and the family are headed to Pennsylvania where it should be gloriously cool. Hopefully if all goes as expected we will miss the final days of this torturous heat in Nashville and come back to some splendid fall weather. I only have to survive 2 more days here. Until then I will be eagerly waiting for the best time of year.

On the road again

2007-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here I am, once again, trapped in this metal box hurtling down some interstate road with nothing to do and plenty of time to do it. Why have I chosen this vagabond life? Maybe it has chosen me or maybe I was chosen for it. I’ve spent way too much of my life over the past decade sitting, as I am now, watching the world go by and what is left of my youth. I must be crazy, why else would I choose such a life? There must be more that makes this all worth it, makes an 18hour drive mean something. It surely isn’t financial gain because that would make me pretty stupid. Could it be my sense of adventure and desire to see the world? Maybe, in the beginning, but the world has been seen and adventures had and yet I’m still here, sitting in this van. What is it that would possess someone like myself to spend an incredile 9 full months worth of sitting in a van over the last 10 years? Part of me mourns that fact when I think about it. That’s a lot of time spent away from family, friends, life.

What’s it all worth? My life, and the lives of those I’ve been called to serve. There is fulfillment in a life of purpose. To do what you are made for, although hard sometimes, is the most fulfilling life there is. I was made to help bring a clear message of hope to a hurting world. I have to believe that by my obedience in something as small as sitting in a van for endless hours will ultimately be redeemed and used to change a life at the end of the road.

So, I will continue to sit and watch the world go by. When I get so bored I can hardly stand it, I will try to remember why I’m here after all and do my best to return thanks.

Ifake

2007-08-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

So would anyone want an Iphone and only pay half? Oh yeah it also has more features and works with any cell phone service anywhere in the world. Anyone? Ok so what if it isn’t exactly an Iphone but you can’t tell the difference unless you were told? Ok maybe not electronics how about some adidas gear or should I say odidoss. Here’s the scoop, right now in China there are literally thousands of factories and company’s whose sole purpose is to copy as exactly as they can many popular products and then selling them for more than half the price of the original. In the recent issue of one of my favorite mags (Popular Science), where I get up to date on geekdom, there is a great article on this topic. In the past the Chinese were getting their hands on the hottest new products and figured out how to make them the same but way cheaper. The problem with this is that the Chinese knockoffs were far inferior and would either not last or were full of safety issues. You may have heard recently about numerous mass recalls that have happened to many Chinese companies because of problems with their products. It seems that just recently, however, the Chinese have gotten better at their engineering and many of their knockoffs are even better than the original. The Iphone copy, called the minione, is a good example. The fact that the Chinese are making exact copies of these products is not making the original manufacturers very happy. There have been many legal battles to try and stop many of these companies but it seems it is very hard to shut them down completely and there are many legal loopholes they get through. Many times these copy products were so identical the original manufacturers couldn’t even tell the difference and were even servicing the fakes under their warranty. This is good reason to be careful buying products online or from a non-reputable dealer because it may not be what you think it is. I think competition in the marketplace is good and it helps lower prices for us consumers. However, I also think that stealing intellectual property is just as bad as stealing the actual product and reselling it. It wouldn’t be bad if they were making similar products that were a bit different and hopefully better but they are manufacturing the identical product and simply changing the label. The problem is that this won’t stop because people buy the imitations because they are cheaper. I think we have a responsibility as consumers to make ethical purchases to the best of our knowledge. The only way to really stop the problem is to stop the demand. The Chinese government has been trying to stop this problem but it is a bit behind the game. Recently the head of their Food and Drug Administration was sentenced to death and executed. He was taking bribes from Chinese drug companies who were manufacturing imitation drugs, which ended up killing people. That’s how serious the problem has become in the extreme. Most of the cases are not that bad but it is costing companies billions of dollars and it is having a direct impact on the American economy.

I guess the moral of the story is be careful what you buy and cheaper is not always better maybe. I’m a huge fan of great cheap deals but not on cheap products that were made from stolen ideas. Here's the link to the full Popular Science article

Belfast

2007-08-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have been richly blessed in my life. I have had the great privilege to experience God’s work in numerous ways in many amazing different places. This last week was certainly no exception. Last week I found myself once again in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As I grew up I always dreamed and fantasized about traveling to the land of my ancestors that magical isle so full of history and culture, Ireland. Now, here I was for the 3rd time living the dream. This 3rd trip did not include much sightseeing but it involved an historic event that I am honored to have taken part in. This trip was once again a “work” trip with Downhere. We had been invited by our dear friend Philip Simpson to come and open for Chris Tomlin at the largest music venue in Northern Ireland. There is a lot of history with Philip and us. He took a chance on us 3 years ago by bringing us over to play a couple shows and it turned into a great relationship. The first time Philip brought us to Belfast to show us around he drove us by the Odyssey arena and said, “Hey guys one day you will come back and play in there.” We rolled our eyes and thought aww what a nice, crazy Irishman. What we didn’t know then but know now was that Philip was a man of faith and vision who would actually make it happen. There were many obstacles that came in the way to making this happen which you can read about here.

A lot of people are amazed at how God worked through this test of faith and rightly so. The thing that strikes me most though is not the circumstances that allowed this show to happen but the fact that this event could even happen in that city now. The fact that 3,500 Christians came together to worship God, in a public venue in Northern Ireland is a true miracle. Less than 10 years ago that idea would be unheard of. Not only that it would have been dangerous. You may well know about the troubles Northern Ireland has gone through in the last 30 years or so.This beautiful country was split nearly in half between Nationalists, who were mostly Roman Catholic and Unionists or Loyalists who were predominately Protestant.Ultimately the issues were political namely who was to govern Ireland, the Unionists favored British rule while the Nationalists wanted a unified independent Ireland. The sad part is that religion became the identifying difference. Men and women who allegedly worshipped the same God and Saviour suddenly became mortal enemies.Where you went to church defined which side you were on. Each side engaged in brutal violence against each other making Belfast one of the most dangerous cities in the world. In the last few years though, things have taken a turn for the better. The people of Belfast were fed up with the violence and have made huge strides towards change and unification. Things are still not perfect, by no means, but the fact that this concert took place is a huge sign that things are a long ways from where they were.

God is moving in a mighty way in Northern Ireland. He is reclaiming that place for himself slowly but surely. I can only be humbled and thankful that he was able to use the little that I have in some small way to continue to effect that change. I pray along with my brothers and sisters over there that God will continue to move and unite his people to do his will and bring Him glory in Ireland.

Dave

Cali Isabella

2007-08-22T10:06:00.001-07:00

I would like to introduce you to the sweetest thing around, Ms. Cali Isabella Lewis. This wonderful person enterd our world on May 25, 2007 and has blessed us more than we could imagine possible. Cali is the fullfillment of a dream that I have had for a very long time. For some reason one of my biggest goals in life and greatest desires was to have a family. Specifically i had a desire to have a little girl. The bond between father and daughter is a beautiful thing and something I always prayed for. So, I could not have been more excited when we found out that we were going to be having this sweet beautiful girl. I feel like God had promised me the desires of my heart and he fulfilled them, let alone the fact that he gave me the most amazing wife too. Cali's name literally means God's beautiful promise. She is everything I dreamed and prayed for and I can only thank God for the blessing he has bestowed. I am humbled to be given such a precious gift and pray God will give his wisdom and grace to raise her up in His ways. I'm sure Cali will make an appearance in many of the posts to come.

Is this my blog?

2007-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, this is the moment I know you all have been waiting so long for. I seem to have taken a wrong turn a couple years back and was lost in the blogosphere somewhere. I'm happy to say that I believe I have found my way back, at least for now. I cannot promise how long I will be here but I will do my best. I've decided that there is a lot going on in my life now and some of it may even be interesting to someone. The biggest thing right now is the addition to our family of our beautiful daughter Cali Isabella. I thought that if anything it would be nice to have something for her to read some day and see that her father was at least good for something. So I will give this another go. My wife has a lot to do with it too. She seems to think that maybe I have something to say about the world and when the wife speaks it's usually a good idea to listen. Well here's to another round of online communication. It will be interesting to see if anyone ever even sees this anymore ha. Here we go.

Vertigo

2005-05-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Jess and I
Posted by Hello

african flags
Posted by Hello

U2
Posted by Hello

Hello, hello, I'm at a place called vertigo! Vertigo tour 2005 that is. It was definitely worth the 7 hour drive one way to not just see, but to really experience this show. A U2 show is so much more than just a rock band playing good songs. It really is a moving and inspirational experience. The reason U2 are so good and so widely accepted is because they are about something. They write songs that connect with people on a basic level. They also aim to inspire people to make a difference in the world. They aren't always 100% correct but they are extremely passionate about what they believe in. Bono and others in the group have what I believe is a true faith in God and many of their songs and actions flow from this. Their work in trying to end extreme poverty and hunger in Africa and other third world nations is highly comendable. I left the show last night inspired to want to make a diference in the lives of people who are hurting and need our help. Bono and U2 have been a strong voice for those people and have taken it upon themselves to rally troops to fight these crises.

As for the show itself and the trip, it was nearly perfect. We left early tuesday morning and drove straight to Chicago. Traffic was great until we hit the black hole of hell which is Chicago traffic. We decided to make a stop at Ikea because there isn't one near us and we love it there. It was about 30 miles out of the way but we had plenty of time and didn't think it would be a problem. Or so we thought. It took us over an hour to get back to the arena from Ikea which caused some serious stress on my part. I was worried we wouldn't make it in time to meet the girl we were buying the tickets from. My fears were relieved though when we found out the girl was stuck in traffic as well and it worked out perfectly that we both arrived at the arena at the same time. We paid the girl and then pinched ourselves to make sure we weren't hallucinating. We really were there in Chicago and about to watch the greatest band in the world do their thing. Our seats were not ideal but we could see everything ok. The only negative was that the sound was not so good at our seats but the show itself was spectacular. They did indeed film the live DVD that night so there were lots of extra lighting effects. The thing that i connected with most and enjoyed the most was when Bono talked about the Africa crises like i mentioned before. This show definitely gets a huge 4 thumbs up from me and my wife. We would love to go again and have better seats but I'm not so sure that lightning will strike twice for us. If you have the chance to see this tour definitely take it. Here is a link to some more reviews of the show if you care. u2tours.com

Beautiful Day

2005-05-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

I’m a pretty laid back guy but every now and then I’m prone to do something wildly spontaneous. Case in point: this week as I was being lazy and surfing the net I decided to surf on over to ebay just for fun. I started looking up various things which I wouldn’t buy but in doing so I was passing time nicely. Then I came up with a great idea, which doesn’t happen too often, so I thought I outta run with it. Just for kicks I decided to see what tickets to the U2 tour were going for. Now let me quickly give some background here, I would consider myself a pretty big U2 fan, not in a crazy, pathetic way but in a healthy, admiring way. I actually cut my visit home in California short once just so I could fly back and see U2 play. So as you can imagine I was quite disappointed about not being able to get to go to this latest tour. That is of course until I found ebay.

To my utter surprise and delight I was able to find 2 decent tickets to tomorrow nights show in Chicago for cheaper than what the face value of the ticket is. I just bought these tickets last night and tomorrow, bright and early, me and my lovely wife will be driving 8 hours to Chicago to see the greatest band in the world put on the best live show there is. To say we are excited is an understatement. So I will have to give a detailed update of the trip and the show. It is sure to be an adventure and a great memory. It is my wife’s first time seeing them and my second. I think it is almost more fun to get something like this at the last minute that is completely unexpected than to know about it for months. There are two other cool things about all this, first it is going to be Bonos birthday tomorrow which should be fun and second, they are going to b filming the tour dvd that night. All we have to do now is wait a few months and buy the dvd and we can relieve the night over and over. It a little weird actually because this will be the third major concert that I’ve been to where they were filming the dvd. I guess I have a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Well I’m off to get ready for the big event but I will report back soon.

Show and Tell

2005-05-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well my head is quickly swelling with a copious amount of fresh knowledge. Ok maybe it’s not from new knowledge maybe it’s the resurgence of my allergies since spring has arrived in full force. Either way I can give you an update on my insane reading challenge now. I didn’t think it was all that insane when I came up with it but that seems to be what everyone’s opinion is that I hear from. Be that as it may I will continue on undaunted by the skepticism. As of today which is about 2 weeks since the start of the lunacy I have successfully completed reading 6 books which is right on course. The good news is that for the rest of May I will be quite free to do more reading than deemed safe for such a small brain. We are fortunate enough in the band to enjoy a month off of the road to catch up or catch a glimpse of normal life. So other than a couple weddings at the end of the month I am free to read until I’m sick in the head.

I’ll give a quick run down of the current titles completed and maybe a brief description of them. I don’t want to go into exhaustive detail about each one because you probably really don’t care. I will try to just highlight some key issues in each book unless there is more that I feel the need to share. Hopefully I can be a little more current too in updating this blog so I can just write about 1 book at a time instead of 6 at once.

All right, the first book I read I’ve already blogged about which was The Last Days. The next two books I read were authored by the same writer named Thomas Cahill. They were The Gifts of the Jews and How the Irish Saved Civilization. Cahill is an historian but writes about religious movements. I can’t really tell specifically where he stands on his personal faith but he definitely sheds some interesting new light on the past. The Gifts of the Jews is a book which shows the development of the Jewish peoples as depicted in the Old Testament. This book was great at giving me a better general idea of how things progressed in a chronological way. It also developed the cultural events that were occurring during those times and how that shaped and influenced the way the Jews lived and the decisions they made. Cahill carefully shows how many of the ideas and values that we hold today came directly from the Jews. In the book How the Irish Saved Civilization, Cahill shows how the Irish went from a very warlike and barbaric group of peoples with no faith to a nation revitalized by the gospel and now known as the "isle of saints and scholars". It was the many Irish priests and monks who saved much of the ancient literature that we now have today. They devoted their lives to making hand written copies of thousands of manuscripts so that they could survive. Many barbarian groups were trying to destroy these documents and would have been completely successful had it not been for the Irish. So next time you read Homer or Plato or even your Bible, make sure you think of the Irish.

The next book I read was Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport. This book was given to me by a friend who works for the publisher and the title caught my attention right away. It is written by the president of Fuller Theological Seminary Richard J Mouw. I thought Mouw did a great job of making the controversial subject of Calvinism relatable to the 21^st century in a tactful and loving way. It is obvious when reading it that Mouw has come to his beliefs by struggling with them and being open to all the ideas and possibilities. He doesn’t tow the familiar party line in the Calvinist camp. He challenges Calvinists to examine themselves and be sure that at their core they are acting in Christ’s love and grace. I thought he made some great points and I appreciated his insights.

The last book I read was The Ragamuffin Gospel. The book was just good for my soul. Brennan Manning’s aim in this book is to make you understand just how intense and complete is God’s love for us. Brennan is shockingly honest and frank with the reader in exposing how human he is. The point is we are all human and sinners but God is bigger than our sin. He shows how important it is to embrace the unconditional love of God. He also shows that once we embrace this love and accept that we are all fallen people we can view others differently. We can view them the way Christ does and hopefully love them the way he did. We can see that beneath the arrogance and anger of an individual is someone who is hurting and in need of the Saviors love just like us. We really aren’t too different from one another after all. This book is highly recommended if you haven’t fully grasped this concept yet. I know I needed to hear it.

Well that catches you up on my reading journey. If you read this whole post you were on a bit of a journey as well. This reading challenge has been a great experience so far. It seems that the more I read the more my eyes are slowly opened and I start to see the world in a new way. I also realize each day just how much I don’t know. What I do know is that God is sovereign and changing me everyday with his perfect love.

Who am I?

2005-04-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you live life as an actor, going through the day as if on stage an needing to perform for those around you? Why is that? What is it about other people that makes us feel like we have to live up to some unknown standard which really doesn't even exist? We say we don't care what anybody says or thinks about us but inside we know that's a lie. We live in a culture that tells us in a million different ways that we have to look a certain way or act like this guy if we want to fit in, but we know that's not really us. So what do we do? Put on a great show, of course, because we all know the show must go on.

So why is it so hard to just be ourselves, the good and the bad? I believe the reasons are many but would argue that it is perpetuated by a vicious cycle. Initially, I believe we all have a desperate longing to be loved and accepted. It is our desire to be loved that gets this ball rolling and when that desire is rejected, or even perceived to be, it takes an ugly turn. When we present our "true" self to someone and are not accepted we are left hurt and wondering what went wrong. If it is perceived that they are rejecting us, we would assume that in order to gain acceptance we would have to change. Once this change occurs we will be accepted and will have achieved our goal. However, we are still left unfulfilled, why? When trying to gain this acceptance we are giving up part of who we really are. The person who is accepted is not really who we truly are. The desire still remains for true acceptance and the cycle continues as we keep trying to adapt our personalities and likes to fit in better or be valued more.

Here's the problem, we're chasing our tails. We're going after the wrong thing and we can't even see it because we are so intent about catching that darn tail. Now here's the truth, in this case less is truly so much more. Millions of people cheering your name because they think your swell is not going to fulfill you, but there is One who will. The love of Christ is the only thing in this world that can give you what you're chasing after. The irony is that it's chasing after you but you're too busy putting on the show to see the real masterpiece. If only we could just give up the act and lay all our cards on the table. The truth will set you free and the truth is that Christ is so completely in love with you. His raging love is unstoppable. He knows what the real you is like with all your faults as well as the gifts which he gave you. The love and acceptance that he gives is not conditioned on what we do but only on what He's done. That is why His love is perfect and completely fulfilling, because we don't have to do anything. We can give up the act and rest easy in his love and grace.

Please read

2005-04-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

So here is my second foray into the blogosphere. I'm still not totally used to this but that's ok right? I went to the library last week to find some books to read while we are home this week. While I was there I decided to give myself a little challenge, throw down the gauntlet if you will. The challenge I came up with was to attempt to read 50 books by the end of August. That's roughly 3 months, which turns out to be about 3 books a week. I haven't specified what types of books or how long just 50.The main reason I've challenged myself is because I won't do it if i don't. I do love to read and I already read quite a bit, but I think with a little extra motivation I can read a lot more and who knows maybe even learn something. A little eductation never hurts right? Another possible perk to all this is that it just might actually make me turn the stupid TV off.

So I've already jumped head first into my challenge, eager to impress myself, and finished my first book. Though I must admit, it wasn't exactly a work of scholarship or anything, but it was fun to read and perhaps a good kickstart. It was a book titled The Last Days by Joel C. Rosenberg. This book was a sequel to a book called The Last Jihad, which I read last summer. I really enjoyed that one so I was interested in reading this one too. Now I know what you may be thinking, Dave your not really the type of guy who likes to read those hyped up eschatology books which spell out the doom and gloom of the world. You're right I'm not, in fact I pretty much refuse to read the Left Behind series. It just feels too much like bad propaganda for bad theology to me rather than a well written story with Christian themes. This book is different though, Rosenberg does a good job of writing an intense action packed story with great detail. He is also able to very subtly slip in the gospel message by making it plausible in the story. He isn't being overt and trying to hit the reader over the head in a blunt way about the gospel or speaking in "chritianese". Instead he has been very creative and tactful. He has written an interesting story that engages the reader even if they have no faith because it is a story anyone can relate to. Then he very subtly works the gospel into the story in a creative and believable way that makes sense to the reader.

I haven't read too many books that can do this without being in your face and over the top. I think that is a flaw in too many Christian fiction writers, they want to write the gospel in there so bad but they completely give up all creativity to do it. The result of this is another cheesy story with unbelievable characters and in implausible situations. God calls us to be excellent in all we do and this most certainly includes the arts and writing. We need writers who will use the creative minds that God has gifted them with and write inspiring stories that are relevant and original. We need to be setting the standard for excellence in writing as Christians, not mimicking pop culture. So I applaud Mr. Rosenberg on a job well done and hope to see more Christian authors doing the same soon.

My next book to read will be on a more educational level and non fiction. I will fill you in when I finish it, which should be soon. 49 more books to go and counting. You're welcome to join me in this endeavor as well. I throw out the same challenge to you. If you choose not to accept it than maybe at least you will read this blog and perhaps a book or 2 when you can. Until next time happy reading.

p.s. Joel Rosenberg has a very informative blog on events happening in the middle east and around the world, so check it out here Joels blog.

I surrender!

2005-04-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ok so i give up. I'm finaly writing a blog. I've fought this for quite a while because honestly i thought a blog may be a waste of my time, and maybe it will be, but i figure it can't hurt and i certainly don't want to be the last guy to do one. I know that doesn't sound like the most noble reason to start a blog but it is the most honest one i have right now. So what can you expect from this blog and what the heck is Fika? Well let me answer the second question first as it directly relates to the other. I was in Sweden last summer with the band i work for (downhere) and i was introduced to a great tradition they have called Fika (pronounced fee ka). Even the swedes had a difficult time fully explaining what it was but basically it is having a light snack such as coffee and biscuits but the key ingredient is good conversation. So what i hope to present on this blog are some good conversation points which in turn others can respond to if they feel so inclined. I'll also be writing about the many experiences i have daily while either on the road with the band or at home or any number of places. Hopefully the posts here will inspire more good Fika. I think we've lost that a lot in the american culture. It's too easy to stay at home and watch tv than to go and have a cup of coffee and just talk with our friends or even heaven forbid a stranger. I think good conversations with others is quite healthy and can lead to a greater impact on society and culture when we can encourage each other and challenge each other on different ideas. This is how growth happens, iron sharpens iron. So here's to many more posts and hopefully something on here will be somewhat stimulating and interesting. I guess if nothing else my parents will get a kick out of it so that's not all bad right? Ok so until next time enjoy some good fika.