Mom

You should read my my Mom's blog

Switchfootish

Ok, so this is really, really weird, but kind of cool.

Our church band "ish" is going to be playing at the Jackson County Fair on August 9th. We weren't looking for a gig or anything, but a cool guy from our church picked up our cd and passed it along to the fair manager, who really liked it and decided to ask us to play. The thing is, later that night Switchfoot is playing and there's a slight possibility that we could open for them if the opening act falls through. I think it will be really fun, although it feels kind of weird becuase our songs are written for our specific church family and I'm not sure how the average joe at the fair will think of it (but Switchfoot is Christian right?). Maybe we should wear wtfwjd tees.

Sick

Oh, so Jaden got me sick. Last night we went over to Noel and Grace's and I started feeling weird and my throat was feeling scratchy, and then when I woke up today, I knew I was down.

Barnes and Noble

A guy that goes to our church and works at Barnes and Noble asked me to make a book suggestion for the "Christianity" section. He is asking area pastors every month to give a suggestion and write a couple sentences about the book. I told him I'm not a pastor, but he said it didn't really matter, so here's what I sent him.

Ok there are like five that I wanted to pick, but I finally chose G.K Chesterton's Orthodoxy.

Chesterton's response to critics of his book "Heretics" is a book about Meaning, Beauty and Truth. He echoes this in his chapter The Ethics Of Elfland "I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in me by the fairy tales, but has since been meekly ratified by the mere facts."

You can read the whole book online here

Mike Tyson

In liu of Mike Tyson's recent loss and consequential retirement, I've been reading some of his quotes, they've for the most part been pretty crazy. Here's an interesting one:

"I feel like sometimes that I was born, that I'm not meant for this society because everyone here is a f**king hypocrite. Everybody says they believe in God but they don't do God's work. Everybody counteracts what God is really about. If Jesus was here, do you think Jesus would show me any love? Do you think Jesus would love me? I'm a Muslim, but do you think Jesus would love me ... I think Jesus would have a drink with me and discuss ... why you acting like that? Now, he would be cool. He would talk to me. No Christian ever did that and said in the name of Jesus even ... They'd throw me in jail and write bad articles about me and then go to church on Sunday and say Jesus is a wonderful man and he's coming back to save us. But they don't understand that when he comes back, that these crazy greedy capitalistic men are gonna kill him again."

sleep

I've only had one really good night of sleep in the past couple months. It was Friday night. I'm not sure why I can't sleep well, it's really been since my dad died, but it doesn't feel like that should be the reason. I mean, I had a couple weeks there of no sleep because of that, but it's just weird. I'm usually out like the slow kid in baseball, which btw we won another softball game today. I hope to dream of sacrifice bunts...

Music For The People

I don't listen to much so-called "worship music." Maybe I shouldn't say that becuase I'm the Music guy here at Riverview. But it's honestly hard to find music that isn't trite, cliche, uninteresting, doctrinally incorrect and un-sing-able. I have found some songs from individual churches that I have heard ("At Your Feet" is from Mars Hill in Seattle, "Tower" is from Journey in Oklahoma)So I am encouraging the bands at Riverview to write songs for our people. I think it's our job as God's creation to mimic Him in a way, to be "little creators", to "sing to the Lord a new song", to create art. This may mean we start singing songs that are dark and questioning like many of the Psalms, it may mean that different genres are explored (country? heavy metal?). It may mean that some of the songs take a longer time to "learn" for those of us singing along. But I'm hoping it will mean music that we won't get tired of after three times singing. I'm hoping it will mean lyrics that are true but not necessarily what you'd expect. I'm hoping that when people hear the new songs they think of God and how creative God is and how loving he is for allowing us to "follow in His footsteps."

G8 Sounds like a sweet computer...

This is cool.

Nicole

Nicole has the best post today, that I just have to quote here:
"
This week at the crepe shop I have been working mornings from 6:30 till noon. It is a great time to work. I work while others sleep, and then when I am done working I still have the whole day to do other things. I also love seeing the same people everyday and talking with the customers. This morning I got to talk with a mom that came in with her 14 month old. She just needed some time out of the house and some adult conversation.

My favorite interaction was with a 7 year old boy:
(After a bit of chit-chat about how this was his last day of school)
Boy: What school did you go to?
Me: Lansing Christian
Boy: Oh, so your a Christian?!
Me: Yep.
Boy: (very enthusiastically) Nice to meet you!! I'm an African American!"

who am I?

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 100% Postmodernist 69% Fundamentalist 56% Romanticist 44% Idealist 25% Existentialist 19% Modernist 19% Materialist 0% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

wifey

Dan's Nap

Dan's Nap, originally uploaded by groovingdan.

Today was a busy day. Our band played at Crossroads church which was really fun. Good people. Then I had a softball game. We won. I hit pretty well, hit a three bagger to a wide open left field. Got hurt, played through it, came home, drank a rum and coke and pretty much passed out on the couch. Suzanne decided to clean the floors.

Jaden Plays Guitar

Jaden Plays Guitar, originally uploaded by groovingdan.

Jaden's Cake

Jaden's Cake, originally uploaded by groovingdan.

Joel and Chaz

Joel Chaz, originally uploaded by groovingdan.

They didn't plan this, but it is awesome.

Blog You!

A friend of mine sent a link to a guy named Phillip Johnson who had a great quote on his blog.


"Apropos of everything we have talked about so far, my longtime friend and former co-worker Joost Nixon has good advice for me:
Blogging is governed by the same biblical principles that govern our speech. This seems obvious, but to read the blogs of many young turks, they either don't get it, or they refuse to bridle their tongues. Blogs can be used for great good, but like any speech, it must be bridled in order to bring grace to those who hear.

Godly blogging begins with the right metaphor. Many young bloggers write as though they are scribbling ugly secrets into their private diaries. Because their blog-thoughts are just them "thinking out loud," they think their grumbling lawful—as if our thought-lives aren't under the Lord's dominion1. The fact that the "diary" metaphor is faulty only multiplies the destruction of sinful speech. Blogging is a form of diarizing, but one written expressly for others to read—or else why the public forum? But blogging is like reading one's diary over NPR. Bloggers should reflect on whether they really want such a public forum. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (Jas. 3:1).

If you have a blog, don't take yourself too seriously. Few people—even those "struggling with low self-esteem"—really think more lowly of themselves than they ought to think. The opposite sin, however, is pandemic (Rom. 12:3)."

Christmas in July

This is what I want if I can sell my loop pedal. You can read more about it here

Billy Harvey is a monogamous playboy

This gets the "cool site of the month" award.